Okanagancook

I made the Rao's recipe yesterday. Very, very easy. Total cost was about $9 to $10 with a yield of 1200 ml. Two cans of high quality Italian plum tomatoes. The yellow centre core removed and the tomatoes squished with your hands. Saute 3 Tablespoons finely chopped onions for 5 minutes. Add 1 crushed garlic clove. After one minute at the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer for an hour lid off. If it is the right consistency for you add a pinch of oregano and six torn fresh basil leaves. Taste for salt and pepper. That's it. I think it tasted pretty close to the jarred stuff. I did add a little sugar to my sauce, maybe a teaspoon.

I found mine at a mom and pop and son specialty store...my saviour in our smallish town. They have really nice stuff. They are Portguese. Their cheese and cured meat counter is excellent. I asked if he could get some piquillo peppers in and sure enough the next week there they were. I bought six jars as a thank you.

That looks awesome Smithy! what temp did you do them at? 135 F? For 90 min? My guess.

We get the gawkers also because we are a tourist town! I usually go when the market opens at 8:30 am when most of the tourists are just thinking about their morning coffee. Our market is open until 12:30. One thing they just started this year was allowing the local wineries to have tastings. So, at 8:30 it can make for a very pleasant shopping experience!

How are you serving that? On a lettuce leaf? crispy toast?

Order it online, here Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce (pack of 4 jars)

So jealous regarding those baby artichokes. I have not seen many decent artichokes in our grocery stores here in Sothern British Columbia which I find disappointing seeing we are so close to California. Never seen the baby ones here. i did not see any dogs in the picture of the market crowds. Not sure why but people seem to feel compelled to bring their dogs to the Farmers Market here. It is crowded enough without our furry friends and it can't be much fun for the dogs! SHEEESH.

I used the 'photo booth' on our main Mac computer. I will check the settings. Thanks.

Cinnamon toast, one of the first things taught in Home Economics Class. The other thing was 'cheese dreams': toast, cheddar cheese, and topped with bacon then under the broiler to melt the cheese. I made the dreams still but not the cinnamon toast...too sweet for me nowadays.

Bumping..... Just opened the jar of Rao's Marinara Sauce. Wow. The label says "Rao's Marinara Sauce is the same critically acclaimed recipe that is served at Rao's Restaurant in New York City." Ingredients: Italian tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, citric acid, olive oil, fresh onions, salt, fresh garlic, fresh basil, spices. $8.99 Cdn for a 680 ml jar. I made some A16 Meatballs and gently simmered them in the sauce. Best jarred sauce I have ever had. I bought it because I have the cookbook and wanted to compare the recipe made in my kitchen with this commercial product. The recipe calls for pork back fat or salt pork as an optional ingredient otherwise it has canned Italian plum tomatoes, olive oil, minced onion, garlic cloves, fresh basil, a pinch of dried oregano. It all depends on the canned tomatoes so I buy the best that are available in my neck of the woods. Have to make the sauce this week while all this is fresh in my mind and I still have fresh basil in the garden. Here's a pick of the jar. Unsure how to get it not backwards, weird.

Interesting show. All about field peas similar to my new experience with shell beans: http://www.pbs.org/video/2365814956/

Recent dinners. The not very photogenic East Indian dinner with baby eggplants stuffed with spices, rice and lamb curry, and stir fried cabbage. Pork chop (SV then pan fried with the Magic Browning Powder), onion gravy, basil pasta tossed in pesto and topped with Romano cheese and grilled zucchini (just a few left in the fridge). Stir fried beef and peppers over noodles.

They freeze well for later use. You could make a puree with onion and garlic, package and freeze for later use in chilli, etc. If you leave them out under newspaper will they turn red? If so then you could smoke them like chipotles....a friend is in the midst of doing this with all his extra peppers.

Yeah, yeah, I know but that's "all there is" at the moment.....isn't that song???

Those scrambled eggs are just the way like them, creamy....slightly under done. I cannot stand rubbery eggs....had them last week at a friend who made us breakfast....I was saying under my breath "take them off the heat, now".

Here are some opinions on the book. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28502821-taste-technique

Mine arrives Monday, supposedly.

Brilliant! I gotta get me some belly. Do you think one could broil it afterwards for some crispy crackling?

I am not so sure that chutney would work with green tomatoes. I think BD is right about the unpleasant resulting colour. I personally would not mess with that chutney recipe at all. Just my two cents worth, er, 1.32 cents worth...given the Canadian/US exchange rate these days.

GR, I too was wondering what you were referring to. Maybe it was the comment when Rose (I think that is her name) was cutting watermelon rind off with a honking big knife pulling it TOWARDS her and Vivian made a comment on how bad this was.??? I was trying to find some reviews of the book but I guess because it is not out yet I didn't find much except from one person who had a copy. The comments were good.

Well done boyz!!

Of course you can start using this little baby right away with confidence. It easily makes toast for four all at once. Or, use the warm function to heat plates for meal time. Anybody else have have some easy tips for immediate casual use?

I have been tempted to buy a molcajete because the surface looks like it will grind stuff earlier....like adding salt to a regular stone mortar. I have a large stone mortar and pestle and it is large enough that I can pound the ingredients as along as I don't add too much but a large molcajete seems like it might be easier. Never been in a position to haul it home efficiently!

Definitely a work in progress. Nice job.

Oh, that reminds me of my DH's favourite meal that he makes every time I am not around to make dinner: macaroni cheese mixed baked beans on top then a fried egg