fifi

Please do so, kind sir. I have a lot of questions and am in search of that mild fruity stuff (pineapple?) that you get in southern Mexico.

I do the usual warming coffee, softening butter, defrosting, etc. There is one thing I WILL NOT do is rewarm or defrost meat. I live alone and there is no way you can do pulled pork or smoked chicken and such for one. I package the meat in fil packages and freeze. Then I put them in the De Longhi convection toaster oven to thaw and warm. There is jus something about defrosting and warming meat in the nuker that makes it taste funny to me. Artichokes... check. Asparagus... check. (Although I find that I roast it more often than not now.) Brocolli and cauliflower... check. Popcorn... check. But there is only one real recipe that I do that the microwave does better than anything else. Microwave Fudge.

Playing catch-up here. I found this web site for Asian veggies lying around in my favorites list. I have never ordered anything from them but it might be helpful.

Chris... Tiki Island is the last exit before the causeway to Galveston.

This was a cold front that should have gotten to Louisiana the next day. We didn't get the beating that Tomball did but it was pretty wild. The grilled shrimp go into these clamping shut baskets to be put on the grill. We had some that were marinated in pesto and garlic and another batch that was done with a light coating of Black Daniel's BBQ sauce. To my surprise, the Black Daniel's version was the favorite.

Every year, on the first Saturday in May, a bunch of colleagues get together at a house on Tiki Island. The appetizer is boiled shrimp. Then we move on to grilled shrimp, fried fish, and chicken and beef fajitas. There is a crew of us that do the cooking. I am usually in charge of the shrimp boil. Other folks bring sides, desserts and whatever. There are normally about 80 folks at this shindig. Last year, for the umpteenth time in a row, the shrimp were hard to peel. I immediately went into research mode. Where does one research a shrimp boil you ask? Why... On an eGullet thread, of course. Yesterday was the moment of truth. Applying all I had learned, the heat was on... so to speak. But, first to set the stage and mood. Note that the cooking area is separated from where the ravening mob hangs out for safety reasons. The boil pot is set up and there is another grill off camera. I don't think you can see them but there are a couple of large fire extinguishers at hand. The tarp is a wind screen to keep the bisk southerly breeze from blowing out the flame. This area will also be used for frying fish, sauteing onions and peppers for the fajitas and for anything else that may come up out of the water. This is a little shot of some of the ingredients, fish filets and some of the butterflied shrimp for grilling. (I will swear I did not notice the duct tape until I posted the picture in ImageGullet. Duct tape? WTF? Oh well... All of the other cooks are guys, after all.) Then a little problem developed. As you can see, there is a storm abrewing. Now, this was to be a storm of epic proportions. After consulting the rather alarming radar on the TV and having received some cancellations due to flooding, leaking roofs and other sundry disasters, we decided to regroup. Some of the seafood largess was repackaged and put in the freezer but we weren't going to abandon the plan altogether. Plan B was about underway when we got this: Holding on for dear life, we stubbornly carried on. So, back to the shrimp which is the reason for this post in the first place. Note that there aren't too many shrimp visible. I got to the table a bit late and the few brave souls had already decimated the shrimp population. And the research paid off. Shells were easily removed with a pinch of the tail. I am sure that contributed to the rapid dissappearance of the shrimp. So to summarize: Don't buy your shrimp too fresh. Bay shrimp right out of the water the first week in May have recently molted and the shells are too thin. Check them for nice firm shells and give them a raw peeling test before you buy. Previously frozen work well also. If you aren't on the coast, those frozen gulf shrimp from the big offshore boats are flash frozen on the boat and are probably fresher than anything else you can get anyway. As it turned out, about forty brave souls showed up, we all ate too much, and the weather cleared out in time for the kids to do their pinata thing. There wasn't as much fishing and crabbing going on as usual but one of the kids did pick up the bait net and found about a four pound flounder inside! I missed getting a picture of that before it succumbed to the filet knife.

Somehow I knew that would come up.

As some of you may know, I am somewhat of a forager. My sister is the all time champion but I have followed along for years. I am fascinated by what can be found by the side of the road that may, in fact, be delicious. (No... I don't mean road kill. At least, I don't think so.) For instance, it seems like just yesterday that I was noticing the drifts of dewberry blossoms and making note of the location so that we could return when the berries are ripe. I now understand that they have been ripening early this year so if we are going to get anything out of this season, we will have to get with it. Last year we had an interesting discussion on this thread where I told the story of the Snake Stick... The next thing on our hit list is elderberries. It has been years since we found a really good stand and turned the kitchen blue making elderberry jelly. Then there is the samphire or saltwort that grows in the sand near the beaches. This stuff we just munch on the spot. Have you ever found the huge beds of coquinas, those colorful teeny little clams that can form huge colonies at the surf line on the beach? When I was a kid, we used to dig some up and then have coquina races to see which one could bury itself first. Later, we learned from Mr. Gibbons that they could be sweated to release their clam juice and make a wonderful chowder. In drier parts of the state, later in the summer, the prickly pears will be bearing fruit. They make a lovely fuschia jelly if you are willing to deal with the thorns. (Hint... Arm yourself with kitchen tongs for picking and tweezers for getting those tiny thorns out of your epidermis later because it is impossible to avoid them altogether.) Have you ever dug the sassafras root in the East Texas woods? What have I missed so far. What do you forage?

