tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101760122024-03-23T15:08:32.019-03:00Yanqui Mike...currently discussing the US presidential election campaign until Inauguration Day.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1194125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-37752335594270482512016-06-03T23:45:00.000-03:002016-06-03T23:45:01.562-03:00More June 3rd<iframe class="video-embed" src="https://mediamatters.org/embed/210723" width="480" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe><blockquote>
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JOHN HEILEMANN (HOST): Let's just say this first of all, <span data-ticks="2541910000" id="transcript2541910000">when Trump does what he did in </span><span data-ticks="2555250000" id="transcript2555250000">that Tapper interview, and he did it over and over again, he kept calling </span><span data-ticks="2591960000" id="transcript2591960000">Curiel a Mexican, right? It is not even dog whistle politics. </span><span data-ticks="2613300000" id="transcript2613300000">It is just pure racial politics. </span> </blockquote>
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<span data-ticks="2643340000" id="transcript2643340000">MARK HALPERIN (HOST): No, it’s not racial.</span> </blockquote>
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<span data-ticks="2643340000" id="transcript2643340000">HEILEMANN: It’s racial politics. It is.</span> </blockquote>
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<span data-ticks="2643340000" id="transcript2643340000">HALPERIN: Mexico isn’t a race.</span> </blockquote>
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<span data-ticks="2643340000" id="transcript2643340000">HEILEMANN: It doesn't matter whether Mexico </span><span data-ticks="2714750000" id="transcript2714750000">is
a race, it’s stirring up racial animus about people who don’t like
Hispanics, and illegal immigrants coming across the border. That’s what
he’s doing. He’s ringing the bell for them every time he does it. He’s
not Mexican. He was born in Indiana. And eventually you can get Trump
to </span><span data-ticks="2822840000" id="transcript2822840000">acknowledge that he’s Mexican-American, it’s his heritage that’s what he’s doing here right? Then on top of that he </span><span data-ticks="2898250000" id="transcript2898250000">is a potential president of the </span><span data-ticks="2905920000" id="transcript2905920000">United States who has issued, over the course of the last week, vague threats, saying that the </span><span data-ticks="2949300000" id="transcript2949300000">judge should be investigated. </span><span data-ticks="2962300000" id="transcript2962300000">It is wildly inappropriate and </span><span data-ticks="2988340000" id="transcript2988340000">yes, of course there are no political </span><span data-ticks="2996350000" id="transcript2996350000">benefits
to this and I’m sure that his team is beating it’s head against tables
as they watch him blow news cycles behaving in this way that is again, I
think racially tinged and also really wildly inappropriate things to
say about a federal judge by someone who could be president of the
United States.</span></blockquote>
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Good on John Heilemann.yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-91418173910294579932016-06-03T23:29:00.001-03:002016-06-03T23:29:42.006-03:00Did they really need to take this long...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP649x9PrGjmBOhd79PGrJLOjmgWzu1CBdCMxTkdoA0fVer8HnI-KVG7gjHX-PThmezck2k_d0R__zKS1cS8CT-ZL-XRSZMX7tfBMhqiKfzf4w2tsMcaid0ZwleIh1qn37Pk69zQ/s1600/ScreenshotNYT06032016.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP649x9PrGjmBOhd79PGrJLOjmgWzu1CBdCMxTkdoA0fVer8HnI-KVG7gjHX-PThmezck2k_d0R__zKS1cS8CT-ZL-XRSZMX7tfBMhqiKfzf4w2tsMcaid0ZwleIh1qn37Pk69zQ/s1600/ScreenshotNYT06032016.PNG" /></a></div>
...to put a scary Trump story on the front page of the NYT mobile edition? June 3rd? Sheesh, for the love of Mike! To be charitable, the press is not completely responsible for Trump but they shoulder an inordinate amount of the blame this year.<br />
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And the freakout is all over the spectrum now. Here's two graphics from today's Politico:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDxEHT0ZYm3y5R1hMsBNa4zwKsp4oYWblCFPN7j-dexgxH1yRf7-2wrVdu64Wz2ygWaV2qBMe8nII3BQDHjnB3PJLT7TWrxidLX3z79peRmSzZw280P1dYknYjFneSMq8o7kJDw/s1600/whatcouldgowrong.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDxEHT0ZYm3y5R1hMsBNa4zwKsp4oYWblCFPN7j-dexgxH1yRf7-2wrVdu64Wz2ygWaV2qBMe8nII3BQDHjnB3PJLT7TWrxidLX3z79peRmSzZw280P1dYknYjFneSMq8o7kJDw/s320/whatcouldgowrong.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
and this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikusnwHEckatTvtw0DutKkEw8WUhqm-n3Xp99VSE_eXQHXnw24kRP7XToQh6JmvCB0JXBeyxoW2G7S1ln2gCmnlb0w_0a_-GTCoYx0UevlR1yiazAmUHhuO4n-hITAW5oaryMXjQ/s1600/politicosurvive.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikusnwHEckatTvtw0DutKkEw8WUhqm-n3Xp99VSE_eXQHXnw24kRP7XToQh6JmvCB0JXBeyxoW2G7S1ln2gCmnlb0w_0a_-GTCoYx0UevlR1yiazAmUHhuO4n-hITAW5oaryMXjQ/s320/politicosurvive.png" width="320" /></a></div>
June 3rd seems to be the day it became un-funny to imagine President Donald J. Trump.yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-78807125404629220732016-06-03T20:40:00.000-03:002016-06-03T22:06:42.278-03:00We interrupt our interruption...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSCZDiaAwoIsEbbPlW2w_4e_-r2yvMv2p6YzVIrqPgLZGLqBb-slZIn7gWKabAxBq2VkJ_ivAYqUCm0ZLukgvqA13uuvB27rdwCDWRfxyvjDwY3pDpyVp4gWi6YjOQWK995JRyg/s1600/158days.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSCZDiaAwoIsEbbPlW2w_4e_-r2yvMv2p6YzVIrqPgLZGLqBb-slZIn7gWKabAxBq2VkJ_ivAYqUCm0ZLukgvqA13uuvB27rdwCDWRfxyvjDwY3pDpyVp4gWi6YjOQWK995JRyg/s1600/158days.JPG" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>...but for the next 5 months I feel it's time to discuss US politics again. Join in.</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGKhtmwdcQBY-s5-q8cVhqD8oR662NODN732fVWJjTqfw3wz52xSlwPLIKmurp1NnK1ZKFivQr9Zi3ieI66zuxKiFeMds30X7Heg__h9Fbt30s8nM6rikojtNKTzoXgvCHfeuJA/s1600/caution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGKhtmwdcQBY-s5-q8cVhqD8oR662NODN732fVWJjTqfw3wz52xSlwPLIKmurp1NnK1ZKFivQr9Zi3ieI66zuxKiFeMds30X7Heg__h9Fbt30s8nM6rikojtNKTzoXgvCHfeuJA/s1600/caution.jpg" /></a></div>
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yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-79039005958683485682015-07-30T03:31:00.000-03:002015-07-30T03:43:15.827-03:00YM Fermentation Week - Sandor Katz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://youtu.be/sLwyDccybKc" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6RYucteZjDrHIOtCxmUS1Pu30LWjBM0Qk5xZCLjzmhln0Tz98ximUApQXI2lvHfHTh-86-UGD6du0fHFlZK-dveTDv0Jj2MGsEKBhS5VRtYvMduGxRDTwoJEZ2ReschhkdWA1Q/s1600/sandorkraut.JPG" /></a></div>
Dance wit' da one who brung us all, Sandor Katz!<br />
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In this GREAT video from the New York Times, you get a real feel for the man who was decades ahead from the rest of us as regards fermenting veggies ...and imparting all that wonderful probiotic goodness to foods that might rot in a bad way!<br />
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Do you have his book? I've had it for years and it is considered the bible of fermentation.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KNQHdm3fOMmgb3ItYQYRuzzX4zyM6bVw4XPVwA-UXyP_Mo1c0ZEfaxLOpfw_mEZxPrRpZpzbWky0ZHVlaQffOqQ2iahhwgM-8cpWiqrjInsdbA8rEQwM3qCim8COHzRmlsvpkA/s1600/wildfermentation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KNQHdm3fOMmgb3ItYQYRuzzX4zyM6bVw4XPVwA-UXyP_Mo1c0ZEfaxLOpfw_mEZxPrRpZpzbWky0ZHVlaQffOqQ2iahhwgM-8cpWiqrjInsdbA8rEQwM3qCim8COHzRmlsvpkA/s1600/wildfermentation.jpg" /></a></div>
This book will take you through the basics to the finer points of the fermented veggies you know ...to some you've never heard of.<br />
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They don't call it the bible for nuthin'.<br />
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Get it anyway you can. If there is a food preservation book that is indispensible, this is it.<br />
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Sauerkraut is the gateway veggie to blissful preservation and keeping Vitamin C levels up all winter long way out in the country.yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-1479627446908010762015-07-29T20:14:00.002-03:002015-07-30T03:46:39.604-03:00YM Fermentation Week - Kimchi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://youtu.be/I0S_HcY2D6c" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiScHAyx8zgJSOF-VF_aIDGA3r26OCEY4iymkh4c-ZSSqZCBxygtJRkUDj6k1UHXFBBj5Cyfk0P7ZVmPrVy5Unw16AuPF8wY9aLFYHIufFXd7iu1VsgFw1SrFw_OSFmzTEHZoUIDA/s1600/kimchi.JPG" /></a></div>
Here's one I haven't tried to make yet, Korean kimchi, calling it the "sauerkraut of Asia" doesn't begin to describe it. I've always known that it was important to Korean cuisine but I had no idea how important kimchi is to the culture as well.<br />
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Wherever Koreans go, kimchi will follow be it in <a href="http://www.koreanconfidential.com/kimchisecurity.html" target="_blank">war</a> or the peace of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/world/asia/24kimchi.html" target="_blank">outer space</a>.<br />
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I love the stuff and intend to make up a big test batch. I love this NYT video, too!yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-91540831378446559212015-07-28T23:58:00.003-03:002015-07-29T00:02:58.717-03:00Watermelons ...then and now!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/7/28/9050469/watermelon-breeding-paintings" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKDfgH_FrIyrHWaczOJnCm1A3ePhZw2bNcpX5CX_9uypo14dkQuL4hkvfDjDqF1dTXj3EwxLZcVd3ki8iGH_IKu3z9I1nzfk1XnP897GJn5HysvzbN3HPsK5fsGWNgFu-GUv8E-w/s1600/410watermelonthenandnow.jpg" /></a></div>
I hope I can do more of these. A lot of vegetables have been inbred beyond recognition ...some for better, some for worse. Examples like this are fascinating at any rate!<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/7/28/9050469/watermelon-breeding-paintings" target="_blank">Stanchi's watermelon</a>, which was painted sometime between 1645 and 1672,
