Mexico is our closest ’south-of-the-border’ neighbor and the first stop on our Culinary Tour. Please join us as we eat our way through El Salvador, Nicaragua, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
As they say in Mexico, “fiesta sin comida, no es fiesta cumplida“, meaning a party without food is not really a party. So, let’s go to the fiesta.
The countdown begins for 2010’s Culinary Tour. Starting January 11 and for 9 weeks thereafter, FOODalogue will be featuring the cuisines of 10 of our south-of-the-border neighbors. We begin in Mexico and move from there to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
When I did this event in early 2009, readers and participants alike had a great time. We visited 13 countries in 13 weeks. We challenged ourselves in the kitchen, behind the lens and at the keyboard. We learned about different cultures and also helped bring awareness to BloggerAid and the plight of world hunger. And, we posted about 150 recipes!
Join us this year, won’t you? Here’s how…
When we moved to Florida from New York 15 years ago, we quickly learned that cold weather and snow are not really the criteria for the holiday season…and we happily dropped that notion! Goodbye boots, hello flip-flops.
Now, it’s Christmas trees and palm trees, house lights and boat lights, and sandmen instead of a snowmen; but, most importantly, it’s family, friends, good wine…and great menus! It’s a joyous time of year wherever you are.
In celebration of the holiday season, various cities in FL that border the Intracoastal Waterway host boat parades. Led by a fireworks barge, festively-decorated boats make their way up or down the canal and residents line the docks and cheer the parade…and some, like us, use it as an excuse to party! Who doesn’t love a party? Continue Reading
Pardon me a sec while I boast. FOODalogue’s 3-Alarm Fruit Pizzette took the prize for most unique interpretation of ingredients for this month’s Royal Foodie Joust. We were challenged to come up with a dish using maple syrup, cayenne pepper and apple. Once submissions were complete, members of The Foodie Blogroll voted for best overall, best photography and most unique. I hear my trophy is the conveted ‘royal’ coffee mug.
[FOODalogue did not, however, make the cut to be nominated for the FoodBuzz Awards (boo-hoo), but I thank all of you who voted. There are a lot of awesome food bloggers out there and I will be in San Francisco to cheer when they receive their awards.]
Challenge #2…
The guests ‘may’ be sober, but the bird is definitely juiced! It arrives with a few cups of tequila and Grand Marnier in its belly.
Many of my non-food blogger readers often say to me ‘where did you come up with that idea?’ Tough question since many ingredients and potential recipes are always floating around my brain. But this time I have an answer.
Foodie Blogroll, one of the online communities I belong to, hosts a monthly challenge called the Royal Foodie Joust. The winner of each month picks 3 ingredients which participants of the following month have to include in a dish. It’s a fun competition that stokes one’s creative juices. This month’s ingredients were: apple, cayenne and maple syrup. You see where I’m going with this?
Continue Reading
What to do with small amounts of 4 different exotic dried mushrooms? I thought about a mixed saute that could be put in some puff pastry, but that seemed like a cop-out. I thought about a cream soup but I really didn’t feel like making soup. Besides, since I wanted to taste the flavor of each variety, I decided to rehydrate them and give them a quick saute separately…a little olive oil and a garlic clove in each pan. Continue Reading
I received a sample pack of Venison Sausage with Merlot and Blueberries and was asked to come up with an original recipe. Venison? With Merlot and Blueberries?
The blueberry glaze which also included a splash of merlot took care of ‘marrying’ the protein to the glaze (and the beverage).
Temporary road block. I wanted vegetables, but I’m going for a menage a trois here so how do I marry the meat and rice to the stir fry? Would the drizzle of spicy sesame oil I planned as a finishing touch do it? I thought so and, if not, I reasoned the rice and stir fry were already ‘married’ by way of their Asian origins. 
Ben of What’s Cooking? issued a challenge to food bloggers to make tortillas. And, I issued a challenge to my team…let’s collectively make the tortillas and individually make a filling and topping. [I'm not a fan of dough-related recipes. I like to eat them, but I just don't have the temperament to make them. So, "collectively" means I issue ideas (I had a few), Jim does the actual work, and Cassie plays games on his I-phone.]
We used the standard tortilla recipe (easy with the right product) and made them ‘ours’ by pressing cilantro leaves into the dough (left); mixing in Sazon seasoning with achiote (center); and blending the dough with squid ink (right).
Jim made carnitas with a slow-cooked pork butt and pickled onions which we paired with the achiote tortilla; Cassie wanted to make a “salad” filling and chopped lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, olives etc. and served it with a citrus vinaigrette and we paired that with the cilantro tortilla; and I made a shrimp ceviche which I had planned to serve with the squid-ink infused tortilla. 
Riddle: What do marinated artichoke hearts, figs, capers, cheddar cheese, Greek olives, porcini mushrooms, walnuts and vinegar have in common?
I made the first course…gazpacho served with a mini chorizo-fig empanada; plantain salsa was served as garnish. I used 5 of the ingredients: sherry vinegar, calamata olives, figs, capers, walnuts.
Mini Quiche
Scarolelle Imbottite. Carolyn found a recipe from one of her favorite chefs, Lydia Bastianich, which she adapted to include figs, capers and olives as her chosen ingredients. This photo is in preparation stage. See recipe for how to finish the dish.
Mary created a pasta with porcini mushrooms, figs, walnuts and gorgonzola. This was our only porcini mushroom dish…and it was a real treat. She used 3 ingredients.
Happy and over-satiated after seven very delicious courses and a variety of wines later, it was difficult to muster the energy to pose for a photo. We all agreed the dinner was a huge success, a fun activity, and something we’d like to do again. You should try it!
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