Agua Fresca is a Traditional Mexican Fruit Drink
2 cups of watermelon
5 cups cold water
1/4 cup sugar
Mash the watermelon until it is smooth.
Add the water.
Blend for 1-2 min.
Add sweeten as needed.
Freska and yoo hoo were lbj favorite drinks!
Greek Cuisine : Tastes From the Tavernas
When thinking of Greek food, Moussaka must be the first dish that would spring to most people’s mind, understandable as it is officially the national dish.
This is a layered casserole type dish, made from ground lean beef mixed with beaten eggs, milk onion cheese and seasoning, traditionally topped with sliced eggplant, though this may be substituted by potato.
Another highly enjoyable dish is Kleftiko, which in Greek translates as stolen meat.
This stems from the legend where the dish is made from a lamb stolen from an unsuspecting shepherd’s flock.
To avoid detection, the meat would then be cooked in a hole in the ground, sealed with mud, to avoid the thief being given away by steam.
In modern day cooking methods the hole in the ground is fortunately substituted with paper packaging, in which a shoulder cut of lamb is added to garlic, lemon juice and the inevitable olive oil.
Souvlaki is a much lighter meal , consisting of a choice of meat, for example chicken, lamb or even swordfish or shrimp, marinated with oil, lemon and oregano.
This is then cooked on a skewer, the literal translation, and served with rice and fresh vegetables or salad.
The fried meatball dish Keftedes is another popular choice, along with Stifado, which is a game stew cooked in red wine sauce with onion and cinnamon.
Delicious served with Psomi, a traditional Greek bread.
No traditional meal is complete without the accompaniment of appetizers, sides, dessert and of course drink.
Meze is the collective name for a selection of small appetizers, such as calamari,
fried squid, or alternatively Greek salad or tiganita, which is fried vegetables such as courgettes,
mushrooms, egg plant or peppers, often served with a yoghurt dip.
For dessert, baklava is readily available.
These are light pastry layers filled with nuts and syrup, or karidopita, walnut cake.
Children will enjoy traditional Greek cookies, koulouraki, made from butter or olive oil.
The most readily identifiable Greek cheese would be feta, a white cheese made from a blend of goat and sheep’s milk.
Other popular cheeses, often not readily available outside Greece, are kasseri and graviera.
All good meals should be washed down by a traditional drink, such as retsina white wine, an unfiltered frappe coffee.
For those really looking to let their hair down, there is of course the eighty per cent proof Ouzo, best drunk with caution, or of course an ordinary beer for the less
adventurous!
This is a layered casserole type dish, made from ground lean beef mixed with beaten eggs, milk onion cheese and seasoning, traditionally topped with sliced eggplant, though this may be substituted by potato.
Another highly enjoyable dish is Kleftiko, which in Greek translates as stolen meat.
This stems from the legend where the dish is made from a lamb stolen from an unsuspecting shepherd’s flock.
To avoid detection, the meat would then be cooked in a hole in the ground, sealed with mud, to avoid the thief being given away by steam.
In modern day cooking methods the hole in the ground is fortunately substituted with paper packaging, in which a shoulder cut of lamb is added to garlic, lemon juice and the inevitable olive oil.
Souvlaki is a much lighter meal , consisting of a choice of meat, for example chicken, lamb or even swordfish or shrimp, marinated with oil, lemon and oregano.
This is then cooked on a skewer, the literal translation, and served with rice and fresh vegetables or salad.
The fried meatball dish Keftedes is another popular choice, along with Stifado, which is a game stew cooked in red wine sauce with onion and cinnamon.
Delicious served with Psomi, a traditional Greek bread.
No traditional meal is complete without the accompaniment of appetizers, sides, dessert and of course drink.
Meze is the collective name for a selection of small appetizers, such as calamari,
fried squid, or alternatively Greek salad or tiganita, which is fried vegetables such as courgettes,
mushrooms, egg plant or peppers, often served with a yoghurt dip.
For dessert, baklava is readily available.
These are light pastry layers filled with nuts and syrup, or karidopita, walnut cake.
Children will enjoy traditional Greek cookies, koulouraki, made from butter or olive oil.
The most readily identifiable Greek cheese would be feta, a white cheese made from a blend of goat and sheep’s milk.
Other popular cheeses, often not readily available outside Greece, are kasseri and graviera.
All good meals should be washed down by a traditional drink, such as retsina white wine, an unfiltered frappe coffee.
For those really looking to let their hair down, there is of course the eighty per cent proof Ouzo, best drunk with caution, or of course an ordinary beer for the less
adventurous!
