Pierogi

Ohhhhhhhhhhh, this is a *GOOD* thing ! Yeah, baby, Taffy cookies and Iced Oatmeals.........goin' to the store tomorrow !

Coincidentally, I made the "Poor Man's Jambalaya" from Louisiana Kitchen for dinner tonight.....it was fabulous, as has been every other recipe I've made from this book for about 20 years now. The book was written before Prudhomme hit the media. Cajun/Creole food had *just* become trendy when it was published. His spice/seasoning line hadn't been launched yet. So all of his seasoning mixes are blends of common herbs/spices that any decent cook already has in the pantry. For the jambalaya I mentioned above, the seasoning mix was salt, white, black and cayenne peppers, dried thyme, dried mustard, cumin powder, bay leaves and file powder. That was probably the most *exotic* ingredient in the dish. Add the trinity, some garlic, rice, stock and ham and smoked sausage and you have a great, one-dish dinner in under an hour. Now, granted the recipe does specify tasso ham and andouile sausage, but in the preface to the book, Prudhomme gives you alternatives to these ingredients if you can't find them. None of the recipes in the book require his branded products, and all of them have alternatives (if workable) to ingredients that may be hard to source outside of NOLA, or outside of metropolitan areas. "Louisiana Kitchen" is the one cookbook I use most, and the ONLY one I would rescue if the house was on fire. I have never made a bad dish using it. Buy it. You will not regret it.

A lot of them judged or were on Iron Chef. Some were judges on Top Chef too. Aside from Iron Chef and Chopped there really isn't anything for them on Food Network. I'm excited! True and true........especially about the lack of an outlet for chefs of this caliber on FN. Most of them are to high-powered for Chopped, I think. That's more for the newbies, IMO. And most of these chef-testants are *very* media-savvy, and probably looking for the additional exposure this will bring them. Maybe snag a PBS gig...... Nevertheless, this is going to be a blast. Good on them for finding an outlet and good on Bravo for giving it to them !

A clean (non-terry cloth) kitchen towel will work just fine as well. As will the previously suggested colander. I sort of prefer the towel route, it seems to remove more liquid.

*THAT* is one stellar line-up ! I cannot wait for this, it should be loads of fun, with REAL cooking (fingers crossed) and out-of-the-park creativity. I am very impressed that Bravo could get such heavy hitters to participate.

REALLY???? Day-um. I sure must've been asleep at the wheel ! I'd have been there with bells on for the Miliken/Feniger class for sure ! 8-9 years ago is right about the time they opened. Wonder where I was....? Apparently not paying attention....*sigh* If I only had a brain.......

Thanks for posting this. I made this the other night and the sauce was delicious. My husband is coming up with different ways to use the leftover ← Ditto, ditto, ditto ! I'd have never found this without this hazardnc's post. I made it tonight, and it was fantastic. I think its the best pork tenderloin I've ever had. Great flavor in the meat itself (which can be a difficult thing to achieve with this cut) and the sauce was almost "drink-able" on its own. And quick to boot ! Gotta love it.

Randi, how did the interview go?? Or is it *next* Monday, April 6? I've had my fingers crossed (figuratively....) for you !

It's probably my favorite quiche filler-upper. Thinly slice & sautee with some garlic (not much) and leek in some EVOO until still quite crispy. Diagonal slices are the best, because they're pretty, but you get good surface area as well. Let cool, toss into your crust and top with you custard and cheese. Gruyere blends really well with the asparagus. As a matter of fact, I made this very thing last weekend. It was excellent. A little crisped bacon would not be a bad thing to add, either.

Doesn't Chicago have the largest Polish population in the world outside of Warsaw? On that basis, you could almost argue that Polish food is a local specialty (certainly better than what you would find in other big cities). It's kind of like Thai food. Sure, you can get pad thai in just about any major US city, but it's pretty hard to find another city in the US that rivals Chicago for more authentic Thai specialties. THANK YOU ! As a proud 2nd generation Polish-American, *AND* a proud daughter of South Chicago, I was going to make the same point, but saw this originally at work, so couldn't. And, as a curent, proud resident of sunny Southern California, I can sure vouch for the fact that Polish food is not to be got in any of the mega cities around these parts. Not unless you count Mrs. T's frozen pierogies, Hillshire Farms kielbasa and Boar's Head poly-bagged sauerkraut as Polish food. And if you do, you don't know Polish food.

As far as I know Carolyn, only at their store in Manhattan Beach. There's a store about a mile away from me, and they very occasionally will have a wine-tasting dinner event in the cafe (maybe once a quarter??), with tickets running about $50 to $75 per person, but never any cooking classes at the local stores. I've only ever seen cooking clasess at the Manhattan Beach location, and now not as frequently as they used to. It seems as though they used to be monthly, and now, in thinking about it, I can't remember the last time I saw a promo for one. I suspect when the brand was sold to Albertson's that was one of the cuts.

