Shel_B

Interesting, and thanks for the info. Decided to go with a mister bottle.

Thanks. Mister bottles is the direction I've chosen to go. I'll look at the ones you posted and some others as well.

Love it! Nice photography, too.

Today was horchata day. I finally got my quarterly delivery of almonds and made brown rice and almond horchata, although I'm not sure that what was made is a traditional horchata. I've been making almond milk for years, but this combination of ingredients posed a challenge. The biggest issue was how to deal with the cinnamon sticks, so here is what I did and the ingredients I used. 5/8 cup raw, organic, unpasteurized almonds (the only type of almonds I use) 1/2 cup medium grain, organic brown rice - this and the almonds are from Massa Organics 2 sticks of Ceylon cinnamon soaked in 1 quart of filtered, tap-temperature water. 1 seeded Medjool date for sweetness 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract pinch of Diamond Crystal salt I rinsed and soaked the rice and almonds together in two changes of filtered water. The cinnamon was soaked separately for 12 hours in filtered water, the last four hours in the fridge to get the water very cold. I was hoping that the cinnamon would infuse the water with its flavor and aroma, which it did, but perhaps too subtly. All the ingredients but the cinnamon sticks went into the Vitamix and got a good whirring for 60 seconds. I left the cinnamon sticks in the jar in which they soaked. The liquid in the Vitamix was strained through the nut milk bag (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) and then poured into the jar with the cinnamon sticks. After tasting the less-than-appropriately cold drink, it seems that the texture and the flavor are very close to what I was hoping for. Final judgment is reserved for tomorrow morning, but I know I'm close.

Different dishes, preferences, situations. "The more you know, the better your luck."

Ribollita, Stage II: Last night I completed the Ribollita I started a couple of days ago. The flavor sure blossoms after an overnight stay in the fridge. I'm not sure if I'd use rye bread again, although it wasn't objectionable, but in keeping with the nature of la cocina pobre, I used what was on hand.

I want to use a spray of some sort for the particular use I mentioned. I'm quite familiar with the technique you describe and have used it often for other things. Works well ... thanks.

There are but a few things that I bake, and cornbread is one of them. I use a fairly heavy 8x8 non-stick pan for my everyday cornbread, and I have been oiling the pan with Pam spray. I bought the spray several years ago and would like to replace it. Since I rarely bake, I'm not very familiar with options for the Pam. I want a spray of some sort. One thought I had was to use avocado oil in a spray bottle as I always have avocado oil on hand for other cooking needs. Good idea? Any other suggestions? Definitely want a neutral-flavored oil. I've heard the term "baking spray" used now and then. Is that the same as a cooking spray?

Ribollita: Today I started a ribollita. I made the minestrone, which is shown here. The ingredients include diced, smoked pancetta, diced leek, some fresh Calabrian pepper, likewise a serrano, carrot, celery, Yukon Gold potatoes, cannellini beans, some leftover savoy cabbage, a bunch each of cavolo nero and chard, including some of their diced stems, zucchini, a few crushed, whole peeled tomatoes along with their juice, and a few sprigs of rosemary. When it cools, I'll layer the soup in a bowl with some stale rye bread leftover from another dish, and let it cool in the fridge to allow the flavors to meld overnight.

Please let me know how you made it, what ingredients you used, and how you liked it. I believe this dish has good potential, and I'll experiment with it some more. Leftovers today with the addition of some leftover chili were quite interesting.

I didn't know that CBL has been used as an insecticide, although I vaguely recall reading that the leaves were sometimes used as ticking in mattresses ... or maybe that was Eucalyptus leaves. I certainly agree with you about the intensity of the leaves and your preference for the Turkish leaves. Still, I like them in one or two soups/stews and, when used cautiously, can be quite nice.

