ProfessionalHobbit

thanks rotuts <3

I had a craving for meatballs; I've made this recipe so many times, it's almost second nature 1 1/3 cups breadcrumbs 1/4 cup milk 14 oz. ground beef 14 oz. ground pork (if you don't have ground pork, you can substitute sweet Italian sausage meat) 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1 egg grated nutmeg 3 tbsp. finely chopped Italian parsley and mint salt freshly ground black pepper Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a pair of cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and milk. Soak crumbs for 10 minutes. In a larger bowl, combine beef, pork, cheese, egg, nutmeg, herbs and breadcrumbs. Mix together all ingredients, then season with salt and pepper. Shape into balls with either your hands or with a teaspoon and arrange on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes in a 425 F oven, turning the balls once at the halfway point. Remove cookie sheets from oven. Set aside. In the past, I'd resort to frying them in olive oil. You can do that if you like, but I prefer baking the meatballs. Less mess, plus the balls are lighter and aren't as oily-tasting. For the tomato sauce: 2-3 tbsp. olive oil 1 crushed garlic clove 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes 2 bay leaves Next, in a Dutch oven or other large pot, warm olive oil along with a crushed garlic clove. Fry garlic on low heat or until the oil becomes fragrant. Once that occurs, add crushed tomatoes. Fill the can about 1/3 with water and add that to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 15 minutes. Add the meatballs and partly cover. Braise the meatballs in the sauce for 20-25 minutes. These are fine as is, or you can serve them with pasta, bread or mashed potatoes. Meatballs with tomato sauce These were topped with fistfuls of grated cheese and herbs. This recipe makes about 40 meatballs and is sized for up to 8 people.

Just your typical Sunday brunch at Casa Hobbit In a mortar and pestle, pound 1 garlic clove, a pinch of salt and 3-4 anchovy fillets to a paste. Transfer to a glass measuring cup and whisk in juice of half a Meyer lemon and 9 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil. Trim a head of cauliflower. Boil cauliflower in a pot of salted water or until the tines of a fork easily pierces cauliflower. Lift out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. In the same pot you cooked the cauliflower, boil 3 eggs, then peel and quarter when done. Chop or break up cauliflower into smaller florets, then combine with olives in a small bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Spoon atop salad plates, arrange egg on top, then spoon dressing over. Grind more black pepper if desired. Insalata di cavolfiore e uova sode ("cauliflower and hard-cooked egg salad") Buongiorno!

Clockwise from foreground bottom left: 1 rosemary sprig, 4 crushed garlic cloves, pinch red pepper flakes, zest from 1 Meyer lemon, 6 anchovy fillets, juice of half a Meyer lemon Clockwise from foreground, right: 1 package chicken legs, 1 diced turnip, 1 cup (250 ml) white wine, 2 sliced carrots, 4 sliced celery stalks, 1 diced large potato, 1 package chicken thighs Not shown is 4 tbsp. olive oil. Warm olive oil in a Dutch oven, then brown chicken on all sides. You can't rush this step because if you do, the color will wash out in the braise. When chicken is browned, remove to a plate. I could've probably let it brown for 10 more minutes but B was starting to get antsy about dinner. Pour off most of the oil leaving about 2 tbsp. in the pot. Reduce heat to low and add the garlic and anchovy to the pot. Fry on low heat or until anchovy disintegrates. Add rosemary, chile flakes, lemon zest, a pinch of salt and a grind or two of black pepper. Leave the sprig whole for a gentle flavor or chopped up for a stronger flavor. Add the vegetables and toss until all are coated with the flavored oil. Return chicken to pot, then pour white wine over. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, partly cover and braise for 1 hour. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the lemon juice. Stir a few times. Remove chicken to a plate. Increase heat to high and reduce sauce until a few tablespoons are left. Ladle vegetables and sauce over chicken. Braised chicken and root vegetables with anchovy, rosemary and Meyer lemon Pomelo for dessert

I have this book but haven't made much from it. Might join in once we move past the winter season here in CA.

Rigatoni with sausage and broccoli. It's a rare weekday dinner cooked by me - moreso since I started around 11 pm Pacific. The sauce was pretty minimalist: lard, sweet Italian sausage, broccoli, salt, black pepper, white wine, pasta cooking water. Dusted with pecorino cheese and more pepper. Buona notte!

Nope, but I'm sure it's sold at Asian markets all throughout the City. Speaking of which (this is OT), I'm starting to get into Chinese cooking. I will start a thread on that soon or join an existing one. Anyway, B bought a non-stick wok for me at this store for $20 that was made in Korea. I thanked him and told him I'd probably use it for steaming, and that we should probably visit the Wok Shop instead to get the real deal.

Today was a combination work lunch/birthday party for me and one other person at Yank Sing (Rincon Center branch) here in San Francisco. I managed to use chopsticks acceptably (i.e., I didn't make a fool of myself and I didn't commit any egregious chopstick etiquette errors) although I had to resort to the use of a fork towards the end. This is significant because even though I knew how to use them when I was a kid growing up in the Philippines, I lost most of my knowledge when I moved to the U.S. back in 1975. BBQ pork buns Soup dumplings, served with shredded ginger and spicy red vinegar Chicken stuffed mushrooms Turnip cake Spare ribs with sesame seeds Shrimp dumplings Mushroom dumplings Pea shoot dumplings Sea bass, steamed with rice wine and soy Pork and shrimp dumplings Fried shrimp Chicken feet, served with a sweet and spicy glaze A lawyer who's from Beijing remarked that she thought the prevalence of fried food just didn't compare to dim sum she was used to back home, which I thought interesting. String beans with dried shrimp and XO sauce Egg custard tarts Orange slices filled with orange gelatin Not shown: flat shrimp dumplings; pork potstickers; shredded red cabbage and walnut salad; fried spring rolls; sesame balls filled with sweetened black bean paste;; hot-and-sour soup; stuffed crab claws.

