fifi

Not graphic at all. Guess what happens to protein in your stomach. Yep. Eat that raw fish and you are makin' ceviche.

This looks like a lot of fun. I can't wait until part 2. One question, are the prawns cooked before mincing? Your package of prawns look like our gulf shrimp after steaming or boiling.

Funny thing is, I can eat ceviche just fine if it has been "cooked" in the acid long enough. The texture is then like exceptionally tender cooked seafood. But I can tell an under "cooked" ceviche a mile away. I know that some restaurants habitually under "cook" it, maybe to appeal to the raw fish crowd, and I won't order it there. Actually, for that reason, I most often eat it when a kind fisherman has given me some just caught fish or shrimp and I just make my own like I like it.

You eat them, silly. Hopefully with chicken fat and juices running down your chin.

I guess my pet peeve is with the vegetables. Vegetables should be raw and crisp, as in salad, or cooked until at least tender. Let's take green beans for instance. Those lovely little haricots verts should be lightly sauted until just tender. Hey chef . . . You can't do that to fully mature Kentucky Wonders! Those must be stewed into submission Southern (US) style or at least, you should check to see if they can be chewed before you serve them to me! And don't even get me started on big slabs of "grilled" squash that require a steak knife to cut them. Whew! Now, I like my steak more toward the medium rare side. Just don't try that with my fish. I know, I know. But it is just me. I have tried my darndest to like raw fish. I can't get there. It is a texture thing that, literally, not figuratively, makes me gag. I love tuna. The only reason it is my favorite is that I can't get wahoo that often. Please, please, cook it for me. I can't tell you how many luscious sounding tuna dishes I have passed up because they are made with "seared" tuna -- meaning it had a passing acquaintance with the grill or griddle. I finally gave up trying to order it done. I got sick of the condescending raised eyebrows from the waiters. I am now a believer in pink pork. Not rare. If too rare it tastes funny to me. I cook loin or tenderloin to 140 degrees F and let rest under foil. (Resting temperature comes up to about 145.) It comes out perfect every time.

No kidding! Those numbers in the article are certainly impressive. Are they publicly traded? *jumping up and down, waving frantically* ME! ME! ME! Hey . . . Hey, Mr. Mackey! Southeast Houston is a high end grocery wasteland. You would be in virgin territory here. And we have lots of money.

jscarbor . . . Take some of those leftovers, cut into about 1 inch pieces and stuff a nice fat roasting chicken. Put more pieces in the bottom of the baking pan to absorb the juices. Season as you pleas and roast using your favorite method. That is truly a noble end for leftover tamales.

What an interesting topic. It really got me to thinking. I was raised at the knee of some wonderful Southern US cooks so that is kind of natural. Then, while in college, I learned at the side of a wonderful Cajun/Creole cook so I can morph around in that cuisine without any real effort. I toyed with Chinese for a while but never went very far with it. Now I think that I gave it up because a home kitchen just doesn't have the high BTU burners for stir frying and other special equipment. I prefer to eat Chinese out at a good restaurant and be done with it. Of course, Tex-Mex figured in there and that is pretty basic. But, that got me more into "authentic" (whatever that is) Mexican Cuisine and I had a lot of fun "learning" that. It is so varied as to ingredients and techniques that I will probably never quit learning. Some of the techniques from southeastern Mexico, moles and such, prepared me to get into Thai cooking. I do have to say that I had to work at some of those techniques in both cuisines and I still have to read a recipe pretty closely. I am sure that will happen when I get into Indian as well. The one constant here is time and repetition. Those things that I have been doing the longest I can execute without a recipe in sight. I make a mean pot of chicken and dumplings and a bang-up pot of gumbo without a book or measuring device in sight. Same with Tex-Mex. Mexican, I still need a book but I am confident with "tweaking" a recipe. Thai . . . more reliance on a book and I will start with the recipe at first. I am beginning to get more confident with "tweaking" the hot/sour/salty/sweet balance. Indian, I will be glued to the book for a while, possibly forever.

Patti . . . I can't answer your question about waiting to try the recipe. But I can answer about the mortar and pestle. This is the one that I have. I have tried many types and this one is very much my favorite. One caution. Go for the 8 inch. Mine is the 6 inch and I really really really wish it were bigger. I bought it at my local Asian market before I knew what I was doing. Their supply is rather sporadic as are my visits but as soon as I find a bigger one, I am getting it.

I will second the LC easy cleaning. The most awful looking burned on mess cleans up after a few minutes soak with hot water and Dawn. Only occasionally have I had to resort to Dawn Power Dissolver. And that was after I did something really stupid. I do get an occasional stain that comes out with about 15 minutes of a soak with chlorine bleach solution. I just looked on the LC web site and they have changed the wording a bit but they used to recommend setting your burner one notch lower than usual. It does take a little longer but it browns stuff just fine. The only time I don't brown in the LC is if I am in a hurry and want to use my big fry pan so I don't have to do two batches. I have also recently learned in another braising thread about browning short ribs in the oven. Now there is an idea. My sister has a LC that is at least 25 years old. It has the original knob. I have never replaced one, either. I do like the older design, though. It just looks cooler.

