they got 'em. Dragon Fire gum. Nuts. My list of things I hate at TJ’s is really long, though. Whole Foods: I’m with Dommy. Special occasion prime beef. Maybe some Saint Agur if I have a fig cake from our local Spanish...

Last night made a great new recipe from Ana Sortun’s cookbook Spice – a Spanish fideo with toasted pasta seasoned in a richly flavored broth of ancho chiles, garlic, onions, carrots, tomatoes, vanilla bean, ground...

....even the Portuguese (who notoriously don’t like anything Spanish) admit that! And yes, I’m well award of the charms of Basque cooking, and Catalan....they still never reach the transcendent heights through simple...

the recipe! On the way back to Manhattan on the N train we sat with other chowhounds and talked about the auction winnings... We haven’t broken into the bottle of Plum "brandy" yet but I was warned that it is very potent......

If you like bananas, a Bananas Foster type dessert is totally easy. Slice firm but ripe bananas lengthwise, saute in butter and a bit of brown sugar until soft and a bit caramelized. Flame with some gold rum or brandy and serve...

prunes 1/2 cup pitted spanish green olives 1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice 6 bay leaves 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup white wine (I use a dry white) 1/4 cup fresh chopped italian parsley 1. In a large, non reactive casserole dish or bowl,...

thanks for the tip! with the little spanish i learned in high school, when you said “cabeza” ....is that meat from the head of an animal?

, truffle and crab enchiladas, grilled (over applewood), trout with morels in a white white sauce, Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia over tres leches cake made with Azteca de Oro brandy and milk from young..cows. Laphroaig 31...

, Spain, from a patron having his morning brandy. [We were in search of real coffee after the pension’s continental breakfast watered-down version of java.] My bad if I forget to mention my preference against the norm...

scoff at, has a cheesemaker in the county that specializes in Spanish cheeses, and another who makes goat cheese.

at the Matchbox but remaining unintegrated into the group (enjoying the delicious brandy-soaked cherries and washing them down, over and over, almost sidetracked us for good), and then, finally, meeting everyone at the Lakeview...