ambra

I really like Buca Manzoni for lasagne. I say lasagne because it's so good, I've never tried anything else there. They serve the tortellini in a huge terrine, but I'm not really a fan of tortellini. Very old school place, fantastic staff. Next time I go, I'm going to this new meatball shop. Unless I find out it sucks. Everything there is round. No idea if it's any good. But sounds fun. http://www.bolpetta.com/ Every time I go to Bologna, I get my husband a bottle of grappa that's been aged in Jack Daniel barrels at the Enoteca Italiana there. I can never remember the brand to order it online. If you'll have a car, I can recommend this totally off-the-beaten-track place in the mountains (Sasso Marconi) that is really delicious. But you need a car for sure.

I bought four lbs. of short ribs from the butcher a few weeks ago and when I did, he instructed me to age them at least 10 days in the fridge before using them or freezing them. This was because he hadn't completely finished aging them and if they were eaten right away, they would be too tough. I forgot that he said that and I put them directly in the freezer. I'm just wondering what I should do now. If I braise them will they still be too tough? Will the braising take care of that? I really don't know much about aging or cooking with short ribs for that matter. I was just so happy to see the cut (which is not popular where I live) that I bought all that he had. Thanks in advance.

Thanks, I will give it a try then.

The power went out at my house while I was on vacation and, setting aside the hundreds of dollars in frozen meats, sauces etc that I had to throw out, what about my starter? It was sitting in a lukewarm fridge for about 5 days....is it even worth trying to revive? Or should I just toss the whole thing in favor of a new one? Thanks!

I make my own too (since I can't get them either) and I usually make them too thick. So my advice would be to make them as thin as you possibly can.

rlibkind, I will try the raw onions then, thank you. Scamhi, I don't prick the dough. I can try that. Boudin, because the filling falls out and burns even more in the toaster. heehee. Thanks all for the suggestions. I think the problem is, the recipe makes for an ENORMOUS oven spring. So you guys are saying that I could fill them with the onions to weight the dough down BEFORE the second proofing? I do make the depression before the second proof but they still bolt up in the oven. Anyway, thank you for the compliments. It's really a good recipe, maybe I should just put up with it. But only after I try your suggestions.

These are my bialys, aren’t they beautiful? But you can see the obvious problems. They’ve popped. The indent bounces back. My question is, how do I get the hole I make when forming them, to actually stay a hole, and not pop? Is the problem that my dough is too wet? If I add more flour, will I still have that beautiful crumb I get? Also, the onions burn every time. Has anyone ever tried to make bialys with raw onions? The recipe I follow says to sauté first, which is what I have been doing. This is the recipe I have been using. The only real change I make is that I add a couple of spoonfuls of malt. I also can’t get bread flour where I live so I use all all-purpose flour. (The equivalent to it, anyway.) Thank you in advance.

Always a pleasure seeing your menus and food!

they do it in Italy. It's called homefood or something like that. I didn't enjoy the dinner I went to.

Those look horrible. I can't even get over it.

Oh, my god, that babka looks incredible.

Pamela Sheldon Johns wrote a cookbook on Tuscan peasant food called, "Cucina Povera" that might interest you. You might find a lot of recipe compilations online too. I know my father's town in Italy lists many classic recipes on their city website. And I can't think of any off the top of my head, but there are many blogs that are based around "Nonna's" cooking. (nonna means grandmother in Italian.) I'm sure that could help if Nonna was cooking on tight budget!

They often taste like raw flour for me.

Thanks, everyone. My family doesn't much know what American Chinese food looks like so I think I can give them anything. But I get what you're saying, weinoo. I looked at the menu and it was quite enticing, I must say. I will definitely take a look at those other places, Mayur! Thanks for the head's up. Definitely something to think about-especially since my son is going on four.

It's been fantastic!! thanks for showing us your world!!

Can you taste the oats in the frikadeller? I was thinking of trying them. (BTW, I finally found the spelt flour and can't wait to try your recipe. )

so if you only get one chance to eat delicious Chinese in NY, would this be it? Or would there be a better choice? (Yes, I'm planning a trip an there's only so much Chinese my family will let me make them eat. )

Is the book dedicated to baking with spelt flour? I've always treated it precisely the same way as plain wheat flour, although I'll if a recipe calls for cake flour, I'll cut it with a bit of rice flour, since the protein content is pretty high. I don't know that Gabriele Bonci is that much of a celebrity outside of Rome or Italy. In any event, his pizza is great, and according to knowledgeable expat writer and Roman food guru Katie Parla, the book is worthy. Weinoo, that's why I put celebrity in quotes, but since mjx has a connection to Italy, I thought she might know who he was. Sorry i wasn't clear though. I am not convinced by some of his weird pizza topping combinations, but that's just me. For example, licorice on pizza sounds vile to me. I do however like a lot of what he writes about the process. (and some other yummy combinations. ) Like I said, only my humble opinion. Still love his pizza. Can't wait for his bakery. (p.s. he's on national TV in Italy every week so may be at least somewhat famous outside rome. ) Mjx, Not at all dedicated to the flour. but he recommends it a lot. I am dying to try it and you've just convinced me further. Your bread looked wonderful.

Mjx, that would be Bonci. I have his book which I haven't decided if I like yet.

I keep meaning to buy spelt flour. The bread is "all the rage" in Italy now. Also thanks to a "celebrity" baker. I'm just curious, since you bake a bread a week, have you considered keeping a starter?

I make this non-traditional version all the time. it's a really good, quick (even if it's better when the meat marinates for a while) substitute. I usually make homemade sourdough ( I know it's not traditional, but it's the bread I most often make and it's a much better choice than the saltless Tuscan bread available to me.) I never use the mayo since I don't get why it's even there but that's probably because I dislike mayo. And I rarely make pate.

I only use vinegar. I don't even like it if it is made with lemon. and I agree that too much garlic or one that has sat for a long time is way to strong.

Franci, I forgot to respond upthread, but we had made pasta al forno with little tiny meatballs. My son is a hugely picky eater and he drives me crazy. He also thinks he only wants pasta with butter yet when it is put in front of him, he won't eat it. Obviously, because it's boring or he is sick of it. I do find that he eats better when in the company of others leaving me to believe his likes and dislikes are all "in his head." He even eats at school. And there they have a pasta course AND a meat course. He never eats meat at home. You mentioned leaving, are you going to another part of Europe? (I hope I didn't miss where you already said this!) I was also wondering are you going to be making anything with the zucchini flowers? I have some to use up and wanted to see if your idea was better than mine. heehee

If we're thinking of the same thing, it's called "L'ost" in Italy. I've watched it a few times, but only found the part where they explain the recipes interesting. He's got a ton of shows though and only recently started another cooking show.

Looking forward to your blog! We went Pugliese for Lunch today too.