Katie Meadow

Made a couple of opportunistic buys this morning that will be used next Sunday to make my Turkey Gumbo. One is a smoked turkey wing, and the other is a couple of smoked duck sausages that looked good. Can I keep these smoked meats in the fridge for the next week or should they go into the freezer?

David, I love those fried shallots that come in the plastic jar. Excellent idea to dress up green beans--I'm going to do that at my first opportunity. (Somehow my own childhood Thanksgiving escaped the green bean casserole, but I have indeed been served it as a guest at various holidays.) One of my favorite uses for fried shallots is as a mix-in or topping for an Asian-style coleslaw, added right before serving.

Sold. But just out of curiosity, if the roux continues to darken after it is off the heat, and if overcooking or burning is such an obvious danger, why not take the roux off the heat before it reaches the stage you desire, and let it finish itself off? Maybe I will find out the answer when I cook my first real roux. Thanks for the sensible responses!

We have no room for a buffet, so passing is our only option as well. We are often 12 to 15 people, and the table itself is barely visible. To further advance the cause of chaos, my MIL thinks an unwieldy display of fall branches, leaves and what not is essential, thus eliminating useful square footage. Last year she forgot to bring anything for her centerpiece, so my husband went dumpster diving in the neighbor's green bin and found some lovely trimmings! Okay, not exactly lovely, but no one even noticed. It's a messy affair since some like to start passing clockwise and others like to go counter, some like to grab and others are more reserved. In addition, there is always a vegetarian entree that is too hot, too heavy and too goopy to pass, so that stays in it's place and if you want some you have to pass down your plate. Sometimes the wrong plate comes back. If all the meat-eaters would sit at one end of the table things might be a little bit simpler, but my FIL, who now eats turkey but didn't used to, anchors the vegetarian end of the table. Inevitable, when the table is being cleared, someone notices a dish they had no idea was on the table. I consider things are going well if the food on my plate is still warm, but usually by the time we all start eating we are pretty well lubricated and my in-laws don't seem to care if their food isn't hot. They are just glad there's plenty of it and the faces still look familiar. Mmm, those root chips sound yummy! How do you make them, Chris?

Never made a gumbo, but I'm already bored with Thanksgiving and thinking ahead to the weekend after. Traditionally I make turkey soup, as my pre-nup specifies that I get the carcass every year, plus a reasonable amount of meat to take home (it's mostly dark meat after we give my MIL her due.) Too bad my teenage nephews are starting to outnumber the vegetarians--they are really cutting into my take. But this year I'm feeling ambitious; pictures of spicy turkey gumbo over beautiful white rice are calling to me. I've been scanning this thread and reading other recipes from various places and pretty much have an idea how a gumbo comes together, but I have one technique question that has to do with the roux and adding the elements of the trinity. All my cooking instincts tell me to saute the trinity in oil or bacon fat or whatever until softened and flavorful, and THEN add it to the finished roux. But many of the southern recipes I've looked at just dump the chopped raw trinity right into the roux and then cook that down for a few minutes more. John Besh adds just the onions to the roux first and cooks it another ten minutes, then adds the celery and green pepper after that when the next bunch of ingredients is added. Is there some flavor advantage to doing this? I can't imagine why. It just isn't what I would think to do.

Yes, they got them in a couple of months ago. I'm about to place another order as well, along with dark red kidney beans. I use rattlers for everything I used to use pinto beans. They take a little longer to cook, but hold their shape better and have a richer flavor. Pintos might be the best if you were making refried beans, though. In case you haven't tried them, I think Purcell carries the best kidney beans I've ever tasted. I've had the organic and the non-organic, and both are excellent. I'm pretty sure I couldn't tell them apart in a side-by-side tasting, but if organic matters to you and you are willing to pay a little more per pound, Purcell always has them.

Thanks for this great tour, Nikki. Several years ago Calvin Trillin wrote a terrific piece for the New Yorker about eating at the hawker centers that made me desperate to go. Now even more. I love having some visuals! But where is the fish head soup? My most vivid memory of the Trillin article was his description of the fish head, I believe with teeth, sticking nose-up in the pond of soup!

