SobaAddict70

tonight (Saturday): couscous with chopped dried cranberries, caramelized onions, sliced chicken breasts (from lunch) and cilantro; steamed broccoli with a pat of basil-nutmeg butter. Cranshaw melon slices. Green tea. SA

so I suppose spare ribs are out for most of y'all I confess I'm a bone picker too....when it comes to pork chops. SA

Try making eight treasure rice pudding. Its basically glutinous rice mixed with brown sugar and a variety of fruits and nuts. The "eight treasure" reference is to the amount of fruits and nuts used in the dessert -- loquats, lychees, kumquats, red dates, sesame seeds, longans, etc. Don't have a recipe for it but someone else might... SA

My pastry skills suck -- samosas are a little out of my league....for now. SA

Lemon rice -- basmati rice, tossed with ghee, toasted black mustard seeds, lemon juice and grated lemon zest, before serving. Broiled chicken breasts rubbed with a T. of olive oil, a clove of garlic and lemon wedges; roasted yellow and red peppers; salad of plum tomato wedges, raw onion rings, lime juice, EVOO, salt and pepper. Vanilla Haagen-Dasz topped with a spoonful of Ovaltine. [GRIN] SA

So many people have a wide variety of food allergies these days that I can't help wondering if this is a result of the way we live, "we" meaning American society by and large, or if it is a result of globalism and the effects that American culture has on world culture at large. Or would you say its our primordial selves reasserting themselves with a vengeance? Remember, Mother Nature will not be denied. [g] I am lactose intolerant, other egulleteers have a marked aversion to beef, pork, dairy and other foodstuffs, and some of my friends are allergic to CORN (anything corn-related) and potatoes respectively. It makes for an interesting challenge to cook for them, to say the least. Any comments? Discuss. SA

I've never had samosa chaat outside of an Indian restaurant, Suvir. Where I've had it, its usually not an item found on the regular menu (you sort of have to be in the know. [g]) Its basically meat-filled (or veggie) samosas that have been split open and topped with chopped onions, tomatoes, (other veggies like cucumbers and lettuce), tamarind sauce, coconut milk, yogurt, cilantro (or other herbs) and other ingredients depending on the restaurant -- but those are your basics for starters. Its very filling and satisfying -- sort of like bhel puuri. Serving it with banana chatni sort of came as a flash of inspiration. [g] SA

Suvir -- try serving the banana chatni with some samosa chaat. SA

well where to begin I confess, I don't use freshly ground cardamom powder. I have a somewhat medium-sized glass jar of powder that I bought at a store in Jackson Heights a month or so ago. Kept in a cool, dark place, it lasts for a while although its probably not as good as if it were freshly ground, I suppose. ------------ Banana Chutney 1 ripe banana (or 2 to 3 ripe baby bananas), peeled and cut into chunks 2 T. toasted cumin seeds 2 T. grated coconut 2 to 3 serrano chiles (seeded and deveined if you want) 1/2 c. chopped cilantro 2 T. lemon juice 1 T. date sugar (use either jaggery or brown sugar if date sugar is unavailable; date sugar is really dried dates that have been pulverized, and is considered to be three times as sweet as regular sugar.) Salt to taste Grind all the ingredients, using either a mortar and a pestle or a food processor, into a paste. Add 1 t. of cold water every now and then if you want a thinner consistency. Makes about 1/2 c. banana chutney. Use immediately, or within 1 to 2 days. SA

::puts hands on hips:: Well, Ms. Suvir, you didn't mention limits in your request. heh Yogurt, bananas, a TINY amount of date sugar. A similar amount of cardamom powder if I feel like it. That's about it. so I suppose a chutney or raita is out then? SA

Banana lassi.

hey, T, you can do me anytime.... LOL! SA

them's fighting words...heh who sez I'm young? =P SA

*sigh* it really is too far. I'll schlep to Brooklyn, Queens or Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, but I'm *not* going to SI either by boat or by bus/cab (the long way -- BQE to the Belt Parkway or whatever, over the V Bridge, and back again). Maybe if they invented teleporters like in the Jetsons, I'd go then. But not likely to happen in my lifetime. heh SA

Yay! What she said. hehe SA

Well, water is the wrong thing to consume, even though people grab for it all the time. You want something to soften the burn's impact. That's why in so many cultures, not just Indian, they serve something made of dairy or starch to perform that function (cheese in Tex-Mex cooking; rice in practically any Asian cuisine). Water's not the way to go. Its medium makes it easy for the volatile oils present in chiles and/or spicy foods to spread around, thus causing more harm than help...but hey....what do I know? I'm just a culinary geek. SA

huh? SA ps. don't forget to use the leaves when making stock or in a mirepoix.

