Lunch! What'd ya have? (2018)

[HungryChris]

Grilled beer brat with mustard, onions and kimchi

HC

[kayb]

Felt fruity t'other day.

 

A very good blue (Faribault?) whose provenance I forget, except it came from the specialty cheese shop at Kroger, where most of the cheeses carry a "Murray's" sticker. Don't know if Murray's sold the right to use its name, or actually curates the cheese selections, or what. 

 

Pear was a Bosc, and wanted a bit of ripening. Watermelon, since the grandchild had been here and was begging for watermelon, was decent for being out of season.

 

[Anna N]

 

Sharp cheddar, apple, and pancetta on a flour tortilla.  The balsamic glaze drizzle is a little messy.

Edited April 22, 2018 by Anna N (log)

[Okanagancook]

Turkey tostado from tacolicious by Sara Deseran.  First recipe I've cooked from this book.

Home made tostado; fried black beans (did in the IP); braised turkey thigh (lime juice, garlic, oregano, allspice as seasonings) shredded; pickled red onions (which I found really salty..only used a small amount); avocado, tomato and cilantro sprigs.  Tasty but 'where's the heat...it's Mexican'.

Side salad with greens from the Farmers Market.

 

[heidih]

49 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

Turkey tostado from tacolicious by Sara Deseran.  unt); avocado, tomato and cilantro sprigs.  Tasty but 'where's the heat...it's Mexican'.

 

 

I think the cuisines of Mexico somewhat like SE Asia are "customizeable" with heat being added by the diner via table condiments. Just like additional herbage or pickly stuff. All your bites can be different; more intersting to me than a homogenous dish.

[BonVivant]

First asparagus at home. It comes from an asparagus farm in the countryside only 15 mins by bicycle from my house.

Tyrolean Speck.

 

Spring elixir number one.

 

Korean-esque.

 

Cod ceviche (with Korean pepper flakes) and herring.

 

I almost never add something to my oysters but today I made an exception. Korean pepper flakes and scotch bonnet chilli paste (just my standard pulsed scotch bonnet chillies and olive oil).

 

As you can see here, harvesting asparagus is real back-breaking work. Each and every spear is cut by hand. The machine which goes down the rows is called "asparagus spider" in German (and is also manufactured in Germany). The workers are from Poland. It's a very small farm, I saw 4 workers in the field that day. They return every year.

 

My bike parked in front of the sorting shed/farm shop with view of the field.

[ProfessionalHobbit]

There was a water heater leak in the topmost flat that basically messed up our building's middle unit and our kitchen ceiling. The landlord has to open up our ceiling and make repairs in the space above us which means no cooking for the next week or so. I also haven't been cooking much, for the past several weeks due to unforeseen events - long story which is too OT for eGullet...altho if you want details, you can always PM me.

 

On Saturday, we went to Izakaya Rintaro for lunch.

 

 

 

Chicken gyoza

 

 

Tuna, yellowtail, scallop and halibut sashimi over Japanese rice, served with shiso and wasabi

 

 

Miso shiru with Manila clams

 

 

Left - carrot and wasabi pickles

Right - long-cooked flaked tuna with lemon zest

 

 

Left - turnip and asparagus with Japanese mustard spinach

Right - deep-fried anchovies with pickled onion and carrot

 

 

B had the same set up except his main was a bowl of oyakodon (chicken and egg over Japanese rice)

 

 

[liuzhou]

12 hours ago, Anna N said:

 

Sharp cheddar, apple, and pancetta on a flour tortilla.  The balsamic glaze drizzle is a little messy.

 

 

Exactly the sort of mess I crave.

[BeeZee]

leftovers/mash up. A little cauliflower "fried rice", bok choy, red pepper, baked tofu.

[Anna N]

 

Butternut/nutbutter soup from my freezer with a bacon garnish accompanied by  crispbread and Gorgonzola. 

[kayb]

I was on a work roll (the muses were compliant and a project report was rolling off the tips of my fingers), and I didn't want to take time for anything complex. Fried some corn tortillas crisp. Topped with leftover refried beans and cheese, popped in the CSO to broil. Added some shredded lettuce and copious quantities of Pancho's dressing.

 

Slapped the two together. Grilled cheese with beans.

[Anna N]

 

 Some days one may need to eat as if one’s ship really has come in (or perhaps one’s cattle train has made it back from the pampas). Today was one of those days.  The last  two potatoes in the pantry were cubed and fried with some minced garlic, a sv’d chuck eye from the freezer was re-thermed and lots and lots of horseradish was made available. 

 For the record I only ate about half of this. I really needed the bounty in front of me but not inside of me.

[chileheadmike]

I smoked a beef chuck roast over the weekend, and paired that with some RG Good Mother Stollard beans. 

A lot of brown, but it tasted pretty good. 

[gulfporter]

First day back in Mexico after a 2 week US trip.  

 

Made it to the pescadoria and got camarones limpia (de-shelled and de-veined shrimp).   Not cheap but worth it to me.  He charges 300 pesos per kilo.  At current currency exchange it comes to 7.20 USD per pound.  It is shrimp from San Blas on the Nayarit coast and they are quite large.  We can only fit 3 into a medium flour tortilla .

