FoodMuse

Reviving this thread since we're moving into fall in Brooklyn and I have a 1 lb bag of green split peas and 2 lb of ham hocks(3 smoked hocks total) ready to go. It's been years since I last made this soup, but I remember using just 2 hocks. I wonder if 3 might be just too smoky. Maybe I'll just cook the peas with 2 and simmer the third til tender separately. The third's meat can be shredded into the soup. Recipe to come very soon. I'll be making this tomorrow. Any thoughts you'd like to add? Grace

@andiesenji That is a brilliant way to deal with various winter veg! I've roasted onion, garlic and whatever veg I have, but I love the idea of mixing up a giant vat and freezing it for later. I'll be doing this very soon after a fruitful farmers market visit. Do you peel your carrots? I usually do, but was wondering if everyone did. Grace

It was delicious! Thanks for all your help. Next time I think I'd like a less flavorful way of cooking goat if that makes sense. Great meaty texture, but what with all the spices and rich wine sauce I probably couldn't have told you if it was lamb, goat or even pork shoulder in the stew. I'll certainly be making this again with chicken legs sometime soon. It's a great fall recipe. Tonights leftovers will be paired with a roasted acorn squash. Grace

OK, so the 2lb bonein shoulder which looks like half of it is some ribs is in a pot braising. I used Nihari as a basic spice list. Browned the shoulder. Removed to a large pot. Sauteed one large sliced onion with 4 cloves of garlic minced. When onion is a little soft I added spice mix to bloom. When I thought they might burn poured on just about 3/4 bottle of Syrah wine. Scraped up goodness from the bottom of the pan and poured over the lamb shoulder. Brought that to a simmer and put in a 325 degree low oven covered. I'll probably braise for 2-3 hours checking every 1/2-3/4 hours to stir and check for tenderness. I want it falling off the bone. Will let you know how it turns out.

Thanks guys. I'm leaning towards a simple red wine braise with lots of garlic. Birria sounds amazing, but I need to stay with the staples I have in my apartment. @jkarpf I got mine at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. Maybe the same producer you bought yours from. I'll keep in mind overestimating the braise time. I have a stovetop smoker. I wonder if that might be another way to go? -G

Hi, I'm very excited about scoring an 12 week old goat(kid really) shoulder. 2lb. Bone in. Any experience with young goat? I'm thinking treat it like lamb and do a braise. Thoughts? Advice? Jealous? Maybe some Indian or Jamaican spicing. Grace

@percival Nice. Love the science! I have to say I reuse vegetable oil(filtered through a coffee filter) more often than you recommend. I just give it the sniff test. You know when it's rancid. I may rethink my method. I refrigerate my tahini, always. Grace

Here's my goto fig dish: Snip off the top of the fig and slice an X so you create a sort of a pocket. Shove as much herbed(this is key, plain won't do it) goat cheese into the pocket as you can. Wrap each fig in a slice of bacon and grill. Drizzle with a mild honey. Brilliant.

East Coast Grill is all about quality. Love that place, and they have a raw bar. Cocktails are terrific too. From a Review on WeeklyDig.com SEAFOOD EAST COAST GRILL AND RAW BAR If you can't make it to the waterfront, let the fresh seafood swim your way. Menu offerings-from fleshy fish to toasted tentacles-change daily at this long-standing favorite in Inman Square so you know you're getting that day's fresh catch. Belly up to the compact bar (don't worry, you can squeeze in) for the freshly shucked, supremely slurpable oysters-even more so when served "Asian"-style with pickled ginger, aged soy and wasabi. With good food in a casual atmosphere with tons of wine, beer and Tiki-lounge inspired cocktails (a Flaming Volcano for two, please), no wonder this place has been a neighborhood favorite for decades. [1271 Cambridge St., Inman Sq., Cambridge. 617.491.6568. eastcoastgrill.net]

I've been snacking on green beans simmered til just tender tossed with just a little rice wine vinegar and S+P. I don't even bother with any oil. Great cool and room temp. I keep a big bowl in the fridge. I also make a quick pickles and snack on those.

