Squeat Mungry

Thanks for that. I'm sitting here at the office in a panic because I blew off the Farmer's Market and still haven't bought brussels sprouts. I'm praying I can wedge myself into Golden Produce after work, and that they'll still have some decent sprouts! Looking forward to the pictures! Thanks again for the blog. Cheers Squeat

Two Jacks Wow. Thanks. I was going down the too-HAH-gays route. Looks like a great place, though.

I'm sorry but I'm one of those people who needs to subvocalize everything he reads. Can someone give me a clue as to how to pronounce "Tujagues"? Thanks. Squeat PS Thanks Jason and Rachel for all the great reporting and photos of NOLA cuisine!

"Thanksgiving IV" Thanks for the harvest, For turkey and... canned red gel?!?! What's up with that shit?

Wow. I feel honored and flattered to have this simple recipe so well-received. I do hope you prepare it, and I am sure it will be a success, because it is so simple, yet so impressive. (It is seriously good, folks!) I do need to acknowledge, however, my dear friend G., who walked me through it over the phone the first time I made it, when I had very limited kitchen skills or knowledge. She has now turned her endeavours towards interior design, at which she excels, but at that time was still serious about a food career, and I was in awe and extremely envious of her time at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, which for all I know may have been the original source for this simple preparation. It is surefire, however, and has converted many former brussels sprouts haters/fearers. Wishing everyone the delicious warmth of the holiday, A Truly Thankful Squeat

Thanks! Much appreciated. I'm at work now so can't watch it here. I have a lot to do before Thursday, but I'll try to make time when I get home, because this is a subject that I'm interested in. I just picked up a used copy of The Unsettling of America, but haven't started it yet. Thanks again.

"Thanksgiving III" Gram's had too much booze. She won't even remember Dissing the stuffing.

"Thanksgiving II" Isn't that funny? The gravlax was over there. Where has the cat gone?

"Thanksgiving" Family and friends Look who showed up after all Where's my martini?

I know what you mean. Such an event in Berkeley does seem redolent of "preaching to the choir" and self-congratulatory gladhanding. I wonder if anything truly useful ever does result from these things. I'm looking forward to seeing the webcast, and to hearing your thoughts on it. Cheers, Squeat PS The Giants are simply an embarassment at this point.

Thanks. I was planning to go, but ended up stuck at the office until after 8:00. What were your impressions? Could you please post a brief report? Thanks!

The garden sounds (and looks) wonderful, making this apartment-dweller extremely jealous. Can't wait to see pics of the turkey farm! Thanks again for a great blog. Squeat Edited to add: that Ojai Lemonnaise sounds delicious! I'm going to have to track some down.

squeat, that's the best way to treat a burn...i've always thought! sailors must heal faster than cooks . I've known lots of both, and can only conclude that whoever coined the phrase "swears like a sailor" had never met any cooks! Come to think of it, I think my beautiful young friend also used solarcaine on her facial burn. SuzanneF: Do you really not keep ice around? How do you cool down your eggs? Crisp your greens? Shock your vegetables? Most importantly, how do you chill your martinis? Cheers, Squeat

A good friend of mine was working the line, and somehow when in the weeds and grabbing a pan in a hurry from under the salamander managed to dump the contents (which, for still unexplained reasons, was nothing but boiling oil) directly onto her face! (This is a stunningly beautiful young woman, by the way.) The right side of her face instantly became a hideous red blister. Get this: she applied an ice-filled rag for like two minutes, then rushed back to the line to help drag her coworkers out of the weeds! Her face was gruesome and painful to look at for about two weeks, her right eye swollen completely shut. (I think she finally applied some aloe after the shift). A month later she was miraculously back to looking like a fashion model. She never once complained about it, saying it was all in a days work. Brave girl. Squeat

I'm no scientist, and I'll look forward to more authoritative responses, but I do remember hearing Sara Moulton say something to the effect of flash-frozen peas usually tasting as fresh or fresher than those you can find in the average supermarket, simply because they are frozen immediately upon being picked. I do know from personal experience that the fresh taste of peas begins to deteriorate extremely rapidly once they have been picked and shelled. Squeat

Yep. Cookin' on Divisadero near Page. Run by a very cranky and just plain weird woman. Lots of cool stuff in there, but her prices are ridiculous!

I burned myself last night, too! On the rack of the toaster oven as I was clumsily removing a roasting pan. I've heard that the best thing is to get it under running cold water immediately. Like within 3-4 seconds for greatest effect. I find, however, that I usually spend at least the first 15 seconds trying to treat the burn with a continuous stream of obscenities. I'm sorry you hurt yourself. Hope it's feeling better. Squeat (Edited for grammar.)

No. 1 is similar to what I do, except I usually just put the sugar and spices in the mug, then pour the rum and hot water over them and float the butter on top. I've never used Vanilla, though, and I just don't understand the use of vanilla ice cream. Wouldn't that be another drink altogether? Squeat

Oh, man! This is like asking which are my three favorite limbs! Or which are my three favorite fingers! The right arm or -- to switch to the finger metaphor -- the opposable thumb of cheeses for me would have to be parmigiano regiano. I always have this around and use it daily. Pastas, gratins, croutons, breading; I even spread it grated with cream cheese on toast for a snack. A really nice cheddar like Neal's Yard. Melts well and perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches. But this would have to be tied with Gruyere. Some kind of blue: gorgonzola, roquefort, Point Reyes or even Maytag. But what about snacking cheeses? Morbier. Gouda. This is too hard! It's making me crazy! Fortunately I don't actually have to choose just three. What Jinmyo said. What SuzanneF said. What FistFullaRoux said. Squeat PS Suzanne, isn't that Red Hawk something?

My personal favorite is San Francisco's own (swiped from Ireland, of course) Irish Coffee. The best place to get one is still the original Buena Vista Cafe, but I make a pretty good one myself. Cheers, Squeat

As Verjuice noted, they are the perfect accompaniment to brussels sprouts. While parboiling the sprouts, I render some bacon or pancetta, then gently saute the sprouts with chestnuts in the fat and toss back in the bacon/pancetta; finish with a dash of balsamic vinegar and lots of freshly ground black pepper. A big hit every time. Squeat

A few years ago I visited Seattle, and, on the advice of a chef friend here in San Francisco, stopped off the morning of my return flight at an Italian deli adjacent to Pike's Market (forget the name of the place) and got a fresh ("arrived this morning by jet from Italy!") black truffle which was sold to me packed in arborio rice. That evening back in SF my chef friend and I made a truffle risotto... unbelievably good! The entire house filled with the heady aroma, and the flavor was ineffable. I've had shaved white truffles a couple of times, and their flavor is even more divine. The oil adds a depth and richness to many ordinary foods. On the other hand, I despise chocolate. Cheers, Squeat

Nick, this is really interesting to me. Suribachis are beautiful, but how are they more useful (to you) than my granite mortar and pestle? Now I'm thinking I might have to have one. Thanks, Squeat

GG, very much looking forward to a holiday week in Vermont! I must say it's very brave of you. (I was hoping for snow, though. I miss snow, sometimes.) Cheers, Squeat

Thanks for a great blog, Cusina! Hope you enjoyed writing it as much as I've enjoyed reading it! What kind of scotch? Dewar's is my ordinary, though I do enjoy the single malts when I feel like splurging. Cheers, and thanks again! Squeat