Plantes Vertes

First Fall 2oz Havana Club 3 1oz Tio Pepe 1.5oz cloudy apple juice 7 mint leaves 3dr lemon syrup Muddle mint, shake the lot, strain Edit: Hope nobody saw how I tried spelling Havana there.

Jaw is on floor, dcarch. Next time I want to wrap something up in near-transparent vegetable slivers I know who to call.

That didn't occur to me for a second, but I bet you're right. There was no serving suggestion and no description of what the end product was supposed to be so I ended up guessing. Now that you point it out yes, a chutney sounds so much more likely than the soupy thing I produced. And as a bonus, more edible.... Thanks!

Actually you get both. I'm not sure whether it depends more on the variety of fig or just the way they're prepared, but some of them are buttery-soft and moist, and some you have to cut with scissors because they're quite hard with natural cristalised sugar. The hard ones aren't the best in my experience because when you soak them, the outside gets gross and slushy and the inside just stays hard. But whichever you try, don't try them with courgette. If you want to know which you're buying just give them a squeeze I guess (Over here market sellers have a sort of song that they do about their fruit and veg to attract customers and they improvise based on what's happening in the market, and the first time I went to our local market on my own when I moved out of home I was touching the plumbs and the market man yelled 'Don't squeeze'em darlin', you'll make me cry' )

That part was actually tasty, I would try squash and cardamom again - maybe with a sweeter squash. Yes, aspic would work just the same - I think agar was used in this recipe to keep it vegetarian, but it's just a clear neutral gel to hold the shape.

OK, I'll persist. I'm not beyond persuading that some of this is my fault... For the pearl onions, yes, it is strange, but some vegetables that are popular in preserves are not so easy to buy here in my city, which is very small. You wouldn't find raw beetroot in the supermarket for example, because people like it in vinegar (of course you can get them in the markets in season). I'm sure you can get them in places with bigger and better markets and greengrocers.

I again cooked from Vergé's book this evening. The recipe was Courgettes et Petits Oignons à la Cardamomme (Zucchini and Pearl Onions with Cardamom), which I made to join in with the Summer Squash cook-off. The recipe is for poached courgettes flavoured with cardamom seeds, red chilli, bay and onions and dressed with diced lemon, mint, parsley, coriander and diced dried figs. I had to sub parsley and shallots for the coriander and pearl onions, and I have never seen pearl onions in un-pickled form, and the grocer's was out of coriander. The ingredients were shameless posers at the start: But I got the better of them in the end, and subjected them to a quick boil: Tamed them to Vergé's vision: And served them with some couscous: This recipe was so, so horrible. My mother ate one bite, pronounced it 'interesting', and ate around the rest. It was incredibly acid because of the diced raw lemon even though I reduced the quantity considerably, and the combination of courgettes and dried fruit was... well, let us not sully the page with harsh words. I only used 1/3 of the prescribed amount of fruit because I was shocked at how much he wanted me to put in, but because the courgette was boiled it had very little flavour and could not stand up to the sweetness. I was disappointed. To add some thoughts on the recipe, it is very unclear. No word is invested in specifying the amount of poaching water, and the shadow of silence obscures the amount of time the author means you to cook the recipe for. The accompanying picture shows selected raw ingredients piled in a basket and liberally strewn with walnuts, which are not in the recipe, so you have no possibility of knowing whether the thing is cooked correctly or not. I wish somebody had tested these dishes before I spent money on the book...

Here's how my first squash of the summer met its end! I used a recipe from Roger Vergé's Vegetables in the French Style: Courgettes et Petits Oignons à la Cardamomme (Zucchini and Pearl Onions with Cardamom). The book is rather unclear, so I don't know if this is what it should look like... These are the ingredients: You poach onions, cardamom seeds, bay and chilli, then add the courgettes: Once done, take off the heat and dress with lemon (membranes and seeds removed and flesh diced), and some chopped mint and coriander, and partially rehydrated dried figs (?!?): I had to sub shallots and parsley for the coriander and pearl onions as I had availability issues. To be honest, it tasted half weird and half meh. The figs were super-odd. Oh well.

Around here tipping doesn't seem to be connected to the wage of the person, the importance of their job to us or the amount or type of work they do. It's just tradition. Cabbie - optional Waiter/waitress - yes Hairdresser - optional Barman/maid (in bar) - optional Chambermaid/man - yes But Barman/maid (in pub) - no Host/ess in restaurant - no Nurse - no Binman/woman - no Cashier in shop - no Postman/woman - no Fast-food server - no If I picked up takeaway for myself I wouldn't tip. If I did for the entire office I probably would leave 10-15%. No logic.

Sounds like you really needed this drink.Which version of de la Louisiane did you make? FrogPrincesse, it's the one from PTD p103. Although now that I check I see the garnish is actually three brandied cherries. 2oz Wild Turkey rye .75oz Dolin sweet vermouth .75 Benedictine 3ds St George absinthe 3ds Peychaud's bitters Stir over ice and strain into a coupe. The drink or the shot boss? Think you'll find a Shot Boss is an apple in the mouth and a cross of rose-petals over the heart with your calling card.

Well I have worked a gazillion trillion hours this week, so today I thought I deserved to complain loudly like a true Stoic, and have a de la Louisianne, which was a relief. And then I shot my boss. You garnish it with a maraschino cherry, everyone, but life is such that I had none.

Sorry, we just cross-posted! Both the recipes sound great.