Angelfood Chocolate Chip cookies was how I remember these. For years, they were sold separately as well as part of the variety pack, then sadly they lost their independent existence. I love those damn things. Some weeks more than others. I havent had one for ages because I dont want the rest of the variety pack particularly. Maybe FritoLay will bring them back :fingers crossed icon: :begging icon: :praying icon: YES, YES ! *That* was the name......ohhhhhhhh, so good. Joining in with you KA on the fingers crossed/begging/praying/wishin'&hopin'..... Can you still find the variety pack in SD? Oh no, I'm not jealous *MUCH*. I so pine for that variety pack, and absolutely none of the grocery chains in Long Beach carry them.

I'm certainly seeing some titles to add to my wish list..... "Cooking Up a Storm: Recipes Lost and Found from The Times-Picayune of New Orleans" probably tops the list because I do love N'Awlins food so very much.

Is it me, or are the combos of ingredients become less, shall we say, *esoteric*? Tonight, for the dessert, it was chocolate chips, dried strawberries, rice crispies, and I think maybe marshmallow creme? The 4th ingredient was certainly something that went with the others. Come on. Even I could create a dessert out of this, and I have like zero creativity. The entree selection was kielbasa, fingerling potatoes, pepperoncini and tarragon. Even though I don't think the tarragon goes with kielbasa, I still think I could've pulled something together out of that. Same for the ap. Shrimp, peanut butter, apples and something I don't remember, but it wasn't out of left field. Like all the cheftestants, I thought Asian, maybe a curry over an apple slaw/chutney. When the series started, it was like "Which one of these things is not like the others" where you'd sit there scratching your head thinking about how they'd use that oddball ingredient. I figure if *I* can come up with something that sounds passable, certainly anyone who has any professional culinary chops can do the same. The thrill was in the ringer. Now that that's gone, well, it's just another bad FN program. ETA: The dessert cereal was actually Cocoa Puffs, not Rice Krispies. And because I can never remember if *dessert* has 1 or 2 "s's".....

In this same vein, quesadillas. Quesa-freakin-dillas. OMG..........either inside with the melty-ooozy cheese, or dribbled and then smeared on top. Oh yeah.

I haven't been actively participating in this challenge, but I have been watching & reading avidly. And, more importantly, I have begun to change the way I think about food shopping, having seen myself in the hording habits of many here. Actually.....way.......way.....WAY...worse. About 2 months ago, right after New Years, I cleaned out one of the shelves in my cupboards where I stored boxed rice mixes (you know, pilafs, "ronis", etc) and packaged noodle side dishes. I used them as a crutch when I made a quick protein and needed a starch. And I'd buy them and buy them and buy them and NEVER use them. I tossed 2 grocery bags full of them when I purged. And I've actively reigned myself in from replacing them. After following this challenge, as I said, I've begun to rethink my shopping. Things that I always thought of as *staples* I no longer consider as such. How often do I really need anchovey paste? Or canned anchovies, for that matter? Sure, I occasionally make a recipe that calls for them, but shouldn't I just buy it then. So, my question to all you Guerilla Non-Shoppers is...... What have you ditched from your "staple" list? And..... What are still, absolute, must have, will-die-without-them "staples"?

Hmmm... $4 for a jar of crushed garlic or < $0.50 [if that] for a head of garlic. And the fresh clove tastes better. Mincing takes about as much effort as opening a jar. I guess I'll never get the point of these so-called "convenience" goods. Ummmmmmmm......mincing takes as much effort as opening a jar...not in my world. As Snowangel so eloquently stated upthread, for those of us who are "compromised" in some fashion, you takes your helps where you can gets 'em. Me. I have severe rheumatoid arthritis, which is particularly active in my HANDS, my neck, my back and my feet. So, some days that makes each second I stand at the counter prepping an exercise in agony. Frankly, some days combing my hair is more than I can handle, so you'd damn well better believe that on those days I choose the pre-prepped ingredients over prep-it-myself. Opening a jar is painful, but it lasts a second. Holding a knife to mince garlic is painful, and it lasts minutes. Squeezing a garlic press is unbearable. YOU do the math, and see if you get the value of "convenience goods" after that. On my worst days......ON MY WORST DAYS.....when I can't go to work, and I can't comb my hair, I still manage to cook something relatively fresh and relatively non-processed. Do I take help where I can get it, you betcha, and I don't care if you "get the point" or not.

