djyee100

No, there's no chicken stock in it. When I cooked this soup, I decided to play with method to maximize the flavors of the beans and veggies. To make Bean and Kale Soup: Soak 2 cups black-eyed peas overnight. There should be about 4 cups of beans after they have been soaked. Drain well, and set aside. In a large pot, heat some olive oil and add in 1-2 oz pancetta, chopped; 1/2 large onion, chopped; 1 carrot, cut in small dice; 2 stalks celery, chopped; 1 TB freshly chopped savory; 1 TB freshly chopped thyme; (optional) 1/2 small dried cayenne pepper; S&P. Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture is very soft, almost mushy. Add in the beans and cover with a generous amount of water. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam, then lower to a simmer. Cook until the beans are very soft but still hold their shape, about one hour. If necessary, add more water as the beans cook. Meanwhile, de-stem the kale leaves and cut into thin strips. Blanch the kale, then cool under running water. Drain well, squeezing out excess water. Saute the kale in olive oil; set aside. When the beans are done, remove a generous cupful of beans from the pot and mash well. Return the mashed beans to the pot: they will give the soup a creamier texture. Stir in the kale. Taste and adjust for salt. Let the soup cook a few minutes longer. Serve hot, with a bowl of grated parmigiano-reggiano for garnish at the table. This soup tastes great with fresh cornbread.

Emily_R, the shrimp cake looks like a winner to me. I like the idea of the fried lime supreme, too. No competition for dinner at my house. (Only one cook.) I took it easy with a stirfry of beef, onion, and asparagus in a sauce of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Sometimes I cook this stirfry with fermented black bean instead of oyster sauce, and that tastes good too.

Mgaretz, I wouldn't mind eating some of that stirfry right now, & I'm not even hungry. Kim, what a great Easter meal. Congrats to Jessica. I loved the coconut cake and cupcakes, too. MiFi, delicious-looking dinners. Any recipe for the fondant de canard? Tonight's dinner, a chance to empty out some ingredients from the fridge, freezer and cupboard. I made Bean and Kale Soup. Black-eyed peas and kale from my CSA went into the soup, along with pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, fresh savory & thyme, and a small dried cayenne pepper (which gave the soup a more spicy kick than I intended. Next time I use less. ) On the side, fresh-baked cornbread from some blue cornmeal in my freezer. I put grated parmigiano-reggiano for garnish at the table. Dessert was sweet Murcott tangerines that I bought at the market yesterday.

You could look to recipes using basturma (aka pastirma, pasturma), the Turkish relative of pastrami. I've tasted this bean dish from Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking, and it's delicious. White Beans with Spiced Beef: http://books.google.com/books?id=HT6D2fD4qIwC&pg=PA248&lpg=PA248&dq=wolfert+beans+spiced+beef&source=bl&ots=GLZzfwgVMg&sig=BLaXcqifVEQyX2ZsXNUYhWrFSZM&hl=en&ei=dUu2TeKNDo-WsgO0sJGpAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false I've also tried small filo pastries stuffed with basturma, grated kasseri cheese, and fresh chopped parsley. Those were memorably good.

There are a bunch of recipes using fresh ricotta in Rosetta Costantino's new cookbook, My Calabria. These are a few with ingredients that are in season. I haven't tried any of them, but they sound delicious. Chicken Soup with Ricotta Dumplings, on Googlebooks: http://books.google.com/books?id=86R77RdzTj8C&pg=PA96&lpg=PA96&dq=costantino+my+calabria+chicken+soup+ricotta+dumplings&source=bl&ots=vXYhNPGvd7&sig=PpufIaCv9LD0JcFh6XRA66MU3J4&hl=en&ei=CUi2TZ6zE4XEsAPDkaipAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false Frittata with Fresh Ricotta. Adapted recipe on this blog: http://www.travelerslunchbox.com/journal/2010/12/6/my-calabria.html Shepherd’s-Style Rigatoni with Ricotta and Sausage, on Saveur website: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Shepherds-Style-Rigatoni-with-Ricotta-and-Sausage

An amazing dinner, Chris. You did some serious damage in the kitchen, I see. Did any of the dishes surprise you? disappoint you? which did you like best?

I suggest that North African classic, spicy lamb merguez sausages.

