Panama (North America) 27 October 2022

Panama is located in the continent of North America. It has Jamaica and Cuba to the far north, Colombia and Venezuela to the east, Ecuador to the far south, Costa Rica to the west, and Nicaragua to the northwest.

The capital is Panama City.

The official language is Spanish.

The climate is markedly different from the Atlantic, Pacific Ocean sides, and from the Caribbean Sea on the northeast also. Temperatures generally stay around 78F throughout the year, but rainfall is heaviest in the northeast.

The staple foods are sometimes hot, spicy, but hearty, seafood, ceviche, plantains, chicken, vegetables, rice, pork, beans, yucca, cheese and so much more (https://www.worldtravelguide.net/guides/north-america/panama/food-and-drink/).

https://www.britannica.com/place/Panama

PANAMANIAN STEAK (https://www.cooks.com/recipe/n80986gt/panamanian-steak.html):  

• 3-4 lb. chuck steak blade, or boned chuck steak
• Oil
• 1 large green pepper, cut in strips
• 1 large onion, cut in strips
• Vinegar
• 3-4 TBSP tomato paste
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Salt & pepper
• 1 TBSP soy sauce

1. Marinade steak in vinegar 15 minutes before cooking.
2. Season with spices; let stand.
3. Heat oil (1/2-inch deep) in large fry pan.
4. Fry steak well done.
5. Add tomato paste.
6. Add water to barely cover steak in the pan.
7. Add 1 TBSP soy sauce, cover steak with peppers and onion.
8. Cover pan; bring to medium boil.
9. Cook until water boils down to gravy consistency.

Here is how my Panamaian Steak turned out. Very good flavors!!

YUCA FRITA (South American Yuca Fries) (https://www.thespruceeats.com/crispy-yuca-fries-3028822):  

• 2 lbs. yuva root (cassava) (fresh or frozen)
• 2 C vegetable oil, for frying
• Dash of kosher salt

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. If using fresh yuca, peel the yuca using a knife.
3. Cut the yuca into large pieces.
4. Remove the fibrous inner core of the root.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook yuca until it starts to turn translucent and can be pierced easily with a fork, about 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Drain thoroughly.
7. Check yuca for any remaining fibrous pieces and remove them.
8. Cut the yuca root into thick rectangular wedges.
9. Heat 2-inches of vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat.
10. Once the oil is hot (ideally 350 F), fry the yuca in batches turning occasionally, until golden brown.
11. Carefully remove yuca from the pan with a slotted spoon or wire skimmer and place onto a plate lined with paper towels.
12. Sprinkle the yuca fries with kosher salt. Serve hot with aji chili pepper sauce or huancaina sauce for dipping and enjoy.

I was not sure how these would taste, but they were really good. I would make these again for sure!!

FRESH TOSSED SALAD

This is just a typical fresh salad with sunflower seeds and dried blueberries!

OREJAS (https://creative-culinary.com/orejas-mexican-pan-dulce-recipe/):  

• 1 box puff pastry
• 2-3 TBSP melted butter
• ½ C cane sugar or demerara sugar
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (this is my addition just because I love it with cinnamon and sugar!)

1. Defrost the puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for about 45 minutes.
2. When your pastry is defrosted, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
3. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Line your countertop with parchment paper and spread about ¼ cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture on it, roughly in the shape of the puff pastry.
5. Brush one side of the pastry with the melted butter and then turn it over and lay it on top of the sugar mixture on your countertop.
6. Brush the side now facing up with melted butter and spread the remaining ¼ cup of sugar mixture liberally over the top of the puff pastry.
7. Use a rolling pin to gently roll on the puff pastry to gently incorporate the sugar and the butter into the pastry. Gently, you don’t really want to flatten it.
8. Fold the puff pastry inward from the edges on the long side and have the outside edges meet in the middle. Then fold again, again with the outside edges meeting in the middle.
9. Using a sharp knife, cut about three quarter of an inch slices and transfer them, cut side down, to parchment paper-lined baking sheets (These expand a bit, use two).
10. Fold each one in the shape of the letter U.
11. Bake at 425 degrees for 5-7 minutes on one side, remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip them over and bake for another 3-4 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
13. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days (Trust me there won’t be any to save that long!). 

Mine turned a little big, so I will make these again and try to perfect them. They are wonderful!!!

Here is my overall meal!!