NulloModo

I like to serve them with an Old Bay spiked roumelaide as a sauce. As for a side, it is hard to go wrong with a bitter greens salad with a nice vinegary dressing.

Ah, to me, the purest form of Wawa hoagie enjoyment is as follows - 2 or 3am, turkey sub with extra everything (especially the hot peppers and pickles), eaten in your or one of your best friends cars (trying not to drive off the road or spill it on the seats of course), whilst headed to the AC expressway with spontaneous dreams of making the same drive back in a Bentley in one's head. Of course, inevitably, one will enjoy a similar sandwhich, 6 to 12 hours later, on the same road back, in the same civic/protege/corolla in which you left, but with a wallet several hundred dollars lighter, and seemingly stuffed with extra crow instead of hot peppers... wondering why you didn't all just hang out in the wawa parking lot in the middle of the night instead.

The jalapenos sold here in Toronto vary wildly in heat levels. I don't know if it is because some of them are grown here in greenhouses and some of them are from Mexico, or if they're different varieties, or there's a big seasonal variation, or whatever. It doesn't seem to matter if I buy them from a supermarket or a Latino grocer - the heat level is variable, and not in a predictable way, so far as I can discern. So, yes, those look like the jalapenos we get here. And, given the enormous variance in spiciness, I recommend trying one or two and compensating accordingly every time you buy them. I've found pretty drastic differences though even from peppers bought at the same place at the same time (and presumably from the same producer). I think there has been a trend towards producing less heat-intensive jalapenos, or there's at least a perception that this is so. (I've read articles to this effect - but I still come across incredibly picante jalapenos from time to time). AT the end of the day, I think this is a product with a fair bit of natural variability in heat levels, and what you found at your local produce stand today might be different a month from now. If you see a constant trend of non-spicy jalapenos, I'd suggest encouraging your source to find a spicier supplier - if that's what you want. But honestly, around here, fairly to incredibly mild jalapenos are not uncommon. Let us know what the next batch brings. Cheers, Geoff Ruby ← I'm not one to go out of my way for organic or heirloom produce, but if someone started selling chiles that they guaranteed packed an extra punch I would gladly pay double the normal price for them. Perhaps there is a market for true chiles out there still... at least I hope.

In general I would prefer unique vegetarian dishes that don't try to mimic real meat, but that is just because I have no problem eating real meat, and enjoy the change of pace that traditional vegetarian dishes from other cultures can bring. jBo - I don't see how eating tofu ribs could be seen as hypocritical. If someone wants to become vegetarian because they don't believe in killing animals for their food, does that mean they also have to give up enjoying the taste or ribs? I mean, tofu ribs don't kill any sentient beings, and if they taste good to whoever is eating them, what is wrong with that? I am on a low-carb diet, and I see people around here from time to time mention that they think LC products are a travesty... I have the same question, why? I mean, no one is forcing you to eat them. I made a lifestyle choice for my health, but that doesn't mean I don't occasionally like the taste of bread, sugar, or etc. So if I want to make bread from LC ingredients, or a dessert using sugar-substitutes that I enjoy, does that make me a hypocrite? In much the same way I didn't start on this way of eating because I hate carbs, most vegetarians don't start down that path because they hate the taste of meat (though I know some who do). So, if someone likes turkey, doesn't want to have a bird killed for their T-day dinner, but enjoys the taste of tofurkey, I say more power to them.