It's a seasonal thing apparently and I get it whenever they have it available. We also don't get to Woodhouse often enough; must correct that soon.

We went to a local place that does seafood well. Fried clam bellies with tartar sauce and cocktail sauce Iceberg wedge with blue cheese dressing Steamed clams with garlic, white wine, lemon and parsley Pappardelle with prawns and black truffle butter Total bill came to $50 per person. Woodhouse Fish Company 2073 Market Street (14th Street) The Castro San Francisco

For lunch yesterday, we went to a diner in Daly City. It looks like a repurposed Howard Johnson's... This part of the restaurant was a lounge set off from the main dining area and had one saving grace - no kids! I had: a burger (medium-rare, with lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup), pickle and fries on the side, coleslaw and a chocolate shake. Coleslaw was pretty good. I haven't had good luck finding places that serve acceptable versions so when I do eat at a place that does, it's a cause for celebration. Would definitely return too.

Thanks Shel. It's B's recipe: 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg; 2 tsp. salt; 1 cup matzo meal; 4 tbsp. schmaltz; slightly over 1 tbsp. minced Italian parsley; 4 egg yolks; 4 egg whites, beaten until stiff Combine the egg yolks with the schmaltz. Beat together until light. Add the salt, nutmeg and parsley. Fold in the egg whites. Add the matzo meal a few tablespoons at a time. If the mixture seems too dry, moisten with hot water. We ended up not using any water by the way. Refrigerate for one hour or more. Then, when you're ready, shape the balls with a spoon and cook in broth. Balls are cooked when they float to the top. Lift out with a slotted spoon and store in water or broth until ready for use. That recipe above makes 25-30 matzo balls. I like them golf-ball sized or smaller instead of the larger sizes like this one. The ball is about 2/3 the size of a coffee mug.

B tells me that Lactaid makes a cream so ice cream has now moved to being a definite possibility. TY for all the other tips!

It has to be a flavor that will satisfy four people, one of whom doesn't care for coconut. We would very likely use something from the farmers' market. It's a month away so there's time. We're leaning towards sorbet or granita since the amount of effort is comparatively less than for a frozen dessert that uses dairy substitutes. Thanks in advance for the suggestions.

Here are pix for the muhallabieh (pages 274-275): A note of caution - the mixture thickens very quickly; attention to detail is key. The pic in the book looks enticing but having made it, I wasn't as much of a fan as I thought I would have been. Texture is similar to Jello chocolate pudding and a faint milky taste. In retrospect, I could have been eating milk-flavored library paste, it was that boring. We have about 4-5 tbsp. of bay syrup in the fridge that'll get spooned over some Oroblanco grapefruit salad this weekend. THAT part will get made again.

tonight (Friday) - I'll finish the rest perhaps tonight but I doubt it. palate fatigue has set in at this point. tomorrow is a full day of activities as we're headed to San Jose to watch the men's ice skating long program which will determine who gets to go to the Olympics in South Korea; Saturday dinner is TBD but it looks like it will be dinner out any remaining oxtails will be for Sunday breakfast to be continued...

for dinner last night - leftover oxtails - three pieces two clementines I would've eaten more but I fell asleep B has just started his "diet of steam" so I will have to drastically reduce my cooking to accommodate his preferences as he attempts to lose 40+ lbs. Actually, what will happen is - I'll cook for myself and he'll limit his daily food intake to something south of 1,000 calories/day. As for me, I really despise leftovers. I hadn't counted on eating the remaining oxtails by myself, and tossing them is wasteful. I'll take the rest and convert it to hash for Sunday morning breakfast.

How about Lactaid? Will that work?

Thanks Lisa!

There was also this: Brandied butternut squash pie Recipe for those who are curious: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015413-brandied-pumpkin-pie substituting one 3 lb. butternut squash for the pumpkin called for in that recipe. Next time, I will remember to crimp the pie edges more often. I had forgotten that dough shrinks when baked. And I probably went hog wild too much pricking the bottom of the pie crust but not the sides. I also clearly need lessons in fluting. Good first effort though. Folks raved about it so I must have done something right.

@Baron d'Apcher - j'adore the ballotine. We had a non-traditional menu, and the sides were Caramelized sweet potatoes cooked with orange juice and ginger Roasted potatoes with rosemary oil (olive oil whizzed with fresh rosemary and chopped garlic) Beet greens with slow-cooked onion, anchovy and raisins

I was gifted an ice cream machine for my birthday which has been on my "to-get" list for a long time but I hadn't ever followed up on my desire until I let that idea be known to a little bunny. Looking forward to using that when the in-laws come for a visit next month. We're thinking either sorbet or granita since someone is lactose intolerant. PS. My birthday is on 12/25, so slightly OT, I suppose. But not by much.

That's a great idea and I'll be sure to do that whenever I decide to make matzo balls again since we almost always have a tub of duck fat lying around. This time, though, I used schmaltz. That's the dish of golden liquid next to the bowl of matzo meal in the first pic.

*casts thread necromancy spell* I made my first batch of matzo balls in 2017. The balls were slightly smaller than a golf ball. They were just right too. Not bad for a goy. Bonus pic - the feet went into a batch of chicken broth. Chicken soup with matzo balls.

No experience, but I have seen recipes for using purified and/or distilled water like this one from "Crave" by Ludo Lefevbre.