Editorial
Front Page - Friday, May 7, 2010
Kay's Cooking Corner
Kay Bona
Don and I recently returned from a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, which is quickly becoming one of our favorite vacation destinations.
 Octopus
Most every time I feel the need to speed up the excitement level with our vacations, I am disappointed. And just such an occurrence happened with this last one.
I decided to try a different resort – one a little out of our usual price range (first mistake!), and with a little more posh and pizzazz! From this experience, I learned the true meaning of “holistic” – and it wasn’t something we needed.
Oh the resort, placed on a secluded end of the coast, was indeed, extremely nice. There was sensory-soothing aromatherapy in every room, hallway and commons area; relaxing Zen-type music floating through the air; entrancing and soothing water features bubbling throughout the property; labyrinths to mosey through – you name it - this place had it going on. If you wanted subdued, undisturbed time to do absolutely nothing at all, this was the place. And sushi. They had lots of sushi.
So, what was the problem? It was missing the stuff we like. Families bustling around trying to keep their overly excited children in tow, young people sauntering by with their Coppertone tans, elderly people enjoying themselves by the pool, hamburgers, pizzas and nachos served from the poolside brick oven grill – this is the stuff we enjoy. Lots of tourists just like us. Oh, and did I mention that we don’t eat sushi?
I’m not knocking the other side, just saying – we were out of our zone, which was the whole purpose of the resort – to get “zoned”.
Well, the only kink in our reservations was that I made them through a second party booking company, and had paid for them a month in advance; so getting a refund from this holistic, over-our-budget resort was not possible. However, to be as accommodating as they could (after I started crying at the thought of spending five days there), the resort did move us to one of their other properties, more in the center of town, and with a family-type atmosphere. They also had hamburger and pizza out by the pool. Nachos and tacos, all that good stuff.
It ended up being one of our best vacations in a while, pricier than usual, but fun. And even though we don’t like to jump out of our box and stay out of it for any length of time, we still managed to experiment – we ordered Octopus (see photo) one night for dinner! And ate it – all of it. Even Don. It was sautéed in garlic, olive oil and a few herbs, and tasted like – um-m-m, what can I say – chicken! Rubbery chicken. Not something we will ever try again, but hey, stepped out of our box, didn’t we?
Today’s recipe isn’t about an appetizing dish of sautéed Octopus. Sorry. You will have to find that on your own! We love this hummus with baked pita chips.
Roasted Red Pepper
Hummus
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15-ounce can Garbanzo
Beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
Add all ingredients in food processor, process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl, cover, and chill until ready to serve.
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