TongoRad
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Posts posted by TongoRad
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I used to go to a hole in the wall place in Queens, NY (La Casa del Puebla) that made these wonderful brightly flavored enchilladas, not baked but freshly made on the grill, and have been copying them ever since. Sometimes they would even whip up the salsa verde (tomatillos, poblanos, and all that) upon my order.
The corn tortillas are placed on a hot griddle for a minute and then flipped. Onto that goes the filling (queso blanco, chicken or beef) and then they are rolled. Line up about four on a plate, cover with your sauce, and then a layer of shredded lettuce or cabbage. On top of that goes chopped tomatoes, crumbled queso fresco, sliced radishes (do not discount the power of the radishes- they make the whole thing work for me) and a squirt of crema. Garnish with lime wedges. They would always brighten up my day, though I cannot speak for the authenticity of the method.
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Two choices there... either wait until she brings it up ("hmm, where's my Chez Panisse Cookbook? I was going to take it home this time") and you can fess up and bring it back to her, or just tell her you borrowed it and to let you know when she wants it back. She probably never will, but then you won't have that nagging feeling.
Thanks- I'm definitely going to do the second one. I'll let her know it is safe and sound, and probably being used. It definitely is the Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook from 1999, and I've already got a few recipes to try- making interesting use of spring asparagus and all that.
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I'll play, Mary! Based on your questions I'm pretty solidly in the geek camp, but I guess I'll do these individually:
1. A dork will make you feel uncomfortable. They are supercilious, punctilious, and from my point of view, just plain supersillious. A geek, however, will make you feel comfortable, and value your opinion of his wines.
Definitely leaning geek here, though I must point out that you used the word supercilious twice and spelled it incorrectly the second time, and that probably makes me, well...supercilious
2. A dork holds his glass by the base, or with his fingers curled sensuously around the body of the glass. A geek grabs his glass by the stem and just sticks his nose in. All business.
Definite geek here, total redlining! It's all about the stem and the nose- in fact I did it during my wedding ceremony- completely out of habit- before taking a sip. The Rabbi got a look of total amusement on his face and joked "I trust the wine meets with your approval!" And yes, it was all caught on tape.
3. Geeks love sweet wine and the women who drink them. Always keep a bottle on hand for the sensual possibilities. A dork does not keep sweet wine or palate deadening spices in his kitchen.
I have one cabinet full of palate deadening spices, whole and powders, from the Indian market and another cabinet full of chile pods and powders. Sweet wine, check. Sweet woman, check. Total geek.
4. Dorks love to mention Bordeaux and Burgundy. Geeks speak and kiss French.
Geek, and that's all you're getting out of me.
5. Dorks spend as much as possible for large bottles at auction, hoping for the ultimate photo opp. Geeks barter, trade and wheedle for wine, but always seem to have plenty on hand.
I've done the trading and the wheedling- solidly geek.
6. Dorks will ask, "How long will this wine cellar?" Geeks will age a wine only as long as necessary to make it drinkable. They have been known to pick up old bottles and hold them up to the light, shaking the sediment around, and saying, "Do you think I can drink this now?"
I can't afford much of a cellar myself, but I know people who can. And do. I usually play the role of the devil on their shoulder convincing them to open up a few cellared bottles 'before it's too late' (my favorite phrase- along with 'it's meant for consumption, it's not a trophy'). Geek here.
7. In a restaurant, dorks will swizzle wine loudly through their teeth before taking the first swallow. Geeks never do this on a first date, because they know if you laugh, the wine will come out your nose.
I think I'm exactly 50/50 on this one, not leaning either way. Define 'loudly'...
8. Dorks will order food, then a wine to match. Geeks order wine, and a totally unrelated food. They're always surprised by how well food and wine go together.
Totally leaning dork here, but I can explain! I'm usually looking for a general direction to go with the wine based on general flavor components (sweet, sour, salty, bitter) in what people are thinking of ordering, not looking to fine tune anything (not that there's anything wrong with that). I think that one can make a major mistake with a wine, and I just look to avoid that.
9. Dorks follow numerical wine ratings and place their bets accordingly. Geeks are the hecklers of the wine world, and can often be overheard saying, "That wine got an 87? Geesh, I woulda given it a 91. 92?!? How did that wine rate? Are we sure that's not the judge's age??"
