Anna Friedman Herlihy

I figured this question would fit best in this topic, rather than starting a separate one. I think I have a bunch of purslane growing in my veggie garden (let it go a bit, and just got down to weeding it today). Could someone confirm my identification? If this is purslane, any thoughts/recipes for what to do with it (I found some stuff on the web, but mostly mixed in with other things, not on its own--which is how I'd like to prepare it. Best to leave it raw? Cook it? Best seasonings to pair with it? Thanks much! Here's the pic: Edited to embed image

Most baking I measure (and prefer recipes with weights rather than volumes), but also rarely measure the spices in baking. Things like pancakes, biscuits, etc. I don't bother to measure because there's a lot of wiggle room with those. Lately I've been experimenting with substituting some wheat flour for white (to be healthier) with not so much success, so that attests to the measurements being important for me in baking. Savory food--I guess I measure when it matters. Rice and couscous (as others have mentioned--but I could probably make them just fine by eyeballing--measuring just ensures that they will be perfect); the meat, nitrate/nitrite, and salt for charcuterie (don't want to poison anyone)....I am racking my brain trying to think of anything else savory that I measure for. If I think, I will post. Very interesting topic!

The only cooking my husband and I do together is bbq/smoking/grilling. I prep, he mans the fire to my specifications, flips the meat, takes its temperature, etc. I could certainly man the fire, etc. myself (and I do sometimes, if he's busy), but he does these bbq tasks as good (if not better) than me, and this frees me up to tackle other tasks (or just sit there with a beer). Otherwise, I won't let him help because inevitably it is not to my standards. That said, he does know his way around the kitchen, and every once in a while he surprises me with dinner or breakfast, which is a wonderful surprise, and having not cooked it myself, who am I to criticize the size of the julienne on the hash browns My brother and I, however, have been cooking together for many years (since we were both kids). We are both fairly accomplished cooks with our various quirks. Often we will divide the dishes--so that each preps his own ingredients, and we basically just cook/bake side-by-side. That perhaps is the best arrangement. In my kitchen, I decide what (although he can suggest changes to the menu or offer constructive criticism) and vice-versa in his kitchen. In my mom's kitchen (or elsewhere), it's a compromise. For example, we were in Italy earlier this year in a rented house and made dinner; he cooked the pasta dish, I cooked the main course and sides, we consulted so the two would go together, and a happy meal for all. I think it comes down to this: even if each considers the other's skills equal I think it works best to cook complimentary dishes alongside one another or swap meal duty, unless you feel really comfortable and confident in your partner's skills.

The typical guideline for a pig roast is 1 pound (dead weight) per person, which I actually have found to be a bit much if you are also planning lots of sides and dessert. I would probably go more like 3/4 pound per person. But if you want leftovers, definitely do a 60 pound pig. Also decide if you want the head on or off (head off and you will have a higher meat to bone ratio for the number of pounds so reduce the size of the animal somewhat). Also be sure you're ordering dead weight not live weight as a pig will lose a substantial amount in blood and innards (most butchers will sell dead weight, most farmers will sell live weight). You can rent pig roasters from most catering equipment supply companies. Or build a pit oven or roasting box. The pig is most easily obtained from your local meat wholesaler or any good butcher (Bucktown Boffo are you in Chicago's Bucktown? If so, just call Peoria Packing on Lake Street.) To get one from a farmer, you'd probably have to arrange pretty far in advance, as most direct-sales farmers take orders from their customers months in advance. There are a couple other threads on eGullet about roasting pigs. Search for them. Or maybe someone else has them at their fingertips??? (Don't have time to search--have already spent too much time posting today

