snowangel

And then there's my bacon sandwich. Bacon sandwiched between more bacon. No bread, no mayo, no nothing but bacon. It's good. Really good.

The Thai language has two different words for hot -- one for spicy hot, the other for temperature hot. It's a good system. My moments of pride with my children have nothing to do with being able to play complicated pieces on the piano, nor reading books far above the average for their age level, but the ability to enjoy and interpret spicy hot flavors!

A couple of years ago, a friend gave me (and herself) a kaffir lime tree. She ordered it from somewhere; I'll ask her where when we talk this week. Anyway, it sits outside late spring/summer/early fall and comes inside during the cold months. The tree doesn't have nearly as much smell as you'd think, but does release a little smell when we brush up against or crush a leaf. I love having it. I don't think I'll ever get fruit off of it, but it's sure handy to have a ready supply of the leaves.

You in trouble? Never, or perhaps always Yes, kaffir is a magical ingredient. I have a kaffir tree (in the house currently), so have an endless supply. It supplies something that lime doesn't. To me, one of the other magical ingredients (not included in larb) is ginger. The last is Thai basil, which I am working on incorporating into more than just Thai food. Now, back to larb! Will you have any on your Super Bowl table?

Having eaten larb all over Thailand, I could also argue that there is no definitive list of ingredients. My first larb, when I was 8, featured raw pork, something that would make most squeamish. I do believe that most larbs I had as a child and teen did include keefir, but my feeble memory could serve me wrong. This goes back to a problem I have with the word "authentic" -- I don't know that I would call any of the variations of larb I ate in Thailand unathentic, just as I would not call any of the yellow potato salads I have had at a multitude of Minnesota potlucks unathentic. Different from each other, yes. I do believe that larb is on the menu for our un-Super Bowl appetizer spread tomorrow evening!

So, is there any way to tell how old the beans are when we buy them?

Larb me up, Scottie! Heather, check out my recipe on recipeGullet and see how it compares. Did you toast and grind your own rice? I don't really care for mint very much (there's a rather disgusting reason which I won't go into), and as my recipe notes, I often reduce the ground chili and also add thai bird chilis, but I really think it needs some ground chili. And, I think tommy and I both agree that most recipes are not agressive enough with the fish sauce. And, yes, pork is better. I have had great success with removing some of the grisle from boneless country ribs, and either chop by hand or in the food processor (be careful not to over process). One of the nice things about the boneless country ribs is that I can buy them per piece at the butcher. And, I love this as a quick lunch with leftover meat that has been cooked rare (the venison version was wonderful).

When I was in high school (International School of Bangkok) mid-70's lunch was a food service hamburger made better with a crumbled thai stick. Munchies were best handled by a bowl of noodles (baa mi) just after we left school, followed by the hunt for kanom krok (sp?). Those were the days....

BACON

I like pork more than chicken. But, you can't go wrong with either of these.

So have you posted this recipe on recipeGullet? We will be moving soon, and on moving day, I want something really simple to feed people, and I'm thinking that a couple of butts, one rubbed, one not, might just be the ticket.

Made a bit of venison larb this noon with some leftover, very rare, thinly sliced steak. YUM.

So what happens if you put a rub on half of it? I don't know that it would be as flavorless without rub as we might think. All of that nice fat and collagen melting away... And, I know I'd want some of mine with =Mark's South Carolina Mustard Barbecue Sauce, some on tortillas with salsa, some in a sandwich like you mentioned, some in hash, etc. And, Maggie did say that she skipped the rub this time, and adored it.

Assuming by molest you mean rubs (and NOT the Kitchenaid mixer attachment ), I'd be more likely to brine and let it go at that. Makes it (and the leftovers) more versitile, IMHO.

Thanks for the great report, Jensen. I was busy today defrosting the deep freeze (it was -10F today, so cold storage was not a problem) and came upon a package of 3 or 4 chix thighs (not enough for our family) and some salt pork. I have two polish sausages (really good and quite spicy), and was wondering just how to incorporate these sausages into a meal for 5. Happenstance is that I have some flagolet beans. Voila! Dinner tomorrow night.

Nigella's recipe says, after the high blast, to turn it over when you reduce heat and then turn it over again when it's done. Wouldn't you want it skin side up while doing the long bake? Or am I being dense?

Bruce, the following is from today's Strib (Taste Section, Counter Intelligence column): SOUTH OF THE RIVER There's a new face in Burnsville, and although it has sprouted out of a former Ground Round, it's not TGI Friday's, Applebee's or Chili's. Say hello to the Roasted Pear (14200 Nicollet Av., 952-898-2800), an indie owned by Craig Rebers, a veteran of the former Al Baker's in Eagan. A considerable chunk of change has gone into renovations. Lots of warm tiles and dark wood line a wide-open dining room and bar. The demonstration kitchen turns out pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and salads at both lunch and dinner, expanding in the evening to include entrees that range from cedar plank salmon to a Cajun-style porterhouse pork chop. Although dinner entrees average $18, most prices fall under $10. The bar pours 22 wines by the glass, and during a late-night Sunday through Thursday happy hour (10 p.m. to midnight), all pizza prices fall to $6.

Will pick up a shoulder tomorrow and get it in the oven. The idea of the oven on for 24 hours at 200 is really appealing. It's really cold.

Larb makes a great lunch!

And then there was the time that we stopped at McDonald's in Cook, MN. One of the items we ordered was a cheeseburger without the burger. Clerk "Can't do that." Me "But a person can omit the pickle, ketchup, mustard so certainly I can omit the burger." Manager walks over and cheerfully reminds the clerk that although they can't recall a cheeseburger ordered without the burger, they are happy to accomodate our order, and they even put extra cheese on it.

Yesterday, Peter made a tuna salad and peanut butter sandwich. He is 8. He's generally a good and adventurous eater so I will forgive this lapse.

Walking through Target yesterday, noted the 3 pot Chefmate set is marked down to something ridiculous like $15.00.

You will note, however, that post nuking, they always go either into the oven or the toaster oven. I would not eat a plain nuked potato. That crispy skin is what it is all about. I neglected to say that I always use coarse sea salt or kosher salt after buttering. I am a purist and unless I'm doing twice baked, it is butter and salt only as the "dressing." and, it must be Hope Butter. Edited to add: if I don't get that crispy skin, I want a boiled new potato (preferably small with thin red skin and locally grown). But that's another topic.

When I'm in a hurry, I scrub and pierce russets, nuke til almost done and then stick in the toaster oven on max until the skin is nice and crispy. Heidi will not eat potato skin, so I scoop hers out and load up that skin with really good butter and eat with butter dripping down my arm. If I've got something going in the oven at a pretty hot temp and have time, I just stick them in a forego nuking. OK, Suzanne, pick away at me!

I've done it with tuna and with salmon and prefered the tuna. Although there is a very good recipe for a larby dish with salmon in David Thompson's True Thai (where you marinate the salmon and let it dry). While not exactly larb, I make a version with squid, cilantro, lots of hot peppers, lime and nam pla. The only larb disaster was with tempeh (for a vegetarian friend). Think I've gotta make larb this afternoon. Maybe get some squid next time I'm at the store for the squid salad.