I have a paperback version of Diana Kennedy's Mexican Regional Cooking, which was first released as Recipes from the Regional Cooks of Mexico. I believe the best of the book was incorporated into The Essential Cuisines of Mexico. What I like most about the book is the author's photograph.
She's been a hero of mine for years and it's sweet to see this 1978-era photograph.
It may surprise you to know that I have very little experience with grilling or barbecues. If I've been the host, trying to cook with live coals seems at odds with making the rest of the dinner and it's too stressful. But there is nothing like it.
Dipping my toe into the waters, I bought this nice little cast-iron grill, which is small but a major step up from a hibachi. It's very easy to use and I am a little smitten already.
The tamal wrappers are of course soaked corn husks and those are filled with fish and salsa. One was a corn salsa and the other, much more satisfying, was a tomato chipotle salsa.
The beans in the clay pot were just reheating but I imagine if you were inspired, they could have cooked from the beginning on the fire.
Finally, the coals were still going strong so I added some corn.
It was a swell dinner.
1. In case you missed it, there's a very nice piece on Rancho Gordo in the month's Culinaria Mexicana. They have no archives so you need to see this before the end of the month. I've loved this site from the their inception so it's particularly sweet for me to be included.
(Photo by Ruth Alegria. In the Culinaria Mexicana studios.)
2. The great Emeril LaGasse was here in the Napa valley filming his Emeril Green show. The air date for this Planet Green channel show has been confirmed as November 2nd.
(A hummingbird's nest at Casa Luna in Sn Miguel de Allende)
1. We are closed on Monday for Labor Day. We are also not attending the market in San Francisco on Saturday. We take Labor Day seriously!
2. Because we are closed on Monday, mail orders placed over the weekend will obviously go out on Tuesday and maybe even on Wednesday. Susan, our Operations Manager, wanted me to tell you to get your orders in now if you want them shipped before next week.
3. Our store in Napa is open but we are so far behind, we haven't been encouraging people to come. Once we get caught up, we'll have a formal announcement. For now, you can visit us on 1924 Yajome Street in Napa between 11am and 4pm (except this Monday, the holiday).
Sorry for being so boring!
The Rancho Gordo office and warehouse will be closed Friday because of the Wine Auction. If you're going to Taste Napa Valley, be sure to look for Susan and Elizabeth representing Rancho Gordo.
Restaurants: Please call your orders in today!
Last week I managed to finally catch the flu that I'd been avoiding all winter. I am not a good patient and tend to feel like my flu is of interest to everyone and I'm pretty sure I'm the first person to ever suffer so ("Now I'm coughing! And my nose runs! Can you imagine! It's horrid. Why me?")
So I've been sleeping and watching TV. Is there a reason the Kardassian family is on TV? Why should I care if Kim has a shopping problem? I would rather hear that Kim is reading some books, along with the rest of the family. That would be nice to know.
I've loved hearing that President Obama went to Mexico and now is at a conference of The Americas. I don't know why, but I just love thinking of us in context of The Americas. They're our neighbors and in just as many ways as many of us are European, we're also of The Americas. I just find it more interesting than defining us in terms of Europe.
Maybe it's the drugs….
Tortillas. Again.
Just as we seemed to be back on track, the tortilla guy flaked and quit the business with no warning. I feel your pain but there's nothing I can do. He just up and left us in the dark. The plan is for us to open our own facility and not depend on anyone else but the there's going to be a learning curve. We have no scheduled date to bring them back.
New at the Market this Saturday
We'll have some bags of locally grown lupin bean flour. Lupin is a winter crop and supposedly loaded with protein and of course I don't care much about health issues but I think for some people this is exciting news. I don't even really know what protein is. The lupin flour has no gluten and I'm sure there are all sorts of things you can do with it and I hope if you experiment with a bag, you'll tell me.
The Splendid Table
I was a guest on everyone's favorite radio show, The Splendid Table. Lynne Rossetto Kasper is last word in hosting. I felt comfortable and welcome and she made me sound pretty good, I think. You can hear the podcast here.
As you read this, I am in Baja, probably snoring loudly on a warm beach. I'm pretty exhausted and I'll be taking a week off to soak in some fun.
In the meantime, here's a photo of an incredible cheese dish I had in Mexico City.
Can you imagine this with a hot stock of fresh tortillas?
One of my desert island books is Marilyn Tausend's Cocina de la Familia
When I asked what's new with her, she mentioned that in addition to a new book she's working on, she's organizing a once-in-a-lifetime cooking experience:
We have a few spots for either culinary
professionals or extremely experienced home chefs cooking with Diana Kennedy at
her home in Zitacuaro, Michoacan. (More on my website:marilyntausend.com).
It runs from July 19-25, and starts and ends in Mexico City, and the $3250 cost
includes lodging, the transportation to Michoacan, the classes, and at least
two meals a day.
If only……
Well, it looks like you've done it again. We're virtually out of the San Franciscano beans I wrote about yesterday. But they're from the sweetest farmer I met down in Mexico so we'll have more for the next harvest.
Apparently the new tortillas were also a hit at the farmers market this last Saturday. I think they're even better than before and I'm relieved that things may calm down in that department. Chips are coming but it's going to be a while.
Moving to the new place is a slow and painful process. Red tape and plumbing.
We were mentioned in New York magazine this week. Someone else's pintos but the recipe from Heirloom Beans.
You need to forgive me for not Twittering. I did succumb to Facebook and there's a Rancho Gordo page there. Please be a "fan" and post your photos and comments if you like. I can see the use of Facebook but the charms of Twitter elude me!