We did it! Nik and I started on our Cooking Around the World Showcase journey and we made some really yummy stuff! As you know, since my boy and I are alone all week, we've decided to cook our way around Epcot's World Showcase. Not only do we get to spend some quality time together, we also get to sample some really great culture cuisine. We have started our culinary adventure at the Mexico Pavilion. Last night's creations were Sopa de Hobas and Sweet Mexican Cornbread.
Sopa de Hobas is fava or lima bean soup. This is really more of a stew than a soup. It is made with a base of tomatoes, onions and garlic (called recado) and then the cooked beans are added. This was super easy to make and was really delicious, but it is heavy. If you are looking for a light meal, this isn't it. This soup fills you up quickly. I was expecting a lighter, very tomato-y flavor, but that's not it at all. The recado fades to the background and the beans are the star of the show. Also, while it was really good, it needed a LOT of salt. I'm not much of a salt user, but this one really required quite a bit to bring the flavor out. Without the salt, it was a little bland.
For dessert, we made the Sweet Mexican Cornbread. This is nothing like American cornbread, but it's delicious! Rather than accompanying the meal, it's sweet and meant to be eaten as a dessert. With sweetened condensed milk and two types of corn, this bread is dense and chewy. The texture is a little surprising at first since there are whole corn kernels in the final bread, but it is delicious! It was the perfect ending to the meal.
(This bread is very sweet if you make the recipe as written. If you prefer a less sweet version, omit the 1/2 cup of white sugar which is listed as optional in the recipe.)
Our first foray into Mexico was a rousing success! Nik and I both enjoyed our dinner and we are excited for our next recipe -- Salpicón!
See ya real soon!