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This is not too far from your preparation. I like the deep red chard the best, with lots of stem. Garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, oregano, lemon and anchovy paste. (If you use whole anchovy filets, add them with the garlic at the begining and break apart with spoon.) Tear leaves from stems, and chop stems in 1/4" segments. Saute garlic briefly in olive oil. Add pepperflakes, thyme, oregano, anchovy, chopped stems and give a little head start cooking. Add leaves, squeeze in half a lemon, bit of salt, cover and wilt. Spoon onto plates with plenty of pot likker.

I'm with TJ here. I was working dayshift prep and forgot to put away and take home my 8" Wustof. Next morning I came in and found it with a nice S shaped wave in the cutting edge. It was my fault; but, I am still pissed about it 10 years later. I would have preferred if someone had just stolen it. If you want your nice knives to stay nice, keep them to yourself. Erik

While this thread is alive, any advice on a decent, not too pricey bottle of Mezcal? I've been wanting to get one for home; but, don't know much about them other than some are horrible. I assume I should avoid the ones with insects or insect larvae. Not that I have anything against pickled arthropods as food sources. I understand the Del Maguey single village Mezcals, are very good; but, they are also very pricey. BevMo has Don Amado Reposado and Tonayan Mezcal Anejo. Either of those any good? The Don Amado is described on the BevMo website as smooth and appears to be a reputable brand. The Tonayan as tasting of pears, wet cement, and flowers. Not sure how I feel about "wet cement". Erik

This is sort of tangential to the question asked. There is a traditional Mexican, now often home fermented, beverage made from the juice of the century plant called "pulque". This is a sort of Agave wine. I don't think they started distilling this into a stronger spirit until after the Spanish arrived.

I guess it is OK, unless you have a complete kitchen control freak for a mother like I do. Her problem is that she puts about two tablespoons of coarsly ground coffee per 10 cup pot. Last Christmas, after two days of pounding caffeine withdrawal headaches, I tried to make coffee and she removed the pot from my hands and told me to go sit down. Then she scolded me for not using a paper filter inside the gold filter in her coffee machine. The next day she increased the amount of coffee slightly; but, decided to surprise us with delicious hazlenut flavored "gourmet" beans. Ugh. This year, I'm bringing one of those travel french presses, my own beans and an electric kettle.

Tried a Negroni tonight after finishing up the prep for dinner. My! What a tasty simple yet complex drink! I went with equal portions of Plymouth Gin, Campari, and Noilly Pratt Sweet Vermouth shaken with ice and served up. Could definitely see these becoming addictive. The interplay of smells is so great. (The problem with really good drinks, is they distract me from trying others! Got stuck on Vespers for a couple weeks after that thread here on egullet. I am, or should I say, my liver, is only mortal!) Erik

One more. "The Art of Mexican Cooking" by Diana Kennedy. I just love this book. So many fantastic recipes. Erik

Well, I'm not gonna be able to pick just one. The ones that were the most important to me when I was first learning to cook were, "Kitchen Primer" by Craig Claiborne, a paperback two volume edition of "The Joy of Cooking" from the eighties, and "Classic Chinese Cuisine" by Nina Simonds. I don't go back to Joy or Kitchen Basics for recipes much anymore; but, I still make quite a few dishes from Classic Chinese Cuisine. For baking, bread especially, and medium to advanced home cooking, I think it is hard to beat Julia Child's "The Way to Cook". I often use the procedures or amounts in Way to judge recipes I find on the Internet. Erik edited to fix title of Claiborne book

I forgot my favorite hole in the wall Italian in North Beach, L'Osteria del Forno on Columbus near Green. Only about 25 seats, no reservations, cash only. Delicious thin crust pizzas, salads and specials. Unpretentious Italian food served well by people who really seem to care about food. Erik

The recipes above are perfect and I'm sure will be quite delicious. I always thought I hated beets until I tasted them roasted, chilled and served with citrus, a nice vinaigrette and frise a few years ago. Ever since, I've been convert and am even growing them this season in my garden. However, I have made absolutely delicious beautiful roast beets for beet hating friends and not been able to convert them. Since you have never touched beets before, I will remind you to wear plastic gloves when handling them, and peel them over wax paper or something else disposable. If they are red beets, the juice will stain like the dickens. Erik

I think I've changed my mind on the St. James Ambre. Initially, I really liked it because the flavor really reminded me of a trip to Hawaii when they were still actively growing sugar cane there. The taste of the rum really conveyed a similar flavor to the smell of the burning cane fields I experienced as a child. However, after the initial thrill of tasting those flavors captured in a rum, some of the off flavors are starting to bother me more. The "burned rubber" Mickeman describes is definitely there. To me this rum seems to occupy an odd place where it is too distictive for mixing, yet a little too unrefined for sipping. Other opinions? Erik

Thanks Janet, Julia, and Robert! Those look like some tasty drinks to try. I enjoy bitter flavors in food, beer or cocktails. Love broccolli raab and grapefruits. I picked up some grapefruit and gave the Romanza a try yesterday. I liked the flavors; but, Woo! Talk about an adult lollipop! Way too sweet for me. I think if I were to make the drink again I would cut the liqueur and campari in half and replace that volume with vodka. Erik PS. I see on some websites a mention of a "sweet" version of Campari. How do you tell the difference? I bought the only one they had for sale. edited to clarify a bit and ask about "sweet" Campari.

