heidih

I learned something new that applies to my area (southern California). The old people were entranced by the Delicata squash I roasted at Thanksgiving. Turns out that they are not available after Thanksgiving as they do not store well. and the market do not want to sell a product that will get rotty (had that experience with one late in season). I called several markets including Trader Joes and got a consistent answer and was pleased that they both explained the situation and were not selling poor product.

It is freezing here so crock pot soup in process. A very very loose Ash reshteh. The onion and garlic, and a box of button mushrooms were oiled (olive) and pre-browned in the oven and the tumeric and hint of cumin added at the end to not leave them raw in the liquid. I tucked in an ancho chile (dried pasilla) and a single star anise wing. For the legume I am using plain old brown lentils. Some pre-softened carrots for sweetness. I prefer it with just spinach adding fresh herbs when ready to eat in each bowl. My cooking tradition always cooks the noodles separately and with this quantity I definitely did not want wheat based pasta. I actually enjoy/crave the texture of shirataki so I added a packet of the tofu ones in a tubular shape. Smells great now, but I have several hours before it is ready and it is always better after sitting overnight. Oops and some tamarind water just cuz the huge bag of pods fell out of the cupboard In the crock:

The video certainly makes the common sensible points about heavy firm fruit. However the greening is not usually unripe http://fruitguys.com/almanac/2011/04/08/green-oranges-re-greening-is-about-temperature-not-sweetness We grew a lot of citrus and this also what I observed. Navels for juice- not so much - they can have that dry issue. "Juice" oranges for your drink is a better bet. Juice oranges can be fugly but lovely.

Gosh since the topic is sprouted and they have tails I think the poster is looking for sprouted pnut ideas?

Found these at the Numero Uno market and must give them a try. I did not cave today as my larder/dishes to be made is full. Soon and will report. $3/lb

Pan two of baklava using chefcrash's method and my proportions. Syrup flavoring was calamansi juice. Pretty dang good even without "mellowing time" https://forums.egullet.org/topic/105592-baklava-baklawa/

A bit of holiday baking: pumpkin bread and a riff on Linzer Torte in bar form. The latter ended up with too much jam so they are more of a cookie/candy hybrid. Phyllo dough defrosting so baklava later today.

I thought you might enjoy a shot of my friend's calamansi tree. It is having a spectacular season. The sun was very bright and almost directly overhead - the shadowy part is the other half of the tree which is similarly jam packed with fruit. I picked some for general use and to flavor the baklava syrup which is on deck today.

I have been enjoying the links to the stories. Corn wars = wow! I had only previously run across a handful of the articles. http://www.eater.com/2015/12/9/9870756/2015-best-food-longform

Melissa did you catch this article on Serious Eats about baking soda - I enjoyed it with the different experiments & pics http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/12/cookie-science-how-baking-soda-works.html

Here is the topic I think you want https://forums.egullet.org/topic/99457-the-gray-kunz-sauce-spoon

Yes Melissa - I put it in whole until I think I can cut it in half to remove seeds, then back in MW til as done as I want. For me that is usually just enough to be able to chunk it for soup, or leaving it a bit more firm - to roast , but you can certainly nuke until quite tender once de-seeded and cut up into quarters or the like. If it is one of the dryer ones I might add just a hint of water to the container. Kabocha runs neck and neck with delicata for me in terms of delicious; though they are quite different.

Could not put my hands on the book, but here is a link to several pages about Barbara Tropp's double stock and stock infusions https://books.google.com/books?id=I83JPBk5Yy4C&pg=PA61&lpg=PA61&dq=barbara+tropp+double+stock&source=bl&ots=CAJ-pVAzhd&sig=tsenpsDqFmLsKyfJ5CC4pHUcjRo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjxzbzgv6LJAhVIVT4KHfIXBr8Q6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=barbara%20tropp%20double%20stock&f=false

Do you have Barbara Tropp's China Moon cookbook? She would make a basic stock and then did a series of 2nd and even 3rd simmers adding various ingredients to create a complimentary stock for particular dishes. She tells the story of the disaster of a serious earthquake in San Francisco where the restaurant was - losing all the stock due to no electricity and having to start from scratch as the various dishes just tasted flat to her without the double and triple stocks. Book in storage so I can't be more specific. Going to look for it this morning and will update if I can find it.

Very informative and enjoyable - methinks you have on air star quality- the humor tempered with clear explanations. What serendipity that it was a slow night as that really allowed us watching to get a good sense of your cooking guts. Do post again with a link if you continue. I forage a bit but you have inspired me to take better advantage.of my local bounty.

Norm - is the pie this one from David Lebovitz? - saw it this morning and drooled a bit. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2015/11/bourbon-ginger-pecan-pie-recipe-thanksgiving/#more-21615 Balanced with a big dollop of Nancy Silverton's whipped cream with creme fraiche http://food52.com/recipes/14500-nancy-silverton-s-whipped-cream

Ruth - it is in Recipe Gullet - sounds wonderful https://forums.egullet.org/topic/127834-fruited-cocoa-cake/

Thanks so much Mick for the rye recipe. I've saved it and will give it a try once it cools off around here.

For your viewing pleasure here is the link to MelissaH's unique squash peeling method http://forums.egullet.org/topic/109342-peeling-butternut-squash/#entry1487946

I find coconut milk plays awfully well with winter squashes. I was on a tear for a while frequently making kabocha squash in a coconut heavy broth with Thai curry paste or its ingredients. I added plenty of dry-fried king oyster mushrooms (sliced across the grain) for chew and shirataki noodles for a but of slither. Leaving the skin on ones like kabocha and delicata gives you a but more chew and adding something sugary like honey or orange marmalade will get you a crisp edge on the pan-down side right out of the oven. Mine were like that yesterday - I ate at least 1/3rd standing in the kitchen and sighing Though I am the one who declines mashed potatoes because I prefer to chew my food, I did recently enjoy a butternut squash soup that included tart Granny Smith apples. It was served on a cold day (wow that means many moons ago) as the come in the door and have a petite cup to warm up. The ancient nun had it in a crock pot and also included the tiniest hint of ginger. Some toasted pepitas would have been great on top, or even some garlicky very well toasted tiny croutons. This was super smooth and just sipped - no spoons.

Has anyone ever made this 100% rye bread that Pille posted or something similar? I have had it on the brain for years but before I go buy the flour and make a mess I thought I would ask. Thanks (scroll down for her recipe) http://forums.egullet.org/topic/107602-eg-foodblog-pille/page-5#entry1470529

I caved and got a delicata at Trader Joes (99 cents) Cut up and briefly rubbed/marinated with these ingredients: fermented black beans, soy sauce, garlic powder, cumin, balsamic, olive oil After roasting And a few drops of this habanero sauce were nice

The Tuesday Farmers Market was not as heavy on hard squashes today. With our bizarre weather there are still lots of summer squashes including adorable baby ones, stone fruits, etc These mini butternuts have been around for a few weeks. I asked the farmer about the size and he said it was a variety that only get this big but did not know the name. He did cut one open to show the seed cavity to flesh ratio for you all. I did not get one on this go as I had already overbought. This other display caught my eye. This farm worker had never tasted the Delicata and we talked about how to prep it - he was surprised that the skin was edible. He joked that he grows them but has only tasted a few types. Funny.

Most unfortunaely I have no personal experience but I would trust Eating Asia's tastes http://eatingasia.typepad.com/eatingasia/saigon-1/

I like the contrast and texture of cornbread with squash soups. Lots of dairy free cornbread recipes out there.