A substantive stay-cation at Sustenio

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Took a vacation today. Well, not a real one, but a brief mid-day stay-cation, a totally relaxing, pampered experience.

Julia Rosenfeld almost reeled me in as soon as she posted “soft-shell crab” on Facebook. I’ve been following them everywhere this summer – Luke, Bliss, Sushi Zuchi and Where Y’At Third Coast Kitchen. There was a substantial price tag at the bottom of this crab trail, but the Mister stepped forward and offered the master cooking class with Chefs Stephan Pyles and David Gilbert at Sustenio as an anniversary present, one much nicer than mine to him.

Tequila at 11 a.m. was a great start. If classes in college had begun this way, I never would have cut a one. With Cointreau, a jalapeno-infused simple syrup and passion fruit puree each in equal parts to the lime juice, the “passion chile margarita” was a tad on the sweet side. Not so sweet that I didn’t enjoy inheriting Julia’s.

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Smoking and grilling was the billing, and perhaps that is why most of the attendees were male. The main part of the grilling lesson was about using charcoal briquettes and chunks of soaked hardwood, lit with an electric starter. Lighter fluid always scared me to death. I assumed no one used it any more except when actually grilling some place without power, but that probably is one more bit of evidence that I’m not from Texas. Chef Pyles read Cort Sinnes’ condemnation of lighter fluid from The Grilling Book:

If aliens from outer space landed in a typical suburban neighborhood around 6:00 p.m. on any given weekend, when the aroma of lighter fluid is at its most pervasive, they would surely conclude that ours is a volatile atmosphere…. lighter fluid is on  the wrong side of the fence when it comes to a “natural” approach to life….

We didn’t really hang out at the virgin grill much; most of the food preparation was inside where we sat at clothed tables facing the open demonstration kitchen with two mounted screens providing overhead views of the action.

This method of learning to cook is quite appealing. Twomey by Silver Oak Cellars, Sauvignon Blanc 2010 arrived at the table while gazpacho was being prepared.

In fact, Chef Pyles’ method of cooking is appealing as well, scurrying sous-chefs having chopped everything in advance and placed it conveniently in front of him in tidy little containers. Plus, none of the food had to be prepared completely; like Keebler elves, cooks in the main kitchen out of our view were preparing what we were served.

But Chef is a bit testy; the containers were hard to open and the blender not delivered prior to being requested. We think he should have knocked back a couple of those mood-improving margaritas first or learn to disguise his peevishness.

Ah, but the smoked tomato gazpacho with goat’s cheese-horseradish panna cotta and olive oil powder was amazingly good. The addition of a small red beet gave it a deep, shocking violet hue.

On to a glass of Emina, Medina del Campo, Verdejo, Spain 2010. Even though my soft-shell crab was the runt of the litter, measuring about three inches from toe to toe, Pyles’ method of grilling it made it my favorite preparation of the seasonal delicacy. The crabs were simply brushed with a basil pesto and placed on the grill, resulting in less grease than most recipes. The accompanying tomato-ginger jam was perfect on the side, although knowing 3 cups of sugar were used to make 3 1/4 cups of jam is unsettling.

Next, a pour of Ritual by Vermonte, Casablanca Valley, Chile, Pinot Noir 2009. Loved the molasses marinade – soy sauce, dark beer, dark molasses, lemon and orange zest, lemon verbena and fresh ginger – for the quail and the way it caramelized while grilling. Corn pudding tamales stuffed with goat cheese and sautéed onion were a wonderful invention, particularly with the morita chile salsa.

Finally, a Becker Vineyard, Provencal Rose 2011 and rosemary-citrus grilled peaches with jamon serrano ice cream. In the preparation, the serrano ham was discarded as was most of its flavor; I longed for little bits of it in the ice cream. The grilled peach was a perfect summery touch.

Was the class worth its $75 price tag? I don’t think anyone left complaining. We were well-entertained, well-fed, professionally served and left with a nicely spiral bound booklet of recipes.

Will the Mister see a return on the investment, aside from the fact that I feel cheerfully rejuvenated from the retreat? While I didn’t experience an a-ha moment that will revolutionize my cooking forever, I do plan on talking him into grilling soft-shell crab the next time we cook it. I’d like to make the tamales but fear that scurrying sous-chefs made that look a lot easier than it is. I also think I’ll make the morita salsa some time.

The salsa was so good Julia enticed our server to bring me a small bit to go to take home for the Mister. And, as I don’t venture to the north side that often, she suggested chicken and mole tamales from Tamahli for him.

