teonzo

Added, thanks! Do you have a working link for this, please? I searched a bit with google (not that much I must say, a couple minutes) and found nothing. Thanks! Teo

Thanks for appreciating what I did on the blog! I still haven't opened my shop. I'm going through lawyers to get back my money from my father. The exact second after I got it back in my hands I'll start to put my plans in reality. Teo

Thanks a lot! Added to the list. Teo

There is no law giving an exact definition of what "cocoa solids" mean. The usual meaning is the one you wrote, but it's a common meaning not an exact law. So if someone uses the phrase "cocoa solids" for something different then it's not an absolute error. We need to remember that it's almost impossible to extract all cocoa butter from cocoa liquor, you need to apply a HUGE pressure. The vast majority of cocoa powder in commerce contains more than 10% cocoa butter. What you call "cocoa solids" is not 100% cocoa solids (using your definition that cocoa solids are composed by the cocoa liquor minus all the cocoa butter). Besides that, cocoa butter is solid at room temperature, so we could argue that it's a cocoa solid too, since there is no clear definition by law. Is that Callebaut label "wrong" using the common meaning? Yes. Is it absolutely wrong? No. Is all this pretty confusing? Yes, but this how things are at the current moment. You are forgetting the "min.", which means "minimum" not "exact". If they say 33.1% min. and then use 66% then the label is correct, they declared a minimum of 33.1%, if the real content is above then there is no error. Those labels are printed in HUGE numbers to save costs, then after packaging there is an ink jet printer that adds the final details of that chocolate (production lot, expiration date, so on). The basic info on that label (the one they receive from the company that produce those labels) is "% MIN. COCOA 33.1" (the one printed on the brown side). The added info (the one printed locally after packaging) is "% COCOA BUTTER 34.6". Why so? To save money from the label producer and to allow for small changes during production. If you order a huge amount of labels that state everything then you are forced to follow that same formulation no matter what. If you start with labels stating a minimum then you have room for small changes (like in this case): it's possible that they change milk solids supplier and the new milk solids have slightly different features, calling for a bit more cocoa butter. If they act like they did, then they have room for adjustments. If they buy labels stating everything exact in advance, then there is no room for change. Teo