offers a glimpse of a time before breeding changed the fruit forever.</blockquote>
yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-89896916844654400932015-07-14T23:56:00.001-03:002015-07-15T03:19:11.338-03:00A Special Request...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://yanquimike.blogspot.com.ar/2015/07/a-special-request.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFHWTj4MqhJ8PwKPA5W8aHkosAF8VHxR3pwmP9tC_b7WIDvkv27yAy_UD2MwohKtFr2dpdDI4PI2J-n6ry5cGPBPoLDrO3JZLewtJ7zj_akY2gJoma_sHMNQzh3VV0IGLxDVFvQ/s1600/seedheadladythinking.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #000099;"><b>...could you snail mail me some seeds?</b></span><br />
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Yer ol' clod hoppin', dirt gardener, da Yanq had such a disastrous last year. Not only did I not have any seeds to save ...but I actually swore-off gardening altogether.<br />
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If you are a gardener, maybe you can relate.<br />
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Anyhoo, I usually get seeds from friends visiting Buenos Aires ...but I told them all "NO" this time around.<br />
<br />
Now, I'm having second thoughts. I'm thinking the weather won't be as wet ...there are ways to get my seeds started earlier ...and I've done some BIG research into organically keeping my destructive ants at bay!<br />
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Well, I'm reading my seed catalogs ...and my gardener hormones are up and running. It's late, though.<br />
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Not too many of my friends arrive here in Argentina in time for planting ...the weather from now until October is not exactly tourism weather, if you know what I mean.<br />
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Seed companies either won't ship to Argentina (their policy) or our customs house stops commercial shipments and holds them for hostage.<br />
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<span style="color: #000099;"><b>So ...if you've got nothin' better to do</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><b>Or ...if you've got lots of heirloom/open-pollinated seeds around the house</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><b>Or ...if you could just spread the word </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>...could you dump some seeds into an envelope and address it to me?</b></span><br />
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Some might fall out. Some might get held for ransom. Some might never even make the boat!<br />
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But some will make it through and you will be adding to "saveable" seed bank of Argentina.<br />
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A packet of seeds is usually too much for my own purposes ...so I always share with my local Argentine gardeners. They are usually amazed at the deeliciousness of the old-timey varieties that have gone by the by.<br />
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Until last year, I intended to start a seed bank here for old-fashioned vegetables ...local gardeners are interested and the little town near my ranch wants to help.<br />
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Anybody who can help me out with seeds this year can follow the progress of this seed bank here at my humble blog ...which will be back to life now that I've deleted my fb account!<br />
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<span style="color: #000099;"><b>If you have a PayPal account, I'll reimburse you instantly. If you visit Buenos Aires, the homebrewed beer's on me!</b></span><br />
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If this idea tickles your fancy, drop me an email at <a href="mailto:yanquimike@gmail.com">yanquimike@gmail.com</a><br />
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...and thanks a million ...and consider yourself a founder of the US-Argentine Heirloom Seedbank.<br />
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Yours in the dirt,<br />
Mike<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><i><b>EEESPECIAL thanks to my friend <span style="color: #000099;">Alan from Snohomish WA</span> for scouting down a pack of rare tomato seeds while on vacation in SPAIN. Wow. You gotta love that.</b></i></span>yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-31446594287820789342015-07-14T23:01:00.000-03:002015-07-15T04:23:10.769-03:00Needed: Epazote Seeds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6gWxLplhquGskCv2OyKb21M0Xhy3NzZWTD_9WcBlLHfTL1Z8fkY7Q1ayjTNjpZKtIXaH-8P3XBybeSnwDpzG9gghh2Vmq3EdHrp7EuPDqHgYC1K5mbBEaM5RWF31BLKWjjQYpQ/s1600/epazote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6gWxLplhquGskCv2OyKb21M0Xhy3NzZWTD_9WcBlLHfTL1Z8fkY7Q1ayjTNjpZKtIXaH-8P3XBybeSnwDpzG9gghh2Vmq3EdHrp7EuPDqHgYC1K5mbBEaM5RWF31BLKWjjQYpQ/s1600/epazote.JPG" /></a></div>
The "bean herb" also good for flavoring beer. Once established, you can count on it to flourish. Tiny seeds ...really good to put into an envelope that doesn't leak! Johnny's is a great source: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8203-epazote.aspxyanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-77329945456991354782015-07-14T23:00:00.000-03:002015-07-15T03:20:07.420-03:00Needed: Rhubarb Seeds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://yanquimike.blogspot.com.ar/2015/07/needed-rhubarb-seeds.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSiUPWRWotpsuowuqzdiQ6FWIx_a7cB2DMYVmOrd5DvBTg7M2mwmIDXioF3LKbjRo6G4t6VzTYAbejL-PJxgDW4kxNEv44qhqHHOoHdsR7_pLvEPeg2LJE5F8VCCBKblaYPpqa3g/s1600/rhubarb.jpg" /></a></div>
Yep. Rhubarb can be grown from seed! There is a word for it in Argentina ...but no one I've met has ever tasted it. Any and all varieties are welcome. Could you throw a few in an envelope and address it to the Yanq? I'll send you pictures! <a href="mailto:yanquimike@gmail.com">yanquimike@gmail.com</a><br />
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Baker Creek is a good source: <a href="http://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/rhubarb/" target="_blank">http://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/rhubarb/ </a>yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-1408917797416551232015-07-14T22:30:00.000-03:002015-07-15T04:49:51.914-03:00Needed: Yarrow Seed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKAOqW84qPGH0GmQz_qfuJAwzXJsk9uAzA4QJZFbzr1GmGBImJLTZU1r_3vS0LaxHhZwKzCM0TgYry8giuFrVxS2VXAT5FQQB3dHm5YkzDs91cdh8mXhDSweO_JF39aXFts290A/s1600/yarrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKAOqW84qPGH0GmQz_qfuJAwzXJsk9uAzA4QJZFbzr1GmGBImJLTZU1r_3vS0LaxHhZwKzCM0TgYry8giuFrVxS2VXAT5FQQB3dHm5YkzDs91cdh8mXhDSweO_JF39aXFts290A/s1600/yarrow.jpg" /></a></div>
A good vegetable, medicinal, and spice. Repels bad insects and loved by pollinators.<br />
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<a href="http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/herbs/proa.html">http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/herbs/proa.html</a><br />
<br />
<br />yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-87292568094060431272015-07-14T19:32:00.000-03:002015-07-15T03:23:11.401-03:00I Closed my FB Account<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://yanquimike.blogspot.com.ar/2015/07/i-closed-my-fb-account.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJ5uyS2bt4Gwj-qGGsnnToB5kmmaEfITApRVUzyfVhi_wJ4wWQNwa5WESSnb-FRtSXe1meDYc74a_jffmvav-ujx1ra2lhdvw5Ul3RZDAvYYqjOd2Lv2cRbdDFOkfEn0U6doXNg/s1600/Fbclosed.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Yep. I finally did it. You've probably thought about doing it yourself.</div>
yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-73758504562601663512015-07-14T16:13:00.000-03:002015-07-15T03:21:07.315-03:00What do you call Beef Brisket in down here in Argentina?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://yanquimike.blogspot.com.ar/2012/01/beef-brisket-in-argentina.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvneOjsMSkm6J8no4BSqFXmqfjmuCaYoJlNGc6AjXJ4w-rM8PGyrA-7MfxxzXza42FZTTYXzxvWlfDJ9RxhyphenhyphenZVSdCUwIv4ji7Mjch3Ox5tugfV7mdjB-Z2VB6O9QocBUfKg40cw/s1600/Askmikemeat.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #000099;"><i><b>Reader Diego writes: </b></i></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="blogg-visible-on-select">
"I would like to make a Brisket my self and I´m having some
problems finding any butcher in Buenos aires that knows what a brisket
is. I´m wonderingf if any of you could find a carnicero that could
figure it out. If anyone has a clue please let me know. You can send an
email: diego.xxxxx@xxxxx.com . Thx!" </div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #000099;"><b>Diego, that yummy brisket you crave is called</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><b>pecho or pechito here on the pampas! </b></span></div>
<br />
A favorite from the Lower East Side of Manhattan to Terlingua Texas and lots of points in-between ...and even places not in-between like Argentina.<br />
<br />
But if you ask exactly what part of the beef animal is properly called brisket ...be prepared for everything from shrugs to SWAGs to arguments on a par with where´s the best place to catch the #60 Buenos Aires bus.<br />
<br />
So let´s put an end the confusion ...in both North and South America!<br />
<br />
"Brisket" is breast meat or "pecho" in Argentina. Of course, since a bovine walks on all-fours, its breast faces the ground. Brisket is from the pectoral muscles. Those muscles get a lot of daily use by the animal and, therefore, are well-developed and tough (the "tenderloin" or "lomo" muscle gets very little exercise and is therefore very tender.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7inEC2ZKBBhaTO4CS_CA3W2Is7i8lFIhmo4hxp4mxQY8hB2s5PAd9nEKxWchPClAtn6RXX6A9d5wL03l9WUK2LXTSZIMyY_iHsALflmVRGprhyphenhyphenjy3b1PKssehHePZCMV2XAhGZA/s1600/British_Beef_Cuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7inEC2ZKBBhaTO4CS_CA3W2Is7i8lFIhmo4hxp4mxQY8hB2s5PAd9nEKxWchPClAtn6RXX6A9d5wL03l9WUK2LXTSZIMyY_iHsALflmVRGprhyphenhyphenjy3b1PKssehHePZCMV2XAhGZA/s1600/British_Beef_Cuts.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #000099;"><b>The brisket runs between the front legs</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><b>of the animal and there is one on each side:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #000099;"><b>one on the left and one on the right side of the breast. </b></span></div>
