[Migas in Austin]

When I next visited Fonda San Miguel, I asked whether they were now calling the place "Fonda sin Miguel" which I thought was excrutiatingly funny.  

Well, I'm sure it doesn't equate with wild on-the-spot laughter than one can bask in the immediate glow of, but if it is any consolation, I think it is hilarious.

[Stolen recipes]

It's hard to imagine a patent for a dish in a restaurant. A product might be more patentable. You could patent an ice cream scooper, but not a scoop of ice cream. You could patent your process for making an ice cream cone, but someone can come up with another edible container very easily. I would think that maybe the first ice cream pop on a stick might have been patentable, but I'll bet alternatives would still show up on the market.

I am not an attorney, but several years ago, consulted one regarding the copywriting, or patenting, of a particular recipe.  

That attorney (who may or may not have been correct and I don't know because I didn't check further), told me, "You cannot copywrite nor patent any particular recipe.  Even if you copywrite a cookbook, the individual recipes are not copywrited.  That's because it would be too difficult to do.  There are just too many ingredients, and too many combinations, and too many people cooking to ever have any hope of proving that this one or that one came up with this particular list of ingredients or that particular method.  If you don't want anyone else to have your recipe, don't share it.  That's why companies like Coca Cola and KFC guard their recipes with such fanatical secrecy.  If they could just copywrite their formulas and prosecute anyone who copied them, they wouldn't have to worry.  So, take a lesson from all of the food giants...if you don't want anyone else to prepare your dish, keep it secret."

[Southern Traditions]

Add to the list:

fried corn

backyard tomatoes

backyard tomato sandwich [bread, tomato, mayo, sink]

skillet cornbread

watermelon

squash casserole with potato chip topping

chow chow

Oh Stellabella (beautiful star?), what a laugh you gave me.

I had forgotten about my favorite sandwich from my youth...."backyard tomato sandwich," white bread, sliced ripe red tomatoes, mayo, eaten over the sink with the juice running down your arms.

Thanks for the memories...

[Migas in Austin]

what's a picadillo?

Decided that since this is a "foodie forum," I'd expound a bit on Picadillo (Peek-a-DEE-yo), in case someone out there would like to know more about it.

It is a minced meat mixture...very popular among Mexicans...  they use it to fill empanadas, meat pies, tortillas, and the most wonderful chile rellenos you ever ate.  There isn't really anything similar to Picadillo in North American cooking (at least not that I am familiar with) but I guess the closest you could come would be the hamburger filling of Stuffed Green Peppers.  However, Picadillo has no rice, is much more flavorful, and has a loose texture, like Sloppy Joe meat.

Of course, there are as many recipes for Picadillo as there are Mexican cooks, but the usual ingredients are: minced or ground meat (either beef, pork, or a combination) and the ubiquitous spicy peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, vinegar, raisins, and nuts (almonds or pecans).

I make it often, frequently adding water chestnuts which, although obviously not Mexican, add a nice crunch.  A Mexican friend suggested it...she does, too.

I like to serve it as a dip, warmed in a chafing dish, with tortilla chips alongside.  It's always a big hit.

Every Mexican cookbook I've ever seen has at least one or two recipes for it, but it's not well-known in North America.  That's a shame....it's wonderful.

[Migas in Austin]

Back to migas.  One of my favorite Austin eateries is Fonda San Miguel - maybe the finest "interior Mexican" restaurant in the country.  The chef there - Miguel Ravago -

I think I read somewhere that he had left.  Does anyone know if that's true and, if so, where he went?

[Migas in Austin]

Actually, a picadillo is a mini-loaf of bread, sort of like a little french roll, slit open along the top and filled with a spicy meat mixture.  Cisco's is pretty famous for them. I've never had one, my dad says they are pretty good.  It's sort of a strange little item, really.

Actually, the "picadillo" IS the meat mixture.  Mexicans use it to fill all sorts of things (such as chiles rellenos) or as a dip.  I've even had it over baked potatoes and it's wonderful.  There are lots of recipes for it in various authentic Mexican cookbooks.