shelora
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Posts posted by shelora
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Will the real gaeta olive please stand up.
More research and speaking to the chef who cooked the meal that started this all off, the olives he and I purchased are not gaeta but Alphonso olives from Chile.
In the link below you can see the suggested substitutions are gaeta.
I had no idea that olive identification could be so confusing.
The chef in question has tracked down another local supplier who claims to have a source for the real gaeta olives. Time will tell.
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While it would be an interesting exercise to track down exactly what constituted Mexican cuisine before the arrival of Europeans, I suspect much of what you would come up with would hardly be recognized as what is commonly thought of as "Mexican" food today.
They had agave, chiles, corn, beans, and chocolate
Presumably, also tomatoes, pumpkins and squash?
however, I believe the largest mammal (aside from people) was a (now extinct) bird similar to a turkey. No beef, no chicken, no lamb, no pork.[...]Birds are not mammals. I figure that the largest land mammals in North America -- and certainly in what's now Mexico -- were bison. I do not know what the limits of the bison's range were, but I do seem to remember that they did roam around at least the northern part of Mexico as late as the 19th century if not later.
I had no idea that bison could be traced that far down the continent. Very intriguing.
What the Mexican people ate before the Euro-invasions is always a fascinating subject. Even more fascinating is what they are still eating and growing. So much hasn't changed.
There are all sorts of indigenous fruits - chico zapote and zapote negro are two and so many edible herbs and flowers - the flowers of the tzompantle come to mind - and let's not forget about mushrooms, ant eggs, grasshoppers and grub worms.
Theobroma, Caroline, Esperanza and Jaymes and so many others from this forum could shed some light on the subject. I'm sure we've touched on the topic a few times at least.
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I just read pepper in the recipe. I guess they're referring to black pepper.
I could be wrong but I don't think I've ever seen horseradish served or offered for sale in a Mexican market. Horseradish. What would that be in Spanish? Caballo de rabanos?
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Olives are not indigenous to Mexico but an ingredient brought over by the "conquerors".
You will find it as an essential ingredient in the classic, ala Veracruzana but often olives are an addition in a picadillo.
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I was surfing for a recipe to use up some spinach, and came across several versions of this recipe for "Mexican Spinach". It's a quick side dish of steamed spinach with a little cream & horseradish, which I quite liked, but I have to wonder: Is this in any way shape or form related to Mexican cuisine?
Just because something has a pepper in it, doesn't mean it's Mexican. Just like when they call a dish "Tuscan". Like Tuscan beans.
I see recipes like this in the local newspaper all the time, pulled off the wire service. Mexican casserole. It's got beans and cheese and some chopped up red and green peppers for colour.
Words like "Tuscan" and "Mexican" and "Home Cooking" are used to seduce people into cooking recipes or in restaurants, to order food.
You have been seduced.
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Hello again,
It's never as easy as you think. I went to my local purveyor of gaeta olives. The only place - apparently - that carry them. They've never heard of them. What they did sell that looked very similar and which I purchased were olives called Super Colossal Black or Royal Black.
Looking at both of the photos upthread, my purchase looks more like the first image - the same eggplant colour but not quite as round. They are almost an inch and quarter in length. Very meaty.
So panel, what do you think I have? Gaetas? Or a reasonable facsimile?
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Dear all,
I plan on making the Tolucan Chorizo recipe (red) from Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican today. I referenced the Diccionario Enciclopedio de la Gastronomia Mexicana by Ricardo Munoz Zurita to see if the recipe conformed to what is written there, and, at least in types of ingredients, it does almost completely.
Has anyone made this recipe? Do you have any comments about its quality (I've never been unhappy with the recipes in Bayless' book)?
Also, it is supposed to be aged for three days. I don't have a cool dry place in the house, so I was going to stuff the sausage and then let it age, in a collander over a bowl, for 3 days in the fridge. Does this seem like it would work?
Thanks for any feedback.
Alan
While I have not made that recipe I have made others, in particular the chorizo verde from Kennedy's book The Art Of.
I aged the chorizo in my refrigerator by hanging the links over a wooden spoon and then I tied the spoon to one of the rungs of the shelf. I had a tray beneath to catch drips. It worked perfectly and they looked awfully cute dangling there.
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Yes, it's where Emily's was. We are keeping the vault that was in the middle of room. No choice in the matter there.
VEH CHEH JA - is how you would pronouce it.
Oh, what are you doing with the vault?
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I use VIM actually on the grates of my gas range. Recommended by the serviceman.
I love VIM.
