Jim Dixon

Bring the hammer down! Nina, I love to stretch things out, too, and I really appreciate a voice for the cheap, er, frugal, among us. Jim

The leaves from stinging nettle are much better than fiddleheads, which I always viewed as a sort of Eull "you can eat a pine tree" Gibbons-esque survival food. Boiling the leaves removes the offending sting (it's chemical, not physical), and the resulting greens have a hearty, meaty quality. They're also very high in vitamin C. The trick is to wear gloves during harvest and handling. Jim

Matthew, I'd add one more thing to your list: I think the perfect croissant should have a flleting sweetness that comes form using really good butter. I like the Grand Central version, too. Piper Davis (daughter of Gwyneth Basetti, GC founder) runs the Portland GCs w/brother Ben, and Piper did a lot of research and testing with laminated doughs before they actually started selling croissants. I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to Ken's Artisan Bakery, but he's got some really great pastry chefs and the crossiants, according to both francophiles and actually French-persons (er, freedom-persons), are "joost laak we geet in paree." There's also a little bakery-cafe down in Lake Oswego (posh suburb..the bakery is in what used to be a sort of poor relations area called Lake Grove that was annexed to make more room for SUV parking) called Le Province that makes grreat brioche. Fortunately, the Torrefazione branch across from my building carries them, and I'm about to go get my morning cappucino and cheese brioche (filled with a sweetened cream cheese..mmmm). Jim

salsa verde chopped herbs (usually basil and parsley, but I'll use whatever's in the garden and a lot of the time that means thyme, oregano, mint, instead of basil) with garlic and olive oil...options include anchovies, capers, preserved lemon and this one thing that I think should be chopped by hand Jim

from the web site: now that's a claim to fame. We used to pack PB into what were called Gerry Tubes, named after the gear mfr in Colorado. They were open at the non-lidded end, so you pack in anything squeezable, and they had a sort of key-clamp closing thingy that sealed the big end. Of course, the closure would always come off in your backpack and you'd have PB or margarine all over everything. Jim

I actually draped mine amusingly over an open-faced sandwich of sliced pork loin on toasted levain..drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, the arugula provided some nice crunch and bitter edge. I've got some cavolo nero flowering, but it's looking tough (and I want the seed). The broccoli raabe flowers look tempting, though. Jim

fifi, I'm with you...I've got a couple of things flowering that I plan on trying this same way. Maybe they will be later on, but these were nice and tender...reminded me of very thin asparagus. Jim

When we were in Spello, we walked into the hills up above the town, and I seem to remember reading that it was possible to walk along the same ridge (which would be the eastern edge of the val d'Umbria) all the way to Assisi. It will be hot in August, so a trip up to Norcia and Casteluccio would provide some elevation and maybe a little cooler weather. The area around Casteluccio is a wide-open mountain valley with lots of hiking potential. Norcia has great food (renowned for pork products). Montefalco isn't too far from Bevagna, and a visit there to sample the wines made from sangrantino grapes (only grown in and around Montefalco) would be worth it. We visited the very small Paola Bea winery (a neighbor to one of of my olive oil suppliers) and brought home a few bottles of the unusual red dessert wine called sangratino passito. Jim

Since I'm a lazy gardener, my arugula always get tall and leggy before I get around to pulling it out and planting something else. Over the years I've come to like the more pungent leaves from these plants, and I started putting the little white flowers in salads a long time ago. Last night I went out to pick some parsley and a few greens for salad. The arugula, planted during a short sunny spell in January, is already a couple of feet tall and the top 8 inches of each plant is all flower. I snipped off a couple of dozen and took them inside. I heated a cast iron skillet until it was about ready to smoke (from the seasoning), splashed in a little olive oil, and added the flowers (with a couple inches of stem attached). A quick stir and maybe 30 seconds later, I pulled them out and sprinkled with fleur de sel. Really, really good. The undeveloped flower heads (just down the stem from the open flowers) are like tiny broccoli, the flowers wilt and crisp, and the stems are tender. The flavor was like arugula leaf, but not as peppery. The only downside is that it takes a substantial handful of flowers to make one serving. Jim

Jin, The fromage blanc comes from this Oregon cheesemaker: http://www.oregongourmetcheeses.com/ I picked up some of their raw-milk camembert at the Farmers Market Saturday, but haven't cut into it yet. I've heard from a few people, including a transplanted French chef, that the fromage blanc is really, really good. Jim

La Catalana, Portland's first Spanish restaurant and now sadly gone, served slightly crisped duck confit with ripe, juicy peaches seared in the duck fat. One of the best things I can remember eating. Jim

David, See my post above about Cefalu. I've heard it does get crowded with northern European sun-seekers in the summer, though, and I'm guessing it'll be pretty hot, too. We only saw Messina from the highway and ferry terminal as we crossed over to Italy proper, and that was it for the east coast. In October, when we were there, it wasn't quite so green, even on along the coast. I've also looked at a lot of agriturismo sites (just google for Sicily agritourism) and they look appealing. I also want to visit the islands (read Tonnaro awhile back, about Favigno...Pantellaria sounds cool, too). Maybe this fall... Jim

You can also make the classic salad of beets, blue cheese, and walnuts... dice the beets, crumble the cheese, add the walnuts, and toss with oil and vinegar. I've also made a variation with filberts (aka hazelnuts) and arugula added. Jim

