Conference turris::cooks

    Jicama is a vegetable.  It looks like it's a root of some sort.
    When cooked it stays crunchy, much as waterchestnuts do.  I've
    found it in Shaws, in the "wierd veggies" section.
    
    --Louise

Jicama is good just with fresh lime squeezed on it or with any vegetable dip.
I see it occasionaly in Purity Supreme and Shaws.

    Another great way to eat Jicama is to grate it up and mix it with
    pineapple, mandarin oranges and a little cinnamon.  There is a 
    Mexican restaurant here that serves it this way on a bed of lettuce
    and with a dollup of sour cream and it is a great before dinner
    salad.  Yummmm!
    
    Addie

As for where to buy it, I know Idylwilde Farms in Acton has it on a regular 
basis, and I think Carlson's in Harvard might have it, too.

						     
							- JP

    I harbor the suspicion that places around here that serve raw jicama
    in salads do something to it to add moistness and get the particular
    crispness it has compared to my slightly less successful efforts.
    Like soak it in ice water, maybe, but I've never gotten around to 
    trying that.
           
    If you like Red Delicious apples, you'll love jicama.
    
                     

    Thanks!,
    	Well on short notice I substituted water chestnuts, but know
    you've answered my question about what it tastes like , I guess
    I should have used apples.
    	As far as cooking it the recipe I used called for it to be steamed,
    but that was mixed in with all the other ingredients.
    
    Marilyn

    Hi,
    
    I couldn't find a Herbs topic, so will put this question in here.
    Can any of you noters in Reading, England, tell me where I could
    buy basil in large quantities? Or, at the very least, larger
    than those tiny bunches in the supermarkets that go for
    large amounts of money. My relatives brought some parmesan
    back from Italy, and I would like to make some pesto. I've
    already checked the market.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Elizabeth

    Basil is very easy to grow.  It can even be grown in window boxes or
    pots indoors.

Absolutely. In fact, basil grows better in the UK than in New England.
There are more hours of daylight, and the climate is milder. You can
start it from seed in late Feb, plant outdoors in mid April, and have
almost full-grown plants by now.

    Those are good ideas, thanks. But I just moved back to England 
    from St. Louis so haven't had time to plant anything. Besides which
    I kill most everything I try to grow. I was looking for a more
    immediate solution to my basil problem...
    
    Any other suggestions?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Elizabeth

    When I lived in Ireland and was going through basil withdrawals, I
    contacted the local gardening centres and located a couple that sold
    10-12 inch basil plants which I grew on the south windowsill of my
    flat.  I ended up buying plants throughout the summer because I often
    stripped them before they had a chance to grow (poor fellows!). 
    However, it was still cheaper than purchasing the small and over-priced
    bunches from our local up-market green grocer.
    
    Another option, if you want to go on a pesto making spree and freeze
    the surplus, is to contact vegetable distributors for restaurants to
    see if it is possible to buy a large supply of basil.  They will
    probably have a minimum order size so be prepared to make alot of pesto
    or share the order with friends.
    
    Cathryn

    You could try the Herb Farm which is on the outskirts of Reading.  
    Telephone: Kidmore End 724220   I have not been in contact with them
    myself, but got the name from June's "Good Food" magazine.
    

    Thanks very much for that suggestion. Another person from our group 
    thought of the Herb Farm too. I am very curious as to what they might
    have and will check it out this weekend.
    
    Thanks again,
    
    Elizabeth

    I am interested in making 'mexican taco seasoning' at home.
    
    I would like a recipe from scratch to add to ground beef in order
    to have taco meat.
    
    thanks!

    
    Here's how I usually make taco sauce:
    
    Brown 1 Lb hamburg well, and then pour off any remaining fat. (You can
    add a small diced onion if you'd like as well).
    
    Add a small can of tomato sauce (8 to 10 oz).  
    
    Add 1 tablespoon ground cumin, and 1-2 tablespoons chili powder, I
    usually use 2.  This is the commercially available type such as Spice
    Islands, or McCormicks.
    
    Add a pinch of oregano if desired, I like it so I add it.
    
    Stir well, if sauce is too thick, add a little water while stirring
    until the sauce is the proper consistency for your taste.  You could 
    optionally add salt & pepper to taste.
    
    Simmer for approx 5 minutes, then proceed to make tacos as you normally
    would.  
    
    I haven't used a commercial taco mix in a couple of years since I've
    been doing it this way.  Basically, the cumin & chili powder are the 
    key ingredients here.  You can experiment in quantities and spices
    until you get something that you really like, for example, adding some
    cayenne pepper for heat, or dehydrated onion flakes etc.
    
    Enjoy, Larry
    

    Re .17
    
    Could you elaborate a bit on "make you tacos as usual"?  I love Mexican
    food, but am not quite sure how to proceed after the sauce.
    
    tx, 
    
    mj

    
    Basically, get yourself a box of Taco shells, usually come 10 to
    a box.  You can actually buy tortillas and fry them and bend them,
    but this is more work than it's worth, just buy em in a box.
    
