Shel_B

Toots loves eggplant with black bean sauce, and has asked me to prepare it at home. I've never made it, and can't tell from recipes I've found on line what may be good or not. So, perhaps the mavens at eGullet can help. I'd appreciate any good, proven recipes and techniques, bearing in mind that we don't have a wok and Toots' apartment stove doesn't lend itself to wok cooking. It would be nice to get some suggestions for a prepared black bean sauce (I bought some Lee Kum Kee sauce yesterday, but perhaps there's a more interesting version out there) as well as a recipe or ideas for making my own. Toots does not care for green peppers so recipes that include an alternative, as opposed to just leaving them out, would be especially appreciated. In any case, any ideas would be welcome. None of the recipes I've looked at thus far have suggested salting and eliminating water from the eggplant which, I understand from other recipes, may be a good idea. Comments on this technique? FWIW, I'm not a big fan of eggplant so I've never prepared it - this is just for Toots. Thanks!

Thanks for the input. I've now a better idea of why my intended results have been erratic.

Sometimes I use a blender to puree,other times a food processor. Sometimesthe results are excellent,other times not so terrific. When do you use which tool? Any rules of thumb? Thanks!

Yes, after cooking the meat is shredded off the bone and goes into the sauce. Thanks!

There's a recipe that I'd like to make, a pork ragu, which calls for riblets: "Get three pounds of ribs and cut them into riblets," it says. I checked on line and the results seem to indicate a lot of wasted ribs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riblets So, what are riblets? Thanks!

Thanks gang! I discovered the companies noted by andiesenji but didn't know how good their product is or how reliable they are. I don't mind shelling some nuts myself although for certain situations shelled would be very handy to have. Emannths' suggestion seems like it may be worth a try. Have either of you tried the suppliers you referenced?

I've had some experience making both ice cream, sherbet, and sorbet, but don't know how to get a good swirl effect. I thought I'd do something as you suggested, but can't help but wonder if there's a way that may be more effective.

Years ago I used to get pinion pine nuts, and then they seemed to disappear in my local stores, replaced mostly with pine nuts from China. There is a difference in texture and flavor, and now I'd like to find a good, reliable source for pinion pine nuts, or even other types of pine nuts, from trees grown here in the US, especially in the western and southwestern parts of the country. Thanks!

I'd like to make a simple frozen confection - mix a fruit syrup (like blueberry, raspberry, etc.) with cream or half-and-half, in a swirl pattern. Any thoughts on how to get that result? Thanks!

Hi ... Thanks for the ideas. I like the chicken salad concept especially well. Adding it to soup will work just fine, too. If we had a dog, it would probably enjoy such a treat, however, neither GF nor I like to waste food, so it's nice to get some ideas from y'all.

My GF brought some leftover chicken home from a "rubber chicken" dinner. Last night we wanted to have it for dinner, but the chicken (breast meat) was a bit dry and hard. Is there a good way to make such chicken, and perhaps other meats and leftovers, more palatable. I cooked it in a sauce of lemon, garlic, wine, and some herbs, and it wasn't awful, but perhaps there's some other treatment that can be done to ot. Thanks!

Various nutritional guidelines suggest eating X-number of portions or servings of fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. What, or how much, is a portion or serving size? Are the portions diferent for different foods? Thanks!

Yes! I also tried adding some freshly-made salsa, and that was pretty good. Had to be sure to drain the salsa well, though ...

Yes, I found that there is a real defference between brands. I tried draining some through a sieve and it reduced the "soupiness" quite a bit. I prefer the 4% fat but some 2% gave me the results I like.

I just finished a half-loaf a few days ago. The bread is very flavorful and crisps up nicely. I'll get it again ....

That mango peeling and cutting trick is GREAT! It eliminates my biggest objections to trimming mangos and probably the need or desire for a gadget to do the job. Thanks!!!

We eat mangos about three times a week, and it's getting to the point that I'd like to get a mango pitter. We usually eschew such gadgets, but it seems that this may be worthwhile for us. So, are all mango pitters the same? What should I look for when selecting a pitter? Do some get closer to the pit than others? What's a good price for such a gadget? Thanks!

Lately I've been thinking about Grandma Bessie's split pea soup, which she made with flanken. I'd love to get some ideas for making this comforting soup in a traditional manner ... Thanks!

I usually drink my coffee black and without sugar, making it at home in a French press. However, I sometimes want cream, and when I do it's manufacturer's cream, or heavy cream. What a difference from milk or half-and-half, or even the typical whipping cream. Talk about mouth feel!

I like a variety of beers, and there are times when Budweiser does the trick for me. When it's a hot day, and I want something refreshing and quenching, I'll often choose Bud over any number of other beers. Yet, at other times, there are many beers that I'd prefer over Bud ...

http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=649345&storeId=10052&langId=-1 http://www.meijer.com/s/meijer-white-baking-chips-vanilla-flavored-1-bag-11-oz/_/R-131582

I came across a few recipes for "Jerusalem Kugel," which is made with caramelized sugar. The sugar in all the recipes is made by cooking it in vegetable oil. That's something new to me. Why oil? What does it bring to the party when making kugel? Is there another or better option for this type of kugel? Thanks!

Yes to the additional cheese. I'm going to start with Trader Joe's parmesan - I like the flavor even though it's not a Reggiano. Sweet might be a nice flavor profile, but I'm not a big fan of sweet things (except chocolate!) Thanks!

I love caramelized onions - make 'em several times a year. I thought about mushrooms but perhaps they may add too "earthy" a taste to the dish. Thanks!

I've tried the dish with small curd cottage cheese, and it doesn't hold together well (for my taste, anyway). I've never observed a taste difference between small and large curd cottage cheese of the same brand and fat content, although I have observed that some small curd cheese is more watery than some large curd cheese. The green onions, like other suggestions of adding herbs and spinach, seems like something to try. We just got some beautiful green onions at the Farmers' Market yesterday ... Thanks!