heidih

I've been seeing the pickled mustard seeds all over food and restaurant sites so I just had to give it a go today. I had used a number of them in my nasturtium seed pod "mock capers" and liked them. The caper effort is here > recipes I found were cooking them to a pretty soft stage so they were sort of mustard caviar popping in your mouth. I went with that for this attempt. Quarter cup seeds cooked soaked for an hour and then cooked gently for 15 minutes. Soak & cook in same mix of 1/3 cup vinegar, big pinch salt, and 1T Rancho Gordo piloncillo. The online recipes added seasonings and the pile of tangerines on the counter was staring me down so I added 4 good scrapes with the peeler of zest. Sadly all I had was distilled white vinegar, but I think the citrus zest will mellow it out after a week or so. Tasted from the pan they have a nice pop but not a lot of heat.

I am always inundated with my own and bounty from others. As noted above re-gifting is a good plan as well as juicing and freezing in ice cube trays. I do that with the tangerines because they do not keep well off the tree and it is so nice to have the juice later on.

For some odd reason these used to be on sale all the time when I was feeding teens. I either marinated or just brushed them with a soy based marinade that included garlic, ginger, orange or other tart marmalade, and a squeeze of citrus. Then tossed them under the broiler for just a few minutes. Kids picked them up and ate like chicken wings.

As Chris says - coleslaw - but expand your horizons into a variety of dressings. It is the ideal working person's lunch salad to prep on the weekend and vary during the week with different proteins. As an example "Chinese" chicken salad. I enjoy the combination of cabbage and Dijon mustard and do a quick saute of the cabbage, onions & garlic (or other alliums of choice), mustard, and pork tenderloin or chicken thigh meat. A bit of apple at the end is nice. If your weather is still pre-spring cold then indulge in a cabbage based gratin. If you are in a country that "celebrates" St. Patrick's day then colcannon is a comforting dish. ETA: I assumed it was standard green cabbage on sale for St. Paddy's

Epitaph for a Peach by David Masumoto I read his piece in the LA Times years ago and it has always stuck in my mind. A second generation farmer who confronts the sad state of what we value in our food. It came out in 1995 but I find it relevant in 2014.

The very simple method that I enjoy as do those I cook for is as follows: In the mortar & pestle I mash garlic cloves, lemon zest, salt and black peppercorns (I am a pepper hound so that is of course optional). To the gently heated olive oil in a skillet I add the "paste" until the garlic just begins to take on color. Off the heat I add a squeeze of the lemon. The proportions are to your taste. Using very fragrant fresh organic lemons that have a lovely oil in their zest is the deal maker I think.

What fat do you want to use? Or should I say do "that you consider acceptable to your taste and lifestyle".

The only time I used local Santa Barbara spot prawns they all had a ton of bright roe. As I recall we left it attached. Sauteed them in olive oil with a good amount of garlic and some roasted tomatoes (they were roasted with lots of fresh herbs). Added them to skillet as is - no peeling or cleaning or deheading. Lots of good bread for sopping up the juices. Messy and delicious.

I do the same as Andie with the bread bags though I use the ones from Smart & Final. Under their First Street Label they sell gallon size bags - 150 w/ ties for $7 I think. They are useful for other items so the quantity works for me. I store in a hall closet that is the coolest spot in the house and does not have anything scented in it that would transfer.

I used up a bag of cheap brown lentils today in a SEA sort of seasoning way and they were really nice. I kept going back and back and depleting what was to be the week's worth of lunch! Seasoning: smidges of dry mustard and curry powder, a fruity dried pasilla pepper, course black pepper, dried onion, roasted garlic, fresh thyme and sage, coconut milk, fresh ginger, fish sauce. I planned squeeze of lime at service but was hoovering up the concoction without....

Yes as lesliec notes - the butter needs to be a bit soft to cream by hand. That same caveat would apply to using the hand held. You can't just put it all in the bowl and "let 'er rip". I used to do it in increments; get a bit blended and add in so you don't have butter/sugar/egg launching and plastering you kitchen. The key being that you want just that sweet spot where the butter is pliable but never at an almost melted point or you generally lose the effect you are going for.