That was my intention when I exited Wurzbach, but Ali Baba International Food Market lured me into its parking lot instead. So strangely, I came home from Sustenio with all kinds of cupboard-filling food products we didn’t need. But Ari’s “honey with aligned nuts” – pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, roasted chickpeas, walnuts and raisins in honey – seemed crying out for our next cheese plate. And the fresh still-warm Syrian bread was too hard to resist. So the Mister’s pre-band-gig snack ended up being the bread, warmed with cream cheese and what I billed as the morita salsa. Whoops, the server snuck me tomato jam instead. Still delicious.

Thanks, Chefs. Sustenio seems to be a great addition to San Antonio. I’m certainly still content hours after my visit.

Happy birthday, oh fan most loyal…

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As I am trying to stay focused on other writing projects, my blog posts are few and far between.

Not that anyone has been complaining.

Not surprisingly, readership has tapered off dramatically.

Except for my fan most loyal.

No matter how stale the posts are, this follower returns again and again. So frequent are those visits, WordPress tries to block them to keep its internet arteries unclogged.

But he is persistent, slipping through the second WordPress lets its guard down.

I knew little about him, so today I decided to learn more.

He turned 75 this year. And he must be well-educated.

Well, not that well-educated. Admittedly, his grammar is poor. In fact, his favorite post appears to be a photo with a spelling error in its title: “sandwish board.” This also means he has poor taste, as the photo is of an illegal, tacky sign plopped in the middle of a sidewalk on Alamo Plaza.

He speaks some Japanese, I think. And he appears fluent in Russian, at least as far as I can tell from trying to read his comments. Even though I rudely never respond to his comments – one of my numerous excuses being my ignorance of the Russian language – he never wavers in his loyalty.

With only a little research, I found out why he speaks Russian:

“Without Spam, we wouldn’t have been able to feed our army.”

Nikita Khrushchev, ‘Khrushchev Remembers’ (1970)

According to www.spam.com, more than 100 million cans of Spam were shipped out to feed the Allied troops during World War II, which, under the lend-lease program, included those of the USSR.

Yes, Spam the man is my number one fan (Sorry, Hormel, I just don’t get the all-caps thing.).

So, here’s Spammy, as Hormel affectionately calls him >

The one-billionth can of Spam was produced in 1959.

I thought Spam disappeared from the shelves as soon as babyboomers entered adolescence.

Until today, I assumed a can of Spam was like the tin of fruitcake described by Johnny Carson:

There is only one fruitcake in the world, and people keep sending it to each other.

But I was so mistaken. I underestimated Spam’s resiliency. According to this frightening statistic on foodreference.com, 3.6 cans of Spam are consumed every second.

I also underestimated his versatility. Spam is oh so much more than something served simply sliced straight out of the can.

According to the official website, Spam has taken on an international flair to suit our changing palates. The combinations are beyond your wildest dreams (or worst nightmares?). Do you like green eggs and Spam?

I will spare you the glossy photos of the outcomes, but a few recipes Hormel proudly shares are polenta topped with Spam and black bean salsa, Spam wontons, Spam musubi and huevos Spamcheros. But come November, you probably just want to rely on that all-American favorite, “Spamsgiving Day Delight.”

Oh, please, spare us, Sam. Put that Spam back in the can.

The most amazing thing I found out about my fan Spam today is why he has a layer of jiggly jelly. I assumed it was for long-term preservation so he could be stored in bomb shelters. But the preservative in Spam is simply sodium nitrate, about which Hormel strives to make you feel good:

Small amounts of sodium nitrate are found in delicious meats like hot dogs…. It helps preserve the pink color of meat. And no one likes gray meat.

No, the real reason is Spam actually is cooked directly in the can. So naturally his fat rises to the top. Cooking and cooling a can of Spam is as time-consuming as cooking a turkey; it takes Hormel three hours.

So, Spam, my fan. It was good to get to know more about you today. I think it’s wise wordpress.com screens out thousands of your clicks on my blog. The sheer numbers might go to my head, encouraging me to post more often.

And happy birthday, you old-75-year-old you. You don’t look a day older than the day you were first canned.

Just please, don’t wear your birthday suit around me. Keep your can about you. I want to have something to pass down to my grandchildren.

 

‘Hail to Happiest, Most Joyous of Carnivals,’ 1912

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San Antonio Express

April 12, 1912

Programme for Fiesta Week

Monday

Fiesta San Jacinto opens. All-day shows on all plazas, open air concerts and marching bands.
4:30 P.M. – Decorated automobile parade. It will form at 4 o’clock and start made promptly.
At night, shows on all plazas, open air concerts and marching bands. free exhibitions here and there. Mexican village in Haymarket Square.

