Jump to content

Pontormo

participating member
  • Posts

    2,592
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Pontormo

  1. Melissa's original photograph is of a relatively new type of cichorium intybus that is sold at Whole Foods either as red endive or Red Belgian endive (strictly speaking not accurate) for more money per pound than its paler ancestor. It is bred from Belgian endives and radicchio di Treviso, thus the resemblance to both parents. It is sometimes called California endive in recognition of its place of origin.
  2. Funny. I bookmarked a general news story on related research some time ago: Fruits, vegetables not as nutritious.... Yet, cf. Pollan's remarks concerning problems in nutritional research, especially when it comes to isolating sources of nutrition. In a brief article, he does not delve very deep into what he tries to demonstrate: vitamins, etc. are cultural constructs, not natural phenomena. We've invented the idea of nutrients, based on cultural understandings of food that shift over time. I'll leave this issue to those with more comprehensive scientific training...for the moment. You know, the comment that Hathor made about smacking herself upside the head isn't exactly self-affirming, but it's something to keep in mind when we're all pointing to conflicting evidence to support oppositional POVs. The concept of "complexity" (see Pollan's article) is critical when thinking about historical changes in the way we eat. Not only does a single individual hanker after a Whopper (at the very least, go to a decent Johnny Rocket outlet, please) and a pile of microgreens, but there is no such thing as a single, monotonous string of complementary food trends within a given family, graduating class of Junior High, generation, city or nation. At the same time that Moms stopped baking birthday cakes from scratch, and a home-baked cake decorated with canned frosting is treated with more respect than a store-bought one from Safeway, more and more people are buying fewer to zero cans of green beans. It may be a status symbol among the moneyed in McMansions (irony intentional) as opposed to the antimaterialistic hippies on communes, but fresh bunches of leafy greens are hot now. There are more varieties of fresh, healthy and healthful plants to eat than ever before, in more and more venues despite the traditional ones long gone. "Ripe, strawberries ripe!" No one is hawking produce on horse-drawn carts in low/no-income neighborhoods and we've talked about our failures to buy the flavorful berries we recall from our youths, even at the farmers market far from suppliers to Driscoll's. Yet, we have quinces, persimmons, mangoes, Tuscan kale, golden beets and raddichio.* Someone who has never eaten Lean Cuisine before is buying chard. Someone who is eating Lean Cuisine still hasn't seen chard down in the neighborhood store and never cooked a fresh vegetable in his life. If the chard's there, she's not having anything that strange and unfamiliar, but will pick up a bag of frozen spinach, right next to the Lean Cuisine, instead. And yes, someone else is picking up Stouffer's Mac & Cheese, Lean Cuisine, a big bunch of chard and two pounds of pork belly during the same round of grocery shopping. We are a complex people living in an age of complexity. * * * We're also a bunch of North Americans. I wonder what the folk from other countries make of the article and whether it applies to their lives. *ETA: I meant to give credit to maggiecat for making this point on the first page of this thread.
  3. Pontormo

