Mexican Cooking Class in Puerto Vallarta

As you may or may not know, I am living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for 10 weeks.  It is not a vacation per se, as my husband and I are basically just working from a different location, albeit a warmer location. 

I’ve just begun to realize that the time here is going to fly by, so I have my “To Do” list in hand and am hoping to enjoy and explore as much of this town as I can.    As you do know, I am a total foodie.   Therefore, a cooking class was at the top of my list. 

Surprisingly, there aren’t that many organized cooking classes in Puerto Vallarta.  There are a few people that do them out of their homes and I found one restaurant, El Arrayán, that holds monthly classes (seasonal).  I had eaten at this particular restaurant during my last visit to Puerto Vallarta a couple years ago and enjoyed it, so I expected a good class with good food.

If you are wondering what the word “arrayán” means, it is a species of tree that bears a small sweet and tart fruit by the same name.  It grows in and around the region of Jalisco, México (the area I’m in).  The restaurant actually has its own arrayán tree growing in the courtyard.

 

The class was held on Monday, January 24 (2011).  We met at the restaurant at 9:30 a.m. I was a little late (only 2 minutes) due to the longer-than-expected walk but everyone was there and I missed the introductions.  I was greeted by Carmen Porras, the owner with the vision to showcase genuine Mexican food by exclusively using the highest quality ingredients and creating an authentic experience for guests.  She and a partner opened the restaurant in November of 2003 and it has won numerous awards since then.

The group of roughly 15 consisted mostly of women and the average age was probably 50.  It was a great group of people that shared a passion for good food.  We squeezed (literally, I had one check on someone’s lap) into a van and a taxi and headed out for breakfast.   Since I usually don’t go out for breakfast (I’m traditionally a fruit, yogurt, or granola bar kind of girl), I was looking forward to a traditional Mexican breakfast; specifically I was looking forward to eggs with a Mexican twist (i.e. spicy salsa and maybe some chirizo).    Well, I did not get eggs.   In fact, I bet you would never guess what I had for breakfast at 10 a.m. on this Monday morning. 

We pulled up to a cute little place tucked behind the local supermarket called El Taquito Hidalguense.   

My breakfast consisted of two lamb tacos.  This was an easy thing to embrace, no matter the time; the tacos were outstanding.   I eagerly piled on the condiments: fresh cilantro, chopped white onions, hot salsa, and a mild green salsa.  

 

Most people got Mexican coffee but I was eying the jar of red stuff on the counter; I was finally going to try the red drink I’d seen around town (I didn’t know what it was; therefore I was never confident ordering it).   But on this particular morning, during my not-so-typical breakfast, I figured I’d give it a try.  It is called agua de jamaica, a tart red drink made from the hibiscus flower.  It was really good.  Kind of like a cranberry juice in color but much lighter and with a more delicate flavor, pretty much like an iced tea made with flowers.  I didn’t find it tart at all, in fact I ordered another.    

After “breakfast” we headed out to a couple of local places.

The first stop was a kitchen supply store, which had the basics needed for a Mexican kitchen (home not commercial).    There were dishes, silverware, strainers, gadgets, etc…   I bought a bowl since we have a serving bowl shortage in the house we are renting.

We then headed to a flour tortilla “factory.”   And by factory, I was expecting some huge industrial building with multiple assembly lines; after all a lot of tortillas are eaten in this country.   I seriously had the Laverne & Shirley assembly line and theme song in my head. 

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
Sclemeel, schlemazel, hasenfeffer incorporated.
We're gonna do it!

Give us any chance, we'll take it.
Give us any rule, we'll break it.
We're gonna make our dreams come true.
Doin' it our way.

Nothin's gonna turn us back now,
Straight ahead and on the track now.
We're gonna make our dreams come true,
Doin' it our way.

There is nothing we won't try,
Never heard the word impossible.
This time there's no stopping us.
We're gonna do it.” 

Sorry, now you have the theme song in your head too. 

Well, while there was an (as in one) assembly line, there was no factory; just a small, unassuming shop the size of a garage that I think I had walked past before without even noticing.   We were able to walk in the cramped space and watch the process, which was cool.  It also had me thinking food again a mere one hour after breakfast.  The tortillas down here are amazing and the ones hot of the press melt in your mouth!     

