SobaAddict70

hard to choose I find I use more herbs than spices these days. I go through them at a rapid clip; spices, not so much. by the way, garlic [in its fresh form] is technically an herb, not a spice. on topic, my top 10 are: bay leaves whole peppercorns -- these are in a pepper mill mustard seeds -- both black and yellow cinnamon sticks turmeric dried chiles nutmeg cumin cardamom pods whole cloves

Balsamic vinegar has been attributed to Marcella Hazan. http://books.google.com/books?id=qC1inhfyr...page&q=&f=false

They're usually brined or pickled. They may have a mild bitterness to them, although sometimes they remind me of nasturtiums. I like to serve them with either toast or toasted pita, tomato salad and fried eggs. Or with grilled snapper or porgy.

We got them with half-sour pickles, full sours and pickled green tomatoes. Also cans of Cel-Ray and root beer. I figured you weren't interested in seeing those. There are more pix on my blog. Do a search for "Katz's".

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well I figure these pix should speak volumes.

Use in salads or in fish dishes, or with seafood.

It would take an awful lot of fava beans to use for stock for the quantities that he seems to be talking about (not to mention all the prep work which is not insignificant). I would suggest mushrooms in place of the carrot. It'll have an earthier flavor profile. If you caramelize the onions first, that might help as well.

Thats funny. Sorry, but they probably dont know what either of those two sauces are. Butter is very, very expensive here. So no, that is not in the budget. I will use fresh dill instead of dried. ← You would think otherwise due to it being farm country. I don't know pricing -- it's just that the notion of "expensive" and "butter" and "farm country" seems illogical to a city slicker like me. I believe you though. edit -- it could be something similar to what supermarkets charge here in New York (which is as far removed from the American Midwest as it is from Alberta). Milk has spiked up in the last year although prices may have recently fallen.

Asparagus stock??? OK, sounds good. The only way I could think of to use it would be in risotto. How do you use it? I'm quite intrigued!!! Yum! You're the kind of cook I'd like to be when I grow up, although I'm probably older than you. I would love to be able to cook without recipes. . .and I'm getting there, but for now, I'm more comfortable following the instructions. It helps me learn about seasoning and proportions. My other goal is to be able to use up everything; for example last night when making the soup, I had the green part of the leek left over. I would think it would be good for something, but I've always tossed it out. Jenny ← It's nothing really. Whenever I cook asparagus, I save the trimmings. Eventually I have enough to make stock. Figure 1 lb. of peelings/ends per quart of stock. Combine asparagus and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. You can mash the asparagus with the back of a wooden spoon if you like; I sometimes skip this step. Strain. Keeps up to a week in the refrigerator or up to six months in the freezer. Use as you would chicken stock in risotto or as a soup base. Incidentally you can do the same with corn cobs and mushroom stems (for corn stock and mushroom stock respectively). For corn stock, 8 to 10 cobs will do; for mushroom stock, roughly 2 lbs. of peelings. Thanks for the compliment. eta -- ditto for the green parts of the leeks although I note that their flavor tends to be sharper. I've seen recipes for braised leeks that use both the white/pale green parts and the dark green parts, as well as leek frittata but I've never used them in that manner. I've gotten to the point where I save everything. It's kind of scary sometimes.

It seems to me that the last step you cite (straining) is unnecessary. I usually trim asparagus beforehand and save the woody/fibrous parts for asparagus stock. It depends on the recipe -- if you cook by following them. I rarely do and only if it's something I've never made before. Can't really help you there, sorry.

I remember a moment oddly similar to the one Nakji describes except the vegetable in question was potatoes.

$150 per month for groceries. That includes regular trips to Union Square Greenmarket. I'm cooking for one so budgeting is easy. This month will be higher than normal because I want to can some tomatoes and with late blight hitting most farms in the Northeast, they're going to be expensive. I'm not including what I spend for lunch during the week. That's another $100.

A couple of pix taken from the market this past weekend: Assorted heirloom tomatoes Sungold cherry tomatoes Well worth it even at $5 a lb.

