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Everything posted by hathor
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I was taken out to dinner last night! But, don't tell my husband....some of your meals look a damn sight better than what I had!! Nishia: goat butter? Why do use it? What does it taste like? Melt temp? Burn? Where do you get it? I've used goat milk...for making soap, but I've never even seen goat butter. Sorry, too many questions!
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Thanks! We love all little birdies. The ones that I can get in the States have all been frozen, they still taste good. I get them at the Asian market as well. That painting is remarkable! When I was doing research on the Veneto, there was a recipe for heron, which included a lot of ingredients, with the explanation that the meat was fishy tasting and needed to have its flavor disguised. Can you imagine this in Italian cooking...disguising a flavor? Must have been nasty. Kevin: those duck legs look outstanding!! Foodman: You are a genius! Blood orange negroni! That sounds very, very good right about now. Franci: your risotto is gorgeous. I know lots of people who swear by the pressure cooker method, and your picture seems to validate the technique. Look what I found at our mountain side market!! Ecco Domani....a pinot grigio from the Veneto. Its not one of my favorites, but beggars can't be choosers, and I got all excited to find a Veneto wine in the mountains of Utah!
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I KNOW BETTER! I caught up on this thread while I was hungry. Now I want: steak, cucumbers, goat shanks, lamb shanks, just about anybody's shanks will do!! I say that we declare February to be "Meat Month"! What fabulous looking meat. Even some bunny....mmmmm. Its started to snow, (finally!!), so I haven't spent much time at the computer, but we aren't starving. The other night it was a roasted, stuffed tomato salad. Tomatoes were stuffed with garlic, herbs and parmigiano cheese. Served warm on the salad. And a veal chop on a bed of sauted artichoke hearts with port and some cream. Then we had some smoked chili crusted steak, on another night Thanks god we are skiing off all this meat! And just because it looks so beautiful right now, here is a view out my window, right around sunset. Marlene, my condolences to you on your loss, and a warm hug. Shaya: feeling better?? Hope so! Now, I'm gonna go eat something. Anything....I'm starving!!
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Auguri!! Looks like you served a great meal and had fun. That is what it's all about. Can't wait to see your next meal!
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The hard part was getting that Venetian woman out of the dress...and those pictures you won't be seeing!! I had the same thought as you regarding the spices. All the reference material mentioned the importance of spices, but they don't really show up in the recipes. An occasional clove, a bit of nutmeg; the only spice that shows up with regularity is pepper. The other interesting thing was that a lot of recipes called for combining olive oil and butter. I don't think we've seen that anywhere else. This is from dinner earlier this week, and apparently I was chaneling the Veneto without realizing it. Roast quail (no spit) with pancetta on a bed of beans. It was delicious!
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A little Veneto history and region breakdown. After the relative austerity of Trentino Alto Adige, rip open your cabinets, gather up your spices, butter up your fishmonger, get the spit ready for some birdies, and open a bottle of Amarone. We are wallowing in an abundance of ingredients! The Veneto reaches up into the Alps, and then spreads the hem of her skirts along the Adriatic, beguiling and bewitching with its lagunas and estuaries, refreshed by the Po and Adige rivers and various lakes. The Veneto is divided into seven provinces: Venice, Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Treviso, Belluno and Rovigo. It’s the number one tourist destination in Italy. And the capital of the Veneto is that most amazing of cities, a floating fantasy, a folly, a magical apparition: Venice. The Veneto cuisine runs the gamut from the simple mountain cuisine of Belluno to the celebrated dishes of Venezia and Verona. Spices, or more practically speaking, the trading of spices, was very important to Venice. Pepper was particularly prized, as a spice and preservative, it was sometimes used as part of a dowry or as in inheritance. Venezia As in common where there is a dominant city with royalty and an upper class, there will