    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    
    When you've finished cooking the hamburg and the sauce, it will be 
    fairly thick and not runny, spoon the mixture into the taco shells.
    You will have about 1/2 - 3/4" depth of mixture in each shell. Line 
    these up standing upright in a baking dish or sheet, and place them in
    the oven for 5 - 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, dice a good red tomato, shred
    some lettuce, and have some shredded cheddar cheese ready.  Take the 
    tacos out of the oven, and add the tomato, lettuce and cheese to taste
    on a per taco basis.   You can also buy a number of taco sauces such
    as Ortega that you can pour on the taco as well.
    
    So basically to summarize:
    
    - Brown hamburg well
    
    - Add tomato sauce & spices, cook till thick consistency
    
    - Spoon mixture into taco shells, bake in oven for 5-10 minutes.
    
    - Remove from oven, take a taco, add tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese
      and enjoy.
    
     Have plenty of napkins available since tacos can be messy.  They're
    great though.  Also, the back of the shell boxes usually have a recipe
    for making them.  Personally, I like making the beef/sauce from scratch
    rather than a package.  It tastes much better imo.
    
    	Hope this helps, Larry

    
    One more note, you can also make tacos using soft tortilla shells.
    Pick up a package of 6-8" tortilla shells at your local market.
    
    Heat them wrapped in tin foil for about 5-10 minutes in an oven.
    
    Spoon the taco mixture on, add the tomato, lettuce, cheese etc., then
    roll them up and eat them, kind of like a fajita.
    
    Larry

    I like to heat my soft tortillas directly on the flame of my gas
    burners.  (And when I'm into living dangerously, I flip them without
    tongs.)  I like the slight crispiness this gives it, and the occasional
    charred spot adds flavor, too.

    Everyone has a different taco method.  It's really a
    make-you-own-creation, thing.
    
    I like my cheese added on top of the meat, and then bake (or, if you
    are in a hurry, microwave) so that the cheese is melted, the taco shell
    and meat are hot, and the lettuce and tomato are cold.
    
    Also, that's the basic taco.  Variations include adding sour cream,
    salsa, jalapeno chilis, avocado, chopped veggies, or anything else that
    strikes your fancy.
    
    Personally, I don't even bother with the sauce-and-meat mixture.  I
    just brown plain meat (with some onion if I'm feeling ambitious), or
    open a can of refried beans, spread the beans or beef in the taco
    shell, add the cheese and salsa, microwave till the cheese is melted,
    add the veggies and serve.
    
    I've also called a taco in a soft (ie: flour) tortilla a burrito, but
    the definitions of these things are pretty vague.  Usually burritos are
    rolled instead of open opn top the way tacos are, and often leave off
    the lettuce/tomato, and are sometimes topped with some combination of
    sour cream, salsa, and cheese.
    
    Fold a burrito closed on all four sides and deep fry it, and you got
    yourself a chimichanga!
    
    Serve a taco on a flat, open corn tortilla and you got yourself a
    tostada.
    
    Here's a tip for calorie watchers: mix 2 parts yogurt with 1 part non
    or low fat yogurt, pour on top of your burritos and make till cheese is
    melty. 
    
    Diana

I just have to enter my mothers recipe for tacos.  It is a bit different but
this is what I grew up with.  Never had another type of taco until my late
teens.  I'd never make it now because of the calories but I remember that
I loved them.  I believe that these are closer to authentic tacos than
the ones with the prefried corn taco shells.

1 lb hamburger
1 onion
12 flour tortillas
grated sharp Cheddar cheese
chopped lettuce
12 drops Tabasco sauce
1 tsp salt
1 can taco sauce
1-1/2 tsp chili powder

 Brown onion in frying pan. Add hamburger and brown. Add chili powder, taco
sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt, dash of pepper. In frying pan heat oil about
1/2 inch deep. Fry tortillas quickly about 8 seconds on each side and
remove from pan. Fill with hamburger mixture, lettuce and cheese. Fold over
and hold together with toothpick. Refry quickly till crisp and drain.

    
    Yup, as much as I love tacos, I don't make em much anymore due to 
    the calories.  
    
    Lv
    

    Re .22
    
    Diana, 
    
>    Here's a tip for calorie watchers: mix 2 parts yogurt with 1 part non
>    or low fat yogurt, pour on top of your burritos and make till cheese is
>    melty. 
    
    Should the last "yogurt" be cheese ?
    
    Re the other replies.
    
    Thanks for the suggestions and clarification on what the different
    forms are called.  Tonight will be Mexican for dinner!
    
    mj
    

    >>Here's a tip for calorie watchers: mix 2 parts yogurt with 1 part non
    >>or low fat yogurt, pour on top of your burritos and make till cheese is
    >>melty.
    
    >    Should the last "yogurt" be cheese ?
    
    Duh.  No.  I think I posted that in Friday night.  That's what happens.
    
    The last "yogurt" should be salsa.
    
    Let's try again.
    
    Mix 2 parts yogurt (or sour cream, non-fat or full-fat, depending on
    the state of your arteries and waist-line) with 1 part salsa, pour on
    top of burritos, and bake till the cheese (in the burrito) is melty.
    
    D!

    Subj:   Spices
    
    Someone asked me about a deep purple spice that tastes lemoney. Does
    anyone have a clue as to what this might be?  They had a chicken dish
    which had it.
    
      *Susan*