This is the first of a weekly look at the Wednesday food sections from both near and far.
First, The Denver Post weighs in on Super Bowl spreads, and reminds us that this isn't the day to get all fancy in the kitchen.
So what do they give us? Well, how about Velveeta and Ro-tel dip?
Kids, if you don't know how to melt Velveeta in a microwave and pour in some canned salsa, you're better off at Old Chicago's paying $6 for a professional microwaver who can pour it over your chips.
The Post gives us a decent basic chili recipe (which they claim is special because it uses bison -- ooh, aah), but if you're looking for anything sophisticated, original or tasty, for that matter, today's a pass on the Post.
Jay Dedrick from The Rocky Mountain News is much more thoughtful in his attempt to add some life to what promises to be a pretty dull game.
Jay, a CSU graduate, lines up traditional food favorites with perfect beer pairings. The beers he chooses are good local varieties from Northern Colorado brewers, but the recipes are available only if the good readers goes out and buys a copy of a cookbook from Anheuser-Busch.
Now that's no fun.
Of course, our local shopper, The Fort Collins Coloradoan, pulls an AP story and offers just one recipe online. It's a good one, though, for chipotle bacon salsa.
With all that dipping going on, The New York Times actually takes us back to a classic "Seinfeld" episode and revives the debate regarding double-dipping. Worth a read as you dive into your Velveeta Ro-Tel masterpiece.
Have fun.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Pickle my onions in the Yucatan
Whether they're layered atop panuchos and salbutes, or sidled up next to papadzules, poc chuc and pibil, pickled onions are the seemingly ubiquitous accoutrement to any true Yucatecan dish.
To an American public used to the Tex-Mex cuisine featured at most U.S. Mexican restaurants, the Yucatan's distinct and exciting foods sometimes come as a shock to first-time visitors. I remember going to Merida in 1986 and being stunned at the diversity and the freshness of the food presented me everywhere I went, from street-vendor stalls to fancy restaurants.
And even if all you do to acquaint yourself with the Yucatan is to hit up the tourist areas in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, you can still avail yourself to the region's gastronomic wonders.
Rick Bayless devoted an entire season of his television show, "Mexico: One Plate at a Time," to Yucatecan food.
I'll spend more time myself recalling some of the food I ate on my latest foray to the Yucatan (Jan. 2-15 this year), but for now, here's what you need to know about pickled onions:
A. They're everywhere
B. They're tasty
C. They're essential to any true Yucatecan dish
D. They're easy to make
The only difference between what you might be able to make in the U.S. and what you would make in the Yucatan is the apparent lack of sour oranges in the U.S. Other ingredients -- red onions, salt -- are too simple. But sour oranges (otherwise known as "bitter" or "Seville") oranges are more difficult to find in the U.S.
Without sour oranges, you're likely to find the recipes calling for regular orange juice and vinegar, or for regular orange juice mixed with lime juice. You can do a Google search and get any number of Yucatecan pickled onion recipes, and any of them will work, but if you can find sour oranges, all the better.
Buen Provecho
To an American public used to the Tex-Mex cuisine featured at most U.S. Mexican restaurants, the Yucatan's distinct and exciting foods sometimes come as a shock to first-time visitors. I remember going to Merida in 1986 and being stunned at the diversity and the freshness of the food presented me everywhere I went, from street-vendor stalls to fancy restaurants.
And even if all you do to acquaint yourself with the Yucatan is to hit up the tourist areas in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, you can still avail yourself to the region's gastronomic wonders.
Rick Bayless devoted an entire season of his television show, "Mexico: One Plate at a Time," to Yucatecan food.
I'll spend more time myself recalling some of the food I ate on my latest foray to the Yucatan (Jan. 2-15 this year), but for now, here's what you need to know about pickled onions:
A. They're everywhere
B. They're tasty
C. They're essential to any true Yucatecan dish
D. They're easy to make
The only difference between what you might be able to make in the U.S. and what you would make in the Yucatan is the apparent lack of sour oranges in the U.S. Other ingredients -- red onions, salt -- are too simple. But sour oranges (otherwise known as "bitter" or "Seville") oranges are more difficult to find in the U.S.
Without sour oranges, you're likely to find the recipes calling for regular orange juice and vinegar, or for regular orange juice mixed with lime juice. You can do a Google search and get any number of Yucatecan pickled onion recipes, and any of them will work, but if you can find sour oranges, all the better.
Buen Provecho
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