Jinmyo

Soirry, I don't know about Seattle and area. But yuba! Yuba! Yuba is great! Roll it up, deep-fry for 30 seconds salt it and serve with sake. Roll things in it like sliced shitake and rice and deep fry it! Lay out many sheets of it, stuff and tie it, steam and then quyick-roast it for 1,000 Layer Roll! Hahahahaha! (cough) Um. Yuba.

Shitake rice; gaspachsoy (cold savoury banana and soymilk soup with shaved Japanese cucumber and coriander); cotton tofu and kimchee with minced chiles, mung and soy sprouts and garlic chives; cold steamed Shanghai bok choy and leek salad with peanuts.

The general ratio I use is 1 cup rice, 1.3 cups of water for a rice cooker.

I prefer freezing most herbs. But I'll dry oregano (it's actually just as good though different from fresh) and sometimes mint and rosemary. I just hang them (upside down) on bright, hot days.

All right, so not pasta. But you could have pasta with this. Take some tomato sauce and poach a few eggs in it. A scattering of chopped mint (some basil too, if you want). Crank the pepper (I know you carry a grinder with you). A nice dust of parmesan. Some crostini. Really. In fact, a touch of mint with some (over easy) fried eggs can be nice.

Okay, okay. Pasta. Saute a sweet onion, add garlic, add rough chopped green tomatoes, add capers, a bit of limoncello, some shrimp or lobster meat. Add some minced mint. Now dress pasta (I'd say ziti because I love ziti). Add a bit more mint, some EVOO. Or. Roast some rabbit with a mirepoix. Remove rabbit, debone. Remove mirepoix and clean it up, reduce sauce. Add white wine, mint. Cook large wonton wrappers. Assemble three or four layers of wrappers with rabbit in between, Nap with the sauce, surround with a bit of the (cleaned-up) mirepoix. Or a few shavings of good parmesan.

Ah well, then. Mint pesto with chestnuts and pecorino. Pho, pho, and pho with mint. Boiled or roasted tiny potatoes with a bit of cream, butter, and mint. Grilled lamb chops with a mint marinade and then vinaigrette. Mint julep. Mint with tomatoes, onion, yogurt, zataar and pita chips. Mint...

Sorry this is late, tommy. I'd use cream if I had a few wild mushrooms or bits of chicken or such. But a simple farfalle with peas, pancetta, mint, a bit of garlic, EVOO and then some pecorino and shattered pepper bits is pretty nice. So what did you do, tommy?

If you have some pancetta (or bacon) and some peas...

Rochelle, I'm interested in the marinade for the flank steak. It seems quite acidic and seems to have only some sesame oil. Acids will break down the surface proteins and make it slushy, without penetrating to the interior so basically a marinade doesn't really tenderize. Oils help the flavours to pervade, and flavouring is the real point. Let us know how the steaks turn out, please.

That's a great idea.

Special K, want to see how far Palms can beam? I'm holding mine up. To your left.

Toby, thank you. The minty and green qualities are of course absent from the dried herb. I have been using it in some latin-based bean dishes, certainly not as a garnish as the dried herb looks rather nasty. Thank you for the information on seeds, which I will pass on as I don't really do gardening anymore.

Having worked very hard as assistant head baker and head baker at several establishments many many years ago that specialized in French breads and croissants, I must agree with Special K: non. No frozen brioche, croissant, or (though I despise them) "danish". There are too many variables in production that must be handled skillfully such as environmental tempertaure, humidity and so on. And then there is the quality of the butter. And the temperature of that while spreading and then folding. Phyllo and puff, yes. edit: Wonton wrappers. Has anyone mentioned wonton wrappers? Especially for the home cook, use them without guilt.

cabrales, I did not mean shoyu or soy sauce. Some "tofu" is made with sesame and yam rather than or together with soy beans. edit: Of course, it's goma-tofu.

cabrales, do you think that the sesame flavour of the tofu was because it was soy flavoured with sesame? Or the "tofu" that's actually made with sesame? (I forget it's name at the moment.) Soba, congratulations on encountering sake. Sake is another category of drink entirely from wine, beer, or spirits. And my favourite.

Depending upon the type of mashers that you want, yukon gold are generally the most reliable.

Margaret, you are on the side of good and walk hand in hand with the angels.

Well, what are your proportions? Is this short or long grain brown rice?

Toby, I've never been able to get fresh epazote here in Canada. The dried has a kind of petroleum taste (but in a good way). What is the fresh like?

David, there have been several discussions about this. cabrales not only takes notes but will sometimes also take photographs.

I don't understand?

I agree with Huevos. Hold them on a bain marie (but not over an hour), monte au beurre before serving. Or just time them to finish while the steaks rests (ten minutes minimum, but I never go less than twenty).

Extra-large. The pans: the really big stainless steel jobs. The frittatas turn out about 3 and 1/2 or 4 inches thick. How many vegetables? Depends. Say 2 big red or white onions, 3 or 4 red bell peppers, 3 or 4 cubanelles. If using tomatoes, a concasse of perhaps 15. If I want the vegetables dispersed, I start with the vegetables, pour in some of the egg, scramble it around, then add the rest. Sometimes I flip the frittatas so that the vegetables are on top, for example with a caramelized onion frittata. I also sometimes use them as a way to carry leftovers such as pasta, risotto, rice, or potatoes. Room temperature, especially in the warmer months. They make a nice sandwich too with foccacia. I serve them hot in the winter. I must make these almost every week. edit: Ack, I forgot about mushrooms. I usually use a mixture of different kinds of mushrooms and want them to be visible so I throw in the fresh herbs before the top sets and then flip the frittata to serve.

Browning is desirable. My frittata are usually about twelve eggs and I have three or four going. After they're setting well, into the oven at 425 or so. I keep testing them. When almost done, under the salamander for less than a minute, sometimes with a dusting of cheese.