Feliz Navidad

It's been a very busy time around Casa Que Sera this past couple of weeks.  Dan & Heather, Cory Jen, Cass & Cole and Carla & Al are all down here enjoying their Christmas vacations.

There's been a lot of grocery shopping, cooking and chauffeuring back and forth for Gramma, but the kids all appreciate it, and they are good at helping out around the casa.

Cory and I got Christmas dinner all prepared bright and early this morning, so we can just hang out for the rest of the day.

Carla and Al just stopped by to say "hello" on their late morning walk to and from La Peñita.   Cory, Jen and the kids also went for a walk to Peñita earlier this morning, and Cass & Cole just got dropped off here, so Cory and Jen can take a walk into Guayabitos by themselves.

I have really neglected my blog lately, but will return early in the new year.

Both Bruce and I wish everyone a healthy and happy Christmas.

From Stove to Table

Yesterday morning I took all my Mexican earthenware or clay pots and dishes out of the pantry and gave them a good wash, because a
couple of my pieces had absorbed some moisture over the rainy, humid summer, and a fine mold was growing on them.

I will leave them out in the open for a couple of days, so they can dry out completely before I stack and put them away.

I didn't realize I'd accumulated such a large collection of clay cazuelas (casseroles), cacharros (pots & pans) and platos (dishes) over the years.
   

This pottery is the same traditional cookware that has been made and used in Mexico for thousands of years. 

All these pieces are completely handmade, lead free and safe for cooking. 

This pottery is glazed inside or out (or both) and then fired over low heat.

Pottery pieces come in all shapes, designs and sizes, from tiny salt pinch pots to enormous cazuelas, that are made to cook for a crowd.

 

I like the warm look of my clay pots and dishes, and because the pots and casseroles are so attractive, they can go from the stove directly to the table.

I also love how cazuelas impart such wonderful flavour to foods.  

 

Since living here, I have joined the thousands of women, all over Mexico, who prefer to cook their beans, soups, stews and sauces in cazuelas con tapas (shallow casseroles with lids).



Bean pots, like these, are very popular for making traditional frijoles.

 

Whenever we visit Tonala, I pick up a few more pieces of these clay pots and dishes because they are dirt cheap up there.  Most of the pieces I have collected over the years have cost less than 100 pesos or about $8.00 at the most.

 

I have lugged a couple of cazuelas back to Canada with me, but wish I had more.

Pomegranates

Hooray for Granada (Pomegranate) season which runs from September to February down here.  Right now pomegranates are ruby red, ripe and delicious.

I've been buying them 3 or 4 at a time and pre-seeding them into a container which I keep in the fridge for snacking on or adding to salads.

Pomegranate seeds not only look beautiful in a salad, they offer a bright red, sweet and tasty crunch.
 

In addition to adding an exotic touch to many ordinary dishes, pomegranates are a nutritional winner.  They are high in antioxidants, vitamin C and potassium.

When refrigerated in a plastic bag, pomegranates will keep for up to 2 months. 

A traditional Mexican dish, called Chiles en Nogada (Chilies with a Ground Walnut Sauce) is served all over Mexico.  Pomegranate seeds are used to garnish the white walnut cream sauce that is spooned over roasted, stuffed poblano peppers.

I first tasted Chiles en Nogada on one of our buying trips to Tlaquepaque and Tonala.

Chiles en Nogada is a tri-coloured culinary tribute to Mexico's flag.   Green poblanos, white walnut sauce and glistening red pomegranate seeds.  

The red, white and green colours of Chiles en Nogada look very festive, so this dish would look wonderful served during the Christmas season.

I made some Chiles en Nogada a couple of days ago, but changed the recipe slightly.  I will blog about them another day.

In Mexico, pomegranate seeds are used in juices, salads, salsas and meat, chicken and rice dishes.

And because Mexicans love their sweets, pomegranate juice and seeds are added to cakes, pastries, ice cream, margaritas and other mixed drinks.

When Kerry and Renata were here a few years ago, they bought me a bottle of Licor de Granada which I use to flavour savoury sauces and decadent desserts.  A little bit of this rich, luscious liqueur goes a long way, so a bottle lasts forever.

Guadalupe and Jonatán

One evening last week, Bruce commented that he could hear a pan flute being played somewhere in the vicinity, and he said he thought maybe it was a wandering knife sharpener looking for work. 

I didn't hear it that night, but yesterday afternoon I heard something that sounded like a high pitched flute on the street in front of us.

So I went to check things out and, sure enough, the pretty music was coming from a pan flute. 

Outside our gate stood a man, playing his flute, with his young son at his side.

And at his feet was a grinder, with a hand held crank on it, that he uses for sharpening customers' knives.

Bruce and I had recently talked about getting our knives sharpened if the flute player ever came around again, so this was the day.

I grabbed all my knives and the flute player started cranking up his grinder by hand. 

 

While he was sharpening the knives, I tried having chats with his son who couldn't speak any English at all.   In Spanish, I asked the boy if he could tell me their names and where they were from.  He told me his dad's name was Guadalupe and his name was Jonatán (Jonathan) and they live in Puerto Vallarta.   Then Jonatán asked me if I had any dulces (candies). 

I didn't have any candy, but I went inside and got a couple of mandarins and apples for each of them, and when I came back with the fruit, Jonatán gave me the biggest smile ever.

Then he proceeded to devour the fruit.

 

 

 

 

I've since read that a small syrinx (pan flute), called a chiflo or xipro, has been used for years by mobile knife sharpeners in Spain, Argentina and Mexico.  The knife sharpeners blow quick, loud scales to announce their arrival to a neighbourhood.

Pan flutes are thought to be the oldest wind instruments in the world and were traditionally bored from a block of wood, but more recently have been cast in plastic. 

   

I tried a couple of my knives yesterday afternoon and they really and truly are sharper than they've been in a long time, thanks to Guadalupe.

I'll try to have some dulces on hand for the next time Guadalupe and Jonatán come to town.

New Malecón for La Peñita

While we were back in Canada for the summer, several buildings like this one, were demolished in preparation for the construction of a new malecón in La Peñita.

The decrepit old structure in the next photo is still standing just north of the malecón, but I'm sure it won't be there for long.  It will be interesting to see if there are any plans to extend the malecón even further down the beach. 

This pier is a big deal for little old La Peñita, because it really perks up the waterfront and attracts more people to enjoy the view.   Several streets leading to the malecón have also been upgraded and bricked.

Down at the south end of the malecón, the breakwater just north of us, is now visible from the La Peñita side of the river.

Here are some photos of the new pier.

 

These sturdy benches provide plenty of seating for both locals and tourists.