gulfporter

Lisbon lunch today. Smoked cod with a peri -peri pepper relish. And a small basket of deep-fried cuttlefish with a creamy tartar sauce. I tried a featured rose' which was surprisingly dry and refreshing, with a satisfying bitter note. The last time I had a rose' was in the 1970s when they were sweet and cloying. DH had a local draft beer. Tab was 25 euros in a local but hipster-ish place off the tourist track.

Went to a nearby (5 minute walk) trendy spot in Lisbon's Cais do Sodre district, Taberna Tosca. I had the pork cheeks in a delicious wild mushroom wine broth, topped with crispy sweet potato shards....the meat so tender it fell apart with my spoon. DH had a tempura shrimp pancake with green curry sauce....nice clean fry, excellent batter and sauce. My pictures do not do the dishes justice. Excellent Portuguese red wines, meal with wine was 30 euros.

Lunch was brunch today, as we acclimate ourselves to Lisbon's time zone. Eggs benedict, but with a ham more similar to a Spanish serrano and a nice slice of a hearty Portuguese bread instead of the English muffin. Two definite improvements. Hollandaise was excellent and the orangest egg I've seen in awhile.

So jealous of your kitchen width; we have a galley kitchen here in Mexico and my DH and I constantly bumping into each other (and he's ultra slim and I'm average sized). Though to be honest, we jostle each other in our FL kitchen too, which is a 15 foot square. Maybe after 47 years of marriage we still like to cuddle 🤗

There is a Walmart-Mexico near Ajijic. They had the best pork tenderloin, a cut not offered in any of our Mexican butcher shops. I bought it weekly for at least 6 months. Then, voila! they disappeared. I asked el jefe at the meat department, porque no mas? He spoke English and said, "Senora, it was so popular I could not keep enough in stock to please everyone. So I stopped ordering it." I was told the same thing at a local papeleria, where I had been buying bubble-wrap (not a common item). I think it's almost endearing; instead of disappointing customers because they run out of items, they simply stop carrying the item?? But then again, I have been accused of being a Pollyanna.

Darn, I was hoping I was given bad info and they were simply out of stock at the moment. Have been locating French bakeries in our area and no one makes them, but a few are already closed for the day and I will continue my hunt. My friends who hooked us up with these treats bought them in Ajijic at a French bakery a bit outside of town; said they made them only on weekends, but not every weekend. Not having an item with any consistency is what I'd consider 'a Mexican thing,' and perhaps also 'a French thing?' 😎

We flew to US last night, and first thing this morning, I went over to Trader Joe's (St. Petersburg FL). Sadly, no caneles. The associate remembered them, looked high and low in the frozen dessert area and said they must have been discontinued. Oh phooey!

Most ovens in Mexico have no thermostat. The "ideal stove control" is a wooden spoon inserted in the oven door jamb when the oven overheats.

I hate my corner cabinet too. To it, I relegate kitchen purchases that I regret, but won't admit to my DH. It's my Black Hole of Calcutta.

I started the topic because we also own a home in FL where we've also had plenty of local contractors working over the years. I never heard them talk about food. Here is what our FL contractors talk about. Fishing Sports Traffic Fishing TV Shows Fishing Current Weather Past Storms/Hurricanes Fishing

It's not that my Spanish has improved all that much, but for the past 4 months I have focused on listening. Over the years my vocabulary increased, but my ability to understand a fast-talking local remained almost impossible. Currently I'm using online sites that don't cut me any slack....they speak as fast as most Mexicans do. Last week, we had crews at the house doing maintenance and a few repairs and I was able to eavesdrop fairly effectively. I quickly discovered that all they talk about is food! One would mention a place with the "best" tacos de pulpo (octopus) and it would set off a round-robin of comments from the other workers on their food finds. It went on literally non-stop all day; even when the maestro (boss) showed up, he'd join in with his recommendations. At times there were some heated exchanges over the "best" this or that. I asked a few guys about some spots. Alas, their highly recommended taco stands open after 9PM, most not until 10PM. A few open at 7AM for breakfast for workers heading out, closing by 9AM. I may make it to a breakfast stand that they told me is only a block away, set up early in front of a family's house....I walk by that house daily (but always after 9AM) and there is no indication it sells tacos.

Our French Canadian friends brought these to us. We had never had them, or heard of them. They are insanely good. The outside crunch and chew, and the soft and wet interior.....ooh la la.

