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[Rob <becida AT comcast.net>]

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>From: "tvoivozhd" <tvoivozd AT infi.net>
>To: "Homestead mailing list" <homestead AT listserv.unc.edu>
>Subject: Beans and epazote
>Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 09:35:14 -0700
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>Raised some herbs this time in big pots.  The last time I raised epazote I
>couldn't tell which was epazote and which was weeds.
>
>Every Mexican cook uses epazote for black beans.  Good idea---so should you.
>A quote and URL on handling various kinds of beans.
>
>http://www.aaoobfoods.com/beans.htm
>
>Epazote is one of those ingredients that will scare a cook off.
>A lot of people don't know what epazote is, or they don't know where to buy
>it.
>They also don't know what they're missing.
>Epazote (ehp-ah-ZOH-teh) is a pungent herb that grows wild in the United
>States and Mexico. Strong-flavored and leafy, epazote is used in Mexican
>cooking, particularly in Yucatecan dishes.
>It is also a carminative, which means it reduces the gas associated with
>beans. Now that's enough to make you run out and buy some.
>But there's another reason: the incomparable flavor epazote adds to black
>beans, quesadillas and other dishes.
>"It has a strong, acidic, almost lemony flavor," chef Ben Ivey says. "You
>have to acquire a taste for it."
>Some cooks use another Mexican herb, cilantro, in recipes that call for
>epazote. The two herbs show up in many of the same recipes, but their
>flavors aren't really similar.
>Ivey always uses epazote in black beans. He recommends adding the herb
>during the last 30 minutes of cooking to maximize flavor.
>