A turkey mole for a change of pace? I've cooked the recipe for Mole Coloradito from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet. This is a simplified mole compared to some traditional mole recipes. I cooked the recipe with chicken, but I'm sure turkey would be good too. I thought the dish tasted fantastic. You can make the chile paste ahead of time. My notes say: "Grind the cinnamon stick before adding it to the blender!!!" Adapted recipe for Mole Coloradito here: http://forums.finecooking.com/cookstalk/cooking-discussion/chocolate-and-bittersweet Years ago I clipped a recipe for spicy Haitian-style turkey from the NY Times. I'm sorry to say, I've never tried it. But this topic motivated me to unearth the recipe, and it still sounds good. Here: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/dining/161hrex.html I like the idea of splitting up the turkey into parts for different uses. If you separate out the breasts, you can brine-cure then poach the meat for sandwiches. When I have leftover cooked turkey, I chop it up, add in some chopped ham, and combine it with parsley, scallions, and a lemon-tahini dressing. Then I stuff the turkey-ham mixture into pita bread halves with feta cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and chopped kalamata olives. That burdensome leftover Thanksgiving turkey disappears pretty fast this way.

I'd only use a flame tamer in situations where gentle, even heat is important. They are said to improve the performance of electric burners that heat unevenly. They're also necessary if you're using clay cookware on an electric or ceramic stovetop. If you feel your gas burners are heating unevenly, perhaps the solution is to have them checked out by an appliance specialist, rather than buying flame tamers.

I was checking out a restaurant menu online and saw this item: "Black trumpet mushroom sformato with snap peas, greens, parsley root and an egg cooked by the fire" http://www.caminorestaurant.com/menu.html Something along the lines of your custard idea.

Uh, Chris, is there any reason that you have to make the recipe right now when your car is out of commission and you can't shop for key ingredients? I have no idea what that green is. If grass clippings are a poor sub for sorrel (probably), how about revisiting your idea with sumac? Do you have the dried powder, or the dried berries? How about simply using lemon zest in the sour cream? Instead of something herb-y and sour, like sorrel, you could go for fruity and sour.

It's a mild, lemon-y green. Chard with lemon juice comes closest to the flavor profile, IMO. Lemon verbena or lemon balm are also similar. For the purposes of your recipe, with the green poked into frozen sour cream (which I'm trying to imagine), lemon verbena or lemon balm might be good bets. Of the possibilities that you mention, spinach is too strong-flavored (also differently flavored), and watercress, arugula and mustard greens are too peppery without that lemon-y taste. Sorrel can turn an unattractive khaki color when cooked, so maybe you're better off finding a substitute. If you want to try hunting for it, look for it in the herbs section of the market. Sorrel is a salad green/herb. BTW, sorrel is very easy to grow. It's basically a weed. I keep mine in a pot on the patio. Despite my neglect, it sprouts a handful of leaves every week thru the spring and summer. People love it as an accent in a salad, and it's a natural with any cream sauce. I suggest you try it.

It's a grapefruit knife. However, it's also handy for coring a cabbage if you're making stuffed cabbage. Run the knife around the core, then blanch the cabbage until the leaves are tender. The leaves should loosen up and fall off easily for stuffing.

Sounds good. Toss in some bitter greens, nettles if you can find them, or other tender greens. Kale would be fine if you blanch it before sauteing to tenderize it. Then serve over soft creamy polenta. I tasted something like this at a local restaurant years ago. The combo of black trumpet mushrooms and polenta was delicious--that's what sticks in my memory.

An article last year in the NY Times. A father and his 13-month old daughter took a vacation in SF while mom was on a business trip. Kid-friendly restaurants & one bar are mentioned. http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/travel/14frugalSF.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th

This amuse-bouche was so show-stopping, I remembered the topic even though I've never made them. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/134227-pitting-cherries-but-leaving-the-stem/page__p__1753250#entry1753250 Since cherries are out of season, maybe substitute olives? I often bring this starter to parties. It can be made several days ahead. Always popular, especially in winter when people crave the intense taste of tomatoes. Herbed Sun-dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil with Goat Cheese:

I stack plates on a sheet pan and put 'em in a 300 degree oven, only for a few minutes before service. They warm up quickly. I don't bother with warm plates except for certain dishes that benefit from it, like pasta, especially pasta with a creamy sauce. A semi-coagulated cream sauce is unpleasant to serve and to eat. Beef stew also comes to mind--again, it's that coagulated fat issue. OTOH, I wouldn't put a fresh-baked pizza on a warmed plate. That thing is so hot when it comes out of the oven, I cool it on a rack until I can barely touch it, then I serve the slices on room temperature plates. I chill dishes for frozen desserts like ice cream or sorbet. Otherwise I don't bother (or I forget).