There are lots of old cookbooks that have been digitized by various people (libraries, Project Gutenberg, Google...) and are free to read and download. The problem is getting to know about their existence. I'll try to post the ones I saved. If you know books that are missing in this list then please reply with the links, so I'll edit this post and add them, thanks. Acton Eliza - Modern Cookery for Private Families 1847 https://archive.org/details/moderncookeryfo01actogoog/page/n8 Acton Eliza - The English Bread Book for Domestic Use 1857 https://archive.org/details/englishbreadboo00actogoog Anonimo - Il confetturiere piemontese che insegna la maniera di confettare frutti in diverse maniere 1790 https://archive.org/details/b28766672/page/n4 Beeton Isabella - The Book of Household Management 1861 http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10136 Bradley Richard - The Country Housewife and Lady's Director 1728 https://archive.org/details/countryhousewife00brad Brown Susan Anna - The Book of Forty Puddings 1882 https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hn6gyz&view=1up&seq=1 Careme Marie-Antoine - Le Patissier Royal Parisien 1815 https://archive.org/details/b21504672_0002/ Careme Marie-Antoine - Le Patissier Pittoresque 1815 https://archive.org/details/b21525419/ Careme Marie-Antoine - Le Maitre d'Hotel Francais 1822 https://archive.org/details/b2152600x_0001 https://archive.org/details/b2152600x_0002 Careme Marie-Antoine - Le Cuisinier Parisien 1828 https://archive.org/details/b29300125 Careme Marie-Antoine - L'Art de la Cuisine Francaise au XIX Siecle 1833 https://archive.org/details/b21525687_0003 https://archive.org/details/b21525687_0004 Carey Henry - A Learned Dissertation on Dumpling 1727 http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28105 Colmenero de Ledesma Antonio - Chocolate An Indian Drinke 1652 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21271 De La Varenne Francois Pierre - Le Cuisinier Francois 1651 https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_YpIorAokVqUC De Salis Harriet Ann - Puddings and Pastry a la Mode 1889 https://archive.org/details/puddingspastry00desa De Voe Thomas Farrington - The Market Assistant 1867 https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Market_Assistant.html?id=2z4EAAAAYAAJ Dumas Alexandre - Le grand dictionnaire de cuisine 1873 https://archive.org/details/legranddictionn00dumagoog Escoffier Auguste - Le Guide Culinaire 1902 https://archive.org/details/b21525730 Escoffier Auguste - A guide to modern cookery 1902 https://archive.org/details/cu31924000610117 Fisk + Ellenberger - An ice cream laboratory guide 1917 https://archive.org/details/icecreamlaborato00fisk Gill Thompson - The complete practical pastry cook 1889 https://archive.org/details/completepractica00gill/page/n4 Glasse Hannah - The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy 1796 https://archive.org/details/TheArtOfCookery Gouffe Jules - Le livre de cuisine 1807 https://archive.org/details/b21525778 Griswold Ruth Mary - Experimental Study of Foods 1962 https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001043252 Hall Mary Elizabeth - Candy-Making Revolutionized Confectionery from Vegetables 1912 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33974 Kidder Edward - Receipts of Pastry & Cookery For the Use of His Scholars 1720 https://www.loc.gov/item/44028152/ Lamb Patrick - Royal cookery The complete court-cook 1710 https://www.loc.gov/item/44025907/ Lowe Belle - Experimental Cookery From the Chemical and Physical Standpoint 1932 https://archive.org/details/experimentalcook00lowerich Maestro Martino da Como - The art of cooking 1480 https://www.academia.edu/15168285/Maestro_Martino_of_Como_The_art_of_cooking_-_the_first_modern_cookery_book Marinetti Filippo Tommaso - La cucina futurista 1932 https://www.mori.bz.it/gastronomia/Marinetti - Cucina futurista.pdf Murrey Thomas - Puddings and Dainty Desserts 1886 https://archive.org/details/puddingsdaintyde00murr_0 Nostradamus - Traite des Fardements et Confitures 1556 https://www.oldcook.com/doc/livre_nostradamus_confitures.pdf Nott John - The Cook's and Confectioner's Dictionary 1723 https://archive.org/details/cooksandconfect00nottgoog Nutt Fredrick - The Complete Confectioner 1819 https://archive.org/details/completeconfecti07nutt Parloa Maria - Chocolate and Cocoa Recipes 1780 https://archive.org/details/chocolaterecipes_1403_librivox Pease Martin - Candy Making Secrets 1908 https://archive.org/details/candymakingsecre00peas/page/n2 Rabisha William - The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected 1673 https://www.loc.gov/item/44028918/ Rundell Maria Eliza - A New System of Domestic Cookery 1806 https://archive.org/details/newsystemofdomes01rund Scappi Bartolomeo - Opera 1570 https://archive.org/details/operavenetiascap00scap Sherwood Snyder - The Art of Candy Making Fully Explained 1915 https://archive.org/details/TheArtOfCandyMakingFullyExplained Simmons Amelia - American Cookery 1796 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12815 Skuse E - Skuse's Complete Confectioner 1894 https://archive.org/details/b28048465 Taillevent - Le Viandier 1486 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26567 Terhune Herrick Christine - Candy Making in the Home 1914 https://archive.org/details/candymakinginho00herrgoog/page/n8 Walsh J H - The English Cookery Book 1810 https://archive.org/details/englishcookeryb00bookgoog Teo

Revenge is a dish better served cold. Teo

Holy ****, so many big toys! We already know who is the one buying these molds. Even if they don't seem that practical for airbrushing, each cavity has a different angle. Teo

