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hathor

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Everything posted by hathor

  1. After reading the review...sort of an ordinary, bland, nice review, cannot understand why she would throw in those last two lines. Both dishes she mentions are traditional dishes, you would certainly expect that she would show respect and just graciously decline to taste them. But it doesn't make sense to blast them just because the ingredients don't appeal to her. Should be interesting when she shows up for the Q&A
  2. Bevagna and Montefalco are both lovely places to stay. Wonderful wine. If you are looking for a medieval hilltop, romantic setting, try this: http://www.vacanzeinumbria.it/ (sorry, I don't know how to post a direct link). There are apartements for rent in the town of Montone, called the "Chiostro San Francesco". Fair warning: everyone falls in love with the town. And for a tiny, tiny town, the 4 restaurants are all fabulous. Montone is north of Perugia, between Umbertide and Citta di Castello. Enjoy!!
  3. hathor

    Dinner! 2004

    Wonderful topic when you are looking for inspiration for making dinner! Monday: I had smoked halibut cheeks in the refrigerator. Now, how often does that happen? Did a layered potato slices, shallots, cheeks, topped with garlic bread crumbs, baked with some heavy cream in a casserole. I was was divine. Halibut cheeks are somewhat string in texture (think skate), but incredibly sweet and moist. Accompanied by a bib lettuce salad with a tomato/shallot dressing. And an outstanding bottle of Andrew Rich Shiraz. Tuesday: Sauteed porkchops in an apple/thyme/bourbon sauce. Side of mustardy lentils. Mediocre wine.... cabinet is getting very low....
  4. Lime Chili Game Hens Serves 1 as Main Dish. Variation on the Marcella Hazan lemon chicken Ingredient 1 1/2 lb game hen (one per person) chopped garlic,1 clove chopped shallot good quality paprika (real smoked spanish paprika), approx 1/2 tsp dried red chilis (as much as you want) medium grain salt (1/2 tsp) pepper (3 or 4 twists of the pepper mill) olive oil lime (preferably organic) Preheat oven to 450 degrees Rinse bird under running water and set aside In a bowl, mash together the garlic, shallots, chilis, paprika, salt and pepper, add a little bit of olive oil to make a paste. The more you mash, the better it is. This is strictly a matter of personal taste: lots of garlic, less chili....whatever rocks your boat. Take the washed lime and insert it into the hen cavity. Seal the hen as best as possible with the loose skin and complete the seal by toothpicking closed...or using a poultry skewer...whatever is handy. Now rub the mashed paste all over the bird...in between all the cracks and crevises...in between the wings, Cover the bird with as much paste as you have on hand. Place the birds in your roasting pan, depending on the pan, you may want to put a little olive oil in the bottom of the pan. I use a big ceramic roasting pan so I like a little oil. Put the birds in the oven, turn the heat down to 375 and in about 50 minutes (depending on the size of the hen) you will pull out beautifully browned, fagrant hens with lots of delicious juice. I like to serve this with some grilled polenta. I usually leave the limes inside the bird when I serve them...seems everyone likes to play around with them. Watch out...the lime juice gets extremely concentrated while roasting. Enjoy. Keywords: Easy, Dinner, Chicken ( RG831 )
  5. Lime Chili Game Hens Serves 1 as Main Dish. Variation on the Marcella Hazan lemon chicken Ingredient 1 1/2 lb game hen (one per person) chopped garlic,1 clove chopped shallot good quality paprika (real smoked spanish paprika), approx 1/2 tsp dried red chilis (as much as you want) medium grain salt (1/2 tsp) pepper (3 or 4 twists of the pepper mill) olive oil lime (preferably organic) Preheat oven to 450 degrees Rinse bird under running water and set aside In a bowl, mash together the garlic, shallots, chilis, paprika, salt and pepper, add a little bit of olive oil to make a paste. The more you mash, the better it is. This is strictly a matter of personal taste: lots of garlic, less chili....whatever rocks your boat. Take the washed lime and insert it into the hen cavity. Seal the hen as best as possible with the loose skin and complete the seal by toothpicking closed...or using a poultry skewer...whatever is handy. Now rub the mashed paste all over the bird...in between all the cracks and crevises...in between the wings, Cover the bird with as much paste as you have on hand. Place the birds in your roasting pan, depending on the pan, you may want to put a little olive oil in the bottom of the pan. I use a big ceramic roasting pan so I like a little oil. Put the birds in the oven, turn the heat down to 375 and in about 50 minutes (depending on the size of the hen) you will pull out beautifully browned, fagrant hens with lots of delicious juice. I like to serve this with some grilled polenta. I usually leave the limes inside the bird when I serve them...seems everyone likes to play around with them. Watch out...the lime juice gets extremely concentrated while roasting. Enjoy. Keywords: Easy, Dinner, Chicken ( RG831 )
  6. I will never again share a bottle of wine with my husband before making dinner. Especially with a mandolin involved. I was making a pile of thinly sliced apples when my attention wandered and I now have a thinly sliced thumb. wine and mandolins do not mix.
  7. soupe de poisson (In French, that counts as only one word.)
  8. Great topic! Lots of good leads for books to read and lots of books to re-read! I just finished "Sins of the 7th Sister" by Huston Curtiss. Billed as a 'true story' of the gothic South.... its a memoir of growing up in the the late 1920's, early '30's. Has fantastic descriptions of life on the farm and how everything was used, nothing wasted. What apples ripened when, what they did with the hickory ashes after they boiled down the massive amounts of apple butter, hog and cow slaughtering time, etc. etc. Excellent read.
  9. hathor

