Recently, several members of the Grupo Femenino Ix-canaan chose to spend a week working with a cooking instructor (far left) learning how to properly prepare a variety of excellent Guatemalan dishes. The classes were co-sponsored by ProPeten and the Guatemalan government.
The women attended classes mornings and afternoons for 5 days, learning to create a variety of Guatemalan main courses and desserts. The day that I dropped by, they were working on "Poultry Dishes" and had made three different recipes.
The first one was Pollo Guisado, (Chicken Stew), which is chicken legs (preferably legs ... they give a much better flavor to the dish) and potato pieces (with other vegetables depending on your finances) in a sauce based on achiote (annato).
The second one was Pollo en Jocon, which is chicken cooked in a green sauce based on mil tomates.
The third one was far and away the best in my opinion. It was Pollo en Crema con Loroco ... Chicken in Cream with Loroco (small green unopened flower buds that have a distinctive flavor). I'm sure loroco is one of those foods that you either love, or hate. So far, I love it. At least I do when it is cooked with chicken in a cream sauce. I am definitely going to learn to make this dish.
To accompany the three chicken dishes, the women had prepared a Salad of Vegetables en Escabeche
and a pot full of the fluffiest rice I have ever seen!
This group of women is working hard to prepare to open a cooking school for tourists who would like to have the opportunity to cook and eat these regional specialities.
Read More...
Summary only...