You need to consider the geometry of the mold you are using and how to dissipate the heat. Big molds (like this 1 kg block) mean big width, which means more latent heat to dissipate from the surface. Those squares are separated by deep and narrow interstices, you need to dissipate all the heat that accumulates on the surfaces of those interstices. Problem is that air is an insulator and that mold has a flat surface (the surface of the squares), so if you place the mold on a sheet pan then it's really really difficult for the air in those interstices to circulate. No air circulation means that there is a lot of latent heat accumulating there, causing the chocolate to bloom along those interstices (which is what your photo is showing). So you need to place your molds on a wire rack and find a way to force air circulation. Usually a fan is a good and inexpensive solution. If you have an air conditioner then put the molds near it. You need to be careful when and how putting them in the fridge. Putting the molds in the fridge can mean lots of different things. As Kerry wrote, it's better to avoid putting them in the fridge just after molding, you force quick crystalization on the surface while the inside is still fluid, which means when the inside will crystallize it's going to shrink, causing the surface of the chocolate piece to break. So you need to put them in the fridge at the correct time, but also in the correct way. If you place the molds on a flat surface you get the troubles I explained above, so you need to place them on a wire rack even in the fridge, with some space below them otherwise air will not circulate. You need a fridge with good air circulation inside it. You need to place them in the "warmest" side of the fridge. Since you wrote you have a room at 19°C, then I would suggest to put the molds on wire racks with at least 2 inches of air beneath them, then using a fan near them to force air circulation. That temperature + wire racks + fan should be enough to avoid putting them in the fridge, but leave them alone for a good amount of time (many hours, if not a full day), don't take them out of the mold when they detach, the inside is still crystallizing. Teo

Where do you put your molds to rest before going in the fridge? Do you leave them on the marble? If so, try putting them on a wire rack and force some air circulation with a fan. Big blocks like that have lots of troubles due to the latent heat of crystalization, especially with that indented shape. Teo

It would have been much funnier if they used rabbit meat and put Elmer Fudd on the commercials. Teo

I guess much had to do with political issues. France had 2 advantages: the fall of aristocracy happened way before than in Italy and Spain; there were / are much less internal wars in France than in Spain and Italy (to be precise Italy did not exist as a country, there were many states instead of one country). Good chefs back in the day worked for aristocracy, so it was a closed circle. French revolution had the effect that great chefs opened the first restaurants, so middle class people had much easier access to top dishes, this knowledge arrived to the homes of most people. Italy saw this effect more than a century later, after WWII: Nino Bergese, considered the best Italian chef in the 1950's and 1960's, worked for aristocracy up to WWII, after the war he opened what is considered the first real fine dining restaurant in this country. If we look at what happened in noble courts before the French Revolution then there wasn't a leading country about food: noble courts in Prussia, Austro-Hungarian kingdom, Russia and so on had nothing less than the French. Being a united country helps spreading top produce from across all the regions. One of the reasons why there was a big butter / olive oil wall here (butter in the north, olive oil in the south) is that because all regions / states were battling against each other, that rivalry is still deep rooted nowadays. Envy and feuds are huge enemies of the spreading of culture. Teo

You just need to send her some lightsaber thermoformed molds. Then she will make some dozens chocolate lightsabers, go out of the cinema this fall when Episode IX comes out and sell them. After 3-4 days she will have made enough profits to buy an EZ Temper. With the EZ Temper she will be able to make hundreds of lightsabers each day, leading to even more profits. When the workshop time comes she will have a full line with depositor and cooling tunnel. And Mickey knocking at her door asking for copyrights. Teo

People at the Basque Culinary Center wrote a nice manual for reusing kitchen scraps, you can download the pdf for free. Lots of great content on their website. It's in Spanish language, google translate makes a good job. Teo

