Jaymes

Your mom and I must be the same generation... I made many a wonderful meal from that book (most certainly including that Moussaka), and it still holds an honored place on my bookshelf. Made the Moussaka tonight from the "Zov" cookbook. Very, very good. Doesn't call for potatoes in the dish, but that's fine with us, because Greek-style baked potatoes are a perfect accompaniment. You cut about 3 lbs of potatoes into large slices, then toss with salt, pepper, oregano, juice of 1 lemon, 1 cup olive oil, and 3 cups of water. Put into baking dish and bake, uncovered, in a moderate oven for about one hour, or until the water has evaporated and the potatoes are roasted and browning. So Moussaka, Greek-style roasted potatoes, Greek salad with plenty of Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, sweet onions and feta cheese. Sound good?

I thought the opposite. I hope you're correct. Pretty hard to tell from the hints and clues. First comment from Tom was that Bev's dish was too sweet. He's let it be known that he's not a fan of sweet mains. Grayson probably won. Then he talks about the dish that showed the "most passion." And somebody comments that for Grayson, it's more like a hobby. It sure takes more imagination, effort, passion, etc., to clean and fillet a whole snapper than to do a riff on everybody's standby - scallops and bacon - especially in the time allotted. So does that mean Bev? Who knows. I'll admit that although much of this season has been something of a letdown, I'm hooked on the final outcome of LCK. I just wish they could both go back. And Nyesha, too, for that matter.

Yikes! 1970?

Maybe different parts of the country? I dunno. That just hasn't been my experience...

We attend different potlucks. At almost every single one to which I've been throughout the years, there are several things that would qualify as "lighter fare." There is usually some sort of relish or crudite tray with fresh veggies and a dip. I'd even say that's ubiquitous, and you don't have to have the dip, so that's definitely "light fare" by anyone's definition. There is often a fruit salad, sometimes laden with sweet stuff like coconut, maraschino cherries and those miniature marshmallows, but often without. And coleslaw, and marinated asparagus, and other salads made with fresh vegetables like broccoli and/or cauliflower, sometimes with pasta, sometimes just the veggies. Deviled eggs might have some mayo, but I think they'd definitely qualify as "lighter fare" in comparison to the 'cream of fill-in-the-blank soup' casseroles. And green beans are a popular hot vegetable dish, usually with almonds or some other sort of garnish. And almost always, without exception, at the potlucks to which I go, there is at least one, and frequently two or even three, great big bowls of a mixed green salad. I usually just stand there and contemplate it for a few seconds before moving on. I just find it such a weird choice for a potluck. Don't get me wrong - I love salads. We're a big salad-eating family. We rarely have a meal without one and often, in the summertime, that's almost all we eat. But I never, ever take any at a potluck. First of all, a bunch of mixed greens takes up a LOT of space on your plate. And when you're looking over a table laden with anywhere from ten to forty (or more) dishes of varying degrees of enticing and appetizing and unfamiliar and intriguing possibilities, why would I want to fill up half of my plate with something I know so well as lettuce? And then there's the dressing issue. Either it's been pre-dressed and it's already wilting. Or it's not been pre-dressed, and there are dressings sitting alongside. Sometimes it's clearly a home-made dressing, offered in a pretty carafe. This might be a wonderful thing, but it's absolutely impossible to properly dress a mixed green salad when you're dealing with just a pile of salad on one half of your plate. More often, though, rather than an interesting homemade dressing, there is a selection of commercial dressings, always including Ranch and Italian. Absolutely no way I'm going to waste plate and tummy space on what was undoubtedly a bag of pre-washed mixed lettuce with bottled dressing poured over. It's so odd to me. I've really given far more thought than I probably should as to why someone would bring it. Obviously they've got their reasons. And the reasons undoubtedly make perfect sense to them. But to me, it's a puzzle. Still, since we're talking about "lighter fare," that definitely qualifies.

Well, I don't know if the shark was actually jumped, but they were definitely hauling it around in the bicycle basket.

Well, that really sucks. If I had known, probably wouldn't have bothered watching.

So, wait a minute... Are y'all telling me there's nothing to the "round belly button is male; slit belly button is female" thing?

