Be irrepressible! a campaign for global internet freedom

Almost two weeks ago the complete blog of a friend and colleague from South America vanished. All the work, recipes, stories and photos are gone, along with her blog account. It is really scary, because "they" now say the blog didn't exist!

I invite you to read what Rachel Rawlins from Global Voices published this morning. This is an excerpt from the article. For the complete post visit Global Voices!

<<As more and more nations carve up the so-called global, borderless internet into separate spheres of control through filtering and censorship, often using technology supplied by large IT companies, Amnesty International has launched a new campaign - irrepressible.info to raise awareness of and protest against the infringements on the basic human right of freedom of speech.

Chat rooms monitored. Blogs deleted. Websites blocked. Search engines restricted. People imprisoned for simply posting and sharing information.

The Internet is a new frontier in the struggle for human rights. Governments – with the help of some of the biggest IT companies in the world – are cracking down on freedom of expression.

There are specific examples of some of the countries and companies in the spotlight:

The web is a great tool for sharing ideas and freedom of expression. However, efforts to try and control the Internet are growing. Internet repression is reported in countries like China, Vietnam, Tunisia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria. People are persecuted and imprisoned simply for criticising their government, calling for democracy and greater press freedom or exposing human rights abuses, online.

But Internet repression is not just about governments. IT companies have helped build the systems that enable surveillance and censorship to take place. Yahoo! have supplied email users’ private data to the Chinese authorities, helping to facilitate cases of wrongful imprisonment. Microsoft and Google have both complied with government demands to actively censor Chinese users of their services.>>

For the complete post visit Global Voices now!

THANK you Rachel :)

Have a wonderful day!

Melissa

Visit Tasty Recipes - Chef Melissa's recipe and post index.

Tags: global voices, food blogs, cookingdiva, cooking, panama, farmer's market parade, food & drink, food, recipes

by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · May 30, 2006 · 08:45 AM
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Luscious Thai Truffles

This is an unusual combination of sweet flavors with spicy, hot sensations. Traditionally, cuisines from temperate regions of the world, as such as Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Mediterranean have  always  combined these ingredients. This time we are celebrating this widely known aprhodisiac in the form of a truffle. Enjoy!

Yield 50 truffles

Ingredients:

For the Spicy Semi-Solid  Ganache:

• 1 lb(16 oz) Semi sweet chocolate, chopped

• 1 teaspoon “Thai Curry Paste for desserts” or to taste, recipe follows.

• 1-1/2 cups heavy cream

Preparation

1. Place chopped chocolate in food processor and pulse until pea size. Bring heavy cream to boiling point and mix in the curry paste for desserts. Stir to combine. Remove from heat, cover and infuse no more than 3 hours. Strain through a very fine sieve and re-heat to a boiling point.
2. Pour the chocolate mix into the tube of a running food processor. Process until mixture becomes smooth. Transfer into a clean bowl and let set overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.
3. Pipe onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze overnight.
4. Pre-coat truffles with thin layer of tempered chocolate and dust with cocoa powder, OR toss in toasted coconut flakes.

Important Note:

chocolate is tempered when its temperature is between 84° and 88° F (29° and 31° C). One of the easiest ways to achieve this point is to place the chocolate  in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate is melted, be specially careful not to over do it. You may see lumps, but they will be dissolved with the residual heat of the chocolate. To speed this process up, you can use an immersion blender or a whisk. When the chocolate begins to set, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix in. It is very important to have your food thermometer on hand to verify when the mixture reaches ideal temperature.

 For the Thai Curry Paste for Desserts:

• 1 stalk lemon grass, finely sliced. Use only the bottom 6”of the stalk.
• 1 teaspoon lime zest, preferably kaffir lime, but any lime will do!
• 1-2 dried Thai bird chilies, seeds removed.
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cardamon pods, husked
• 1- 1/4 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon fresh galangal or ginger root, minced (see Chef's note)
• 1 tablespoon coconut milk (optional)

Preparation

1. Dry toast cumin, coriander, cardamom and cinnamon in a skillet under medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Do not leave unattended, and shake the pan often to prevent burning. Remove from heat, cool.
2. If making in a mortar and pestle, pound all the ingredients into a smooth paste. If making in a blender or food processor, blend everything into a smooth paste. Transfer to a small container and keep refrigerated or frozen. Read Chef’s note.

