Priscilla

I guess it's beyond me-tooism at this point, after all these estimable responses, but I will anyways add--yes, mortar & pestle. Mine is blacky-greeny solid granite, bought at a tiny store years ago when the Consort and I were rooting around amidst the then-burgeoning wonders of our Little Saigon, and the very nice man who sold it to me that day said, encouragingly, "Many people like." (Instantly became a popular catch-phrase among us, for nice things people like.) And, Liza, at that time I had less-than-zero storage space, no dishwasher, and really, just about no money, either. Just exactly the kind of cook who, historically, the world over, needs and uses a mortar & pestle the very most. Mmmm all the classic mortar & pestle sauces spread out in potential before you...lovely to contemplate.

Where's that confounded...

In my experience an excess of any one of the other ingredients fatally dilutes the basil flavor. I like the Parmigiano-Pecorino Roman combination, too, (Marcella is pretty much always correct), although I must say an Italian chef I knew, who had cooked in Liguria (Sanremo) for years, used only Parmigiano.

Had shrimp (plain, ordinary shrimp, as per CathyL) the other evening using tomato chutney as the dipping sauce. Really really good! Thank you, CathyL and Suvir for your kind words. Additional batches are most certainly in the works--I mean, it has to last the entire year, right?

When commercial mayonnaise is indicated I use Best Foods made with lime juice, in the orange-top jar, findable at some markets. It says mayonesa con jugo de limon on the label, with the familiar Best Foods logo present as well. It's very good; I like Best Foods anyway, but I think the flavor of this, obviously intended for the "ethnic" consumer, is superior. But then I mostly use lime juice in homemade mayonnaise, too, preferring it to lemon, or vinegar by itself. Kewpie is good, too--the surprising bottle experience alone I think is worth the price of admission. Added: Noticed it's made in Canada; eliminated a misspelling.

Andy, thank you, I'd appreciate your recipe. And yes, I can see the color contrast's importance, but the ideas making up the flavor profile are what grabbed my imagination!

Wow Andy this sounds sososo good. Won't mind if I half-inch your idea sometime, for personal use, will you? (Ongoing exploration of the rich-upon-rich concept.) It was the strip of smoked salmon that sent it right over the top, I bet.

CathyL, yes, the cauliflower is appealing. I think it might be the milk-cream-chutney-h.b. egg idea for me next. What came to mind upon tasting the almost-finished tomato chutney will probably seem quite downmarket or at least homely, but so be it: I thought, (and turns out I was correct!) of an austere rye cracker (that'd be Finn Crisp, in our house) topped with cream cheese or soft goat cheese and a nice stripe of lovely tomato chutney. I warned you; nothing fancy. But just the sort of thing a couple of people could sit up late with, happily polishing off a bottle of wine. Another thing I have growing, Suvir, is pattypan or cymling squash. Is there much use of summer squash in Indian cuisine?

OK. I made Suvir's Tomato Chutney too, today. CathyL is correct. It is...heavenly! All the provided good-sounding use suggestions, plus others spontaneously occurring, swirl through one's mind upon tasting. It is one of the best things ever ever ever. Thank you Suvir! And thank you, CathyL, I enjoyed reading your preparation story so much. (I started with slightly more than 8 lbs. big old Brandywines from my garden and ended up with 8 half-pints, plus a little lagniappe for the fridge.)

Helena, what condiments do you offer when you serve pelmeni?

Wow Tommy izzat your fridge you have a lot a lot a lot of condiments! I have never seen this brand of tahini maybe you've unwittingly, as opposed to wittingly, been the butt of a very elaborate practical joke...is that possible, I mean, I'm just askin'. Teehee Bigbear, only what about I see drunk people, eating RANCID tahini.

I think there is no shame, no shame at all, well maybe not too too much shame, in using good-quality fresh (toasted sesame) tahini. Toby I think this is it, mine was a large-format paperback, companion publication, maybe, to a BBC cooking series? What a good recipe. Happy to be reminded of it.

What about not using RANCID tahini is saying that also to be avoided.

Toby, thanks for that. Different book than I had--the recipe I followed had chili and garlic and ginger, as I recall. Such a good dish, in many variations.

