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Saveur, October 2005 (The wine issue) First: Colman Andrews introduces the new cover design. [Yikes! So many words! So country cute!] Fare: Food 101: Northwestern Secondary in Stratford, Ontario, runs a café where students learn to cook and run a restaurant business. By David McFarlane Move Over, Ketchup: The story of Sriracha sauce. (Huh—never noticed it’s made in California!) By Shoshana Goldberg Jersey Vine: Make Wine With Us is a winemaking club in Jersey City popular with Irish and Italians (it also hosts a pig roast). By Mark Rotella Recipe: Flip’s Meat Sauce with Pasta (includes meatballs) Island of Spam: How Spam became so popular in Hawaii. By James Sturz A Feast from Fire: Bronwyn Dunne attends an Armenian khorovats. By Margaret Loftus Agenda: Ozark black walnut fest in Alton, Miss.; Mt. Hood Salmon and Mushroom Festival; Chile Pepper Fiesta in Brooklyn; commemmorate the end of witch trials in France at Les Cucurbitades squash fest; Apple Day in Stratford-upon-Avon; Conroe, Tex., Cajun Catfish Festival; 20th anniversary of Union Square Café in NYC, Oct. 21; Oct. 30 is the birthday of Maynard Amerine, who boosted US wine industry after Prohibition One Good Bottle: Torres Grans Muralles 1998 ($105), from southern Catalonia, “big, dark…a little too aggressively oaked…but intense, delicious” Book Review: Colman Andrews reviews The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker Jr. and the Reign of American Taste, by Elin McCoy, but finds it a decent portrait of a man who inspires conflicting reactions in the wine community. The Botanist and the Vintner: How Wine Was Saved for the World, by Christy Campbell, is an entertaining history of wine in the New World, and the battle against a nasty aphid. Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine, by George M. Taber, details another turning point in the Old World/New World transition. More Grapes of Ralph: Oddbins rep and celebrated illustrator Ralph Steadman’s second collection of wine essays: Untrodden Grapes The Saveur List: 7 Hotel Restaurants From Arola in Barcelona to The Tearoom at London’s Clarence Hotel Kitchenwise: Building Beauty from Stones: cookbook author Lori DeMori built out a Tuscan ruin into a kitchen stocked with essentials like double sinks, a good scale, a waist-level fireplace, and an olive-oil canister. By Kathleen Brennan (This new column is part of the redesign—the “Real-Life Kitchen” profile usually found in the back is expanded here.) Cellar: Exciting Red Syrahs of the Pacific Northwest. By John Winthrop Haeger Tasting notes: 12 Washington State syrah bottles, from Covey Run Winery Washington State 2002 ($9; “sweet, straightforward”) to Dunham Cellars Columbia Valley 2001 ($90; “stunningly complex nose…intense, elegant, concentrated and fine”). Memories: Opinion Stew In Hopkins County, Texas, folks argue over important things—like squirrel and okra. By Salley Shannon Recipe: Hopkinds County Stew (“sissified” with chicken and no okra) Lives: Building Something: Cristiano van Zeller is helping redefine the Douro. By Bruce Schoenfeld Tasting notes: van Zeller’s wines are hard to find in the U.S. Five are reviewed here; look for C.V. Douro 2003 ($75, “soft and elegant”) or Quinto do Vale D. Maria LBV Unfiltered 1999 ($27.50, “intense and plummy”) Source: Beth Kimmerle deals in regional retro candy bars: order the Big Tips Candy Collection from www.bigtipscandy.com. By Kathleen Brennan Classic: Vinegar Stew: The Philippine national dish is garlicky, peppery, and tart. By Amy Besa Recipe: Adobong Baboy (pork adobo) Master of the Mosel: Manfred Prüm crafts what may be Germany’s finest Riesling. By Michael Steinberger Recipes: Matjestartar, Geraucherter Lachs, und Shrimps auf Reibekuchen (herring tartare, smoked salmon, and shrimp on potato pancakes) Wildschweinkeule (braised wild boar) Wirsing (sauteed Savoy cabbage) Ragou vom Hirschkalb (venison stew) Spätzle (“little sparrow” noodles) Sidebar: German Wine Terms: The basics Sidebar: Dining Around the Mosel: restaurant recommendations Tasting notes: 5 Prüm Rieslings, from Wehlener Kabinett 2003 ($31, “wonderfully rich…but a little flinty around the edges”) to Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 2003 ($52, “very ripe and concentrated”) Down East Autumn: Hunting grouse and woodcock in the Maine woods and fields is a family tradition—and a hit-and-miss affair. By George Semler Recipes: Blueberry Pancakes Roast Grouse Baked Beans with Grouse Grilled Duck Breast on Toast Lobster Fried in Butter Mme. Chagny’s Magic Restaurant: A Brittany-born daughter of Beaujolais turns her back on Michelin stars and puts real French country cooking on the table. By Colman Andrews Recipes: Soupe d’Herbes Potageres (“pot herb” soup) Escargots en Coquilles au Beurre d’Ail (snails in their shells with garlic butter) Aperitif Beaujolais (beaujolais, crème de cassis, and sweet framboise liqueur) Cuissots de Grenouilles, Jeunes Salades aux Fines Herbes (sauteed frogs’ legs with baby greens) Pigeonneau de Grain Roti, Jus Simple (roast squab in its own juices) Cassis en Sorbet et Glace Vanille (black currant sorbet with vanilla ice cream) Mendoza Mountain High: In the lower reaches of the Andes, two wineries are reinventing Argentine wine with intensity and finesse. By Maricel E. Presilla Recipes: El Arroz con Pollo de Irma (Irma’s chicken and rice) Las Empanadas de Carne de Matilde (Matilda’s beef empanadas) Ñoqui con Tuco (potato gnocchi with tomato sauce) Conejo a la Cazadora (hunter’s-style rabbit) Humita al Plato (fresh corn tamal) Cruton de Trucha y Hongos (trout and mushroom bruschetta) Tasting Notes: 12 wines from the Mendoza region, the best of an uneven selection, from Alamos (The Wines of Catena) Bonarda 2004 ($10, “suggesting black-curranty cabernet with a greenish tinge”) to Nicolas Catena Zapata 2001 ($90, “thick, rich, and extracted…offers plenty to think about”) The Guide: Where to stay and eat and what to do in Mendoza In the Saveur Kitchen: plum chutney is the essence of fall in Maine (by Melissa Hamilton); excerpt from Don’t Try This at Home: Culinary Catastrophes from the World’s Greatest Chefs; Filipinos love condiments; Argentines rely on rendered beef fat Recipes: Plum Chutney Kamatas at Sawsawan (Philippine chopped tomato sauce) Pella (rendered beef fat) Moment: Costumed NYC kids play a Halloween game with apples, 1940

Saveur, August/September 2005 First: Margo True tells how a research trip to Nimes was delayed since 2001. Fare: Grass Party: You can pull weeds in exchange for dinner at Ute City Farms in Colorado. By Eugenia Bone Recipe: Succotash Burritos Cool Fruit: Las Paletas in Nashville sells Mexican-style frozen-fruit pops. By Elaine Glusac Out of India: Victoria Street Market in Durban, South Africa, is home to specialized spice vendors. By Alex Bhattacharji In Memoriam: Michael Roberts, West Hollywood chef and master of “weird combinations.” By Colman Andrews Recipe: Sweet Pea Guacamole Book ‘Im, Dan-o; He’s Drinking Cold Beer: obscure food laws still on the books in the U.S. By Margaret Loftus On the Side: the new pope loves beer; Russian astronaut thinks booze in space is a good idea; Smokey Robinson’s frozen dinners; soy burgers and gyross now available at baseball stadiums (gyros do better) Agenda: Springfield, Ore., filbert festival; Mengen Chefs’ Festival in Turkey; Brigus, Newfoundland, Blueberry Festival; women’s cooking in Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe; Denis Papin, inventor of the pressure cooker, born Aug. 22, 1647; Buffalo Wing Fest in Buffalo, NY; Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery; first drive-in resto opens Sept. 15, 1921, Dallas, Tx. One Good Bottle: Rosenblum Cellars Sonoma County Dry Creek Valley Marsanne 2003 ($19): “opulent…golden….Sheer sensual delight.” Book Review: Caroline Campion reviews The New English Kitchen: Changing the Way You Shop, Cook and Eat, by Rose Prince, and finds it very satisfying in its use-everything approach, though it may not take with Americans. Recipes: More Good Things on Toast: goat’s cheeses, cooled scrambled eggs, chicken livers, herring, fried tomatoes The Saveur 14: British Columbia Sample the region’s flavors at farms, bakeries, bookstores and restaurants Cellar: The White Stuff The “other” chateauneuf-du-pape has considerable charms of its own. By John Winthrop Haeger Tasting notes: 12 white chateuneuf bottles, from Clos Saint-Michel 2003 ($25; “bright, rounded and slightly bitter”) to Chateau de Beaucastel ($80; “Full and honeyed on the palate….Very fine.”). Reporter: Ozark Italian John T. Edge reports from the Tontitown Grape Festival in Arkansas. Recipes: Tontitown Salad Spaghetti with Chicken Gizzard Ragu Lives: Stephen Beaumont profiles Fritz Maytag, the man behind Anchor Steam beer, Old Potrero Single Malt rye, Junipero gin and Maytag Blue cheese. Tasting notes: Wine, beer and spirits from Maytag’s ventures: York Creek Vineyards, Anchor beer and Old Potrero whiskey. Source: Savory palmiers from La Tulipe Desserts in Mount Kisco, NY. By Kathleen Brennan Classic: Country Fried: “CFS” is Texan-born hybrid hit. By Joe Gracey Recipe: Chicken Fried Steak Fiesta in Nimes: When it’s bullfight time in this vibrant city in southern France, a magical Spanish spell is cast upon the streets. By Megan Wetherall Recipes: Gardianne de Taureau (bull meat braised in red wine) Pain aux Olives et Lardons (olive and bacon loaf) Tourte de Brandade (salt cod tart) Petits Farcis (stuffed tomatoes and summer squash) Confiture de Figues (fig jam) The Guide: where to stay and eat and what to do in Nimes My Nantucket: For Sarah Lydon, summer on the island means berries, beaches and family Recipes: Smoked Bluefish Pate Bluefish with Gin and Onions Gin and Tonic with Mint Cold Mussel Salad Mrs. Ramos’s Blueberry Pudding Blackberry Crisp The Guide: where to stay and eat and what to do in Nantucket Deep Roots: The versatile, nutritious peanut is loved around the world—but nowhere more so than in America. By Wendell Brock Recipes: Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream Cacahuetes Enchilados (chile peanuts) Gado-Gado (Indonesian vegetable salad with peanut sauce) Mafé (peanut butter stew) Sidebar: Oil Options: use refined peanut oil for deep-frying; use unrefined to boost peanut flavor of dishes. By Denise Schulman Sidebar: Poison Peanuts: allergies are on the rise, perhaps due to a link with vaccinations. By Tess Autrey Bosher Sidebar: Picking Peanuts: runners account for 80 percent; spanish are small; valencia are from NM, contain three kernels; virginia are largest The Last Glow of Summer: In Finland in mid-September, warmth, light and warm-weather food are in dwindling supply—but the season has its delicious consolations. By Margo True Recipes: Keitetty Rapu (crayfish with crown dill) Paistettu Sorsa (duck braised with juniper berries and apples) Korvapuusti (cinnamon-cardamom buns) Munavoi (egg butter) Karjalan Piirakka (Karelian pastries) Kuhaa à la Mannerheim (pike perch with horseradish sauce) In the Saveur Kitchen: fresh peanuts make the best butter (by Denise Schulman); mini-CFS from Houston (by Margo True) Recipes: Fried Peanuts (use spanish) Peanut Butter (use runner) Roasted Peanuts (use virginia) Ouisie’s Chicken Fried Steak with Pepper Gravy in Biscuits In the Saveur Library: Peanuts: The Illustrious History of the Goober Pea, by Andrew F. Smith. Real-Life Kitchen: Maida Heatter’s 50-year-old kitchen has open shelves and lots of space. Moment: Italian granny rolls out pizza while the kid sleeps.

