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Thanks, but I didn't have time for a grocery store run last night, so I had to use what was on-hand. Found a recipe from Bittman that worked out really well: In a large skillet, saute chopped onion/shallot in olive oil; when softened add 1.5 cups rice. When rice is glossy, add 1 teaspoon turmeric & saute another few seconds. Add 3 cups hot water or broth & bring to a boil. Lower heat a bit & cover for 15 mins, then turn off heat and let sit another 15-30. Came out perfect!

Thanks, feedme. I saw Daisy Martinez's recipes recommended elsewhere, but unfortunately I don't have any achiote oil. At this point I'm willing to sacrifice authenticity to get something approximating the flavor you'd get in a Cuban restaurant, kwim?

Hi all. Haven't been on eG in a while but I know somebody here has the answer to this question: What's a good, basic recipe for yellow rice, Latin-style, to accompany ropa vieja. I'm pretty sure this is the easiest thing in the world, but I'd love to know how you do it. I've got turmeric on hand, but no saffron. Thanks!

plus this .. a pictorial on matzo brie ← Thanks for the nod to my blog, Melissa! I've also got a couple of other Pesach recipes: Chocolate Souffle Cake (a diet-friendly version, no less) Jewish-Style Smothered Chicken

Just popping in to add myself to the "excited" list--both my parents and my in-laws live near TJs, so we go whenever we visit either. Whoever said to only bring cash was absolutely right: When we went last weekend we dropped $92 and still needed to go to the "real" store for produce, etc. I consider this mostly supplemental stuff, things to go into recipes or make life easier on a busy night, but not for the most part it ain't pantry staples.

I'm a huge fan of kale braised with lots of garlic, or tossing handfuls of greens into a soup at the very end--just did this last night with some leftover (uncooked) escarole, which went into a farro & white bean soup. That escarole was extra from this dish, braised escarole and white beans: It's in Molly Stevens' All About Braising. Fabulous cookbook. More details, including the recipe, on my blog if you're curious.

Monavano, that link is to my blog--my husband grew up in south Jersey & adores this stuff so I made it for him, exactly twice since it's so deadly unhealthy (he's got cholesterol issues, so something with "butter" in the name isn't exactly recommended eating). Let me know how it turns out!

I'm just back from my local farmer's market, where I bought fresh young garlic with greens & scapes still attached. I knew I'd find advice on EG! Now I have lots of ideas for the scapes, but does anybody have experience with the garlic itself, and the stalks? The farmer told me it's stronger than stored garlic, no peeling required, although the stalks are milder. I'd like to do something with it that'll make garlic the star of the dish, but I'm afraid it might be overwhelming. Suggestions?

And thanks to you, cheeseandchocolate!

My wedding (this past May) was catered by the restaurant I used to work for, so we had a lot of input on the menu. Sunday, early afternoon, fairly casual: Passed hors d'oeuvres: Swiss chard & shallot tartlets Pigs in blankets Vegetable dumplings with soy-ginger-scallion dipping sauce Smoked salmon mousse on pumpernickel rosettes Salad buffet: Poached salmon salad w/fava beans, red bliss potatoes, chives, & lemon sea salt Grilled vegs with lemon aioli & roasted red pepper dip My mom's recipe--cucumber salad My huband's grandma's recipe--caponata Baby arugula, spinach, and radicchio with roasted baby beets & balsamic vinaigrette Crispy sesame chicken skewers Dessert buffet: Chocolate-dipped mini-macaroons German chocolate and double-chocolate brownies Chocolate chip cookies from City Bakery (my absolute favorite) And the cake: Cupcakes! I do remember eating a plate full of food, though I don't recall specifically what I ate--but there were an awful lot of comments about how wonderful it all tasted. And the best part was that there were six cookies left (and if you know CB's cookies, you know they're huge). We brought them on the honeymoon!

Mmmm yes, the Donut Plant is just a few doors east of Kossar's. The Lower East Side/East Village is just filled with good foodie places. I thought of a couple more: -Katz's deli on Houston, for perfect NY pastrami (in case, as Rozrapp suggested, you still need to sample some). -Russ & Daughter's, also on Houston (near Yonah Schimmell, suggested above) for smoked fish & "appetizing" -Moishe's on Grand St (another is on 2nd Ave in the E. Village) for black & white cookies & Jewish rye bread -Veselka on 2nd Ave for pierogies & hearty soups -Pepe Rosso To Go on Sullivan Street for great, inexpensive Italian (they have a couple tables, but it's not a restaurant by any stretch of the imagination) I'm sure there are more... You could spend an entire day eating within a 15-block radius. Oh, and if you want to see old-school NY foodies in their natural habitat, take a trip to the Upper West Side and check out Fairway, Zabars, and Barney Greengrass.

The chocolate chip cookies at City Bakery (18th St betw. 5th/6th Aves) are the best. cookies. in. the. world. If you like gelato, Il Laboratorio del Gelato on Orchard Street (Lower East Side) is worth a special trip. It's the guy who founded Ciao Bella, making small-batch, intensely flavored stuff. Try the chestnut, the dark chocolate, the pistachio... Nearby on Rivington is Economy Candy, an old-time penny candy store with an impressive array of high-end stuff, too. Also not far, Kossar's Bialys on Grand Street. The best bialy you'll ever eat. And I'm sure this'll ignite an argument, but I think the best bagels in the city are made by Ess-a-Bagel. They've got a couple of locations around town.

Here's how the midtown Manhattan restaurant I used to work at got in, after years of lobbying and being ignored: Tim Zagat whizzed past in a cab one night just before the book closed for the year, and saw that we had a huge crowd outside. It was a private event, but it made it look like we were a hotspot. He whipped out his cell phone and called an editor from the cab. The guy contacted me for info/details the next day, and we were in. Silly, but true.

I just got it yesterday (a late birthday gift, yay). In my sun-filled office the yellow doesn't seem so bad, but this doesn't seem to be a first edition so maybe they've fixed it already. What have you cooked from it? I only see a couple of recipes mentioned here...

Doesn't this also depend on what kind of restaurant it is? One of my (former) favorite neighborhood places--stress the word NEIGHBORHOOD, although the food is very good--refused to substitute a baked potato, which is on their menu, for the au gratin side that came with one of the entrees. Now, call me crazy, but if I'm trying to avoid overindulging and I know the restaurant has a baked potato back there, why on earth shouldn't I be allowed to request it? That strikes me as an overly imperious chef, one who doesn't give a hoot about whether the diner goes away happy. (If this were a 3- or 4-star place I'd understand, but we're talking about an upscale tavern here...) We don't go there anymore.