JUNE 2023. ISSUE 18

Chef’s Monthly Insight . . . .

Vote for Esencias Panamenas
BEST EMPANADAS!!

Washington City Paper - Best of DC 2023

Voting is now open for Washington City Paper's Best of DC 2023, and we'd love your vote for Best Empanadas. There are very few spots to get authentic Panamanian cuisine in the DMV area, including Panamanian Empanadas, and winning this would spotlight our small business and show that more people need to try our Panamanian cuisine for themselves. Not convinced that our empanadas are really the Best? If you don’t believe us, order some and see for yourself!

It is super simple to cast your vote for Esencias Panamenas. Simply follow the link, type Esencias Panamenas in the ballot box, and press VOTE. You can vote as many times as you wish from now until July 10th.

Voting ends July 10, 2023, and winners will be announced August 14-17, 2023. 

To Vote Now

Honoring Fathers on June 18th

In June of every year, we honor Fathers, although the initial campaign to celebrate them was not met with the same enthusiasm as Mother’s day. Perhaps because, as one florist explained, “fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have.”

On Sunday, July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event explicitly in honor of fathers, in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah; but it was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday.

The man who inspired Father’s Day was a single dad, father of 14 children, and a civil war veteran by the name of William Jackson Smart. One of his daughters – Sonora Smart Dodd, was attending one of the first official Mother's Day services in 1909 at her church in Spokane, Washington, when she had an epiphany: if mothers deserved a day in honor of their loving service, why not fathers? Sonora’s mother died when she was 16, leaving William as a single father to her and her siblings. Many years later, Sonora said to the Spokane Daily Chronicle: “He was both father and mother to me and my brothers and sisters.”. Sonora went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers, and government officials to drum up support for her idea. On June 5th (William’s birthday), 1910, Sonora brought a petition before the Spokane Ministerial Alliance to recognize the courage and devotion of all fathers. The local clergy liked the idea of a special Father’s Day service, but couldn’t pull something together so quickly, so they settled for June 19th, the third Sunday in June, and Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.

The holiday spread slowly and in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson celebrated Father’s Day in Spokane during a visit to Washington state. We don’t know if William Jackson Smart was there to shake the President’s hand, but it would have been one of his last Father’s days since he died in 1919. But Sonora never let go of her determination to give fathers like hers the recognition they deserved. It wasn’t until 1972, six years before Sonora’s death, that President Richard Nixon finally signed a Congressional resolution declaring the third Sunday in June to be Father’s Day. Her dad, no doubt, would have been very proud of her.

Happy Father’s Day to my dad in Heaven - 
the Best Dad in the whole world!

Feliz Dia del Padre - Happy Father’s Day to ALL Fathers!

June is National Caribbean American Heritage Month

The official campaign for June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month was launched in 2004 upon the tabling of a Bill in the US Congress by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, with language provided by the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) Founder and President, Dr. Claire Nelson. ICS worked with the Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee to galvanize support for the Bill from organizations across the country and organize events on Capitol Hill in recognition of June 2004.

In June 2005, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted H. Con. Res. 71, sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, recognizing the significance of Caribbean people and their descendants in the history and culture of the United States. On February 14, 2006, the resolution similarly passed the Senate, culminating a two-year, bipartisan, and bicameral effort. A Proclamation making the Resolution official was signed by President George Bush on June 5, 2006. Since the declaration, the White House has issued an annual proclamation recognizing June as Caribbean American Heritage Month.

Through this month’s commemoration, the hope is to create and disseminate knowledge about the contributions of Caribbean immigrants to America, and to be a crucible for a dialogue between Caribbean people and the American public. Actress and Singer Sheryl Lee Ralph, of Jamaican heritage, and NBA player Rick Fox, of Bahamian heritage, were named Official Spokespersons for the National Caribbean American Heritage Month in 2006.

Caribbean Americans come together to celebrate their heritage through many activities such as dancing, sharing traditional meals, festivals, parades, concerts, and observing and appreciating their rich history.

Some Known Facts about Caribbean Americans in the United States:

1. 90% of Caribbean people in the United States are predominantly from one of five islands: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, and Trinidad & Tobago
2. The largest Caribbean communities are in the following nine states: New York, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Texas, and California
3. Notable Caribbean Americans include:
   • Alexander Hamilton – Nevisian and one of America’s most influential Founding Fathers
   • General Colin Powell – Jamaican descent and first Black US Secretary of State
   • Shirley Chisholm – Guyanese and Bajan descent; first Black Congresswoman and first Black woman candidate for the President
   • Celia Cruz – Cuban singer (aka “Queen of Salsa” music)
   • Marcus Garvey – Jamaican founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)
   • Harry Belafonte – Jamaican singer, songwriter, activist, and actor
   • Malcolm X – Grenadian descent black Muslim leader
   • Cicely Tyson – Nevisian descent actress and former fashion model
   • Sidney Poitier – Bahamian and first black actor to win an Academy Award
   • Biggie Small – Jamaican descent rapper
   • Judge Sonia Sotomayor – Puerto Rican descent Supreme Court Judge
   • Vice President Kamala Harris – Jamaican and Indian descent and Vice President of the US
   • Wyclef Jean – Haitian singer, songwriter, actor, and rapper
   • Rihanna – Barbadian/Bajan singer, actress, fashion designer

Caribbean Cuisine is a fusion of African, Creole, European, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Asian influences. Popular dishes reflect the cultures that have influenced the region. The most common ingredients are rice, plantains, beans, coconut, sweet potatoes, yuca, curry, tomatoes, and mustard green. Common meats and seafood include fish, conch, goat, and pork. Popular dishes include curry goat, conch ceviche, lechon asado (roasted pork), saltfish fritters, rice and peas, brown stew fish, festival, callaloo, mofongo, and yaniqueke (aka journey cake).

