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Los Cabos Mexico

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Casa By The Sea is Open

July 29, 2020 by Akiba 3 Comments
Open by Appointment Only
Everything in the Store on Sale

Casa By The Sea is a unique home and garden lifestyle store with specialty items from around the world. You will find unique and exclusive objects that are created by the very best manufacturers, talented artisans and contemporary designers.

School of Fish Wall Art

This extraordinary platter by talented ceramicist is one from the large collection of ceramics carried at Casa by the Sea. “Best pottery and ceramics in Los Cabos”

Beatriz is multi-talented and her love of flowers took her to Mexico City and Michoacán to find the best paper flower artisans in Mexico. The shop is bursting with color with her extraordinary paper flower arrangements. She will make a personal arrangement for you using one of the vases in the shop, or you can bring your vase and she will work her magic.

Paper Flower Arrangement

Casa By The Sea also carries a unique collection of Terracotta pottery from all over Mexico handcrafted by the most talented Mexican Artisans.

Terracotta Pottery

Don’t miss this unique opportunity. There are so many wonderful and unique pieces at incredibly good prices. Schedule your appointment to come and shop privately at the store-wide sale. They are taking care of every Covid 19 measure for you to be safe and happy while you shop.

Beatriz Redo with Disinfectant Spray Gun

Because so many businesses have had to shutter in San Jose Historic Art District due to Covid 19, please help support Beatriz Redo at Casa By The Sea. She is a rare talent and we don’t want to lose her vision.

On a sad note, many of our local businesses in Los Cabos may be forced to close and may never reopen.

Note: The front entrance to the store is closed – you must enter through the back where there is a large parking area – Boulevard Centenario 8.

Map

To read my original post about Casa By The Sea, see link below.

CASA BY THE SEA SOPHISTICATED COLLECTION OF OBJECTS FOR EVERYDAY LIVING
Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: Casa By The Sea Sale

Eggplant Gratin with Saffron Custard

June 20, 2020 by Akiba 2 Comments

Adapted from Deborah Madison – Greens Cookbook 1987

A friend who lives in Ireland wrote me recently to tell me that she had made a dish from our time together in the San Francisco Bay area. Back in the 80’s, we had a lot of fun cooking, listening to music and dancing with an occasional glass of wine thrown in. This post is for you, Maire.

If the title doesn’t make your mouth water (unless you are not an eggplant/aubergine lover), the recipe will convince you to try this. I made the mistake once of throwing an elaborate dinner party that took me all day to prepare with the main course being an eggplant dish from the New Orleans Chef, Paul Prudhomme. Unfortunately, not all my guests liked eggplant and there was a lot of moving it around on their plates.

The original recipe calls for frying the eggplant, using cream in the custard and adding Gruyere cheese. This is a new twist – Madison revamped it in 2017 with her cookbook: In My Kitchen. This version is sleeker but as Madison says “better for it.”

Eggplant Gratin, Serves 4, Gluten Free

2 lb small glove or larger oblong eggplants

olive oil

1 small red onion

1 plump clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp herbes de Provence

2 1/2 lb ripe full sized tomatoes peeled and chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 eggs

1 cup ricotta

1/4 cup whole milk

1 good pinch saffron threads crumpled and soaked in 1 tbsp hot water

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

10 large basil leaves torn into pieces

Step 1 Heat oven to 400 F

Step 2 Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. If you have one large eggplant, cut it in quarters. Slice each piece crosswise about 1/2 inch thick. Brush the slices lightly with the oil, set them on a sheet pan, bake until the bottom sides have just started to brown (about 15 minutes). Turn them over and brown the second side (about 8 minutes). When the eggplant is done, remove from oven and reduce the heat to 350.

Step 3   To make the tomato sauce, peel and chop the tomatoes. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in wide skillet, when hot add the onion, garlic, and herbes de Provence (crushed between your fingers). Stir to coat and reduce heat to medium low and cook slowly until soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the chopped fresh tomatoes, raise the heat and cook stirring occasionally until the liquid has cooked off and the sauce is fairly thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4 To make the custard, whisk the eggs and stir in the ricotta, milk, saffron and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Season with a few pinches of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

Step 5 Choose an earthenware casserole with 2 inch sides and an 8 cup capacity. An oval dish 8″ wide and about 12″ long allows the ingredients to spread to a thin layer along with the custard topping.

