SobaAddict70

Thanks folks. Lots of good-looking photos here. Now that ramps season is finally upon us, I've been going into overdrive, lol. "Clams, potatoes and ramps"

Agreed.

hmmmm I can hear the gears in my brain turning. thanks Heidi!

I got four bunches of ramps. Two went into the tagliatelle dish that's currently posted on the blog (see the pic in the Ramps thread) and the other two are reserved for a surprise later this weekend. I was looking through a couple of cookbooks. One features a mushroom galette, and while that's tempting, I don't nearly have enough on hand for that. But definitely one for the future.

Something other than pasta, please.

I'll probably sauté some, along with morels and oyster mushrooms, with garlic, butter and herbs. I was wondering what else I can do with them. Suggestions?

Squid ink tagliatelle with ramps, fried breadcrumbs and pecorino cheese

Tagliatelle with broccoli "pesto" The "pesto" is an adaptation of one of Alice Waters' recipes in her cookbook "The Art of Simple Food".

Are you advocating that people should regularly consume McD's? And I question the nutritional value of their offerings. My breakfast today consisted of scrambled eggs w/cheddar, homefries and a dash of Tabasco; large orange; orange juice and a tall glass of milk. Slightly over 1,150 calories, 49g protein, 56g fat and 119g carbs. More important for my purposes are the total g of protein than the calories or fat. I eat like this almost every day. I'd be hard pressed to find an equivalent meal at Mc'D's that provided a similar macronutrient breakdown. How did you get there from what I posted? Feel free: McD's nutrition breakdown Not having the exact preferred nutritional breakdown of a specific adult male does not change the fact that the food from McD's does have reasonable, if high on fat, macro nutritional content. Most folks I know dont eat > 1000 calories at breakfast. They live somewhere in the 2000 cal a day range (2000-<3000) and split their calories between at least 3 meals (sometimes to include snacks). Nevertheless, yours is the example given, so lets look at it: Your meal ~ 1:1:2 protein grams: fat grams: carb grams Ex from life (not cherrypicked for the results I want) Sausage McMuffin w egg: Calories 450 protein (g) 21 fat (g) 27 carbs (g) 30 It also has reportable amounts of Vit A, calcium and iron. While I wouldnt want to serve it day in and day out, as breakfast go, its basically nutritious. Add a glass of orange juice: (complete with Vitamin C) 150 calories 0 fat 30 g carbs 2 g protein now the "hashbrown" is definitely a luxury item: 150 calories 9 gm fat - about 1/2 calories are from fat. No surprise there - its all deepfried crust. 1 g protein 15 gm carbs We're looking at a total of calories 750 = 450 + 150 + 150 protein (g) 24 g fat (g) 36 g carbs (g) 75 g which is 1 : 1.5 : 3 which is not awful. High on fat as noted in my original post. Noted. I guess I should also have mentioned that I regularly consume between 3,750 and 4,000 calories a day. 2,000 calories a day only happens when I'm running a caloric deficit, which doesn't happen very often (nor is it particularly pleasant). I'd have to eat twice that many Mc'D's for the protein to fit my needs at the expense of high amounts of carbs and fat, and a lack of fiber. Also, a calorie is not just a calorie, otherwise I'd simply consume cheesecake and hamburgers regularly (hint: I don't).

Thanks for the ideas, all. I'm attracted to the baguette idea the most.

No pix, because I'm at work. 1st breakfast, shortly after getting up: protein shake 2nd breakfast, as I type this: fried egg sandwich with cheddar and bacon on a toasted kaiser roll, OJ and a banana

