huiray

Duck looks good, Anna N. Interesting Eggs B, gpark. Nice stuff, everyone. Ann_T, I never did ask about that Egg Biryani you had a little while ago. Looks lovely - some details, please?

I would imagine that "blending of flavors" is a common thread in most cuisines, not just Cajun, no? Not necessarily. A lot of Latin American cooking is based on allowing the balanced, individual flavours of the ingredients to shine, rather than creating new flavours based on blending. This means that the recipes look deceptively simple (the Shrimp Encocado I posted recently in Dinner! has exactly 5 ingredients), but are frustratingly difficult to get right unless you've got access to extraordinarily fresh everything and the right touch in terms of proportions. Well, I consider "allowing the balanced, individual flavours of the ingredients to shine, rather than creating new flavours" to be a variation of blending as a general category. I don't draw a sharp line between "balancing" and "blending" - to me they are facets of the same principle, to get things to harmonize or, alternatively, to come to a condition where one feels that eating the dish is a nice sensation of flavors that do not fight with each other or that leaves one with the feeling of being sullied in some way. Some combinations may not be an orchestra of rhapsodic harmony but they work together nevertheless, e.g. such as in cases where tastes pleasantly contrast with each other in the same dish. I would also consider that to be a "blending" - even if they may be of disparate characters. In contrast and as an example of an "extreme case" of blending, I once knew a guy who took pride in his concoction of a "curry mix" which had more than 30 ingredients in it, and he was actually looking to increase the number of components in it to "enhance it's complexity and "depth" " as he claimed. I thought it quite excessive.

Plantes Vertes, I make little differentiation between what is supposed to be "breakfast foods" or "lunch foods" or "dinner foods". It largely depends on what I feel like eating. I do have preferences for savory breakfasts, however, in keeping with much of the world outside of the Western Hemisphere (where common breakfasts in East or SE Asia, for example, would be things like congee or noodles or soups, yes, or various sorts of savory rice with accompaniments, that sort of thing, etc etc. Or Bak Kut Teh - with pig intestines, lotsa garlic, pork ribs, pork knuckles etc etc - for breakfast, of course; something which I prepare and eat in the mornings, afternoons and nights at various times.) For myself, I do not think that I need to eat eggs or cereal or fruit/yogurt for breakfast and not for other meal times. In fact, I can't remember the last time I even had cereal for breakfast. It is also seldom that I eat the high-sugar pastries common in some parts of the Western World - think "Danish Pastries" or "Cinnamon Buns" in the US - I'll pass, thank you very much. For that matter, I also find it interesting when some folks declare sheepishly that they had "breakfast" for dinner when they had some sort of egg dish like an omelette - why not simply say you had an omelette for dinner? There should not, IMO, be foods that are verboten for a specific meal at a specific time of day; but I recognize that others feel differently. ETA: The name for the meal I have is predicated on the time, roughly corresponding to the "conventional" breakfast = break-the-fast = a meal eaten sometime in the period straddling early morning and late morning; lunch = the period between late morning and late afternoon; and dinner = late afternoon/early evening and late night and thereabouts. For the purposes of discussion this is all that is meant when I talk about the meals I have. I don't limit the types of food I eat to what might be "assigned" to those kinds of meals by some.

