Shel_B

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/01/ethereally-smooth-hummus/ Just one source. I contacted a friend in Tel Aviv, and she said that the best hummus she's had was made with peeled chickpeas. She, and her mother, always peel the peas when making hummus.

A couple of nights ago I spent fifteen minutes peeling a can of chickpeas for a soup I was making - one pea at a time <whew>. OK, a lot of time for a small, but noticeable, benefit. The peeling may be more evident when making hummus, so I will be doing this again. Is there a better way to peal chickpeas, a method that won't damage them (I may want to use them in a salad)? Would cooked, dry beans require peeling? Thanks!

Upon reading about Vichy water, I learned that it has a somewhat high mineral content which can impart a taste to some cooking, which suggests that mineral water, rather than tap water or plain, chemical-free, bottled water may provide a somewhat - maybe subtle or even imperceptable - authenticity to the dish. In any case, my tap water, even though it's filtered, does have a slight "off" taste, and lately I've been using bottled spring water for some of my cooking. Since I'm paying for bottled water, I might as well try some Perrier, which I bought today along with the carrots. Now, about that glaze: some time ago someone suggested a little orange juice to glaze and enhance the flavor of carrots. While I intend to make a more traditional version of the dish, I may also try a version without sugar, using orange juice instead. Might make an interesting variation ... <shrug> Any thoughts on how orange juice might work in this dish?

Thanks for that tip! I looked up Vichy Carrots and was surprised at how many variations there are for what seems to so simple a recipe. People were using lemon-lime soda, adding molasses, par cooking the vegetables then sauteing in butter ... my, oh my. I think what I'll try is cooking sliced carrots in sparkling water (Vichy, if I can find it, otherwise Perrier or San Pellegrino), adding a knob of good butter, maybe a teaspoon of sugar, and just simmer until the liquid evaporates and the carrots are nicely glazed, maybe let 'em brown a scosh, and then sprinkle over some fresh chopped parsely. I should be able to get some nice, fresh, sweet carrots, so the sugar may not even be neccessary. Does that sound like a way to go?

Thanks to all for the education about egg substitutes. I didn't know ... ETA: I looked up Egg Beaters as an example, and it appears that it's just vitamin and color enhanced egg whites, certainly not appropriate for all situations but good enough, perhaps, for a binder, as in the salmon patties. However, for a lot less $$ I can just use egg whites should I want to go that route, and feed the yolk to my cat. Yolks are great nutrition, and great treats, for cats.

Since I don't now anything about "egg substitutes," I certainly didn't know there were different types. The recipe's not particularly special - it's just for baked salmon cakes - but I was curious about how to convert an egg substitute to whole eggs. It might come up again. Otherwise, it's a simple recipe like many others. I could easily find another, similar recipe, I'm sure. Anyway, the recipe just says to use 1/4 cup egg substitute ... no further info about what type.

I came across a recipe that calls for using an "egg substitute" for whole eggs. I don't really know what an egg substitute is, but in any case, I'd like to use whole eggs to replace the substitute. How many eggs equals how much egg substitute? Thanks!

Shel’s Pan Seared Burgers Using techniques from Judy Rogers at the Zuni Café, Alton Brown at Food Network, and the Beef & Veal Time-Life Good Cook series book, here’s my rendition of a pan seared hamburger. ½ - lb good, fresh blade chuck ½ - lb good, fresh sirloin Diamond Crystal Kosher salt Take the chuck and sirloin and cut into 1-inch or so cubes. Salt very lightly (about 1 tsp max) with Diamond Crystal kosher salt or a favorite, similarly-sized grained sea salt, and toss well. If using regular table salt use a little less. Put salted meat in tightly closed glass or stainless container (don’t use plastic!) for eight hours or over night. Just before preparing, finely chop the cold meat by hand using the two knife method as described in the Beef & Veal volume of the Good Cook series, or put into food processor with a well-sharpened blade (you may need to do this in two batches) and pulse each batch about eight or ten times. Do not overdo it - you want some texture and you don’t want the meat to get too warm. You may want to put the blade in the freezer for a while before chopping the meat, likewise the processor bowl. If making in two batches, use a 50/50 mixture in each batch. Then, using your hands, gently mix each batch together. When done mixing form into two or three equal sized, thick patties. Shape them so they’re slightly dished into the center. That way when it cooks and tightens up, it will cook itself flat rather than round. Let the formed patties come up to room temp before putting them in the pan. Cook in a very hot cast iron skillet to get a good sear, about three minutes on each side works for me. You can also use a heavy stainless steel lined skillet or sauté pan for this. Place the pan in a 450- 500-degree oven for about 30-minutes before adding the meat. Put burgers on your favorite bread, like a toasted slice of French or Italian bread, ciabatta, or something similar, deglaze the pan with a little beef stock or red wine, make a little sauce, and pour lightly over burgers. Add your favorite topping - for me, for these burgers, it’s just the thinnest slice of red onion. I like to eat these open-faced. A brief word about salt: Diamond Crystal Kosher salt contains about 280mg of sodium per 1/4 tsp. Morton Kosher salt contains about 480mg of sodium per 1/4 tsp, plus yellow prussiate of soda (a water-soluble, anti-caking agent). Trader Joe’s Kosher salt contains about 730 mg of sodium per 1/4 tsp. Some sea salts are about 380mg of sodium. I may try this recipe with sea salt at some point.

