Shel_B

Some friends in Napa recently grilled a butterflied leg of lamb using the following marinade and basting sauce. I liked it a lot and thought I'd pass along the recipe and technique. Vineyard Lamb 1 butterflied leg of lamb (about 5 lbs.) 3 cloves garlic, minced fine or pressed 2 tsp mild - medium curry powder 1 cup white Zinfandel wine S&P to taste 3 Tbs currant or apple jelly -------------------- Combine all the ingredients except the lamb and blend them well. Put the lamb into a shallow dish or plastic bag and marinate for about 2 hours at room temp or overnight in the fridge. Reserve the marinade and place the lamb on a grill over hot coals to brown quickly. Brush with marinade, turn and brown the other side. Cover grill and cook the lamb, turning a few times and brushing with marinade each time, until lamb is done. It should take about 30 - 40 minutes for medium rare. Try using a blend of mesquite and grape vines for the coals. Regular charcoal is probably OK, but I've never used it.

I've drastically cut my salt intake and, now, after a few months, find that I don't miss it at all. However, I've moved more to a vegetarian diet, and rediscovered the taste of truly fresh, good quality, vegetables. IMO, they don't "need" much, if any, salt. We have been treated to excessive salt in the prepared and restaurant foods we buy and have become used to, perhaps almost dependent, on addicted to, salt for flavor. I was talking about cooking with Toots last week - she's old school European when it comes to much of her cooking and eating preferences, and she mentioned that her old family recipes call for far less salt than similar US and contemporary recipes. My first suggestion is to try working with good, fresh vegetables.

Let us know how it works out for you. Toots brought home some Trader Joe's goat milk cream cheese. That seems to be a nice option as well.

But with "Western Omelettes" (which are very popular here where I live, in the, um, West) I like a bit of browning to go with the various crunchy and full-flavored ingredients, like peppers, onions, sausage, cheese, avocados, ham, tomatoes, etc. ================================================ That's a good point. We don't eat many omelettes here, but when we do, I usually make 'em with nicely cooked and crunchy vegetables, including some potato slices to satisfy Toots' preference -and that caramelization adds to our enjoyment. Not having the eggs browned as well, gives a sort of half-finished result.

This sounded so good that I just had to give it an immediate try. So I did. I ran into my local small market for ingredients and they had no fresh cream cheese, so had to use Philadelphia, but this still turned out great. Thanks so much for posting about it. Although I did think to myself from time to time while enjoying it that perhaps just a dash of lemon curd might be a nice addition. Have you ever tried that? Well, first of all, the difference between using a natural cream cheese and that "Philly" stuff is pretty amazing. Nancy's makes a cultured cream cheese that has a bit of tang to it, and is darned good with the blueberries: http://www.nancysyogurt.com/index.php/products/organic-cream-cheese I mention this because lemon curd also has a nice tanginess to it, and lemon curd goes well with blueberries. The next time I make lemon curd, I'll save some for use in a blueberry omelette. You may be on to something. Thanks for the idea!

Today, at the Thursday Berkeley Farmers Market, I came across the stand for Massa Organics, and picked up a 2-lb bag of their rice. Comments here, being so positive, helped push my purchase - that, and concerns about arsenic and heavy metals in imported rice. We don't eat a lot of rice, so the two pound bag should last a while. Really looking forward to trying it. Thanks to those who mentioned it.

Well, this thread has sure taken a few interesting turns. Some years ago I was watching a cooking show about preparing eggs. Various omelettes were described, made with, to me, an obscene amount of disparate ingredients. However, burried in the trash was a little treasure: ideas about making omelettes with fruit, and that gave me the idea for a simple, blueberry cream cheese omelette. So, I take three or four eggs, beat 'em up, and put them into a well buttered omelette pan. As they firm up, I add some blueberries and a few dabs of good, natural cream cheese (Gina Marie's is my favorite). I don't overdo the cheese or the berries. After a bit, I fold the eggs over on themselves, let the omelette warm through just enough to soften the cream cheese, and serve. A very tasty, simple pleasure. I've made this with both frozen and fresh berries with good results. I don't mix the cheese or the berries into the eggs ... just put 'em lightly on the eggs before folding them over. Toots enjoys a kind of tortilla de papas. She'll microwave a scrubbed big potato for 4-5 minutes, Then slices it, and in a frying or sauté pan put a tablespoon of olive oil and fry the potato slices, turning them only once. When both side are barely browned, she'll drop two eggs on the side of, or over, the potatoes and that is her dinner. She'll add salt and pepper or ketchup - whatever - and eats it out of the pan, she then has less to wash. Very peasant style. Many of her dishes reflect having spent the first few years of her life on her grandfather's tea plantation in the jungle of Paraguay.

