Adam Balic

Some earlier discussion on the origins of the recipe

My American edition of Ada Boni's 'Italian Regional Cooking' contains are section on the cooking of Lombardy. and Del Conte's book has sections on both regions.

I have the US 1950 translation of Ada Boni's 'Talisman', it has a recipe for "Beef ragout with gravy", this uses canned tomato (and oddly some sauterne wine). Unfortunately, for some completely unknown reason, none of the Italian names have been left in the book.

I have been buying lots of books recently, but this is the most unusual for a while. Published in Riga (Latvia) 1927, it seems to be a very high class status cookbook. Much of the cooking would have seemed old fashioned in Western Europe, infact even though I can't read the book, I can see that some of the illustrations are direct copies from Careme! So about 100 years out of time. On the other hand there are also many scientific illustrations. A very odd combination and when I manage to find a decent Latvian dictionary I look forward to translating some of it. I have so far worked out one recipe though "American Beef steaks". The cover So over the top croutes etc. Carp and Pike Pretty much and exact copy of Caremes roast piglet, including the cockscomb and truffle hatelets Yeast

Anna- I'm sure Jack will not mind too much. Haricot of Mutton 1 kg best end of neck or breast of mutton lard for frying 4 oz of haricot beans soaked overnight 1 kg of sliced onions 4 oz sliced turnips salt and pepper 1 table worcestershire sauce Trim meat and brown in lard. Cover meat with water and add other ingredients. Cook with lid on until done. Poncy versions contain whole pickling onions, chestnuts, mace, herbs and wine. In the UK a haricot bean is usually a large white kidney bean.

In terms of lamb/mutton stews native to the British Isles, I have this list: Hotposts - Lancashire, Bolton, Cumberland (also contains beef), Prosen (Scotland) Stews - Lobscouse, Irish, Barley, Mushroom, Cider, Devilled neck, Jugged, Minted, Poor Mans Goose, Exmoor, Panjotheram, Tattie Pot, Haricot Mutton and lambs tails. I am sure that there are many more. The Haricot of mutton is the only stew I can think of that contains beans. Originally, it would not have contained beans, but the later (english) stews of this type do.

OK, I will checj some of my books and let you know what I find out. But, as I assume that it is the nitrate that is the important bit and the MW of potassium nitrate is 101.1 verses 85 for sodium nitrate, this means that you would use more weight of saltpetre to get the same concentration on Nitrate's. "local charcutier" . I wish.

From Ivan Day's website -Everything you might like to know about culinary moulds. This years Leed's food symposium will be on moulded food.

Just to be certain on this, that is for instance 6.25 grams of saltpetre 100 grams of sodium chloride?

OK. I have the book now and the sausage maker is on order. I have a sack of salt peter (potassium nitrate) at home and would like to use this as I can imagine that getting pink salts or sodium nitrate is going to be a struggle in Edinburgh. Is there a general rule fo the ration of sodium chloride to potassium nitrate (in weight) in a cure or does it vary from recipe to recipe? I have a few older cookbooks that have cures for pork and mutton hams etc, which mention that too much potassium nitrate with make the meat brittle and tough. Thanks very much, the book looks very good.

Yes, pickled red cabbage is traditional with it. I have also read that the shape of the pot was determined by the local breed of sheep. These were quite lanky and the pot was designed to accomadate the longer shanks of the lamb neck shops. These would poke out the top like a crown. Sounds a little contrived to me though. Do you have Florence White's 'Good things in England'? This has the Bolton recipe.

I have never heard of an example of Irish Stew cooked in the oven, which isn't to say that they don't exist. There are a few variations on the Lancashire Hotpot, regional and over time. The version from Bolton (le-moor) contains onions, mushrooms, kidneys and oysters. An the cooking vessel is and important point as well. HotPot is cooked in a Hotpot, like Paella and Tagine are named after the vessels, rather then the ingredients. This is the Bolton Hotpot, the pot I have is not traditional as it doesn't have straight sides.

I was thinking this same thing. Looks like the Pompano that I remember people fishing for in the surf off of Gulf Shores, AL. Fabulous grilled with the skin-side down until it is charred. The flesh then lifts off the skin beautifully. ← They look similar, but belong to different groups of fish. The common or Florida Pompano Trachinotus carolinus looks very similar in deed to my fish (Silver Pomfret, Pampus argenteus ), but is a little more elongated.

