Behemoth

Gen, thanks for the website and the other tips. And thanks for making this your first post in eGullet I think the main thing that gicks me out about the weisswurst is the peeling... As for the thing with the beer glasses, I don't know if that is just in Munich, it seems like plain common sense. Maybe I will see you in Munchen!

I feel its one of those basic life skills that you need to have if you like to go out to asian places (or travel to asian countries, for that matter...) And as a basic life skill, it is pretty hard to learn if you only try once a month, when you go to a restaurant. You know, like making an omelette. Get a set, practice at home when people aren't around until you get the hang of it.

Is Ming Tsai the Paula Abdul of the group?

I have to admit, my mom just mails it to me when I need it so I'm not 100% sure, but I think it is mix of nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. Does anyone have a precise recipe? You can often find it ready-made in a middle eastern store.

Also not so traditional, but I love dollops of the stuff on fried aubergine slices. Oh, you could also make the dumplings with swiss chard, maybe? It's hard to go wrong, really...

I like crab mixed with a little lemon, salt and pepper with avocado.

You might enjoy this one then: A holdover from my vegetarian days -- tempeh rueben. Would I be kicked of eGullet if I admit I prefer these to the real thing? Great rye, tempeh slices well-browned with onion & garlic, swiss cheese, russian dressing with homemade mayo, horseradish and (Jinmyo look away) a little ketchup. Oh, and of course saurkraut. I get a serious jones for these every once in a while.

I'm sorry -- which Calder was this? ← Alexander Calder? He was also known in Spain as Alejandro Caldero, ← I gather that was before he was born in Philly?

Ouch, just snorted coffee out my nose. Thanks for that.

I'm sorry -- which Calder was this?

Daniel, that bread looks great. I love that book. I am thinking of trying the ciabatta next weekend, but the idea of accidentally spraying water onto a hot oven light is scary to me -- anyone know of a way to avoid the possibility of shattering the glass? Is there such a thing as heat-proof tape for non-NASA scientists? I saw your thread on the water bath -- maybe I should ask there. I am currently eating my first meal of the day. It is 1:40 pm. Scary, huh?Croissant and milchcafe though -- very nice. No clue about dinner but it better not involve going to the supermarket.

Best. job. ever. I haven't had a raw oyster since leaving the east coast. Phooey.

Or you could say what I thought when I read this: "Why on earth would anyone eat cool whip with brownies?" I'd be really annoyed.

Wow zeitoun, that looks phenomenal. So now I have to buy another cookbook.

It's not really traditional, but when I was vegetarian I would make the stuffing with cracked chickpeas instead of ground meat. edit: come to think of it, this is REALLY not traditional but I bet crumbled tempeh instead of the ground meat would taste really good. Well browned, it has a great nutty taste.

After yesterday's labor intensive project, today I went the easy route: buffalo mozzarella with roasted grape tomatoes (these were amazing), olive oil & balsamic, follwed by moules marinier & baguette: We had a pinot grigio with, but I didn't like it at all. Espresso and Niederegger marzipan afterwards.

I've read that! I had to learn a little Korean for a trip last year. I found it really surprising, but the mandu/manti thing is really interesting. I never thought of that.

I think I know that dish, as I order something similar pretty often at my thai place. (Yes, I go there about least twice a week...) But I am confused about the name. What DT calls "gwi dtiaw haeng" is done with this dried noodles and no gravy, then there is "gwio tio neua" that is a soup. Those are the only noodle dishes with similar-sounding names. Then he has one in gravy that sounds like what you describe which is "raat nar muu". I've been wanting to try that one because the picture looks amazing, but one of the ingredients is yellow bean paste which I can't seem to find.

I've seen recipes for the the baked version but I've never tried it -- would you need to use a dough with some fat (e.g. egg, or ghee) in it? Mind sharing a recipe? I should try that version, as the only sad thing with this dish is I don't think it comes across as "pretty" enough for people who don't know it. (That is, until they actually taste it -- then they typically inhale it.) Baking the dumplings and then plating them with the sauce underneath might be a way of solving that problem. Certainly worth a shot if I try making it for any picky European eaters. I must admit I am very fond of the texture of the poached ones though -- it really is basically a type of ravioli. It's probably whatever you grew up with. Should I admit I keep picking at them for breakfast? I don't think we'll have enough for tonight. Paula, thanks for the resource. What is the full title? I would like to get my hands on some good middle-eastern culinary historical references.

I was making a double batch, I wanted to save some stuffing for something else. I used about 3 Tbsp for 1 lb meat, which felt like a lot. But 1 might be too little -- maybe amend that to 1.5 tbsp? Heaping tbsp?)

