Smithy

*bump* Well, well. I just opened my first jar of harissa, and used some of it. Well, well, well!! I confess, it didn't taste wonderful with the bean dish I'd made, but it was good. It was very good. It was surprising, too: I hadn't expected it to contain preserved lemons, but it tasted like it did. "Hm," I mused, "I'd better re-read that label." I did. No preserved lemons noted in it. Nonetheless it has that sweet lemony salty kick that you get from preserved lemons, along with a good hard hot pepper kick. Nice stuff. It must use some really interesting peppers. Now, what else shall I do with it? What do YOU do with harissa? I'm in love.

You can mail-order a mortar and pestle from Temple of Thai (click). The bigger the better, to keep stuff from flying around. ← Or, Smithy could just drive a couple hours south (or fly for even less time) and give me a jingle and we could get one at the local joint! ← Well now, Snowangel, you've just saved my credit card for the moment and given me yet one more reason to drive south! When I get there, you can also advise me on just how one gets the paste, spices, whatever out of one of those big honkers. Equipment this size (I speak of Peter's mortar and pestle) (the granite, I mean) (oh, never mind) looks too big to lift easily for pouring and scraping into another bowl. Yes? No? And Peter, I am still gasping for breath. Truly, I think this has been one of the funniest blogs of all time. Thank you for the laughs and education. Please, I'd like you to weigh in on what you do to get the spices and pastes out that weighty mortar and pestle arrangement. Is it easy enough to lift, or do you just scrape stuff up and out?

Now THAT looks like a mortar and pestle worth having. If I were to go looking for one like that, where would I be most likely to find it? Does it have a proper name? (I just know I'm feeding you a straight line. ) Tell her, on behalf of the assembled crowd, that she gets hero points for putting up with us.

That really should be someone's tag line. Maybe it will become mine. The problem with turbo-lurking is that there's no way in this good earth to catch up enough to ask intelligent questions, or even many silly ones. The distant puffing you hear is me trying to catch my breath, mostly from laughter. Thank you for a very entertaining week! I look forward to the remainder, but I do not forward to the end. And thank you for setting a new gold standard. The next time my husband whinges about how stuffed our fridges, freezers and pantries are, I'll direct him your way.

What's water bug loin? ← See this topic for the answer to your question. Thanks for starting a great topic! I too am glad Morten spotted it and could give so much information.

I remember, a few years back, listening to a radio show about various cultures' use of "bugs" as food. I don't remember the specific South African delicacy that most Yanks would find revolting: termites, perhaps? I do remember that the South Africans were horrified and grossed out at the idea of eating lobsters.

I'm here to attest that things can marinate in the refrigerator for days without ill effect. Sometimes they're even left there on purpose.

Those are great-looking prices, FG, and Teitel Bros seems to have a really good selection. Thanks for the tip.

Ha, this sounds familiar. I have very little time to cook during the week. I love to cook. Saturday is usually taken with other projects, but one of them is grocery shopping. I have a shopping list, but almost without fail there's some great-looking meat and even better-looking produce. "Oh, look at those gorgeous eggplant!" I cry, and "Wow, we could have a chicken tagine at those prices!" and "Hey, the Copper River salmon is in!" Soon the refrigerator and counter are loaded with those things I couldn't resist. Then comes Sunday. It's roasted and creamed eggplant, beef stroganoff, bread salad, a chicken roasting that will be turned into broth later...and so on, because I have the time to cook and can prep stuff for the week. It's fun when it works. When it doesn't work - say, we went out on the spur of the moment, or a house project takes longer than we'd expected - then the produce sits there, forlorn, until it's lost its bloom in the 'fridge and has to serve some second-string recipe purpose, and that super-fresh meat has long since gone into the freezer. It's a disease, I tell ya.

One correction: it's Vitamin A that can kill you, not Vitamin C. It's pretty tough to overdose on C, which is water-soluble and easily excreted. (The same is true for B, by the way.) Vitamins A and D are fat-soluble and not so easy to eliminate, which is why they can build up to poisonous levels in the body. The polar bear liver toxicity due to higher levels of A than humans can stand has been well established, at the expense of some unfortunate explorers. For more reading on Vitamin A toxicity, click here or, for more general vitamin A info, here. We now return you to the regular and fascinating discussion on seal meat. Go forth and fear oranges no more. Nancy "protecting the citrus industry since 1954" Smith

I'm quite fond of Bella extra-virgin olive oil. It's fruity, relatively east to find, and fairly inexpensive. I don't know how it compares to the Edda mentioned above, but it's cheaper than Mustapha's (which is quite good) and the Kalamata oils that I've seen.

I'm glad to hear you're on the mend. Please tell more about these steri-strips (sp?), because I'm forever on the search for good first-aid products. Are they like bandaids but smaller and straighter? More flexible? Are these the things that seal tightly over the wound like a second skin? FWIW I got a lecture from my doctor earlier this year for the watertight bandage I put on a very bad finger slice. She told me that I shouldn't have used a waterproof bandage after the bleeding had stopped. Keeping it dry and allowing good air circulation, with a loose piece of gauze to protect it from bumps, is supposed to be the thing. I nearly went crazy for the next week, trying to keep that gauze on, but I did remember that we'd been taught the same thing in first responder class. I hope this isn't too far OT. I do want to know about the bandage, but think the discussion is relevant to kitchen first aid.