That looks great. What are the three ways? Is one of them use achiote?

I may have, I'm not sure. When I was 14 I stayed in Singapore and Malaysia for 3 months. The fishhead curry was a dish that sticks out in my mind as a dish I had, but I can't remember the exact sauce. In Melbourne we ate at a Malaysian restaurant once a week or so and they had a fish head curry dish as well, but this had a coconut based sauce as well. Do you have a recipe for the Nonya dish, I would love to try it?

Kevin - the cheeks are prized by me alone, the heads are almost always throw into the waste bins. This is a smallish head, but with the veg etc it would feed 2-3 people. The fillets are the prized bit, but I didn't get any this time. In some older books the fish is described as 'being similar to a veal chop'. This is bollocks, but it does indicate the flesh isfirm, but not 'fishy'.

Here you go then! Corinna - I think that the fish refered to will be This fish Anarhichas lupus, which is common in the North Atlantic (Scotland, rather then Egland and Wales). It is a type of giant blenny, and eats crabs and lobsters etc. Good flavour and a firm boneless fillet. In older cookbooks it is called "Sea cat". ← Thanks Adam... wow, he's fierce looking, but I like the sound of his diet. Have you had the chance to try some yourself? ← I've just remembered that "bar" is the other word for sea bass in France. From what I remember, "loup de mer" is mostly used in the med, so it figures that it's quite different from the "Atlantic sea bass" or "sea cat". Would love to see a good close-up of its head! ←

As promised may I present Anarhichas lupus, the Wolf-Fish or Sea Cat. As you can see it is a British fish. Although, as it's range is mostly in the North, it is not that well known in England. Recipes for it are present in 18th Scottish cookbooks though. The head has a huge amount of meat on it and it has especially large cheek muscles, most likely due to its diet of crabs, lobsters and shellfish. The flavour of the flesh reflects the diet. So it is perfect for Singapore Fish Head Curry, which looks a little blah, but tastes wonderful

A couple of lovely fish. I have no idea what these are, other then they are an Indo-Pacific species. The fishmonger mentioned that they are very popular in Hong Kong, but now extremely expensive as most go to Japan. I also got these large wild prawns. As I wanted to taste the flavour of the fish un-altered, I simply pan fried them. The prawns were sauted in butter and garlic. Very simple. The fish was delicious, firm flaked fish, with seaweed/iodine flavour, similar to garfish. edit: Thanks to the power of egullet I can ID the fish as Nemipterus virgatus "Golden Threadfin Bream".

I know half of them are deceased, but since this is imaginary .... .... The Two Fat Ladies! SB (I'd watch!) ← I dont think either of them would put up with his crap. The one that smokes would have kicked him in the head and run over him with her motorcycle, while the other one would beat him over the head with a large rutabega or something. They were nice ladies on the show, but somehow I get the feeling that they kicked some serious ass in their younger days. ← In person Clarissa is intelligent, quick witted, entertaining and she could most likely kick my arse now, no problem.

How about Friuli-Venezia Giulia? It is one of the least know regions in Italy, has really interesting food and has excellent wine.

If it is the same chain as here is Edinburgh then the wine will be mediocre quality, un-interesting and over priced. However, I once saw a couple having sex on the floor of the exit doorway at the same place and that was certainly interesting. It is possible that Edinburgh is different to Sarasota though.

My in-laws in Chianti also eat raw sausage, usually on bread with a drizzle of olive oil. As the sausages are fermented and have saltpetre in them, I don't worry too much.

I have no problem with "ONANISM" ( ), but I think that many readers would object to the restaurant scene been called 'expensive excessive wankery..'. Surely you have heard of Onanism? What about about the joke, "Why did the man call his budgie "Onan"? Because he kept spilling his seed on the ground". No? Well I guess we must get different Christmas crackers.

I'm sure it is not, but coconut seems to be a very popular addition to 'curry' made in the UK during the 19th century, and some recipes say things like 'if you have not coconut, add cream". These curries made in the UK had only a passing respemblance to most Indian dishes.