sandra

"But I am not a ham expert. " Ya, well, neither am I - I am learning a bit though, been talking to butchers all morning! No one seems to be able to help me with what I want... I am going to have to buy a gammon joint and soak it and boil it and then bake and glaze it apparently... It seems to be the only way... In the USA, there are some pigs that are are fed on peaches and corn, and these are the ones used for "baked ham" never salty... You know the ham you get sliced to put into sandwiches, as in honey roast ham, for example, this is what I am looking for... But we will see what happens with the gammon, if it tastes even 1/2 as salty after all the prep, that will be a result...

It can be already cooked, but I'm looking for one that is un-cooked, to glaze it with honey and mustard... One of my cookbooks has a recipe for this... It's proving quite difficult, actually - no luck at Harrods or HN or Selfridges or at any of several butcher at Smithfield Markets or the Ginger Pig... Everything sold here seems to be cured in salt ...

Is it notorious? I read that it is cured with sugar, therefore not as salty as most varieties available in the UK... This is why I'm looking for it.... We'll see.... Thanks Hannah, I'm off to Harrods.

Where can I find a York Ham in London? Harrods? Harvey Nicks? Apparently this is what to have if you do not like the super-salty gammons...but where to find it?? I'm looking for one to bake for Easter, maybe I left it too late?

Slices of polenta fried in butter until golden and they drizzled with maple syrup or sprinkled wit brown sugar... And the Mexican buffets that fifi said above... even better if it's at a beach hotel and eaten overlooking the ocean.

There is a store called "alsur" on 7 Crescent Road, N22 7RP, 0208 374 3544, I've never been up there, but my friend who lived around the corner always brought me Spanish things, tubs of banderillas, manchego, membrillo, etc... call them before you go, apparently they were only open certain hours... This is a little further down, maybe, but Stroud Green Road between Finsbury Park Station and the Tesco is lined with greengrocers, butchers and even a fish van on Saturdays, I think - a lot of fresh produce plus lots of African and West Indian stuff, chiles, interesting flours and cooking ingredients... Along that road also is Chez Lilline, great seafood restaurant, specialsing in Mauritin style cooking - next door is their fishmonger. Also, more votes for Banners and La Porchetta...

Why suspicious? Am I going to get mugged in Borough? Here is their website: El Vergel It says they are a catering/events company, but I got their name from the Cool Chile Company as a cafe... I think I'll have to try the Peruvian also... a 2 stop lunch....

Anyone been to this restaurant near Borough Station? I read somewhere it is Latin/Mexican type cafe... I will try next week, but if anyone has been, do tell... The address is 8 Lant Street - apparently only open for b'fast and lunch til 3:30

Did you not get the little bowl of white powder with the stick of vanilla? You are meant to lick the stick and then stick it back into the powder and lick it... and so on until the powder is gone... Sort of like those monkeys trying to get ants out the anthill...

Stir them through pasta with mushrooms and crisped up sausage...

So... basically go to Hanger Lane and start driving around the North Circular 'til I find it, eh?? That will be fun, I think I'll pick a nice, say, Tuesday!

Which is the place at Wing Yip? I can't find an address for it... I think I've seen the supermarket, but I thought I saw it off the South Circular... And where is the Golden Palace?

Just walked by there - the interior looks pretty much the same, same tables and chairs, I think same walls... it's still a nice room with great chairs... I asked about the dim sum menu and they said they had a few new items on it as well, but couldn't give me one to bring home yet... Magnolia, I also used to live in NY and I know what you mean about the delivery, the sad part is this is the only restaurant that I know that delivers! And under an hour! That is a major advancement, I think... Room Service and Deliverance (great name!) always take over an hour to deliver... not worth it...

It is indeed around the corner from Baker Street. It has always been a good restaurant, and good for dim sum as well (all day, everyday!) now it seems to be better, at least judging from the quality of the stuff delivered to me last night... I'll go by later and see if the decor has changed also.

Last night we ordered from Phoenix Palace on Glentworth Street for delivery. The gentleman who took the order asked me for the names of the dishes, not the numbers, as they had changed the menu, therefore the numbers had changed. When our food arrived (40 mins prompt) we noticed it was tastier and better than usual - The new menu which also arrived states on the front: "New management - New concept" The menu now includes new dishes such as: Beef shin in rice wine marinade Ostrich fillet, garlic stem and lily bulb in XO sauce Venison with yellow chive and celery XO spicy game udon along with many other new variations of chicken/beef/seafood etc... I haven't been in the restaurant for a few weeks, so I'm not sure if the place looks the same or when they made the changes... But the new menu is looking goood and the food even better.

