Jaymes

Maybe "The Melting Pot"? They are a chain, with restaurants in Seattle and Tacoma as well as coming soon to a neighborhood near you. No - It's La Fondue - Sarasota California in the Bay Area - not a chain. And the food was delicious. I got married during the first big fondue to-do, and we got three pots for wedding gifts. My favorite thing about fondue then was that all of us young couples were involved in "competitive entertaining" with everyone trying to outdo everyone else. So, the big thing regarding fondue was to get the tenderest beef you could find, sear it briefly in the boiling oil, and then dip it into a selection of sauces. With this scenario, the only competition (with the exception of fondue accoutrements) came in the form of who had the best sauces. Because this happened so early on in my married/cooking/entertaining life, I was rapidly introduced to all the most great and famous sauces; sauces that still today are the classics and most-loved. It was a wonderful education from that aspect. Seems to me that fondue, like pretty-much everything else, can be a good thing - tasty and fun - or a bad thing - overdone and mediocre - depending on who's doing it.

Suvir, you stinker!! - I didn't say it was FAMOUS! I said it was "my old standby" which is an ENTIRELY different thing!!!!

I think that depends entirely on who you are working for, and what they want. If it's some cutting-edge publication, perhaps they are paying for hard-nosed, witty, savage, no-holds-barred reviews. Or maybe the very latest in trendy, stylish places. Or celeb-chef gossip. On the other hand, I wrote restaurant reviews for several years for a local senior citizens' magazine. Their readers wanted info on restaurants that offered features that appeal to the older crowd: good food and plenty of it, lots of vegetables, no loud rock music, senior discounts, easy access (no stairs), and an Early Bird Special. Often, I'd visit five or six places before I'd find one that I knew would interest them. And then I'd write about it. It's just a different gig.

Here's a beef one: Menger Tortilla Soup (For those of you that don't know, the Menger is THE old hotel in San Antonio. It's where Teddy Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders, and General Sherman Lee once rode a horse through its lobby.) 1/2 lb lean ground beef 3/4 C chopped yellow onion 1 poblano chile, chopped 1 green chiles, like Anaheim, chopped 1 1/4 C diced tomatoes 1/2 C tomato paste 3 quarts chicken stock 1/2 to 3/4 tsp ground cumin 4 sprigs cilantro 1/2 t garlic powder S&P to taste deep-fried tortilla strips Grated Jack & Cheddar cheeses Brown beef in bottom of Dutch oven or stew pot, drain off fat, then add onion, chiles and tomatoes and cumin. Saute til just tender, then add tomato paste, sauteing lightly, being careful not to let paste burn. Stir in stock, garlic powder, S&P and cilantro. Bring to boil; then simmer 45 minutes. Skim off fat and adjust seasonings. Ladle into bowls and garnish with tortilla strips and cheeses.

either and/or both - depends on the recipe Typically, though, strips of fried corn tortillas are dumped in a bowl than topped w/ the soup or added at the very end of cooking to just warm through - the tortillas end up having a pasta-like texture. A few recipes call for fried tortilla strips to be added while the soup is cooking (this basically acts as a masa thickener) and then topped w/ additional tortilla strips upon service. Additional fried tortillas strips may be passed to further garnish in any preparation. Awesome, Sladeums, and right you are. Houston's recipe for tortilla soup (they won't give the exact proportions) is cooked white chicken meat, pulverized or finely chopped tortilla chips, fresh chicken stock, onions, bell peppers and fresh garlic. Seasonings are cumin, chili powder and black pepper. They add a small amount of masa and butter to thicken, but most thickening is done with the pulverized tortilla chips. They garnish with cilantro and grated cheese.

I've posted my "old standby" recipe for chilaquiles in the Mexico board. Make them ALL the time. Real comfort food, that. EDIT: The chilaquiles discussion is in the "Regional differences in Mexican food" thread. Sorry, but don't know how to do a URL. Besides, it's a very interesting thread, so you might enjoy the perusal. (At least that's what I'm telling myself to avoid feeling guilty about my non-helpful, non-techie self )

I'd say it's definitely back. There is a restaurant in the SF-Bay Area that serves nothing but fondues (can't remember the name). It ain't cheap ($100 a person or so) and it's always absolutely packed. You have choices of fondues - and for the meat fondues, choices of what you want in your boiling cooking pot - bouillons, or oils (flavored and unflavored), or red wine - as well choices of meats, fat oysters, shrimp, shrimp balls (in fact, an extensive menu of stuff) to cook in them. And, cheese fondues and dessert fondues. Very popular very versatile very fun. So, what's not to like?

