Our Picks

Sounds like you would like my grits special today - Fitz's (a local company) root beer braised lamb neck grits with smashed fried potatoes.
 
In other news...fingers crossed everyone...

竹 (Mand: zhú; Cant: zuk1) is one of the world's most beautiful plants and definitely the most useful. It is used for so many things. It's a building material - people make houses from it. It is as strong if not stronger than steel and is used as scaffolding across China, but especially in Hong Kong.  I look around my home and see this plant  everywhere. I have clothes made from it. The pen holder on my desk is made from it. You can even buy computer keyboards and mice made from it. It is made into paper.
 
In the kitchen,  it is even more apparent. Chopping boards, brushes, rolling pins, bowls baskets, serving dishes, mats, chopsticks, toothpicks and more.
 

The only thing here which isn't bamboo is the metal hanging ring on the left.
 
And we eat it.
 
I am of course,  talking bamboo.
 

 
There are over 1,400 different species but we mainly eat the shoots of only a few. Phyllostachys edulis and  Bambusa oldhamii in particular.
 
In Chinese the shoots are 竹笋 (Mand: zhú sǔn; Cant: zuk1 seon2) often abbreviated to 笋 (Mand: sǔn; Cant: seon2).
 

Bamboo shoots
 
Bamboo shoots contain a cyanogenic glycoside that produces cyanide in the gut, so must be prepared correctly by thorough cooking. The shoots are boiled, then peeled and sliced. These can then be stir fried along with other ingredients.
 

Peeled shoots
 

Sliced and peeled sweet bamboo
 
The bamboo pictured above is referred to as 甜笋 (Mand: tián sǔn; Cant: tim4 seon2) or sweet bamboo. It is sold preprepared in many supermarkets and just needs frying.  
 
Winter bamboo is harvested around November to December. I haven't seen it yet this year.
 

Winter bamboo
 
Bamboo is also pickled and is an important ingredient in Liuzhou's signature dish 螺蛳粉 (Mand: luó sī fěn) Luosifen - river snail noodles.
 
The leaves of bamboo plants are used in the kitchen, too. The are used to wrap various foods, especially 粽子 (Mand: zòng zi; Cant: zung3 zi2), sticky rice dumplings.
 

Bamboo leaves
 

Zongzi
 
The canned bamboo shoots available in many overseas Chinese or Asian stores are unknown here. In fact canned goods at all, are rare.
 
This is the whole of the canned goods section of one of the city's largest supermarket.
 

L: Luncheon meat; R Canned fish
 

Happy New Year!!!!
 
I hope every one had a great NYE.  We never go anywhere--and I like it that way.  Can't get a DUI going from the kitchen to the bedroom (well, not normally, anyway).
 
On to the food.
 
This is venison stew that I made the night before (2018 thread is closed so I'm posting here)
 

 
For NYE we wanted a bit of everything....
 
Deviled eggs and pimento cheese
 

Salad

Oysters

Shrimp

Excellent cheese

Boudin balls

And foie gras
 


 
Now, I'm off to google all the lucky foods you're supposed to eat on New Year's Day.  I already have my Rancho Gordo black eyed peas soaking.
 
After the year we had last year, I'm not taking any chances in the luck dept lol.

I was listing some things on Kijiji (Canadian Classifieds website), and I noticed someone selling a oil-stained All-Clad 14" Wok for $25. Considering the price, and the fact that I have Bar Keeper's Friend on hand, I got in contact with the owner and purchased the item. I cleaned it up removing all the stains with Bar Keeper's Friend, and now it looks pretty decent, but I'm left wondering if this piece of cookware has much use? I have an induction cooktop, and the heat does spread decently up the sides; however, stainless is notoriously non-nonstick, which is great for building a fond in certain applications, but not so great for stir frying.
 
Has anyone had success stir frying in a stainless steel vessel? Any tips or tricks? I guess depending on the dish, I could incorporate the fond into the final sauce. I'm just envisioning ripped apart veggies and protein.

Now that I've cleaned up the pan, I could probably sell it for a profit if I don't have any use for it. 

