Adam Balic

Soome of the most interesting lamb I have eaten for a while. This is a leg of Shetland Lamb which is an ancient breed (has near identical bone structure to Iron age sheep in Europe) that is found in the extreme North of Scotland (and obviously Shetland) as it is the only breed that is hardy enough to survive there. The match gives you an indication of size and at £35 for this leg it isn't cheap, but the flavour is excellent. If given a chance to buy it, then go for it. No images of the meal as while cooking the leg I managed to knock my digital probe into the boiling stock-pot and therefore that later part of the meal was a little bit busy.

I think that I now know why you have never had a non-heavy steamed pudding . In Australia we have an old fashioned pudding called "Golden syrup dumplings" which is basically scone dough poached in golden syrup and butter and is similarly rib sticking. If I create a 'pudding thread' would it be OK to copy this recipe over?

Would it be possible to pin this thread to the top of the board? Yes it isn't dining etc, and not usual practice, but I think that Kevin's thread is exceptional and something that has and will inspire people on the topic of Italian food culture, more so then most cookbooks or breakdowns of dining experiences. It would be a great waste to see it drop of the bottom of the page.

divalasvegas- This site shows some of the differences. Basically there is a change in size and the body form is altered to suit the salt water enviroment, plus there are many superficial changes like colouration etc. I haven't eaten steelhead, but I imagine that the flavour profiles are very different also. Fish common names a problematic in general, but the "Dover Sole" is doubly so in the USA. The offical species (as determined by the FDA) in the USA known as "Dover Sole" is Microstomus pacificus, which is a west coast species for flounder, not a true sole at all. European dover sole Solea solea are imported and I have been told that this is what is sold at any restaurant worth its name. People selling the American species under the name of Dover Sole are not doing anything wrong or illegal (quite the opposite), but the is is that the European Dover sole is one of the greatest eating fish in the world, where as the American species is not. So the reputation of one (2nd or even 10th hand) sells the other. I have been told that Wholefoods sells the American species (from the appearance of the fillets) and I am sure that when people buy this fish and prepare it that must wonder what the fuss is about. Unfortunate really, but this is a specific case and it is difficult to know how to sort it out so that the consumer is aware of what they are getting, unless scientific names are listed on the lable and I can't see this happening.

I will have to wait at least a week to do this as I want to use the ingredients from the area and the local importer hasn't begun orders yet. One thing I have learn't the hard way is that some regional recipes are not worth making without specific ingredients, often the more simple dishes are actually the most difficult to produce.

"Sea Bream" is a generic name and doesn't really identify a species, just a type of fish. It works in the UK as nearly all of them sold are Gilthead bream Sparus aurata, which are related to but not the same as porgys Steelheads are the natural ocean going form of the Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. The European Brown trout Salmo trutta can do a similar thing and are called "Sea Trout", "Salmon trout" or "Selwin". In Australia rainbow trout that are raised in sea water pens and undergo some of the body changes similar to a natural Steelhead are called "Ocean trout". I wonder if your "salmon trout" also come from a similar aquacultual practice, rather then being "Steelheads"?

"Freedom Fizz" - nope, too specific a market. I assume that American Sparkling wines are made in various regions, so maybe a totally generic name is not viable. Maybe drop the notion all together and market the individual wines. The bottles are distinctive, no confusion there, and I doubt many people ask for a bottle of "Bollinger Champagne" over just "Bollinger" for instance?

Close up that sort of look cute in a goofy Jim-Henson-workshop-type of way. I will see if I can get a head when the fishmonger is open.

Yes, they are very common in good fishmongers here in Edinburgh (OK, that is three shops). My fishmonger is closed until the 12th, so I will cook some then. Similar flavour to lemon sole, much bigger fillets though.

Most of my fish in 2005

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".

Things like Knodel (eh, the bread one from Austria I had recently) are not that far removed from these types of puddings, so I think the sailor story apocryphal. Regarding cake type steamed puddings, most of these used baking powder which seems to be only popular after the mid-19th century, so I guess that many of these recipes are relatively recent.

The OED thinks that the derivation of "Pudding" from "Boudin" is unlikely, as both words first appear at the same time (13th century) and had the same meaning. So they most likely share a common root word, but what this is and where it comes from is unknown. It could be a question of terminology, but I don't find steamed puddings to be heavy at all. Most steamed puddings now have a cake mix as a base and to me at least they are light and cakey in texture. Sure there are examples of heavy types, especially the 'self saucing' types, but I wouldn't say that this was characteristic. Even (traditional) Christmas pudding largely derives its 'heavy' quality from the amount of booze soaked into the fruit and the propotion of fruit in the pudding. "Cloutie Dumpling" from Scotland is similar in appearance to a Christmas pudding, but is actually very light (or should be), do the proportions and lack of booze. Not that it matters, but everybosy has there hobby-horse.