If Rei do it can, why you not? Teo

The Fat Duck Cookbook is a must read, tons of great content there. The Perfect Meal is very good too. Some other titles I know about: Bredie + Petersen - "Flavour Science: Recent Advances and Trends" Never read. Chartier François - "Taste Buds and Molecules" He is a Canadian sommelier who cooperated with elBulli. This book was originally printed in French ("Papilles et Molecules: La Science Aromatique des Aliments et des Vins"), then translated in English (not a great translation) and in Spanish ("Papilas y moléculas: La ciencia aromática de los alimentos y el vino"). It's a sort of scientific explanation on how flavour works, not as advanced as other titles in this list. Chartier François - "L'essentiel de Chartier : L'ABC des harmonies aromatiques à table et en cuisine" Original version is in French, then it was translated in Spanish ("La cocina aromática: Toda la ciencia de los aromas para cocinar en casa"), no English version as far as I know. It's a bit similar to "The Flavor Bible": the author considers some ingredients, for each one he gives a table of suggested pairings, then some descriptions and suggested dishes. Much less ingredients here than on the "The Flavor Bible" so get that one first. Choi + Han - "How Flavor Works: The Science of Taste and Aroma" Great book with scientific explanations on how we perceive flavors. Kunz + Kaminsky - "The Elements of Taste" Kunz was the chef of what was considered the best restaurant in New York at that time. This is an attempt to explain how to build a dish. Far from a definitive guide (I think that's an impossible task), not the best on this list, but it deserves a read, you can find it used for really cheap. Mouritsen + Styrbaek - "Umami: Unlocking the Secrets of the Fifth Taste" Very good book on umami. Mouritsen + Styrbaek - "Mouthfeel: How Texture Makes Taste" Great book on what the title says. Page + Dornenburg - "Culinary Artistry" As far as I know this was the first book to give tables for suggested pairings. It has some good text too. Page + Dornenburg - "The Flavor Bible" This is made almost entirely of pairing tables. See it as a guide and not as a bible: there are various famous pairings missing; there are some inconsistencies (on ingredient A they suggest B, on ingredient B they don't suggest A); some things have no sense (pairings for "summer" or for "Italian food"). Even with all these faults I would say it's a must buy. Page Karen - "The Vegetarian Flavor Bible" Same as "The Flavor Bible", this one has only ingredients used in vegetarian cuisine. It's not based on the previous book, so you will get different content. Page Karen - "Kitchen Creativity" A weak attempt on finding a formula for creativity. Such a task has no sense in my opinion: creativity means going out of the schemes, if you write a scheme for creativity then it stops being so. The original content by the author is average at best, the excerpts from chefs' interviews are worth reading. I'd say the weakest book on this list. Patterson + Aftel - "The Art of Flavor: Practices and Principles for Creating Delicious Food" Great book on the intersection between cookery and perfumery. Piqueras-Fiszman + Spence - "Multisensory Flavor Perception: From Fundamental Neuroscience Through to the Marketplace" Never read. One of the 2 authors is the same of "The Perfect Meal". Prescott John - "Taste Matters: Why We Like the Foods We Do" Never read. Shallenberger R. S. - "Taste Chemistry" Never read. Shepherd Gordon - "Neurogastronomy: How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why It Matters" Never read. Shepherd Gordon - "Neuroenology: How the Brain Creates the Taste of Wine" Never read. Spence Charles - "Gastrophysics The New Science of Eating" Really interesting stuff, with lots of psychology. Same author of "The Perfect Meal" Stevenson Richard - "The Psychology of Flavour" Never read. Stuckey Barb - "Taste: Surprising Stories and Science About Why Food Tastes Good" Never read. Teo

