best – THE DUDE OF FOOD

Salted Cod aka Bacalhau, Portugal and Fishtory.

Did you know that Portugal consumes 20% of all cod fish caught on earth?! Oddly, cod is not found in the waters surrounding Portugal but the fish is so popular that the Portuguese people have more cod recipes than there are days in a year! Portugal has long had a love affair with cod, especially salted cod. The fish is more than just good food to the Portuguese, it is a part of their culture and everyday life.

Cod was introduced to the Portuguese people by Viking nomads. The Vikings captured abundant amounts of cod in the cold seas off the Nordic countries and tried to preserve the fish by letting it dry in the open air. During the Middle Ages the Vikings began preserving their cod with salt, which they learned from the Romans and the Basque. The Vikings obtained salt from Portugal and traded for cod. The Portuguese had plenty of salt to sell and cod fish became a solid source of food amongst the Portuguese people. Meat was expensive in Portugal during these times and supplying fresh meats and fish to the interior of the country was a complicated task. Salted cod was an easy and inexpensive food alternative, easier to provide throughout Portugal and became a popular thing to eat.

In the mid-1500s a Portuguese expedition heading to India saw Newfoundland for the first time and Portuguese cod fishing began. The Portuguese fishermen were eventually driven away by the English and French corsairs that dominated the fishing activities in the region during these times.

Cod fishing was a hard and dangerous job. These fisherman led a life of sacrifice, as cod fishing was done the traditional way. Sailing from Belém, Lisbon, the cod fishing ships were luggers and sailing ships, which towed dories used for line fishing and had the capacity to carry between 900 and 950 tons of cod. The fishermen were forced to row away from the main ship, sometimes two or three miles, to manually fish with lines and hooks. Each man fished alone for hours until their small boat was full of cod. While fishing they encountered freezing winds, fog, strong waves and icebergs. Some didn’t make it back to the fishing ships and died at sea. If they did make it back to the ship they would then unload, scale and salt the catch making for even longer work days.
After reaching land, the fish was washed to remove all the salt and dried until dehydrated. The codfish drying process took place outdoors in the Algarve, on the South Bank of the Tagus, in Setúbal, Figueira da Foz, Aveiro and Viana do Castelo.

On the 9th of July 1920, the Portuguese Fishing Company was founded by four small shipowners. They set up headquarters in the old facilities of the Lisbon Company Cotton Factory in Olho de Boi, Almada. To reduce foreign dependency and guarantee the country’s food supply, Antonio Salazar, Portugal’s leader at this time, centralized organized fishing activities, encouraged the creation of cooperatives and formed cartels that handled the supplies thus beginning the famous Codfish Campaign began in 1934.

During World War II, Portugal maintained its fishing activity. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean, two cod fishing ships, ‘Maria de Gloria’ and ‘Delães’ were sunk by Nazi submarines. An agreement with the Allies would state that these Portuguese cod fishing ships be painted white to signal Portugal’s neutrality in the conflict and allow them to safely sail the Atlantic, thus becoming known as the ‘White Fleet’.

In 1957, Portugal was already the largest salt codfish producer in the world and peaking. By this time, wheat and codfish were the commodities with the greatest impact on both the country’s diet and its trade balance.

The last three large cod fishing ships set sail for Newfoundland for the last time in 1974, coinciding with the fall of the dictatorship and the peaceful revolution of April 25th which brought democracy to the country.

The Portuguese still love codfish today and it is said they have 1001 ways of cooking it. Presently, 70% of codfish comes from Norway and the Portuguese are always taking sustainable consumption, climatic change and versatility into consideration.

SALT FACT: Portuguese salt (Flor de Sal) is internationally popular and is similar to French salt (Fluer de Sel). Portuguese salt is collected from evaporation pools of sea water like they do in Nicaragua. With an area of 360 hectares or just under 900 acres, the Samouco Salt Pans in Alcochete were the main source of salt farming near Lisbon.

Did someone say Cacciatore?