Saveur, June/July 2005 First: Margo True recalls the best mango she's ever had. Plus, new column: The Saveur… list of best (ice cream parlors, in this issue). Fare: No Starving Artists: Regina Maksutova is a patron cook of Russian artists in Manhattan. By Emily Kaiser Recipe: Bazhe (chicken with pecan-walnut sauce) Crazy for Baba: cake filled with pastry cream and strawberries is another of Napoli's specialties. By Marlena Spieler Party Tricks with Papa & Coop: Journalist Ernest Beyl recalls the high life with Hemingway and Gary Cooper in 1950s Sun Valley, Id. : Linda Ellerbee reports on Malcolm Forbes’s caviar excesses. (from Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table) The Real Moutarde: Burgundy is getting back to growing mustard. By Christopher Hall Recipe: La Vinaigrette à la Carotte et Moutarde de Bourgogne (carrot and Burgundy mustard vinaigrette) Parisa, Part Deux: A reader submits his story about how this Texan raw-beef dish got its name. On the Side: squirrels trained to eat nuts for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, tie-in candy bar released; Sony investing in smell-emitting TV; no one eats at the World Series of Poker; Yao Ming's parents open resto in Houston Agenda: Strolling of the Heifers in Vt.; June 9, 1902, first Horn & Hardart automat; red fruit fest in Noyon; Portland Jerk Festival, Jamaica; Shedica Lobster Festival in New Brunswick; Walla Walla sweet onion fest; Jackie O's birthday, July 28, 1929; Gilroy garlic fest; One Good Bottle: Dry Creek Vineyard Clarksburg Dry Chenin Blanc 2004 ($10): "a delight…waxy aroma and well-defined fruit" Book Review: Noelle Howey reviews two foodie memoirs: The Language of Baklava, by Diana Abu-Jaber, and Daughter of Heaven, by Leslie Li. Abu-Jaber's recipes are charming; Li's, great for novices. Recipes: Magical Muhammara Gee Ma Wot Mein (breakfast noodles) The Saveur 12: Ice Cream Parlors: Ted Drewe's, Graeter's, and a yummy-looking one in Dearborn… Cellar: Local Flavor Indigenous varietals give blends from Friuli a character of their own. By John Winthrop Haeger Tasting notes: 12 Friuli "super-whites", from Marcho Felluga Molammata 2003 ($16; "creamy and mouth-coating") to Dut'un Vie di Romans 2001 ($65; "ripe, rich and viscous") Memories: A Century of Plums Sonoko Sakai recalls how his grandmother pickled her plums. Recipes: Yaki Onigiri (grilled rice balls with pickled plums) Buta no Hireniku no Umedare Yaki (grilled pork loin with pickled plum sauce) Source: Capogiro Gelato from Philly is distinctly Italian. By Janet Forman Classic: Seaside Saganaki: Shrimp with feta is a modern Greek specialty with ancient roots. By Diane Kochilas Recipe: Garides Saganaki (shrimp with feta) Valencia Rising: This jewel of a city in Spain's fastest-growing region is blossoming—and turning into an essential gastronomic destination. By Colman Andrews Recipes: All i Pebre (eel and potatoes in garlic and paprika sauce) Ajo Arriero (salt cod and potato purée) Arroz Moreno (rice with cuttlefish and vegetables) Ensalada de Champiñones y Trufas (mushroom and truffle salad) Clochinas Valencianas (Valencian-style mussels) Agua de Valencia (gin, rum, and juice cocktail) Arroz Cremoso de Almejas y Navajas con Carpaccio de Pulpo (creamy rice with clams, razor clams, and octopus carpaccio Torrijas de Horchata con Helado de Canela y Chufas Caramelizados (horchata-soaked French toast with cinnamon ice cream and caramelized tiger nuts) Brocheta de Langosta con Lentejas y Crema de Verduras (spiny lobster with lentils and vegetable cream) Sidebar: Valencia Oranges: The Spanish love their own variety. The Guide: where to stay, eat and drink in Valencia Bobal Mando & Cabernet: Valencia has long produced large quantities of wine; now its vintners are going for quality, too—with grapes both imported and indigenous. By Patrick Matthews Tasting Notes: 15 reds and 2 dessert wines from Valencia, from Coronilla Crianza 2002 ($11; "soft and tasty") to Gutierrez de la Vega Fondillon 1995 ($80/500ml; "chewy, ripe, alcoholic") Sousaphones and Funnel Cakes: Every summer, the Kutztown Festival draws thousands to the green heart of Pennsylvania for food and fun. By James Oseland Recipes: Funnel Cakes Apple Dumplings Chowchow Chicken Pot Pie Shoofly Pie King of Fruit: From its birthplace on India's northern border, the luscious mango has gone on to captivate the world. By Madhur Jaffrey Recipes: Aam ki Chatni (mango chutney) Fish Curry with Semiripe Mango Mango Kulfi (Indian mango ice cream) Mango and Queso Blanco Salsa Goi Xoai Voi Bo (green mango salad with grilled beef) Sidebar: A Multitude of Mangoes: from Ataulfo to Valencia Pride—photos and brief descriptions of commercial and special varieties Sidebar: International Mango Festival in Coral Gables, Fla. Sidebar: Three Fruits in One: how to deal with green, semiripe and ripe mangoes Lunch chez Lulu: At her Domaine Tempier in Provence, Lulu Peyraud and her cooking have been seducing guests for decades. By Kathleen Brennan Recipes: Petits Pois Brisées (braised young peas) Gigot Farci à la Tapenade (leg of lamb stuffed with tapenade) Soupe de Poisson (fish soup) Artichauts à la Barigoule (braised artichokes) Gateaux a Noix (walnut cakes) Sidebar: Nancy Harmon Jenkins, Jim Harrison, Kermit Lynch and Alice Waters recall meals with with Lulu Tasting Notes: six Domaine Tempier wines In the Saveur Kitchen: Nifty leg-of-lamb-on-a-string roasting technique…garlicky Provencal paste…Berkshire pigs produce great loins (by Judy Joo Allen) Recipes: Gigot à la Ficelle (string-turned roast leg of lamb) Lulu's Rouille In the Saveur Library: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/158...7/egulletcom-20]Rick Stein's Complete Seafood and http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/158...1/egulletcom-20]The Great Mango Book, by Allen Susser. Real-Life Kitchen: An L.A. kitchen reflects owner's experiences, friends: hot-rod paint job on his Wolf range, Ikea drawers fitted with old library pulls, country-store drawers built by Harrison Ford Moment: Luling Texas Watermelon Thump, 1989. You hit it with your head.