To be a total nerd about this, from a strictly academic standpoint (sorry--I have a master's in art history , can't help it ), Bosch's work is surreal because of the subject matter, love of the grotesque, and juxtaposition of odd items (he also sometime plays with the size relationships of such items). The surreality is not because of color shifts and things we think of as surreal as related to the much later Surrealist movement in art (which may, in fact, have been influenced by Bosch) [bosch's dates, c. 1450-1516, vs. Dali's dates, 1904-1989, so you can see how different the two forms of "surreal" art would be.] From Wikipedia (which, granted, is at best a source of very basic info): "Many of his works depict sin and human moral failings. Bosch used images of demons, half-human animals and machines to evoke fear and confusion to portray the evil of man. The works contain complex, highly original, imaginative, and dense use of symbolic figures and iconography, some of which was obscure even in his own time." So, actually, Alex's pasta shape suggestion might be kind of perfect (if shocking), especially if you mix it in with those animal or dinosaur shaped pastas for kids. Toss it with braised chicken feet or tiny whole fish or something similarly grotesque but tasty (or even baby squid with all their tentacles, which more people would be familiar with). Give people whole eggs (a symbol of the soul) to crack over their pasta (buy pasteurized eggs or coddle them if you're worried about food poisoning). Have a whole roast suckling pig or whole grilled fish in the center of each table from which people are encouraged to carve their own meat to add to their pasta. Serve the pasta in unusual vessels (one giant one for each table--then people have to serve themselves)--washtubs, buckets, old iron kitchen pots, ceramic flower pots without holes in the bottom, old spittoons, bedpans (just be sure they are sterilized!) Basically think shocking, weird, grotesque. There are lots of images of his paintings on the web. Try googling the following particularly weird ones for some inspiration (also add the word "detail" to your google search to get close ups of some of the details since the paintings are quite large and packed with detail): The Last Judgement, The Stone Operation, Allegory of Gluttony and Lust, Triptych of Haywain ETA--artist's dates

A slightly gourmet-ified version of the classic Chicago hot dog: dijon (instead of yellow), homemade sweet relish (instead of the bright green stuff--and if you're not familiar with a classic Chicago hot dog, the relish is seriously day-glo green), homemade dill pickle spear nestled next to the dog (rather than a spear from a jar), minced onions (preferable new from my garden), tiny pickled peppers (again homemade--usually Thai Dragons--instead of the sport peppers), with a dash of celery salt on top. I forsake the tomatoes because I am allergic. All in a poppyseed bun, of course! (Haven't gotten around to making homemade buns, though). Just about to embark upon making home made dogs (apparently a pretty difficult sausage to make).

You can also butcher it yourself, as I do. I just dove in with not much experience in such matters (I had done a deer, a lamb, and half a cow prior--the cow was by far the toughest, btw). Some cuts may not look quite as perfect as the butcher, but you will be able to rest assured that you have salvaged all the scrap for sausage and have all the bones for stock. I had the pig split down the backbone into the two sides (since you need a powered bone saw for this step). The rest of the cuts can be made with two good knives (I use a boning knife and a scimitar knife) and a hand-held bone saw (basically a large hacksaw--which you could also use provided you sterilize and clean it properly). Different processors are licensed to give you different things though--some can't give you the beast with skin on, some can't give you the head, most (if not all) can't give you the blood. A lot of processors doom most of the offal to the dog food bin, so if you want the heart, tongue, liver, etc. you will have to make sure. You will have some surprises--for example, I didn't realize that the processor that slaughtered my pig cut the liver into thin slices, so if you want it whole, be sure to specify. Many processors do not even know what caul fat is, so if you want that be very sure to say so. Same with the back fat--many won't even think to give you all this instead dooming it to the rendering plant or into pre-made sausage that they will give you (which brings me to an important note--if you want to make the sausage yourself, make sure that they don't give you the scrap pre-ground, but rather still in pieces). Many processors will not only make fresh sausage for you, but also cure and smoke hams and bacon and make smoked sausages. You can also have it partially butchered into the primal cuts, and then take it from there. That way, for example, you can cut up the belly into pieces for bacon and the like to your specifications and the loin into chops and roasts as you like. Ruhlman/Polcyn's Charcuterie has an excellent description of how the pig primals break down into their various parts. If you do get it fully butchered, I would highly recommend repackaging the cuts into vacuum-sealed bags instead of just leaving it in the butcher-paper packages. This will extend your freezer life significantly. If you're interested in trying your hand at butchering it yourself, just PM me, and I can send you some references and diagrams that I have found helpful. Enjoy your properly-raised pig. You will never, ever go back to supermarket meat after you buy farm-direct! (And perhaps, like me, you will end up with not one, but two large upright freezers and a separate dry-curing fridge).

