Ode to Luis, Chef Extraordinaire

My posts about Mount Calvary thus far have neglected to mention one of the very best things about this place: the food. The chef, Luis, is simply the best large-scale cook I have encountered. Difficult as it is to cook for large groups (particularly on a small budget), Luis consistently manages to produce delicious and hearty meals. Luckily for me, most of the meals are vegetarian-friendly. Everything down to the sauces is made from scratch. And sometimes Luis will use ingredients culled from the monastery's own garden. Here are some highlights from this week's menu:


A grilled tofu and caramelized onion sandwich, with Waldorf salad (with seasonal dates instead of raisins) and fingerling potatoes.


Eggplant parmigiana on a bed of brown rice, with carrot salad and an out-of-this-world green onion and garlic muffin. (I got the recipe and hope to try it out in Boston!)


Crab cakes (which were quite flavorful despite being made with imitation crab, and which put to shame the bland mush served at Santa Barbara Enterprise Fish Company), with spaghettini in a mushroom cream sauce and grilled yellow squash.


Grilled tofu and vegetable skewers, with tomato salad and rice pilaf.

Desserts are a rare treat saved for Fridays. Here was Luis' spin on Bananas Foster. I had five of these in three days, it was so good.


As one guest famously said, "If this is poverty, I can't wait to see chastity."

UPDATE

I neglected to include pictures of breakfast. Luis' hearty 9 grain oatmeal (with brown sugar and raisins) is such a comforting way to start your day:



And his huevos rancheros (with homemade salsa), served with cheesy grits with a hint of cayenne and cranberry scone, are delish: