Attention Carnivores

Dining experience here in Nicaragua has been a tad disappointing for us. Given the economic situation, most 'fine' dining places supposedly serving good food are outrageously expensive. We most of the time end up paying for the whole gamut between $ 60-80 between the 3 of us (before tax). Personal recommendations or endorsements based on personal experiences are highly valued specially within the expat circle - doctors, hospitals, restaurants, places to visit, hotels, etc. - for lack of knowledge (time to get to know) about the country of post. As far as dining places goes, we found out that service, availability and quality are not consistent (taste is not an issue here - just how many ways can you serve a Ribeye steak) and therefore have stopped recommending restaurants. We just say we've been there and see if you like it yourselves.

Steaks on sizzling plates (a la plancha) are common as Nicaragua also produce good quality beef, not comparable to Argentina or even Honduras but good. The way steaks are served here, including what they refer to as 'Ribeye' is thinner than elsewhere. So, 3/4 is mostly well done, medium rare would be your medium well - FYI.

T the viking and V have their moments when they really feel like having their good old fashioned 16 ouncers and I believe that we finally found THE place. Tucked within the residential area of Los Robles just behind Metro Centro is a restaurant called 'Restaurante de Don Candido' predominantly patronized by locals (probably one of their best kept secrets), where they serve the thickest and most tender Tenderloin and Ribeye we've ever ordered here. Their prices are very reasonable given the quality of their meat at between $18 - 22 (before tax). One of the few places I can take the flak for recommending as I believe it would be hard to go wrong with the kind of meat they have plus the excellent service where the waiters actually know what they are talking about. Here's how to get there but it's best to call for specific directions as it took us 15 minutes (while within the area) to find it:

Restaurante de Don Candido
Los Robles, del Chamán 75 vrs al Sur, Casa #53
Tel: 277-2485
Cel: 882-2266
Email: candidos@cablenet.com.ni

If you don't feel like going out, you can also get good quality meat from the German-Nicaragua owned Bavaria (incl imported cheese, sausages and cold cuts)....but everybody knows that....what I think most don't is that every now and then they also sell what is called 'Bife de Chorizo', steak (beef) with a good layer of fat - I'm not sure what it's called in English but I suspect it's Tenderloin. They sell it pre-cut in 2s for somewhere around $16 per pack. It was recommended by one of T's Danish colleagues, say, on a Wednesday evening and we ran to get it the following day. Good that we did as there were only 5 packs left....yes, we bought them all. As with all good imported things here in Nicaragua, you don't know when they're gonna have it again.

We had it for dinner that same evening served with wild rice with mushroom and Bearnaise sauce. Good meat like that is more a Vikings specialty than mine, so it was T who prepared it. It was excellent and turned out exactly the way I like my steak which is a feat as V prefers his medium well, mine medium rare and T's 3/4 (or tres-cuarto, as they say here). The supply we have right now will tide us over (our cravings) for the next 3 months at least, so Bavaria is always worth a visit.

Note: The wild rice can be bought in La Colonia for between $10-12 a pound (I don't remember exactly) and needs to be cooked or simmered after boiling for 5 minutes for almost an hour before it is ready. I love the wild rice for its consistency - kind of pops in your mouth when you chew on it. You may need to add condiments for taste like salt, pepper, bell pepper or mushrooms - the possibilities are endless. That night, we dined fine prepared by a dashing chef for a reasonable $15 meal each.....I was just lacking candles.

Champagne and quiche weekend

This weekend has been quite hectic (meaning we were mostly out of the house) compared to how we normally spend weekends in Managua. That's why we make it a point to go to a nearby beach when we can.

As T's birthday fell on a Sunday this year, unlike last year when I threw a surprise birthday party for T in our house, we've decided to just hold intimate celebrations here in there. My weekend looked like this:

Friday (afternoon) - after work, I went to T's office and brought snacks (Lasagne and Ham, Mushroom and Asparagus crustless quiche) and some champagne so T can celebrate with his co-workers.

Friday (evening) - for the Arabian Night we brought lamb curry.

Saturday (afternoon) - Birthday party of K & C's 4 year old. On the way, passing by S' (my favorite 'dama') Women's (Cañasta) project - made of newspaper - as support (yup we bought something...s).

At K & C, they made an impromptu celebration for T by sharing poor 4 yr old Lucas' cake (sweet).

Sunday (morning) - birthday breakfast for T. It was so hot that we decided to jump in the pool clothes and all - pretty much all the exercise we got that day - the jumping, I mean. Oh and to check if T's dive watch -which he got for his birthday - works. For now we know it is indeed waterproof...that's a start.

Sunday (afternoon) - Salsa workshop where we also brought Champagne and Quiche to share.

Sunday (evening) - light dinner and a movie

The above doesn't sound so much but given that we'd rather lounge around the house on weekends when we're not out of town, is already a lot.