After the due roasting they would make for a tasty filling for a new bar. Teo

Some more books for this year, some are already out, others will be published in the next months: Ahmed + DuVal + Meyer - "Botany at the Bar: The Art and Science of Making Bitters" Three scientists explain how to make bitters for cocktails. Alexander Kevin - "Burn the Ice: The American Culinary Revolution and Its End" Story of the "food revolution" in the USA from 2006 onwards (the explosion of top class restaurants and producers scattered all over the country and not just in the big cities). Belleret Robert - "Paul Bocuse : L'épopée d'un chef" Biography of Bocuse, only in French. Bonnat Stéphane - "Chocolat" One of the big names of French bean to bar, he is said to be the creator of the grand cru chocolates. Book is in French and costs 120 euro, no infos on what's inside, probably tons of photos on his journeys in cocoa producing countries. Bouthillier Luzin - "Les Plats de Chefs Qu'Il Faut Avoir Goutes une Fois Dans Sa Vie - 50 Chefs, 50 Plats, 50 Emotions" Few infos here, seems to be a book on 50 historic dishes by top chefs. Book is in French so probably all chefs will be French too. Chang Joanne - "Pastry Love: A Baker's Journal of Favorite Recipes" New book after the Flour ones. Charles Jeremy - "Wildness: An Ode to Newfoundland and Labrador" Seems to be the best restaurant in Newfoundland, @chromedome should be able to give more infos. Child Julia - "Julia Child: The Last Interview and Other Conversations" Title says all. Elmi + Erace - "Laurel: Modern American Flavors in Philadelphia" Top restaurant in Philadelphia, the cover is gorgeous. Erfort Klaus - "Drei Sterne" 3 michelin star restaurant from Germany, book is only in German language. Farah Berry - "Histoire inédite des pâtisseries françaises: Tout ce que vous avez cru savoir de la pâtisserie n'est que légende" History of French pastry, only in French. Farkas Cécile - "Chocolate Signature" Modern entremets and chocolates, she is an online star in France, book is in French and English. Flynn Tenney - "The Deep End of Flavor: Recipes and Stories from New Orleans Premier Seafood Chef" Title says all. Frank Sebastian - "Kuk [Cook]" 2 michelin star restaurant from Germany, book is only in German language. Gordinier Jeff - "Hungry: Eating, Road-Tripping, and Risking It All with the Greatest Chef in the World" A food critic chronicles four years spent traveling with René Redzepi (of Noma fame). Haasnoot Frank - "Prisma" First book by this Dutch pastry chef who won the World Chocolate Masters some years ago. Highly creative and over the top. Henderson Fergus - "The Book of St John: Still a kind of British cooking" New book by the nose to tail master, not many infos on the content. Horowitz Will - "Salt Smoke Time: Homesteading and Heritage Techniques for the Modern Kitchen" New York restaurant, focused on creative dishes with foraged ingredients. Janjgava Saba - "The king of eclairs" Russian disciple of Christophe Adam ("disciple" is being diplomatic), book only in Russian language. Jones + Lindsley - "Cheese Beer Wine Cider: A Field Guide to 75 Perfect Pairings" Title says all. Kanani Rahim - "A Wealth of Insight: The World's Best Chefs on Creativity, Leadership and Perfection" Title says all. Kienberger Urs - "111 Years of Waldhaus Sils" History of this luxury hotel in Switzerland. Köthe + Ollech - "Das große Gemüsekochbuch: Rezepte aus dem Essigbrätlein" 2 michelin star restaurant