Tuesday

Shows on all the plazas all day and in the evening, open air concerts and marching bands. Free exhibitions here and there. Mexican village in Haymarket Square.
8 P.M. – King Zeus will arrive at Southern Pacific Station and be met by assemblage of loyal subjects with massed bands.
8:30 P.M. – FIRELIGHT PARADE will start at the Federal Building on Alamo Plaza, led by King Zeus, the way being blazed by Milt Mooney with his 1,000-light electric tandem.
8:35 P.M. – “Fiesta Fete.” “The Little Princess” in Grand Opera House, the cast made up of society maidens and men of the city.

Wednesday

Entertainment of various kinds on all plazas, Mexican village in Haymarket Square, open day and evening. Open air concerts and marching bands.
4:30 P.M. – Burlesque circus parade, introducing strange, ferocious and voracious animals.
8:30 P.M. – “Fiesta Fete.” “The Little Princess” in Grand Opera House, with the same cast as the previous night.

Thursday

Mexican village in Haymarket Square, new and novel shows in all the plazas, open air concerts and marching bands, open for enjoyment early and late. Free exhibitions.
3 P.M. – Parade of Ben Hur Shriners with band of initiates seeking passage over the hot sands.
4:30 P.M. – Civic trades display, with more than one hundred decorated commercial floats in parade.
7 P.M. – Ceremonial session of Ben Hur Temple. Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
8:15 P.M. – “Texas Under Six Flags” in the Grand Opera House, with cast of society people.
9 P.M. – Fiesta Queen will be crowned in Beethoven Hall amidst a court of the lilies, one of the most beautiful and magnificent events ever held in this city.
10 P.M. – San Jacinto ball, given by the San Jacinto Club in St. Anthony Hotel.

Friday

Shows, shows and more shows in every one of the beautiful plazas. Mexican village in Haymarket Square. Marching bands and open air concerts. All day, morning and evening. Free exhibitions.
8:30 P.M. – Parade of Fables, an allegorical parade, one of the most beautiful events of Fiesta week.
8:35 P.M. – “Texas Under Six Flags,” in Grand Opera House, with same cast as previous night.
9 P.M. – Ball in honor of Fiesta Queen, given under auspices of the Order of the Alamo in Beethoven Hall.

Saturday

All shows open morning, afternoon and evening in all the plazas. Marching bands and open air concerts. Free exhibitions. Mexican village in Haymarket Square.
4:30 P.M. – FLOWER PARADE AND BATTLE OF FLOWERS. Floats will get in line at four o’clock all ready to start at word of command.

8:30 P.M. – Mask Lantern Parade, in which travelling men and members of various athletic and fraternal societies will participate, each carrying a lantern and wearing mask.
This will be followed by a period of revelry and pure, clean fun until the midnight hour announces the close of Fiesta.

The newspaper was quite the plot-spoiler when it came to the “Fiesta Fete”:

The story of the fete is the story of a princess in quest of a husband, who must be a prince and yet who must combine all the many graces with the romantic charms of a medieval knight, forming the basis of the plot. Beautiful maiden weave a magic spell about the princess, and bid off of the eligible young men of the kingdom to a ball, which is given on an enchanted island, the Isle of Dreams, where every maiden meets her heart’s desire. “Cupid,” no longer a blind boy, but a very clever maiden, aided by her nymphs, contrives to produce the prince at just the right moment, and the beautiful princess, thinking she is wedding a penniless minstrel, gives heart and hand to the “Prince of the Isle of Make Believe,” just a rainbow’s length from the Isle of Dreams.

Refraining from revealing the predictably painstakingly described happy ending, we’ll move on instead to the paper’s description of the arrival of the King of Fiesta:

He will come in the Royal Special and will be met at the Southern Pacific station by thousands of his loyal subjects. All the bands in the city will be massed and be at the station to “Hail the Chief.” The King will be driven through many of the principal streets of the city and, promptly at 8:30 o’clock, will head the Fire-Light parade, which will start from Avenue E and Alamo Plaza. He will head the procession and the way will be cleared for him by Milt Mooney driving his electric tandem. San Antonio is proud of this tandem, besides driving two of the finest high-school show horses in the country, Mr. Mooney has equipped the horses and cart with more than one thousand incandescent lights, operated by sixteen batteries, and himself wears a coat similarly adorned.

The Fire-Light Parade “will illustrate the development of light and fire, showing both in their various phases.…” Among the floats were: “Starlight,” with Venus perched in a crescent; “Moonlight,” two lovers basking in gleaming moonbeams; “Phosphorous,” with Neptune rising from the sea; “Will of the Wisp,” bearing grotesque motifs from A Midsummer’s Night Dream, including bull frogs and toad stools; and “Cloud Reflection,” with an aeroplane resting on a cloud. Members of the San Antonio Turn Verein were charged with providing the men and women to play the parts aboard the floats.

