JANUARY 2023
JANUARY 2023 ISSUE 13
Chef’s Monthly Insight . . . .
A HEARTFELT NEW YEAR THANK YOU
FROM CHEF YADIRA
Happy New Year!
Thank you for such an incredible year. These past few years have been very challenging with the pandemic—but I’m excited to say that this year was one filled with growth for Esencias Panameñas. And I have you to thank for that, as none of this would be possible without you.
We're Growing!
This past year, we were proud to provide customers around the country with more tamales, tortillas, and hot sauce for the holidays than ever before. Our tamales sales increased by 150% and our tortillas sales increased by 200%. I truly cannot thank you enough for entrusting us with your holiday meals!
A Year Of Firsts!
This year was filled with many firsts for both me and the company. I published my inaugural cookbook entitled: Panama on a Plate, Favorite Foods from my Birthplace - Cookbook (esenciaspanamenas.com), Esencias Panameñas celebrated its 10th anniversary, and I celebrated my 60th birthday; all in the month of November.
On November 12th I held an event called A Night In Panama. 112 of us gathered together at this sold-out event, where we enjoyed a 5-course dinner, folklore entertainment, and dancing. A huge thank you to everyone who came out to the event to celebrate with me.
Lastly, in case you missed it—each newsletter in 2022 contained a Food Trivia. There were 4 winners: the 1st prize winner won a double-sided charcuterie board, and the other three winners received a cutting board and knife set. We'll continue the Food Trivia this year and the grand prize winner will receive signed copies of both of my cookbooks - Panama On A Plate—volumes 1 (2022) and volume 2 (2023)—so be sure to subscribe by visiting our website at:
https://esenciaspanamenas.com/#subscribe-form, if you haven't already.
Your Impact!
Perhaps most importantly, your support of Esencias Panameñas has made it possible for us to give back to communities across the world. The impact of your support:
- 40 meals prepared and served at N Street Village—a community of hope and healing for women in Washington, DC
- 10% of proceeds (from September to December) donated to World Central Kitchen (WCK), equaling $1,423, to feed the people in Ukraine and in other countries in need
- 180 hours volunteered, of which 150 were spent in Ukraine
My Gratitude!
Finally, it has been a pleasure to move along these 10 years and share our quality food products and services with you. We have gained so many new ideas based on the feedback you provided throughout the year. Your continued choice of Esencias Panameñas has kept our wheel of progress moving.
To our repeat customers, we really appreciate you for standing by us. To our first-time customers, giving us the opportunity to provide you with our services was extremely important. By this, you contributed immensely to our growth and development. We don’t take your patronage for granted.
We hope to further add more value through our food and services. We will not hesitate to continue to give you the utmost satisfaction. We can’t wait to do more.
From the bottom of my heart, I cannot thank you enough for your support of my small business. I am excited to see what we’ll accomplish together in 2023.
Thank You y Muchisimas Gracias!
What’s New This Month . . .
Super Bowl LVII will be played on Sunday, February 12, 2023, and Esencias Panameñas is ready for the big game with a special Super Bowl menu that includes three (3) Combos of game day eats:
LAST DAY TO ORDER IS FEBRUARY 4, 2023!!!
- COMBO1: MEATBOWL –
- Half tray: 25 mango BBQ wings / 25 sweet & sour meatballs / medium side yuca frita w/tamarind sauce. Serve 10 – 12 people – $85
- Full tray: 50 mango BBQ wings / 50 sweet & sour meatballs / large side yuca frita w/tamarind sauce. Serve 20 – 25 people – $160
- COMBO2: PANABOWL –
- Half tray: 25 mango BBQ wings / 25 carimañolas (yuca balls stuffed with ground beef OR ground chicken) w/tamarind sauce / 25 empanadas (ground beef or ground chicken filling). Serve 10 – 12 people – $85
- Full tray: 50 mango BBQ wings / 50 carimañolas (yuca balls stuffed with ground beef OR ground chicken) w/tamarind sauce / 50 empanadas (ground beef or ground chicken filling). Serve 20 – 25 people – $160
- COMBO3: VEGGIEBOWL –
- Half tray: 25 sweet & sour veggie balls / 25 veggie carimañolas (veggie yuca balls) w/tamarind sauce / 25 veggie empanadas. Serve 10 – 12 people – $85
- Full tray: 50 sweet & sour veggie balls / 50 veggie carimañolas (veggie yuca balls) w/tamarind sauce / 50 veggie empanadas. Serve 20 – 25 people – $160
LOCAL PICK-UP ONLY:
https://esenciaspanamenas.com/product-category/pickup-delivery/
LOCAL PICK-UP LOCATION:
TASTEMAKERS DC
2800 10th Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017
PANAMA ON A PLATE COOKBOOK!!!