Saveur, May 2005 First: Melissa Hamilton recalls her first visit to the Fulton Fish Market. Fare: Blimpy Eternal: Richard Reynolds reveals the secrets of Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger in Ann Arbor, Mich. Spanish Waffles: crisp, handmade barquillos are growing rarer in Spain. By Lisa Abend Seduced by a Billionaire’s Beluga: Linda Ellerbee reports on Malcolm Forbes’s caviar excesses. (from Take Big Bites: Adventures Around the World and Across the Table) Land of Litchis: Alia Akkam reports on litchi farming in China. Recipe: Lai Zi Ngam Pin (litchi duck stir-fry) Sour Grapes: New documentary Mondovino covers California wine-industry intrigue. By Roger Morris On the Side: The Burnt Food Museum; monkeys love apple juice, but not as much as pictures of lady monkeys; UK campaigns against Sex on the Beach et al.; man loses sweepstakes, gains candy bars Agenda: Kolache fest in Prague, Okla.; cashew fest in Belize; Norway Day in San Fran; vineyard fest in Valle de Guadalupe, Mex.; birthday of Thomas Lipton, May 10, 1850; morel fest in Muscoda, Wis.; snails in Catalunya; anniversary of the CIA, May 22, 1946 One Good Bottle: Erasmo Reserva de Caliboro Maule Valley 2001 ($30): “very focused…Chilean bordeaux-style red.” Our Daily Bread: Daniel Drennan reports that only Beirut’s bakeries stayed open the day after Rafik Hariri’s assassination. Book Review: Lorraine Alexander looks at three books about honey: Letters from the Hive: An Intimate History of Bees, Honey and Humankind, by Stephen Buchmann with Banning Repplier; Sweetness & Light: The Mysterious History of the Honeybee, by Hattie Ellis; and Robbing the Bees: The Sweet Liquid Gold That Seduced the World, by Holley Bishop. Recipe: Honey Butter Drink: Reclaiming Meursault Dominique Lafon may have been born into one of Burgundy’s royal families, but he has followed his own path to success. By Michael Steinberger Tasting notes: 8 Lafon wines, from Macon-Chardonnay Clos de la Crochette ($27; “aromatic…with a nice roundness”) to Meursault-Charmes ($110; “nose with … citrus and honey…an elegant weave of flavors”) Reporter: Lunch Couriers Nothing Stays the tiffinwallahs of Mumbai from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. By Margo True Recipe: Patta Gobi aur Gajar I Bhaji (cabbage and carrots with mustard seeds and curry leaves) Cellar: Cherry Wine Around the Tuscan hill town of Scansano, sangiovese goes for the fruit. By Colman Andrews Tasting notes: 12 bottles of morellino, from Vivaio dei Barbi 2001 ($15; “elegant but full-flavored…bitter chocolate and dried cherries) to Le Pupille Poggio Valenta 2001 ($58; “sheer sensual pleasure, faintly gamy in the nose…inky and rich”) Essay: Freedom of Diet: Warren Schultz recalls starving himself to avoid the draft 35 years ago. Source: Fire Dancer peanuts are the Best New Snack Nut in the U.S. this year. By Sonja Toulouse Classic: Kibbeh is a handmade Middle Eastern treat. By Alia Yunis Recipe: Aqras Kibbeh Maqliyya (fried, stuffed, ground bulgur–meat balls Buenos Aires Italian: In Argentina’s cosmopolitan capital, pizza and pasta are everyday fare. By Rich Lang Recipes: Pasta con Estofado (pasta with boiled beef) Fusilli con Pesto (twisted noodles with herbs, garlic and walnuts) Milanesa a la Napolitana (panfried breaded beef cutlet with tomato sauce, ham and mozzarella) Provoleta (grilled aged provolone) Sorrentinos de Jamon y Queso con Salsa de Pierino o de Scarparo (large ham-and-cheese ravioli with gorgonzola-arugula sauce or tomato-cream sauce) Tiramisu Sidebar: the other ethnic eats in Buenos Aires: Spanish, Jewish, British, German, Mid Eastern Guide: where to stay and eat in Buenos Aires Fava Fever: All over the world, this ancient legume is a savory symbol of spring: with sections devoted to Catalan, Italian, Greek, Egyptian and Californian uses of the fresh fava. By Colman Andrews, George Semler, Lori Zimring de Mori, Diane Kochilas, Claudia Roden and Carolynn Carreño Recipes: Insalata di Baccelli e Pecorino (fava and pecorino salad) Crema de Faves (Catalan cold cream of fava soup) Favas a la Catalana (favas with blood sausage and bacon) Zymarika Salata me Koukia (pasta salad with favas) Anginarokoukia me Derbiye (artichoke and fava stew with lemon sauce) Ful bi Lahm (Egyptian meat and fava stew) Braised whole Favas Fava Puree Sidebar: how to peel favas Sea Change: New York’s Fulton Fish Market is moving after 173 years—but not giving up its traditions. By Fred Goodman, with nice black-and-white photos by Richard Press Recipes: Escabeche of Fresh Sardines Panfried Softshell Crabs with Garlic-Herb Butter Hey Mul Pa Jun (seafood pancake) Stuffed Sole Poached Black Bass in a Rich Nage Sidebar: New Yorker writer Joseph Mitchell profiles a fish market worker in the 1940s. Sidebar: the new Bronx digs are state-of-the-art Cream Tea Country: In England’s county of Devon, afternoons are sweetened by scones, clotted cream and jam. By Megan Wetherall Recipes: Scones Black Currant Jam Strawberry Jam Victoria Sponge Cake Tea Sandwiches Sidebar: all about bone china Sidebar: how to brew tea the British way Sidebar: what constitutes afternoon tea, cream tea and high tea The Guide: where to stay and eat in Devon In the Saveur Kitchen: Eric Ripert mixes meat and fish…roast beef and chicken are British kitchen staples…Saveur staff strays from Italian in Buenos Aires, and loves it. Recipes: Thinly Pounded Yellowfin Tuna, Foie Gras and Toasted Baguette with Chives and Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Panqueques de Dulce de Leche (Argentine crepes with milk sweet) Roast Chicken Roast Beef Real-Life Kitchen: Swedish minimalists hide everything, keep no pantry: pop-out vent hood, semi-enclosed outdoor room, suspended fireplace. By Kelly Alexander Correction: guinea pig (cuy) is not served with its “tail intact”; in fact, guinea pigs do not have discernible tails. Moment: London ladies sip tea from cups (and saucers) in 1908

Uh, anyway, back to the food of Egypt: This copied from my post on another thread: In Egypt, a fatir is an open-face pizza-like thing, with very flaky, multi-layer dough that's a little chewy. A single-serving one is pretty big, maybe 6 or 7 inches with tons of toppings. There's usually a couple of savory options, with crumbly cheese and ground meat and the like, and then the vastly preferable sweet version, with coconut flakes, more cheese, apricot jam and nuts. Shamelessly, I'd always order a token small savory one, then a big sweet one. Look for these in Cairo at a place downtown called Fatatri al-Fateer or something along those lines. Probably listed in all the guidebooks. Also look for a place called Al-Taba'i or Al-Taba'ey (can't remember how they transcribe). Also downtown. Excellent array of cold salads, such as tomatoes marinated in garlic. You can get a little veg-deprived in Egypt, so this is a good place to head. May be in guidebooks. It's sort of near the Windsor Hotel (which has a great bar, by the way...or last time I looked). Also, the Greek Club downtown is nice for beers, french fries and chicken livers. Although on the subject of regional food ignorance, I have to say some Egyptians I met were comically opposed to trying anything "exotic" or remotely hot and spicy (note that the hot sauce on kushari is optional). I had a hard time serving Indian food to some of my friends there--except for one who had actually traveled in India. I think a lot of us take culinary cosmopolitanism for granted, and that living only in your born-and-raised tradition is much more the norm (viz: the French, until very recently).

I got vol. 2 on Elie's rec and still haven't cooked from it because it's so overwhelmingly huge. So any posts along the lines of "Try this, it's great..." are appreciated. (That's still the only way I can deal with my insanely massive "Lord Krishna's Cuisine.") I just love all the pics of Chef Ramzi in the back: Chef Ramzi goes skiing! Chef Ramzi hangs out with monks! Chef Ramzi is beloved by schoolchildren! It's like Where's Waldo in Lebanon...

Q for the Lebanese: is fatir/fatayir interchangeable with sanmbousek, etc.? In Egypt, a fatir is an open-face pizza-like thing, with very flaky, multi-layer dough that's a little chewy. A single-serving one is pretty big, maybe 6 or 7 inches with tons of toppings. There's usually a couple of savory options, with crumbly cheese and ground meat and the like, and then the vastly preferable sweet version, with coconut flakes, more cheese, apricot jam and nuts. Shamelessly, I'd always order a token small savory one, then a big sweet one. I'm blanking on on what the little turnovers are called in Egypt, but it might be sambousek.

You really eat the whole thing?! Even when I had them in Beirut, they cracked them open and put the almond-y part in salted water. But maybe they were a little older? Because I've read some descriptions of them where the inside (that later becomes the almond) is just a sort of goo. But whenever I've gotten them here, the insides have been pretty well formed. I'll have to try popping the whole thing in my mouth next time...

