So it’s been like 40 years since I’ve contributed to this site, and I wish I had some cool justification for this absence. I wish I could say that I’ve been composing operas or discovering and cataloguing new species of tree frogs. The truth is that my life was taken over by an addiction to a certain computer game. Now, although I am certainly not proud, before you rush to judgment, let it be known that despite accomplishing very little in this world, in a certain alternative world called Cyrodiil I have become The leader of the Thieves Guild, Fighters Guild, and the Dark Brotherhood. I have become the Arch Mage, and the Grand Champion of the Arena. I have become a master in archery, alchemy, and alteration magic. I’ve accomplished all this, while at the same time saving the world from the demons of Oblivion. So, not too shabby when you look at it from that angle.
Anyway, I clicked my heels three times, fell back to earth and into the kitchen last weekend to do some collaborative cooking with Shogunmoon and friends. Our cuisine theme was Latin. Here’s what we came up with:
Jicama and Cucumber Salad with Chili and Lime Juice
Tamales w/ Chorizo Filling
Scallop & Halibut Ceviche
Mango Chile Salsa
Chipolte Pepper Salsa
The Greatest Guacamole Ever Conceived
Tacos Al Pastor (Pork)
Beercan Chicken Marinated in Orange and Achiote, as an alternative taco filling
Homemade Cinnamon Ice Cream w/ Plantain Gingerbread Cake
Despite a few pratfalls, the feast was a success. We gorged ourselves senseless with enough leftovers to stave off grocery shopping for several days.
This is the 3rd event we’ve held of it’s kind, and I have to say that it’s been great fun. I can’t think of a better way to hone your chops in the kitchen then getting together with friends and drinking copious amounts of liquor while trying to manufacture dinner. We never have a set agenda or serving time, which keeps things loose and generally stress free.
This time around I used my ice cream and tortilla makers for the first time. The ice cream was awesome, but the tortillas came out more like corn pancakes. I’m going to have to do some fine tuning on that one. I also made Ceviche, a dish that originated in Peru which consists basically of raw fish soaked in fresh citrus. I used Halibut and Scallops, which were recommended to me by the friendly fishmongers at Coastal Seafoods, and soaked them in grapefruit juice. The results looked kind of strange, but it was tasty and well received. I also learned that although plantains might have added panache and style points to the concept of my gingerbread, in practice it added a chewy starchy interruption to the delicious wonder that would have been a solo gingerbread. Keep it simple Mose.
Shogunmoon provided the meat and the salsa. He was going to use his new rotisserie over the grill to cook the pork and chicken but discovered that he would need a drill to install the thing properly. Guys like us don’t keep drills around because then people might expect us to fix stuff, and then it is just a slippery slope from there. Anyway, he improvised and cooked the pork in the oven and the chicken over the grill and everything was ok in the end.
One of the highlights were the tamales that our friend Davis made. Jessica and I helped him assemble them, and it was great fun; Very artsy/craftsy. They were one of the first things finished, so we all totally spoiled our appetites on them. They were so good.
Jessica’s sister Angie made a Jicama salad which served the dual purpose of being delicious and preventing us from developing gout. All in all, a successful evening. Next time, the theme will be all things seafood. Stay tuned.