Some recent meals. ------------------------- • Pressed beef tongue [Claus’] & “Dodge City Salami” [Goose the Market]. • Semolina bread [Amelia’s]. • “Marbled” scrambled eggs, in the juices left over from sautéeing Merguez sausages + a little more oil added in. • Blanched “yu choy sum” drizzled w/ ponzu (soy) sauce & dusted w/ ground black pepper. ------------------------- • Cucumber soup. Made w/ Indian cucumbers (hardened yellow-brown skin; deseeded), pork spare ribs, Chinese jujubes (“lam jou” variety), garlic, dried oysters, dried scallops. Salted to taste. ------------------------- • Stir-fried “Seng Choy” (edible amaranth), red-green variety; w/ soaked dried prawns (“har mai”), soy oil - prawn paste, chilli paste, garlic. • Stir-fried bittergourd w/ beef & garlic. • White rice. --------------------------- • Pan-fried “Schnecken” sausage, boiled small purple & red/rose-Yukon potatoes, sautéed chopped de-ribbed Tuscan kale. ---------------------------- • Spaghetti w/ pesto. • Stir-fried sliced lotus root, trimmed “wong nga pak” (Napa cabbage) heart, sliced sweet red pepper, softened snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis), soaked “kum chum” (lily buds). ----------------------------- • Pea soup. Made w/ dried whole skin-on peas, a “ham nugget”, fresh green/yellow carrots, fresh red-skin carrots, small red/rose Yukon potatoes, a few bay leaves. Seasoned to taste. I was reminded why I seldom make pea soup – it gives me indigestion. Some of the veggies before adding to the soup: ------------------------------ • Angled loofah (Luffa acutangula), pork spare ribs & garlic soup; with cellophane noodles [Lung Kow]. ------------------------------ • Steamed yellowtail snapper. Done in a Cantonese style. • Winter melon soup. • White rice (Himalayan Basmati). ------------------------------ • Jamón Serrano, sliced Purple Haze & Amazon Chocolate tomatoes, sautéed halved Roma beans, pieces of an ‘Epi’ “wheat stalk” loaf.

Several recent breakfasts. ------------------- • Zucchini fritters • Pork liver & fig terrine [Goose the Market] w/ sautéed zucchini sticks. ------------------ • Chicken & veggies soup. (slow-simmered) ------------------ • Winter melon, beef, “tung koo” & garlic (Purple Glazer) soup. Eaten with white rice.

I would imagine that "blending of flavors" is a common thread in most cuisines, not just Cajun, no?

This weekend's haul so far: Goose the Market: • Very thinly-sliced Jamón Serrano. • 4 "Kitchen Sink" sausages (pork-based). • 1 whole (Gulf) Yellowtail Snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus) (special order) Broad Ripple Farmers' Market: • Brotgarten: 1 Epi "wheat stalk" loaf. • Silverthorn Farms: 1 bunch orange carrots, 1 Chocolate Stripe tomato. • Wild's Apple Farm: Red Thumb fingerling potatoes, Russian Crescent fingerling potatoes, small Red Yukon potatoes. • Earthly Delights: young Roma beans. • Incredible Edibles: various tomatoes - including Amazon Chocolate, Eden's Purple Haze, Chocolate Stripe, others (freebies). Carmel Farmers' Market: • Daily Farms: 4 yellow/green-end zucchini, 2 green zucchini; cipollini onions. • Nicole-Taylor's: 1 bag fresh orecchiete pasta, 1 nest fresh spaghettini. • Middlefork Farm: 2 white-striped yellow zucchini, 1 large bunch kale. • VanAntwerp Farm: 1 honeydew melon, 1 carton 'blemished tomatoes' (~2.5 lbs, 9 tomatoes) - for soup.

"Padma's Picks" ... Padma chooses the last chef (to represent New Orleans) for the main TC competition: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-11/blogs/padmas-picks-recaps/fresh-batch-recapping-padmas-picks http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-11/videos/padmas-picks-ep-1-grand-dame-rivalry http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-11/videos/padmas-picks-ep-2-new-chefs-on-the-block http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-11/videos/padmas-picks-ep-3-dive-bar-food-fight http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-11/videos/padmas-picks-ep-4-fine-dining-bragging-rights http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-11/videos/padmas-picks-ep-5-food-truck-war http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-11/videos/padmas-picks-ep-6-the-finale edit: The Times-Picayune article linked to by gfweb above was also updated today (8/14) to include a link to an article discussing Padma's Picks.