Saveur, April 2005 First: “Cheese is my monkey,” says Colman Andrews. Fare: A Family Affair: Cohen’s dishes up kosher in Munich. By Julia M. Klein Fruit of Dreams: Elizabeth Cawdry Thomas reminisces about cherimoyas. Vada-pav in the Morning: A Mumbai brek snack is “carb-loading BLISS.” By David Leavitt Bill’s BBQ Lite: Clinton’s fave joint developed a “lite” menu following the ex-prez’s bypass surgery. Eric O’Keefe interviews the owner of McClard’s in Hot Springs, Ark. Slices of a Century: Pizza: A Slice of Heaven: The Ultimate Guide and Companion inspires some pizza cartoons. On the Side: Norwegian soccer star signs for free pizza; world’s largest chicken egg (8-in. circumference) laid in Germany; a gadget for removing sandwich crusts; Jane Seymour promotes pistachios Agenda: Saint-Georges maple syrup fest; Ramp Tramp Festival in Tenn.; first Jiffy mix sold in 1928; oyster fest in NZ; Great American Pie Fest in that weird Disney town, Celebration; Celtic food fest in Scotland; bison fest in Bryan, Tex.; Alice B. Toklas’s birthday on April 30; One Good Bottle: Goisot Sant-Bris Fié Gris Corps de Gard Gourmand 2002 ($22): “lemony sauvignon blanc character.” Book Review: Regina Schrambling reviews La Cocina de Mamá: The Great Home Cooking of Spain, by Penelope Casas, and Lidia’s Family Table, by Lidia Bastianich. As usual, she doesn’t have very much nice to say. Recipes: Berenjena con Miel de Julia (Julia’s batter-coated fried eggplant with honey, mint and sesame seeds Roast Black Olives and Pearl Onions Drink: Wine from the Fruit Basket The Pfalz is warm and dry—and the most dynamic vineyard region in Germany today. By John Winthrop Haeger Tasting notes: 11 Pfalz wines, mostly from riesling, from $20 A. Christmann 2002 (“subtly flinty flavor, a hint of smoke,…very quaffable”) to Okonomierat Rebholz Siebeldinger im Sonnenschein 2003 ($64; “intense but closed-up fruit”). Ingredient: Truly a Remarkable Plant Dandelions are versatile, flavorful and really, really good for you. By Rich Lang Recipes: Dandelion Greens with Anchovy Sauce and a Fried Egg Crème de Pissenlits (cream of dandelion soup) Essay: The Tao of Biscuits Kelly Alexander laments her failure at biscuit-baking. Cellar: Silk and Chocolate The Alexander Valley’s cab-based wines are smooth and sophisticated. By Roger Morris Tasting notes: a dozen cabernet sauvignons, from Simi 2002 ($25; “intensely fruity”) to Silver Oak 2000 ($60; “dark cherries, chocolate tannins and earthy terroir”) Source: Renard’s Cheese specializes in squeaky cheese curds. By Caroline Campion Classic: Warm Comfort: meat and barley are the mainstays in Scotch broth. By Laura Mason Recipe: Scotch Broth American Cheese: A celebration of artisanal delights from our nation’s farms and dairies. Part One: In Praise of American Cheese. Colman Andrews gives a quick history. Part Two: The Accidental Pioneer: Laura Chenel leads the way in goat cheese. By Margo True Part Three: The Ultimate Artisan: Margo True meets the musically inclined Soyoung Scanlan of Santa Rosa, Calif. Part Four: Our 50 Favorite American Cheeses Part Five: Where We Go to Buy American Cheese. Signs of a good shop: passionate staff, samples, very busy, cheese cut to order, staff can educate, no mass-produced cheeses. Part Six: Cheese in the Kitchen: 15 recipes (see below) Sidebar: Wine and Cheese. It all tastes pretty good, say the editors. Sidebar: How to Speak Cheese. Kathleen Brennan gives a vocab lesson. Sidebar: What is Cream Cheese? Caroline Campion says it wasn’t invented in Philly. Sidebar: Raw Milk and the Law. Laura Werlin sounds surprisingly skeptical of the whole raw cheese thing. Sidebar: Celebrating Our Nation’s Cheese: assorted cheese festivals. By Camas Davis Sidebar: Respect Your Cheese: how to store it. By Raymond Hook (“Gray and blue molds that may develop…are fine. Black and red molds should be trimmed off, however.” Good to know. Recipes: Crunchy Spring Salad Chevre with Herbs, Olive Oil and Lemon Zest Salmon with Spring Vegetables “Melted” Leeks and Fennel with Olives and Chevre Lemon Verbena Strawberry Fool Pungent Cheese Spread Fresh Goat Cheese Panna Cotta Mille-Feuille with Two Goat Cheeses “After Farmers’ Market” Quiche Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches Macaroni and Cheese Cheese Bread Scallion and Pickled Jalapeno Cheese Crisps Welsh Rabbit Cheese “Gelato” Chopped Sirloin with Blue Cheese Butter Creamy Potato-Cheese Soup Craig Claiborne’s Cheesecake Blue Cheese Dressing Open-Face Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Fried Cheese Cheese Souffle Omelette Baked Chicken with Cheese and Cream Sauce American Fondue In the Saveur Kitchen: four ways to cut the cheese; deep-fried cheese curds!; rabbit is versatile; Fondue 101: the chemistry of it; Korean citron marmalade (yujacha); Alison Fong recalls nearly botching the family meal. Recipes: Fried Cheese Curds Smoked Haddock, Welsh Rabbit, Potato Puree and Mustard Cream Real-Life Kitchen: Tamasin Day-Lewis’s country home retains the traditional hearth and window seats. In the Saveur Library: The Cheese Plate, Max McCalman’s fantastic book that reads just like he sounds, and Cheese and Fermented Milk Foods, by Frank Kosikowski Moment: A model perches atop 800 pounds of Wisconsin Swiss, 1948

Saveur, March 2005 First: Colman Andrews reminds us that reviewing restaurants isn’t a dream job. Fare: Bock to the Country: renewed popularity and expansion of Shiner Bock, by Timothy C. Davis. Clove Story: The adorable garlic mascot, Ninky, of Kamashishi, Japan. Recipe: Ninton Boru (fried pork-wrapped garlic) Trader Vic Memories: Daniel Douglas is one of many readers with stories to tell about the restaurant. For Starters: Maureen Aboud makes labneh with her grandmother. Recipe: Labneh (yogurt spread) History’s Lesser-Known Food Sightings: from a grilled-cheese sandwich showing the Virgin to Paris Hilton on mystery meat… (Funnier than I’m describing it.) On the Side: Fatties break chairs on the Queen Mary 2, fatties fall for Special K ads in UK, groovy bronze deer faucets, and a nacho-cheese fountain for your next party. Agenda: Salsa cookoff in Tennessee, John McPhee’s birthday (March 8), mashed-potato wrestling in Pinnaroo, Australia, self-rising flour patented, crayfish fest in South Africa, Taste of Tillamook County fest in Oregon, Iowa Rabbit Festival, Trelawny Yam Festival in Jamaica One Good Bottle: Bottega Vinaia Teroldego Rotaliano 2002 ($20.50): “wild berries crushed underfoot on the forest floor.” Book Review: John Thorne thinks On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, by Harold McGee, is thorough but better as a reference than for any regular use in the kitchen. Sidebar: Who Will Carve? Carole Braden shows a depiction of the Last Supper in a Cuzco cathedral that features cuy (guinea pig) as the main dish. Drink: Winemaker on Wheels Favoring indigenous grap varieties and historic vineyards, Telmo Rodriguez is reinventing wine all over Spain. By Tim Atkin Tasting notes: 10 Rodriguez wines, from $9 Al Muvedre Tinto Joven 2002 (“greenish tasting”) to $62 “G” Pago La Jara 2002 (“intense and almost mysterious…very tannic….One of the very best of the Toro region”) Reporter: Diatribes for Dinner British restaurant critic Jay Rayner explains why reviewing in Britain is no longer a gentleman’s game, with excerpts of the most cutting criticisms from colleagues. Classic: Super Snack: Margo True reports on Indian samosas; complete with photo illustrations for filling and folding. Recipe: Aloo Matar ke Samose aur Danya ki Chatni (deep-fried pastries stuffed with spiced potatoes and peas, with cilantro-mint chutney Source: John and Tracy Johnson make extra-fresh Woodhouse truffles. By Carole Braden Cellar: A Variety of Styles Pinot Gris is not a bland grape; it’s just an extremely versatile, adaptable one. By Michael Steinberger Tasting notes: 12 bottles of pinot gris, from $12 A to Z 2003 (“rapierlike acidity…unmistakably Oregonian”) to King Estate Reserve 2003 ($25; “apples, lime, honey, baking spices and warm stones on the nose”) Sichuan Street Snacks: Old food traditions find new life at Chengdu’s restaurants and temple fairs. By Fuchsia Dunlop Recipes: Zhong Shui Jao (Zhong crescent dumplings) Dan Dan Mian (Dan Dan noodles) Long Chao Shou (dragon wontons) Dou Hua (flower bean curd) Fen Zheng Niu Rou (steamed beef with rice meal) Hong Shao Bing (sweet potato cakes) San Da Pao (glutinous rice balls) Guide: where to stay and eat in Chengdu The Best Food in the World: Bacon. Duh. By Colman Andrews Recipes: The Definitive BLT Bacon Tempura Peanut Butter and Bacon Truffles Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing Billionaire’s Bacon Stilton and Bacon Cheesecakes Sidebar: How to Cook Bacon (fry, bake, broil, microwave) Sidebar: Bacon and Health. Whatever. Sidbar: Nine Degrees of Bacon: international bacon relatives Flavors of a Rugged Land: Hunger drove Giuseppe Moretti from Italian Switzerland; food and family drew his great-granddaughter back. By Ann Herold Recipes: Minestrone (hearty vegetable soup) Pseci in Carpione (cold marinated fried fish) Cavollatte (vanilla lemon custard) Torta di Pane (bread cake) Capretto Brasato in Vino Bianco (baby goat braised in white wine) Insalata di Cicoria (chicory salad) Polenta ai Due Grani (two-grain polenta, with buckwheat) Asparagi alla Milanese (asparagus with fried eggs and Parmigiano) Guide: where to stay and eat in Ticino Lamingtons, Beestings and Meat Pies: Country bakeries are an Australian institution, but they’re a dying breed, and their delights are disappearing. By Chloe Osborne Recipes: Lamingtons (cakes dipped in chocolate icing and coconut) Beestings (custard-filled buns) Sausage Rolls Aussie Meat Pies Vanilla Slice Sidebar: Pie in the Sky: Aussies love meat pies. In the Saveur Kitchen: Sichuan dipping sauces make the difference…frisee aux lardons is the perfect salad…what to do with bacon grease…faster puff pastry Recipes: Hong You (Sichuan chile oil) Hua Jiao Mian (ground roasted Sichuan peppercorns) Fu Zhi Jiang You (sweet aromatic soy sauce) Salade Frisee aux Lardons (curly endive salad with garlic croutons and French bacon) Bacon-Fried Chicken Quick Puff Pastry Real-Life Kitchen: artist Jim Richmond’s electricity-free Vermont farmhouse uses a vintage 1920s stove and other found pieces. By Caroline Campion In the Saveur Library: Lebanese Mountain Cookery, by Mary Laird Hamady, and Encyclopedia of Asian Food, by Charmaine Solomon Moment: A man and his potbellied pig root through the fridge. (In honor of National Pig Day, March 1, perhaps?)

Just reread and saw your query re: hotels. The hacienda hotels are insanely gorgeous and well appointed. I've only ever stayed at Temozon, but I'm sure you'll be fine at the others. Puerta Campeche, in the city, is operated by the same group, by the way. It doesn't yet seem to be quite up to the level of organization as the others yet, though. Ceiba del Mar... Ohhh. Hmmm. If you can afford it, I would much more highly recommend Maroma, halfway between Morelos and Playa. Much more together operation and all-around gorgeous setting. Ceiba is nice, but there's lots of sea grass in the water, and the beach is very shallow; also, the buildings feel pretty packed in. Resto is not so hot, so don't go for AI deal...As I said, plenty to eat in Morelos. One cool thing (which you don't have to be staying at Ceiba to enjoy) is the mangrove walk across from the hotel--a long boardwalk that winds into the mangroves...good for morning or evening strolls, with lots of birdlife. Look for wood gate in small parking lot directly across from the hotel.

