Kerouac1964

PJ - Boy! I envy your pantry! Living in the Midwest, I have the first of Ed's list, but almost none of the second! I'm slowly gathering pantry items via the internet ethnic grocer sites. Do you find yourself trying different soy and fish sauces? I really enjoy that aspect of my study of Chinese cooking. There are a lot of subtle differences between the different brands. I prefer Patis in my soups because of the saltiness. I'm trying to decide what is mose addictive -- using soy or fish sauce in every dish I prepare!

Last I heard Army base pay per month was around $1700 USD. I think they are concerned about their bank accounts at the end of the month too. These type of contests do seem to feed the snobbish aspect of the Culinary world. I also get a sense of soullessness in their dishes. They are practiced to engineering standards, and the assembling chefs essentially become autobots using mechanical wonders and tricks to make what is or should be much more than just a pretty picture or shell. The last factor would be my inability to ever taste such dishes do to either their price, or the rarity of their ingredients for the home cooking attempt.

Jaymes - I love this thread! Great post on making them. I have them in my palm pilot recipe file in my "make soon" list !! Do you have some good Mexican cookbook suggestions? I love going out on the net each month and purchasing my monthy goodie box. Last month I snagged an original Graham Kerr - Galloping Gourmet cookbook. It is massive, with hundreds of recipes including the ones from his funny show. Plus, pics of him in the service, and on his world travels. With wonderful color photos and a really cool 70s look to the whole shebang!

Food mills are nice, but passing the mixture thru 2 successively smaller strainers should do the the trick to break down that "mealy" feel.

What a timely thread. I was just given a lb of unsalted peanuts in the shell, and I was looking for something to do with them. I think I'll try to candy them. Perhaps a dusting of very fine sea salt at the end for a "beer nut" effect.

Toby -- Could I get the title, author, publisher info from the cookbook you are referencing? I've been heavily involved in Chinese cooking for over 3 months straight, and have reached the point of needing to purchase further reference materials! Ed -- This Q & A has been outstanding. My mouth keeps watering everytime I come back to read new posts in the various threads !!

Speaking of Jacui - I saw her back on October 14th of this year on ESPN2 -- She was hosting a math special for kids "Cable in the Classroom". She's her same annoying, obnoxious self! {shudder}

I have a propane grill story. I awoke from a deep sleep to grill some steaks. I stumbled out to the grill, still have asleep to light the grill. I turn the valve of the propane on, and turn my two burner knobs to the "ignite" position. With the grill lid open I start hitting the mechanical button that sparks the gas. Nothing. I press, press....nothing. So, I close the lid. Wait about 10 sec, and without thinking I start to push the button just as I crack the lid....... W O O S H!!!!!! Fireball city, with grill debris hitting me in the face!!! I instantly shut the grill and discovered my beard, eyebrows singed, and my favorite cap smoking. Luckily I had on eyeglasses that are a snug fit to my face!!. Reddened my left forearm that picked up the grill lid but thankfully no blistering or burns. I'm very, very careful around that grill. No more Mr. Sleepy grill man either

Toby -- Great post!! I too, love a savoury breakfast. Funny how people become so set in the types of food they eat at certain times of the day. My area of the country, Sioux City, Iowa, has a burgeoning Mexican Immigrant population. They come here to work in our packing houses. A lot of great food places have opened up serving tripe! I finally had my first taste a few months ago. It was very rich and tasty. However, there was that slight odor that you mentioned. It finally got to me, which is a shame as I really like the taste, texture of the dish. I haven't tried preparing my own, so your preparation instructions will go a long ways towards that end. Thanks for taking the time to post!!

Soba - Wonderful post. A very interesting cuisine, indeed. May I ask for your Rellenong manok recipe? It really sounds intriguing.

I have two fish sauces, but I reach for the Patis most often. My other which costs more is Global choice brand from Vietnam. I tend to use the Patis for dipping sauces and the Global for cooking. Love the info on the other brands. I can see I'll be adding to my collection of fish sauces. You can never have to many!

I've gotten great results at 160 - 165 F with both boneless and bone-in. Both in terms of moistness and taste. I can't understand why someone would want to go that low with the temperature. I don't mind the texture/mouth feel of very rare beef, but for pork to be that rare? I don't think I'd enjoy it.

barbcutie -- LOL Great comment on MS. How about when she gets her mom to come on the show? It almost gets double creepy. Or when an esteemed guest, corrects MS on something. I loved it when Mario did a guest spot. She just sort of stepped back and shut up. But, oddly enough, Mario really whittled down his usually lecture-while-cooking style. Then there is the way she coldly parades children on the show to somehow give her a motherly kindness. The table manners class with the two children was especially a real HORK fest for me. {Shudder}

Adam -- The traditional salt cured products will be salty, even after following all the soaking instructions. But, Who's to say a person couldn't double the time of the soak. Also, The water could be changed every 4 hrs instead of just twice in a 24 hr period. The more a ham soaks, the more the salt should leach back out. For those more traditional, salty ones, they are perhaps better served as appetizers in smaller portions. After the soaking, the ham could be cut into say 3 smaller portions, then cooked as per instructions. Serve 1 portion for the party as an appetizer type course. Freeze the other two. Manufacturers are also aware that some dislike the saltiness of the tradtional ham, so they may also offer a ham that is dry cured but has a bigger brown/maple sugar content.

