JustWokAway

be brave. usually, for thinner steaks, after searing the sides on really high heat, take it off. you can count on enough heat migrating inward whille in the resting process to avoid a vampire feast. for thicker steaks, after searing i just move it to a cooler part of the fire and close the lid for a few minutes. tent with foil after removing from the fire to allow the meat to rest and for a last bit of heat transfer to the middle. always touch the steak throughout the process, from raw to overcooked (heh, it happens), either with your fingers or some tongs to familiarize yourself with how much meat betrays its secrets through its resistance to pressure. jwa

book, Land Of Plenty, by Fuschia Dunlop

erps this is the post i meant to reply to. I bet spain and israel did ban them once, but maybe they relegalized like US... jwa

prolly never illegalized due to lack of domestic citrus industry, though i might be wrong. Maybe Nelson planted a few groves.... jwa

I went to Ba Ren based on this post and i was very excited by what i ate, i hope i get to go often and try more things. I had Ma Po Tofu and Dan Dan noodles. Ma Po Tofu is a very famous dish, and i though if this restaurant was as good as you said i should take the opportunity to try their version. I often had bland and/or greasy versions. The actual dish was delicious, very tangy and spicy, but mainly carrying a banner of roasted chili oil before it. I treated it as a pungent accompaniment to steamed rice. I got the Dan Dan Mian noodles beccause I cooked this recipe once out of Ken Hom's Taste Of China, and liked them, so i figured these guys could probably do a much better job. Again, superb taste. And quality! you can really tell above average chinese food by looking at it. The colors are richer, the greens are green, not overcooked, and it doesn't shine like they just dumped half a bottle of vegetable oil all over it. The noodles were a nice toothy 3/8" round--possibly rice noodle but maybe wheat--witha a vinegary brown sauce with bits of scallion and chile. Can't wait to go again and try twice cooked fish, husbandandwife, and other recs i noticed. matt