Shaya

Susan, that pizza looks awesome. What are the proportions of flour to water? Do you add olive oil to the dough?

It's odd, but your comment's just made me remember the buckloads of fresh lovely favas my grandmother (who lives in Halifax) always seems to have on hand. I've never lived anywhere where they seem that readily available - do you have any idea why favas are so available in Halifax? (I'm pretty certain my grandmother buys them at the farmer's market - perhaps there's a local farmer who specializes in them?) ← Lexy, 'the farmer's market does carry them; as well, we have a great independent grocer who buys much of his produce from a wholesaler/grocer in Montreal which is the mecca for wonderful, fresh and exotic produce there (it's where my family always shopped growing up in Montreal). This grocer also grows his own baby artichokes so they are aplenty in the late summer and fall. Lucky me.

Why sugar, Shaya? ← Just got off the phone with my grandmother, "Mama", our nightly chat, mostly about food. She says this is the way she was taught, this is the Iranian tradition, and it is typically crushed with a spoon- perhaps the the sugar is necessary to help break up the threads (as you say, Megan, an abrasive). The amount is so miniscule the flavor doesn't enter the final dish. I admit that I often use salt instead, but don't tell Mama.

Thank you! The colors seemed to come out really nice -- which was completely accidental and unplanned. The saffron was added a little later. (I'm no saffron expert. The recipe called for ground saffron, which I've never come across. I had saffron threads which I ground. I'm not sure if that was what I should have done, or if I should just have used the threads as they were -- they seem so fragile that perhaps that would have worked fine too. I've just never cooked with saffron before). Basically, I cooked the onion, added some garlic and then the rice. Then, some wine, and after that was cooked off, I repeatedly added stock, which cooked off. I think I added the saffron after the first bit of stock. Maybe I should have added it later on, towards the end when the cheese was added, to retain the flavor of saffron, because there wasn't too much taste of it left. First time I've used the stuff. ← Grub - your instincts were right about grinding up whole threads - these will be of much better quality than the ground stuff. The Iranian saffron is superior to the Spanish (although more pricey and harder to find as well). My grandmother taught me to add some sugar to a few threads in a mortar and use a pestle to grind them up; then to add a bit of boiling water to them - this releases the flavor. She also warned me (and still does) not to over-do it with saffron, too much can be overpowering and too much for our systems to handle. There was a thread about saffron not too long ago and many people complained they don't like it, so perhaps they were exposed to too-large doses. If I accidentally add too much water, I simply let the excess cool and store it in the freezer in a zippy for future use. You can even break off pieces as you need them. For risotto, you want to add a bit of stock to the threads instead of water, in a vessel separate from the rest of your stock, and add it to the rice when the rice is about 2/3 cooked; this way the flavor will be more pronounced in the final dish.

Looks great Klary. I am feeling badly for all you cooks who are not able to procure fresh favas. My city is lacking in many many ways, culinarily speaking, but I can usually find favas for 3 months of the year, and I buy them every time I see them.

Thank goodness for our library - I've just put this book on hold! Thanks Kevin.

Beautiful-looking dishes everyone. I just ordered Downie's book - hope to receive it before the month is out! Kevin - that scafata looks great. The thing about cooking the "Italian way" is that it has really made me appreciate veggies so much. They just make everything taste so good. Did you find this after a year of cooking this way? Mike, very impressive that you've only just started to cook and you are starting with the best! It's wonderful to see all these recipes and ingredients come to life before your eyes for the first time. Keep it up, your dedication is a great gift to both yourself and your family. Pontormo, that ragu sounds wonderful. Did you mean that the recipe asked you to shred the meat off the bone PRIOR to cooking? If so, I would have done as you did, the bones just seem to add a whole new layer of richness. Hathor, that is one beautiful meal, from start to finish. I love the poetry involved in making the artichoke/potato mash - this cuisine really is about making the most of each ingredient, and using scraps the way you did is brilliant.

I agree completely on both counts. I love the bechamel and meat sauce version - would not want to try it any other way. That said, I do use a ricotta mixture for canelloni and ravioli and I omit the egg with no adverse results.

Klary/Susan: I've made those zucchini bundles only they get dipped and fried: make sandwiches layering zuke/proscuitto/cheese/basil/zuke then roll in flour and egg/salt/pepper then fry until golden brown on both sides, drain and top with parmigiano. Another idea - since it's sandwiches, what about some sort of chip idea - paper thin slices of beets, sweet potato, potato, fried or baked...something crispy and unexpected next to such an elegant sandwich.

Janet - I also use my Le Creuset dutch oven and it works wonderfully. Although I've seen a shorter, wider-rimmed le creuset that looks like it would be even better. Chris, thanks for the kind words. The mushrooms include king eryngi, shiitake and cremini. I sauteed for awhile in olive oil with a bit of garlic and thyme, added white wine then added a bit of butter. By the way, is there any reason why you are thinking of switching pots? How is this chef's pan different?

As part of tonight's Dinner: Saffran Risotto topped with sauteed wild mushrooms and pancetta. Oh, and lots of parmigiano reggiano. The great thing about this dish is that it's a huge hit with young and old alike. It's real comfort food. My little guy asks for it pretty regularly.

