We Eat Therefore We Are

Thus was the famous saying of Descartes describing his philosophical underpinning of existence. 

OK that's not exactly what Descartes said (his actual phrase was I think therefore I am).

But it is what he would have said if he grew up in the de-I lineage!

With #3 having visited with two main goals, shop and...EAT!  She had a whole agenda of food items she and hubby wanted including many variations of New Mexican (breakfast burritos more than once, eating out, variations eaten at home), Vietnamese which is very expensive in Amsterdam and downright inexpensive here, fine dining, lamb for 3A - cooked three different ways over the weekend.

Here is a pictorial history of the week.

PIZZA

Making pizza is something Wife and I have really gotten down pat and all the family loves

#3 loves baking to and getting 3.1 involved is a sin qua non 

In fact 3.1 loved her little piece of dough so much she carried it around for the rest of the evening until she went to bed.

Rolling out the dough and reading the paddle

A finished pizza

Prepping Lamb

This is a lamb shoulder that was marinated overnight in wine and flavorings just prior to being cooked for 7 hours in a very low (225 degree) oven.  We had the finished product one night with the sauce reduced with a wine reduction, French style.  Then we took the leftovers and cooked them with New Mexican chile paste for tortilla filling another night.

Introducing 3.1 to the Glory of Vietnamese Soup

"Hmmmm.  Not my usual sandwich

Oooo I think I like the noodles

And (yum!). I definitely love the soup :)

Brodjes

Brodjes is the Dutch word for sandwiches which 3.1 loves especially if it is a cheese brodjes

Making the New Mexican Meal

Chile Paste

If you read the ingredients of a prepared Chili Powder on the bottle, you will find it has chiles, oregano, cumin, and garlic.  I make my own.

I pound garlic into a paste with salt. Then I add the pure dried chile powder, oregano and cumin.

Then that is pounded into a paste

Guacamole

Avocados, chile paste and lime juice blended until smooth

A nice bit of chopped cilantro is pulsed in at the last

Roasted Tomato Salsa

This is actually taken from a Rick Bayless recipe

Tomatoes, onions and garlic are put under a broiler until they start to just blacken.

The roasted garlic is pounded with salt and roasted green New Mexico chile (from our garden) to a paste.

All is put in the blender and pulsed with chopped cilantro at the last.

Voila - Fresh Salsa