Jeanette Windle is as adventurous with food as she is in life. The child of missionaries, she grew up in rural villages, jungles and mountains of Colombia, South America, now known as guerrilla hot zones.

Her adult life has been spent as a missionary, journalist and novelist; and, so far, the 47-year-old mother of four has lived in six countries and traveled to more than 20. Today, she makes Lititz her home, with her husband, Martin Windle, president of BCM International, a nondenominational mission organization.

Jeanette's familiarity with South American life and her own extensive research form the foundation of the political suspense novels she writes today. One time, she says, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent interrogated her because he was convinced security leaks gave her details she had included in a novel.

Her latest book, "Betrayed," will be released by Tyndale House Publishers March 1.

Along with adventurous personal experiences to draw on for her fiction, Jeanette has spent a lifetime collecting recipes for authentic dishes from the South American countries she has called home, as well as the many other places she has traveled.

"I learned to cook as a child in the Colombian outback where we lived," Jeanette says. "No food products were prepared, so we learned to make everything from fresh produce from the market. When I was 10, my mother spent a month in Bogotá with my sick brother, and my twin and I had to do the cooking, as my father knew less than we did. We survived on tuna-fish gravy and rice, sliced-egg gravy and mashed potatoes, fried meat, scrambled eggs and sandwiches."

Eventually, Jeanette also mastered preparation of her own marinades and salsas.

The first thing she ever cooked all by herself was an egg. She fried it on the sizzling concrete in protest — to demonstrate to her parents that 100-plus degrees in the shade was too hot to go outside and play.

Jeanette's experience in the kitchen has not been without disaster. "As a young bride, I stuffed a chicken for Sunday dinner the night before to save time in the morning. The warm stuffing spoiled the chicken, which we didn't discover until smelling it in the oven when we walked in from church," she said.

Specialties from her South American roots include Argentinian marinated mixed grill, Brazilian black beans and rice, Mexican fajitas and Bolivian picante de pollo. She also makes a mean sopa de maní (peanut soup). In spite of its name, the recipe is rich in the flavors of chicken and garlic, not peanut. A traditional Bolivian dish, peanut soup can be made thicker or thinner to suit. It can be served as a first course, or you can follow Jeanette's lead and serve it with a crusty fresh bread as a hearty meal for family and friends.

In my refrigerator, you will always find: Chopped garlic.

My favorite comfort food: Empanadas.

My most loathsome kitchen chore: Peeling and chopping vegetables.

In my kitchen, people would be most surprised to find: Several spices that have no English name; we simply buy by the red, orange and yellow kilo when we happen to be in Bolivia or Peru.

My favorite spice: Garlic, because there isn't a dish in my Latin American, Mexican, Asian or Indian repertoire that doesn't take loads of it — and even the occasional American dish.

My favorite thing about cooking: Watching family or friends enjoy a new dish from a different cultural background.

The culinary goal I have not yet achieved: Desserts. Visitors learn if they want dessert at my house, they had better make it themselves or pick up ice cream and Sara Lee at the grocery store.

If I had my own cooking show, it would be called: "Global Nomad Cuisine" or "Journey-fare with Jeanette."

SOPA DE MANÍ
(Peanut soup)

1 small chicken, boiled and deboned in 6 quarts water

2 onions, diced

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (your preference on amount)

1 cup raw (not roasted) peanuts

Water sufficient to make a paste when added to ground peanuts

1 large or 2 small tomatoes, diced

3 potatoes, peeled and diced

3 carrots, diced

½ cup uncooked Goya barley

1 can peas

1 small can garbanzo beans

¼ cup dry or 1 cup cooked rice

1 small can hominy

Salt, to taste

Additional water, as desired to control consistency of soup

Garnish: julienne or shoestring french fries or packaged Potato Stix, and a generous dollop of your favorite salsa for those who like it extra spicy

Boil the water that was used to cook the chicken down to about 3 to 4 quarts of chicken stock. Brown onions and garlic in oil. Grind peanuts in blender with plenty of water until it becomes a creamy-white mixture. Add onion/garlic and peanut mixtures to chicken stock in pot with remaining ingredients, except for the garnish. Add more water to the pot, to desired thickness.

Cook slowly for 30 to 60 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scorching, or cook all day on low in a crock pot (preferred). To serve, spoon into bowl; then add salsa, if desired, and a generous sprinkle of fried potatoes on top. Makes about 6 to 8 quarts.

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"Who's Cooking?" is published biweekly and features local individuals who enjoy cooking or baking as a hobby. If you would like to suggest someone, write to living@lnpnews.com. We are seeking diversity! This week's column was compiled by Sunday News staff writer Jeannette Scott. blog comments powered by Disqus