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Shel_B

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Posts posted by Shel_B

    Lesser-known Italian Pasta Sauces

    in Italy: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Great idea, give us an example or two of some of the sauces you have found.

    There's Spaghetti Indiavolati in which the spaghetti is cooked in water that has been heavily infused with garlic and hot chile peppers. The garlic and peppers are ground up in hot water, added to the pasta water, and after a while the solids are strained out and then the pasta is cooked in the infused water. After the pasta is drained, dress with a nice extra virgin olive oil (a peppery one might be nice) and fresh grated parm, maybe sprinkle some parsley on it for a bit of color ...

    shel

    Lesser-known Italian Pasta Sauces

    in Italy: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Over the years I've been collecting and using some less well-know Italian pasta sauces which have come to me from various sources - from restaurants, from friends, on line, from books, and other sources. So, if you know of, or have, any interesting recipes, especially those that might be a local specialty, a local version of a more well known dish, or something that a particular restaurant might be noted for, I'd sure like to see them. Thanks!

    shel

    McD's Double Cheeseburgers

    in Ready to Eat

    Posted · Edited by Shel_B (log)

    The McDonalds across the street from my work here in San Francisco raised the price of the double cheeseburger a few months ago.

    I bought one within the last week or so - maybe ten days - in Ricmond, CA - across the bay from San Francisco.

    FWIW, Burger Kings that I've seen in the East Bay have a deal: Two double cheeseburgers for $2.00. The catch is you have to buy two.

    shel

    No Onions, Tomatoes or Vinegar

    in Cooking

    Posted

    There are many pasta dishes that can be made without the ingredients you've mentioned. One that I made recently is Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe, spaghetti with cheese and pepper. Add a green salad with an appropriate dressing and you've got a nice, tasty, classic Italian meal.

    shel

    Kosher Salt?

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    Has anyone done a blind taste test to see if they can really taste iodide or anti-caking agents?

    I think the way to do it would be with non-sea salt (so there aren't other minerals confusing things) and with the salt disolved in water (so the texture can't be an influence).

    A chef friend tasted Diamond Crystal and Morton's Kosher Salt, and he concluded that there was a clear difference between the two, with Diamond Crystal having a "cleaner" taste. Another person, on another cooking board, came to the same conclusion.

    shel

    Peperoncino Substitute

    in Cooking

    Posted

    There's a steamed calamari recipe I want to try and one of the seasoning ingredients is peperoncino, the Italian chile peppers, sprinkled on the calamari after it's cooked and just prior to serving. If I can't find them here, what would be a good substitute?

    Just to be clear, I'm not looking for the pickled or jarred peppers, but the plain chile peppers.

    Thanks for any suggestions,

    shel

    High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    Sure, maybe in small quantities heated, chemically modified tapioca starch isn't fatal or highly detrimental to your health - but then neither is antifreeze in the right quantity - and I'm told it's sweet and tastes really good - perhaps we should start allowing it as a sweetener in desserts?

    Propylene glycol is used as an antifreeze, it is also used in our food and cosmetics.

    scb

    Butterscotch Pudding in Manhattan?

    in New York: Dining

    Posted · Edited by Shel_B (log)

    http://www.kozyshack.com/products.html

    Kozy Shack makes some pretty good puddings for a pre-packeage commercial product. They're my go to pudding if I'm in the mood for something like that.

    The page at the link above has a store locator in the upper right corner. You have to scroll down a bit to see the locator. Good luck!

    shel

    PS ... Hmm, I didn't see butterscotch on their site, yet I know I've had it. Maybe it was discontinued <shrug>

    Kosher Salt?

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    For general purpose salt, there is not going to be anything "better" or "cleaner tasting" than Diamond Kosher salt.  This is because this salt is 100% sodium chloride.  There is no potassium iodide which, as Steven points out, some people say they don't like; there is no glucose (added to prevent breakdown of the potassium iodide) and more importantly there are no "free-pouring" anti-caking agents such as calcium silicate or, less commonly, ferric ammonium citrate, silicon dioxide, sodium ferrocyanide, magnesium silicate, magnesium carbonate, propylene glycol, aluminum calcium silicate, sodium aluminosilicate/sodium silicoaluminate, or calcium phosphate.

    You left out yellow prussiate of soda (a water-soluble, anti-caking agent)

    shel

    Kosher Salt?

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted · Edited by Shel_B (log)

    For a long time Diamond Crystal has been my kosher salt of choice. What other kosher or similar salts are people using? I'm looking for better, fresher and cleaner tasting salt. Any suggestions?

    Recently I read (perhaps in these forums) that kosher salt, per se, isn't available in some parts of the world, specifically Europe. What is used in those places instead of kosher salt?

    Cole Slaw

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by Shel_B (log)

    I make a Salvadoran coleslaw. It is served with pupusas but has become my slaw of choice. It's called "curtido." Google and you should find a lot of recipes. It's basically cabbage, carrots, vinegar, hot pepper relish, pepper flakes and oregano.

