Giddy Gastronome

Greetings!

old blog www.giddygastronome.blogspot.com

My heart and prayers go out to the Haitian people. Thank you to all that donated their tents and canopies for this noble cause. Let us do it again!

Cheeca lodge & Spa, Islamorada en route to the  Florida Keys    ……where paradise is not really lost, just hidden well!

Travel diary December, 2009.

Whether you are a nefarious one-eyed pirate or just a lazy beach bum, the Cheeca Lodge & Spa resort will make you weep and rethink your “dark side” and make you want to repent.This tropical treasure with its turquoise sea and laid- back, unhurried island atmosphere is the perfect setting to get your groove back on baby!

Sorry “Rasta Steve,” I know that you are highly regarded for your water rituals and healing powers down there in Jamaica ” mon” but I think that you have met your match here with all the folks working the spa! They may not have that infectious gift of gab that comes so naturally to you, but they sure do make up for it with their lavish spa accoutrements.  R & R are branded in their DNA and they will see to it that you get it even if they have to ram it down your throat! Heh! I’m not complaining!

Massages, facials, and aromatherapy are but a few that are in store for you…….and don’t even get me started with that cabana boy who is always ready to indulge you with some ” banana boat” action! O mg!  I suddenly have this weird notion of  Barry Manilow serenading me with “Copacabana,” Euuuuuw! What would probably be worse than hearing him sing this song, is him wearing a speedo and gyrating!  Euuuw!  Sorry Barry man!!!!

Ahhhh! this is the life, I tell ya, this is where I could close my eyes and open wide……open up my mouth that is, and eat all the conch fritters that I could possibly eat, afterall, this  place is conch central. The freshly prepared seafood is part of the allure that the  Cheeca has to offer, and trust me, ( if you know the types of dishes I prepare), then you know mystery meat ain’t going to cut it here either!

So people, if ever you have the opportunity to go down to Islamorada, go and visit the Cheeca, you will be transformed into someone beautiful!

BTW, it was terribly chilly for the Floridians here that is why nobody is in the water!

Thank you so much C for inviting us to the Cheeca! It was spectacular!

Her fiance’ is the owner of this magical resort, ( the gal that is driving),  and both of them work hard to make this destination memorable!

Many couples say their “I do’s” here.

Is this entrance to the lagoon not romantic? I could feel myself slipping into a trance because of all the imaginary drums!

I love how the torches are reflected in the water. Simply magical! Even at night, the water in the lagoon still has a  shimmering turquoise color!

This is one of the older buildings. These old portraits are displayed in the lobby.

President Bush with his grandson, Jeb jr.,  participated in a Bonefish tournament at the old Cheeca years ago.

The day that  we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, it started raining so hard causing massive floods! This picture was taken in the parking lot of a supermarket in North Miami Beach.

Thank you for your interest in my travel diary,

Love,

Nazarina.

Greetings!

(old blog www.giddygastronome.blogspot.com)

Gourmet pizza “dumplings/buns”

This is another recipe that will be featured in my upcoming book!

Is  there anything more scrumptious than a homemade crispy crust with  a slightly piquant fruity tomato sauce pizza? These pizza  “dumplings” turned out just the way I wanted them to and the healthy return of  smiles and hugs were all that I ever wanted! Truly, this gamble paid off and I must confess that it would be a profitable asset on a “culinary Wall Street” if there was one! Boooyah! as Cramer would say!!!

The only limit to making pizza is taste and imagination!

I made these gourmet  “pizza buns”  by emulating the  Chinese bun/ dumpling concept. Before I baked the buns, I slashed them with a blade to make similar markings like the Chinese buns  and as they baked, some of the sauce and the cheese oozed out making this cool  design! I thought they looked pretty darn  spectacular and the taste absolutely phenomenal!

Can you see how the dough cracked just a little on the bottom? This is an indication of that thin,  crispy pizza crust! The savory roast chicken and homemade sausage , the sauce, oven roasted veggies, freshly grated cheeses and this crispy crust  made these dumplings a smashing big hit!

There are so many tips I have to share  in making this gently  simmered, fruity tomato sauce, one being, adding a tablespoon of imported  fruit chutney at the very end, which only  dissipates  into this sea of  lipstick colored lycopene and giving  it a slightly sweet and spicy flavor. It was so darn good,  so much so, that I had to bake extra pizza dough for everyone to “mop” up  this mouth-watering sauce!

I stuffed the pizza with roast chicken, oven roasted veggies, piquant tomato  sauce  and sausage that I made from scratch.

I just had to make a vegetarian version as well…roasted potato slices (caramelized)  on the bottom, freshly grated Parmigiano  and mozzarella  on top of the potatoes, followed by a layer of the piquant tomato sauce and some roasted zucchini ribbons in the form of a lattice. My pizza crust always bakes  crispy with a little “chewiness” in the middle!  I have lots of tips here as well so as not to make the dough rise too excessively during  baking! Also,  it is very important to use an aluminum pizza pan because of its  excellent heat  conductivity and not forgetting the good old pizza stone!

As you can see there are lots of chopped basil and fresh oregano  and other surprises in the dough itself. I always let  my pizza dough  rest in the refrigerator overnight as this phenomenon will make it rise slowly and develop its flavor more gradually and ultimately  yield that gorgeous crispy crust that we so adore!

Everybody was beside themselves when I opened the oven door taking out the chicken & my homemade sausage  which by the way was for the pizza! They wanted to finish it and I had to put my foot down and say NO! I am such a pushover sometimes, I gave in and had to prepare more!

My friend purchased this log home in the mountains and converted it into a bed and breakfast. It is  about an hour and a half away from me on a sunny day but when it snows, it takes me longer to get there. It is about fifteen miles from Breckenridge ski resort so you know that he has a gold mine on hand!