I make a similar red lentil soup from the excellent cookbook Sultan's Kitchen, a local Turkish restaurant. Recipe here Best lentil soup ever. It's hard to believe something so simple can be so tasty. The dried mint makes it. Yes. Although it doesn't mention it in that online recipe to which I linked, in the cookbook, "Zov," it says, as a garnish, to melt 2 TBLS butter in a small saucepan/skillet until it begins to foam. Then stir in a tsp or so of dried mint, and add to soup just before serving. Mint really enhances this soup. Not sure why the mint was not included in the online recipe, but that's just one more reason to buy the cookbook. It's a really terrific book and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Middle-Eastern cuisine.

One thing I've found particularly interesting is that each of the last two chefs that Bev has defeated began the segment by dissing her. Don't remember the exact words, but Nyesha said something like, "When I saw Bev, I thought, 'I've got this.'" And Chris said, "I wasn't particularly intimidated..." The first thing I thought, each time, was that Bev was going to win. I don't think the producers/editors would be so unkind as to begin the segment with a dismissive putdown, and then have Bev go on to lose. For such a quiet and unassuming person, she's obviously a pretty great cook. And she's taken the abuse with considerable grace. I can't help but root for her.

Zov Golden Lentil Soup

I really like Nyesha and was pulling for her to win it all. But I think that as far as a "dramatic comeback" is concerned, there will be plenty of drama when Bev, whom they all think they got rid of, shows back up... Like a bad penny... Like the sugar ants under your sink... Like that old yeller cat that came right back the very next day. We thought he was a goner but the cat came back, the cat came back, 'cause he wouldn't stay away... Yep. Should make for drama aplenty.

Well, maybe you're right. That's one thing Heather said: "She needs to learn to believe in herself." I just didn't see it. But for sure you're right that time will tell...

Sign me up with Emily_R and Annabelle. I don't think Beverly has a confidence issue at all. In fact, I think anyone less confident would have withered long ago under the assault from the alpha females. Bev got on Heather's bad side early on, and from there, there was no easing up on her. Blame her for everything. Bev is quiet, committed, intent upon herself and her work. But I've never gotten a sense that her confidence has been shaken at all. I, too, was hopeful that there would be no elimination from the "Evil" challenge - especially since Bev had just been told that her "immunity" 3-ingredient dish was much better than the others' dishes and had she not forgotten the curried crispies, she would have won easily. And I really hated that "double-elimination" thing where both members of the team went home, regardless as to who was at fault. Seemed so not fair. Nyesha should still have been there competing while weaker chefs went home.

This sounds excellent! In a junk-food idiom, you could use those packages of thin-sliced processed meats, rather than 'real' deli corned beef. I like it, and will probably try it; the substitution of dijon for thousand island seems a bit odd, but it would work. Not a Reuben, but good. Actual recipe: Mini-Reuben Sandwiches Dijon mustard Thousand Island Dressing (optional) 1 loaf sliced party rye bread 1 1-lb can sauerkraut, well-drained and pressed between paper towels until dry as possible. sliced corned beef (I actually do use the good stuff - either make it myself or buy it from good deli) 3 oz Swiss cheese slices (If you can't find party rye, cut slices of regular rye into quarters) Pre-heat oven to 400º. Place bread slices in single layer on baking sheet and put in oven to partially toast. Remove and spread each with Dijon mustard. (Add a small dollop of 1000 Island Dressing, too, if you like, but don't leave out that Dijon. I've tried it without it and just believe me it is NOT AS GOOD.) Top with 1 heaping tsp sauerkraut, several small slices corned beef, one strip of swiss cheese. Put back in oven and bake until cheese melts. Serve immediately. This makes about 26 mini-Reubens, and they are very popular and easy to eat so be sure you have enough for everyone. So it's Superbowl time again. And the current conversation about Reubens reminded me of our favorite Superbowl snack: Mini-Reubens. Anyone else making something particularly tasty?

Yes. They sure do. In fact, that's one of our standard Superbowl Watching Party dishes. I put my recipe in a previous "Superbowl Food" thread - Whatcha making for Superbowl?

There is no need to "miss it." You can grow at least one bush/tree. I've grown them literally all over the world, including Alaska, where I had three. They make great potted plants. Sit them outdoors until the first freeze of winter threatens. Then bring them inside and set them by a sunny window until spring arrives. They're good bonsai plants as well.

