jayt90

I think the season is over, except in the north. It has been very dry for the last month, in most parts of southern Ont. The mycelia of the morels will stay underground all year, and send up shoots next spring if the conditions are good. They won't come up in the fall, when it is cool and wet, but the organism will prepare for next spring. On another morel forum in eg, further south, someone mentioned that the morels will shoot up when the oak leaves are half open.

I opened a can of Splendido plum tomatoes, and found that they are actually not bad, the difference with SM is fairly negligible! They are slightly sweet, and you won't find that in a domestic product unless they add sugar. But it begs the question: Why pay $3. and up for San Marzano? Especially with our own local fresh crop now coming on the market.

When home made, there is such a great variety of changes and additions you can make, it may not be same every time; or at least, never the same as Hellmann's. While I've made a few that I would not repeat, in general I like the variety of the flavouring options available to me. I always start with yolks and oil, and when finished (thick enough to support a fork), I add the flavourings.

Today's Globe has a new PC Insider's Report with a San Marzano look-alike under the Splendido label. Apparently Loblaws has a 28 oz. can of plum tomatoes for $1.29, and they claim they are better than San Marzano, but from an area nearby, and canned within a day of being picked. I hope someone here can taste test Splendido and San Marzano if you're able to get both.

Like all of our sensory inputs, taste and smell decline with age, but are likely to be reinforced by years of experience. The age at which one quits has to be a factor: If you're in your 20's you may taste and smell a whole new world out there after quitting, but if you're middle-aged or older when you quit, there may not be as much recovery of taste and smell. But your heart and lungs will be grateful.

I'm no expert, as I find them once in awhile, and not every year, in out of the way places, or roadsides, in May, or early June. They can be found if you keep your eyes to the ground, even in unexpected areas. Our recent dry period means that most will be above ground and mature now. They would tend to grow after the rainy period a few weeks ago. They are safe to pick, as no poisonous shroom has the same appearance or gill print. There is a bitter tasting but not poisonous variety called 'False Morel' which looks like a sponge inside out. I've never seen one, or met anyone who has knowledge of it, but they are usually described in the literature on morels.

The large oval Rival that I got recently seems to heat with a collar of coils around the side. If my stew or braise is small, barely reaching the middle of the side, it seems to overheat, and reach simmering point too soon, even on the lowest setting. If the liquid comes all the way up, it works as expected. I haven't had it (Rival) very long, but I think I have much better control with LC or earthenware, but of course I can't leave the house for a long period...

My success in finding fresh morels northeast of Toronto is limited. This year I haven't found any. In past years I have found them on roadsides, under maple or oak trees, in a garden on College St., and in an abandoned gravel pit. They don't usually come up in the same place, next year. Without giving away secret spots, has anyone found good, dependable supplies? Are there any good ways to look for new spots? If you happen to find a lot, what can you do with them? Freeze? Freeze dry? Sell to a chef?

Is that it? Looks better in my back yard!? The Weber will easily get to 700F, at $80.

It's funny how remembering one outrageous restaurant meal leads to another, and another, but I'll stick to the first two here: both are in the 70's A small group of students went to a new Thai place in lower Manhattan. I ordered a simple dish of ground beef with vegetables. Pretty tame, I thought. But what are these tiny green chili's like? I took a large mouthful, and discovered that they were extremely hot. I gasped for water, but it did not stop the heat. I began to hiccup, uncontrollably, and I was embarassed that the whole restaurant might be looking at me, and my table. After a couple of minutes, my stomach settled down, and I nibbled at something tamer than the ground beef... Two years later, I was in a Chinese restaurant and feeling adventurous, ordered "Hand of Duck". What came was duck feet. I tried to eat them, and they even had a good duck taste, but I soon put them aside, and chalked up another misadventure based on poor communication, or misunderstanding in a restaurant.

I have a DeLonghi convection oven with rotisserie. I have not yet used the spit, but I'll do that soon and post. ← I'm looking for a new convection oven, and if there is a spit, that's even better. But my current oven (an old Sanyo nuke + conv) blows all the hot air in from a right side port. This is OK for a turnstile, but I don't think it will work on a rotisserie. Have these things improved over the last ten years?

