Pastechis in Progress

Hello, my lovelies! I have been experimenting in the kitchen to create my beloved Aruban pastechis (like an empanada, but with a Dutch Caribbean twist).  Since pastechis come with many different kinds of filling, I decided to try chicken curry. And, not wanting to make a one note meal, I completed the menu with an avocado-spring mix salad with honey lime dressing and Dutch cashew cake for dessert.  With the windows thrown open to a warm spring day, and a breezy outfit to boot, I channeled my island girl childhood and went to work!


My idea of a breezy outfit? Well, I start with a closet staple-a pair of Miss Me white skinny jeans. The white creates a more casual and colorful color palette, while the skinny cut keeps it from being too bulky.

While it was warm, but the breezy had a bit of a coolness to it, I chose a light blue tissue weight v-neck sweater.  Perfect to contrast with my ginger hair!

Notice the feminine details on the sleeve caps? Keeps it from looking like Alexander Skarsgard on True Blood...not that I would mind looking AT him, just don't want to look LIKE him.

And, since no outfit is complete without a pair of red stilettos (actually no woman's closet is complete without a pair in her arsenal!)....

I tell you, my lovelies, I get more complements on these shoes than anything else I own.  Ignore that tired, conservative adage that only cheap women wear red shoes-I know I look like a million bucks when I wear these sweet shoes!

Okay, now that we are dressed and ready to cook, let's begin!

Pastechis with Chicken Curry Filling:

For the chicken:

1 whole roasting chicken

Juice of 3 limes

1 large yellow onion, sliced

3 t. garlic powder

3 t. allspice

3 t. smoked paprika

3 t. cumin

Mix garlic powder, allspice, paprika, and cumin together in a small bowl. 

In a large Dutch oven or clay baking pot, placed rinsed whole chicken.

  Pour lime juice over chicken, making sure to get plenty inside the cavity.  Put onion slices in and around the chicken, and sprinkle spice mixture over whole chicken, making sure to get fair amount inside the cavity as well.

Bake at 350 F, for 2 hours, or until the bird is fork tender.  After chicken has cooled, de-bone, dice and set meat aside. (While the chicken is cooking you can start on the cashew cake.)

For the filling:

3 potatoes, diced to 1/2 pieces

1 onion, diced

3 T. olive oil

2-3 t. curry powder (I prefer Sharwood's Hot Curry Powder)

Diced chicken 

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add potatoes and onions and cook until potatoes are golden and onions have carmelized.  Add chicken and curry powder, stirring until warmed and mixed thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste.

For the dough:

4 cups of flour
1 T. of baking powder
1 T. sugar
2 T. vegetable shortening
2 T. margarine
1 t. salt
1 egg beaten
1 cup of water

Put all ingredients into a large bowl except water. Mix well. Add water, a little bit at a time to form dough. When the dough is pliable, knead it well.

Divide into 18-20 small, equally sized dough balls.  Roll each ball to 1/8 inch thickness and place 2 T. filling and fold over to form a half moon shape.  Seal with water and pinch closed, making sure that no filing can leak when frying.

To Fry:

In a large pot, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil over medium high heat.  Cook pastechis, a few at a time, until golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on a plate with paper towels.

Whew! It's a bit of work, isn't it, my lovelies?  Not to worry, pour yourself a glass of wine and take a breath.  It's almost time to eat...

  

Dutch Cashew Cake:

This cake is a European style cake, meaning it is not crazy sweet and the icing is a delicate egg white frosting rather than a heavy, rich butter cream.  The recipe also only makes 1 9 inch round, but it is a lovely when sliced in small pieces and served with tea. It is good the first day, and spectacularly moist on the second.

Where I live, I cannot buy ground cashews, so I have to make them.  Make sure you buy unsalted, raw cashews for this step, otherwise-well, eww.

Grind the raw, unsalted cashews in a food processor, pulsing until the nuts resemble a coarse meal, much like corn meal.

Cake:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1-1/2 cups sifted flour
• tiny pinch of salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups ground cashews

Frosting: (use a metal bowl)

• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (no artificial flavoring)
• tiny pinch of salt
• 1 cup ground cashews

DIRECTIONS:

Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Fold in the egg whites and mix gently. Add the rest of the cake ingredients and mix gently, being careful not to deflate the egg whites. Grease and flour a 9" round cake pan and bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes. Let cool.

