rancho_gordo

You are not allowed to answer questions until you come back to the ferry plaza farmers market. Ladies of leisure have no business answering questions. Or something like that. (Come for at least a visit, please! We miss you. I don't care that you have the resemblance of a life now.) Limas are Phaselous lunatus and definitely a new world variety (from Peru, hence Lima) but I wonder if they don't use the word habas for both. I'm trying to recall a time I've ever even been served a lima bean in Mexico, but that darn tequila can play tricks with the memory. Docsconz wrote: You too! And your wife. It's always a hoot to see you. I'm doing my best to follow chardgirl's example and slowly retire from the markets but my plan isn't quite working out. But back to Mexico. Rachel, are limas eaten often? Fresh or always dried. You know I'd have to ask you more about the beans!

What a swell blog! It sounds like a cliché but I really feel like I'm there with you. I have a question about the bean names. I always thought habas were fava beans. Is that the same thing as a shelled broad bean? I don't grow them (old world) so I'm not that familiar with them. Is term interchangeable for limas?

fwiw, I eat almost no processed food. No sodas, no corn syrup that I can think of, no bad cakes, no fast food at all, about 4 beers a week on the average and I'm fat. Not obese, but clearly "robust".

What is a situation in the kitchen where it would be better to have a powder than a whole chile, or is a convenience thing?

You've put a lot more thought into it than they have. I still think they simply screwed up the recipe and they have trouble putting this food in context outside of the NY publishing world. That's all from me! Edited to add: I should have quoted Carrot Top's "excess verbiage" because that's what I was responding to. I missed Pontormo's post altogether. And I'm happy to stand corrected re the masa harina and fresh corn trick. I hope someone tries it and reports back. And the main thing, is if this inspires one to cook, then something good has been done.

My own feeling on this is that Reichl and her crew are both culturally knowledgeable and editorially savvy. So I would not be surprised if the question had been raised and the decision made to write it as it was written, based on studied assessment of their audience. I don't want to be nit-picky but why would you not just say masa harina? Why specify the tortilla? Why not mention that tamal dough is different but use this instead? Do they think their audience is stupid? I don't think so. i think it's a clear mistake. I'll have to take you at your word but anyone who would go to the trouble of making tamales (they are a pain in the ass) could source the correct masa harina. It's really odd that the same store that had the corn husks wouldn't have masa harina para tamales, but I don't live there, so it must be true. I'm not talking about authenticity. And Gourmet isn't geared towards people who can't afford to source the right ingredients. But the right information is out there, it's not hard to find and the ingredients aren't exotic. Gourmet has ignored Latin food, Mexican in particular. I would just think with their resources they could have done a better job and maybe emailed Diana Kennedy, Susana Trilling or even spent an afternoon reading eG's threads on Mexican food. I think it's just sloppy work.

I'm not sure those recipes are "unfortunate". They are new and adaptive to the environment they are living in. Clifford Wright posted a link to his updated site in the "food on the internet" forum and in his introductory post he wrote Now he may have been speaking of traditional or historic regionally based foods when he wrote this (and I thought it a beautifully phrased thought) but it seems to me that it can be applied as equally to the foods that immigrants make in the places they emigrate to. These foods are not lesser, they are new, different, adaptive, and make home feel like home in a strange place, and they are as wonderfully mixed-breed as most of us are. Many places do not have tamal masa available and do have masa harina available. Our cuisines spring from availability, as they should. The author is specifying tortilla masa to make tamales. If they had said something like "Use the tortilla version if the tamal version is not available", I can understand that. Otherwise, they just look silly. It's not a new tradition or an immigrant adapting by using local ingredients, it's sloppy magazine writing. Can someone confirm the availability of tortilla vs tamal masa harina in the average store? I live in Calif so I'm not so limited. What's it like in places without a large Mexican population? I'd imagine you have both or none. I guess it's a matter of choice. I'd rather go to the source.

