Shel_B

Over the years I've purchased many items from The Spanish Table, including one or another of their chorizo products. Consider that an endorsement. In addition, there's this local sausage maker: https://framani.com/products/salametto-piccante They have an excellent reputation and I've purchased many items from them over the years, most recently their pancetta affumicata, which I love. The company was started about twenty years ago by Paul Bertolli

I've seen folks eat it in that manner. That doesn't mean it's right or wrong, but it certainly seems to be common. A lady friend from Colombia enjoyed a version of muesli in that fashion, and Sweetie, who was from Argentina, would enjoy flaked oatmeal in a glass and just pour milk over the cold, uncooked flakes and let 'em soak a bit. Lucia, a friend from Peru, would do likewise. Of course, seeing them eat it that way, I had to try it for myself. A nice muesli with fruit and perhaps some sweetener lends itself very well to that technique. I'm sure that if you searched the 'net you'd find that to be not only common, but a preferred way of eating it.

Sonia's Armenian, and a very fine cook. She made dinner and we had stuffed peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and grape leaves. After many years, she finally gave me her recipe for the filling.

Oreo flavored Coke? Coke flavored Oreos? Thank goodness it's only a Special Limited Release. Maybe they'll become collectables? https://www.convenience.org/Media/Daily/2024/August/15/1-Oreo-Coca-Cola-New-Collaboration-Items_CatMan

How long did it take to prepare the meat, from fridge to plate?

Based on your comment, I'll look further into the subject. A short time passes: Well, you're right, it seems. https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guidance/advice-for-you/when-travelling/travel-adaptor-for-mexico/#:~:text=Mexico operates on a 127V supply voltage and 60Hz. You can determine whether you’ll need to use a converter or transformer, by looking at the appliance rating plate. A dual voltage rated appliance will display for example ‘INPUT: 110-240V’ on the body of the appliance or its power supply. This means that you will not need a converter or transformer but just a travel adaptor, because Mexico operates on a 127V supply voltage, which is within the 110-240V range that the dual voltage appliance operates on. Thanks so much for jumping in. I'll check the power requirements of the Instant Pot later today.

Will an Instant Pot purchased in the US work in Mexico without any adapters or modifications?

Pasta with 'Nduja For lunch I enjoyed Pasta with ‘Nduja, the recipe of which was based on Pasta Grammar’s recipe here: https://www.pastagrammar.com/post/pasta-with-nduja-recipe-the-best-spicy-pasta-you-ll-ever-try And this ‘nduja as recommended by the good folks at Pasta Grammar, was used. https://ndujausa.com/ I modified it a bit to my own taste and sensibilities. Having tried this 'nduja previously, I knew that I wanted slightly less funk and fat in the final dish, so I used about half the ‘nduja that the recipe called for, but I wanted the heat. I ground up some Calabrian chilies and added them to the sauce. The result was just about perfect. Slightly more garlic was used and it was pressed and added to the sauce rather than cooked and removed. A 14-oz can of organic Mutti brand tomatoes formed the background for the sauce, but I was disappointed with the flavor of the tomatoes. They seemed a bit bland compared to the tomatoes I usually use, so I kicked up the flavor a bit with a couple-three tablespoons of tomato paste, also from Mutti and which I’ve used a lot over the years. DeCecco Mezzi Rigatoni was todays chosen pasta. The shape and texture worked out well but I’d like to try this sauce with a more traditional fileja. Costco’s Pecorino Romano was grated over the pasta and was a nice compliment to the dish. Overall, a nice, satisfying lunch.

Wow! That's a surprise. Thanks for the info.

@Katie Meadow and @Alex ...Lundgren? I'm sure you meant Lundberg rice. I've been using various Lundberg rice products occasionally for many years, and while their standard white and brown rice offerings are acceptable, their basmati and jasmine rice choices are down at the bottom of my list. FWIW, a really nice brown rice, if you're inclined that way, is that from Massa Organics, available at the Berkeley and possibly Oakland farmers' markets. https://massaorganics.com/product/organic-brown-rice I also recommend Koda Farms Organic Kukuho Rose Whole Grain Brown Rice https://www.kodafarms.com/our-branded-products/

For quite some time I've been looking for an excellent basmati rice. I've tried some Tilda versions, a Daawat variety, Royal, and a couple-three others. They have all been recommended by one source or another, including my Indian tenants, and they have all been disappointing in one way or another. Flavor and texture were lacking in most, aroma was scant or non-existent, the grains were short, and so on. One was recommended by the Indian grocery near me and was so bad that I returned it. I am looking for an outstanding, organic, aged, long-grain basmati. Any suggestions?

I've had good results by letting the tart defrost before cooking in the countertop oven. YMMV

I'll see if my Costco carries it. Thank you. Added later: A number of local stores other than Costco carry this item. 👏

Very helpful ... thank you. I'll look for it ... nice to have some convenience foods around.