Well, Ritchie hollered "Do your fish!" at Bev as the time ticked away. So at least one of them was being helpful and kind. And I liked that the final result was because of underseasoning the fish. Nothing to do with Bev's "unexciting" ingredients. Sounded, to me anyway, like it came down to grabbing salt and pepper shakers.

Santa Clara del Cobre? I love that place.

I already went looking. I see there are several sizes & styles. Which do you recommend?

Don't have a GF grill. Haven't used a GF grill. So I never thought about doing Reubens on a GF grill. I'm getting one today.

You know, that's the key. Regardless as to whatever one prefers one's particular portions to be, the beauty of this sandwich is that everything has to be right. In balance. In harmony. Not too much sauerkraut. Not too much cheese. Not too much meat. Everything compliments. Nothing dominates. Baseball fans often talk about 90 feet between the bases being as close as man comes to perfection. That's exactly how I feel about the ingredients of the perfect Reuben. Zen.

Well, that's pretty easy. I take a small hunk of sauerkraut, flatten it into a patty approximately the shape of the bread I'm using, put it between two paper towels, roll a bottle or rolling pin over it to dry it out as much as possible so that it doesn't make the sandwich soggy, put my sauerkraut "patty" onto the grill for a couple of seconds, turn it once, then put it onto my rye bread that I've smeared with Thousand Island, and onto which I've first placed a few slices of corned beef, top the sauerkraut with a couple of slices of Swiss cheese, put the second piece of bread on top, smear it liberally with melted butter, put the whole assembled sandwich onto the grill with the buttered bread side down, smear more butter over the top piece of bread, grill until the bottom slice is crispy and crunchy, turn the entire sandwich over so that the other piece grills to crispy and crunchy perfection and the cheese melts and seals the whole thing together. Often, I'll even put a weight on top of the sandwich while I'm grilling to be sure it winds up thin, crispy, crunchy, and perfect. Just like back at the Blackstone Hotel Coffee Shop in 1965. ETA - And, BTW, I've been making Reubens like this for many, many years, often when I'm entertaining. Folks accustomed to the mile high sandwich on toast consider my crusty, crunchy hot one a revelation. If you think it's getting harder to find the "pile on toast" version, let me assure you that the grilled ones are almost impossible to find. Restaurants can make the ones on toast even when they don't have a grill. It's much harder to make the sandwich and then grill it properly. So many of my friends, after having my hot crispy version, tell me that that's how they make them now at home, as well.

We're lucky enough to have a plethora of excellent "ethnic" (and I use that word just because, correct or no, all y'all know what I mean) restaurants very nearby. Of course, we do the usual Asian (Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese) frequently. But there is a Middle-Eastern restaurant here that seems to be our favorite for take-out. We get shawarma, kabobs, tabuli, hummus, tziki, grape leaves, stewed lamb in tomato sauce, homemade pita bread, baklava - you name it. We order the whole spread. We love that place.

At that Katz's, like most places now, they were so proud of their "sky high" Reuben. A proper Reuben is NOT "sky high." It's a relatively thin sandwich. It has to be because it's assembled, and THEN grilled. The bread should have that greasy texture and consistency and crunch of a well-made grilled cheese sandwich. All that is impossible to do when you've piled so much stuff on the bread that one has a hard time keeping it together even when holding with both hands. You'd never have even a hope of properly grilling it, let alone flipping it. So instead, they take toast (the easy way out), and pile all that stuff on (Americans seem endlessly seduced by large portions) and call it a Reuben because it's got Reubenesque ingredients, to hell with the proper method of cooking it. Just so happens I lived in Omaha in the 1960's and ate often at the coffee shop at the Blackstone Hotel, where the sandwich was purportedly invented. I also used to live in Austin not all that long ago and ate at that Katz's you mention. When I couldn't stand the craving for a proper Reuben one more minute, I'd go there and order one. The first thing I'd do when the sandwich arrived was to take off at least half of that corned beef that they had just piled onto toast (because grilling that whole sandwich was impossible, as it often wouldn't even stand together on the plate), and put it in a to-go container. Then I'd take it home and make myself a proper Reuben. Which is a slim, greasy, grilled combination of perfection. GRILLED AFTER it's assembled. And not merely made with toast.