A.J. Di Liberti

I love to cook, entertain and share fresh homemade food. Having dinner parties with family & friends over for food, drinks and fun has the best way to do this. Having been out on workers comp since August 05 has put a serious crimp in the entertaining budget… the solution, cooking parties. The wife and I will invite 2 or 3 couple’s over, each responsible for one dish and one bottle of wine or spirit to complete the meal. Unlike a potluck where everyone brings a dish ready to serve, everything from prep to cleanup is done in our kitchen. This gets everyone involved. It’s a great way to learn and pass on method and technique, and it sure takes a lot of work out of having a dinner party. It’s proven to be a lot of fun, and planning a meal with 4 – 6 other people requires much thought and cooperation.

My love of Thai food began when I traveled to Thailand in 1980, living 10 minutes away from the Thaitown area of Los Angeles makes it easy to get ingredients. Fresh curry paste, red, green or yellow, is always better then canned. If you don’t care for the curry paste you made before, look for other recipes or modify the one you used until it suits your taste. If you can’t get birds eye chilies, Serrano’s are a reasonable substitution, but they will alter the flavor somewhat. I prefer fresh peppers when making curry paste, yet if dried is what I have on hand, that's what I use. As to the amount of heat, the number of chilies used by and large dictates how hot your curry/dish will be. There will be varying amounts of capsicum from pepper to pepper off the same plant. Here’s a recipe I created while learning to cook Thai food: Peanut butter soup 2 Chicken breast (boneless/skinless), cut to bite size pieces 2-4 T. Peanut oil 3 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced 3-7 Bird’s eye chili’s, bruised 1 shallot, minced ½ C. White wine 10 Red Holy Basil, leaves 1 ½ C. Fresh water 2 T. Fish Sauce 1 C. Peanut butter, smooth 1 can Bamboo shoots, cut into bite size pieces 1 can Straw mushrooms 1 can Water Chestnuts, sliced 1 can Baby corn 1 ½ C. Coconut milk 1 Lime, juiced Coriander, chopped for garnish 1 ½ C. Jasmine Rice, steamed Heat a wok right on top of a burner using high flame, when the wok begins to smoke add the peanut oil, when the oil is hot add the garlic and chili’s. Before putting the garlic and chili in the hot oil… turn on the range fan, open the doors and take a deep breath. Stir in the chicken and shallot, toss until the chicken is well browned. Add the wine and basil then reduce the volume of liquid by about half while stirring. Pour contents of wok into a stockpot, rinse wok with hot water and wipe dry. Add water and fish sauce, bring to a boil then add peanut butter. Stir continuously over medium high heat until peanut butter is blended in, add vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in coconut milk a simmer just long enough to warm. Ladle soup into bowls over steamed rice, splash with limejuice and garnish with coriander. © A. J. Di Liberti This recipe is loosely based on Thom kha gai.

It’s a toss up between “Natures Kitchen” Fred Rohé 1986 and “Rodale’s Basic Natural Foods” 1989. Both are paperback. Their spines held together with cloth tape, clumps of loose pages, dog-eared and stained. Both are put to use for reference, I can’t imagine parting with them.

Jeff Yates Cookin' n' Pickin', 1980 $3.50. 72 original mountain recipes, from Caramel fried apples to Groundhog potpie. Bought the book for the music, I playing banjo, fiddle and guitar. I’ve made every recipe in the book, except Groundhog potpie… never been able to find a groundhog.

13. A copy of “Larousse Gastronomique”, 36th printing 1976 is the largest. Jeff Yates “Cookin’ n’ Pickin’, 1980 is the smallest, 32 pages. It’s a collection of bluegrass music for banjo and fiddle with 12 pages of original mountain recipes. I bought it for the music.

Two I like are, Bulk Foods and Special Teas. The quality and freshness have been very good from both these suppliers.

Hello Run, Are the blocks cracking? or the seams coming apart? Pictures would help. If it’s the latter, repairs can be made with glue and clamps. I’ve had cutting boards come apart at the seams in the past. AJ