Margaret Pilgrim
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Posts posted by Margaret Pilgrim
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My go-to for 65 years https://www.thebuenavista.com/home/home.html
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Something definitely weird here. I find both swordfish and shark to be very mild fish. As suggested, freshness must have been a factor here.
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The brewing method shown in the video reminds me of "camp coffee" my mother used to make in the Sierras when I was a child.
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On 12/30/2023 at 5:55 PM, ElsieD said:
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On 12/30/2023 at 6:24 PM, Kerry Beal said:On 12/30/2023 at 5:55 PM, ElsieD said:...margarine, the kind with the yellow dye blob cut out. (Blue Bonnet?)
On 12/30/2023 at 6:24 PM, Kerry Beal said:I loved being the one to squish on the yellow dye blob
margarine, the kind with the yellow dye blob cut out. (Blue Bonnet?)
In the US, this was the norm during WWII. My mother used to save "top milk", the cream on then unhomogenized milk, and beat it into the shortening-like margarine along with the coloring capsule. She was highly incensed by an in-law who served the white stuff untreated. AKA slovenly.
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On 12/28/2023 at 8:04 AM, Pete Fred said:
This is Tikvenik, a Bulgarian strudel/pie popular at Christmas...
The filling is pumpkin, cinnamon and walnuts...
I could have left it in the oven a little longer for better colour, but it had been in a fair while and I was worried the filling was drying out.
It was OK but I can't see myself making another.
I used to make something very similar that was a Greek walnut pie. Always a lot of bang for the effort. Think "coiled baklava". Thanks for the reminder.
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Sounds like you are intuitively on a good track. vis a vis...
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6 hours ago, Darienne said:
Peeled my first tomato... for lunch today.
Using a peeler (and if so, what kind) or boiling water?
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Bresse chicken is an interesting product. Hard to top as a source of superb broth, but temperamental in other dishes. I have had some pretty awful renditions in good restaurants in Bresse. Finally learned to choose something else.
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I am reminded of a charity garage sale I attended. I gave the cashier my paddle-type grater for pricing. "Oh, that's awfully nice", she croons. "What does it go on."
Feeling frisky, I answered, "The end of your arm."
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1 hour ago, Smithy said:
Somehow, the cumin never got out of the shopping cart and onto the checkout line.
Amen, Sister. In our house, it's "Where are the eggs?" or "...the bread?" The fragile things you pull out of the cart and set in the area before the belt...and which you leave, essentially abandoned, in that limbo area while the rest of your order proceeds through checkout.
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11 hours ago, Darienne said:
Daughter..., she's a vegan. Still she says if she makes the rules, she can break them when she feels like it and yes, she will have some turkey.
God bless her! She is giving vegans a good name.
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Holy Sheep is a lovely (slightly) aged sheep gouda. At West Coast Grocery Outlet now. Quite addictive.
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Snowdonia Green Thunder (with herbs and garlic) makes a killer grilled cheese sandwich, especially with slices of kosher dills. And kiss of Dijon,
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I had a relative who “overhydrated” with that ‘ice water’.
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This is devastating news. I wish I had taken time to tell her how much I appreciated her input. Very hard for me to digest much less accept.
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It's an inside joke I tell myself when I realize that my habits don't parallel those of my alter-ego. In this case, choosing convenience over the daily ritual of choosing products from individual specialty vendors.
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6 hours ago, weinoo said:
So basically, one and done for me.
You'll never be French either. 🙃
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On 12/1/2023 at 7:43 AM, weinoo said:
One of the more fun ways to get to San Sebastian (if you're already on the continent, I guess) is via the high speed train. From Paris, for example, the train takes about 4.5 hours, though there is a little quirk in that the train you take from Paris only goes as far as Hendaye, which is on the border with Spain. Hop (or crawl) off the TGV high-speed rail, and onto the Eusktren, and you're in San Sebastian in another 30 minutes. Even though flying from Paris to San Sebastian is much faster, getting to the airport, getting from the airport, dealing with security, luggage, etc. etc. I find the train much more roomy and relaxing.
