pastameshugana

I've been reading with interest some of the 'cowpooling' threads - and some locals here are talking about buying bulk beef, but so far I haven't run across anyone as serious as I am in Southeast New Mexico. Does anyone have a beef buying group, OR know a source in the area for top notch beef? I'd be interested in maybe a half-side if we could find a quality supplier that would age it and treat 'er nice! Any leads?

So - I finally got around to cooking on my disco. I know I probably should've done discada or asado or something along those lines - but I was craving stir-fry... Certainly not traditional, but here's what we had: Not counting the chicken (leg & thigh cut in strips), onion, green onion, shitake, elephant garlic, celery, basil, cilantro... Frying the chicken. I had it on the lowest setting, and cooked 3 lbs in about 2.5 minutes. Did one batch with just pepper/soy, the other finished with szechuan sauce. Frying the veggies. I had my 7 year old handing me the bowls with each ingredient - they were getting done so fast there was no time to enjoy the process - but turned out beautiful. And one more shot of the flame... I think this would be a great tool for fried chicken - or hot wings...

Sounds good. I remember the asado we made had several generous scoops of lard added. I think I'm going to try stir-frying in it tomorrow. The only downside is the (very) considerate amount of heat that pours out the side when it's up high. And the fact it's far too heavy for tossing. I'll have to accomplish that with my spatula and tongs. I'll get pics if I remember!

So, on labor day, a friend spent a few hours showing me how to make asado with his disco (I don't know if that's just a regional name or not). Yesterday he surprised me with the gift of one. It's great. It sounds like a jet engine when you crank it up. I think I could modify the prongs that hold the disc to accept a big wok, which would be more my speed. So - any ideas how to measure/calculate the BTU's of this thing? Also, I'm having a hard time deciding what I should cook first... Here it is in the yard... Looking down in the burner... On the lowest gas setting... Sounding like a jet engine (I need to take a picture at night, b/c you really can't see the flame. At one point I had it shooting up about 3.5 feet) Boiling water (2 cups to a violent boil in less than 30 seconds from a cold pan)...

Bin 239 must be new, as I haven't heard of it - but the Dinner Bell is a great place. Great ambiance and 'old-timey' feel. It's about a block down from Genovese's.

I must confess I've never encountered this 'white'.... do you have a recipe?

Prescott is my hometown - hopefully I can help! You've got all the chain stuff (Apple&%*W, Olive Garden, Red Robin, etc)., but a few better options. Mexican: There's two twin restaurants in Prescott and 'PV' (Prescott Valley) called Casa Bonita, they're good all-arounders. There's also a great little place called El Charro on Montezuma St. downtown that's a long-time favorite. Italian: Genoveses downtown (on Gurley) is a stand-out. Great daily specials. Across the street from Genoveses is a fantasic Japanese place called Esoji. The chef there is very serious about his food, and it shows. Just up the street a bit (on the same side) is a sandwich shop called Shannon's Place that is quite nice. They actually specialize in cheesecakes, but have great wraps, and feature boars head meat. (Full disclosure: Murphy and Shannon are good friends.) For breakfast - you can get a ridiculously huge one at Zeke's, but you'd be better off heading to the airport and eating at the airport cafe. Great atmosphere, friendly 'small town' service and a pretty good breakfast. Last time I was in town, my favorite coffee shop was downtown, across the street from the parking garage (you'll have to ask, I don't know the name.) Typically 'hip' decor, but a well-pulled latte. You can get decent 'up-scale' sandwiches at Cafe St. Michael, right across from the Courthouse. For burgers, you need to hit Kendall's (opposite side of the courthouse from St. Michaels). It's an old 50's style place that's been there since I was a kid. Full ice-cream bar, real floats, good burgers & fries. Edited to add: I also tried (once) the brown bag burgers near starbucks (there's only one, should be easy to find!). It was a pretty decent burger for a quickie. Hope this helps! If I think of anything else, I'll post it - unless you've got a specific question - fire away!

Never had one - but that sounds good! I'm not really a hot dog fan, but I think I'd eat one of those...

Great idea - surely someone here works for/has family at/etc - an appliance store that would be willing to run a test. Anyone?

