Another full day of preparing Goan cuisine, and the menu was extensive!
We started with another clarification of the peppers and spices. Kashmiri for color, medium heat, and Cancon for heat!
Dessert was prepared first – a flan with cardamom.
Marinades we’re prepared for the Vindaloo- vin=vinegar and alyu =garlic.
sauce for Xacuti.
Vegetable korma.
Caldin prepared two ways – one with cauliflower and prawns, the other with poached eggs.
Chicken croquettes.
Idlis
Rita picked us up just after nine in the morning and drove us to her house where she holds the cooking classes in a lovely covered patio surrounded by potted herbs and spices. We met our fellow classmates Kate and Lucy, sisters from London, and Tony, a Home Ec teacher from Darwin. We spent some time chatting and Rita explained the plan for the day which started with a delicious breakfast. From there we headed to the market to shop!
The menu for the day was:
Rissoles de Camarao
Galina Cafreal
Recheado
Prawn Curry
Fugath
Bolo Mimosa
After a brief introduction to the spices we’d be using, we started by making the crust, coconut filling and assembling our little tarts.
We then got to work slicing the snake gourd which was our vegetable in the Fugath.
We made a green sauce marinade for the chicken (Galina Cafreal) . Meanwhile a whole shallot was char roasted on the burner to be used for stuffing the squid ( Recheado).
The base for the prawn curry sauce was grated fresh coconut along with turmeric and other spices.
The filling for the prawn puffs (Rissoles de Carmarao) was made and the choux pastry too. They were then assembled, breaded and deep fried.
The last item on the menu was the Recheado which we stuffed into squid and cooked for a very brief time.
At three o’clock, with sore feet and stiff backs, we sat down with a beer to enjoy the fruits of our labor
The morning started out in monochrome as fog blanketed the bay, but quickly turned technicolor when we arrived at the farmers’ market in Vasco de Gama.
Our trip to the market was led by Rita, our cooking guru, and her helper Pooja. We purchased vegetables, herbs and fish to use to create our Goan dishes. (More on that in the next post). Like all markets, the vibrancy and people watching opportunities were in abundance. The only problem was that I was let loose with a camera! So be prepared!
The Portuguese introduced marigolds to India, the flower is offered to the Hindu gods for festivals and celebrations. The yellow or orange dye of the flowers is also be used for coloring fabrics.
Kokum fruit after processing. Known in some circles as the “Indian super fruit” .
Some of the people.
The colorful and very fresh vegetables.
Peppers, grains and spices.
Fish – the flat fish being Pomfret.
Vasco da Gama, named after the Portuguese explorer, is the largest city in the state of Goa and is situated on the western tip of the Mormugao peninsula, at the mouth of the Zuari river. Founded in 1543, it was in Portuguese hands until 1961 when Goa ceased to be a Portuguese territory.
Our whole purpose for coming to Goa is to take some classes at Rita’s Cooking classes. Our stay at the Kokum Tree homestay (named after the spice tree) is the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of Mumbai. Here at Kokum Tree one can sit on the tiled verandah enjoying some gentle breezes while overlooking a tropical wooded area to the bay beyond.
Call me nuts, but there is something fun and exciting about the craziness and apparent disorder on the roads of these cities. Fumes! Tuk-tuks, trucks, motor cycles, cars, buses, taxis all jostling and nudging and honking their horns! (Photos when we return to Mumbai). Meanwhile – I was totally impressed with the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport and love these columns.
Our flight from Boston to Mumbai included a 22-hour layover in Zurich – which we welcomed. The day couldn’t have been better for taking a stroll around the city center. After leaving the frigid temps in the USA, this New Year’s Eve day felt more like a day in April!
The Limmat River.
Rounding out the visit with raclette at The Raclette Factory – evidently a tradional New Year’s Eve dinner.
We were able to attend 2nd grade concert and pre-k parties along with lots of projects, snuggles, romping, and good eating!
The stars were aligned ** and an impromptu decision to buy tickets on a clear and not too cold day in December to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, in Boothbay, for their Gardens Aglow worked out perfectly.
The stringing of the millions of LED lights is quite a feat, and the outcome is spectacular! We arrived at dusk and the setting sun created some dramatic effects.
..and as the skies darkened, the lights became more and more vivid. Just beautiful!
The greatest gift one can give is thanksgiving. In giving gifts, we give what we can spare, but in giving thanks we give ourselves. BR. DAVID STEINDL-RAST
I give thanks consistently for our family and for the times we get to spend together; for the craziness that ensues; and for our camp where there is space for it all to play out!
Sunset over the pacific on our last evening in Manuel Antonio.
On the way to San Jose we stopped at Cafe Milagro coffee roasters (in Quepos) to pick some up to for home. Ooh! The wonderful aroma.
Our hotel Presidente was easy to spot despite one way streets and hectic traffic. A funky hotel with friendly staff. Delicious steaks for dinner at Tenedor Argentino, but otherwise we just strolled the downtown area.
Volcano Irazú was the agenda for Friday and it was a fabulous day trip from San Jose with breathtaking scenery at every twist and turn in the road. At over 11,000 feet we were above the clouds and the temperatures were perfect. Jersey cows lazed and grazed on the tender and dewy grass, and terraced fields with onions and other produce dotted the mountainsides.
The main crater has a diameter of 3200 feet and is 1000 feet deep. The area surrounding resembles a moonscape.
We spent the morning scouring the dense tropical forest of Manuel Antonio National Park for the inhabitants. We saw a number of lizards, hummingbirds, spiders, howler monkeys and other elusive creatures and managed to capture 3-toed sloths (covered with algae) and some various frogs. Had we not taken a guided tour, we would probably not have seen any of them except for the monkeys.
The trail ended up at a lovely beach – the perfect antidote for the hot and steamy jungle!
Five toed, three toed, two toed
We endulged in a big breakfast which will hold us through the day -at El Patio de Cafe Milagro -fabulous huevos rancheros and El Tico.
Then for a hike down to the beach and a sighting of a sleeping sloth! Made the hike well worthwhile; also the beautiful flora along the way.
We are loving our digs here in CR! Parador Resort & Spa Manuel Antonio is set within the tropical forest overlooking the Pacific. Our room is fabulous with views of an adult only infinity pool and across the tree tops to the ocean. We haven’t seen any other guests at the pool or in our building!
Walking trails run through the rain forest on the property, and we even spotted these little monkeys (white headed capuchin) from the verandah outside our room!
The old Maine saying “you can’t get there from here!” applied to us today on our trip from San Jose to Manuel Antonio. Our gps ladies know that we like traveling on roads less travelled and “Mathilda” was taking us on small roads that became dirt roads that became something akin to logging trails!
The scenery was spectacular and we saw some cowboys riding their horses as well as colorful shrubs and a few homes, but no other vehicles .
We made the wise decision to turn around just before a very steep and mud-churned hill 
and then set off on another paved road that looked very promising. We ended up driving 49 km on dirt, but it was manageable dirt and we periodically encountered others on the road. An interesting diversion along the way was this snake on the road (about 5feet). From internet research, I think it’s a Fireball Python.
A welcome cerveza stop along the (dirt) road!