ChrisN

I'm really sorry about my last post--I shouldn't be allowed near the internet when I haven't slept. I'm sorry it came out that way--when I did get some sleep and wake up, I thought I had dreamt it. And then I realized... In any case, it was inappropriate and to some extent inaccurate. Sorry again--I'm not usually that unpleasant. I've actually enjoyed most of the thread. A few things just got to me--you may or may not like Caprial Pence, but her pronunciation of mascarpone is not wrong. In South Italy, from which virtually all Italian-American families originally came, dialects (though an excellent case can be made that the "dialects" of much of Italy are in fact separate languages, individually derived from Latin; "standard Italian" is itself a construct based largely on Dante and the grammar and pronunciation of cerain influential cities)--anyway, in the dialects around the Bay of Naples, the norm is the deletion of final vowels. In other words, calzon', mascarpon', mozzarell', etc., are not ignorant variants of somehow perfect "Italian" originals. Yes, I took college Italian too--in the United States--and at first thought that my father's family just got it all wrong. But a little more time and a little more research made it clear that their inherited pronunciation is just as authentic as the official pronunciation of Italian always taught abroad, but rarely heard in Italy itself. "Official," as almost always, means "politically sanctioned," and "politically sanctioned" has never exactly aligned with "right." I'm sensitive since I've heard family members criticized as stupid, ignorant, or uneducated when they were in fact right all along--unfortunately, they've usually believed their critics. Plato's cave and all... None of this excuses my stupid post. With red face,

The level of linguistic knowledge on this thread is disgraceful, but please go on...

I have a theory about the name "Nick and Nora" glasses--and obviously nothing like proof. Yes the shape mimics the ones in the films, but there may be another reason too. If you read the book and watch all the films--and I heartily recommend that everyone do both--Nick and Nora drink an enormous number of cocktails, especially martinis. I don't mean over the course of the book, any given film, or the series; I mean per sitting. In one memorable scene, Nora finds Nick in a bar and asks how many martinis he's had. He's on his sixth; she immediately tells the waiter to bring her the same number, all at once. Based on the size of cocktail glasses in restaurants these days, Nick and Nora would probably have died on the first date. Similar numbers of martinis are drunk in the Mr. and Mrs. North novels. Hence my theory: the glasses are so named because they allow one to replicate the Nick-and-Nora experience by having four to six cocktails instead of the two to three that would be more typical (of some of us) now. For what it's worth.

A fairly traditional thanksgiving for 8 or 9 here: nuts and various relish items to start cream of carrot soup brined, roasted turkey with stuffing and dressing mashed potatoes and giblet gravy orange-cranberry relish brussel sprouts, either roasted or braised and glazed peas with lemon and shallots for the vegetarians, either ratatouille or vegetable stew roasted in a pumpkin for dessert, a pear tart, fruitcake, and 3 or 4 pies (probably, coconut cream, sour cherry, chocolate and maybe pecan) I'll make the gravy a night or two before after roasting another turkey. For some reason, I always think of this earlier turkey as the second turkey.

Celery leaves are great in soups, as someone else has said. They are also integral to the way my father makes bracciole. In a strange way, they are like anchovies--they add a great flavor to things without screaming their own identity. In my view, the fact that supermarkets regularly sell celery completely shorn of its leaves is an abomination.

I'll be in San Antonio for a few days at the end of this week. What recommendations do people have for dinner--cheaper and more expensive? CN

I made a flourless chocolate cake recently and had a problem. The cake looked fine while it was still in its pan, but when inverted onto another plate, there was a layer that looked almost like butter (but wasn't). The chocolate part of the cake tasted fine once that layer was scraped off, but I'm not sure what happened or how to stop it. I have used this recipe before without a problem. Any thoughts? CN

When I make/eat them, I don't want there to be too much filling--usually just salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, celery leaves, and parmesan.

My partner will not eat cauliflower or brussel spourts--the latter is my favorite vegetable by far. ChrisN

Onions and garlic cooking. Also oregano--I remember a few times in Greece walking in the countryside; the smell of wild oregano could be overwhelming.

Thanks! I would hate to waste it. Chris

I know that Duck fat can be stored in the freezer, but for how long. I don't mean fat that's left over from a dish I've prepared, but just a container of duck fat. I also don't take it out of the freezer and let the whole container thaw--it's just out long enough for a blob of it to be cut off. Thanks in advance. Chris

To me, avocados are tangible proof of the existence of evil. Same with okra. And I can't stand the smell of any melon but watermelon. If there are funyuns around, I have to be restrained to keep from eating them. Same with those bags of pork rinds. I know I should eat whole grain foods, but I avoid whole wheat pasta, since it tastes like someone added sand. I have sometimes used garlic from a jar.

I do sometimes use them together. Romano is sharper and saltier, so I sometimes add it when I want a saltier flavor, and always on pizza. It doesn't, to me at least, have the buttery quality of Parmigiano.

My mother has been typing up and distributing family recipes gathered from all of us and from some family friends. I keep a print-out handy with my own handwritten notes. (People in my family sometimes forget that "a package" is only useful if there is only one size.)