Bitch Slap!

Diana Kennedy writes in her wondrous book, My Mexico:

The good cooks of Chihuhahua do not, of course, call the USDA food safety hotline to ask it it's okay to dry their uncooked beef on a clothesline, the way it's been done for generations.

Give it to them, Diana! Show no mercy.

Linguini with Rosemary and Anchovies

Rigatoni with Brussel Sprouts & Anchovies

Trenette with Anchovies, Tomatoes and Peas

Orecchiette with Broccoli & Anchovies

The Nectar of the Gods

These are whole anchovies preserved in salt a.k.a. pure umami.

They are much preferred to anchovies preserved in oil because they are more versatile. However, they need to be deboned which is quite easy. The salt just allows you to peel each side away leaving the skeleton behind.

India : Day 7 : Post 1

This is the hotel breakfast which was one of the great WTF moments of all time.

It's pan-Indian, and a total mish-mash. It's like having pancakes, and pasta, and pad thai in the same meal. (Clearly, they are catering to some very confused tourists!)

However, the CC is purist but not that purist. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. That's eat breakfast. Especially if it's good.

India : Day 6 : Post 1

We drove to Agra on day 6. Started very early, and stopped at a local dhaba (trucker's restaurant) for a late breakfast.

Vegetables fried in chickpea batter. Nothing like a good nutritious meal to start the day right!

We liked it so much, we ordered a second round (pictorial proof provided below.) It's topped with kala namak, of course.

Piggy, piggy, piggy. Oink, oink, oink!

Kala Namak

This is the ultimate love-it-or-hate-it thing about Indian street food. It's "black salt" which is really purplish-gray in color.

It is basically salt with trace amounts of iron sulphide which give it the color and the faint smell of hydrogen sulphide. To put it differently, it smells like the gutter, and there's no way to put this politely, ripe farts. It's an acquired taste. To those that acquire it, it's like crack-cocaine. To those that don't, you're missing out. Big-time!

The CC is addicted, needless to say.

This is not going to be the greatest advertisement for this product but those who are addicted probably know what the CC is talking about. You can't live without it!

The Complete Meal