Today's lunch: Spaghetti with uncooked tomato sauce -- heirloom tomatoes (Aunt Ruby, Japanese pear, Sungold cherry toms), shallot, extra-virgin olive oil, mint, salt, pepper A glass of pinot noir Life is good.

A "capsule" review of Babbo marketed towards out-of-towners [as I've mentioned on another food forum]:

This is not a dish I've replicated at home. That said when I had it, I found that the combination of flavors and textures worked well together. Roasted sweetbread, sweet corn purée, chanterelles Photo taken on July 2007 at Hearth in NYC.

With butter poached lobster and gnocchi. As a ravioli filling (garlic, thyme, chopped chanterelles, egg)

I use them in dishes designed to show off their "specialness", which is to say, I do very little to them. chopped with salt, pepper, olive oil and herbs, served over pasta or with slices of crisped day-old bread; in a salsa, with fish, shrimp or scallops; in gazpacho; in a salad or in a tomato sandwich; with cucumber, summer squash and/or shallot, lemon juice, salt, olive oil and herbs, served atop toasted sourdough, a baguette, or brioche, alongside an omelette, fried eggs, poached eggs or scrambled eggs. Later in the season, I might make tomato confit or in a tart, or preserve them for use in the winter. Simple is best, in my opinion. They're wonderful.

Spoke to a few farmers today at USGM (Union Square greenmarket for you non-New Yorkers). They all have it. One fellow had about $40,000 worth of product tossed out the window. Jersey tomatoes are available -- but then they've been grown indoors, so they're unaffected. The late summer toms and the heirlooms are another story. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Like daisy17, if I have to pay double for the going price, so be it.

Eggs sunnyside-up, with heirloom tomato and cucumber salad and toasted levain

Because boxed/processed means less work. Somehow they've got it in their minds that convenience = superior quality (not to mention all the chemicals helps them win their argument in their eye). They're not really reacting to the taste difference between fresh and processed. There are other factors in the mix. That's my theory anyway.

True, but I think the problem is that people don't know how to cook (or don't care enough to find out for themselves). That's something Bittman can't solve. Articles like these are helpful to a point.

The comments are interesting. Too many people lack imagination -- especially those who were clamoring for a vegetarian version. I don't know about you, but assembling a list of 10 ingredients for a week of meatless meals is easy. I can do it with my eyes closed. This assumes you have pantry staples like flour, olive oil, garlic, onions, lemons, rice, pasta and herbs. eggs chard escarole potatoes ricotta cheese ricotta salata baguette tomatoes zucchini or summer squash radishes sugar snap peas ideas -- 1: ricotta gnocchi with tomatoes and zucchini 2: tomato confit, served over pasta 3: tomato tart (tomato confit and baked tomatoes, over pâte brisée) -- this will easily make enough for 2 to 3 meals unless you're a family in which case it's enough for 1 4: chard sautéed with garlic, poached egg and baguette 5: New Orleans-style pain perdu with butter and crème anglaise. use the leftover baguette for the French toast. 6: sugar snap peas and sliced French breakfast radishes with ricotta salata and mint 7: caldo verde without the chorizo 8: herb omelette, pan-fried potatoes 9: rustic greens and potato hash (greens sautéed with garlic and olive oil, combined with steamed crushed new potatoes) 10: ratatouille 11: pasta with greens, garlic and herbed breadcrumbs. get the breadcrumbs from the baguette. 12: potato and summer squash gratin (potatoes, summer squash, herb pesto, breadcrumbs sautéed in brown butter) 12 meal ideas and I didn't even have to try hard.

An adaptation of a dish at Contigo, a restaurant located in Noe Valley in San Francisco. Thin spaghetti with mustard greens, pine nuts and golden raisins. The original uses fava greens and doesn't contain pasta. Of all vegetables that are available, I'd have to say greens are my favorite. Spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, lamb's quarters, puntarelle, kale, escarole, chicory. They're all great. Sautéed in olive oil, they don't need much in terms of flavoring -- a couple cloves of crushed garlic, maybe a squeeze of lemon or a pinch of salt. Perfect for a quick, easy and simple supper.

Eggs with tomato salad (Jersey tomatoes, seedless cucumber, summer squash, fresh basil and oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice) and sourdough toast