ronnie_suburban
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Posts posted by ronnie_suburban
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Just to wrap this up (or push it along
), I have been informed that a bitted egg is actually a double-yolked egg. Not sure of the origin of 'bitted' though.=R=
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I will be writing the first few episodes of the "Okra Hour" over the weekend and submitting them to the guys on programming on Monday. Hopefully we can take a few meetings and do some lunches and after my people talk to their people we can get this thing into a summer replacement spot.
I see big money in syndication. Okra residuals are a big part of my retirement planning and I am counting on egullet to help me out here.
Whew! For a minute there I thought you said Oprah!
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I am currently low-carbing and I love bread. I love baking it and I love eating it. My life was transformed a few years ago after I read Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery. I made my own starter and baked beautiful loaves for years. I haven't eaten much bread lately, but that's not the point
Anyway...my point is that I miss well-baked bread more than any other single thing when I am low-carbing. I have such a love and respect for bread and the craft of creating it that no amount of low-carbing could ever erode it. For me, bread is too important, too perfect, too central to shun. When I take time away from low-carbing, I always stop at the bakery for some bread...a country boule, ciabatta, baguette, sesame-semolina, honey wheat, onion rye. Let's face it, when done right, they're all great!
Unfortunately for me, a little bread goes a long way. But I love it. Bread will always be a part of my life. When it comes right down to it, there aren't too many foods that are as special or as meaningful as bread.
Bread is life.
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I don't think this is a dish you can cook ahead and nuke. The best part is the crispy edges which would go to mush in the microwave doing a reheat. You may be able to cook ahead and then recrip in the oven. I was thinking of doing this dish for 14 people but thought I would not be able to manage it. The wife and I ate one head tonight. What do you think, can you cook a bunch of this and then throw in a big 9X13 dish and put it back in the oven later to reheat? I may have to try a small batch to see if it can be cook ahead.
I've done it (reheated in the oven) and it's still really good...just not quite as good.
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i am having dinner company on sunday and want to roast cauliflower. one head between my husband and myself is always finished. how many heads for 7?
Doing your math, I'd say 4 heads. Though, the way I eat this stuff, I'd make a head per person!
I've been wondering about this kind of quandry. How do you prepare this dish for a lot of people? You'd have to have more than two racks in your oven to be able to cook a large quantity. Cook ahead and then nuke it once it's all done? Or throw it all in one of those large roasters and pray to Jim Dixon that it all comes out okay?
edited out one too many "kind of's"
I'd agree on the 4 heads unless you're serving several other sides, then I'd cut it back to 3. Also, depending on how big the heads are, you'll need at least 2 half-sheet pans to cook the 4 heads. You don't want to overload the pans--it'll reduce the quality of the finished product.
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Thanks Cynthia. I've done similar, lasagna-style low-carb "bakes" and they've always been very satisfying. In fact, cauliflower played a prominent role in one of the more memorable ones. I like the idea of stir-fry dishes, but need to get more acclimated to eating them without rice. I've just added turnips to my grocery list for this weekend.
If you have time, please do list the Low-Carb cookbooks you rely on the most. I've picked up a couple of them myself, but so far I haven't found that one that I've really been able to lean on.
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Thanks fendel, I'll look for the Village Hearth Lite next time I'm at the store as I am also in 'flyover' land.
BTW, I've seen that "Carbohydrate Addict's Diet" at the bookstore but have never checked it out. I think I'll take a look at it over the weekend when I take my son to Borders to redeem some birthday giftcards he received.
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Wonderful responses! We've a few details to work out, but keep posting suggestions etc. Watch this space
There is a long weekend coming up, a possible opportunity to schedule the virtual "club" dinner. This would give folks plenty of time to do their shopping and stuff like brine their chicken.
PS: I'm still watching that space and nothing is happening
Um, there's a long weekend for Americans. Not the rest of us
Not all us Americans have a long weekend either
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I'm actually stopping in at Costco today...
...picking up some Lake Michigan "Select" icicles, hand-turned heirloom snow balls, organic firewood and some fleur de route--all locally grown and produced--of course.
Seriously though, has anyone tried the Earthbound Farms mesclun greens they carry there? I think they're oustanding, especially given the alternatives this time of year. Since they come in a 3 pound package, I think they'd be a great item to incorporate into this challenge.
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Yes
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I went to college in Indiana, and everybody there loved either: A. Waffle House, or B. Steak n' SHake (Barf!) I had the unfortunate pleasure of working there. Maybe a steakburger can be the indy food...or a steak n' shake chilli bowl over pasta.
Once you get out of Indianapolis, Pork Tenderloin sandwiches seem to be wildly popular all over the rest of the state.
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I think it is a misconstruction of "beaten."
...was thinking the same thing but figured this was the place to find out for sure.
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A friend asked me. Hoping someone here can shed some light.