In South Chicago (prior to the fam's transplant to SoCal) they were salmon patties. The requisite canned salmon, gross skin, grey flesh and spine bones carefully discarded, flaked and mixed with sauteed onion, egg, packaged dry bread crumbs, dried parsely flakes, dry mustard and S&P. Rolled in more packaged bread crumbs and shallow-fried in margarine. The onion was also sauteed in margarine. No need to waste butter for this. The mix was moistened with some of the salmon "juice" from the can if needed. Excess juice was given to the very grateful family dog. Who then had fish breath belches for the rest of the night. Served with tartar sauce (bottled of course......) and, our little nod to gourmet-dom, fresh lemon wedges. This model survived the Family Pierogi's move to the 'burbs of LaLaLand. Friends who grew up in SoCal had the same thing, but called them salmon burgers, which were served with white sauce, sometimes dolled up with bottled horseradish. But in my house it was tartar sauce and lemon only. If you got frozen French fries with the patties, so much the better, because they were especially good dipped in the tartar sauce. They made a routine appearance in Mom Pierogi's repertoire. Not so frequently in mine, but I still do make them at least a couple of times a year. Using Mom's recipe card, of course.

I haven't, although I would love to, because I loved her on PBS. Unfortunately, on DirecTV, at least in my market, it's on at like 4:30 in the morning on a weekend day. Sorry, I wouldn't get up for the second coming at that hour on a weekend. As far as the 6 episodes, that seems to be FTV's new business model. It seems that Anne Burrell's show only had 6 episodes when she started, same with the new Jamie Oliver. And I seem to remember that the "winners" of the competition to be the next FTV, erm, *star*, only get a 6-show deal. I guess they figure that's the attention span of their audience. Or of their executives .

But let's also just say that the fact I have acrylic nails has saved my bacon (not to mention fingertips) many many times over the years. I tell my friends that the extra crunchy bits are fiber.

I refuse to answer on the grounds that... a) I might expose myself as a total spaz -OR- b) I might break the karmic bubble I currently have over me that has prevented me from seriously injuring myself with hot things or sharp things for a while. A while. We'll leave it at that. Other than to say the last incident involved 6 stitches. Pierogi (scurrying off to the corner to spin around 6 times, cry BEETLEJUICEBEETLEJUICEBEETLEJUICE and spit over my left shoulder)

You're very welcome, Rob (your name would be.....um....Rob, not errm, Ron....sorry ), glad I could help. I get so much pleasure from reading your posts, and so much inspiration from your creations, it's nice to give back. Rob. *mental note.....get the name right before you use it...*

I am quite looking forward to cooking my way through this one, especially if the bouillabaisse is representative ! That picture does the dish no justice, IMO. The sauce really becomes quite silky and thickens up considerably when you puree it. For those w/out the book, basically you brown chicken parts, then add garlic (lots !) fennel seeds and saffron, toss a bit, then add tomato puree, white wine, chicken stock and Pernod. Let that simmer for like 45 min, then puree. Ina says to use a blender, I used a stick blender in the pot, no harm no foul as they say. Then you put back the browned chicken pieces and baby Yukon gold potatoes, and cook again for about another 45 min. or until everything is tender. Splash in a bit more Pernod, or white wine. Serve with a garlic/saffron/red pepper flake rouille. So, blending the garlic into the sauce, as I said, makes it quite silky and thickens it. I didn't find it excessively greasy at all. Nice anise undertone from the fennel seeds and the Pernod, good mellow garlic taste, and that something-something from the saffron. That having been said, I DIDN'T cook it in the oven as the recipe said to. The oven was in use for another project at a much higher temp than the bouillabaisse was supposed to cook at. So I covered the pot, and set it on a low simmer (this was all in a Le Cruset) on the stove top for probably about an hour total (I based it on whether the potatoes were done, figuring if they were, so was the chicken). I don't know if the cooking method impacted the amout of fat released by the chicken parts or not. Alton Brown or Shirley Corriher, I'm not. Oh, and I did trim a LOT of excess fat from the chicken pieces before I browned them.

I have to add a shout out for the Braun Multi-Mix. It's got 220 watts, which I guess isn't particularly hefty, but.... It has, at leat the model I have, the capability to be not only a hand mixer (and a pretty decent one, at least the times I've actually used it for that...) but also... ---an immersion blender (there's an attachment and a cup you can use, although today I used it in a pot on the stove) ---a mini food processor (again, another attachment and a little bowl and blade, great for small quantities of herbs, pesto, etc.) And it comes (came?) with dough hooks. Now I seriously doubt it has enough gas to actually knead bread dough, but still... I have a traditional blender and a Cuisinart. I have held off buying a big immersion blender because this thing has so far taken care of all I'd want/need from that tool. The blender/processor options make it a winner in my book. I think I paid less than 50 bucks for it when I got it, and it's hung in there for at least 10 or so years. I *do* think Braun still markets something similar. Worth checking out, or at least thinking about.

Ina Garten's Chicken Bouillabaisse from her latest cookbook..."Back to Basics". Quite possibly the best thing I've ever made. It was fricking amazing. With Cook's Illustrated ciabatta bread from the most recent issue, and a romaine salad to start, an absolutely outstanding dinner. Oh man. That chicken (especialy the sauce) was sublime. I ate until I was about to pop. Worth buying the book just for that recipe. Seriously.