=Mark

My current favorite mussel dish is based on a dish served in several local Thai restaurants. Mussels with Thai basil and chiles Ingredients... 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 14 oz tin coconut milk 2 tsps thai green curry paste 1 stem lemon grass, finely chopped 2" fresh ginger, grated 2 red chillies, finely chopped (or LOTS More...) 1½ pints chicken stock 4½ lb mussels, cleaned 2 tbsps fresh lime juice 2 lime leaves, finely sliced 2 handfuls baby spinach or bok choi 2 tbsps fish sauce 12 Thai basil leaves, torn Cilantro, carrot and tomato for garnish -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Instructions... Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan. Add half the coconut milk, curry paste and stir to combine. Add the lemongrass, ginger and chilli and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about ten minutes. Add the mussels, cover with a lid, and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Fold in the rest of the coconut milk,the lime juice, lime leaves, spinach and fish sauce and cook for 3 minutes more. Finally fold in the basil and discard any mussels that have not fully opened. Serve with plain rice or noodles. If you want to get fancy with presentation, remove the mussels, open them and remove mussels from shells, then split the shell halves apart. On small serving plates ladle a few ounces of the cooked coconut milk/basil/lemongrass and stock mixture. Take 7 to 9 mussel shell halves and arrange them in a circle on each plate. Place a mussel into each of the shell halves, then ladle some more of the mixture over the top. Garnish with diced tomato, cilantro sprigs and thin matchsticks of fresh carrot.

Ray's Seafood Restaurant in Little Silver does possibly the best steak fry that I know of, and I'm not normally a fan of that type of fry. As a subset of this topic I'd have to nominate the Navesink Cafe, a seasonal place on the waterfront in Red Bank as the best area battered onion rings. Thick cut rings of spanish onions expertly battered and perfectly fried...

Mussels with Thai Basil and Chiles My current favorite mussel dish is based on a dish served in several local Thai restaurants. 1 T vegetable oil 14 oz coconut milk 2 tsp thai green curry paste 1 stem lemon grass, finely chopped 2 inches fresh ginger, grated 2 red chillies, finely chopped (or LOTS More...) 1-1/2 pt chicken stock 4-1/2 lb mussels, cleaned 2 T fresh lime juice 2 lime leaves, finely sliced 2 handfuls baby spinach or bok choi 2 T fish sauce 12 Thai basil leaves, torn Cilantro, carrot and tomato for garnish Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan. Add half the coconut milk, curry paste and stir to combine. Add the lemongrass, ginger and chilli and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about ten minutes. Add the mussels, cover with a lid, and cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Fold in the rest of the coconut milk,the lime juice, lime leaves, spinach and fish sauce and cook for 3 minutes more. Finally fold in the basil and discard any mussels that have not fully opened. Serve with plain rice or noodles. If you want to get fancy with presentation, remove the mussels, open them and remove mussels from shells, then split the shell halves apart. On small serving plates ladle a few ounces of the cooked coconut milk/basil/lemongrass and stock mixture. Take 7 to 9 mussel shell halves and arrange them in a circle on each plate. Place a mussel into each of the shell halves, then ladle some more of the mixture over the top. Garnish with diced tomato, cilantro sprigs and thin matchsticks of fresh carrot. Keywords: Seafood ( RG212 )

At least you guys get different stars! Down here in Central Jersey all we've got is Andrea Clurfield in the Asbury Park Press. She gives every restaurant 2 stars. It does not matter what the tone of the review is... 2 stars. She can gush endlessly how good the food is and how gracious and knowledgable the staff is: 2 stars. She can lament how long it took to get a seat, how the appetisers were greasy and undercooked, the fact that water glassses were dirty and that the flavor of the sauce clashed with the meat: 2 stars. I can't even retreat to the NJ Zagat Guide, she is now the editor...

I've never understood this stainless steel thing. Isn't the whole point of stainless is that it's non reactive? Does this mean there's no point in cooking with garlic if I'm going to use stainless cookware or utensils? Sounds Urban Mythy to me...

