Culinary Adventures with Camilla

When I signed on for the  Foodie Reads 2016 Challenge , I pledged that I would read more than nineteen books during the course of 2016. Amazingly, this is book number nineteen and the year is not yet half over! Dare I think I might be able to knock out thirty-eight books this year? I'm not sure about that. But I'll try. Maybe I can hit at least thirty. Maybe. I had started  The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo  by F.G. Haghenbeck* last month, but just finished it this week. images from fridakahlo.org On the Page... I can probably pick out a Frida Kahlo painting; they're pretty distinctive. But I definitely can't say that I know much about her life. So, I was instantly intrigued by the premise of  The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo. The titular secret book was found among her personal effects at La Casa Azul, her childhood home, and contained recipes for offerings on the Day of the Dead. The book mysteriously vanished the day it was supposed to be exhibited. ...

Inspired by my batch of  Nasturium  queso fresco , I decided to make arepas for dinner tonight. Many thanks to my friend Shiho for the blossoms! They are lovely and tasty. Ingredients  makes 12 to 14 cakes 2 C  masa harina 1 C hot water 1 C hot chicken stock 4 T butter, softened 2 egg yolk 1 C crumbled  Nasturium  queso fresco butter or oil for cooking the arepas fresh herbs, for garnish crema Mexicana  or sour cream, for garnish fresh herbs, for garnish (I used carrot top greens) Procedure Place the masa harina in a large mixing bowl. Add the hot water and stock. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until well-combined. Stir the egg yolk and butter into the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Separate the dough into 16 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Make an impression in the ball with your thumb. Spoon some queso fresco into the hollow. Then press the dough togethe...

When I started planning my post-Christmas Columbian feast, arepas kept coming up in my search. I know this is inaccurate, but think of them as thick, stuffed tortillas; they are more like corn cakes, I suppose. We liked them so much, I've already made them again. In any case, I started with R's Handmade Corn Tortillas and went from there. We stuffed ours with queso fresco and topped them with crumbled morcilla , blood sausage. I had just picked some up from Boccalone in the Ferry Building. Ingredients makes 16 cakes 2 C masa harina 1 C hot water 1 C hot chicken stock 4 T butter, softened 2 egg yolk 1 C crumbled queso fresco butter or oil for cooking the arepas cooked blood sausage, crumbled, for serving fresh cilantro, for garnish crema Mexicana or sour cream, for garnish Procedure Place the masa harina in a large mixing bowl. Add the hot water and stock. Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until well-combined. Stir the egg yolk and butter ...