Yes I would be opposed to it because it makes no sense, unlike say the requirement for the children to be vaccinated before going to school. I would love it if my kid's school offered really tasty, healthy and fresh made food even if it is a 1 or 2 dollars more, but I do not appreciate having to be forced to buy it. The fact that this Chicago school is forcing the kids to buy the same junk food as every other school just adds insult to injury. Like someone said up-thread this is really simple, those who want to pack their kids their lunch should be allowed to do so and those who elect to buy the school's food can still do that. If I am faced with the option of the school not offering any lunches, that is fine as well. The parents need to feed their kids, not the school. Does anyone really think that what the Chicago school is doing is really doing the kids any good? I very much doubt even the motive behind it. I still think it's some kickback of some sort. The obvious answer, of course, is that parenting begins at home and is best left out of the school system. But I don't think that's so easily implemented because if you run with that line of argument to its natural conclusion, one can very quickly end up with "child abuse" instead of "parental rights". It's funny you mentioned the angle about kickbacks, because I received that impression as well. I don't really buy the slippery slope argument here. Of course, if someone is feeding their kids dog food, then it's not a matter of parental rights anymore. We are just talking about parents packing their kids a sandwich or some leftover rice and beans. See, if we follow the whole argument to its eventual eventual conclusion, some people are not fit to take care of themselves let alone their kids, but unfortunately they can still have kids. That is definitely a different subject I don't think it's a slippery slope argument. As you might be aware, neglect is part of the reasoning behind many of the wellness policies you see in place in schools today, based on the premise that a child that has access to good food behaves better and becomes more of a model student than someone who doesn't. Neglect can stem from any number of factors ... some economic (poverty), some social (poor parenting skills) and others. Though this particular policy is akin to throwing out the baby with the bathwater. They should take a page from NYC per this NYT article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/nyregion/06critic.html

I have a large tub sitting in the fridge which I bought at USGM this past weekend. Normally I use it as an omelette filling, or with fruit confiture stirred in. What else can I do with it?

+1, although I should give honorable mention to the place next door to Kalustyan's (Foods of India?) esp. since I think they have slightly better quality although their range isn't nearly as broad or varied as their main competitor. It's been a while since I've been down in that neck of Lexington Avenue. I'm making an excursion later this week as I have a sudden craving for homemade chaat.

This is a riff on a dish I once had at Landmarc (the original restaurant in TriBeCa, not the one in TWC). Shrimp with chanterelle mushrooms and frisée. If you'd rather not bother with that kind of presentation, the shrimp prep. lends itself very easily to pasta, like so: Fettucine with garlic shrimp and heirloom cherry tomatoes Or serve as is, with toast points. Be sure to double the amount you have in mind, because they'll go quick.

Are you advocating that people should regularly consume McD's? And I question the nutritional value of their offerings. My breakfast today consisted of scrambled eggs w/cheddar, homefries and a dash of Tabasco; large orange; orange juice and a tall glass of milk. Slightly over 1,150 calories, 49g protein, 56g fat and 119g carbs. More important for my purposes are the total g of protein than the calories or fat. I eat like this almost every day. I'd be hard pressed to find an equivalent meal at Mc'D's that provided a similar macronutrient breakdown. I first mentioned McD's as an example. While not devoid of nutrition, those who choose to feed that cheap , badly made and bad tasting food to their growing children on a REGULAR basis (as in 5 to 7 days a week...and yes I know those who do) are doing them a huge disservice. My kids eat at McD maybe once a month and that to them is a big treat. It is my responsibility to make sure they eat well. So I do appreciate what Mrs. Obama is trying to do with her message. she is not stepping on any lawns or forcing people do anything. You do not have to be a nutritionist to give some common sense advise like "soda makes you fat and drinking water is probably a better option". She is the first lady and that's her cause. That is really not the point of this thread though and we are deviating from it a lot. We can discuss all kinds of political, economic, culinary and sociological issues that have come up but that might not be such a great idea, so to get back to the topic at hand, Yes I would be opposed to it because it makes no sense, unlike say the requirement for the children to be vaccinated before going to school. I would love it if my kid's school offered really tasty, healthy and fresh made food even if it is a 1 or 2 dollars more, but I do not appreciate having to be forced to buy it. The fact that this Chicago school is forcing the kids to buy the same junk food as every other school just adds insult to injury. Like someone said up-thread this is really simple, those who want to pack their kids their lunch should be allowed to do so and those who elect to buy the school's food can still do that. If I am faced with the option of the school not offering any lunches, that is fine as well. The parents need to feed their kids, not the school. Does anyone really think that what the Chicago school is doing is really doing the kids any good? I very much doubt even the motive behind it. I still think it's some kickback of some sort. The obvious answer, of course, is that parenting begins at home and is best left out of the school system. But I don't think that's so easily implemented because if you run with that line of argument to its natural conclusion, one can very quickly end up with "child abuse" instead of "parental rights". It's funny you mentioned the angle about kickbacks, because I received that impression as well.