The Tortilla "Factory" from the Outside

 

Cooling Rack (notice the fan)

After that we headed over to a little market area.  We checked out a bulk food store and a fruit store.  There was also cheese, meat, and fish purveyors in this area.   It was the kind of food market area I had been seeking and I plan to head back there regularly.    

Not sure how long they let the meat sit out???

Corn Tortilla "Factory"

Our last stop, before heading back to the restaurant, was the shop of one of Carmen’s friends. The store was called Peyote People.  The owner was very passionate and informative about his collection of Mexican Folk Art and Native artifacts.   This is where I fell in love with a giant peacock.    

We arrived back at the restaurant around noon, got our aprons and recipe books, and headed into the roomy kitchen where we proceeded to learn how to make some traditional Mexican dishes.   Everything had been prepped and all the mise en place was ready to go.  

Everything was measured, organized and put onto trays for each recipe.   For a moment I started dreaming about having my very own prep cook; visions of a dishwasher danced through this day dream also.      

Back to reality Penelope.  

All the dishes were pretty straightforward, nothing to complicated.    

Chef Mariano Valdés Ruiz preps the pork

Captive Audience

Chef shredding the pork using 2 forks. It went really fast - good technique to use.

 

 

The pork simmering with a banana leaf

Of all the things we prepared, the one thing that surprised me was the beans.    I’m not a huge bean person but I do eat them because beans are good for you, right?   Protein and fiber and all that.   Well, these beans that we made were amazing, but not exactly healthy.   The secret ingredient?   Lard!   Lots of lard.  I believe it was duck fat; we’re talking about 4-5 cups of the stuff along with sautéed garlic and onions.   Carmen tried to inform us that there are new studies out that lard isn’t as bad for you as originally thought.   Yeah right, I thought; but in the same breath, I decided to believe her so I could eat these beans without the guilt.   “Lard is good for you.”   Seriously, these were the best refried beans I’ve ever had.   (FYI – Refried just means cooked twice; they aren’t really fried.   Then again, with the lard they may as well have been.)   I actually have cousin, Eric, who once told me if he could only eat one thing for the rest of his life it would be refried beans.   I guess if the beans tasted like this I could see where he's coming from.

I liked the pace of the class and the chef did a good job of moving along and offering explanations.   And I liked everything we made!     I will definitely be making all of these recipes.  

We sat down as a group to eat at 2:50.    

   

Our meal started out with a margarita, sopes, and chips with three different types of salsas.

Here is what we learned to cook:

Aguachile de Camarón:  Ceviche With shrimp, pineapple marinated in lime juice. Serrano peppers, onions, cucumber, and cilantro.

Cochinita Pibil: From Yucatán. Boneless pork leg marinated in “achiote”. Slow cooked with banana leaves.

Xnipec: Red onion and habanero pepper relish (FYI – The habenero pepper is the second spiciest pepper in the world.   Xnipec (pronounced Ch-knee-peck) means running nose.   Which I can confirm, this “relish” will make your nose run from the heat.)

Frijoles Negros Refritos: Refried black beans.    

Test:  Can you tell which of the above photos is mine?    Hint: not the top one.  I got the top one courtesy of the restaurant.  It looks like I have a ways to go on my photography skills.   Or maybe I was just hungry and snapped the photo quickly so I could dig in? 

Salsa Verde:  Fresh tamatillo and Serrano pepper salsa.  (no photo, sorry)

Flan de Cajeta:  Milk caramel flan.

I'm not usually a flan fan, but I love caramel.   The caramel made this flan delicious!

What a feast it was.   The food was amazing.  Nothing like a 4-course lunch at 3:00 in the afternoon.   I was stuffed.   I paid $85.00 (US) for the class, which I thought was a little spendy but in the end I thought it was worth it.

Oh!  I forgot to mention that I ate a cricket.   Carmen brought out a bag of them before our meal arrived.  They actually sell bags of crickets there and have a cricket taco on the menu. 

Roasted ‘Chapulines’ Tacos

Real crickets, crunchy and tiny, sautéed with red onion and cilantro, mild tomatillo and avocado salsa on the side.  An appetizer from the city of Oaxaca (Wa-ha-ka) in southern Mexico.

