And why do you think that mexican food is a stereotypical killer for americans, but not mexicans? immune systems. There's a saying in mexico that roughly translates as let the kid's hide get thicker, let 'em play in the dirt!!! E Colli outbreaks? sure, your bodies aren't used to the bacteria anymore!

ok, ok, sorry for my rant, I recently talked to a friend of mine that's setting up a restaurant in the LA area and mand I just couldn't belive the outrageously silly laws the health department put down, like having an escabeche (a sort of pickling technique) under 30F c'mooon!!! it's an acidic medium!!! very few bacteria can thrive in it!! measure PH for god's sake, not just temperture!!

But oh well I'll keep enjoying the cheeses my uncle makes with raw milk of course and our supposedly mercury-laden blue and yellow fin tuna. And don't even get me started on wines, yes, they ALL contain sulfites!!!

and again, I beg your pardon for ranting.

This is the perfect bachelor food =)... add the convenience of a slow-cooker over night, some sanwich sized zip top bags for freezing (individual portions) and you're set to go.

I usually add pasilla or "colorado" chiles when cooking, chipotle could also work. I actually did experiment with a couple of different color beans, finding that the black beans are the tastiest, pintos are actually watery in comparison.

I agree with whoever said that this seems a bit too tv-cook... yes, the restaurant chefs have to mise en place but they don´t put everything into little bowls they get 20 portions of meat seared, but not cooked inorder to have them ready for the oven when the order gets placed. I´d be very surprised if I ever saw a (successfull) chef mis en place 1/4 tsp of anything!!!

As for me, I´ve never used the littlebowlmisenplace, I´m too lazy to clean up afterwards =). But I do on occasion make mounds of ingredients at the edge of the cutting board as I try to keep ahead of the dish(es) while I prep the rest.

Beef toungue + mole
Beef tail braised with tomato sauce
and welll mexican food has a lot of options, pickled liver, pickled pork skin an trotters, toungue, tripe, brain-tacos... oh yeah and of course pozole has trotters and well menudo is the cow's stomach.

I'd add some introductory books to the first two segments, the one that really got me started was the Wine Bible and I always recommend that as a starting point with learning from your albariños to your zins.

This is a great idea, a nice looking bowl, some salt and some herbage --> gifting on the cheap :)... although I'd give the first batch of rosemary a good beating with the back of a knife so you'll get maximum extraction.

When they´re going bad, or well anything in the fridge is sub-par, they usually end up as a cream, specially the fungi =)

http://www.lavacahacemu.com

Oh! oh! oh! add some guajillos strips to mashe potatoes, love ´em like that =)... or how about a guajillo-compound-butter?

And btw, I´m not entirely sure, but guajillos are ONLY dried the fresh one is called chilaka; it´s the same sort of relationship as the jalapeño and chipotles (except for some fire involved)

and.. some spam.. well not really this time it´s a post about a chile used for mole =) (be warned, it´s in spanish)
http://www.lavacahacemu.com/2008/02/fotos-de-comida-chile-chilhuacle-negro.html

I remember having some cabrales once, it cleared my sinuses =) damn! it was good!!! good on it´s own though none of the wines we had could match up to it... and the again I also recall the first time I tried that magical port and stilton pairing quite simply the best pairing I´ve ever tasted I honestly can´t remember what style port it was so I haven´t been able to recreate that same magnificent feeling of the strong-salty cheese being washed down by the sweet complex wine.
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and.. some spam
http://www.lavacahacemu.com

If you'd like to show off some more exotic sausages, the green chorizo from Toluca looks good on this pic I found on flickr
http://flickr.com/photos/ilhuicamina/1794604871/


and some spam (not the edible kind)
http://www.lavacahacemu.com