fifi is baaaack! Sorry guys... I was schlepping around the Netherlands for a couple of weeks without a good connection. I was also away from my jar of confit. That was the first thing I grabbed with some crackers when I got home. It was so good to get back to real food. NulloModo, I think I know what the problem was. You didn't put enough "stuff" into the crock pot. Two onions in a large pot is barely enough to sneeze at. If a crockpot is under full, it will run hot. You need the mass to temper the heat and keep it even. That is also a lot of port for two onions. That would add a lot of sugar to the mix and make for more "charcoal". Note how many onions we have all used. My crockpot is just about full to the top when I begin. I vote for Marlene's recipe for RecipeGullet. If the recipe puts options (like port or sherry or not, bay and thyme or not) and maybe a range for the fat component (I have been using a stick of butter and a half cup of olive oil for a pot full of onions. Less would be fine but I like fat. ) we will have something that should work for just about anyone. I also think Marlene has the timing down pretty pat and it is very convenient to start on high, turn to low for overnight, then finish on high. Might also mention that onions vary as to water content.

I am definitely in the chicken soup camp. For the past few years, my absoloute favorite has been the Thai style with the coconut milk, lemon grass, ginger and lots of chile. Otherwise, I use a really strong stock that I have made and add plenty of garlic, noddles or rice, maybe pasta, and some sort of chile sauce or peppers. Funny story... I was making the chicken soup once to dose a miserable cold. All I had in the house was short grain brown rice. Lovely... That will be really healthy. Only one problem... The stuff takes forever to cook and I made the mistake of dumping it in raw. It would have been ok eventually, but the smell got the better of me and I stole a big bowl from the pot a little prematurely. The rice was "toothsome" but not too bad. That wasn't the problem. I think what happened is that it continued to swell in my stomach. I was doubly miserable for a couple of hours. I won't make THAT mistake again. Oh... And I will have a really stiff hot toddy with that.

chemprof... If you have not been properly welcomed to eGullet as of yet, let me extend that welcome. Hey chefrodrigo... If you guys can actually bring real BBQ to Portland you are true heroes. It would be a real hoot to go to Portland and say that I had really fine BBQ. I am so glad that you did your "Tour of Texas" in your quest. All of my best to you on your new venture. (But where are you going to get mesquite?)

I think I did the merge right. This is really exciting. I don't get "into town" very often on weekends but I just might make a special trip for this one. I am intrigued by the chickens. Let's keep this thread going with any reports on what is available. We live in a wasteland for farmer's markets and any efforts should be encouraged in my humble opinion.

Reporting back. I found nothing remarkable. I really wasn't into going out to the top rated restaurants. I think I ate at Seinpost and enjoyed it. (Sorry to seem so vague but I was still under the influence of jet lag at the time.) I ended up just sticking with the breakfast buffet at the hotel (Carlton Beach) and it was only ok. (Can't these people figure out how to serve eggs hot?) I so enjoy the "cold cuts" though. The seasoning is quite unique. Then I would have a big lunch at the company cafeteria that actually had really good stuff for such a venue. They actually had the best Indonesian that I had for the whole trip. I would pile on the chile paste to try to get a bit of a buzz but even that could be eaten with a spoon. A group of us went to this Tepanyaki Grill place just about across from Kurhaus and it was really pretty good and entertaining. I wouldn't call it great but it was fun. When traveling on work assignment, I really prefer to tank up on breakfast and lunch and snack in the evening. I did find this place in the Promenade Center where there was a really good bakery, a grocery and a deli. I would get off at that tram stop and hit the bakery or deli and bring stuff back to my room. Slightly off-topic... There is a relatively new museum in Den Haag Centraal that is devoted to Escher. I spent about four glorious hours there getting totally confused by impossible staircases and waterfalls. Keukenhoff gardens were spectacular. After all... What do you expect from seven million bulbs in bloom. OH... I forgot to mention the truly magnificent fish and frites from the pavillion on the beach promenade. Ask for the curry mayonaise. There is not a bad fried potato in the whole country and you need to open your mind and dip into mayo.

Note to all from your friendly SSB... Whisking vigorously will not kill the bugs. They are really tough hombres. Whisking will divide them up and cause them to reproduce more efficiently. If you are using a "wet" starter like yogurt, the bugs clump together all snuggled up in polysaccharides and whisking vigorously "sets them free". When analysing things for bugs and hoping to get a more accurate count, standard procedure is actually to run in a blender for several minutes. Doesn't hurt them. Quit worrying about whisking. edit: Forgot to add... All we have ever used for the powdered milk was plain old Carnation Instant.