be two distinct styles of cooking: the elaborate, highly spiced cuisine and the humble food of the peasant. Venice is certainly no exception, especially where the use of spices granted you the status of a rich man. One dish that is always mentioned as the signature dish of Venice is: risi i bisi. A humble origin dish, that transcends to the sublime when the peas are fresh and shelled moments before mingling with the rice. What is interesting is that in the Veneto, rice and polenta figure more prominently than pasta. Aside from the famous risi i bisi, which is somewhere between a soup and a risotto; rice is combined with myriad ingredients including, but certainly not confined to: cabbage, broccoli, celery, tomato, and sausages for an infinitive variety of soups. The pasta exception is bigoli, which is an extruded pasta. This pasta combines soft and hard wheat and eggs, making an exceptionally firm pasta which is too strong to be rolled and pressed in the regular manner, so a torchio, or press, with various sized perforated plates is used. Older versions of the torchio had a little bench to help give you some leverage to turn the screw of the press. Traditionally the bigoli is served with a variety of sauces, including a simple sardine or anchovy sauce, or a richer duck sauce. In older texts, there is frequent mention of “la zuca baruca”, a magnificent yellow squash, that is cooked in the oven and then sold on the streets. Does anyone know if this still happens? Fish and shellfish come in seemingly endless varieties in Venice. The lagoons being a very benevolent place to breed all sorts of goodies: scampi, crabs, ray, branzino, sole, anchovies. Fish in the Veneto is cooked in primarily two ways: roasted or fried. And yet, with all this abundance, the Veneziani (?) are particularly fond of baccala (salt preserved cod fish) or stoccafisso (air dried cod fish). Pay attention here; some recipes use the two words interchangeably, but they produce different results. In Italy, it is more difficult to find stoccafisso outside of the Veneto and le Marche than it is to find the traditional baccala. “Baccal mantecato” is often mentioned with particular fondness, and it seems to be a dead ringer for the French brandade de morue: cod, potatoes and garlic are emulsified into a sort of pudding. Now, I’m not going to debate the origins of this dish, because even the Spaniards lay claim to inventing it! Another typical Venezia flavor combination is ‘in saor’, which is a sort of sweet/sour flavor, with the sweet coming from sweet onions, and the sour coming from vinegar. In the winter months, raisins and pine nuts are commonly added. A classic recipe: “Sardines in Saor”, is wonderful, only coming to full flavor after about 5 days of being submerged in a pile of onions, raisins, and pine nuts. Although meat is not a prominent feature of the Venezia diet, “fegato alla Veneziana’ is a prized dish. This dish uses veal liver, thinly sliced and cooked in a combination of olive oil and butter, onions and parsley. “Agnello alla Veneziana” calls for lamb shoulder combined with butter and milk and roasted. “Langue alla Veneziana” is a beef tongue dish, served cold and thinly sliced as an antipasto dish. Throughout the Veneto, courtyard animals are eaten, frequently roasted on a spit, and game birds are also prized. There are wonderful descriptions of spit roasted quail, wrapped in pancetta, with juices caught in a pan and then served on either a bed of beans or polenta. My trusty 1931 “Guida” lists the following breads as coming from Venezia, but it lacks any sort of description of the bread itself: “ciope”, “rosete”, “pan Tedesco” “montasu” and “saltimpanza”, which is descriped as bread made from milk and used for soup. Obviously, further research is required! Padova The cuisine is described as being very similar to Venezia. Rice and polenta play an important role, along with fresh made taglatelle and lasagne, and dried bigoli. Prized for its delicate, almost sweet white meat is the Padova hen. Reading older recipes, it seems that the Padova people were also fond of confit of goose, duck and chicken. It is described as “oca in onto”, goose meat preserved under fat, which sounds like confit to me. Verona Verona is said to have the oldest vegetable market in the country, which would be quite amazing if it could be proved, or if it was true! In Verona, meat plays a large role, with dishes such as “riso efigadini: a risotto made with chicken, beef, chicken liver, and sausage. “Peperat” or “peara`” is a typical dish of boiled meat combining breadcrumbs, ox bone marrow, abundant black pepper cooked in an earthenware pot over a slow flame. The Veronese (?) are particularly fond of gnocchi made from potatoes and flour. An old tradition on the last Friday of Carnevale involves a parade of people dressed in 14th century costumes and is presided over by the “Father of the Gnoccho”. Rovigo The cuisine of the Rovigo province is described as simple and modest. Here various meats are roasted, snails are cooked with onions and river fish are prized. A particularly good sounding recipe for guinea hen calls for the bird to be stuffed with a clove studded onion, and cooked in a pot with oil, butter, pepper and onions. Belluno This province is simple Alpine cuisine. Descriptions of various soups reveal the poverty that must have existed in this region: simple potato soup, orzo with milk, flour which has been fried in fat and then served in salted water, breadcrumb soup. Frequently milk is used as the basis for the soup instead of meat based broths. Polenta is a substituted for bread. Game birds figure prominently, along with other fruits of the woods: nuts, chestnuts, and berries. One of Belluno’s most prized products is the “Lamon bean”, which appears to have been brought from Spain in the 16th century and currently has a consortium dedicated to developing and promoting this bean. Treviso By far, Treviso biggest claim to fame is the red raddiccho that shows up at the end of November and is available at the market until February. The Treviso radicchio is the first Italian vegetable to gain IGP (Indicazione di Origine Protetta) status. The growth and ‘curing’ process of the radicchio is quite complicated. In mid-November, mature chicory plants are harvested, with their long root intact. The plants are gathered into bunches and placed into deep trenches that are covered by plastic. The plants are then removed, all decayed leaves are removed and the plant is put into a vat of cool, running water. After 2 weeks of forcing, a sprout will have formed and the plants are transferred to a warm and humid environment to continue growing. Once again the large outer leaves are removed, the root is trimmed, it is treated to another cold water bath and finally the radicchio is ready for market. This radicchio is highly prized and can be served both raw and cooked. The area is also well known for splendid fruits and vegetables, including wonderful peaches and the “Asaparagi delle Rive”. Vicenza This province may have the most varied ingredients: lamb, beef, pork, chickens, ducks, game birds, fresh water fish and many types of fruits and vegetables. One particularly prized vegetable is the white asparagus of Bassano del Grappa, which recently acquired DOC status. The asparagus is grown under the earth, must be completely white, although a tinge of pink is permitted, absolutely no green must be present. They are huge asparagus, about the size of a large Cuban cigar, but incredibly tender and delicious. So, although Venice dominates the Veneto, there is a cornucopia of ingredients and recipes to keep us entertained and stimulated this month. And what good fortune! This month is Carnevale…so men: get your wigs and tights out; ladies: start practicing walking sidways thru doorways (and don’t plan on eating anything…or breathing…until you get that d*mn corset off!!).
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I appreciated the information that the author was presenting, but 'tired tiramisu'? She needs to get out a little more. I can't remember the last time I saw tiramisu at a restaurant in Italy. Maybe that's what they serve in L.A. at Italian restaurants? Apparently she responds to sweets more than savory: "Sugar traditionalists can hope more chefs took away the last lesson of the conference, given by Galileo Reposo, a twentysomething chef who worked at Alain Ducasse's new restaurant in Tuscany. One of his creations layered pistachio shortbread with orange conserve, then partially gelled pastry cream, followed by a dip in melted white chocolate and a dusting of chopped pistachios; the precise perfection was plated with pistachio cream and orange sorbet. It was clearly more French pâtisserie than Italian dolce. But it could be a huge advance over tiramisu in a country where the food borders are now wide open." I'm guessing this was put in here so that we could all go, "EEEEWWWW!" "But most were left to the palate's imagination (luckily, in the case of the purée of pork lung and Jerusalem artichoke served under sweetbreads baked in blood pudding and garnished with shards of crispy pig's ear that a Swedish chef concocted)." Sorry, the article couldn't make up its mind if it wanted to be snarky, informative or just gratuitous. Edit because I couldn't make the quote thing work properly.
