August 2003

Lupe Pintos Mexican Deli

Fiona Anderson, who writes for 'The List' magazine, reviews Discover the Taste's event at Mexican deli Lupe Pintos on 20 August 2003.

Ever wondered if the worm at the bottom of a bottle of tequila really has hallucinogenic properties? Or wondered whether you would rather eat or wear 'Hush Puppies'? And ever fancied making a hot steaming Creole Chicken Gumbo from scratch, and not from a jar? Or maybe you just want to tell your tortillas from your tomatillos?

If you've wondered about any of the above, then this food event certainly satisfied both mind and tummy.

The evening was hosted at Lupe Pintos deli in Tollcross. Edinburgh. Dougie Bell - a quiff-totin', R&B lovin', wise-crackin' local character - co-founded the deli with his partner Rhoda Robertson, in the early '90s, in line with their passion for all things Mexican, Cajun, Soulfood and Creole. Although South American products dominate the shelves, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Caribbean, South African and Creole food also appear. The deli also stocks a huge choice of hot sauces; some sound like medical complaints, or at the least, dodgy 'top shelf' videos: 'Fifi's Nasty Little Secret', 'Red Ringpiece', or 'Iguana Radioactive Sauce' anyone?

Dougie and Rhoda have also been celebrating the recent launch of their latest cookbook - 'Two Cooks and a Suitcase' - a delicious hotpot of spicy recipes and anecdotes about their year travelling throughout the Americas, researching authentic recipes and meeting a variety of inspiring and/or shady characters along the way.

On the night, as guests were welcomed with glasses of wine, Dougie got into his element: regaling the audience with travel tales whilst demonstrating some mouth-watering recipes from the cookbook. Dishes included a fragrant chicken in toasted pumpkin seed sauce, creamy refried beans, and an array of salsas, guacamole, crumbled white cheese, tortillas and gorditas (the savoury Mexican equivalent of Scotch pancakes). Guests were encouraged to create their own tortillas using a mix of ingredients, and although some of our results were more Blue Peter than Cordon Bleu, happy munching sounds and much finger-licking soon ensued.

Dougie rounded off with a highly entertaining talk about tequila and the whole family of 'mescals'. Popular myths were debunked, unusual facts discussed (Did you know there's currently a world shortage of tequila? Buy tequila futures now!) and of course a healthy tasting of one of the many top quality tequilas available. Indeed, the cookbook itself rounds off with a chapter on tequilas with recipes for cocktails including an authentic 'no nonsense' margarita (fresh fruit and crushed ice is strictly for the ladies!).

The evening finally came to a mellow end, with guests given party bags with a copy of the cookbook.

The cookbook, 'Two Cooks and a Suitcase', retails at £10, and is available at the Edinburgh and Glasgow shops and through Scorpion Press, Edinburgh.