djyee100

You can steam a whole salmon in your dishwasher. (The spectacular outdoors version, of course, uses a bathtub with hot rocks.) Serve your dishwasher salmon with smoke-free sides like rolls, potato salad, cole slaw, and buttery corn-on-the-cob. For dessert, S'mores cooked under the broiler. http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/Smores/Smores.htm

I drink strong coffee (Peet's), with a dose of milk for flavor and a dose of heavy cream for wonderfulness. If the coffee is acidic (as mine is), the cream balances that out. Coffee with cream is one of the great fat/acid combinations.

I don't think this discussion is about bashing Christians. But in the U.S., more often than not, the offensive evangelicals are Christian. The problem is more about evangelical over-enthusiasm and insensitivity to others. Someone once told me (with astonishment) about a small evangelical Buddhist sect he encountered. He didn't much like them, either. The difference is, the repairman keeps a bible on his desk for his own use. Is he trying to communicate anything to his customers by this act? It doesn't seem so. OTOH, the restaurant has a placard for customers to read as soon as they walk in. Keep in mind that not all religions practice that kind of prayer for those reasons. If I were at that restaurant I would say, "You're telling me to pray in a way that's centered in your religion, not mine, and that's offensive."

Everything looks wonderful. I'm looking forward to this.

I find religious preaching of any kind unwelcome, in a place that is supposed to be there for all. The last time I flew Alaska Airlines, a piece of paper with a Judeo-Christian prayer came with the airline meal. I complained to the company by email, got some kind of blah response back, and stopped flying Alaska Airlines. That said, people mean well when they push their religion in your face. I suppose these precepts have meant a great deal to them, and they want to do something "good" for you. However, on the receiving end, their proselytizing can come across as intrusive, narrow-minded, and obnoxious--especially when their religion is not yours. Frankly, that restaurant placard would have bothered me if it were hanging on the wall.

I would expect 1/2 lb crabmeat to yield 4 medium-sized crab cakes. Assume a raw mixture of crab, seasonings, and breadcrumbs; allow 1/3 cup of raw mixture per crabcake. The Citarella website recommends the stronger flavored backfin crab for crab cakes. Depending on how highly seasoned your crab cakes will be, the backfin crab may be better than the delicately flavored Maine crab. The yield of meat from individual crabs can vary wildly. You'll have to ask your fishmonger to make a guesstimate.

A bunch of us were talking pizza, and I got this tip: The Central Milling flour sold at Costco, labelled as organic AP flour, is similar to Italian 00 flour, and very good for pizzamaking. I did try some pizza made with this flour. (Somebody else made the dough and pizzas, though). The dough looked strong and stretchy. The pizza crust tasted good, too. Around here the flour is available at the Costco store in Richmond, Ca. I don't know about other locations. More about this flour on this blog: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/14044/my-visit-central-milling

All those dishes sound great, Jenni. I recently tried a stirfry of loofa squash with shrimp in one of Kasma Loha-unchit's classes. This website has an adapted recipe. In the original recipe, the shrimp are cut into small pieces, not chopped. The original recipe uses peanut oil. http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/2001/asianveg/luffa.html#axzz1VasYAnHM The stirfry was simple and very good. Some things to keep in mind: - Buy skinny, young loofah squash at the market. They taste better. I bought squash about 1 1/4 inch in diameter. Remember to peel them! - Before cooking, taste a small bit of the squash raw. It should be sweet, not bitter. If the squash is bitter, toss it--or accept that the dish will not come out as intended. - Cook the squash very lightly to retain its freshness and sweetness. I watch for it to warm and turn translucent at the edges, and it's done--residual heat in the dish will do the rest. If you overcook this vegetable, it loses its sweetness and tastes very different. have fun cooking!

