stellabella

plotnicki-- actually i disagree--i can't even remember who started this thread, but whoever it was, s/he said, Hey, a nice little piece from Miss Naughty Posh or whatever it is you call her and sure enough, not YOU, but others chimed in to say, Ech, she's just another ding-dong with huge tatties. not that i'm chastizing--this is egullet, after all but at times many of you seem like a schoolyard of unruly schoolboys in dire need of a spanking, and i'm just the one to deliver it

every feels like the first time

KK-- Very few posts here. I share your passion. I love the food and I love the culture equally--my husband and I travel in Central and South America every year. My great sadness is the health risk involved. My husband just found out he contracted malaria in the Amazon last year. Not that it's a food-borne illness....but nonetheless. The great thing about moles is that cooked meat dishes are almost always safe. Similar to mole is the Guatamalan special stew bowl called pipian or pepian--pumpkin seeds and chocolate in this too, but the broth is thin while a mole tends to be more gravy-textured. I still think the fresh tortilla is one of the most delightful foods on earth--hell, civilizations were built on it. Hasta luego.

i want to add, lest i offend anyone--i am generalizing about tipping patterns--i waited tables in several places for more than several years, and there are always exceptions to every rule, but in general servers don't get bonuses on added-in tips, and also let it be known that getting cadillaced is pretty rare.

basildog: being "cadillaced" is exactly what the boat man explains in his original post--it means being tipped again on top of an added- in service charge. it's always unintended, it's always a hoodwink, and it's always an excuse for the lucky server to buy rounds of manhattans for the other servers at the bar across the street after the shift ends. it's the oldest trick in the waitering book--anyone who has waited tables should know about it. i am with you, mamster--tho my waitering days are over, i always hated added service charges--there's some idea, i guess, among management and maybe even waitstaff that forcing a customer to tip is to the servers advantage. IMO and experience, an automatic added 18% tip simply guarantees you won't get 20%. why? i can't tell you. it just works that way--maybe because people are too drunk or full or stupid to think about throwing down a few more clams. if i had to go back to slinging hash, i'd want to work under mamster's management--if i can't avergae 18-20% in tips a night on my own, then lawdy, i need to find me another job. and now, a moment of truth. i wasn't going to admit this, for fear it would damage my credibility, but i have since realized that i never had any anyway. I AM ROBIN BYRD.

years ago i was in a doctor's office waiting room flipping through a women's weekly when i read a little article about how martha stewart is single-handedly destroying the "art" of entertaining friends at home by insisting that it must always be artFUL. in my little town, during the summer months especially, my husband and i are always eating meals with our neighbors, whether in our kitchen or theirs [we don't even have a dining room--we just have a 24-ft long kitchen--HA--that's one of the bonuses of living in the KUNTRY]. or on the deck. did i mention my screened-in deck? oh, but back to the article--the author of said article insists that we have to get over our phobiae of entertaining, our fear that everything has to be perfect and elaborate and from-scratch in order for it to be friend-worthy. the essential purpose of all our entertaining is being with our friends. my hub & i, sometimes we go to lots of trouble--sometimes we just stoke the weber grill. this thread started out as praise for nigella lawson's article and has devolved into more nigella-bashing, and i have noticed, from a carefully controlled scientific observation of the posts to this thread, that the men are doing more bashing than the women, that there's something too gorgeous and "posh" and media-hyped about her to ever take her seriously. today at my little summer job scooping ice cream and making snocones, one little boy asked me what the grape flavor tasted like. "Why, grape," I replied, "It's true to it's name, as are all the other flavors." his friend said, smugly, "Yeah, all except the Tiger Blood and Bug Juice--they don't taste like the real thing!" I curled my brow in this way i have--it slays kids, every time--and said, smoothly, a hint of chill in my voice, "And how would you KNOW?"

I'm with YOU, M. I don't know the other food writers of whom ya'll speak--since I only happen to see a paper occasionally. Personally I thought the best bit about the story was the I'm-serving-a-superb-cut-of-meat-with-canned-peas-and-my-story-is-on-the-cover-of-the-Tim es-ha. Andy, tho I love you and know we'll always be bound by our mutual affection for KKChunkys, I have to admit that I am one of the incometent lazies of whom you speak. I have never reduced a sauce, much less cooked a cut of meat. I've made chocolate mousse and serve a pan of mac&cheese that brings my guests to their knees. I bake beautiful loaves of bread and I get to cook with my own home-grown, canned organic tomatoes in dead o'winter. I also like to write about myself. But I am totally incompetent in the kitchen compared to many of the really accomplished cooks and chefs who post here and read the Times. So what? Nigella is a celebrity. Of course she is. And her story was edited [let us not forget]. But it was very entertaining. She's good to look at. She likes real food, even if she takes short-cuts, which my guess is that MANY of us here do as well. And ya know, I like to be able to read about something I can personally relate to now & then, rather than something to which I can only aspire. S'nice.

