Tropicalsenior

This article indicates just how far back some of our favorite foods actually go. Much of the dating seems to be on conjecture but it does show that even the ancients gave a lot of thought to food preparation.

That looks sooo good! Would you please share the recipe?

I'm happy.

That reminds me of my sister-in-law. She had six kids. Said she never had a baking failure because her kids would eat anything.

It's interesting how Invaders come and go but they leave something of their culture behind that is there forever. It was interesting to see how much of the food that came to the new world from Britain actually came from Rome.

After a frantic search for the flyswatter, a 3-yard sneak attack, and a blow hard enough to kill Godzilla, I realized I had killed a root protrusion. Next time I'll put my glasses on before I go for a glass of water.

I shall never again put sweet potatoes in a bowl on the counter without checking out the skin abnormalities. Scared the living hell out of me at 2 in the morning.

This recipe for Chinese hand-pulled noodles showed up in my email the other day. I'm just curious. Do very many people make their own noodles and have you ever made them?

🤭🤭🤭 I wasn't a fan of Starbucks before and now I never will be.

If you have a bench scraper it is particularly useful to help you lift and fold the dough. You also want to have enough flour underneath so that it doesn't stick to the board as you're trying to roll.

@MaryIsobel I decided just to post this instead of trying to answer your question otherwise. It took me quite a while to figure out a way not to over stuff it. The main trick is to have a bread dough that is strong enough to stretch and not break. Just don't make the dough too soft.

I tried to figure out how to answer your question without putting in a whole column of commentary but I decided just to post the recipe for Stromboli. The main trick to have the center cook all the way through is to let it rise enough and to make sure that the steam is able to escape from the middle.

Stromboli 8 servings I usually make one of these every weekend. It's great to have on hand for snacking and it never needs to get boring because you can change the filling to anything you want or anything that you have on hand. Dough Approximately 1 cup warm water 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon salt Filling 1/2 cup pizza sauce 1/2 pound sliced Italian cold cuts or pepperoni 1 to 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese Topping 1 egg beaten In bowl of stand mixer whisk together flour, salt, sugar and yeast . Add the warm water and with dough hook mix on medium speed just until dough comes together. Add only enough water to have a soft but not sticky dough. If the dough is too soft the filling will break through as it bakes. Turn the mixer down to kneading speed and knead for 5 minutes. Let rest, in the bowl, for 10 minutes and then knead again for five minutes longer. Shape into a ball on the counter and cover with a bowl. (Do not place in an oiled bowl) Let rise for 45 minutes. Turn dough out onto lightly floured cutting board or counter and roll out into a large rectangle. Approximately 14 in by 11 in. Spread pizza sauce lightly and evenly over dough until about 2" away from edges. Top with sliced cold cuts or pepperoni and then sprinkle with cheese. Brush the edges of each of the short ends and fold over the filling. Brush one long side with beaten egg and starting on the opposite side roll up cinnamon roll style being careful to seal bottom edge. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with greased parchment paper or foil with the sealed edge at the bottom. Cut small slits at even intervals on the top being careful to cut almost to the bottom but not through. Cover with a thin moist towel and let rise for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350o. Brush with beaten egg. Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Serve hot with extra pizza sauce if desired Note: the amounts on the filling ingredients are optional. I usually have two layers of thin sliced meat. I then cover it with shredded cheese. My favorites are mozzarella and Parmesan but I also use asiago, gorgonzola, and provolone if I have them on hand. For the pizza sauce, I spread it very thinly on the dough and then drizzle a little on top of the cheese. Sometimes I sprinkle Italian seasoning over the cheese. It helps to press everything down before you start to roll it up.

Even kind of looks like him.

Sorry had to give it a sad. It's something I could too easily imagine my late husband doing.

Just finished my regular Sunday stromboli. I make something like this every Sunday so I don't have to cook dinner. This one is extra good because I used some of @Duvel's Leberkäse for the filling. It also has pizza sauce, thin sliced ham, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

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Another of the myths that I wish that you would address for us is the idea of many in the West that China and the Chinese people are primitive, dirty, and unsanitary. Your home style infrared sanitizer is just one example that proves the contrary. I've never even heard of one in the West. Our Chinese supermarket, 100 meters from my house, is probably the cleanest supermarket in Costa Rica

Speaking of chopsticks, did they originate in China or other parts of the East. Although they make perfect sense it's strange that no type of Western cutlery has ever become popular. Is there any reason for the different shapes of chopsticks? For example some are square and some are round. How far back into history can they trace the chopstick?

Thank you. That does answer my previous question very well but I do have another. I have always heard that the reason for cutting food into bite-size pieces before cooking was because of a shortage of cooking fuel. But I have also heard that it is because it is considered discourteous to expect a guest to have to cut up anything. Is there any truth to either of these?

Your food photography is always amazing. You make real food look as good as the food stylist do with the fake food. Love that butter dripping off the bread.

I think that the perception of most of us in the western world is of the Chinese home cook crouched over a wok on a brazier fed with twigs and cow chips. With the advances that China has made I suppose that many home cooks have kitchens that resemble those in the West. Just as their style of cooking has to have changed, has the type of food that they are cooking changed? With the transport and availability of food from other regions, has it caused them to be less regional in their home cooking?