blue_dolphin

If you just bought it yesterday and the appearance disturbs you, take it back to the store, ask for a replacement and inspect it carefully before leaving. I have a few similar white spots on the kombu in my pantry but they don’t disturb me so after making that observation, I put it back to be used next time I need it. I am a bit curious what you mean by “an unhealthy mold”? Is this mold that appears unwell? Or do you believe it will make you unwell? And if so, how do you make that identification based on appearance alone?

Thanks, @rotuts! Today, I just used some long toothpicks to stabilize everything but I’ve used that sandwich slicing trick several times. Very helpful! I also picked excess bread out of the middle of the roll which helps make space for the fillings.

Today, we return to our sandwich textbook, A Super Upsetting Cookbook About Sandwiches for This is a Chicken Sandwich. It features a Special Sauce (mayo, whole grain mustard, sweet chile sauce and fresh dill), roast chicken, fried eggplant, fresh mozzarella and arugula on a lightly toasted ciabatta roll. The eggplant gets coated in a tempura batter, then in panko so it brings a lot of crunch to the party.

I believe “more tamales” is the correct answer to your first question. As to the second, pickled red onions go without saying, along with avocado or guacamole. At this time of year, some sort of Mexican corn salad certainly comes to mind. Could be elote-inspired or a black bean, corn and tomato salsa thing. Beans, refried or not. Some kind of nopales salad, if you can get them.

A repeat of yesterday’s recipe except that, after reading comments from @Kerala about fried bread, I followed the recipe instructions to fry the bread in olive oil in a cast iron skillet instead of just tossing it in the toaster. I also included the Kalamata olives I forgot to add yesterday. The chorizo those sardines are packed in makes them taste remarkably porky!

Yesterday, I was checking a recipe in How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea and the book flipped open to a photo of an open-faced avocado sandwich with tomato-marinated sardines. I thought it would make a good breakfast. Alas, I didn’t have any tomato-marinated sardines so I made due with these French “sardines à la Camarguaise” made with with chorizo.

I assume the food collected will go to a local food bank or community pantry, perhaps one where he already volunteers. Has he sought guidance from that recipient organization? If he hasn’t already done so, have him Google “food drive ideas” for schools or gyms or kids or wherever he wants to focus. Lots of good theme ideas there for Halloween and other holidays.

Swordfish Cavatappi with Cherry Tomatoes, Mint, and Fresh Chiles from How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea by Ari Kolender When I made this a few weeks ago, I made the full amount of sauce and froze it in single serving sized cubes so this was quick and easy to toss together.

Sounds like @Dr. Teeth has given you the info you asked for but I thought I’d add my recommendation for these grill gloves (eG-friendly Amazon.com link). I’ve had them for about 10 years now and would order another pair if someone swiped them. I have the Ladies Small size and there’s about 1/3 to 1/2 inch of fabric at the end of my fingers which isn’t bad compared with other options though I suspect you could still manage to stick them in food if you try. They are fabric, so not suitable for dunking your hands in boiling liquid. They’re the best I’ve found for a reasonable dexterity oven glove for smaller hands.

There's a local Cuban bakery in my area that is very popular for their papas rellenas, to the point that there are a lot of copycat recipes out there so you might search for “Porto's potato balls” if you are looking for tips. They even sell them frozen to bake at home. They make the standard picadillo filling, a spicy chile & cheese verson plus seasonal offerings of a seafood filling during Lent and turkey & gravy around Thanksgiving. Seems like it would be a fun way of using up leftovers!

All blame for this one belongs to me, though I may have been influenced by yesterday’s sandwich to include the roasted broccoli. Starting from the bottom, there's a smear of melted ‘nduja, topped with roasted broccoli, an egg and some Gruyère melted on to the top of the toasted ciabatta roll.

Another curiosity from A Super Upsetting Cookbook About Sandwiches, the Broccoli Classic with mayo, roasted broccoli, lychee muchim, ricotta salata (I used feta) toasted pine nuts and fried shallots. Not sure where lychees show up in any classic sandwich but, honestly, spicy pickled lychee are pretty good and I look forward to using them in other ways.

My go-to sweet vermouths are: Cocchi Vermouth di Torino when I want a light touch, my summer vermouth Carpano Punt e Mes when I want something more forward with a touch of bitterness Carpano Antica for something luxurious, my winter vermouth and a must for holiday cocktails Dolin Dry is my favorite dry vermouth

Both the flavor and, perhaps more importantly, the texture were excellent. No hint at all of the dreaded cottony breast meat, it was moist and flavorful throughout. I followed the Zuni dry brine method with a full 48 hrs in the fridge, loosely tented with foil. I pre-heated the cast iron skillet and used the convection roast setting on my oven that uses both upper and lower heating elements plus the fan which is perfect for a roast chicken. 30 min breast up, flip for 10 min, flip again for 5 more min to re-crisp the breast. I won’t be buying $35 chickens on the regular but if I were entertaining someone I knew loved roast chicken, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

When it comes to eating home-pickled products, caution is wise but these days, it’s not difficult to choose tested recipes that direct one to read the label on the vinegar bottle to ensure the acidity is sufficient to eliminate concerns about botulism. If you’d rather not eat or serve a gift item, that’s understandable but if @Shel_B wants to share a homemade pickle, there are safe, tested recipes available that he can use with confidence.