oh, and tommy, i have two words for you [after my very recent visit to NYC]: Robin Byrd oh, i'm sorry, i just TOTALLy changed the topic. I meant to say: Nigella Lawson

i am trying to read through all the responses, but i am going to have to finish them later. here's the deal: YOUR WAITER GOT "CADILLACED" My veteran waitress sister and i recently found out thatathe servers in our favorite athens restaurant had been getting cadillaced by us for months--we were embarassed and pissed but, as two people who know the business, we mostly felt foolish. i know this is frustrating, but the menu stated the restaurant's policy of adding the grautity--and so their asses are probably covered. you should read your bills. carefully. this happens all the time--it happened ALL THE TIME back when i was a waitress. waiters love it, trust me. is it unscrupulous, dishonest? yes. is it the management's fault? no. NEVER assume that servers are a reflection of the management--they ARE NOT--they are working for tips, and managers are sometimes like slave drivers cracking whips--there's very high turn-over among waitstaff at all but the very best restaurants.--i firmly believe that if the manager finds out a server has gotten cadillaced and that the server had hoodwinked the customer, the manger would fire him/her on the spot--managers are NEVER in cahoots with servers over this sort of thing. it sounds like it all worked out in the end--you got your money back. be more careful in future--everyone. READ YOUR BILLS.

i read the Times food section in the newark airport this morning and was hoping someone would have something positive to say about her. i glanced thru her cookbooks a while back and didn't find them interesting enough to buy--but that doesn't mean they aren't interesting or useful--i just don't have room on my shelf for anything less than an i'll-ALWAYS-consult-this-one. that said, i love the way she writes--and soba addict--i loved the bit about child labor and making her grammar-school aged kids snip the ends off string beans. she can't help it that she's beautiful--occasionally people are both nice-looking and smart, and we shouldn't doubt thier credibility as a result of their outward appearance. i think she's got it going on--and i think she's perhaps a better food writer than cookbook writer--i'd love just to read accounts of her dinner parties.

this most recent batch i made [two days ago] is about as hard as it's going to get--and when i cut a piece away it sort of mushes together, so that i end up with "burphi balls" i would prefer a little more firmness--i like something i can hold between thumb & index finger and nibble on--i am a real texture person. your suggestion to add crushed nuts to the burphi sounds grand. what can i say? since i first learned this dessert i have been craving it--it is the cardamom, in large part--it is a deeply satisfying sweet, rich wholesome food. on the other hand--this morning before my yoga session, my teacher offered me a piece of carrot & almond burphi from a shop in Atlanta--it made me think of steven shaw's original post about desserts. it contained orange food coloring--no carrot at all. and the idea of carrot in dessert is problematic for me--one of the few foods i cannot stand is sweetened carrots, carrot juice, etc. anyway, this was a too-sweet, gummy shadow of the delicious burphi i can make myself. what about the silver patina? j. told me it can be eaten--it is considered healthful...?

foods of india is in the neighborhood of my sisters' new co-op--she's moving next month--she told me that her neighborhood is near two indian areas, one called "little india" and the other called "curry hill"--she said there's not a whole lot food-wise there--just lots of residences, but i suspect upon deeper scrutiny i'll find more than she has yet. i will report back.

the burphi tastes delicious but is a little soft--it's obviously one of those recipes which will be hit or miss-- will keep working on it. thanks for the rice advice.

friday night i made pakoras with onion, potato, zucchini and yellow crookneck squash, all chopped fine. the pakoras held together pretty well as i fried them but some fell apart. do you recommend grating vegs for pakoras? or simply adding more besan to the batter? i also made saag [with spinach] and spiced basmati rice. my rice made me very sad--i used my rice cooker and followed the recipe calling for 2 c rinsed basmati and 3 1/2 c water. the rice was very clumpy and wet and sticky. why am i not able to make rice that is firm but tender, and not clumpy? your advice?

my burphi recipe is 1/2 c ghee 1 c gram flour 1 T soji 1 c sugar [i use a little less] 1 t ground cardamom [i use a little more] crushed or sliced almonds or pistachios for the top i heat the ghee slowly and add the flours and then sugar, but once i add the flours they immediately clump. i made my recipe again today and added some whole milk instead of water--about 1/4 c, just to get the clumps out and make it smooth enough to spread in the pan.

i'm coming to nyc on friday for a few days and was asking my sister about places to eat indian, as well as indian groceries. where is jackson heights exactly? i'll check it out and get back to you. thanks!

i am a novice here, but so far indian sweets are knocking my socks off. i learned besan burphi at my first cooking class and have since made it at home three times--i love the slightly grainy texture and the dense creaminess of it--and because i make it i control the amount of sugar that goes in--i add ground cardamom seed with a heavy hand and prefer crushed pistachio for the topping, with a bit more cardamom in the nuts. it is the intense aromatic flavor of the spices that wins me. second class i learned khir. my teacher, usha, uses vermicelli in her recipes and large golden raisins. this was a very MILDLY sweetened rice pudding, again the overriding scent of cardamom in warm cooked milk being the key attraction. steven, i posted on the general board about my love of mango and sweet sticky rice. coconut milk rocks my world, but some of the most talented and accomplished cooks and food-ologists i know LOATHE all things coconut. you love it or hate it. i find some asian desserts odd, too, but many of them i really love, especially as a follow-up to a well-spiced, well-prepared asian meal. fried banana? yech. burphi? mmmmm......

