Smithy

That's a fun read. I've only been to P-Town once, back in the 80's, and I daresay it's become more flamboyant than it was then although it had plenty of vibe at the time. This bit, about the original Sal's, really amuses me:

Just a bit shy of an inch thick. My ruler says the leftover bit is about 7/8".

Part of last night's dinner. I tried again to get the perfect sear on my steak over a charcoal fire without overdoing the interior. I missed again... took the steak out of the freezer too soon, I think. The flavor was good but there wasn't any pink inside. The only time I've gotten the desired doneness and sear over an open flame was cooking a not-quite-thawed steak over a campfire. It was an accident then. When I've tried to plan ahead I've let the steak thaw too much and fluffed the result! Or maybe, as I speculated at the time, it was just dumb luck. 🙂

That's a strange-looking cover photo. Is it really showing bacon draped over a rod, like a pasta drying rod?

What specifically is the "balado" treatment?

Please do report when you try it. Do they say it reduces spattering? And then can you evaporate the water to retrieve the grease?

I tried the griddler in its open position for cooking bacon last night. It turned out to be a nice, low-key way to cook the bacon while I was doing other things as well. Yes, I had to pay attention to the bacon, but it cooked slowly enough that there was minimal spattering. I could have done it in the oven on a baking sheet, but this used less energy. I could also have done the whole thing in the microwave with paper towels, but then I wouldn't have had the liquid gold we call bacon grease. I'll need some of that in the same dish for which I need some of the bacon. The grease dripped neatly into the catch tray below, and the griddle plates were easy to clean after. An even better strategy would have been to use those bacony griddle plates to grill and press a sandwich. As it happened I had the second half of the previous night's sandwich, so it wasn't necessary.

As in so many other parts of this country, food trucks are springing up in the Duluth area and up the North Shore of Lake Superior. I enjoy checking them out and seeing what they have to offer. I'm sure I've written about some, but not where I can find the posts again -- much less where a visitor might look for them! I'll start with The Rambler, which bills itself as a mobile catering unit. I've spotted them around town these past months and enjoyed trying their offerings. A couple of days ago they were at the Bent Paddle Brewing Company, where the courtyard gathering was in full and noisy swing. Bent Paddle offers craft brews but no food, and food trucks take turns filling the void. The Rambler truck was parked next to the sidewalk. This was the menu a couple of months ago. It's changed slightly since then, as you'll see. I've had occasion to try their food two or three times in the past few months. I was unimpressed with their falafel, and if I took pictures I've already deleted them. The patties were starchy and flavorless, and I don't recall thinking much of the sauces either. I'm afraid I also don't recall what other sandwich I might have picked up at the time for my darling. He too was unimpressed. What I do remember from that first visit, and it's repeatable, is their Reuben Fritters. Chunks of corned beef, mixed with shreds of sauerkraut and rolled into balls, then breaded and deep fried. Oh my, these are good! The outside is crisp: crunchy, but not tough. The inside tastes like corned beef and sauerkraut. If there's a binder in play to hold it together, it's unobtrusive. The dipping sauce is a thick version of Thousand Island, and it sets the fritters off nicely. I also indulged in a Shrimp Po'Boy, which doesn't show on that older menu but was available this time. Nice, crispy fried shrimp loaded onto a large sliced bun with tomatoes, lettuce, and their version of remoulade sauce. It was much too messy to eat as a wrap, and I'd already ordered too much food. It was good, though. I think I liked the tomatoes and lettuce with the sauce as much as I liked the shrimp. I split all the food with my four-footed companion and we both had plenty. The only thing left uneaten was the bread itself. Not bad for $22! I'll stop at the truck again sometime. Better still, I hope I can figure out how to make those fritters!

The tag search isn't really effective any more, so as I find the Travel / Foodblogs I'll start listing them here. I'll start with the most recent: A week in Lombok and Jakarta, Indonesia (KennethT)

Do you mean this 6-pack of jarred Tonnino tuna (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)? It looks interesting, but I wonder how I'd like oregano mixed in with it. I'd be more inclined to go without the oregano. Edited to add: my bad, I found the equivalent 6-pack without oregano (eG-friendly Amazon.com link).