The women next to me tried one first and said it tasted like a salty nut.   I figured what the heck, and popped one into my mouth.   Well, I don’t know what kind of salty nuts this lady had in the past but all I could taste was a fried bug, creepy crawly legs and all.   Now that I think about it, maybe it hadn’t been fried?  Anyway, I tried to take a photo of it in my palm before I put it in my mouth.  Apparently, my hand was shaking just having it in my palm and the photo didn’t turn out so good.  But I think you get the jest and in a way I’m saving you from the visual.  Upon the first chew I found myself quickly reaching for my water; the cricket was making me thirsty.  

When I mentioned to my parents a couple days later that I forgot to tell them that I had eaten a cricket, my Mom figured it was an accident and I ate it because it was in my salad or something and my Dad asked if it was because it was dipped in chocolate.   He knows me well.

I've actually already made the ceviche at home and it turned out great.  I like slicing the shrimp in half and leaving it in bigger pieces and I like the addition of pineapple.

One group participant was a writer from a local media website on assignment covering the cooking class.  Check out her article here:   http://www.pvpulse.com/en/activities/featured-tours/el-arrayan-cooking-class-and-food-tour      FYI - she has a photo of the crickets!  

If you find yourself in Puerto Vallarta, I highly recommend a cooking class at  El Arrayán.  Here is a link to their website: www.elarrayan.com.mx

Cheers!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone rang in the New Year with a Bang!   In case you didn’t catch it that was a little reference to my Christmas card which, by the way, not many people inquired about.   To fill you in, the photo of Tom and me with shotguns was taken on my family’s farm in Iowa.  We were skeet shooting over Thanksgiving, which was a blast.

Anyway…..  I figure I better acknowledge that a new year is upon us.   I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions but I do think it is important to set goals.   So I’ve decided to take the quarterly approach to goal setting this year.

By April 1, 2011, I hope to achieve the following:

1)      Lose 5 lbs.  I’m still working on 10 but figure it will help to be realistic and gradual.

2)      Get to know myself better.   This may sound vague but I think it is very important to be in tune with yourself and know what you want, what you need, what you will and won’t tolerate, etc.   I need to listen to my mind, my gut, and my body more. 

3)      Get to know YOU better.  I want to take more time to get to know the people in my life better; on an individual level.   As I mature, I am more interested in meaningful conversations.  No more talk about the weather and celebrity gossip.  I want to know what experiences made you who you are, what makes you laugh, what keeps you awake at night, and what you are passionate about.  

4)      Learn the basics of Spanish.  In three months I hope to know enough to get by, but eventually I would love to be bilingual.  Italian was my first choice in languages but I’ve decided that Spanish is more realistic and I have way more people to practice on and converse with.   Any Spanish speakers out there that want to practice with me (over some tequila, of course)?

5)      Take better photos.    I took one, short photography class this fall and I need to practice what I learned and continue with my education, practice, and learning.   I might also have to invest in some new equipment now that I’ve seen the difference that lenses and flashes can make.  

6)      Catch up on photo albums.  I used to be a scrapbooker.  (I actually still need to be to finish up those half finished albums from a couple years ago.)    I’ve run out of room (and patience) for traditional photo albums and in 2009 I decided to start doing my albums online.  They save space on the shelf because they are much smaller (book size) and they save space in my house because I can get rid of all the glue, stickers, paper, scissor, etc. that goes along with scrapbooking.   In the digital age there are so many more photos to weed through and organize that I really need to stay on top of it before my memories are lost.   I guess to quantify it; I would like to finish 2-3 online photo albums by April 1.

7)      Tone up.   The older I get, the softer I get.  I need to stay ahead of this trend and try to firm up with more strength training.  Hello tank tops and mini skirts!   On an un-vain note, I’m also doing this for health reasons because weight training is really good for maintaining bone density, and I want to feel strong well into my 90s.     

That should keep me busy for the next three months.  I would love to hear some of your resolutions/goals???  

Green Curry

I love Asian food (Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and Vietnamese).  I really love it.   And I love to cook.  But, over the years, I’ve tried to recreate some Chinese and Thai dishes without much luck.  As a last ditch effort I decided to recreate one of my husband’s favorite Thai dishes; walleye with green curry sauce.   I hit the fish market and the headed to the Asian grocery store nearby and found a can of green curry (that I hadn’t tried before – I have tried other brands without much luck).

