Viva San Fermín & Dos Cafeteras

Dos Cafeteras

I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to travel fairly regularly to Pamplona, Navarra, Spain, the city made famous by Ernest Hemingway. Its San Fermín festival, known to most as the 'Running of the Bulls', got off to a riotous start yesterday and I'm sitting here chewing on one of the city's small culinary delights, Dos Cafeteras, Pastillas de Café y Leche (soft caramel candies made from coffee and milk). Back at Christmas when I was in Pamplona last, a friend of mine sent through a nice article on this nice little sweet. There's a good story behind these tasty candies so read on!

Dos Cafeteras Coffee Candies: Great Product, Great Story - The Atlantic - by Ari Weinzweig (Dec 2010)

MOO Milk

I would buy this organic milk from Maine if I could. When are farmers like these going to get decent pay?! Go out there and buy local, organic milk. It tastes better and you're supporting your local community.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/business/19milk.html

In the news: TV Nuns, Organic Farms and Rosh Hashanah

How's that for a mixed bag of news goodies?  I think I enjoy scavenging for good food news almost as much as cooking, so here are some morsels from the past week.

TV nuns show how to cook by the good book - Giles Tremlett (The Guardian)
Cloistered nuns, Sister Liliana and Sister Beatriz of the Concepcionistas Franciscanas in Segovia have their own show on Spanish cable TV called Bocaditos de cielo (little mouthfuls of heaven). They specialize in recipes (mostly sweets) that have been handed down over the generations in the convent. Sounds fabulous and if anyone knows how to watch this online - let me know! [By the way, the guy who wrote the article, Giles Tremlett, is a great writer. I highly recommend his book called Ghosts of Spain: Travels through a country's hidden past.]

Organic farm blossoms in Kenya's largest slum - Xan Rice (The Guardian)
A garbage dump is turned into a prospering organic garden.

Rosh Hashana Recipes - The New York Times online
The Jewish New Year celebrations start 29 Sept! Celebrate with some maykholim (delicious) recipes courtesy of the NY Times. These go beyond kugel to Moroccan beet salad and other exotic, seasonal fare.

UPDATE 11.30pm:  We ate the Moroccan beet salad tonight as per the NY Times recipe and it's really good.  That is, if you like beets.   

China toxin scandal moves to liquid milk - The Guardian
An update on the horrifying milk scandal.