@Maison Rustique Can you provide details about the rice.... sounds interesting and it might be nice to have in the pantry.

Sorry, Charlie (obscure tuna fish reference) ... this is not AI. Very far from it, actually. Quite a few years ago I owned and operated a printing and graphic arts business, and that's when I encountered Lorem ipsum for the first time. Lorem ipsum is a placeholder text commonly used in publishing and graphic design to demonstrate the visual form of a document or a typeface before the content is finalized. It may be used as a placeholder before the final copy is available as well. In other words, it's simply a dummy text that has been used by the printing and graphics industry since the 1500's. But it's not just random text. It's roots stem from a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. A Latin scholar researched some obscure Latin words from a Lorem ipsum passage, and discovered that Lorem ipsum comes from sections of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil, had to look that up as Mr. Memory has left the building) by Cicero, written in 45 BC. It's used because a reader may be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.

Sorry for the delayed response. I've been involved in a small, time consuming project here. Thanks for all the replies to my question. Some suggestions I tried prior to my post, and the results were poor. Other things I may try later, although my inclination is to just spend the additional $$ and buy the meat from the two butchers I use ... at least when cooking for guests. For my "Tuesday night" meals I can put up with the problem as I'm usually looking for quick and inexpensive, and I'm flexible about the results when just cooking for myself. The butcher meat is about twice the price of TJ's.

Beautiful ... lovely.

There are a number of times I'll cook with ground turkey, beef, or pork that has been frozen. When defrosted, the ground meat is pretty wet. What's a good way to reduce or, ideally, eliminate that excess moisture. I have at times let the meat sit in the fridge, uncovered, for a while, and that helps somewhat, but not enough and doing that has its downsides. Sometimes I'll buy the meat already frozen, but more often I'll freeze it myself. In either case, I've got wet meat, and the turkey seems to be wetter than beef or pork. The meat I buy at the butcher, that's ground by the butcher, is drier by by far compared to the ground packaged meat from places like TJ's or other markets like Costco. Is the commercially ground meat treated differently than butcher ground meat?

I've been enjoying puttanesca for many years. It's essentially a dish of convenience. Use what's handy. Each ingredient imparts a certain characteristic, none of which are a poor choice or unacceptable (IMO). For example, at times I'll add capers and/or olives, and other times not. I've made it with oil packed anchovies, salt packed anchovies, and anchovy paste ... all good. I've used dried Calabrian chilies, fresh Thai chilies, serrano chilies, ground Kashmiri chilies, and Aleppo chili flakes ... all good. Sometimes I'll use pancetta fat instead of or as an addition to olive oil. The fat from pancetta affumicato is an interesting choice, worth playing with. A mixture of fresh cherry tomatoes and tinned whole tomatoes imparts a nice flavor and texture. Don't forget the garlic. I prefer a small amount, and sometimes I'll use fresh and dried roasted garlic together. Your mom always told you not to play with your food. Puttanesca is a great choice to play with. As you say, it's a simple rustic dish. Don't overthink it, cook with feeling and follow your mood, and the results will always be interesting.

@Katie Meadow ... you're mistaken about my desire to own a stand mixer. I passed on a free one a couple of years ago when Sweetie gave hers away. There are many things I think about having, but never have I thought about a stand mixer.

The right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of a good hand mixer! I suppose if I really wanted one, I'd have one by now. I'm still undecided. However, I've looked at the KitchenAid before, and at this point that would be my first consideration. I think there's a 5-speed version as well.

Allow me to preface my question(s) by saying I know very little about baking. Over the years here I have learned a few things, but I'm still very much in the shallow end of the pool. My new friend likes cheesecake and I'd like to try this America's Test Kitchen no-bake (key) lime cheesecake as a treat for us somewhere down the line. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Iz475ygAEM Julia uses a stand mixer when making the cheesecake. I don't have such a machine. I do have a very old and poorly designed electric hand mixer and one of these: Is it possible to make Julia's cheesecake with only the egg beater and by hand, with a mixing spoon, whisk, or something similar? I am not even considering using the electric hand mixer that I have as past experiences with it (two attempts) were awful. I am, however, considering buying a good electric hand mixer, maybe in time for the cheesecake, maybe not. So, could the recipe be made with an electric hand mixer? What would I need to do, or be aware of, if I went fully manual (egg beater, mixing spoons)? What would I lose, or gain, by making the recipe totally by hand? Tangentially, I like mixing things by hand even if it takes longer or is harder work.

I really appreciate your descriptions and images of Chinese food. Compared to what I've been exposed to, the food you present has far more interesting ingredients and is much more vibrant. Thanks for taking the time to post about your meals.