SobaAddict70

Three of my favorites: Tuna from a can (packed with spring water) Chopped yellow onions (or shallots for a milder flavor) Celery Miracle Whip Pickle relish Paprika Salt and pepper ------- Italian tuna from a can (packed in OO) Minced garlic, sauteed briefly until golden brown Aioli Roasted red or yellow peppers Chopped, pitted oil-cured olives Sprinkle of red pepper flakes ------- Tuna from a can (packed in spring water) Sardines, chopped finely 1 anchovy fillet, ground into a paste Mayonnaise Chopped red onion Celery White pepper

What is it with brussel sprouts on egullet? Until I found egullet, I thought I was the only person in the world who actually liked brussel sprouts in all their glorious gassiness. Silly me. LOL

Sure, I don't see why not. Oh, btw, the stuffed peppers -- one version I'm familiar with is sausage meat from either sweet or hot Italian sausages without the casing, rice and other seasonings (onions, garlic, etc.), and topped with melted Gorgonzola before serving. In this case, its not so little a bite... Soba

What's your favorite antipasti? Mine are any of the following: Sweet and sour onions (either large yellow ones which have been roasted or cipolini); Chicken meatballs cooked four ways (in broth, with pasta, fried, and with a sauce like basic tomato sauce); Stuffed eggplant or peppers; A gratin of scalloped potatoes and roasted peppers, with chopped garlic and topped with EVOO; Bagna cauda (sic) -- I think this is how you spell it -- its the Venetian dip of hot oil, garlic and anchovies, with which you dip raw veggies into. Not for the faint of palate. Any others? I'm talking about antipasti in the Italian sense, not the Italian-American version (which, forgive me for expressing my foodie flakiness again, I feel IMO is a bastardization of the real thing, not that the bastardization isn't valid, it's just not my thing).

I have. Potato salad, like coleslaw and macaroni salad, NEEDS acidity or something like that. I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've had any of those three, and almost gagged from the lack of a sour note... Soba

Welcome to egullet, Toby. I'm a little curious whether you used fresh anchovies or the usual kind, or a paste of some sort. I'd like the recipe, if you don't mind. Sounds like a nice first course. Tonight I'm going to cheat a little bit. Short of cooking an entire duck, I'm going to order half a duck from one of our local Cantonese take-out joints. Then I'll remove the bones, shred the meat and skin, and stir-fry the lot with some minced ginger, scallions, spicy pickled turnips and cut up veggies (probably cabbage, broccoli and peppers). Steamed rice. Orange sorbet. Hey! Even egulleteers like moi get lazy sometimes, don'cha know. Soba

Jinmyo, I prefer to use EVOO on stuff where the flavor of the oil will shine through or enhance what's already there. I feel that using something like EVOO on a dish where there's lots of things in the background is a waste of a good resource when good quality OO will do just as fine. For example, I would use EVOO to top off a minestrone invernale (sic) or something like pasta with a sauce of stewed cabbage and garlic. But something like basic sugo pomodoro (tomato sauce), chicken marengo, or pasta with tuna, capers, lemon and olives, I would use OO because of all the competing elements in the dish. I hope that explains my philosophy. IMO, EVOO should be treated just like aceto balsamico tradizionale....not splashed about with abandon. But I'm in the minority, obviously... Certain posters on this site have passions about French cuisine/culture. Mine is Italian cuisine, and to a lesser extent, its culture. Actually, I'm more interested in the history and anthropology of all food, regardless of cuisine or background. Maybe I should go to grad school for that. =) Soba

