o·a·sisn.pl.o·a·ses(-sēz) A situation or placepreservedfromsurroundingunpleasantness; a refuge:an oasis of serenity; Hacienda San Jose Pachul
What to do when it’s 40C in the shade and your very soul demands to be quenched? You find an oasis. The Yucatan is classified as a tropical desert, so on a scorching day in April, I sought out refuge with five equally parched compañeras who also longed for cool waters, salty breezes, a richly layered ambiance and delectable comestibles. We found our oasis, sin salty breezes, at Hacienda San Jose Pachul. I have written about HSJP before, and taken many trips with visiting friends, always to great jollity. Two hours inevitably turns into four, and on this particular hot and sultry day, we arrived before noon and left as the sun was beginning to set. It was our monthly book club and Evelyn suggested we enjoy our discourse of ‘Tasty: The Art and Science of What we Eat’ by spending the afternoon surrounded by ‘umami’. We hired a driver and in 45 minutes, were bobbing in the pool, accompanied by rustling bamboo and Richards’ home grown sour orange margaritas. We had arranged with Chef Jose to have a ‘plating’ lesson which I was very much looking forward to. My lack of plating skills means I serve everything on a platter (very forgiving and easily impressive) or family style, in lovely serving dishes that share the table with the wine and conversation. Our first course was a luscious Banana Gazpacho made with bananas (plantains actually) from the hacienda. It was cool and sweetish with a bit of heat and left my palette longing for tart and fresh. Jose has beautiful dishes which are a huge component in successful plating. Also, colour and texture and remembering to lovingly wipe off the soup from the edge of the bowl (my bad). Course #2 was a refreshing Butter Lettuce with Mango and Panela Cheese. This was a perfect combination of fresh mango, Panela cheese, sweet yellow and red peppers, grape tomatoes and parsley, topped with julienne of jicama and drizzled with a combo of sour orange and ‘unclassic’ caesar salad vinaigrettes. Yum. After savouring the last of the wine pairing we traipsed back to the kitchen to help assemble the Stuffed Poblanos with chicken, Oaxaca cheese, fruit and vegetable crudités, nestled in Tomatillo Sauce. The crowning touch was a honey chile pasilla sauce drizzled ever so sparingly across the peppers. A final dip in the pool and we were back preparing a seriously umami dessert of Hacienda Banana Cake filled with coconut cream in a strawberry tres leches and topped with chile ancho chocolate sauce. I’ve begged for the recipes and am happy to share one with you here—buen provecho!
Hacienda San Jose Pachul’s Banana Gazpacho:
Hacienda San Jose Pachul’s Famous Banana Gazpacho
1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 medium white onion finely chopped 2 garlic cloves finely chopped 6 ripe medium/large plantains peeled and sliced 1/4 cup sugar 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 tsp habanero sauce salt and pepper to taste 3 cups milk 1/2 cup finely chopped celery, red onion, red bell pepper 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Sauté the white onion and garlic in oil over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add sliced plantain with the sugar and continue to sauté stirring constantly. If the mixture is too thick, add some stock if necessary to cook through and a smooth consistency is reached.
Add the rest of the stock with the habanero sauce and salt and pepper and reduce over medium heat for about 10 minutes, taste for seasoning. Add more salt, pepper or sugar to balance the flavours, depending on how sweet the plantains are. Remove from heat and let cool.
Once the mixture is cooled down, mix in the blender some soup base with some of the milk, blending only to achieved medium light and silky consistency. Do not over blend, you want to leave some texture. Do this in batches until the banana mixture is finished. You may need to add some more milk or stock to achieve the right consistency.
While blending, taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Chill mixture. When ready to serve portion soup into bowls, and garnish with the finely chopped celery, red onion and bell pepper, sprinkle some chopped parsley and finish with a spritz of olive oil.
yomimiyo 
My mouth is watering!! I would,love,all the recipes,,,can Deeds being them over with her???
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I don’t think Jose will give up his secret recipes but I was happy he shared the Banana Gazpacho – soon to be a hit at my next dinner party!