I'll have to check out some of Carolyn's recs the next time I'm in the Japantown area, too. Meanwhile, a couple friends were talking about the Off The Grid food events in SF, which they like. I haven't been to any of the events myself. (Really, sometimes I feel I don't get out enough.) My friends are fans of the Chairman Bao truck, but warn about the long lines. There is an Off The Grid event at Fort Mason in SF this Friday evening. About Friday's event: http://sf.funcheap.com/grid-friday-night-food-truck-party-fort-mason-4/ A blog about Off The Grid: http://sacfoodies.com/2011/06/off-the-grid-san-francisco/

ScoopKW, I read your post and I drew a blank on Japantown. For all the years that I've lived in the Bay Area, I've only visited and eaten at Japantown a handful of times, and nothing in particular stands out. The shops are more interesting than the restaurants, as I recall. When I want Japanese food or ingredients, I head to other Asian shopping enclaves in SF and the East Bay. For the best value for your money, good (or better!) food at reasonable prices, I tell people to head to the main drags of SF's various neighborhoods. Those places rely on regular clientele who live nearby, so if they aren't good they don't survive. Some places are: Chestnut St & environs in the Marina neighborhood; Valencia St/Mission Dolores area in Noe Valley; Clement St & environs in the Richmond district, starting around Arguello/2nd Ave and going up the avenues; 9th Ave & Judah, 20th Ave & Irving, 27th Ave & Taraval in the Sunset district. (Not that the Sunset is so special. I used to live there so I know more about it.) I'm sure there are other good eating and shopping areas in SF, but those are the ones that come most readily to my mind. I don't know of any good cheap sushi restaurants in SF. Sushi may be one item on which you may want to splurge, for the freshest and best fish possible. I like sushi at Ebisu at 9th& Irving in the Sunset neighborhood, because it was my local place when I lived in SF, and I've known the chef-owner and his family for decades. The sushi there is always very good, but I wouldn't call it cheap. Do people have other recommendations for sushi in SF?

Mjx, as you head south on Highway 1 you might want to stop by the North Coast Brewing Company in Fort Bragg. When I'm in this area, I like to go there for a steak and a beer. It's been a few years since I've eaten there, though when I was a more regular visitor the food quality was consistently good. Nearby is the town of Mendocino, rather chi-chi but don't let that put you off. There's a popular bakery in the center of town, with a crowd outside in the AM. It's handy for a quick breakfast. Do people remember the TV series, Murder She Wrote? The series was filmed in Mendocino. Yes, this upscale California coastal town was supposed to be down-to-earth, quaint Cabot Cove in Maine. The last time I was around here, I did a short hike in the Mendocino Botanical Gardens. http://www.gardenbythesea.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/home.showpage/pageID/6/index.htm The views from the bluffs over the ocean are spectacular. (Assuming it's not a foggy day.) The Gardens are located in Fort Bragg. Not sure when you want to head inland from the coast, but a great place to do it is Rte 128, through the Navarro River redwoods and the Anderson Valley. One of my favorite drives. Someone upthread mentioned this drive also. The Anderson Valley is wine country, too, with wineries to visit. At the southern part of the Anderson Valley is Healdsburg. The Downtown Bakery and Creamery in Healdsburg is popular. Mjx, I wonder if the Healdsburg Bakery and Creamery is your mysterious ice cream place. It was co-founded by Lindsey Shere, who was the original pastry chef at Chez Panisse. If their ice cream is like Chez Panisse's, no wonder it was memorable, even years later. Here: http://www.downtownbakery.net/bakery-cafe.html If you decide to continue south on the coast from Mendocino, there's a cute town called Bodega Bay with a good seafood restaurant on its pier where the sport fishermen come off their boats. Very fresh, no frills seafood when I happened to drop by several years ago. Not worth a detour, but if you're hungry and in the area (as I was) this place served a good dinner. If you continue on Highway 1 to Pt Reyes Station, you can visit the Cowgirl Creamery, where their cheeses are made. Their store sells other local artisanal cheeses, as well as their own great cheeses. Nearby is Pt Reyes National Seashore. Farther south is Stinson Beach and the Pelican Inn. I haven't been to the Inn's restaurant myself, but a friend who is a confirmed Anglophile likes their British pub food and the beers on tap. For something off the beaten path, you can visit Green Gulch Farm in rural west Marin County, which is run by the SF Zen Center. I was there last April for a workshop and weekend stay. The farm's beautiful, with a short walk to Muir Beach. Overnight accommodations are OK, if a little rustic, and the food is good, sometimes great, vegetarian food. The food is grown on this organic farm, of course. The SF Zen Center originated the Tassajara vegetarian cookbooks. This is not a spa or a resort, but a working Zen monastery. The bells sound at 4AM for zazen, and overnight guests are invited to participate. When I was there, I declined the invitation. Or, as I said to a friend, if I have to get up at 4AM for enlightenment, I will be suffering on the karmic wheel for a long time yet. Zazen is also repeated in the late afternoon before dinner. I missed that zazen, too--by then I was hanging out at Muir Beach watching the pelicans. You can also visit the farm on a daytrip for the Sunday Dharma talk--a beautiful drive out there, tea & muffins with the congregation afterwards, and the farm's kitchen sells loaves of great Tassajara bread to take home. have fun on your trip!

