Carrot Top

Recipes for pickled green tomatoes? Hah. I guess you have your work cut out for you today! (Yes, those barrels of pickles on the Lower East side are to die for.) Pickled Green Tomatoes --------------------------------------- 2 lbs. (1 kg) green tomatoes 3 fresh or dried red chilis 3 to 4 sprigs dill 3 bay leaves 1 1/2 T. mustard seed 1 T black peppercorns 4 to 5 whole cloves 4 C (1 liter) cider vinegar 1/2 C water 4 T honey or sugar 1 T salt Whole cloves or garlic and/or sliced onion optional 1. Prick each tomato in several places with toothpick to allow flavors to fully develop throughout. 2. Place in hot sterilized jars with the chilies, dill, bay, spices (and garlic or onion if you wish). 3. Boil vineagar, water, honey or sugar, and salt in pot for five minutes. Remove from heat and let stand till warm. 4, Pour warm vinegar into the jars. If there is not enough liquid to cover the tomatoes, top off with cold vinegar, then seal. 5. Tomatoes will be ready after a month but best after two to three months. ...................................................................................................... Mmmmm. Nothing like a kitchen filled with the smells of pickling!

Interesting flavor combination...was it from your imagination or from another source or 'ethnic' sort of background in pickling? Tomatoes being botanically a fruit, of course it makes sense the vanilla component working well, as it does with so many other fruits. Great idea.

Yum. Simple to make...delicious, well-balanced flavors and very healthy...and I would bet my boots children would love it too. A 'Can't Go Wrong With This One' recipe. Thanks, Marlene.

Liebling is a rather Runyon-esque character, isn't he. A writer that held a huge personality...and one that was clearly his own and not created by 'media hype'. There are some writers that have a way of expressing themselves...so that the feeling you get is more of eating the words rather than reading the words. There can be a sense of rollicking adventure....as you munch or gobble or taste your way through rather than watching or imagining or thinking your way through....Liebling does this in spades! Thanks for the link!

Good question....I guess every person has to decide that for themselves... Anger can be a very strong emotion...

Nice article...thank you. My favorite line was "Now we'll use some butter, because...why not?"

Agreed. And what is terribly upsetting is that not only are many restaurants struggling along on slim profit margins....just trying to keep their guests happy and well fed....but the employees who are doing this job of making people happy are in many cases disenfranched, in terms of being part of the American Dream, because so few have health insurance. Small restaurant owners can not find the profit margin to offer it, often. This is a subject for a separate thread, (that I don't want to start because I will get too pissed off at the state of things) but your comments made me think of it....

I was just going to write in and add a quote I recently saw...but it now sounds dreadfully dull after you, tommy. But I am not afeared of being dull, so will add it anyway: "Dialogue is the oxygen of change".

Oh...to get a bit more to the point rather than my previous indulgence in the la-la land of one of my favorite hobbyhorses to rant on about... 'Surveys' by 'reputable' (does anyone wonder why I put in those quotes?) newsagencies report that American families eat three to four of their weekly dinners out at some sort of food facility (I haven't seen whether it is mostly fast-food or sit-down places...) so nope...it is not 'special' anymore for many folks but just a part of life.

I think the decision of whether a person decides to state what they feel about a dining experience and then how, exactly, they choose to express that feeling.... has much to do with their own personality.... and their own past experiences (in the arts of both assertiveness and speaking clearly and kindly ) in hopes of improving a situation. As with any potentially confrontational situation, it should be approached both calmly and with some sort of internal emotional preparation. If you are frightened of 'confrontation' or too angry half the war has already been lost. If you are unable to objectively and clearly and calmly voice specifics of what you see the problem being...again, you've put yourself at a loss. Many people have been raised to avoid confrontation. Confrontation is not pleasant to start with but it is unavoidable in life, and if you do not speak up your two cents will not be heard and the people in the other 'camp' will continue on as they have been. Should there be confrontation at a mealtime?...at that one very special time that people demand more of than say...an oil change? Not in a perfect world. But if a calm clear voice is not heard, the world will get no closer to perfect. Sniping and declaiming, after the situation has passed, to other people, about how terrible it all was....well....is it something you would want done to you? Or would you prefer to hear it to your face in a helpful manner. What we give is what we get. If not always and immediately in day to day reality, then eventually. (i.e. what comes round goes round). And certainly inside ourselves we get what we give. And that is who we live with at the end of the day. I try not to 'complain'. I would rather attempt to find the good, state that, then also state what I saw as bad....if the situation warrants it. Sometimes I'll ask if they can tell me 'why' this happened. It helps to not put a person on the defensive. Then if they are still blooming idiots, tell them so with a smile and walk away.