[Chef’s Note: this paste will keep for up to two weeks refrigerated and can be frozen in one-teaspoon quantities in n ice cube tray. To grind the ingredients use either a mortar and pestle, a blender, coffee grinder or spice mill. Remember that the number of chiles is up to you. If you find a paste too hot, simply reduce the number of chiles used. Galanga, sometimes called “galangal”, is known as “kah” in Thailand and is used even more widely than fresh ginger. Use whole pieces of dried galangal and reconstitute them by soaking them in water. Powdered “kah” has very little flavor. Fresh ginger can be used as a substitute for kah.]

Yield ½ cup

Enjoy,

Chef Melissa

Tags: chocolate, food blogs, cookingdiva, cooking, panama, panama chefs, food & drink, food, recipes

by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · May 27, 2006 · 04:07 PM
Permalink · Comments (18) · TrackBack (0) · Categories: Ethnic Cuisine: Asian · Food & Drink · General · RECIPES: chicken · Sensual Food

Celebrate BlogDay 2006!

Español / Francais / Deutsch / Portugues / Chinese

BlogDay was initiated with the belief that bloggers should have one day which will be dedicated to know other bloggers, from other countries or areas of interests. In that day Bloggers will recommend about them to their Blog visitors. 

What will happen on BlogDay? 

In one long moment In August 31st, bloggers from all over the world will post a recommendation of 5 new Blogs, Preferably, Blogs different from their own culture, point of view and attitude. On this day, blog surfers will find themselves leaping and discovering new, unknown Blogs, celebrating the discovery of new people and new bloggers. 

BlogDay posting instructions: 

1. Find 5 new Blogs that you find interesting 

2. Notify the 5 bloggers that you are recommending on them on BlogDay 2006

3. Write a short description of the Blogs and place a a link to the recommended Blogs 

4. Post the BlogDay Post (on August 31st) and 

5. Add the BlogDay tag using this link: http://technorati.com/tag/BlogDay2006 and a link to BlogDay web site at http://www.blogday.org

Celebrate!

Un Abrazo,
Melissa

Tags: food blog event, food blogs, cookingdiva, cooking, panama, Blog Day 2006, food & drink, food, chef melissa

by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · May 27, 2006 · 03:01 PM
Permalink · Comments (12) · TrackBack (1) · Categories: Food & Drink · Food Blog Events · General · MeMe

The Farmer's Market International Parade (Update)

The Farmer's Market is an island in time and space. It is a feast of sensory delights, the beautiful colors, variety of textures, the music and gentle conversations, and the gustatory pleasures in store. Here, if you can walk or bike, you do. Here, you are happy to see other shoppers, you wait your turn politely, you are not in a hurry, you are helpful. (By KJERRINGA MOT STRØMMEN)

Thank you, thank you and a world of thank yous to all our fellow bloggers that have joined this event. I've got to tell you that although I have NOT posted my Farmer's Market visit post yet, I'll be doing it soon. You can do the same, AND please send us the info. on your post so we can add it to the next roundup.

To get the guidelines for this event in Spanish visit El Amor por la Cocina.

How to participate:

Just go to the fruit market, farmer's market, mercado, street market, super market, grocery store, or what ever you love to call those places with a colorful bounty of edible goodness to feed our bodies and the soul too. Do not forget to take lots of photos during your next visit, or dig out the ones stored in your computer that you took during 2005 too. Blog about it. We are dying to learn about the farmer's markets in your area, in your country. What can you get there, (Can you get an occasional free scorpion?) how much do the goodies cost? Just make us hungry :)

Then, send us the following information, and we will love to include your post in the International Gallery of Farmer's Markets.

