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mrbigjas

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Everything posted by mrbigjas

  1. any of you know why this stuff is called ncapriata? etymologically speaking, i mean?
  2. well they WERE small. and i actually did leave out one aspect of things because i didn't think it would matter that much: they did sit around for a few hours before cooking, because i still haven't worked out how to have a kid and make dinners like that at the same time. i'm thinking the 'marination' time might have infused the meat with garlic flavor--however, the reason i didn't mention it is that i've rubbed meat with garlic and let it stand longer than a couple hours--even overnight--before, and it's cooked up just fine. i just didn't realize that cooking would leave them raw tasting. well, whatever. good thing i like garlic.
  3. excellent, thanks. looking forward to this one.
  4. kevin or anyone else who's made this, i have two questions: 1. is it served hot, traditionally, or room temp? 2. about how long does it take? i have dried favas at home but i've only ever soaked them overnight and used them to make falafel. so i'd need to plan for dinner but have no idea how long they'd take to cook to mush.
  5. ok so you know how garlic can burn very quickly in hot oil, but it takes a good hour to mellow if you're roasting it? by which i mean, to take the super garlicky edge off, direct heat works much more quickly than indirect. this was brought to mind when i made involtini calabrese the other day. i had a few pieces of fresh pork left over from another meal, so i pounded them thin and followed several recipes from the internets: pecorino, chopped garlic, parsley, salt and black pepper. i didn't can them in lard, though, i browned them and then braised them for about an hour in a tomato sauce, which i served separately over bucatini. so when we ate them, they were super garlicky. and i didn't use a lot -- just one large clove for about five small involtini. i mean, they tasted good, but they were... WOO. (the sauce ruled, though. i think there's really something to be said for browning meat and getting those brown bits into your tomato sauce. it's the basis of all sunday gravy in the US, and is a thing of beauty.) so my question is: are these things supposed to be intensely garlicky? i mean, they struck me as way stronger than anything i've made from any italian region so far. should i have cooked them longer? the reason for my intro paragraph is that since the garlic is rolled into the meat, it doesn't get any direct heat, and that's obviously the reason they were so strongly flavored. but i'm not sure how you'd avoid that except by even longer cooking.
  6. there's a vietnamese restaurant right down on the main drag on the canadian side. it seemed to be the best non-tourist-trappy restaurant the night we were there last summer.... but it was closed on wednesday and after misjudging distances on a map and slogging like two miles uphill we ended up at outback. i swear i've never been so happy to have a giant ice cold beer. the crappy steak i could have done without. anyway if i went there again i'd check out the vietnamese place, as long as it wasn't a wednesday.
  7. oo, we had barbouni at a wedding we went to on paros many years ago. kinda like a red mullet, aren't they? like this?
  8. bummer, i'm headed over there wednesday (got a gift certificate and it's my birthday). that sure would make it cheaper.
  9. finally! took you guys long enough to post. man i'm hungry all over again, and i just had szechuan tasty house for lunch.
  10. don't worry, the parties continue on long after the official month is over.
  11. has anyone had the burger at brasserie perrier lately? i used to love it but haven't been back in probably a year. i recommended it to a coworker of mine who went and said it was terrible--greasy, mushy, not flavorful... that would be too bad if it's gone downhill; it was one of the better big fancy burgers in town.
  12. cooper river king salmon? it may be local, but i don't know that it would actually be salmon....
  13. someday i'm gonna get down to that part of italy and see how spicy things really are. i mean, i'm no chili-head, but most everything i've had in europe that promises to be spicy isn't all that hot. like those peppers in spain (pimientos al padron), where they say every 10th one or so is hot? i ate plate after plate of them and never got more than a hint of heat. amatriciana, arrabiatta, puttanesca -- i had all of the usual pasta sauces i'd heard of when i was in rome about six years ago, and none were what i would consider hot. i know a lot more about regional italian food now than i did then. but still, when following recipes i rarely end up with dishes that are actually hot. i'm suddenly having a sense of deja vu -- i think i've posted about this before.
  14. foodman, you read my mind. i was paging through the ada boni book just the other day and that recipe jumped out at me. unfortunately i couldn't make it then, and now the month is over. well screw it, i'm extending this month into june, just to make that pie.
  15. no, it's really closer to farro. like, imagine farro, but it never really swells as much or gets as soft. it tastes similar, but has a chewier texture.
  16. well, either that or everyone recognizes him for what he is and treats him like a king when he shows up.
  17. well, rita's is now owned by a pittsburgh company, so... yeah, well, anyway. i'm always disappointed by john's too, and yet i still get one every time i walk by. what is wrong with me? the worst water ice flavor, at any establishment: blueberry. if only someone would make some at the height of blueberry season it might be ok. it usually tastes like blueberry seeds though. bleah. p.s. i lied about last night being my first of the season. i forgot that i got a mango from dude sitting outside with a cooler at 15th & south last week. but that was just philadelphia water ice co. product. it did the trick, but wasn't italiano's. btw, the mango seemed a lot sweeter this year than i remember it from years past. not as mango-ey. i'll have to reinvestigate.
  18. i agree! let's have it at your house!
  19. i do know how to bump up old topics, oh yes i do. last night i biked down to the baseball game for the first time ever. from my house it is indeed the fastest way of getting there -- only takes about 20 minutes. and biking provides the opportunity for my first water ice of the season: a pre-game mango at italiano's, 11th & shunk. also a pretzel. and a bottle of water for less than half the price you pay in the park. i also recommend the italian coffee gelati, with amaretto water ice and vanilla ice cream. or something like that. fantastic. it's that water ice time of year again!
  20. as a relatively small eater, i also appreciate the correct ratios over larger portion sizes. it's the reason why i love the pizza at osteria. the hoagies at carmen's in the terminal are also appropriately portioned rather than large. however, john's cheesesteak is nearly perfect. AND large.
  21. Yes, I'm always serving my cats quail eggs. (They're so picky! Like Morris, they are...) ← well it was more the tartare in the ring mold that was the issue, i have to admit. i was there with a bunch of people and i was the only one that would eat it. their loss, the suckas.
  22. nearly two years ago london had steak tartare on their bar menu, and it was really good. the only unfortunate thing was that they served it traditionally, formed in a ring mold with a quail egg yolk on top, and it bore a striking resemblance to cat food. anyway, i don't know if they still have it, but i really enjoyed it.
  23. ochs will, i've asked them to grind it for me there before. actually i suspect any of the butchers in the terminal would.
  24. having spent, oh, probably slightly over 3000 evenings at tangier over a long span of time starting in 1993 and going till relatively recently, i can say a couple of things about the cook, quang (kwang? quong? i've never asked him to spell it)'s food: 1. their burger is solid. esp when he has the onion rolls they used to serve it on. 2. their wings kick ass. get them well done if you want them a little crisper. if you hang out and get to know him a little bit, he'll cook up special half orders of only drumsticks or forearms for you. 3. the chicken sandwich is usually OK too.
  25. i'm not seeking nefarious intent! i'm just busting rich's stones. just like i like to tease phil about snackbar, or sandy for comparing everything to kansas city. good-natured ribbing is all too rare on eG these days. man it's frightening how many of those burgers i've had.
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