Well, I have to say I was very impressed and have had this dish many times since.    I’ve tried it with a variety of different fish and my favorites are black cod and halibut.    I think most meaty white fish would work.   

Here is what you need:  

• White fish (you could also use chicken or shrimp)
• AROY-D Green Curry (one can is enough for two people).
• Your favorite three Asian vegetables (I like to use zucchini, spinach, peapods, green beans and Chinese eggplant)
• Cilantro
• Jasmine rice

Here is what you do: 

1. Make the rice (I use a rice cooker but you can make it on the stovetop also)
2. Heat up the curry in a sauce pan over medium heat
3. Sauté the vegetables (set aside and add to the sauce 3 minutes before serving to warm them up otherwise they will get soft.)
4. Sauté the fish for 3-5 minutes on each side (depending on thickness)
5. Put the rice in a bowl (I use wide, shallow bowls)
6. Add the fish
7. Pour the sauce over the top
8. Cover with chopped cilantro
9. Enjoy!

Sautéing the Vegetables

The finished dish

So easy and so good.   I hope you can find this curry!  If you live in Minneapolis, I found it at United Noodles but I think it is a popular brand in most Asian stores.   

Ina Garten

Ina Garten is one of my favorite TV chefs (Barefoot Contessa).   I like her personality and her recipes always look delicious and reasonable (from a time and ingredients perspective).   I’ve actually met her and she signed one of my cookbooks.   She looks and acts the same off TV as she does on.   I think it would be fun to spend an afternoon in the kitchen with her, cooking and chatting over a bottle of wine.  I have to admit to this  - I always thought her name was pronounced like "in-a-garden."  It is not "in-a" it is "eye-na" and it is a "t" in her last name, not a "d."

Anyway, I was recently reading Redbook magazine (Nov. 2010 issue, page 232) and there was a page that featured her.   She is promoting her new book, How Easy Is That?, and had some tips for keeping it real in the kitchen that I thought made perfect sense.  Here are a couple that stood out. (My comments are in blue.)

The party is only as happy as the host.   “It is a much better party if the food is simple and you’re relaxed.” 

How many times have you had a party where you are stuck in the kitchen missing out on all of the fun conversations?   I know this has happened to me too many times.  One thing I’ve done in the past is hire someone to help out and make sure the food is replenished, dirty plates are picked up, there is enough wine and clean glasses, etc….  You can find a little helper for about $15/hour (that is $60 for 4 hours!) and it is worth every penny.  Another good tip is you can hire students from the local bartending school to man your bar for a very reasonable rate.

Having a man who can cook is overrated.  “It’s more important to have one person who cooks and another person who appreciates it.”

Cheers to you Ina!  I love that outlook.  I am the only one that cooks in my house and sometimes I get frustrated by that, especially when I have friends whose husbands love to cook and help in the kitchen.  But I will say that my husband does really appreciate my cooking and that definitely makes it all worth it. 

Gratitude is the best hostess gift. “I always send flowers or a note the next day to express my appreciation.”

I was lucky to have been brought up by a very thoughtful mother.   She instilled in me, at a very young age, the importance of hand-written Thank You notes, and how rewarding it is to give thoughtful gifts and show people that you appreciate them.  I wish more people would be better about that kind of thing.  It is such a simple thing to do and is such a nice gesture of gratitude.  

Cook with your heart.   “I only cook for people I love.”

If I cook for you, it is because I love you!    I enjoy showing my love through food (and wine).   Cheers!   

Check out Ina's new cookbook.  Her recipes are yummy and not intimidating. 

I Will Remember You.......

I was recently reflecting on the question: what do I want to be remembered for?

I’m not sure what sparked this line of thinking other than the old cliché “life is short.”  Actually, there was more to it.  I was thinking about my grandfather who passed away a few years ago and I was reflecting on what I remember most about him.    I remember his joke telling, his laugh, him letting me play with his hair and putting it in small ponytails and barrettes when I was a little girl, his sweet love for my grandmother (he’d walk in the kitchen and lovingly tap her on the butt), and his tickle torture (otherwise known as “cleaning my plow”).   He was a good influence on my life and I miss him.     