Ooh, so jealous! Merida and Campeche are both gorgeous. Merida is really only a lunch town. All the dinner restos are for tourists only, and are a little overpriced and cheesy. One possible saving grace, actually: La Casa de Frida, off the plaza to the west (C 59, I think), which looked hipster-y and had things like bone-marrow gorditas. I haven't tried it yet. Otherwise, head farther west to the Parque Santiago--good snacky cafes frequented by families at night. For lunch, you must go to El Marlin Azul, on C 62 two blocks north of the plaza. Right (east) side of the street. Blue awning. Not much signage. Cheap and fantastic seafood--better than anywhere in the Yucatan, even on the coasts. There's a lunch counter setup on one side, and then the adjacent storefront, which looks shut, is actually their sit-down dining room. Closes at 4pm or so. On C 62 south of the plaza, there's a little lecheria that does great milkshakes and fruit salads with bee pollen and the like--good place for brek. If you can be on Merida on a Sunday, that's a treat--lots of food stalls and festivities on the main plaza. Campeche is delish too--there's a wonderful 24-hour place on block east of the plaza off the north end--La Parroquia is the name. Big open front, high ceilings with fans, lots of old men. Great brek and dinner, with cheap Campechano standards like pan de cazon. Also go to La Pigua, which is actually now probably still under construction, and operating out of the adjacent place called, dorkily, Sir Francis Drink. (Campeche is a pirate town--yaaarrrrgh.) Soooo good. Very fun on a Sunday afternoon, if a little frenzied. It's on Av Aleman, which you hit if you go north on C 8, beyond the old city walls. For a classy dinner, or at least a drink, the ritzy new Puerta Campeche hotel has a surprisingly great restaurant--"modern" Mexican, but not over-fancified. _Really_ fantastically anchovy-y caesar salad. The setting is gorgeous, though the prices are pretty steep. And Puerto Morelos is nuts--no town that small deserves to have so many tasty restos. Most are geared to tourists, but that's not bad in this case. Caffe del Puerto has a small dinner special that's usually fantastic and only $10. Hola Asia is great--super-fresh Asian. And John Gray's Kitchen is upscale, but cheap for what you get, and very classy. For local stuff, go to La Pepita, which is the fishermen's hangout--in block closest to the beach, just north of plaza. That's where you get fried fish by the kilo and lots of beer. (Shameless plug: I write for Rough Guides, by the way. Guide to Cancun and Maya Riviera coming out in the next couple months. Yucatan guide early next year... Both books are food-obsessed, even if they don't say it on the cover...) And Celestun is beautiful, I agree. But damn, the ceviche at Marlin Azul beats the pants off anything I've ever eaten in Celestun...even though the shrimp all comes from the same place!

Thanks...that's a start!

Chefpeon, just curious about how many standard-size (whatever that is) cream puffs you'd get out of a batch of your pate? I guess I'm thinking 1-inch or 1.5-inch puffs? I'm trying to do croquembouche calculations...

Hmm--should've asked this more than three days before the wedding, but can someone advise on explicit ratios of recipe yield:total puffs:size of croque? I've scrolled through all the assorted posts, and can't quite piece everything together. I've made one before, but I can't remember the specs at all, and am now getting myself baffled with diagrams and so on. 1) The croque will serve about 65 people--haven't decided to do one big or two small, but I'm guessing 180 puffs or so? (That's the easiest part...) 2) Then, I'm starting with the Saveur recipe for pate a choux, which says it serves 16 people: 1 1/2 c. water 12 tbsp. butter Salt 2 cups flour 9 eggs About how many puffs do you think that'll yield? 3) Finally, what's a reasonable size for the base? For two small ones, I was basing the math on something like: 1st layer: 12 puffs, 2nd layer: 11 puffs, 3rd: 10, etc., but I can't remember if that's really how it works out. And will it really be about a foot high, assuming the puffs are about an inch around? Or are the puffs bigger? Really, how big is too big for the base? Ohhhh, how I wish I'd taken notes last time...

Mayo! Man, I feel gipped. I've eaten these in the Yucatan, and I don't think they had mayo in them. Not like they don't eat mayo there--half of any supermarket aisle is filled with jars of the gooey white stuff. But at typical hot dog carts in the Yucatan, you can have a plain ol' bacon-wrapped (they don't par-cook it; it's just sliced really thin), or you can get cheese-filled (maybe these do have mayo, actually--maybe it's just so standard they don't even ask), or you can get bacon-wrapped, cheese-filled and DEEP-FRIED! Oh yes, with caramelized onions on top. And mayo too, of course. And at the same cart they always also sell fresh-fried potato chips too, because you've got the grease, right? Genius. Although I admit I was afraid at first.

Going back to that query about tequila and Jalisco: yes, that's where tequila is from, and it's not at all native to Yucatan. Which is not to say people don't drink it, but it is more of a tourist phenom there if you want pricey stuff. However, there's a new distillery called Licores de Henequen, making tequila-like stuff from the henequen plant, which is really just a variant of the one they make tequila from. (Or maybe botanically it's the same, but you can't call it tequila if it's not from Jalisco? I guess I should look this up.) The bottle itself says 'Sisal' on the label. Anyway, the distillery (or one of them) is just outside of Izamal, and the seemed to be working on a tasting room with distillery tours when I was there in November... The stuff tastes pretty good--not sublime, but good for a local booze product, and it's a lot cheaper than your typical premium tequilas. And PDC does have some very good food (Yaxche is on 8th; maybe the place across the highway mentioned is Alux, the cave place? Or La Floresta, the best freakin' fish tacos ever?)... Akumal, however, is truly hopeless. Rancho Gordo, so glad to hear about your seed-gathering! If only I lived anywhere near where you grow. But we do have that one excellent Mexican farmer here in NYC who sells at the Greenmarket.

Saveur, January/February 2005 (The Saveur 100 issue) First: Colman Andrews manages to rustle up 100 foodie things to love, and work in the painful pun “beating a dead hors d’oeuvre.” (I guess after he professed his love for Trader Vic’s, he can’t help but show his goofy side.) Oh yeah, and he’s pro-carbs. Fare: Pacific Heights: Ernest Bayl reminisces about luxe dining at Cliff House in San Fran (recently renovated). Recipe: Crab Louis Steadily Rising: Avalon International Breads helps revive a Detroit neighborhood. By Lynne Meredith Schreiber Thinking Inside the Box: Carole Braden’s quickie review of Better Than Homemade: Foods That Changed the Way We Eat, by Carolyn Wyman, yields odd food lore. Fortune Cooking: An exhibit on Chinese restaurants in America, and how that got to be the way they are, at NYC’s Museum of Chinese in the Americas. By Elsa Huang Chasing Gnafron: Peggy Knickerbocker recalls discovering this sausage flan in Lyon, then makes her own. Peggy’s Gnafron On the Side: The Houston Rockets visit Yao Ming’s hometown, and eat well; Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America covers the high-stakes cooking circuit—best grilled cheese: swiss cheese and mango salsa on Italian bread spread with curry butter; Beautiful Brews Company makes beer especially for women. Agenda: Post cereal anniversary (1895); tamarind fest in northern Thailand; ancient dance and oxtail at Sinulog Foodstreet, Cebu; Soupie (aka sopressata) Bowl in Pa.; Périgord’s birthday, Feb. 2, 1754; Sprengidagur celebrates salty lamb in Iceland; Tasmanian food fest; Red Wine and Chocolate, Yakima Valley, Wash. One Good Bottle: Jaillance Cuvée Impériale Clairette de Die ($15), a “soft, sweetish confection of a wine.” Book Review: Dorothy Kalins is very impressed with Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World, by Theodore C. Bestor. Very accessible, but with great complex detail on the culture of the market. Cellar: Here Comes Kiwi Pinot New Zealanders offer Burgundian aromas and New World flavors. By Michael Steinberger Tasting notes: 12 NZ Pinot Noirs, from Mud House Vineyard Selection Marlborough 2002 ($17; “aggressive spiciness; finishes tart and dry”) to Felton Road Central Otago 2002 ($43; “bracingly dry…warm red fruit”) Reporter: Swedish Superstars Winning Arets Kock, Sweden’s chef-of-the-year contest, can turn a cook into a legend. By Kelly Alexander Recipe: Hummer med Blomkalskram, Hummergele, och Gurka (cucumber-wrapped croutons with cauliflower mousseline and lobster) Source: Texan Jim Walters’s Caledonian Kitchen haggis is for a select few. By Janet Forman Classic: Rich Little Po’ Boy: the New Orleans sandwich. By Pableaux Johnson Recipe: Oyster Po’ Boy The Saveur 100: It starts out great, with a lobster-and-calvados stew in a footed cast-iron pot; the accidental theme is cooking over fire. Other highlights: a stovetop smoker, the hot brown open-faced turkey sandwich, those Artisanal cheese plates at Au Bon Pain, and triple-decker PBJ. Oh, plus some highbrow things too. (Only one quibble: those silicone potholders actually suck—they’re clumsy, and they go from not-hot to dangerously hot in a second.) Recipes: Potted Lobster Stew Mexican Chocolate Icebox Cookies Hot Brown Uovo in Raviolo al Burro Nocciola Tartufato (soft egg yolk–filled ravioli with truffled butter Pink Grapefruit Marmalade Lángos (Hungarian fried potato bread) Upside-Down Meatloaf (from the Best-Of state cookbooks) Pollo in Casseroula (“Italian trailblazer” Piero Selvaggio’s chicken casserole) Feijoada de Polvo (octopus stew from Newark’s Ironbound Portuguese nabe) Vangi Bhath (spiced rice with green peppers and cashews from the Mavalli Tiffin Room in Bangalore) Croquetas de Pollo (Cuban chicken croquettes) Puding de Patata (sweet Minorcan potato cake) Deep-Fried Shiitake Mushrooms (from Maine’s Common Ground Fair) Grilled Marinated Quail and Sausages (done on a fireplace-top grill) Smoked Salmon and Dill Quiche Tagliatelle Souffle (from Pino Luongo) Spit-Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb Cassava Crackers Insalata di Spaghetti Freddi al Caviale (salad of cold spaghetti with caviar) Suan Cai Fen Si Tang (Sichuan pickled mustard green soup with bean thread vermicelli) Pate Brisee Sucree (sweet pastry crust) Roast Goose (from Zak Pelaccio, with bird from Heritage Foods USA) French Toast (using Japanese shokupan white bread) Gratins a l’Ananas et au Citron Vert et son Caramel d’Oranges (gratins of pineapple and lime with orange caramel, from Domaine de Bassibe near Aire-sur-l’Adour In the Saveur Kitchen: Improving banana cream pie with a good crust…what to do with lobster broth, and extra goose parts…all about mornay sauce. Recipes: Banana Cream Pie Lobster Stock Goose Liver and Apple Toasts Endives Mornay In the Saveur Library: Well Preserved: Pickles, Relishes, Jams and Chutneys for the New Cook, by Mary Anne Dragan, takes the fear out of home preserving. Moment: A vendor of caramelized sugar animals in Chengdu

