MobyP

I am wiv you, sister. We will go to the barricades, and nary a butternut will get past us before they agree our demands! Erm...what are our demands?

Finally, someone who understands me. Caw, and there I was, feeling good about myself.

What are these?

To return to the original post, these Niman Ranch short ribs were the best I ever found in the states, but they have since doubled the price - 45 dollars for 2-3 pounds!

Yes, "complete and utter" just about describes it. But look at all the happy faces on the children!

Moby, if ever interested in Austrian 'Gekochtes Rindfleisch' (boiled beef), here are the cuts to be known by the connoisseur. Thanks Boris A. Alas my German is not what it should be.

Is that the 'Wild Beef' stand under the bridge? I keep thinking this means cows with handle-bar moustaches, riding harley-davidsons over the moors...

Exactly. I usually roast the flesh first, and then run it through a tamis. This latter step is a relatively new one - but people really noticed the difference - the smoothness of the puree. I haven't tried a sweet potato, though.

Interstingly, I've found that in all of the butchers where I've a pain in the ass, they become invested in you as a customer, and more often than not are full of questions the next time you walk in. The simple truth is that most people have very little understanding of what they're asking for, and only half-an-idea of what to do with it when they get home (I have some understanding, and about three-quarters of an idea, so I'm slightly ahead). When I go in with questions about marbling, and collagen, and requesting advice, so far the response has been great.

I have been meaning to ask about this for some time -- what are short ribs called in England? There are no 'short ribs' in traditional English butchery, as there are in France and the US. Mostly the meat is used for chuck or mince. Some butchers call them flanken ribs. Others have tried to pass me off with the brisket. Mostly, it involves a lot of pointing and "um-ing" and "ah-ing" and negotiating where to cut. Someone showed me this page which I printed up, and has solved my bovine anatomical problems. Now I can point in peace.

Thanks for the help everyone. Mahaw Man - when I was in the states, I was asking everyone if they'd heard of teal - and no one had. I came back to London, and there are rows of them in borough market. Thanks for the link! That looks like a great recipe. I have a large tub of duck fat in the fridge, so I think a confit of the legs will allow me to give them a long time at a low heat. The bones I'll give the Keller quick sauce treatment. The breasts I'm a bit nervous about. I can't wait to see my wife's face if she takes a bite and it ends up tasting like herring. She's not the most adventurous eater as it is, but this will send us into couples therapy. On the side, some orange braised fennel, and chicory tarte tatins (both from Ramsey) and have a bigarades style sauce as Jack recommends. I've done it before, and found it slightly overwhelming - all of the sweetness and acidity. How do people moderate this? Or am I missing the point?

They seem to have headed more towards the pre-packaged/prepared meats and away from old style butchery, for my money. A shame. What about Kingsland, on Portobello Rd? That place looks great. I've bought a chicken from them, but nothing major. And I don't know about bones. Doves has helped me out a few times - but I was 'nominated' to them (like a club) by a regular, and they began slinging more veal bones my way than I could handle. You have to watch out for the grump though. He's got a big knife.

Given the veal thread, this seemed like a good time to consider the rosier cousin: Since returning to England a year ago, I've searched high and low for the best Scotch beef possible. I'd be very interested in the opinions of others: what gems are out there? It's been my closely held opinion that the 28-day aged beef here isn't quite at the same level as the top grade stuff found in the states (the reverse is true for pork btw). For instance, I've tracked down three different sources of Buccleugh beef (which I first read about here, and was told it was quite special). Although the texture is very fine, I've found the marbling to be rather absent - generally it's quite lean - and so the flavour (imo) tends towards the mineral rather than the serious beef flavours. The braising cuts have tended to dry out - again from lack of marbling and collagen. The Scotch beef from Moens, so far, has been for me the most successful. It is not buccleugh, I believe. The Doves beef was good, but again didn't have the final reach in taste. I admit I haven't fully explored all of the butchers at Borough. Am I going about this the wrong way? I know some swear by Scotch beef, but should I be looking elsewhere? The Jamie Oliver Sainsbury line (hey, desperate times), was actually better than I expected. I bought a few different cuts. But again, the texture was better than the taste. I've tried pre-salting - in the style of Keller/Rodgers - and I've salted the last minute. The jury's out as to which I prefer (I didn't notice a significant difference in loss of blood/liquids with pre-salting in the final rested product). Anyway - I'd be very happy if there are any serious meat heads out there who think they've found a winner.