Yup, always better to travel the different direction than the crowd, I think....

I agree with your mother, Toliver...and for all of the reasons you listed plus probably more. To be a 'homemaker' in today's world is to be similar to a dinosaur, or close to it. It is almost an extinct species. When given the variety of choices in life, women (who used to be at home cooking, providing the daily meals in general) in todays world will naturally for the most part choose what seems will be most rewarding. My career history is as follows...( I've made a notation, also, with 'smiley faces' of the effects the statements I make about myself affect people I meet, the responses I generally receive.) I was a working chef who became an executive chef in a fine-food environment. I was a VP in the Operations Division focused on foodservices and made lots of money. I am now at at-home Mom and will remain so till my kids no longer want me to greet them with a hug as they get off the school bus. So...I think it is unlikely that many women will choose to stay home and cook in today's environment. And for two-income families that work outside the home all day long...even moreso for those with children...it can be mind-numbingly tiring to try to sort out a decent meal to cook at home. So yes...family style restaurants come to the rescue. (And there goes the paycheck, unfortunately! ) It is good to read eGullet, though, for here....there are people who are still trying to make good food at home...whatever their situations! Great to see!

Agree with you about the Caramel Chicken and also think the eGullet 'TV' idea is sort of technically possible also....isn't there a way to link to a 'live streaming' video cam?

Speaking of salt, any restaurant WORTH its salt is going to have a sanitation and/or operations checklist in place that must be used daily and/or (life is full of and/or's, isn't it....) between each shift....that should be the daily litany for all employees to read/follow and for someone (usually the manager) to inspect and sign off on. In some states these are even required by law...at least as far as BOH goes...to assess adherence to health code when the inspectors visit. When I see a sloppy looking place to eat it just shouts 'Bad Management'. Won't eat there. (Clumpy salt could be the very least of the problems there...I am imagining food deliveries sitting out not checked into walk-in boxes....and oooooh...imagining the state of those walk-in boxes themselves...! )

That really is a funny contrast, Cusina. I can visualize it.... I'm glad Food TV exists...it is not something I routinely watch but then I don't routinely watch any TV. But television is, at its best, both a form of education and entertainment. Food TV has exposed many people that otherwise would not have had that exposure (or even any interest in finding that exposure) to such a variety of ideas about food...different 'ethnic' sorts of food, different ways of preparing food, both upscale and down home. That sort of education, available to 'the masses', in a palatable form...seems a great idea, to me. There are many people who do not pick up books to read...but who do watch TV....

Two yellows, a green and a white with orange dot so far. Goodness...where WAS I that I saw that terrible pigtongue pink one?

Well. Toliver...as you said before, I am not sure whether to laugh here or not....

What intelligent people you all are! We now have fifteen ways to open a jar, plus the ideas of getting a doorman, doing yoga, squeezing rubber balls in my hands, becoming a lady bodybuilder and flying Toliver around the country to help. Keep the ideas coming. I think we need to write The Compleat Compendium of Jar Openings....