Last week at our tianguis (open air market), I asked Denis (a Frenchman now living in Guadalajara) who makes and sells his own pate', quiche, duck confit at the market, if he could get me duck breasts as my local Mexican butcher has been unable to locate any. I got them today, two frozen together. The price was 380 pesos per kilo. At today's exchange rate, that would be $9 USD per pound which seems reasonable given it is considered a delicacy of sorts here. One of them my DH will make into duck prosciutto. The other will meet the fry pan soon enough.

Have always been fascinated by this aspect of the food industry; looking fwd to the release. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/dining/catering-new-york-city-hotbox-lee-brothers.html?action=click&module=Top Stories&pgtype=Homepage

I grew up in a family that observed meatless Fridays year-round. We often had potato pancakes served with both sour cream and cottage cheese (not mixed together). This conversation has made me nostalgic for that meal. I haven't bought cottage cheese in decades; not sure if it is available here in MEX. If not I will look forward to this meal next trip north.

I gave up a long time ago on finding my taste bud doppelganger. For outside the US travels, I like Culture Trip. Not in-depth reviews by any stretch, but they list the dish(es) that epitomize the eatery, have a corresponding map on each page that highlights the restaurant you are reading about. They break down Food and Drink to several categories making it more manageable for me. Many of the categories are by neighborhood, always a help when arriving in a new city. We will be in Lisbon next month and here is Culture Trip Lisbon Food and Drink Page. I link to and then read the sub-categories that most interest us. https://theculturetrip.com/europe/portugal/lisbon/food-and-drinks/

Today is 3.14 so go grab a piece of pie! Pie is not a common menu item in MEX. But there is a fine French patisserie on our street and we scored a few mini-quiches for lunch.

New flavors of Peeps coming this Easter. https://www.wthr.com/article/peeps-debuts-new-flavors-just-time-easter

Only drinking ice tea here now that it is 80+ daily. Dried hibiscus flowers are sold as "jamaica." It is pungent and I need to add some sweetener (which I never add to US ice tea).

@Nancy in Pátzcuaro Thanks , yes I have had more sour and thick cremas on trips to other areas within MEX. We do have a cheese truck that happens by every so often and will see if he sells crema, but he is an oddly quiet vendor....no bells or loudspeaker so it's catch-as-catch can. @Dave the Cook I think I will chance it with either the Fage (if it is indeed full fat...need to read the label) or another full fat yogurt, as I know where to find it.

Curious.... what are you paying for avocados in the US these days?

Our neighbor's avocado tree overhangs our yard; yes we fight the squirrels for first dibs. These are not Haas avocados, they are quite large (usually 3x the size of a Haas), yellow-green interior (more yellow than green) and very mild. I adjust my usual guacamole recipe so the heat and chopped veggies do not overpower them I have never seen cooked avocados in Mexico, but avocado ice cream is not uncommon. The Haas avocados are common in stores here...right now there must be a fresh crop as I have seen many more wheelbarrows selling them around town in the past week. Michoacan adjoins our state of Jalisco and is main growing area for Haas. Produce hawked from trucks or in the streets often reflect a fresh harvest.

For almost 20 years, I have successfully made a Bon Appetit recipe for a blueberry sour cream pie. It has always been a hit. Just In the last few years, we can buy blueberries here in our MXN village. Alas, there is no sour cream here. The locally available cremas are loose and a bit runny (and not sour at all) and doubtful they would work as a substitute. Have seen thicker cremas in other parts of MX, but not here and I've tried all the brands. I can and do buy Fage plain Greek yogurt....it is as thick as thieves with a great tang. Can I substitute this for the sour cream without any other changes to the recipe? Or do I need to add/subtract the amounts of sugar and/or flour? The pie bakes for about 35 minutes at 400 degrees and wonder how the time and temperature will affect the yogurt. I am more worried about viscosity as when I make the recipe with sour cream it sets up perfectly with nice solid slices. The pie's recipe is posted publically on epicurious.com and the filling part is as follows: FILLING 1 cup sour cream 3/4 cup sugar 2 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1 egg, beaten to blend 3/4 teaspoon almond extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

A few of our local restaurants here in Mexico have attempted to monetize their "down times" and two have been successful. One hosts a farmer's market of sorts for 3 hours, pre-opening hours from 9 till 12 (like many restaurants they do not serve lunch until 1 or 2). They charge the vendors a fee to set up. The other eatery hosts a weekly afternoon trivia contest run by and for a non-profit; the kitchen stays open but mostly profits are from drinking 🍹 🍺

Prefer casual over formal. Tapas are fine, lighter fare generally. We are staying in Barrio Alto.