Hmmm ... you reminded me of some ideas I got a couple of years ago from a dear friend in which she used corn cobs to make stock. Good, fresh corn should be appearing in the markets in a while - I've already seen that corn is available but don't know about the quality. Time to dig out Christine's recipes and notes. And yes, fresh, young peas ... the time's approaching to start making peas soup and other pea dishes. I went to the market a few days ago looking for peas, but didn't see just what I wanted. Tuesday I'll make another visit and see what's available as there are a couple of recipes I'd like to try.

Water ... no, it's not a "new" ingredient, but I'm exploring its use as an alternative to stock in making soup and stews. In the past I've always used stock or broth when making soups and stews, however, some time ago I learned about making onion soup with just water as a base. The result was very nice, and caused more experimentation: Paul Bertolli's cauliflower soup was the latest foray into using water instead of stock, and the result was fantastic. I'm now starting to play around with a chickpea soup made with only water as the base. Other vegetable soups and stews are on the horizon, such as my Three Sisters Stew, a version of Argentinian Locro, and a vegetarian version of hamburger soup. Essentially, I like the way the flavors of the vegetables come through fresh and clean compared to being masked to some degree when using stock. Sometimes the results have been subtle, but other times the difference is quite obvious. I can not imagine Bertolli's cauliflower soup made with stock ... in fact, I've noticed a difference when using different water sources.

That's a great idea! Both Toots and I have had boar before, and we both enjoyed it. It's too late for this weekend's dinner, but definitely it's workable for some future date. We don't eat much meat, so it would be a simple matter to plan ahead and dig out some recipes and ideas. There's a place in Teaxas that sells the meat, and IIRC, they have some recipe ideas on their web site. I've heard about the Iberico hams, but not had any meat from an Iberico pig. Something else to look into ... Thanks! News just in: I checked around real quick and rediscovered a shop not far from my place that sells wild boar and other game meats. I'd forgotten about this place. Other game meats may also be a good choice for our lower fat diet

You're mistaken. Not every cut suggested was deemed too fatty. The suggestions for chops was greeted enthusiastically. I know that fat equals flavor, but too much equals cholesterol and clogged arteries, so we're cutting back on that tasty, and for us, dangerous ingredient. I also said I'd consider the idea of pork cheeks, although not for this dinner, and that when I go to The Local Butcher I'd ask about them.

I'm looking to move into a new apartment in a few months, and Toots thought that these grills might be something to consider. Maybe some of you would like something like these: http://craziestgadgets.com/2011/08/22/balcony-bbq-mounts-on-railings/ http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/portable-balconyfriendly-grill-150342 http://imgur.com/gallery/CyYEx I'd certainly consider one of these ...

Lots of different carrot colors: http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/carrotcolours.html

Hmmm ... I never heard of anyone being allergic to Kiwi, but I've never paid much attention to finding out what foods cause allergic reactions. It's good to know that caution is advised. I'll have to check into the matter further ...

I've not considered cheeks, however, when I visit the butcher later this week, I'll ask about them. From what I can see, they appear too fatty for our, or at least, my, preference. They may do well in a braise or some other slow, moist cooking process. Might be fun to experiment with, especially if the price is right. Thanks for the idea ...

Kiwi ... while not particularly exotic any more, at least around here, they are not very common in many areas and their fuzzy skin and bright green flesh with small dark seeds might appeal to kids. They certainly appeal to me <LOL> Kumquats ... these small fruits somewhat resemble oranges, are of the citrus family, and are eaten raw.

I want to taste pork, not herbs and cheese and other meat. Plus, I don't like cooked prociutto, which I imagine is what you're suggesting by wrapping the tenderloin with it.

I just finished making Bertolli's Cauliflower Soup, and it is the best version I've made thus far. Fresh, quality ingredients made all the difference. This is one great soup.

I've made this soup a couple of times, and each time it was good, but I was somewhat disappointed. I'm going to make it again tonight. I am convinced that really FRESH cauli will make the difference. A few hours ago I got the freshest cauli I've had in months, and will be using a much "cleaner" chemical-free water than that which comes from my tap. I am also going to use a very fresh leek along with the onion instead of just the storage onions I've used before. I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

Toots enjoys TJ's goat milk yogurt, and I often enjoy it as well. We have it with fresh fruit for breakfast. It's about $2.00 or $3.00 less per quart than Redwood Hill, if I recall correctly.

Pork shoulder, even after trimming the obvious fat, is still too fatty for us. I would not want to go to the level that you've gone ... no way. I do, however, applaud you for your creativity and enthusiasm.

That would be The Local Butcher as mentioned in my original post: http://thelocalbutchershop.com/ Check out the farmers that supply them.

Since my original post, I've poked around a bit and come to a similar conclusion. A couple of nice, thick chops seems like a good compromise between lean and flavorful, and since Toots likes the bone, and is more inclined to enjoy the fat, something along this line might be ideal. Thanks!

From what I know, these cuts are way too fatty for our situation.