ianeccleston

I forgot to mention that the pork chops are outstanding. She has you brine them for 2-4 days with a mixture of seasonings (bay leaves, hot pepper, juniper berries). The end product is an amazingly juicy and tender chop with the flavor of the seasoning suffused entirely throughout. I can now also recommend the fuyu persimmon & braesola - although the persimmons are a bit sweet for the mix - you might want cut down on the amount and want to have them as an accent only.

Wow, I would love to have some fresh sardines. I'd make the sicilian pasta with wild fennel (or domestic fennel fronds), raisins, pine nuts and saffron. It's heavenly.

Has anyone tried any of the pickles from the book? I'm very curious. Ian

Zora, any tips on getting the pork juicier? Maybe I'll brine or salt the pig a day before stuffing it... BTW - I talked to the folks at Niman ranch - they don't do suckling pigs. Neither does the Paulina Meat Market, but they gave me a contact in greektown...

Yes, I'm thinking of going smaller-scale and doing a Porchetta on my Weber w/ a suckling pig. How big are sucklings, anyway? My Weber is 22" - would a boned suckling pig fit in there? Ian

Man, those 3 Cubans are for real! I very may well try to do it the way they do it. The pit is a great idea, and so is butterflying the pig. I bet that pig is a bit dry though - I thought that stuffing it with some nice fatty bits like in Porchetta would give the juiciest, tastiest pig candy. I unfortunately don't own the Craft cookbook. Generally, how does he do it? I might have to go over to Border's and do a little browsing and see if the book is worth buying... Ian

OK, I gotta say it: Pig Candy. I'd like to say that I'm willing to buy a $200 box to cook whole pigs in for a one-time event, but I'm not. It sounded fantastic though - I wish I could rent one out in Chicago. Thanks for the Niman tip - I emailed them about getting a whole suckling pig. Ian

I've seen a couple of recipes for 'mock porchetta' from Batali & Judy Rogers, but I'm curious if anyone has experience making the real thing. I turn 30 this year and am looking to cook some variation of whole pig. 1) Anyone in the Heartland know where to order a whole pig? Do you think it'd possible to get it deboned by the butcher? (Paulina Meat Market, et al) 2) Once procured, how do you cook the damn thing? I'd love to do it on the grill, but it will probably be too big, even if doing a sucking pig. Any advice for constructing a temporary outdoor pit/? 3) Got a good recipe? Thanks, Ian

I second the Boiled Kale, all variations, as well as the the braised chicken & figs. Both unexpected and delicious. I've also make the fried eggs in breadcrumbs - the perfect lunch with a green salad. Tonight, we're making the fuyu persimmons and braesola, and I expect it will be good. Enjoy the book; we love it. Edit: Oh, man! The italian sausage is great too. Not for everyone, as you have to grind the meat, stuff it, etc. - but fantastic nonetheless. Perfect balance, very savory.

I made my first sausages ever last weekend. Italian sausage out of the Zuni Cafe cookbook (worth making, but not too different than other Italian sausage recipes) and a tasty thai chicken sausage - juicy, spicy, mmm mm good. I "brined" the whole, deskinned chicken legs in fish sauce for a day, then took the meat off the bone, removing the really tough tendons. I then cut the chicken up into cubes and tossed with 1 Tb. red curry paste. I chilled it almost to frozen, mixed in a handful of chopped mint and cilantro then ground and stuffed them. A day later, I served them with a squeeze of lime, some tamarind ketchup, an asian pear salad and jasmine rice plus a more fresh herbs. They came out great! I was suprised by how juicy they were - chicken sausages can be quite dry. I think the key was the brining. Next time, I think I'll try a chicken larp version - fish sauce, shallot, lime juice, etc. I'll then poach them and serve warm with rice. Anyone else have chicken sausage experience? Or better yet, smoking home-made sausages?

Mr. Steingarten, I've enjoyed your writing very much - from the issues of Vogue that I steal from my wife (or get to first, rather) and from The Man Who Ate Everything. You've written both about roasting your coffee yourself to brewing the perfect espresso: in both articles I believe you referred to realizing how obsessive one could be about a foodstuff - how deep the rabbit hole went - and being yourself an obsessive and detailed chef, that even you had your limits. So the question is, where do you draw the line? I've cured my own pancetta, and am considering - depending on how amenable my wife is, and how deadly the results might actually be - curing salume, thai sausage, duck prosciutto, etc. etc. Would you cure your own meats, or would you leave it to the professional? Cheers, Ian