I would request that you scan it for me, but after considerable thought (and re-reading your description) have decided it would be easier for me to just seek you out, and suck up shamelessly, until I get added to your "holiday presents" list.

Hola. Just got here. Yes, Snow, you are right. Although I have seen versions of Tortilla Soup that call for beef, by FAR it is basically chicken stock (with a Southwestern bent) and tortilla strips. Like most soups, how good yours is has a great deal to do with how flavorful your stock is. Some recipes call for very little, if any, chicken meat, so it's a good recipe to make with a leftover roasted chicken carcass. In fact, it's my number-one recipe to make with a leftover chicken carcass. I've looked at the recipes posted here so far and know they would be absolutely wonderful. I could do no better. In fact, have followed the Mansion's recipe before, myself. People do often garnish with lime wedges (lime is just so good with corn) and avocado slices, and the ubiquitous (down here) bowl of sliced pickled jalepenos and/or fiery salsa alongside for people who like it hotter. Here's another recipe that I got a long time ago - Tortilla Soup 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 4-oz can whole green chilies (tear into pieces), 8-oz chopped fresh tomatoes (or 1 8-oz can stewed tomatoes), 2 tbls butter Put all this in Dutch oven or stockpot and saute till "mushy." Add 2 C chicken broth, 1 C beef bouillon. In skillet, fry 1 t cumin, 1 t chili powder, 1/4 t black pepper til aroma releases. Add to pan. Add 2 tsp Worsty and taste for salt and pepper. Simmer one hour. Cut 4 corn tortillas into quarters, then 1/2" strips. Fry in hot oil until crisp and drain. Add fried strips to pot and heat through. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded Jack/Cheddar mixture. Garnish with avocado slices and lime wedges. Now - This is a perfectly respectable recipe for tortilla soup. And, I only gave this recipe because it doesn't have any chicken in it. So, you can readily see that the secret to this soup is good, flavorful stock. And you can make the soup as easy or as difficult as you wish (and as you have time for). Actually, it has always seemed to me that tortilla soup is kind of a Southwestern version of Egg Drop Soup. Start with a flavorful broth, and you've got it. Most people do put some chicken meat in it, but you don't want a lot. The broth and tortillas should be the star. So, if you're not stewing up a carcass (my favorite way to do it), then stew a chicken breast or two to get your meat. Now - risking great derision I know - here's a recipe for when you're running home and it's cold and rainy and you step in a puddle and your feet are wet and you're getting the flu and you don't have time to create a wonderful, rich, nuanced stock, and you don't have days to let your tortillas go stale: Quicky Tortilla Soup 1 "family size" can chicken & rice soup 1 jar Herdez Salsa Casera (or other store-bought salsa that you like) 1 small can white chicken meat 1 package tortilla chips (like Tostitos or other brand - cheaper is better) grated cheese (laugh if you want, but I use Parmesana Reggiano) Combine soup, salsa & chicken meat. Heat through. Ladle into bowls. Crumble tortillas over. Sprinkle generously with cheese. PS - If you think this is just ghastly - well, fine - Keep it to yourself - I don't want to hear it. Edit: By the way, if you don't know how good lime is with corn - buy yourself a packet of tortilla chips and sit down with it and a lime and a shaker of salt. One by one, pick up the chip and squeeze a little lime on it and sprinkle with salt and eat. YUUUMMMMMM.

