Peter the eater

The more gardens and plants the better! This winter's deep freeze has me fantasizing about the garden. We ordered hanging tomato baskets online just last week from Vesey's. We're in a semi-rural Atlantic Canada Zone 6A on the ocean and we've finally figured out where to put a new greenhouse. We've had the metal frames for a few years now, just never got around to putting up the plastic, etc. If you've got a little one and a little room to grow stuff then why not? I keep doing the math and have yet to see an actual savings in the grocery bill, but my kids are four this year and very interested in growing food -- a whole new reason to do so.

Potato Dishes I've a friend and occasional co-worker who's also an opinionated foodie and before that -- a hurler from Wexford, Ireland. "Peter," says he, "what in The Almighty's Name are those red spots in your colcannon?" "The red pepper sauce?" says I. "Don't be daft," says he, "are those . . . carrots?" And then came the elongated discussion about which potato dishes are debased by which frivolities. The long and the short of, we agreed, is that Nova Scotia's a province with many culinary cross-pollinations. I wrote down a whole bunch of potato-based dishes that are not uncommon here. I'd be interested to hear if these descriptions make sense to others, at least from an ingredient point of view. All have potato, most have cabbage, and the other key players are turnip, onion, carrot, scallion, garlic, beef and dairy. Plus the butter, salt and pepper don't hurt. 1. Irish colcannon: potato, kale or cabbage, onion 2. Scottish colcannon: potato, cabbage, carrot 3. German kohl cannon: potato, turnip, cabbage 4. Stovies: potato, onion 5. Champ: potato, scallions 6. Chappit tatties: same as 5. 7. Clapshot: potato, turnips 8. Tatties & neeps: same as 7. 9. Scouse: potato, onion, beef 10. Rumbly thumps: potato, cabbage 11. Mash pot: potato, carrot, onion (aka stamp pot, hut's pot) 12. Bubble: potato, cabbage, sausage (aka bubble and squeak) 13. Boxty: potato 14. Hash browns: potato 15. Creamed cabbage and spuds: potato, cabbage

A microwave alone can liquefy cheddar cheese enough to pour, especially the processed stuff.

It's the Bulk Barn for me.

From The Salt Cod Thread:

There's something called the forbidden tapioca volcano . . .

Fresh Cod Fresh cod is delicious and versatile. This 770g (<2 lbs) piece was without a head, tail and innards for under three dollars, a better than normal price. You could make "Newfoundland turkey" by stuffing it with savory bread crumbs and baking it. You could cut some steaks for the pan, or make fillets for battered fish and chips. Cod au gratin is pretty popular. Today I went with the easiest and most virtuous preparation -- poached in nothing but water. This way I can lift out the cooked flesh without the bones or other unwanted bits which makes it much easier for little kids to eat. When the fish itself is low-cal and unadulterated, the other stuff seams even more luxurious. Poached cod with roasted red pepper sauce and avocado on colcannon (mashed potato, cabbage, carrot): And for the under four crowd:

The ones I've seen range from green (herbs with a little salt) to off white (salt with a little herb).

I think it's more of a personal thing than anything else. There was a death in my neighborhood two weeks ago, we all sent a ton of food and home-made wine and beer to his family. That's the way he'd like it. It depends.

That's a thing of great beauty.

This topic is exactly one of those things that makes eGullet so unique and interesting -- thanks to you all for making it happen. I told Pille in her 2007 eG foodblog: Now I have an even better idea what to expect when I eventually get there. (edited to add: maybe that guy was known as Peeter the eeater)

Thanks for the comments, and for explaining why my cat Beryl was so interested in last night's dinner. I thought it was the sea salt with catmint. My understanding is that the lion's share of whiting finds its way into fish sticks and cakes from the factory. I've also read that it's a bycatch from other fisheries. People should consider smaller fish more often because: 1. They're lower down the food chain -- humans have decimated the oceans' top predators. 2. Younger fish are less likely to have parasites. 3. Fish that are food for bigger fish generally have lower toxin levels. 4. A whole fish on your plate just plain looks good.

That's a very good point about using more than one type of meat in a dish. I can't recall if I've ever mixed it up in a pâté, but for a serious tomato-based pasta sauce I like ground beef, ground pork and ground turkey all together. I've really embraced the idea of herbes salées in my kitchen this past year. Various takes from various countries are more available than ever, or maybe I'm just noticing them for the first time. A new fave is Sale Spezie from Tuscany -- sea salt with estragon and catnip.

