Tamales or polenta? Either way, eat yer weeds

When we travel, we look for real people and real food.

So it was we wandered into the Mexican grocery near FallBrook.

We grabbed some green onions, a sweet potato, a small piece of ginger, a shallot, cream for coffee, cheddar cheese, butter, tamales and yummy small chocolates.

I came to the register where I was greeted with a smile. “No anglais” she said.

It was all fine until she came to the sweet potato. She didn’t know what it was. “Sweet Potato” I said. “Yam.”

She raised her hands and shrugged her shoulders.

I walked to the shelf. “Camote” I said.

“Ah, camote.”

When we returned to our lodgings, I was mostly intrigued by the tamales. $7 gave us a package of 6 wrapped in corn husks in El Salvador. Cornmeal, salt, and sugar. No spices.

There were sparse cooking facilities in our AirBnb – the proprietor was new and still learning her way, offering limited pans, a toaster oven and an underpowered microwave.

We tried to make a couple but it didn’t work out. Still, the wheels were turning. We brought the remaining tamales 5 hours north with us to Three Rivers together the pasture-raised eggs from the market.

We didn’t feel like going out but I had an idea: Those tamales were no more than polenta wrapped in corn husks.

I chopped and sauteed the veggies and then

unwrapped the tamales and sliced them into 2-inch cakes, spicing with some chipotle chili powder. Then I added eggs and cheese. The tamale slices browned beautifully and had good flavor. Same for veggies. The eggs were perfect. It came out so good I did it again two days later. I should have grabbed some dried peppers in the Mexican grocery. My only regret.

Home again, on Wednesday I stopped at Niagara Sausage Co, (on Lockport Road, the best small meat market around. Buy whatever sausage is on special.)

I grabbed a package of Keeping Traditions Pierogies, and 4 links of leek sausage. As I checked out, the guy working the register put two slightly-past prime tomatoes and a couple ears of corn in my bag.

Pierogies and sausage are easy.

What to do? I headed to the garden for garlic scapes, lemon grass, thai basil, sweet basil, oregano, mint and lamb’s quarters.

I sauteed the herbs and an onion in coconut oil. Then I

I cut the corn from the cob, chopped the tomatoes and added them to the pan. Lastly, I added the lamb’s quarter.

“Lamb’s quarters” you say? “What the hell is that?”

It’s actually a common weed in most people’s yards. Euell Gibbons thought we should rename it wild spinach. Eat the leaves. Chuck the stems. Cut it back and you will harvest all season