1. The link to your post, including one or more photos of farmer's markets.
2. Your post should include a link back to this post or to the CookingDiva (http://www.panamagourmet.blogs.com) and specifying that it is your contribution to the Farmer's Markets Worldwide Parade
3. The photos should have been taken between January 1st 2005, and June 1st 2006.
4. You are free to submit as many entries as you want, following the same guidelines of course.
5. By June 10, 2006 we should have International Gallery of Farmer's Markets beautifully set up for the world to see!

Now, the roundup:

read more »

From China:

• The Farmer's Market in Dali, Yunnan. By Karine's Food. New!

From Germany:

My Favorite Markets in Bremen. By There is a Cook in the Kitchen!

From Guadalajara, Mexico:

• De Mexico para el Mundo: Un dia en el Mercado Libertad (From Mexico to the world). Posted by Chef Cesar Reynoso Robles from CesARTS
• Mercados de Temporada, by Chef César Reynoso Robles is an ode to the beautiful-delicious creations of Father and Mother nature!New!

From London, U.K.:

• My Favorite Market: Borough Market. Posted by Trinifood from CanCook MustCook

From U.S.:

• The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, in San Francisco, California. By Rani and Raja.
• Davis Farmers Market, in Davis, California. By Greg's Food.
• Citarella's, ...more than a fish market in New York. By The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz. New!
• The Pasadena's Farmers Market, by Madre Mexico. New!
• MsABCMom tours the Modesto Certified Farmer's Market (Modesto, California) New!

From Caracas, Venezuela:

• El Puesto de Delmiro: Ajies dulces y ajos (Delmiro's stand: peppers and garlic). Posted by Zulmy Garcia from El Blog de Zulmy.
• Colonia Tovar: El Puesto de Susi, productos muy frescos casi desde Alemania (Susi's stand, fresh produce almost from Germany). Posted by Zulmy Garcia from El Blog de Zulmy.
• Frutas acompañadas de una gran sonrisa, la de Miriam! (A fruit stand, an the charming smile of Miriam). Posted by Zulmy Garcia from El Blog de Zulmy.
• Verduras, El Puesto de Pedro: yuca, ocumo, zanahoria, batata, ñame, apio, and other roots from this tropical fertil land. Posted by Zulmy Garcia from El Blog de Zulmy.
• Panes, Deliciosos Panes! (Bread, wonderful bread). Posted by Zulmy Garcia from El Blog de Zulmy.
• Mercado de Pescadores en Puerto La Cruz. Posted by Zulmy Garcia from El Blog de Zulmy. New!

From Panama:

• Artesanias Panameñas en el Mercado de El Valle (Panamanian handcrafts from a market in El Valle) Posted by Elena from El Amor por la Cocina.
• Frutas exóticas en El Valle, Panamá (Exotic fruits in El Valle, Panama). By Elena from El Amor por la Cocina.
• Mercado Publico de Ciudad de Panama (Public City Market) By Elena. New!

From Spain:

• Galeria Internacional de Mercados: Markets in Hanoi, Vietnam. By Directo al Paladar.
• Feria de Padron, A Coruña. Mercado de la Ribera, Bilbao. Los Mercados Vietnamitas. By Sao Mai from Cocinalia.
• Mercado de Abastos de Santiago de Compostela. By Diario del Gourmet de Provinvias y del Perro Gastronomo.
• Marché Dejean, in Chateau Rouge, Paris-France. By Diario del Gourmet de Provinvias y del Perro Gastronomo.

Have a marvelous, tasty week!

Melissa

Visit Tasty Recipes - Chef Melissa's recipe and post index.

Tags: food blog event, food blogs, cookingdiva, cooking, panama, farr's market parade, food & drink, food, chef melissa

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by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · May 17, 2006 · 08:27 AM
Permalink · Comments (18) · TrackBack (0) · Categories: Farmers Markets · Food & Drink · Food Blog Events · General · MeMe · Tropical Fruit and Vegetables

Mangoes, fruit of the Gods!

This recipe was designed by my colleage, Chef Patricia MacCausland, from Creative Culinary Works. For more of her delicious recipes, head over to her website.