That's a very apt temperature comparison, dcarch. Your dinner looks delicious! Very artistic, as usual. 🙂

Hello and welcome, @Kiwiross! Your engineering post and your comments on the food history of New Zealand are fascinating. I too have an engineering background, but I confess I've gotten away from it. I'm glad you posted that YouTube video. Your engineering is impressive for making your own panner. Your comments about how food has changed could have been written by me about growing up in central California at roughly the same time as you were growing up in New Zealand. My mother never used garlic in her cookery until sometime in the late 1960's or early 1970's, and parsley was the only herb to make its way into our pantry before then. She was quite good at the fruit pies you describe. Your comment about seafood and vegetarian fillings in pies makes me wonder: when you were growing up, and for that matter now in the smaller towns, what are the principal protein sources? I'd expect seafood to be readily available, but what types? As @C. sapidus noted above, some of us will be keenly interested to learn more about the food and cookery you enjoy there. C'mon in and make yourself comfortable! If you have any questions about how the forums work or where to post something, feel free to ask a host or ask in the Moderation and Policy Discussion forum.

Actually, you're right: we get new-potato types here too. Offhand I can't think of the varieties. I was thinking of the large varieties -- russets and so on -- when I talked about not getting them until later.

Your season is amazingly different from ours! I don't think the potatoes will be ready for another couple of months! Sometimes I've seen sacks for sale by Labor Day.

Yep. I'd dig in in a heartbeat!

Sounds good. I'm curious about the "Cumberland" chipolatas. What are they, what seasonings?

@rotuts, I have to admit: I'd have taken that cheese back. Explain in more depth, if you can, your observation about the mold?

The whole spread you've shown us looks marvelous (WHEN are you going to invite me to visit??) but this one really catches my eye. A salami rosette! I wouldn't think of such a thing, and if I did I wouldn't figure I had time. Well done, Shelby! The hostess with the mostest!

Thanks for this recommendation! I clicked on the link and discovered I'd bought it already -- and I'd forgotten about it. I'll have to dive back into the book again.

@rotuts, you're exactly describing the attraction my husband and I would have had for this new programmable Crock-Pot. When we married, we brought identical units to the marriage: the original models with "Off" "Low" and "High" settings on the knobs and the warming elements built right into the crock itself. He'd used his frequently as a set-and-forget slow cooker: load it with the goodies, turn it on Low in the morning, go to work, come home to a delicious perfectly cooked set of ribs or beef or whatever. We got rid of both pots in exchange for a 6-quart cooker with a removable insert, and have never gotten quite the same results. Even its Low setting is too hot. I've lost track of how many smaller, original cookers I've bought at thrift stores. None has worked quite the way his did. We've been on the search for a programmable slow cooker that truly holds its temperature for a number of hours. Most of the cookers we've looked at would cook until the desired internal temperature of a food had been reached, then turn themselves off or set to "keep warm" mode. That wouldn't allow a continued low-and-slow cook needed to turn tough meats tender. This until looks like it would be just the ticket. Sous vide without the bags and water bath, or else sous vide in the usual way. What's not to love?

It's hard to know whether to laugh or cry or "huh" at that. Thanks for the photo and story. Glad you escaped with your skin intact!

There are some wonderful-looking recipes in there! Thanks!

That tea table might seem over-the-top to some (how do you pass things across that large table?) but I can imagine it being fun in the right setting. It reminds me of one of the most interesting bars I've even seen, made from an old tree root system. There are more pictures of it here.

My take was completely different -- no surprise there -- but this treatment was good, despite its less than artistic appearance. 🙂 It wasn't an appetizer for more than one person; it was my dinner (in addition to a small green salad). I thought I'd drizzle it with the dipping oil shown -- which I bought a few years ago in Yuma and still haven't opened -- but I'd already added so much olive oil that it wasn't needed. The beans were mashed onto slices of toasted sourdough. It all needed more acid, and I ended up drizzling some of my salad dressing (lemon vinaigrette) onto the toast for that purpose. There's more of the bean/cheese/garlic dish. I'll enjoy polishing it off in the next few days.