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Funny this should come up today. I just had a good sesh cleaning the outside of my le crueset. I use something I bought in Mexico after watching a young girl in the market cleaning pots at a fonda.
An old fashioned pumice stone. So brilliant and I picked up a couple for five pesos. And they last forever. They don't scratch or in any way ruin the finish of the pot. The grime comes off without toxic cleaners or days of soaking. It's a very satisfying experience.
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If you order Poilâne's 2kg decorated loaf - with the option of a free personal message - directly from Paris, it will cost you CDN$ 53.00 (including taxes and shipping).
Memo
Man, I can't believe they focussed on that bread. That is so old news.
I'll deliver a loaf of Wild Fire bread next time I'm on the mainland. For free.
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Not to defend it, but this type of culinary school sponsorship deal is fairly common. I do believe that CIA is engaged in a number of them. In fact, the trip I am getting ready to go on is in part sponsored by Viking Range. They sponsor the CIA's World of Flavor Program amongst other things.
I guess it's all about who you can stand as bed mates. I'd much rather take a roll in the hay with a Viking!
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Thanks for all the helpful replies! A couple more questions: Does anybody cook with tempeh or seitan? Does anybody buy the fake meat stuff from companies like Morningstar Farms?
By the way, I am 100% of the mind that it's counterproductive to disguise "meat substitutes" as meat. Nothing could be more dreadful than tasting a big ol' spoonful of a vegetarian friend's "Faux Tuna Salad" or "TVP Chili" and then having to answer the question "Doesn't it taste JUST like the REAL THING?!?!?!"
Some of it can be pretty good, but it NEVER tastes like the real thing.
I haven't done much experimenting with tempeh. I can buy it ready-to-cook in a variety of flavours. I usually grill or steam, depending on which diet I'm on!
Seitan - which sounds so much like that guy with the pitch fork - doesn't do much for me.
In terms of fake meat, I'd rather eat a steady diet of vegetables and rice than eat fake meat. Please. There is just so much great real food to be had and can you just read the list of ingredients in those products. No thank you.
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I'm going to add a big "me too" to this list. I like the traditional food of Mexico, but a recent trip really opened me up to contemporary Mexican and got me thinking about things, some of which were raised earlier in this thread. I would be very interested in more discussion.
To Shelora - You bemoaned the lack of a CIA-style cooking school in D.F. That does, indeed exist. El Centro Culinario is remarkably similar to to the CIA. I toured and ate at their facility in November and it reminded me an awful lot of CIA-Greystone in Napa. The Exec. Chef (Sergio) is fairly young (late 30s/early 40s?) and is a veteran of El Bulli and Le Cirque in NYC.
The schools' whole approach is beyond the strict parameters of traditional Mexican and is an attempt to integrate the vast array of influences that have shaped eating in Mexico. An exciting concept and well executed in the terrific meal I had at Alquimika, the resto operated by El Centro Culinario. I picked up a brouchure for the school and spent some time talking to Sergio while I was there and asked specifically if it would be possible to do a stage with them. Yes, you can and they'll work with you on the length. A reasonable level of language skill would be necessary. If you're interested PM me and I'll give you the contact information.
Hi there,
Great sleuthing. Do you understand what their connection to unilever would be? I tend to get my back up when I see a corporate sponsor like that. Check it out here.
The chef's recipes using Knorr flavour packets is just a tad alarming. Having not eaten at Alkimia (Spanish for alchemy) I really can't pass judgement. It sounds like you had a great meal, the menu sounds fantastic, but do you think those Knorr mixes might have found their way into your meal? While you were touring the kitchen, did you notice any aberrations in the dry storage?
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Today's NYTimes article by Lawson on comfort foods got me thinking about our family's latest: chilaquiles. Thanks to Rick Bayless' "Mexican Kitchen," we have discovered the joy of turning pureed tomato & tortilla chips into homey, Mexican comfort food. My 14-yr-old likes to add fresh spinach, grated cheese (he likes Monterey Jack, I say sharp cheddar), mashed chipotle & adobo sauce, and roasted garlic smoosh into the tomato sauce. Then the magic: you pour in a big hunk of tortilla chips (we use Tostito's Bite Size) and wait for them to soggify. Honestly, it's delicious, quick, easy, and you can dress it up a zillion ways, if so inspired. Lucas just finished his leftovers for breakfast. Yum. Anyone else into this Mexican comfort food?
Absolutely. I have been craving that dish with all our cold windy weather. I prefer the red over the green sauce myself.
I'll be using dry corn tortilla pieces from Don Pancho, a brand I like out of Oregon.