Has anyone considered one of those mini digital voice recorders?

I'm game...

Where is this place?

How can you say that there has been no comprehensive effort to control air pollution from automobiles? In the US there have been efforts to adress that for far longer than there have been any issues about second hand smoke. Both the air and water here in the US are a magnitude of order better than they were 30 years ago, not withstanding the rants by the green ecocommunists that have their own agendas to push ($$$) by suggesting otherwise. The effects of car exhaust have been well documented and there has been a concerted effort to reduce auto emissions for over 30 years. Back in the mid 70s there were on average 30 to 45 pollution alerts issued per year in Los Angeles. During the past 5 years there have been an average of 2 alerts annually. Here is an excerpt from the EPA PACIFIC SOUTHWEST REGION • 1999 ANNUAL REPORT:

Oh yeah! You peel your garlic in a piece of spinach manicotti!

I remember watching a lady chef preparing a dish on some cooking show years ago and she was spouting the party line about how she did not believe in garlic presses OR knives for garlic as it was to "harsh" on the garlic. She then proceeded to toss it in and smash the crap out of it in a mortar & pestle! Oh yeah, that was delicate...

Of course scientific evidence is often disregarded when the political process is in action. In the early 70s scientific studies funded by the Govt. determined that DDT was not toxic to mammals or birds, and that claims of it affecting the thickness of eggshels and was building up in the fatty tissues of mammals were also unfounded. Result: EPA Chief ignored reports by it's own researchers and banned DDT. Researchers in the early to mid 90s reviewing data concerning silicone breast implants determined that there was no evidence that silicone leaking from faulty implants was having measurable ill effects on womens health. Result: EPA ignored research findings and banned further use of silicone implants. This ban was used by plaintiffs in civil cases that ultimately resulted in the bankruptcy of 2 major pharmaceutical firms. The research into the effects of secondhand smoke is likewise inconclusive, but did not stop the political juggernaught. It is like polititians claiming to be anti-drug or anti-crime, how is anyone going to try to oppose them without appearing to be pro-drug or pro-crime? So Bloomburg is pro-health, how does anyone oppose that without looking bad? I am glad about the ban, however. A recent trip to McSoreleys was initially tainted by having to endure some yuppie suits skanky cigar until we were able to move to our favorite table under the payphone next to the window.

A New York Times article (Yes you need to register) covering a controversy over a recent study on alcohol. One of the claims is that half the alcoholic beverages purchased was for underage or problem drinkers. Of course in my research into the matter I've found that the people involved in alcohol related problem behaviors such as DWI or counselling consider anyone who consumes any amount of alcohol on a daily basis (even one glass of wine with dinner) a "problem drinker," so this finding should be taken with suspicion.

Schaller & Weber double smoked slab bacon... (Insert Homer Simpsonesque groan & drool here...) Slice it as thick or thin as you desire!

I usually use the term Regional US Cuisine to describe specific types of cooking ascribed to a particular part of the US. Multi Cultural is leaning a little to close to PC for my comfort. Would find it hard to decide which countries cuisine to choose with "It's a Small World After All" going around in the back of my head...

I'm not sure of this link to the Catholic faith in terms of ethnicity. Would Indian Hindus, Asian Buddhists and Pakistani Muslims be required to convert to Catholicism in order to be considered ethnic? I can see it now... "We're sorry Ramesh, we know you'd really like to open an Indian restaurant, but until you become a Catholic you can only operate American fast food franchises..."

I've looked at the Live Foods site, and did not see any reference positive or negative to cheese. So why does the restaurant insist on serving the fake stuff? You would think that real cheese would fit right into the cockamamie philosophy. Even if the milk used was "ruined" by pasturization, you would have to think that the process of fermentation would introduce a new helping of magic pixie dust... Er, I mean enzymes... Is it just me, or does the process of eating say, a live chicken sound kind of harrowing?

So, what's the connection between Roxanne's and cheese?

