mrbigjas

Oh god, you went to Oscars? Awesome. Did they give you a cheesesteak and a half for the price of one? That's a deal they used to have all the time that I never understood--order a sandwich, get a sandwich and a half...

One of the nice things about kale that I don't like about other greens (and I eat either spinach or collards or kale or chard or mustards or turnips or carrots or beets nearly every day) is that it takes a little sweetness. Therefore: fry lardons, add onion, then add cut up kale, fry for a little bit, add a cube of stock and a LITTLE bit of molasses (balsamic vinegar also provides a sweetness with some acidity as well), braise for about 10-15 minutes. I love kale. We eat it all the time--and I buy the purple or white ornamental varieties just as much as the regular kinds. Q: I heard a couple years ago that Pizza Hut was the largest consumer of kale in the US--they use it for decoration on their salad bars. But I haven't seen any actual citations, just people saying that. True? Or urban legend? That seems like a huge waste.

Beats me. I just think San Marzano is the brand, which might could get around the labelling rules. BUT I could be wrong. My motto for several years now has been "spreading misinformation on the internet since 1994." I'll be stopping by fresh fields tomorrow after work anyway, so I'll confirm then.

Yeah but the funny thing about that is that you know that brand in the white/green/red can? It's got a red silhouette of tomato on it, with the words San Marzano on it? I looked last week: product of the USA. I guess the brand name is separate from the description or something?

It's not that sad--they're both good places!

I guarantee you that Herr's Guacamole Spread is always the best it can be.

A tofu coagulating agent.

I wouldn't mind, Rich, but it's just a matter of timing--I'm probably going to be volunteering for beer day at the Penn Museum on the 20th, and I'm going to be occupied this weekend doing something else.

What a coincidence that I happened to open up this thread today. Since my grandparents-in-law are no longer living in the Hill Country and are now in an assisted-living facility in DC, I no longer get jar upon jar of pickled okra from them. It's a sad state of affairs, that led to my purchasing a jar Talk o' Texas spicy pickled okra when I was down there last weekend. Haven't opened it yet, though. I hope it's nearly as good as what I remember pickled okra being.

My general rule about pizza in Philadelphia is that Greek = bad. God knows I love Greek food but Greek pizza--which is almost every place in Fairmount and many in Center City as well--is just what you describe. Re the cooking, I agree with the others about draining the ricotta well before using it.

I definitely will, one of these days. I wish I had known about it when we spent a long weekend up in Starlight a couple of years ago.

Dude. That is fucking awesome. Ha! It sure is.

No no, don't get the wrong impression--I'm totally not criticizing something I've never had. But Rich said: And as someone else on here said, I trust Rich's taste when it comes to things pizza. I'm just sayin, is all. Totally not busting on it. I'ma get up there one of these days.

One should not opine if one has never been to Old Forge. The thing that's intriguing (and I'll admit, a little weird) to me about this is the american cheese thing. But OTOH I prefer american on my cheesesteaks, and when I was a kid I liked cheddar on my pizza, so...

Old Forge is a small town just south and west of Scranton, PA, Jim. Ah ha, that would explain it. I've only been up in that part of the state a few times.

I don't even know where Old Forge is, and I know some good pizza. What does that say about Old Forge? Or what does it say about me?

Don't forget Goodnoe's in Newtown! Their food is crappy but the ice cream--specifically the peanut butter ripple--is what I was brought up on. Awwwww yeah, Goodnoes....

Don't forget the kokoretsi, the highlight of any greek spit-roasted lamb. (I just found that recipe randomly; I'm not sure how accurate it is--but if you're feeling courageous you can of course make your casings from the lamb intestines yourself...)

I haven't had it at Buon Appetito, but I'm pretty convinced that escarole/meatball soup is pretty much one of the few perfect foods in the world. Edited to say that also it's just about the only other thing I'll order at Marra's besides pizza.

Salsify is a root vegetable, sometimes called oyster plant for its flavor, which is kind of oyster-like. It's really an excellent vegetable, with a unique flavor that goes well in soups, in pot pies, or on its own. I love it.

Thanks for the thoughts via the group and by email so far--keep 'em coming! I'm forwarding them to him as they come in...

If that picture and your descriptiongs are any indication, the little tiny dried anchovies like the ikan bilis you're talking about can also be found in Japanese and Korean stores--in Japanese they're called chirimen, and in Korean they're called myulchi. These are around an inch long--I have a bag of them in my freezer right now. A couple of teaspoons of them sauteed crisp in sesame oil with some hot pepper, used to wilt a watercress salad, is a beautiful thing.

A friend of mine asked me for help since he thinks I know things, and I told him I'd ask around. Here is the basic info from his email to me: I'm not even sure where to start to tell him to look, but I'm trying to be helpful, since he's trying to plan this from up in Massachusetts. Any thoughts on where to begin? Is his price range reasonable? I would think $20+ a head would be OK for just apps, but then again I haven't dealt with this sort of thing recently. Then I was thinking well, what are appetizers, really? You could get a bunch of trays from DiBruno's, say, for that kind of money, and feed everyone really well. Then I was thinking, well, hey, most of those ethnic restaurants offer catering--you could do malaysian or mexican or something for that kind of money... you can see I'm kinda all over the place here. You can PM me if you'd rather not post for whatever reason.

If he is, I'd be willing to bet a substantial amount of money that he's not one of those people who posts pictures of dishes he's made or had.

Maybe it wasn't rinsed right? That would make it extremely bitter, which could lead to hating it. Other than that, it seems too innocuous to prompt such a strong reaction...