andiesenji

As an interesting side note, I just got the February issue of Sunset magazine and on page 78 is a recipe "Tagine in no time" subtitled "A rich Moroccan stew –in half an hour." By Emma Smith, it is a recipe for Moroccan lamb chops to be served over couscous or have a baguette on hand. Also includes mention of harissa. I thought it was interesting that just when we were having this discussion, a recipe would be printed in this magazine. O.T. In addition there is an article with lovely photos, of a garden at the Benziger Sonoma vineyard, Glen Ellen, not far from you.

Our brief winter is on hold for now down below in the Valley and L.A. basin. Up here the overnight low is supposed to be 32 and the high should be 61 tomorrow. However, in West Hills, where I work, it is supposed to be 80. Quite a change from a week ago when it was rainy and cold and we even had snow for a little while. At this altitude we are much colder in the winter (and hotter in the summer) than down below. I like to bake when it is cold, and I agree that braising is comforting when the temps are low. At the present time I am baking scalloped potatoes with wafer-thin pork chopped layered in with the potatoes.

Get a suribachi. They do a great job and weigh much less than stone mortars so shipping is reasonable. They are also great for pulverizing sesame seeds. suribachi at The Gadget Source

The seasonings can be anything that suits your taste. The way I was taught to do it originally called only for tarragon, salt and pepper. But that always tasted a bit "flat" to me, and I tried adding additional herbs and some spices and substituting others and finally settled on the herbes de Provence as an all-round solution. One of my friends adds some mild chiles and cumin to it because that is the way he likes it. It is very versatile and you can make it a personal thing by "customizing" it to a particular season or to accompany a particular food. It is fun to experiment.

I love kitchen gadgets and appliances and am always happy to try something new. I have or have had just about every kind of electric rice cooker on the market. I have the aforementioned copper couscousier and a stainless steel one with a magnetic bottom that works on my induction range. I also have a charcoal-fired cooker/steamer that is vaguely like a Mongolian hot pot only has more parts and is larger. It can only be used outdoors and is somewhere in my storage building. I have used it to cook rice at picnics and other outdoor food events. I have made duck confit in the traditional method and had planned on using the legs from a Rouen duck this past week to try the sous vide method which I too have been following. However I ended up simply roasting the duck and rendering the fat, which was considerable, compared to other ducks. I had part of one breast and it was very good, darker meat than other ducks. My housekeeper took the rest of it to school to share with her classmates and apparently they were enthusiastic about it. (She is in design school half-days.) Even though I no longer have family at home, I still love to cook and love to try new things.

I do love the traditional couscous pairings. However I am so fond of couscous that there were times when I wanted some for a meal but did not have the necessary ingredients for preparing a traditional meal. So, rather than forego having the couscous, I simply prepared it and had it with something else. I didn't deliberately try to bastardize the food, I simply made a substitution that I found to be most enjoyable. I was born and raised in a portion of the south where sometimes you hear someone say "we never serve that with that" - however in my grandfather's home, we had a large extended family, half from England, half from the American South, his cook was a Gullah woman from the Carolina lowcountry and he had spent time in India and Egypt in the early part of the last century and had come to enjoy those foods also. The selection of foods was extensive and often unusual. Neighboring farmers considered us "furriners" and rather odd and I don't think any of them were ever very comfortable when visiting. I learned to make mustard, the way my granddad liked it, when I was about 10 and still make it that way. His cook learned to cook curries and other foods he discovered on his travels. I don't recall having couscous as a child, it may not have been available commercially in that area at that time (1940s). However we did have a lot of rice and pasta, including orzo and a homemade pasta which was forced through a potato ricer and cooked while very fresh. Growing up in such a household resulted in my being rather adventuresome when it came to food.

I don't know why I have not bothered to mention this earlier, however, I bought one of the enameled cast iron oval covered roasters made in China, at Marshalls a while back. I got it to use in my barbecue, right in the firebox where the temperatures get rather high. (Reluctant to use my Le Cruset in that extreme heat.) Other than a chip in the enamel from being dropped on the pavement, it is in great condition after several months of being subjected to a lot of abuse. If someone wants to go with the enameled cast iron and can't afford Le Cruset, this looks like it will be a good deal. There are several pieces available from the large oval to a small, shallow, covered casserole. There are fewer colors and they are primary colors, rather than fashionable shades, but that should not deter anyone.

I have to confess that I often use couscous in a totally non-traditional way, paired with foods from other cultures. One of my favorite Asian dishes is orange chicken, very spicy. I think it tastes better with couscous than it does with rice. I have also paired it with Mexican foods, Indonesian foods and regional American foods. I think it is far too versatile to limit its use to the traditional middle eastern table. A couple of weeks ago I made a version of Ayam Panggang Klaten, from Java, chicken in a coconut milk/nut sauce that is fairly spicy. It is cooked until almost all the liquid has been reduced and the sauce is very thick and creamy. It is very good with steamed rice, but with couscous it is sublime. I should add that I began doing "fusion" cooking long before anyone ever mentioned the term.

