Ted Fairhead

They really are a bunch of misfits this time aren't they? A legal receptionist, a stay-at-home dad, somebody who hasn't cooked in ten years, etc, etc. And one of 'em is going to become Ramsay's Exec Chef at his new resto in LA. Yeah, right!

Sounds rather dogmatic to me. I haven't seen a halal butcher anywhere here in the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia or the Florida west coast. I wonder if there is a an association that might tell us how many there really are in the country and where. ← Well, at least according to this website, there is at least one Halal market--and in a number of cases, several more than one--in each of the states/regions you mention above (North and South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Gulf Coast Florida). Mind you, there isn't a listing for "nearly every city"--but then, there may well be more out there than are listed on the website ... (Just trying to be helpful. ) ← Thank you Mizducky, I had already found the same website. Yes, you are right there are a number listed, but when you look at them, some are listed as "groceries and meat" while others show "groceries" only. Giving them the benefit of doubt and assuming when they list meat they are halal butchers, a quick check showed fifteen possibles in the Durham area and none for the coastal areas. For the West coast of FL, there are a total of six in Tampa, and none south of there or north all the way to Tallahassee. I didn't bother checking elsewhere but it would seem that the big cities may have a few, but they are certainly not "thick on the ground"!

Sounds rather dogmatic to me. I haven't seen a halal butcher anywhere here in the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia or the Florida west coast. I wonder if there is a an association that might tell us how many there really are in the country and where.

Ahh! (Heavy sighs) What I would give for a luverly mutton stew....The wool pelts reminded me that on Romney Marsh there was hardly a single cottage that didn't have a whole sheepskin lying in front of the fireplace or by the side of the bed. In the spring there were a lot of "sock" lambs being raised by children. Sock lambs were either orphans or one of twins that the ewe would not accept. Farmers would "loan" them to kids who would raise them through their weaning and then return them when they were able to graze on their own. Oh! Happy days

Here in Eastern North Carolina we have the same situation as does western NC apparently. If, and that's a big IF, there is any lamb on display at Harris Teeters it is tucked away in a tiny corner of the meat case. Just the other day they had only two, count 'em, two packages of lamb shanks with two shanks per package at $15 each! On Romney Marsh where I lived for many years, lamb shanks used to be something the butcher would almost give away, and people would buy them for their dogs. A week ago or so, to my surprise they had three or four packages of shoulder pieces. They called 'em "chops" but they were the strangest cuts of meat I have ever seen. About 3/4 inch thick with weird shaped bones running through them. I snapped up a couple and they do taste like lamb but I doubt that any real butcher worth the name would have presented them for sale. Our other couple of markets, Food Lion and Super-Walmart, simply never have lamb. Like you, Maggie, I am perplexed why this is so. The other meat of which I am inordinately fond is duck but again, it is only sold at H-T's once or twice a year, and that is only whole frozen birds, never any duck breasts. I am so tired of tasteless pork and expensive tasteless beef.

I am surprised no-one has mentioned Soylent Green "ITS PEOPLE" AARGH!

1. Add to chicken breasts which are to be prepared en croute. 2. Use in a beef wellington instead of the pate

What do you do about guests who bring a bottle of wine and then if its not opened take it away with them when they leave!?

Put me down as a lamb lover. Before coming to the States I lived for ten+ years on Romney Marsh where the Romney sheep are raised. A breed that produces good meat as well as high quality wool. Unfortunately living where I do now, in Eastern NC, lamb is so undesirable in the shops that I can only rarely find a lamb shank or two at an exorbitant price. If prices are driven by demand why do I have to pay up to $10-12 for them. I would love to be able to buy a leg of lamb. Damn, I wish I hadn't started reading this thread.

I am not excusing Robert Irvine but I wonder how many chefs have lied on their resumes. I suspect a resume ain't worth much when it comes to cooking. Unless someone has already established him/her self in a high profile position then doesn't a chef have to prove himself to the management of a restaurant or hotel on a probationary period or by practical demonstration? Of course, with the FN all bets are off...they aren't showing food preparation, its just another lousy reality show. Being curious, is FN owned by one of the Networks or is it really an independent entity?

