Grocery Shopping

[lindag]

@Anna N's recent post in the breakfast thread about the misadventures of online grocery shopping hit home with me.  I started doing that during the pandemic and have found it so convenient for me that I continue it today.  However, sometimes errors do happen.

Case in point. the time I ordered a ham bone, described as Ham/bone and got an entire ham.

 

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, lindag said:

the time I ordered a ham bone, described as Ham/bone and got an entire ham.

 

so long as they included the bone, you're good!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

10 hours ago, lindag said:

@Anna N's recent post in the breakfast thread about the misadventures of online grocery shopping hit home with me.  I started doing that during the pandemic and have found it so convenient for me that I continue it today.  However, sometimes errors do happen.

Case in point. the time I ordered a ham bone, described as Ham/bone and got an entire ham.

 

 

My most recent Whole Foods order was delivered to the wrong address.  And yes, the driver took a picture to verify delivery.

 

[gulfporter]

Found these at a local deli that is MXN owned and run.  The owner's wife makes a really great mango chutney as well as pickles.  This was her first attempt at tomatoes....and it was a success!

 

Wonderful condiment on a cold plate.  Tonight I will mix with pasta, heat it a bit then top with fresh basil, toasted local pine nuts and a great parm.  

 

 

Edited January 1, 2023 by gulfporter (log)

[Shelby]

Ronnie discovered a Mexican market-Mi Mexico Lindo-- the other day and thought I would love to go.  So we went today.  I could have spent a lot of time and money in there lol.  It didn't cross my mind to take pictures.  I wish I would have.  Big cold case that held containers of menudo --why I didn't buy any I don't know.  Love that stuff and I've only had it once.  Really nice meat case that had skirt steak etc.  I picked up a few fun things.  Nopales!  Beautiful poblano and jalapeño peppers.  Pinto beans. House made tortillas.  Sardines and some bullion.  Ronnie said the lines around 11 in the morning stretch out the door of people lining up to buy lunch platters.  

 

 

Edited March 2, 2023 by Shelby (log)

[rotuts]

@Shelby 

 

sounds like quite a find.

 

Id study those lines out the door

 

and find your best fit.

 

well worth it.

 

seeing their ' menu '

 

would drive me nuts !

[Shelby]

This is their online menu   

 

 

Productos Mexicanos

Abarrotes 

Medicina Mexicana 

Platillos en combinación 

Tamales 

Burritos 

Gorditas 

Carnitas ( sábado y domingo)

Menudo ( sábado y domingo)

Barbacoa ( sábado y domingo)

Chicharrónes ( sábados y domingo)

 

Everything is labeled in Spanish.  The person that rang me up spoke English so next time when I have questions maybe I can find her.

[heidih]

@Shelby what a great find. Like going on an adventure. Like "Your're not in Kansas anymore"   Eager to see what you do with the nopales. v 

[Darienne]

13 minutes ago, heidih said:

@Shelby what a great find. Like going on an adventure. Like "Your're not in Kansas anymore"   Eager to see what you do with the nopales. v 

Me too on this one.  Of course. we can't get them in the hinterland of Ontario, Canada, but I've ignored them on visits to the Southwest on more than one occasion. 

[Smithy]

@Shelby: me three on the nopales. I confess: I bought a package of frozen chopped nopales (ready to cook!) once. A few years ago. I think they're still in the freezer. 

[blue_dolphin]

25 minutes ago, Smithy said:

@Shelby: me three on the nopales. I confess: I bought a package of frozen chopped nopales (ready to cook!) once. A few years ago. I think they're still in the freezer. 

 

I can vouch for the recipe for queso flameado con chorizo y nopales (hot Oaxacan and Jack cheese dip with chorizo and cactus) from Nopalito.  Not something one should be eating every day but at least the nopales count as a vegetable so it's a tiny step up from plain old queso dip!

[rotuts]

@Shelby 

 

go saturday 

 

( they have carnitas ) 

 

ask for the carnitas burrito 

 

w green sauce 

 

not going to changed your life 

 

but if good 

 

and Id guess this place is 

 

really really good 

 

it will point in tasty directions .

 

get extra 

 

good for breakfast .

[rotuts]

P.S. :

 

try the menudo 

 

get a pint or two to take home

 

its either going to be 

 

as above

 

very very good ,

 

or can be composted .

[weinoo]

7 hours ago, Shelby said:

House made tortillas.  Sardines and some bullion.  Ronnie said the lines around 11 in the morning stretch out the door of people lining up to buy lunch platters.  