David, I have seen a very attractive recipe for just what you mentioned: first you roast strips of peppers, aubergine and courgettes in olive oil. Then you grease a bread tin or terrine dish and line it with cling film and then wilted spinach leaves, laying the ends of the leaves so they hang down over the edge. Make up some agar-agar and dip the roasted vegetables in one by one, layering them inside the dish. Then you pick up the spinach overhang and cover the top, and cover with cling film. Weigh down and refrigerate until set. A tomato sauce that I love is very simple; you refresh three sundried tomatoes in hot water and process them with half a pound of baby tomatoes and a tablespoon of olive oil. That's it. Then you turn out and slice the terrine, spoon over the tomato sauce and sprinkle with fresh herbs.

I thought I'd learn some more precision and improve my method of cooking vegetables, so I recently got this book. The recipes aren't complicated. Following the recipes is the tricky thing; I'm a throw-in-a-bit-of-this-and-a-bit-of-that-and-see-what-happens kind of cook. I'll write what I think of the book when I've tried a few more of the recipes. For now, here's the first one I made: Pommes rôties au laurier - roast potatoes with bay The first step in this recipe is to slit the potatoes (I used Exquisas) and slip some slivers of bay inside the incisions. Then you roast them in a mixture of stock and olive oil. Here they are ready to go in the oven: The unusual thing about these roast potatoes is that they're half-way submerged in liquid at the start of cooking. The plan is for the stock to boil off and the potatoes then to roast in the oil; you don't parboil the potatoes first. It's really more of a braise. After 40mins in the heat: The potatoes are very tender after 40mins bubbling away in their bath. They taste - and you'll hardly credit it - of bay, so can make friends with any dish that likes bay. The flavour is pronounced, but perhaps not as much as you would expect with that many leaves getting involved. They are also attractive to look at. On the other hand I had to pour the stock off for the final part of cooking as it didn't evaporate as intended. I will try the recipe again with larger potatoes and a shallower dish - the size and shape of the vessel and the vegetables are left to the imagination by the recipe. That meant pouring off the oil too, which probably affected the texture at the end. There was also a bizarrely large quantity of oil specified so I only used about a fifth of it. The potatoes taste rather one-dimensional; I would perhaps prefer them with some garlic slices stuffed inside as well. We ate them with a green salad and flageolet beans, with a French Domaine Vocoret Chablis in the glass.

Shelby, it's not complicated to make stuffed squash flowers if that idea grabs you (but it is fiddly). You prepare a filling and stuff the flowers with a teaspoon (they hold about 1oz filling), then either submerge them in a very light batter made with flour, egg white and fizzy water or dip in egg white then flour, and either shallow fry in ample oil, or pick them up with chopsticks and drop them into hot deep fat for a few seconds and remove to kitchen paper with a slotted spoon. Some fillings: Shrimp, garlic and ginger Salmon mousse Ricotta/mozzarella and herbs or anchovies Goat's cheese Risotto Crab with cream cheese Pureed vegetable with parmesan

I've always wanted to try this, too. What tool would one use to the ribbons that are thin? A tomato based sauce would for sure be good. I've always wanted to try this, too. What tool would one use to the ribbons that are thin? A tomato based sauce would for sure be good. I've used my OXO mandoline in the past to get shaved slices of the zucchini which I then cut (chef's knife) into ribbons of varying widths. Yes, I did a tomato-based sauce too. I don't remember what the other one was. I'm thinking of tossing it with the leftover juices/sauces of some sort of poached or pan-fried fish, as another option. The best implement for this is actually a spiraliser; the noodles come out as long as spaghetti that way, but curly!

You could try cojunuda (morcilla and a fried quail egg on toasted bread) or cojunudo (chorizo and a fried quail egg on toasted bread).

That hummus looks great, liuzhou. What an interesting post; I've never made tahini before as the jars are far less expensive than the equivalent amount of seeds. Now I know what to do in extremis.

Shel_B, today I tried making leek and potato soup by boiling the potatoes separately, draining and then adding to the rest of the soup. I could see there was a lot of starch in the water I drained off. Neither the taste nor the texture of the final soup were good. I think your idea of just soaking the potatoes before boiling might be better; apparently you do need some starch for this recipe.

That's the recipe in the link in my post above. I make it frequently. The thing is that you want them to cook a long time on very low heat - it completely transforms the dish. No stirring, and layer the oil, garlic, beans, and tomatoes just like she says. I have a sub burner that simmers on very low, and mine take somewhere around an hour. Sorry - I didn't spot that. I'll try that way next time; thanks for the advice!

Wow! That sounds delicious, I will definitely try your recipe. It is! This recipe uses dill and cayenne in place of the lemon juice but looks pretty much like what I do otherwise. I gather that it's often served with grilled lamb. ETA: She cooks the beans a lot longer than I do - you don't have to go for a full hour!

This one I made pink by putting some purple mange tout pods in (whole, not shredded). Take them out after the fermentation at ambient temperature as they become too tough.

Pea and Mint The lady who looked after my brother and I (and a gang of other kids and a large family of her own) when we were children made soup for us every day for lunch. We tormented our mother by complaining that her soup was not as good. This reminded me of her.

I like them boiled and served with chopped stewed tomatoes, lots of sauteed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Today my brother visited and we had a Bird on the Wire by Robert Haynes of the Violet Hour. And of course, we sang Details here.