Saudi Arabia 2025
The Sauce Boss Traveling Gumbo Show with Extra Sauce has been doin some hard travelin. Last week, 12,000 miles. On March 26th, Ruthie Wharton, Neal Goree, Brett Crook, and I dropped out of the sky into Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We came to feed and entertain the troops at the Prince Sultan Air Base in the middle of a conflict (less than an hour's flight for F-16s to reach Yemen). And as stated by Support Squadron Commander, Colonel Day, "To bring a bit of relief from the intense focus that everyone feels at this time." The hyperawareness underneath a very calm exterior was palpable. The air base is 225 square miles of desert located about an hour and a half from Riyadh. The men and women were ready to unwind and they gave us a hearty welcome. Hats off to Neal Goree, Brett Crook and Ruthie for troopin' the 42 hour trip home. The Extra Sauce put on a gastro/musical expierence that was the baddest of the bad. Ain't no beans, tha's some gumbo!
Left to right, top row:
Support Squadron Commander, Colonel Day
T.Sgt Schuyler Churchill, Our gracious host
Chef Gul Zayeen
Sauce Boss judging the Hot Sauce Competition
The three remaining women are the contestants in the contest
Left to right: Santos, Yen and Rodasha
Thanks to Chef Gul Zayeen (and Chef Rajan Rai not pictured) for your help with my recipes. On Thursday, They made my Granddad's South Carolina BBQ Hash recipe to accompany the hot sauce contest, a tasting of three recipes from contestants who made their own hot sauces. The men and women in the dining facility slathered wings, carrots, celery, and the bbq with the three recipes and my Liquid Summer Hot Sauce. There were some serious hot sauce aficionados in this crowd. Santos, Yen, and Rodasha all did a good job of delivering the capsicum. Each recipe had its own character and it was difficult choosing a winner. I felt bad about having to choose one, because they were all good. IMHO, they were all winners.
SrA Veronica Perez helps with the serving of the gumbo. Everyone we met was extremely helpful in making this happen.
Anybody HUNGRY!?!?!?!?
Until next time PSAB.
Cool gigs comin up. Here's the skinny.
La Taberna
12377 South Cleveland Avenue, Unit 3B, Fort Myers, Florida 239-931-0050
This place is over the top. First, it's a really good restaurant, but secondly, it has a very special meaning to Ruthie and me. I was playing music at Florida SW College the next day, and since we are foodies, we drove all day to get to Ft Myers in time for supper. On the way down we made a reservation and we were properly hungry and ready to chow down when we got there. It was a Tuesday night and probably kind of slow. So when we drove up to the place it was dark and the manager was outside having just locked the door. Ruthie said in her saddest voice, "We made a reservation…". So they unlocked the door, turned the lights back on and proceeded to cook one of the best meals we have ever had. Fresh anchovies, grilled octopus, olives and garbanzo beans with chorizo. All cooked to perfection. We were the only ones eating in this fine dining establishment on our 58th wedding anniversary. Classic! This restaurant is not a chain, it is not a restaurant that is only out to fleece you. They care about what they do with an old world attitude.
THANK YOU, LA TABERNA!
Grilled Octopus with cheese sauce at La Taberna.
Healthy Mushroom Leek Chowder With Mussels
1 cup pine nuts soaked in water
1 cup flax milk
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
2 leeks, sliced
1 onion diced
1 stalk celery, diced
6 cloves Garlic, chopped
8 ounces Mushrooms sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
½ tsp thyme
2 large potatoes, diced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp agave syrup
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper
Drain the soaked pine nuts and add them to a blender. Then add the flax milk, nutmeg, cayenne and salt and pepper. Blend, until the mixture is completely smooth and set aside.
Heat the butter on medium high in a large pot. Add the leeks, celery, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté, reducing heat as needed until the mushrooms are starting to brown. About 8-10 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Next add the wine, bay leaf and thyme. Stir to combine and simmer until the wine has mostly been absorbed by the veggies.
Then add the potatoes and the vegetable broth. Stir to combine everything. Season with another pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and continue to simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Stir the pine nut mixture and mussels into the pot.
Add the agave and lemon juice.
Simmer and stir for another 3-5 minutes.
Bon Appetit!
If you have read down this far, thank you so much for tuning to my adventures. Please share with your friends. Invite them to this party. Tell em to sign up. That way they will know when The Travelin Gumbo Show will be in their neck of the woods. I'm headed to the west coast and then up north for the summer. But first a couple of local Tallahassee Florida shows.
Be well and…
Keep Cookin!