Possibly mistaken but I think you have noted a hand held mixer in your kitchen. For that simple task it is fine. I think the FP generates heat that is not desirable. This is based on the assumption that doing it by hand is also not a possibility as that option is one I usually go with.

Thanks PV. I realize that the most effective way to gain realistic information would be to go to the market and talk to the shoppers. Have not had the free time but if I do I shall report back.

I can not offer any professional experience but if she has not included Cathy Chaplin's donut reviews of West Coast donuts in her research I urge her to do so. She blogs at gastronomy.com, writes reviews for LA Weekly and is the author of a new book on eating in Los Angeles. http://gastronomyblog.com/ If you search for donuts on her site a ton of reviews pop up - she loves them and is discerning yet adventurous.

Look here and here for examples of pictures of what I have in my garden/on my deck. The leaves on the biggest plants that come up and that I allow to grow can be pretty big. This is the Vietnamese variety, not the Japanese one (shiso), which is either all green or all purple. Vietnamese perilla is often used in rice noodle dishes/noodle-soup dishes; braises, stews, etc - as a garnish, mostly. Japanese shiso is used in a similar manner and as a garnish on sashimi/sushi plates quite frequently. It's not that I really dislike it (or hate it) but it's just that I seldom make dishes that call for its use, or when I do just don't end up using it because it would not be the most urgent taste for me to incorporate (for my taste), true. I planted the first ones some years ago just for the hell of it and discovered that it was the gift that kept on giving. :-) Also lovely as part of the greenery wrap for Korean ssam https://www.google.com/search?q=korean+ssam&espv=210&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=QigRU4nRBdOk2gWax4E4&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1093&bih=497&dpr=1.25 You can see the saw tooth edged leaves in some of the google images

Not familiar with these. Steamed bread? I think the reference is to bao https://www.google.com/search?q=chinese+steamed+bun&espv=210&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=uycRU56RM4P42QWwsoF4&ved=0CD4QsAQ&biw=1093&bih=497

It has a celery like taste and aroma. The stem is fairly thick and hollow. We market the plant as "Bloody Mary plant" noting that the stems can be used as the straw in the cocktail.

One of the weekly advertising flyers yesterday included dried seafoods on sale. The market caters to a Hispanic buying base and is bilingual. I was wondering what traditional dishes are made with these and if they were perhaps prepared primarily during Lent. The founders of the chain of markets (Northgate)are from Jalisco. The advert had fish listed as Charal Seca @ $8.99/lb (dry smelt) - whole fish, Robala Seca @ $11.99/lb(dry snook fish - whole fish), and Bacalao Seca @ $9.99/lb (dry cod fish - headless in maybe 12" lengths). They also had Camaron Molida (dry ground shrimp) and Camaron Seca (dry shrimp) @ $9.99 and $19.99 respectively.

My initial reaction is that the sour (lime juice) belongs in the dipping sauce along with a sweet element. The traditional Thai fish cakes are made with a mild white fish, red curry paste, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, egg, and very finely sliced green or long beans. Panko or any bread strikes me as "off" - but - you are going more for a fusion style I imagine, and using a stronger fish. A green versus a red curry paste appeals to me with salmon. I have always found the lime zest too intrusive as a sub for kaffir lime leaves. At any rate I think the traditional cucumber sauce/relish would be lovely with salmon.

I will second that suggestion. I am a garlic piglet, but have friends who are not and they have been very happy with using elephant garlic. I understand that it is not true garlic, but in the leek family; however, it carries the garlic note first.

All lovely Paul - did you dip the kale in very hot oil or? Makes an inviting presentation.

Huiray - I really like the look of your bittermelon egg dish. How did you treat the melon before the eggs were added? Seasonings? Serious craving coming on....

Where is Kim Shook's Evergreen Dip? From her recipe site - perhaps this is it? http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Kimberlyn/DIPSSPREADS/Evergreen_Avocado_Dip.html

Ann - what is your preferred scrambling method - looks low & slow? And are there little treat bits of smoked salmon among the curds? Of course your bagels seal the deal.

Blether you have nice bits on your potatoes - did you "rough them up" before the final roast?