So Foodman and zeitoun are making me feel like a slacker. Here is one of my favorite Lebanese dishes, shishbarak. Maybe someone knows more about the source and the name of this dish. To my ears it sounds Turkish. Shishbarak are essentially meat and pine-nut filled dumplings poached in a yogurt sauce with coriander and garlic. The bast way to eat them is at room temperature, with mujaddarah -- a lentil, rice and carmelized onion pilaf. This is my own recipe, so please excuse any vagueness... Sishbarak. Yields about 50 dumplings. 1) stuffing. This is the basic lebanese meat filling for fried kibbe and savory pastries. 1 tbsp ghee 1/4 cup pine nuts 1/2 lb ground beef 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp lebanese mixed spice dash cinnamon a few grindings black pepper Fry the pine nuts in the heated ghee until golden, then add the meat, and fry just until it loses its raw color. Add the rest of the ingredients and lower the heat to medium. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the meat is well browned and the onions softened. 2) yogurt sauce: also a standard, used also for labban ummo, and stuffed cousa squash. 4 cups yogurt (I like to drain mine a little) 1 egg white, beaten 2 cloves garlic 1 tsp ghee 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp fresh coriander, minced Mix the yogurt and egg white and heat gently, stirring frequently until the mixture starts to bubble. (The main objective is to heat the yogurt without curdling. The egg white really helps here.) Mash the garlic with the salt. (Two birds in one stone --- this will salt your yogurt and keep your garlic from flying out of the mortar when you try to pound it!) In another pan, heat the ghee, and fry the garlic & coriander until fragrant, then dump the mixture into the yogurt and swirl it in. Sorry about the white balance on some of these, it was late afternoon so the lights were on but there was still some sunlight coming in through the window... 3) Wrappers. Okay, my mom cheats and uses ready-made wonton wrappers. I probably will next time, but figured I'd do it right this time. I've seen recipes for the wrappers made with ghee and oil, but I like mine better: simple wonton dough. 1.5 cups flour to about 1/2 cup cold water. Knead, knead, knead until smooth. Here is where I cheat: I use my pasta machine to roll out the dough, but a rolling pin works just fine. (I use a pin first so it will fit in the "1" slot of the machine.) Get it really thin, like a wonton wrapper basically. Use a wide-mouthed glass to cut the dough into circles. 4) Shaping the dumplings: Put a little stuffing in the circle, dampen the edges of the circle with water and press into a half-moon shape, sealing tightly. Using a litle more water, bring the sides around and attach, to get a shape homotopic to a pinched torus. (Sorry, math dork joke. Just look at the picture.) Do all of them this way. Here is where a cavalier attitude towards child labor laws comes in handy, if you have the little "resources" available to you. Yeah, it was my job as a kid. Oh, these guys can be sticky. Some people flour their pans, some use corn starch. Me, I like wax paper: 5) Heat the yogurt again (gently!) until it sends up some bubbles and then (gently!) place the dumplings into the sauce. A 12" skillet is good for this sort of thing, you can get them all in at once. Poach the dumplings for oh, about 5 minutes or so, until the dough loses its rawness. (The menacing shadow is the microwave above the stove.) 6) The mujaddarah recipe probably already exists on eGullet. If not, ask Foodman or Ms. Wolfert. Both have some kick-ass recipes. 7) Sahtain/Bon appetit!

I love my shun, but I would never hack through chicken bones with it. I use poultry shears or a cleaver for that kinda thing. Come to think of it, I would never use my heavy german chef's knife to hack through chicken bones, either.

Lebanese crowd pleaser: shisk barak. Basically, meat & pine-nut filled wontons poached in yogurt/coriander/garlic sauce. A little labor intensive, but oh so worth it. I might actually get around to putting the recipe up in the middle east forum. Classic side dish: lentil rice pilaf with caramelized onions (aka mujaddara). Dang, them's some nice lookin' sausages, ms. foodie.

Stuff I make: rendered duck fat chicken stock, beef stock (both in freezer) demiglace (fridge) tomato chutney tamarind chutney usually preserved lemons, but right now I'm all out. there's some frozen pesto somewhere frozen lemon & lime juices frozen lemon syrup (for lemonade, or sour mix) extra pizza dough my mom sends me: peach jam orange/lemon marmalade tarragon vinegar spiced cranberry catsup I have ghee and all that kind of stuff, but I don't make it myself. Other stuff I generally prefer to buy/make fresh. How long can you keep fresh mayo? I never hold it for more than a few days. People like to give me pickles. I am not sure why, but I sure do like them. I really need to candy some citrus peel.

Nice! Enjoy it while its there. I know this is not food related, but here is an inside tip for the Barnes: Try to ask them, either over the phone or when you're there, if there will be a guided tour. You will get shown around by one of the older ladies who studied with Barnes, and get to hear all about the "Barnes Method". Awesome, and something that you probably won't be able to do for much longer. Then get yer roast pork at the terminal! Yeah, I'm a little homesick... edit: As far as getting from one to the other -- if you are planning to take the train, the reading terminal is fairly close to market east station, you can take the R5 to Merion (about 20 minutes) and walk up to the Barnes (about a 5 min walk). If you are taking a car, well, just park it in some lot I guess, but it should only be a 15-20 minute drive on a Saturday. You probably know this already, but make sure you buy the Barnes tickets in advance.