Although Panama is not located in the Caribbean per se, because part of its Black population migrated from the West Indies, there is a lot of similarity in the gastronomy – from ingredients to actual dishes.

Please check your local listings for Caribbean Heritage events in your area.

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 & Noble, as well as on Amazon, in Paperback, Hardcover, and eBook versions.

NOTE: If you would like the book signed by me, you must purchase it through my website.

Esencias Panameñas Trivia Time . . . 

Esencias Panameñas will continue with the Food Trivia in our monthly newsletters. From now through December, we will provide you with five (5) questions each month, and each correct answer is worth 1 point. If you were to play all 12 months, you could earn up to 60 points. The player with the highest number of points will win the grand prize: my signed cookbooks – ‘Panama On A Plate’ and ‘Panama On Another Plate’. The winner will be announced on December 17, 2023.

Below are the answers for May Trivia questions:

1. Traditional soup of the province of Panama: Sancocho
2. What is the common name for the food that is technically steamed balls of crushed durum wheat semolina: Couscous
3. What color eggs do chicken breed with red ear lobes lay: Brown eggs
4. Dark rum used by Esencias Panamenas to make their famous rum cake: Ron Abuelo
5. Type of chili peppers used to make Esencias Panamenas “Picante Chombo”: Scotch Bonnet peppers

The participants with the highest score are:

Annette Elliott: 23
Analissa Benedetti: 22

If you are ready to take June quiz

National Food Days in June . . .

June 2: National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day and Rotisserie Chicken Day
June 4: National Cheese Day
June 5: World Plantain Day
June 7: National Doughnut Day & National Chocolate Ice Cream Day
June 10: National Iced Tea Day
June 11: National Corn Day
June 13: National Cupcake Lover’s Day
June 16: National Fudge Day
June 17: National ‘Eat All Your Veggies’ Day
June 19: National Martini Day
June 21: National Smoothie Day
June 22: National Onion Rings Day
June 25: National Fish Day
June 26: National Coconut Day
June 28: National Ceviche Day
June 30: National Ice Cream Soda Day

Sharing One Of My Recipes With You . . . 

From Sweet To Savory And Everything In Between

June is the month with most common ingredients from Panama. From plantain (e.g. fried plantain, platano en tentacion, patacones) to corn (e.g. empanada de maiz, tortillas, tamales, bollo, torrejas de maiz), to coconut (e.g. arroz con coco, enyucado, cocadas), to fish (e.g. fried fish, escovitch fish), to ceviche (de pescado), to rotisserie chicken (pollo asado).

However, in honor of Father’s Day, I will share one of Esencias Panamenas’ most requested cocktail recipes – Playa Blanca

INGREDIENTS 

• 2oz Seco Herrerano (Panamanian white rum)
• 4oz Maracuya (Passion Fruit)
• 1oz simple syrup (sirope de Goma)
• Mint leaf, lemon peel, for garnish

PROCEDURE

1. Pour the Seco Herrerano over ice in a cocktail glass, then top with passion fruit juice. Add simple syrup. Stir until simple syrup is dissolved
2. Garnish with mint leaf, lemon peel, and other optional fruits

To view more Recipes

Culinary Humor . . .

Tricos y Trucos . . .

This month’s Tip: Dairy-free/vegan alternatives for cooking/baking

If you are lactose intolerant or have gone vegan, but your favorite recipe calls for ingredients like milk, sour cream, cream cheese, or yogurt? There are many plant-based brand substitutions at grocery stores, but they are not always easily found. No worries, choose from the many (surprisingly tasty) dairy-free/vegan alternatives at your grocery stores that can stand in for each of those ingredients:

• Substitute plain, unsweetened soy, almond, or coconut yogurt 1:1 for sour cream or yogurt in recipes, or cream cheese; reduce any liquid in the recipe by 1 to 2 tablespoons per 1/2 cup liquid
• Substitute plant-based half & half (like Ripple brand) 1:1 for light cream or regular half & half in caramel and sauces recipes
• Substitute the top half (the thickest part) of a can of coconut milk 1:1 for heavy cream or whipping cream in pie, scones, and biscuits recipes, or well-shaken canned coconut milk 1:1 for regular milk in enriched bread recipes
• Substitute vegan butter (like Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks), coconut oil, canola oil, and vegetable shortening 1:1 for butter in pie crust, pastry dough, and cakes (Note: they may be a slight flavor and textural difference)

To view more Tips & Tricks

My Life This Month . . .

What I am Working On

• Chef appearance on WB50 TV station to demo Panamanian dishes (June 9th)
• Working on my 2nd cookbook

What I am Watching

• Chef Ramsay’s Food Star
• Supermarket Stakeout
• Beachside Brawl
• Top Chef

How Do I Make a Difference

• Volunteering at the ‘Capital Area Food Bank’ assembling boxes of food for families in need, in the DC Metro Area

TESTIMONIALS and
EMAILS TO THE EDITOR

On 5/7/23 I place a order for the Caribbean Bliss package to server 25 guests.
the packaging was put together outstanding, the food was out of site, everything was delicious, from the appetizer to the main course to the desert.
wonderful Job.
Thank You so much Yadira.
CarlosR
Maryland

Hola Yadira todo delicioso!
En espera de que haga más tamales para hacer otro pedido
MariaV
Maryland

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