I made that sandwich for Toots. She enjoyed quite a bit. She loves arugula, ciabatta, and smoked herring, something she enjoyed growing up in Argentina.

You do realise that Bone Suckin' Sauce is almost 1/3 sugar right? The amount of sugar in Bone Suckin' Sauce is quite a bit lower than in many other commercial sauces I've looked at. In addition, it meets the other criteria: no HFCS, the degree of hotness, and the lack of a additives and preservatives. It ain't perfect, but it's a lot closer to what we want than KC Masterpiece and many other brands. If I want perfection, I'll make my own, but there are times when an "acceptable" prepared sauce is desireable. Bone Suckin' Sauce seems like a good option for now.

Well, today I found a new-to-me sauce, "Bone Suckin' Sauce." http://www.buybonesuckin.com/products/Bone-Suckin%27-Sauce-16-oz..html# It seems like just what we've been looking for. Toots will be very happy!

Thanks! That does help ... it's certainly worth a look or two. Meanwhile, I continue to check garage sales ... Toots and I have found a lot of neat stuff at garage/yard sales.

Did you find a recipe/technique you like? Recently I made a potato salad that was very well received using chopped dill pickles and their juice, and a nice amount of dill weed. The recipe I used was based on a CI recipe ... I'd be happy to post my version as I suspect I can't post the CI version. ETA: Didn't notice the date on this thread or your post.

Boiling eggs over high heat for twenty minutes seems excessive. I'd imagine the yolks would be very dry and the whites quite rubbery. Is this the case? Is this the texture you're looking for in this salad? How fine do you chop the eggs?

I am curious about this one - with watercress, cucumber, olives, garlic, etc. [...] I wonder what (if any) particular culture might have influenced this recipe. I know it's the first time I've ever heard of watercress in a potato salad. My ex-wife, born and raised in California, and with an English background, put watercress in her potato salad ... and other salads as well. I don't know if it was a cultural thing, or if she (or her family) just liked watercress.

I'm considering a julienne peeler, and the Kuhn Rikon seems to have lots of good reviews and comments. Anyone here have any thoughts about this gadget, or another julienne peeler that may be better?

My only experience with fingerlings (not for potato salad) was disappointing. I've got two more potato salad BBQs coming up, plus a batch I want to make for myself. I'll try the French fingerlings ... I'll be near the Rose and Shattuck market on Thursday, and will look for them. If I can't fine them, I'll get some more YGs. They are a known quantity and my results with them are quite satisfactory.

I don't have a pressure cooker, and am not considering getting one. I was hoping to get some more info re: steaming vs boiling. Thanks!

That sounds great! We like sweet potatoes and yams. Any suggestions or recipe ideas?

A time proven technique, regardless of the potato used, and one that, IMO, should be stressed. Makes a big difference!

Yukon Gold is a type that is generally referred to as all-purpose because it is less waxy than regular waxy types like norland red and less starchy than say, a russet. It won't hold it's shape as well as most red potatoes, or other very waxy types. If roasted or baked, it won't be as fluffy and dry as a high-starch type. If you like them, and they give you an appearance you like, then use them. Yes, there are intermediate-type all-purpose red potatoes, like the very delicious, highly-rated Sangre. They won't stay as good looking as a waxier type when boiled, but they are very tasty. You need to research your reds before assuming they are super-waxy. Good points. I've never had trouble with YGs holding their shape. In fact, my YGs hold their shape better than some of the reds Toots uses. Since there are so many red varieties, it's possible that Toots has sometimes used some that are less desireable for boiling and for potato salad.

I've thought about doing that but was concerned that the flavor and salt of the water might not get through to the meat. Toots, OTOH, always boils her red potatoes with the skin on, but she doesn't add anything to the water that might enhance the flavor.

Hmmm ... that's an interesting suggestion. I may play with that idea. Any suggestions for technique? Thanks!

There are literally dozens of varieties of red potatoes. "B reds" says nothing about which variety you're using, just that it seems to reference a small, young potato, often called "new potatoes." The problem we had yesterday was that Toots cooked up some spuds from two different purchases, and the results were quite different even though the potatoes were cooked together. This suggests to me that different varieties of red potatoes will yield different results.

What do you look for as a result that makes red potatoes superior to Yukon Gold? I like the taste of the YG spuds, and when I use them they cook up firm and tender. Toots likes the red potatoes, and I've always found them to be a little "waxy" compared to the YG. Yesterday Toots made some potato salad and she used red potatoes that were purchased in different places. The difference in consistancy between the two batches (cooked together, BTW) was remarkable. One batch cooked up nice and firm and the other broke apart. Maybe she ended up with different varieties of red potatoes ... I've never had that happen with YGs.

The last salad I made was simmered in garlic infused chicken stock, which contained some salt.