Smithy

Uh, Smithy, I think you mean white wine vinegar instead of lemon juice? I hope... ← Ha! Yes, I most certainly do. Sorry I didn't notice your question sooner, and thanks for the catch!

I don't think you can make the paste seem like pulp, because the paste will already be smoother and somewhat thinner than the pulp. How does the recipe call for the pulp to be used? I'm guessing that there's liquid to be added to the pulp, or else the pulp is added into some sauce components that are later strained. Is that right? Since you're starting with tamarind paste, you can probably add it to the sauce until you have the right flavor.

Nunchucks? Really? At any rate, that's an enviable pantry. I have yet to live in a house with a walk-in pantry, but I certainly would like to do so.

I love, love, love this photo! Although it may not have the food-porn quality or scenic appeal of some of the other photos in this blog, I think this shot may be my favorite from the entire blog. The spunk, as you put it, and personality just pop right out of the screen. Way cool! Although I thanked the three of you before, I'll thank you again for showing us your lives and dietary struggles in such articulate, educational and entertaining fashion. I've learned from it - and, if nothing else sticks with me and alters my vocabulary, the term "lizard brain" has made its home with me.

Welcome, from another snowy place and another jammed pantry! I'll be interested to see how you deal with Ol' Man Winter. I've always loved the King Arthur catalog. I hope we get to see the real place this weekend! How much are you paying for pomegranates out your way, and what-all do you with them? Are they easy for you to find? Lately I've been fascinated by the cross-section, and I'm admiring the (unusual, in my experience) symmetry of the four-armed star in your photo.

I think it shows that all three of you love doing it. In case I don't get back tomorrow before the blog closes, I'll thank you - all three of you - for taking the time and providing the photos and words to make this such an interesting blog. It's been very entertaining!

According to this chart, short ribs come from the chuck area whereas the back ribs come from the upper (near the spine) portion of the rib cage. I'm not sure we've seen a functional difference between them in our household, except that the rib to meat ratio may be different. We've been braising both short ribs and back ribs, and gotten much the same flavor and texture from either cut. (We've had the same experience with the piggy equivalent cuts.) I see, however, that the Angus chart in this link suggests braising or stewing for the short ribs and broiling or grilling for the back ribs, so the chart's authors seem to think back ribs are more tender from the outset.

That is exactly my sense of this blog. The three of you are very articulate and have been providing interesting discourse during the week, in addition to interesting food and scenery shots. Before this blog closes, I hope you'll post more about this book - or else post about it later, in a separate topic. I'm really curious about the book and have been considering adding to to my already-overblown collection.

It's funny you should bring this topic up right now, Maggie. I've been tending a very healthy pot of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley that I brought into the house for the winter. Why? Well, last fall it was on a whim, based on defiance against the onset of winter as much as any firm ideas of indoor herb gardens. But then somehow, after the plant came indoors, I realized that parsley is packed with flavor, and flat-leaf parsley seems even more so. How could I have missed it before? Suddenly, that indoor plant is losing stems and leaves left and right. Want a garnish over that drab winter stew? Parsley. Want something to liven up that pasta carbonara? Parsley. Parsley in salads, parsley on potatoes, parsley on cooked red meat or fish or chicken, parsley in salad dressing: you name it, we've tried it lately. In the meantime, the kittens love to nestle in the pot, cuddling in the fragrant stems. Later, they awake refreshed from their bright green dreams, ready to revive and/or terrorize the household anew, all aroma and vitality.

So far nobody has mentioned the smelt fry. No, it isn't a redundant term, it's what happens up here during the smelt run. Smelt, for those of you who don't know, are small fresh-water fish, a freshwater version of the grunion. Come to think of it, California Coasters have the grunion run, although it may not count as a food-verb event since it's the fish's activity, not the humans'.

That's a good point. For my part, I'm inclined to place at least as much blame on the relentless advertising ("Eat this! You'll have fun, and everyone else does it!") that permeates our popular culture as on the psychological issues. Or is that advertising barrage one of the psychological issues to which you refer?

I wouldn't wish that sort of bullying and ridicule off on anyone, so I agree with you on that point. I would ask, however: how would you see such a program making things worse than they are already, with regard to finding scapegoats? If such ridicule still happens now (and I suspect it does), how would attempting to teach children proper nutrition, so they can stay more fit, be counterproductive?

My hollandaise sauce has dijon mustard in it, and sometimes I use white wine vinegar instead of butter. To me it's a lovely, tasty sauce with some buttery notes, but I don't think it tastes like glorified lemon butter.