The old adage about ‘nice guys finish last’ comes to us from the world of baseball by Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher in 1946. In the cooking world it’s a bit different as a nice dish can finish first and be very popular. Having just returned from 2 weeks of hell in the Pacific Northwest I was craving a nice, easy home cooked meal and decided a chicken cacciatore style plate is what I’d like to eat to bring some joy back into my life.

Many things in life start with desire and once I set my mind on this plate it was easy to pull together.

Sauce is a big part of a pasta dish and making a good one from scratch usually takes the better part of a day or a second day to have it set right. I decided to cut corners and use Private Selection sauce made in Italy and distributed by Kroger of Cincinnati. I actually used 2 jars of sauce. The first jar was Porcini Arrabbiata and the second jar was Tomato and Black Truffle.

Below is the simple ingredient list and procedure for preparation.

Kroger Private Reserve sauce – 2 jars
1 Porcini Arrabbiata and 1 Tomato Black Truffle
1 chopped yellow onion
6 chopped garlic cloves
1 tray of rubbed chicken: 8 legs
salt
pepper

Mushrooms, grated carrots, celery, olives or any other favorites are ingredients that could also be added to this dish.

Start by chopping up the onion and garlic. Put a small amount of wine in a pan and warm. Once the wine has warmed and the alcohol will lift. Then add a little olive oil into the pan with a touch of butter and salt and the onions. Simmer the onions on low to medium heat. When the onions begin the clear up add the garlic and let them warm up. Once the garlic has had a chance to expand and begin to release its flavor it’s time to add the 2 jars of sauce. Stir, cover and let simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally.

As the sauce does its magic it is time to start heating the rubbed chicken. Get another pan and add a small amount of olive oil and a touch of water and heat. As the pan heats add the 8 rubbed chicken legs, lightly salt and cover. Pan fry the chicken on stove top over low to medium heat. You are trying to heat the chicken thoroughly but not overcook or dry out. Low and slow is the way of the heat.

Time to check the sauce and stir.

Next add a pot of water to the stove top to boil the pasta and begin to heat. Salt can be added to this water if you salt your pasta water. Some folks do.
Boil enough water for 1lb of fettuccine or your favorite noodle shape.

Now you have all the moving parts working and it’s time to clean up as you monitor and stir the heating pans.

The noodles will be ready first. Drain the pasta and add a little of the starch water to the sauce. Cover the drained noodles and let sit.

Once the sauce has simmered enough to be considered ready and the chicken is cooked enough to eat turn all of the heat off and prepare to plate these items.

Start by adding a lump of pasta in plate center.
Surround pasta lump with chicken legs.
Scoop sauce over noodles with plenty for the chicken too.
Sprinkle the top with grated parmesan cheese and serve.

Bon appetit.

The Dude of Food loves his Krups bean grinder

I bought a Krups bean grinder for our truck office as our crew was making many espressos during our night shoots. Like all Krups products the design is simple and functional. This Krups grinding machine is small but mighty. It doesn’t take up very much space on our countertop and has been totally reliable since the first use. It grinds the espresso and coffee beans perfectly and has been used to grind homegrown Rosemary and some smoking herbs too. One of the Dude of Food’s favorite things to take in is the rich scent of freshly ground coffee beans and the linger of good dank but I digress.

To get your very own Krups bean grinder click on this highlighted area and you will be linked to an Amazon page where you can have one delivered to your team. The Dude of Food has been accepted as as Amazon Associate and can earn from qualifying purchases.

Griesbrei is a deliciously good food.

My job in the past allowed me to cross paths with a German production team and I ended up working with the Germany’s Next Top Model crew with Heidi Klum for 9 years. We spent about 3 months a year together and it was always interesting and fun. Heidi is super cool and the crew was a production group of friends that had fun working and partying together.

Oida, my travels have taken me to Munich to visit my production party friends and it is always a joy to be with them.

On my first trip to Munich I found myself attracted to the markets. Lidl, Rewe, Aldi and Edeka were my favorites. The lighting, the prices, the choices, the stern checkers, it all caught my eye. I’ve been back 5 times and always look forward to walking around the markets.