Saveur, December 2004 First: Colman Andrews chides us to enjoy the holidays with our family before we regret not doing so. Fare: Clay Chicken: Eugenia Bone reminisces about the Italian tradition of baking a chicken in clay; today’s kids like it too. Recipe: Chicken cooked in clay Attack of the Hedonistic Fruitbombs: An excerpt from the new book Inspiring Thirst: Vintage Selections from the Kermit Lynch Wine Brochure Flying Foodies: John Purner specializes in reviewing restaurants at small airports. By Ron Lieber Mush Rocks: Bonnie Raitt’s band are oatmeal aficionados. By Mary Jo Spiegel Recipe: Man o' war Revered Wear: Amateur chef Roger Mummert gets respect when he puts on chef’s whites On the Side: A pho blog; a Sonoma vineyard uses SF area restos’ table scraps to fertilize its grapes; Pittsburgh’s new Iron City beer is packaged in sleek aluminum bottles; a German-made computer chip sense bad breath. Agenda: Strong ale fest in Carlsbad, Calif.; Minco, Okla., honey fest; Castelnaudry’s annual goose fat sale; James Lewis Kraft born Dec. 11, 1874; inn-hopping cookie tour in N.H.; mushroom fair in Santa Rosa, Calif.; shimadaame candies are sold in Taiwa Japan to commemorate someone falling in love with a woman’s puffy hairdo (really); patent anniversary of the first commercial dishwasher (1886) on Dec. 28; One Good Bottle: Casa Noble Anejo ($90): "smooth…vivid" five-year-old tequila Book Review: Poet of the Appetites: the Lives and Loves of MFK Fisher, by Joan Reardon, is solid; Fried Chicken and Apple Pie, by John T. Edge, are larks; The Tex-Mex Cookbook, by Robb Walsh, is excellent; At Mesa’s Edge, by Eugenia Bone, is a little thin but has good recipes. By Anne Mendelson Recipes: Lone Pine Pie Lady Bird Johnson’s Pedernales Chili Grape of Worth: Colman Andrews praises North American Pinot Noir, by John Winthrop Haeger Cellar: From the Wood Aged long in casks, tawny ports are rich, sweet, complex and versatile. By Michael Steinberger Tasting notes: from Ramos Pinto Superior Tawny ($15) to Warrer’s 1961 Reserve Tawny ($189), and a few others in the $30 range Lives: Feeding M. Le Président Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch won over the formidable Francois Mitterand with her earthy French country cooking. By Charles Pierce Recipe: Chèvre Mariné Drink: Big Red from Kronendorf A handful of small producers in one corner of Australia’s Barossa Valley are making some of the world’s most sought-after wines. By Tim Johnston Tasting notes: 17 shiraz and Rhone-style wines, from Grant Burge Barossa Viens Shiraz 2002 ($13) to Peter Lehman Stonewell 1997 ($75) Source: Lady M Confections makes exceptionally fine cakes. By Margo True Classic: Christmas pudding should age for at least a month. Recipe: Christmas Pudding A Southern Christmas North of the Mason-Dixon: A family with roots in the South celebrates the season with feasting and friendly arguments in snowy upstate New York. By Shane Mitchell Recipes: Baked Country Ham Breakfast Biscuits Cheese Crackers Edisto Eggnog Spicy Creamed Onions Standing Rib Roast with Bordelaise Sauce Bourbon Balls Green Beans Almondine Gingerbread Cake Crab Rangoon & Bongo Bongo Soup: The décor was corny and the food was mostly made up, but for a budding food lover, Trader Vic’s was the best place in the world, confesses Colman Andrews Sidebar: SF-based writer Ernest Beyl reminisces about Vic Bergeron, the man behind Trader Vic’s Recipes: Crab Rangoon Suffering Bastard cocktail Cheese Bings Stir-fried Baby Bok Choy Calcutta Chicken Curry Javanese Sate with Peanut Sauce Pake Noodles Bongo Bongo Soup Sweet Memory: The candied fruits and other confections at Romanengo in Genoa symbolize the city’s glorious past—and locals still line up for them today. By Anya Fernald Recipes: Meringata (meringues with marrons glacés and whipped cream Cotognata (quince paste) Budino di Semolino con Canditi (semolina cake with candied fruit) Canestrelli (almond paste cookies) Number One Tempura: This popular Japanese specialty becomes sheer, lacy perfection when prepared by a master: Suzuki Sumifusa, the top chef at Ten-Ichi, a renowned tempura restaurant in Tokyo. By Kenneth Wapner Sidebar: modern innovations (gasp) on tempura Recipe: Ten-Ichi Tempura In the Saveur Kitchen: Step-by-step guide to making a clay chicken…how to use leftover ham…making dulce de leche out of condense milk…how to fold crab Rangoon.…chowchow…Janet Thompson rallies after accidentally dropping her coq au vin sauce down the drain….In the Saveur library: Bitter Almonds: Recollections from a Sicilian Girlhood, by Maria Grammatico and Mary Taylor Simeti, and Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art, by Shizuo Tsuji. Recipes: Brandy Butter Whiskey Cream Macaroni with Cheese and Country Ham Chowchow Kitchen: Hiroko Shimbo, a Japanese cookbook author and teacher, relies on a salamander and chopsticks by the stove. Moment: Chorus-line guys in ostrich-feather tutus have a drink at their theatre bar, 1956

