scordelia

It is amazing to me that certain people in this forum(a general comment...i am not naming anyone) who thought nothing about instructing others and were for policing personal opinions/choices about the serving of foie gras in private establishments are distressed when their freedom to consume their favourite food is being threatened. What goes around comes around. Life is a bitch, aint it? Not true! If Charlie Trotter does not want to serve foie gras, I do not care. It's his restaurant and he can serve what he likes (even if that means embracing Raw Food--can we say "The Emperor has no oven"?), but does he need to be so sanctimonious about it? His food is overrated anyway. What I mind is that now Chicago is proposing to ban foie gras in all restaurants. That is really stupid. Sophie

I used to live in Maine, so I am pretty familiar with your local fish. I am with you on cod--not my fave and it needs to be fresh, fresh, fresh! Here are some things to try: Scrod--baby cod, much more delicate and nice. Monkfish--also called sea toad, cote de raspa--tails taste a bit like lobster Sea Bass--they follow the herring and run up north in the summer. North Atlantic Shrimp--they are very small and pink when raw--lovely sweet taste Sea Scallops--easy to cook, get the best ones in the winter Mussels--do you live near the sea? If you do, just take a walk at low tide on a rocky beach and pick 'em. Clean off the beards, brush the shells and steam them in wine, garlic, herbs, leeks, tomatoes. Eat the mussels and have lots of nice bread to soak up the broth. Smelts--do you have these little guys? They are members of the herring family and breed in streams during the spring. This is great opportunity to get together with friends and drink a lot of beer. Go to a smelt stream, build a fire and have a case of cold beer on hand. Use a large flashlight and a small landing net and catch your smelt. Just bread them and fry whole. Trust me, they do not taste like herring! Clams--for this you need a nice muddy beach. Go out at low tide with a little shovel and dig them out. Clams collect a lot of silt in them so fill a bucket with ocean water and let the clams sit for several hours before cooking. Lobsters--of course! I know that your lobsters are different than my lobsters, but you still have them. I think they are best steamed in sea water and seaweed. Just put a couple if inches of sea water in the bottom of your pot and some fresh seaweed, bring to boil and add your lobsters. Steam for 17-19 minutes for a 1 1/2 pound lobster. Sole--let's not forget lovely channel sole! Take a whole sole or flounder (we want the head and skin on, but gutted) and stuff with salt, pepper, chopped parsley, shallot, butter and lemon. Lay fish on a baking sheet (covered with tin foil) and bake at 400 degrees until done. To serve, use a big serving spoon and cut the skin right under the head. Use the spoon to peel back the skin and lift out the filets. Then grab the head and lift the skeleton out, then serve the bottom filets. You can make a little parsley sauce to serve over the fish, but it's nice with just a little lemon too. Sophie

Martha Stewart had one last December and I tried it and it worked fairly well (could have been a little lighter, but good flavor). You might be able to find it on her website, and if you can't find it there, e-mail me and I'll hunt through my old stack of cooking mags for it. Sophie

My husband lived in Iceland for a year. He remembers a lot of cheese, fish (of course) and horse, but he said the horse was not very good, just tough. Now, in Padua, we had great horse on polenta. He says its similar to Swedish or Norwegian food, but not quite as good. Sophie

There is a really nice wine bar in Chicago (Webster's) where they match wine flights with cheese flights--pretty fun! 3 wines per flight and 6 cheeses per flight. Sophie

Haven't read it but heard her interviewed on NPR about it and had been meaning to pick it up. So it's good? Sophie

Butterflied whole chicken roasted with onions and mushrooms with truffle oil and wine, butter steamed cabbage in vermouth, roasted tomato halves and salad. Sophie

Don't bother! His food is not good. He really is so over rated. Sophie

Well, please e-mail the alderman. You may not live downtown, but you eat downtown and spend your money! Tell them if the ban is enacted, you will confine your fine dining experiences to Highwood and Wheeling. Sophie

James Beard's American Cooking has a great buttermilk white cake recipe. The buttermilk makes it really rise and gives the cake a little tanginess so it is not so cloying. Let me know if you want me to post the recipe. Sophie

If you are bothered by the fishiness then I have a couple of things to try. First, is your fish fresh? Fresh fish is not fishy. Fresh fish should smell like sea water, have a clear eye and be slimy. Also, you can soak your fish in milk for 10-15 minutes and this helps to eliminate some of the stronger tasting oils in fish. Bu sure to rinse and dry the fish after soaking it in milk. Sophie

Does anyone know of a good peach extract that does not taste like a Jolly Rancher? Sophie

Now, in response to all this nonsense, the Chicago City Council is proposing a ban on foie gras in all Chicago restaurants (today's Trib, section 2, page 1)! I personally think that they better things to worry about, like the rising murder rate. If you are from Chicago, e-mail the alderman and tell them to kill this bill! Or support it if you wish, but let's not allow one irritating chef tell us what we can or cannot eat! If this new ordinance is going to be defeated or pass, let the outcome be determined by the voice of the people--not Charlie Trotter suddenly "awakening" (where has he been?) to how foie gras is produced. Sophie ward01@cityofchicago.org, mhaithcock@cityofchicago.org, dtillman@cityofchicago.org, tpreckwinkle@cityofchicago.org, LHairston@cityofchicago.org, Ward06@cityofchicago.org, wbeavers@cityofchicago.org, Ward08@cityofchicago.org, abeale@cityofchicago.org, ward10@cityofchicago.org, jbalcer@cityofchicago.org, ward12@cityofchicago.org, folivo@cityofchicago.org, eburke@cityofchicago.org, ttthomas@cityofchicago.org, sacoleman@cityofchicago.org, ward17@cityofchicago.org, tmurphy@cityofchicago.org, vrugai@cityofchicago.org, atroutman@cityofchicago.org, ward21@cityofchicago.org, rmunoz@cityofchicago.org, mzalewski@cityofchicago.org, mchandler@cityofchicago.org, dsolis@cityofchicago.org, bocasio@cityofchicago.org, wburnett@cityofchicago.org, ehsmith@cityofchicago.org, ward30@cityofchicago.org, ward29@cityofchicago.org, rsuarez@cityofchicago.org, tmatlak@cityofchicago.org, rmell@cityofchicago.org, caustin34@cityofchicago.org, ward35@cityofchicago.org, wbanks@cityofchicago.org, emitts@cityofchicago.org, tallen@cityofchicago.org, ward39@cityofchicago.org, ward40@cityofchicago.org, bdoherty@cityofchicago.org, bnatarus@cityofchicago.org, vdaley@cityofchicago.org, ward44@cityofchicago.org, ward45@cityofchicago.org, ward46@cityofchicago.org, ward47@cityofchicago.org, maryann@masmith48.org, jmoore@cityofchicago.org, bstone@cityofchicago.org

I loved the teal and the the pork cheeks! Was there in November. The place fills up, you can make a reservation on-line. Sophie