I had the ingredients on hand to make the potato-celery root-leek soup I mentioned above, but we're having a little balmy spring weather and it just didn't feel like a soup night. So I peeled, cubed, and steamed the celery root and potato together. I chopped a leek and sauteed it in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Mashed the cooked celery root-spud (coarsely, with my grandmother's old masher) with some more oil (a nice fruity oil from Tuscany), a small dollop of creme fraiche (probably unnecessary, but it was in the fridge and I would've used it in the soup), and a cup or so of grated Parmigiano (salt and pepper to taste). Stirred in the cooked leeks. Put this in a casserole, topped with bread crumbs moistened with more oil, and baked for about 30 minutes at 350F. Good Jim

I'm with JAZ here, especially re gin... You vodka drinkers should try one made with really good gin for a change. Jim

Mr.Methane, Love those euphemisms (and plan to adopt them for regular usage). On a particularly silly trip with a couple of slightly younger friends who the share my enthusiasm for frank talk about unmentionable subjects (an enthusiasm not shared by Judith), we hit on 'taking the kids to the pool' as an excuse to visit the WC. Jim

Craig, I think (and this is just my own idle speculation) that it's because the average Italian won't drink crap, and most Americans will. I think the same applies to the food in Italy...even the most mediocre is usually better than the average here. You can get a decent espresso in the US, or at least in Portland (ok, Seattle too). The Illy-trained servers where my son Joe works pull good shots, nearly every server at the Torrefazione outlets I go to do the same, and even, gasp, Starbucks, with their fully automatic machines that take the work out of the hands of the barista (the fast-food model at work), can produce a drinkable espresso most of the time (ask for a ristretto and the odds go up). Only when we demand a good espresso will we consistently get one. But when the typical drink at a 'specialty' coffee outlet contains 12-16 oz of milk, some sort of sweetened, flavored syrup, and a topping of whipped cream, the espresso lost in there doesn't really matter. Jim

I posted some info about the Francis Francis-Illy promotion here... As for American espresso, it's my experience that in most restaurants nobody has really been trained to pull a good shot properly. When you factor in the semi-mysterious process at work, more often than not the results suck. The place where my son works bought a new commercial machine when they opened, and the Illy rep came in to train everyone. Even he couldn't get a perfect shot every time, and he said that's typically the case. Jim

Great story, Andy.... I remember reading about Le Petomane in the funky little magic shop deep in the bowels of Pike Place Market many years ago. When our boys we younger we took them there and they loved the story, too. There was also a great piece in the old Coevolution Quarterly (now Whole Earth Review) about farting. The author devised a farting etiquette by taking an old Emily Post Smoker's Etiquette and substituting the word 'fart' for 'smoke.... And there was something recently in Nutrional Action Newsletter (from overzealous CSPI...I don't subscribe, but my mom does) about digestion and farting. It said, I think, that swallowing air was the primary cause of flatulence. Jim

I just put my recipe on the thread Katie linked to. In my experience, the Meyers will give the limoncello a little brighter flavor than Persian lemons. But it's a pretty subtle difference. Jim

richw.. I know I've posted this recipe before, but it's faster to retype it than search... carefully zest 12-15 lemons (I use Meyers, but any lemon works). try to avoid getting any of the white pith as it will make the limoncello more bitter. soak the zest in 750 ml grain alcohol. some people use 100 proof vodka, but I've made it both ways and think the alcohol version is better (and more like the Italian version). after a few months, strain and dilute with sugar syrup. I make a 1:1 syrup and dilute the 190 proof infused alcohol 50%, so I end up with 95 proof limoncello. If you want a less alcohol-intense version, make a syrup with more water. I've been making this for several years and it tastes almost like my control bottle, a Don Alfonso limoncello. Jim

When I starting writing for publication, first person was absolutely forbidden. But I’ve always felt that because reviews are so subjective, the disconnected third person voice seemed kind of phony. And I really believe that readers are better served if they can get to know a little about my personal likes and dislikes. So I always use first person. I think it’s important to use it carefully, though. There’s a fine line between inserting yourself into your work and making the work all about you. Step over that line and you’re in deep shit, editorially speaking. The writing I like and aspire to provides some emotional connection to the subject. It’s hard to for a writer to make that connection without revealing something personal. And you can’t do that without using “I.” Jim

Leeks used to be called the 'poor man's asparagus,' but the price around here is usually US$1.79/pound. They're very good just braised in a little water with olive oil or butter. You can eat them hot or let cool and dress with a simple vinaigrette. I make this leek and celery root soup regularly. It's basically vichyssoise with celery root, but it's really good (Judith isn't crazy about cream or creme fraiche, so I add it at the table to my bowl...it's good without it, but better with it...of course). Jim

I make a more simple gratin....after cooking the cardoon, I cover it with a mixture of olive-oiled bread crumbs and Parmigiano, then bake. I've also got this recipe for a quick cardoon pickle on my site. And I've made a spread similar to an artichoke spread. You need to get the stringy outer skin off, but then cook and puree with garlic and olive oil. I've got a bunch in my garden and they get really big, really fast. The make a dramatic ornamental. I'll have to try the Italian trick Adam mentioned for blanching them. One October we saw young cardoons coming up between the grapes in family-sized vineyards in Umbria, obviuously planted after the grape harvest. Jim

jane, My good friend Philip F alluded to Chow in an email awhile back. I'm looking forward to seeing it. And try to get to him to hang out here a little. I know he'd have lots to say about SF food and cooking in general. welcome to eGullet. Jim