<br />
The above illustration of British cuts is better than most ...in that it shows you how the leg of a standing animal obscures part of the brisket and that the "breast" extends to the front and the rear of the leg. Some illustrations leave you with the idea that the brisket is only in front of the leg or only to the rear of the leg.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQEGILbO95fkZQahg2dPT8dS1MmB38gMSuAAVwlWLl1mj4QYYvgeGp4fKBxfWATl1eQrCL9kk7lSj_Isw4LvduRCcEIkzL4bpqtMJsvjtdYXqP7Dmnt3PyzeY-FA5OniegGhI6g/s1600/brisketargentina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQEGILbO95fkZQahg2dPT8dS1MmB38gMSuAAVwlWLl1mj4QYYvgeGp4fKBxfWATl1eQrCL9kk7lSj_Isw4LvduRCcEIkzL4bpqtMJsvjtdYXqP7Dmnt3PyzeY-FA5OniegGhI6g/s1600/brisketargentina.jpg" /></a></div>
The biggest difference between brisket and Argentine pecho is that the cut in Argentina is bigger (above.) The US cut only goes from the 1st rib to the 4th rib. In Argentina, at its biggest, brisket could go to the 10th rib. That´s not as crazy as it may sound: a lot of US delicatessens prize that portion of the brisket that gets close to the navel.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSoHoQU7ESkkEnlYR5I0qPl1BhQxx3671J8er6tqRsfj6nNLQvNpMFbcxDSqJl7HSe1n-t5vP9tn42oQ7C-ruk3qlITMpTQoYoDjw1_L37qe4NIwRF5NgXKXrIbkj_dixoFKWLg/s1600/brisketargentina6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSoHoQU7ESkkEnlYR5I0qPl1BhQxx3671J8er6tqRsfj6nNLQvNpMFbcxDSqJl7HSe1n-t5vP9tn42oQ7C-ruk3qlITMpTQoYoDjw1_L37qe4NIwRF5NgXKXrIbkj_dixoFKWLg/s1600/brisketargentina6.jpg" /></a></div>
The closest you are likely to get to US brisket in Argentina is the "6 rib cut" which is 2 ribs more than the US cut. Sounds good to me!<br />
<br />
Brisket is a favorite of Texas BBQ, it is the source of most corned beef ...and most pastrami comes from this very same cut. <br />
<br />
It might be tough ...but the brisket is chock-full of great strong beef flavor. No matter where in the world you find brisket-eating people they will describe a similar cooking technique: low-and-slow and with as much moisture as possible. After all that, brisket can get as tender as spring chicken!<br />
<br />
On the bbq, every attempt is made to keep the roasting temperature as low as cooking will allow and to somehow cover or contain the meat to capture any of the natural moisture that will escape during the 3 or more hours needed to tenderize it.<br />
<br />
In the case of corned beef or pastrami, the meat is generally oven-roasted for the same amount of time while covered to retain the juices and any added liquid. Pastrami is corned beef that then graduates to being rubbed in black pepper and spices then smoked.yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-71001619705668596322015-07-13T21:57:00.000-03:002015-07-15T03:22:34.764-03:00The Big Garden of 2014 - 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://yanquimike.blogspot.com.ar/2015/07/the-big-garden-of-2014-2015.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Cr-zR_r5IaV4nMDcKjfNCexYN9bMFTJARrCBhRiJGbZKlcTRWIHbCg5SwBIw9RyeC8NxTMTUNp7oMjLVgmkJ5by5y-UTMugZvYDv5uAmOd-lCCVliOetGxnhz8BHY4ZbT32j-A/s1600/Mudgarden.jpg" /></a></div>
What a disaster. Last year our spring was so muddy we couldn't get even get into our ranch let alone our garden. By the time things dried up, it was too late ...but I worked it as best I could and hoped for the best. The best didn't happen.<br />
<br />
Then, the ants ...I learned a lot about ants last year while I was, alternately, doing nothing and watching them eat every single thing I planted. They even ate my rhubarb!!! All of it!!! They "killed corn ass-high" as my father liked to describe the destruction of things that were seemingly too big to fail.<br />
<br />
I swore off gardening.<br />
<br />
Now, however, in the deep of the Argentine winter ...I am beginning to peruse seed catalogs once again.<br />
<br />
I begin to dream of gardens-past. That leads me to dream of gardens-future!<br />
<br />
I'm a rancher. That's different from a farmer. Ranchers laugh at farmers ...then they REALLY laugh when farmers fail. Our animals plod along with no fixed schedule of harvest and they load themselves onto the trucks when the time comes to harvest the "calf crop." There's an old Argentine (rancher) saying that goes something like, "Crops will bankrupt you ...but cattle will keep your homestead for generations."<br />
<br />
But I've planted a few crops and a few gardens and, well, sitting by the fire perusing a seed catalog, and thinking of the green of spring and deliciousness of summer and fall ...that gets into your blood. And since my wife and I are probably more vegetarian than most of you, the thought of colorful, sweet, crunchy, herbal veggies stretching up from the soil is just too much for me to abandon easily.<br />
<br />
Rage, RAGE against the dying of the veggies!<br />
<br />
After much research, I think I have just the thing to organically keep the ants at bay ...so I have set myself to endeavor again to garden.<br />
<br />
I'll keep you posted.yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-72065746533860895822015-05-30T00:11:00.000-03:002015-07-14T20:50:41.110-03:00FIFA is FUN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9R-uo5A8d0vfrY7a2wGj75eR1qlfaR5KMMoxtc8cr6bQMd4pJPmDr7WB5AdSrnwkvLL1gNBbyr0vsNQntHdqOZCQtbAI1u-dEr5xcyGIsa1E0LwvlY9cbHozTlmg7NqSttf_u_g/s1600/FIFA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9R-uo5A8d0vfrY7a2wGj75eR1qlfaR5KMMoxtc8cr6bQMd4pJPmDr7WB5AdSrnwkvLL1gNBbyr0vsNQntHdqOZCQtbAI1u-dEr5xcyGIsa1E0LwvlY9cbHozTlmg7NqSttf_u_g/s1600/FIFA.jpg" /></a></div>
Oh, my! Speaking as your typical Unitedstatesian soccer fan, I LOVE THE WORLD CUP ...then I pay ZERO attention to futbol for 4 years. Even then, I never knew anything about soccer until my first World Cup which I discovered here in Argentina in 2006.<br />
<br />
Ever since then, it's been torture for me to wait through 4 years of minutia until Argentina gets another shot at the title ...kinda like US politics, for the average voter. But this year has been different!<br />
<br />
This year it's been the soccer equivalent of "Nixon Resigns" or "The Clinton Impeachment" for yer typical US soccer fan! Too bad today's news didn't happen in 2016 ...that way, I'd only have 2 more years of snoozing until the <strike>Super Bowl</strike> World Cup.<br />
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Oooooh weeeeee! Ya HOO. The United States indicted fourteen FIFA officials, "yanked" them out of their beds in Switzerland (ok, fine, it was the Swiss police,) covered them in bed sheets, and frog marched them into hot hatchbacks in the heart of Yerp! That's good enough, right there, to wake me up ...but wait! There's more!<br />
<br />
Just DAYS later, the freakin' presidential election of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA" target="_blank">Fédération Internationale de Football Association </a>was held! Oh! This is good stuff!<br />
<br />
So, right away, all my fellow yanqui World Cup lovers wake-up and start flooding the internets with the kinda crazy shit you just can't get more than every 4 years! Well, ok, there were some Brits in there who actually understand futbol ...but mostly it was US.<br />
<br />
The trashtalk, that's what I always miss. This was an unexpected "mid-season" opportunity for a bunch of dumbasses like me to hold forth like we understood the game ...and actually gave a shit! Manna from heaven. USA #1! USA #1! USA #1! ...and I got my usual extra bragging rights for being a Unitedstatesian from a real soccer country! Too good to be true.<br />
<br />
Even bleeding-heart liberals like myself (and all of my facebook friends) started cheering for the USA Patriot Act provisions that made the bust possible. "They're dirty, dude! We're takin' 'em DOWN." In the first few hours after the raid, the English language chatter was unanimous: that guy, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepp_Blatter" target="_blank">Seth</a>, was a gonner ...no way he's gettin' re-elected!" <br />
<br />
Then, inside of one week, all the talking heads started to hedge their bets, "well, of course, the current FIFA president is the strong front-runner in the race." Then it was all like, "only a miracle will unseat the current FIFA President Whassis Name."<br />
<br />
Then it was like, "OMG ...Whassis Name survived the first round of votes! Did he win? Did he lose? Whaddya mean they're gonna vote again?" Oh, you can't BUY this shit, man.<br />
<br />
Then, it was all over. It was like Argentina losing to Germany last year in the final match. It was suddenly all over.<br />
<br />
Now, all of my fellow yanqs are just starting to ask how it could have happened. "Who gets busted by our feds and survives?" "Why didn't they just throw that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepp_Blatter" target="_blank">Bladder</a> guy in jail?" That's all cool, I dig that. I understand what it's like for your team to get to the finals ...then ...just ...lose.<br />
<br />
You got beat, that's how. In a fair game, nobody gets to win by right of birth. In a fair game, the best team wins. Having the best star-players helps a lot but, in a fair game, the other side doesn't just lay down and die. Especially when you are out-numbered.<br />
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Most of Europe voted against the current president, the US and all of South America did too. That didn't matter. The swarthy and the slant-eyed have the same votes in FIFA as everyone else (wow ...what a concept.) They voted their interests ...that's a good lesson no matter who you are or what you believe.<br />
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What SHOULD concern all of the concern-trolls is how it seems that if even ONE electron of ANY financial transaction should happen to cross through the US ...it gives the United States the authority to hold any person on the planet subject to its own sovereign laws. The Swiss know that better than most, by the way.<br />