He really wants me as a partner in this venture ( for the cooking part), but I miss my family too much during the winter when I have to stay over for long periods when the road home is totally inaccessible. Last week-end I gathered all my pots and pans and pretty  table cloths and headed down there to give him a hand and on the menu were these “pizza buns” of course. Both he and  the guests begged me to stay and cook some more” deliciously exciting dishes” as they put it! LOL!  I do bake scones, cookies, cakes and just  whatever I can and take it down to him  on some week-ends.

Thanks for your visit.

love,

Nazarina.

Greetings!

(old blog www.giddygastronome.blogspot.com)

After much provocative dancing with my newly found South African friends to the beat of  Shakirah’s ” hips don’t lie”, we sat down to dinner….

“Como se llama, bonita, mi casa, su casa

N a z a r i n a , N a z a r i n a ( just kidding I meant to say Shakira, Shakira)

Senorita, feel  the conga, let me see you move like you come from Colombia.

…OMG, I still have this song ringing in my ear! Read below how I met these crazy people!

Paying homage to some autumnal classics

Bubbly, virgin pear &  ginger beer crushed ice cubes  & sparkling water with a cinnamon sugar rim libation. Sparkling water “perks”  up any drink, it is like a good fitting brazier.……you know where I am going with this!!!

And……”Pampoen bredie”( pumpkin stew with beef), mango pickle, ( you gotta have sour with the sweet & a little spicy), wild rice and brown basmati  with black mustard seeds and roasted red bell peppers.

“Brown & wild” very much like me LOL! ( Purchased  the brown & wild basmati at the  farmer’s market)

As a small child growing up in South Africa, I was introduced to this Cape Malay classic known as “pampoen bredie ( pumpkin stew with tender brown beef) by my loving mom.  I remembered not liking it very much, simply because I was a kid who disliked vegetables and was a  heck of a poor eater as well! Now, I  have come to the realization that this very infamous “pampoen bredie” was  by no means an impromptu dish prepared by my mom and her sisters, in fact,  it was slow cooked  with a “lotta” love and made only with  the best ingredients. I should have known that mediocrity had no place at their  kitchen table even if it was just this humble gourd!….Thank God my taste buds matured!

Last week while doing my weekly shopping at Whole Foods, I  ran into four South Africans. I heard them conversing in Afrikaans and well, simply  introduced myself. And then all h… broke loose!  Our handshakes were by no means flaccid, I can assure you they were firm, rapid and extremely impressive much like a well shaken  drink! ( Is this not a common phenomenon when meeting your fellow countrymen? LOL!) I decided then and there to invite them all to dinner that night  and being the gracious hostess that I am inquired  about any of their  preferences , ironically they all answered, “pampoen bredie!” Sweet! I thought, I was going to spoil myself by making this dish anyway!

And so I graciously obliged but with the intention of a little “forward thinking” of the preparation of this dish. So, in order  not to dishonor my mom’s version, I would still mirror the premise of this Cape Malay classic but with a tiny little twist. C’mon, we cannot always stay rooted in tradition!

I also  concocted this stunning little virgin  sipper with the intention of evoking  refreshing and delicious drama!

Use some of the pears to garnish the drinks and  the remainder ( peeled) blend with  the bottled  pear juice.

Method for the drink: Chill everything except the pears!

Pour some ginger beer ( Non-alcoholic)  in ice cube trays and freeze, when ready to garnish the drinks, crush some in a plastic bag with a rolling pin.

Blend 4 cups of the pear juice, the remainder of the pears( peeled) with 1 and a half cups of ginger beer until fully incorporated and then shake like the dickens. Mix some organic sugar with cinnamon for the rim( first rim the glass with a lemon wedge) and then dip into the cinnamon sugar. Fill glasses halfway with the pear mixture and top off with a scoop of ginger beer ice cubes and then fill to the top with sparkling water.

You are going to become addicted to this gingery non–alcoholic  libation!

Recipe for:

“Pampoen bredie” ( Pumpkin stew with grass-fed organic stewing beef)

Please use organic ingredients when possible!

The method is similar to this post that I wrote in January “Grass-fed organic beef cooked low and slow with fru-fru potatoes”

Follow the ingredient list and method of  that post but do not add potatoes and the balsamic vinegar. Add a quarter teaspoon of black or pale yellow mustard seeds to the onions and then caramelize. Next, peel and cube  two  small white pumpkins. Lay the first cubed pumpkin ( this is my little twist) on a baking tray and sprinkle with kosher salt, some brown sugar, cinnamon, pure pickle masala( just a tiny sprinkling), some nutmeg  and some extra virgin olive oil and roast for an hour. This should be tender but not mushy!!!

Add the second cubed pumpkin to the beef  when it is  tender and dark brown and delicious and cook for an hour until the pumpkin cubes have melted in the meat gravy. Adjust your seasoning and add a little brown sugar, two dried red chilies, two stick cinnamon to the mixture as well. Just before serving add the roasted pumpkin cubes to this pot and simmer for ten minutes. Serve in little pumpkins, rice on the bottom then the  pumpkin stew. Also serve mango pickles with this dish.

My fellow South Africans had so much fun and simply loved the meal I  prepared in such a short time. They could not get over the fact that I served it in individual little pumpkins. They are now going to inform their family and friends about coming to this blog for my version. They are also coming back next week for another dinner and hopefully dessert! Maybe they will allow me to post our  dance video….let me see whether I could convince them!

Julle mal Suid Afrikaners is lekker b…Ek moet se daar is niemand wat soos ons kan dans en n’ gekke spektakel van ons self te maak nie!!!!!

I  hope you enjoyed this post.

Thanks for stopping by,

Nazarina.

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