Heading into Basque country.
It's pretty beautiful. And for this trip, we almost pulled out all the stops, staying in one of the nicer hotels, in one of the nicer rooms. Which afforded this view, of one of the most beautiful cities we've been lucky enough to visit...
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La Concha.
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The view was actually quite similar to the view we had from an AirBnB on our last trip, but said AirBnB was unavailable this time.
I love the beach writers and artists; some of the most ephemeral writing and art around.
Lasts only as long as the tides allow!
One of the "issues" we faced during our stay in San Sebastian was that a number of the places I'd planned to dine at were actually not available. Not because they were booked.
But because they were "cerrados por vacaciones." Bastardos! Also, I have no idea who that person is, but she was following me everywhere!
Don't worry - we were still able to dine regally, and on our first night, we certainly did...
At Gerald's Bar, new to us, but not new...
Kind enough to give us a menu in English (have you tried to read Basque?!). We were hungry.
And wanted to compare the paté with some we'd had in Paris. Maybe it was even better here?
Grilled leeks and pears...amazing what some heat will do for a pear. This was simple and fantastic. Significant Eater quite enjoyed her tagliatelle (chef trained in Italy for a while, and this was a great, housemade tagliatelle). On the other hand...
My pork chop, from a pig raised on the hills above Getaira, was astounding. Tasting better than it looks...
Postre. Mas pera. Believe me when I say if I could get a meal like this, at this price here in the states, I might be ecstatic. (I can't, so I won't be).
After a fair amount of rain in Paris, it was lovely to see and enjoy the sun in San Sebastian for 2 days, though the rains came here eventually.
Gandarias is fine for what it is, old school (with both a pintxo bar and a sit-down restaurant), open on Sunday night, not closed for vacation, and pretty good food. We'd had a good time once before, so off we went...
Delicious pig products.
Shrimp from Huelva, simply cooked on la plancha. Sweet as can be.
Para mí, a big hunk of lamb shoulder, with crispy skin - oh man, this was good. Para ella...
Rodaballo with lotta garlic, and no one in Basque country is shy with olio! Beautifully cooked fish. Did I mention it started to rain, after 2 days of almost perfect weather?
That doesn't mean it isn't still gorgeous, and a faint rainbow even appears every now and then!
This is the Urumea River, which can get angry looking when it's stormy. It sometimes gets surfed by crazy people.
So how was this trip different from our previous trips to San Sebastian? The one big difference was that we stayed in a hotel, which is not generally how we operate. The hotel also offered quite a lovely breakfast, which we indulged in. That meant lunch wasn't always necessary, and it also reduced our pinxtos intake, as we wanted to enjoy somewhat fancier meals in the evening. However, it didn't stop us from enjoying a great lunch at a place I'd be clued into from a previous AirBnB host, located within the sparkling Merkatua San Martin. It's called Maun Grill Bar, and two guys cook and serve fabulous food out of their tiny, well-appointed (kitchen geeks would enjoy this place!) space.
Grilled and braised artichokes and celery were so different and delicious.
Getting the most flavor out of this tomato salad, by torching it. Great idea.
Scallops roasted in their shells, with their roe and a spicy ginger-y sauce thing.
Carabineros, simply grilled. One for each of us, though I might've eaten another; they're just so good. This all kept us well sated until dinner at Antonio Boulevard (we did indulge in Antonio Bar's pinxtos on Tuesday).
Tuna belly, piparras, pimento, anchovie on toast, drowned in olive oil.
More artichoke hearts, this time with jamón.
A favorite were the clams and rice with green sauce. Here's where I learned that I am probably overcooking my Spanish rices by a little - all the rice we had in Spain was a bit more al dente than I have been able to achieve, but I'm working on it.
