ludja

thanks sandra and tryska!

Thanks for the nice post tryska; I was waiting for some mexican city specialties to surface and knew that the knowlege was out there. I've recently become a fan of posole; have had it in New Mexico and have tried a recipe at home (pork and green chile). Do you know how the Pozole Estilo Jalisco from Guadalajara is made? thanks!

Over New Years we did the same thing; stopped by Sansome before the symphony (London, Berlin, Vienna: Ute Lemper and the Seven Deadly Sins, Hayden Symphony no. 98, selections from Richard Strauss', Der Rosenkavalier".)-- wonderful program... We had some great oysters including some I had for the first time: Cape May; these were wonderfully briny. All the oysters were fresh and properly shucked. We also had some great cherrystones on the half shell. We also had some fried littlenecks (I was still in the mood after having some perfect ones from Jasper White's, Summer Shack up north). These were only ok--the texture of the clams was less tender and more rubbery. In any case, I'd definately go back for oysters--and also probably give the littlenecks another try; I like them alot.

This describes my father to a T. Besides cleaning bones off of "regular" dishes like roast chicken, pork chops, rib roast, spare ribs, he is a big fan (and the only one in our household) he is also a big fan of "souse" or as it is known in Austrian dialect, "sulz"--basically pig's feet, ears, etc cooked to release gelatin and then firmed up with vinegar, salt and pepper and onions. And as you say, all done very neatly and quietly. Apparently growing up, his mom was also a bone chewer so they had to barter over the choice pieces. In our family he had no competition. His other feat is to completely clean a lobster of all edible material--the tail fins, small legs, everything. I always feel slightly guilty to not have inherited this trait--do pretty well with lobster but leave plenty, I'm sure in other's eyes, on meat bones... edited to add: all of our familiy, including me, like the skins and any related by-products like gribbenes or cracklings (krammeln in Austrian dialect) though.

Thanks for the links Pan. When I looked at the recipes I realized I had had the "Chili-Crisps Ikan Bilis and Peanuts" before. A pan-Asian restaurant in SF-- Betelnut Peju Wu had this as an appetizer. I really liked it. (Not so pysched with the rest of the menu, but these were a stand out). Can you buy these little anchovies in Chinese and/or Thai stores? Any tips on what to look for in buying these? Thanks!

Thanks AlexP for your story growing up in Spain. What a nice memory. Another favorite recipe is one I got from Marimar Torres' book, Catalan Country Kitchen. It is a red cabbage salad in which you cook the sliced cabbage in vinegar, water and salt; then let marinate in the fridge overnight. Then you make a puree of anchovies and olive oil and add this to the cabbage (squeezed of moisture). Add chopped parsely and black pepper. This is good warm or cold and is great along side roasted meats.

I also adore anchovies. All the ways you mentioned above. A real favorite are the lightly cured raw anchovies (had at Zuni Cafe first). Thanks for your great idea re: sandwich with hard-boiled egg and anchovies---we always put a slice of anchovy over stuffed eggs. The sandwich idea is a quick way to enjoy this combination. Besides pizza, also pissaladiere---and tapanade. Another great use is to 'melt' some anchovies in butter and olive oil; then coat potatoes with this and roast. I've also seen this suggested for turnips but haven't tried it with turnips yet. Also, Austrian/Viennese cooking uses anchovies very often in sauces to go with meats. For example in meat 'rouladen' (browned and then 'pot roasted' rolls of pounded round steak); inside the meatroll are anchovies, onions, capers and parsley. A sauce is made from the drippings. Wiener Schnitzel a la Holstein with a fried egg and strips of anchovies on top. Or a "Naturschnitzel" ('breaded' only with flour, not bread crumbs) with which you make a sauce from the drippings, stock, anchovies and sour cream.... yum. I wonder how the incredible e-gullet roasted cauliflower would taste as a pasta dish wth anchovies also? This is making me hungry. Maybe a hard-boiled egg and anchovy sandwich is in order!

Thanks for all your guidance and extra tips Theabroma. How wonderful to be able to buy great pre-made moles.

I use my springform pan quite a bit; for cheesecakes; flourless cakes, and other types of mousse cakes, etc.

Such a shame after the blind fisherfolk, the blind baker, and his blindfolded wife put so much work into making it.

I've only been down to Central Coast wineries about three times, but one of my favorites is Sanford Winery. Nice Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. friendly and knowledgable pourers and a lovely tasting room in a charming wooden structure built by the owners. A beautiful drive to the tasting room also; you wind through meadows on a small road. It is a very picturesque setting and the wines are good. To add another region... haven't been to Livermore for awhile, but always had fun at Fenestra. The tasting room is (or at least used to be?) in a an old farm-type building and often the owner and winemaker or his wife would be manning the tasting room. They usually had a large number of wines; most seemed to be best for drinking sooner rather than later. The winemaker is a retired chemistry professor from SJ State, so we always had a good time discussing some of the scientific aspects of winemaking.

Not sure if I understand your comment. but hot dogs (frankfurters, wieners, etc) definately have Germanic roots. (With PA's Germanic roots, Pennsylavania "Deutsch" it isn't surprising that hot dogs have been there for awhle). hot dog history

Good point! Toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on top of the plated dish adds a really nice texture and flavor. And as Sandra mentioned, rice and beans are a traditional and apt accompaniment. I've made turkey mole and basically poached a turkey breast in water with some aromatics (onions, celery, etc). It is good not to overcook; the poultry will also get reheated in the sauce prior to serving. (If you ever do have the ingredients on hand , it is well worth making from scratch; out of any non-Indian dish, it is probably the one that most reminds me of Indian food with the incredible layers of balanced yet intriguing spice flavors. The interesting things with these dried mexican chiles is that there are overtones of fruit in the taste).

