donk79

This year has been one of discovery for many of us. My first cooking discovery was realizing what a huge difference fresh parsely made in my pot pie recipe. Then I ran across a recipe for tuna salad that only used onion and parsely in addition to the mayo and tuna. I was blown away by how good it was. I am learning the lesson that parsely really is more than an antiquated plate decoration. So I am curious now. What else am I missing out on? What have you discovered that is often overlooked or neglected? I will never leave parsely out of my garden plans again!

I had not heard of this. Thank you!

This looks great, Rob! Ian Boden is doing something very similar (less the in-car dining) at his restaurant, The Shack, near me. I have greatly enjoyed being able to get a taste of his cooking right now, as well as picking up Edwards bacon and Anson Mills rice grits. I hope it works well for you!

Beautiful looking loaf!

I often see Ataulfo (sp?) Mangoes labelled as Honey Mangoes in Virginia.

Whatever book you go with, I will pipe in to say that there are three things that made a huge difference for me in learning how to make simple, consistent, good bread (I make no-knead bread with water, flour, yeast, and salt). The first was learning to use baker's percentages. The second was moving to a slow rise (overnight, typically 10-12 hours). The third was using a meat thermometer to check the doneness of my loaf. I guarantee you that there are more accurate and scientific ways to approach bread making, and I am always learning new tricks and details, but these three will help you to develop a bread that you can repeat consistently and are happy with.

I just had my memory jogged about this series of posts from Ellen. It is seriously too bad that the image links no longer work. However, I thought some of our newer members still might enjoy reading these, and some of the long time members might enjoy the nostalgia.

Based on the fact that my daughter is the one always wanting to get food from the food court... Sounds like a wise move to me!

Bob Evans was my go to sausage 20 years ago, when I first started cooking for myself. Then I discovered that I preferred Jimmy Dean. Since then, I have concluded that when I am buying supermarket sausage, a lower fat content is a positive signifier. Tennessee Pride is one go-to. All that said, I have a friend selling sausage from their own pigs, and that is definitely our household favorite.

I was thinking the same... But the picture looks rather syrupy. I am afraid the actual dish might be intolerably sweet. We will never know, until @liuzhou goes to taste it for us!

My wife is from Pennsylvania and does the Bisquick thing. I will be quick to tell you that the sponge cake I grew up with is far better. But seeing as she is more likely to make the dish than me... I shut up and enjoy what I get! (Pound cake sounds like an awesome base!)

LIFO is the essential tool to make your last bag of RG beans be a little more like those you are used to getting from the grocery store. That last extended aging step makes all the difference!

That's true, @gfron1. I was thinking less on the idenfication end, and more about what to do with them once I have them. I grew up working outside, so ID is something I can take for granted. If you have not grown up with foraging and harvesting, you should not be so casual. And always double check your gathering regardless!

Acorns and Cattails by our own Rob Connoley is worth checking out.

Interesting. I'm born, bred, and living in Virginia. I may have heard the term dried beef, but chipped is definitely what it is called in my community.

Thank you kayb! That reminds me of a biscuit recipe that I have which uses country ham and scallions. I think the venison might work well in as a sub for the ham.

Cured, I believe. But I really know nothing about the production process. All I can say is what I observe of the product. It is definitely dry and salty. If you are not familiar with chipped beef, it is sliced very thinly. It is a dried beef product that I suspect originally included salt as preservative. Though as I note above, we receive ours sealed and frozen.

Rob, I hear your rawness. Please let me say that for many of us here, you are more than a screen-name. You are an inspiration! And because of your sharing, you are also someone who we want to support. We are cheering with every victory you have achieved, and look forward to the others that we are confident will come. That said, I will encourage you to be wary of the feedback loops of social media and awards. They can be very encouraging, but they also can be very fickle as well. And I know that is more difficult because you are in a position of needing to drive traffic, and the social media and awards can certainly encourage that. But keep track of what is motivating you. Keep track of what inspires you. Don't let the current crisis and all the anxiety it inspires lead you into places of more worry and frustration. Lastly, I think that your sharing here has always been on point. You have provided education, conversation, ans opportunities for us to celebrate with you. That said, when I lived in the Midwest for 6 years, I received some similar critiques and I was not in a position where I need to be doing promotion for a business. I am praying for healing, peace and encouragement for you. May you be well.

A few years ago I discovered something new. My father had taken a few deer to a processor and ordered some chipped venison. Chipped beef was fairly common in our household when I was growing up, and chipped-beef gravy on toast was the way I always had it served. So that is how I have treated the venison in the past as well. The venison is quite lean (no surprise there), but has a good, if very salty flavor. We are in a new age of freezer scrounging, and I just thawed about a pound of shipped venison. I am angling towards gravy, but I have found that it is challenging to tame the salt without making an absurd amount of gravy. So my first thought was that I might soak it to try to remove some salt. I am concerned that I might remove flavor doing this also. Can anyone give me their insights or experience with this? I imagine any experience with chipped beef would translate. Also, are there other things that I should be exploring instead of gravy. We are fairly well stocked (I inherited my mother's tendency to always keep a full larder) so even if I don't have a particular ingredient, chances are I can substitute.

I don't know the crackers you have there, but I would expect a tremendous difference in flavor between something made with EVOO and something made with refined olive oil. Regarding blistering, it makes me think of blistering on a pizza. Maybe simply a function of the baking temperature? All speculation from me.

I am no expert on rabbit, but I can tell you that it is extremely lean and easy to overcook. That said, I find it delicious!

I had to do this translation once a upon a time, and I believe that I recall that pink salt is much more concentrated than Mortons. Yes, Mortons contains. .5% sodium nitrate (which you don't want in a quick cure anyway) and .5% sodium nitrite. Pink salt, on the other hand, contains 6.25% sodium nitrite.

4th infusion, same process as 3rd. Getting some apricot on the nose now, along with the tannin. Tasting, the tannin is definitely less prominent and a creaminess is being revealed again. Lingering finish. Fruit is not as evident on the palate in this infusion.

I received my tea in the mail last week, and am finally able to sit with it. For my first steep, I brewed at 185 for 30 seconds. I brewed 5 grams of tea in 110 ml of water. My first impression is of a very gentle, creamy brew. I get a mild tanin on the nose, and almost more mouthfeel than flavor. On the first sip, I had just a momentary hint of apricot on the finish. Coming back to the cup, cooler, there is a definite sweetness, and perhaps more hints of apricot/peachiness. 2nd infusion, same proportions, temp, for 40 seconds. A great increase in color on this steep. Very much golden, hinting into orange. No noticeable change on the nose. More tanin up front on tasting. Sweetness seems more subdued. Perhaps hidden by the tannin? 3rd infusion, 185 f, 110 ml water, 45 seconds. Tannin seems slightly more muted on the nose. Color has shifted more towards orange. Color may be shifting my impression of taste, as I am noticing a orangey flavor immediately as I sip. Still some tannin on the palate that lingers in the mouthfeel. The creaminess if the first infusion is at least balanced by the tannin now, if not removed altogether. Flavors now seem to be muted as the cup cools.

This is a really interesting angle. I have to wonder about it. Next time I see him, I'll ask if he is keeping the processing minimal to preserve the flavor. We will see where that conversation leads.