[stan]

Thanks Anny, at the moment the only bija I have is the powder I brought back in April. When I find a source near Kitchener ( that's a hint, if anyone cares) I'll try some in oil. I also store garlic in oil, and hot peppers. There's a pizza restaurant in Las Galeras whose owners make their own seasoned oil, not screaming hot but definitely interesting. That's where I got the idea.

Friday night, I'm going to try the Pescado con Coco using grey snapper. The local Guyanese fish store recommends that fish as a less expensive alternative to kingfish or red snapper. Jury verdict to follow. Oh God, I think I'm drowning in saliva!! Oh well.

By the way, not to teach my Aunties how to suck eggs, but I have a really easy way to make leche de coco from dessicated coconut if anyone is interested. I found it in a Thai cooking book. E mail me if you want the method, so I don't clutter up the board. Stan@kenderhome.com.

[karima]

im curious, is bija the same as bijol, if it is it is a powder that you can make yellow rice with. it is pretty easy to find

[stan]

Well, I finally tried the pescado con coco recipe on Christmas Eve. I ended up using Talapia instead of snapper because it was the only whole fish available. It was excellent. We made some Santo libres and conjured up the view of Samana bay from the balcony of the hotel whose name keeps changing. The one which incorporates the Rinconcita restaurant. Used to be called Rincon View, I believe.

It also brought back memories of an incredibly gracious young couple from Santo Domingo who had arrived to spend their honeymoon there. We thought we had booked that particular room, in advance, because we were in Samana for the Festa de Santa Barbara. We especially wanted the balcony because Lilian is mildly claustrophobic, plus of course the view. Turned out we had booked the wrong room, so plan B, trudge up to the Tropical Garden, and see what happens.

This couple, who had the balcony room, heard about this & sent Ms. LaFontaine chasing after us. They moved to another room for the night & we had a grand time on the balcony before & after the Festa, even if the Bishop blessed a hung over gringo after mass.

Another fond Samana memory. Stan.

[Julio]

Bija is annato that has been turned to powder and mixed with cornmeal or corn starch. You see if you grind annato seeds it turns into a paste; which by the way it is also sold that way too, so it has to be mixed with a starch so it can retain its powdery form.

[Jayme]

bija is the same as bijol. it is called achiote too.

[RELFresh5]

if someone could help i would appreciate it, i need a recipe translated to spanish but everytime i use a website it has other words like bad beef intead of ground beef. Could some pleaseeeeeeeeeeee translate this excact thing for me i will very much appreciate it. Thank you so much


"In a large skillet, cook and stir ground beef until browned. Drain off excess fat. Stir in salsa and water. Simmer for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling water. Drain.

Stir in green pepper and onions, and continue simmering until vegetables are tender. Stir in noodles and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese on top, and cover pan until the cheese melts. Sprinkle chopped tomatoes on the top, and serve."

[Jayme]

En un paire garnde, cocine y mueva la carne molida hasta que se ponga que se ponga oscura. Saque la grasa que sobre. Eche la salsa y agua. Cocine por 10 minutos.

Mientras tanto, cocine la pasta en agua hierviendo. Escurra la pasta.

Eche los ajies verdes y cebolla, y continue cocinando a fuego medio hata que los vegetales esten blandos. Eche la pasta y 'sour cream' ( no se como se traduce, pero es lo que le echas a los tacos y esta en la dairy seccion). Pongale queso por arriba y cubra el paire hasta que el queso derrita. Echele los tomates picados por arriba y sirva.

espero que te sirva