fifi

This week's Houston Chronicle Whine & Dine addresses an issue that is near and dear to my heart. Well . . . I am not so sure about dear. The recommendations are pretty much spot on. The one I don't know about because I haven't been is Wrecker's. The one time I tried to go there it was on the weekend and they had this really loud band so I decamped to my all time favorite Topwater Grill, reported on here. Outriggers is a really fun place and the food is pretty darn tasty. Sundance Grill is a bit more upscale and pretty reliable. Believe it or not, I had some of the best haricots verts that I have ever eaten there. Both places can't be beat for watching the Christmas boat parade. I am among those who mourn the demise of the Kemah waterfront. At least the Seabrook side of the channel has retained some of the original messy charm. And you can snag some fresh seafood in the various establishments. Bacliff and San Leon are also convenient alternatives. The final blow and the one unforgiveable act was what has become of The Flying Dutchman. I don't really blame the owner for selling out as he was ready to retire. The upstairs room, white tablecloth style, was argueably the best Gulf Coast seafood restaurant on the planet. This was not my assessment alone. I had guests there from New Orleans, New York and Chicago, some in the restaurant biz, that shared my opinion. A friend and I would entertain his international clients there. When asked where they wanted to eat, this was invariably their choice. I would get e-mails literally from all over the world asking for directions to the place. Now it is just ok. If anyone has had an outstanding meal there I would like to hear about it since I occasionally have visitors that insist on going. I did have a pretty good meal at Willy G's once. (For the price, it should have been.) But that can't erase the memory of the worst enchiladas I have ever had at The Cadillac Bar. Let us proceed to commiserate.

That is a pretty skillet. I am sorely tempted. When I was a latchkey kid, gloriously responsible for starting dinner, the old Sunbeam skillet was my friend. All this talk about electric skillets brings back memories.

I think the idea is that with just salt, the porkiness comes through.

Octaveman . . . check out this post. What you are referring to is some of what I call fiddley. There are two things about this book that I object to. 1) Some of the recipes are maybe unnecessarily fiddley and 2) the temperatures are almost universally too high. But the recipes are still great. Substitute away if you wish. I just use those green olives whatever they are. They are good.

Hear! hear! from a consumer. I applaud your position on this issue.

Hmmm . . . A couple of years ago, I was in Aix au Provence for a company deal. We went to several restaurants as a group, needing separate tickets for expense account purposes. They didn't think it was such a big deal and handled it as if this was a normal thing. A couple of places even offered the separate check option at the get go. Do they have a better system? edit to add: One thing that may not be obvious to restauranteurs is that many corporations have restrictions on "entertaining" entries on expense accounts. I know. It all comes out of the same bucket. But, I think the IRS rules get in the way. So, theoretically, I can't pick up the check for a lunch with colleagues and claim it on the expense account. If the lunch companions were from a different company, no problem. And the record keeping for the expense statements demand that you name all present and the affiliation. The rules are stupid but they are what they are. You have to have a receipt to accompany the entry in the expense account. That means that it is not as simple as dividing up the check and paying. You have to have a receipt for anything over $25.

That is just freakin' brilliant. What a marketing concept! Bringing the product to the customer instead of the customer having to go to a shop to get this. Granted, it isn't my cup of tea but I am in the minority when it comes to cooking and I don't have a mass transit system. But, if I did, and an entrepreneur was selling stock in such a venture, I would buy in.

I understand what Katie is saying. It seems to me that the problem is with the software that can't link individual checks to a table. Fact: There is a customer demand for separate checks being handled. Fact: Obviously, most software is not designed to accommodate this demand. I think I sniff an opportunity here for a software entrepeneur to design a system that can overcome this.

I just finished watching the first installment. I purposely did not read all of this topic prior to watching it, wanting to see how my impression of it compared to what is written here, uncontaminated and after the fact. I hate to say it, but I agree with most of what has been said. But, the first thing that "grabbed" me was that the people that were profiled were so far from the mainstream in the US that I was wondering what they were trying to accomplish. In something as general as "The Meaning of Food" I would have expected more of a mainstream approach. While some of the segments were somewhat charming and interesting I didn't feel that they even come close to developing a theme I could get my head around. Food as a part of culture? Well, duh! The part about the chef that lost his wife was just plain weird and kind of creeped me out. The teenager observing Ramadan was interesting but I thought it was really shallow. The only segment that I could really relate to was the one on the Italian wedding and that is only because I have had the privilege to attend a few similar celebrations some years ago. But . . . so far, if this is meant to address "The Meaning of Food" in the US (and it was produced here) it sure misses the mark. "The Meaning of Food to Very Specific Cultures and Individuals Within US Society," I could buy that, maybe.

