We went out for dinner with our dear neighbors last night. Mexican food ... i wasn't "good" but i COULD have been much worse! :-) The big highlight, though, came after we had mopped up the DELICIOUS fajitas (which i ate with a fork rather than wrapped in tortilla) -- there's a little market and carniceria attached, and OH MY GOD THE BEAUTIFUL MEAT!!!
Cow and pig parts like i've never seen before! You know those cute little shrink-wrapped pre-seasoned pork tenderloins -- i SNEER at them. Carniceria Latino Americana has pork tenderloin that would make a steer jealous! They have fresh pork hock done up in beautifully-matched pairs (bought some) -- they have pig feet and chops and slabs of ribs, they have beef feet with the leg almost up to the knee, and liver and the most gorgeous thick slices of shank (got a pair of those too) and ... and ... and!
Having a pretty full freezer already, i limited myself, but brother have i got a new butcher-shop to love! Who cares that the butcher himself may be a little English-challenged -- it'll be incentive for me to brush up my Spanish and learn some new words, meat-cut-related of course. The girl who waited on us at table said that he does the meat-cutting himself (as compared to what you see in most groceries). And the place was so CLEAN -- not an off-scent in the place, as compared to the oriental place down the road.... Assuming the meat i bought is as good as it looks, i'll have to go back and try the chicken and fish, too.
Did you buy beef or pig feet the first time? Most people who are not familiar with cooking such parts underestimate the cooking time. I just use a pressure cooker.
ReplyDeletei only bought fresh ham-hocks and some beef shank, though coincidentally i have some pigs' feet in the freezer. i'm a big fan of long slow cooking of tougher but more flavorful cuts. :-) i don't own a pressure cooker, but i have TWO crockpots!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great find!
ReplyDeleteCherokee street is a rejuvenated place in StL with some very kewl shops and restaurants....
DeleteSometimes it takes too much time to cook pig feet till its fell apart.
ReplyDeleteFortunately I can spare the time....:-)
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ReplyDeleteHi Tess, I love cool new food finds! My latest discovery was yesterday. I shop mostly at farmers markets or my local co-op, but I needed to go to a regular grocery. And this bacon caught my eye: http://foxvalleyberkshire.com/ The farm is about an hour away from home. I plan to make a visit this summer.
ReplyDeleteAnother recent local find, now a staple: http://www.bolzanomeats.com/
Other food-related treasures include the film "Sweetgrass" and the book "Kitchen Literacy"...
Hi, Desmodus! Aren't such finds exciting? :-). I'll have to check those out....
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