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While everyone in the north east is in a deep freeze, here in the mountains, it's been sunny and balmy. Spring skiing in February, very strange. I'm craving a margurita instead of a hot toddy! Monday night: braised bunny with a mustard sauce. Not pretty, but very tasty. This actually tasted like bunny, last time I bought a bunny in the U.S., it was a couture priced D'artagnan bunny that tasted like ....nothing. This came from Philly's Italian market, the butcher said he gets them from China, and I brought them to Utah. Talk about eating local. Last night was an avocado salad and roast quail with pancetta type bacon on a bed of garlicy white beans. There is something symbiotic about quail and beans, they just compliment each other. Poor quail, they had no bones, but we managed to love them anyway.
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It always amazes me what goes on when you can't check in on the dinner thread for a few days. That was quite a feast in Philly! We had some spicy pasta with octopus last night, and since we are at about 8500 feet, in the mountains of Utah, it was trickier than you might think. (The octopus was frozen, and came in my luggage, sorry...it wasn't local. )
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In my experience, the availability of 'fresh vegetables' outside of major cities is pretty poor. Specific example: the A&P in Golden's Bridge, NY. This is affluent Westchester county, money is not the issue. The ONLY loose unpackaged vegetable was some asparagus sitting in a pan of water. There wasn't one leafy vegetable that had not been processed, 'cleaned' and put into a bag. And other than spinach, it was only salad greens. There may have been some pre-cut broccoli. This A&P has recently 'upgraded' their produce department. That meant large signs, and everything in a plastic bag. We've a long way to go to restoring any sense of eating unprocessed foods. Is a prewashed salad in a bag processed or convenience food?
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you might not, but many other people do. and they're not all innocent dupes of evil corporate mind-engineering. ← Let me make my point more clearly, then: I don't think that people usually have the same motivation for getting a whopper that they have for getting prime beef and micro greens, nor do I think those three products are marketed to the same demographic or on the same basis, for the most part. ← You know Pan, last week I would have agreed with you. But, last week, someone, gave me a light slap up the side head, and let me know that prime beef, micro greens, and whoppers, do co-exist within the same customer. It's more complex than you or I thought.
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Simply: thank you for sharing with us. You've given me insight, educated me, and made me curious. What a gift. Not to mention, I've developed an obscene addiction to Spanish almonds, maracona (sp?), and I hold you directly responsible!
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Such passion on this thread. FG: Are you saying that obesity is not a problem in the U.S.? That's it just a marketing ploy? Your defense seems to be implying that there really is no problem and we are all fine. Johnl: I think the link between corporate America, processed foods and big business is not bubbling below the surface. Its as plain as the nose on your face, and as inevitable as night following day. Smithfield needs a lot of hogs to make their pork products. McDonalds and Lays need a lot of potatoes. You could no more eliminate politics from this discussion than you could eliminate exercise from a health promoting lifestyle. And Mr. Rogov: if you are starting up a movement to encourage pleasure, and sanity, tell me where to sign up. I'm a firm believer in Intelligent Hedonism.
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Beautiful meal Kevin! As always! I'm surprised the stinco was sold boned, especially at an Asian market. I love stinco and yours looks particularly good!
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It's hard to do a tomato/basil crostini at this time of year. The tomatoes taste worse than cardboard! What about some salumi's? Does your butcher have any great salumi's? Cheeses? What about chicken liver crostini? Or a simple garlic, olive oil, sprinkle of salt crostini? Soups are a great starter in January. Have fun with your family and the menu! Buon compleano to your mother!!
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Italians start on the left side. It might be the only thing that is consistent in the whole country. The number of kisses is usually 2, unless you're from Holland...we have 2 Dutchwomen in our little town, who kiss more than anybody else. 3 times for a normal greeting, at least 4 if they haven't seen you for a few days.
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At least you guys are funnier than the NY crowd. We've already had our Trans-fats banned, and I'm just feeling so much better about myself. I think my city gov't knows what best for me in all things. I trust my gov't.
