genarog

I've been buying salmon from my fishmonger. The place is small and spotless; everything is always fresh. He tells me that the salmon he gets - both wild and farmed - is fresh and was never frozen. He tells me that he eats it raw. He's an older guy and I kind of trust him. I know that salmon is supposed to be frozen first, and read that it actually is frozen one way or another at most sushi places. Is he crazy? Am I crazy for following him?

Yes exactly; I watched the show years ago and Mario had fun grating the cheese from 3 feet over the pan.

My favorites are: - Ragu (like the Braised Oxtail one served at Babbo) - Carduta del Formaggio as Batali calls it. It's for green gnocchi but I've also made it with the traditional gnocchi.

Since I'm not a fan of ketchup this is my usual sauce

For thin crust pizza I only eat Margherita. For the thicker Roman style pizza I only eat it with a sauteed-tomatoes sauce and whole milk mozzarella, the one that comes in blocks. With pizza and sandwiches you can use any dough/bread, and any toppings/fillings that you want. However, I think that only a few combinations make sense in terms of texture and taste. For instance, when I go to subway and see people order a meatball sub with tomato sauce in that soft bread, I don't think it makes sense. Since Italians have always shown to know a lot about what combinations of ingredients make sense, my rule would be: any pizza that Italians have eaten for at least 50 years in any region of Italy.

I love capers, specially those packed in salt. I use them in salads, and with tuna, and after rinsing in water a few hours I could eat them just like that. Things I regret... I just bought somoked salmon. Not the one that comes in thin slices - which I love - but the one that comes in thick chunks. I found it to be dry, almost unedible. And it wasn't inexpensive either.

I have a few, haven't tried any yet (I'm yet to ask my butcher for fresh pig's blood) This is the one I'm going to try first: Morcilla Parrillera: Pig's blood: 3 kilos Pork Jowls: 3.5 kilos Pork skin (from the pork butts): 3.5 kilos Coarse salt: 200 grams Cracked black pepper: 20 grams Grated Nutmeg: 5 grams Oregano: 20 grams Ground cloves: 2 grams Raw Onions: 1/2 kilo Onions for sauteing: 50 grams Parsley, finely chopped: 25 grams Rendered pork fat: 1tsp (I'm guessing) The pig's blood should be fresh. Refrigerate at 25F for 30 hours Put through a sieve Boil (I would braise) the pork jowls and skin until tender. Let it cool. Grind using a 12mm plate. Grind the raw onions through a 10mm plate and mix with the meats. Saute the 50 grams of onions in the rendered pork fat. Add the parsley. Mix the dry ingredients. Mix the meats, raw onions, and sauteed onions in a big bowl. Add the dry ingredients and the blood. Stuff in 38mm beef casings. Poach in 170F water until no blood comes out when the sausage is pierced. If you read spanish there is some info out there I can point you out to. Where are you located?

Lardo @ Del Posto Orecchiette with Treviso @ Lupa

I tried one in Flushing a while back and couldn't find these cuts. I'm planning on visiting again, this time with a picture of a pig and its cuts.

I'm having a hard time locating pork jowls and backfat in NYC. Esposito's didn't have jowls, but they say they have small pieces of frozen backfat. Today I went to the Arthur Ave. market and they didn't have any. The pork store next to the market - where they make Guanciale - gets boxes of pork jowls but is not selling. I guess I can order online and pay $30 shipping, but this is supposed to be an inexpensive product... Any suggestions?

Just found very interesting info here Kevin: I think you are exactly right, it must be the cured, but not pre-cooked version. "It is a raw, cured pork meat" INGREDIENTS Head flesh, skinned, without ears, plus shoulder and ham trimmed parts (1/3) Skin Throat Salt Whole pepper Crushed pepper Minced garlic Spices variable from producer to producer Wine Sodium Nitrite (E 250) Ascorbic Acid (E 300) Monosodium Glutamate Sugar Envelope: steer or pig “dritto”

Chris, How did the gunciales turn out? What a great idea the Wine Cooler is. I have one I'm not using; I bought it to fill empty space I had reserved under the countertop when we redid our kitchen. It turned out to be too cool for red wine, and I rarely drink white. So I moved the wine back to the basement and I don't use the cooler any more. And I'm dying to make guanciale...

My best memory in Rome is a Focaccia Panino - not that that was the name - I had in a tiny place that looked like a pizzeria on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, near Piazza Navona. The best next meal was a very simple lunch at Enoteca Corsi, close to the Pantheon. The place was empty at 12 but packed at 12:30.

This is not something I cooked; I actually took this picture in Trattoria Da Gianni in Bologna. I will never forget that meal. I don't know whether they serve Cotechino DOP or a house made one. Sorry the quality of the image is not that good, but maybe you can notice the texture and the color. I think it's a little more loose and more red than what I've found in NY, and what I've seen here online. How do you think they do this? Is it because of the way they stuff it? Or the way they cook it? Do you think they use nitrite in the recipe?

Any recent experiences at Casa Mono? I have a reservation for next Friday. Any seasonal dishes that I should try?

What would be the best way to reheat this dish?

While you will certainly have great steak in BA, I think you can also have a great steak in the U.S, both at a restaurant or at home. I think that you get the biggest return on your money and time when you eat stuff that is not replicated in the US in the same exact way. I suggest that you eat the following items when in a Buenos Aires Parrilla: - Morcilla (blood sausage) - Chorizo (pork/beef sausage) - Mollejas (sweetbreads) - Matambrito de Cerdo (Pork Flank Steak) - Asado de Tira (Beef Short Ribs)

I second the comment about the Pig's Foot Milanese at Babbo. I'm going to try the method suggested by Rob, if can figure out how to debone them.

Does he care about food? Some people just don't. I spend so much time in the kitchen, make such a mess of it, plus all the reading and the typing, that if my wife didn't enjoy the food we wouldn't be able to be together.

What's the best cream I get can my hands on in the NYC metro area, including Long Island? I've made three attempts of Panna Cotta, using 3 diffrent recipes, and didn't like the results, at least when compared to what I had in Rome and Bologna. In all three attempts I used cream bought at Whole Foods, the one that comes in a small bottle. I also used varied amounts of gelatin, as per each recipe.

Pane e Panelle

Tortellini in Brodo Lasagna Bolognese al Forno Cotechino Panna Cotta Fried Baccala Marinated Vegetables And many ingredients that don't count as dishes: - focaccia - salumi - lardo - mozzarella di bufala

I would say Farinata Genovese, made with chickpea flour, but I don't have a recipe right now, mainly because I'm not sure that the chickpea flour in the US is the same as the one ised in Genova or Sicily, and the amount of water needed will be different.

I've been fortunate to try Cotechino in Bologna. When I came back to NY I found fresh Cotechino on Arthur Ave, and also in Astoria. It wasn't even close. I thought maybe I was cooking it the wrong way, but then I had a dish of Cotechino and Lentils at Babbo, which was great, but again the texture was not even close to the melt in your mouth texture of the one in Bologna. Has anyone been able to find something in NY similar to the real deal?