Dinner tonight at The Bread Bar at Tabla: Apps -- 1. Dal Saag (BBatT's version of spinach with lentils -- I didn't think it worked well, although it was certainly a new take on what is usually a creamed spinach/lentil dish -- stewed spinach with yellow lentils and mildly spiced, although I should note that my palate can take a lot more spicing than the typical "American-meat-and-potatoes" palate, so take my qualifiers with a grain of salt). 2. Lamb Kebab with a mint and tamarind sauce (what you would expect a kebab to taste like, but in sausage form). Sauce was a bright note in an otherwise boring composition. 3. Tabla Chopped Salad -- kohlrabi, radishes, carrots and cucumbers in olive oil and citrus juice, mildly spiced (includes slivers of red chili rings). Nothing special, although I'd say it might make an interesting choice of panchan if BBatT were a Korean restaurant. 4. Sourdough Naan. Not really that much sourdough flavor; it seemed to me more of a souped up version of the same tandoori naan most of us have seen in clone Indian restaurants all over town. At least they didn't go overboard on the ghee and salt. Mains: 1. Lamb Tandoori with lemon chutney and greens. The one main I didn't try, although it looked good on the plate (and fork tender too, I might add). 2. Goan Beef Curry. A mildly spiced souped up version of beef stew. Yes, yes, I know this isn't exactly authentic, but it reminded me of a spiced version of Dinty Moore's at a hefty $16, it was that boring. 3. Chicken Biryanni (we ordered two). Now this is what I've always thought chicken biryanni should taste like -- chicken and rice baked together with onions, raisins and slivered almonds, along with sweet spices (cinnamon, cardamom and cloves). Sheer heaven, in fact, the only standout the entire evening. Preserved lemon chutney -- preserved lemons, mustard seeds, white wine vinegar. A little too sweet there for my taste, I think the kitchen went just a little overboard on the sugar. They were kind enough to make a sweet lassi at my request -- basically yogurt and sugar, although BB's version has ice. FYI, their version of mango lassi is pureed mangoes, orange juice, yogurt and ice. As for dessert, well that's what Haagen-Dasz is for... Note from Soba: I don't usually eat dessert if I can help it. Note from Soba, part the second: my companions aren't exactly adventurous in terms of "spicy" dishes, but I wanted to introduce them to something new that they might not have considered before. One of them has spent a good chunk of time in India, so he has some background even if he doesn't have a similar set of gustatory experiences. I haven't been to BBatT in a while. A second visit is in order -- maybe I'm expecting too much, or the kitchen was off this time around?

this is not something I make on a regular basis that said, I look for two things in any potato salad -- acidity (to counter the richness of the mayonnaise), and onions (or pungent seasoning) I think German potato salad is my favorite, although that hasn't always been the case. Mmmm

Perhaps dodge621 is really Ruby in disguise, albeit a less hysterical version? Seriously, although I haven't really been following this thread, I would like to say that posting personal attacks upon complete strangers won't endear you to the egullet community. We know Tommy -- we don't know you, dodge. While I'm not suggesting that you're here to win the E-gullet Popularity Contest for Second-Rate Beauty Queens...none of us are, actually...I am suggesting that some people might approach you with a less than respectful bias. Btw, in point of fact, Tommy is an equal opportunity insult machine. In spite of all of this, he's loveable. Plus, his avatar is easy on the eyes. Now, then, I move to nominate this thread as a candidate for "Thread Most Likely To Be Destroyed Painlessly". Soba

Wednesday: Chicken breasts rubbed with olive oil, smeared with a tablespoon of eggplant chutney, and broiled until done; roasted potatoes; steamed cauliflower, finished with chopped fresh herbs and a pat of unsalted butter. Lemon sorbet (Haagen-Dasz). Yesterday: Hiyayako tofu (chilled tofu topped with bonito flakes, minced scallions, toasted laver which I crumbled into flakes, and toasted sesame seeds); dipping sauce of mushroom soy and mirin; broiled marinated flank steak; steamed rice; kale sauteed with garlic and olive oil.