I wonder whether editors at food mags get a sick feeling when they start thinking about the Thanksgiving issue? I know my eyes glaze over as soon as I see them in my mailbox. Fortunately, no turkeys were harmed for the cover of this issue. SaveurSaveur, November 2004 First: In fact, Colman Andrews explains why they never use turkeys on the cover. Heh, but there's a good picture of _live_ turkeys "awaiting the inevitable." Fare: Turkey on the Yarra: Nancy Kriplen recalls an unlikely Thanksgiving in Australia, and how she bonded with the in-laws. Hail to the Chef: White House chef Walter Scheib is also president of a club of chefs who feed dignitaries: "neutrality is a must." By Melanie Mize Renzulli Prize Pork: Real Canadian bacon is totally different from what Americans think it is (sold raw, unsmoked). Now someone in Michigan is making the right stuff. By Stephen Beaumont Battle of the Coffee Table Cookbooks: Que es más macho: the El Bulli cookbook or Alain Ducasse's Spoon Cook Book?. A handy comparison chart by eGullet's own Steven A. Shaw Getting Jiggly With It: A new cookbook is dedicated to Jell-O shots. By Jelly, I mean Kelly Alexander {an honest-to-god typo} Recipe: Cram (a cranberry/SoCo/citron Jell-O shot) Tahiti Eats: Food vans in Papeete serve upscale fast food of all kinds. By Meryle Evans On the Side: napkin-folding craze; Thanksgiving in space; inflation in food prices; bacon-, lettuce- and tomato-scented candles, for the 100th anniversary of the sandwich Agenda: Mule Day in Calvary Georgia; Fiesta del Dulce de Leche in Cañuelas, Argentina; Swedish goose feast honors Saint Martin, who hid amid a flock of geese; Nov. 12 is the trademark anniversary of Nabisco; Delray Beach Garlic Fest in Florida; Leo Baekelend, inventor of Bakelite, was born Nov. 14, 1863, in Ghent; Mount Avoca Pétanque Club Tournament in Avoca, Australia One Good Bottle: Geyser Peak Winery Kuimelis Vineyard Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 ($32): "definitive California cabernet." Book Review: Remembering Bill Neal, by Moreton Neal, and Frank Stitt's Southern Table: Recipes and Gracious Traditions from Highlands Bar and Grill, by Frank Stitt. Shane Mitchell reviews these two Southern cookbooks: both flawed, but good for Neal completists and nice refined dishes from Stitt (though many recipes didn't test well). Recipes: Chicken Liver Mousse (from Neal) Red Snapper with Ham Hock?Red Wine Sauce (from Stitt) Cellar: Argentina's White Hope Fragrant torrontés looks for a place on America's wine list. By Roger Morris Tasting notes: 12 torrontés wines?very few are available in the U.S. so far, but all are priced very well: "Crios" de Susana Balbo Cafayate 2003 ("wafts of tangerine?; excellent mouth-feel") is the priciest at $15. Essay: The Taste of Autumn Willoughby Johnson praises food, such as a good venison steak, that you hunt yourself. Lives: Wine Seller For half a century wine merchant Robert Haas has brought great wines to America. By John Winthrop Haeger Tasting notes: Five recommended bottles from Tablas Creek, such as Esprit de Beaucastel 2002 ($40): very elegant, with mourvèdre predominating. Memories: A Slice of Memory Kathleen Brennan recounts learning how to make her German granddad's walnut torte Recipe: Opa's Walnut Torte Source: Super-fresh Hawaiian fish from Honolulu Fish Company. By Camas Davis Classic: Negimaki (beef-scallion rolls) were invented in Manhattan. By Laura Kiernan Recipe: Negimaki Potato World: Once widely maligned and misunderstood, this humble tuber is now relished almost everywhere. A giant, multipiece feature on potatoes, including info about the International Potato Center in Peru, a bit on the potato famine and profiles of the Simplot potato plant and a small-scale potato farm in Maine. Also: what they look like, how to cook 'em. Contributions from Lynne Sampson, Margo True, Maricel Presilla, Sarah Copeland and Carolynn Carreño {All a relief to see, considering the last issue had a few carb-counting jokes, which made me worry the eds were losing their grip.} Recipes: Vichyssoise (cold potato and leek soup) Pommes de Terre à la Sarladaise (Sarlat-style potatoes) Pizza di Patate (potato pizza) Filets de Poisson en Écailles Croustillantes (fish filets with potato scales) German Potato Salad Hachis Parmentier (shredded beef with mashed potatoes) Aloo Papri Chaat (crisp-fried wafers with potatoes, yogurt and tamarind chutney) Llapingachos (Ecuadoran potato cakes) Vintage Pyrenees: The luminous wines of Jurancon, both dry and sweet, are as unusual and full of personality as the people who make them. By Colman Andrews Recipes: Daurade Royale sur un Lit de Poivrons Rouges (roasted sea bream on a bed of red peppers) Foie Frais de Canard Poêle au Shitaké, Julienne de Golden Citronnée (fresh duck liver sautéed with shiitake mushrooms, with a julienne of golden apples) Poêlé de Ris d'Agneau et de Cèpes (salad of lamb sweetbreads and cèpes) Pot-au-Feu (boiled beef dinner) Tasting Notes: 13 recommendations from the region, from Chateau Jolys Sec 2001 ($14; "ripe strawberry nose...austere finish") to Clos Lapeyre Vent Balaguèr ($50/375ml; "rich, creamy and long") Guide: hotels, restos and wineries to visit in the Pyrenees Is It Still a Tradition If We Change It Every Year?: Elmer R. Grossman explains the evolution of his family's Thanksgiving dinner. Recipes: Roast Turkey Multicultural Stuffing Rich Gravy Pear and Currant Chutney Lemon Marmalade Cranberry Sauce Pumpkin Pie Living with the Olive: In the Greek province of Messenia, the annual kalamata harvest dictates the rhythms of a simple existence. By Diane Kochilas {No recipe provided, but fascinating: dried figs poached in salt ater, roasted in embers and sprikled with oregano.} Recipes: Fava (puree of yellow split peas) Khirino me Selino kai Avgholimino (pork stewed with celery in egg-lemon sauce) Fasoladha (bean and vegetable soup) Kokkoras me Khilopites (rooster with egg noodles) Kayiannas (tomato and sausage omelette) Sidebar: Liquid Kalamata: Greek olive oil is tasty and reasonably priced. In the Saveur Kitchen: A Sveico nut grinder is best, but a Zyliss cheese grater works too; poori and tamarind chutney are staple Indian snacks; Recipes: Madeira-truffle Butter Papri (crisp-fried wafers) Imli Chatni (sweet and spicy tamarind chutney) Kitchen: Chef Cindy Pawlcyn, in Napa Valley, relies on refrigerated drawers, a made-to-measure pastry counter, a wood-fired oven, built-in wood cutting boards and small windows over counters for cooling pies (and for letting hobos steal them, presumably). Moment: An English milkman delivers, despite the floods, 1954.

Yummy. Elie, do you live in NM? I miss the green chiles so... But maybe I'll try this with the long, thin peppers at my greengrocer that are billed as "Italian" (like every other vegetable...suspiciously). I made some beans with them recently, and the flavor took me straight back to Egypt, so they might hit the spot for this recipe too.

I follow a recipe carefully only if it's using a technique I haven't used before, or is in a totally new cuisine to me and I'm not sure what the flavors should be--but both of these cases are rare now. Often, I'll take the flavors suggested by a recipe and combine them some other way--recently grilled a duck and made a sauce for it with the ingredients I'd originally been planning to braise the thing with, and that kind of thing. And some of the best, most satisfying things I've ever made have been totally invented, based on little scraps I've had left in the fridge--but this is a double-edged sword. I was lucky enough to live with an Indian guy for a while who would just nip into the kitchen and "whip up a curry," while I was still measuring out, teaspoon by teaspoon, all the spices. After watching Wilson freestyle, I finally was able to cut loose--but unfortunately the most delicious lamb curry I ever made can never be recreated because who knows what the hell I put in it... Basically, I just remember techniques--and this is the strongest knowledge base I have for improvising. So I have only a few recipes in my head--one for braising, one for roasting, one for pan sauce, one for pasta sauce, etc.--and they're adjusted according to what ingredients look good or what flavors I'm craving. But like chrisamirault, for technical, chemical-reaction things, I have to consult a recipe--to remember the proportions of butter and flour in a white sauce, for instance. Those kind of details fall out of my head after a month or so of not making the recipe.

Phyllis touts the Greens program, to pull in younger members--but I duly signed up online about a year ago, and still have not been contacted. I suppose they were busy with other activities at the time... In my one visit to the JBHouse (as a guest of a PR firm touting its new hotel), I was astonished at the high percentage of doddering ladies in pearls and Chanel suits--certainly not the typical foodies I'd innocently expected. I huddled with the chef's wife and the PR people--more informative and fun.

Saveur, October 2004 (10th Anniversary Issue; a shout-out to Penelope Gil on the cover) First: Colman Andrews looks back at the magazine’s first issue, 10 years ago. Fare: Kitchen Radio: Legends like Lou "The Glue" Marcelli are on a 13-part NPR series on Morning Edition beginning October 1. By Peggy Knickerbocker A Cuppa Kava: Eric Goodman participates in a Fijian kava ceremony, using the traditional herbal sedative. The Grape Escape: The new movie Sideways, starring Paul Giamatti, is set in Santa Barbara wine country. By Margo True Bulldog Party: El Bulli began as a beach stand near the French border, with Czech-Swiss owners. By George Semler Recipe: Magret de Pato Perfumado al Brandy con Trufas y Setas (duck breast in brandy sauce with truffles and mushrooms) Texas Tartare: The town of Castroville, 25 miles west of San Antonia, has Alsatian roots with a Texan accent: the local steak tartare has chopped onions, american cheese and lemon juice, and is served on saltines. By Paula Disbrowe Recipe: Castroville Parisa Béchamel U. Turns 20: Two decades of NYC's French Culinary Institute. By Stephanie Ogozalek On the Side: high-end ballpark food, though not yet at Yankee Stadium yet (so terribly true), where they're sticking with Cracker Jack—not Crunch 'n Munch; Chefcards are like baseball cards, but chefs are the "players"; Jay-Z has a dedicated chicken-wing chef; Atkins dieter pushes limits of all-you-can-eat buffet Agenda: Kaikoura Seafest in NZ, dedicated to crustaceans; Erddig apple festival in Wales; Afamia grape fest in Cyprus; Oct. 8 is the anniversary of the Domino sugar trademark (1901); Oct. 12 is Luciano Pavarotti's birthday (1935); West Virginia black walnut fest; Kansas and national cornhusking contests One Good Bottle: El Chaparral de Vega Sindoa Old Vines Grenache 2002 ($11): "a low-key charmer…very food-friendly." Book Review: The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Secrets of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore, by Grace Young and Alan Richardson. Madhur Jaffrey reviews, with general praise (and tips from book such as seasoning your wok by frying flat Chinese chives), but wonders if home stoves are powerful enough to develop true "wok hay." {I have a tip: "unscrew the nipple" (scroll down)} Recipe: Lee Wan Ching's sizzling pepper and salt shrimp Drink: The New South The Mâconnais, in southern Burgundy, produces many mediocre wines—and increasing quantities of very good ones. By Patrick Matthews Tasting notes: From Verget Macon-Villages 2003 ($15; "fresh and clean…ample chardonnay") to Chateau-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes Pouilly-Fuissé 2002 ($50; "creamy, smooth and fruity") Essay: Authenticity: It's the Real Thing Colman Andrews says the only way to get close to "authentic" cooking is to know the people behind the tradition. Cellar: Edgy and Intense Mourvèdre yields distinctive wines from Bandol to the Sierras to McLaren Vale. By John Winthrop Haeger Tasting notes: 12 mourvèdres and mourvèdre blends, from Joseph Swan Russian River Valley Mourvèdre ($16; "camphor and wet earth" to Ridge California Pato Vineyard Mataro 2002 ($N/A; "huge ultra-ripe nose of berry preserves") Source: Canadian Mennonite farmers make smoky summer sausage. By Shane Mitchell Classic: Chilaquiles (stale corn tortillas doused in spicy tomato sauce) are a great poor man's dish. By Carolynn Carreño Recipe: Chilaquiles Fragrant Feasts of Lucknow: Two centuries ago, the rulers of this refined North Indian city created an aromatic, extravagant cuisine that lives on today. By Margo True Recipes: Kundan Khaliya (kid goat curry wrapped in gold) Murgh Zafrani (saffron chicken) Dhungare Baigan (smoked eggplant with yogurt and onion) Parcha Pulao (kid goat pilaf cooked in spiced meat stock) Galawat Kebabs ("melt-in-the-mouth" kid goat kebabs) Dabi Arvi ka Salan (taro in onion sauce) Sidebar: Recipe Detectives: local food writers had trouble getting recipes from secretive Lucknow cooks, but now have a book to show for their work: Dastarkhwan-e-Awadh: The Cuisine of Awadh Sidebar: Garnishes That Glitter: how to work with gold and silver leaf Guide: hotels, restos, and sights in Lucknow Singing for Our Supper: When two musicians from Texas go on tour in Europe, good food isn't an afterthought—it's a daily obsession. Country food in Switzerland, France, Spain and Italy, by Joe Gracey Recipes: Cervéla (Hansreudi's family salad) Salsiccia Nostrana alla Griglia con Fagioli all-Uccelletto (grilled sausage with white beans) Almejas con Jamón (steamed clams with ham in white wine) {mmm—from Cal Pep in Barcelona} Espuma de Limón (lemon foam; also boosted from Cal Pep) Guide: hotels and great road food in Europe A Saveur Roundtable: Ten years of cooking and eating in America, 1994–2004: To celebrate our first decade of publication, we invited key food figures from around the country to sit down with us for lunch (we ate both carbs and protein) and explore a menu of meaty topics. By Colman Andrews The participants: Robert Schueller, Deborah Madison, Zarela Martínez, Mario Batali, Dorothy Kalins, Darrell Corti, Marion Nestle, Rich Melman, Chuck Williams, Mimi Sheraton and Colman Andrews {No Atkins discussion, despite the ref in the dek. The confab seems heavily edited—very broad comments on an equally broad range of topics. Also, there's a very funny picture of Andrews looking very fierce at the head of the table. Recipes are all from Barbuto, where the lunch took place.} Recipes: Crostini di Baccalà (salt cod cake on grilled toast) Insalata di Calamari Gremola & Aioli (salad of squid, wild chicory and chickpeas with lemon-garlic sauce) Maccheroni con Funghi Selvaticci (tube-shaped pasta with wild mushrooms) Manzo ai Ferri (grilled skirt steak with grilled chiles) Cavolfiore (roasted cauliflower with black olives and bread crumbs) Finocchio e Pecorino (shaved fennel with pecorino) Torta al Limone (almond-lemon cake) Sidebar: Ten Years of Food and America: a timeline ranging from the opening of the French Laundry to the death of Julia Child Sidebar: Puck the Pioneer: Short interview with Wolfgang Puck Tailgating at Ole Miss: If football can be considered a religion in these parts, then pregame picnics at the Grove are its church suppers – for up to 60,000 people. By Carolyn Carreño Recipes: Caramel cake Cream cheese dip with chutney Black-eyed pea corn bread Hot onion soufflé Grilled pork tenderloin with Jezebel sauce Breakfast casserole Only the Very Best Meat Tafelspitz isn't just a variety of boiled beef; it's one of the treasures of Viennese gastronomy—indeed, of Viennese culture. By Ann McCarthy Recipe: Tafelspitz Sidebar: Boiled Beef Matters: The importance of the cut of meat, as seen in an excerpt from Joseph Wechsberg's story "Tafelspitz for the Hofrat." In the Saveur Kitchen: A staffer's variation on the Ole Miss breakfast casserole; add smoky flavor to Lucknow dishes with live coals set in onion "cups," then placed in the dish and drizzled with ghee—cover and let smoke; how usli ghee differs from French clarified butter; soup of tafelspitz broth over shredded crepes is a traditional Viennese starter Recipes: Sue Raye's breakfast casserole {different from the Ole Miss recipe in that it uses cream of mushroom soup!} Usli Ghee (Indian clarified butter) Frittatensuppe (shredded crepes in beef broth) Kitchen: Chef Andrew Abruzzese in Bucks County, Pa., uses two big islands, a walk-in refrigerator, and slate flooring just in front of the stove, fridge and walk-in. In the Saveur Library: Moghul Cooking: India's Courtly Cuisine, by Joyce Westrip (Serif, 1997): sumptuous, easy-to-follow recipes Moment: The backs of itinerant grape pickers dot a field in Champagne, 1998