<br />
For me, Soccer Authority Yanqui Mike, my team won. Futbol belongs to everyone and ...as long as it really does ...the world will be a better place for it. The day of disparaging votes for whatever reason should be long-gone by now.yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-65496157090749577122015-05-28T00:33:00.000-03:002015-05-28T00:33:31.246-03:00Chicken-fried Bife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pFv8ywh9kh5VwnBax3gh7fWZmEejTLHTc3NN88klQCdJRqHnYXTb-ZhsjYU_cw7Wl8QIoHRZERSR2wBItm1E0RWDGFDymm50gzAuRK5uFW_3rzgWamjRAd8ydChIj8VvmG51JQ/s1600/Cfs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pFv8ywh9kh5VwnBax3gh7fWZmEejTLHTc3NN88klQCdJRqHnYXTb-ZhsjYU_cw7Wl8QIoHRZERSR2wBItm1E0RWDGFDymm50gzAuRK5uFW_3rzgWamjRAd8ydChIj8VvmG51JQ/s1600/Cfs.jpg" /></a></div>
There comes a time when you have to grab the beef by the loins and face the situation!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Bad news:</b></span> Long gone are the days of flavor-packed grass fed Argentine beef being worth price of the airline ticket. Today's "pride of the pampas" beef is indistinguishable from feedlot beef from the US or anywhere else.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Good news:</b></span> It's Cheap! Argentine sirloin steak will set you back about $3.60/lb versus <span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://www.thekansan.com/article/20150523/NEWS/150529771" target="_blank">$8.37 in the US</a></span>, according to a March report from the USDA.<br />
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So ...what to do with a nice, vaguely flavorful, cheap cut of beef? Ask the Unitedstatesians! Since the advent of feedlot beef in the 1950s, US supermarket shelves have exploded with powders and potions to give beef flavor. Although you can't yet find anything like that made here, I think that Argentina is ready to embrace the concept. I make my own yanqui-style spice blend and carry a secret vial of it on my key chain.<br />
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Ready to take it a step further? Why not try a much maligned regional US favorite, the chicken fried steak.<br />
<br />
A favorite of both truck stops and trailer parks, the low regard in which this dish is held is probably due to the cheap, mechanically and chemically tenderized beef used. Before raising your foodie hackles, however, consider its Viennese and Milanese origins as a veal dish.<br /><br />So shake-off some flour or bread crumbs from your steak along with your preconceptions and dredge-up a favorite schnitzel or milanesa recipe. (Tip: lots of black pepper and garlic.)yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-89016990017038805752015-05-27T16:17:00.002-03:002015-05-27T16:17:37.889-03:00Your Salad Lunches Are Killing American Leather<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-05-27/your-salad-lunches-are-killing-american-leather" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5Ure596RG3scM3q48kXdF0X238FmUXE6wzQf4G2P4kVM1oquWVgNOzyj9RkYiH-NjEp2nHc2v3NL5b_tWv8bN-nRKL9nnpnsOEhUv8EpQSWnMgTRZJF4w3UQXmC9GJ-oA90VLQ/s1600/Leatherlaces.jpg" /></a></div>
"<span class="lede-dek__text">Diets and droughts have made cattle hide more expensive, creating a leather shoelace crisis"</span><br />
<br />
This is exactly what happened to the leather industry in Argentina after our drought in 2008-9.<br />
<br />
(<b><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-05-27/your-salad-lunches-are-killing-american-leather" target="_blank">From Bloomberg</a></b>) <br />
<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-05-27/your-salad-lunches-are-killing-american-leather">http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-05-27/your-salad-lunches-are-killing-american-leather</a>yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-79748096813737120832015-05-12T00:08:00.000-03:002015-05-12T00:40:11.519-03:00Argentine Cheeses: Are We Getting Someplace?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75Sj9Ves30Z5UdOnGO9QPVeY9btQ2TsedDY0U_AbM_o26yqi2PkeSpZ65UVKl1TUSpWr9hHAlY9UEDXZWr2jwX4kbGSxl3lZsqDEWR6BhfktpHTDznCqHRgk2R4Aqx5HTDGaLLA/s1600/CheesesArgentinos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75Sj9Ves30Z5UdOnGO9QPVeY9btQ2TsedDY0U_AbM_o26yqi2PkeSpZ65UVKl1TUSpWr9hHAlY9UEDXZWr2jwX4kbGSxl3lZsqDEWR6BhfktpHTDznCqHRgk2R4Aqx5HTDGaLLA/s1600/CheesesArgentinos.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #073763;">Could the supreme deliciousness of grass-fed Argentine beef have stunted the urge for other flavorful foods here? Now that it's gone ...could foodie-culture flourish?</span></td></tr>
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My darling wife and I were strolling las callecitas de Buenos Aires today on a few errands ...and we found ourselves in the San Nicolás neighborhood, right across the street from Recoleta.<br />
<br />
There's a municipal market there that is a diamond in the rough. Literally, you could step right by it and dismiss it as nothing special. Two or three steps in the door, however, and your radar tells you that you are onto something special. <br />
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<a href="http://www.homestayba.com/#!mercado-municipal-san-nicolas/zoom/c1wln/i44e7v" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.homestayba.com/#!mercado-municipal-san-nicolas/zoom/c1wln/i44e7v" border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3ymQp07jx_5tSbppkn0KmexGtVQBQVuURKKWCKRchiZBIEROI00mSiboFzVAMPWOrHhDeevyd3kKqc1T0t8R2EkrfIzD1A2rJNZ1Xfrzt59Yb4D3qfx5cZ5Y4TX-UcEQLIt_fg/s400/mercadosannicolas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
It's old and it's wonderful and is protected by the city and the prices can be astonishingly low. It's right on the Callao subway stop on the D line and eminently walkable from about anywhere in the city's central area.<br />
<br />
A lot of the market stalls are empty if you don't get there early ...but even the closed ones are beautiful in a "living museum" way, close spaces with ancient glazed tiles, big refrigerator doors from a by-gone era, old scales and machinery, great thick cutting boards worn inches into their original surfaces by operators in their favorite places. Old signs advertise things that you just can't get anymore.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15498dH9AyG9LUDd7pXOoxEdBxm6vDYtW7tnm4JXsnQKUtyIOYBGQVUl_RfhRYKSowMHi2AOAGf30MHZ6q1CgNl4VJgIEAQTapM5FFz7qKwJO-N7UDIl2p0D1Y3qm4BG_DVOVSQ/s1600/mamon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15498dH9AyG9LUDd7pXOoxEdBxm6vDYtW7tnm4JXsnQKUtyIOYBGQVUl_RfhRYKSowMHi2AOAGf30MHZ6q1CgNl4VJgIEAQTapM5FFz7qKwJO-N7UDIl2p0D1Y3qm4BG_DVOVSQ/s320/mamon.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Mamon is veal ...which is illegal in Argentina ...but not for any anti-cruelty reasons.</span></td></tr>
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It's open until a little past 7pm and, right up until closing, it is a shopper's delight for fruits, veggies, meats, grains, spices, ...and CHEESES. I just happened to be looking for a nice melty cheese and my sweetie reminded me of this market.<br />
<br />
Wow. I was dumb-struck, gob-smacked and oh so pleased by a cheese I found in the cheesemonger's case (<i>I even forgot to write-down the name of the stall or take a picture! No worries, it's on the right, immediately inside the main lobby, forward and to your right.</i>)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lodepepe.wordpress.com/portfolio/quesos-rebleusson-de-alta-saboya-a-suipacha/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://lodepepe.wordpress.com/portfolio/quesos-rebleusson-de-alta-saboya-a-suipacha/" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweF_ozbxbkSuZvCWCgR8lKG1flg_wB9SI01OB0pzTsu9Mao5-Ga2kJMUDvvmnTzGssSVjbl7Oc8dqbJnJL3rkUJcIha9WgFXSvUQM1VxPSunP5VUswsGMtp1_-wtb_ObFa1eSsQ/s320/rebleussonfermier.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Queso Rebleusson from Fermier</span></td></tr>
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It was pretty. It looked like it would melt nicely. I told my wife that I wanted some and, while I had my back turned, she had finagled a big sample slice for the two of us. Wow, it was good.<br />
<br />
The cheese lady told us that it was a type of camembert; it wasn't but I could tell from the smell that the inspiration was there! It was firm but with a little gooeyness. So far, so good ...but the taste! There was real flavor in this Argentine cheese!<br />
<br />
I don't trust my taste buds after over a decade in The Argentine.<br />
<br />
People are always amazed that I emigrated here from the US; people are always amazed that I've stayed here so long ...I'LL TELL YOU WHAT AMAZES ME: of all the countries on earth, how did I pick the one with the most bland version of western hemisphere food?<br />
<br />
At least we USED to have the best beef on earth ...now even that's gone.<br />
<br />
When I bit into that cheese I wasn't really sure if I was a good judge of cheese anymore. So I ran it by my friends in the Argentine facebook group, "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/290663407620192/" target="_blank">Buena Morfa Social Club</a>." Sure enough, the feedback fed-back immediately.<br />
<br />
While "the foodie" may be ready for burial in the US (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_of_Love#Funeral_and_aftermath" target="_blank">à la the hippie</a>,) awareness of food is just now blossoming in Argentina. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/290663407620192/" target="_blank">The Buena Morfa Social Club</a> is a group that started here about a year ago ...it now has well over 12,000 members with no end in sight. Within an hour, the group sent me enough links and references to the cheese in question to satisfy me that my tastebuds had not atrophied, lo these many years.<br />
<br />
Even the cheese lady told me the story of how this particular cheese factory had sent its sons to study in France in order to bring back interesting cheeses. This is not the Argentina that I grew to love back in 2000.<br />
<br />