This recipe produces about 2.5 liters of soup. It can be doubled.
 
Ingredients:
 
200g (1 cup) dry red lentils (soak overnight so hasten cooking) 1 liter water for cooking the lentils - Some butter 2 onions, diced 2 carrots, diced 1 hot chili, de-seeded and diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tart cooking apple, peeled and diced 2 tomatoes, diced - 2 tbsp ginger, minced - Dry spices: 2 tsp curry leaves 1 tsp "curry powder" (mine is consisting mostly of turmeric, fennel and fenugreek) 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp sweet paprika 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp thyme 1/2 tsp cardamom powder (fresh, otherwise you may need a tad more) 1 tsp sugar (I use brown) - 150-200 ml (apx 3/4 cup) coconut cream (unsweetened) 3/4 liter up to 1 liter of stock or water 1-2 tsp wine vinegar (or some lemon juice) chopped cilantro optional: toasted cashew / pistachios / coconut chips, croutons or crackers for garnish optional strained yogurt for garnish.  
Prep:
Cook the lentils in a liter of water until fully tender. - Meanwhile, fry the onions in butter until golden. Add the carrots and fry until starting to soften. Add chili and garlic. Saute until aromatic. Add apple and tomatoes, cook until softened (~5 minutes). If the vegetables aren't fully cooked to your liking, add water and cook until they are. - Using a blender, blend smooth the ginger, 1/2 of the lentils and 1/4 to 1/3 of the vegetables. Mix it all back together in the pot. Add the dry spices, and remaining ingredients (coconut cream, vinegar, cilantro). Add 3/4 to 1 liter of stock/water to reach desired consistency. Bring to a low boil, taste and adjust. It should be gently spicy (hot) and gently sweet. It shouldn't be tart, but add vinegar if it tastes flat or overly sweet. Make sure you can get a good hint of the cardamom, it's what makes this soup for me.  
 

I recently visited London for the first time and thought i would share my dining experiences.  It was a short trip--just four nights.  My husband had to stay another week for work.  He has to go back for two of the fours weeks in January and one week in February and I am hoping to tag along for another visit, so if anyone has dining suggestions I'd like to hear them.
 
We stayed at the Intercontinental Park Lane, which was very convenient for proximity to sightseeing.  Lots of impressive Christmas decorations
 

 

 
Our first dinner was at the Savoy Grill.  Lobby decor
 

 
Crab salad
 

 
Omelet with black truffles (they also had white truffles for an uncharge but we declined)
 

 
Dover sole
 

 
Lobster thermidor
 

 
Complimentary dessert (mince pies and salted caramel chocolates)
 

 

 
Back at the hotel we had a cocktail.  This was called Mother's Ruin--it smoked and bubbled,  Very odd
 

 
The next morning we found a donut shop with a charming sign
 

 
I don't like donuts but took a picture of the display case.
 

 
 

Christmas birthday lunch. Smoked turkey salad with, slivered grapes, pickled onions, candied pecans and cranberry vinaigrette
 

 
Christmas Dinner Table

 
Mushroom soup

 
Smoked yams with allspice.

 
Greens with Benton's bacon

 
Tenderloin with soy and red wine braised onions

 
Not shown because I got forgetful, salmon log, pimiento cheese, au gratin potatoes, pickled veg and roast veg  as snacks,  sticky toffee pudding for dessert
 

Bread Pudding & Pumpkin Pie !

Tomato Sauce-
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups canned San Marzano tomatoes
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped fresh oregano
1 tbsp. sugar
Salt and pepper
Saute the onions in the olive oil, then add the other ingredients and cook over medium-low heat for about one hour.  Then blend the sauce in a food processor, pour into a container, cover and refrigerate overnight.
3 tbsp. olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried red chile flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups of the tomato sauce
Saute the garlic and the chile flakes in olive oil, then add the wine. Let the wine reduce a bit, then add the tomato sauce. At this point I turn the heat to low, partially cover the sauce with a lid and let the sauce cook until I'm ready to put the meatballs in.
 