Jin, most Moles don't taste much like Chocolate. True dat...most moles don't even have chocolate as an ingredient. We have chocolate so tied with sugar in our minds that it is impossible to imagine the flavor and subtlety of a molé with pure, unsweetened chocolate as only one of the many rich and varied flavors. Bitter chocolate and fiery peppers are wonderful together. I have several recipes for chili that include a dash or two of unsweetened chocolate to add substance and layer to the final dish. But, I have finally decided, it is utterly impossible to impart the thought of chocolate in a savory dish to those who have not tried it. Yes, shame on you Jinmyo for perpetuating this myth! Go hide in the corner! (and contrary to what someone wrote before... most Moles I've had containing chocolate used the unsweetened variety. To be SPECIFIC I am talking about Mole Poblano--which I have somewhat been assuming was what was being described by this topic instead of any of the other major categories. Poblano alone is made in almost unlimited variations, but unsweeted chocolate does seem to be close to universal) Are you trying to get me into trouble??? (It's because you're still pissed about that whole 'America' thing, right?)

Jin, most Moles don't taste much like Chocolate. True dat...most moles don't even have chocolate as an ingredient. We have chocolate so tied with sugar in our minds that it is impossible to imagine the flavor and subtlety of a molé with pure, unsweetened chocolate as only one of the many rich and varied flavors. Bitter chocolate and fiery peppers are wonderful together. I have several recipes for chili that include a dash or two of unsweetened chocolate to add substance and layer to the final dish. But, I have finally decided, it is utterly impossible to impart the thought of chocolate in a savory dish to those who have not tried it.

Varmit - do you cook your beans from scratch the day before? In the same broth? Use the cooking water from beans? Do canned beans work okay, or would that seriously compromise flavor and texture??

Proscuitto or pancetta??? Or something else??

Finally, it's soup weather, even way down deep in the heart..... Instead of just my old standbys, I'd like to simmer up a nice big pot of Pasta e Fagioli -- which I order often in restaurants, but which I've never prepared myself. My restaurant experiences with this soup have taught me that there are good ones and very mediocre ones and a few great ones. Any of you make this wonderful soup at home? Will you share your methods???

I love a nice big piece of apple pie, hot, with a generous chunk of Cheddar slightly melted over.

My neighbor swears by Falfurrias butter. No one has mentioned it here. The box says that is is made by the Falfurrias Creamery, and distributed by Keller's Creamery in PA. Have any of you heard of this butter or tried it? If so, what do you think? I buy D'Issigny for good, Pflugra for pretty good, and Land O' Lakes for everyday. But my friend says that Falfurrias is better? Huh?

No - think of wet dish atop "soaking up" item. Stroganoff atop noodles, other stuff atop rice. The chili is the wet, and the eggs are the base. Kind of like the chili is the "sauce" for the scrambled eggs. EDIT: And, I want to add that if yours is the kitchen in which everyone winds up hungry in the wee hours of the morning after partying all night, "Chili & Eggs" will make you an absolute legend!!! I see. So then rather a small quantity of chili to eggs? So that the eggs are visible still? And no, that's not my kitchen. But the next time I make chili I'll think about serving scrambled or fried eggs with it. Thanks. I wouldn't say a "small" quantity of chili to eggs. If you, for example, say that you've got "one part" scrambled eggs then you'd have about "2/3rds part" chili. The best thing to do is to get your plate, put a generous serving of scrambled eggs onto it, and then ladle a fairly generous serving of chili over. Garnish with your onions and shredded cheese, and keep your chili pot at the simmer. That way, if you think you need a little more chili, you can just add it until you get your proportions exactly right. Jin - I do hope you try this. I'm very eager to hear what you think. It's really traditional down home cooking. Nothing fancy, but hearty and warm and comfortable. I often served it in a BIG cast iron skillet. I'd scramble up the eggs in the skillet, and then ladle the hot chili over, sprinkle with the chopped onions and cheese, and set the whole thing on a trivet in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. I had a big coffee table in those days, and sometimes we'd all sit crosslegged on the floor around that coffee table with the cast iron skillet in the middle, and a basket of biscuits with hot butter and honey or molasses. Very casual, very congenial. A fire in the fireplace. Good friends. Some of the best evenings that I can recall.