I take Rachel Ray and her shows at face value. She is a bit too bubbly. But she's very cute in a next-door-girl kind of way. Her 30 minute meal show is geared towards novice, first time cooks. Her fan forum on the FTV site is full of them. I like her enthusiasm and her built in thrift. We all don't have huge food budgets. She's not a trained chef, just a cooking enthusiast. My only pet peeve of the show: Too many pasta dishes. I like the $40 dollar a day show much less. I think the biggest argument I've heard against that show is this: "If I'm going to pay to travel to some exotic/exciting location - and I'm a foodie - the last thing I'd do is limit my food expenses." Also, alot of people laugh at the actual difficulty of making it on $40. There are some great street vendors in many places! I see the show as ill-conceived from the production standpoint. It points to a trend from FTV to dumb-down their show content to reach more people (people who will buy from their advertisers). My favorite shows: - A Cook's Tour - Tony has inspired me to explore food and cooking. - Molto Mario - the best show on there in my opinion - Mario Does Italy - great Information for the Italian gourmet and anyone planning on traveling there on a gastronoumic mission - Two Fat Ladies - I enjoy their irreverent humor - Alton Brown - a great change of pace from the ordinary food show format - Iron Chef - I enjoy the exotic Asian dishes and advanced cooking techniques

mixmaster b -- Funny you should mention the black olive pate and Djion mustard pairing, as that was my last experiment before my jar ran out! LOL! I smeared a bit of mustard on my crackers, then placed a 1/2 tsp of the pate on top of it. Very delicious!!

The consistency of the Black Olive Pate that I purchased is very minced with just a bit of loose olive oil that leeches out after about 4 sec of rest. If spreading on a cracker leave a bare rim for the oil to soak . they did take on a sort of tiny oval shape, hence the nickname "poor man's caviar".

Here is a good soft pretzel recipe that I made on the very first try!! They taste darn close to the commercial ones I get at the mall. Auntie Anne's Pretzels ---------- Recipe By :www.copykat.com Categories : Copycat Snacks Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 1/2 cups warm water 1 1/8 teaspoons yeast 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 1/8 teaspoons salt 1 cup bread flour 3 cups regular flour 2 cups warm water 2 tablespoons baking soda coarse salt -- to taste 2 -4 tbsp butter -- melted Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl, stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise at least 1/2 hour. While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 tablespoons baking soda. Be certain to stir often. After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again. Bake in oven at 450º for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter and enjoy! Toppings~~After you brush with butter sprinkle with coarse salt or cinnamon sugar mixture.

Black Olive Pâté Ingredients 1/2 medium-size bulb garlic (about 6 to 7 cloves), not peeled 1/2 pound ripe Brie or Fontina cheese, cut in 1-inch cubes 1 cup oil-cured Mediterranean or Greek black olives, pitted 1/4 cup olive oil (no substitute) Italian bread or raw zucchini slices Instructions Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Wrap garlic in aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes; unwrap and cool to room temperature. Squeeze each clove at root end, popping out soft garlic pulp. Heat cheese in double boiler top over just-simmering water until melted, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, puree garlic and olives with oil by buzzing 10 to 15 seconds in an electric blender at high speed or in a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Add melted cheese and buzz 5 to 10 seconds longer. Cover and chill 2 to 3 hours. Let pâté stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes, then serve as a spread for chunks of Italian bread or slices of raw zucchini. Yield: 1-1/2 cups Per serving: 70 calories; 10 mg cholesterol; 245 mg sodium. -------------------------- Black Olive Pate Ingredients 8oz large black olives 8oz unsalted butter chives, finely chopped fennel, finely chopped parsley, finely chopped chervil, finely chopped a little olive oil Method Remove stones from the olives. Put the olives in a blender with a little olive oil. Blend until smooth. Soften the butter and blend into the olive paste. Add the herbs and blend for a few more seconds. Put in an attractive dish and chill for a few hours. Serve with pitta bread, crudities etc. ---------------------------------------------- The reason for my recipe search was I had purchased a jar of black olive pate recently and enjoyed its contents. Here is my product review: Label: Prodotto D'Italia Alessi Olive Pate Pureed Black Olives WITH Extra VIRGIN OLIVE OIL "Poor Man's Caviar" Packed in ITALY for: VIGO IMPORTING CO., TAMPA, FL 33614 Manufactured in Italy by Alessi Net wt pkg: 4.5 oz jar Serving size: 2 Tblsp. (50g) Calories: 187 Total Fat: 19g saturated fat:3g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 817mg Total Carbohydrate: 2.7g Dietary Fiber: 1.4g Sugars: 2.7g Protein: 1.0g Ingredients: Black Olives, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt. Tasting notes: I've already used other Alessi products. They make a less expensive balsalmic vinegar that I use on occasion, so when I spied their pate my expectations were high that it too would be a good everyday gourmet item. I wasn't disappointed. I sampled the pate on crackers and it had a lovely rich flavor with the succulent ripe olives. The oil is very much a part of the experience. The salt isn't overbearing, just the right amount toaccent the food. This would be lovely with cheese or bread as well. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase again. From the ingredient list, I started to wonder if it wouldn't even be easy to make from scratch, hence my search for a few recipes. I hope everyone enjoys them!!