Meatballs-
2/3 cup milk
3 slices white bread, crust cut off
 
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
 
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground veal
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 cup ricotta
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 eggs
2 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley
1 tbsp. chopped fresh marjoram
2 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano
salt and black pepper
 
Olive oil
 
Soak the bread in the milk.  Saute the garlic and onion in olive oil just until the onion is tender, about 2 minutes.  In a large bowl, combine the soaked bread, onions and garlic and all the other ingredients and mix really well.  Form into meatballs and saute in olive oil until the meatballs are browned.  Turn the meatballs into the tomato sauce, and cook until the meatballs are done, about 20 minutes.  I served the meatballs on fried "polenta" and then garnished with some of the tomato sauce and grated parmesan.
 

Baked 6 loaves of bread yesterday.  Ran out of oomph, so 2 more to go today.
 

Here.

Broke this up this morning:

@Darienne's Toffee.  This turned out exceptionally well this year.  Perfect yielding crunch, almost no chocolate loss and it broke into nice squares.  It tastes heavenly.  It always tastes heavenly, but I've never had the chocolate cling so nicely before.  Usually breaks of in sheets.  This year instead of melting the chocolate and spreading it on the 30 minutes cooled toffee, I waited only a few minutes and while the toffee was still screaming hot (but firming up) and sprinkled the chopped chocolate on.  It melted almost immediately and I spread it out and sprinkled on the finely chopped almonds.  Once the chocolate was slightly firm, I scored it as deeply as I could with a knife.  It broke almost perfectly.  Thank you, @Darienne!  Mr. Kim swooned when he tasted it this morning!
 
@Darienne - question for you: how do you store your toffee?  I did some research and found that because Engstrom's toffee has so much butter in it, they suggest storing it in the refrigerator.  Is that what you do for yours?

I had many great meals in Paris.. L’Ambroisie was simply the best. 

Baklava. Two types -
One made with walnuts and pistachios. Flavored with tahini, anise seed, orange zest and cinnamon. Lightly soaked with rose water flavored syrup.
The other made with hazelnuts and walnuts. Flavored with cinnamon, a hint of coffee and cardamom. Same rose syrup.
 
 

 

Does anyone have helpful hints or methods for removing the skin from pork bellies? (I'm making pancetta.) It's a slow tedious task, and I'm thinking there must be a better way than I'm now doing it. Skin down on the cutting board, and after trying several knives, have settled on using a small deba, with the bevel towards the skin. These particular bellies are very lean, with almost no fat next to the skin, so a ham slicer didn't work.
Any suggestions? Sticking them in the freezer to partially stiffen them?

I am a fan of Knob Creek. 

My PB cookies – some made into PB Blossom cookies with the new Hot Cocoa Hershey Kisses:

Daube de joues de bœuf aux carottes et coquillettes (beef cheek stew with carottes and elbow pasta)
 
I adapted Yves Camdeborde’s recipe to the pressure cooker - 1 hour on high, natural release. It was incredible! The meat was extremely tender and the sauce as rich and satisfying as I remembered from having the dish at the Comptoir in Paris.
 
I got the meat from my favorite butcher shop, Siesel’s.  
 
 
Going into the pressure cooker
 
After 1 hour
 
Plated (I added some parsley for color)
 

Two Eggs (Over Easy) and Meat (Bacon) with Biscuit and Hashbrowns at Miller’s Seawall Grill, Galveston
 

Reporting from further back in the plane 😉  I can say that the food in steerage continues to not be so good.  Here is British Airways to London in "World Traveller Plus" (basically, premium economy).  I ordered an Asian vegetarian meal.  Behold...
 

 
So on the left, well, I am not sure.  It kind of tasted like falafel, but with curry sauce.  To the right, okra and cauliflower curry.  Naan and a random roll.  Dessert was galub jamun.  This meal was basically inedible with way too much salt but I was not hungry having eaten before getting on the plane so no big deal.  
 