    Thanks for posting that. I never heard of curtido and looked up some recipes. It seems to be something I'd enjoy making and eating.

    shel

    The Carrot Museum

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    [...]I always have my eye out at the supermarket looking for the famous purple/red carrots of Kyoto, because I love purple foods, but I never see any.

    Last year some of the markets here had white, yellow, and purple carrots. That got me to look into the history of carrots, and a few days ago, while looking for information about black carrots (as a result of my interest in creating a black hummus), I came across the site.

    I don't know if the purple carrots we had here are the same as those carrots of Kyoto, but you've piqued my curiosity.

    shel

    Can Your Father Cook...

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    My dad's past on, but he would be 93 now. I don't remember him ever cooking except on Saturday mornings. I'd get up early and wait for him to come downstairs, and hed prepare breakfast. It would just be the two of us, our time.

    He'd make "bullseye" eggs (fried eggs, the yolk being the bullseye), scrambled eggs, French toast, salami and eggs, or matzoh brie. That was it. The food was OK, but the part of breakfast I liked best was being with my dad. He'd stand at the stove playing around in the pan, and regale me with wonderful stories about when he was growing up, or stories about his time in WWII. The one I remember most clearly was how he made French toast for the guys without eggs, and soaking the bread in milk and water in his helmet, and then frying it up for the guys to share.

    shel

    Black Hummus Idea

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I've made babaghanouj with black sesame paste before, and it did turn a rather pasty shade of gray. It tasted fine, though. Any particular reason why you want a dark black colour, or do you just want to see if it can be done? Squid ink sounds like a fascinating experiment.

    Just to see if it can be done, but, if it can, I've envisioned some interesting presentation possibilities. Never having worked with squid ink, I've no idea how it would affect the flavor of the dish, nor do I know how to use it or where to get it. Any suggestions?

    scb

    Black Hummus Idea

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Try mixing it with some black beans?  It'll probably only come out a darker shade of grey.

    Yes, black beans give a greyish color. They probably won't give the dark color I'm hoping to find.

    scb

    Black Hummus Idea

    in Cooking

    Posted

    You could try black food coloring paste--the kind used in cake frosting.  It is widely available under the Wilton brand name at most craft/hobby stores and cooking stores.  Or, try caramel coloring--it's more deep, deep brown than black--it's the stuff used to make loaves of pumpernickel bread turn that dark shade.

    The hummus will probably be light grey--I think that only the seed coat of the black garbanzos is black.  The insides are the same color as regular chickpeas, and the skin color fades after cooking.

    This might be an interesting appetizer for a Halloween party...

    Hi,

    I've used black garbanzos before - I have access to three different beans here. The one I used did have a lighter interior than the exterior, but was a bit darker than a typical garbanzo. I'll have to check the others to see how dark their interiors are. The flavor of the black beans is quite a bit different than the typical bean, and that's mostly why I use the black beans. I'll look into your coloring suggestions. Thanks!

    scb

    Black Hummus Idea

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Decided to whip up a batch of hummus today. However, instead of canned garbanzo beans I want to use dried beans, and I realized that there's an Indian grocery nearby that sells black garbanzos. OK! Then it occured to me that there are black sesame seeds, and I found a source for black tahini. Based on what I now know, the hummus will end up a somewhat unappetizing grey, not what I want, regardless of taste. So, what might be used to color the hummus to give it a black color?

    shel

    Pasta and Diabetes

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Here's a vote for Barilla Plus--it is a multigrain pasta, relatively high in protein and lower in carbs, that actually tastes like pasta.  It is only available in thin spaghetti, reg spaghetti, elbow, and penne shapes, but it is light years ahead (in taste) of the straight whole-wheat stuff.  http://www.barillaus.com/Home/Pages/Barilla_Plus.aspx

    Hi, thanks for the information. Although I've found a couple of ww pastas that are more than satisfactory, the Barilla seems like it may be a good addition to the pantry. I'll be near a market that carries the product later today, so I'' probably grab a box and give it a try. Thanks!

    scb

    Need Salad Spinner Recommendations

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    How about ditching the spinner and just using a bunch of towels? The spinner takes up space and doesn't get greens completely dry.

    There is more than enough space for the spinner. I don't have the patience to hand dry all those lettuce leaves, and some would be a PITA to hand dry, such as the spring mix I often use. With the spinner I now have, a 24yo Copco, the greens are dried very well as long as the spinner is not overloaded. Of course, it is possible that the Oxo and the Zyliss won't dry the greens as well as my current Copco does.

    shel

    Ready-to-Eat Hummus & Other Salads

    in Ready to Eat

    Posted · Edited by Shel_B (log)

    I wonder -- why bother to make it yourself?

    There was a time when I would.  Then I tried Sabra hummus

    Reading all the praise heaped upon Sabra, and never having heard of them, I visited their web site. Hummus made with Canola or Soybean oil doesn't interest me, nor does the other junk found in the ingredient list. I'll continue making my own or buy the hummus made at the local middle eastern deli, where the ingredients are fresh and high quality. Sabra, it seems, is made in NYC - that's a long way from the San Francisco area.

    scb

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