I cooked and posted about a Swordfish Chowder on the Dinner thread last year. I've never cooked the chowder with frozen fish, but I think frozen swordfish would be fine. Other frozen white chowder fish could work, too. Here (my post #24001):

I'm bumping up this topic because I've been grinding curry pastes with a granite mortar and pestle this week, and today it occurred to me that I should finally buy a grinder/blender for making spice pastes. Any recommendations of make and model? I worked with a good Sumeet years ago (somebody else's). This blog mentions grinders by Preethi and Meenumix. http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Sumeet_Mixer-Grinder_-_Wandering_Spoon.html Advice on what to buy, please.

Use the tip of a swivel peeler. Like this one: http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Swivel-Peeler/dp/B00004OCIP/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1311737689&sr=8-2 You can dig in and pull out the white center of the berry, which is bitter. So the strawberry will taste better with this method. Using the swivel peeler is not as fast as the head-chopping method, but it's more efficient than a paring knife. It also preserves more of the fruit and its beautiful shape.

In case you have any leftover zucchini, you can make "zucchini parmesan," basically eggplant parmesan made with zucchini. It tastes good. I posted this simple recipe here (post #3):

You don't say how you receive your CSA order, whether you go to a place in the neighborhood to pick up the order, or whether it's delivered to your home. If you go to a central location, I suggest asking the CSA to set up a "swap box." That's what my CSA does. People drop off the vegs they know they will not eat. Drop off something you dislike one week, pick up something you like better another week.

Lucky you. I suggest a summer salad of sauteed chanterelles with green beans, roasted red bell peppers, and toasted hazelnuts, in a red wine vinaigrette. Saute the chanterelles in olive oil with salt, and combine with the roasted red bell peppers and a red wine vinaigrette with a little minced shallot in it. Let marinate briefly. Just before service, add in green beans (cooked al dente) and chopped toasted hazelnuts. Now that I'm thinking about it, I should make this salad again soon.

You didn't say when you're visiting, but if it's around mid-August... The Gravenstein apple harvest should be happening. Stop by a farmstand for a bag of these special apples, or go to the festival. I usually drive up to Sonoma to buy these apples when they are in season, and their fragrance perfumes my car all the way home. http://www.slowfoodrr.org/GravensteinAppleFarmers.html http://www.gravensteinapplefair.com/

New potatoes are so delicious--still sweet, not starchy--I suggest you do as little as possible to them. I like mine in a green garlic potato salad with vinaigrette. Potato Salad with Green Garlic 1 1/2 lbs potatoes, preferably red creamer potatoes 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 TB chopped green garlic salt 1 TB sherry vinegar Boil potatoes in salted water. While the potatoes are cooking, combine olive oil, green garlic, and a few dashes of salt in a small pan over low heat. Cook slowly until the garlic is aromatic, softened, and translucent. The garlic should not brown. Set aside the garlic mixture. When the potatoes are done, and still hot (but handle-able), cut into bite-size chunks, sprinkle with sherry vinegar and season with salt, and toss gently with a rubber spatula. Pour on the warm garlic mixture, and combine. Taste and adjust for salt, oil, and vinegar. This salad tastes better if allowed to sit 1/2 hr or more so that the flavors mellow. Adapted recipe from chef Rick DeBeaord of Café Rouge in Berkeley.