For example, here's another Argentine website devoted to food, <a href="http://www.planetajoy.com/?Quesos_extremos%3A_las_variedades_mas_fuertes_de_la_gondola&page=ampliada&id=7659" target="_blank">Planeta Joy</a> ...the link was sent to me by the group and, sure enough, it mentioned the cheese I found today. Not only did the post mention my cheese, it raved about it and how strong it tasted: <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Extreme Cheeses: The Strongest of the Shopping Cart</b><br />
<i><span class="notranslate">There is a minority of dark palettes that worships mature, aromatic, tasty and powerful cheeses.</span> <span class="notranslate"> For them, this post: a tasting of the best examples produced locally.</span></i><br />
<span class="notranslate"> <span class="notranslate"><b>Rebleusson: for the audacious </b></span><br /> <span class="notranslate"> Originally called Reblochon, but the manufacturer, respecting French appellation laws, changed the name to Rebleusson.</span> <span class="notranslate"> </span><span class="notranslate">The crust has a pale orange color, is oily, a semi-soft cheese and when ripe
is extremely aromatic, to the point of being stinky in some cases.</span> <span class="notranslate"> But this stench is not consistent with its flavor, since taste is less aggressive and has notes of butter and nuts.</span> This <span class="notranslate">shines in the cheese and goes very well with fruity white wines.</span> <span class="notranslate"> Perfect gift for a foodie friend or to avenge someone who owes you money by hiding it in a trunk.</span> <span class="notranslate"> It is the only example of this cheese in Argentina and Fermier makes it with whole milk from their own Jersey crosses in the town of Suipacha in Buenos Aires province.</span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span class="notranslate"><span class="notranslate">Foodie-ism took a long time to take root here ...but it is now here in force. Now, just like in the US and Europe, ordinary people who have no idea what they are talking about will challenge each other to cyber-duels over foods they have never tasted!</span></span><br />
<span class="notranslate"><span class="notranslate"><br /></span></span>
<span class="notranslate"><span class="notranslate">"It's a good thing," as <strike>Maya Frost</strike> Martha Stewart would say. We are on our way here in Argentina to more authentic and mindful versions of foods with more of the original flavors of the myriad of immigrants to this bread-basket of the world.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="notranslate"><span class="notranslate">It used to be just beef here. While I lament the passage of that great grass-fed patrimony into history, if its disappearance has resulted in a sudden national craving for other foods with deep distinctive flavors, I'm all for it!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="notranslate"><span class="notranslate">Provecho a todos! </span></span>yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-992852270122867012015-05-05T21:00:00.000-03:002015-05-12T00:39:17.750-03:00Recipe Time at Yanqui Mike: BABAGANOUSH!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6sIauyXLJfGgzv_ZQFjZOfhB0Khzx_WH9Bq2RzOcikc1SL2yuFfhxz8PWMnxp1k3LQ_lXGANeq-BO_cQxL_t_kdwtM2gB0NE9AzNI3vbjM7B0tkLoiAgZzvmBKnd4jgZ2KHDMQ/s1600/roastedeggplant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_6sIauyXLJfGgzv_ZQFjZOfhB0Khzx_WH9Bq2RzOcikc1SL2yuFfhxz8PWMnxp1k3LQ_lXGANeq-BO_cQxL_t_kdwtM2gB0NE9AzNI3vbjM7B0tkLoiAgZzvmBKnd4jgZ2KHDMQ/s1600/roastedeggplant.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><i>(Originally posted January 31, 2011)</i></span><br />
<br />
I thought that I´d written about this before ...but apparently not. This is great, tho, for anybody who makes great big wood fires!<br />
<br />
After a big asado down on the ranch, there´s always a bunch of coals left over. What a shame to let them go to waste!<br />
<br />
So here´s what I do: when the season is running for eggplants, I buy a butt-load of them for next to nothing ...then I throw them directly onto the hot, not-flaming embers. I give 'em 15 to 20 minutes on one side then flip 'em and give 'em another 15 to 20 on the other side.<br />
<br />
Ask any Arab, the most important ingredient for babaganoush is roasted eggplant over hardwood coals.<br />
<br />
You can do 'em in your oven but the result will be lame and you´ll wonder why anybody even likes the stuff!<br />
<br />
That´s the secret. If you roast your eggplants over coals, you can make a million mistakes and your babaganoush will still be world-class... and you will delight even your friends from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levant"><b>The Levant</b></a>.<br />
<br />
The coals burn the skins of the eggplant to a crisp ...but the inside is mushy and lovely and oh so easily scraped from them with a spoon. The smokyness permeates the otherwise rather tasteless flesh and will make you an eggplant lover ...at least for this purpose.<br />
<br />
Now, you got it in the bag!<br />
<br />
Scrape the roasted flesh away from the carbonized skin (don´t be afraid of getting a few black flecks into it, they will lend even more proof of wood-roasting) ...it´s OK if some of the flesh is cooked more than the rest ...it adds texture. Think of it as Arab guacamole. Everybody´s wife, mother, and grandma makes it a little different and ...like a martini ...everybody swears by their own version ...or their gramma´s.<br />
<br />
Then add the requisite additions:<br />
<br />
You´ll need tahini, that´s a raw paste made of sesame seeds. You can buy it in most big supermercados in Buenos Aires ...but they tend to hide it from you in separate "imported food" sections. Keep looking. For every 1 to 1½ pounds of RAW eggplant you buy, you´ll need about 2 tablespoons of tahini... mix it in slowly during the whole process to reach the balance of flavor that you like.<br />
<br />
For that amount of roasted eggplant, you´ll need ABOUT the juice of 1 medium-sized lime or lemon. Some people prefer lemon to lime, it won´t make a LOT of difference ...try it both ways and see what you prefer.<br />
<br />
Garlic is absolutely de rigueur. This is also to taste but should be about one clove, más o menos, for this quantity. You can play around with roasted garlic from the same coals ...but adjust accordingly for the reduction in garlicy-ness ...or add some fresh to the roasted to balance it out.<br />
<br />
A few pinches of cumin will set YOUR babaganoush apart from the rest ...but the quality of cumin available on the market varies tremendously. Sometimes the cheapest tastes the best, sometimes the most expensive pulls up lame. Brand doesn´t seem to matter. Hit and miss. Trial and error. Do your best.<br />
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Salt, of course. Keep in mind your audience ...but keep in mind, as well, that this is a savory dish (or dip) and, since it´s a side-dish, people like a little more salt with babaganoush.<br />
<br />
Black pepper or red pepper? That´s a tough one. Black is indicated considering it´s origin. However, Hindus love it too ...and they tend more toward the red (along with a little homemade yogurt!.) My first choice is black ...but if I can mix it with some red powder like some smoky chipotle ...I´ll do it in a heartbeat. One great way to present it is: make the recipe with the black ...then sprinkle the chipotle on the top at serving.<br />
<br />
NOW ...as to the "herbal component", I think you need freshly chopped parsley ...but just enough to hint at the flavor. Mint is another option or addition, and a good one, but you´d better be careful not to put anyone off.<br />
<br />
For the above quantity of eggplant you´ll need some 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Choose a strong flavor if you can. The "angels" of first-pressing, extra-virgin are best left for delicate salads. Here you need olive oil that tastes like OLIVES. When you bring it to the table, shmush a little dimple into the resultant pureé ...then fill that with the rest of the olive oil. Garnishing with fresh mint ...if you´ve left that out, so far ...will most likely delight.<br />
<br />
Now go get the best pita bread you can find (no advice on that from me) and dig in. Sit under the shade on a hot day with a glass of good red wine to accompany ...and maybe some roast lamb or mutton ...and couscous. Stop every bite or so and ponder how good your life is.<br />
<br />
When I make babaganoush, like I did today ...just back from the campo and lots of leftover embers... I make TEN times as much as this recipe ...but the proportions are still the same, más o menos. Once you get into it, you´ll realize how much it´s like making guacamole. Some are a smooth pureé ...other are more rustic and chunky. You´ll get it.yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-82512984995871010502015-05-04T01:21:00.002-03:002015-05-04T01:21:52.162-03:00VPN for Expats in Buenos Aires<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpk7QbwzgB81NaqJztAhUQIeo3xgObuhFF_4A4VFncM5IDLZBQs7OiPQqtZEliIuyNdpE3UbXjRLLp8NZHcCChAUv60wDuFAAABd5iOguHNi8OtxP2z0rfbNNvOj3YGZstOD7yw/s1600/Top-rated-vpn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbpk7QbwzgB81NaqJztAhUQIeo3xgObuhFF_4A4VFncM5IDLZBQs7OiPQqtZEliIuyNdpE3UbXjRLLp8NZHcCChAUv60wDuFAAABd5iOguHNi8OtxP2z0rfbNNvOj3YGZstOD7yw/s1600/Top-rated-vpn.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Solve Your Content Issues with a VPN</b><br />
<br />
News happens everyday, and there are various media outlets that report on this news. However, depending upon your location, you may find that you cannot access other views of the same news story. This is common in areas which may have limits on what citizens or expats in the area can view. In addition, there are several Internet sites that are geo-restricted. Meaning, if you do not have an IP address of that country, you are not gaining access.<br />
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There are also times in which certain television shows come on, and you cannot access them since you are not in the country. For example, shows on the BBC cannot easily be accessed if you are outside of the United Kingdom. However, there is a way to solve both of these issues.<br />
<br />