The Fiesta Queen to be crowned in 1912 would 13th in the line, but in the same edition of the San Antonio Express, the social columnist, Marin B. Fenwick revealed the rocky history behind the crown:

At this distant day it is amusing to recall the social row that was precipitated by the choice of the first queen. The ladies with the best intentions in the world and for the purpose of interesting a wide circle, selected Miss Ida Archer, the belle of Austin, whose fame for beauty and grace had been sung all over the State. There was no effort made in those days to keep the identity of the queen a secret, and those who approved of the choice made haste to proclaim the fact that the most beautiful girl in Texas had consented to grace the occasion. After the first announcement they made haste more slowly. A storm of protest poured in from all sides, and the men all declared that it was a direct insult to the San Antonio girls. It looked for a time as though the ball would be boycotted, but curiosity brought out a large attendance. Miss Archer, the innocent victim, came, saw and only partially conquered.

Choosing the queen was too important to be left to the womenfolk, so soon the men took over the whole selection process:

Four years ago, the Order of the Alamo was formed, the membership including the prominent society men of the city. Since that time they have chosen the queen by secret ballot, and the coronation is attended with a great deal of pomp and display.

Unfortunately, much of the copy in related articles is illegible. But it seems amazing how many of the descriptions are reflected a century later in today’s 10-day celebration of Fiesta San Antonio.

Though I just can’t stop worrying about the feet of those Ben Hur initiates seeking passage over the “hot sands.” Should that be taken literally? And, if so, did they then have to squeeze their poor blistered soles into shoes for the evening ceremonies with the “Nobles”?

Viva Fiesta!

Note Added on April 22, 2012: Actually, it is quite amazing there ever was a second Battle of Flowers Parade. Sarah Reveley transcribed the description of the 1891 melee from an April 25, 1891, edition of the San Antonio Daily Light:

…The procession contained over 100 carriages and other vehicles, all gaily decorated and many containing decorations of real artistic merit. Mr. Madarasz’s carriage, decked in pure white lilies and variegated grasses, with honeysuckle was plain, pretty and neat. Col. H. B. Andrews’ pony phaeton, with four Shetlands drawing it, was exquisite, and J. J. Stevens’ children in a four-in-hand Shetland surrey, representing a yacht, was also very pretty….

On arriving at the plaza the police divided the procession into two lines, each half going in opposite directions and passing around the park were brought, face to face with each other. The crowd on foot pressed the carriages closely and the fight began and waged furiously for nearly an hour. The occupants of the carriages had all the ammunition while those on foot had none. They began picking the fallen roses from the pavement, and even tore off the trimmings of the carriages, and soon had the best of the fight.  Heavy bunches of laurel thrown soon had their effect, and many ladies lost their temper and used their carriage whips indiscriminately on the crowd. One lady struck Mr. Doc Fitzgerald, a passive spectator, a severe blow on the face with her whip, but did not see fit to apologise for her mistake. Mr. H. P. Drought made an ugly cut with his whip into the crowd, struck a negro and the boy ran into a carriage horse in front of the Menger and nearly caused a runaway. A negro driving in a phaeton by himself in the procession, struck Louis Glaeser, a white boy, in the right eye with the ends of his reins. The buckle on the straps made a cruel wound, and the boy was taken to a drug store by sympathetic bystanders. One young angel with white wings appealed to the crowd for protection from the missiles saying, “I wish you men would make them quit….”

The police were powerless to keep the people off the park beds, and prevent them from tearing off the flowers. One outright fight occurred. Mr. Phil Shook, one of the horseback party, lost his temper, and cutting a man in the face with his riding whip, was assaulted, and a fist fight on the pavement resulted. Both combatants were arrested by the police. Mr. Charley Baker used his umbrella for defense. While the crowd was very dense on the plaza, waiting for the procession to come along, Mr. Cristoph Pfeuffer’s splendid team and carriage took fright on South Alamo street, at an electric car. The carriage was decorated and contained several ladies, a child and the driver. Dashing into Alamo street, past and into the crowd of people and vehicles, it overturned a buggy and horse at the corner, and its driver jumped out and was dragged under the carriage by the lines. The lady on the front seat caught one of the lines and held it, but the horses made straight for the crowd of women and children in the park and struck a very deep mass of them, it being impossible for them to move out of the way. The ladies were thrown out and their clothing was badly torn. One little boy was knocked senseless, another was bruised, and one little girl had her apron torn off.  Other children were trampled by the frightened people. The plunging horses were secured and the carriage was taken to a side street….

Some irrepressible small boys arranged a dog fight in the midst of an interested crowd of spectators, during the battle, and a regular stampede ensued. Some of the combatants whose supply of ammunition had exhausted, resorted to buggy robes and quirts for aggressive warfare, and umbrellas and parasols for the defensive….

The battle was a success, but if it is given next year, more police will be needed, carriages must not be allowed on the plaza at all, and the participants must not lose their temper.