They seem to have headed more towards the pre-packaged/prepared meats and away from old style butchery, for my money. A shame.

My two cents: my father has a fantastically big, and very deep sink, which completely messes with your back after a large clean up. You don't want to be bending down in an awkward position to be lifting heavy pots filled with water.

Apologies Adam. It's not that the balsamic stops it being sweet - as it is indeed supposed to be - but rather adds something to the background of the taste - the substance or heft mentioned in my original post - which for my taste buds makes the dish more successful. Pumpkin and butternut squash tend towards the very sweet anyway; so it always seems necessary to moderate that. For me, ricotta in fillings tends to dilute the flavours, without adding much of interest. This just takes it in a slightly different direction.

I just bought a couple of good looking wild ducks, and I wondered if anyone here had experience with their preparation. Obviously these are much leaner than the Gressingham I usually go for, so roasting them whole, for instance, would be a waste. Equally, if they are that lean, and I decided to braise or confit the thighs, what should I look out for? Lower temperatures? Longer times? Should I lightly pan roast the breasts, and serve red or pink? They seem a much darker meat than usual - will they turn livery - like pigeon/squab - if I over-cook them? And what would they go well with? All ideas/experience appreciated.

Have you tried adding some amaretti to your pumpkin ravioli?? If so, how does it compare with the addition of balsamic? I have indeed. And interestingly, it tends to end up in the 'too sweet' catagory (although they're better than without the amaretti). I like Batali's idea (from the Babbo book) of grating the amaretti at the end - that way you'll also get something textural - like using pangratato. And many 'traditional-traditional' recipes that I came across use motarda di cremona - a sort of mustard/ preserved pickled fruit - which is hard to come by in the States. I say interestingly, above, because in my mind the balsamic should also throw it into too sweet territory, but somehow in this case it's a double sweet positive making a more savory negative. Strange, huh. Did I mention I once served them with shaved white truffle? Yeah, that didn't hurt.

I (who know nothing about wine) have seen plenty of Penfolds LaGrange at my local Tescos superstore (Talgarth Road) and Bin 707 and La Grange at Sainsbury's (Kensington). As for the £9 day trips, has that been going on for long? Will it end anytime soon?

It's confirmed. Petrus, Hartnett, and Aikens. from the Standard (you have to subscribe). Edit to add: Haven't found anything on Morgan M... and the Standard list omitted Hisbiscus.

Of the interminable yearly round-ups from the restaurant critics, many chose the spritely Aikens as their pick of the year.

I tried the ViaMichelin site, which doesn't list Perus, but I don't know if they've been updated yet.

Anyone know about Petrus? (The link isn't working for me)

Please note : some of these links may require free or paid registration to view. This week's selection comes from: The Times The Independent The Guardian The Observer The Telegraph This is London Restaurant Magazine Restaurants Marina O'Loughlin tucks into the comfort of Le Petit Max. And then escapes to the best of the Country. Fay Maschler Salt Whisky Bar and Dining Room. Matthew Norman travels through Devon and Oxfordshire. Terry Durack Mehek, London. Belinda Richardson Blue Kangaroo. Richard Johnson Le Petit Max. Giles Coren goes Hogarth on Middle England. Melinda Stevens on Morgan M. Features New Michelin Stars for England! The Fat Duck gets Fatter (from Restaurant magazine). Christopher Middleton meets Josie Stow a safari chef. Sybil Kapoor new varieties of potato! Tamasin Day-Lewis - Sally Clarke. Nayla Audi - Lebanese road-side food. Food Mark Hix - Mediterranean seafood dishes. 'Ere, don't tell the French, but that Gordon Ramsay's got Foreign influences! Three more from Jill Dupleix. Wine and Spirits Super plonk. Cellar notes #15: Australian Semillon. Richard Ehrlich More than grapes goes into making wine. Adam Edwards the best of British pubs. This week: Highgate. Tim Atkin South Africa has been accused of peppering up its wines.

In America, I found that most 'Pasta' flours were made predominantly with hard durham wheat, rather than the soft Typo '00' wheat used in North Italy, and so in a large portion of wheat + eggs recipes. I see the Arthur flour is soft wheat, but it's worth keeping an eye on when you come across them in markets.