Slice it no more than a 1/4 inch thick. Some folks slice the whole head. I slice the florets and stalk separately. You will get slices and "gibbles" (crumbs) and I like those best. Roasted florets are very good but not the same thing at all. There seems to be a flavor shift as water is driven off and browning takes place.

I would also add that when I sweat something, mushrooms for instance, I put a lid on it.

There appears to be a sales office in the US in North Carolina. This page can point you to other sales offices as well.

I think that the cooking plates are reversible, on side ridged and the other grooved. That and the size and how it comes together seems to make it more versatile than some others I have seen. I haven't looked closely though. I am not in the market for one but have been keeping my eye out for a friend.

OK, I just took a look at the beast here. I wanted to confirm that it is what I saw in a TV ad around the holidays. I remember saying to myself that of the countertop grill thingies that the design on the thing made some sense. Noting that you can lay it open and have two cooking surfaces, I would be making some pancakes.

Quesadillas come to mind.

I have always puzzled about how they get those little mandarin orange segments in the can so perfect. I think I know now. I want some of that stuff.

A few years ago, I made a batch of chicken stockk that never gelled. I never figured that one out either. It tasted fine, just no gel. It is enough to drive an SSB nuts. Help!

Oh good. I guess that means I am not too weird for not liking the rind on brie. I really really really don't like fish skin, either.

That looks darn close to what I think my long sought Thai Carnitas should look like. I suppose I never expected that they would get as crisp as carnitas. I think we have a winner. Now that I have used my mortar and pestle a bit more, I am inclined to agree with you on the superiority of the method. Besides, all of that pounding is very therapeutic. Though, I am not sure that the folks in the downstairs apartment will agree. Please don't give up on the fresh galangal if you are lucky enough to find it. I think it is much superior to the dried even though dried is ok if that is all you can get. I don't even bother with the powdered. What I have started doing with fibrous stuff like ginger, galagal and lemon grass is slicing it thin across the fibers before pounding it. I also do a fine chiffonade of the lime leaves before pounding it that is called for in the recipe. I am definitely going to do this. I am toying with the idea of trying it with pork since you have done all of the excellent work on the beef.

The one's at the TJM in Chicago went almost immediately according the lady in housewares. They haven't finished unloading that shipment so my son is calling back on Friday.

Welcome to the Society and to the Texas Forum, shoutsandmurmrs. I hear you about the overfull grocery basket in these places. I live alone and when I get home I realize that there is no way I will cook all of that, much less eat it! San Marcos is cool. They have a Le Creuset outlet there!

Am I getting the drift here that the cooking of the onions is a critical part of making a curry? I can see how that might be. I know that the flavor can be radically different depending upon how slow you go and how long you go. It can also differ with the onions you start with. We found that out in the confit thread. So . . . In a traditional Indian kitchen, lets talk about the details regarding the onions. I am going to assume cooking them in ghee. Are they usually just chopped finely or turned to mush in a food processor? How much caramelization? Oh geez, I wish I had more books on Indian cooking.

You have to do this recipe: Aunt Audrey’s Pickled Shrimp This recipe is at least 50 years old. I remember eating it at my Aunt Audrey’s house where we went every Christmas Eve. She was old enough to be my father’s mother so there is no telling how old it is. My sister got this recipe from her before she died and it has been handed down in my family ever since. It is truly terrific and I find it fascinating that this was around so long before recipes like this were trendy. Think of it as a very early escabeche. I have no idea where she got the capers back then but she did use them. I remember wondering what the heck those things were. 2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined 3 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced 12 or so whole cloves 6 or so bay leaves 1 ¼ cup salad oil (Canola or other light vegetable oil, NOT olive oil) ¾ cup white or cider vinegar 1 large clove garlic, finely minced 1 ½ teaspoons salt 2 ½ teaspoons celery seed 2 ½ teaspoons capers and juice Boil cleaned shrimp. Do not over cook. Arrange shrimp and onion rings in layers in a glass bowl or jar. Sprinkle with cloves and tuck in bay leaves as you go. Cover with marinade made with the last 6 ingredients. Let stand in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Can be kept for 3 days in a jar with a good lid. Pretty served in clear glass. Notes: I tend to increase the cloves, bay leaves and capers. I think it makes it better. I have marinated blanched asparagus in the left over marinade after eating all of the shrimp. Fabulous. You could do other vegetables as well and serve on top of greens as a terrific salad, including the onions. Fresh shrimp are always best but you could get pre-prepared shrimp from the grocery and it would probably still be good. At least that might inspire you to make this.

I am glad you enjoyed it dls. I am also glad you tweaked it a bit. Actually, your tweaking sounds so good and I have all of the parts, (well, I have some Shiner Bock) I am going to do it. Yeah . . . I wouldn't call it traditional either. It was just one of those moments of insanity that turned out good. It doesn't always turn out that way. For those of you that didn't see the original, what I did was see the pitiful little pack of seasoning in the corned beef baggy and said to myself "Hey, that looks a lot like crab boil." So, I bought a bag of Zatarain's, the whole spices, and coated the thing. I added a good bit of brown sugar to the top, about 1/2 cup, and braised at 250 degrees F for about 3 hours or until it was butter tender. I knock off most of the seeds before serving.