Margaret Pilgrim

This clever method for making caccio e pepe pizza is worth a whirl.

Bucatini all' Amatriciana

More kitchen art. Thanks!

I have veered toward dry brines. ImHO, i'm looking for seasoning and tenderizing derived from salt and herbs rather than alcohol. Just my take.

Anna, thanks much for introducing me/us to LCBO. A super recipe/menu resource.

Be still, my heart!

Absolutely not. She worked her alchemy while I was in school. I only remember the stench on arriving home, and my refusal to eat it. It smelled and tasted "cheexy" in a way that was not pleasant to a, say, 8 year old.

What kind of fagioli?

One evening, four brothers chatted together after dinner. They discussed the 95th birthday gifts they were able to give their elderly mother. The first said, "You know I had a big house built for Mama." The second said, "And I had a large theater built in the house." The third said, "And I had my Mercedes dealer deliver an SL600 to her." The fourth said, "You know how Mama loved reading the Bible and you know she can't read anymore because she can't see very well I bought her a parrot who could recite the entire Bible. It took ten preachers over 8 years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute $50,000 a year for five years to the church, but it was worth it. Mama only has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot will recite it." The other brothers were impressed. After the birthday celebration Mama sent out her "Thank You" notes. She wrote: "Milton, the house you built is so huge that I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house. Thanks anyway.” "Marvin, I am too old to travel. I stay home. I have my groceries delivered, so I never use the Mercedes. The thought was good. Thanks anyway.” "Michael, you gave me an expensive theater that can hold 50 people, but all of my friends are dead, I've lost my hearing, and I'm nearly blind. I'll never use it. Thank you for the gesture just the same." "Dearest Melvin, you were the only son to have the good sense to give a little thought to your gift. The chicken was delicious. Thank you so much." Love, Mama

eta, riced cauliflower is a pretty good way to fed it to people who hate cauliflower. With enough butter or curry sauce or gravy, whom cares?

We all probably have a version of the kitchen tool, the "ricer". It forces food through tiny holes, it "rices" them. To reice is a verb. Of course people are using cauliflower "rice" as a carb sub because it works that way,. But it is a sub. One would never think one is creating actual rice from cauliflower. Or would one...

I have had the same soft results following the directions on the Minute Tapioca box. Made it last month for the first time in many years. Next time, I will let the pudding simmer on minimum flame for a good five minutes. And also may incorporate the egg whole rather than separated. Or maybe add an eggyolk to the pudding and add the whipped whites at the end. This was the first time I'd made it in years, and I'd never had problems with consistency before This last batch was delicious but thin. Like most custards, the flavor depends totally on the quality vanilla you use.

What astonishes me is that some consumers are confused by the marketing term, thinking that it is actually rice made somehow from cauliflower.

(With the wide availability of jumbo tapioca, you can make veg flavored/colored balls to use in off-recipe ways. Kinda fun and unexpected. Like room temp beet balls with crab or shrimp or calamari in a lemon/garlic vinaigrette.)

Altho my mother was a thrifty cook, having survived the Depression and WWII deprivations, I can't remember her ever making chicken soup, from a carcass or from scratch. I don't ever remember eating it. My M-I-L, on the other hand, made fabulous chicken and noodles. Heard tales of my paternal grandmother making noodles for soup but not referencing chicken. While my chicken soup is good, I can't say that it is quintessential comfort food, altho our son thinks so.

I have to speak up. (Maybe Anna will join me?) But I am older than God. Have been cooking for some 60+ years so I've lived and cooked through a whole bunch of trends and gurus and false idols. When I cook, I look in my pantry and if needing inspiration I may Google those ingredient suspects to see if someone has an outlier way to use them. I skip the narrative, am totally put off by the verbiage that precedes the recipe, finally scan the recipe and then modify it to our stock and taste. I have no interest in the blogger's story or philosophy. Like Joe Friday, '"just the facts, ma'am". Don't waste my time.

FWIW and tangentially, I add crumbled nori to 18hour bread dough, great with a fish soup or stew. About 7gr to a 500gr flour loaf, + additional water to allow for nori's rehydration.

Me exactly. I cherry pick from sites so have no idea of editorial stance or input.

Pasta! eg cacio e pepe, carbonara He's probably been eating it for years and never knew it.

You are using plain nori sheets? Like for making sushi? Sounds right since the snacks can have many added flavors.

Quite right. We've basically come to dressing each salad from scratch in the bowl, well, green salads. Salt and pepper, a favorite EVOO, vinegar of the moment. At this moment we are enjoying Banyuls, a soft red.

In my experience, EVOOs are all over the board in flavor (grassy to fruity) and viscosity. You may well find differences in emulsifying abilities. If you want a "creamy", well emulsifies dressing, use an immersion blender. Or simply whisk it for an eternity.

Sunday NYT white beans au vin, essentially beefless beef stew with white beans. A splat of leftover mashed potatoes as additional sop. Divine.

I love all baby and teenage summer squash as well as haricot verte sized green beans. Also baby leeks.

The persimmons are “kakis” in French. And, yes, you leave them out at room temp until they are almost day-glo orange and somewhat translucent at which point you eat the insides with a spoon or use them in baking, cookies, quick bread ms or steamed pudding.