I sometimes add a splash of Calvados (apple brandy) to the egg mixture, and serve the French toast with an apple compote spiced with cinnamon and cloves. Another option I use is cheese bread (although that's more savory than sweet).

hehe I second that notion seriously, I'm not that fanatical about taking cubed pork and beef and snipping them or shredding them with scissors (there are recipes that go too far, I think) my sauce Bolognese almost always includes pork and beef, but not veal. sometimes will include some mortadella if I'm not feeling too lazy. a small addition of whole milk, definitely, for the added sweetness. *sigh* now I have to get out of here before a lawyer happens to see me.... Soba

any of the following: uncooked tomato sauce (tomatoes passed through a food mill and strained; olive oil, salt and pepper; chiffonade of basil; sometimes mint) basic tomato sauce (the same sauce above, but cooked; no basil or mint) puttanesca (cooked version) (there's an uncooked version, but I find that the flavors are too raw and not harmonius enough) Italian tuna packed in oil, good quality olives, capers, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, chopped flat leaf Italian parsley lemon zest and ricotta over linguini or fusilli shredded cabbage sauteed with some pancetta and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. maybe toss an anchovy fillet in, and add some slowly cooked onions and red pepper flakes basic tomato sauce with an anchovy fillet and a pinch of red pepper flakes the same sauce above, with the addition of a handful of chopped pitted olives (no anchovy or red pepper flakes) garlic, chopped herbs and good quality EVOO butter, good olive oil (not EVOO), and one or two anchovy fillets sweet Italian sausage which has been stripped out of its casing, roasted red and yellow peppers, fennel seeds, and a garlic clove or two pan juices from a roasted leg or shoulder of lamb, mixed with garlic, slow cooked onions and rosemary juices from steamed farmed mussels, strained (to get rid of the sand), then combined with butter, roasted garlic puree, minced flat-leaf Italian parsley, white wine, and a touch of light cream, then reduced. sometimes will add tomato paste in the step before the addition of the cream. I use this whenever I serve pasta with shellfish.

some favorites: roasted vegetables with lemon-balsamic viniagrette sauteed brussel sprouts with garlic and pancetta gratin of potatoes with gruyere, Canadian bacon and caramelized onions baked squash (or pumpkin) with dried fruit chutney mashed potatoes with LOTS of sweet unsalted butter, cream and chives turnip, squash, and apple puree roasted sweet potatoes dusted with homemade garam masala

I'm a Soba come lately to this thread, more commentary to come when I have time to read through it all (I'm at work right now folks) anyway on a superficial basis, its interesting to me that my tastes have for the most part moved on to what DIDN'T interest me as a kid, yet at the same time, I still retain a few favorites. I give credit where credit is due -- my mom who introduced me to sushi at the tender age of 10 (we were visiting relatives in the Philippines and one of our stop overs was in Tokyo. it was there where I had my first introduction to Japanese food. In fact, I remember having sukiyaki for the first time and being a little grossed by it since part of the dish entailed breaking a raw egg over the cooked ingredients). Mom ordered sushi (can't remember exactly what she ordered but some part of me seems to recall tuna (NOT toro)). She offered me some and but me being revolted out said an emphatic NO. It would be 10 years later, when I was living on my own in the East Village, that I would have my first sushi experience. I used to hate garlic, ginger, and anything spicy -- now I can't enough of these things. I used to crave peanut butter, then went through a long period where I wouldn't even touch the stuff. But throughout all these years, my favorites remain the same: anything Filipino (either made by my mom or others); well made sweet and sour pork (hard to find here in NYC, but basically the pork should be on the same level as the best General Tso's chicken) (my mom's version coats the pork in rice flour before deep frying it); spaghetti and meat sauce, preferably with tomato sauce made with Aunt Millie's, (although I often make Bolognese sauce now); roasted sweet and hot Italian sausage with peppers and potatoes (with a few Concord seedless grapes thrown in, halfway through the roasting process); peanut butter, marshmallow fluff and banana sandwiches; Friendly's ice cream sundaes topped off with Reese's pieces; beef, vegetable and marrow bone soup; congee (I've posted about congee in our family elsewhere on the site, specifically in one of the childhood related threads); and baked chicken with green beans and mushrooms, topped with crispy fried onions and served with either rice or mashed potatoes.

