Liza

An early morning jaunt uptown produced two bagfuls of goodies, with a couple new items I thought worth mentioning. Zabar's is now offering white anchovies (Boquerones), cured with sea salt in a white wine vinaigrette. Lovely looking fellows that will make a lovely topping to some crusty bread tomorrow. Another new product is Irish Kippers, from Clarke's in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland (Davy's hometown). Zabar's has carried Clarke's smoked salmon for awhile but the kippers are new. Will give them a road test tomorrow AM. Sadly, Zabar's house-smoked mussels are a thing of the past, but I'm pleased to see them playing to their strengths.

We really like Dorling Kindersley "French Cheeses", by Kazuko Masui and Tomoko Yamada, with a foreward by Joel Robuchon. Photos, maps, origins and methods of production are all clear. We also subcribe to Caseus International, "a quarterly magazine of cheese art and culture". Sample articles from issue #1: European Cheese Certification; Raw milk cheese characteristic and their positive effects on health; The right to choose our cheese; The long road of the traditional Italian cheeses from Italy to the USA; Sheep milk jewels from Polish Tatra Mountains. Further information: Caseus Magazine Viale del Basento, 108 85100 Potenza - Italy Phone and fax: +39 0971 54661 e-mail: caseusmagazine@libero.it This is what I love about Egullet - the opportunity to share information about a cheese magazine!

I shall pack my portable stretcher.

Chef Nischan, I've heard that you are a supporter of this program and I was wondering if you could explain what it is? Thanks

If you have time, would you follow up on how to use the starch in gnocchi? We are familiar with baking or roasting potatoes and other root vegetables for gnocchi, and take the extra step with more watery ones (rutabaga in particular) of further drying out in a pan.

I'm a huge cheese fan and happily support it's production both here and abroad. I'm wondering if you or your diners would consider a cheese selection to be out of place at Heartbeat? (I think it's obvious where my choice would be!) As an aside, I recently attended the American Cheese Society conference and saw how amenable cheesemakers are to chef's requests; chefs such as Gale Gand of Tru, and John Waters of Clyde's Restaurant Group were on a panel explaining quite clearly what they wanted, i.e. log size, firmness, etc. and the cheesemakers were taking note. I found both sides to be very open to a collaborative process, which can only be good news for restaurants, cheesemakers, and diners.

We've really enjoyed leaving the wine pairing in the hands of the chef or sommeliers. Especially when we are trying food we aren't completely familiar with - I would love to hear what Chef Matsuhisa pairs with his spicy crab, for instance. With that in mind, have you ever considered a wine pairing menu for Heartbeat? It might be interesting to do so, even to consider pairing local wines with local products.

D. cooked chicken thighs in tomato broth; served with rice and a creamed kale that over-creamed into a green kale sauce with soy sauce, saambar powder and honey.

From an article linked, I've quoted: "Today, most of Heartbeat's suppliers are as small and traditional as Nischan's grandparents were. But they aren't going bankrupt, not as long as there are enough restaurants and farmers' market customers around to snap up what they have to sell -- just-picked local produce, grass-ranged meats, eggs and dairy products from organically raised animals. Nischan acknowledges that many of these foods are still too costly for the average consumer. But, can-do Midwesterner that he is, he contends that prices will come down. "The more you support organic farmers, the better the pricing gets." There's been a lot of debate on this site about this very subject. My husband, who spends his weeks working with small farmers and producers in this area, has always contended that food in this country is underpriced, and that's why purchasers think organic or artisanal products are overpriced. Is there a way we extend the debate outside the financial parameters?

I'm wondering about the impact of the Atkins diet at a restaurant like Heartbeat, where the menu is already considered healthy. Do you find people making more no-starch requests? (I'll go on record that as someone who prefers moderation rather than elimination.)

Cabrales, I'll just add that I've recently told Chef Nischan about a new supplier of chickens and he was incredibly receptive to learning about new local proveyers.

"Black cod, aka sable, is an exceptionally rich fish, and the meager portion is enough for two hedonistic souls. "

Welcome Michel! I've got a clipping from August 2002 Food and Wine where you make three suggestions for low-fat cooking: 1) Buy a juicer. 2) Use tofu. 3) Splurge on olive oil. I'm good with 1 and 3 but fall short on the tofu. Can you suggest ways I can incorporate tofu into my home cooking where it's an addition, and not the focus? (EDIT: My question was originally about Chef's Collaborative and how the public can best support it - feel free to answer that one, as well!)

If it's a perfect trout, I would suggest simply baking it with a drizzle of olive oil and some fresh thyme. I realize this won't be spicy but it will be divine!

Potato Chowder on Saturday begat Lobster Potato Chowder on Sunday, which begat Seafood Chowder on Monday.

What about squash? A selection of seasonal roasted squashes perhaps?

Two lovely little poussins stuffed under the skin with a puree of tomato and bacon. On the back burner: lobster stock from the shells of the night before. (Right on, SA.)

I'll be there, SA. And I'll help by not helping, if you know what I mean.

A riff on Thomas Keller butter poached lobster - additions to the butter of sambhal powder, thyme, and turmeric. Creamed kale. Mashed turnips and carrots. Sauced with corn jus. Really quite lovely.

I stupidly failed to put dibs on anything and so am left...dib-less. Would a sampling of crow qualify?

Caramelized fennel in a roasting pan with chicken thighs, celery, onion, garlic, tomato pulp and paste, chili flakes. Roasted for an hour or so. Grapes and frangipane tart with cherries and peaches.

Thanks for the warning, Helena - I, too, was intrigued by the apple confit recipe and nearly sought out 15 granny smiths this weekend. A narrow escape!

Wind-dried? Honest? I could have sworn it was just a slight breeze.

Leg of lamb from Three Field Corner Farm, of Shushan NY (available Mondays at Union Square). Roasted, served with a green curry sauce and celeraic puree.

"To dine at Bella Napoli is to indulge in Italian comfort food: filling, plenteous, and predictable"- And guess what, children - that earns three stars!