Honestly, food safety has never seemed to be a big issue with me. I mean, obviously I'm not going to use the john, then go cook dinner without washing my hands, and I'm not going to eat meat that really smells funny, but I have no problem using the same cutting board to slice raw meat or poultry and then vegetables without washing it, well, as long as they are all going to be cooked anyway, if it were raw veggies for a salad I would rinse it under hot water first. On the same note I eat my beef rare (and don't really care if I know where it came from), my pork medium or less, and if my chicken is a little underdone, hey, it is just juicier. Yes, I have given myself food poisoning once, from undercooked italian sausage, and I am generally more careful to fully cook my sausage now, but if I am sitting down to dinner, and I realize it is still a little pink in the middle, I just go with it and take the risk. As far as restaurants go, getting food poisoning at a place is definately bad, but I don't consider it an ultimate unforgiveable sin. If the food is good, and the problem isn't chronic, I will still go back. My roomate once got food poisoning from a local chinese place which I love. In reparation they offered him a $20 or so gift card, which he was sickened to use. I certainly had no problem using it when he offered it to me. Anything in life involves risk and hey, everyone gets sick from time to time. Cook good food, take basic precautions, but don't take the fun and joy out of cooking by turning the kitchen into something that looks like a clean room at the Intel factory or a research lab at the CDC.

I agree, you can get great fresh food in the cities and industrialized regions as well... but when I think of really fresh, really honest, really true to it's heritage food, my mind conjures up images of idyllic pastoral settings, forests, beaches, running streams, scraggy mountains abundant with goats and wild oregano, etc. I'm betting that I am not the only person on this board that entertains these images when digging into some 'rustic' fare. I am just curious, is this just silly nonsense we city and pseudo-city dwellers come up with as a form of escapism, or does that type of stuff really exist in abundance across the world?

Hehe, the things I were thinking about were similar to... a country ham and collard greens both raised in the farms in some some town in VA or AL right outside of the restaurant in which it was served, steak and kidney pie, a pint of local ale, and some chips in a pub in England, boullabaise from a coastal town in France, Aloo Gobi and fish curry in a village in India, authentic bruschetta, a simple yet hearty pasta dish, and some great locally cured antipasto somewhere in Italy. I think the menu could vary endlessly wherever it is being eaten, but I am talking about simple, heart, no-nonsense salt of the earth food. Cooked by those who learned it from their parents, which in turn learned it from theirs... Nothing fancy, nothing looking for a michelin star, but not too much from a can other than when it is an absolute neccessity. The cliched dishes that you think about when you think of the local cuisine of a region... does such a thing even really truly exist, or is it just some food-lover's fantasy?

Let me start off by saying I love where I live. In DE I am smack dab in the middle of the most densely populated corridor of the US, I have Philly half an hour away, Baltimore 45 minutes, and NYC 2 hours. I have countless mexican markets in my immediate area, and a bit of a drive downstate offers Indian, Korean, Japanese, Thai, and Philipino grocers. If I head into PA I can pick up Italian delicacies with ease, and cheeseteaks, chinese, mexican, red gravey italian, pizzas, etc are merely a phone call away from being delivered to my door. What more could a guy ask for? Well.... somehow, I always seem to wax romantic about rural down to earth humble cooking, food tied to its roots, at least in presentation. There have been lots of threads about the lack of good options in dining in many rural areas, yet still, I dream of, 40 years from now, retiring to a small place in St. Alban, England, wandering to the Cathedral on Sunday mornings, and then enjoying a hearty steak and kidney pie and a pint of ale while discussing the latest soccer match with the locals (err, I should figure out something about soccer before then). Will I ever do it? Will I miss the multitudes of options I have now if I do? There are some members of eG who live in rural areas such as this where great authentic local cooking abounds. There are many more who live it up in the big cities, being able to flit from 4 star joint to 4 star joint on a whim. Then again, the majority of us are probably living it out in suburbia as am I, taking out enjoyment from bits and pieces between the two extremes. Is romantic idealization about rural cooking a luxury and pipe dream for those who don't live it? Do others who live outside of the soulful bossomy areas of the world have these kind of longings as well? Would those of you who do live in such areas give it up for the bustle and options of the bigtime city life? Discuss

Liquor should last forever. While cleaning out my great-great-aunts basement after she passed away my father and I enjoyed a glass of approximately 70 year old moonshine, of which she had at least 10 gallon sized jugs of down there, and it was still as good (or bad?) as I imagine it would havebeen the day it left the still. Liqueres, on the other hand, can be trouble. Often the alcohol content isn't quite high enough to stave off infection forever, and some, like Bailey's, contain naturally perishable ingredients. Then againg, liqueres in general are cheaper than fine spirits, so it is no big deal if you need to toss a bottle here and there.

