Food Man Chews

I keep mine in the freezer in a strong brine. After defrosting I then soak for 1 hour and then rinse inside and out to get rid of the salt.

Dinner Service is another term.

I've made Jaeger Sos (Hunter's sauce) for haggis and it works well, though I'm racking my brains to think of an alternative to neeps & tatties.

Clearly nobody here seems to have used a real tagine with it's primitive valve that is sealed prior to cooking. The Turks also use a clay pot that is sealed with dough after the ingredients are placed inside, that also has a release valve that is sealed with foil. Uskup Kebap I believe it is called, which is placed on an open fire and when cooked is then broken at the table. If that and tagines aren't pressurised cooking then clearly I don't know what I'm talking about. http://elitguvec.com.tr/Yemekler/uskupkebap.JPG

I'm sorry but I don't agree. Just using a normal pan with a tight-fitting lid increases pressure as is demonstated when the lid rises. This is why some lids have vent holes. Similarly with the tagine, whose lid is considerably heavier in proportion to it's base. It may not be as effective as a modern pressure cooker, nevertheless it is one, albeit a primitive one.

There is no hole in the top but the traditional plain ones I have from Morocco have a small hole in the side of the cone that you plug with foil or similar (a primitive blow out valve). The lids are very heavy, believe me, and are more than enough to keep the food under pressure. If you have a tagine that is highly decorated then it hasn't been made for the stove top, so don't use it. And of course your steam condensating method is also very true, but the whole process is speeded up because of the pressure, I'm led to believe.

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading this topic thread, but I am surprised that nobody (unless I missed it) has mentioned the mother of all pressure cookers; the Moroccan Tagine. Clearly you are very limited in what you can cook, but taking the whole thing to the table and removing the lid in front of guests is awesome. Even Le Creusset and Nigella Lawson are selling them these days.

Not sure if it's still there, but I remember having a fine time in Gallaghers Boxty House in Temple Bar quite a few years back. Boxty being an Irish speciality, which is essentially a potato pancake filled with various ingredients. I think I had mine filled with cured pork (rough cut boiled ham or bacon pieces) and cabbage and then topped with 'white' sauce. It was homely, it was stodgy, and it was delicious! What you might call 'Man's food'. Also worth visiting for the 'craic' (though not necessarily the food) is the porterhouse on the same street. They now (at least for 15 years) have a sister pub in Covent Garden in London. Both of these places might be a tad touristy but I think they are fairly cool because they brew their own beer. You can't buy Guinness in them, but they do make their own stouts. One stout is made from an Oyster base and it made me laugh to see it it on the menu with the warning 'Not suitable for Vegetarians'.

Scorching the whiskey? Could you explain this bit of esoterica please. I would if I could, but I'm devoid of all scientific knowledge on the matter: However I was told by a master-blender, that it was akin to a human jumping naked into an ice-bath (Scandanavian style) that causes an immediate reaction to the skin from the shock of the cold temperature. Now I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that 'ice burn' or scorching would make me less tasty too!

The addition of a little water is known as 'The Stag's Breath' in Scotland & some other parts of the UK. The idea is that it releases the flavor & the aroma and lessens the heat. Personally speaking my tipple is The Macallan (21 or 25) with an itsy bitsy drop or two (15 to 20% max) of cooled spring water, just below room temperature (not refrigerator cold). Ice in my book is a no-no with quality malts as inevitably you have to wait for the full release of flavors and possibly scorching the whiskey with ice. I'm pretty sure that the way you drink your whisky is personal, so please continue to drink it your own way, however it may well be worth trying some of the above recommended methods.

Hey there Erin, I'm a nearish neighbour in Hangzhou. I read your hectic breakfast journey to school and was immediately overwhelmed (sensorily speaking) by your descriptions. I've only been in Hangzhou for 6 months and have tried some of the local specialities. I was wondering if you had tried any of the fish specialties of Suzhou yet? I heard about a squirrel looking fish dish (sorry I don't remember the name) and a dish using Japanese Eel called something like "Cracking eel paste". Can you enlighten us?