Smithy

When you do this, do you individually oil the phyllo leaves? I made a phyllo "pizza" last night with roasted summer vegetables, and the hardest part to me was the peeling the leaves apart and brushing each with an egg/oil/water mixutre. Maybe I'm too impatient. If there's an easier way, please let me know.

That's a delightful post! I'm with Heidi and Kay - love looking at people's pottery and glassware. I have a large salad bowl and some tumblers that match your wine pitcher/decanter. The meals all look delicious, too. The term "pork scotch" threw me for a loop. It looks like what we Yanks would call medallions. Is that right? Are they cut from the loin?

I picked up a bottle of Gateway Vinho Verde in honor of this topic. There was a time when I drank Vinho Verde often; then I kinda forgot about it. I'm glad I tried a bottle again. Things I learned tonight: Vinho Verde refers to the region in Portugal that is the source of the wine; it is not a varietal or particular blend. Think Bordeaux in France, or Rioja in the Basque region. I have only ever had white Vinho Verde, and until tonight didn't know that other varietals are grown there. (See this article for more information.) I can't speak to the reds or blushes. As for this white, which is much like the white Vinho Verdes I've had in the past: it has a bit of carbonated sparkle; the alcohol content is low for wine (this bottle is 9.5% ABV); the flavor is light and semi-sweet (or off-dry?) with citrusy notes but it is not what I would call fruit-forward. It's very refreshing for a summer evening. I think it would be interesting to try side-by-side with one of the fruitier Sauvignon Blancs. That said, I'm not sure what I would pair it with for food. The roasted red pepper hummus on crackers didn't clash terribly, but I don't think the food or wine did each other favors. Then came dinner.... ...and no, Vinho Verde (white) and chili are not a good match. Not that I expected them to be, but I had to try.

@weinoo, as much as I admire the idea of the Frog Hollow Farm produce, I've been unwilling to spend the money for them. Please let us know what you think of these.

Get going on those Asian dishes you wanted to cook....

Wow! I would normally run the other way from anything that describes itself as reminiscent of a Muscat (dry or otherwise) but I do love Gewürtztraminer. I've never heard of Madeleine Angevine, much less Siegerrebe. I'll see whether any of our local shops carry that particular wine. My go-to white wine is Sauvignon Blanc, but I'm also fond of dry Reisling and the occasional Chenin Blanc. Seghesio makes a very nice Vermentino that I may be able to find again. I'll bring in some of my faves and I look forward to seeing what others here come up with. My "real-world" friends turn up their noses at ANY white wines, so it'll be nice to compare notes here.

I remembered the 366F and the test, which was when I discovered that my oven wildly overshoots its target temperature. I hadn't remembered that it's decomposition instead of melting, as such. I also hadn't noticed the 170C baking temp, which makes my question moot. Thanks for the corrections.

Doesn't the sugar melt at that temperature? If not, why not? Does the dough insulate it?

True, but as one of those people watching the leaves start to turn already I can appreciate that much of the world (in the northern hemisphere) considers it to be high summer still. I also think that a seasonal theme is fun, even though participants may not be in the same season. All that said, I'd be fine with a different schedule and theme if Rebel Rose proposes it. I'm just keen to try a virtual group wine tasting, led by a knowledgeable teacher!

The moussaka looks great. When I think of that dish I tend to think of the Egyptian version (which @Wolfert said at the time should be spelled mussaka) which has eggplant, the lamb mixture, and a tomato-based sauce. (Gratuitous plug here:) If anyone is interested in various takes on moussaka, have a look at the eG Cook-off#7: Moussaka topic.

I think I'd favor the time-framed posting here, in order to allow more people to participate and possibly to maintain our usual anonymity. However, I'm open to other ideas. @Rebel Rose may have different and better ideas!

My three cherry tomato plants look prolific, and at last the fruit is beginning to ripen. These plants are all taller than I, and they just keep bearing in their delightful indeterminate way. The Sun Gold and Black Cherry tomatoes make a nice color contrast to the classic reds, don't they? The bowl fragment is from a beloved hand-painted Italian bowl that slid off a the top of a bookcase a few weeks ago, a casualty of trying to fit one too many books in the case. The bowl broke into too many pieces to consider trying to glue it together. I've scattered some of the sherds around in various plant pots, but I have trouble letting go of these bigger pieces that still show the original pattern. It's a measure of my general good fortune, I think, that I could spare emotion to lament a dish!

