SobaAddict70

Very nice, Anna. The book is a joy and a pleasure to read. Might do the omelette aux fines herbes (page 133) as part of tomorrow's brunch.

Shrimp with baby spinach, caramelized pineapple, pickled kumquats and kumquat vinaigrette. Kumquat vinaigrette: 1 tablespoon honey, 3 tablespoons kumquat vinegar, 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and a pinch of piment d'Espelette. Pickled kumquats: 9 kumquats, 1/2 cup white wine vinegar heated until boiling, 2 crushed green cardamom pods. Combine all ingredients in a heat-proof container and cool. Set aside, covered, in the refrigerator for 48 hours. Recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/26/magazine/26food.html (but slightly tweaked; the pineapple was caramelized in a heated skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt; the shrimp was fried in olive oil with some chopped garlic, sea salt, black pepper and parsley; I ditched the frisée and substituted baby spinach and arugula, and wilted those)

I bought something I've been eagerly awaiting from Kitchen Arts & Letters today. Now, I rarely cook from cookbooks, but I'll make an exception for this one. I have my eye on a few things, such as the coq au vin and cassoulet, but the things I want to make the most are probably all of the vegetable dishes in the book. It's probably too late for me this week (because what I get from USGM on Saturday generally sets the tone of menus for the next 3-4 days), but I'll be keeping some things in mind for down the road. Roast lamb with braised vegetables is an idea, ditto for the shakshuka. What will you be making?

Asparagus with shallot vinaigrette Fried farm egg, smoked bacon and ramps

Thanks Patrick. Ran into Bond Girl while I was at USGM. We hung around for a while and talked about El Gordo, life in general, my relationship with B and other things. Today: broccoli rabe, mushrooms, FAVA GREENS!!!, bacon, clams, salad greens, onions. Still no ramps, but lots of stuff are slowly making themselves known. Then I went to Kitchen Arts & Letters (aka Cookbook Wonderland) and got something I've been eagerly awaiting.

thanks RRO. awesome spread. ================ this post is prep for part of Friday's dinner. 2 green cardamom pods, crushed in my mortar and pestle... ...combined with 2/3 cup heated white wine vinegar and 9 kumquats in a jar. The kumquats will pickle for 36-48 hours and simultaneously infuse the vinegar with their essence. To be continued...

Thanks all. Anna: you're killing me with the chicken thighs. those are probably my favorite parts, next to drumsticks. =============== late dinner tonight. Ginger chicken broth, with fried farm egg, ramps and baby spinach Basically a variation on "garlic soup", with a fried egg instead of poached, and ramp stalks/ramp leaves instead of garlic and parsley. A 1/2 tsp. of finely minced ginger adds a pleasant jolt. I think these are sensational. And you really don't need to do much to bring out their best. The radishes were halved lengthwise (so that the greens would be left intact) and sautéed in unsalted butter with some baby spinach. Sea salt and black pepper to taste, and a splash of wine vinegar. Black cod (a/k/a sablefish) with ramp pesto, served with oyster mushrooms and samphire Samphire is also known as "sea beans" and "glasswort". See fifi's eGullet Foodblog for a particularly memorable entry. The mushrooms and sea beans were fried in unsalted butter and a little chicken stock, seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and Meyer lemon juice.

Though he is gone, he lives forever on -- in our minds, in our stories and in our hearts. When I think of Steven, the phrase "fish pants" pops up and a smile comes unbidden. RIP, and my deepest sympathies to Ellen and PJ.

I seem to have exhausted the Strand and Kitchen Arts & Letters as sources for these books, so now must turn to Amazon and eBay for the rest of the collection. I was hoping to get the Spain/Portugal volume without having to resort to the Internet. Poo.

I prefer using non-electronic cookbooks whenever possible.

it's the same technique as that used with fish. http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-master-class-20120414,0,3388106.htmlstory

Kim -- yes, just sliced. actually, you slice the kumquats, then combine them with chopped dates and spinach in a bowl, dress the salad, then plate. then shave cheese on top, and serve. Tonight I'll be making kumquat vinegar for use in a salad later this week. Pix to follow.