This place has been getting buzz from the locals: El Molino Central in Sonoma. A local recommended it to me the last time I was in Sonoma. I ate a breakfast of chilaquiles there, and it was delicious. Meanwhile, while I was eating, I noticed the steady stream of people, mostly residents, coming by for take-out or snacks. I took home some of their great tortilla chips and salsa. I could eat their salsa by the gallon. Not just your typical taqueria. http://www.elmolinocentral.com/Menu.html

Check out recipes for Middle Eastern sweets. When I googled around, this webpage had some Lebanese desserts containing gum arabic. http://www.habeeb.com/Lebanese-food/Lebanese-recipes.12.html If you can find a copy of Paula Wolfert's Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, there's a recipe for "The Snake," or M'hanncha, a coiled up pastry cake of phyllo dough and almond paste, with a little gum arabic in it. Chicken with Onions (Djej Bisla) has a pinch of gum arabic as a mystery ingredient.

I agree a great deal with what Katie Meadow says. Vegetarianism doesn't necessarily equate with good health and happiness for some people. The two long-time vegetarians I know began vegetarian diets when they were teenagers. They hated the heavy feeling of meat in their bodies. One of them ate fish when she was pregnant. Her body was saying, Eat more protein! Although vegetarianism works for these people, both of them have had periodic problems with their joints. I was told that the lesser degree of protein in the vegetarian diet can sometimes lead to problems with cartilage in the joints. Don't know if that's true--again, just something I was told. I had my fling with vegetarianism in the 1970s, the natural foods era. The affair lasted about 6 months. It ended when I missed animal protein too much, and the vegetarian diet didn't seem worth it. Vegetarianism and I parted ways, and I never looked back. One thing I learned from my experiment, though: vegetarianism requires serious everyday cooking to make it work. I had to expand my repertoire of Asian and Indian vegetarian dishes to keep the food interesting, and I had to commit to far more time cooking, too. Veggies take time to prep. The vegetarians I know are all very good old-fashioned cooks, and superb improvisational cooks--no surprise there. Vegetarianism touches on some important issues, no doubt about it. How are we raising our sources of meat? How much meat should we be eating anyway? Eating more plants and less meat sounds like a good idea to me. I won't go back to a vegetarian diet, but I have thought about doing Meatless Mondays. That sounds like a system that would be more bearable and doable for me.

I'm mystified as well. It's not bitter to my palate at all, and this is someone who grew up eating bitter gourd and bitter melon. Same here...so perhaps that's why we don't find it bitter! Incidentally, I always thought bitter melon and bitter gourd were too different names for the same thing. Granted there are different kinds of bitter melon/gourd (most noticably to my mind the not-very-bitter Chinese one and the very bitter Indian one) but basically most people use these names interchangeably. Maybe my CSA specializes in an especially bitter subtype of dino kale. The first time I cooked it, I didn't blanche it, and it was so bitter I threw out the batch. My CSA does pride itself on growing unusual vegetables. FG can try his dino kale straight and let us know where he sits on the "bitterness scale."

Dino kale, or lacinato kale, is very bitter. I suggest that you blanche it before putting it into anything. I blanche dino kale, then saute it with olive oil, garlic and salt. When treated properly, dino kale has a big, deep, "green" flavor--my favorite kale, too. The beets can go into a roasted beet salad with vinaigrette. I like sherry vinaigrette. This beet salad is one of the simplest preparations I know of for beets, and one of the best. A recipe from Alice Waters: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21203669/ns/today-food/t/marinated-beet-salad/

I have no idea what that line means. Nor is Bittman forthcoming with his definitions, either for his meaning of "chef" or "cooking." Sometimes people say real cooking involves the creative improvisation with food, not just mechanically following techniques or recipes. Maybe that's what Bittman means. It's impossible to say from the article, though. The Minimalist has been too minimalist with his explanations. From my own experience, every professional cook and chef I've known can cook, whether that means mastery of technique or creativity with ingredients. When I had a hobby job assisting chefs in cooking classes, sometimes teenagers (15 or 16 years old) showed up for class. They enjoyed working with food and had an intuitive grasp of what to do with ingredients. It was fascinating to observe. Maybe these kids didn't have much learned technique, but if you put some raw ingredients in front of them, they could make something tasty with it. I suspect many professional cooks and chefs start that way at a young age.