Smithy

Welcome to eGullet, FlyingChopstik. We have in the membership quite a few enthusiasts of Paula Wolfert and this cookbook, as well as of clay-pot cooking in general. Paula hasn't posted here in quite a while, but why not post your questions anyway? She may answer, and some of the rest of us may have answers too. :-)

It was a staple at our family Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings. Those were fun times, with upwards of 20 people telling stories, catching up on news, waxing enthusiastic about their latest projects. I liked the casserole back then. Our gatherings are much smaller now, and don't include that casserole, but I suspect that if I were to taste it again I'd have a flashback to The Good Ol' Days.

Yeh, hope it doesn't corrode the container. I think I'd have gone with glass. ;-)

Tonight's dinner was bratwurst and some other sausage, potatoes, young onions and wild apples. By 'young onions' I mean that the bulbs were relatively small and the greens were intact - like scallions on steroids or like dwarf leeks. The procedure: bacon grease and butter into the pan to melt, while I quartered the potatoes and sliced the apples. (These apples look like one-third size Delicious apples; they wouldn't sell in the supermarket but they're easier to manage than Itty Bitty Applets.) The sausages went into the fat and began to brown; when the sausages were turned, the potatoes and apples were added. Once all that was beginning to brown and I tired of the spattering, I added apple juice and a touch of beer, gave it a stir and covered it. Some time later the onion bulbs (sliced) went in; later, balsamic vinegar was added for sweetness; much later, the onion greens were added. By the time the potatoes were done, the onions and apples had cooked down to a syrupy blended red sauce that coated the sausage. We had mustard and horseradish but didn't need them. I'm sorry I have no photo. I expected it to taste good, but by the time I realized it also looked good we had already tucked in. I recommend this approach for anyone who thinks that apples can't be a good match for a savory dish like spicy pork. I'm married to such a person, but I think he's seen the light.

Kerry, you're supposed to be urging her to buy a freeze-drier.

I'm very impressed! Beautiful! Thanks for the photos, cyalexa; you were justified in being pleased.

Say not 'old'. Say 'distinguished'. Say 'experienced'.

Wow. I assume you made the ravioli yourself? And as c oliver said, what's the sauce, mm84321?

If you ever stumble across that recipe for fruit and nut brandy balls, Andie, I'd love to have it. I bet I'm not alone in that wish. :-)

Is the off-flavor the same whether the potatoes are eaten cold or reheated? I've never noticed a change in such a short time but I'm curious about what you're experiencing.

Do you think that reflects a non-mobile society? In the U.S. for instance, people have been moving across country and bringing beloved traditions with them. These days it's nothing to find "Southern Barbecue" in central California, although its quality may be questionable. :-) What about people moving into cities from the surrounding rural areas? Are there 'country' food traditions that remain behind, or is the regional cuisine fairly consistent in both urban and rural areas of that region?

In addition to ideas already posted here there are interesting substitutions that can be made for fat, such as applesauce or, according to everything I've read, pureed prunes in certain cakes. Don't laugh until you've tried it. I have a good chocolate cake recipe that uses no butter or shortening; it uses applesauce (and possibly a little vegetable oil, I can't remember offhand). The fat content is much lower than in most cakes, and there is no saturated fat in it if you use the right oil. I've also been experimenting with roasting or searing fruits and vegetables to get them to brown gently. Those browning reactions (including caramelization) capitalize on the natural sugars and enhance the sweetness. Following this strategy and topping with good balsamic vinegar is a way to cut back on sugar without compromising on flavor. And yes, there is the dreaded portion control, but it's easier if the portions can be small instead of microscopic. :-)

It surprised me to hear her say, "I've never invented a dish in my life!" She likens herself to an archaeologist, looking into and preserving old traditional dish.

I think it's the 'wait' part where I went wrong, but I may also have had the proportions wrong. I'll try it again today.

I have bookmarked the Farmors Chokladkaka recipe, CatPoet. I am sooo going to try it. I love the idea of slicing it and putting in layers.

I have no specific suggestions except vague things like 'try using less sugar or fat', but I know what you mean. I hate substitutes (don't bother me with stevia, much less aspartame) but have found that slight reductions in the sweetness level suit my tastes better. A fair number of my recipes have comments like 'try less' written on them, and good fruit is often sweet enough by itself. One other trick that works sometimes, not always, is to omit the pastry: do an apple pie filling without the tart shell. I don't do that often, but I've been known to make a quiche without the pastry. There's a certain cognitive dissonance between chicken fried steak and 'lite'. How did you manage that? :-)

This interview is nearly an hour long and lovely to hear. They cover the gamut from how she got her start in food and cooking, to the process of writing cookbooks, and toward the end her fight against Alzheimer's. Paula is inimitable. http://podcasts.am1020whdd.com/~am1020wh/shows/play.php?id=28782

My immersion blender mayo refused to emulsify yesterday. (I think I know where went wrong, but won't know until I get it right.) What proportions do you use, and are you doing the 2-minute immersion blender route? I like the anchovy idea.

I'd love to read someone's report on a demo, if anyone reading this goes.

Beautiful, basquecook! I especially love the gelato colors, but I'm a sucker for good fried chicken. Tonight was a celebration (new plates!) as well as an experiment: smoking turkey thighs. I've smoked plenty of chicken, pork, beef, but never turkey. We're glad I got around to it. The turkey was accompanied by tomatoes rescued before tonight's predicted freeze, dandelion greens wilted with a dressing that included smoked turkey drippings, pan-roasted beets and potatoes, and seasonal beer.

Christmas stollen. Other fruit breads. One of the regulars on The Splendid Table swears by stewing them enough to get soft, pureeing them and using them to boost sauces, pies or even stews. I haven't tried it but I keep meaning to. Eating out of hand, of course. I have a bad habit of buying more dried fruit than I can use, and then there it sits until it turns brown. Another of my ambitions is to make stuffed cookies - like fig newtons, but with dried apricot or date or even pear filling.

Welcome to eGullet, Xina54. Do let us know how it works out.

It looks like you have a goodly share of little bitty apples (a.k.a. applets). I'll be interested to read how you prep them. I'm considering roasting some and then doing something to extract the fruist, instead of cutting the seeds out of all those little guys before cooking.

Clever! One would hope the offending newspaper would realize they had a PR problem, but this story suggests otherwise. I hope their readership gets the whole story instead of the Editorial Board's version.

That's a nice spread, reallyoldguy. Welcome to eGullet.