Can we change stuff if we decide to change our minds? Count me in. And olives, if no one's claimed it yet. I was thinking -- oil-cured Gaeta Kalamata and maybe two or three more kinds, subject to what I can find in Astoria or elsewhere (any recommendations?), along with marinated olives that I'll make myself (see below). Marinated Olives (minimum servings: 10) 2 c. mixed olives (oil-cured, Kalamata, and two or three other kinds, be sure to get olives WITH pits intact) 2 T. lemon zest, grated or chopped finely 2 T. orange zest, grated or chopped finely Juice of 3 lemons OR 2 preserved lemons, quartered 2 garlic cloves, minced Generous pinch of red pepper flakes Generous pinch of fennel or anise seeds Olive oil (NOT EVOO) 1/4 c. Italian flat-leaf parsley, minced (optional) OR 2 T. rosemary (either fresh or dried) (optional) In a large glass or non-reactive bowl, toss together the olives, lemon and orange zest, lemon juice (or preserved lemon), garlic, red pepper flakes, and fennel (or anise) seeds, mixing together until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add enough olive oil to cover the olives, stir well. Cover with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate for two or three hours (six hours if possible) so that the flavors can develop. About five to ten minutes before serving, transfer as much of the olives as you desire, and a portion of the marinating liquid to another large bowl (reserve the remainder for future use), and add the parsley or rosemary. Mix well and serve. Note from Soba: I like to serve the olives as is, or with slices of Italian or French bread. You can use the marinating liquid as a basting liquid for roast chicken, a glaze for roasted potatoes (before popping them in the oven), or as the basis for a topping for steamed veggies, or even for salad dressing.

Sweet and Sour Sauce (for Lumpia) Makes about 1 cup 1 c. pineapple juice 1/2 c. banana ketchup (available at Filipino specialty markets); substitute tomato ketchup if unavailable. Banana ketchup tends to be slightly sweeter and spicer than tomato ketchup. 1/2 c. soy sauce 1/3 T. red wine vinegar 2 T. brown sugar 1/4 t. minced fresh ginger 1 T. cornstarch or arrowroot powder Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup pineapple juice, mix well and reserve. In a saucepan combine pineapple juice, ketchup, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and ginger. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir cornstarch / pineapple mixture and add to simmering sauce. Reduce heat and whisk. Simmer sauce over low heat until sauce thickens. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Remove from heat and reserve.

I must be unique. I don't dislike anything. Now, this is assuming we're talking about food MOST PEOPLE eat, and not fried cockroaches, boiled grasshoppers, and chocolate covered fire ants. For that, I'd have to be severely stoned and hypnotized. Tommy's avatar can hypnotize me, and then we'd be halfway there....LOL. If its in front of me, chances are I'll eat it. Of course, I have to be in the mood for it though.