Step 6 – Final Step Spread a cup of the sauce in the dish and set down an overlapping layer of eggplant. Scatter half the torn basil over the surface and season with salt and pepper. Dab about 1/4 cup of the sauce over the eggplant and then maker another layer of eggplant and torn basil and cover with the remaining tomato sauce. Pour the custard over all and bake until it has gently swelled and is browned in places, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. If there is any left over, it is good at room temperature or cold.

Madison grew up first on a dairy farm in upstate New York, then in a walnut orchard in Davis, California. She put her passion for cooking into motion at the San Francisco Zen Center where she was a student for eighteen years. After eating her first meal at Chez Panisse in 1977, she immediately went to work there until opening Greens Restaurant in 1979. Greens was one of the earliest Bay Area restaurants to have a farm-driven menu as her nearby farm, Green Gulch, provided beautiful, organically grown vegetables to cook with. She is truly one of the pioneers of vegetarian farm-to-table cuisine. An Onion In My Pocket, her latest work is scheduled to come out in September 2020. It is not a cookbook – it is a food memoir.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: Deborah Madison, Eggplant, gratin, Greens Restaurant, saffron, vegetarian

CHICKEN DIVAN

May 12, 2020 by Akiba 4 Comments

I came across this quote by Maya Angelou today: You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not be reduced by them.

This quote has nothing to do with the recipe I am sharing but it is how I am feeling, saddened by how people are treating each other out of fear or depression or anger during the pandemic. I hope we can find a way to live together and find love in our hearts to help each other. This should be a moment in time of deep reflection.

That said, I hope this Chicken Divan fills you with creamy goodness and becomes a dish that will feed your soul and your family.

And as Fareed Zakaria says: Let’s get started!

Chicken Divan In All It’s Glory

Chicken Divan is a creamy, mustardy chicken casserole with lots of vegetables. It is usually served over egg noodles and is designed to use leftover chicken. I did not have leftover chicken so I roasted chicken breasts and I don’t think it needs noodles. I added carrots and frozen peas to the original recipe but it lends itself to using any vegetable you have on hand. You can easily leave out the chicken and make a vegetarian version.

This dish is from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food with my additions, deletions and personal tips. Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients. I have made it twice now, and even after just two tries, it was much easier. The key is to prep everything and have it ready to go.

Prep: 45 mins Total: 1 hr 35 mins Yield: Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

  1. 1 bunch broccoli (cut into florets – about 5 cups or 1 1/2 pounds) I like the stalk too so I peel the skin from the stalk and use it.
  2. 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  3. 1 small onion finely chopped (1 cup)
  4. 8 ounces of cremini or button mushrooms sliced (about 2 1/2 cups
  5. 2 medium carrots chopped
  6. 1 cup of frozen peas (or more if you like)
  7. 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  8. 3 cups whole milk (preferably room temperature)
  9. 9 ounces shredded sharp cheddar (3 cups)
  10. 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  11. 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  12. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  13. 1/2 cup sour cream
  14. 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
  15. 2 tablespoons melted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss your chicken breasts in a little oil (grapeseed or olive) and add salt and pepper to taste. Roast on a sheet pan covered with tin foil for 15 minutes and wrap in the foil to cool, saving all the juices.

In a large pan, add broccoli and simmer until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter, add onion, mushrooms and carrots. Cook stirring occasionally until tender and mushrooms start to brown, 6 – 7 minutes.

Add flour and cook stirring 30 – 45 seconds. Slowly add milk, reduce heat to medium and cook stirring constantly until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 9 minutes.

Add 2 cups of the grated cheese, Dijon, Worcestershire, cayenne and sour cream. Stir until combined. Add cheese sauce to bowl with the broccoli. Cube your chicken and add to the bowl along with any accumulated juices. Toss to combine.

Transfer to a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the Panko and add the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Sprinkle over the broccoli mixture.

Bake until bubbly and golden, 20 – 25 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes.

If there any leftovers, it microwaves beautifully.

Posted in: Uncategorized Tagged: Chicken Divan, Maya Angelou
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