LOL

Maggiethecat, I can certainly sympathize. I was unemployed for the first seven months of this year, and had to stretch our money however I could. One meal that stood out as cheap & good was pizza. If you have flour and yeast, you can turn out a great meal for $2. You don't have to have mozzerella, tomato sauce, etc. - with a bit of olive oil & parmesan, you can turn out onion pizza (with anchovies if you like), potato & rosemary pizza, fennel & onion pizza for cheap eats, or spring for an avacado and make a Spago-esque chicken & avacado pizza... Oh, and Marcella's Broccolli, Anchovy & Hot Red Pepper Pasta is a weekday standby in our household... Good luck, Ian

Not exactly a side dish, but I've served a squash soup with coriander as a first course for thanksgiving, from an old issue of food & wine. Unfortunately, they don't have the recipe up online anymore. It's pretty easy to fake though: Sautee 1 onion or a couple sliced shallots in 2-4 tbs butter Add 1 lb of fresh peeled, seeded squash (most any kind - I've used delicatas, butternut, pumpkin & a funky red one from the farmers' market), sautee add 2 tsp of ground coriander & 2 pinches thyme add chicken stock to cover, 2 whole garlic cloves and simmer until very tender puree plenty of salt adjust thickness with additional chicken stock or water (not thin, not goopy) garnish: fried sage leaves or chopped cilantro or scallions Ian

I've been looking at that duck red curry myself - I wonder if it just had too much fat in it w/ the duck & coconut milk to let the flavors come through. Sorry about the dried red peppers - maybe you can get dried thai peppers instead of whatever you used (I can get them at my awesome thai grocery store). Or, there wasn't enough sour/acid in it. I had a great duck and pineapple curry a month ago (at Thai Super Chef in Chicago) - I bet the acid & sweetness of the pineapple balanced out the duck and coconut. Just a thought - last time I made a coconut curry I accidentally halved the amount of coconut milk in it. But when I tasted it it was perfect, and left it out. I have made lousy curry though - by adding too much coconut milk - thick, soggy stuff. Making curry paste always takes way longer to make than I allow time for. And the blender problem always, always screws things up, although adding some water to makes it work somewhat better. It does keep for three months though - I'll make up a double or triple batch and keep it in the fridge for quick meals. I'm looking forward to trying a recipe in that book - although I now have some trepidation after how yours turned out. Hopefully that was the only bad recipe in the book. Ian Edit: doing double or triple batches can also make it easier to make in a food processor.

Sethg, Yes, I really can find Kaffir Limes in Chicago (Argyle & Clark, south of Bale for the Heartlanders). Most often I find them frozen, but most recently I bought both the fruit and leaves fresh. I tasted the juice too - oof. Weird, sour little fruit. I can imagine it as being that certain something in an excellent dish though. Which recipe are you making? I just got Thai Food recently (and Hot, Sour, Salty Sweet); I hardly know where to begin. Ian

My mistake, Kaffir Limes are not in fact asian citron. Maybe you could try tangelos, with some tamarind or lime to make it sour? Citron, Asian The Asian Citron is a small, green-skinned orange with slightly yellow flesh. The zest has a delicioius fragrance and the juice is quite sour. Mandarin and tangelo, especially if not too ripe, make excellent alternatives. Lime, Kaffir (fruit and leaves) The fruit of the Kaffir Lime is knobbly with little juice or zest, but has a strong citrus fragrance flavouring, as have the leaves. The double leaf of the kaffir lime has a delightfully pungent lime-like scent, and is often used finely shredded and added to minced fish or to curries, or left whole and added to food cooked in liquids, including Asian soups. Available fresh, frozen or dried. Fresh leaves are available speciality greengrocers and Asian food stores, and they freeze well in airtight bags. Dried leaves are available from Asian food stores, but can only be added to foods, which are simmered to allow the flavour to be released. The leaves of standard limes or lemons are not suitable as a substitute for Kaffir lime leaves - use the zest of lime or lemon as an acceptable substitute. From an online Cooking Dictionary

Is he referring to Kaffir Limes? That's the only Thai ingredient I know of that's citrusy, but perhaps I'm mistaken. I can find those in Chicago, you're likely to find them in NYC. Ian