    Runny Eggs

    Tom Sietsema deserves a friendly nod, too, though the home cooks of eGullet have been documenting the popularity of runny eggs for quite some time. ETA: the little Judith Martin within all of us just put on her stiletto heels and started pacing.
  4. I can't believe how timely this week's collaborative food blog is for so many of us in the United States who have been running around without hats and scarves all winter. Soup weather, at last! In the freezer at the moment: black bean, lentil minestrone with greens and carrot-fennel with dill. There is still a little bit of brodo (a mixture of turkey & beef) to go with 1-2 more servings of tiny cappelletti and a dwindling supply of chicken stock. In the fridge: the last of a wonderful parsnip soup with cannellini and leeks. I stir in arugula at the last minute when reheating it and toasting a wedge of cornbread in the oven. Without apple, without carrot, the parsnip retains its essential bittersweet nature, yinging with the greens and yanging with the leeks. There's a jar of pale dashi to hold tofu, miso, shitake, cilantro, scallions, soba noodles... C. Sapidus inspired me to pick up fresh lemongrass for a little bit of chicken. Also awaiting transformation: a new bag of green split peas and a smoked ham hock, both purchased, I swear, before the blog began. I am thinking of ignoring one piece of Klary's advice about waiting to add the meat at the end, but otherwise trying the snert method of cooking for a long time with an abundance of water and waiting a day before consumption. I will dice kohlrabi and celery instead of celariac, and while there's a lot less meat, some scraps and bones of pork that I trimmed this weekend might serve a purpose. I also bought an excess of mushrooms last week. There is barley in the cupboard. February snarls like a wolf at the door.
  5. I don't know if you guys have Trader Joe's in the city, but they carry Empire. The birds are more costly than Eberly at WF--or around the same price. Andrew, as for Zunied E-bird, the thing I appreciated is the fact that the company sells smaller birds weighing less than the norm of 4.5-lbs. & higher. The standard line is that not only were tiny birds typical back in the golden era of Michael Pollan's great-great grandmother, but the martyred flesh would be of a younger, and therefore, more tender fowl.
  6. I made shakes, salted fries and suggested a hot apple pie with that to half of one of Bobby Knight's winningest teams at McDonald's in Bloomington, Indiana.
  7. While I've read the entire article, I have read only the beginning of this thread. First, I think Michael Pollan is more than a gifted putter-together of sentences. I think he's damned smart, funny and on a mission that makes a lot of sense to me. I recall the reaction to Omnivore's Dilemma also took a major omission to task and returned to the glaring journalistic error over and over again. The man's successful. Good for him. Good for us. As for taking him to task for mentioning inhabitants of Crete during the 1950s did a whole lot of physical labor and the complex context in which they ate their Mediterranean diet was different from ours without dwelling upon the issue of our need to get more exercise? The dual focus would undermine the thrust of the argument concerning what we should eat in moderation. His subject was food as food versus nutrition, not weight loss. As to the final point made in the quotation I offer here, I have to agree. I would not exist were the Irish and Swedish ancestors on my paternal side eating as well as the average American eater of fast food. * * * What struck me as interesting was the number of times the phrase "whole foods" recurred in the essay, never at the beginning of the sentence, so it never appears with even one of the two syllables beginning with a capitalized letter. All uses of the term "whole foods" were positive, referring to things like tomatoes, leafy greens and so forth as opposed to boxes of processed items such as the boxes of fancy cake mixes made with natural ingredients that one finds on the supermarket shelves of Whole Foods. Is the professor making peace with John Mackey?
  8. Wonderful spread, Kevin! Three more days of this region and I'm not sure I'll get around to tasting my first (? think so...) speck, but that pie does look good.
  9. I was debating between starting a new thread on NPR and food or this, feeling that a simple announcement of the following would be ephemeral, but a more generalized topic might be updated. So, this focus on Mario Batali's appearances outside the kitchen could be revived with each new publicity feature. I'll be quick and forgo the link, because on NPR's show, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" just introduced Mario. Turn on the radio or listen later.
  10. Your photograph of spinach lasagna looked spectacular and who doesn't love lasagna? It's a special dish, impressive when utterly homemade, nurishing and comforting in cold weather. Perfect. The only hard thing is planning a menu around lasagna as a main course. Keep in mind that it and the cake would be very filling. I'd be tempted to skip a cheese course and make sure there's something very light to mediate between lasagna and cake. Perhaps go traditional and have a salad course afterwards and borrow equipment if need be to make a sorbet. A big tangle of stewed mushrooms complement lasagna--if not on the table at the same time, perhaps in a tart beforehand. I also think carmelized (not vinegary) cipollini are nice with lasagna. Cubed winter squash on bed of roasted raddichio and endive... I don't know what's seasonal in the Netherlands in February, but if Fuyu persimmons remain (they're all gone here), they'd be good in a salad or with prosciutto. Go casual with everything on the table prior to presenting the main course with lots of options that dont' involve much prep such as the prosciutto, blood oranges w cured black olives & mint, shaved fennel salad... You could also do a soup course if not too fussy. Roasted eggplant soup or something light, but with root vegetables such as fennel and celeriac or roasted parsnips and Jerusalem artichokes... ETA: Look for Hathor's photograph of a roasted pear salad. Dinner thread, methinks.