Aussie Lozza Hello, You might want to think about a fairly nice hotel that is doing a buffet. Pretty much most of what comprises a Thanksgiving dinner is made to sit around. This way you'll be able to try lots of the classics. Will you be here alone?

This place is spectacular. Ordered: Whole dish in a sweet sauce. Sauce was overwhelming the dish. Next time I'll just get it flash fried. Cold Eggplant in hot(spicy) oil. Very good contrast with hot dishes. Tea Smoked Duck. This was the standout dish. Moist meet and crispy skin. Perfect. Young gord, sauteed in a mild sauce. Very good. Would get this again. A cold Conch app. Eh, texture was odd. I don't recommend it. I'll be back. They didn't have the Beef with cumin on the menu though. Darnit.

The Best of Nicole Routhier By Nicole Routhier This cookbook has been invaluable. I think it's a nice primer for learning about basic sauces, condiments, salads and classic dishes. Worth the money for the warm beef salad recipe alone.

What's good? What do you love here? Going tonight, thought I'd check in with you lot. I'll def being getting the Beef with Cumin that I always get at the St. Mark's location. The locations are related right? Grace

I went on the the Food Hall launch day and wrote up a little review you can see here on my FearlessCooking.tv blog. I added pricing for the pizza station in the comments section. I sat at the Tapas/Wine Bar, but was able to order from other stations. That's a very nice feature. Grace

Thought I'd bring this back to the top. Last response was in '06. Not in China Town, but I've had great meals (with friends who've lived in China) at the Chinese place on St. Marks. Get the beef with cumin and tea smoked duck. www.thegrandsichuan.com Would like to hear where you like to eat in China Town now. Grace

Hello, I've seen recipes that call for heating the heavy cream first. I have heavy cream and sour cream. Any advice for those of you who have used sour cream as the starter agent? Grace

Agreed on quality relating to price. I just wanted to filter out the Nobu price point. Thank you so much for your post. I'll forward this on to my friend! Grace

Hey all, Friend is planning a bithday dinner for his girl. She loves scallop sashimi. Any reccomendations of where to go in Manhattan? Not too pricy please. Thanks Grace

Even better than bacon fat, I will be using DUCK fat for sauteing a little trinity veg! Details shall follow. Great recipes from you, and of course appreciated. Grace

I'm looking for a recipe that can come together very quickly with pantry items. Any thoughts? I saw one recipe that had you drain chopped tomatoes and roast them at a high heat on sheet pan before adding to broth. That sounds like a promising idea. Grace

Great thread idea! What kinds of food you like? It might help us get inspired for you. Asian? Mex? TexMex? etc. Do you have access to a microwave? Grace

@Zoe B Can you give me the gist of the Szechuan green beans? Would love a quick asian side dish. Grace

Reviving this gravy thread. I have lots of leftover roast chicken and no drippings. I love brown gravy, but don't know a great way to make it sans drippings. Thoughts? I've in the past been fairly happy with 2 tbsp melted butter, 2 tbsp flour cooked for a bit, 1 1/2 cup chicken broth from my fave company Better than Bouillon. I sometimes add a little thyme or wine for zing, but it's not that exciting. Any recipes for gravy with no drippings available? Grace <edited to add> Maybe I belong in the cooking section of the forum since I'm asking for recipes? Moderator feel free to move me. I guess to stay true to the initial post I can add I'm a Yankee from Boston and grew up not realizing gravy came from anything but a small envelope mixed with water poured over instant mashed potatoes.

I ended up modifying this recipe from Mark Bittman It was delicious. He doesn't specify, but I cut apart the ribs and found a few lamb neck bones in my freezer that I also tossed in. The amount of whole spices is fantastic. I did not remove the spices after the braising, rather I removed the lamb and poured off most of the fat. This was very easy to do as it had separated, leaving behind spices. I also didn't bother crisping up the fat, but now that I've read all these comments extolling the deliciousness I will next time and serve sauce on the side. I then thought I'd make it into a sauce. I added in a 2 tablspoons of butter and 2 Tbsp flour, stirred for a bit and slowly added in some milk until I reached a gravy consistency. Might sound odd, but it was fantastic after I had corrected the seasoning. This recipe is a keeper. I think it would also be great with bone-in chicken thighs