C. sapidus

I think the conventional wisdom is that you are less likely to cut yourself with a sharp knife, because a sharp knife is less likely to bounce off the food and attack you. Good luck getting volunteers for a case-controlled study on sharp vs. dull knife wounds.

Ooh, never thought of kung-paoing bay scallops. Salmon stir-fried with chiles and Thai basil, from Kasma’s Dancing Shrimp. djyee100 pointed out this recipe a while back, and it went over swimmingly with the family. Elder son was in a hurry to meet up with friends, so he volunteered to pick basil leaves and to slice shallots and cucumbers. Served with red-leaf Boston lettuce (for making wraps) and jasmine rice.

Kathryn, thank you! We had a delightful meal at Saravanaas on our last visit, and of course Kalyustans is a treat (and I mail order from them occasionally). Bummer about the SE Asian. Ah well, no shortage of other options in NYC. Looking forward to everyone's dinner. Apologies, my smack-talking is on the fritz at the moment.

According to an unsupported statement in Wikipedia (!), nixtamalization equipment found in Guatemala has been dated to 1,200 – 1,500 BCE (3,200 – 3,500 years ago). I would love to learn more about this history, preferably from someone with better resources than Wikipedia. On topic: We have been very happy with the recipe for picadillo Oaxaqueno from Rick Bayless’ Authentic Mexican. For a closely related recipe, click and scroll down.

Fortunately, Washington, DC is completely free of bugs. Besides Significant Eater’s job, do you have any connection with the DC area? Sam, I know squat about opera but the video that you linked was wonderful. Do you have a link for any of your performances? Johnder, lovely meal, and I hope you will continue to report as your gorgeous country house takes shape. You are all doing brilliantly with the blog, and I am accumulating many new places to visit on our next trip to Manhattan. I do hope that the snow will not keep at least one of you from shedding some light on where a visitor (probably based in the East Village) should go for a good Indian or SE Asian meal in and around NYC. Please?

Doodad, that’s gorgeous, and the flavors sound right up my alley. Shelby, nice job on the tortillas. Our non-traditional tortilla press is a cutting board with felt pads, documented in Making Mexican at Home (clicky). djyee100, your lovely clam dish must have lodged in my brain and unconsciously influenced tonight’s meal. Shrimp with garlic and wine sauce; spaghetti aio e oil; microplaned Parmesan cheese over the lot. Accompanied by Mrs. C’s never-the-same-but-always-delicious cabbage salad, this time with fresh-squeezed oranges and pear vinegar. The house is suffused with the aroma of slowly-fried garlic, the (fake) fire flickers in the hearth, and wet, heavy snow falls outside. I’m ready for spring. Anyone else?

I thought so too, but I couldn’t find it. Our boys started with microwaving convenience products. Don’t laugh – one son started two or three smallish fires before learning not to microwave metal. Learning to control preparation of food, even just heating Spaghetti-O’s in a microwave, gives children a great sense of empowerment. In time we taught them to cook simple things that they liked, such as grilled cheese, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and pasta. Along the way we imparted some basic knife skills, and helped them learn how to analyze flavors and balance them to their liking (for younger son, this usually translates to “pour honey on it”; for elder son, “add soy sauce”). One evening when the boys were early teens, they got a little too critical about one of Mrs. C’s meals. Before they knew what hit them, Mrs. C had made them responsible for preparing dinner (and cleaning up afterwards) one night per week. The only rules were 1) offer a balanced meal, and 2) try to make something that everyone will enjoy. Generally, the boys’ dinners consisted of spaghetti and pre-made meatballs with a salad. Elder son developed his own “secret” doctored-up spaghetti sauce, and younger son learned to make banh mi and fried rice (which he also prepared on one of his Boy Scout outings). We have not asked the boys to prepare dinner for a while. We usually do an “Iron Chef”-style critique after each meal, and the boys have learned to temper their negative comments to “It wasn’t my favorite” (although I still occasionally score negative infinity on vegetable dishes). One a few special occasions, we have asked the boys (and a temporary teenaged daughter) to prepare and serve a restaurant-style meal at home. They were responsible for creating a menu, setting prices, cooking the food, waiting tables, presenting the bill, and clean-up afterwards. We were pretty generous tippers, so they enjoyed being restaurateurs. Before releasing the boys onto an unsuspecting world, we want them to recognize a balanced diet, know how to prepare reasonably healthy meals, and understand that cooking from scratch can save them some scratch. Anything beyond that would be a bonus.