A VPN, or virtual private network, is a method that many people are turning to these days so that they can watch whatever they want, from wherever they are, and ensure that they can access any website they desire.<br />
<br />
<b>How Does a VPN Work?</b><br />
<br />
The main question that users ask is just how is this VPN going to work? It is simple, when you go with a <b><a href="https://www.bestvpnservicemag.com/" target="_blank">best VPN provider</a></b>, you gain access to their network of IP addresses that are available. These IP addresses allow you to gain access to information that is based on your IP address. For example, while in Argentina, a person could connect to the Internet with an IP address that is based in the United Kingdom. In doing so, he or she, is going to have access to the BBC and other UK shows or Internet sites.<br />
<br />
<b>Other Benefits of a VPN</b><br />
<br />
Besides gaining access to content that you would otherwise not be able to get, which for many is the main reason they use a VPN, there are other benefits that a VPN offers. For example:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>The IP address you utilize is anonymous, meaning you can avoid security threats that linger on the world wide web</li>
<li>Some people have stated that when they use a VPN, they actually see an increase in the speed of their Internet</li>
<li>If you have a VPN, you can save on your phone bill as well since you can use a VOIP to make calls, and with a VPN, you can avoid long distance fees</li>
</ul>
If you are tired of living a life that is full of Internet restrictions, one sided news casts and the inability to watch the shows you wish to watch, then a VPN could be the solution to your issues. There are numerous providers on the market, that all offer a way to get your very own VPN. yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-48981871301186369962015-04-13T03:57:00.000-03:002015-04-13T06:14:41.049-03:00Yanqui's Southern Cornbread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yep. Here's the yanq with his recipe for good ol' downhome Southern cornbread ...adapted for all y'all in Buenos Aires, Argentina.<br />
<br />
Now the yanq is a Northern boy ...but I've always preferred Southern cornbread. What's the difference, you ask? Well, although you will find quite a bit of cross-over, Southern cornbread is baked without sugar and with a scant amount of wheat flour.<br />
<br />
Careful, though. Other than how to make "real chili", questioning what constitutes "real cornbread" has caused more fists to swing on more than one occasion down South than anything (culinary) I can think of. This is further complicated by a lot of Southern grandmas <i>who actually put sugar</i> in their cornbread ...you don't want to get your ass kicked by Bubba or his grandma ...or both. Like religion and politics, keep your cornbread opinions to yourself south of the Mason-Dixon line. Up North, we really don't care how you make your cornbread.<br />
<br />
Northern cornbread is described as "cake" down South. It's fluffier and sweeter than its Southern counterpart That's probably due to the greater availability of hard wheat bread flour up North (some Yankee cornbread hardly has any corn in it at all.) The sweet part probably comes from the molasses and sugar that was our part of the sugar/rum/slaves triangle.<br />
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Being a fanatic for grains of all kinds, not to mention the lack of a sweet tooth, my favorite is the savory stuff that Southerners consider one of the icons of their cuisine.<br />
<br />
Like I said, this recipe is adapted for use in Buenos Aires ...with the exception being a cast iron skillet is essential. <i>Essential</i>. No, your cast aluminum <a href="http://www.essen.com.ar/system/cont.php" target="_blank"><b>Essen</b></a> (a SUPER product) will not do. I have heard, however, that there is an enterprising Argentino who is beginning to cast some very fine iron skillets here. I'll let you know what I hear; I'm on the caper.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Step 1. preheat your oven to 450° F (230° C)</b></span><br />
<br />
You can go hotter but you risk blackening your cornbread. My wife likes that! Me, not so much.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Step 2. combine the dry ingredients: </b></span><br />
2 cups of polenta, 4 tablespoons of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour#Type_numbers" target="_blank"><b>00</b></a> white flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 2 tablespoons of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Put all of it together in a nice big bowl and mix thoroughly. Mix, mix, mix.<br />
<br />
Yep, polenta. That's not as strange as it might seem ...good cornbread needs a relatively fine grind anyway and polenta here fills the bill. I wish I could recommend non-instant polenta ...but I don't think that exists here anymore. Instant polenta could actually help this recipe, though ...I think it absorbs the wet ingredients quicker.<br />
<br />
The white flour is important. Cornmeal has little to no gluten and you need gluten to get your cornbread to rise. If I can't find good bread flour, I keep some pure gluten on hand (you can find it pretty easily here in natural food stores) and I add a couple of teaspoons to the wheat flour. You get more effect and still get to keep the flour down to a respectable minimum.<br />
<br />
If the amount of baking soda seems a bit over the top, just wait. It's essential and it keeps your salt down to 1 teaspoon.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #073763;">Step 3. beat 3 eggs</span></b><br />
<br />
That's more eggs than most recipes recommend ...but eggs also give the corn meal a structure it can use like the high gluten flour to make your cornbread rise and become fluffy and stay a little moister. Good Southern cornbread should be dense ...but too dense can interfere with your enjoyment. Grandma was probably lying about only adding 2 eggs, anyway.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Step 4. make 2 cups of "buttermilk"</b></span><br />
<br />
Now, if you can find buttermilk in Argentina, good on you. However, even if you can find it, you might want to "make" it yourself. Buttermilk adds two things to a cornbread recipe: acid and that cultured/fermented flavor. The most important thing is the acid. The acid of the buttermilk will react with the baking soda and cause your batter to foam. This foaminess, along with what the heat will do to the eggs and baking powder will leaven your cornbread and people will think you're a magician ...or will suspect you have an old family secret recipe. Stick with the old secret family recipe story.<br />
<br />
To "make" buttermilk take your 2 cups of milk and add 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar. Wait 5 minutes then add the beaten eggs.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Step 5. preheat your cast iron skillet with 3 tablespoons of grease/oil for about 5 minutes but not enough to make the skillet smoke.</b></span><br />
<br />
If it smokes a little, that's ok ...but no more. Since your skillet is black, it's hard to tell when you've burned your oil. That burned fat could contribute some bad flavors ...of course, if your grandmother always burned the fat, maybe it'll just bring back pleasant memories!<br />
<br />
Bacon fat would be the preferred grease ...but that's hard to find
here. Vegetable oil of any kind is fine. I use pork lard (grasa
porcina comestible) but beef fat would be fine, as well. Butter is
problematic because it burns too easily for this recipe ...if you're
going to use butter, clarify it to help it handle the high temperatures. Sometimes, I add a very little liquid smoke to my lard to try to approximate bacon fat.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #073763;">Step 6. pour the egg/buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients </span></b><br />
<br />
Mix the wet and dry ingredient together very quickly ...but not brutally. Don't beat them together like you were whipping cream, just mix them gently so that there are no clumps of dry ingredients. You may notice some foaming ...that's nice.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Step 7. pour the batter into your hot skillet</b></span><br />
<br />
Don't let this step baffle you. The skillet is not there to cook your cornbread. You only want that unbeatable thermal mass of the cast iron to give your cornbread a head start on baking. Don't try to "fry" your cornbread on the stove top for a while before placing it in the oven. That won't achieve anything except to increase your chances of cornbread burned on the bottom.<br />
<br />
This recipe assumes a 10 inch (25cm) skillet. What you're trying to
do here is fill your skillet almost to the top ...so that your cornbread won't look
so much like a tortilla or fallen souffle. Cornbread doesn't rise like
wheat bread; it won't overflow your skillet in the oven. The batter's depth in your skillet will be about the height of your result.<br />
<br />
If your skillet is larger (lucky you!) you may want to augment this recipe. If your skillet is smaller, you're also in luck ...any left over batter can go back into your hot skillet, with a smidgen of oil, to make deelicious pancakes, hoe cakes, johnny cakes, journey cakes ...whatever you wanna call them.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Step 8. place your hot, batter-filled skilled into your preheated oven</b></span><br />
<br />
Careful, now ...that skillet is hot and your oven is hot. Goof up and you could hurt yourself or others around you.<br />
<br />
Leave it there for 20 minutes. That seems to be the magic number of minutes. The already HOT iron skillet starts helping it to bake immediately. You're looking for the careful balance of making sure that the center of the batter bakes solid ...and to making sure that your cornbread doesn't burn on the bottom. Your oven rack placed half way up seems to give the best results.<br />
<br />
Don't get paranoid, corn meal can take a lot of heat ...and there really isn't much else in this recipe. Your cornbread should not be a pale color on the outside.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Step 9. take the skillet out of the oven and let it cool slightly</b></span><br />