Agreed. However, Chinese celery is immensely better than "western" celery, one is already making a substitution. (Like bananas, where the one found in supermarkets is the least interesting of hundreds of alternatives.) Yes, all true. Those who dislike licorice/anise flavors would not appreciate it. It often works well, as I mentioned, but may not in some circumstances. Just try it and/or envision the taste of the fennel versus the celery, taking into account whether it is Western celery or Chinese celery one is comparing it with. (For that matter there are many instances, IMO, where Chinese celery will overpower a dish where Western celery is usually used) I do Chinese stir-fries with either Chinese or Western celery, depending on what I am making, what I am aiming for, what I have on hand, what I feel like, what makes sense, etc etc and it will vary depending on my mood, or the phase of the moon or whether my cat threw up again. ;-)

Yes. This is one of our standard substitutions. For me this is a simple preference, while my wife shares your dislike for celery. Fennel is quite mild, cooked, and improves any dish with a vegetable base that includes celery. Risotto would be our most frequent use. (I make risotto rarely enough that I always ask my wife for the recipe, then she reminds me that I never follow it.) I do use some celery in stock. Fennel would get expensive. I third this - i.e. using fennel in many situations where one might use celery. It changes the taste profile (of course) but usually works very well. I do use it in small volumes of stock sometimes; or in soups or stews (as distinct from stock). Another pairing I like is a nice steak with sautéed (slightly caramelized/lightly browned) sliced or chunked fennel. Try fennel instead of celery in a sofritto. As others have said I occasionally have it very thinly sliced (raw) in a salad.

Panaderia, Nice list. "Yapa" fish? Would that be a "freebie" from the fishmonger to you? (I went to look it up...) The maracuyá - Passion Fruit, yes? Sold by weight, not "each"? Many new names, to me. Mora berries = a sort of blackberry? "Panela raspadura" - in Ecuador when does one call it just "panela" or just "raspadura" or the combo "panela raspadura"? I note the quantities are on the "larger" side (to me, anyway). Is this for the family or for some of your business needs as well? (e.g. that 25 lbs of flour!)

You must explain the octopus - is that a carved mushroom?Heh. Looks fun, indeed. Yes, is that what Heidi suggests it is? It certainly doesn't seem to be part of the "contents" of the advertised product! :-) http://www.lonchys.com/ Hmm, seems one is supposed to get generously overflowing noodles and stuff - including BIG bowls of it... http://www.quebakan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/8.jpg But you must have already gobbled down a good deal of it. :-D I eat instant noodles in bowls or from packets all the time too. :-) With the ones from packets I do tend to gussy them up with extra veggies and stuff. ETA: Ah, IowaDee suggests a hot dog. Heh.

Thanks, Bruce & Ann_T. Both your meals look splendid.

Interesting! Thanks for the details. What are some of the other common aphrodisiac-type foods consumed?

suzi, those pickles sound very nice! There's a local vendor in my parts (Fermenti Artisan) who puts out interesting pickles, fermented veggie stuff, their version of kimchi, etc etc - but I find myself somewhat unwilling to pay the steep prices (IMO) for small jars of their stuff, at least on a "regular" basis.

Hmm, just noticed in my 1st post that I seem to have left out the "ch" from my German nouns and also misspelled the name of that German bakery (half of the partnership is actually a German-speaking Chinese person, heh). FWIW these should be "Brotgarten", "schnecken sausage", and "coarse Braunschweiger".

I mentioned shopping at my local/usual Asian/Chinese grocery on Friday. For the sake of completeness here's what I got: Mi Lau Thai Seafood Flavor instant noodles. Wei Lih Jah Jan Mien instant noodles. Dried Ziziphus jujuba, Chinese jujubes, "Lam Jou" (南棗) variety. Dried & salted cuttlefish. Dried oysters. Dried anchovies ("Ikan Bilis"), one variety out of many available there. Raw unpeeled peanuts. Star anise. Dried "Fructus lycii", a.k.a. goji berries, a.k.a. wolfberries. Dried "Chinese Yam", as long slices (Dioscorea opposita 'Thunb.') (河南淮山). Hinochi Regular (firm) tofu. Hinochi soft tofu. Shallots. Fresh ginger. "Yu Choy Sum". Pea tips. Fresh lotus roots. Yellow chives. Long hot green peppers. Red-green "Seng Choy" (edible amaranth). Bitter melon. Winter melon. Fuzzy squash ("Mou Kwa") (Chinese hairy gourd). Coriander leaves/cilantro (3 bunches @3/$1.00). Green onions/scallions (4 bunches @4/$1.00). Striped Bass/"Big Mouth Bass". Chinese-cut (against the bone) pork spareribs. There were some other non-food items (kitchen utensils plus a new clay pot) I picked up. :-)

Muscadine butter? Could you describe this? (A sort of "jam" made from muscadine grapes?)