You must be reading my mail- total geek here.
10. Dorks have a proper cellar for their wine collection, with adequate temperature controls, and chairs. Geeks and winemakers use their cellars for "important stuff," and store their personal selections in the garage, between the kayak and the workbench.
Well...I do have a modest Avanti unit so...leaning dork.
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Chez Panisse Cookbook - darn pretty. Never cooked a thing out of it.
Apparantly, my sister never did either. She's been on her own for about 15 years now and that book has been sitting on her old shelf since then. Just this past weekend I was at my parents' house for Easter Sunday and finally decided to take it. Hopefully I can make more use of it, we'll see. But it sure is darn pretty!
Which one? Chez Panisse Cooking or Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook?
I'll have to verify when I get home, but in looking at the photos on Amazon it seems to be Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook. Their info has a publication date of 1999, though it sure seems like it has been sitting on that shelf for longer than that. Maybe my sister got it as a Christmas present and never took it with her. I wonder- is there a statute of limitations on cookbook abandonment? Oh well, posession is 9/10ths, as they say...
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Chez Panisse Cookbook - darn pretty. Never cooked a thing out of it.
Apparantly, my sister never did either. She's been on her own for about 15 years now and that book has been sitting on her old shelf since then. Just this past weekend I was at my parents' house for Easter Sunday and finally decided to take it. Hopefully I can make more use of it, we'll see. But it sure is darn pretty!
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If you chop up parsley with Garlic and lemon zest, and serve it over seafood, it's a particularly French thing that Jacques Pepin does a lot on his shows which I forgot the name of.
That's the same thing as a gremolata. I like to use it to finish off Osso Buco or other braises. I'll have to try it on seafood. Sounds good.
eta: Chufi beat me to it, I guess I'm too slow on the draw today...
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what's a piyaz?
Apologies for the hit and run post.
Bean Piyaz is a simple Turkish bean salad featuring white beans, red onion, parsley, tomatoes and derssed with a vinaigrette (I like to use lemon juice as well as cider vinager, and EVOO). I don't really have a set recipe but I just try to copy what I've been served before in restaurants, but it's fairly straightforward. Lately I've been using double the amount of parsley from when I first started making it. It's also better if you let it marinate for a while.
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Similar to the tabouli, I make a bean piyaz that features a boatload of parsley- the more the better!
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I've been a fan of Blair's Death Sauce since, well...since it came out, I guess (more than 10 years that's for sure) but have steadfastly avoided the After Death Sauce, the Dave's Insanity and all the others that add pure cap because I knew that all of this frat-boy one-upmanship would come to something like this. Something tells me that it won't end here, though...
I'll stick with the stuff you can eat.
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Hi robi. Good luck with your first batch. I'll try to be as helpful as I can-
what strikes me as funny/interesting is the idea of adding yeast.so how was this done 500 yrs ago when you could not buy yeast?
There is a difference between Wild Yeast and Cultured Yeast. Wild yeasts are everywhere, but especially like to reside on grape skins. Traditionally one did not pitch new yeast into any fermented beverage (wine, beer, cider, mead) but relied on the regional wild cultures (called 'spontaneous frementation'). This can have unpredictable, and sometimes disastrous, results- or it can lend a regional flair to the finished product . The modern way is to start with a clean slate by killing off as many microbes as possible through heat or sulfites and then to pitch a cultured yeast bred spicifically for the task at hand. This is, of course, the more commercially viable option.
As a hobbyist you can go either way, though my experience suggests that wine is a lot more forgiving than mead when it comes to spontaneous fermentation, and may even benefit in the way of a malo-lactic fermentation. I'd recommend that your first batch of mead be made with a wine yeast- any one that you can find, actually. Your local supply store may not have the liquid cultures mentioned here, but even dry yeast would be preferable if available- there is nothing worse that having to dump a batch that you have invested so much time and money into. It would probably be impossible to duplicate your friend's Tej using a local supply of honey, though you certainly experiment as you become more proficient. Even then I'd start small, such as one gallon test batches.
BTW, is a carboy the same as a demijohn?Essentially the same thing- a glass vessel with a thin neck to allow an for airlock to be fitted at the top. They come in many different sizes.
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Best of luck and success to you, Frank (...oops, Eric)! Please do post back with details when you got 'em.