I'd say that any expression of self can be called 'art'. Presumably, the great chefs express some part of themselves, whether it be culture, taste, aesthetic sense, etc. All of these, plus the choice the act of feeding other people as a medium to express oneself qualify cooking as art. There is a range between the poles though: 'low art' like McDonalds & sustenance food on one end, and 'high art' chefs on the other. In-between must be people like me - home cooks cooking as a hobby, trying to do as best we can. Even at the low-end of the spectrum, some part of the cook will make it into the food: even at McDonald's there's a taste engineer who has crafted the Big Mac. The problem with food as 'art' (and to some extent, music) is that it's nearly impossible to express an idea as clearly as with painting, sculpture, or other more explicit arts. For instance, at Trio, chefg is into playing with peoples perceptions of taste, asking them to reassess their notion of food. You could go further and say that maybe he, and chefs like him, are taking the mundane task of sustanence and transcending it - showing us that basic everyday things can be appreciated and savored. Definitely in the realm of art. Or another, those weird food guys who present food as theatre: bobbing for cow testicles or something. And yet, food hardly ever can express more dissonant emotions - who would eat awful tasting food to experience angst, disgust, and other unpleasantness? As a side note, I've come to think of Music (instrumental) as being somewhere inbetween Food and Painting (or other, explicit art forms). It envelops you in sensory reflection, but can be more explicit or didactic. However, it still has limitations: you have to know and be able to analyze the symbolism embedded in the music (harder than in painting), and even then you can't bluntly just say what you're trying to express. Some forms of music - that are clearly art: groove-based music like jazz, or indian classical music - are not trying to express an explicit thought, but to get one involved one in one's senses, create activity in the mind, build community, give release, etc. I think food can accomplish many of these aims. We may eat because we need sustanence, but clearly that's not the only thing that people like we egulleters are interested in. Grateful for the chance to pontificate, Ian

"Thanks" and a smile is probably the most dignified response - but then, as other people have pointed out, there are those outrageous (often boozy) compliments that can't be left alone. I got one last night: (Sicilian - arancini, eggplant parmesan) "You cook like a professional chef!" You can't (or I can't, at least) just smile and say "thanks." I did think of all the posts on this topic and considered letting it lie, but said "No, come on." Not what people had recommended saying, but... he was not offended at my reply, and didn't expect me to accept it, I think. Not that I didn't appreciate the sentiment. :) Interestingly, in Chinese the standard response to a compliment is usually "that's not true" (Bu Shi) or "I can't even see what you're complimenting, let alone be in a position to accept your compliment" (it's shorter in Chinese Mandarin) or "You're too polite". I think it's considered rude to accept a compliment immediately at face value - it's what those damned arrogant Americans would do. (anyone who took Chinese for longer or more recently than me, or is Chinese please feel free to correct me or elucidate). Ian

It's funny - the reason I might say it's too 'whatever' comes from an urge to get people not to compliment, or lessen the degree of the compliment or something ... but it does tend to make things more awkward, I agree. I think part of my motivation is humility, or an attempt at it. I do take criticism well though - my goal is to be a super-duper cook at some point in the future, and I enjoy feedback on how to make it better. I'd almost rather have a discussion about the food rather than it be blandly praised. Ian

I do, occasionally. Still feel a bit blushy when I do though. Ian

I'm much better than I used to be. I used to become quite flustered and not know what to do. Now I'm able to say "I'm glad you liked it," "no problem," and "my pleasure" at the drop of a hat - these reponses skirt the issue somewhat though. Ian

Does anyone have trouble taking compliments when they cook for other people? I'm an avid home cook, and throw a lot of dinner parties. I'm known as the cook in our circle, but I still tend to blush when given a compliment about the food: I'm usually a little overly critical about the food that I served (e.g. it could have used a little more vinegar), think that they are just being polite, or a combination of the two. It's not that I'm insecure about the meal - because generally it turns out OK to my tastes and I'm egotistical enough to invite just about anybody over to our house so I can feed them - I just tend to be awkward about the compliments. On the other hand, I'm not one to constantly apologize about the food being served, remembering Julia Child admonishing home cooks to "never apologize." There are of course those meals where everything turns out great, everyone has a good time, and I have nothing to complain about. I recently told my wife that I didn't want her to tell all of our dinner guests that I've been "cooking all day" - I don't want to fish for compliments, and I don't want our guests to feel beholden for the meal that I want them to enjoy. OK - this is turning into more of a confessional/psychoanalysis of me cooking than I'd like it to be, so I'll ask y'all the question: Do any of you have trouble taking compliments, are nervous to the point of constant apology, dislike or distrust polite compliments, or have witnessed this when dining at other people's homes? Any other comments? Ian

Yes, I probably should have stuck it in the oven at 300 (no coals ready, lost my old chimney in the move to the new place). I hadn't remembered that someone posted that the meat plateaus at 160 for awhile - I was hoping that it would get up to the proper temperature in time. I cooked that sucker for 6 1/2 hours, thought that would be enough time... That bullet looks sweet. I think I'm going to have to stick with the new Weber Performer for awhile though - I think our grilling budget has been surpassed for a couple of years. Ian