As I wandered around the market on that first trip looking at stuff on the shelves I ended up purchasing something I thought was like German breakfast grits called griesbrei. It was a product made by Dr. Oetker. I bought a few and made it for breakfast at home in Los Angeles, after decoding the instructions. I loved it.

When I told my Bavarian friends about how I loved griesbrei I always got the same odd reaction. They would get a weird look on their face and say to me, ‘so you like baby food?’

Well, I guess I do. Griesbrei is good. It’s sort of like grits but also reminds me of when I was a kid and my grandmother used to make me tapioca pudding for dessert and I always loved that too. She also would make homemade ice cream in a bucket with salt rocks and ice, but I digress.

As an Amazon Associate I can earn from recommending qualifying sales.

Ingredients

3 ⅓ cups milk

½ cup soft wheat semolina

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pinch of salt

1 large egg

1 tbsp. butter

Add milk and sugar to a sauce pan, mix well and bring to a light simmer.
Gradually add the semolina while stirring.
Bring to a light simmer, cover with a lid and remove from heat.
Allow to sit for about 5 min.
In the meantime, separate the egg.
Beat the egg white with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
Add the egg yolk to the semolina pudding and mix well until fully incorporated.
Stir in butter and vanilla extract.
Fold in the egg white.

You can get your package of Dr. Oetker’s Griesbrei by clicking here.

Coffee talk with the Dude of Food

Historically and traditionally the discovery of the bean that makes coffee has loosely been credited to a herder named Kaldi in Ethiopia. It turns out that Kaldi noticed the animals in his heard get all perky after eating these beans. He then chewed some beans himself and felt a spark too so he took some to the local monks who threw the beans into a fire thinking Kaldi was possessed, but when the flames baked the beans and a pleasant odor came from the fire the monks changed their minds. The monks liked the aroma, pulled the beans from the fire and put them in hot water and voila, the first cup of coffee was discovered. The monks would use the liquid to stimulate themselves before prayers and studies.

With thousands of pilgrims visiting Mecca each year from all over the world the knowledge of this ‘Wine of Araby’ or cup of coffee quickly began to spread.

Enjoy a delicious cup of steaming coffee

This discovery migrated from Ethiopia to Yemen and finally coffee was shipped to Venice, Italy and into Europe.

The world’s first coffee house was opened in Constantinople in 1475, now known as Istanbul.

Captain John Smith, the founder of the Virginia Colony, introduced coffee to other settlers of Jamestown in 1607. Coffee wasn’t well received as tea was still preferred at this time.

The first ever European coffee house was opened in 1645 in Venice, Italy. The coffee shop named Caffe Florian from 1720 still exists here. Drinking coffee became a cool thing to do and a great commodity for traders.

In 1670, Dorothy Jones became the first person to receive a license to sell coffee in Boston.

By the mid-1700’s many taverns were also dubbed as coffeehouses.

The Boston Tea Party revolt caused all the tea to be thrown into Boston Harbor and after that event it was considered unpatriotic to drink tea in America any longer. Coffee then became increasingly popular.

Coffee was drunk at home as part of the daily routine, as well as to show hospitality to guests. Outside of the home, people visited coffee houses to drink coffee and engage in conversation, listen to music, mingle and catch up on news. Without the modern technologies we have today, coffee houses and pubs became spots for sharing information. They were often referred to as “Schools of the Wise.”

One of the oldest coffee shops in the world is located in New York. There is a coffee shop named Caffè Reggio that has been operating since 1927 and is home to the very first espresso machine in the United States.

The Dude of Food’s introduction to coffee was during the summer of 1981 when I traveled around the United States on a youth tour. I remember going to Brennan’s in New Orleans and trying their famous coffee as everyone was talking about it. A few friends and I were all wound up from drinking way too many cups during our breakfast. Being that we were 14-15 years old the effect was gnarly. We started sweating and ran around the city for a couple of hours after breakfast, trying to keep up with ourselves.

The next story that helped shape my mind about coffee was during the road to qualify for the world cup games. I was in Antigua, Guatemala and a big point match was to begin at 5:30am between Mexico and USA. Being that it was still a little early for beers, I began drinking coffee while watching the match. I really liked the taste of the fresh Guatemalan coffee and it quickly became my favorite for years. I always buy the Starbucks Antigua version when I see the bags in the market.