adam, almost every quick bread i make calls for a spoonful of sugar--and, you know, i have no idea why. i personally don't like sweet cornbread and in some recipes you can really taste the sugar--i make it savory myself, and when i'm feeling really frisky i add some minced roasted hot peppers and a little grated cheese. sunday evening for our mothers' day brunch [we ended up eating a littel late due to the, ahem, mimosas] we ate buttermilk biscuits and baked ham--not exactly the best way to do Hm Biscuit [fried salt-cured is my favorite], but we stuffed our faces. no scrapple? for crying out loud. next time you come you'll have to find a church or kiwanis breakfast. or call me. i'll get you some scrapple. and, adam, DON"T try to make it.

knews9--BRILLIANT i, too, am a plate cleaner, and not too long ago in a restaurant on my husband's b-day i LICKED my plate--he nearly beat me senseless but the sauce was SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good you're so right--the more you enjoy and experience food the easier it becomes to say, this is great, BUT i don't have to make myself silly-sick on it

if you can grow tomatoes in pots, you can probably also do an eggplant [aubergine?]? i'm thinking also that if you've got enough warmth and sunshine for tomatoes you can also do peppers--a nice mild-to-hot variety, from anaheim to mirasol. your london climate is great for almost any herb--they like lots of sun but they also like LOTS of rain. sage? oregano? chives?

cherry tomatoes too much trouble to pick? i've grown to think of them as garden sustenance--my husband and i just stand at the plant and eat off it for refreshment while we're stripping our other plants--yellow pears are my favorite, too liza, it sounds like you've got a good deal going on. as for me, i want a balance between eating/slicing tomatoes and canning/sauce tomatoes. we plant at least half romas--depends on your space? my largest tomato garden was 68 plants--a more managable average is around 35. this number guarantees me at least three good cannings. when i do a canning, i can everything, but the romas are so much easier to work with--require less surgery. my husband is the seed man--he starts all his tomatoes from seed in february. we've had some luck with yellow-fleshed heirlooms, but havne't gotten too exotic or esoteric. georgia's summers have been so hot and dry the last four years we've just been going for hardy and easy-to-grow. many of our fruits have ended up with sun damage.

a chocolate & cardamom combo sounds very appealing to me what about adding a dash of feshly ground cardamom to coffee as it is brewing? mmmmmm..... i did not realize there were varieties. ai. the cardamom seeds i have are brown and look like mouse droppings. and i shopped at atalanta's largest indian grocery. next time in i will inquire about different types.

suvir saran i don't know why i haven't gravitated to the india board before now i took my first indian cooking class a month ago. my friend and i are making a habit of trying the dishes we learn in class together at home. we have made kichadi, kadhi, besan burphi, pakoras, saag, stuffed parathas, and regular parathas. each morning this week i have made myself a pot of black tea with the cooking teacher's own masala--i add whole milk & ground cardamom and bring it to a boil, pour through a strainer--what a way to start the day. a couple days ago i made a pan of besan burphi for my husband and me--i used a generous amount of ground pistachio for the top. it got so thick in the skillet i added water and therefore it never set up right--so we had to eat it with a spoon, but it was delicious. any tips for me on how to get it smooth and creamy enough to pour but not so smooth that it won't set up nicely?--i like to be able to slice it into squares. as my indian cooking becomes more adventurous and successful i'll be keeping you posted--and i will probably be asking for advice

is it possible to make mango and sweet sticky rice WITHOUT a steamer? how? we buy mangoes at the atlanta dekalb farmer's market--they all come up from mexico and sometimes they're good, sometimes they're not, but they're never as good as they are in mexico

mal, back in the day i caught an episode of oprah during her second round of wieght loss--she was insisting to her audience that once you make the lifestyle changes completely, you not only lose some of the cravings, but certain overly sweet fatty foods become DISTASTEFUL--she gave the example of gagging on a sandwich made with buttered bread. somehow i doubt you and i could ever gag on a slice of buttered bread BUT i do agree with her [and YOU] that healthful eating tastes great. do you--does anyone else agree--i can't speak from my own experiences here as i have never been a meat & potatoes person--that jaybee's cravings will decrease as she becomes more active, or is it necessary to actually go through some period of withdrawal? i have experienced withdrawal only once--when i quit coffee. it was terrible. perhaps not as severe as kicking heroin :confused: , for example, but pretty bad. i mean i really struggled for about a month--the smell of my husband's coffee made me wild. but then after about three months my cravings were gone. i found that what i really wanted was a hot morning bev and a little caffeine, and tea was a great replacement. one final thought, jaybee--walking. do you live in a place where you can take pleasant walks? start walking 30-45 minutes 3-4 times a week--not fast but brisk, steady pace--and you'll see some pounds slip off WITHOUT any dietary changes.