Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Fuzzy,

I guess I just haven't come across those recipes, yet. Actually, that's not too surprising with the Mexican food, since I don't really cook that much of it. For that matter, I've only made a few Southeast Asian dishes. I do love the food, so I'm sure I'll eventually dive in, but right now I'm cooking for the decidedly unadventurous.

Mary,

Do you have any of Diana Kennedy's books? I remember she has a lot of recipes w/dried shrimp - I think more than fresh shrimp, in one book! Oaxacan cuisine uses a lot of dried shrimp. Mexican dried shrimp are larger, as a rule, and some of the recipes have what seems like a very large amount in them. They have a slightly different flavor, but the Asian variety can be substituted.

Dave,
I have looked at Diana Kennedy's books but ingredients for Mexican food are rather hard to get here. I might do some investigating of Oaxcan recipes though.

Mary

I had that same thought, Mary, while looking at some of the recipes I have made. They called for epazote, avocado leaves, and hoja santa. Not even easy to get around here, with a large Mexican population!

I can't even get fresh jalepeños. My Mexican cooking has not been very adventurous.
I need to restock dried chillis next time I am in the US.
Mary

So I take it spicy cooking hasn't become popular over there, as it has in the US? It is amazing how many peppers are available over here, even in hole-in-the-wall markets. A friend of mine in Vermont, who could find these things just 5 years ago when he first moved there, can now find 3 or 4 fresh chiles, and a bunch of dried ones, and one place even stocks lemongrass, due to the interest in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Maybe you will be as lucky some day soon.

Asian and Turkish things are pretty easy to get. I recently found something very much like a banana pepper in the Turkish grocer in my town. There is a Mexican grocer in Zurich that I really need to get back to. The fresh stuff she had was very limited and expensive.

Swiss people tend not to eat very spicy food so peppers are not a big sell. We keep getting more and more things, so I need to be patient. I am always surprised at the stuff my parents can get now in rural PA. When we first moved there no one knew what a bagel was!

Mary