As an Amazon Associate I can earn from recommending qualifying purchases.

For the last couple of years I’ve had a Brazilian girlfriend. Brazil is the number 1 producer of coffee beans in the world. Upon returning from a visit to Brazil she brought back some coffee. The brand was Pilao and I love it too. It’s really strong so it doesn’t take huge heaps to get a good cup of coffee.

Over the years I have had a few thoughts about coffee and wrote the following about the subject.

335 words the Dude of Food wrote about coffee circa 2015

The scent of the brew wafts through the house and wraps itself into the cool dark morning air.
My senses tingle when the aroma arrives at my nostrils and the pulse of excitement runs through my body reminding me of another beautiful day that is about to begin.
I hear the pumps of water as the machine gasps and sighs and steam seeps out of the seam at the top like some sort of cartoon robot hothead.
As I turn the corner towards the kitchen the green power light on the machine’s front penetrates the darkness as vibrantly as the scent of the the brew itself. I see it’s green glow in the form of a dot at the base of the source of the scent, resonating small and bright in the distance.
The chosen mug stands by attentively waiting to fulfill its duty as holder of the vital morning fluid. The organic whole milk with an expiration date way into the future stands nearby to assist in the heat control and toning of the aromatic, dark, hot liquid. The machine gives up its final gasp as the last of the water runs through its pulsing veins. The glass container below also dutifully waits to receive this precious fluid that it will hold until a consumer arrives.
The hand that rocks the cradle pours this brown joy into the attentive mug and then proceeds to top off with some milky goodness. No sugar is allowed.
It’s at this point that I know things are going well. The anticipation always causes excitement.
When the warm brew hits my taste buds and the heat from the fluid rises into my face I begin to feel more alive. A joyful feeling warms me. Then the warm fluid runs through my body letting it know that it’s time to get in motion to enjoy this beautiful new day. It’s another day to learn and try to teach the masses.
The opportunity to live and make the world a better place begins daily. Today is going to be another great day.

On December 1, 2021 the Dude of Food wrote another 281 words about Coffee.

Ahhh coffee, yes I’d like a coffee please. If I could choose I’d have medium roasted Guatemalan or Hawaiian bean coffee. French coffee is good as is Italian and Turkish.
Coffee is that magical fluid that is loved by people worldwide. At dawn it is that warming magic that helps get things going, in more than one way. At my desk with a cup I feel like I have the tools to get things done. A pot of your favorite coffee with a joint and one can be content to write, design, edit, build or creatively ponder for hours.
Coffee allows individuals a chance to show their diverse traits. There are many ways to enjoy this magic brown fluid. Hot or cold, creamed or not, sweetened or not, caffeinated or decaf and how much of each ingredient is up to each person. Some add caramel. Some add vanilla or chocolate and interestingly, some even choose not to drink coffee at all. Some choose to enjoy coffee in the morning. Some will have a cup after meals and some will drink coffee all day or night long.

The beans are growing, don’t wait or hesitate or you’ll be late.

On November 6, 2023, again coffee was on the mind and the Dude of Food penned a ditty called ‘Coffee Today’.

Many thoughts have been donated to the fact that life gives provenance to coffee, but i have been thinking about it myself and wonder if that statement might not be constructed wrong and presented backwards. Perhaps it is coffee that gives provenance to life.
The thrill of waking up to a beautiful new sunrise and beginning another glorious day are exacerbated by the addition of a deliciously scented mug of steaming coffee that warms the hands and face while gifting your mouth with a sense of invigoration and joy that helps one get through the day. It is the kind of support not seen yet relied on to help rally into the rest of what’s coming. The cultivation and preparation of coffee has been in human culture for centuries and has helped produce the spring to one’s morning and put the pep back in many peoples step.
This tiny, delicious magical bean is one of the most powerful items in nature. Folks should recognize its place and not abuse it but love it for what it is and does. One does not need a degree to prepare coffee drinks as it is a simple task and not like surgery. Coffee does its thing. It grows. It ripens. It dries. It’s roasted. It’s ground up and water seeps through it providing life, one drip at a time.
Share this story of coffee and life with a fellow coffee drinker as you enjoy a cup of historical culture today.

