Comments on: Beware… http://www.saltshaker.net/20060306/beware Casting a little flavor (and a few aspersions) on the world of food, drink, and life Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:11:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: SaltShaker » Blog Archive » The Running of the Bills http://www.saltshaker.net/20060306/beware#comment-271 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » The Running of the Bills Tue, 21 Mar 2006 12:55:19 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20060306/beware#comment-271 [...] The name Fermin kept turning over in my mind. I had to wait to do an internet search to immediately be reminded of the Festival of San Fermin, the annual injury fest known as the Running of the Bulls - in Pamplona - an entirely different part of Spain, but then, Fermin is apparently a relatively common name. Iñaki isn’t all that extraordinary either, in fact, the chef at Aires de Patagonia, where we had dinner just a couple of weeks ago, is named Iñaki Goldin. But back to last night, where we didn’t order the 230 peso plate of angulas, or baby eels (yes, I know, it’s an expensive plate no matter where you might find it in the world). Angulas: Baby eels, or Elvers, caught at the mouths of the rivers in Galicia and the Basque country. Although eels mature in the freshwater rivers, they migrate by the thousands across the Atlantic to spawn in the Sargasso Sea. The eel larvae make their way back to the rivers of Spain, gradually maturing into elvers, only to be caught by fishermen, who wait for them at night when the tides are out on the mudflats, making them a trifle easier to catch. Angulas are the size of a bean sprout, so catching them is rather difficult to begin with - which makes them a very expensive delicacy. Traditionally they are served in sizzling olive oil flavored with garlic and a touch of hot pepper flakes. [...] [...] The name Fermin kept turning over in my mind. I had to wait to do an internet search to immediately be reminded of the Festival of San Fermin, the annual injury fest known as the Running of the Bulls - in Pamplona - an entirely different part of Spain, but then, Fermin is apparently a relatively common name. Iñaki isn’t all that extraordinary either, in fact, the chef at Aires de Patagonia, where we had dinner just a couple of weeks ago, is named Iñaki Goldin. But back to last night, where we didn’t order the 230 peso plate of angulas, or baby eels (yes, I know, it’s an expensive plate no matter where you might find it in the world). Angulas: Baby eels, or Elvers, caught at the mouths of the rivers in Galicia and the Basque country. Although eels mature in the freshwater rivers, they migrate by the thousands across the Atlantic to spawn in the Sargasso Sea. The eel larvae make their way back to the rivers of Spain, gradually maturing into elvers, only to be caught by fishermen, who wait for them at night when the tides are out on the mudflats, making them a trifle easier to catch. Angulas are the size of a bean sprout, so catching them is rather difficult to begin with - which makes them a very expensive delicacy. Traditionally they are served in sizzling olive oil flavored with garlic and a touch of hot pepper flakes. [...]

]]> By: asadoarg http://www.saltshaker.net/20060306/beware#comment-228 asadoarg Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:16:36 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20060306/beware#comment-228 Yep, rhubarb grows wild down here in Tierra Del Fuego. Surprised me too. I have yet to see any in the stores however. Most of the people who make preserves grow their own, have a friend who grows them, or resort to picking them in the wild. A few bakeries even prepare alfajores with rhubarb filling. I've seen rhubarb sold at a supermarket or two in Buenos Aires but only in very small quantities. Once those sold out they didn't appear again for another year; if at all. Like so many other things. Yep, rhubarb grows wild down here in Tierra Del Fuego. Surprised me too. I have yet to see any in the stores however. Most of the people who make preserves grow their own, have a friend who grows them, or resort to picking them in the wild. A few bakeries even prepare alfajores with rhubarb filling.

I’ve seen rhubarb sold at a supermarket or two in Buenos Aires but only in very small quantities. Once those sold out they didn’t appear again for another year; if at all. Like so many other things.

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