The internal temp. standard they use is way higher than I would go at home (something like 180 or 185F, to avoid lawsuits); consequently the breasts are usually overcooked.

Is that what they are? I'm going to learn how to make kimchi, if only because this quick little meal deserves something better!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the LCBO sends the bill for a returned bottle to the agent. They may have got a rep for being sticklers about returns in the old days, when they insisted on analysing a returned bottle, and refunding your money if had a lab-proved defect, or an obvious tasting fault. Years ago, I returned a '62 ist growth but dead burgundy to the store on Market Street. The sales clerk, John MacDonald, was not at all happy to take it back. Two days later the manager, Mr. Jarvi, called me and said it was sound, and I could come and get it. When I got there, MacDonald handed it over, and sniffed: "At least you can use it for cooking." I took it home, and it was great!. All it needed was a few days aeration!

Last night I had a reply ready for posting, and it was rejected, site down?! Without going into details again, the gist of it was that there does not seem to be a lot of differentiation in Aus. Shiraz, in my price range ($20-40.), after 5-10 years of aging. It's as if all the winemakers are after the same goal, a thick, fruity, inky wine of great duration and durabilty. And they almost always get there, even the cheaper ones which are usually newbies. There are lots of new ones coming upstream, so I'll keep buying. But I don't see great differences, as I do in Rhone, Midi, Bordeaux, or Burgundy. The French wines can be bad, or great, regardless of price level. Maybe Spain and Italy too. The result is that all the Shiraz in my cellar is hard to choose from, and the Euro wines are more dramatic, more chancy, and many times a better choice for food matching. I hope this changes for the better in the coming years.

Mayonnaise. It will keep longer, and you can use a mixture of EVOO and Canola to offset the cholesterol.

Yes, it is silly if they won't seal up the leftover wine for you, like a doggy bag for the cranium. A few years ago I would hear that leftover wine was kept in the kitchen for cooking purposes, but I doubt if that would be allowed now in politically correct cities. Who knows what the customer might have put into the half empty bottle? And then, I heard that all wine dregs went into a common receptacle for the staff. This would guarantee a good hangover the next day...

That's a novel approach I hadn't considered. My own convection oven is small, and the retail convection ovens I see are too small for a 20 pounder. If the rump was placed near the blower the cooking would be uneven. Are you working with a larger, professional oven?

What are you thinking of doing with the pig? Open pit? Charcoal? Rotisserie? Slow smoke? Covered pit? How large is the pig? There are a lot of possibilties, and I'm sure e gulleteers will have lots of help for you (especially eating!) There is even a place on Caledonia Rd. that rents large Brinkmann type units.

There are at least two shops in Kensington market, Toronto, selling a wide variety of Latin American ingredients. I can't get there until next Sunday, but I'll be stocking up then, and we'll have a few more ideas listed here...

They make a great lunch or light meal, with a few leftovers sliced in. But those few slivers of dried kimchi need improvement. As a neophyte, I'll be trying to make my own after a library search. I am really looking for a recipe that is not too sweet, and will last for two or three weeks in the fridge. Any suggestions?

These are good suggestions, but you should be aware that there is a thick strip of gristle going all the way through the sirloin tip cut. That is why it is cheaper than top sirloin. Carving at the table, you will need sharp, keen blade to avoid a last minute struggle.

By steamer do you mean rice cooker? If that is what you have, add water to one knuckle length above the rice, cook it, and when done stir in some rice vinegar as it is cooling. Not too much, but you'll soon learn how much is enough.

What we have in my lunch room is some kind of instant pre-packaged glop. But there is also a B&D drip, so I can bring my own ground coffee, and that seems to work better for a few of us.

Were they at Dufferin Grove? I couldn't get to either market this week, but I think I can get to St Lawrence tomorrow. Malcom, the pickerel sound great as you describe it. I'm hoping they have smelt, but these have to be very fresh, and I may make an excursion to Lake Erie north shore.