Below is a list of the top 10 coffee producing countries.

Brazil
Vietnam
Colombia
Indonesia
Jamaica
Africa
Central America: Guatemala, Honduras
Hawaii
India
Turkey

The above image was how I spent my mornings in Ometepe, Nicaragua. Alles Claro.

Historically delicious: Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co

The boss of a film crew I was working with gave the 7 member’s of our team thoughtful homemade gift bags for Christmas.
One of the cool gifts in my bag included a bottle of Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company Picante Sauce.
When used in a dish I discovered this product was pleasantly surprising and complimented the dish nicely. The flavor was unique and delicious. The bottle information said the company and sauce were located near my mom. I asked mom if she was familiar with this brand of sauce and she said she knew the brand and told me the family was a well respected part of the local business community. It turns out the granddaughter of the founders of Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co and my mother had met at an event somewhere in town in the past. My mom confirmed that the granddaughter was a very nice lady whose name is Jeanie England Neubauer.
Jeanie is the granddaughter of an international business agent named Beck Kibbey. Jeanie has done a great job maintaining the business her parents and another couple began in 1943. Her family roots are deep and have ties with the towns of Nogales, Arizona and across the border in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
Her family history is amazing and the Anaheim chili became their friend. Gene England, Jeanie’s grand-father, had developed methods to stew and grind chili’s to make paste. They also ground chili pods down into powder for seasoning.
The folks at Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co still support the family traditions of the founders and have employees generations deep maintaining these traditions.
Go visit their web page. https://santacruzchili.com/ The online sales page will show you the various sauces offered. Other pages will show that these folks support some really cool causes.
If you are near the Tucson area and headed to the Mexican border you can go visit the Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co gift store in person which is located a few minutes south of Tubac. The drive from Tucson is roughly 60 miles and if you love chili, then it’s well worth the trip.

Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company
1868 E. Frontage Road, Tumacacori, AZ 85640

520.398.2591
520.398.2592 Fax

Store Hours
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed Sundays and holidays.

Muchas gracias Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Company

https://santacruzchili.com/

“Create tapas and you create joy!” the Dude of Food

This form of eating called Tapas can be traced back many moons to when bar owners used salty meat strips to cover drinks and keep the flies from swimming. The salty meats promoted thirst amongst the patrons and drink sales thrived. Soon the drink covers became other salty creative snacks and a bar culture of food was born. Spain gets most of the credit for this type of nourishment as many of the ingredients used in creating these food gems are found abundantly in their region.

This salty sales theory is why in the 70’s and early 80’s many bar owners in the US offered free peanuts to bar patrons. Peanuts were cheap and salty and the President (Jimmy Carter) was a peanut farmer. Jimmy’s brother Billy was a famous beer drinker. See how these things go together. The cool thing was back then that many places just let you throw the empty peanut shells on the floor like at a hockey game.

The Dude of Food was really impressed in Donostia/San Sabastian. While visiting this beautiful Basque place many great items were discovered. I stumbled upon a place named Bar Desy that invited me to try tons of great foods including an extensive tapas menu. I went back to Bar Desy a lot, sometimes 3 times a day, for the next week. The staff was great and I even met the owners father.

The top photo is one I took after I created a few tapas for my Brazilian girlfriend to enjoy while listening to some Samba and sipping on wine. We would look deep into each others eyes and share moments that made the world outside go quiet. Love was in the air. I digress.

Anyways as stated, the Dude of Food created the above pictured tapas. On the various breads are oil, cheese, meats, tomato sauce, veggies, sardines, salt and herbs. Tapas are fun to make, great to share and super enjoyable to eat.

Below was my first pass by the home made tapas table.

Enjoy some tapas soon.