I have been buying wild gulf shrimp for the past couple of years, since they seem to be more available than they used to be here in CA. They have a better texture and taste than the farm raised ones, although as far as I know all of them are frozen and thawed before being sold. That extra goopy pinkish rope seems to happen among the shrimp I get between 25 and 50 percent of the time. Sometimes one batch will have a lot of it, sometimes not; seems very arbitrary. I don't remember this stuff ever being a part of the farm-raised critters from Mexico or wherever those comes from. And its existence by no means precludes the presence of a dirty vein; it is something else, no? Admittedly I find it repulsive, but the shrimp are often well priced and pretty good, so it's worth the ick factor. Before the days of pink goop I used to be able to pull out the vein with a tweezers, eliminating the need to slit the shell first if I wanted cooked shell-on shrimp. Now it's pretty much necessary to cut the length of the shell with a scissors in order to get out that goop. The more I think about this, the more I'm convinced it's time to give the shrimp-cleaning job to my husband. He has a very high tolerance for ick, but as a prep cook, while he is endearingly thorough, he is maddeningly slow. He makes the most lovely quarter cup of finely chopped parsley you've ever seen. In half an hour.

From the lid of the box it's an easy one: Clarines. French cow's milk cheese. One of my favorites.

Clearly there are passionate feelings about the NYT restaurant critic job, and little hesitation amongst those of us in the peanut gallery to express them. There are a lot of people in NY and out of it who want different things from a reviewer. I assume that by far the largest percent of the weekly restaurant review readers do NOT go to the restaurant; they don't have the money or they don't live in town, or, as in my case, both. Being able to find a balance that can keep the trust of readers who are restaurant goers and the desires of the myriad of food-interested readers who want entertainment and fun writing can't be easy. So I would hope it would take some time to figure out who gets the job. Anyway, I'm thrilled. If I can't have Dexter (be still my heart!) I'll take his dad. Hopefully Dexter will have something to say about the leftovers that make it home.

I'm tempted to do some variation on scalloped sweet potatoes or yams. Looking at the Essential NYT, Amanda Hesser has an adaptation of the Bobby Flay Chipotle Gratin that uses a spiced up cream (I'm thinking Mexican crema might be a nice sub for heavy cream) and she also has a recipe for Sweet Potatoes Anna, which uses only butter and herbs in the layers. Both recipes specify cooking with either foil or parchment for about 30 minutes, then without the cover for another 10-20 minutes. I want to make something that I can do most of the work one or maybe even two days ahead, since I am also responsible for the turkey, stuffing and dressing. Even with two ovens (both modest size) there is much competition for space, and the kitchen is mayhem. Are these types of casseroles able to be prepped and/or partially cooked ahead without suffering texture or flavor? I've made regular Potatoes Anna many times, but never any of it ahead--the best part being the just crisped golden crust on the bottom. Otherwise I might just go with mashing up yams with chipotle crema or butter and herbs (or a pan of each) and letting them sit overnight so they can just be tossed in the oven to heat thru.

This is fascinating. I never had a clue what sugo meant and leftover sauce from braised meat is one of my favorite things! I looked up several definitions of sugo and it can be as basic as "sauce" which I think is a little misleading, or as specific as: "a sauce made by adding stock, flour or other ingredients to the juice and fat that is rendered from cooked meat." That is also a little misleading, since in my mind that is gravy--as in what happens when the turkey comes out of the oven. Not to be confused with what Margaret Pilgim noted is "sunday gravy" which often refers to the whole pot of braised meats that is then divided and served in two parts: the meat, and a portion of pasta al sugo. I prefer a broader more middle-ground approach as Sam describes above, meaning simply the sauce without the meat that cooked in it. That way it applies to what I love about the leftovers of Coq au Vin: the chicken is long gone, but the sauce on rice is the last meal. Apparently sugo is from the Latin "to suck" (and that would be suck in the best possible way.) As in serve the succulent sauce that is left over after the meat has been eaten or removed over some yummy carbs (whether pasta, polenta or rice) and suck. It. Up. To get back on topic, I did make a Bolognese once, from a Batali recipe. I don't think it was a bad recipe, but I came to the conclusion that I simply don't like the idea of milk in a meat-based sauce.