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I like Perfectly Frank(s), but are we talking about:
Perfectly Frank(s)
Perfectly Franks
or
Perfectly Frank?
Parentheses in a name might be a little too complicated.
Honestly, I went with the parentheses because I was torn between the two options. Then I saw it typed out and really liked it that way- I think that the parens can give the signage a potentially interesting design element. Of course, I don't do this sort of thing for a living...but I know somebody who does. Since the idea is being given some serious consideration (thanks all, btw) I'll run it by him.
Eric- if you don't mind doing long distance investigative road trips I'd suggest stopping by All American Hamburgers in Massapequa (on Long Island). They have been making the hand cut french fries thing work in a fast food context (i.e. really cheap but really good) for decades. I just love those little slivers of potatoes that they leave in there which become nice and crispy.
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ooh, yeah- put it near me!
Anyway, I have a suggestion:
Perfectly Frank(s)
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More blind enthusiasm:
You could get some Chianti Classicos that are quite nice without going the route of the Supertuscans, and they would probably be more food friendly in an all-around sense. They'll also keep your budget in check, and perhaps even serve as a step up to something bigger. I've long been fond of Castella DiAma and Castellare. I think they retail in the $30-$40 range.
My father is a Barolo nut, so I've had exposure to quite a few of them in all price ranges (even Giacosa, Marchese, etc.). An affordable one that we enjoy is Ceretto's Zoncherra (sp?)- something to keep an eye out for. The Prunotto Barbaresco is also quite good- I think I like that one better, actually (not as musky as the Barolo).
I also like the idea of looking into a Barbera or a wine from Salice Salentino, that's actually what I drink the most of. Michele Chiarlo does a great job on a Barbera at the $10 retail price point. Stefano Farina makes a really good one called Silenzio. Taurino has a heck of a Salice Salentino. Great values, all.
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Re: #5) Chicken Wings
5. I am really and truly puzzled by that question. I don't recall seeing such a dish and from the other answers in this thread, it appears that nobody else can recall it either. Is it common where you are? What made you think of it?I think that's an exclusively NYC thing. We didn't have it on LI when I grew up, and I haven't seen it in New Jersey, but....I lived on the stuff when I was in college (early 1980's, Brooklyn). They would fill up one of those 5"x8" aluminum containers with fried rice and you could either get a bunch of fried wings or a half of a fried chicken on top of it- all for around 3 bucks. The appeal was that it was a filling meal for very little money. Even now I think you can get it for under 5 bucks. And no, I never considered it 'proper Chinese takeout', even then.
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chef koo- like Apicio I'd encourage you to continue to try as many Cognacs as you can to find out which ones you 'connect' with, for lack of a better term. But I think I know what you're looking for, and that may be a place to start. With that in mind I don't think you can go wrong with either the Pierre Ferrand or Delamain, both highly respected.
Another thing to keep in mind is the district designation which you may find on the label (but again- don't let the lack of a 'pedigree' keep you from drinking something that you enjoy). This refers to the area where the grapes are grown- Grand Champagne is the best, sort of like the bullseye on a target, it is surrounded by Petit Champagne and Borderies, then by the Fins Bois, and then by the Bons Bois.
I hope this helps.
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Definitely sounds like astringency- it comes from tannins (via grape skins, wood, etc.) It is not an indicator of a wine of poor quality (actually, they're pretty key to a wine's structure), just one that hasn't aged sufficiently. You may also get that sensation when you drink tea.
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While I like Soba's idea of flavoring the fresh breadcrumbs, and will be sure to try it, I usually make my own dried breadcrumbs periodically. Mostly for convenience, I guess, but the soaking sure does help. I measure them pre-soaking.
Tracey- thet certainly is a Sunday Gravy! Save some of that chuck steak for me- that was always my favorite. And don't forget to add the rolled pork skins...
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johnjohn
1- A can of whole tomatoes will not get you that far if you don't use the juice. Running them through a food mill will be better than just 'squashing' them, in that regard. Feel free to discard the juice if you want a thicker sauce but just make allowances in the amount you use. You can also do both- mill one can and add just the pulpy bits from another can.
