Death Comes in Through the Kitchen by Teresa Dovalpage

Author:Teresa Dovalpage
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Crime Fiction
Publisher: Soho Press
Published: 2018-03-06T00:55:52+00:00

Yarmi Cooks Cuban

Drunken salad

Hola, mis amigos!

I am so tired that I will make this a short post. Today I went to the farmers’ market and that always consumes a lot of time and energy.

The closest one to my house is El Vedado’s agromercado, located on the corner of 17th and K streets. I actually prefer Cuatro Caminos, the biggest and cheapest of them all. I resorted to El Vedado simply because it is easier to catch a bus that leaves me right at the door.

I bought three mangos, a pineapple, a watermelon and two pounds of rice. I looked like a veritable burra carrying all that by myself.

In Pinar del Río, where I am from, the market is never far away. And we grow vegetables and fruits in our own plots so we don’t need to go looking for them. Or paying for them.

If someone had told me three years ago that I was going to pay one CUC for five oranges I would have laughed out loud. The problem is that farmers can set their own prices. If they were conscientious, like my parents, they would keep them low so everyone could afford their products, but that isn’t the case. Many are in this business just for the money. And you know what? That’s wrong.

I also bought a bunch of lilies—at least they were available in pesos. I am a guajira at heart—a basic peasant girl. I love veggies and flowers. Roses, not so much, because they are too flashy. My favorites are simple plants like humble marigold, tiny jasmine blossoms, and lilies.

I use flowers to garnish salads and cook them with scrambled eggs. Have you ever tried that? Huevos revueltos con flores. I spread lilies over the eggs when they are almost done. They lend the dish a special fragrance, a mix of sweet cloves with hints of vanilla.

Anyway, the main reason why I went to the market is because I wanted to make ensalada borracha, drunken salad.

It’s very simple. Just slice and mix one pineapple, two mangos, one watermelon, four oranges, one papaya, and whatever other fruit is available. Spread the petals of your favorite flower on top, for extra pizzazz. That’s easy enough, verdad? But what makes it special is the dressing.

What’s the dressing made of, you may ask. Ah, a secret ingredient! Use half a cup of Havana Club siete años, our national rum aged for seven years, and combine it with the juice of two oranges and one lime. Pour it over the sliced fruit, chill for an hour and enjoy.

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