So lucky Kate! I've been wanting to keep chickens (in our city yard, no less), but we have too many stray cats to eat them. I may yet do so, if I purchase or make something called a "chicken tractor" that you move around your yard everyday (basically a coop with a giant caged yard). But we have friends that keep chickens and do get super fresh eggs from time to time (plus I buy them at the farmer's market). All of Chris's suggestions are excellent. Some other thoughts: Steak tartare Carbonara and other similar pasta sauces that use a raw egg or two mixed in at the end Egg drop soup (try a very delicate broth to showcase the egg--either the Asian or Italian versions) Anything with poached eggs (And yes, you will have a very hard time peeling hard-boiled fresh eggs.) Enjoy!

For those of you interested in this discussion, you might want to check out the cookbook I just (finally) received in the mail: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Meat Cookbook. I can barely put it down. It's fabulous! Half the book is about how to properly raise, butcher, use all parts of animals. And talk about meat porn.... Not too expensive on Amazon, and a definite keeper for anyone who loves their meat.

Tom Standage's A History of the World in 6 Glasses has an excellent account of the history of Coca Cola in the last section. But as for replicating the original recipe--you'd probably have to go to Columbia for that!

Speaking of towels (and tablecloths and napkins)--don't ever make the mistake I did. We have two giant black furry dogs. We bathe them at home. We have dedicated "dog towels" for drying them off. Somehow, one got in a load of white tablecloths, dishtowels, and napkins. Several years later, I still find black hairs embedded in the linens! Luckily our dinner guests don't mind.

Thanks everyone, for such speedy replies! With the exception of one (the Victory Garden cookbook), I have never even browsed through any of the suggestions, because their target audience is not me (blessed that I was taught to cook at a very young age and also blessed that I've never had weight issues). But these sound like the types of books, etc. I thought might be useful for my friend, so we will be off to the library and Borders next week to see what she finds interesting. PS--I'm having her keep a food diary for the next week (and keep the packages of anything processed), both to get a better idea of her preferred "flavor profiles" and to help her understand why the packaged products are working against her. BTW--The cooking lessons and healthier diet were all her idea--so I have high hopes! The hardest thing is going to be to gradually change her palate to less sugary/starchy things so that she can keep the weight off (60 pounds is what we're going for over the course of a calendar year, which seems reasonable to both of us--although she has an appt. with her doctor to make sure about this).

Hi all, I've just started teaching a friend how to cook (my first long-term student!) for the specific purpose of altering her diet so that she can lose a fairly substantial amount of weight (she is also starting an exercise plan). I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on a cookbook at beginner level that features mainly healthy, quick recipes that tend to feature lean proteins, lots of fiber and veggies, whole grains, no processed foods, and very little refined sugar or flour (this is my approach to maintaining my weight, and I'm hoping it will work for her--a self-described sugar and pasta addict). She does not want to spend a ton of time cooking or cleaning up lots of pots and pans, so I'm hoping for something that features a number of "one pan" type meals. Her typical dinner consists of turkey hot dogs and boxed mac 'n' cheese, and I don't want to leap too far, too fast from this (I figure, baby steps...we've committed a year to the weight loss goal). Tonight I taught her how to cook mustard baked catfish, rice pilaf, and sautéed swiss chard dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette (a veggie she had never eaten before and liked--in fact she loved the whole meal, and it was all completed in 40 minutes which should've been 30, but I was talking a lot and trying to teach about timing and knife skills and the like). Despite my enormous cookbook collection, I don't really have much in the way of basic besides Joy of Cooking, How to Cook Everything, and an old Betty Crocker (this last one certainly does not fit the bill). I tend toward very specialized and/or advanced tomes. I'd appreciate any suggestions on her behalf! PS--she does not often eat pork or beef, preferring chicken, turkey, and fish.

I buy my meat fresh from local farmers (in whole or half animals) and then butcher and vacuum seal myself and freeze. I really have not noticed much of a difference in quality between this meat frozen and fresh (assuming you vacuum seal and freeze properly--this means with lots of air circulation around each package!). My "freezer meat" from the farmers is certainly tons and tons better than supermarket meat! I will never go back to supermarket meat. If you did not want to butcher yourself, but rather buy pre-cut and frozen, I would highly recommend repackaging via vacuum sealer.

