Grilling in the Highlands of Panama

Living in the high mountains of Panama has lots of advantages, especially when it comes to outdoor grilling. It’s easy to stop by the fresh, open markets, then fire up the gas grill, and prepare the best backyard meals imaginable anywhere in the world.

My shopping list is short, a whole chicken or rack of baby-back ribs, whatever fresh vegetables are plentiful, and a pineapple.

The weather is always pleasant for firing your grill, even if it’s a rainy day, because the temperature is usually just right, about 72 degrees in the late afternoon. A 5-dollar gas tank will last for months of grilling, and they’re available at almost every mini-market in Panama.

Our favorite meat to grill is chicken, it never fails to please everyone. Chicken is low in calories, high in nutritional value, and very reasonable in Panama, as everyone knows. David loves to buy a can or two of Panama beer, punch holes in it along the top rim and perch the whole chicken atop of it. It cooks in about an hour on the closed grill, just in time to have your vegetables grilled and ready to eat.

The vegetables can be pre-cut and ready to toss in a grill pan.  Any kind of vegetable can be sliced thinly, tossed in a bit of olive oil and your special blend of herbs and set above the flames. Each time you glance into the grill, give the vegetables a little stir. The top photo shows our favorite grilling pan to use for any small ingredients. They cook slowly and never fall on the flames.

Dessert is easy when you’re grilling in the Highlands of Panama. Just slice off the bottom of a juicy, fresh pineapple and stand it on end. Holding the green top, slice off the skin from top to bottom. Divide in half from top to bottom and lay on cut side. Slice lengthwise again into quarters and remove the core.   Cut each quarter into 2 or 3 long pieces, depending on the size of your pineapple. Lay the long pieces on the hot grate after you remove the chicken. Wait for grill marks to appear, then turn over to brown.

You will have a luscious, grilled finish to your fresh, healthy and tasty dinner. Boquete Gourmet Host Chef, Greg Henry, on Sippitysup.com, inserted a skewer into the ends of his spears of grilled pineapple and placed them on a dessert plate with a small dish of dipping sauce similar to Dulce de Leche.

The sauce is easy to make the day before your dinner. Simply boil an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk for about an hour and a half. When you’re ready to serve your pineapple, open the can and fill small dishes with your “homemade” Dulce de Leche sauce.  You may need to thin it with a bit of white wine.  Shave chocolate or sprinkle coconut flakes over your pineapple and serve.

You can enjoy this spectacular grilled dinner wherever you are, but it’s especially good when you’re in the Highlands of Panama!

Cora

What to Make with Dick’s Limes

It was my lucky day when blogger, Richard Detrich phoned me to say he had lots of fresh limes and asked what he could do with the hundreds of little, juicy limes he had picked on his property. He asked if we wanted some limes and if so, would we come to his house to get them.

I couldn’t think of a more enjoyable afternoon, then to drive out to Palmira, about a 20 minute ride from Boquete, to visit with Dick and Nikki, and to return home with gobs and gobs of beautiful, shiny, sour and juicy Key limes. Key limes are about 1-2 inches in diameter and are yellow when ripe but usually picked green. It is smaller, seedier, has a higher acidity, a stronger aroma, and a thinner rind than that of the Persian lime we usually bought in Florida. It is valued for its unique flavor compared to other limes, with the key lime usually having a more tart and bitter taste. The name comes from its association with the Florida Keys, where it is best known as the flavoring ingredient in Key lime pie.

It is also known as Bartender’s lime, which is probably why my first thought was to make Margarita’s using Dick’s limes. But, because I prefer rum to tequila, I decided to make Mai Tais instead. There are many, many recipes for Mai Tais, so I guess you can make them to your own taste, which I did. In a shaker, I combined 1 jigger each of Panama’s Abuelo dark rum, orange liqueur, cranberry juice, and lime juice. Then, I added 2 jiggers of pineapple juice with crushed ice and shook it well. It looks really good, doesn’t it?

The obvious way to use Dick’s limes was in Guacamole, which we have often in Boquete. Our avocado trees are producing enough fruit to supply our entire neighborhood. While wearing my braces, (they come off in August) I’m eating avocados every day because they are so buttery soft. I’ve read that avocados are very high in calories, but I’m certainly not gaining weight during these months of mushy foods.

After pondering the many ways to use Dick’s limes, something struck me as our “Beer-Can Chickens” were roasting.

Why not make a white barbecue sauce to serve with the chicken, it doesn’t always need to be red, right?

While in England many years ago, I was served a white sauce along with my fish and chips and I loved it. The sauce was spicy and a bit limey tasting, I remember it well!

With a little experimenting with Dick’s limes, I found this really good version of my own white lime sauce I call;

White Barbecue Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white pepper
3 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons sugar

Mix all ingredients together and stir well.

You’ll enjoy having this sauce ready to use anytime. Try it on salads, dip French fried potatoes in it, it’s excellent on sandwiches, and it’s great on onion rings!

Actually, after making all the recipes above, including lots of Mai Tais for guests, I’m out of limes. The obvious Key Lime Pie will need to wait for a fresh supply of Dick’s limes, as will the Margaritas, Frozen Daiquiris, Cosmopolitans, Mojitos, and Caipirinhas.  Did you know there is a “Key Lime Pie Martini”?