So Jaymes has given us carnitas, salsa and caramel corn? I think she deserves some kind of prize.

joiei had given me the heads up so I picked up a copy yesterday. i think it's pretty and I think it's good the Gourmet is looking into Latin food after mostly ignoring it but why are all the articles except one about Latin food in the US? I'd rather know what was going on in the actual countries. I think it's also interesting to note how little Mexican food has in common with the rest of Latin America. A few years ago Bob Appetit did a really superior Mexico issue that I keep. The first recipe I looked at was for the tamales. It calls out for masa harina, which is fine, but why does it specify tortilla masa rather than tamal masa? I know I sound nit-picky but the information is out there so why get it wrong?

gfron1, are the paddles on your cactus really round and thin, even when a bit older? I have one like that and it's prettier but the tunas aren't as tasty as on my more traditional one. This is the inside of one of mine: The stones run throughout, not just in the center. When it's ripe, all I can say is it looks like a swollen sexual member, if you know what I mean and you just know it's time. I had some ripen this spring but they were kind of watery. The late fall harvest is dense and sweet.

"Heirloom" is about as descriptive as "sustainable". There are thousands of heirloom tomatoes. They run the gamut of flavors and textures and if you're buying something simply marked "heirloom tomatoes", you're buying marketing. Demand to know what the variety is. Heirloom can mean a lot of things but one common factor is the seeds will produce the same plant. In general, the yields are lower but the tastes are more interesting. But not always and I'm not advocating giving up on some of the great hybrids like Early Girl. Heirloom varieties tend to fall victim to weather more than hybrids as well. This year has been a super tomato year in California and it's just hitting its stride. The two previous years were dismal. But side by side, a good hybrid next to a good black russian? The heirloom wins hands down.

How about: There are many good reasons to perfer locally produced food, but reducing your carbon footprint isn't always one of them.

It's not "total crap". It's complicated. And it can be argued in a million ways. And via a million commodities.

I'm a little confused by this whole topic and I'm not sure where anyone stands. But Nika isn't an island. The whole localvore thing is a movement that is catching on. There are nutcases on all sides but growers like Nika are showing us there is an alternative to WalMart superstores and the attitude that "food miles is a crock". That's no small achievement. Believe it or not, there are lots of people who are really busy and still manage to eat real food and not shop at supermarkets or WalMarts.

I try and stay out of these conversations because they always bring out the worst in me but the suggestion about local wheat makes me cringe. Do you honestly think we're talking about wheat? Seriously? You certainly have extremists and they're the ones that are making this an issue and causing the discussion but think in terms of strawberries. You may have a short season and California may have a much, much longer one, but does it make sense to ship them across the country? Maybe it does but I think you learn to live with your short season. You do what you can. But Fedex'ing squash blossoms from Fresno to NY is not the same issue as local wheat. Or grains. Or even beans. I think the point is you do what you can, you ask questions, you encourage local agriculture over suburban sprawl and you discover your own local food traditions. And how far does the Isreali grapefruit in Safeway travel or the chilean grapes and cherries or the Chinese garlic? Say your lettuce comes from Salinas. It's probably not from a small, organic farmer, picked that morning on land that probably is adjacent to his home. I'm not saying you shouldn't shop the supermarket if that's what works for you, but it's not the same thing.

The first time I ate cactus, I thought it was just ok but I've come to love it as a vegetable. FWIW, the pads are nopales (or nopal, singular), the cleaned cut up pieces are nopalitos. There are many ways to cook them and the slime dries up by the time they hit your mouth. They still are succulent but not slimy. Once you've cleaned them a few times, it's not much bother. The first few times is like swimming with sharks but I do it all the time with a kitchen towel and bare hands now. You can boil them, pan fry them or grill them. I suppose raw, but I've never done it. Rubbing a paddle with olive oil, grilling it and them melting good cheese on top and the smothering it in salsa is a great, great dish. Also think of them in chiles and stews, especially with buffalo. I think it would be nice to give them another try if you think you don't like them. Purslane, too! These are "free" gifts that grow almost anywhere, plus they're healthy and taste great if made properly. And talk about green- compare this to what it takes to get a lot of non-native vegetables to your supermarket and it's worth seeing if you can fit them in to your diet.