Interesting, everyone. Thanks. @blue_dolphin, heh. I think the stuff you got is perfectly fine and quite nice! In any case I certainly think "more routine stuff" is more the norm for folks everywhere including me, if it is "routine", which is...umm...routine. I myself certainly don't shop all the time at Claus' or Goose the Market (mentioned in my post), I happened to do so that day. :-) Regarding those speculoos cookies - I don't think I've ever bought any myself. I haven't eaten any for a while, too... A friend used to send me some of the German variety (Spekulatius) from a famous bakery in Heidelberg (Germany) at Chrismas; a bit of the stuff she ordered from them on an annual basis, I gathered. @Kerry Beal, what's in those seasoned burgers?

Interesting, everyone. Thanks for the responses. Panaderia, I was intrigued by the starches you cite as more common in your diet - oca, melloco, and mashua. Interestingly, mashua is also said to be a putative anaphrodisiac. Do the menfolk in your area avoid eating it or do they gobble it up just the same? :-)

Half of an "Epi" wheat stalk loaf [brotgarten] smeared very generously w/ coarse Braunschweiger [Claus' German Sausage & Meats] plus many slices of pressed tongue [Claus' GS&M].

What did you buy this weekend (or any other time) in terms of food rather than stuff like toilet paper & soap. I think it is interesting to compare notes on what one picked up, with every intention of using said stuff, of course; although real life might interfere with that concept. For myself, here's what I got this weekend, on Saturday 8/10/2013: From Carmel Farmers' Market: • Brotrgarten: 1 "Epi" wheat stalk loaf • Middlefork Farm: 4 green & 4 yellow somewhat young zucchini squash Broad Ripple Farmers' Market: • Silverthorn Farm: bunch of red & yellow carrots, a Black Krim & a Chocolate Stripe tomato, 1 bunch Tuscan Kale, 1 sweet pepper. 3 "aged" cucumbers, gratis. • Yeager Farms Produce: 2 Indian cucumbers (hardened yellow skin), 1 Chinese loofah. • Incredible Edibles: Various tomatoes - Amazon Chocolate, Chocolate Popcorn, Purple Haze. Claus' German Sausage & Meats: • Weisswurst • 1 large ham nugget (for pea soup later on) • 1 snecken (coiled pork-based sausage) • Pressed tongue • Barrel sauerkraut • Big chunk of coarse Braunsweiger. Blue Beard / Amelia's: • 1/2 loaf of semolina bread • 1 dark chocolate/marconi almond cookie bar Goose The Market: • "Dodge City" Salami • Thick slice of "Pork & Fig" terrine (Pork livers & figs) Of course, I also picked up various stuff and other leafy veggies from my Asian/Chinese grocery on Friday, including a gutted striped bass that had been swimming around in the tank there just before it got fished out and got bashed on the head and cleaned and handed over to me. ;-)

Cantonese-style steamed striped bass. The fish was alive and swimming around two hours beforehand. Garlic stir-fried pea shoots. White rice.

Bruce, I continue to be glad to see your "non-Western-eggy" breakfasts (amongst posts from others, of course). Did you do something to be noted for your garlic shrimp?