Mexican Cuisine: A Multi Colored Feast
When people think of Mexican food, tortillas, nachos and tomato based sauces immediately spring to mind.
However, much like the country itself, the traditional foods offer a carnival like fusion of colors and tastes, thanks to the inclusion of many strong and spicy traditional ingredients.
Like so many dishes, the ingredients used vary from region to region.
The north of Mexico tends to favor meat based menus, to include beef, goat, even ostrich!
The central region is more varied and influenced by the surrounding areas. Chicken proves to be a popular choice, along with the more specialized carnitas, made from braised pork, and menudo, a spicy tripe soup.
The south east region, particularly the coast of the Yucatan peninsula, has a more Caribbean influence.
Often sweeter dishes invariably containing seafood, spicy chicken, pineapple or chocolate, the most necessary ingredient in mole sauce.
Ceviche, a raw fish marinated in lime, or huachinango, red snapper are popular fish choices here. Pollo pibil is a real Yucatan specialty.
This consists of chicken marinated in orange with spices, barbecued and traditionally served in locally sourced banana leaves.
The basis of so many of the traditional menus will inevitably include tomatoes, chilies, garlic and
onion. Put these ingredients together with your choice of meat, fish, cheese, beans or
vegetables. These may be used to fill a tortilla, a thin flat bread made traditionally from maize or
alternatively wheat flour. Enchiladas consist of baked, folded tortilla, coated in tomato and chili sauce, stuffed with meat or vegetables. Chiles renellos are large chilies stuffed with spicy meat and cheese, great served with rice and fresh salad.
Other options are tacos, a crispy fried tortilla which folds around your choice of filling, making them a versatile snack to eat from your hand, when on the move. These can then be accompanied by jalapenos or guacamole and topped with melted cheese, washed down with a Mexican beer, such as Corona or Sol, or perhaps a tequila based margarita.
No traditional Mexican meal would be complete without a delicious desert. The most popular choices are tres leches, a moist cake, or platanos machos, fried spicy bananas covered with sour cream. Desert enchiladas, a rich sweet version of the traditional enchilada where the meat filling is replaced by fresh fruit, baked and covered in chocolate laced with cinnamon.
In terms of diversity in using local ingredients, Mexican food must be applauded for its imagination in both creating and displaying its dishes, which reflect the culture of this remarkable country.
However, much like the country itself, the traditional foods offer a carnival like fusion of colors and tastes, thanks to the inclusion of many strong and spicy traditional ingredients.
Like so many dishes, the ingredients used vary from region to region.
The north of Mexico tends to favor meat based menus, to include beef, goat, even ostrich!
The central region is more varied and influenced by the surrounding areas. Chicken proves to be a popular choice, along with the more specialized carnitas, made from braised pork, and menudo, a spicy tripe soup.
The south east region, particularly the coast of the Yucatan peninsula, has a more Caribbean influence.
Often sweeter dishes invariably containing seafood, spicy chicken, pineapple or chocolate, the most necessary ingredient in mole sauce.
Ceviche, a raw fish marinated in lime, or huachinango, red snapper are popular fish choices here. Pollo pibil is a real Yucatan specialty.
This consists of chicken marinated in orange with spices, barbecued and traditionally served in locally sourced banana leaves.
The basis of so many of the traditional menus will inevitably include tomatoes, chilies, garlic and
onion. Put these ingredients together with your choice of meat, fish, cheese, beans or
vegetables. These may be used to fill a tortilla, a thin flat bread made traditionally from maize or
alternatively wheat flour. Enchiladas consist of baked, folded tortilla, coated in tomato and chili sauce, stuffed with meat or vegetables. Chiles renellos are large chilies stuffed with spicy meat and cheese, great served with rice and fresh salad.
Other options are tacos, a crispy fried tortilla which folds around your choice of filling, making them a versatile snack to eat from your hand, when on the move. These can then be accompanied by jalapenos or guacamole and topped with melted cheese, washed down with a Mexican beer, such as Corona or Sol, or perhaps a tequila based margarita.
No traditional Mexican meal would be complete without a delicious desert. The most popular choices are tres leches, a moist cake, or platanos machos, fried spicy bananas covered with sour cream. Desert enchiladas, a rich sweet version of the traditional enchilada where the meat filling is replaced by fresh fruit, baked and covered in chocolate laced with cinnamon.
In terms of diversity in using local ingredients, Mexican food must be applauded for its imagination in both creating and displaying its dishes, which reflect the culture of this remarkable country.
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