Well, well, dunno where to begin. I suppose I'll list my top 5 faves per cuisine (I come from a multi-ethnic Asian background, so here goes): Filipino: Sinigang (si-ni-GUNG) -- this is, if done correctly, a refreshingly tasty, sour soup/stew made with shrimp, pork, tamarind juice, white daikon radish, long green beans, bitter melon, tomatoes, garlic, onions and ginger. Some versions also include fish (various kinds of fish). Kari-kari (ka-RI ka-RI) -- basically stewed oxtails with vegetables and ground peanuts. Vegetables vary according to seasonality, but the version my mom made included eggplant, long green beans, onions, cabbage, okra and mild peppers. Pakbet (pronounced pak-BET, the a is pronounced in the same way as the "u" sound in the word "up") -- this is a salty, pungent vegetable stew. Different versions depend on what's available....the version I'm familiar with included tomatoes, bitter melon, eggplant, okra, onions, LOTS OF GARLIC, long green beans, dried shrimp, baguong (fermented dried shrimp paste; a little goes a long way), patis (fermented fish sauce), and ginger. Dinuguan (DI-nu-GU-an): not for the faint of heart (show me someone on egullet who's a wimp!), this is an offal/pork stew that usually has some combination of the following: finely chopped beef hearts, kidneys, chicken liver, pork, gizzards, vinegar, GARLIC, pickled chilies in vinegar, onions and pig's blood. In fact, without pig's blood, its not dinuguan, as the blood is what gives the stew its characteristic black color. This is a great dish that actually improves in flavor the second or third day after you make it. The downside is of course, that it turns most people off if they knew what went into it. Side note -- my mom is now quite Americanized, and this is one of the dishes that she WON'T make unless I have an incredible hankering for it, and then only like once in a blue moon. Second side note -- to illustrate JUST HOW AMERICANIZED, she now cooks steak medium well, as opposed to nuclear-broiled well done. Lumpia. These come in two varieties, fresh or fried. The fresh version is basically the Filipino version of a Vietnamese summer roll. Cooked chicken, partially cooked veggies, bean thread noodles, all of which are wrapped up in a fresh cabbage or lettuce leaf, then dunked in a sweet plum sauce. The cooked version is essentially the same contents this time wrapped in a rice flour pancake or wrapper and then deep fried, and dipped in a pungent, sour sauce. There are others that I remember, like halo-halo, which is sort of like a cross between liquid Jello, red bean soup, crushed ice and iced tea, but much better; adobo rellenong (a sour chicken stew with tons of garlic and vinegar); and menudo (not to be confused with the Mexican version, this is a ground beef stew with chickpeas, carrots, potatoes, raisins, onions and tomatoes). Chinese: My grandmother's version of Lion's Head meatballs. If you look on the Dinner thread, you'll find the recipe buried somewhere there. The name comes from GIANT pork meatballs which have slices of bok choy draped over the meatballs, giving the appearance, speaking metaphorically of a lion's head and its flowing mane. Congee. My favorite toppings include (at least in our family), ground pork stir-fried with fermented black beans and scallions; wood ear mushrooms, sliced Chinese black mushrooms, shredded chicken and ginger paste; and shredded roast pork, water chestnuts, garlic and spicy bean paste. In fact, congee was often used as an excuse to have leftover dinner for breakfast, using the porridge as a base to top off with our choice of leftovers. Steamed fish with ginger, scallions and black beans. Another, not for the faint-hearted -- in much the same way that people here in the US like dark meat and drumsticks, I really liked (and still do) fish eyes, not to mention fish heads in general. Of course, if you're still reading, I suppose mention of eating fish heads doesn't come close to stewed chicken feet. Winter melon soup. I'm not sure how many of you here have had the real thing in Chinese restaurants. Usually this is served at a banquet, but in our family, this gets rolled out on special occasions. Its basically a hollowed out winter melon which has been filled with chicken stock, black mushrooms, ham, onions, ginger, other vegetables and the cooked flesh of the winter melon itself. Sometimes the sides are decorated with dragons breathing clouds of steam -- this has been carved straight onto the melon. We usually just had the melon undecorated. Fried rice. If you look on the Dinner thread, you'll see the recipe I give for my mother's basic Chinese fried rice, which is a far cry from the unidentifiable glop you'd get from Occidental Chinese restaurants. Its in one of the most recent postings. Other noteworthies: steamed tofu with honeycomb (better than flan); spicy onion potstickers; my grandmother's version of ma-po tofu (sometimes she used chicken instead of pork, and also lots of garlic). Hungry yet?