Are you advocating that people should regularly consume McD's? And I question the nutritional value of their offerings. My breakfast today consisted of scrambled eggs w/cheddar, homefries and a dash of Tabasco; large orange; orange juice and a tall glass of milk. Slightly over 1,150 calories, 49g protein, 56g fat and 119g carbs. More important for my purposes are the total g of protein than the calories or fat. I eat like this almost every day. I'd be hard pressed to find an equivalent meal at Mc'D's that provided a similar macronutrient breakdown.

Tagliatelle with wild mushrooms (oyster mushrooms, morels), leeks and cream.

in no particular order asparagus -- usually roasted briefly (olive oil, sea salt @ 325 F for 15-20 minutes), then combined with a poached egg and shaved parmesan. that's my "go-to" dish. another idea is blanched and sautéed asparagus in unsalted butter, then combined with crispy bacon ends, shallots, croutons and hard-boiled chicken or duck eggs. this is dressed with a white wine viniagrette. there's the usual risotto and spring minestrone also. sweet peas -- shelled peas gently simmered in lightly salted water, drained then shocked; then tossed in unsalted butter and finished with herbs. again, the usual risotto and spring minestrone. but with peas, as far as I'm concerned, simple is best. RAMPS!!! -- with pasta -- olive oil, ramps, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes. sometimes, as a "pesto". squid poached in olive oil, with ramps and aromatic spices. one thing I do like to do is sauté them in unsalted butter with maybe some chopped shallots. remove from heat and in the same pan, add thinly sliced potatoes and a pinch of salt. cook potatoes until golden brown on both sides, stirring frequently. when potatoes are done, add ramps back to the skillet. cook until ramps are warmed thoroughly. then pour lightly beaten egg on top of the potato and ramps mixture ... cook until eggs are set. cut into wedges, then serve immediately. there are several ramp recipes on the blog. greens of various kinds. lamb's quarter's (wild spinach) comes to mind. broccoli rabe. dandelion greens. those usually make their appearance in late spring though.

I'm a Eataly virgin no more. First impressions ... 1. Is it always so crowded? Mind you, this was at 3 pm on a Saturday afternoon. 2. Golden morels for $60.00 a pound. Some lady was hissing to her boyfriend that it was an outrageous price, as I was busily scooping into a plastic bag. Note to the purveyors -- mushrooms and plastic don't mix ... get a paper bag instead. 3. They were out of ramps by the time I got there. 4. Way too many people for my comfort. Walking 20 feet literally took 5 minutes. 5. I know it's a food court coupled with a shopping mall but folks, if you're gonna simply stand there and ogle, do us shoppers a favor and get out of the way so the folks who are there who want to BUY something can do their business and leave. Ogle on your own time. 6. Did I mention that there's way too many people? Worse than Union Square Greenmarket in that respect. I'll have to check it out again ... earlier in the morning when there aren't that many people there. Unless it really is crowded at 10 am.

The chicken buns at Ssam Bar here in NYC come close.

Foam, along with "soil", "air" and so forth seems to have come about from the whole molecular gastronomy thing ... which was not too long ago the province of a select few. This too shall pass but not for a long while I suspect. At least until the next trend arises. PS. I also look forward to the impending demise of bacon, meatballs, pork belly, single-ingredient restaurants, slow-cooked egg and sous vide. Just sayin'.

Pretty much always. I get comprehensive blood work done twice a year (includes cholesterol, hdl and ldl counts). Numbers are amazingly low ... I figure that when it's my turn to go, it won't be chicken skin that does me in. My absolute favorite way (okay, 2nd favorite way) is as a topping in congee. But nothing beats the Zuni chicken - bread salad or Keller's roast chicken. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

I'd eat it. My issue with foam isn't so much that it looks gross but whether the use of foam in a dish contributes anything of interest. If it's there just because "it's cool", that will become readily apparent within the first few seconds. At the end of the day though, not a deal-breaker.

Oh goody. If I don't see them at USGM this weekend, you might have given me the kick in the rump to finally get to Eataly at last. And blog about it. The few times I've walked past it's been jam-packed.