“Egg, chicken and potato salad is a delicious ‘super food’.” the Dude of Food

Body builders, fighters, athletes, nutritionists, historians, archivists and intelligent eaters everywhere all agree that eggs and chicken are good sources of protein and carbs are good for a body in motion. They too would agree upon the fact that vegetables are good for folks. So when I mixed eggs, chicken, potatoes, celery and onions together, in theory, I made super food, no? The recipe ingredients follow at the end of article.

I started by peeling, cubing and boiling 3 potatoes in salted water. I use and love my Oneida knife. I’m not endorsed by them but this knife and I have grown together in the kitchen and we both try to look good while staying sharp.

You can add steamed peas to the mix if you like. If so now is the time to retrieve them from the freezer and steam a cup full of them. Once steamed, cover and let sit.

Now is the time to chop the vegetables, onions and celery, while the potatoes are warming up. I like to leave the onion a little chunkier and dice the celery up pretty small as you can see in the photo.

Peel and chop up the hard boiled eggs.

Remove the meat from the precooked chicken thighs.

Once the potatoes are cooked you need to drain them and return them to the hot pan. Add the chopped onions, celery, eggs and chicken to the warm potatoes. If you are adding peas add them now too. Stir in the mayo, mustard, vinegar, relish and spices. No need to stir hard or use mixer as the potatoes are soft and will become mashed if you mix vigorously. It’s not bad, as some may prefer the texture, but personally I like the potatoes to maintain some cube shape. The taste is the same.

Once mixed you can enjoy warm with crackers or cool in fridge and enjoy in lettuce bowls later or between toasted sourdough slices in the morning with a slice of cheese. It’s a bit like tapas and goes great with wine, anti pasta salads, appetizer trays and sunsets.

Now getting back to the nutritional status of being called a ‘super food’. I think it certainly qualifies for the title as it tastes ‘super’. The Dude of Food fully approves and recommends trying this. This new super food group deserves all 5+ Golden Fork Awards if any are to be given.

3 large gold potatoes
4 hard boiled eggs
4 chicken cooked thighs
3 chopped celery sticks
2 chopped green onion stalks
1/4 chopped white onion
3 spoon fulls of mayonnaise
3 circle squirt of yellow mustard
1 spoon full of dill relish
2 cap fulls apple cider vinegar
Add salt, pepper, paprika to your taste.

Additional options could include but certainly not limited to: avocado, peas, sour cream, ranch dressing or raisins. If you add grapes then we probably aren’t friends.

Easy 1 pot Chicken with Mushroom Rice

Ingredients:

1 six pack of your favorite beer or 1 bottle of favorite wine
1 cup rice
6 chicken thighs
8 oz tub of diced baby bella mushrooms 
1/4 onion
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon minced garlic or 2 chopped garlic cloves
Olive oil
2 cups chicken stock
  1 cup heavy cream - optional
  chopped parsley - optional
  1 cup peas - optional
Salt and black pepper
Herbs  (thyme, sage, tarragon, rosemary, paprika)

Preparation:

Pour your favorite beverage into a glass and collect your ingredients including pans and utensils. Remember to pick a pan large enough to hold everything at the end as we’re doing 1 pot style.

Open the package of chicken and individually rinse each piece in cold water and dry with a paper towel.

Season your chicken with salt, black pepper, herb mix. Some folks put everything in a bag and shake the dried chicken in the bag. Dealers choice here but if your chicken isn’t dry it just makes a mess. I prefer the sprinkle on both sides method. Also don’t neglect your drink. Your beer might be getting warm.

Pour enough olive oil to barely or lightly cover surface of pan and heat on medium-high heat. When
oil is hot, carefully place the chicken thighs skin-side down in the hot oil and leave to fry for roughly
5 – 6 minutes. The chicken skin should not stick to the pan if cooked right. Flip and continue to fry
on the other side for another 4 – 5 minutes. Both sides should be lightly crisped.

Remove seared chicken from oil, letting the oil drip back in pan, cover and set aside for now. Do not refrigerate the chicken. Now is a good time to sip your drink or refill if needed. I always keep my beer close so I am easily reminded.