<br />
I'm always afraid of letting the cornbread cool too much in the skillet ...a little bit is needed for it to release but too much and I'm afraid it will stick. If your skillet is well-seasoned, it might just pop out like it was teflon once turned upside-down. If it doesn't, just gently pry it from the upside-down skillet with a small fork. That's probably just me being paranoid ...I've never had any problems.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Step 10. eat some cornbread!</b></span><br />
<br />
<i>Cornbread and buttermilk, country-boy's delight</i><br />
<i>I eat in the mornin', I eat it noon and night.</i><br />
<i>Some peoples like fried chicken</i><br />
<i>And others likes the HAM</i><br />
<i>But cornbread and buttermilk makes me what I am.</i><br />
<br />
If you are lucky enough to have buttermilk, go ahead and dunk it and dip it in a cold glass. Otherwise, just slather some sweet cream butter on it right out of the oven (it doesn't need to cool like a cake.)<br />
<br />
I think chili always tastes better with cornbread ...or you could do MY favorite and serve it with YOUR favorite bowl of beans. Way yum.<br />
<br />
Once you've gotten comfortable with this recipe, don't hesitate to play around with it. Adding cheese and hot peppers and maybe a little cumin to the batter is a great variant. Bacon (of course!) or any smokey meat would be welcome just about anywhere with any sense.<br />
<br />
Don't forget what I said about making pancakes from the batter! Just do the same skillet/oven routine ...but cut back the baking time to more like 10 minutes ...and keep the oil/fat/grease to a minimum. No more boring pancakes! And if you're a dyed in the wool Yankee, some butter and maple syrup will stoke you for heading out to work in the cranberry bogs (hmm... some cranberries, too?) These pancakes rival fried cornmeal mush! You might choose to forget about making cornbread.<br />
<br />
Well, that's it. I made only sucky cornbread all my life. The cast iron skillet is the key ...and those are hard to get a friend to mule down to Baires for you. On a serious note, however, I truly am following up a lead on a guy here who is forging black iron for our kitchens ...if that's true, I'll be sending him a bunch of customers.<br />
<br />
Provecho!<br />
Mikeyanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-81801731317041109522015-03-20T01:00:00.001-03:002015-05-27T16:18:55.068-03:00How's your other footprint?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46m5uBMTZKvZWA2zl98WPdELuFTrhb3a-TtJ2rKpxIWN3fIhxGI1S6lbAOdJo-X6AG7H27KOVDBzPmkuvdsYraEnxgLb4GegR4n81JNsgqpGZ0wWwSLx1iap1UFBiSgoYFbysZA/s1600/farmersmarket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46m5uBMTZKvZWA2zl98WPdELuFTrhb3a-TtJ2rKpxIWN3fIhxGI1S6lbAOdJo-X6AG7H27KOVDBzPmkuvdsYraEnxgLb4GegR4n81JNsgqpGZ0wWwSLx1iap1UFBiSgoYFbysZA/s1600/farmersmarket.JPG" /></a></div>
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Not the carbon one. Other than climate change deniers, if the importance of your carbon footprint hasn't been impressed upon you by now...<br />
<br />
I'm talking about the footprint you leave by eating sustainably.<br />
<br />
After a decade as a rancher, a sometime farmer, and an organic gardener for the last 3 or 4 years, I'm starting to feel qualified to ask a few questions regarding how food gets produced ...not just factory farms but the stuff you and I are proud to produce and buy.<br />
<br />
Here's a question for ya: How's yer farmer?<br />
<br />
I wasn't sure exactly how many legs a cow had when I got into agriculture ...so I did a lot of general research while I was trying to find out what I needed to know. As it turns out, I needed to know it all.<br />
<br />
And while it might be too much to ask of you, you need to know it all, too.<br />
<br />
So whaddya say? Let's get started. Anyone who has educated themselves to the extent that they know how much we all need to avoid herbicides and pesticides and antibiotics and embrace food from techniques that guard the soils that produce the stuff of life ...surely won't be scared-off by taking it a step further.<br />
<br />
Full disclosure: my wife and I make a fine living from our ranch and we provide a fine living for those who work for us, all without resorting to unsustainable practices. <br />
<br />
We are, however, by far, the worldwide exception.<br />
<br />
Would it surprise you that the vast majority of cattle ranchers in the United States are hobbyists? Would it surprise you that most sustainable farmers can't pay themselves the minimum wage? Don't take my word for it. Ask the US Census, the USDA, and the IRS.<br />
<br />
Would it surprise you that the fresh-faced, white, educated farmer at your local farmers' market can't pay themselves even the local minimum wage for their farming/market-gardening efforts?<br />
<br />
How would you like to know that your favorite farmer from your favorite farmers' market can't live off that substandard income of their farming (nor fairly pay any employees) without off-farm income? Even conventional farmers and ranchers struggle to live off of their on-farm income.<br />
<br />
Last question: what does all that mean?<br />
<br />
Mind you, these farmers are the core of sustainable farmers. These are the true believers. These are the people who have brought us to an age in which delicious, naturally raised produce is widely available ...even if at a big premium over the supermarket's earth-killing cheap veggie prices.<br />
<br />
It's surprising, even to me ...but not THAT surprising. Making a profit in agriculture is difficult even under the best circumstances ...but it's always has been that way.<br />
<br />
But if you click Google's link, "organic farmer career," you'll find scads of links that encourage young folks to enter organic/natural/unconventional farming. Knowing what the statistics say, that career field doesn't seem to be anything that you would recommend to family and loved-ones.<br />
<br />
I've even read lots of press lately that speaks of programs to encourage and facilitate the homeless and unemployed military veterans from the latest attempted conquests to take up farming. If you know anything about agriculture, you'll know that it's always been that way. Getting off the farm was the original American Dream for a reason.<br />
<br />
Since I already said that I've asked you my last question ...I'll just tell you what I think.<br />
<br />
I think that it's natural.<br />
<br />
I think that it's natural to propose to populate farms with the forgotten of our society. After all, it's always been that way.<br />
<br />
No matter how white nor educated those current farmers may be, farming is akin to slavery ...it's why you don't do it. (I only use the example of white market-farmers to direct your attention to how difficult it is for even the most privileged of us.)<br />
<br />
Without incredibly expensive machinery, lots of poisons, and a cozy access to capital, you cannot farm with the hope of not having a job in town. Even with all that, you are looking at fighting economic failure everyday.<br />
<br />
Now, don't tell me how YOU fight economic failure everyday ...farming without those machinery, poisons, and capital is a losing proposition from the start. Start thinking that this is different. That's crucial to your understanding of how food is produced.<br />
<br />
Since the dawn of agriculture, farmers have never been part of the middle class, let alone the ruling class. <br />
<br />
Although rich farmers may disagree with me, without slaves or expensive machinery and its adjuncts, there has never been a rich farmer.<br />
<br />
Even moderately successful farming is an accident of birth.<br />
<br />
I remember reading for the first time the phrase, "land dependent" in regard to farmers and ranchers. "Of course!" I said. "You have to have land to farm!" Nope, that's not what the term meant. It meant that you already had to OWN land to even think about farming.<br />
<br />
Other than factory farms that are able to pay for more and more land ...you only farm if land has been left to you by your forbears. Even then, if you farm it in a non-mechanized way (slavery being technically illegal,) you will probably sell to a larger, more conventionally farming concern.<br />
<br />
Your favorite farmer from your favorite farmers' market is most likely renting a piece of land ...and working in town to pay the rent for it. That farmer's spouse is probably shouldering most of the weight of the actual farming operation. Not exactly liberating, is it?<br />
<br />
Your fantasies of a more rewarding life, in the open air denied to your office or cubicle, with that "good kinda tired" instead of your off-farm exhaustion are just that: fantasies. Current sustainable farmers have "both kinds of tired."<br />
<br />
OK. Now. So what?<br />
<br />
Personally, I think we are living in a golden age of healthy food. That particular kind of food, mostly unavailable since the advent of mechanized agriculture, is being produced by well-meaning people who got into farming with the same zeal as we got into eating.<br />
<br />
That current crop of farmers will not, contrary to fantasy, stay farming for long. Ask them. Make them tell you the truth. Nobody is naturally inclined to tell you that their business is unsustainable and on the verge of failure.<br />
<br />
So what so we do now? (OK, that's my real last question.)<br />
<br />
I don't know. Maybe you can help me think it through. Maybe I can help you, too.<br />
<br />
Produce and meat, sustainably produced and without poisons, is already very expensive. Can we pay more? That doesn't seem likely.<br />
<br />
What I want to happen ...is what YOU want to happen. I don't want this current crop of healthy food and healthy food producers to disappear in the inevitable crash of young motivated farmers finally giving up.<br />
<br />
How do we do that? (my real, real, last question.)yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-19824892507023734602015-02-18T05:40:00.000-03:002015-02-18T06:41:56.997-03:00"A Cook Abroad"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEtSRIhEysziR6mPlMJjD1N-YApE5l3BU7uD_f_WXz-R6FdosFGEsCyKq_jgkeFfz7Djk15lI1NyprRFNJeJFTyAw8qq2fRlZQjq22brFUzMR818IKJUyVkSlcrtbpgYBEp93jQ/s1600/splash.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEtSRIhEysziR6mPlMJjD1N-YApE5l3BU7uD_f_WXz-R6FdosFGEsCyKq_jgkeFfz7Djk15lI1NyprRFNJeJFTyAw8qq2fRlZQjq22brFUzMR818IKJUyVkSlcrtbpgYBEp93jQ/s1600/splash.JPG" /></a></div>