After reading this thread I am still confused about the definition of Ragu and the definition of Bolognese. I always thought a ragu was generally a tomato based meat sauce characterized by a soffrito and long cooking of the meat. Most any kind of meat was acceptable, including goat and rabbit or a mix of meats; you used what you had. Ragu Bolognese was in my mind a regional ragu that differed by the use of less tomato product and the addition of milk. Very useful if fresh tomatoes are out of season and you don't have any canned tomatoes on hand. Should it be called Bolognese if it doesn't have milk in it? I suppose a case can be made that if you live in Bologna you can call it whatever you want. Straighten me out on this.

Okay, here's what I think I know: Yams are completely different from sweet potatoes. True yams are not that commonly available in American markets but may be found in Asian markets. Many of the tuber-like objects listed in the stores as "garnet yams" or "jewel yams" are really a slightly sweeter more orangey sweet potato. What's labeled as sweet potatoes is typically a pale yellow flesh, and tastes more potato-like than the varieties often called yams, which are a bit more squash-like in color and texture. But are not botanical yams. When I make a sweet potato pie I use the pale variety, not the ones labeled yams. When I want a baked dark orangey thing, I buy a "yam." Thanksgiving has rules in my husband's family. It's okay to make something inventive, but you still have to make the standards this family expects. Yams didn't used to be my job, but they are now. They were always roasted in their skins, eaten simply with butter and salt or however. I like that fine. But now that yams have fallen to me, I want to try something different, like a casserole that I can put together the day before and just throw in the oven for less time than it takes to bake whole yams, which compete for oven space and take over an hour to cook. Here's what I don't want: a lot of sugar, marshmallows, maple syrup, heavy cream or pie spices. I want something very simple, savory, like maybe using fresh sage. Can I bake the "yams" ahead, then mash them and mix with brown butter sage, put it in a casserole dish, then just warm it the day of and toss on some crispy sage leaves? How much additional baking time is required if the yams are pre-baked whole first? Should I be adding something as a binder? I'm not averse to adding bourbon if that can be done without the usual sugary components. Any ideas?

You lost me with the guinea pigs, but reeled me back in with the potato pancakes, white pineapple juice and the lovely coffee service. Have you ever made llapingachos? They look totally yummy. I'm on an achiote kick, so anything that uses it gets my attention. About that coffee....what exactly is essence of coffee? It looks like espresso. Do you add the milk to the coffee or vice versa?

Wow, Colada Morada puts our smoothies to shame. Would love to taste that. This blog is fascinating, all the way round--thank you so much. There is a simpler version of corn-flour thickened drink in Mexico and parts Norte called Atole. I believe it is often flavored with cinnamon and sugar and thickened with yellow or blue corn meal masa. When I lived in New Mexico I was close to a family whose roots are in Santa Fe. My friend's father drank it every day for breakfast when he was growing up. I did a few minutes research and it seems that Atole is also very popular for Day of the Dead festivities. About that black corn....can you eat it as corn? Or is it only used as flour? In all the years I lived in NM I never did see an ear of fresh blue corn, only the meal or flour.

Love castelvetranos (also sold as nocellara del belice). Also crazy about the green cerignolas--when they are crunchy, and taste fresh and a little chlorinated, like a clean swimming pool. When they are soft I don't find them so appealing.

I'm still a little hazy on the difference between stock and broth. Is the amount of gelatin the defining element? Since I rarely cook whole chickens I don't save parts--I have to buy them. Generally I buy 1 pound of feet and about 5 or 6 pounds of necks, backs, wings, or other pieces. If I want some tender chicken meat for soup or salad or anything else, I will buy breasts and/or leg-thighs pieces, add them at the beginning, and then take them out when they are just cooked; usually a half hour for the breasts and 45 min for the dark meat. Then I pull off the meat and reserve it and toss the skin and bones back into the pot. My stock cooks at a bare simmer for 3 to 4 hours, uncovered. I use it for soups, flavored rice, whatever. When I make risotto I cut it with water, maybe not quite 50/50, but it depends on original strength.

Maybe the prices are different for lunch? We went for lunch, and I could swear it was $16 for duck plus pancake.

Fingerlings vary in texture, no? I don't much care for the ones called Russian Banana, since they do seem a bit on the soft side. I've had very good Ruby Crescents, but my all time favorites are the French Fingerlings. They have a thin pinkish skin, a knobbly to ovoid shape, and a really nice flavor. I try to be as careful as possible not to overcook them, especially if I want to make a potato salad of some kind; just a minute beyond crisp is how I like them. My fussy anal-retentive method for cooking them: divide them into groups according to size, and add them to boiling salted water biggest group first, waiting a couple of minutes between groups. That way most of them can come out of the water at the same time, although I do test with a sharp knife before taking them out. I told you it was fussy.