More catch-up... Traveling and changing software delayed this one. Sorry about that. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Saveur, August/September 2004 First: Colman Andrews explains why 80-year-old Marcella Hazan gets the cover story: "she is intolerant of stupidity and immune to fad and fashion…. She's not a saint, exactly; she's the real thing." Fare: Greek Cooler: The glory of the frappe, the genius Greek application of Nescafe. By Kathleen McCabe Recipe: Nescafe Frappe Noodles Galore: The easily astonished Regina Schrambling discovers vermicelli noodles are part of Indian cuisine, thanks to an in-flight meal. Recipe: Seviyan Pulau (vermicelli pilaf) Riding the Tasty Rails: Lunchbox meals available at Japan's train platforms. By Hiroko Shimbo Football Nuts: History of the Ohio State buckeye. By Sara Bir Recipe: Peanut butter buckeyes Baking the Part: Baker Sarah Black consulted on the short-lived pastry-centric Broadway play Sixteen Wounded. On the Side: Barilla's new shrine to pasta; a politicians' cookbook; Lost in Translation inspires food tours in Tokyo; Japan is anti-additive, which upsets the European business community Agenda: Watermelon festival in Hope, Ark.; herb festival in Lismore, New Zealand; Aug. 22 is the anniversary of the founding of the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (1966); breadfruit fest in Bath, Jamaica; Mary See of See's Candies fame born Sept. 15, 1851; cous cous fest in San Vito Lo Capo, Italy; 10th annual corndog fest in Dallas One Good Bottle: Topanga Vineyards Edna Valley Edna Ranch Syrah 2001 ($27): "nicely gamy but with real Rhône-ish elegance" Book Review: Eating My Words, by Mimi Sheraton, and Sirio, by Sirio Maccioni. eGullet's own Steven A. Shaw reviews this two gossip-heavy exposes of restaurant intrigue in the 1970s and 1980s (Sheraton as a NY Times critic, Maccioni as owner of Le Cirque). Drink: Greek Revival Ancient vineyards in Macedonia are being reinvented; the xynomavro grape is key. By Diane Kochilas. Sidebar: High-end retsina fails—so it's back to the traditional recipe. Tasting notes: 11 Macedonian wines, from tart but grapey Stelis Kechris Xinomavro 2001 ($11) to "rich, chewy, tannic" Domaine Anestis Babatzimopoulos Cabernet 2001 ($25) Cellar: Looking at Bordeaux Roger Morris reviews reds from Long Island. Tasting notes: 12 bordeaux-style reds, from Comtesse Therese Hungarian Oak Merlot 2002 ($15; "tons of agreeable tannins, suggesting this one be laid down") to Macari Alexandra 2000 ($65; "celery seed in the nose…soft oak finish") Memories: The Fountain of Youth Robert Sherrill reminisces about working as a curbhop for the Norwood Pharmacy in N.C., in 1939. Sidebar: Soda-jerk speak (including "flatwich," for a double-sided grilled sandwich) Recipe: Banana split Source: Atlantic smoked salmon from Max & Me. By Stephanie Ogozalek Classic: Vietnamese summer rolls date from the 15th century. By Camas Davis Recipe: Goi Cúôn Sót Túóng (summer roll with dipping sauce) Drawing Out the Flavor: The secret of Italian home cooking resides within the ingredients themselves: Marcella Hazan tells us that supermarket lamb chops and other basic items are fine if you use the Italian technique of insaporire ("making tasty" through long sautéing). Recipes: Zuppa dell'Ortolano (greengrocer's soup with onion, peppers, rapini and potatoes) Carciofi Saltati e Fusi al Forno con la Mozzarella (sautéed artichokes baked with mozzarella) Risotto di Zucca, Porri e Vongole (risotto with butternut squash, leeks and clams) Ragù di Vitello col Sughetto di Peperoni Rossi, Verdi e Gialli (veal pasta sauce with red, green and yellow peppers) Baja Napa: A small valley in the "other" California is making wine history with everything from cabernet to chasselas to nebbio. By Colman Andrews Recipes: Sopa de Calabacín y Coliflor con Camarones (squash and cauliflower soup with shrimp) Ensalada Tibia de Codorníz (warm quail salad) Sorbet de Melón con Granizado de Limón (melon sorbet with lemon granita) Sidebar: Tasting notes on wines from Valle de Guadalupe, from light, clean sauvignon blanc–semillon Monte Xanic Viña Kristel 2002 ($8) to tempranillo-cab Casa de Piedra Vino de Piedra 2002 ($60). Guide: hotels, restos, fiestas and wineries in Valle de Guadalupe Farmers of the Sea : The hardy oystermen of Arcachon sleep, eat and nurture their precious crops by the tides. (More French rusticity…) By Nancy Coons Recipes: Huîtres Grillées au Beurre Blanc (grilled oysters with butter sauce) Huîtres Rôties au Vin Blanc (roasted oysters with white wine) Huîtres Gratinées (broiled stuffed oysters) Moules au Jambon de Bayonne (steamed mussels with Bayonne ham) Soupe des Pêcheurs (fishermen's soup) Huîtres en Beignet (oyster fritters) Bar Grillé (grilled sea bass) Bar aux Raisins (sea bass with grapes) Sidebar: France's best bivalves: other major oyster-producing areas Sidebar: Months with an R: buy summer oysters from a reputable source Sidebar: "Aw, shucks" no more: how to shuck an oyster, with pictures Quintessential California: San Francisco's 25-year-old Zuni Café is not a perfect restaurant—which might just be why everybody loves it. By Thomas McNamee Recipes: Piccolo Fritto (deep-fried celery hearts, squid and lemon slices with aïoli) Chicken livers with bacon, pickled onions, Zante grapes and watercress Frisée salad with hazelnuts, parmigiano-reggiano and roasted prune-plums Hanger steak with salmorejo sauce, white beans and spinach Grilled whole favas ("lick your oily, salty fingertips; it's part of the dish") Spaghetti with clams Zuni Gâteau Victoire Roast chicken with bread salad In the Saveur Kitchen: Keep clams fresh in a damp towel in a bowl in the fridge; dates stuffed with mascarpone; hot citrusy sangrita chases tequila; how to trim hanger steak; cooking tips from Judy Rodgers; North American black walnuts; the Russell Harrington short Boston 3-inch oyster knife is recommended Recipes: Salmorejo sauce Black walnut sauce Kitchen: Marcella Hazan's kitchen has sliding doors and deep drawers under the sink (place drains at the rear of the sink). Moment: A Chinatown residents sips soup on a fire escape in NYC, 1998