rules and ranch dressing

A few weeks back when I was shopping for kitchen supplies in Managua, I came across a great find- cooler bags! Because we don't have refrigeration, the bags I got help store produce with (some) ease, without soaking it or using disposable plastic bags arranged carefully in coolers with ice each day. I also use them for transporting and storing chicken. That's right, raw chicken au jus all over the other foods is a thing of the past! We pour the ice directly on top of the bags, plus they are reusable!

Thelma, a great new addition to our kitchen team, came in the other afternoon noting, "Calley, one of the cooler bags is on top of the laundry bodega." She continued to talk about a story of how a gardener brought it down to get washed, yada yada yada... say what? Enough. Why on earth was that thing even out of the kitchen? Washing it with the laundry, which is about 300 yards away, and not in our kitchen sink? Luckily, I was in a good mood so could laugh about this weird occurrence,Thelma is very proactive and got it down right away, but not without some video footage!
The video displays island-themed reggae by Jimmy Cliff... and also showcases our brand new vintage-style chef coats, sewn by a neighbor of ours. Thanks again, Thelma!

The next day I had a meeting with the head of the grounds' crew to confirm that no one should be taking anything out of the kitchen without my permission, be it cocoa powder for a fresco, plastic wrap for their extra lunch, or an expensive bag from PriceSmart. I'd been telling the guys individually, but a little support always helps. WIP.

In other news, for dinner, that same evening we served a green leaf lettuce salad (hard to come by 'round these parts) with fresh tomatoes and an "island style" ranch dressing. eat your heart out, Hidden Valley! For me, it's a touch of home with a dash of Little Corn flair.

island ranch dressing
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 Tbs. white vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup crema acida**
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp. iodized salt

Mix all ingredients with a whisk, or shake in a plastic bottle or jar. Use liberally on salads, or, if in the USA, pizza. Or anything.
** (Nicaraguan loose sour cream- it can be simulated by adding 2 Tbs. water to 1/3 cup sour cream)

squeeze the fruit...

business trip to managua! when my flight was delayed almost 2 hours, I got really homesick. for Managua. really? Wow. My first stop: the most gourmet restaurant in town: “auto mac” (drive through mickey d’s... car + fast food= like, whoa- I hadn't seen a car in over a month)!

I spent some time at basically every purveyor we use (many of which I had been to last year), and a whole morning at the Managua market (for which I will never be homesick) with Tomasa, the wife of the hotel’s taxista/supply runner.

Tomasa is the best. She rocks out all of the grocery shopping for the kitchen. She has a great sense of humor, knows food, and is just overall intelligent. 

I’ve never bought produce so underripe... but the trek it goes through to get to Little Corn includes squeezing it into 2 huge canastas (baskets), 3 days on an open air truck to the coast, then a long morning on a crowded boat over here. We also send a cooler via commercial plane once a week with meat/dairy for same-day delivery.

left: very green papayas ready for transport... right: upon arrival

Tomasa and I had some great communication, I clarified a few things about my orders. we now have two weekly phone calls to go over orders and questions, too.  We reorganized the order sheet, and made a few changes to how things are packed.

for example,

since our cantelopes always come in damaged and moldy,  I decided to change how they are packed: we moved them into the basket with the vegetables. Exciting, I know... but there’s something about fruit on fruit action that encourages quick maturation (something else I’d never really thought about back in SF). it worked! not one came in spoiled.

plus, Tomasa treated me to avocado, mimbro (a delicious sour fruit) and helped me find some fun Jicaro seed soup spoons...

and then, back to Little Corn- So surreal being on the panga thinking, “i’m on my way home!”  Back to... “the grind?” of island working and living.

but no, things are not perfect. unfortunately, yesterday, the cantelope did not come at all.

(commodores reference to this post's title here)

fish tale

finally, after over a year in Nicaragua, getting great fish is easy! The lake bass in Granada were tasty, but spiny, hard to filet, the Mojarra were small & not good served raw or even medium cooked. My first few weeks on Little Corn the fishing was horrible (due to poor weather). This week Chris, the fisherman that we work with, caught some enormous kingfish mackerel for me to cook up! One of our gardening staff brought up the fish after the late boat came in- and I put fish on the menu for the following day! Two of the fish had the tails cut off because they wouldn’t fit in the cooler- huge (you should have seen the one that got away...)!

oh: Did I mention that we have no electric refrigeration at the hotel? The current system is a series of coolers that are emptied, cleaned, refilled with ice and food products daily. 

... 2:30am ... i hear outside my room:

“Calley.”

“yes?”

“It’s me, Dixon.”

“okay, hi Dixon. what do you need?”

“Do you have the keys to the lodge?”

“Yes, why do you need to get into the lodge?”

“The fish is not on ice, and I need to filet it and move it into the indoor cooler that has ice.”

“(ugh) okay, hang on.”

... stumbling out of bed, finding a jacket (yes, jacket- it’s been stormy at night, and “cold.”), we walk over to the lodge together.

thanks for saving the fish, Dixon. maybe next time, you can let me know that the fish isn’t on enough ice at 6pm after you bring it up from Chris’ boat. I suppose I’m to blame- I didn’t see the fish once they were put in the cooler. lesson learned...

...and ceviche made! A simple simple recipe: I cubed the fresh fish, tossed it with lime juice, orange juice, bell chiles, onion, garlic, salt and tabasco. Right now I’m serving it all day as a snack. Dinner tonight is seared filet over eggplant, zucchini, fresh tomatoes and ricotta pasta. 

 dig in!