Not sure why, but I had a serious protein and grease craving today, so I decided it was time for steak and eggs. Well, wouldn't you know it, I was out of cooking oil, so I had to fry up some bacon first to get enough grease in the pan to cook the eggs and steak. Well, it seems a good side for steak and eggs anyway. The fried wedge of onion was so I at least had something sort of like a vegetable on my plate, but then again, vegetables fried in bacon grease might not count... Of course, a meal like this, you just have to drench in hot sauce (and if you ever see it, Pepper's brand cayenne sauce is top notch, takes the place of my previous favorite louisiana style sauce - Texas Pete). The steak was something Safeway calls 'Mock Tender Steak'. It was more gristly than tender, but had a really good flavor, and it is cheap, so I will definately buy it again. The steak was just cooked in the bacon fat too with a little worchestshire for flavor. Of course everything also got a healthy dose of fresh ground black pepper... Man, this was so good I was scopping the drippings off of my plate, really hit the spot.

It isn't just the Dutch. There was a thread in Food in the Media and News a while back about some American company trying to grow Jalapenos and Habaneros with little to no heat... heh... I am fine with GMO soybeans, corns and wheat, and even chicken protein material grown in a lab on a big flat piece of metal... just stop messing with my chiles.

The problem, of course, with high alcohol beers is that they really sneak up on you. Downing just one 20%+ ABV beer is the equivalent of drinking almost a six-pack of regular beer... And when you manage to put down a six pack of them... well, hey, you almost just downed two cases ;)

How do the actual steaks at Barclay Prime compare to what you would get at the nations top steakhouses/butchers? Is it all dry aged prime grade beef?

Al, I watched the show were he did this just the other night. He said to use a heavy duty pan to hold the wood. He banged it with his fist to show it was not a flimsy pie plate. What the heck, electicity, wood, sounds like fun. Too bad there is not some alcohol involved. I guess you are supposed to drink the alcohol. It ought to work, but I am sticking to the WSM. Guess I am not adventuersome as you guys. Whats the worst that can happen? I little fire? My biggest saftey idea is to make sure your extension cord is heavy duty enough to carry the current for 12 hours and plug it in to a GFI outlet. ← A heavy duty extension cord, at least for my electric smoker, is just plain old required for the thing to get up to temp. I first started using it with a cheapo lamp wire extension cord I had laying around, and the temp would get above 200 degrees inside. Once I upgraded to a heavy duty one, the problem went away (it also has a cool light in the extension plug, so I can make sure the thing is actually getting power up until the smoke comes out, very handy for me since the outlet it is plugged into is switched and my roomate always manages to turn off that switch instead of the light switch when he leaves the room...)

That certainly _looks_ like a jalepeno. However, there are tons of chile hybrids out there, and also lots of chiles which just plain look like other chiles... I think it is a jalepeno, but there is no real way to be 100% sure.. The other problem is that the conditions under which the chiles are grown has a huge impact on the heat level. If you treat the plants well, lots of water, not much heat, etc, they grow very mild fruit. If you abuse them, they provide a superior product. (odd, isn't it?) I myself have occasionally been the victim of purchasing wimpy chiles. In fact, earlier this year I picked up a bag of scotch bonnets that were milder than your average Jalepeno. And just for future reference - a Jalepeno is not an ultra-hot chile to begin with, but it should have a nice fresh full flavor, and a moderate amount of heat. If you are unused to eating chiles, then you certainly have felt some tingle in your mouth when you chomped down. For corn bread use though, I'm really a fan of the jars of picked jalapenos one can find. They retain a lot of heat, and the vinegary undertones really round them out well.