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Here are some of my notes from olive oil tasting classes at Ital.cook. Vadouvan: you are 100% right...apples and sparking water. And be prepared to want to drink a lot of red wine afterwards, to clean the pipes. Depending on when you are doing the tasting, I'd love to be involved. If possible. ORGANOLEPTIC SENSATIONS TYPICAL OF EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: Fruity: aroma reminiscent of the smell and taste of olive (green or ripe): can be light, medium or intense. Bitter: taste, more or less pleasant according to degree of intensity, of oil obtained from green olives. Sharp: pungent sensation (from the poly phenols) typical of green, or barely ripe, olives. Sweet: smooth, pleasant taste of an oil where bitter or sharp tastes are not predominant Other positive sensations: apple, grass, almond, leaf, tomato, pine nut, walnut, artichoke etc… Man cannot, in any way, improve the natural quality of an oil: it will be at its best when all the phases of production have been carried out correctly (growing, general health of the olives, ripening time, harvesting and conservation of the olives, processing, conservation of the oil). Any error or unfortunate circumstance, occurring in any of these phases can negatively influence, even severely, the quality of the end product (defects will be apparent). MAIN DEFECTS OF EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: Mold: comes from olives where fungi and yeasts have developed because of damp conditions Heated: comes from olives which have been stored for too long in deep layers or in sacks and have undergone fermentation (mainly lactic). Winey or vinegary: comes from olives that have undergone alcoholic or vinegar fermentation. Marc: characteristic aroma from oil which has been in contact with its own lees for too long. Rancid: characteristic aroma of oxidized oils exposed to air, light and high temperatures. Regards, Judith
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Vadouvan: commendable idea. Have you ever done an olive tasting before? Couple things: use a small cup that you can swirl and gently warm in your hands. Use raw apples to cleanse the palate between tastes. Are you familiar with the categories of flawed olive oil? Olive oil tasting benefits from some air sucking noises. Knowing your abilities, this is probably superfluous, but let me know if you want some info.
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Aren't you surprised that Bruni didn't mention the whole reservation scalping controversy?
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Franci, when you say sambuca flower, do you mean the actual flower? I love the flavor of sambuca syrup, it's sweet, but a little tart and just a wonderful flavor. We have a large elderberry flower tree at the tower, but its so tall I would need a cherry picker to harvest the flowers. (Cherry picker is a big tractor/extension thing with a bucket that raises you up....just in case cherry picker didn't translate well. )
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Sorry, Joe, but I loved the article too. I don't think Mr. Bruni is ignorant of marketing or the restaurant industry. Really, haven't you ever banged your head on your desk when confronted with the list of rules and regulations when you make a reservation? You have to take notes to make sure you get it all straight. Or not being able to order an appetizer at the bar? We are not taking about Alinea here, where the dining is so unique that you must surrender to the chef's will.
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Polenta chips! Try this with left over polenta: roll some very thin between sheets of plastic wrap, then crisp them in the microwave. If you take them out while hot, you can bend them into cone or cup shapes. Sorry...got carried away with msyelf. Pontormo, your funghi sound excellent. I like the milk part....very interesting.
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Gorgeous meal Daniel and Miss Alicia! I've been singing the praises of Compari and lemon granita for awhile...now, I have to add some rosemary to the mix. Great idea. (Try fennel and rum together....you wind us with some sort of butterscotch flavor, I don't know why, but it's a favorite when I serve it.) Venison tartare? Somewhere in the back of my head is a warning about serving venison raw. Maybe it depends on the source. edit to add p.s. to markk: obviously you still know your way around the kitchen! I might have to make some duck tonight!
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Pero, dove???? What I've come across looks so processed that you would barely believe that it ever was a pig! The pancetta I wound up with looks like some prosciutto cotto! Franci, I will get on my bike and patrol the 8th and 9th avenues looking for pancetta and guanciale. I go to Chelsea market regularly, and Buonitalia...last time I was there the pancetta looked rather sad, but I'll give it another try. Yes, I admit it. I'm just a spoiled brat. I nurtured my last little bit that I brought back, like a miser with his gold.