DanM

How about a chicken bastilla? A simpler option is to pound them thin and make chicken schnitzel. You can have fun with this and use crushed bissli as a crust.

Lots of really good ideas... Thanks! Quimbolitos do sound interesting. I will need to find a good recipe and play with it... maybe for next year. One of my plans for this week is a quinoa and veg stuffed chile rellano with salsa verde and plenty of cheese. Potato pancakes with Bissli crusted chicken schnitzel, tartiflette (I found a wheel of "fromage pour tartiflette" at the store!), cedar planked salmon with asparagus are all on my hit list for this week.

Thanks to the head of a local sushi restaurant and books on fish (mainly the River Cottage Fish Book), I have to say that it is a very tricky question to answer. My "favorite" will vary based on what is freshest at the fish monger and if it is sustainable or locally caught/raised. Wild salmon is always available frozen in good quality near me. I prefer sockeye, but will take what is available. I try to vary my choices to not put strain on any one species. Spanish Mackerel, striped bass, and rainbow trout are typically available whole around here as well. Unfortunately, I have not been successful at convincing my wife to eat a fish that is looking back at her.

MJx... For as many people and courses as you would like. There are many traditional Jewish dishes out there for passover, so I asking non-Jews to give some fresh eyes and thoughts on the subject. Liz... All other kosher rules would apply, so no mixing of meat and dairy for this discussion. Regarding your crisp... I have never seen kosher for passover coconut oil and most passover margarine is unfit for human consumption.

Passover starts tomorrow and many of us Jews are working hard cleaning up their kitchens for a week of culinary masochism. In theory, it is pretty simple, no leavened products or foods that can leaven are allowed during the holiday. In practice, it is much, much more complicated. We won't get into the whys or rules as it will take too much time and people much smarter than me to explain. Here is the challenge I have to the non-Jewish members of the forum... Given the following limitations, what would you cook? 1. Absolutely no grains, beans, rice, or similar products; fresh or dried. No byproducts of said products either (e.g. corn starch, flour, etc). The only exemption is quinoa. 2. Matzoh is the closest you will come to bread, flour crumbs. 3. Very limited spices and dried herbs (let's limit it to cinnamon, cumin, ginger, allspice, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, bay leaves, salt and pepper) 4. Proteins are limited to beef, chicken, lamb, and fish. 5. Canned goods and prepared foods are limited and generally of very low quality. For the sake of this argument, we will forgo canned goods. 6. Cheese is available in common varieties. 7. No restrictions of fresh veg or fruit, except when the conflict with rule #1 (corn, beans, etc...) So, whats for dinner? Dan

I could freeze it, but I am sure it will only die a slower death in the freezer.

Last week I was gifted with a large pan of yellow rice with peas, onions and mushrooms. There is enough to feed an army and I am not sure how to use the rest. Any thoughts out there on reimagining these leftovers?

Given the author and the audience for the book, I would assume that there are weight measurements for the recipes?

What is more cost effective, individual bags, or buying a roll and making your own.

I purchased a simple FoodSaver from Costco this past week. It has done a good job so far sucking most of the air out of bags of stuffed shells, meatballs, etc... I will eventually need to replenish my supply of vacuum bags. What are my options? Their proprietary bags a quite expensive (and probably where they make the most money). Can I use zip top (minus the zipper) in the machine? Are there third party manufacturers who make bags and rolls at a much cheaper price? What other bags do you use?

My trusty old Cuisinart 3 cup mini-prep is starting to die. I can smell the motor burning. It has served me well for the past few years and I am tempted to buy another. Are there any other options I should consider, especially commercial models? Thanks!

The Foods of Israel Today by Joan Nathan does a great job covering Jewish, Arab, and Christian cooking in Israel.

I have also reached the near saturation point on buying books. Although I love to bake, I feel no need to buy another book on bread. I have enough books on making dinner that I do not feel the need to buy another unless it meets two criteria; it's by a chef I like and the recipes are practical for everyday cooking.

The River Cottage Fish Book has been out for a few years in the UK. I have a copy and find it very useful and informative.

What books are coming out this year that you are looking forward to? Top on my list right now is Alain Ducasse Nature: Simple Healthy and Good. Dan

For baking and pastry, I recommend Bo Friberg's Professional Pastry series. For bread, I recommend Peter Reinhart's books. Dan

I have put my deep fryer to good use and now the oil is spent. Now I need to degrease it, which is never a fun job. Any advice on degreasing it, especially the denatured crusty, nasty stuff?? Thanks! Dan

Is it still sealed? You try to donate it to a local food bank or school.

Morimoto's book is pure food porn.

Hmmm... is it pretty congealed? you could try to use a small cookie scoop to make small balls of this stuff, freeze the balls for a few hours, dip them in Arrogant Bastard Ale onion ring batter and deep fry it.

Chicken nuggets and other glued together meat products. Is it really that hard to roast a little chicken for dinner? And if you really want fried chicken fingers, it is not that hard to dredge slices of chicken, dip them in egg, and then coat with bread crumbs. I can probably make 2 lbs in a minute. Another is canned crescent rolls, biscuits, and similar pastry products. This stuff is pure lazyiness I cannot remember what I was watching but the Mayor of Cininatti was visiting an after school program at a civic center and was praising the work they were doing... teaching kids to roll up hot dogs and processed cheese slices in crescent rolls. I felt bad for the kids and pissed at the city for letting kids eat this crap.

I was planning on a nice pot of lentil soup this Saturday, so I came here to read all of the sage advice from people who are much smarter and experienced than me. Much to my surprise, this classic, humble, and comforting dish does not have a thread of its own! So, what are your thoughts on lentil soup? What style do you prefer (French, Middle Eastern, Indian, etc...)? What do you put in it, besides lentils? Dan

There are two factors that go into our weekly meal planning. First, we have a wonderful Sunday farmer's market 80% of the year and a Wednesday market during the summer and fall. We typically go to the market first thing in the morning to get what's good. Secondly, we try to stick to a daily theme, Sunday we use the best the market offers, Monday is Italian, Tuesday is Mexican, Wed is soup/salad, Friday is a special meal, and Saturday is something simple or pizza. We do not plan a menu for Thursday so we can use up leftovers or as a flex day in case a menu from another day does not work out. We then try to best apply what we bought at the market to the menu for the week.

How about one of these old fashion wall mount jobs?

Sag paneer is a good choice. A less adventurous route is a potato leek soup with spinach mixed in.