I certainly hope you're being facetious, Bux. This analogy is a poor one, considering the VAST difference between inhaling secondary smoke and officially sanctioned sexual harassment. And disagree on the "no lasting physical harm" -- one pinch perhaps not, but try ten or twenty. SA

its not the distance really its the ferry ride. I get motion sickness fairly easily (not applicable on a subway or on an airplane), so a ride on the ferry is out. easier for me to say SI is too far than to explain the real reason. this is why for example, why I don't read while in a car (note to cabrales by way of explanation). the headaches come easily and take a while to get rid of. you'll just have to sit this one out without me I'm afraid. Pure di patate is the Italian equivalent of mashed potatoes, the difference being that once the potatoes are mashed, they are returned to the pan while as much butter and hot (but not scalding) milk as the potatoes can absorb is beaten into them. Parmigiano-reggiano is then beaten into the dish only if the potatoes are compatible with the entree. I'm still not sold on the crab cakes. The closest that comes to is probably cooked granseola (spider crab), which has been shredded and combined with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and then returned to the shell for serving. Many people consider chop suey to be an authentic Chinese dish when its really American in origin (California in the late 19th century, or so the story goes). Ditto for egg foo young and fortune cookies. SA

SI is a little too far for me. Thanks for the invite though. SA

I'd say that (and I could be wrong) Babbo is 70% Tuscan/Romagna and 30% everything else. Hard to do pan-Italian unless you want to go all over the place. For example, I didn't see any Ligurian or Sicilian dishes, but then again I didn't look very hard. *shrug* SA

I'll grant you that Lupa is less "authentic" than desired. Haven't been to Esca so I can't comment on it. Po is no longer a Batali venture (and the quality there has declined since he left to pursue other interests). Didn't mean to flame you, so I guess I'll define myself more clearly. A restaurant that dares to call itself "authentic" needs to make sure (in my opinion) that its entire experience is authentic -- and that means, cooking in as close to authentic as possible, a wine list that does not have outside (Chardonnay! ugh) or foreign influences (although I don't drink, you get the idea), etc. For example, I'm sure if you dig deep enough, somewhere you'll find crab cakes somewhere in Italy. In my experience, I've not found that to be the case. Crab cakes seems to me a more American, Southern to be specific, invention, so when you described your experience, my gut reaction was to think "adaptation", not "authentic". I don't doubt that lemon sauce is used extensively in Italy. In fact, several pasta sauces use fresh lemon juice or lemons as a focus or major component -- i.e., tagliatelle with lemon zest, ricotta and caviar; spaghetti with lemon juice, olive oil, Italian oil-packed tuna, olives, herbs and capers; taglierini with an emulsified lemon sauce (lemon juice, eggs, cream, lemon zest,) and herbs; the list goes on and on. But a dish like "crab cakes with lemon sauce" to me smacks of an Italianized version of "Maryland crab cakes with tartar sauce" -- not really worthy of being authentic. A bolognese sauce to me is not authentic unless its created as a bolognese sauce would be -- mirepoix of onions, carrots, celery in olive oil, ground or snipped beef, pork and veal, headcheese or sausage, plum tomatoes, herbs, wine, meat stock, a little milk, spices. True, as others have pointed out, authenticity is also ground in subjectivity and history, so that what is authentic to some becomes imitation to others. That said, Bocca may be a good restaurant but as described does not even come close to the mark (for me). Thanks for listening, SA

Thank you, Nina and Robert. SA

Call me a snob...but I find it difficult to believe that an "authentic Italian" place would serve... mashed potatoes crab cakes with lemon sauce or roasted broccoli not to mention American and French wine as drinking choices Yes, there is an "authentic Italian" equivalent of mashed potatoes -- basically potatoes cooked in milk and butter, with a touch of cream. But its not called mashed potatoes. (I don't remember what its called, have to look it up when I get home.) Gnocchi bolognese sounds more to me like a dish that has Italian ROOTS (marinara sauce, anyone?) but Americanized or revised to a more modern set of palates. I find it difficult to understand how potato pasta could be paired with a heavy meat-based sauce (an unlikely pairing at the least) and still be called "authentic Italian". Try eating at Babbo next time, I dare you. Babbo routinely serves testa, tripe and other things that I never seem to find at "authentic Italian" places. SA

Mike, try this recipe saute some unsalted butter in a large stockpot, to which add a mirepoix of carrots, onions and celery (both stalk and leaves), salt, white pepper, a bouquet garni if you want. (or if not the BQ, fennel seeds or a couple of bay leaves.) Add squash (which has been initially prepped per Jinmyo's instructions minus the butter/cream), peeled chopped apple (either Golden delicious or a Granny Smith and good quality chicken stock. Cook for about five to ten minutes, then working in batches (if using BQ or bay leaves, remove them at this point), puree in a blender or food processor. Return soup to pot, add some light cream, nutmeg or ground cloves, and simmer for about ten to fifteen additional minutes, to incorporate flavors and thicken slightly. Serve garnished with some chopped or minced herbs, or toasted blanched slivered almonds. SA