 

Besides the grilled shrimp, there is goat cheese, grilled onions and orange pepper, topped with chipotle.  I closed and grilled them after the photo.  

Edited April 24, 2018 by gulfporter (log)

[HungryChris]

I was in the area and in the mood for some take out sushi. My errands completed and dinner all figured out, I decided to try and stay hydrated too.

HC

[KennethT]

23 minutes ago, gulfporter said:

First day back in Mexico after a 2 week US trip.  

 

Made it to the pescadoria and got camarones limpia (de-shelled and de-veined shrimp).   Not cheap but worth it to me.  He charges 300 pesos per kilo.  At current currency exchange it comes to 7.20 USD per pound.  It is shrimp from San Blas on the Nayarit coast and they are quite large.  We can only fit 3 into a medium flour tortilla .

 

Besides the grilled shrimp, there is goat cheese, grilled onions and orange pepper, topped with chipotle.  I closed and grilled them after the photo.  

 

Are flour tortillas common in Mexico?

[gulfporter]

1 hour ago, KennethT said:

Are flour tortillas common in Mexico?

Depends on the area.  Corn is still King by a wide margin.  The sound and smells of a local tortilleria are intoxicating.    

 

When I lived in Bisbee AZ a few miles from the Sonoran border they tended to sell at least as many flour as corn tortillas (some were sold at our local Bisbee Safeway).  

 

Here in Ajijic, only corn tortillas are sold at stalls, taco sands and most restaurants.  But the stores carry both, even in most of the little bodegas there will be at least a few packs of flour (probably at a 10:1 ratio in favor of corn). 

 

We even have a Taco Arabe food truck in town....tacos arabe originated in Puebla and the tortilla is more like a pita bread.  They are amazingly good.  

Edited April 24, 2018 by gulfporter (log)

[heidih]

Food 52 recently did an article on the history of flour tortillas verus corn. Sephardic Jewish immigrants?  https://food52.com/blog/21752-flour-tortillas-history

Edited April 24, 2018 by heidih
correct emigration area (log)

[KennethT]

@heidih Fascinating read -  thanks for the link....  I don't buy Jews and flour tortilla thing though, if for no other reason than the whole lard thing...

[gulfporter]

The pita-like tacos arbabes are attributed to Lebanese immigrants to Puebla.  FYI, Carlos Slim is of Lebanese descent and I have met a few other Mexicans whose great-grand parents came from Lebanon.  

https://eatmexico.com/2017/11/the-story-behind-the-first-tacos-arabes-in-puebla/

 

[robirdstx]

A couple of recent lunches at Galveston’s Cajun Greek:

 

 

Shrimp Mediterranean with Onion Rings and Classic Gyro with Fries

 

 

 

 

[kayb]

I felt like veggies and didn't have any leftovers in the fridge, nor did I wish to cook them. So I betook myself to my favorite diner, where $12 netted me a plate of lima beans, corn, baby carrots and a bowl of pinto beans, followed by a slice of Key lime pie, which was not overly good but hit the spot for something creamy and citrusy. I am replete.

 

[rotuts]

@robirdstx

 

Food pOrn at its best

 

thank you.

[Katie Meadow]

On 4/24/2018 at 1:22 PM, heidih said:

Food 52 recently did an article on the history of flour tortillas verus corn. Sephardic Jewish immigrants?  https://food52.com/blog/21752-flour-tortillas-history

 

Without analyzing a single, umm, "fact" in that article I would go out on a limb and say it is a collection of misinformation and dopey assumptions. I suspect no religious or cultural group evolving in the fertile crescent or the middle east ate a gluten free diet once they figured out how to grow and process wheat.. Most every culinary culture that has access to wheat (that I can think of offhand) makes some version of a flatbread or a wrap or a pocket. Not eating pigs / lard  never stopped anyone from making a great flatbread that could be crisped or rolled or stuffed or dipped, whether it's a blintz or a burrito.

 

I venture that if you were a Jew who immigrated to Mexico some time after wheat was brought to Mexico in the 1500's, you jumped on the idea of flour tortillas made with something other than lard; it's done all the time. And you made a chocolate babka to give to your new neighbors. Except maybe at Passover. 

 

And since this is the lunch thread and we are talking about cross cultural influence I am about to make a late lunch using up a bunch of leftovers : Hawaiian stir-fry on rice, accompanied by grilled flour tortillas (hanging around since Monday) from Trader Joe's, definitely not made with lard. The stir fry will include stragglers of cabbage, chinese chives, some pineapple left over from a smoothie bender, some smokey ham left from making a ham stock and the meat from exactly one spare rib from Sunday.. The sauce will be made from the usual suspects that I always have around: soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and rice wine and a bit of that ham stock.. I won't suggest it, but I wouldn't be surprised if my husband takes a look at his stir fry over rice and his tortilla and tries to make a burrito. Hot sauce choices are Crystal Louisiana or Sambal Oelek. 

[IowaDee]

Thank you for this.  I have felt the same way but could never express it as well as you have!  I also get riled at the idea that in Mexico  

the nuns in convents invented classic dishes like moles.  Do people not remember that the natives had centuries of experience  with

the ingredients?  And no, it was not divine intervention that allowed the nuns to do that...it was taking advantage of what had gone

on for centuries before they even got there.