I love the looks of those crumpets, @Kim Shook. Did you make them? It may be about time for me to do that again.

Me, me! I learned so much from the eGCI course "Evaluating Wine", but my local wine-tasting group has aged out or moved and now I tend simply to drink blended wines. There are some fine blends out there, mind, but a sharpening of the perceptions would be welcome. I think biweekly would give time for everyone interested to find the wine and participate. I'd favor kicking it off on a weekend, but in truth it doesn't much matter for my work schedule. Thanks for starting this up - and welcome back!

Thanks for reviving this topic, @JessicaDowd. If you go back to the first page, you'll see that it's supposed to be your own local wine shop, wherever that is. Pick a bottle at random, blindly if you can so safely. Show us what it is, and those who want to participate will get the same wine. Compare notes. We didn't really have much luck with the game because of uneven availability of the same wine. The current pandemic adds another complication: I think the whole "get someone to spin you around in the store" idea is untenable while maintaining social distancing. Maye there's a virtual way to do a random choice. Anyone? I had forgotten that this was how I discovered inexpensive but good Malbecs.

I haven't seen that brand before. Are those from a supplier online?

We always go to the Oasis Date Gardens in Thermal. Here's my most recent visit.

I have no idea what that pattern is called or who the manufacturer could be, but I think it's a very handsome design.

If you're looking for uses, you may find inspiration in the older topic Verjus.

I've been eyeballing the chokecherries that grow wild around here, without having done more than taste them. I had grand plans last year and then didn't get to them. My book on cooking with wild berries and fruits from this part of the country has a recipe for a cherry barbecue sauce (any of the wild cherries would work). Ingredients are the cherries, orange juice, shallot, ginger root, ground black pepper, hot red fresh chile, tomato paste, white wine vinegar and salt. They say it works well with almost any grilled meat, but especially with game such as duck or goose. Let me know if you'd like more detail. I've also been wondering about making a chutney with the chokecherries. This same book has a recipe for spicy plum chutney in which the wild cherries could be substituted for the plums "(if you have the patience to pit 3 cups!)" My last chutney attempt, using crabapples, was a dud but I think that was operator error. One cautionary note from my book is that the pits and leaves of the wild cherries must not be eaten, nor should they be crushed during cooking or straining. They contain low but nontrivial levels of hydrocyanic acid. Cooking or drying eliminates the compound. The reference books I discuss above, for anyone interested, are both by Teresa Marrone: Wild Berries and Fruits Field Guide of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan Cooking with Wild Berries & Fruits of MN, WI and MI (Foraging Series) She has similar books out for other parts of the country.

@weinoo, I believe you're right that we would go to Fall River to get that linguica. I don't remember how easy or difficult it was to find kale in the mid-80's, but I think the Portuguese kale soup was my first inkling that kale existed.

In a past life I lived with a man from New Bedford, MA. When we found linguica, the Portuguese answer to chorizo, nothing would do but we had to make kale soup. It was a special memory from his childhood. I liked it too. 30 years ago kale and linguica were difficult to get in our usual haunts. Who knew kale would become so common and reviled?

Thanks to someone or several someones on this topic (or was it the lunch topic?) I got the idea to roast down some gorgeous summer tomatoes and onions, along with a couple of eggplants. Maybe I'd even get energetic and toss them with fresh pasta. Maybe I'd put them into a tart or galette. Unbeknownst to me during this planning process, my darling was rooting around in a freezer. He came in, accusing me: "I've found some sausages from last January!" I took a look. Well...no, they were only from last March. But I agree that it defeats the purpose of buying hot Italian sausage "handmade fresh in Arizona today!" when one sticks them in a freezer and forgets them for nearly 5 months. They went into the mix. Two huge eggplants, several tomatoes, several onions were cut up, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and herbs, then roasted until they collapsed. The sausages kept them company in the roasting pans but didn't collapse. The lot was chopped and tossed with freshly cooked dried pasta. Not bad, not bad at all. Even better with grated parmesan. Somehow, that made the sauce elements stick to the noodles better.

Nice to see you posting, Ambra! All the meals you've posted look good, but this one really sings to me: It happens I have green beans, potatoes and pesto that all need to be used. This looks like a delicious way to do it. Thanks for the idea!

I found an old topic titled Who else has tableware lust? in which @moosnsqrl said, "Whatever you do, don't stop at hobbs in Lawrence on your way to KC".... Is this the topic you were remembering?