I make this Veal Ragout recipe with pork. I often use loin when I have bought a whole one on sale and cube up part of it. But it really is better with shoulder. It has become a family favorite.

Oddly enough, I have never heard of such a thing. I have got to try this. Would it work as well with a smaller ham? I have become enamoured with the small picnics, shank portion, that I can get at my Asian market. Would the curing time differ for a smaller ham?

*bump* It seems that eggplants are finally back in the market and the season is upon us again. I recently was the proud owner of the most gorgeous regular old American Globe eggplants. Having eaten up my Eggplant Gratin in a batch of pressed sandwiches for an excursion, I went to my pantry for inspiration. Eggplant Stew - with a Mexican twist was the result. I have now deemed it worthy to be included in the venerable RecipeGullet. Not all recipes make that cut. This is really good stuff.

Eggplant Stew - with a Mexican twist Serves 4 as Sideor 2 as Main Dish. One day I had an excess of eggplant. I had at least the equivalent of one big one left over after putting together the eggplant gratin dish. Now what? I had all of the ingredients in the house to do something different. In the small heavy pot (2 ½ quart Le Creuset) I layered in chunks of eggplant, rough chopped onion, roasted peppers and seasonings. I know that eggplant isn’t necessarily an ingredient that reminds us of Mexican cuisine. But, what the heck. Actually, the final dish does not taste strongly of eggplant. The other flavors overwhelm it. I see it as a good way to use it up or maybe sneak eggplant into the diet of those that aren’t crazy about it. (Hmmm . . . I wonder if this would work with zucchini?) As is common with my recipes, this is a casual affair and the quantities and ingredients are flexible. Do what you like. For more eggplant discussion, please visit Eggplant in the Cooking forum. 1 large eggplant cut into about 1 inch chunks 1 medium white or yellow onion roughly chopped 1 tsp kosher salt 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano 2 T dried cumin seeds 1 tsp garlic powder 1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and rough chopped 1 4 ounce can of chopped green chiles 1 c picante sauce, your favorite brand In a small Dutch oven or other heavy lidded pot, layer the eggplant and onion. Add the salt, oregano, cumin seeds and garlic powder, distributing evenly over the vegetables. Continue layering, adding red bell pepper the green chiles and picante sauce. Cover and cook in a 325 degree F oven for about 1 ½ hours. You will want to check after an hour. Eggplants will differ as to water content. If yours are high in water content, you might consider taking the lid off for the last half hour. The picture above is intentionally taken to show that there isn’t a lot of loose liquid running around. You want a concentration of flavors, not soup. Tips and Notes: Crush the dried oregano between your fingers while sprinkling. This releases more flavor. Using whole cumin seeds is a trick I learned from Huevos del Toro’s "Work in Progress Chili." In a long simmered dish they get really tender and offer a pleasant burst of cumin in the mouth. You can substitute ground cumin. For a quick and easy technique for roasting the bell pepper, cut it into strips so that it will lay flat, skin side up, on a baking sheet. Run under the broiler until the skin is charred. Then proceed to sweat and peel off the skins. Serving suggestions: Sprinkle with a fresh Mexican cheese and serve with cornbread or warm corn tortillas. Chorizo on the side is a good meat addition if you like. This would also be a good base to use up leftover pork or chicken. Alternate cooking methods: You can vary the temperature, usually lower, to vary the cooking time. This is handy for putting it in the oven and going shopping. This recipe would lend itself to a crock pot. I also intend to try this in a clay pot. Keywords: Main Dish, Side, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables, Lunch, Dinner, Tex-Mex ( RG1177 )