I used to use a very good Ken Hom recipe for this dish, from a book I have since given to a friend so it's not on the shelf to check, but I think began with sesame seeds roasted, toasted, whatever, in a dry pan and ground up with the other whole-type ingredients, and maybe peanut butter as well, and other seasonings similar to Tommy's list. Using Asian vermicelli noodles makes a diff, to me, (don't know if you did or not, Tommy), and then it's just working out your personal idea of what is balance between the nut paste, the hot, the sweet, the salty, or, the balance in the dish you wish to emulate. Plus texture, don't forget texture. And, on the rancid front, it is not at all uncommon to open a new jar of tahini, even one purchased from a high-turnover Middle Eastern market, and find rancidity. When you taste a jar that is correctly fresh and mild and nutty, you will never ever doubt your own ability to discern this difference. Like with coffee, when you get, either by accident or design, really really fresh high-quality beans you know all at once that most of the coffee you've been drinking your whole life has been at least a little rancid.

Tommy if your tahini is bitter I would bet cash money it's rancid, that's all. Tahini is not bitter, all by hitself.

Parmesan would be very good, if you decide to use cheese in the dish. The not-running-to-the-store is one of the great strengths of this sort of sauce.

Rachel, a lot of excess moisture departs when you seed a tomato, anyway, and when the hot pasta and sauce are tossed together (did we mention cheese yet? Pecorino Romano is good) a lot of liquid will be absorbed. Macerating for a while is good, I think, but such a sauce is very flexible and forgiving and can go a number of ways and end up delicious. I like the idea of heating the garlic in the oil ahead of time and adding it later after cooling. I have always gone the various raw routes, from minced to bruised-and-removed. An excellent one-burner meal. What shape pasta will you use?

East-Coast (Staten Island) relatives visiting, digging the present temperateness of our West Coast weather. At ambient temperature: Bruschetta with a raw sauce of Roma tomatoes from the garden, garlic, a little onion, sage, olive oil, salt, pepper Little bites of canteloupe with little ribbons of proscuitto. Chicken which'd been slow-roasted on the grill over mesquite Piemontese green sauce, very piquant Red potato salad with chives Georgian green-bean salad, (thank you Helena Sarin!) with beans from the garden that grow intensely royal purple and cook to regular old green Bread adapted from the so-called Italian bread in Mr. Bernard Clayton's Breads of France Homemade ice cream and a quatre-quarts cake All outside, as it was temperate.

Also, those interested in using more celery could cook more Creole dishes, which often start with onion, bell pepper, and the aforementioned celery, the so-called Trinity. Tomato season makes me think of Creole cooking, anyways.

Yeah, but some people like that part the best! I'm thinking the held-proudly-aloft-pair-o'-celery-heads would make a good avatar, that's what I'm thinking. How I de-string, (others will have their own, better, ideas, certainly): After topping and tipping, if I may borrow from the green-bean vernacular, with a paring knife and my thumb I grab a few strings, shallowly, (reflective of my personality?) at the one end, and pull them away along the length. Repeat all around the demicircle. If I'm doing a lot a lot a lot, as for the aforementioned braise, I will use a veg peeler, which is fast, but also runs the risk of removing too much flesh. I have taken to, as the Consort is so keen on raw celery, prepping the entire heart of a new head, leaving on as many leaves as seem pleasantly edible, and then into water, and into the fridge. A treasure.

OK, that is my favorite Tommy-supplied graphic of all time, and I know stone-cold it will never be bested. Celery is a treasure, not an albatross! As Jinmyo said, giving it a greater role is very rewarding. I know you said, Mamster, that you did not enjoy it in a gratin, but braised, as you would endives, chicken stock and butter and herbs and the piece of paper over the pan, the whole shebang, it is so good. Subtle seeming, and yet very there. Also, I'm with Tommy, keeping it in the fridge in water to have with crunchy salt and drinks--or even with no drinks, I hasten to add--it's a treasure. Pre-de-stringed, of course.

I think foreknowledge contributes to the quality of the resulting dishes. Slightly differing information between this unofficial Iron Chef website and the Food TV website's Iron Chef FAQ, but both affirm the absence of complete surprise.

Good to know, Blue Heron. (If I ever attempt raclette at home--it is very appealing!) For Gruyere and Emmenthaler, can't-be-without-'em staples, I have always relied on TJ, too. The cheese department there continues to be relevant, holding its own against encroaching pre-prepared items. So far.

Yes. Could be a subconscious riff on Pudd'nhead Wilson's cauliflower being a cabbage with a college education.