ojisan

Jason - thanks for translating "The can it is it is lawn soak", and you're correct - I don't recall seeing real myoga at my local Mitsuwa, altho they do carry "young ginger". Hiro - the stuff I've been buying comes in a plastic bag, and I decant it to a plastic container, so I don't know what the ingredients are. The current batch has eggplant and ginger but no cucumber, and is a deep purple color. I've also bought a version with cucumber (but can't recall if it had ginger) and it was a deep blue color. The next time I go to Mitsuwa, I will make note of the ingredients. Maybe other readers can make note too (Kris?) I've never looked for it, so I don't recall if I've ever seen ume-su at the market, but I think Tsuji has a recipe for it in his "bible". Waiting for Helen's thoughts...

And here's the translation. Kindof... http://translate.google.com/translate?u=ht...1&ie=ISO-8859-1 Can someone translate the translation?

Don't everybody jump up all at once now...

Can anyone point me to recipes for making shibazuke - those purple eggplant and cucumber tsukemono? They're quite expensive in the market, and it doesn't seem that they should be all that difficult to make at home. I know it calls for red shiso, and I assume the veggies are salted - but other than that....

Does anyone have helpful hints or methods for removing the skin from pork bellies? (I'm making pancetta.) It's a slow tedious task, and I'm thinking there must be a better way than I'm now doing it. Skin down on the cutting board, and after trying several knives, have settled on using a small deba, with the bevel towards the skin. These particular bellies are very lean, with almost no fat next to the skin, so a ham slicer didn't work. Any suggestions? Sticking them in the freezer to partially stiffen them?

My guess is that tenderloin is virtually devoid of fat and that by using it (in combination with fatback) one can more accurately control the amount of fat in the recipe. Using shoulder does tend to be more of a guessing game, although it's fairly hard to guess wrong. Of course, I cannot say for sure that using tenderloin isn't the most 'authentic' way to make Toulouse. But given the nature of sausages and how most of them came to be, that does seem somewhat unlikely. =R= ← You're probably right about the "lean" - Jane Grigson's 1967 "Art of Making Sausages, Pates & Other Charcuterie" version calls for 3 parts "lean pork from neck or shoulder" to 1 part "hard fat back". At half the price of tenderloin, I think loin would be suitable - and you don't have to deal with those pesky silverskins.

I hate to contradict the extraordinarily knowledgeable Paula Wolfert but when making sausage, all your ingredients should be as cold as they can be, without actually being frozen. I don't understand why one would recommend 'room temperature' for any ingredient in sausage. I don't see how that could possibly help the finished product. =R= ← Does anyone have an opinion as to why Wolfert specifies pork tenderloin for her Toulouse sausage? This seems to be the equivalent to using filet mignon to make meatloaf.

And Gun, Goro's young sidekick, is played by Ken Watanabe - the leader in Letters From Iwo Jima.

Did you recognize the actor who plays the gangster? Have you seen Shall We Dance?

← Mmmm. Organic, free-range frogs.

That's better, but still quite lean - looks like 11-18% fat. I'll try it, although I've not had much luck with anything under 25% fat

1st Ed.: 12 oz. tenderloin + 4 oz. salt pork + 4 oz. fatback = about 33% fat? 2nd Ed.: 12 oz. tenderloin + 4 oz. pancetta = about 10% fat? That's quite a cutback on the fat. Has anyone tried it?

Thanks Ron - sounds about right.

I've done this several times, in an adaptation of Paula Wolfert's Toulouse sausage recipe from The Cooking of Southwest France (the first edition calls for salt pork but the 2nd edition actually calls for pancetta, which I'd tried, out of necessity, before I picked up the 2nd edition). I use 80% fresh pork shoulder and 20% pancetta. It makes a truly distinctive and delicious sausage, which works especially well in cassoulet. The main seasonings are garlic and black pepper with a little bit of mace or nutmeg. A bit of white wine mixed in at the end, while creating the primary bind, will take them over the top. Just be careful of the salt because when using 20% pancetta, you don't need to add nearly as much as when you are using 100% fresh pork; maybe only about a teaspoon per pound, or so. =R= ← I just looked at Wolfert's 2nd ed. recipe for Toulouse Sausage - there seems to be a typo. It calls for pork tenderloin and pancetta, but the directions say grind the "tenderloin, fatback and pancetta". There is no mention of fatback in the ingredients. I assume the 1st edition has the correct recipe. How much fatback should there be?

In my area, I can always find legs/thighs on sale for $.99/lb., but can't get wings for less than $1.99/lb.

For great info on cleavers (or any kitchen knives), go to knifeforums.com: http://knifeforums.com/forums/showforum.php?fid/26/ but be forewarned - the forum can become addicting.

I just bought that one - Waring WPF500. I'm returning it today because when set to max. 375˚, it won't even get to 325˚. Other than that, I really liked it - it heats/reheats quickly. I'll stick to my wok and propane burner (I deep fry outdoors because of lack of ventilation in the kitchen).

Since there seems to be no unanimous consensus to answer the OP's original question, here's my 2 cents: I have in my fridge 4 misos: all 1 kilo packages; all have only the following ingredients - water, soy beans, rice and salt; none came with expiration dates; after opening they have been stored in heavy-duty ziplocks; a clean spoon is always used to avoid contamination; all stored in a very cold fridge. - Yamabuki Tezukuri: dark brown, packed in heavy-duty bag - Yamabuki Inaka: orangy brown, packed in rectangular plastic tub - Shirakiku Shiro: yellow orange, packed in heavy-duty bag - ? brand (no English/I don't read Japanese) really dark stuff: looks like dense fudge, packed in rectangular plastic tub. The dark fudge stuff is way over 5 years old. I mean like 8-10 yrs old. Salt is starting to crystalize on the bottom. But it smells amazing and tastes great too. I'm using this stuff like I would use an old cognac. The Yamabuki Tezukuri is maybe 2 yrs old, and I don't feel that it's suffered for it. So, my conclusion is: if you've stored it properly in the fridge and haven't contaminated it, and there's no obvious sign of decomposition (mold etc.) and it smells good, then the 12 month limit is not valid.

Do you have a favorite recipe for ponzu?

I have a big jar of dried porcinis in my pantry - been there for several years - and I noticed that they're turning white on the edges. What does this mean? Are they still OK - I only use them for sauces. I assume that the flavor has diminished, but I don't want my dinner guests to die a prolonged and painful death....

Does daikon have any nutritional value?

Beef Jerky.

I am trying to decide on which size - I don't do canning, and a 10 qt. would be good for stock, but would it be too large for small amounts of food, say 1/2 C of beans? Is a 4 + 8 qt. combo a more practical all-around solution? (I'm looking at Fagor)

I was wishing someone might post their opinion on the Cuisinart electric panini/grill....

Make your own. I bought it for many years then decided to just make it myself. It is so easy and cheaper plus you know exactly what you have. Go to Costco, buy a block of butter. Throw a 4-6 cubes into a pot, slowly warm up to a low boil, and skim off the scum that floats to the top. Keep doing this until it stops. Let it cool down slightly and then slowly pour in to a clean jar. That's it. ← Thanks for your response, but it doesn't address my query. I've always made my own, but would like the option to buy it ready-made, and would like some recommendations and opinions....