Roasted asparugus with grated parmesan (or even shaved, if you have a hunk of it) tossed on at the end. ← Mm, that's good stuff. Another good 'un is roasted asparagus drizzled with balsamic vinegar and a touch of lemon, sprinkled (or not) with sesame seeds.

Thanks so much for the virtual tour, Elie! How are the chicken tawook sandwiches seasoned? Lemon, garlic, cinnamon, ...? What about the kabob sandwiches? I assume these folks didn't make their bread, but got it from not far away. Did you have a chance to see the pita being made? Better still - any photos?

Sorry for asking a silly question here, but it's the only way I know to learn. Did your consumme come from the broth? Is it the same thing? And what (if anything) did you do with the skimmings in the measuring cup? This looks good. I may have to dig out the oxtails I've been saving for a daube. Or maybe go buy some other meat. I'll bet I have some pot-au-feu recipes lurking in some of my books.

My good friends in L.A. are trying to replace the venerable Tappan double oven that gave up the ghost recently. This Tappan was at least 50 years old, doing yeoman's work until it died, and my friends are having trouble finding a suitable replacement. The specs are borne of features that they want and the space they have to fill. The space is a major concern, because ovens have gotten wider since this kitchen was built, and the cabinet and counters fit the old oven. Here's what they want: * 24" wide (this was, of course, a built-in oven), double oven * Covered bottom element in both ovens (so that drips can't get to the element, and so you don't have to touch the element to lift it for cleaning) * Self-cleaning, top and bottom * Convection option, if possible, on both (but on one would be acceptable) * Dials instead of digital are strongly preferred, although a digital display with very large numbers may work. * High construction quality - that Tappan was wonderful, but they're out of business now * Stainless steel is preferred * Price range around $2000 or less. I don't know what their maximum price is, but I know that $5000 is way beyond that maximum. The KitchenAid Architect series double oven seems to fit most of my friends' needs. I think there are a couple of features that don't quite meet their desires. I know they're wondering about its quality, and whether there are other options. Are there other double ovens that would fit these specifications? Does anyone know whether the KA is a good oven? Surely there must be other 24" wide double ovens out there.

The pigherder's pie is ingenious. Somehow I rarely think to combine leftovers that way. Thanks for the idea. Melissa, you just started knitting THIS YEAR? I'm impressed. Maybe I'll try to get Mom to teach me how after all. I figured you'd have to be at it for years before producing anything wearable. Leo is lovely! Great blogging, both of yez. Thanks, and I look forward to seeing more!

Grumpy, in-curled tomatoes We didn't have a single one this year, just round ones. I like this twin-blog thing---two viewpoints, and views of lots of things. ← When I first read this, I registered it as "grumpy, the tomatoes are going away for the season" which is how I'm feeling in Minnesota. They're just about done in my part of the state, and I'm grumpy about it. I too like the dual approach!

Melissa, you are a model of tact. Thank you for an enlightening answer. You're right, it sounds as though our weather and microclimates are similar. Owen, I've never thought of frying Halloumi cheese, or of adding fish sauce to a tomato-cuke salad. What interesting ideas! The Halloumi is something I've never been able to like - too salty, as you note - so I look forward to trying it this way.

Hmm. Andie, how high up Mammoth Mountain? Would there be hope for a bay bush in northern Minnesota? Outside, I mean? Or would it need to be brought inside for the winter like my citrus?

What a shame that the employee gave you a hard time about the bicycle. I wonder if it's a new person? or a new policy? Here's hoping the corporate office gives you a satisfactory resolution. They should be interested in helping encourage environmentally friendly modes of transport - not to mention, keeping a formerly-happy customer. Melissa, I'd love to see the interior of the bowl without the potatoes. That looks like a pretty design. And I'm really looking forward to seeing some cookery in the new kitchen! 13 gusting to 24 is a common Lake Superior sort of wind, too. Is Lake Erie a giant refrigerator year-round, so you never know what sort of weather to expect, or does it warm up substantially during the summer? How does the lake affect local growing seasons? Phaelon66, I'm a big-time coffee fan. I look forward to reading more about the roasting. Too bad the Internet doesn't support odors yet. We REALLY need AromaGullet.

It's true: the pink stuff is being increasing marketed to help support the cure. One of my recent magazines or catalogs has a whole page of pink "support the cure" kitchen items; the only thing I remember offhand is the ice cream scoop (the gel-filled kind). KitchenAid was, at one time, marketing a pink version of its stand mixer. I don't know whether that's still offered or was a limited version. Is McDonald's still doing the aluminum pop-can tab collection for, uhm, MS research? It was a big deal about 10 years ago, but I heard about it again only recently.

In addition to the vegan approach, you might look into books that emphasize fat-free or reduced-fat baking. I don't have any specific recommendations. My best friend changed her diet to severely restrict intake of saturated fats. Some of the substitutions she uses are applesauce (or, occasionally, other fruit purees) or canola oil for the usual fats like creamed butter. I can attest to the quality, flavor and texture of the non-fat cakes (chocolate, even) and muffins she makes. On the other hand, she just skips the frosting because she hasn't found a workaround that makes a good fluffy cake frosting. Edited for clarity.

One of my favorite restaurants in Cairo has a sign outside the door, trying to entice visitors to come in. Unfortunately my photos didn't come out, but some of the better text is: Experience the best + the worse as in Aesop's Fable Eat unpronouncable and undescribable dishes at the oldest restaurant

Maybe there was really good oven spring during the baking.