patrickamory

Amy - is it possible that you dislike the raw aroma, but enjoy it when it's cooked or mingled with other flavors? I too was put off by the odor of white pepper when I first encountered it on its own, not realizing I had been consuming it in hot & sour soup (among many other dishes) for years. Similar to fish sauce, it might be just one of those things that is off-putting to certain palates on its own, but an essential & delicious ingredient in combination with other foods, or when cooked?

I like both of the commonly available Marie Sharpe's quite a lot (hot habanero and mild habanero). For those who haven't had it, it's a versatile hot sauce based on carrots. One of its great advantages is that it lasts forever in the fridge and doesn't get stale, unlike a lot of the competition (preservatives or not).

Great post, thanks paulraphael. Also great to see the links to the Chinese cleavers.

I've been given the tour of the Per Se kitchen and was introduced to Keller. The place was spotless. I've literally never seen a cleaner environment. (Much - MUCH - cleaner than most hospitals I've visited!)

I thought that wood and especially bamboo sanitized themselves very well with a mixture of hot water and soap? I don't use plastic or artificial surfaces for cutting meat - my impression is that the bad bugs survive very well on hard surfaces like formica. As for bamboo wearing down knives - this is absolutely true, I have to hone my knife far more frequently when using my bamboo cutting board than my maple end block one. But I do enjoy the lightness and thinness of it.

Mette, I envy you living in Copenhagen! Had lunch at Tolbod Bodega there last week, and the "veterinarian's midnight snack" was just so over the top delicious. I'm catching up here, but a few weeks ago I made eGullet favorite Citrus-Marinated Chicken (thanks Dejah and Smithy). I took Dejah's suggestion of adding kaffir lime leaves.

I was lucky enough to drink this last night.

I highly recommend this lentil recipe from One Life To Eat: http://onelifetoeat.com/2010/04/23/masoor-dal/

Kang Suh on 32nd and Broadway for Korean barbecue.

Franci, incredible. I forgot about your vintage stove! How are you finding actually working with it? It's a thing of beauty.

By real ones Franci do you mean the ones packed in salt? Or particular brands? Curious for recommendations.

Another vote for summery savory - an incredibly versatile and delicious herb, definitely not just for beans.

Jumping in late here, but just on the general topic, how about drunken beans?

Mine was with my old range! We replaced it… see NXR thread.

weinoo beautiful bucatini

Do the dimples really work?

I too enjoy being able to monitor the flame visually, and the instant change in heat. As for the smoke detector… I get on a chair and remove it and then remount it after dinner perhaps 1 out of 3 meals I make. It's a pain but I've become used to it.

I agree with other posters - I was somewhat surprised to see people saying that white pepper is simply black pepper with the skin removed - while this might technically be true, it tastes entirely different. White pepper is essential for many Chinese and Thai cuisines and preparation. Especially hot & sour soup! And crying tiger.

Shelby you made egg rolls! I'm dying Pasta puttanesca, anchovies are Ortiz anchoas a la antigua

I've been attempting to recreate some version of the Italian-American red sauces I had growing up, and have encountered in the dwindling number of authentic restaurants in the Northeast. Some thoughts: - brown the meat in batches - I always use ground beef, but ground pork, pork ribs, veal bones are all options - meatballs and sweet Italian sausage chunks are also options - sauté plenty of onion and garlic in a mixture of olive oil/butter and the fat from the meat - use tomato paste, and plenty of it, in addition to the tomatoes - use dried herbs - oregano or "Italian seasoning" - the pinch of white sugar is traditional - do not stint on the salt - mushrooms or green pepper optional - bringing it closer to a '70s school lunch vibe, but I'm sure very tasty - do not cook the pasta al dente, it should be just past that point and soft (old school Italian places in NYC now offer al dente as an option on the menu - a clue to the fact that it was not the norm here, or hadn't been for a long time) - serve the pasta and sauce separately and let each diner dress their own dish - but definitely way more sauce than pasta It's not ragu or bolognese… you do not start with a soffrito/battuto, there is no carrot or celery, there is no nutmeg, and the final combination does not have that "sauce is a condiment" effect, with each strand of just-cooked pasta lovingly & carefully coated with just the right amount of sauce. It should be total sensory overkill! And great for cold winter nights... and I'm sure there are a million different variations, but I think the above list of bullet points captures what I think of as American "spaghetti and meat sauce".

Blether: I'm dying. Any kind of savory pie is one of my favorite things and we don't get them often here in the US. That looks amazing. huiray: Good eye. I made the chives twice - once with dried shrimp and wood ear, and once with bacon. I accidentally posted the bacon photo. Here it is with shrimps and fungus. (And the green beans were dry-fried Sichuan style with pork - but the finished dish didn't photograph well.)

basquecook, your posts are endlessly thought-provoking (not just mouth-watering). Flipping the chops several times - something I never thought of. I always do high heat 4-5 minutes per side and if they're not cooked through, add some vermouth, cover and steam for a couple a minutes. Those look like good chops too - Berkshire black pig? Mangalitsa? Chinese chives with wood ears and dried shrimp

Mark those homemade pastrami sandwiches are ridiculous. A nice spicy brown mustard? In any case just mouthwatering. Tai bai chicken:

Hmm. Not my experience. But everyone's mileage may vary. And maybe for a bit more detail… here is the documentation of my tamale experience via Kennedy: http://matablog.matadorrecords.com/2010/02/07/chicken-tamales/ I will admit that once I managed to figure out what she assumed I already knew (!), the recipe was a massive success and I have since repeated it many times.

Just be aware that Kennedy is not always easy to follow, and the recipes can be much more involved than they look. She's a bit Paula Wolfert in style, but even more so. That's not a criticism, generally - in fact it's a compliment - but serious close reading is required, and I'm guessing that many if not most of the ingredients will be extremely hard to source in Austria. Will you be getting whole corn and cal and making fresh masa? Where will you find real manteca - or will you render it yourself? What about fresh epazote (pretty much impossible in New York City, for example)? Crema? Crumbly Mexican queso? Substitutions are possible but Kennedy rarely suggests them. I haven't tried Rick Bayless but I understand that he's a lot more approachable for those of us without access to good Mexican produce and preparations, and less opaque in his instructions (try making Kennedy's tamales from The Cuisines of Mexico without a full understanding of masa… this was a serious learning curve for me, fortunately I had a friend who'd studied with her! The book was of very little help). As I said, I'm a Kennedy fan. But at least The Cusines… assumes that you are pretty up to speed with Mexican basics, and have access to, and understanding of, crucial ingredients & techniques. Just my two cents.