La Niña

DeNino's was a major disappointment. The best pizza in the US is DiFara, on Avenue J in Midwood. No question about it. We went to DeLorenzo's in Trenton today. More about it later.

What was the word they used for cow's udder?????? In the middle east it's called "beez" - it's a delicacy. I'd give my right arm to find it in this cockamamie country. No such luck.

I think you might be just a tad more enthusiastic about this than I am.

I'm in. For chickpeas. Interestingly enough, scamhi and I are going to Maison d'Couscous on Monday. Perhaps we'll do a bit of discussing with the chef there...

You didn't like that salad, Yvonne????

We shall be going to DeLorenzo's in Trenton this Sunday. Cannot wait.

I'm tellin' ya, with chickpeas it's really easy to tell.

Re: beans in the microwave. Barbara Kafka's first microwave book has lots and lots of useful information on this subject. That's how I got my start doing beans in the microwave. It's fast and easy and flawless.

Well I'm no expert, but I bought some smoked trout at the greenmarket a couple of weeks ago and we're still nibbling on it. It's a little drier than when we first got it, but it's still good.

I'm obsessed with that shaved raw brussel sprout salad. Gotta make it.

I remembered a funny story. I guess I must have been about 6, and my friend Mary was sleeping over. We got up in the early morning and I wanted to make crepes for breakfast and I didn't want to wake my parents. So I went about my business - started making the batter in the blender as we usually did, and my parents woke up from the noise of the blender - I had never used it by myself before (and I guess I wasn't supposed to). I didn't understand what all the fuss was - I had done it many times before - of course there had been an adult in the room. Anyway, after everybody calmed down, I made the crepes for everybody.

Yes, I notice the taste difference in the humus when I used canned vs. dried. Dried tastes, hmm...grainier? A bit chalkier (and I mean that in the good way)? And I never cook them as soft as the canned ones. FYI, re pressure cooking beans - I often do them in the microwave. Works beautifully. Soaking and coooking.

Boaziko, do you ever go to that place - it's called either HUMUS AZLI or HUMUS ASHKARA? What about the places in Schunat ha Tikvah?

At least for chick peas, there's a definite difference in taste between canned and soaked/cooked.

This is very interesting, since my mother will surely read this post. But here goes, as incomplete as it will be: What was your family food culture when you were growing up? My family is Ashkenazi (eastern European) Jews, and I'm first generation on both sides. We had slavic food influences - both Russian and Polish, on one side - and Hungarian and Austrian on the other side. We also ate plenty of German and French food, and dabbled in other cuisines food. My mother made riistaafel, for example. I don't remember a time when we didn't have an international, eclectic table full of interesting, varied food. We ate at home a lot, and we also went out. I was restaurant-experienced before I could talk. We also traveled in Europe quite a bit when I was a child, so I got used to eating lots of different things, in many different environments. Was meal time important? Most of the time, yes. We generally ate together, although I don't recall that this was some kind of hard and fast rule. On Friday nights we almost always had a traditional Shabbes meal (ritual Jewish stuff, though we were not at all "religious.") I learned to cook at a young age, so it was not uncommon for me or my sisters to make dinner for the family, usually with some help. We enjoyed it. Was cooking important? Yes, important in that it happened a lot. But it wasn't "holy." It was a fact of life. What were the penalties for putting elbows on the table? I think we got told not to, but nothing terrible happened if we did. We did get told about how to hold our cutlery a lot. Manners were a big deal in general, but I don't recall the elbows thing specifically. Who cooked in the family? My mother, us (the kids), my father sometimes, our au pairs. I became somewhat of a sandwich maven at some point early on, and used to make lunchbox lunches for my sisters with some frequency. I also put myself in charge of our after-school snack a lot of the time. We didn't have junk food in the house, so I used to make things like creme patissiere and meringues. Were restaurant meals common, or for special occasions? Common. Fancier ones for special occasions. And of course on vacation. Did children have a "kiddy table" when guests were over? No, never. We were integrated into all the events. We usually served canapes and such to the grownup guests when my parents had parties. And we helped. When did you get that first sip of wine? I was too young to remember. My parents frequently drank wine with meals, and I think I had a sip from the time I was very young. It was never an issue. Was there a pre-meal prayer? Yes, on Friday evenings. And on Jewish holidays. Was there a rotating menu (e.g., meatloaf every Thursday)? No, but we had our favorites in rotation fairly frequently. We were just talking the other day about how we loved this "poor man's" sort of carbonara/alfredo dish - it was spiral pasta, cream, butter, peas, and pieces of ham. How much of your family culture is being replicated in your present-day family life? Well, I definitely love to eat with people. In my family, meal time was a very social time. We caught up, shmoozed, entertained and harassed each other. My meals are social events. I still love to have meals with my family whenever possible, and my boyfriend and I try to eat together most evenings, time and schedules permitting. When we don't go out, I generally do the cooking. I eat with friends, too, frequently. We had lots of guests when I was a kid. People came over to eat all the time, often spontaneously. So now I organize meals with people, I invite people, I invite myself over to other people's houses...

I'm with Boaziko all the way on the t'china, all the way. As for humus: when I have time, I use dried chickpeas and soak and cook them and then use them. Yes, I use t'china in my humus. New Yorkers: the most "Israeli" humus I have had in NYC is at Mabat. A perfect balance of humus and t'china. And presented the way it should be - a well in the middle with t'china, drizzled with olive oil, and served with pickles and olives and warm, fresh pita.

Possible, but doubtful. Ashkenazi Jews don't usually name children after parents who are living.

Not to mention a fantastic sachertorte.

I absolute LOVE Indian food. Eating it, cooking it, smelling it - everything about it. I know several people who just "don't like Indian food." I'm wondering the same thing you are, Suvir. Is it one particular spice that bothers some people? A combination of spices? Interesting question.

some more information: http://www.ontariograpes.com/icewine.html

How about we let Ed chime in before this gets out of hand?

That's right.

No. That's too much money for a Chinese banquet, in my opinion. Perhaps there will have to be more than one, for different spending levels.

I had a wonderful glass of Amaro today at Lupa - Nocino Reserva. Just terrific.

Rumor has it that Sally's artificially maintains its waiting lines...