Sorry I can't answer your question. But this topic reminded me of another EGullet topic, about lacto fermentation and equipment.

I haven't cooked much with fromage blanc, though I like it. Some ideas from Annie Somerville's Everyday Greens cookbook: - On a baguette with grilled vegs and basil. - On a pizza with wilted greens and red pepper flakes. - Stuffed in gypsy (or bell) peppers with an egg to solidify it & some fines herbes. - Substituted for half the cream cheese in a cheesecake. You can use fromage blanc as a substitute for goat cheese or cream cheese. That should expand your range of options. I recently tried a black currant & cream cheese ice cream at a local restaurant. It was surprisingly good. The tanginess of the cream cheese set off the sweetness of the fruit puree. Fromage blanc might work in an ice cream, too, if you feel like experimenting. Have fun! I wouldn't mind a tub of the stuff in my fridge.

I was curious about Delfs' recipe and found it online. Or so the recipe credits Delfs' book. Sounds like a good one. I like that touch of fermented black bean. The recipe, with some anonymous editorial comment, is here: http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/asia/chinese/ma-po-dou-fu1.html

I've always liked Joyce Jue's version of ma po tofu. It's made with ground pork. I cook a recipe from one of Joyce's classes. It contains a generous dose of ground roasted Szechuan peppercorns (1 1/2 tsp), in addition to the white pepper. The recipe (without the Szechuan peppercorn) is here: http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=78660

Asparagus has been showing up at the markets here. That's when I think of one of my favorite pizzas, topped with grilled asparagus, fava beans, prosciutto, and mozzarella cheese. When fresh peas show up at the market, I like to make navarin printanier (lamb stew with spring vegetables). I cook a version of Julia's classic recipe. Here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112294915 Another fave is Berber Couscous from Paula Wolfert's Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco. Awhile back I made this variation with fresh peas, sugarsnap peas, fava beans, small turnips, tomato, golden raisins, and Anaheim chiles.

Have you checked out the Asian market areas on the avenues? Clement Street, X 6th-8th Aves, has a concentration of food markets around there (fish, meat, poultry, vegs, Asian ingredients). But you can go up and down Clement St to find other food stores, not to mention good restaurants and fun shops. On the other side of GG Park, you can try the other major Asian market area on Irving St. There's a big veg market at 22nd & Irving. Within a few blocks are other grocers, and meat/fish/poultry purveyors. These markets cater to an Asian clientele (though plenty of non-Asian people shop there too), so the food is fresh, and the prices are as good as I know of in SF. The produce is "commercial" (rather than organic), and the prices reflect that. When I lived in SF, I shopped mostly at the Irving Street markets because it was closer to where I lived. Occasionally I was on Clement Street, browsing at Green Apple Books, so I would pick up some groceries there. There's an Andronico's at Irving X 14th St. I can't remember the last time I was in that store. But I thought I'd mention it.

I ate lunch recently at B Star Cafe on Clement St. It's a spinoff to the very popular Burma Superstar, a couple blocks down the same street. The B Star Cafe is more fusion-oriented than Burma Superstar. I thought the food was very good, Burmese with a twist. If you like Thai and/or Vietnamese food, you will probably like Burmese. While I was there, a couple moms with babies in strollers were also enjoying their lunch, and I remembered your request on this thread. The restaurant is casual, and kid-friendly, at least at lunchtime and possibly dinner too. About B Star Cafe: http://www.opentable.com/b-star-bar Clement Street is a great neighborhood to stroll around and shop, too.

Try Narsai David's Mudslide cookies, aka Devil's Slide Cookies. Keep scrolling down. Two recipes given for this cookie. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/351113 ETA: I've tried the first recipe for Devil's Slide cookies, using 1/4 cup AP flour. The cookies are yummy.