Behemoth

I have no problem getting the ingredients, and cheap (we have a large mexican population in town) but since I am dining solo for the next month or so, how well does the stuff keep? I would make the paste, use a small portion right away and save the rest for when I get back in July. Otherwise, I'll have to put this one off. Klary and Alberto, I can easily mail you a small packet of chiles, you'd have them within the week. Just say the word. Plus it would force me to go to the post office, so I might actually send my relative the CD I've been holding for her since last christmas. The Diana Kennedy version is good, I might do that one. Doesn't Rick Bayless also have a version online somewhere?

I knew I should have re-read this thread before trying my spätzle recipe. Potato ricer and 15 minute rest. Next time, I guess... I thought I was being all clever using the largest disk on my food mill. What a sticky mess! But no complaints once I actually got the f***ers into the boiling water. The shape was perfect, the size was perfect, the texture was perfect and they tasted good too. Sort of amusing when A called from Munich and asked what I was having for dinner... I don't get the fashion for forming spätzle in long strands like noodles. the little goobers are much more appealing. Is it some sort of regional thing?

Adopt me?

I would take out the basil and use either preserved lemon or pureed roasted red peppers.

I can barely keep myself from eating it straight out of the jar. Actually, with some rice and a steamed egg it is a pretty decent lunch. Yum.

I suggest vodka the first night (worked for me) although the aftereffects aren't so great. Otherwise, soup, including cold soups if it's nice there now, careful though, hot sauces/vinegars etc. stung the first few days. Poached eggs. Foie gras should go down nicely too! ← Ice cream ice cream ice cream! Melted, if necessary. That is the whole point of having dental surgery.

Bah. I love brioche but there is no way I am making them unless I have three or four houseguests who can reliably dispatch them in a day or two. My jeans are tight enough as it is...

BINGO.

For the middle of nowhere you have access to some really nice grocers! (envy...) Thanks for a great blog though, I haven't had a lot of time to post but I have been happily reading along. I am REALLY digging the flour mills. I'm such a baking nerd at this point just looking at that photo is really killing me

Oh man. We will know on Tuesday if the offer is good enough to move. Keep your "thumbs pressed" for us In the meantime I will console myself with a couple of new white asparagus recipes helenas, the dog's facial expression is killing me. So cute. You really expect anyone to notice the food? Hm, now that I notice, the food looks really good too. This was finals week (my students, not me) so I haven't had much time to cook. We've been eating out a lot and I'm doing easy stuff like quesadillas and pasta.

Some people can get away with mooching, if they are entertaining enough party guests. But these types are very few and far between. I have so far only found one. (And I have been looking. ) Actually, I definitely don't care if people cook a meal for me. Some of my favorite "reciprocal" events have involved access to some interesting art shows, concerts, parties, performances etc. Even if they are free, I might never have heard about them, and it's always nice to get a call saying, hey wanna go to X? People who get hung up on having the right silverware and table linens IMO have lost sight of the basic pleasure of having people just want to hang out with you.

That makes more sense. Thanks. Actually A will be in Munich next week (leaving me behind! Wah!) so maybe I will wait until then and console myself with a batch.

I can't remember eating out at a place that undersalted rather than oversalted. C'mon, admit it, y'all have control issues

I like the baking powder idea; it would lighten them up a bit. I can't imagine wanting to deep fry. The main time I get spaetzle is when we have venison with gravy at my SIL's. Great dish but already substantial enough as it is. I love the onion topping BTW... just sliced and roasted, right? I was all set for Mexican food before I opened this thread and now I am getting such a serious jones for boiled dough wads.