Several meals from recent days. ------------------ Lunch • Boiled Chioggia beets, sliced; w/ sautéed Tuscan kale. • Fresh chanterelle mushrooms; sautéed w/ butter + olive oil + parsley + sea salt, tossed w/ al dente orrechiete [De Ceccho]. ---------------------------- Dinner • Pan-fried fresh wild-caught swordfish. Fillet pre-marinated w/ stuff including olive oil, lime juice, chopped garlic, a few dashes of fish sauce, ground black pepper, ryori-shu [MRT],bit of sea salt, bit of sugar. • Simply-boiled rose fingerling potatoes. • Sautéed sliced green zucchini. ---------------------------- Lunch • Fresh Alaskan Coho Salmon fillet, steamed w/ sliced ginger, fresh “Tung Koo” (Chinese shiitake-type mushrooms, thick cap), scallions, black pepper, veggie oil, fresh lime juice, sweet mirin. • Stir-fried hydroponic loose-headed leafy Napa cabbage [Eden Farms]. White rice (Basmati). ------------------------------- Brunch Szechaunese buffet brunch at Sichuan Restaurant. My selections: Daikon & pork meatballs peppery soup Marinated pork maw (cold) Chillied beef tripe (cold) Chillied chicken slices (cold) Glass noodles & beansprouts dressed w/ a spicy chilli sauce & scallions (cold) Tangy marinated beansprouts Marinated mildly pickled cucumber slices Marinated white jelly (agar-agar) slices Dan-Dan noodles Tea-smoked duck pieces Multi-layered pan-fried flour pancake w/ coriander , spices & minced meat between the layers Pork potstickers w/ sweet-sour-soy sauce dressing “Salt & Pepper” type stir-fried large shell-on shrimp w/ dried chillies Garlic stir-fried baby bok choy Mapo tofu Beef brisket stewed w/ daikon chunks in a spiced broth White rice Hot tea. A number of other choices were passed by. Somewhat disappointing, actually. The quality has gone down, at least in terms of what I had today. The spiciness and taste has been dialed down, compared with previously, even as recently as 6 months or so ago. Same owner-chef. Not sure what happened. -------------------------------- Lunch • Chicken broth: slow-simmered stuff (6+ hours) w/ a cut-up whole chicken, carrots (normal plus red-skinned plus yellow), Western celery, sea salt to taste. • Pieces of a “Wheat Branch” loaf and an “Onion Wheat Branch” loaf [brotgarten, Indy]. ------------------------------ Late dinner • Fresh linguine [Woodburn Farm] tossed w/ pesto (Pecorino Romano as the cheese) & additional fresh whole basil leaves. ------------------------------ Lunch • Some more of the chicken broth (the slow-simmered stuff) augmented w/ fresh red-skinned carrots & yellow/green carrots. Yum! (Unfortunately the carrots bleed a lot of their color after simmering to soften so the bowl of finished broth + veggies looks somewhat uninteresting. The flavor, however, is very good.) • Pan-fried Merguez sausage [smoking Goose, via Goose the Market] w/ pan-fried sliced shallots, mushrooms, trimmed Tuscan kale. • A slice of “Bête Noir” [Rene’s Bakery, Indy], a very rich chocolate tarte. ------------------------------- Lunch • Cucumber soup Mature-but-not-quite-old-cucumber, skin-on, halved lengthwise, deseeded, chunked. Pork spare ribs [Red Wattle Pork, blanched in boiling water (“Fei Sui”)], Goji berries, dried Solomon’s Seal roots (“Yook Chook”), Chinese jujubes, peeled whole garlic cloves (Purple Glazer), dried scallops, dried salted cuttlefish, sea salt, plain water. Simmered till done. • Fresh linguine [Woodburn Farm] tossed in the pan w/ sautéed sliced shallots, smashed garlic, chopped tomatoes (Black Krim), sliced red pepper, trimmed broccoli rabe (rapini), some fresh thyme leaves, salt to taste. ------------------------------ Dinner • Deep-fried soft tofu slices (two blocks). Eaten w/ Lingham’s Hot Sauce admixed w/ fresh lime juice (½ of a big lime) and a dash of fish sauce. ------------------------------ Lunch • Leftover cucumber & pork spare ribs soup. • Farm eggs fried w/ chopped scallions & chopped Chinese chive flower stalks. • White rice (Basmati).