Frosting: 
In metal bowl......Beat egg whites on high speed until they form soft peaks, then add sugar and continue beating on high speed until stiff. Add butter, salt, almond extract and beat well.

Notice that the frosting only covers the top of the cake-this is how it should be served.  The thin and delicate frosting would not sit properly on the sides, but slide down to a puddle.

The remaining ground cashews are sprinkled on top of the cake.  My mouth is watering just looking at the picture again.  Yum! Yum!

For the salad, this is one I have posted before.  Just your favorite spring greens, red onions sliced, tomatoes, and diced avocados.  Toss with 3 T. honey, the juice of one lime (whisked together, of course).

Notice the tasty cocktail in the background of the picture? This is a concoction we invented on the fly that evening.  We're calling it a Malibu Mike.

Malibu Mike:

2 oz. Malibu rum

6 oz. Mike's Hard Limeade

juice of 1/2 lime

1 maraschino cherry

In a cocktail shaker, combine rum, lime juice, and hard limeade. Shake gently.  Pour over cherry and crushed ice.  Garnish with a lime slice.

And, last but not least, the slice of cashew cake.  All and all, it was like a trip home.

Here's to spring weather and all that comes with it, my lovelies-

Cheers!

Time in Paradise

It's been far too long, my lovelies, what with a trip to Aruba to visit with old friends and haunt my old stomping grounds, coming home to sick kiddos, and trying to set the house to rights after being away.  But, all is back to normal, and I have so much to relate!


First, let me tell you about all the wonderful places and food we had the pleasure to see and taste.  My husband and I stayed at Cunucu Arubiano, a small luxury inn/b&b. Set in the middle of the cunucu (Papiamento for 'countryside'), it consists of 3 brightly painted casitas that open to the warm, comforting Tradewinds that are a constant in Aruba. If you just have to have the a/c, they are fully equipped with remote controlled units, but trust me, it felt so lovely, you didn't want to turn it on! 

We were greeted with a lovely bottle of merlot when we arrived and plenty of bottled water to take with us as we hiked and swam. Each morning Andrea would start our morning with freshly made Dutch coffee (for me) and herbal tea (for my husband).  We would sit and have a lovely chat on the patio, and shortly Lissette (owner and breakfast cook extraordinaire) would arrive with fabulous farmer's omelets with mushrooms, green peppers, onions and Dutch gouda cheese. Perfect way to start the day!


Since Aruba was my home as a child, the places I wanted to see most were close to where I used to live, Seroe Colorado, or as it used to be known as, The Colony.  First, we visited Baby Beach, known for its pink tinged sands and calm, protected water.

Yes, this really is the place where I spent my childhood-peaceful, warm, and fun. There is a snack stand there, and we had the best sate (pronounced sah-tay).  Sate is street food.  Marinated pork or chicken, grilled or fried, served with the most heavenly peanut sauce and french fries.  I know, I know, not healthy by any stretch of the imagination, but, dear God is it delicious.  Now this is not like Thai satay.  This is spicier with (in my opinion) richer flavors.  The meat is marinated in onion, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and tumeric.  The sauce is also more complex.  Peanut butter, soy cauce,red pepper flakes, brown sugar, anchovy paste, garlic, ginger, onion and the secret ingredient-tamarind juice.  Look at the picture above, look until you can hear the waves and the feel the warm breeze of the salty sea air-now imagine sitting under a palm thatched stand eating sate.  Ah, that's heaven.


Next, we visited Bachelor's beach, so named because back in the day, that's where the bachelors would go to swim in the buff.  Now, it is best known for kite surfing.

  
There are loads of these little lean-tos along the coast, made from the flotsam and driftwood that finds its way to the shore.  The water is a little rougher here, but still swimmer friendly.  the strong wind and the relatively calm water creates the perfect conditions for kite surfing, and you can watch them zipping back and forth as they flip and jump up in the air.