You should just buy a Chargriller with side smoker box attachment. It should cost you all of about $100 at your local Menards or whatever local home improvement store you frequent. We used to be huge Weber afficionados until we bought the Chargriller. Now we loan out the Weber to the church next door or neighbors and don't really care if it ever comes back. Can't be beat--a four part grate system inside that can be moved around easily with the tool that comes with it. The smoker box for just slow smoking--easy to add fuel without disrupting the temp of the main grill. You can certainly realize what you're talking about, with the duct work, etc., but in my mind it would be easier to just buy the Chargriller (but don't set it up for the rotisserie--leaves holes that make it harder to regulate the heat). And no, I don't work for Chargriller.

Mark, Most reputable farmers will give you a sample or turn you on to customers who do "meat parties" (like Avon, but for samples of meat). This can be a bit tricky, however, because different states (or maybe it's national) have rules about how they have to get the meat to their customers the same day they pick it up at the slaughterhouse (our farmers say it's okay to gift cuts, here in Illinois). All cows live most of their lives on pasture (i.e. eating grass and weeds, etc.) except in cold climates where they usually eat barley silage and the like when the grass is frozen. It's just the last couple months where the grass finished vs. corn finished comes into play. Even if a farmer primarily provides grass-finished beef, a lot of farmers can also grain/corn-finish a cow if you're buying the whole cow (or splitting it with someone with the same preferences). To be honest, most of it comes down to taste, although there have been several studies about how fully grass-fed beef has better health benefits (less saturated fat, more omega 3s, etc.). I personally like the grass-finished taste better, and given all the heart disease that runs in my family, am happy to buy into the less-saturated-fat notion for now (who knows if this will hold up in further studies however--but I'm not going to stop eating beef!).

I would make a fancy pissaladiere type pizza. Spread some fig paste on the dough, top with onions, add some shredded manchego, maybe also some slices of the prosciutto. Serve with an arugula salad dressed with a mayo dressing.

Chappie--Carniwhore....rotfl!!! Maybe if I do drop out of academia to become a butcher, I can use my publishing connections to realize that fantasy. You can be a co--editor David--yes, I do notice a taste difference between grass-finished and corn-finished; as most others describe it, I can also only describe it as somehow "beefier". Apparently there can be difference from one grass-finished supplier to another, so I guess that could be the next comparison taste test. Maybe I will do that one! I think the bigger difference is perhaps texture. The steaks and rare roasts seem to be firmer (not tougher, but firmer), but the ground and pot roasts/stews seem to be fluffier/more delicate. Several posters--re: prices--I may sound like a broken record here, but if you buy whole or half or even quarter animals, even if you do not butcher them yourselves but have the packing house do it, and then freeze, you have much better quality meat for the same or less than the cost of the supermarket. Even if I ever had to move to a studio apartment, I'd find a way to have an extra upright freezer. Some numbers (keeping in mind that although there are only two in our household, we entertain weekly, and have folks drop in more often than that to share dinner, so we go through probably double the meat in a year as a normal two person household--so consider this might be what a family of four would spend). Based upon what I have bought from the farmers so far, for a calendar year I would anticipate: $600 half cow, $500 whole pig, $300 whole lamb, $200 for 20 chickens (and they are huge chickens too). This amounts to a grand total of around $31 a week. We also usually have a deer in the freezer (hubby hunts). Then I rotate in some fish, turkey, game birds, goat, rabbit, etc., for variety. Add in a one-time set-up cost for the freezer (Craig's List is a great source for cheap used ones) and the vacuum-sealer, and ongoing costs for the sealer bags and some extra electricity to run the freezer. But these small ongoing costs are easily balanced out by the fact that you don't need to drive to the store as often. Plus by buying whole/half/quarter animals, you end up doing things like making your own sausage and bacon, which saves money on not having to buy those things too.

David, Excellent post about your comparison! Makes me want to do my own out of curiosity. Although I would probably do t-bones (mine and hubby's fave).

I use sodas all the time! Especially for chicken bbqed over a can of something, usually beer, but we have used orange, cola, lemon-lime sodas as well as hard cider. Then I use the other half a can of soda to make a thin bbq-type sauce for the chicken (the lemon-lime also takes well to Thai flavors). But I've also just marinated chicken parts in the soda and then grill (when out of a whole chicken or no cans around). We don't normally keep much soda in the house, so this is usually after a large party when we have leftover cans or bottles.

Mark, Try the eatwild.com website (don't forget to look in the surrounding states too, since MA is so small). As for vacuum sealing, the guidelines that came with my sealer say 2-3 years for beef cuts (1 year for ground). I've never let it go that long, but have had things after a year frozen, and they were fine.

