I've been wondering if I'm the only one who has grown tired of constantly eating Dominican meals. Now my mujer cooks very well, but I find her not wishing to broaden her horizons when it comes to food. Carne tastes like carne. Doesn't matter if it's chicken or pork when it's in the exact same salsa it pretty.much tastes the same. I remember asking her to make fried chicken and mashed potatoes. No I didn't ask her to make gravy. What I got was overcooked fried chicken naked. Of course I ate it and thanked her for breaking up the food routine, but to say that it wasn't what I had in mind is an understatement. I've also tried fried pork chops, but this was the same effect and spaghetti? Forget about it. Chicken spaghetti? You're kidding right? And forget her using a jar of Italian sauce cause I've tried cooking spaghetti using Italian sausage and Italian sauce, and she wouldn't even try it even though she loves friend Italian sausage. Steak I get when we go out to eat and there have been a few successes. She loves hash browns, and if I'm going to get chicken spaghetti, then it may as well be edible, so I taught her how to make chicken Alfredo pasta which of course she adds cilantro to making it different but surprisingly good. She also likes fried fish fillets and believe it or not, hush puppies and coleslaw. I guess I'm just getting sick of meat in sauce with rice. Oh the rice is always different. Sometimes white with habenchula, other times with guandules which I do like but just not every day. Have to also point out that Gabys habenchula is outstanding and I prefer eating them with just bread. Of course some corn bread would be excellent, but there ain't no way I'm getting this, so pan de agua is fine.
Now why I posted this. How many like San cocho? Ever try eating the dumplings in the stew? Horrible excuse for dumplings if you ask me. Wads of flour and water sit I. The stew and cook and still taste like wads of flour and water. So we we're fortunate enough to get a couple of very large whole fresh hens from a friend that grows them. I talked Gaby into putting one in the caldera with a few veggies and cook them up. Ahhhhh. San Cocho de Pollo she replied. No I said.. Chicken and dumplings served with white rice. Rice being the key word necessary for her to go along with my gringo meal. So she made the change clean, and at the end, I made up some Bisquick dumplings using milk, finely chopped green onion, and a little sharp cheese to spoon on top of the bubbly mixture of chicken on the stove. The look on her face was priceless as I put the lid on the pot after floating the dumplings mixture on top. Your not going to mix I. The dumplings she asked.. I responded with just Trust me. So everything done, we sit to eat, and she tries a dumpling. Wow she says.. etse es pan bueno. She liked them and another small victory for a gringo getting tired of eating as a Dominican every single day. Of course she put a pile of rice in her bowl, covered it with chicken and sauce and mixed in a couple of dumplings before going at it with a spoon , but this is another story..