Mangos are a tropical fruit original of India and Southeastern Asia. In early India it was called the fuit of the Gods. It is the fruit that is most eaten on its own around the world. This month there are mangoes all over town in Panama as we are in harvest season. Mangoes are rich in vitamins, minerals and digestive enzymes that will help you feel much better after eatimg them. Use them in a large array of recipes and enjoy the Vitamins A. B-6, C, and E as well as beta carotene that is said to keep the brain up to par. Mangos like papayas have an enzyme that breaks protien chains so add some to meat marinades and watch it tenderize your pieces of beef. Also rich in potassium, antioxidants and fiber mangoes can be eaten to aid in the digestive process as well as in the prevention of many health nuances. Its many benefits can be felt by just adding one mango a day to your diet. Street sold mangoes should be bought early in the day so they do not sit in hot plastic bags and over ripen. Mangoes make deliciouis juice, popsicles, sorbets, chutney and even savory salsas. Lets make the most of this delicious fruit and here I have some recipes for you o enjoy.

Asian Mango Salsa:

Asian Mango Salsa (1 ½ cup) 1 ½ cup thinly sliced mango / aprox. 2 mangos not so ripe 1 teaspoon minced pickled ginger, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 if using key limes 1/8 salt 1/8 pepper 1/8 dark sesame seed oil 1. In a non reactive bowl mix mangoes, ginger, limejuice, salt and pepper. Add sesame oil and mix. Refrigerate until ready to use. SERVE OVER TUNA, SALMON OR SALAD!

Ají de Mango:

(2 cups) 1 3/4 cup ripe small diced mango. Aprox. 3 mangoes 2 tablespoon lime juice, 2 teaspoon if using key limes 2 tablespoon minced cilantro 1 tablespoon minced scallion 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/8 teaspoon tabasco, scotchbonnet pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 1. In a non reactive bowl mix mangoes, lime juice, cilantro, scallion, salt and pepper. Add the desired hot sauce or pepper, mix and add the olive oil if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

SERVE WITH FRIED PLANTAINS, JUMBO SHRIMP, PRAWNS OR LOBSTER!

I'll be back soon with more delicious recipes!
Melissa

Visit Tasty Recipes - Chef Melissa's recipe and post index.

Tags: mango, food blogs, cookingdiva, cooking, panama, panama chefs, food & drink, food, recipes

by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · May 15, 2006 · 04:26 PM
Permalink · Comments (13) · TrackBack (0) · Categories: Food & Drink · General · Tropical Fruit and Vegetables

Cooking with Guava, Guaba (Inga punctata Wild)

First, I want to tell you how delighted I am about Typepad feauturing The Cooking Diva as blog of the day last Saturday, May 6th. Check it out!!!

Now the announcement...Ladies and Gentlemen, we have some interesting news for you today. We may uncover a truth that has caused deep confusion and restlesness among foodies around the world.

What you thought was "guava" IT is NOT. That is called "guayaba."
The real guava is the fruit we are featuring today. What really puzzles me is the fact that people run out of names so soon and then repeat them, creating a global confusion!

Other common names for this delicious, unique looking fruit are:

bribri (Panama); bribri guavo; churima (Colombia); grabo real (Panama); guaba (Ecuador); guaba machete (Costa Rica); guabo real (Panama); guama cajeta (Colombia); guama chancleta (Colombia); guama chiniva (Colombia); guama copera (Colombia); guama rabo de mico (Colombia); guamo (Colombia); guamo machete (Venezuela); guamo macheto (Colombia, Ecuador); guava (Colombia, Costa Rica); guava de castilla (Costa Rica, Panama); guava real (Costa Rica, Panama); guavo (Panama); guavo machete (Costa Rica); machetona (Ecuador)

The guava tree grows from Mexico to Panama, and in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru. The flowers are white and hairy. The fruit ripens between March and April, and it is a "vaina," a green case filled with seeds covered with a white and sweet pulp.

The wood of the guava tree is white, semi-hard used like firewood. The foliage and fruit are in some places used as food for the cattle. The fruit and seeds are used for human food.