Gorgeous looking food everyone. tupac17616 that pasta looks great - great for you scoring guanciale! Kevin, that birthday dinner looks awesome. And that spaghetti - yum! I think I would faint from delight if I ever found artichokes like that at my grocery store. Do they taste any different than the green ones? Foodman - that dinner looks amazing. I made those same artichokes from Batali tonight as part of my passover dinner - they were yum. Next year I will try to make an all-Italian meal! Carciofi alla Romana

Ok, you've got me, I'm hooked! I guess I really do like cauliflower. Who knew?

I envy you getting over cilantro. While it's not exactly a phobia for me, I can't tolerate it at all. When I travelled through Southeast Asia years ago my friend kept saying, "...oh, there's something in this dish I just love!" and I kept saying, "...oh there's something in this dish I just can't stand!" Finally figured out it was the insipid green herb. One night we were staying in a very remote town in Vietnam and our kind hostess offered to prepare dinner for us. I asked for noodles, my favorite, and my wish was granted - two large heaping bowls were placed in front of us. And intertwined throughout the entire dish was...you guessed it...cilantro. It was the longest meal of my life. I couldn't eat it at all. My friend ate as much of her plate as she could, then we put half the food from my plate onto hers to make it look as if I had eaten. A sad waste of food.

Thanks for the info Kevin. I really need to wrap my head around the specialties of the different regions. Would you say the differences are defined mostly by ingredients or by preparation type? I understand if this is too broad a question to answer simply - don't worry if it is. I just love artichokes. Growing up we had them on the table every night as an appetizer, simply boiled in salted lemony water and that's it, no dip no sauce no nothing. So when I made these for my Mom and sister last week when we were all visiting at my sister's place, they were wowed, to say the least: Carciofi Fritti Dorado- dipped in egg and flour I have two large artichokes waiting patiently in my fridge while I decide what to do with them...will report back.

Thanks Kevin, it's one of my favorites too. It's so easy to make and the kids just love it, it's my go-to dinner for them. Tonight a simple meal of spaghetti carbonara made with bacon. I mix the cheeses (parmigiano reggiano and pecorino romano)in with the eggs, pepper and a touch of cayenne, add the hot, cooked spaghetti into the bowl with the eggs and toss the bacon in at the end. So simple my 2-year-old made the "sauce" himself. Yummy. Question for you - are artichokes in general a Roman tradition or just carciofi alla guidea and carciofi alla romana?

I love what you all are doing with these regional-focussed threads. Italian cuisine has definitely been my focus in recent years since my children were born; for some reason it has those qualities that match being home and nurturing my family - it's comforting and fulfilling to me. But until now, I have not been able to distinguish the differences from one regoin to the next. You have inspired me to focus more on this. Last weekend I made a typical Roman dinner which I posted in the Dinner thread but thought I would add it here as well. Started with a pasta course, my favorite - tortiglioni al'Amatriciana made with pancetta and bacon - no access to guanciale here. Followed this up with veal Saltimbocca - scallopinis topped with sage and proscuitto and fried in butter and olive oil, and two contorni - (1) discs of zucchini sauteed with onion, and (2) green beans - blanched and shocked, then sauteed with onion and tomato sauce - kept on the heat until the tomato sauce has caramelized, almost turned into a paste.

Alchemist, you hit it on the head, it's that slimey stuff that coats the seeds that kills me. I can tolerate eggplant seeds pretty well - but they are "clean". I'm curious - do you think it was the veggies or something in the peanut sauce that "got" you in Ubud?

I did have some left over - only because we had a big meal following the soup. There's enough for one lunch portion. The 2 adults had one bowl each and my 5-year-old had 3 small bowlfuls. I'm still not sure he knew it was asparagus but he loved it! (Then again, he recently told me his favorite part of miso soup is the seaweed, so he obviously has very tolerant taste buds!)

Tomato seeds. If they are in the dish, my teeth WILL find them, and I will become immediately turned off from eating. I've always had this phobia - I trace it back to when I was 4 and my Aunt made me try a spoonful of taboule and I really didn't want to try it...I guess it traumatized me! Tomato skins follow a close second. Since I cook so much Italian, my husband found the best little gadget (a tomato presse) for me that shoots the seeds and skins down one side and all the good stuff down the other. It literally changed my life.

I made the creamy asparagus soup tonight, it was really nice. I added just a hint of cream although it was great without it too. I made the veggie stock the other night so making the final dish tonight was pretty quick. Although mine is not terribly photogenic, you can see a picture here on the Dinner thread.

Pam - I had the same impression as you, given the predominant Ashkenazie population where I live. Without my family around, I find myself wondering how my little boys are going to pick up the Sephardic traditions and culture (outside of the food I prepare, of course ). Alexis, I know that Synagogue well - shivered through my cousin's November wedding there 10 years ago, I will never forget it!

Happy Birthday Susan, hope it's a great year for you!

Thanks for sharing, Ling and Lord Balthazar. I've never seen such a generous offering of goodies - you really know how to live. I love it!

I actually get the grain-fed birds that Pete's and Superstore carry because I never see fresh "organic" chicken around. As a rule, I don't care for chicken that's been frozen. My neighbours buy theirs fresh from a farmer - he probably sells at the farmer's market. I will ask for the name next time I see them and let you know.