markemorse

Here in Amsterdam nearly all of the grocery stores sell "shoarma spice" in a jar for your spice rack...the one i've got lists its contents as coriander, cumin, paprika, curry powder, black pepper, celery seed, cloves, cayenne pepper. +++

I did forget to mention that i salted and drained my eggplant before sauteeing it, and then lightly pressed and drained it again after I sauteed it....it really did not soak up that much oil, but the post-draining helped a bit i think. i was focusing on getting a nice brownness to my slices and tried to use just enough oil to where you wouldn't want to call it "toasted eggplant".... let us know what happens! +++

I may have imagined this, but I thought that the Sept 2007 Gourmet had some kind of decently-sized article on Salvadorian food....

Hard to be precise...i would say that you do a couple of quarter-inch thick layers of sauce, alternated with layers of eggplant, cheese, and basil....and a layer of sauce and cheese on top. So many people have asked for the recipe I will definitely document it the next time we do it. One suggestion though: the timballo looks gorgeous before you cut it, but it quickly turns into a formless pile of carnage, really quite unappetizing. I think it's because eggplant isn't the easiest thing to cut, a knife just kind of demolishes it. So we've decided that from now on it's going to be presented standard, flat, 9 x 13, lunch-lady style, dished out via scooping technology.

I've done this a few times in the past few months, basically sauteeing the eggplant slices in as little olive oil as i can get away with. It's really gotten fantastic reviews from everyone. Two other tweaks which seem to complement the lightness: a lot of fresh basil, so for 5 American eggplants (one very packed 9 x 13 pan) I probably used almost a cup of fresh basil leaves. And I use equal parts fontina, mozzarella, and parmesan for the cheeses, sorry I don't have exact measurements. But I do have a picture of our first tiny test version. The last big version I did was in the normal eggplant parm form factor. good luck! +++

I would pick up some ricciarelli from Siena....moist almond cookies. and we used to love Enoteca I Terzi when we lived in Siena it's a very honest locals-only place that never had a written menu when we were there...

In less good news, Los Pilones (discussed upthread) has opened up a second location in the Jordaan, and it kind of forgets to include many of the things that were good about the original Los Pilones: dark but festive atmosphere, a usable bar at which one might spend an afternoon tequila-sampling....and most importantly, serious Mexican food. The chicken mole has changed quite dramatically, still vaguely mole-tasting, but a pale shadow of its former self. Haven't been to the original location in years, but firsthand reports suggest that the same decline is afoot there. Bummer! +++

Well, I didn't get much out of him, other than: "Really good. We just ate there a few weeks ago. Good Italian with a big wine list." I think I was even in Atlanta when he ate there and he was considerably more enthusiastic about it at the time... not much help, but.... yeah mem +++

I have a friend who lives about 100 yards from it, I'm asking him if he's eaten there....let you know...

This may be a stewpid question, but I didn't see salt mentioned anywhere...seems like these Jamaican curry recipes frequently call for soy sauce instead of salt, but I'm wondering where your salt element came from.... I'm looking at a goat masala recipe from Suriname at the moment, and their cooking method is: wash 1kg of stew-cut goat meat with vinegar, rinse it, set a pan with enough water to cover the meat on the stove, bring to boil, cook the goat pieces in boiling water for 5 minutes, skim the foam off, and drain. Then they have you (in a new pan) start the curry, adding garlic, onions, 3 tbsp of masala spices (essentially curry powder), tomatoes, 2 scotch bonnets, and soy sauce. Add the goat along with 2 cups of water, and cook for at least an hour, until meat is tender, adding a little water as necessary. So: half the water your recipe called for. Have you given this another shot since the first time? +++

Wow, that sounds (and looks) amazing, right up my proverbial alley. ChefCrash, do you rinse your freek before cooking? And I'm wondering in under which regional specialization I'd be most likely to find this? Lebanese? Egyptian? We have scads of (for lack of a more useful term) "Middle Eastern" grocers here in Amsterdam, but 90% of them are of Moroccan or Turkish origin.... Thanks! mark

I agree with Katie that this is probably a fat problem....and probably the reason that goat butter is not a more widely-known product... living in the Netherlands, we see a lot of commercially available goat milk and cheese, but I've never seen goat butter in a grocery store before, not even in the organic/whole foods grocery store. i'm wondering if this purchase came from a particular independent goat farm in the center of amsterdam...seems like they would most likely be the highest-profile purveyor of goat butter in the city. i guess my point is: goat butter is not even popular over here...and based on your kitchen experiments, there's probably a good reason for that. mark +++

Also not France, just adding to the general WWOOFing testimonials....My wife WWOOFed in Scotland a couple of summers ago for a few months (Inverness and the Shetlands), she had a great time and learned a lot. Didn't cost her anything but labor...

I was going to suggest garlic confit as well, I made it earlier this year and it was extremely delicious and very useful...the recipe i used is here. +++

I'm a bit late, but just wanted to say thanks for all the hard work: it's been an inspirational blog and wow, great photos from Tabla: must make more chutney. And, congrats on getting hold of some peach butter! P.S.: Did you get a photo of any Brunswick stew? I've been threatening to make some for Chufi... +++

Just catching up now, great blog, Kim....thanks! And I'm glad to hear that my wife is not the only person out there who needs a safety helmet around the house.

Yes, it's redundant but I'll say it anyway: great, great blog. thanks for all your hard work...

Here's "my" farinata recipe.

Yes. You'll miss the melted-cheese effect, but small squares of parmigiana are often served at buffets at room temp. I'm facing the first terrace meal of the season this Sunday with a coratella coi carciofi, which I don't even like. I make the artichokes and my mother-in-law, thank heaven, does the rest (ormai, it's an annual thing in that we are given a lamb with its coratella every Easter). I need to fill out the rest of the menu. I'm thinking in terms of vignarola for the non-coratella eaters, and I don't know what else, but it has to be easy. Baked white onions maybe. Friggitelli (peppers) maybe. I'm not too good on baked pastas, but that would probably be a good idea, but nothing too heavy... ← eG roasted cauliflower? If I'm not serving it hot I add capers, pine nuts and raisins (thus also bringing it squarely into the Italian side of things)....it is the most foolproof thing I cook these days other than farinata. +++

Thanks all! hathor, not only does this sound great but it's also pretty much exactly the recipe that a Roman friend described to me last night...I'll let y'all know how it turns out. dochl, that recipe looks intriguing, but since we're already doing doughy stuff elsewhere I'm going to have to postpone the torta rustica for now....

ah....thanks. nice one.

Sorry, I'm just catching up....the Herwig's folks sound like every other Austrian I've ever met...friendly, funny, and not unwilling to use a stick to make their point. The food looks awesome! Almost makes me wish I had a hangover, it looks like the perfect grub for it....

Thought I'd bump this as the picnic season re-approaches. Doing an Italian-based potlucky thing next week that may migrate up to the roof, so that's almost a picnic. Anyway, we're doing an assortment of focaccie and a big green salad with mint and chives, but I'm kind of looking for a homey baked vegetable dish that I can do beforehand and serve at "picnic temp". I myself have a hankering for eggplant parm (or timballo di melanzane), kind of a lighter version, though....no frying. Fontina instead of mozzarella. My question is, does this work alright at room temp? I know I've enjoyed eggplant parm ice cold out of the fridge before, but I'm like that....

I'm surprised Alan Richman hasn't already written this article...

For those of you unable to watch this season for one reason or another, Television Without Pity has some comprehensive and pleasantly bitchy recaps here.