I didn't realize that their famous meatballs (quite good) would come with potatoes, and we ordered a side of potatoes as well. Note the salad, similar to every other green salad we had in Basque country; i.e.: lettuce and onion. I think we've had enough, no?
OK - maybe a wee bit of queso to finish. Lovely, casual meal. Our final night in San Sebastian was not to be so casual, and off we walked to a restaurant which had been recommended to us by the chef pictured above, at Maun Grill Bar. It would be Casa 887, whose chef is from Brazil and where the cooking is slightly more fusion-y (but only slightly).
The amuse was almost classic.
Red tuna "nigiri." Just great.
Pork gyoza, served in the style of Mission Chinese Food.
"Glass peppers" drowned in olive oil.
Significant Eater had to have some more rice, this time with those great red prawns from Huelva. Wow.
And I had the special wild sea bass, which was rightly cooked and right up my alley. I'm pretty sure we drank dessert here, along with a scoop or two of ice cream. Great find, and I'm glad to have asked chef for some recommends.
As mentioned, it rained, but that never stops us from wandering. It's only water, after all (and we don't use umbrellas!).
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Decisions, decisions.
Gotta walk to get coffee...
Whether it's at Old Town Coffee Roasters, or...
Here's our hotel in the rain. We stayed at the very top, in a room with a private terrace.
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The rain keeps a lot of people off the beach, though some hearty Basques were swimming every day...
And even though the view from our room when it was raining wasn't too bad...
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When the sun broke through, it was even prettier...
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On our final walk back...
Might be Jupiter. Till next time...
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Oh - I forgot to show this...
Couple pushing a baby stroller into Casa 887 on our final night. That's either a very ugly baby, or...a fucking dog!
Thanks for this! I want ALL of it!
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Two crab stories. As a child, I used to visit my aunt in San Francisco, traveling by train and alone. My father would book me tickets in the bar car because there was always an attendant. I would always get my aunt to take me to Fisherman's Wharf to buy a couple of crab for my mother. I later laughed at the scent that must have emitted from my package for those three hours in a warm train car.
Fast forward some 25 years, my husband used to help out an elderly neighbor with small tasks. One night, the doorbell rang and this neighbor handed in a gunny sack full of crab! Small crab. What to do with several dozen probably undersized/underage crab? We had friends over at the moment. Sent one out to find French bread. Start a tomato base. Wash crab. Finally combine with sauce -> 2am cioppino. Husband had gone to bed in the meantime, but staggered out for a bowl. A night of guilty pleasures.
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Our season still is not open here. We've been pretty satisfied with picked Dungeness out of Washington state. Good fresh taste and close to zero shell bits. Last ( a couple of weeks ago) at $60/lb with liberal leg and claw meat. I have always found that in terms of net meat, picked and in-shell run about the same price.
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Smithy, have you made Mississippi Roast? It is most improbable but utterly delicious. ( I do NOT use packaged seasonings! But confess I have become a user.)
Not only the intended meal, but leftovers that range from tacos to cottage pie to poor-boys to,,,,,
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Looks like there are few "no nos" at Nonno's.
Actually, the Nonnos (Italian grandfathers) I have known would flick those hat off you before you could plop yourself on a barstool.
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Not sure I'm dying to tuck my toes under the table with this group, the article's feature shot.
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23 minutes ago, liuzhou said:
Pork tenderloin (里肌肉 - lǐ jī ròu) is my go-to pork cut for almost everything. Stir fried dishes, as steaks, sino-schnitzels, Greek style kebabs, my favourite coriander pork dish and more.
The only other cut I regularly use is pork belly, 五花肉 （wǔ huā ròu) 'fiver flower pork' , but that's a different kettle of pig.
The
Indeed, the only really reliable cuts.
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Camping, Princess Style
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Some time ago I wrote about my frustration trying to cook for someone with different taste, Most responders counseled that they simply cooked things their sweeties liked. I couldn't get across that the problem was different taste rather than preferred dishes. Like pepper in this thread.