Now, obviously, everyone has a different interaction with a person depending on the nature of the relationship.   I’m curious what my grandfather's employees would say about him?  And I know it would be different from what his wife or children would say about him.  But I do think there would be a common theme.

As I was reflecting on what I remembered most about my grandfather, I began to ask myself: what do I want people to remember most about me?   

People have financial goals, professional goals, and personal life goals.   Personal life goals are usually something like “I want to be married by the time I am 30, I want two kids, and I want a black SUV parked in my two-car garage.”    But how often do people base their goals on what they ultimately want their legacy to be.   I’m not talking about material things here; I’m talking about the essence of you who are.   In a room full of people that know you, will they all say the same thing about you?    Will they say.....You were very giving and charitable?   You were full of life and made everyone laugh?   You were graceful and elegant?    You were spontaneous and fun?   You were smart and a great advisor/teacher?    You were stubborn and cranky?    You were patient?   You were wild and spontaneous?  Etc…..   I could go on and on but you get the gist of what I am talking about.    

I don’t mean to be morbid, it is just an interesting thing to think about and if you come up with a goal along these lines and kind of live your life that way, you just may be able to accomplish the goal of being remembered for what you want to be remembered for.   

It is something you need to think about every day as a theme in your life.   If you want to be remembered for being a great listener then you need to really listen to everyone you encounter.  Make them feel heard and they will remember you for that.

Personally, I want to be remembered for being kind, loving, thoughtful, and a good friend to people.    (Okay, and maybe as the woman who got everyone to drink sparkling wine casually on a weekly basis.)  

A couple days after I was thinking about all of this, I heard the song I will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan (famously played at high school graduations in the 90s) come on the radio.  The chorus of this song pretty much summed up what I was thinking.  The lyrics go something like this: 

I will remember you

Will you remember me?
Don’t let your life pass you by

Weep not for the memories 

I’d like to think that people reflect on the positive/good things about people.   It is important not to hold grudges and, in the words of Sarah McLachlan, “don’t let life pass you by.”    Life is short; you need to work on your lasting impression now.   

What do you want to be remembered for?     

In loving memory of my Grandpa Schenkelberg 

(6/13/1919 – 11/27/2005), whom I remember fondly.

Update

I thought I would update you on a couple of the posts I’ve written about in the past.

The “diet” is NOT going that well but I haven’t given up. I’m still determined to lose 10 lbs. by January. Wish this Chunky Monkey luck as the holiday season is definitely upon us. I actually kicked off my holiday season in Vegas on October 15. I swear it has been a non-stop party since then. Lots of eating and drinking going on in my world. I need to go pick out a sexy birthday outfit for extra motivation.

I tried the Stolichnaya White Pomegranik. I am not a fan. It takes like cherry cough syrup. I certainly can’t drink it straight and, in all honesty, I couldn’t even stomach it in a Cosmo. I’m pretty bummed about this. I will be sticking to Stoli Orange on the rocks and plain Stoli in my Cosmo.

I took a photography class. It was great, if not overwhelming; I’m looking forward to practicing everything I learned. Look for some better photos to start appearing on the blog. I also got inspired to buy Photoshop to help take my photos up a notch – so I will have to learn that also. So much to learn, so little time.

My posture is getting better. I still catch myself slouching all the time but I do catch it and try to correct myself. I think I need to strengthen some specific muscles to help hold myself up properly. (As I just caught myself slouching again.)

Oh, and I found my heart rate monitor buried at the bottom of my bra drawer. I think I left it out and my husband put it “away.” I went 5 months without it (took that long to find it), now that I found it again, hopefully it will help me stay in my “fat burning zone” while working out.

That is my update for now; in case you are following along I didn’t want to keep you guessing.

Fun Drinking Quotes

I just came across these quotes after the holiday (Thanksgiving) weekend and thought they'd be fun to share.

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day.” -- Frank Sinatra

"I drink too much. The last time I gave a urine sample it had an olive in it." -- Rodney Dangerfield

"If your doctor warns that you have to watch your drinking, find a bar with a mirror." -- John Mooney

"My grandmother is over eighty and still doesn't need glasses.  Drinks right out of the bottle." -- Henny Youngman

"Being drunk is hell; getting drunk is heaven." - Kingsley Amis (English novelist) 

Cheers!