Ludja - I was of the impression that this stuff caused a bit of Sturm und Drang in the digestive tract and was dangerous merely from that stand point. It's like drinking still fermenting cider. I'm not thinking good thoughts about this. If it didn't make you ill I don't think you drank enough of it. Of course perhaps the Austrians in my acquaintance only know from overindulgence I've heard the same about the "Sturm and Drang"---but luckily I've never experienced it personally! A general comment on Austrian wines in San Francisco restaurants I meant to mention before--a relatively large number of restaurants have at least one Austrian wine on the list; usually seems to be a Gruner Veltliner. Aside: some of my relatives also live in Burgenland and were actually the lucky ones in their small village--they had a stork on their chimney (with a special iron grill to support the nest above the chimney)! As a kid I always thought it was so exotic that they migrated from Eygpt/Africa.

Make these delicious Turkish Apricots Stuffed w/Cream Soak 1/2 lb of apricots in water for at least 1 hr or overnight. Drain them and make a simple syrup with equal parts water and sugar--1 1/4 cups each. Add lemon juice to syrup; then 1 Tbs rose water. Add drained apricots and simmer for 10-15 minutes; let cool. Slit each apricot and fill with mascarpone; garnish with finely chopped pistashios (This is adapted from a Saveur recipe).

Nice to have a recipe though; sounds like something I'd like to try. edited to add: Thanks Pan for the additional history and proper name of Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish-style artichoke).

It is special; outside of Graz (to the West) there is an area called "The Schilcher Road" with many wineries. One of my grandparent's favorites that I have been to a few times is Lazarus. I brought a few bottles back, but if you've never seen it here during your work it probably isn't available. I was lucky to be the area last time during the fall so I also got to taste very young wines that I believe are partially fermented; a type of grape must and very refreshing. In that region of Austria anyway, is is called 'Sturm". I looke around a bit more on the net and found some info re: the varietal for Schilcher wine; it's called "Blauer Wildbacher" and according the info is a local varietal. Your experience near Rust sounds wonderful- the wine, food, people, scenery. I don't know that much about Austrian wines yet, but isn't Heidi Schrock a very esteemed vintner?

Preston is one of my favorite places for a picnic lunch; so beautful with the old walnut trees, white clapboard buildings, flowers and plenty of kitties to keep you company. I've always liked their wines too--including interesting rhone varietals. The last time I was there (~ 6 months ago we were a little disappointed in some of the wines we tasted--maybe my tastebuds were off). I'll need to check out Pezzi-King; have never been there or tasted their wines. I don't know what wines they are known for. I did make it up to the Mendocino area for the first time this past summer and I also loved Navarro--all their wines including their Gewurtztraminer, an incredible dry Rose and dessert wines. Had a picnic lunch there also and it is lovely. This was my favorite winery up in Mendocino; laid back, friendly and great wines.

Welcome torchef! Those both sound very intriguing; I haven't had any savory ice creams yet but think it would be great if done properly. Was the tobacco ice cream on its own or was it an element in a dish?

These aren't too different, but were unusual to me when I made them--and excellent: Ricotta Ice Cream (I served it with a simple Italian cornmeal cake and blood oranges; the texture and flavor are marvelous) and Pear Ice Cream (ouf of Lindsey Shere's Chez Panisse Desserts; I served this side by side with a Pear Sorbet). Toasted Pinon Ice Cream Rose Geranium Ice Cream served with angel food cake and whipped cream. My icecream maker (Donvier) is one of my happiest kitchen acquistions! An excellent, unusual ice cream I had in a restaurant was Thai Basil IceCream. This was served with a chocolate flourless cake and the scoop of ice cream was covered with dark chocolate shavings, kind of like a porcupine. Had this at Gerald Hirogoyen's restaurant, Pastis in SF (his new restaurant, Piperade, is now in this location). I haven't tried this at home yet.

I remembered seeing some Austrian wines at Gary Danko's in SF. Looked at their website and they have eight white wines listed: gary danko

Mark Sommelier: Have you ever seen Schilcher wine here in the U.S.? (I didn't see it in Terry Theise's web site). It is an interesting dry rose wine from Western Styria where some of my family lives; I've only had it there. As far as I know it is very unique to that region although I don't know much about the varietal. schilcher

I know I'm being lazy re: googling--but a first hand description would be even better, if you've eaten them. Cocido Madrileno? Pasteis de Nata?

Thanks for the link to your blog and your great article on Chez Denise. I know this cake from Saveur; I have lusted for it (in my heart) for a long time, but haven't made it yet. This reminder may do it!

Interesting to have them with beef (newish idea to me). I didn't cook with them as much until I moved to N. California; here they are plentiful and reasonably priced at peak season. One of the neatest things to me when I moved out here was seeing artichoke plants growing on cliffs off of Hwy 1 right next to the ocean. Apparently they love the cool, misty fog. It is an interesting plant if you've never seen it. Looks like a huge leafy bouquet coming out of the ground with long jagged leaves. At first I had no idea what type of crop they were--until you drive by at the right time and see the stalks poking up with artichokes on them! There are at least two seasons out here, although I'm not sure if the second crop is large enough for a lot of export. (That's also when we get our second strawberry crop).