Eggplant Stew - with a Mexican twist Serves 4 as Sideor 2 as Main Dish. One day I had an excess of eggplant. I had at least the equivalent of one big one left over after putting together the eggplant gratin dish. Now what? I had all of the ingredients in the house to do something different. In the small heavy pot (2 ½ quart Le Creuset) I layered in chunks of eggplant, rough chopped onion, roasted peppers and seasonings. I know that eggplant isn’t necessarily an ingredient that reminds us of Mexican cuisine. But, what the heck. Actually, the final dish does not taste strongly of eggplant. The other flavors overwhelm it. I see it as a good way to use it up or maybe sneak eggplant into the diet of those that aren’t crazy about it. (Hmmm . . . I wonder if this would work with zucchini?) As is common with my recipes, this is a casual affair and the quantities and ingredients are flexible. Do what you like. For more eggplant discussion, please visit Eggplant in the Cooking forum. 1 large eggplant cut into about 1 inch chunks 1 medium white or yellow onion roughly chopped 1 tsp kosher salt 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano 2 T dried cumin seeds 1 tsp garlic powder 1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and rough chopped 1 4 ounce can of chopped green chiles 1 c picante sauce, your favorite brand In a small Dutch oven or other heavy lidded pot, layer the eggplant and onion. Add the salt, oregano, cumin seeds and garlic powder, distributing evenly over the vegetables. Continue layering, adding red bell pepper the green chiles and picante sauce. Cover and cook in a 325 degree F oven for about 1 ½ hours. You will want to check after an hour. Eggplants will differ as to water content. If yours are high in water content, you might consider taking the lid off for the last half hour. The picture above is intentionally taken to show that there isn’t a lot of loose liquid running around. You want a concentration of flavors, not soup. Tips and Notes: Crush the dried oregano between your fingers while sprinkling. This releases more flavor. Using whole cumin seeds is a trick I learned from Huevos del Toro’s "Work in Progress Chili." In a long simmered dish they get really tender and offer a pleasant burst of cumin in the mouth. You can substitute ground cumin. For a quick and easy technique for roasting the bell pepper, cut it into strips so that it will lay flat, skin side up, on a baking sheet. Run under the broiler until the skin is charred. Then proceed to sweat and peel off the skins. Serving suggestions: Sprinkle with a fresh Mexican cheese and serve with cornbread or warm corn tortillas. Chorizo on the side is a good meat addition if you like. This would also be a good base to use up leftover pork or chicken. Alternate cooking methods: You can vary the temperature, usually lower, to vary the cooking time. This is handy for putting it in the oven and going shopping. This recipe would lend itself to a crock pot. I also intend to try this in a clay pot. Keywords: Main Dish, Side, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables, Lunch, Dinner, Tex-Mex ( RG1177 )

Well, I did the previous too-big thighs in the new Crisco. I did the little drumettes in the old Crisco just for that reason. I didn't see any difference. Both were fresh from the can, not recycled since that issue has come up on this thread.

eje . . . I guess that means that we can actually grow it here. I am wondering if culantro would be acceptable to us cilantro haters. I am one of them. I think we have come to the conclusion that it is a genetic thing. Cilantro tastes like nasty gray soap to me and my kids, bright geen and herby to my sister. I am wondering if I would find culantro an acceptable alternative. You are right about the seed "pod" being a fruit. I am continually amazed at what I learn here.

Oh wow, Jason! Sriracha and mayo on a hot dog. I am a hot dog heretic. On the rare occasion that I want a hot dog, it is a simple affair. Char the hot dog so that it has lots of black. Eat on a toasted bun with mayo. Next time, I am adding sriracha! The chicken was excellent. I would add more next time. I am tinkering with a dipping sauce for the drumettes. Any suggestions are welcome. Just adding it to mayo isn't quite it, but very good. I squirt it on pig skins, or true chiccarones if I can get them. (That is a fusion dish. ) Necessary for scrambled eggs a la hangover. I used it as a dipping sauce for my pork version of Molly Stevens' "Beef Rendang." I fear that I have just begun to explore the potential of this flavor wonder. I keep thinking of the seminal comment by my son about my ancho chile paste . . . "Mom, this would make dog turds taste good." Then, when he first tasted sriracha he said . . . "Mom, this is like your ancho paste . . ." Well, you know. (Sorry. ) Great topic, Chris. I can't wait to see what wonders await. edit to add: I actually made the chicken here.

Well, andie, I consider your opinion in the expert category. That is particularly true of anything involving equipment. The problem here is that you can't remove the water (humidity) from the environment in any practical manner. In a desert situation, if you have water available you can really control your conditions by adding water at will. I am speculating but I think that is why relatively arid conditions with water available via irrigation or springs (think oases) can be some of the most productive agricultural land on the planet. When I was a kid, we moved to a house that had a big grapefruit tree in the back yard. It produced excellent grapefruit. We left them on the tree to ripen. For the period that this was going on, every couple of days we had to pick the grapefruit and process them right away, mostly into juice for the freezer. We quickly learned not to delay even a day since they would start to mold. Then we got the house air conditioned and that at least meant that we could collect them and have a processing party on the weekend. At least I didn't have to look forward to juicing grapefruit almost every day after school. If I had known such a thing as an irradiator was available, I would have killed for one. BTW . . . I know that having an irradiator isn't practical due to all of the licensing and such. (I used to handle that for some equipment at FDA.) But, I can dream, can't I? Does anyone know if nuts are irradiated? Again back to my FDA days, we analyzed tons of pecans for E. coli and aflatoxin. The E. coli comes in because in a commercial operation (or, actually, non-commercial as well) the pecans are picked up from the ground where cows are typically stomping around. Then the nut meats as well are particularly susceptible to the Aspergillus mold species that produces aflatoxin, a particularly nasty actor. This seems like a natural application. Finding the nasties was not at all uncommon back then.