Yes yes yes!!! Outside my school in Mexico they used to sell a "homemade" version of it, a big blob of tamarindo wrapped in cling film - it had the seeds and everthing in it, we used to have to buy it through the fence, and it tasted sooo much better than the packaged stuff... You also get it on the beaches in the same cling film packaging and then you pick out which is the biggest one and dig away with your fingers and spit out the seeds... Well you get it anywhere on the streets, really... Sometimes you can have different flavours - tamarindo de dulce (sugar), tamarindo de sal, tamarindo de chile, which is the one you are referring to... I have had people bring me the packaged stuff, but that is not so often anymore, and I cannot find it anywhere in London... I am now tempted to go and get some tamarind pulp and try to duplicate it at home.... If you like this, have you tried Pico? a little packet of salt, sugar lime (citric acid) and chile powder - you just open a corner and pour it into your mouth... yum...

some more... croquettes, meat, potato, rice niños envueltos - literally, wrapped children, thin steaks with veges, rolled, tied and cooked in tomato sauce, then sliced and in keeping with the theme, if you like, morcillas, mollejas, mondongo, any and all blood and guts products are widely eaten, tongue, kidneys, liver, for dessert? alfajores - shortbread filled with dulce de leche arroz con leche - rice pudding flan dulce de zapallo - candied pumpkin

empanadas, of any flavour... torta pascualina - a shortcrust pastry filled with spinach and egg milanesas - breaded cutlets or thin steaks matambre - rolled beef with various fillings chorizos, plain or in bread chivito - baby goat, plain or in bread pizza faina - chick pea flour "pizza" morcillas - the sweetbreads mentioned above I'll think of more, I'm sure...

Kristin, I have everything in the kitchen and will try it tomorrow - sounds like it's going to replicate the dish, only the egg they have on it is poached so that the runny yolk disperses throughout the rice below.... yummmm... but I will try it your way first. Thanks! s

Tentoji-don Had it for lunch yesterday - again - A nice bowl of rice, a layer of caramelized onions and maybe some caramelized grated carrots? some kind of thin "sauce" that is sweet yet salty, 2 tempura prawns, and a runny poached egg... It is quickly becoming my favourite lunch.... What exactly goes into this?

Why do you roast all the seprate ingredients first and then mix them up? And do you have several little pans going, or just one and do them in order?

They do both make excellent papaya juices - this is where tha papaya name comes from... even so, not only are the dogs better at Papay King, but the papaya is better at Papaya King....

Another vote for Papaya King...

pistachio, considering you are in Germany, this menu is quite ambitious! I know what it is like not being able to get Mexican items - here in London I have 1 store and it is a hike! even so, there are no fresh items, everything is canned or bottled, even the tortillas are frozen... oh well, it's better than nothing, I suppose... as for your menu, it sounds very nice... Chilli con Carne, I would make some rice to go with it...it's more Tex-Mex, but it will pass nicely... Empanadas, more of a latin thing, but they can be found anywhere - in Mexico we tend to do them more as desserts, but yours sound nice... To serve along with the guacamole and chips you can also make a quick salsa with chopped tomatoes, onions, coriander (cilantro), jalapenos and lime juice. I have a recipe for a coffee flan if you would like that, or a version that uses condensed milk and produces a firmer flan which is easier to make (blender) and serve... The tres leches cake - it's not exactly Mexican, but it can pass, it's originally from Central America, Ecuador, venezuela, Honduras, but it does taste nice, I have never tried making it in individual portions, so not sure how it would come out... I do like your sombrero muffin idea - I think the glaze would work to keep the edges from drying out, but I would not do the filling until before serving. What's in the Agua Loca? As an extra idea, you could also make some Chilaquiles - basically this is a dish that is served for breakfast but also at parties, it's layered tortilla chips with a tomato based sauce, sour cream, cheese and sometimes chicken, like a Mexican lasagna-type-thing.... Buen provecho!

Love tonkatsu, and have had it 2 different ways - both breaded and over rice, but one had only the sauce, the other one had sauce AND a lovely egg on top, this at Japan Centre in London... is one more original than the other? One is maybe called katsu-don?