My cookbook Panama on a Plate – Favorite Foods from my Birthplace is now available on EsenciasPanamenas.com (Paperback only): Panama on a Plate, Favorite Foods from my Birthplace - Cookbook (esenciaspanamenas.com)
My cookbook is also available online in bookstores, such as Barnes & Nobles, as well as on Amazon, in Paperback, Hardcover, and eBook versions.
NOTE: If you would like the book signed by me, you must purchase through my website.
Esencias Panameñas Trivia is Back! . . . . .
Esencias Panameñas will continue with the Food Trivia in our monthly newsletters. From now through November, we will provide you with five (5) questions each month, and each correct answer is worth 1 point. If you were to play all 11 months, you could earn up to 55 points. The player with the highest number of points will win the grand prize – Panama on a Plate (volumes 1 & 2). The winner will be announced on December 1, 2023.
We will share the correct answers to the questions the following month, so you can keep track of your winnings.
December Answers:
- Which of these is not one of the five French mother sauces: Remoulade
- Haagen-daz ice cream was first created in what country: United States
- Which of these cannot be made into an alternative milk: Dates
- The name of what ribbon pasta means "gooble up" in Italian: Pappardelle
- Which of these is an essential ingredient when making a brining solution: Salt
National Food Days in January . . .
January 1: National Bloody Mary Day and Black-Eyed Pea Day
January 4: National Spaghetti Day
January 13: National Gluten Free Day
January 15: National Bagel Day
January 20: National Cheese Lover’s Day
January 23: National Pie Day
January 26: National Oxtail Day – recipe to follow
January 27: National Chocolate Cake Day
January 28: National Blueberry Pancake Day
January 30: National Croissant Day
January 31: National Hot Chocolate Day
Sharing One Of My Recipes With You . . .
From Sweet To Savory And Everything In Between
January 26th is National Oxtail Day, so below is my V8 oxtail recipe.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1 cup cold water
- 4lbs oxtail, fat trimmed
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 large onions, small dice
- 1 large sweet green pepper, small dice
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Maggi sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups V8
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaf
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, combine vinegar and water and add oxtails. Allow oxtails to soak in vinegar mixture for 30 minutes. Discard vinegar mixture and rinse oxtails thoroughly in clean water. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pat beef dry with paper towel and season with salt & pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until smoking. Add half of the oxtails and cook until well browned on each side, 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to Dutch oven, wait until smoking, and repeat the same process with the remaining oxtail.
- Reduce heat to medium, add onions and peppers to the pot with the oil left in it and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic, soy, Maggi, and Worcestershire sauces, V8, thyme, and bay leaf, scraping up any browned bits. Add browned oxtails with the accumulated juices to the pot, increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cover pot and transfer to oven and bake for 3 hours, until fork tender, turning oxtails over halfway through cooking (at 1½ hours). Remove thyme and bay leaf and transfer oxtails to a platter and pour liquid through a fine mesh strainer and into a fat separator and let settle for 5 minutes. Return defatted juice back to Dutch oven and simmer over medium-low heat until reduced to about 1 cup, 5 to 10 minutes. Check for seasoning and add more salt & pepper, if needed. Pour sauce over oxtails and serve.
To view more Recipes
Culinary Humor . . .
Tricos y Trucos . . .
This month’s Tip: How to make a flaky and moist pie/empanada dough
Vodka – yes, Vodka is essential to the texture of a pie crust – and it does not impart any flavor. If you do not have any vodka, then use another 80 proof liquor. The alcohol will make your dough moist and more supple than most standard doughs. . . . but if alcohol is out of the question for you, then use white vinegar. Adding a little vinegar to your dough will result in a tender, pliable, and flaky crust because it slightly inhibits gluten development, leading to a crust that is flakier and easier to work with. The great thing about vinegar is that you really only need a little bit of it to help your pie/empanada dough.
To view more Tips & Tricks
My Life This Month . . .
What I am Working On
- Preparing to take orders for Super Bowl LVII – Sunday, February 12th
- Working on my cookbook 2nd volume
What I am Watching
- Beat Bobby Flay
- Hell’s Kitchen
How Do I Make a Difference
- Volunteering at ‘N Street Village’ preparing and serving their Christmas dinner
- Volunteering at the ‘Capital Area Food Bank’ assembling boxes of food for families in need, in the DC Metro Area
Testimonials
“Chef Yadira,
Thank you so much for the delivery, all arrived ‘sana y salva’. I hope your Christmas was good; your fruitcake, pan rosca y enyucado were a big hit here in Texas with the whole family, and very much a surprise for those visiting from Panama! You made me look good, too, as I made Arroz Con Pollo using your recipe from your cookbook, it was beyond exceptional!
We wish for you a blessed Christmas season and a New Year filled with joy, happiness and prosperity. God bless you!”
Bill & Eunice McVicar S.
Porter, TX
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