Turn the heat down just a bit and in the still hot and now empty oiled chicken pan add garlic, butter, parsley and onions and simmer for 6 minutes or so. If adding peas add them now too. Still frozen is OK but I prefer if the peas have sat out on the counter for a bit and thawed. Once the peas have simmered for a couple minutes you can add the mushrooms and continue to simmer until the onions are soft and
nearly clear.

Add washed rice on top of the simmering veggies and stir. After the heat has toasted the rice for a couple minutes pour chicken stock into the mix. The thing to do is de-glaze the pan as you stir in the added stock to the rice by giving it a gentle stir. Remember not to scrape metal spoons on pan bottoms when stirring. Use a wooden spoon to stir. I try not to use plastic utensils although I have a good one just in case.

After about 10 minutes or so place the chicken on top of the steaming rice in the pan and reduce the heat. Now would be when you would add the heavy cream if choosing to do so. Let the whole thing simmer together for another 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is soft. Sprinkle some chopped parsley on top, stir, cover and let sit for a couple more minutes while you top off your drinks.

Darned good.
Enjoy,
the Dude of Food

Discover Ometepe, Nicaragua

One of the things I noticed about people returning from the island of Ometepe was that they all projected a relaxed vibe. Being on vacation at the beach I was already relaxed but I was curious about this vibe other folks were experiencing. They all said they had just returned from visiting Ometepe and the surrounding areas.

Taking the ferry from Rivas to cross to the island is easy, inexpensive and takes an hour. The boats run pretty frequently and make it easy to get back to the mainland if needed during daylight hours. The town of Moyogalpa is there like a patient friend waiting to greet the arriving ferry travelers. The town is a neat little arrangement of approximately 6 square blocks that you can find nearly everything you might need. There are many places available to stay between the 2 volcanoes on this big island and everything can be arranged once arriving in Moyogalpa if a pick up hasn’t been arranged already. There are a bunch of places to choose from within steps to regroup, have a beer, get some food and/or contact folks for arrangements. Read on.

My arrangements were made for me. I needed to be 3 blocks up and 1 to the right of the port to a place known as Hospedaje Siero. The family that run this place are great. Lucy holds down the rentals while her husband Abraham is handling the remodeling that was going on. The photo below shows the old school material delivery happening one morning.

In the foreground you have the construction delivery going on and in the background you will see the orange canopy Krisdalia. I’d visit Krisdalia for instant mocha coffees in the early mornings. The mom and daughter team were nice people. Both the hostel and Krisdalia next door were easy to find and provided an excellent area to call home.

The island consists of 2 volcano cones that protrude through an enormous lake that feels like a wave less ocean whose perimeter claims roughly a 55 mile figure eight ride. Renting a motorcycle from Green Expedition was easy. They are reputable, trustworthy and came with a good recommendation which I share here. https://www.instagram.com/greenexpedition/?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D

Along the same main street from the ferry and steps from Green Expedition is El Picante Restaurant. They offer a knowing staff, pleasant atmosphere, good blended drinks and delicious food too. The owner Jan knows many things, is very helpful and a great host. Many hours were spent here. Visit here for sure. Even Kurt from Canada recommends El Picante as you can read below.

A Traveller’s Guide to Ometepe, Nicaragua

The next place up and on the same side of the street hosts a sign that says La Cocina de Mami and offers rooms to rent also. This is an awesome place to go for breakfast. The other thing I loved besides how nice the staff was is the chicken pasta.

The last place you should seek out is up the main ferry exit road and when you get to the island circle road which is about 5 blocks up go right. About 2 blocks down on the volcano side is a small sign letting you know there is delicious food waiting to be created for you at Comedor Alma. We were always welcomed warmly there and treated like family. Everything we had on the menu was good. It is as local as you can get when it comes to eating in Ometepe and added to a great experience while visiting the island. https://www.facebook.com/memitoelnica/videos/estamos-transmitiendo-desde-el-comedor-almamoyogalpa-isla-de-ometepe/376300624389041/

Thank you to all the locals whose paths crossed with mine and for sharing your beautiful place and vibes with me. Muchas gracias. The Dude of Food