Tonight’s meal came from Guatemala and was easy to make. It took a while being our first time, but nothing was difficult.
Dinner was Chicken Pepian and to start we charred tomatillos and poblano peppers under the broiler. As this was broiling we cooked pumpkin seeds with peppercorns, allspice, and whole cumin until fragrant. These were set aside and then we cooked onions in oil until translucent before adding garlic.
Once cooked, we placed the seeds, onion, tomatillos, poblanos, chicken stock, and a coarsely chopped jalapeño into a blender, mixing until smooth.
While this was mixing we browned chicken breasts in the pan before adding the sauce. This simmered for a few minutes before it was ready to serve.
This was quite tasty, enjoyed by all. It had a bit of a unique taste with all the ingredients, our only “complaint” being that there was an abundance of sauce for the chicken. Next time we would make rice to go with it to soak up sauce. Our leftovers will be enjoyed in tacos, which with the cilantro I think will be quite tasty.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/chicken-pepian-recipe-1953284
Dessert was Guatemalan Bananas with Sweet Cream. This was made by sautéing quartered bananas in butter with brown sugar, then, after setting aside, cooking cream, vanilla, and corn starch until thickened. This was served warm over vanilla bean ice cream.
This dessert was simple, quick, and definitely tasty! I would like to try this over a warm vanilla cake some day as it will be made again.
https://growingupbilingual.com/guatemalan-bananas-with-sweet-cream/
Did you know that Guatemala invented the first chocolate bar and chocolate was once a form of currency in ancient Mayan civilization? They also produce 50% of coffee. They are also one of the world’s largest jade producers.
Jungles in Guatemala were used for filming in Star Wars Episode 4 and The Force Awakens? The Tikal National Park is the first mixed UNESCO World Heritage site. Although there are 30 volcanos only 3 are active.
Luis von Ahn, creator of duolingo, calls Guatemala home, which is where blue denim comes from. Finally, Guatemalans fly kites to honour their dead.