I just chop into approx. 1" pieces and add to the compost! Can't save everything (at least they go back into the garden that way). I've also heard you can run the lawn mower over them to cut up, and then add to compost. The added carbon footprint just doesn't seem worth it to me though. Happy to use a knife and a few extra minutes.

David, PM me a week or so before you get your beef, and I'm happy to help in any way! I've got lots of resources to share (keep meaning to write an article or start up a blog or something). Keep in mind, you will have some sections where you are completely clueless (especially for me with it cut into primals: the round--what's top?, what's bottom?, although the eye was pretty easy to figure out--but I did eventually get it all figured out). You just need to get your hands dirty so to speak. And as Mettler's Basic Butchering book states, to paraphrase: it will still taste good, even if your first attempt is not necessarily beautiful! I've certainly made mistakes (I like to call it "inventing new cuts"), but it's all still edible. Although most of the butchering went far smoother than I ever anticipated. Sometimes also you just have to trust the cutting directions--it may not seem right while you're cutting, but afterwards it looks just like the butcher!

Prawncrackers, more beef porn for you For others, some pics that might encourage you to buy a whole or half animal and butcher it yourself! All you need is a large cooler, a couple of good knifes (a boning and scimitar knife is what I use), a bone saw (or sterilized hacksaw), a decent amount of kitchen space, and lots of towels, paper towels, and bleach water to keep everything sanitary. Bonus tool is a vacuum sealer, so you can keep the meat longer in the freezer. First--showing off how the half a cow (cut into primals) fits into one of the giant coolers they sell at Costco (remember the Dexter beef I'm getting is two thirds the size of a normal cow--there's also three bags of ice in there with it). BTW--next time I don't think I'm going to have it cut into primals, just forequarter, hindquarter, and center; with the pork I just get the animal cut in half down the backbone. Next, butchering the short loin (the only section hubby filmed--the stills were his selection since he was kind enough to pull them from the video for me). Yes he promised he would edit for You Tube someday! We love our steaks, so I just cut the short loin into a bunch of steaks (this is the section you get porterhouse and t-bone steaks from, for those not familiar with the primal cuts). Using the bone saw to cut through the last of the steaks. Note that you use the scimitar or other large knife to cut through the flesh and the saw just to cut through the bone, carefully trying to keep the flesh away from the blade of the saw (or you tear up the meat): Look at how many steaks you end up with! And, last but not least, some silliness (note the "Basic Butchering of Livestock and Game" book in the background and my laptop on which I had lots of helpful butchering pics cued up; also note the relative leanness and lack of marbling in these grass-fed, grass finished steaks--but so tender and flavorful at a perfect rare): Hope that this might encourage some of you out there to buy farm-direct and try to tackle the butchering yourself (it's loads of fun!).

I know they sell rabbit (frozen though), and the local supermarkets do not (although the supermarket when I lived in an area with a large Hispanic population did in fact carry frozen rabbit, which was quite convenient). I've never thought of looking there for birds like guinea hen and the like. I don't think they carry goat (at least I don't remember seeing it there), but I'm sure they could order it for me. For goat, I always go down to Chicago's meatpacking district (Lake Street) where there are several wholesale places that will sell to the public (usually have to buy a whole goat though--which is not a problem for me as I just cut it up and freeze the extra cuts). [i love goat, btw., and in fact have a goat head, neck, and some offal in the freezer right now.] For rabbit, there are some great Mexican live poultry places that also have rabbit--those are the best places to go for rabbit. As a rule, most Chicago-area supermarkets usually have a pretty large selection of different species, especially if you don't mind frozen product (usually beef, pork, lamb, veal, chicken, turkey, cornish game hens, duck, quail--although not necessarily all the cuts you would want, especially with lamb and veal). Also I realized that I neglected to mention that Chicago also has lots of great halal and Asian (mainly Chinese and Vietnamese) and some kosher butchers too (just have never lived in those neighborhoods, so have not purchased at them except for the meat counter at one large pan-Asian market that I frequent). But I digress...off the topic at hand which is beef! I guess what can be gleaned from my digressive post is that there are many more options for butchers (as well as availability of a wider variety of species of meat) in large urban areas with diverse populations.