Rod: there was a sauce, but it's quite light. Consists of white wine, olive oil, some of the fond from frying the scallops and a tablespoon of ramp pesto. In addition, I undercooked the pasta by 1-2 minutes, then drained it, then finished cooking it in the pan with the sauce. That's probably the reason there's no visible sauce, but you'll have to believe me when I say that it wasn't the least bit dry.

Spinach salad, with dates, kumquats and cheese Spaghetti, with sea scallops, garlic and Italian parsley

awesome short ribs. yum yum. Ramp pesto. The version above contains hazelnuts instead of walnuts. Recipe: http://food52.com/recipes/4341-wild-ramp-pesto Baby mesclun, roasted asparagus, farm egg Squid, with spelt and barley pilaf This is a mixture of barley, spelt, lentils and green split peas that had been soaked in cold water for one hour, then drained. That was simmered with 2 cups water and a pinch of sea salt for 30 minutes, partly covered, then combined with a battutina (celery/carrot/onion/celery leaves/Italian parsley) cooked in olive oil, and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper. I reserved about a tablespoon of the battutina and used that as the base for the squid. Squid: 1/2 lb. squid, thinly sliced, then lightly sprinkled with sea salt. Set aside for 5 minutes. Warm olive oil in a pan, add chopped garlic and chopped Italian parsley, fry until garlic turns a pale gold. Add squid to the pan, cook until squid turns color. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the juice of half a lemon, then serve with ramp pesto. (I normally use garlic but I changed my mind this time)

from USGM: French breakfast radishes, spinach, squid, scallops, baby lettuce, sweet cherry cake. from Eataly: sable, kumquats, herbs, ramps, lentils, cheese, wild mushrooms, pancetta. from a deli on the way home: a stuffed pepper, mixed greens.

today: French breakfast radishes, spinach, squid, scallops, baby lettuce, sweet cherry cake. Rick Bishop mentioned that ramps will be available in about 2-3 weeks.

I've been dreaming of that crispy pork pictured above. And fried soft-shell crab. I think I need to go there soon again....

Zuppa di cozze ("mussel soup") No pic, sorry. Begin by warming some olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, then add sliced garlic. Fry the garlic until it becomes a pale gold, then add 1-2 fillets of anchovy. The anchovy will disintegrate, then add 1 lb. of mussels, a handful of chopped parsley and 1/4 cup white wine or water. Cover. Steam the mussels until they pop open. Remove pot from heat. Transfer the mussels with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Shell the mussels; discard any that don't open. Transfer mussel meat back to the pot you steamed them in (which will also have the accumulated mussel juices, garlic, anchovy and parsley). Add 1 can crushed San Marzano tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, partly covered. Taste for salt and pepper, then serve. This recipe is sized for 1-2 people. I usually have this with pasta, but it's wonderful all by itself with a loaf of bread and a salad.

Citarella occasionally has scallop roe on sale, but I haven't bought any in recent memory. I love them, prepared with pasta and tomatoes.

Saturday, from USGM -- mussels, cod, shallots, salsify, mint, milk, baby spinach, pea shoots, potatoes Yesterday, from the corner store -- Haagen-Dasz strawberry ice cream Today, probably from Fairway -- crushed San Marzano tomatoes and some lemons. Maybe Meyer lemons are still available, in which case I'll be making preserved Meyer lemons.

Maybe these are what you're looking for. (lurking in this thread and you got me curious enough to do the research.) http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=1dac0ea0e60d0d0f4ef33fa877729d5c&node=21:2.0.1.1.2.2.1.1&rgn=div8 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=1dac0ea0e60d0d0f4ef33fa877729d5c&node=21:2.0.1.1.3.2.1.1&rgn=div8 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=1dac0ea0e60d0d0f4ef33fa877729d5c&node=21:2.0.1.1.3.1.1.1&rgn=div8 If it isn't obvious, the first quote cross-references the second quote. The third quote is provided for context.

we're going to have warmer weather, I know it. hopefully... today: cod, mussels, mint, potatoes, salsify, shallots, baby spinach, pea shoots, milk, carrots

Kim: cooking the meat first in milk adds a touch of sweetness and tames the acidity that would otherwise be present in the sauce, from the wine and the tomatoes. ============ Pea shoots, with rocambole garlic, white pepper and sesame oil Green salad, red wine vinaigrette Clockwise from top right: radish greens and leeks, with crispy fried shallots; broiled cod; glazed heirloom carrots and French breakfast radishes