Recipe(tried): Sunday's Visit to El Yunque - Chicken Salpicon, Cold Tortellini Salad, Golden Garbanzo Salad, Special Lobster and Shrimp Criollos, Mojito Boricua, Potatoes in Green Sauce

Sunday's Visit to El Yunque

Lately I had found another avid traveler that shares my visits to the island sites. She studied her Bachelor's Degree at my Alma Mater (Catholic University of Puerto Rico, in Ponce) & had been a close friend since then. Ivette retired this last December & VOILA, here I am with a partner in my explorations of the island. We read a newspaper Article on a new restaurant opened at the hillside of EL YUNQUE, our National Forest. Therefore, we planned a wonderful visit to LAS VEGAS RESTAURANT, on Sunday.

Chef Alfredo Ayala (of the Ali-Oli, Casa Grande, El Chayote, Yuqui-Yu and others) is a magician, perhaps the chef responsible for bringing the Puerto Rican cuisine to a "haute"art. Restaurant Las Vegas is his latest venture and this time he says that he will stay there for good until his retirement. The restaurant is located at Route 191, Km. 1.3, on the road to El Yunque.

The structure is big and beautiful, with well-tended gardens, the sound of the nearby river, & with a grand piano at the Bar, where amateur clients & local artists display their musical abilities. The staff is highly efficient and of course I was not expecting less from a restaurant owned by the best chef in Puerto Rico.

The MENU is a revelation, a perfect example of our most beloved typical dishes prepared with a gourmet's flair. Ivette was mesmerized. We spent the most wonderful evening drinking white wine & eating all those dishes reinvented by the wonderful CHEF. I congratulated him on the new establishment & he invited me for frequent visits. I will certainly do that! Here is a recreation of his MENU. Buen Provecho.

CHICKEN SALPICON
This was served with crackers & points of toasted bread for dipping in the dish.

1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup onion grated in processor
1/2 cup carrot grated in processor
1/2 cup grated white cabbage
1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 garlic clove, minced
10 stuffed olives, chopped
2 previously seasoned, broiled and chopped chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped cilantrillo
salt and pepper to taste

Pour oil and add vinegar, onions and cabbage to pan. Cook on low 10 minutes. Add chicken, Worcestershire Sauce, ketchup, garlic, olives, salt and pepper. Cook on Low for 15 minutes. . Refrigerate, covered. When ready to serve, mix with chopped cilantrillo. Serve over assorted crackers or toasted bread slices.

COLD TORTELLINI SALAD
Serves 6

1 lb fresh tortellini
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
Tabasco to taste (optional)
1 cup diced green peppers,
1 cup diced red onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup minced fresh parsley
3 tb Barbecue sauce
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Shredded Lettuce

Cook tortellini and drain. Mix all the above additional ingredients in a big bowl, except the tortellini, the cheese and lettuce. Mix well. Add the tortellini and toss well. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve. Serve on a big crystal bowl, over the shredded lettuce and sprinkled with cheddar cheese.

GOLDEN GARBANZO SALAD
Serves 8

2 cups cooked garbanzos (chickpeas) drained
1 8oz can whole kernel corn, drained
3 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 diced green pepper
1/2 diced red pepper

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1 heaping tb flour
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tb yellow prepared mustard

Combine garbanzos, corn, celery, onion and bell peppers. Set aside. Mix flour and sugar in saucepan. Add mustard and stir in vinegar. Bring to a boil stirring constantly; reduce heat; cook and stir until thick and with a gold color. Pour over vegetables while hot. Toss well, cover and chill. Taste for salt. Serve cold in a decorative platter.

SPECIAL LOBSTER AND SHRIMP CRIOLLOS

3 lbs boiled lobster, cut in medallions style
2 lbs extra jumbo peeled, de-veined and boiled shrimps
1/4 cup MOJITO or to taste (recipe follows)
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup heavy cream
6 tb margarine
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup fish broth

In a big skillet or wok, saut the lobster and shrimps in the butter and the Mojito. Add the brandy and the broth and cook for 5 minutes in high. Add the cream and the nutmeg, lower to medium high, and continue moving until the sauce thickens. Season to taste. Serve.

MOJITO BORICUA

1 chopped green pepper
4 crushed garlic cloves
2 tb cocktail capers, drained
1 tsp dry oregano, crushed
1 tb chopped cilantrillo
1/2 chopped shallot
2 tb tomato paste
1/4 tsp salt
1 tb olive oil

Process all ingredients. Cook in pot for about 10 to 15 minutes. Add some stock if needed. Remaining Mojito can be refrigerated and served as a sauce for fish, chicken or vegetables.

POTATOES IN GREEN SAUCE
Serves 6 to 8

8 potatoes
8 tb olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
hot chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds. Heat oil in a big skillet and saut onion and garlic. Add potatoes and brown lightly. Stir in parsley and hot stock to cover. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking in low heat, turning just once, for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Serve with the lobster and shrimps dish.

For dessert , we had coconut custard prepared with a fresh coconut sauce.