Chicken on a Nest

This tasty dish that I call a Chicken on a Nest is really a Roasted Black Lemon Chicken which I like serving with Spinach and Marinara Pasta.  It's hearty and very pleasing.  Here you have a clash of Italian flavors that will keep you changing sides with every bite.  Will you prefer the tangy spaghetti with marinara or will the chicken side win you over.  It will probably take you until the last bite to decide which side is your favorite.  Don't get frustrated if you are not able to pick a winner, I have never been able to either.  We invented this dish back in June during a cooking school and it quickly became a favorite in our kitchen.  We hope you get hooked on it too.  This is being prepared today, so call by 10am to reserve your meal.  Buen Provecho!

Causela de Marisco

Tomorrow a favorite of our menu is Casuela de Marisco, served with white rice and Crab Empanadas.  Lots of avocado slices and Pan de Agua.  This dish is a favorite in most Caribbean and south American costal countries.  This particular recipe is fashioned after the best Casuela I ever had.  Oddly enough it wasn't in the tropics but right here in the great state of Texas. The next time you  travel to the Rio Grande Valley, stop in Edinburg off Hwy 281 to McAllen, and find La Jaiba Shrimp House  at 524 West University Dr (956) 316-3474 lajaibashrimphouse.com.  You will enter a very laid back environment designed to make your meal a pleasant experience.  Local musicians will wander in and play Mariachi music for your entertainment.  Shrimp the size of lobster tails and other delicious seafood cuisine dishes are featured.  In my opinion, one of the best seafood restaurants in Texas.    Tomorrow we will try to live up to the Jaiba and prepare their signature dish at Don Mael's Fiambrera, join us!

Name this Meal!

Don Mael's Chicken with no name

I saw a picture and I liked it.  I read a recipe but did not agree with it.  I prepared the dish according to the recipe and did not care for it.  What do I do?  I did a cooking school, to achieve the following:  Change the recipe but not the picture.  Several attempts later this was the result.  I will prepare this dish on 7 Sep.  Those of you who get to enjoy this dish will need to give it a name.  What shall we call such delightful and delicious chicken stew.  The winner will be treated to any meal on the calendar when scheduled.  Dinner for 4 on me.  Now let me give you some clues.  It's counterpart hails from Chile, South America.  It did not respond well to wines but blends well with peanut butter like chicken mole, has imported dark beer in it and was prepared in a Boricua kitchen.  It's a blend of Caribbean, Mexican, Chilenean and Bavarian flavors.  4 people have already tasted this original dish and one of them also had it in a Empanada.  The initial reviews were very good.  I invite all to participate in this meal and submit your name entries to crown it with an appropriate name.  Until then, it remains "Chicken without a Name".  Buen Provecho!

Meal in a Pastry

Crispy Arroz con Pollo Empanadas

Imagine eating your meal in a pastry!  The 13th thru 17th of Sep, every meal will be served with complementary Empanadas filled with your meal.  Empanadas have long been a treat throughout the Islands of the Caribbean for ages. You will find vendors at the beach, town plazas and along country roads selling these tasty morsels.  They may come filled with seafood, beef, pork, fruit or vegetables.  They make great finger food snacks or appetizers.  We would like to introduce you to our delicious Empanadas and how they complement just about every meal from our kitchen.  In Mael's Kitchen portions of many meals are converted to empanadas for later snacking or last minute drop-in visitors.  You can also special order them.  See our services and products page for details.

Green Chile Festival

If you haven't been to Hatch, New Mexico, you haven't missed much in the way of scenery.  But it's not the scenery but the chile that makes this town a must to visit.  Hatch, New Mexico is the Chile Capitol of the World.  This small rural town just off I-25 north of El Paso is the producer of a very interesting chile.  The Hatch Chile or Big Jim, when harvested turns the entire state of New Mexico into a chile eating machine.  The Hatch Chile, when roasted, emits a very aromatic scent that wakes up the appetite, arouses the cravings and seduces the palate to satisfy itself with this amazing chile.  It has an incredible flavor and it comes mild, medium and Caliente.  I know of no other chile that can do with food what this chile does.  This is the chili that makes New Mexican Green Chile Stew an amazing meal.  Tomorrow is the last day of San Antonio's 15th Annual Green Chile Festival at the HEB's Central Market on Broadway Ave.  I highly recommend you attend the festival, if not, there will be prepacked chiles at your HEB's for a short period of time. Our kitchen is fully stocked with Hatch Chiles till next year, so expect some heat in September's meal Calendar and thru the winter.  Buen Provecho!  

Ripe Plantain Cassarole (Pastelon de Platano Amarillo)

Today was a fun dish.  Fun because its sweet and saucy at the same time.  Its similar to Piononos but in a casserole.  This dish is a sell out, whenever its posted as "today special" in any restaurant in the islands.  It has all the essentials every Island wants, and fills you up real good.  As you can see, its a rich blend of picadillo meat, cheeses, rice and beans tantalized by that sweet plantain flavor.  There very little that can be said about the flavors this plate offers, except Mucho Bueno!

Puerto Rican Pot Roast (Carne Mechada)

Unlike here in the States, where Pot Roast is a recurring Sunday meal, in Puerto Rico you've got to beg your mother to make some Carne Mechada.  Why that is, I don't know. when she would finally agree to makes it, she expected chores to be done or else no mechada.  In fact, the whole neighborhood would promptly be told that your mother is making carne mechada.  This of course starts a chain reaction among the other children and fathers into whooing some Carne Mechada from their mom or wives.  I just recall that whenever we had it for supper, I felt really special and privileged.  Its one of those very tasty and fulfilling dinners that has nothing ordinary about it.  I believe the original carne mechada came from Venezuela, but I loved my mom's just fine.  Tomorrow you can enjoy this rare treat from our kitchen.    To reserve your dinner call 675-2894 or email donmael@gmail.com.  Buen Provecho!