  11. The unsettling collection of chicken feet make me think of a small frog and a farm in the middle of nowhere. The mysterious petalled or snowflake-light light evokes ludja's current avatar. I so want to walk throuh those woods as long as a fireplace and hot chocolate come with the scenery...
  12. Gorgeous, Abra! Cooking from the Eastern Mediterranean is one of my favorite cookbooks and with all the times Paula Wolfert is praised here, this is the first time I think I've seen someone else mention it! Try the stews, all of them, and the okra with red pepper paste....I could go on.. In the meantime, the dishes from your other book look wonderful, especially the first and the cilantro sauce. I'd like to know more about the latter. What a fabulous treat.
  13. I've mentioned this at least 2-3 times before and cannot find a link to Claudia Roden's recipe, but here's another version of the same type of blood orange and olive oil cake: voila. The published recipe I've used calls it a Tunisian cake, though it is also attributed to other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries. Thanks to Kitchen Chick for the recipe, but with respect, I'd like to reassure you that the fuchsia colors of blood oranges and a dark green olive oil are startlingly beautiful when mixed together. There is another eG member (Sunny....) who says it's her husband's favorite cake, and after I made it, the recipe traveled to Sweden where it served a successful diplomatic function in that important Meeting Between Parents of the First Serious Girlfriend and Boyfriend. Sunny and I both recommend not dusting the top of the cake with sugar. Instead, buy extra blood oranges, using the juice to make a simple syrup. Poke holes in the top of the cake and pour on a glaze. Save at least 1-3 additional oranges to slice thinly and decorate either the cake or stand. Serve with whipped cream. The oranges are also perfect as a simple salad with minced cured black olives, mint & olive oil. They're wonderful as is, or if you've got a lot of them, juiced by hand on a cold winter morning and drunk while standing by the window, looking out over fields of the dark, deformed branches of stunted olive trees where the distant barks of German shepherd dogs, being trained for the carabinieri, replace the rooster's crow.
  14. Yesterday, while searching for the caloric value of Gorgonzola Dolce, I found this information at wegmans.com. What exactly determines a serving according to that company? I find it difficult to believe that two ounces of cheese adds up to only 100 calories. I found a more plausible number at a site that nonetheless accommodated differences between batches too much, claiming 3-4 oz. are 393 calories. And Sandy, I hear you on the bread, but half a sandwich will do if you have a nice big bowl of soup and fruit afterwards. Better than rice cakes.
  15. Using google and specifying either vegetable you mention in addition to naming "egullet.org" as the domain would reveal just how many ideas are here, including recipes in RecipeGullet. Just be sure to try "celeriac" too, for me, a favorite in soup. No need to boil broccoli rabe first. Just chop it roughly, wash it and with water clinging to the leaves, put it in a large enough pan with olive oil, slivers of garlic, salt and red pepper flakes. Cover. Let it steam-sauté for 5-8 minutes until it's more tender but still a deep dark green and not mushy. Lid off. Turn up heat for a minute or two to evaporate all the water if necessary. Squeeze some lemon juice on it if you like. See suggestions for serving above. It's not just for Italian food. Great for Asian stir-fries, fried rice, soups...
  16. What you say is interesting,Franci, but please don't go out of your way. There are reasons that jar of millet has not been opened for a while...
  17. I trust Franci and that dessert does sound spectacular. I'd suggest courses that evoke your husband's personal tastes, special memories, people--things he really cares about. A more practical suggestion should the number remain managable only: cappelletti in brodo. I don't recall photographs by you of tortellini or other small stuffed pasta served as a soup course before. I really was taken by the Modenese filling of veal, Prosciutto di Parma, pork loin and cheese that I made for Christmas, and the traditional broth combining beef and turkey or capon is quite nice. Given small size of the pasta, it's not too filling, but seems very elegant and festive. Then after individual bowls are cleared, all the other dishes can be presented in a more casual fashion, together, on the table. I don't know if you recently made your beloved Sicilian swordfish dish again. If not, smaller versions would be a perfect thing for guests to reach for along with arancini. Hmmm...nothing like Sicily on a grey winter's day. Blood oranges wrapped in bright, crinkly papers.... Revision.
  18. Kosher salt is called for in many cookbooks published in the United States because it is less expensive than coarse sea salt. I imagine you would not have a hard time finding a good coarse sea salt where you live.