The female equivalent of a Knight is "Dame". BTW, it is properly, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Her Royal Highness would refer to her daughter.

As a woodworker, I have to agree with David Smith and Katie Meadow. There is very little chance that it can be fixed as the original work and/or choice of lumber and its grain was defective. See if you can claim on the warranty

Upthread I mentioned the "Garlic Lover's Cookbook". I have found innumerable copies at www.Abebooks.com. This is a great source for out of print books and the cost is negligible. About $1-$3 for the book and the same for shipping

One further thought........."Gilroy is the only town in America where you can marinate a steak just by hanging it out on a clothesline"...Will Rogers

One of my favorite cookbooks is the "The Garlic Lovers Cookbook" published in 1980 by the Celestial Arts in Millbrae, California. I doubt if it is still in print as a quick search on Amazon did not find it. The ISBN # is 0-89087-272-4. It has more than 200 recipes using garlic as a main ingredient. One of my favorites is the "Forty Clove Chicken Filice". It literally uses 40 cloves of fresh garlic!

Coupla recent dinners "Mediterranean Chicken" from this month's "Fine Cooking". Absolutely delicious but 'left overs' the following day had a slightly unpleasant after taste....dunno why, maybe the balsamic vinegar? Then tilapia lightly sauteed in butter with a white wine, butter and capers sauce

Suzy, I have to disagree with Sony that rainbow trout is an "oily" fish, at least , not the ones I have bought at HT. Bluefish, yeah, now they are oily! I love to cook rainbow trout whole or "en papier" with some nice fresh vegetables wrapped up in the parchment. After baking they serve up very well with the meat separating very nicely from the backbone with very few "loose" bones. I have never made fish stock, I use clam juice from the bottle for the few recipes that need it, and I doubt if I'd ever 'waste ' the trout doing it, even though they are relatively inexpensive. Also, as they seem to be a fairly regular item at HT I don't think I'd freeze 'em. Of course, if you know something that I don't about a break in the supply then I would freeze a bunch!

I'm sorry David but that is NOT a Steak and Kidney pudding...it is closer to a S & K pie..big difference! As you can see from Delia Smith's recipe she made a suet pastry to put the meat filling into, and then steamed the whole thing. I've never been to an Elephant and Castle restaurant but if what they serve has a puff pastry topping it ain't pudding. (BTW, I was born and raised very near the original Elephant and Castle pub) However I must say I do like a good S & T pie with puff pastry.

Dinner tonight was Salmon "en papillotte" using Julia and Jacques recipe. I also added a baby bok choy to the package. The "beurre blanc" was a bust however...next time I'll follow her directions instead of just winging it. http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/12023154..._4885_63724.jpg

In the picture one can see the word "Mahlzeiten"...does that mean anything to anybody?

You'd have to be born in East London to enjoy: Pig's feet boiled with onions Jellied eels Whelks in vinegar Beef heart with sage and onion stuffing Smoked haddock

Actually, "Gourmand" is one who is fond of good eating and "Gourmet" is a connoiseur in the delicacies of the table, so they are similar. However, "Glutton" simply means one who eats to excess. I rather like "Epicure" as one who cultivates a refined taste in eating and drinking.

Tonight's dinner was fried farm-raised Golden Trout (Thank you, Suzanne) and wok fried mixed vegetables. No picture, as it looked like it belonged on the other thread of bad looking dinners, but it tasted grand!

Question for Suzy...where do the golden trout that you have frequently, come from? I assume they are farmed? I am afraid you have put me off cod for good! As you said, YUCK!!!!

The only problem with that, according to a newspaper report I read a couple of years ago, is the shop assistant who takes out the broken and cracked eggs from one carton and replaces them with eggs from another carton, to put back on the shelf. Dates on cartons aren't reliable, in my opinion.