Thanks for providing some inspiration and I love the verb, soggify. I might have to use that.
Shelora
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Double-fried is the technique of my local yam fry joint.
I should add that they are fried in peanut oil. Real tasty.
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And there are so many different kinds of tofu. Soft, makes excellent dessert, whipped up in a blender with fresh fruit and honey. The extra firm stuff is brilliant on the barbeque, especially if it has been marinated in something delicious first.
If are are staring at it blankly, throw it into the freezer. A little sesh in the freezer changes it completely. It seems to become even more absorbant. Here you can cube it and throw it in a stew or wok fry it with lots of chile and garlic.
If you know a local tofu maker, you can purchase what is referred to as okara (I think that's the right spelling), for next to nothing. It is the stuff thrown away - kind of like whey - in the tofu making process. Number one it makes killer compost for your garden, but also is very high in nurtrients for humans. You can use it as a filling, adding whatever flavour components you like, garlic, ginger, green onion, etc, then make little cakes and steam or stuff them inside tofu skin and steam, etc.
I could go on, but this is probably enough information.
Have fun with the tofu.
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While all of this may sound negative it is not meant to, I just believe that it is imperative that operators keep their expectations in check. This event is about promoting the region to the world, not getting rich in two weeks!
Very sound practical advice. Well said Eric.
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Yes, I think that there could be an artisanal food-tourism/arts tourism movement on the prairies.
I mean, look at us hightailing it over to Vancouver Island so I can eat Saskatchewan wheat products at Wildfire Bakery. Wild rice, chanterelles, game, free range organic meat...I love all these things. It just takes businesses that can work with the locals as well as the tourists to make it viable. This is what is tricky, but it can work. (I wonder how Junior's doing? Hellooooo Junior!)
Combine this with the rich arts scene-music, theatre, crafts, visual arts, literary arts (not to mention some beautiful scenery, and great fishing) and you can make it a cultural destination. I would like to work on this kind of marketing plan. Any head-hunters out there?
For instance, I love the little café at the Saint Norbert's Art's Centre. That's a destination eatery in itself, since you have to drive outside of Winnipeg to get there, and it's like going on a mini-vacation. Then you can pop into the Saint Norbert's farmer's market and buy all sorts of homemade preserves and baking.
My fond childhood memories of Manitoba involve spending time with family foraging for seasonal specialities. There was the wild asparagus in the early summer and later chanterelle mushrooms and wild blueberries.
Winnipeg is absolutely ripe for tauting itself as a culinary destination. From the Hudderite and Mennonite communities reknowned for their cheeses and sausages, to the pickerel and goldeye in the rivers to wild meats, corn, wild berries, mushrooms and fields of sunflowers, there is alot to market and alot for restaurant chefs to source.
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Double-fried is the technique of my local yam fry joint.
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Panetco is now offereing bread and pastry making classes. Anyone hanging out it Puebla can take advantage of a day class. Here is the latest schedule. Cursos
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One thing I would like to take a look at is the final tally from Torino. How much was spent, on what and by whom. This information would give us valuable insight.
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Please excuse my ignorance, but what does DOC mean? and what is so special about these tomatoes..not really a big fan of tomatoes but I do use tomato sauce a lot so it would be really great to get some information. Also, what is the big deal about Muir Glen?
thanks so very much
Although a recent U.S. poll in a noted food magazine listed Muir Glen at the bottom, to my tastes, Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes are absolutely the best. On occassion, I've eaten them right out of the can.
As a person who nevers buys the poor excuse for a tomato in the winter months, Muir Glen canned tomatoes fit the bill. They are great for sauce and excellent for a quick salsa. Give them a whirl next time. They are organic as well.
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I usually do 20 - 50 pounds at a time, but that's a little rediculous for home use, unless you are fiends for the ribs!
with 20 pounds (bone in for flavour) I use 12 cans of blue sky root beer and 6 litres of beef stock. For home I would think 5 pounds would give you lots. You can freeze the extra braised meat for a week or two. I think it's best to freeze it before you mix it with mirepoix and sauce, as the addition of the sauce later will add moisture to the frozen meat.
When I mentioned the sweetness of the rootbeer, what I was saying was, when you reduce all the flavours concentrate. If the sweetness starts to get cloying from reduction, you need to balance it with some acidity ie: red wine vinager or balsamic vinager.
Let me know how it goes.
The information I need. Thanks, Maestro.
gaeta olives
in Italy: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Thanks sushicat. Could I get your confirmation on what they looked like? Like any of the three photos posted or totally different?
I'll contact Allison at Les Amis.
Thanks again,
Shelora