pastameshugana

Those tomatoes look ridiculously good. The ones we sliced up yesterday (here in the cold Southern Hemisphere) were sad and nearly orange...

This dessert looks & sounds absolutely amazing. This is what I need at the moment.

Awesome, thank you for the translation!

We make a monthly or bi-monthly pilgrimage to 'Chinatown' in Johannesburg - it's about 1 hour depending on traffic so we've got to make the most of it. This time we went for hot-pot. We've tried several in the area, and our favorite is a tiny little place. Not particularly nice, but delicious, and they've got a kiddie pool with the live fish in it they cook and serve. Always fun to watch the cook wrestling a 10kg live fish out of the pool into the kitchen... Forgot to take pictures this time. We always start our trip at our favorite Chinese import market to stock up on basics. Lots of great instant noodle varieties from China and S. Korea. They have different varieties of baked goods occasionally, this time they had these delightful little pineapple cakes. The outside had a nice, dense, cake-like texture, and the pineapple filling was very mochi-like and sweet. Addictively good! This time we tried these noodles: There's 14 portions in the package, for 120 Rand, which works out to about 6.50 USD (depending on the exchange rate, which is fluctuating wildly these days). I made some Gochujang buttered noodles (which is a ridiculously easy and sinfully good lunch, in my not so humble opinion) with these, and the noodles themselves were outstanding. Great chew, wonderful texture that grabs the sauce, and a nice rich flavor. I think these would be incredible with an Alfredo as well.

Beautiful plating and photo! I remember some years ago there was an ongoing discussion of food photography, and you were my idol in your plating and photos. Your avatar pic I still remember from when you made that dish, just brilliant!

The cake looks (and sounds) amazing. I'm a sucker for anything lemon.

A beautiful presentation and photo. Sounds delicious, too! How did you like the mochi coffee ice cream?

That is almost enough syrup for me. My wife and kids (monsters some times, I tell ya) will often eat pancakes without any syrup at all. Just powdered sugar. I want my pancakes juicy and syrup squishing out when I stab it like water out of a shoe after you stepped in a puddle!

That's a heckuva brekkie. Now I'm craving it for dinner!

Yes! Chris's Lemon Blueberry corn-meal waffles look ridiculously good. Now I need a waffle-maker...

There's no liquid other than what comes from the veggies themselves, it's very chunky. Probably more akin to a pico than a salsa I guess.

They look fantastic!

There is a restaurant in the border town of Nogales, Mexico, that does something like this (I'm sure it's common). For the table salsa, the server brings a cart with a selection of both fresh and roasted: Onion, garlic, various chilies, and tomatoes. You can select your ingredients or desired heat level, or let them make their own style, and after a minute or two in a big stone mortar it's ready. Always delightful. This place also serves everyone a hot 'shot' of spicy fish broth before the meal, which is also wonderful. I believe the restaurant might be called San Marcos.

My pasta dough before resting (it's been a few years, I'm very pleased this actually worked!): All the noodles cut and ready to go: Plated pasta (plating is a bit messy, no excuses just bad execution). The alfredo turned out perfect, and I was able to teach the two youngest how to make a roux at the same time: The "caprese" salad - in quotes because I used basil and rocket - which is delicious but maybe not exactly authentic. Olive oil, salt, pepper, and a sun dried chili mango balsamic reduction that was delightful. The bread is just ready made from Woolies... And dessert! Daughter #2 (12yo) made sugar cookies and pound cake. She intended to make chocolate covered strawberries as well, but the chocolate didn't work, so I made a reduction of the strawberries with lemon and simple syrup for topping: We forced Mrs. Meshugana to wait upstairs the last hour while we got everything finished and decorated, it was a great night!

We're doing Valentine's Day in two parts. Monday night we went to a nice little restaurant, a classic 'old school' fine-dining kind of place called Level Four. (The kids who still live with us had frozen pizza while we were out). Mrs. M had a mushroom risotto that was very nice. Several different mushroom varieties and all done well. The plating was 'creative' - it looked a bit like something out of a Dr. Seuss book (which isn't really a bad thing, for sure). I had a Sous Vide pork belly, with chili bacon toping, a smoky teriyaki sauce underneath, with Brussels sprouts and bok-choy. Very nice as well. The dish included chicharron, but the humidity killed the crispiness and it was meh... We didn't get a picture of the dessert, which was a chocolate Malva pudding. Tonight (Tuesday) the kids and I are cooking: Hand made pasta for fettuccine alfredo, with a caprese salad, and my daughter will make dessert of some sort. Hopefully I'll get pics to post.

Sound similar to something my late grandparents would do when we were little. They would put pieces of leftover 'going stale' cornbread in a glass and cover it with milk to eat with a spoon. My grandfather would add sugar to his. But in those days he added sugar to everything, including his sliced watermelon...

I often used to get something similar in Romania (Brasov, in particular). At various restaurants and in people's homes, it would be jarred and on every table. Mostly various colors of 'bell' peppers with onion, garlic and salt, cooked down almost into a paste. It's great on brown bread, especially with the little hunks of fried pork fat (served cold) several of the restaurants would serve with the bread.

I must confess, every time I click on this topic I brace myself for what I might see (I get a little squeamish sometimes). But fascinating nonetheless!

Looks amazing! And that book looks beautiful as well. Sadly, Amazon shipping to SA is almost as much as the book, and that looks like the kind of book I'd rather have in hand than on the screen...

Thank you!

Just as a general thanks to this topic, I decided to make an omelette this morning for the first time in a few years. I don't often eat breakfast, and it it's eggs I really love a proper scramble. However, I was delighted to see I hadn't lost my touch. It was delicious, done fast, and magazine pretty. I told myself I was going to take a picture, then remembered as I was nearing the last bite...

Thank you!

Yes!

For my entire life (at least as far back as I can remember), El Pato (in the yellow can) has been a staple, go-to, and necessary ingredient. It's not very hot, but just has that "lil' somethin' somethin'" that many meals need! When we lived in India, we couldn't get it and so the occasional can smuggled in a suitcase was treasured and meted out in careful doses. Now that we live in South Africa, again we can't find it, but there are many great hot sauces (many very local) that we use and love. Every little market and grannie has their own achar blend that is delightful. One of the seafood restaurants near us (Harbor Fish and Grill in Meyersdal, Johannesburg), has an absolutely incredible chili they serve with their rolls and you can also buy by the bottle. Another interesting note about South Africa: Tobasco is everywhere. Nearly ever restaurant has it on the table, and often multiple flavors. Back to El Pato: It's affordable, tasty, and goes great on almost everything. I've even marinated chicken in it to make pulled chicken chimichangas. I think I've mentioned before, but dipping plain Lay's Potato chips in it is very addicting...

That little 'lake 'o butter' in your potatoes looks amazing.