Is this a trick question? really--saffron is expensive on a purely weight based cost. In reality a very little goes a long way-- so on a pure per use cost it is well worth it (and not that expensive)--it is all relative. As already noted here-saffron provides a unique flavor (it is not about the color only otherwise turmeric would be a valid substitute). as with many things-one either enjoys the flavor of saffron or not. for my taste-I can not imagine a paella (or a Milanese risotto) without good quality saffron--it is integral to these dishes. ← No trick, just commenting on how folks wax lyrical about the great and glorious saffron, when it's ok, but not that great really. Seriously speaking, salt is far more valuable to me as an ingredient, and probably to most folks. I feel that saffron is regarded as a king of spices because of it's price, not it's worth. ← Not a good comparison. Considering the amount that is used in a recipe, $40 an ounce is actually very economical. Salt and saffron are used for very different reasons in cooking (if saffron was mined out of the ground or purified from seawater, it would not be used as salt is), most of the worlds population may not miss saffron in their diet, unlike salt, but there are some dishes that it is important and a key flavour. On an other issue, the amount that I use in cooking is not enough to give a strong yellow colour to the dish. The flalvour profile is certainly there (floral/metalic), but the final colour of the dish is more likely to be influenced by tomatoes for instance. How much do others use in their cooking.

Has anybody seen the "Euroterroirs" books which is a EU funded project to list all the PDOs (Protected Designations of Origin) and PGIs (Protected Geographic Indications) of each nation's native dishes? "Euroterriors" is the French effort and apparently consists of several large volumes.

Adam, as promised, I posted a recipe on my blog for what do to with those bits of leftover wild boar ham that you will have! Leftovers are often the basis for good regional dishes. French Kitchen Adventures- J is for Jambon Oh, and another classic book- Madeleine Kammans' "When French Women Cook" a resource I fall back on, time and time again. ← Kate thank you very much for this (lovely site BTW), I think that this is a very good idea for the left overs. A near identical recipe was cooked in 17th century England (called a "Dutch Pudding" I think). I will let you know how it goes.

I think that a little bit goes a long way, but it does work as an excellent flavour enhancer and in combination with other flavours, so I like to use it.

Swisskaese - Some recent discussion on cooking with suet, to add to the discussion. Suet will produce a much lighter pudding then butter and a pudding boiled in in cloth will be lighter then pudding in a bowl (although the former is more difficult). My suggestion would be to make your own, as it is easier and will most likely taste better. Maybe try a lighter style of pudding first, such as a cloutie pudding. Marlena - Greece the the UK? Quite a transition in regards to food, I am looking forward to hearing more about your UK project.

Excellent idea Kevin, you are generous. O.K. I am going to make Torta di Peperoni from the Tanaro valley in Piemonte sometime in the next week.

That is very good advice about the regional produce, thank you very much. I have the Peter Graham book (published by Prospect Books I think) and you are correct these books are a good place to look as well. I have a fresh wild boar ham in that needs to be cooked tomorrow, so for the first less common regional French dish I am going to make Choucroute de navets a'la Colmar tomorrow.

Thanks for the infomation, the site looks very good (after a little bit of seaching about). I will let you know how it goes.

I would say that Italians are fiercely "micro-regional" (see the Ragu thread ). But there are plenty of collections of 'Italian cuisine' - written by Italians. Given the shuffling of borders on in N-E of Italy, I wonder how you would define the food on on side of the line as 'Italian' and the food on the other as 'other'.

I have plenty of basic middle class home cooking recipes (Madame St. Ange etc), but I guess I am looking for things that will be cooked regionally only and have not really been incoporated in more general home cooking collections. So as good as it is, no Boeuf Bourguignon and more things like Perdreaux aux Fides for instance.

I have several good collections of French regional foods and several books on specifc regions (Alsace, Corsica, The South-West, Burgundy), but after my trip to the Dauphine last year I realize that there are many many interesting regional dishes that are not covered in these books and inspired by Kevin's Italian regional cooking thread, I would like to devote at lest one meal a week to trying to educate myself on some of the lesser know dishes/regions. Are there on-line or published resources that people would suggest?

Happy new year Kevin, may this years project be as inspirational as the last (a tall order I know). Now that you have done this project, what do you think the "Pan-Italian" aspects of the cuisine are, if indeed they exist at all?