Dave the Cook

Maybe a little less, depending on your butchering skills, but I'm planning on 2-1/2 just in case. I'll be doing it tomorrow, since all I could find was frozen duck.

I agree with fifi that this is very irritating. Even if you were to throw out all your PTFE cookware (and light bulbs, I suppose), you would still be left with a lot of plastic in your kitchen. All plastics emit gases, especially when heated. (That wondeful "new car" smell, for instance, is the result of outgassing.) Many of these gases are poisonous in sufficient amounts, and birds are particularly susceptible. Anyone who keeps a bird in a poorly ventilated kitchen is a fool, and a cruel one at that.

It's working. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Technically, you're correct. But I've seen this "slab" in grocery stores labeled "riblets." Blame mid-level chain restaurants for the corruption.

I believe they're pretty universally called just "lamb spareribs." They're also often called "lamb riblets."

wpom whji jgrpd!!!

What makes you think that hasn't happened already?

Do you have a source for the little panties that go on the ends? I'm tired of making 'em myself. The "little panties?" You mean, make your own thongs? Mrs. The Cook is one lucky woman. At least, I assume you're not making them for yourself... Oy. Slang for those frilly chop holder things like you sometimes get on rack of lamb. Making them for smelts is a bitch. There's no need to bring Mrs. Dave into this. Or make her suspicious. Really. Don't go there. Please.

Do you have a source for the little panties that go on the ends? I'm tired of making 'em myself.

If they're really well-cleaned, the smell isn't too bad, especially if you've done things like menudo, as I suspect you have. There's nothing difficult about the preparation. BTW, I've never seen Cajun andouille made with chitlins and tripe, as the link describes. That's the French version.

It does. Might work with rib tips, too.

Here's an Amazon eGullet link for Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. One for Mario's Simple Italian Cooking and one for Lidia's Itlaian-American Kitchen. If you have to pick one to start on, I agree with Maggie and fresco, both on the assessment of, and the recommendation for, Marcella.

I once choked on a rack of 'em.

That's what I suspected. I see them on menus, I always fall for them, I am always disappointed. Maybe I'll try cooking them myself.

Apparently, it's my day to be outed on ribs of all kinds. I've often wondered about the potential existence of lamb spare ribs, but never in my life have I seen them. Are they real ribs, or are they cut from the breast?

Lots of parsnipiana here, but no picture (it's an interesting article, but not terribly up to date, so take it with a grain of salt). So here's a photo: looks a lot like a carrot.

Yeah, let's wait and do giant after the holidays. Besides, I haven't even looked at the recipe. I'm going to do the duck this weekend, too. I like parsnips fine, but I'm with maire-louise, the giant ones that you usually see aren't very good. I think turnips would work; even carrots would be OK, though their sweetness seems to run counter to the rest of the dish. I'm up for risotto just about any time; I'll find the right rice and stand by. Seth, if I recall, Craig's recipe calls for brodo, which is not quite the same thing as stock. OK, I haven't looked at the recipe in a while, so I'm not certain. But I know that a deep, rich meaty stock is often not what Italian cooking entails.

Or in VD Stew (EU version), of course.

Ooh. I went there, too. It was also very good: spotted prawns, which as far as I know, you can't get anywhere else, and some great mussels.

When I was in Seattle a few years ago, I really liked Etta's. I'm sure it's considered touristy by the locals, but I had a good time, the seafood was very fresh, and Tom Douglas is a very good chef. I don't know if they have a bar, or if the menu is available there in any case, but I walked in and was seated immediately -- not unusual for a lone diner, in my experience. It's one block from Pike's Market.

Welcome, GSBravo. I agree with you regarding the benefits that usually accrue to a company that maintains focus on core business, and I certainly agree that today's McDonalds burger suffers in comparison to the burger of twenty years ago. But I'm not sure it's all that clear that McDonalds is in serious trouble. Their stock is hovering around its 52-week high, and it seems to be maintaing its market share -- after all, it's not the only fast-food franchiser to have gone through a difficult period over the last few years. All of which is to say that while we may not care for the product, and we might disagree with the way the company is being run, McDonalds shareholders are not hurting. It's possible that what we think McDonalds core business is might be different than what the people running the company think it is.

Somebody remind me: what's the difference between a bistro and a brasserie?

Actually, I understand that. I was (mostly) joking in my earlier post, but if you were to say that it tasted like diesel fumes, I'd not only wonder how you knew what diesel fumes tasted like, I'd be disinclined to try the wine myself, even if you meant it "in a good way."

I was taught that currant jelly was the proper thing to serve with Monte Cristo sammiches.