Thanks
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Thanks for a wonderful report, Ronnie. Opera's now officially on the list for my next Chicago visit (especially now that I have that $25 gift certificate).
Should we just call you Mr. Creosote?As full as I was, it was hard to stop snarfing it down. When I got to the point just before explosion, I managed to force the spoon out of my hand. I was probably less a minute away from my companions launching an intervention at that point.=R=
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And I thought Egulleters were all wise, organic, buying locally and thinking globally kind of people. It's sad.
Why would you think that? Haven't you read any threads here?
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Count me in. I'd put Costco's steaks up against any Choice steaks out there. Costco is essentially a logistics company. They move a lot of volume and therefore, freshness is generally very high. I think we could easily do an excellent dinner with items from Costco.
...and the portions will be gigantic
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I had a fantastic meal at Opera last Saturday night. All in all, I sampled 13 items (4 mains, 4 apps, 2 sides and 3 desserts) and everything was great. Ok, ok...a few of the items were better than the others and really stood out for me.
Whole, Fried Red Snapper (Hunan Crisp) with Black Mushroom-Winter Bamboo Sauce (main)
Unfriggingbelievable. The presentation is legendary and that's the least of it. The whole fish is brought to the table, posed upright on the plate as if it's swimming across it. But wait, this fish isn't moving and it's g-b and d (golden-brown and delicious--a great Altonism)! The flesh was flavorful, moist and tender. The skin was firm, crispy and totally irresistible. This was my favorite item of the night. May I have another please?
Peking Duck Service (main)
Duck served 3 ways--each one better than the last--as far as the order in which I sampled them. The first preparation was a crispy roasted duck leg quarter served in a sweet (apple?, quince?) sauce with plump golden raisins. It was very nice even though I am not a huge fan of meat with sweet sauces. The second preparation was very mu-shu like. Again, crispy roasted duck, this time strips of breast meat served with Chinese-style pancakes, plum sauce, Asian-style mustard and chopped scallions. I loved this take on the duck too and it was fun making the stuffed pancake I eventually gulped down. But surprisingly, my favorite version of the ‘service’ was the third…a noodle dish. The noodles were wide, flat and thick; very similar to what you’d find in the Thai dish Paad See-Iew. The flavors of this dish were intoxicating. Spicy, sweet and rich, this take on the duck blew away the other two IMO. Again, I’m not really a big fan of noodles which is why I was so struck by it.
Opera’s Beef Broccoli (main)
There’s been a lot of discussion about this dish recently. At the last minute I bailed out of my original plan (to order another noodle dish which I decided would be overkill) and ordered this instead. I have mixed feelings about this dish because I wish I’d been more adventurous with my order yet it was an interesting and memorable take on it. It was a beautiful, whole, black pepper encrusted, filet mignon served atop a bed of chinese broccoli and paper-thin cross-sections of mushroom. The sauce, described as a Cognac-Soy butter sauce on the menu, was great; toasty and caramelized but not too sweet and with a strong after note of cognac. When it arrived, I got the feeling that this was the ‘safe’ item on the menu. Yet, everyone in our group who tried it, liked it a lot. The elements of this dish which made it ‘original’ seemed to carry it away from the underlying theme of the restaurant as a whole. It was very fine, but ordering this dish may have been a missed bet on my part.
Steamed Manila Clams with Chinese Sausage and Garlic-Shao Xing Wine Broth (app)
The clams were delicious and tender but the sauce was the thing. It was so good I was longing for a pile of rice or hunk of bread to sop it all up. Hell, even a straw would have been okay.
Morel Wonton (app, from the Vegan menu)
Also fantastic, these were stuffed w/ Morels and possibly some other ingredient (it’s all a fog now), then fried until g-b&d and served with a small salad of asparagus sprouts which were dressed in a sesame and chile vinaigrette.
Lobster and Pork Shu Mai with Roast Chili Pesto, Scallion Ginger Sauce (app)
A great combo of flavors--especially when dipped in the accompanying pool of chili pesto which also tasted strongly of corriander. The sauce was also dotted with black and white sesame seeds. Upon first glance, I thought it might possibly be a kiwi sauce, but it absolutely wasn't
. I was absolutely delighted when my wife couldn't finish the last one and asked me to help her out with it. We had 2 wines. With the appetizers, it was a half bottle of Schramsburg sparkling (don’t remember if it was a specific vintage or not). I liked it but it was eventually trumped by the other bottle we ordered. That wine, which we had with the mains, was a Gewurztraminer, Barmes Buecher Witzenheim 1998. It was a great choice, made by my friend whose wine knowledge is universes beyond mine. Because it was appropriately sweet and distinctively acidic, it allowed the food to shine without being a ‘background’ beverage and thus greatly enhanced the meal.