Got this one too. Am intrigued; but, haven't tried it yet. I was struck by the similarity to "Pineau des Charentes" a blend of Congac and Wine Grape Juice, which is apparently used in the Per Se House Cocktail. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=42570

Just discovered this thread. Am a big fan of Van Winkle's Bourbons and Rye. A friend recently informed me they are sold out of the Rye. They have some more in the pipeline; but, it won't be ready for 6 more years or so. :-(

I've been looking for an excuse to buy some Campari, ever since seeing Bill Murray's Campari swilling Cousteau-a-like in "The Life Aquatic". Well, I've actually been looking for an excuse to buy some Italian bitter liqueur for quite a bit longer than that. In any case, the new Cocktailian column by Gary Regan contains a tasty looking recipe for something he calls the Romanza, so I have purchased some Campari. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...1.DTL&type=wine Now I'm looking for some other eGullet tested recipes using Campari. Please suggest your favorites. --------- Romanza Adapted from a recipe by bartender Jacques Bezuidenhout at Pesce restaurant in San Francisco. INGREDIENTS: 1 3/4 ounces Campari 1 1/4 ounces Grand Marnier 1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice 1 orange twist, for garnish INSTRUCTIONS: Fill a cocktail shaker two-thirds full of ice. Pour in Campari, Grand Marnier and grapefruit juice. Shake for approximately 15 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and add the garnish.

Here's a link to the column: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file...FDGFTBOSDG1.DTL I don't know Patterson or the owners of Frisson, so I can only guess; but, to me the article doesn't really imply that San Francisco can't support Patterson, it says the owner of Frisson wants to turn the restaurant into a hip party scene for the wealthy youngsters of our city. Have DJs, fancy cocktails and expensive small plates. [sarcasm] Lord knows we need another restaurant like that. [/sarcasm] Patterson wants to do serious food. It seems like it wasn't the appropriate venue for his talents. If so, kudos to him for a) saving enough money to be able to do it. b) having the courage to stick to his convictions. Personally, I was intrigued by the Chronicle review of Frisson, and am dissappointed I won't get a chance to sample Patterson's cuisine there. As far as Antidote goes, c'mon! Soup in test tubes? In Sausalito? No disrespect to Sausalito, Marin or Torralba; but, talk about the wrong place to open a so called constructivist experiment! Erik

OK, I thought of a few more spices: California Bay (even if it is slightly poisonous) Allspice (If you include the Carribean) Annato While you can't include Taro, you can include Malanga (Xanthasoma spp.), another Aroid or Elephant Ear. It is originally from tropical America. You could also include Cassava (Yucca, tapioca), if you were including South or tropical America. Erik

Don't remember if anyone mentioned Oysters and/or Mussels. Speaking of shellfish, I think Geoducks and Abalone. Another nut would be the American Chestnut. Difficult to find, though, since most were destroyed by Chestnut Blight. I think they do have disease resistant strains now. Most other American nuts, like Buckeyes and Acorns, require extraordinary procedures to render them edible. Spices are going to be tricky. Aside from Mexican Oregano (Lippia graveolens), Lemon Verbena (Alyosia tryphylla), and some mints, I just don't know of many more. Cuban Oregano (Plectranthus ambroisides) is close, if you can find it. File Powder, I suppose, and as some have mentioned Chile Powder and Vanilla. Sumac? Some native species are edible. Salt is fine. Native Americans were minding the salt ponds South of San Francisco, long before Europeans arrived. Erik

Rats, someone else got Turkey and Maple Syrup... Sunflower Seeds Paw Paw There were some native grape varieties, though, am not sure if they are still widely grown.

You'd have to include South America to include Potatoes. They originate somewhere in the Andes, and went to Europe before making it back to America. Chiles and tomatoes are also from South/Central America. Sweet Potatoes originate in Central America/Mexico, which might be close enough. Though, I believe, they also made their way to Europe, before making it back to the colonies. Corn is also of Central American/Mexican Origin. Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes) are North American. As is Wild Rice. Erik

Finally got out to a Thai restaurant and tried some Singha for the first time in a while. It was the "Lager" in the new long neck bottles. I'm not gonna swear it's different, 'cos as rien sez, it is a pretty variable beer. Plus, I was a little hung over from St. Patrick's Day and the restaurant had a big bouquet of Stargazer Lillies which were torturing me with their overpowering scent. However, to me it tasted drier and seemed lighter in body than I remembered. When Singha is good, I always associate a slightly sweet champagne like flavor with it. To me this had more of the characteristics I associate with Japanese Beer. Erik

Thanks for making the sacrifice! My wife and I went to a ZAP festival once, and I agree, it is just silly. After about a dozen very diverse wines, even if I am only tasting a tiny sip or spitting, I have a really hard time keeping track. Plus, there are usually so many really drunk people elbowing for more "free" drinks. Just kind of unpleasant. In any case, thanks again! There's a lot of good stuff there that will go on my shopping list. Erik

Well, I tried. After exposing 3 folks to the "Savory Bastard", I got 2, "that's a tasty cocktail," and one, "tastes like salad in a glass". I still like it a lot.

I can't find much recent information; but, from the articles I could find, I think you are right and it appears French winemakers and gov't are still considering whether they will allow oak chips and how they will regulate it. Most of the information I could find was from last fall, though. Anyone else have late breaking information? From what I read, it would also take EU approval for them to be allowed to add them. In any case, yes, at this point, it would only be allowed in Vin de Pays or Vin de Table, not AOC wines. Erik

Excellent. We're doing our St. Paddy's day feast tonight, and I had been stuck on an additional (depending on how you count colcannon) veg. This is perfect. Our menu will be: Cocktails with Smoked salmon on rye with cucumber dill raita Helen Mirren's Colcannon Soda Bread Guiness Glazed Root Veg Corned Beef with Horseradish Sour Cream Sauce Grammercy Tavern Ginger Guinness Cake Might add a salad or soup. Thanks! Erik