alejita

Well, I have a lot to chew on. I had been resisting the Kona/Blue Mountain purchase, not only because of the $$ but because it smelled of marketing hype, but I guess it's time for experimenting. I'll report back! Thanks to all

Hi all, We are having trouble finding good coffee. Since Starbucks invented over-roasted, bitter, coffee for the masses we cannot locate a source for a non-acid, smooth brew. I remember having such a thing in French ($$$) restaurants a long time ago, but not any more, as people demand the stronger beverage. We have a Capresso drip coffee maker, so it's not an equiment issue. Does anyone share our taste? Any ideas? We're assuming it'll be an online supplier...

What does anyone think about the italian Capresso with the integrated grinder? It holds a whole lot more coffee beans than the Cuisinart, but what about the water temperature? And of course you need a LOT of counter space.

I think you have to remember that Argentines do not have spicy foods (except for the ocassional over-the-top chimichurri) so it may not be something people want.

Yikes. I do not know; I don't LIVE in Buenos Aires, so I have no guide. I don't know of any other place, though. I'll ask around.

El Gato Negro is the qintessential spice shop chain in Buenos Aires. Their main store is in Avenida Corrientes 1669. Also has a small restaurant.

Osaka is IT. He gets fresh fish or none at all and there are choices other than salmon. We've had lovely fresh tuna he got from the coast of Uruguay and do try "lisa". The restaurant ambiance is soothing, a fine change from the noisy trendy all-salmon sushi places. Do not miss!

Soaking and shaking. Then rinse under running water These kinds of vegetables are very common. They can be added as a compliment to a main dish. (e.g Beef Noodle soup) ← For the record, here is my latest experience: soaked the plants and shook them. Then spinned them in a salad spinner. No plant was larger than 4 inches. Braised them in a covered frying pan in veg broth and a bit of veg oil until they were tender (had too much liquid, so it did not evaporate as I expected). Added a splash of soy sauce and some pepper. I was hoping for a glistening finish, which did not relly happen. The grit was not noticeable, though! Thanks for everyone's help. I can now work on the sauce...

Not sure if it's good enough, but after spending lots of $$ on San Marzano cans, we happened on the Costco "San Marzano" large cans, Nina brand. Very likely "canned" in San Marzano but tomatoes from elsewhere (my guess -- mainly because of the low price). However, they are remarkably tomatoey and we love them. Hope it helps and saves some $

Does anyone know how to get all the grit off the bok choy plants WITHOUT separating it into leaves? I am trying to replicate a dim-sum dish that serves them whole with a glistening coating. Of course they are VERY small plants and of course, the restaurant version has no grit. I've tried washing them like leeks, ie, by gently opening it and swishing water in there, but it does not seem to work very well and the plant does fall apart often. Thanks for any ideas (and maybe the recipe???? )

In my book, Asafoetida tops the nasty pile. It's used in Indian cooking (very sparingly) but don't try smelling it...it's like the sewer.

You're closest to my personal attempt at not drowning in recipes. I must warn those who want try the scanning route: it's time consuming and (if you want to OCR the recipe, like I do) you have to sit there and correct things like "112 cups of flour" to the original " 1 1/2 cups of flour". You get the idea). I felt that OCR was necessary (instead of just keeping the scanned image) because you can then do an ingredient search).

I have a recipe problem. I subscribe to 5 cooking magazines, have dozens and dozens of cookbooks, boxes of clipplings...My latest attempt at chaos control was to use the computer to either scan or type or cut-and-paste recipe text into plain-ol' .txt files, store them in separate folders. All well and good while the number is relatively small, but it's not so easy to manage any more now that the recipe numbers are growing: can't find the one you want, you have several with the same name... I tried a recipe management program, but it seems too inflexible and time consuming. Also, the recipe format was proprietary, and that's a no-no. Do members want to contribute their personal solutions or frustrations on Recipe Management?

I was given a round VERY LARGE pot as a gift; I think it's the one that retails for $300 or so. After many years of use, I'd say you are better off with an oval one (fits cuts much better and I'm sure braises will come out even better). I love my pot, but unless you are cooking for a crowd (of for keeps) that's too big. I wish I had a smaller one.

It's not. Almonds is a refinement that you won't usuallly find. Also, Argentines don't do cilantro; it's Italian parsley.