I don't have that particular Cuisinart ice cream maker, but that won't stop me posting a link to my favorite recipe: Ruth Smith's Peach Ice Cream (or nectarine, or plum, or a mixture). The link is to where I posted it in RecipeGullet. You may have to wait until the summer for decent fruit, however. I'm glad for the notes above about sorbet. I'm on a pomegranate kick right now, and happily scored some for juicing before the season ended. Pomegranate sorbet is coming up soon.

My trick for minimizing the amount of oil an eggplant slice soaks up is to brush it on each slice, then bake at high heat (or even broil) prior to assembly in something like eggplant parmesan, or moussaka. I do like the looks of the panko crumbs, though. Sandy, did you find that the egg and crumbs helped prevent the eggplant from soaking up too much oil?

I've been through my first bottle of it. I don't know that it tasted identifiably like kalamat olives, but it definitely had its own pleasant flavor: fruity, not as fruity as some other olive oils, but not at all grassy or herbaceous; perhaps a touch of piquancy that my regular faves are lacking. I liked it, and plan to pick up more the next time I'm at a TJ's.

OK, what did Satchel Paige say about fried foods? Sandy, thanks for your excellent photos of your area. I've spent a little time in the East, but I'm still surprised when I see woods so near major metropolitan areas. The railroad and canal shots have an especially evocative feel. ...and yes, I'll bite: what's the tale you tell about yourself that might be either amusing or mildly insulting? This is an interesting blog for me to read on, and I'm learning a lot. Thanks to all three of you for the open discussions about body image and cultural influences.

Sandy, I'm curious about some of your wording. If you've explained this before, I've missed it. You refer to the time that you were "sober". Now it appears you're drinking some alcohol, no doubt in moderation. Are you trying to imply that you aren't generally sober, or that one must be a teetotaller to be sober? Or am I misunderstanding something? In my experience, one who writes the way you do is probably sober at the time of writing. My mother recently had to change her diet due to renal failure in combination with diabetes. It was startling to see how many of the foods formerly considered to be best for you (whole-grain breads, for instance) suddenly had to go. I'll be interested to see how you deal with the vegetable thing as the week goes on, and hoping to pick up more tips for her.

I wonder if a good heavy ceramic liner in the oven, right up the sides, would do the trick? That would get the heat more evenly distributed. I'm too cheap to spend the money on an expensive oven insert, but I've been considering the purchase of a lot of firebrick, now that I know what a difference my baking stone makes. Along the same line of thinking, I wonder whether a convection oven cranked way high would more nearly mimic the over/under flames of the commercial oven. Has anyone here tried that?

Well. Here's my next question, directed mostly (I suppose) at CaliPoutine, but I'd be interested in the others' take on it as well. Although I can understand the value of a point system - it's easy, it helps you balance your choices - for changing a diet, I can't imagine using it myself. I swear, you trotted out the points just now and my mind seized up as though it were already tax time. If I were to try something like that, I think its chief benefit would be that the very effort of dealing with it would put me off food. Did you have to do any mental gymnastics or calming exercises to take on the approach of points? Or did it just work for you, right from the get-go?

I'm looking forward to this triple-threat blog. Congrats to all of you on your progress so far. I'll be interested to follow along and see your different strategies. A question for MzD: what do you mean by "rush-y" with regard to food?

I LOVE the sound of that compound butter. It's a good thing I just came back home with a bunch of Meyers. For those of you who are roasting whole chickens: are you roasting it covered or uncovered? Let's have a summary, please, of the following: - cooking vessel - covered or uncovered - approximate time and temperature

The last photo looks like Southern California. San Diego? Are we to be treated again to Miz Ducky's fine hospitality?

I assume you've already considered eating it straight on crackers, or dipping it with a spoon. I've done that when I was out of Manchego. I haven't tried this myself yet, but I'm wondering about using fruit paste to flavor a sauce (say, a roasted chicken sauce) or thinning it with enough liquid to use it as a glaze on meat (say, a roasting chicken) or stuffing it under the skin of a chicken prior to roasting. Quince and lamb is a good combination, too. It's an idea. If like to bake, you could also consider using membrillo as the filling for a sweet cookie or pastry. Think of fig bars, but with quince paste instead.

Don't forget paprika chicken! Here's Rachel Perlow's take on it: <clickety> from the "Paprika: Confessions of an Addict" topic - which, I might add, is about due for a revival. Further on in the thread are other takes on it - including my version, in which the joys of paprika were fully appreciated for the first time. Taking it in a completely different direction: what about a tamarind glaze on that chicken skin as it's roasting? Edited to correct an attribution.