The degree with which food of other countries can be considered ethnic is problematic. Is corned beef and cabbage considered an "ethnic" dish even when it is not really eaten in Ireland? Likewise the many so called Chinese dishes that were actually created in the US, are these still ethnic? How do Italian restaurants reconcile offering Caesar salad when it was created in Mexico? I also find it not a little amusing that in spite of the comments about French cuisine being a little too "haught" to be considered ethnic, one can still find bottles of the horrid florescent orange goo called "French" salad dressing. I'd like to know the sequence of events that resulted in the creation and subsequent naming of that stuff. You would think that if the French desired to protest anything about the US it would be "French" salad dressing. Is that ethnic? I'm sure Kraft exports tons of that stuff to France...

Stayman Winesaps rule! Crisp and tart. Excellent for cooking and eating...

Interesting in that the phrase Yuppie originated like 20 years ago as a vaguely perjorative label for young adults that had achieved a certain level of corporate income. You would have to assume that these folks have aged somewhat, and that the folks being referred to these days are likely to actually be "Yuppie Puppies." They can be identified by their propensity to take out their cell phones and place them on the restaurant table upon being seated...

Depends on the beer (Duh...). Some of the watery "Lite" beers average 3 or 4 percent, wheras some of the heartier Ales and Stouts can lean towards 6 percent. Of course there are a whole range of imports to consider as well as the domestics. I would have to say that the average "Joe Sixpack" beer is around 5%.

You're not going to get any more fermentation once the alcohol level gets above 16% or so. Any other changes would be photochemical, and generally would not be an improvement.

But there is dissolved oxygen in water, or fish would not survive. And sunken steel ships do rust, the Titanic is rusting away quite merrily. I'd hesitate to state that they have lasted hundreds of years as steel ships simply have not been around that long.

Shrimp & Pesto Ravioli with Sherry Cream Sauce & Shiitakes (=Mark) This recipe is a little involved, but the results are more than worth the effort... Pasta 2 c durum semolina flour <BR> 2 eggs water Raviolis 1 lb 31 to 40 count shrimp, peeled, deveined and boiled for 4 minutes. Drain and cool. pesto pitted calamata olives Cream Sauce 1 pt heavy cream 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning olive oil 1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms 1/4 c diced shallots 1/4 c dry sherry 1/4 stick butter at room temperature PASTA: Combine eggs and flour thoroughly. If necessary, add water until proper consistency is attained. Knead for 5 minutes, then let rest on counter under a bowl for 20 minutes. Roll out dough with machine into a thin sheet suitable for making the raviolis. Lay pasta on wax paper sprinkled with semolina to prevent sticking. RAVIOLIS: Take a shrimp and smear one side with a dab of pesto and place pesto side down on pasta sheet. Place half of an olive on top of the shrimp. Repeat until there is a double row of 10 or 12 shrimp. Using your finger or a pastry brush, moisten around each shrimp with water. Roll out another sheet of pasta, and carefully lay over shrimp. Using your fingers, press the air out from around the shrimp and press pasta together around the shrimp. Use a pasta/pastry crimper/cutter to cut the individual raviolis. if making a large quantity, separate single layers with wax paper sprinkled with semolina (raviolis touching each other tend to stick and tear) and stack in a baking dish or tray. Raviolis may be prepared and frozen for later use. (Cook frozen raviolis for 2 extra minutes) To cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add raviolis and cook for 4 or 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from pot and drain in a colander. If not serving immediately, drizzle with a little olive oil and gently toss to prevent sticking. Cream sauce: Heat cream in saucepan until it is boiling vigorously. Reduce to 1/3 of its original volume and add nutmeg and Old Bay. In a sauté pan, sauté shallots and shiitakes in a little olive oil until tender. While over high heat, add the sherry to the pan and flame off the alcohol. reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated. remove the mushrooms from the heat, combine with cream in the saucepan and simmer for a few minutes. Add butter and whisk until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle sauce over the raviolis and serve immediately. Keywords: Intermediate, Shrimp, Main Dish ( RG187 )