So far I haven't found any evidence of the fruit being eaten cooked, or in preserves.  It tickles my creative side to make some experiments now that I have plenty of them I'll keep you posted on that.

Regarding the seeds, my mother just told me that she used them as earrings when she was a child. They would first eat the pulp and then wear the shinny seeds as rustic jewelery. I laughed when she was telling me this on the phone today, because it reminded me that I used to do the same. Ha!

There is another use for the seeds though. In some places in Ecuador, they boil them and then grind them to a paste, combine with eggs, season with garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Small balls of mixture are fried, and the unused mixture frozen.

If you've got ideas or recipes to prepare with this fruit---please post them here or send by e-mail.

This post is my contribution for this week's Kalyn's Kitchen Weekend Herb Blogging. Don't forget to visit her blog on Sunday night to check out all the other great posts that always get submitted for this event!

A big HUG!

Melissa

Visit Tasty Recipes - Chef Melissa's recipe and post index.

Tags: guava, food blogs, cookingdiva, cooking, panama, farmer's market parade, food & drink, food, recipes

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by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · May 09, 2006 · 04:31 PM
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Tasty Twilightenment Vs. Sheep Counting

Sometime ago, one very important question popped up in the middle of a conversation . When do you get the inspiration to  write a post for your blog?.  We received numerous and interesting responses, including:

• At shower time. While eating or cooking. At the beauty saloon when I am having my hair done. At work. While doing the laundry. Walking the dog. During depilation time. Waiting at the supermarket's cashiers line, etc, etc, etc...

I was surprised that no one mentioned "the time of half sleep, when one thinks of the solution to a problem." Because that is exactly what happens to me sometimes: Tasty Twilightenment. As I was dozing off the other day, instead of counting sheep...I thought of a prospective post subject. Wrote down the idea almost in the dark, on the first piece of paper I found (glad there are not too many $100 bills around here these days!).

The bottom line: Even if you prefer to count sheep, next time we invite you to think about a post for your blog. While you are there...how about a post on your Farmers Market, or wherever you purchase your food. Just to give you an idea of the array of entries we have received, next follows a recap. To read about the guidelines of the Farmers Market International Parade, go HERE.

El Amor por la Cocina is co-hosting this event en Español!

Now, the roundup!

read more »

From Guadalajara, Mexico:

• De Mexico para el Mundo: Un dia en el Mercado Libertad (From Mexico to the world). Posted by Chef Cesar Reynoso Robles from CesARTS

From Caracas, Venezuela:

• El Puesto de Delmiro: Ajies dulces y ajos (Delmiro's stand: peppers and garlic). Posted by Zulmy Garcia from El Blog de Zulmy.
• Colonia Tovar: El Puesto de Susi, productos muy frescos casi desde Alemania (Susi's stand, fresh produce almost from Germany). Posted by Zulmy Garcia from El Blog de Zulmy.
• Frutas acompañadas de una gran sonrisa, la de Miriam! (A fruit stand, an the charming smile of Miriam). Posted by Zulmy Garcia from El Blog de Zulmy.
• Verduras, El Puesto de Pedro: yuca, ocumo, zanahoria, batata, ñame, apio, and other roots from this tropical fertil land. Posted by Zulmy Garcia from El Blog de Zulmy.
• Panes, Deliciosos Panes! (Bread, wonderful bread). Posted by Zulmy Garcia from El Blog de Zulmy. NEW!

From Germany:

• My Favorite Markets in Bremen. By There is a Cook in the Kitchen! NEW!

From London, U.K.:

• My Favorite Market: Borough Market. Posted by Trinifood from CanCook MustCook

From Panama:

• Artesanias Panameñas en el Mercado de El Valle (Panamanian handcrafts from a market in El Valle) Posted by Elena from El Amor por la Cocina.
• Frutas exóticas en El Valle, Panamá (Exotic fruits in El Valle, Panama). By Elena from El Amor por la Cocina. NEW!