    Pinot Grigio

    Jeffy Boy: why are you 'dissing vanilla ice cream?? Its the great standard...if the vanilla ice cream is good...the rest is a cake walk. Pinot Gris could be going the way of "chablis"....the name and wine got lost in marketing.
  10. hathor

    Mezzaluna

    Stick with the chef knife, far more versatile. Falls into the category of: "lovely to look at." The only single use gadget I'm in love with is my reamer. wooden. ciao!
  11. hathor

    Okra

    Pickled okra...comes in a jar in the pickle section. I just thought if there was a lot of it in the market, I could give it a try.
  12. I vote for OXO as well, it really can peel a butternut squash, and I bet it can even handle a rutabaga..the true test. Now I'm in dire 'want' of a serated peeler and I didn't even know they existed!
  13. Why is Parmalat upset? Although it dominates the Italian press, there is very little about in the U.S. press. and a belated "buon anno' to you!
  14. hathor

    Okra

    Many thanks to everyone on the okra suggestions. All of a sudden my local market has them in abundance, but the slime factor was intimidating. I have a question: when frying or 'crisping', does that eliminate the mucilagenous (sp??) factor? Should it be very high heat, quick fry, serve immediately or it turns to mush? I'm a major fan of pickled okra if anyone has a recipe. thanks!
  15. Wesza rules, what an amazing evening. Which hotel in Hong Kong?? My 'wackiest' stories involve snakes. Once in Taipei, I was taken to the infamous "Snake Alley". I wonder if it still exists. Very big, very long snakes (perhaps 6-8 feet long) and in fabulous colors, are hung from the neck, and when someone paid for the snake, it was slit from throat to tail, it's heart pulled out and the blood drained and eaten. It was important to drink the blood quickly, while the poor beast's heart was still beating. I probably should have rated this post "R" for "Repulsive...read only if strong stomached". Other times in southern China, during game season in the fall, I've been served snake quite a few times. The skin is served very crispy and is really delicious, as is the meat, which I've had in a sort of BBQ sauce. Rather like eating very small ribs. But of course, that blood shows up again. This time its a bit more civilized. The blood is served with some white wine and the gizzard. It is an honor to be served the blood and gizzard as there is only enough for one diner. Although I've been offered many times, I've never had the courage. But enough about Eastern cuisine! What about wacky Western cuisine???
  16. Lamb and asaragus. Can you imagine life without either one? The lamb epiphany came in the Caribbean when my husband insisted on me tasting his grilled lamb. Its been love ever since. Thank god because we honeymooned in Greece, and it was either lamb, octopus or starvation, and starvation wasn't an option. Asparagus came when I found out that it didn't only come from a can. But...what about fresh okra? Is there anything that can be done with okra beyond pickling it???
  17. The Cadogan guide books are reliable and entertaining. But.... let serendipity be your guide. Small gems abound in Italy and France. Trust your instincts. Throw away the map and go for a wander, you will not regret it. (Keep map handy for finding way back to hotel at night). Look for locals eating and you are usually rewarded. Driving in Italy is no problem, although signs can be misleading. When you see a road construction sign (they are much smaller than in the US), that means move into the other lane NOW....not much warning at all. Buon viaggio!!!!! P.S. If you have a thing for ice in your drinks, bring your own from home.
  18. Just a quick word on the steamed milk.... in Italy, there is a commonly used contraption, sort of a metal milk container, with a removable top and a mesh screen. I'm sure it has a name, but in our family, its the 'chuga-chuga'. You heat the milk and then plunge the screen up and down a few times and it makes superb foamed milk. As most of the espresso machines make a decent to excellent coffe, we've always had trouble with the milk steaming part, and the chuga-chuga is a god send. Worth tracking down. I've seen glass ones sold here in the States, but they can't go directly onto the heat which makes the whole process more complicated. I've brought so many back for friends, I may as well be an importer. enjoy!
  19. A little eggnog roasting chestnuts and some wine Happy Holidays Table set glasses full shared anticipation begin with cheers butternut squash soup garlic crouton brandy scented happy tongues lapping hot endive salad wilted greens smoked lardons crunchy sweet and tart little shrimp pernod lemon butter and fennel harmony in a bite spit roasted birdies juices run and mingle some red wine or white golden potatoes fresh fava beans and zucchini want seconds anyone cheese plate dried fruits chevre gogonzola cheddar sweet wine and sighs chocolate dark sweet tiramisu biscotti time to loosen belts I'll clear the table can I wash the dishes please fantasy for sure
  20. Absolutely. Varnished or unvarnished, quite lovely. Dreadful if you stub your toe. My town bakery specializes in bread that could pass for a medieval weapon. Please, place your orders now...I always feel obligated to buy some when I'm there.
  21. A divine last meal. I would move heaven and earth to help prepare it.
  22. Unctuous...unless you really mean greasy cozy attitude not necessarily in that order.
  23. I think its naive to try and separate the language of discussing truffles from the language of sex or sensuality. A good white truffle, and sadly, the drought in Italy has made them quite scarce this year, is like a an encounter with a mysterious lover. You only meet occassionally, but you meet with passion. Its a flavor that is best naked, with very little enhancement, other than the subtle heat of eggs or freshly charred meat. Once I had white truffles served over a steamed lobster...and the memory is as haunting as the memory of my first trysts. And the sturdy black truffle? More reliable, more trustworthy, more of the earth, more what you smell is what you get. Can be fun to fool around with in the kitchen. The one you'll take home day after day.
  24. We live in Umbria, part-time. Take heart, and do not be jealous. We use the bread for door stops. Works very well, but our local friends are bit insulted.
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