from Germany, book is only in German language. Krenzer + Toinard - "La Charcuterie - 60 Produits, 130 Recettes" No details at this moment, just that it's only in French and on charcuterie. Ladurée - "Cocktail By Ladurée" Title says all. Leader + Chattman - "Living Bread: Tradition and Innovation in Artisan Bread Making" New bread book by these authors. Lee Matt + Ted - "Hotbox: Inside Catering, the Food World's Riskiest Business" Insider guide for the catering business, lots of great comments. Leonti + Parla - "Flour Lab: An At-home Guide to Baking With Freshly Milled Grains" Title says all, seems to be the book @Shelby is looking for. Lignac Cyril - "Les saisons ! : La cuisine de Cyril Lignac" Not many infos, seems to be a collection of savoury recipes by this French pastry chef. MacDonald Rory - "Bake" New York pastry chef, book with basic recipes and modern interpretations. Malek Tyler - "Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook" USA ice cream shop, recipes for the home user. Manzke Margarita - "Baking at République: Masterful Techniques and Recipes" Title says all. Masiá Mario - "Mas: Artisan Toppings and Marble Decoration for Ice Cream" Title is pretty clear, he is a Spanish pastry chef and the book is for the professionals. Matsune Kaz - "How I Became A Sushi Chef: From an apprentice to a teacher" This happens in Los Angeles, not in Japan. Moffett Bruce - "Bruce Moffett Cooks: A New England Chef in a New South Kitchen" Title says all. Onwuachi Kwame - "Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir" Title says all. Pelé + Masui - "Christophe Pelé, le Clarence - le Livre de Cuisine" 2 michelin star restaurant in Paris, book seems to be only in French. It's considered one of the most interesting tables in all Paris at this moment. Here is a review by our own @Bu Pun Su. Penkina Ksenia - "Cakes with Mirror Glaze" She is the queen of mirror glazes on Instagram. Book is only in Russian. Perez Toño - "Atrio" 2 michelin star restaurant from Spain, book is bilingual French and English as usual for Montagud Editores. Poilâne Apollonia - "Poilâne: The Secrets of the World-Famous Bread Bakery" Title says all. Prueitt + Robertson - "Tartine: Revised Edition: A Classic Revisited: 68 All-New Recipes + 55 Updated Favorites" Title says all. Radfar Bernard - "Chicken Genius: The Art of Toshi Sakamaki's Yakitori Cuisine" Book on a famous yakitori spot in Los Angeles. Reichl Ruth - "Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir" Title says all. Reygadas Elena - "Rosetta" Mexican restaurant, in the World top 50 Latin America. Ricker Andy - "POK POK Noodles: Recipes from Thailand and Beyond" Title says all. Roth Peter - "Kronenhalle Bar: Cocktailbuch" Historic cocktail bar in Zurich, Switzerland. Book only in German. Shirk Beth - "How To Create Your Own Panoramic Sugar Easter Eggs: The Ultimate Guide to Sweetness" Title says all. Shockey Kirsten + Christopher - "Miso, Tempeh, Natto & Other Tasty Ferments" Title says all. Teffri-Chambelland Thomas - "Traité de boulangerie au levain" Book on sourdough bread, French language. Published by Ducasse Editions, so it should be quality stuff. The Foodpairing Company - "The Art & Science of Foodpairing" Book by Foodpairing.com. Tish Ben - "Glorious Game: Recipes from 101 chefs and food writers" Title says almost all, expect it's from people in Great Britain. Travers Kitty - "La Grotta: Ice Creams and Sorbets" Ice cream shop in London, England. Teo

