El El Frijoles February Supper Club

February!
The very name conjures up some very particular feelings for those of us here in Maine. Cold, for one. Desolate, dark, hard, broken, interminable are some other words that often come to mind. Not this year, though. Due to the miracle of El Niño, human-induced climate change, or just the vagaries of Mother nature we have had a pretty sweet winter around here so far. Heck, as I write this it is close to 50 degrees out, it is pretty much spring, really. Sure, those of us who take the long view know we are in for a wallop of snow and wind and cold soon, followed by hoards of black flies and hungry, virus-laden mosquitoes but for now, we celebrate this amazing early spring!
Usually, February emails are full of hearts, and valentines and groundhogs and stuff. You will find none of that here! Nope, we are going with the fact that it is just another month, stuffed betwixt January and March. We are holding to normal around here, keeping the Taqueria open each week for the throngs* of folks who are searching for a place to forage a tasty morsel or two to feed their families.
Chef Michele is offering another cooking class, too. This time she is over at the Island Culinary and Ecological Center, to pass-on the wisdom of her adopted Omama. When a 70-something year-old woman from a small village in rural Austria tells you how to make strudel, you should listen, take notes and pass the info along to others. That is her plan, and I can tell you from experience that this is a great skill set to develop. A strudel (not to be confused with streusel) is a wonderful dish, with so many variations and possibilities. From apps to entrées to desserts (or you could really mess it up), this is definitely something to have in your quiver of pot-luck specialties! It is an excellent way to impress the neighbors.
Also, we are again hosting a pair of Supper Club dinners. January’s dinners were phenomenal! We had a great time, and heard much positive reinforcement from our guests as well. Our next dinner will be equally amazing, but also totally different, and we are ready to begin taking reservations.