Where do you get Middle Eastern groceries in LA? I usually go to the Pakistani store on Vermont Blvd for spices and couscous. I finally found a really good kefir at an Iranian market. They sell bulk couscous at Whole Foods. My favorite packaged brand so far is Rivoire & Carret. ← I live up in Lancaster and we have a great little market (Saving Land) that has lots of unusual produce, often at great prices (Meyer lemons 69 cents a pound, Persian "baby" cucumbers, don't recall the price, tiny pears that are perfect for candying whole, green almonds in season, etc., as well as many staples, spices of the middle east as well as Indian spices and staples. Unfortunately it is a long way from you. Have you tried in the Glendale area and the East Los Angeles area next to it? I have friends who live in Burbank and shop down that way. They are in Egypt now and will be gone another few weeks, otherwise I would ask them. They are archeologists and are there with a film crew to record exploration of some newly discovered tombs.

I was fortunate in that my first experience with recipes from Australia were from the cookbooks published by the Australian Woman's Weekly and the inside back cover included all the conversion factors for U.K., America and OZ. However many of the recipes were by weight so I tended to avoid the ones measured by volume. Have you posted your recipe?

I finally found where my housekeeper had put the canisters of couscous I buy at the local middle eastern store. I buy in bulk as they sell it loose, by the pound. One type is the regular, pinhead size, golden in color. Another is one that they have labeled as "maftoul" (at least that is what I wrote down on the receipt so I would remember it". It is like little beads, ranging in size from pinhead size to the size of a BB. It is a tan color and actually looks slightly toasted. It is much smaller than the "Israeli" couscous or the Moughrabiah which is the size of a pea or larger. I like the flavor, it has a deeper flavor than regular couscous, almost like a brown rice and seems to have some flavoring in it, when I taste it plain. The ingredients or grain source is not listed in the store and we have a bit of a language problem when I try to ask what things are made from.

The brunch buffet at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Nigel is one that I could happily graze on forever. Pricey, though. I haven't been to any of the buffets in Las Vegas for several years, however at one time the one at Caesars Palace was as good as at the major high-end restaurants.

Man, so many of my problems would be solved, if people would just put things back. I'm very generous with my tools, but I probably shouldn't be because they're rarely put back, and a lot of times, lost or ruined. Co-workers can be SO inconsiderate when it comes to tools.......WHY? Luckily that dowel board worked great in the cake shop, 'cause the only people working in there were cake people.....tips got put back. But yeah, working along with hot-siders creates a whole new set of problems. My husband would say something like: "I know, I'll make one with metal dowels. We'll hook it up to a power source, and when you're gone from work, just plug it in. Anyone stealing a tip from there would get a nasty shock!" Those things are fun to think about. ← I used to fill in occasionally in a small bakery and the owner had some of his tools in a small hanging wall cabinet sort of like a bathroom cabinet, only without the mirror on the door. He had an electrical wire attached somewhere in the back and on the center shelf a tiny can of Mace with a little sign that advised anyone opening the door that if they removed anything from the cabinet they would get a face full of Mace. Obviously that wouldn't really work, but apparently the workers were not smart enough to figure that out because no one ever took anything.

I have used all kinds of mushrooms. This is the basic recipe that works well by itself or with meats, fowl, etc. Stronger flavored mushrooms give a stronger-flavored result and stand well on their own. Some of my friends love the one I make with Porcini and spread on the bread I float on top of onion soup before adding the cheese and putting it under the grill. The Porcini seems to have a special affinity for cheeses of all types. If you make focaccia, this is good combined with onion confit and a fairly strong cheese, such as asiago.

Chewy lumps are not the result you want. It should be like a paste. Removing the liquid allows the mushrooms to carmelize and develop more flavor. My instructions say to add the mushroom water just prior to adding the Port. I have found that adding it at this point results in the best flavor. I have been making this stuff for decades and have fiddled around with the recipe and method until I got it the way I like it. If you like it slightly different, you can alter it to suit your taste. It is infinitely adaptable.

To answer several questions. I squeeze the moisture out of the mushrooms because that way they sauté better and sort of carmelize rather than stewing because of excess moisture that they release as soon as they are heated. I try to keep the moisture to a minimum early in the process, it gives a much richer result. You can reduce the flour if you don't like the way yours turned out. You can even omit it entirely but it takes a lot more time for the final reduction to get to the proper consistency. It can be frozen but you have to put it in something like a ziploc bag and get all the air out, then double bag it, otherwise ice crystals will form in it. I have added glace de viande, glace de gibier, etc. I have also layered it with onion confit in terrines with foie gras and forcemeat.

