Chez Juan Diego's Experimental kitchen

 

Food for thought: Cooking brings people together, period. 

I have been getting together with a dear friend of mine, Don Juan Diego, as we brainstorm ideas for an interesting cause. That has been a great experience in itself, however, I won't be getting into those details on  this occasion. One of the aspects that has both pleased and surprised me about these rendez-vous is that, unintentionally, we have been creating a space that fosters creativity around cooking.   

Even though we have only done this twice, we are really proud about the end result of our cooking journey. Our dishes have featured some truly explosive flavours, which have served as excellent hors d'oeuvres to the various discussions following our meals.

During our first get-together, Chef Don Juan Diego put on his Compañero hat and embraced the suggestions I brought into his kitchen, which contained a strong Latin American component (Yes, I am influential like that!).  Firstly, we chose quinoa, instead of rice for a change, seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika and olive oil. We then made hogao (also known as guizo, which basically is a savory mix of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and cumin,  sautéed until soft and fragrant) added lentils and decided to add some kidney beans, since there was less than a quarter of a cup of lentils available. While waiting for everything to be ready, we sautéed some mushrooms in red wine vinegar, with salt and pepper (oh Baby, YUMM!) and  lastly, we made a hand-full of Kale chips.  

We were so excited about our meal that I got carried away and forgot to take a photo of the dish itself. However, I did manage to document the head chef adding the last touches to our meal: 

We got together again this morning, and we agreed on making breakfast. Since I had left my quinoa at his house last time, I thought we could recreate the Nutty Cinnamon Quinoa recipe. This time we decided to add strawberries and a touch of honey at the end. Then, Chef Don Juan Diego donated his contribution in the form of scrambled eggs with kale and authentic Canadian cheddar. That was THE breakfast of champions, indeed! Behold:

Cooking @Juan's - Part II: Indulging into the sweetness of quinoa for breakfast, accompanied by scrambled eggs with kale and real canuck cheddar 

To my surprise, Chef JD told me a few hours ago that we will be reuniting once again tomorrow afternoon for another exquisite lunch adventure. This time, we will have a third person joining us at Chez Juan Diego's, and I must say that I am really looking forward to see what emerges from our combined culinary input.  Although I may have a few ideas in mind already, there isn't anything too concrete to impose at this point. All I can say is that I hope to have an update on this adventure before the end of the week.

Don't miss out on another episode at Chez Juan Diego's: 

Where Food meets Politics

Bon appéttit tout le monde!

Yours Truly,

Fraulein Andrea