From Spain:

• Galeria Internacional de Mercados: Markets in Hanoi, Vietnam. By Directo al Paladar. NEW!
• Feria de Padron, A Coruña. Mercado de la Ribera, Bilbao. Los Mercados Vietnamitas. By Sao Mai from Cocinalia. NEW!
• Mercado de Abastos de Santiago de Compostela. By Diario del Gourmet de Provinvias y del Perro Gastronomo. NEW!
• Marché Dejean, in Chateau Rouge, Paris-France. By Diario del Gourmet de Provinvias y del Perro Gastronomo. NEW!

From U.S.:

• The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, in San Francisco, California. By Rani and Raja. NEW!
• Davis Farmers Market, in Davis, California. By Greg's Food. NEW!

Happy Cooking!

Melissa

Visit Tasty Recipes - Chef Melissa's recipe and post index.

Tags: food blog event, food blogs, cookingdiva, cooking, panama, farmer's market parade, food & drink, food, chef melissa

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by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · May 03, 2006 · 12:57 PM
Permalink · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0) · Categories: Food & Drink · Food Blog Events · General · MeMe · Tropical Fruit and Vegetables

What is the World Eating? & Fat Doesn't Make you Fat!

If you are curious about what the world is cooking -and eating of course-, head over to Global Voices and read my latest contribution: What is the World Cooking? Some of the topics are: The Pride of Jordanian Cooking, More on Farmer's Markets around the world, The weird food festival, Camilo: Spotted hard shelled crab, and others! Pretty interesting :)

Talking about what we eat, a few days ago I had one of the most delicious dinners I have ever had. The meat was just perfect! Judging by the photo I know I have many of you already up in arms because of the "beautiful" and gloriously tasty "animal fat" you are admiring, right?

Well, let me tell you something...just because I really love you and want to keep you visiting this little blog, I would give you more than one reason why "Fat Doesn't Make you Fat!"

Keep reading and you will see I am not the only one who thinks like that! I will also share a photo of my long-eared, short legged banana monster that many of you already know, and a couple of photos of the infamous "Diablos Rojos," or red devils, a traditionally colorful urban bus in Panama City, Panama...Just keep reading, OK?

read more »

The Scientific Turnaround on Fat (excerpt from Eat Fat Lose Fat, by Dr. Mary Ening, International Expert on the Biochemistry of Food and Fat; and Sally Fallon, President, The Weston A. Price Foundation):

Today, more physicians are beginning to admit that the anti-fat campaign hasn't won the health-and-weight-loss war. Dr. Frank Hu, also from the Harvard School of Public Health, cautioned that "the exclusive focus on dietary fats has been a distraction in efforts to control obesity..." Speaking to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), which is preparing the revised USDA Food Pyramid for 2005, Dr. Hu pointed out, "Conventional wisdom holds that the more fat you eat, the more likely you are to become obese. However, the evidence does not support the conventional wisdom..." He cited 16 long term studies (6 to 18 months in duration) that showed "no evidence that a low-fat diet is more beneficial."

What's more, recent studies confirm that healthy fat consumption promotes sustainable weight loss (something we have been saying for years!). "Studies conducted in the past three years have found a moderately high-fat diet...to be more beneficial (than low-fat diets) in terms of adherence, weight loss, and weight maintenance, while also reducing cardiovascular risk factors," Dr. Hu affirmed.

Now you know what I mean :)

Now, meet Hannibal, the banana monster! For more of my beloved dogs photos, head over to my dog photoset at Flickr.

This is a Diablo Rojo that got in trouble. For other great shots of these colorful, unsafe buses, check out my Flickr's Panama photoset.

One more thing, do not forget to send us your contribution for the Farmer's Markets International Parade by June 1st.

have a great week!

Melissa

Visit Tasty Recipes - Chef Melissa's recipe and post index.

Tags: food blog event, food blogs, cookingdiva, cooking, panama, farmer's market parade, food & drink, food, chef melissa

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by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · May 01, 2006 · 10:00 AM
Permalink · Comments (6) · TrackBack (1) · Categories: Food & Drink · Food Blog Events · General · Nutrition