[Chain Restaurants - Give me your thoughts]

My reason for avoiding chain restaurants if possible is about local economics. When I spend my money in my town I much prefer that as much of it as possible stays right here. And don't forget that when the Little League, local organizations and agencies need something they head right for the local owner.

[Pasta/Tomato/Red Sauce with Dried Herbs and Spices]

Does anyone use Stanislaus Tomatoes? A California product that I think is outstanding.

[Food-verb events]

In Binghamton NY we have the Spiedie Fest

[Beef Short Ribs -- The Topic]

Here's the recipe I noted earlier. The author gives credit to Balthazar, 80 Spring Street, NYC for the recipe.

Braised Short Ribs

From Sharon O’Connor’s Menus and Music

Favorite Parisian Bistro Recipes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 to 8 pounds thick and meaty short ribs

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 onion, chopped

6 to 8 shallots, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 head garlic, halved crosswise

Bouquet garni: 1 parsley sprig, 1 thyme sprig, 1 bay leaf, 3 peppercorn and 2 clove; tied in a cheesecloth square

1 bottle (750 ml) full-bodied red wine

½ cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) ruby port

4 cups (1 l) veal stock or canned low-salt beef broth

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180C). In a large, flameproof casserole or Dutch ove over medium-high heat, heat the oil and brown the meat on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate and set aside.

In the same pan, sauté the carrots, celery onion and shallots for 5 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Stir in the tomato paste. Sprinkle with flour and cook 3 to 4 minutes linger, stirring to scrape up the browned bits, from the bottom of the pan. Add the meat, garlic, bouquet garni, wine, and port. Increase heat to high and cook to reduce the liquid by half. Pur in the stock or broth and bring to a boil. Cover and bake in the preheated over for 3 hours, or until the meat is fork tender.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a serving dish and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Strain the sauce through a fine-meshed sieve and return it to the pan. Cook over high heat to reduce the sauce to a nice gravylike consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the short ribs and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

[Beef Short Ribs -- The Topic]

There's an excellent recipe for braised short ribs in Sharon O'Connor's Bistro cookbook on Page 68. The red wine, ruby port and veal stock provide the liquid. Just outstanding.

[Thoughts on Epicurious' Top Ten BookList?]

I have a regional book on the market - Tastes And Tales of New York's Southern Tier

[Equipment and gadgets, what's your desire?]

Great thread on tagines... thanks for the tip.

[Equipment and gadgets, what's your desire?]

On the top of my list is a Tagine. Perhaps an Emile Henry, or whatever my research seems to recommend.

[Shopping Lists/Kitchen Notebooks]

I've developed an Excel Spreadsheet for my shopping lists. It's broken down in store categories, like Produce, Meat & Fish, Dairy, etc. It saves a ton of time in the store, especially with a long list. Paul