agnolottigirl

Bainbridge Island Farmer's Market, Saturdays, 9-1 at City Hall. Last week: veggies (mostly organic, also including veggie starts for your garden), cut flowers, baked goods, tamales, jams and salsas, fresh juice, assorted plants, goat cheese, honey, and a range of crafts (pottery, glass/beads, jewelry, homemade lotions and potions). . . and music. Fun day trip if the weather's nice. Link here: http://www.bainbridgefarmersmarket.com/

Oooh, I HATE this too!! Wouldn't you think that, with a book that clearly aspires to be frequently used, you would go the extra 50 cents per copy?! I've seen that the newer versions actually include a CD-ROM. . . me, I'd prefer a non-crap binding!

I mainly use it as a reference (both for ideas and for specifics--like, what's the internal temp for pork again?) and then tweak from there. Good stuff that is now part of the standard rotation are some of the lentil recipes, a Thai-style fish cake recipe, and a couple of the chicken-roasting ideas. I did just make his recipe for strawberry-rhubarb pie the other day, using the "enriched" version of his pie crust recipe, and it was fantastic. Best pie crust I've ever made, for starters, and the pie itself was perfect. (Of course, the fact that the fruit was gorgeous would have made this hard to screw up.) That said, Mr. Agnolotti recently used a recipe out of the book for chocolate-chip cookies and they sucked. . . we actually threw them away. And for Mr. A to throw away any sort of sweet thing -- well, jeez, come to think of it, I don't think it's ever happened before! It's possible he forgot or mismeasured, I suppose?

Li'l Smokies (mechanically separated meat . . . blech) American cheese (Singles, in particular) Fat-free chese (wtf IS that, anyway?!?!) Blue foods other than berries

Naked Juice's OJ rocks and is a little cheaper than Odwalla, at least in my local market. Alas, nearest Trader Joe's is more than an hour from home for me.

But surely that's the only time/excuse to make it that way, no? Here's a tip (to get back on topic) . . if you write to a restaurant and ask them for a recipe, it's a good idea to double-check the quantities before you begin. In my early pasta-making days, I wrote to a little mom and pop Italian restaurant where I had eaten some delicious filled pasta. Got a lovely, personal note back from Franco and Maria, complete with the recipe in charmingly Italianate English. Went right ahead and followed the recipe. . . and made enough agnolotti to feed an entire village. Three pounds of flour should have tipped me off. . . .

Oooh, details! Title? When will it be out? Marcella is my hero(ine). . . .

You're going to be a happy camper at the Met!

There's hope, though, Milt. . . my parents STILL love to tell people about my yearlong french fries and bacon phase. I pretty much eat everything now. . . but wonder whether my earlier poor diet stunted my growth! (Hey, this just occurred to me: was I the earliest-ever adopter of the Atkins Diet?)

If what you're after is a properly cooked and nicely seasoned slab o' beef, steakhouse sides ('taters and Caesars), and old-school cocktails (think Martinis and manhattans), the Met should fit the bill nicely. It's almost a time warp by now, but for what it is (and it doesn't claim to be anything else), I think it's swell.

I am almost out of it now, but I made some killer chutney this summer to help a friend avoid composting several bushels of green tomatoes. . . turns out green tomato-apple chutney on meatloaf is reeeeealllly gooooood.

Um. . . (can't find emoticon scratching its head in perplexity) where exactly is SCC, again?

Galettes. . . apples and chard (with onion or shallot) are delicious. I like the pastry for this one with a little whole-wheat flour, makes it a bit crunchy, more substantial. Edit to add: oh, yeah. . . and don't forget the cheese! Goat cheese, blue cheese, whatever you got.

Alternatively, check out Marcella Hazan's (it's in Marcella Cucina, I think) recipe for pork loin "wild boar style." I have made this using shitakes (what she recommends if one isn't fortunate enough to have fresh porcini on hand), and it is fan-freakin-tastic. Truly. You marinate the pork with red wine, onions, celery, thyme, and bay overnight. . . and while you get the pork browned and then cooked through, you simmer the marinade down with the mushrooms in it. Gooooooood. . . and in the unlikely event you have leftovers, you take the whole thing and use it in tomato sauce over pasta the next day.

The variations are probably endless, but sometimes I also throw in sundried tomatoes and/or broccoli. Often with anchovies. Yeah, yeah, so the broccoli's probably not authentic. . . but good anyway, and it makes a one-pan dinner (if you zap the broccoli in the mic). So there.

If these ingredients look good at the market, this salad is tasty and springy. . . nice interplay of flavors and textures, imo: mixed greens (arugula is good too--if you like it) blood orange sections (or regular oranges) avocado chunky sea salt balsamic vinegar (You can add some light oil if you want, though if your avocados are good and ripe, you may not need it.) Very lightly dredge the scallops and pan sear as others have described. Arrange them on top of your salad. Mmmm.

Ooh, thanks for the correction re Pat's address, johnnyd. . . like it's not hard enough to find already!! I'd say Dogfish is a little light in the ambiance department (the lovely view of the Greyhound station and all that), but the food was very good.

Another vote for Hugo's here--can't beat it. And I think they are still running the midweek special: 3 courses (app/entree/dessert) for $30, which is a screaming deal. The tasting menu is fantastic, but more a special-occasion thing, for me anyway; but the bar menu is also available for people without the time or $ or appetite for the full deal. The last time I tried to go to the Saltwater Grille, in South Portland, it was closed--for the season, maybe? Good place. I recently posted a note about the Dogfish Cafe--relatively new place just off Congress, very good food, but make sure you go on a night they are offering specials (menu is limited otherwise). Also really like Pat's, on Forest, above the butcher shop. Sort of a Chez Panisse feel, both food & atmosphere. Happy eating!

I'm out of town until saturday night, otherwise I'd be all over this! And Abra, count me (and Mr. Agnolotti, if he's not working) in for the barrel tasting/BBQ. I'm happy to bring whatever (including second Weber, if needed).

Mixed greens & herbs, blood orange sections, seared scallops, avocado, sea salt, balsamic. . . mmmmmmmmmdelicious.

Cool idea, Laurel! Oysters and wine--how can that be a bad thing?

Yeah, the tourist influx will start soon. . . . the last thing we want is for them to know is that the off-season is livable too!

Yup, on a sunny day, this place can't be beat! They also have some reserved space at the marina immediately below for boating folk.

Oh, yeah, this too: the BI Farmers' Market starts in April--every Saturday from 9:00 to 1:00 (though if you want produce, go early). Link here: http://www.bainbridgefarmersmarket.com/

Oddly enough, we have 3 Mexican restaurants on the island. Isla Bonita is on the main drag (Winslow Way), just as you come up from the ferry. Rumor has it that this is the island outpost of Azteca. 'Nuff said. San Carlos is on Madison (right-hand turn off Winslow Way) in a white house. (They, by the way, are offering a 20% discount until May or something to celebrate their 20th anniversary.) Casa Rojas is the newest--family-run authentic Mexican food--and it's inside the Pavilion building (where the movies and Simon's Chinese are) a bit farther up Madison.