A little teaser from the BBC series, "A Cook Abroad." I got to play a small part in the Argentina episode and I'm really pleased at how it turned out.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>I even ended up on camera for a few minutes! </b></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/jqoN9NQbBu4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jqoN9NQbBu4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
MasterChef John Torode really got the feel of preparing and eating good Argentine beef. I was with them all the way to Mendoza and I was astounded at their professionalism and attention to detail.<br />
<br />
It's too bad that this series is so difficult to view outside the UK ...but here's a little teaser. The episode really gives an accurate idea of the state of Argentine beef.<br />
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Please let me know if you find an easy way to view this series outside the UK. yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-20451821109003517942015-02-18T01:57:00.002-03:002015-02-18T02:08:50.857-03:00Raicilla! Ay! Qué Rica!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://firstwefeast.com/drink/raicilla-the-secret-mexican-spirit-hiding-in-tequilas-shadows/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd5XYqqD0e5whtRiVxVwJTUtNCSnTeZwgN5YQcmfKBqZBgclP9MlY4mwujBtTSaSZggo1jkY9Ds5vaMRnWj-Y9ZW9qF9DPW6EymN_PNOztZYKZK-GgMTGUf73grMTCXXJwFdW5w/s1600/Raicilla.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://firstwefeast.com/drink/raicilla-the-secret-mexican-spirit-hiding-in-tequilas-shadows"><i><b>http://firstwefeast.com/drink/raicilla-the-secret-mexican-spirit-hiding-in-tequilas-shadows</b></i></a></div>
<br />
This one goes out to my Uncle Dick. He and my Aunt Susie are probably the biggest reason I emigrated to Latin America. Back in the 80's, they took up the expat life in Jalisco, Mexico ...with the big difference being that they tended to stay away from foreigners and cultivated beautiful relationships with the locals. After their arrival in Mexico, I went toe-to-toe with my then-intense fear of flying and escaped the Chicago winters for two weeks every January. Through them, I visited homes of their friends in the hills above Puerto Vallarta and came to love Mexico as much as them.<br />
<br />
One morning, while preparing a late breakfast, I remember (I'm cursed with total recall after alcoholic bouts) there was a knock on the door. My Uncle Dick went to answer it and, after a brief discussion at the door, he came into the kitchen with a quart bottle of something that looked like water.<br />
<br />
"Hey! You know about this stuff?"<br />
"No. What's that?"<br />
"That's raicilla, baby. You ever heard of it? You want some?"<br />
<br />
I'm pretty sure I'd swallowed some of the freshest eggs and butter in the world ...or I would have begged-off. As it was, we poured some shots and I sliced-up some limes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBcOoCbfnlC5lpZcSLtRKkgZvY-wQi3uC6gnkrnkXcyQdhKrRYsIaGC_56l14g6VvzNNFe_Y_-sU_7cqdw0OffSSnAnId4SOdimUL_oPAsQyaIKHJFape8NK4mt9lPb2aOA7vHg/s1600/Raicilla_pour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBcOoCbfnlC5lpZcSLtRKkgZvY-wQi3uC6gnkrnkXcyQdhKrRYsIaGC_56l14g6VvzNNFe_Y_-sU_7cqdw0OffSSnAnId4SOdimUL_oPAsQyaIKHJFape8NK4mt9lPb2aOA7vHg/s1600/Raicilla_pour.jpg" /></a></div>
"Careful, now ...it's strong," he told me. This was from a man who I'd never seen advise caution to anyone regarding a distilled spirit. If YOU couldn't take it, that was just tough shit on your part.<br />
<br />
"What is it?"<br />
<br />
"Raicilla. Moonshine tequila from up in the hills. It's good but it's not easy to get. You got to know somebody. This stuff is particularly good."<br />
<br />
I sniffed the shot glass and it smelled good ...but strong! I squeezed a wedge of lime into mine in the hopes of ...I don't know ...and steeled myself ...and took a slash.<br />
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I didn't taste too very much but what impressed me was that, for all it's strength, I didn't cough or choke ...it was barrel proof and had numbed, anesthetized my throat. It went down smooooth. That freaked me out.<br />
<br />
"Well! Whaddya think?"<br />
<br />
Neither good tequila nor mezcal was available in the US in those days. <b><i>José Cuervo, this weren't!</i></b> Like any good cactus whiskey, the perfumes of the stuff started to swirl up around the back of my pallet and into my sinuses and into my lungs for the next couple of breaths.<br />
<br />
"Gimme a second," I said, trying to take it all in so unexpectedly there with the sun streaming in on its way to the yardarm. "It's good. Really good."<br />
<br />
"It's about 140 proof, give or take."<br />
<br />
I told him that it didn't really taste that strong ...then it hit me. I'd never downed a shot of anything that affected me in the tips of my toes before any place else! Pretty soon, my whole huaraches were tingling.<br />
<br />
A couple two three shots later and the afternoon began to dissolve into sun, sand, ocean, and palmtrees. Beautiful day.<br />
<br />
Just a few years later, I read that the actor Richard Burton had become a big fan of the stuff just a few blocks away from my denouement. Ten years later, I was introducing a generation of Chicagoans to mezcales, albeit at a more civilized level of the active ingredient.<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://firstwefeast.com/drink/raicilla-the-secret-mexican-spirit-hiding-in-tequilas-shadows/" target="_blank">Great article!</a></b> If you can get it in your city, take a slash and think of the Ol' Yanq and his Uncle Dick.<br />
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Salud!yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-4294864730234737432015-01-29T04:30:00.000-03:002015-01-29T04:32:47.667-03:00Eat the Can<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.theawl.com/2015/01/eat-the-canned-vegetables" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAYDM8tBH5rz80ao-K0xKorgnVwZ5ya8lvVk90gywuILCVRDLLoHMp6JDW5TcJqlw0vfxjAfmfWIRfRBbp4CxY2L4QrvfJWYdgdssCkmRDMhrZF2Awdl95TKCm4Yy6BI5atz23w/s1600/cannedtomatoes.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.theawl.com/2015/01/eat-the-canned-vegetables" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>(from The Awl)</b></span></a> </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The king of canned plant products is the <b>canned tomato</b>.
Tomatoes are the ideal use case for canning: a product with a very
minimal harvest time is picked at its peak and preserved, so I use
canned tomatoes ten months a year, happily. The only time I opt for
fresh tomatoes is during the tiny window in summer when the New
York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania fruits are at their peak. There
are lots of variation in canned tomatoes. They usually come in
either whole, chopped/diced, crushed, and pureed/sauce. Go for the
whole ones and cut to your liking. My favorite trick for turning
whole canned tomatoes into a puree is to jam <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSB-75BC-2-Speed-Immersion-Blender/dp/B00ARQVM5O/ref=as_at?tag=thaw08-20&linkCode=as2&ie=UTF8&qid=1422376467&sr=8-1&keywords=immersion+blender&pebp=1422376469569&peasin=B00ARQVM5O">
my immersion blender</a> right down into the can and go nuts. No
extra cleanup!"</blockquote>
yanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10176012.post-49219338050175143922015-01-21T22:10:00.002-03:002015-01-21T22:10:59.514-03:00Get Your Full List Here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iAM_JPPV6a0P1bmJPzBE8UQltXLwCJZVYhDooZgvIe0_LSFwPwKGBX8X-Diua7JX4b-qccVXEafYR3qvQ_Yj2xqwpmWoLuJQKhxU5tSavWw189FWeb8CJOrvbwJ-ICGCWpOPmg/s1600/cortes-argentina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3iAM_JPPV6a0P1bmJPzBE8UQltXLwCJZVYhDooZgvIe0_LSFwPwKGBX8X-Diua7JX4b-qccVXEafYR3qvQ_Yj2xqwpmWoLuJQKhxU5tSavWw189FWeb8CJOrvbwJ-ICGCWpOPmg/s1600/cortes-argentina.jpg" /></a></div>
Aguja - Chuck, Chuck Roast from immediately in back of neck (cogote)<br />
Asado / Asado de Tira - Rib Roast, Short Rib Roast<br />
Azotillo - a Shoulder cut<br />
Bife Ancho - Rib Eye Steaks, Prime Rib, Rib Eye Roast,<br />
Bife Angosto - Strip SteakPorterhouse Steak<br />
Bife a la Rueda - Round Steak<br />
Bife de Alcatra - Sirloin Steak<br />
Bife de Costilla - T-Bone Steaks<br />
Bife de Chorizo - like a Strip Steak<br />
Bife de Lomo - Tenderloin / "filet mignon"<br />
Bofe - Lungs<br />
Bola de Lomo - Sirloin Tip Roast<br />
Carnaza - Stewing Beef<br />
Carne Picada - Ground Beef<br />
Chinchulín - upper segment of the Small Intestine<br />
Chorizo - Spicy Sausage<br />
Cogote - Neck<br />
Colita de Cuadril - Rump Steak<br />
Corazón - Heart<br />
Costilla - Rib<br />
Criadilla - Testicle of young beef<br />
Cuadrada - Bottom Round-Stewing or Strogonoff Beef<br />
Cuadril - Rump Roast, Rump Steaks<br />
Entraña - Skirt Steak<br />
Escondido - <br />
Falda - Skirt Steak (diaphragm)<br />
Falda con hueso - Skirt steak with bone<br />
Hígado - Liver<br />
Lengua - Tongue<br />
Lomo - Tenderloin<br />
Marucha - Short Ribs<br />
Matambre - Flank Steak<br />
Milanesa - Minute Steak<br />
Mollejas - Sweetbreads<br />
Mondongo - one of the stomachs<br />
Morcilla - Blood Sausage<br />
Nalga - Round Stewing Beef, standing rump<br />
Ojo de Bife - Ribeye<br />
Ossobuco - Shin<br />
Paleta - Shoulder Roast, blade steak<br />
Palomita - Butterfly Cut near Shoulder Roast<br />
Peceto - Round Steaks, Roast Eye of Round<br />
Pecho - Brisket<br />
Rabo - Oxtail<br />
Riñones - Kidneys<br />
"Ros Bif" - Roast Beef (you'll sometimes see on menus)<br />
Sesos - Brains<br />
Solomillo - Hanger Steak<br />
Tapa de Asado - Rib Cap Roast<br />
Tapa de Nalga - Cap of Round Roast<br />
Tapa de Cuadríl - Cap of Rump Roast<br />
Tortuguita - a portion of the Rump <br />
Tripa Gorda - Large Intestine<br />
Ubre - Udder<br />
Vacío - Flank Steakyanqui mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02004779143396958441noreply@blogger.com0