My cactus had a lot last year and I started burning them on the stove but I ended up buying a Burnzalot flame on a can. It also works on finishing poblano peppers. I now also finish them in a sand bucket if I'm going to sell them because some little ones seem to survive the flame. I eat the seeds if I'm eating them like fruit. I used them last Christmas to make a a great flavored tequila. I just finished planting 20 more paddles. I think it's an amazing plant and food source.

hm, i know i got the idea from you, but that doesn't look like exactly what i remember -- did you do a step by step picture series or something on here or another board or something? i remember talking about whether to use lard or oil... well, whatever. i mooched the recipe and have made it numerous times, including last night. katie, i got it from the farmer's market this past week. $1.50 for a big ol' bunch--probably a pound and a half or so--which, you know, i know it should be free since it's a weed and all, but i can't complain about $1.50. RG, you should really try puerco con verdolagas sometime. it's fantastic. ← Try this one. And I will try it with pork! Thanks.

This is my purslane entry from my blog.

I've been told that the word shady has a different meaning to younger people and it's not as strong as it is to someone who remembers Watergate, The Brady Bunch and mood rings. But you young folks should know, shady has a darker implication. It doesn't mean seedy or cheap or even just dubious.

This hasn't sat well for me since I read it. My dictionary describes shady (other than out of the sun) as "Of dubious character or honesty." What you describe sounds like poverty, unless you're holding back and there are unsavory things going on. I don't think you mean shady as much as "a dive". I don't want to make a big deal out of it, just to clarify. It's no crime to poor and try and sell tacos. Tacos and cocaine, yes, but tacos, no, even on rickety chairs.

Old people like me might have a hard time finding the video! I finally did but it's not obvious to a non myspace person. I think the problem is you're too good and I don't know where they would fit you in! During my brief brush with tv, I was told not to look in to the camera when being interviewed but to look into it when doing a demo and work on creating some kind intimacy with the viewer, whatever that means. The kitchen shot it beautiful but I think a close up would create more intimacy. But again, I think the problem is you are too good.

The fact that someone on a blog hasn't heard of her cooking school doesn't mean much to me. Nor does the fact that Rory went to school or has been working. Neither of them are great but I'd be much more interested in what someone who studied in Europe and has a French husband has to say than someone who makes obscenely big steaks and tops them with gobs of butter and claims to be making "real food for real people." But the French-inspired chef is somewhat of a sell out. She keeps saying "fancy-schmansy" but you know that's where her heart is and it was sad to watch her say "I want to be the gourmet next door!" and discount the European food that she loves. I also think it's not quite fair to go after Rory's big teeth. Perfection is Sandra Lee's boob and nose jobs. Who wants more of that?

I'm a very late comer to this show. It's weird! At one point Alton Brown asked one of the girls if an ingredient was chile flakes or pepper flakes. She didn't know and thought they were the same thing. Brown scolds her and says they're not even the same plant. Aren't they both a form of Capsicum? What is he talking about? I think tv is now designed not to teach you anything. it's to confirm what you already know. I found the "I lived in France and I'm fancy" woman irritating but I could at least learn something from her, I hope. I want to watch someone who knows more than me. The TX gal was useless and I think I could learn more from a meal at Applebees.

Hysterical. It didn't work at all. The masa stops moving and it's no where near fine enough, not even for tamales. A waste of almost 2 pounds of good nixtamizled corn. At least the chickens will enjoy it. I think Alton Brown (and Mark Bittman and Sandra Lee) should all leave Mexican food alone. We'll do ok without them.