How to boil peanuts really is sidetracking on this thread, but just to finish up with that: Of course I forgot about the peanuts being in my mother's fridge until yesterday, our last day in NY. Surprisingly they were not appreciably different than when we bought them. We boiled them with almost enough salt (about six times more than my husband thought was prudent) and promptly forgot about them until they had been boiling more than 45 minutes. They were quite good, could have used a bit more salt, and about 15 minutes less boiling time. They weren't mushy at all, but could have had just a bit more bite. Anyway, I like 'em. As predicted, my mother thought they were a waste of good peanuts. She also thought peanuts grew on small trees, but 93 years of living in big cities can make a person opinionated and naive about where food comes from--and what interesting things people can do with it if they live outside of the greater NY area.

Yes, I'm pretty sure the rotisserie duck over rice was $16 and that included the pancake, which was super delicious. I might be able to eat a whole bowl myself, but after a pork bun and with broccoli on the side, two orders was plenty for three people. And my husband can eat a lot. If we did it again I would order an extra chive pancake so we could each have a whole one, but they are pretty good size and we didn't really miss it.

Every time I come to NY I go with my family to Mezzogiorno. My mother has been eating there since she got an Italian boyfriend in 1970. It's the best! And the space is lovely, especially if you can get a table near the open doors in good weather. They serve the full menu all afternoon, so if you want a quiet leisurely meal go during off hours. No one here ever mentions it. Last summer my brother and I had soft-shell crabs that made us both weak in the knees. I adore the tuna carpaccio; it's succulent and generous. My mom loves the prosciutto. I have to limit tomatoes, and they don't list a white linguini with clams on the menu but they were happy to make it for me. The clams were perfect--pasta necks or little necks (I don't know the difference)--really tender and sweet, and the sauce was a very simple white wine and garlic--no cream, not overly garlicky, so really subtle and delicate. I think linguini alla vongole bianco is one of the hardest dishes to make well; you can't hide anything in it and it can't be glopped up with too much oil or garlic or any cream. My husband had a terrific black linguini with a spicy tomato sauce. It was amazing. My mother always gets something with veal and always loves it. And we always order the Sardinian white wine. It's delicious and not expensive. I can never resist the blood orange sorbet for dessert, and I can never believe how generous the portions are--three good size scoops. My husband had the zabaglione and it was fabulous. They also threw in a plate of wonderful cookies gratis. One thing I've never ordered is the pizza. They have a wood-burning oven and it's probably good pizza. Next time.

Late lunch yesterday, first time ever at Ssam Bar. It was 2:30 and there was almost no one there, which was a little disconcerting after my one experience waiting on line at Noodle. We had pork buns and rotisserie duck with chive pancakes. At $16 a plate it isn't a bad deal, and three of us shared 2 bowls, which was more than enough. I liked the spicy ssam sauce but did not feel the need to add liquid duck fat to anything! Also had the broccoli and the pickle jar. All of it was delicious, including the broccoli, and I hate broccoli. Somehow they managed to eliminate all the broccoli taste and reduce it to essential crunchy vegetable. Is there really fish in the sauce? Maybe that neutralizes the broccoli flavor. Against my better judgement I had to cross the street and try the cereal milk ice cream. Clearly the (presumably) young people who eat this stuff have a much closer bond than I do with Cap'n Crunch or Lucky Charms or whatever cereal is used to make this soft serve ice cream. This stuff would make Trix taste like real fruit. I love cereal milk, but my cereal milk is the result of Barbara's shredded wheat and Berkeley Bowl's mixed corn and wheat flakes; just a bit different.

I went to camp with Barbara Tropp! She was a couple of years older, and not in my bunk, but I remember her being singularly generous. And I did go to her restaurant once, probably shortly after it opened. I had eaten plenty of Chinese food in SF, having lived on the North Beach Chinatown border during the seventies, but I remember how new and different her food was. Looking back (approx 25 yrs ago!) I admit most of the meal is blurry. We sat at the counter. One dish is very sharp in my mind: a noodle pillow; big and crunchy and unique.