Glazed Roast Chicken (serves 6 to 8) For the cardamom butter: 1 stick of UNSALTED butter, softened 1 1/2 T. ground cardamom 1 t. ground cloves (optional) Cream the butter with the cardamom (and ground cloves). Chill and refrigerate, until ready to use. (note from Soba: I can't stress it enough. Unsalted butter acts as a neutral canvas for flavor much in the same way that a painter uses a base coat of white on which to construct a painting. If you use SALTED butter, the bird won't be as flavorful or as juicy when its finished.) For the glaze: 1/2 c. acacia (or other type of) honey, gently warmed in a medium saucepan with a few T. of water, over low heat, until syrupy 1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice Mix the lemon and the honey until well blended. Set aside. You can use any size roast chicken for this recipe. Instead of giving hard and fast amounts, I'm giving a master recipe that you can adjust to your taste. For the post you wrote about, I used a Perdue roaster, but you can also use cornish game hens. Just reduce or adjust the amount of butter rub, and the glaze. I stuffed the bird with sprigs of herbs, and some peeled, quartered onions. Sometimes I'll use unpeeled garlic cloves (about 30 or 40). Sometimes shallots, or lemons cut in half (either fresh or preserved). Prior to roasting the chicken, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rub the chicken or roaster with as much cardamom butter as you prefer. Sometimes I like to slip in small pieces of butter underneath the skin, just for that extra burst of flavor. It's up to you. While the chicken is roasting, take out of the oven every so often and with a pastry brush, brush the chicken with as much glaze as you desire. Roast until the pop-up timer on the roaster pops out (I suppose if you were using a meat thermometer, until 170 degrees (I think) or until juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a fork). Transfer to a carving or cutting board, and let the chicken sit for up to 15 minutes before carving. Serve (be sure to remove the stuffing, if any).

I've been working a lot, and this week promises to be another slew of late nights. Joy. But at least this past weekend I had off... Saturday: Red-cooked chicken; stir-fried rice; cabbage stir-fried with chilies, finished with a T. of garam masala and chopped cilantro; fruit. For the stir-fried rice, take 2 to 3 cups of leftover cooked rice (you could do this with freshly cooked rice, but leftovers are best) and toss into a hot wok that already has a clove of browned minced garlic, a T. of shredded ginger root, and some sizzling peanut oil; stir-fry until golden brown (I like to do it until a slight crust forms on the rice); add your choice of chopped scallions (both white and green parts), shredded Smithfield ham; chopped Chinese black mushrooms (dried is best, reconsituted in a bowl of warm water); 1 or 2 beaten eggs; a dash of mushroom soy; or a handful of cooked green peas. I like to keep things simple and usually limit it to just rice, garlic, ginger, peanut oil and scallions. Stir-fried rice made this way also makes for a great breakfast dish (my mom used to make this for breakfast on weekends). Sunday: Leftover chicken which I shredded and combined with some scallions and chopped red and yellow bell peppers, cooked into an omelet; roasted potatoes, sprinkled with lemon juice, rosemary and salt; steamed broccoli. Strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar, 1 T. of sugar and a dash of cracked black pepper.

Is there any chance we can make this a regular or semi-regular event, sort of like once every six or seven weeks, or so? Maybe we can rotate where we meet -- assuming there are members with sufficient space for more than 8 people (not me unfortunately -- my pad is big enough for parties of six or less without it being cramped). Just an idea, since this first NY egullet potluck was such a success.

If you've ever had a burger from Burger King (presumably this is the same in McDonald's or Wendy's), you've had irradiated meat. That's what hamburgers, zapped in a microwave amounts to. I speak from experience, having worked at a BK when growing up as a teenager. First they flame-broil the meat, then put the asembled hamburger (sans lettuce, etc.) in a steamer. Then when its time for the order to be made, the preparer makes the sandwich and zaps the burger in the microwave. You're not supposed to zap the top (which contains mayo, lettuce, and tomato), but you never know... Then the sandwich gets assembled and gets placed under a heat lamp, or is made to order. I'd say that any bacteria in the food is probably dead or TOAST by now. And you thought fast food was a one-shot deal...

Last night -- nothing glamorous, folks. Broiled chicken breasts dusted with a mix of salt, pepper, chopped rosemary, EVOO; roasted brussel sprouts and carrots; steamed rice; fruit. Deglazed the roasting pan with white wine vinegar and a dollop of cranberry honey mustard for a nice minimalist sauce. Mark Bittman would've been proud. Tonight's gonna be a late night (joy), so its going to be bad cafeteria food (if you call the slop they serve in the cafeteria downstairs food). Ok, I'm exaggerating, but there are HIGH SCHOOLS that serve better stuff. *sigh*