Monday, November 10, 2008

South American Dinner

















Maybe the Republicans are right, and the country will lapse into moral decline now the Democrats are in power. Starting with us--this was the second morning in a week that we woke up to unwashed dishes and the multi-bottle litter of entertaining.

I served a South American dinner for six. The menu:

Sweet potato chips (purchased)
Basque sheep cheese
Nuts
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Shrimp Cebiche
Vegetable Cebiche (hearts of palm, broccoli, mushrooms)
Homemade Bread
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Chicken in a Red Chile Sauce with Peas and Olives
Quinoa Pilaf
Pickled Onions
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Fruit Tart

The loaf of bread pictured above contained 1 cup unbleached flour, 1/2 cup spelt flour, 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, and 1/4 cup coarse cornmeal. I used molasses for the sweetener.

The tart was pretty with mixed berries, all on sale this week!

Remember we wondered how to make pickled onions like Santos? I found the method in The South American Table by Maria Baez Kijac.

Peel a medium red onion, cut in half, and slice into paper-thin half moons. Cover with hot water and soak 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Add the juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to the onions, mix well, cover, and let stand at room temperature for three hours or until they turn pink. Best served the same day.

2 comments:

  1. Wow! You're really on a tear here. That tart might be one of the prettiest things we've had on our blog. And the menu sounds so exciting -- just different enough from anything I've had before. Red chile and peas?

    Our refrigerator broke yesterday. So we're eating out of coolers tonight.

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  2. I am very sad about your broken refrigerator. What is going on at your place--this, and a busted oven, too?

    Yesterday morning while getting ready for guests we had a Major Plumbing Emergency (sewage in the bathtub). We managed it with Liquid Plumber and a plunger, but I have a sense of foreboding, kind of like a Gothic novel--something Bad is going to happen.

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