(Sorry guys. Roadrunner got wacked by Wiley Coyote so I have been off line for a while and playing catch up.) No. That isn't how it works. We still get cold snaps during the winters and sometimes hard freezes, particularly inland. My new digs are actually on a peninsula that sticks out into Galveston Bay and is really a microclimate somewhere between zone 9 and 10 according to the county agent. I have seen plumeria trees in yards. Banana trees regularly bear fruit. But, due to the cold snaps, folks started putting out the tender plants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants starting a couple or three weeks ago. You may get fruit set up until July. Then it gets too hot. If you take care of your plants you can sometimes start to get a bit more fruit when it starts to cool down in late September. That is if a hurricane hasn't blown your plants away. What we have of "winter" is used for lettuces, root crops, cabbages and such. The other problem is the bugs. And not just the ones that actually eat the fruits. There are many that make an unobtrusive puncture that doesn't really harm the initial quality but does let in rot organisms. Between those, surface molds and the high humidity, you have extremely perishable fruit. My sister and I and our mother and grandmother before us have always gardened as close to organically as possible. They were some of the first subscribers to the Rodale Press publications. I have blended many buckets of pyretherin daisies to try to save a crop. I hated to do it because, even though that is a "natural" insecticide, it will kill bees just as effectively as what you can buy off the shelf. But, for purposes of this thread, once you get it grown and picked you aren't out of the woods yet. If there was a chance of preserving crops after picking while retaining the quality, I would have a lot better chance of getting something to eat out of the garden. In order to stay as organic as possible, the usual strategy is to plant twice as much as a sane person would and plan on losing a significant portion to bugs and rot. The point being, many climates are just not as easy to deal with as some others. Having a tool like irradiation in the kit could make life a lot better for producers and consumers alike.

Yeah . . . As they say, it isn't the heat it is the humidity. You can move a couple of hundred miles or less inland and not have the same problem. When you have dew points around 78 degrees F, and sometimes even higher, you have the perfect environment for fungi and rot bacteria to thrive with no help at all. I have had a bucket of tomatoes bought from a roadside stand turn to goo in less than 24 hours because I left it on the porch. Same thing will happen to peppers and eggplants that I have picked from my garden and left on the porch overnight. When I get back to gardening, I would love to have a countertop irradiator. I used dew point instead of relative humidity because that means more to me. Dew point is the temperature at which water will condense out of the water vapor contained in the air.

AnneW . . . I am glad you found this and bumped it back up. That is one of the great things about this medium, old discussions can get a new life. We had some discussion about this herb in this fascinating topic on ceviche recently.

We had one of these open out in far west Houston sometime last year, I think. Think mega-sprawl cookie cutter neighborhoods full of ladies that spend a lot of time hauling kids around and not much time to think about actually cooking. The place is infested with mini-vans. There was a lot of press about it and it made a big splash. In addition to what SKinCA said . . . From some of the interviews and feedback, I got the impression that it was as much an excuse for mom to get away for a while as anything else. I haven't heard any more about it and haven't a clue as to how successful it was.

I remember those days well. Back then, the restaurant scene in Houston was a lot less diverse than it is now. High end wasn't nearly as common as it is now. There were a lot of local "cafes" and such that typically served Southern food and then there was Tex-Mex. Remember that we were getting "immigrants" into Houston at some absurd rate of 10,000 a month or more. (That number is probably wrong but it was big.) Regional culture lines had not begun to blur like today. Culture shock was the topic of the day. Food was a big part of it. We didn't have a Whine & Dine column but the local rags were open to editorial comment and the food thing always showed up. Some of the cafe owners that I knew because we frequented the place would complain that their new customers just didn't understand the basics, like collard greens are supposed to be cooked that way. Tex-Mex was beyond comprehension. We had two major dailies then, The Chronicle and The Post. Both often ran articles explaining the local cuisine. A friend of mine is a local historian and was actually the Society Editor for the Post for a time. I will check with her and see what she can add.

I think I have seen it, or one like it. It sure makes you appreciate that crab.

I am gaining experience. I think now I could fly by the seat of my pants without a thermometer. I know what the ideal "looks like" now, sorta like I used to. Yes. The container keeps the flour contained. I need to find one that is easier to get the lid off and on with gloppy hands. I have seen drumettes as well. These were labeled drumlets. Whatever. Maybe the butcher can't spell. They are supposed to be just the first joint from what I can tell.