I tried Coke Zero the other day. It isn't bad, but Diet Coke with Splenda has a far superior taste and taste much more like real coke to me (then again I haven't tasted real coke in almost two years, so, my sensory memory could be faulty). Anyway, they'd better not pull the plug on Diet Coke with Splenda because they are introducing this product, DC wit S is the best new soda that anyone has put out in a long long time... now I am just waiting for a caffeine free version....

There are some very good high alcohol content beers out there, and some very bad ones. When my friend went to school at Queens U. in Ontario (Kingston) he and his housemates considered Faxe to be little more than malt liquor... and I can't say I was ever blown away by the taste, but this was the 10% version. Not sure if they distribute into Canada or not, but a microbrewery here in Delaware (Dogfishhead) makes two excellent high alcohol content beers. One is their "Midas Touch" which even comes in a really cool tall grolsch style corked bottle. It is refreshing, a bit malty, but not overpowering. The other (and my personal favorite) is there Immort Ale. The stuff comes out of the bottle in hues of very dark red and purple, has flavor hint of raisons, chocolate, coffee, yeast, malt, and a hope flavor that cuts through without being the forefront taste. Imagine what would happen if you took a great full flavored english ale, gave it all the depth of a stout, and an intense smokey background from the aging, oh, and it is 11%. They also have two very high content beers that taste incredible, but aren't even availible year round in the home-state: 120 minute IPA (clocking it at over 20%) and Worldwide Stoute (at 18%).

This gave me a laugh -- in our house "Tuscan" has come to be referred to as The Forbidden Word. An ongoing source of hilarity -- we vie to outdo one another finding the best instances of its (mis)use. ← I am curious - do you find Tuscan to be more misused than other Italian local cuisines? Around here I don't find that much labled 'Tuscan' in particular, but in the shadow of philly, red gravey is king. BTW - Is your icon the Stargate symbol for Earth ? Hehe how cool is that, I am totally into that series lately.

that is actually not as strange as you think. A) I do the same thing, it is a nice kick B) the Indians that first started drinking hot chocolate also did this. I can't remember why, but a little cayene or chili powder in hot cocoa is awesome. ← The original Aztec / Mexíca recipe for chocolate (Cocahuatl) blood honey cocoa butter chillies ← Is that order? Isn't cocoa butter just the oil part of chocolate, without any of the actual chocolate flavor?

Heh, seems to be that way doesn't it? Perhaps if we adopted Italian or Latin as the official language of the US (hey, the Romans seemed as fond of excess as I do). But wow, to be able to eat that way and get to be old and skinny? How I envy you ;)

Of course, well, after all, anyone with any sense knows that the greater Philly area (including northern DE of course) is the center of the Universe. Why should it be any different culinarily speaking?

The Jersey Turnpike Roy Rogers' are never good, ever. Although, my friend Andrei loves to make a 'condiment salad' from the fixins bar. The turnpike would actually have some fairly decent travel eats if Wawa could buy out the Sunoco contract and replace all of those stations with Wawa superstores.

There are indeed a variety of industrial application whiz-like products on the market. When I used to work at the pool concession stand in my neighborhood when I was younger we would serve nachos with this whizzy vaguely cheeselike product that came out of huge drums... I always found it a bit watery, but since we simmered it away in crockpots from morning till night, it was decently thickened by the time the munchie craving crowd came around. Go with real whiz for steaks.

I have never tried to build my own either (I have absolutely no skills in building anything), but if you do decide to go with buying one, check out the Cookshack units. They are electric, completely self contained, easy to clean, and put out a great product. I was given one this past christmas, and I have yet to turn out a bad product from it.

Do the McDs lobster rolls really have real lobster in them? and in decent quantities? $3 sounds like an awesome deal, especially because I usually hear them going for quite a bit more in NE lobster shacks.