Thanks for the limes, Dick, but I need some more – lots more!

Cheers!
Cora

Why Men Like Dining Underground

Not that women don’t enjoy the Underground Dinner events in Boquete, but I think that men like them even more than the ladies, and I’ll tell you why.

I’ll try not to offend anyone by sharing my thinking with you, but after talking with many male guests at past dinners, I’ve come to these conclusions on my own, just my own “educated” opinions.

First. men don’t have to make the decision of where to go to dinner. Usually, men need to think about how far they want to drive, how rough the roads will be, or whether there will be a proper parking space. They usually need to consider the weather conditions, if they want to dine outdoors, or how much money they will need to pay the bill. The location of the underground dinner isn’t known until after the decision is made to attend the event, so where the dinner takes place is irrelevant. The prix fixe gourmet dinner is $18, all inclusive.

Then, the choice of what to order is simple. Men will only need to make one choice between two entrees. It’s very easy; it’s either beef or fish, or it could be pork or chicken, or maybe shrimp or lamb. There’s no menu to read, so it’s never necessary to ponder and decide among many, many choices of fancy dishes, with descriptions so detailed that it’s confusing. I like to read the item by item descriptions, but it’s just too much trouble for men.

Men also like to spend time with the wives in an atmosphere of friendly conversation, enjoying fine foods served efficiently, and not being annoyed by loud music, constant interruption by servers, or sounds of clanging dishes.

One thing men really like are the five, full-size courses served throughout the evening, there’s plenty to eat and drink. There’s no concern about whether to have an appetizer, whether to order dessert, or even if you’ll have enough to eat.

Lastly, and us gals really like this part as well – diners can bring whatever and as much as they would like to drink, no charge for corking, with glasses provided! If a guest would like to bring their favorite wine for any occasion, they bring it along and enjoy it with dinner.

All in all, Underground Dining is a very different experience for every guest. It’s lots of fun, for all the above reasons. The host chefs can show what they can do, which is truly gourmet dining at its best. Thanks to Host Chef, Renny Kranich for her delightful dishes she so lovingly prepared for our latest dinner. And, thanks to Betty Dabney for capturing a glimpse of the mystery of this popular, world-renown dining experience, which is held from time to time in Boquete, Panama.

Seats are now available for the next Underground Dinner on July 2, location unrevealed! You may reserve your seats now at the calendar on the right.

Hope to see you there,
Cora

Taking Beef From Tough to Tender

Panamanian beef is tough, we all know that. I’m wondering if any other country has beef as tough as we have in Panama.

The chicken and pork available in Boquete is amazingly fresh and tender, but the beef cuts are truly challenging. The first problem is how the cuts are named. Most all meats are sold the old fashioned way, over the counter. Of course, if you don’t speak Spanish, the names in the meat cases are different and you can’t pronounce the cuts of beef, even if you knew what you wanted to buy. For instance, punta de palomilla is rump tip.

But, Chef Juan Linares changed all that for the students at his on-going class, by teaching them how to buy, age and prepare tough cuts of beef to make them tender. Doesn’t that sound really special?

First, two butchers from our local Romero’s Supermarket showed actual cuts of beef the way they look in the meat cases of the supermarket. One butcher watched as Chef Juan explained how to prepare lomo redondo, see photo above. Some of the cuts were huge, not at all like they look in markets in other countries.

Falda, punta de palomilla and lomo redondo became familiar cuts of beef to us. We learned how to order exactly the cuts we would like to prepare, whether it was prime rib roast or stew meat.

Then, Chef Juan shared his methods of aging, marinating, and preparing three economical, readily-available cuts of beef. To everyone’s delight, each dish, Shredded Beef with Black Bean Sauce, pressure-cooked Black Roast and Beef Roast in Herbs Crust, was made tender and delicious.

Side dishes included an unusual Causa of Yucca with Cilantro Sauce and Papaya Avocado Salad with Pink Pepper Dressing . Chef Juan did admit that using papaya in the appetizer or salad prepares your stomach for enjoying the taste and tenderness of Panamanian beef. Papaya can also be used as a tenderizer for beef.

The final course of the dinner was an easy-to-make Maracuya and Yogurt Tart using local Graham Crackers called Galletas Maria.

To make this dessert, simply empty a can of sweetened, condensed milk into a bowl. Fill the can with plain yogurt and empty it into the bowl. Then, fill the can again with your favorite fresh fruit pulp and whisk the three ingredients together. Layer graham crackers, then the fruit mixture in a rectangular pan until you have 3 or 4 layers. Chill for at least 3 hours, cut and serve cold.

The surprise at the end of the evening was when Rose shared with everyone her gorgeous painting, “Three Happy Chefs”. The three chefs reminded us all how much fun it is to get together and learn new techniques for preparing gourmet meals at home. If you’d be interested in seeing Rose’s artwork, please let me know and I’ll send you more information.

If you’d like to learn more about how to convert tough Panamanian beef into tender and tasty main course meals, Juan has just opened another class to be held on Thursday, June 9, beginning at 11AM. This early start allows for daylight hours. You may click on the green and orange calendar at the right and reserve your seat now.

Special thanks to Betty Dabney for her delightful photos, see more at http://infinityglimpsed.blogspot.com/2011/03/coras-garden.html, including some photos of my garden.

Hope to see you soon,
Cora