Silver Hake I love these fish. Also known as whiting or pinnacle, they're a small lean white fish related to cod and haddock. The Fisherman's Market in Bedford was selling them for $2.49 per pound which works out to about 45 cent a piece, headless and cleaned. One or two hake on the plate provides a reasonable portion of quality protein. They're advertised with the slogan "The Superlative Smelt" and I have to agree. These guys are tastier and easier to eat than the much smaller and poorly named smelt. It's popular around here to simply dust them in flour and pan fry them. Tonight I baked them uncovered for 20 minutes at 350F followed by 5 minutes under the broiler. I put a little water, oil, chopped celery greens and onion in with the 8 fish. Once cooked, the backbone lifts easily from the body and there are very few bones to deal with. Served with potatoes, carrots and a blueberry condiment inspired by local Chef Ray Bear's Blueberry Salsa (berries, oil, vinegar, scallion, salt and sugar):

More blueberries! A five pound box for twelve dollars: They should last awhile. I just noticed they're from New Brunswick, oh well.

Do you think somebody can be a GOOD CHEF but not a GOOD HOME COOK? ← Speaking off the top of my head and with nothing to back me up I would say a resounding YES. As in most fields of endeavour you can often do things in a professional setting and then be lost when faced with less than professional equipment. But I stand ready to be disabused of my assumption. ← Anna N, I think your instincts are spot on. Of course the answer is YES, just like there are lawyers in prisons and psychiatrists with screwed-up personal lives. Good chefs have to do it good every night, inspire the staff, please the diners, balance the books, whatever it takes to stay in the game.

Do you think somebody can be a GOOD CHEF but not a GOOD HOME COOK?

Adam, I have an idea . . . Why not pop down to the Rod Laver Arena for the Nadal/Federer Australian Open Tennis final and get another 15,000 participants for the toast? I understand it's quite comfortable when the roof is closed.

I know what you mean. I've noticed how much the bathroom shelf reads like the kitchen pantry. A marketing suit at Lever Brothers could probably give you an in-depth answer, but I figure it's because people have grown afraid of soap chemicals while embracing organic-sounding foodstuffs. If it's good enough to eat then surely it's good to rub in your hair. No, I don't think so.

This is a very therapeutic topic and I'm glad you started it, as it seems many others are, judging from the honesty of the replies. What could be more important than finding a balance of family/work/health/nutrition/sleep/sanity, etc.? We're all busy (although some of you sound busier than me) and that's just the way it is. I'm a full-time parent and I have an architectural practice, both are a lot of work but I make and cherish the time I spend cooking for my family. I see home cooking as the perfect hobby -- you really do get back what you put into it. We all need groceries, we all need to eat. Continue to put your head and your heart into it and reap the rewards.

. . . cheese, booze and drive-thru coffee. Good cheese is so damn expensive here. When the big 700g block of Cracker Barrel Old Cheddar is half price, I'll get some. I don't care much for processed cheese, and the big bag of grated mozza is just awful. I don't think I can totally give up Port & Stilton, I'll just have it less often.

Wow, 19 pages of fried chicken! I make it maybe 5 times a year, like this: 1. poach a whole chicken 2. let it cool, then break it down into manageable chunks. 3. dip chunks in a sticky liquid like buttermilk or egg/water. Yogurt works, too. 4. coat wet chunks in the dry batter. This time it was flour, cornmeal, graham cracker crumbs, crushed granola, herbs de provence and garlic salt. 5. shallow fry in canola. I used to shallow fry first, then bake until cooked through. I switched to the pre-poach technique because you get a terrific chicken stock from the poaching liquid and it makes for moist lower-fat chicken. If this were a bigger bird, I would've broken it down before the poach.

By cooking -- for yourself, your family, your friends. The more you do it, the better you get. I was useless in the kitchen when I first left home for university. I didn't really start cooking until I had my own place and a decent job, it was out of necessity. If I could send a message to my useless former self from 20 years ago, my advice on becoming a good home cook would be: - Educate yourself: read the books, watch the shows, flip through the magazines, surf the sites. - Experiment: embrace new ingredients, new techniques, new cultures. - Record your progress: take notes and pictures. It's the EER approach! Just what the world needs -- another lame acronym.

Adam, I'll speak for the people are we're interested! If it's 43C you must be down under, and that photo of the smiling rumen will be with me for many nights. Here in Nova Scotia the toast is always a Canadian Scotch Gaelic, such as Slainte Mhath or Cead Mile Failte.

The very sharpest knife in my house is a Grohmann fish knife. Ever since I took the eGullet course on Knife Maintenance and Sharpening and read Chad Ward's book, it's been a screaming sharp knife. It can pass through a loaf of bread like nobody's business when it's stropped and honed, but after a while it struggles and snags -- especially if the bread is steamy. Serrated knives are more crumbly cutters but I feel they're also more consistent. I also use my meat cutter for dense loaves, very thin and very regular slices.