Good point. I have been fooled by this many times, usually when rushing to get food on the table. If I don’t have time to let the dish cool down, I try to undersalt and let each diner adjust salt at the table. Another good point. I have oversalted when I hurriedly tasted the dish before all of the salt crystals have had a chance to dissolve. Yet another reason to prefer fish sauce!

RareRO, you are quite welcome, and I would love to have tried your variation. Anyway, I am glad that the recipe served as a solid basis for improvisation, however inadvertent.

Very enjoyable, Nick, with beautiful cooking and gorgeous markets, especially those stunning fish. I particularly welcomed the vicarious taste of summer after spending the weekend outdoors at elder son’s lacrosse camp, bundled up against the cold, damp breezes blowing off the Chesapeake Bay. Thank you also for suggesting a new Thai cookbook for my collection. Enjoy your well-earned Scotch!

Nick - if you have the time and inclination, I would love it if you could fill in some of the steps between your "stack en place" and the gorgeous finished Thai meal. Thanks! I have always loved Penang curry with prawns, even though Penang with beef is a more traditional pairing. And returning to the seafood envy theme, I am quite jealous of your head-on prawns. Are your kids interested in cooking, or would they rather just enjoy the final product?

dcarch, thank you for the kind words. I love the mushrooms “growing” in your wild rice, and the steak looks gorgeous. I can only imagine that everything you cook must taste as good as it looks. Shelby, Asian markets often carry fresh (unroasted) peanuts. Keema with spinach and coconut milk: Ground lamb with chopped onions, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, cilantro, and chiles for aromatics; cumin, cinnamon, black cardamom, coriander, and fenugreek for spices; finished with a squeeze of lemon. Good stuff, served with cucumbers and the last of the cumin rice. Family approved, but they are probably ready for a change in cuisine. As the snow falls outside, I’m thinking of a few hearty, warming Mexican dishes for next week.

Chris, dry-fried chicken is one of our favorites from the book, and yours looks gorgeous. Yes, I take the time to pick out the hard, black seeds. And you are right about chile bean paste - it definitely makes the world a better place. Did you use thighs or breasts? We always use thighs, and I have not had them dry out. With breasts, you might need to shorten cooking time and / or lower the heat a bit. When cooking from this book, I rely less on cooking times and more on Ms. Dunlop’s instructions – cook until “the chicken is dry, toasty, and fragrant.” The chicken is cooked “past done” in this recipe, so no harm tasting a piece if you think it might be ready. Standard caveat: I have never been to Sichuan, so as always I stand ready to be corrected by those with direct experience of the cuisine.

aschall, roasted Poblano chile + anything is good, but yours looks fabulous. Another dinner from 1,000 Indian Recipes. Mrs. C had most of the sous-cheffing done when I returned home, and the meal went over well with the family. Southern Indian-style fried trout, with a simple dredge of flour, cayenne, turmeric, and asafoetida, and served with a squeeze of lemon. The trout turned out tender and delicious, and the spices subtly enhanced the flavor. Spinach and red bell pepper pilaf, using leftover cumin rice seasoned with chaat masala, garlic, chiles, fenugreek leaves, mint, and garam masala. This was very popular. Cucumber and radish raita, also leftover, but stretched with more cucumbers and chopped mint leaves.

nickrey, I am looking forward to this week very much as I always enjoy seeing what you cook up. I did notice David Thompson’s Thai Food sitting prominently on your bookshelf, so I am glad that you led of with a fish salad, one of my favorite summer meals. For someone who already has a fair selection of Thai cookbooks, would you recommend adding one by Martin Boetz? If so, any one in particular? Do you prefer Viet Huong fish sauce? I liked it, but usually choose a less-salty brand for maximum fish sauce flavor without over-salting the dish. I am jealous of your seafood quality, but not the prices. I have heard that Australia and / or New Zealand have particularly enlightened ocean fishing policies. Do you think that drives up the price, or is the price more a function of location? Can't wait to see what's next.

