Guatemala

I have always been fascinated by Mayan cuisine.  The use of spices, chilies and chocolate in their dishes produces flavours like none other.   I watched a few cooking shows from Guatemala and was intrigued by the complex taste structure but simple to put together dishes.

Jocon de Pollo

Jocon de Pollo is considered the national dish of Guatemala.  Made with tomatillos,  jalepeno, green onions and cilantro.   You start out by making a broth with chicken and Mexican oregano.   Then you add a puree of the above herbs and vegetables and cook till all the flavours are combined.   I used some of the broth to make rice with and the rice was amazing.   I expected a very herby chicken but was literally blown away with how delicious this dish was.  It was so good that I made it again about a week later with pork shoulder.  Now we are talking,  this was totally awesome and delicious.

 

Quesadilla

Well every once in a while you learn some interesting culinary history and this was one of those moments.   Our dessert was quesadilla made with cheese, rice, sugar and eggs.   These little sweet cakes were then topped with dolce de latte.   This is the original quesadilla that somehow ended up in the US got savoury and settled back in Mexico.   These little cupcakes were truly delicious also.