Compay Segundo's recipe for vitality in old age

At a fiesta he sang to President Fidel Castro, who took his pulse and joked about his vitality despite his 90-plus years. "Who could have imagined that?" he asked when he found himself at the Vatican City, performing "Chan Chan" before Pope John Paul II. He explained his longevity simply: mutton consommé and a drink of rum.

"He" was a Cuban named Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles, known professionally as "Compay Segundo," who became a star all over again in his 80s. He lived to the respectable age of 95 and was performing right up to the end of his life. He was a trova guitarist, singer and composer who inspired generations of Afro-Cuban musicians. And he invented the armónico, a seven-stringed guitar-like instrument, to fill the harmonic jump between the Spanish guitar and the tres.  This brief memoir by a fan goes into some detail to explain how international fame came to him in his old age; it's as much a story about the rise and fall and rise again of Afro-Cuban society in Cuba as about one musician. 

Compay had additional explanations for his vitality: women, cigars, flowers, and -- 

His sunny disposition and sense of humor surely also helped.   

I like "Chan Chan," his most famous composition, but I love his rendition of "Guantanamera." I sing along whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed by reports on Covid-19. 

Here are the lyrics, courtesy of Juan Diego Jerez posting at YouTube:

Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera Yo soy un hombre sincero De donde crece la palma Y antes de morir yo quiero Echar mis versos del alma Guantanamera No me pongan en lo oscuro A morir como un traidor Yo soy bueno y como bueno Moriré de cara al sol Guantanamera Con los pobres de la tierra Quiero yo mi suerte echar El arroyo de la sierra Me complace más que el mar Guantanamera Tiene el leopardo un abrigo En su monte seco y pardo Yo tengo más que el leopardo Porque tengo un buen amigo Guantanamera, guajira guantanamera
Compositores: Jose Diaz / Joseito Fernandez Diaz Letra de Guantanamera © Universal Music Publishing Group

As to the mutton consommé, it's a nutritious dish, that's for sure, but the closest recipe I could find (on the internet) is from Australia and it's for a lamb consommé. What's the difference? Technically mutton refers to meat from a lamb that's more than two years old but I don't think there's a difference here in the USA because all lamb meat sold in grocery stores is called lamb, no matter what its age -- although the mutton meat is darker than the younger lamb, which may or may not make a difference in the flavor of the consommé.   

The chef notes the recipe takes patience to make. Yup, from what I understand of the following instructions (see below). And the recipe starts with lamb stock. Somehow I don't think packaged lamb stock is available even at Whole Foods so you would have to start from scratch. But hey, if you're in Covid lockdown, what else do you have to do with your time?  Just sing along with Compay while you're making stock and learning to chop vegetables brunoise style.  

Ingredients

1 Litre Lamb stock

200 g Mirepoix (100 g Onions, 50 g Celery, 50 g Carrots, cut Brunoise)

1 Bay leaf, crushed

1 g Sea Salt

5 Eg Whites

50 g Ice

Lamb mince

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Method

Whip the egg whites with salt and mirepoix/mince, then fold through the stock with ice.

Simmer for 1 hour, allowing the lamb protein to bond with the egg whites.

Pass through serviette, or other membrane leaving a clear liquid.

Guantanamera