Personally I'm not sure about the bacon in the layered-up dish...I might instead use it when (I mean 'if'... I sort of feel like I am going to cook this myself...I love using what is 'available' and in the house!) making the beans to go with the rice for the arroz con pollo...dice it and cook it slowly to brown, with onions and seasonings (no salt, it will toughen the beans...add that at the end if you need to) before adding the beans and liquids...and I also worry about the cream cheese in the recipe. How about making some sort of little 'canape' thingie with the cream cheese on some sort of bread with a topping? The green peppers I would roast under the broiler in the oven (if your summer grill is not available), rub off skins, cut into strips, toss generously with garlic and oregano...pack into a jar, cover with olive oil and put in fridge. They will keep at least two weeks if you use lots of olive oil. I should say, they will keep two weeks if you don't nibble them up before them. Even people who are not green pepper likers often like them this way. Great on a toasted bagette as a snack...nice as part of a 'salad bar' sort of dinner (oh let me instead say 'tapas' to sound sophisticate) or as a side with a sandwich. Freezing changes the texture...they can become watery and soft... The meal you made with the veggies sounds delicious and easy. Weeknight meals are always a challenge for busy people, aren't they..

All successful businesses run on feedback...whether restaurants or any other business. If service has been poor, they need to know. If service has been great, or if there is something that is particularly wonderful that has been done or made or offered...they need to know. Customers/clients/guests are the defining makers of success or lack of it for any business. It is both kind and smart (for you will henceforth get better service if the place is at run at all in a caring manner) to pass on what your thoughts are...whether good or bad. We all run on carrots and sticks. P.S. Even a corporate chain or a McDonald's deserves an occasional 'thank you that was good'...for good service. The people that work there are human too, and they have the ability to do well or do poorly. Motivation goes a looooong way in making things work well...and the customer can provide that.

I second what she said. Please. But with the understanding that the place you have been dining is the sort of place that you feel will address the problem. If you are getting a feeling of total....nothingness...from the place, then I would not bother.

And thank you for posting...it is giving me a good excuse to avoid going outside to mow the lawn. The 'second' meal I see in your batch of stuff is another simple one...Arroz con Pollo. You could use the chicken thigh/leg combos, the ham, the tomatoes, and some peppers and scallions. Rice and beans on the side. Coconut milk? Pina colada for the cook, of course!

Yes...when I used the word 'gratin' it was very loosely worded. What I first wrote but then erased was 'lasagne'. Sort of think of the thing as a lasagne recipe but with the potatoes being used instead of pasta layers... I would just layer up an additional layer of...very well chopped and drained Italian tomatoes...or...if you are like me, there is likely to be half a jar of salsa hanging around the fridge...that would work, too. It will not 'hold together' when you cut and remove it from the baking dish, but the flavors should have melded nicely. Just taste in your mind as you go along...if one of the types of peppers seems wrong to you in your mind, it probably will be wrong also in the recipe. Here is another addition you could add that, if you like a firmer dish that will hold together better...this will do that. It is really the topping for a Pastisio...(a Greek meat and pasta casserole). 3 T butter 3 T flour 3 C milk 3/4 C heavy cream 2 large egg yolks 3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese Melt butter, add flour, whisk for several minutes on low heat but do not allow to brown. Whisk in milk and cook till thickened and smooth (low to medium heat...depending how comfortable you are with the stove and the pot). Meanwhile whisk heavy cream with egg yolks to blend. Stir into sauce and heat till thick but do not boil. Stir in Parmesan. Pour over casserole and bake at 375 F for 35 to 45 minutes. Note: If you don't have heavy cream handy just use milk and add 2 more egg yolks. This is yummy.

And it would be a better world too, if there were more Jinmyos. But they are difficult to make and hard to find. But much appreciated by those who read them...

Oh I doubt if they will vanish. Likely just housecleaning the books and gathering themselves into stronger better pap-makers. Love the title of your thread...it could lead to all sorts of nonsensical responses. But we don't do that here, do we now. But seriously, thanks for the info. Probably in two months time the Twinkies packages will be smaller and the price tag higher...and I am stuck, for I've allowed my children to become pleasantly addicted to them. That's how I get them to clean their rooms....promises of Twinkies.