Nakji, here is a recipe that we quite enjoyed: pumpkin roasted with curry leaves (click), from Niloufer Ichaporia King's My Bombay Kitchen. We made it with butternut squash, but same difference.

That sounds delicious! At our house, the family will be subjected to one of my periodic multi-day Indian cooking binges . . . Spicy Goan shrimp curry – with a spice paste of garlic, ginger, curry leaves, cumin, chile, mustard seeds, turmeric, garam masala, and vinegar. Cinnamon, bay leaves, fried onions, tomatoes, and cilantro rounded out the flavors. Definitely worth making again! Cucumber and radish raita, seasoned with chaat masala, chile, black pepper, and paprika. This may make another appearance tomorrow. Basmati rice with cumin and black pepper, spices fried in ghee. This should also reappear tomorrow in a different guise.

Home-fries and slow-scrambled eggs look delish! I was rushed this morning, so I banged out a quick ham and cheese omelet.

Thank you, Shelby and husband, for a delightful week. You have given a particularly vivid and engaging picture of your lives, and our lives have been enriched thereby. Kudos!

Steamed smoked fish with black beans and chiles (p. 157): Stir-fry chunks of smoked trout and then steam with fermented black beans, chile flakes, and chile oil. Very simple and full of flavor. Stir-fried broccolini with ground pork and preserved greens (p. 200): We adapted the recipe pretty liberally. Broccolini (sub for bell peppers), sausage (sub for pork), preserved mustard greens, Shaoxing wine, garlic, and dried chile flakes. I undersalted the greens, but the fish turned out fairly salty. When everything was mixed together with jasmine rice, it tasted just right.

PercyN: Looks delicious as always. How do SV scrambled eggs compare with your usual? Edit: never mind, I see you described in All about "sous-vide" eggs RareRO: Gruyere, bacon, and habanero scones sound out-of-this-world good. So, what do you make for breakfast with leftover ginger-honey-glazed salmon, leftover rice and the usual pantry supplies - garlic, chiles, fish sauce, roasted chile paste, and an egg? Of course: Salmon fried rice

Two-part dinner tonight. We heated up some chilli with leftover rice before younger son’s swim meet. If any chile survives the cook-off tomorrow, I will get a picture. After the swim meet Mrs. C made smoothies for the boys, but I snacked on chayote al vapor, made with Serrano chiles, garlic, basil, feta cheese, and a squeeze of lime juice. Over the years my versions of this dish have strayed considerably from the Diana Kennedy's traditional recipe.

jmolinari, beautiful pizzas! What is an LBE? Rico, mmm, venison chile relleno. A family favorite from Dancing Shrimp: garlic-black bean pan-fried fish, served with jasmine rice, cucumbers, and green salad. Tilapia fillets were deep-fried to brown, set aside, and then finished with the sauce. Cooking the tilapia in two stages yielded a beautifully tender-firm texture. The aromatic sauce includes fermented black beans, ginger, cilantro roots, dark soy, rice wine, black pepper, cayenne, sugar, and a head of garlic. I’m posting this here because unfortunately the Thai cooking thread has been dormant lately. Garlic-black bean pan-fried tilapia

I will eat salads at lunch. The cafeteria at work had a good salad bar, and I used to make delightful salads with mixed greens, surimi, jalapenos, red onions, feta cheese, etc. When the cafeteria closed down, my lunching habits became much less healthy. I will make simple, flavorful weeknight meals I will learn to cook cornbread, just so I can make it with roasted Poblano chiles (thanks, Shelby!) I will read novels rather than cookbooks. Mens sano in corpore sana.

Holy smoke – you just made BBQ better (‘cuz roasted Poblano chiles make everything better ). I roast Poblanos the same way as you do, FWIW. You have made it clear that I need to break down and learn to make cornbread. The parking lots at work are half-empty at the start of deer hunting season so just in case I receive a windfall, can you elaborate on your venison smoking process (time, temperature, cut of meat, etc.)? How would you compare smoked venison with, say, smoked pork butt? Also, I don’t think I have seen Curley’s BBQ sauce before. Would you please describe it and tell us why you like it so much? Sorry, lotsa questions, but I’m interested. Sleep well!