Dominican Flavors

On Monday, at the Schott Campus Kitchen, we will be preparing food from Dominican Republic. If you are wishing to sign up for any of my other classes but don't know what to expect, stop by next Monday 10:00-1:00 and see what we are cooking in Room 27, the Culinary Lab. Registration for my next class is now open. Bring a friend!

Menu

Sancocho

(Pork, chicken stew with plantains, yucca and spices)

White Rice

Avocado Salad

Fried Fish and Octopus

Caribbean-style eggplant

Plantain-Avocado Salad

Passion Fruit Cake

Some photos of my last culinary exploration trip to Dominican Republic:

 

The next session is coming up soon:

Our Latin-American cooking class starts on Monday, October 7, 2013. From 10:00 a.m. to 1 p.m.  We will be preparing food from Peru, Argentina, Mexico and so much more. Join us!  And have fun discovering new ingredients, techniques and exotic spices and herbs. 

Follow this link to register: Latin American Cuisine, with Chef Monica De Alba

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Cuban Cuisine

It is the summer’s great last heat,

It is the fall’s first chill.

They meet.

-Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt

What a better way to start Fall than with Cuban Cuisine. It is hearty and satisfying! I can still taste the sweet pineapple and creamy avocado; smell the smokey sausages, the fragrant oregano and cumin. The smells trigger memories of wonderful Cuban meals shared with dear friends and family in a beautiful patio, with tropical plants everywhere, Cuban music and strong, delicious coffee. I’m lucky that I can experience a little piece of Cuba in my dearest Cuban friend’s home in Santa Barbara, California! And now you can also bring the Cuban rhythms to your table with the following menu:

Chicken Croquettes  

Garbanzo Stew with Spanish Sausage

Avocado Pineapple salad with lemon vinaigrette

Fried Yucca al Mojo

(Fried yucca with Creole garlic sauce)

Orange Cake with Fresh strawberries

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Mexican Gourmet Menu, September 16th, 2013, in honor of Mexican Indpendence Day

 Satisfying!

 Healthful!

Creative!

Colorful!

The Menu of our Monday Latin American Cuisine Classes!

AND FUN!

We prepared Chiles en Nogada to celebrate Mexico’s Independence! With roasted Poblano chilies, toasted nuts, aromatic herbs and sweet pears, apples and peaches…   

We also be prepared appetizers using guava and Panela (Mexican –style cheese)

White Mexican-style rice

Spring salad with creamy cilantro dressing 

and by students' request: Choco-Flan.

If you would like to know, how this wonderful dish originated and why it is the most popular dish in Mexico during the month of September check out the following link: Chiles en Nogada

Vocabulary:

Chiles en Nogada means peppers in walnut sauce

Choco- Flan is a chocolate cake with a layer of creamy flan

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Brazilian cuisine, September 9th 2013 class

Dear Friends we will be starting class with Brazilian Cuisine!!

The menu for Monday is:

·         Barbecued juicy steaks and Portuguese sausages using Brazilian salt as seasoning

·         Chicken and Plantain Moqueca with Dende oil

·         Malagheta pepper and Brazil Nut Pesto

·         Basmati Rice

·         Brazilian style baked beans with Salsa Fresca

·         Persian Cucumber Salad with Parsley and Lemon Vinaigrette

·         Chocolate Brigadeiros

·         Guava Paste Soufflé with Mascarpone Sauce

Moqueca and Feijoada

Guava soufflé

Chocolate Brigadeiros

                                             

Vocabulary:

1- Moqueca is a stew made in a clay pot. It ir usually made with fish, lobster, and shrimp.  We  will be using chicken in our recipe

2- Dende is Palm oil

3- Malagheta pepper is a red spicy Brazilian pepper

4- Brigadeiros are little chocolate fudge balls

I'd like to go to the following restaurant:Libra, Brazilian Steakhouse in Culver City. I heard great things about it.

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Cooling off with a Caribbean Punch

 Welcome to Class!

¡Bienvenidos a la clase!

 Welcome to the Fall Term 2013. Before classes begin, I thought I would help you cool off with a delightful beverage using tropical juices.

Ingredients:
2 cups of concentrated passion fruit
2 cups of guayaba (guava) juice
2 cups of pineapple juice
2 cups of mango juice

Mix with ice, stir and serve with pineapple and cherry garnish.

Enjoy and while you hold that glass, sign up for another round of fabulous Latin American cooking which will take place at the Schott Center Kitchen starting Monday, September 9th at 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM for 4 Mondays.
Register by clicking here.

Let me share some photos taken during my classes. These dishes were created and enjoyed by the students.
We cook, we learn, we make new friends and we eat together:

Photos of Peruvian cuisine, papas a la Huacaina and alfajores.

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