I forgot I started this thread...but glad to hear all the good recommendations! Our short time in Alamo didn't uncover any faves other than the ones I mentioned at the top - although I did try one of the Chinese buffets that (honestly) had a poster for a missing cat on the front door... Here in Hobbs, things are pretty limited, but we're discovering some decent places. The one standout is 'Taste of Italy' on Dal Paso street. A small place, with excellent, well made & presented Italian food. Also some very nice seafood options (which are hard to come by these parts). It's just a little off-putting to have such a meal served by someone who says 'Y'all' every other word... Some decent daily stops: Dan's Mexican also on Dal Paso, and Pacific Rim, a quasi-asian place up on Joe Harvey are good stops. Other than that, it's lots of chain restaurants. Tia Juana's is a decent Mexican meal, served by less than cheery servers. Still looking for a standout Mexican meal....

I 2nd (or 3rd) the tortellini from scratch. My wife helped me make enough for three families (including kids), stuffed with some sort of fancy chicken filling I made earlier in the day. We made them in the colors of the Italian flag. Very tasty, but took all day. Also - chinese dumplings with wrappers made from scratch - why did I even bother?

In BA there's a place outside of town (on the river) called 'via del vaca' (or something similar - it roughly translates to 'way of the cow.' They have a (very) impressive collection of meats on the grill, and my memory of the quality was good. There was one cut called, if I remember correctly, metremas. It was super thin beef with a super thin layer of fat on it - amazing taste. You'll remember the beef all across the region. My first steak was memorable for the fact that it was so good, and my host made it a point to remind me that we were at his least favorite place. My trip was memorable for the fact that on the last night, we ate at a horrible chinese place, and I was pining for another bife de lomo. Have fun!

I started some extract a looong time ago - actually a year ago November. Shortly thereafter I moved my family from India back to the states, and after a long process, we finally settled in our new city (and about to move into our final home next month!). I originally purchased extract grade beans from the vanilla store Fat Guy recommended, and put about 8-12 (can't honestly remember!) split beans into mason jars with vodka. Then I put several (6-8?) chopped beans into a mason jar with refined sugar and promptly forgot about them all. I know I shook them all vigorously daily the first month or so until we moved, but they all smelled 'chemically' (especially the liquid ones). Now, however, it's a different story. We've been using the extract, and it has a beautiful rich aroma, super-dark coloring, and works great. I haven't tried the vanilla sugar yet, can't honestly think what I'd use it for! Maybe a good cup of coffee...but that seems like a waste. It's one of those projects thats daunting at the beginning because of the time, but is certainly worth it in the long run. It's also fun to tell someone (when they ask) that those jars are your homemade extract...

We love 'em. Of course, we stuff them with a very rich mixture of beef/cheese/spices when we have a bunch. They also go nice with my 'steamed pasta' dish, in which I simply steam a bunch of sliced veggies over a pot of cooking pasta, and toss it with some garlicy coconut milk.

I grew up on, and still can't live without, El Pato. Not the green one, the one in the yellow can. I've incorporated it into so many recipes by now I think it's wired into my genetic code. It's very nice, not tomatoey or vinegary, got a good bite and some good flavor. You can get them as cheap at 50c (where on earth do you find the cents symbol on a normal keyboard?) at the grocery store. Also, the bottled version seems to be way more acidic than the canned version - the canned is far superior to my mouth.

Dianna - what make/model do you have?

I second the question. I've heard it said they're more energy efficient - how much?

Excuse my questions if they're silly - but here we go: We're in the middle of closing on a new house (yay!) and it currently has an electric range. I'm only familiar with gas, and I like it, but I'm willing to expand my horizons a bit. We are planning on replacing the range, mainly for style reasons sometime this year. I'm kind of leaning toward an induction cooktop for the high heat and low simmer (and my cookware is all magnetic). Question 1: I fancy myself a fancy cook (I'm not, but I pretend), and I do like to light things on fire occasionally. For instance, when I make omelette's, I use some home made salsa and light it on fire in my omelette pan over the flame before I add the batter. Why? I don't know, in my head it gets a 'roasted' flavor. How on earth will I accomplish this on an electric or induction cooktop and impress the kiddos? Question 2: When you lift a pan off the induction surface, you lose your 'heat source' so to say. Has anyone noticed this affecting their cooking when tossing vegetables/etc? Question 3: Has anyone installed a single burner (like the viking wok burner) next to an electric range - any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

I was reading the fascinating thread about the amazing sounding Capogiro in Pennsylvania. I must say I was thrilled by the thought of Cilantro & Lime sorbet! Unfortunately, the chances of me making it anywhere near there this decade are pretty slim at the moment. If you were tasked with making that dessert, how would you do it? We live in Southeast New Mexico at the moment, and that sounds like the absolute quintessential dessert to finish off a New Mexican dish!