Obviously, I did a lot of cooking this weekend but I thought it was smart to make the same food for both the office and Salsa 'brindis' (toast) because they're 2 totally different groups. In both places some have asked me for the recipe of the quiche, so here it is:

Ham, mushroom and Asparagus crustless quiche

8 Eggs
1 cup chopped (white) Onion
1 cup chopped Button mushroom
1 cup chopped Deli ham
1 cup chopped Green & Red bell pepper mix
1 cup chopped Asparagus
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Cream cheese
1/2 cup Mascarpone cream cheese
1/2 cup
1 teaspoon (adjust to taste) ground Nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste (about a teaspoon each)
1/2 cup butter

In a sauce (or any deep) pan, saute the following in butter (leave enough butter to coat bottom of the baking dish) in this order: onion, mushrooms, bell peppers, asparagus (add last if using canned asparagus), ham. Set aside and let cool when done.

Beat eggs together with salt, pepper and nutmeg. In a separate bowl mix cream cheese and mascarpone and whisk until soft. Gradually mix in the egg. Add the cheddar while mixing continuously and finally the swiss cheese.

Coat baking dish (16 inch) with butter and spread the saute mix evenly. Pour cheese and egg mixture. Using a fork mix a bit to even out saute mix and cheese mixture on the baking dish.

Bake at 180C for 30 -40 minutes and 200C for 15 minutes (or less) or until top is golden.

Serves 12

What's for Dinner?

For dinner, I unbelievably craved for a local Filipino dish called 'Binagoongang Baboy'. So, as usual I scoured the internet for the recipe. Although I have here my ever faithful recipe book called 'Recipes of the Philippines' (compiled and edited) by Enriqueta David - Perez, that has followed me on every post we've been to, it (amazingly) did not contain the recipe for 'Binagoongang Baboy'.

Bagoong is fermented shrimp paste commonly used in Asian cuisine and Baboy is pork, entonces, it's really just Pork sauteed in shrimp paste.

Binagoongang Baboy

Ingredients

1 kilo pork with fat (cut into chunk cubes)
2 cups bagoong alamang
1 head of garlic (minced)
1 big onion (minced) 4 tomatoes (diced)
4 chili peppers (minced)
? cup vinegar (note: probably meant to taste)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
? cup water (note: maybe depending on desired consistency)

1. In a casserole, boil pork and lower fire until water evaporates and pork oil starts to come out.
2. When pork is lightly crispy, put aside and saute garlic, onion, tomatoes and chili peppers and in pork fat. Add pork once more.
3. Add the bagoong and cook while stirring for 5minutes.
4. Pour vinegar and stir well.
5. Add the sugar and let simmer for 10 minutes or just until cooked.
6. Serve hot.

You may want to tone down on the quantity of sugar and vinegar if you're using Barrio Fiesta's 'Ginisang (sauteed) Bagoong' as it's already pre-cooked and would therefore have the right amount of sugar and vinegar.

I put in coconut milk for an added twist and served it with bagoong rice (also) with coconut milk. Yummm, this should last me another 6 months before the next craving. Oh, and where would I get bagoong here in Nicaragua, you ask? I have an almost unlimited supply (because I make sure I don't run out) of Barrio Fiesta Ginisang Bagoong that I bring back with me together with my Sinigang Mix each time I go home to the Philippines.

What's for Dinner?

Honey Baked Chicken
INGREDIENTS

• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (Will use whole chicken thighs only)
  
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175). Place chicken pieces in a shallow baking pan, skin side up. Combine the melted butter or margarine, honey, mustard, salt and curry powder and pour the mixture over the chicken. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/4 hours (75 minutes), basting every 15 minutes with pan drippings, until the chicken is nicely browned and tender and the juices run clear.

What's for Dinner?

Indian Cooking Recipe : Quick Lamb Curry

Ingredients :

1 oz butter
1 tbsp groundnut oil
1 lb cubed lamb
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stick cinnamon, broken in 2
6 green cardamom pods, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder

Method :

Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the oil.
When it starts to sizzle fry the lamb until it colors on all sides.
Remove with a draining spoon and set aside.
Add the onion and fry until golden, scraping up any residues.
Add the garlic and fry for another minute.
Add the whole spices and cook for about 2 minutes, then add the ground spices. Cook until fragrant but be careful not to burn.
Return lamb to the pan and add 8 fl oz water or stock. Stir well, reduce heat to medium and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Serve with Indian bread.

A recipe I found on the internet:

I love short cuts and that means browsing the net and finding various recipes or at least ways to make something faster with less cooking time - anything with 'quick' normally catches my attention. This further appealed to me as 1) I happen to have lamb in the freezer and; 2) most of the ingredients are already on hand. It 'reads' simple enough but lets see how it comes out.

Update: It did turn out well...well, according to T & V. I'm glad. For an added twist, I also added crushed tomatoes and yogurt and even if the recipe did not mention salt (an accidental omission perhaps), I sprinkled some to taste for good measure. Served with Basmati rice and hot mango chutney.

Another day done (dusting off palms) :)