2- Cooking times will vary based on personal preference but essentially you're looking to reduce the acidity of the tomatoes, meld the flavors, thicken, and caramelize some of the sugars in the sauce. If I'm cooking with canned tomatoes I generally let it go for about two hours (I do mine in the oven at 250deg), but fresh tomatoes from the garden get scarcely a half hour one the stovetop. There is a tradeoff in character from freshness to thickness and sometimes it just depends on ingredients and/or mood. Your meats (meatballs , sausage) should require about an hour in a simmering sauce to be done and you can add them midway through if you like. Other types, such as big old hunks of beef, will take longer.
3- I advocate browning both, myself. I also prefer ground beef over the beef/pork/veal mixture. But both of these methods are what I grew up with so that's what tastes 'right' to me. But if you do brown you meat, do it in the same pot that you will start your sauce in and you will have a nice fond to start with. It really just comes down to a flavor, and possibly texture, issue- try it both ways and see what you prefer. If you don't choose to brown just keep them in the sauce for the full two hours. Also- with the sausage, browning will render some of the fat (which you will have to discard before beginning your sauce) so you might have to skim the sauce periodically.
I would be curious to learn what people consider the optimal bread to meat ratio is??In terms of breadcrumbs, you can use anywhere between 1/2 cup to 1 cup per pound of meat. !/2 cup will yield a firmer meatball and 1 cup will yield a softer one, though I'm pretty keen on 3/4 cup myself, plain, soaked in milk. I use fresh herbs.
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Just to add a bit more detail on the label designations (these refer to minimum amounts of time the youngest component of the blend has spent in the barrel)-
VS- 2.5 years
VO and VSOP- 4.5 years
XO and Napoleon- 6 years
Some houses, such as Pierre Ferrand, age their cognacs considerably longer and as such don't use those designations. The Abel, as mentioned upthread, is aged for 45 years- quite expensive- I haven't yet had the pleasure. I like the Reserve myself, which has been aged for 20 years.
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We usually do a mix of homemade items and other stuff picked up from a local Italian deli. A lot of it has been mentioned upthread but I'll give a typical rundown of what I grew up with-
- Pickled Eggplant, similar to this recipe, but made by my Aunt (keeper of the family secrets). I've been working on her for decades, and one of these days I'll get her to show me exactly how she does it, but until then she keeps us well stocked. The recipe will get you a lot closer than anything you can buy in a store.
- Mussels marinara, white anchovies
- Olives (at least three kinds- gaetta, oil cured, marinated)
- Cheeses- fresh mozzarella, sharp provolone
- Roasted red peppers, marinated mushrooms, asparagus (blanched and marinated in olive oil)
- Soppresata, prosciutto, salami
That's the basics. Sometimes there's more, depending on the season (i.e: garden tomatoes and basil.) We usually lay it all out on the bar and people just start picking on it as they show up.
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My wife refuses to spend money on vegetable dishes in restaurants. To her veggies are 'so cheap' and I can do just as good of a job cooking them at home. It's especially irritating at Indian and Chinese restaurants, and always involves some sort of negotiation on my part (because I just. won't. learn.) I have gotten smart lately, though, and moved the deal-making to the time before we go out so there will be no unpleasantness at the restaurant itself.
Other than this seemingly strange frugality, though, we are quite usually sympatico.
My husband will NEVER order a fish dish from a "western" restaurant (that, in our family, roughly stands for French, Italian, American)."They don't know how to cook fish".
French and American, maybe...but Italian?!!! Seafood is the whole point of going out for Italian. Well- that and fried cheese
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Thanks for the link on brettanomyces in wine, ludja. I always thought that, with the natural pH of wine and the sulfite tolerance of the yeasts used, there was very little or no risk of brett infection. Not so with beer, and in fact some styles would be considered 'flawed' without it- spontaneously fermented Lambics in particular. If anybody would like to get some first hand experience with the 'horse blanket' characteristic a bottle of Gueuze would be a good place to start. It's pretty distinctive once you get to know it.
I'm not so sure how it would come across in a wine, though. Probably not my thing but, hey, you never know.
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As for 'cat pee', I associate that a lot more with Sauvignon Blanc than with Pinot Grigio.
...and I thought it was associated with Scheurebe. I guess lots of folks can't get enough of the stuff!
Aging Chilis for Hot Sauce
in Cooking
Posted
scott- have you considered adding powdered or crushed chiles to your sauce? Depending on what you use it can pack quite a whollop. The hottest wings I ever had used this technique, particularly with a combination of piquin and habanero, though cayenne will do in a pinch.