Menu for November 15

We've traveled around the world tasting and learning to make all sorts of international dishes. Now, we'd like to get a feeling for the kind of foods the community is craving and share the culinary adventure. We will be reaching out with various menus over the next few weeks to gauge what niches you all would like to see filled.

The five dinners below MUST be pre-ordered by Friday at 9 a.m. They will be available for pick up at the BCP Saturday market fresh and chilled--ready to heat and eat or freeze.

While you're at the market don't forget to pick up one of our Beer-B-Q sandwiches ($4.00). Pork, slowly cooked in Panama cerveza and spiced with our own special order sauce from Alabama. Always a sell out.

We'll top it off with the world's finest slaw, too. You can buy a cup of the Beer-B-Q for $8.00 (two big sandwiches' worth) or  $4.00 for a single.  (Best to order bulk in advance.)Take away slaw is $2.00 a cup $4.00 a pint.

New Item!! Steak and Cheese sandwich ($4.00). Tenderloin, peppers and onions topped with a three cheese wallop of flavor.

Menu for November 15

Indian:

Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) is a mildly spiced dish rich with yogurt and, of course butter. Served with vegetable biryani spiced Basmati rice, a side of dahl (stewed red lentils) and a loaf of Naan bread for dipping. Suggested serving is with a small cucumber and onion salad dressed simply with S&P and limon juice. Plain yogurt with or without chopped pineapple (raita) is also a classic accompaniment. $10.00 serves two.

Vegetarian option available. $6.00 serves two.

Indonesian:

Satay Ayam (Chicken Satay) is skewers of white meat chicken marinated in sweet and pungent spices and grilled. It is served with peanut sauce and pineapple coconut rice. This is the dish served in so many variations on street corners all over Asia, each place lending its own unique touch to the regional taste. Ours is based on the Balinese style. Please let us know whether you want your peanut sauce mild or spicy. $9.00 serves two.

French:

Cassoulet of local butter beans, sausage, and pork. Tender, slow cooked lean pork is combined with sausage, creamy beans, and our own sun-dried tomatoes then topped with a crunchy crumb, herb and butter topping. This is a dish that is packed with layer upon layer of flavors that develop first separately and then melt together in a rich mellow dish. $9.00 serves two.

American:

Tuna Noodle Casserole. Yep, you heard that right. Only the tuna is fresh from our own Chiriqui Gulf-- delicately poached in a flavorful court boullion and then flaked. The sauce is a rich creamy Béchamel with Italian porcini mushrooms and a splash of Pinot Grigio.  It's topped with a crisp cracker crumb and Parmesan crust. This is Mama's Wednesday night supper with a college education! $9.00

serves two.

Italian:

Thin sliced filet steak flashed in house made demi-glaze (we start with the bones!) and wine infused sauce with plenty of roasted garlic and Tuscan herbs. Separately caramelized onions and peppers are added at the last minute. Served with potatoes that go through two processes to make them crispy on the outside and soft like mashed potatoes inside. We're so fortunate that our herbs are all either grown in our garden or purchased from local organic producers. What a difference freshness makes! $10.00 serves two.

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We also have the following foods for you to enjoy at home:

Order in advance to insure we have it for you on Saturday.

Artisan corned beef. This is fully cooked,thin sliced and vacuum packed in two sizes: 4 ounces for $4.00 and eight ounces for $8.00

We can also sell you a traditional corned beef brisket, ends trimmed and ready to boil for a festive Irish dinner. This requires two weeks' notice. Market Price

Corned beef hash. Two frozen patties of our own corned beef mixed with onions and potatoes. Simply start the patties in a cold pan and cook them low and slow to develop the characteristic crust. Top with a poached egg for a genuine 'diner' experience at home. $4.00.

Smoked Mountain Trout. This is delicately smoked rainbow trout that is sealed for freshness in vacuum packs. We provide you with the perfect accompaniment of horseradish cream. This fish is very rich and a side of fish makes an impressive appetizer. Top a salad with pieces of fish for something really unique and tasty. $8.00 for a single side, $15.00 for a whole butterflied fish.

See you at the Saturday market from nine until one. Pre-order from tuesdayschildgourmet@gmail.com by nine on Friday morning.

This week, we've offered two SouthEast Asian dishes. My background includes several years spent teaching nannies and housekeepers from all over Southeast Asia how to cook good old-fashioned Western cuisine for the expat households who employed them. Along the way, these ladies taught me to navigate the many complex flavors they brought to their tables. Indian, Indonesian, Filipino, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese are among the cuisines I learned firsthand from native cooks.

Later, I taught bored Western expats in Saudi Arabia how to cook the exotic things I had learned. Lucky me, I also had two opportunities to learn at the feet of a master—Madhur Jaffry. Jaffry is the queen of Indian and vegetarian cuisine. Her workshops were fabulous.

I also catered fancy European style dinners for wealthy Arabs who wanted to show off their extraordinary (and forbidden) fine wine collections. It was the only time in I was able to use truffles and caviar with a carefree hand! During my time in the Middle East, I naturally broadened my palette of cuisines by absorbing what my Lebanese, Persian, Egyptian and others had to offer. I even learned how to cook Ethiopian food. If anyone is interested in food that will set your hair on fire, I have Berbere spice on hand.

We will be actively improving our vegetarian options in the coming weeks. Much Middle and Far Eastern food lends itself to tasty, meatless meals and we're committed to bringing more of them to Boquete.

Thanks for reading!