Tommy -- Was that Tyler's newer show? I think he's out of his depth a bit. He also looks frazzled all the time, like he's finally been laying all the women who come on to him. I wish he'd just go back to the 911 show format. There were some darn good cooking tips on there for a novice cook like myself.

Adam -- I don't believe freezing is necessary as these type of hams are brine injected and fermented to promote the friendly mold growth that you often will find when one is shipped to your door. Also, I believe this type of freezing is flash done way down to -32F ? (Not entirely sure). There wouldn't be a noticable loss in quality of taste. Another factor: many of the premium ham producers would be purchasing specially raised hogs, fed on premium grains, nuts etc to yield more marbled product. They wouldn't be raised in a typical hog confinment operation. Here's a nice page explaining the types of ham. http://www.country-ham.com/about.html They really are worth the price, and even the lesser expensive Smithfield's taste very good. Just don't forget to change the water during soaking, or the meat will be way too salty Mario did a great show on Salumi where he discussed how the pigs over there were fed a diet of acorns!! Feed a pig a fatty diet...get a lovely...fatty porker!! I also think his wife raises pigs on her farm. He is one lucky dude. I think he supplies his restaurants that way.

chopjwu12!! I have a great website to recommend to you. This guy is very experienced and is very friendly via emails with beginning sausage makers. His name is Len Poli. http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/index.html Here is a paragraph exerpt discussing dry curing: ----------begin quote -------------- DRY-CURED PRODUCTS: Dry-cured meats are those commonly held without refrigeration; example, Smithfield-type hams and salami among others.(<-moved from below) The meats used in these products can be ground, like in salami, or whole muscle meat like ham or prosciutto. Dry-cured pork products are often eaten uncooked. It is strongly recommended that before attempting to make any dry-cure product that the reader review the documents linked below that relate to guidelines for the destruction of Trichinae (causes Trichinosis) in pork muscle. Please be advised that the treatments described in those documents are not designed to destroy pathogenic bacteria that may also be present in meat. Prescribed concentrations of salt are a necessity for making dry-cured sausage and meats. A lot of discussion can occur around this topic. Let me describe my understanding. I understand dry-curing to be a treatment designed to destroy or reduce pathogenic organisms that may be found in pork. Among those organisms are Clostridium botulinum (causes Botulism), Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. The use of salt, time, temperature and nitrites play important roles in the curing of meat. The curing and aging processes either kill or minimize these organisms so as they are not infectious. There are strict guidelines regarding the processing, curing and aging of meats which are completely described in both the publications of the Food Safety And Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture as well as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. http://home.pacbell.net/lpoli/page2.html -------------- end quote--------------- Make sure you read up on safety before embarking on dry cured meats. Saltpeter is NOT a substitute for Cure#1 or Cure#2 (should a recipe call for either type of cure product). Here is a great one stop site for sausage making supplies: http://www.butcher-packer.com/index.htm BTW - I too am looking at making a few Salumis this winter. I'm looking forward to your future posts. I'll do the same! Safe Regards,

Nickn -- Please post your tasting notes on the organic chicken broth. It sounds like a better alternative that I'd like to follow up on. Last weekend I made a pot of organic chili from a dry starter mix from Bear Creek. Very tasty. And I stretched it by two more servings with a can of low sodium chicken broth . I am in the canned stock camp. I use low-sodium chicken/beef broth. Then I spice things up with my own seasonings. I make a quick Pho base that I use over a few days at a time, before making another batch. I envy the scratch stock makers. I especially like the idea of concentrated ice cubes. Very clever idea. I hope to start making my own scratch stocks when I get in my induction hot plate. I have a very, very tight living space and do the majority of my cooking with a rice/cooker, and a simple 1 quart hot pot by steaming.

Yes. Chick Peas are the main ingredient. They just list spices for the spices. Very hot, must be curry powder in there I like a snack with heat BTW - I enjoy your thoughtful, in-depth posting on Indian cuisine. Your knowledge is vast, and you are very generous with your time. Your forum will definitely be high on my reference list when I need help with my explorations! I'm considering a more vegetarian laden diet, for health reasons. I believe Indian cuisine will have some solutions regarding this new-found quest that I am embarking on. Best Regards,

Hi ! I've been trying to gradually broaden my food knowledge, and I have recently purchased a bag of spicy Tikka Sev. It is quite good plain as a snack food, and I can see it as a cracker addition to soups and stews. Are there any other applications for it? Perhaps crushing for a breading? I am also at the point of wanting to try cooking some simple Indian recipes. I primarily use a steamer for my cooking. Are there any Indian dishes that would be well suited to steaming as the cooking method? Thanks in advance!