My guess is there are some damn good lunch special plates there!

[liuzhou]

I used to buy this regularly in one store, but it disappeared one night a few years ago. I found it this week online and it arrived today. Two bags of fresh tamarind each containing a nominal 500 grams (actually just over).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 9, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[Smithy]

12 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I used to buy this regularly in one store, but it disappeared one night a few years ago. I found it this week online and it arrived today. Two bags of fresh tamarind each containing a nominal 500 grams (actually just over).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the flavor of tamarind, but found dealing with those pods to be a great deal of trouble. Maybe I didn't have truly fresh pods, or maybe my technique was poor. How do you use / work with them?

[FauxPas]

On 3/2/2023 at 12:48 PM, Smithy said:

@Shelby: me three on the nopales. I confess: I bought a package of frozen chopped nopales (ready to cook!) once. A few years ago. I think they're still in the freezer. 

 

When we were living in Tucson, I would sometimes buy fresh nopales if they looked nice. I chopped them up, rinsed them in cold running water to draw out some of the goo and then added them to salads. I liked the fresh texture better than the cooked. 

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

but found dealing with those pods to be a great deal of trouble.

My next door neighbor has a tree and for 20 years has been offering them to me. I took them once and after that I don't mind buying the paste in the store at all. I learned to say no thank you right quick.

[heidih]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

 

I love the flavor of tamarind, but found dealing with those pods to be a great deal of trouble. Maybe I didn't have truly fresh pods, or maybe my technique was poor. How do you use / work with them?

Obviously not liuzhou but I love them (a softie on the Omar Sharif/Julie Andrews movie The Tamarind Seed) They are like a natural zipper. Open pod,the strings encasing the beautiful seeds sort of peel/zip off. Suck on as is or soak in warm water and massage  to get a liquid for cooking. Somewhere I have a collection of the seeds in a Japanese pottery bowl along with loquat seeds.

[liuzhou]

6 hours ago, Smithy said:

I love the flavor of tamarind, but found dealing with those pods to be a great deal of trouble. Maybe I didn't have truly fresh pods, or maybe my technique was poor. How do you use / work with them?

 

It is possible your tamarind isn't so  fresh. I find dealing with them no trouble whatsoever. I just crack the brittle shells and discard them then peel off the strings. Then, I simply pop the flesh into my mouth and suck it away from the seeds. (The seeds are not edible in their raw state but can be roasted and eaten, not that I've ever done that.)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

@Smithy

 

Having just read this

 

Quote

The tamarinds of Asia have longer pods (containing six to 12 seeds), whereas African and West Indian varieties have shorter pods (containing one to six seeds).

 

I'm now wondering which you get (I'm guessing the latter) and whether that may account for your finding them trouble some while I don't.

 

On an aside, I also have this tamarind sauce which comes from Pakistan and is rather good.

 

 

[Darienne]

I'm with liuzhou on this one and have never encountered any problem getting the tamarind out of its shell and mine would have been from the Caribbean seeing as it's been purchased at a Caribbean store...lots of those around the Toronto area.  And we also have bottle tamarind sauce on hand always.  I use it with purchased samosas.  

 

 

 

[Anna N]

8 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Then, I simply pop the flesh into my mouth and suck it away from the seeds.

So I am quite prepared to show my foolishness to the world. It has never occurred to me that one might choose to eat tamarind for itself. My only knowledge of it comes from recipes where it is used as a flavouring agent. I used to purchase it in blocks much like you can purchase dates. 

[liuzhou]

18 minutes ago, Anna N said:

So I am quite prepared to show my foolishness to the world. It has never occurred to me that one might choose to eat tamarind for itself. My only knowledge of it comes from recipes where it is used as a flavouring agent. I used to purchase it in blocks much like you can purchase dates. 

 

When tamarind is used in much cooking, it is often to bring a bitterness (not always a bad thing) to often southern Asian cuisine and is made from green, immature fruit. As it matures, it become sweeter, while maintaining a sweet and sour flavour.

The only blocks I've seen have been made from unripe pods.

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[KennethT]

2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

When tamarind is used in much cooking, it is often to bring a bitterness (not always a bad thing) to often southern Asian cuisine

 

Bitterness?  I always think of it being a sour agent - less sour than lime juice and more fruity.  It also withstands cooking while lime juice needs to be added at the end.  Sour tamarind is very common in Peranakan food - it's practically in everything!