The next day, we visited Roger's Beach back in Seroe Colorado.  When I was a child there was a lovely long dock to jump off of, and people would store their sunfish sailboats on the sand.  It had a pavilion with a bar and tables.  The pavilion is still there, but the dock is no more.  The beach is still gorgeous, and if you want to be in a quiet beach this is perfect for you.  No crowds of bussed in tourists and the beach is calm and gentle.

Off to the left of the above picture, is the fishermen's boats.  You cannot be anything but happy when you see them.  The bright colors of the boats against the happiest of all colors, turquoise, is enough to banish all unpleasant thoughts away.  Don't believe me? Take a look.

Now, tell me I was wrong.  Nope.  Can't do it, can you? The answer to all weather related depression problems-go to Aruba and look at the boats and the water!


The next day we picked up some pastechis at a little take away and headed for Seroe Colorado Point and the rough side of the island. Pastechis are like empanadas, but the bread enclosure is lighter and the fillings have a various influences.  They come in many flavors.  The Dutch ham and cheese, the fish stew, a decidedly Chinese vegetable (like an egg roll filling), chicken curry, and meat (really more of ground beef jerk).  We chose vegetable and meat. Up we drove to the top of Seroe Colorado Point, packed away our pastechis and water, slipped off our flip flops and slipped on our sneakers, and we were off. Down the side of the cliff towards the blue, blue deep water, crashing and foaming below us. We skittered around the edge of the cliff, shimmying to the edge to cross a small natural bridge carved by millenia of waves and wind pounding into the hard rocky coast.

So, with this as our view, we tucked into our pastechis and water. Nom, nom, nom.

Since our hostess had an fundraiser for her son to attend the next morning, she arranged for us to have breakfast at a absolutely wonderful restaurant in downtown Orangestad called De Suikertuin.  It means 'sugar bowl,' and they serve Dutch cuisine for breakfast and lunch.  I had the traditional Dutch breakfast-brown bread toasted with two boiled eggs, thin slices of gouda cheese, salami, Dutch ham (oh so good!), sliced tomatoes, and a homemade croissant with strawberry jam.  If you didn't know already, I can really eat! My husband ate the Dutch pancakes, which are like a thick eggy crepe baked in a oven, with walnuts and bananas.  Topped off with freshly squeezed orange juices and a top notch lattes (with homemade sugar cookies, I might add), and we were set for the day.

Since we were meeting my old school mates for dinner later that evening, and we didn't want to be exhausted, we returned to Baby Beach to lie, lizard like, on the warm sands (with loads of sunblock, of course!) and swim in the shallow water.

That night, we met with my two school friends to catch up on the many years since we had seen each other at a locally owned, but in the heart of the tourist area, restaurant called Gianni's.  As you guessed, Gianni's is an Italian restaurant, and it is fabulous! My husband and I each got Spaghetti Formaggio e Tomati. Made by taking fresh, homemade pasta (cooked to perfect al dente), sauteed fresh tomatoes and garlic and placing these in a massive bowl made from a wheel of parmesan reggiano.  The server then takes a ladle of vodka, lights it, and tosses the pasta and tomatoes with it inside the bowl of parmesan reggiano.  The effect? A masterpiece of showmanship and flavor.  The heat from the vodka melts just enough of the cheese to coat everything with the sharp tang of aged parmesan.

For dessert, salami chocolati, a dense flourless roulade with almonds and dark chocolate mixed in, sliced thinly and served with fresh whipped cream. So tasty!

Alas, we had to return back to home after a trip of wonderful old friends, fabulous new friends, beautiful beaches, incredible food, and marvelous weather. Already we have replicated some of the dishes we had in Aruba (posts to be coming soon! I promise!), and when we return in the summer, I will learn even more.

Oh, I know I did not comment on my clothing, but in a nutshell-a silver grey bikini and a fab retro black and white polka dot one piece both from J. Crew, MEK jean shorts, a white Massimo shirt from Target as a cover up, plenty of Neutrogena sunblock SPF 100+, flip flops and that's it!

The retro.

The grey-and, again, no that's not me!

So, for the Aruba post that is all.  I have more things to tell you about what's been worn and cooked since my return, but that must wait for another day! In the mean time, eat well, look fabulous, and watch the new episode of What Not to Wear tonight!

Cheers, my lovelies!