On the way back, I switched to a lacto-ovo vegetarian meal out of consideration for the people around me who might not like curry scent.  I did not think of that for the flight over.  Here it is:
 

 
This is the same vegetarian meal they offer in business class, though I am sure it is presented in a nicer way.  It's supposed to be ricotta gnudi.  Note the burned left side.  I saved the calories and made an omelet when I got home 🙂  

Sunday, scallop rolls and fries while watching the football game
 

 
Monday I tried a recipe that I got in an email from the New York Times for slow roasted spicy salmon in olive oil with a cucumber feta salad.  The spices were crushed fennel and coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.  The recipe yielded very moist and tender salmon.  I was less enthusiastic about the plating suggestion, which was to break the salmon up into big chunks and surround it with the cucumbers and feta.  It would have looked nicer as one big piece.  I'll probably use the oil poaching technique again though.
 

 
Last night, Thai-flavored fish cakes (made with the dreaded pollock that my fish share sticks me with occasionally) with spicy cucumber salad and rice
 

Today was a dreary rainy day, so I had to bake something. (No, I do not notice any disconnect in that sentence.) This is a favorite that I haven't made in quite some time: Carole Walter's Dried Cherry Almond Pound Cake. It is so good. It freezes beautifully. (Although this one will be eaten!). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q8zTVlZ19c
 
Mmmm.  The sweet, spiced aroma of a freshly baked pumpkin pie wafting over the Thanksgiving table.  A large bowl of chilled, sweetened cream is passed around the table, a cool dollop of cream cascading over a slice of “homemade” pumpkin pie.  (In many households, removing a frozen pie from a box and putting it in a hot oven is considered “homemade.”).
 
Americans can’t seem to get enough pumpkin pie during the Holidays.  Some 50 million pumpkin pies are sold for Thanksgiving dinner and according to astute company marketing executives, 1 million of the pies are sold at Costco. And Mrs. Smith sells a few million of her oven-ready, frozen pumpkin pie.
 
In August of 2013, we debuted the Summer Squash Cook-Off (http://forums.egullet.org/topic/145452-cook-off-63-summer-squash/)
where we presented a number of tasty zucchini and patty pan dishes showcasing summer squash. But our squash adventure wasn’t over.  Today we expand our squash lexicon with the debut of eG Cook-Off #71: Winter Squash.
 
(Click here http://forums.egulle...cook-off-index/ for the complete eG Cook-Off Index).
 
Cut into jack-o-lanterns for Halloween and crafted into cheesecake for Thanksgiving, pumpkin reigns supreme each Fall.  But pumpkin is just one variety of winter squash--squash that grows throughout the summer and is harvested in fall.  The acorn, butternut, spaghetti, hubbard, kabocha, red kuri, delicata, calabaza and cushaw are but a few of the many winter squash cousins of the pumpkin.
 
Winter squash is not always the best looking vegetable in the produce section--knobby, gnarled and multi-colored, winter squash has a hard, tough skin.  Peel back the unfashionable skin and sweet, rich squash meat is revealed. 
 
Winter squash cookery doesn’t end after the last slice of pumpkin pie.  You can stuff it with a forcemeat of duck confit and sautéed mushrooms, purée roasted squash into a creamy soup garnished with lardons or slowly braise squash with peppers and corn in a spicy Caribbean stew. 
 
Please join us in sharing, learning and savoring winter squash.

A spinoff from another thread. What is "prime" beef. And is it worth paying for? Do we even know what we're buying?
Then Chad sayeth:
Then ExtraMSG said
Megaira said
By the way, the USDA recognizes eight gradations of meat:
- Commercial
- Utility
- Cutter
- Canner
- Standard
- Select
- Choice
- Prime
As Shirley Corriher says
The rest are used for commercial, institutional, canned and "other" end products.In our recent Q&A with Mr. Cutlets we discovered the prime crime, the degredation of "prime" beef over the last many years. Yet there are companies out there who are trying to preserve the best traditions of prime beef, Excel Corporation, a division of Cargill, being one. A disclaimer. Excel is a former client. I've spent a lot of time with them. I know their cattle tracking and grading processes. I know the kill floor. These people are serious about keeping prime prime.
So what is "prime" beef? What should it be? Is the "prime crime" eroding what we know about top quality beef?
Do we care?
Chad

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