FWIW I know there's some in AZ...

One of my faves is Cavenders all purpose greek seasoning, in the bright yellow tube. It's got msg in it, maybe that's why i like it so much! Chops, burgers, steaks - goes great on just about anything.

Just chiming in a little late in the game. I appreciate what kellytree said about attitude. I do believe that parents of chronically ill-behaved children ought to be considerate of the guests around them, and order take out (and get control of their kids). We currently have three in the house (4,6,8) and one in the oven. We also have a lifestyle that places us in restaurants for more than 50% of our meals, and sometimes at odd hours. Most of our friends are also in the same boat. In our family, there are very clearly defined rules and pre-defined consequences for breaking those rules. The kids also know that mom and dad are 100% faithful to honor the consequences, whether they be no gameboy, no dessert, water only, etc.. The end result is, a reasonably bright child can put 2 and 2 together and shape up. Granted, they all have their bad days, but I think more parents are responsible for incorrigible behavior than kids. It drives me nuts when I see a parent say "One more time, and you're in trouble!" and then says it 8 more times. Or, "I'm going to count to 3 and then we're going outside!" and counts to 3 to the tenth power. I can't speak for anyone else's family (and don't attempt to), but my experience has been that, clear consequences, adhered to by the parent, are the best tools of discipline. That said, my wife and I also value time alone, and get a babysitter and visit the restaurants we'd rather not take our kids to (and pay for them!) as often as is realistic. Now that I've strayed very far off topic... where was I? I think a parent who refuses to address a problem child in a restaurant is negligent, but I also know there are those times (usually newborn, or not feeling well) when you exhaust your efforts to no avail. That would be a good time for the rest of the patrons to sigh, say 'oh well', and do their best to ignore it and enjoy their meal. I also believe a restaurant has the right to refuse entry to children, and I've eaten at those that do, just as they have the right to enforce a dress code. Maybe you could make a mint by opening an hourly child-care facility near a high-dollar restaurant? My $.02 . <-- the grain of salt you should take with every opinion...

Sorry to resurrect a dead thread - but I was browsing along and ran across a classic 'Smothers Brothers' gem and couldn't help but applaud you, Holly.

Well, after a long stint in Bangalore, India, the family and I are making a move to New Mexico. We're going to end up in a little town near the Texas border called Hobbs, but are spending the next few weeks in Alamogordo (another small town near the Texas border that also happens to have an Air Force base). A couple favorites so far: Eddies Burritos on First street. A very simple setup, you choose the filling (about 15-20 options, ranging from Mexican to New Mexican choices) and they put it in a fresh tortilla for you. It came local recommended, and I concur. I had the green chili with beef and potatoes, which was finely done. Properly seasoned, with a nice bite and tasting very fresh. There's also a salsa bar with a handful of selections, including Pico, green and red hot sauce and a few others I can't remember. The salsa bar was kept nice and cold, encouraging as to the hygiene level. It was all wonderful, I'll be back tomorrow for another try. Hi-D-Ho Drive in was highly recommended for their burgers. It looks like the set of a B horror movie, but the green chili burger with everything was tremendous. Absolutely worth a stop if you're driving through. A bit pricey for fast food (8 bucks for a burger and a soda), but a worthy burger, for sure. Where are your favorite small town spots in 'Not Really New, Not Really Mexico'?

Well, we're here now - I'll keep updating. So far the highlight has been a meal in Footscray at Lazy Moe's. A nice big place, but one of those menu's that covers so many cuisines (Thai, Italian, Indian and continental? On the same menu?) that worries you about their ability to pull it off. However, I really enjoyed the roasted pork belly I had. Very soft, great flavor, and the 'rustic mash' it was served with was perfect comfort food. Today we're headed out to Queen vic market to try the selection - I'll try to get some pics this time. Cheers,