Epazote is an "acquired taste" that I haven't ever really acquired. It is a herb that grows wild throughout most of Central America (and I think but don't know for sure, the Caribbean). In fact, it's even something of a pest. It is pungent, and I've often heard it described as tasting like you put gasoline in the pot. I don't think it's that bad, but I really prefer the taste of cilantro in my beans, so I use that instead. I don't think the two flavors mix particularly well, and it seems to me that most people either use one or the other. It is said to have medicinal properties, and the Mexicans make a tea out of it that, according to them, is good for asthma and other respiratory problems. One of the common names for espazote is "Mexican tea." Many Mexicans do use it in their beans - not only for the flavor, but because they say that it lessens some of the "undesirable" aspects of eating beans. When they use it, they do put it directly into the pot, usually at the beginning of the cooking process. Down here, you can buy it fresh in the markets, and also crumpled into little packets. Some people also put it into salsas and other dishes where one might think, for example, of using cilantro. If you can't get it there, and you'd like to try some, let me know and I'll send you some.

Nor southern....Thanks Jaymes.... Really???? It may be a Southeast/Southwest thing. Many of my Southern colleagues (I'm in Atlanta) came to chili only by way of a carpetbagger such as myself. They didn't grow up with chili the way they grew up with greens, ham, biscuits and barbecue. Most of them now regret the oversight. Well, maybe it's a "Texas thang." That's one problem with having moved around my entire life - I'm never exactly sure from which part of my heritage this stuff comes.

Nor southern....Thanks Jaymes.... Really????

Yum. I'll try that for absolute sure. But suspect that the subtlety would be wasted on a crowd of hungry drunks in one's kitchen at three in the morning. I used to have hungry drunks in my kitchen at three in the morning several times a month. I rarely have hungry drunks in my kitchen at three in the morning anymore. Okay, never. Must do something about that.

No - think of wet dish atop "soaking up" item. Stroganoff atop noodles, other stuff atop rice. The chili is the wet, and the eggs are the base. Kind of like the chili is the "sauce" for the scrambled eggs. EDIT: And, I want to add that if yours is the kitchen in which everyone winds up hungry in the wee hours of the morning after partying all night, "Chili & Eggs" will make you an absolute legend!!!

In the South, we eat "Chili and Eggs." I suspect that many of our northern eGullet brethren have not heard of this, so am going to share with you one of our great classics. This is standard fare for "breakfast" at three in the morning when everyone arrives in your kitchen after a night of partying too hearty. And if you make it with canned chili, you can keep all the ingredients on hand. Of course canned chili is not as good as homemade, but believe me, a bunch of hungry drunks are not the pickiest of critics. It is also good for brunch. And, it makes a quick and easy supper. There are two main ways to fix it: First (and prettiest and most elegant) is that you scramble up a bunch of eggs using your preferred recipe. (I think the best scrambled eggs method is to just scramble them WITHOUT any additional liquid, until you reach the penultimate moment, when the eggs are just about set, but still wet. THEN you stir in some cream to finish. But whatever, make yourself some scrambled eggs.) In a separate pot, heat your chili. On your plate, put a nice big helping of scrambled eggs, and ladle some chili over. Garnish with chopped onions and grated cheese and serve with either biscuits or cornbread or toast with butter and honey or jam alongside. Second method: start scrambling your eggs in a big skillet. As they are about halfway set, pour in your chili and continue scrambling until set. This method is not so pretty, not so elegant, but easier and still very tasty and you only have one pan to wash. Garnish as described above. I know y'all Yankees are thinking that this sounds yuck. Well, it ain't.

Most Mexicans cook their pinto beans and then, about an hour or so before serving, add what they call "the seasonings." In a skillet, separately, that is where they take whatever fat they are using - lard or bacon or chorizo or ham or hamburger meat or whatever - and brown it with onions, cumono, jalepeños or other chilis, garlic, - literally whatever you like in your beans to flavor them (with the exception of cilantro, which they do add directly to the bean pot). They fry and saute and brown all of this, separately in this skillet, and THEN add it to the beans to season them. Again - they add nothing to the beans for most of the cooking process. They add the seasonings very near to the end of the cooking process. Took me a while to get the hang of this. I believed that I surely must add something to the pot while cooking. But now I do it this way, and it is really good. Great flavor and texture.

I made the "Cafe Annie" chili recipe last night. It was so good that I thought I'd thank Terrie again, and drag this thread back up to prominence, now that true Chili Weather is here.