My Lebanese grandmother didn't acquire a fridge until the very late 1960's. It's truly amazing none of her 10 kids died of food poisoning. I think the idea is, these people didn't have a lot of money -- so with ten kids, almost everything would be eaten within one day. I don't know if this is still common, but I remember buying meat from butchers in the souk who had no refrigeration. Chickens were killed right when you ordered them. Eggs were never refrgerated. But with American farm practices (and liability laws) I would stick with pulses and vegetables cooked in plant oil as the safest choices. These were often prepared in the morning on hot summer days and left on the counter to cool for the evening meal. I've left those out on the counter all day with no adverse effects. I would not do the same for animal products, especially in the summer. Examples: Greens like escarole stewed in olive oil, topped with caramleized onion fried eggplant and cauliflower **breads** cracked wheat pilafs with lentils, tomatoes or zucchini hummus She left cooked yogurt dishes out as well - since you have to leave yogurt out for a while when making it anyway it is probbaly okay for a day. Actually, you can make labneh balls by draining yogurt, rolling it in a ball in some herbs and packing it in a jar full of olive oil. I keep my jar in the pantry until I open it. My grandmother just kept it in the pantry without refrigeration. (not that it lasted that long...) Samosas are a good suggestion -- there is a lebanese version of this -- I think there is a thread in the ME forum, foodman has a recipe.

Boris, this is completely off-topic, but did you guys in Switzerland also go through the whole "rechtschreibung" craziness, or was it limited to Germany? I am having a hard enough time learning how to spell, and then they pull this whole thing on me. I still can't figure out which words qualify as long enough to keep the ess-tzet.

Pedant. For Kaesespaetzle as far as I know you just grate some Emmanthaler over the top and bake for a while. My guess is Spaetzle is already plural, because of the umlaut over the A. (Damn my current umlaut-free keyboard!) One spatzle, two spaetzles? Or? My new favorite German word: Kluempchen -- aka What you don't want to get when mixing the dough. edits: I am a lousy typist.

I think I know what I'm making for dinner now, though.

What? Not everone lives in the US? Here is the recipe she gave me -- I haven't gotten around to trying it yet: 200 grams flour 2 eggs 1/2 tsp salt 5 tbsp water It is basically just a straightforward pasta recipe. Yours looks like a swanked up version, what with the cheese and semolina. I bet the cheese is the culprit more than the flour.

My SIL uses regular german-brand AP flour...I'm not sure how it differs from American AP in terms of gluten, but certainly less than bread flour.

well? did you take one? how did that turn out? i haven't even really thought about how to go about doing this. ← I didn't get around to taking a photo of the meat. I guess I should have. Obviously since I was trying to feed a bunch of people I didn't get any photos of the steak sandwiches, either. Those sure went fast. As far as the water ice -- actually I cheated. It was basically homemade lemon sorbet, tweaked until it tasted right. All the recipes I saw on the web had it as a granita (ie where you scrape the frozen stuff into a slush by hand) but I didn't have time for that plus I remembered Rita's always seemed smoother, like it had been churned. In any case, it came out well and I doubt these kids would have known one way or the other. I sorta doubt your plans are taking you to my obscure part of central Illinois but if so let me know and I'll take you to Steak & Shake or the Beer Nuts factory or something equally thrilling

We are also just two. If I don't think we will eat the second loaf in time, I double wrap it in plastic bags and put it in the freezer. Then, a day before I am ready for it I thaw it overnight in the fridge, leave it on the counter for about an hour, then re-bake it for about approx. 10 minutes at 350 or so. The crust ends up slightly more crusty, but is otherwise as good as fresh. Quite frankly, usually we go through most of the two loaves: First day, just eat as is. Second day toasted slices. Third day as crostini, panzanella, in soups, etc. If I still have some left I make breadcrumbs for sprinkling on pasta and stuff. Of course that is just for lean hearth breads. Enriched breads last linger, and can be made into stuff like french toast on the weekends. I'm willing to bet your husbands coworkers would be happy to get fresh bread. This stuff is really freakin' good.

What I crave when I'm sick: Drain whole milk yogurt to make labneh -- you can add salt and black pepper. That keeps well in the fridge, and with some sliced bread or pita makes a refreshing snack. How about little cups of custard, rice or bread pudding? Also keep well in the fridge, and make good snacks.

Good point. I don't think this is an argument you can make. Nature is not sentient. You (hopefully?) are. That 200,000 people die in a tsunami doesn't make it more acceptable when 200 die in a car bomb. ← In context with the whole post it wouldn't get a response like this! ← I absolutely agree. Your post was fine -- the quote was completely out of context. Which is why I was responding to the quote and not your original post, dig?

Oh brother. Sorry, I should have said: "No, I think that is a bad point." It's 70 F and sunny outside, I'm going for a run. Have fun, kids!