  19. This sounds like an issue that might be interesting to more than the PA forum. WF may be recognizing the kinds of skepticism that Michael Pollan--and others--have raised when it comes to the label "natural"; perhaps the corporate attitude is that "organic" is viewed more reassuringly. Nonetheless, when I first encountered Bell & Evans in a small grocery store out west, I didn't think much of it because it was neither free-range nor organic. Now that the "365" or store=brand of WF is Bell & Evans, the organic birds with the WF label are being presented as the "premium" label. Go look at the spice jars. WF has an organic, expensive line with clear rectangular bottles (!!!!! not good for contents), white letters "etched" directly on the glass and silver metal caps. The less costly store brand comes with a big ol paper label glued onto cylindrical clear bottles (cheaper to produce; label actually protects more) and a dark green screw-on cap. For Whole Foods, "organic" means "premium". When the FDA is sanctioning cloned animals and bio-engineered crops are looming in the not-too-distant future, I may very well be susceptible and soothed...
  20. Franci, how is millet used in Milan? I have some leftover from baking bread--an American type. I wasn't aware of the grain's role in any Italian regions.
  21. I only have the original editions of her books, so the timing might have been shortened to accommodate the finer grains of the only type of yellow cornmeal available to most Americans back in the 1980's. I don't know if the revised edition adjusts the recipe. Even a vegetarian cookbook by Deborah Madison notes that 45 minutes is traditional--though the author reassures her American readers that polenta sometimes can be eaten after 30 minutes of constant stirring--or cooked in a double boiler for a much longer period of time, but stirred only once and a while as you're attending to other matters. (Thanks for the chip tip. Sounds like a good thing to teach a young child. )
  22. It just wouldn't be right to ignore one region completely while exploring the rest. Besides, I am not sure I made polenta for any of these cooking threads, yet. So, tonight I consulted Anna Del Conte's book on Northern Italian food and liberally adapted a recipe designed to pay homage to the hundreds of different mushrooms that grow wild in this area, albeit much later in the year. I did what I could with a limited number of different varieties of cultivated mushrooms (4, though it could have been 6) plus dried porcini. These produced funghi in umido (hard to pick a color for that one; let's pretend chanterelles were involved). The recipe had some built-in flaws since it requires an entire bunch of parsley and tells you what to do with half. I can't imagine what the rest sprinkled over only 700g or 1 1/2 pounds of dehyrdrating mushrooms would do other than diminish the flavor you've spent time enhancing; I used less parsley and more garlic than required. At any rate, it is a simple dish, in many ways a trifolato. The only difference is that you cook the funghi for some time on high heat until all the moisture evaporates and then you add 8 T of milk, turn the heat low and stew for quite some time again. Nice, subtle effect in that last step. It it often treated as a contorno with venison or game hunted in the mountains. However, I followed a vegetarian suggestion and served it with polenta (easy decision there). Kevin expressed skepticism about Buford's hyped-up exposition on a proper pot of polenta. I have to agree, though I will add a very un-Italian aside to say that if you're interested, send a PM & I will give you Peter Reinhart's recipe for cornbread that is made by soaking coarse cornmeal in buttermilk overnight. If you wait a few days before preparing and baking the batter, the swelling of the larger, rough grains creates an extraordinary texture that most cornbread lacks. I cooked mine in the usual fashion, only spending twice the amount of time Hazan recommends. After 50 minutes, with a thin yellow coat on much of the bottom (soaking in the sink now), the grains retain a nice fluffy quality. While steam continued to rise until the point that I turned off the heat, I just thought the texture was too dry because I had neglected to add more water to accommodate the longer time on the stove top. Leftovers had to be plopped by the spoonful or scooped by hand onto a wooden board rather than poured. Not authentic as an accompaniment, but scallions braised in a little bit of new chicken stock worked out rather well. I'm still hungry, though, and wish I had some of Franci's strudel.
  23. Pontormo

    Dinner! 2007

    Daniel, tonight this, at least, deserves applause! A very and intake of breath to Miss Alicia, too!! Your new plates are trez whey quel--not just the things on them. Yet, I persist, what the hell R U eating? Inquiring minds wanna know! * * * As for you, Little Ms., we'll get you over to the deep dark green side yet....you and your little dog, too!
  24. The revised edition of Fred Plotkin's book is available in the UK and from Amazon.co.uk. It will not be released in the US until May, a full year after the Brits bought theirs. Source: LRK.
  25. Shaya and Klary: I have been eying this thread with interest, waiting for more demonstrations of recipes to pop up. Now that two regulars from the Italian forum own the book, I'm anxious to hear more of your impressions. Molto e, I don't think anyone except perhaps Marcella Hazan and her immediate family would be offended by what you have to say. She isn't exactly a pioneer, but she was the voice that coaxed many English-speakers into making good Italian meals. New generations of cookbook authors have to offer either something different or more.
×
×
  • Create New...