@Maison Rustique Does this help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bel1V5HeYm4&t=4s A couple of things to consider: This is the second time I made the recipe. The first time I used a rich, dark brown, chicken stock as I had no beef stock on hand. I found the taste a little weak, and using a decet beef stock on my secnd try improved the results substantially. While the written recipe only mentions Fontina cheese, there's a big difference in taste when using Fontina Val d'Aosta compared to other fontina cheeses, especially domestic products. The Fontina Val d'Aosta, according to my taste buds and preferences, is a better match with rye bread. It also adds some earthiness to the final dish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TokpRPrZv0 Roasted garlic, or adding some dried roasted garlic, gives a nice flavor boost. I used the dried roasted garlic in this iteration along with regular garlic and it helped enrich the taste. It's important to get those onions brown

This will be dinner tonight: Cabbage, Pancetta and Onion Soup, Soueupa alla Valpellinentze https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/12611-savoy-cabbage-soup-with-ham-rye-bread-and-fontina? I riffed on the recipe by adding thickly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes to the mix as the recipe reminded me of some cabbage and potato dishes I had back in the '60s. Carol, my then GF, put together a simple dish of boiled potatoes and cabbage with a little butter, S&P. We were sleeping on the floor, on a bare mattress, in an empty house in preparation for moving to the new place together. We had no cash on hand and scrounged some change from somewhere, and she put the meal together for us. Those were the days when you could buy the ingredients for less than a dollar. Since that time, I've always enjoyed a cabbage and potato dish now and then. I picked up some Fontina Val d'Aosta to use as a topping, and it was too soft to shred with the grater I had, so I diced the cheese and sprinkled it atop the dish. The rye bread was made by a local bakery. The pancetta is my favorite from the local sausage maker. Beef stock, homemade. Can't wait to dig into it ...

@wishtoBakeforall0513Welcome to eGullet. I'm sure you'll enjoy the place. You mentioned that you'd like to learn how various cultures use spines and ingredients differently. What are spines? How do you use them?

I love the trees ... very nice. As for the bay leaves, I'd snag a few to dry and give 'em a try. We have plenty of California Bay Laurel trees growing in the area, and while not traditionally used for many styles of cooking, I always keep a few on hand as an alternative to the more usually-used Mediterranean leaves. Over time I've found that I prefer them for certain dishes. For example, I like one in my split pea and ham soup.

There are at least six different answers. Whether you’re making a recipe from India, Jamaica, or Spain, you’re likely to encounter bay leaf in the ingredients list. Just be sure you know the type of bay leaf the recipe calls for. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-a-bay-leaf?

All the mushrooms are already dried. The package said "oyster mushrooms." so that's what I know. I'm not very knowledgeable about 'shrooms. Thanks for your help.

Porcini, Shiitaki, and Oyster ...

Meals on Wheels, Alaska

Real bear hands: Bears were not harmed. They were sedated for testing and tracking purposes.

I've rarely used dried mushrooms, and the few times I have I've soaked them before using them in a recipe. If there was any dirt in the 'shrooms, it would leach out into the water and be discarded, or so I've read and believed. I want to make mushroom powder from dried 'shrooms I found in the cupboard a few days ago. Instructions I've seen say to grind 'em up, and no mention was made about dirt. Do I need to be concerned about dirt and grit in these mushrooms? Are some types of mushrooms more problematic than others? Is the whole dirt and grit thing about dried mushrooms overblown? The ground mushrooms will be added to a meat sauce to enhance the flavor.

Thanks for the link. I gave the article a quick scan and will read it fully later.

Around 1955 Ronzoni macaroni sponsored a cookbook (see image below) written by Ada Boni who was described by some as the "Fanny Farmer of Italy." The recipes were simple and easy to prepare, and the ingredients were easily obtained. Robert Ronzoni, the company's then-president, wrote an introduction to the book, and the company had a few pages of advertising and promotion in the middle section of the volume. That section included an illustrated page with directions on how to prepare pasta. This book appears to be oriented toward the American homemaker who, after WWII, was exposed to new ideas and ingredients. It's a lovely slice of culinary history.

There's some heavily gelatinized stock in the fridge and a desire to cook some beans. Will the beans cook well in a stock with lots of gelatine? Is there anything special I should consider if doing that?

Tongue. The strange thing about tongue. I used to eat it and enjoy it when I was a kid (less than 10 years old) until I learned that was really a tongue.