http://lamajuluta.blogspot.com/2006/02/
couscous-con-bamias-en-tomate.html
Marcela's nom de cuisine is La Majuluta a name given to her by her grandmother that may or may not have a connection with witchery of some sort. It may have been a kitchen witch because I am enchanted with her and her blog and her food.
I found her while looking for names in Castellano for odd foods. While in the US my wife fell in love with okra and she missed eating it here.
Okra's a terrific example of an ingredient that is frustrating to even begin to search for in a strange land. You figure that it's available but you also know that it's not all that popular at home so it might be also be hard to find here even under the best of circumstances. The very name of the little veggie strikes me right away as some kind of a local variant. I poked around in the marketplace and the internet not having any luck.
Somehow I found Marcela. Not only did I get a recipe and two local names for okra (it's here but it's rare) but a link to the Spanish wiki site that kicks the English wiki post's ass then she also throws in one of the best cooking blogs I've ever seen.
Now add the fact that she is a tremendous food photographer...and simmer in your own juices that you can't spoon some out of your flat-panel!
The posts are in Castellano and the comments are in everything, English, Italian, Portugese, German. It doesn't surprise me. If you've been lacking motivation for your language classes...your troubles are over.
Everything about the site is as warm and loving as being in the kitchen of the best cook in your family. While reading you can smell breads and taste butter in your mouth. You simple know somehow the flavor and texture of her marinaded merluza as if you'd just had a bite.
She's a worldly and talented witch, our Majuluta, but the dishes and the ingredients and preparation are deeply Argentine ...just better than anyone's ever had before.
2 comments:
Hey Mike! I love Marcela's site. I stumbled upon it last year and put it up on my blog list. She definately has photos that make my mouth water!!!
by the way, you can sometimes find okra at Barrio Chino in the Casa de China who renovated and expanded a couple of months ago and now have a great selection of produce. They had some huge mangos at one point too, reminded me of the ones I used to find in Miami.
Keep up the great work the site looks fabulous!
Laura
http://movingtoargentina.typepad.com
You got that right! God bless Barrio Chino for a little bit the exoticism that we transplants crave.
It's a lucky man that sits in her kitchen.
Besos,
Mike
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