The made-on-premises ice creams were great. We tried a trio of flavors…coconut, peanut butter and chocolate. Wow! Rich, refreshing and astoundingly accurate representations of their given flavors. The crème brulee was delightful and featured a wonderfully wrought ‘crust’ that resembled a round piece of amber glass. It crunched in the mouth and fulfilled. We also sampled the freshly-made donuts which were filled with both a tart lemon cream and a brightly-flavored berry sauce. Alongside the donuts was served (in a cute little demitasse) a “Coffee Chocolate Mousse” which was my favorite sweet of the evening. The texture was more of a ganache than a mousse. As full as I was, it was hard to stop snarfing it down. When I got to the point just before explosion, I managed to force the spoon out of my hand. I was probably less a minute away from my companions launching an intervention at that point.
The service was great. Our server was a bit soft-spoken but knowledgeable and intuitive. As others have mentioned, the room is cool, interesting and hip. I loved the light fixtures--they looked like illuminated panels taken from the Partridge Family’s bus. The kitchen is open which also gives a great feel to the space and adds some drama to the dining experience. There are also few private alcoves off the main room toward the back of the restaurant. Within each alcove, from what I could tell, were two tables for two. My understanding is that these rooms were originally vaults where sheet music was stored (and I’m also pretty sure the space where Opera is located was originally a storage building used by the Opera). These alcoves would probably be a perfect setting for ‘romantic’ dinners on the right occasion for those who are so inclined. We, on the other hand, were there for the food. It was a love affair in many ways, I’m just not sure I would describe it as a romantic one.
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Opera
1301 S. Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL
312-461-0161
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DUCK!
*ducks*
....now what?
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Too many to count! If you throw in the Southern Living magazine with all the printouts, it's crazy....
C'mon froufrou, throw a number out there!
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I find shallots (and onions) much easier to peel if they're chilled.
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12 pounds of Camellia brand red beans were just dropped on my doorstep. I think I know what's for dinner.
Apparently Heather, you've cornered the market
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Whaddya mean?
Directly above your post, Bloviatrix posted that the after she clicked on the ad/link to the Camilla Red Beans (at the top of the page), she learned that they were sold out. Now, 12 pounds of them show up at your door...I was just being silly, or trying to be anyway.
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12 pounds of Camellia brand red beans were just dropped on my doorstep. I think I know what's for dinner.
Apparently Heather, you've cornered the market
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You know what would be a good snack substitute for crackers and chips, but will never go over in the US? Bugs. They're crunchy and probably all protein. Nuts are too high in carbs to really much on. But insects....
I think you're right about bugs but I prefer macadamias (1 net carb per ounce), chicharrones, a parmesan crisp (broiled parmesan) or jicama when I'm dying for something crunchy.
And I will look for the fried onions. I can't say I wouldn't try bugs in the right venue, but I'd really like for that experience to be in the company of an experienced bug-eater. I love to try low-carb products (I'm a homer for the Food Industry) and the buy-in cost to try something is relatively inexpensive (cheap thrills
), but the products are rarely appealing. The Natural Ovens low-carb bread is darned good and has virtually no bizarre additives. It's not completely devoid of them but they are limited and reasonable IMO. Here is a listing of its ingredients:INGREDIENTS: White Wheat Flour, Vital Wheat Gluten, White Wheat Bran, Ground Yellow Flaxseed, Sunflower Seeds, Millet Seeds, Quick Oats, Soy Flour, Crystalline Corn Fructose, Sunflower Oil, Yeast, Soy Protein, Filtered Water, Salt. Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Choline, Manganese Oxide, Niacin, Calcium Gluconate, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Beta Carotene, Selenium, Vitamin D2, Vitamin B12.The Atkins rye bread looked good, felt good and smelled nice but it was unnaturally elastic and almost completely devoid of flavor. Either way, I agree with you. Low-carb products are on the periphery of my overall intake. They're fun to try but I cannot use them for anything more than an occasional 'fill-in'. My goal in starting this thread was to find out what other carb-conscious food-lovers use in their everyday plans. So far, I think the discussion has been really useful. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts.
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If you like chickpeas, try this recipe...
Spicy Toasted Garbanzo Beans and Pistachios
I've made it several times and it's fantastic. The chickpeas don't get crunchy immediately after cooking, but rather tough on the outsides and chewy on the insides. However, if you leave the finished product uncovered overnight, it morphs into a wonderfully crunchy snack that's equally hard to stop eating.
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ETA...crossed posts with hillvalley
and the recipe linked in this post is the one to which she's referring in her post.
Bitted Egg?
in Cooking
Posted
Thanks Katherine, that seems much more realistic and makes more sense to me given the context of the recipe (B'stilla). I just cannot imagine a recipe relying or calling for double-yolked eggs. But my source is usually very reliable so I give him the benefit of the doubt. And I knew if there was more information avaiable, someone here would fill it in.
Jaymes...what you're suggesting is what my friend told me could be substituted for a bitted egg. Hmmm, the plot thickens...
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