My ancient skillet (no manufacturer's marks) is as smooth as a baby's behind. It seasons beautifully and its outside surfaces are almost like black patent. It was the only type of cast iron skillet I was aware of until I bought a new Lodge dutch oven. I was dismayed at the rough texture of the new piece at first (how is that going to work?) but it worked out fine in the end. It still isn't as good as that slick surfaced oldy, though. I think I need another skillet.

Sigh... All of the above seems to confirm my Rules according to Mother.

OK... I want pictures of an artichoke in Texas. I am curious as to the Texas purple wisteria. What the heck is that? And, more importantly, why don't I know about it?

I am so glad that there is some official presence to preserve the soul of Abita Springs. Funny... My new house has a lot in common with the style. The style is driven by fitting in with the environment. We are calling my house "a contemporary interpretation of the West Indian cottage". That is really what that is. The British took their experience from India and transported it to the islands and it then traveled to South Louisiana and Galveston. It makes a lot of sense. The high ceilings help to dissipate the heat. Wide verandas also help manage the heat and provide a venue for communing with the neighbors. You raise the house a bit to catch the breeze and on the coast you raise it a floor to maybe get above some of the mosquitos and flooding. The metal roofs are the result of available materials and the fact that the hail from a tropical thunderstorm won't destroy them. VERY sensible. This faux stucco, tile roof style that is prevalent here drives me nuts. Just to keep this on topic... How the hell do you make a decent gumbo in a house that was designed for Tuscany?

Thanks to Jay's tip I have to second the Abuelita brand. Without his recommendation I would have never picked it off the shelf at Fiesta what with it being Nestle and all. Up until then, I was in the El Rey mode. My favorite use of chocolate is in chili recipes. My current fave is Huevos del Toro's Work in Progress Chili. That is one awesome use of various sacred pods.

*rolling in the floor* No offense to our fine yankee visitors, but it looks like some of our fair denizens take the "Don't Mess With Texas" slogan seriously.

I will be in The Hague for the next couple of weeks or so and will be repeating this process on a somewhat regular basis through the summer. I will likely choose to stay in Scheveningen for several reasons. Any recommendations for good casual dining? I am particularly interested in breakfast opportunities in Scheveningen.

I do remember those placemats. Were they called ribbon weaving? That never caught on in my family so I don't have any. We all sewed or did something. But my grandmother (Big Mama) and aunts on my dad's side were the champs. Big Mama did exquisite tatting. I have tons of crocheted doilies, a couple of quilt tops, various embroidered things. My prize is the "dollar" bedspread. That is what we called it but it has another name. Little circles of cloth were gathered into a pouf, flattened into a round about the size of a silver dollar and linked together. Each grandaughter got one on her 16th birthday. My sister has been known to wear hers as a shawl. Quilts and dollar bedspreads were made from scraps from family members' sewing. She had 9 children so there were plenty of scraps. That kind of stuff has value beyond counting. I envy your placemats. (And stove, and pot, and gumbo. )

Bravo, Brooks! My Gumbo Goddess in heaven just struck up the choir with a rockin' rendition of the Hallelulah Chorus! And gumbo reigns for ever and ever... The stove and the pot are perfect. Very artfully plated, too.

In the Cooking forum, there is a discussion of horseradish. It is odd how the planets align or something like that. The other day, my sister and I were looking at the forlorn garden shed in her backyard thinking of what to do. We got to remembering the ""Year That Dad Grew Horseradish". He got curious about cooking with fresh horseradish. Back in those days about all you found in the stores was iceberg lettuce. He actually recalled that he had never even seen a fresh horseradish. The only thing to do was to grow some. He read up a bit and figured out that it would have to lay around in its bed a lot. So, he didn't want it cluttering up the regular garden plot. He made it its own little cubby next to the shed. We were in awe of those plants. They were huge. They were "intimidating". (My dad's words.) But we had a lot of fun with it. One holiday, we went out to pull the first fresh root to make a horseradish sauce for the roast. After he figured out that you don't pull horsradish like you do carrots he got out the digging tools. After marveling at the big ugly prize, we triumphantly made our way into the kitchen little knowing that we were transporting a WMD. We proceeded to gas the rest of the family, literally running everyone out. (Small house, poor ventilation.) It was fun, though. And the fresh horseradish was terrific. Does anyone else grow horseradish? How does it do in your part of the world? Here in SE Texas it sometimes succumbs to some kind of root weevle. Hey... We have tough bugs in Texas.

I was at home over the holidays one year, burning off excessive vacation time. the weather was horrible and I was bored. While reading through my favorite Emeril book, Louisiana Real and Rustic, I ran across his recipe for Worchestershire Sauce. Boy, was that intriguing. I went running around gathering the ingredients and got it started. The hardest thing to find was the fresh horseradish. This was one of those lengthy "projects" that I really love. The whole house smelled like Lea & Perrins. I lovingly put up small jars and gave some to family and friends. Everyone (including me) remarked that it tasted just like Lea & Perrins. I do make up a variety of chile pastes and other Mexican sauces to keep on hand. My sister is the jelly and jam maker and I help pick but let her take care of the actual making.