My tips are put away someplace that I can't find at the moment. I was going to take a picture so you could see my solution to "wandering" tips. I put a stripe of paint - made specifically to bond to metal and also non-toxic, around the tips about 1/2 inch from the base. I found a bright neon blue that is visible in drawers and across a room. I did this about 15 years ago and except for a few minor scratches from the things being tossed around in the little box cage that went into the dishwasher, the stripes are still bright. The place where the board used to be on the wall in my kitchen has an "L" hook for the hole at the top and at the bottom I had two deep mirror mounts which I could just twist over the bottom edge to keep it in place. When I had to go on outside jobs, I had one of the extra heavy plastic pillow covers that zipped at one end and I had cut a hole for the handle in the opposite end. I just slipped it over the board, zipped it up and it hung on a hook on the inside of my van with a bungee cord over the middle to keep it from swinging. To keep it from moving around on a counter, I just used that re-usable blue putty-like poster mounting stuff that you can get in any office supply or art store. I kept it in a ziploc bag and set up the holder on its easel back and stuck down the bottom edge with the blue stuff. (Must be getting senile, can't remember the name.) In fact, before they came out with the non-slip shelf and drawer liner stuff, I always stuck down my cutting boards with the blue stuff. I kept a bag in a pocket so it was always pliable. I also used it to anchor mixing bowls when I was using a whip in one hand and adding ingredients with another. It had enough gripping power that I could set a bowl at a slight angle and it would stay. Sorry this has wandered O.T. Andie

Also, sometimes the garlic has more moisture inside and the outside skin will shirnk as the interior expands and the cloves will split on the sides and it gets a bit messy. Note that often when roasting an entire head the cloves will have pushed up slightly out of the outer skin.

Try making bread pudding with the panettone. It is wonderful.

I have been buying Sona Masoori rice for several years to use when I make a molded rice ring which will have something with meat, chicken or vegetables in the center. I have found that it holds together better and sticks to the serving dish so it doesn't deform when the rest of the food is placed into the center of the ring. I like the flavor too, particularly when I cook it in chicken stock or broth. It seems to pick up the flavor of the broth better than basmati.

Several years ago, not long after Food TV became available here(probably early 1997), Marion Cunningham had a 1/2 hour segment where she hosted visiting chefs, cookbook authors and such. On one show, she hosted Helen Gustafson, who had just published The Agony of the Leaves. They discussed how best to brew tea and she described the way her mother had made tea, pouring in the water all at once with the leaves loose in the pot so they could fully uncurl and the most flavor could be achieved. They brewed tea in one of the glass teapots only without the infuser. They both agreed that for anything more than a small amount of tea, one of the infusers did not allow sufficient exposure of the leaves to the water, when using FULL LEAF tea. If using broken or crushed and broken tea that is in small particles, then an infuser is okay. I find tea balls unsatisfactory for full leaf teas unless one has one of the giant mesh balls that are actually intended for herbs. Of course if you want to be able to get multiple infusions from one batch of tea leaves, then an infuser can be used. I have a TeaMate electric tea brewer and the steeping chamber is half the size of the full vessel and allows full expansion of the tea leaves. It is too bad this appliance did not sell well when introduced here in the U.S., because it brews a fine cup of tea, not quite as good as the two-pot method, but better than any other method and the spent leaves are completely separate from the brewed tea so there is no "stewing".

The only "buffet" place I like, and try to get there if I am going to be in downtown L.A., is Clifton's Cafeteria. I have never had a single item that I did not enjoy, and, their bread pudding is as good as mine.

Years ago there was a Moroccan restaurant in what is now West Hollywood (before it became a "city"), that served foods either at small tables individually or if you wished, you could join others, sitting on cushions on the floor, at these huge round brass trays that were on folding supports and eat "family-style" where the food was placed in the center of the tray in a very large earthenware dish or dishes and everyone helped themselves. Small individual dishes and spoons were provided for those people who were uncomfortable eating with their fingers (right hand only) from the communal dish but most people tried the traditional way after instruction from "old hands" and learning a finger bowl was provided for frequent hand-washing. It was fun and interesting and since you did not order specific dishes, one got to try interesting new foods that you probably would not have ordered off the menu. The place is no longer there, in fact, a high rise office building is now on the site, but it was a great place, very popular with the college crowd because it was inexpensive and fun. They had musicians and dancers on Friday and Saturday nights and it was very crowded then. I usually went on Wednesdays when they had a lot of specials and extras that I think were being tried out by the chef. Most of the dishes included couscous in one form or another, often a wide ring of couscous with the meat or vegetable portion in the center.

Sadly, this is a U.S. company, but for those on this side of the pond who want a real couscoussier, this vendor, Fantes, has the best prices I have found for the copper ones. The middle eastern store in my town will special order them but the two quart would be 150.00. The one I have is similar to the large one shown on this page, however mine is just a bit larger in diameter at the base than their description and may be just a bit squattier. It also is not as pretty, having been knocked around a bit during my several moves over the years since I received it.

Ms. Wolfert, I would like to thank you for posting the information about the earthenware steamer. My pocketbook is now a little lighter as I ordered one plus a few other "must haves" from Clay Coyote pottery. Lovely things and very practical - even better they have a glaze that will go so well with the rest of the colors in my kitchen. I am really looking forward to using it for couscous, in addition to other things. - I always steam dried fruits to plump them, rather than soaking, particularly when used in baking. Andie