I suggest you to give a look into gianduiotto, it's one of the oldest confections here, never seen named by foreign producers / books / websites. As the name says it's made with gianduja, so it's melt-in-the-mouth delicious! Originally it was deposited, as you can see in this video: But nowadays you can buy molds with that shape. Teo

Those books by top restaurants are not intended to be recipe books, but story books: their aim is to document what's happening in that restaurant. Many of them fail at it, some of them are excellent like this one. Personally I would put this book in the top 5 restaurant books I own. I strongly suggest his book "The Art of Flavor: Practices and Principles for Creating Delicious Food" (kindle version is currently sold for US$5.99 at Amazon.com, the audiobook is free with audible trial on Amazon.ca), written with the perfumer Mandy Aftel. It talks about the use of aromas in food, the intersection between cookery and perfumery. Highly informative and pretty unique in its content. Teo

You monster! Teo

You are going to love "Coi" by Daniel Patterson, he is a great writer and he eplains in full details all his thought processes behind his creations. One of the best restaurant books in my opinion. Teo

Congratulations for the big project! A "professional" suggestion: if you cut away the surface of the genoise (about the 1/8" that is brown) then you end up with a slice that looks even prettier than the current one. Teo

Much has to do about the tolerance by the "natives". Italian people are very conservative and traditionalist, more often than not bordering on racism. There are millions of African immigrants here, yet it's almost impossible to find an African restaurant. At least I don't know any around here, I only heard about a handful in Milan and Rome. There's a huge barrier between Italians and African immigrants, almost no dialogue between the two groups, this is natives' fault. If an immigrant wants to open a restaurant then he/she is forced to face lots of mazes about bureaucracy, it's pure hell for them especially if they still don't have Italian citizenship. Plus they face lots of detachment by Italian craftmen: to open a restaurant someone needs a plumber, an electrician and so on. When an Italian craftman is called by an immigrant, most often than not he will refuse the job. The only ethnic restaurants with some presence here are the low level pseudo Chinese and pseudo Japanese restaurants (think all-you-can-eat "sushi" for 10 euro). Which is really sad. Teo

Oh well, you are not facing disaster! Eel and rabbit are considered delicacies here. Maybe you need to get accustomed to their taste, but for sure you can get great dishes with them. For example eel is one of the traditional Christmas dishes here. Usually it's called "anguilla", during Christmas it's called "capitone", never understood why (never searched either). Capitone is made this way. Prepare the eel as written before, cut in pieces 5 cm long. Prepare a citronette with the juice of 1 lemon, around 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 1 garlic clove (finely diced as usual). Coat the eel pieces with the citronette, then put them on a pan cover with parchment paper. Cook in a hot oven at 180°C for about 35-40 minutes. Serve with your favourite vegetables (usually brassicas). You can use eel for risotto too. Cut the eel meat (no bones, no skin) in small pieces around 2 cm, then add them to the rice at the beginning (when you add the broth for the first time). Best thing is making a risotto with a vegetable and add the eel pieces. For example a radicchio risotto goes very well with eel. Artichokes go well too. Or other vegetables with bitter and sour notes. If you want to go fancy you can try a grapefruit risotto with eel, in this case finish it with olive oil and avoid butter and parmesan. Eel is great when grilled too. In this case it's better to look at traditional Japanese recipes, they are the masters for this. Rabbit can be prepared in various ways. Roasted rabbit with potatoes is pretty easy. Start with rabbit pieces around 5 cm. Coat them with olive oil and put on a pan. Do the same with potato pieces (use your preferred potatoes for roasting). Add some rosemary sprigs. Cook in a hot oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes, as usual check to not overcook the rabbit meat. If the rabbit is done but the potatoes need more cooking, then just move the rabbit pieces on a serving dish then keep cooking the potatoes in the oven. Another tasty dish is rabbit with olives. Start from the usual rabbit pieces. Heat a pot, add some olive oil and a diced garlic clove. Sear the rabbit pieces till browned. Add some tomato sauce (amount depends on taste, as in the case of "bisato in tecia"), olives (a mix of green and black ones, if you need to choose then go for the black ones, the more olives the better in my opinion), a sprig of rosemary and a bay leaf. Cook on low heat until the rabbit is done, turning the pieces every 5 minutes. You can add capers, red bell peppers and eggplant. If you can get a rabbit saddle, then a nice thing is this one: spread some sausage meat (pork) over the saddle, roll it tight to get a cilinder. Pick some thin pancetta / bacon slices, roll them around the saddle. Tie everything with "kitchen string" (don't know how it's called in English). Sear it in a pan on all sides, then cook in a hot over at 180°C until the center is done (check with a thermometer, if my memory is right internal temperature should be 63°C but you have better to check about this). If you have a sous vide set up then it's the best thing for this. Teo

I would suggest switching to MSG instead of salt as flavour enhancer. It still contains sodium but much less than salt. If you can find unsalted ricotta, then adding MSG gives good results. Teo