scottie

Okay, I'll start with my restaurant list. I'm new to the area, so there's a lot I don't know about, and a whole lot I haven't tried yet. Il Palio Lantern Elaine's on Franklin Acme The Carolina Inn -you know, the one on UNC's campus Outside of CH/Carrboro: Magnolia Duck and Dumpling Enoteca Vin Fearrington House Celebrity Dairy Babymoon There are lots of others I can't think of at the moment. Some of these may be terrible, I don't know, but what the hell, it's a start.

Hey, this idea came up in the Acme thread. I think it's a great idea and posted this so we could work out the basics. First and Foremost: Restaurants This is the fun part. Where do we want to eat? What have we been meaning to try? I'm sure the list goes on. But we have to figure out other stuff, too: How often should we do this? Once a month? Should we have a fixed date? How far are people willing to drive? Will Raleigh folks come to Carrboro? Will Chapel Hill folks go all the way to Cary? How much are people willing to spend? I don't think we can do something like Fearrington House every month. Plus, there's great food to be had for cheap, like Allen and Sons. Chime in, everyone, I think this will be fun!

Sanitary Fish Market The Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant, beloved Morehead City institution, is worth the minor detour between Wilmington and Nag's Head. It's been there forever. Kids from Virginia and the Carolinas have been going to summer camp around there for generations. We all have treasured memories of meals at the Sanitary and the respite it provided from mundane camp mess fare. Many folks of my dad's generation could tell you what it was like in the '40's and '50's- exactly the same.

So we went to Panzanella, and we had a pretty great meal. First I must put in a disclaimer here: I just recently started working at Weaver St., so I wanted to go to Panzanella because I now enjoy a 20% discount. Also, as a proponent of organic/locallly produced foods, I am apt to be more forgiving to a place just because they tried. It was Valentine's Day, and it was packed. We had reservations for 9, but did not see a waitress for at least 15 minutes after we had been seated. That may not be unusual for super hoity-toity places, but Panzanella does not fall into that category. Anyway, we finally ordered our cocktails (the Campari and soda was generously sized and priced, but they were out of Peroni at that point) and our starters. Hendrik ordered the marinated olives, which shocked me because they cost $4, for something I have seen given out free at other, similarly priced restaurants. But they were good, and cheaper than that for us. I had the porcini flan (6.50). Our starters came way too fast, right on the heels of our drinks. It would have been better if we could have been nursing the drinks while waiting for someone to mosey on over and take our order. Oh, well. The olives were good, but the flan was gross. The tepid temperature made me wonder whether it was intended to be served hot, and had gotten cold, or cold, and had warmed up. It had a pretty boring flavor and was generally unexciting. But the entrees were really good. I had the scallops with Granny Apple risotto, and Hen had the filet, rare, atop crispy potato cake. He had wanted the pasta but they were out, just as well, the filet was amazing. It came with the most slender asparagus I've ever seen, which since then Weaver St. has had for sale, yum yum. Both of our dinners were well-executed, especially for the price. Having just moved to the area from New Orleans, we are used to much higher prices for similar product. Anyway, it was good. Then Hen found a hair in the potato cake (dirty Carrboro hippies!). And that baby was baked in, I had to pull it out for the waitress who was appropriately appalled. Too bad, the potatoes looked really yummy. She offered either comped appetizers or free dessert. We opted for dessert, of course, and I'm glad we did- the tiramisu was very, very good. One thing Weaver St. can do is desserts. I had the Panna Cotta with burgundy-poached pears, and that was delicious, too. It was a fine meal. Oh, we had a bottle of Pinot Noir, as well, I can't recall the name, but it went well with both the filet and the scallops, So, yes, the service bordered on iffy, but the waitress really came through about the hair. The meal was 85% wonderful. It was reminiscent of a Valentine's meal we enjoyed about 4 years ago at the White Dog in Philadelphia, but this time we got away with less than half of the expense (thanks to my discount!), about 80 bucks for everything. And now we know.

Ooooh! Ooooh! A Triangle-area eGullet Dining Club! Oh, please, can we? Oh, oh, oh, my head is swimming with the possibilities....

Nothing beats the Egg Lady in John Waters' Pink Flamingos. Nothing. Egg Lady scroll down about halfway. she's the one in the playpen, for those of you who have been deprived of this delightful treat.

I can verify that the Varmint was, indeed, asleep in the comfy chair in the living room at some time around midnight. I cannot verify whether he was actually passed out IN the ragu at any point, as I seem to have a memory lapse around then. I do recall that he had trouble finishing the porcini course- I tried to snatch his remnants, but he came alive and snatched back. After that, it's a blur. The grapefruit course certainly stands out, however. Bill, somehow Hendrik and I ended up with the double magnum you brought! The bottle is quite a souvenir of the evening. Thanks for your generosity with that. (Although actually it was Lianda who felt we needed it- something about she and Hen sharing a passion for baking bread ).

How about Panzanella, in Carrboro? Has anyone been there? I'm going Saturday, so I'd like to know what the eGullet dish on the place is.

Thanks for the replies. That Jamie Oliver recipe sounds yummmmmy! I'm just going to broil the fish tonight, I think, but I just started working at a store with an excellent fish market, so I will be experimenting a lot more with mackerel in the future. And posting the results, as long as they're good!

This thread could rival the Dinner one! Madhur Jaffrey's Vegetarian Cooking of the East has been my bible for about ten years now. I've even stopped being vegetarian in the meantime, but she has got a recipe for just about every weird ingredient you can think of- bitter melon, black cardamom, plus instructions for making your own tempeh, paneer, and other strange amorphous foodstuffs. Of course, I also like all things Moosewood and Mollie Katzen. The older books are really outdated (cheese and nut loaf, anyone?), but Mollie definitely has a way with veggies. Currently, I am a big fan of Alice Waters. I just love to read the way she writes about some obscure but delectable fruit or something. For inspiration, lately I have been using my backlog of Food and Wine magazines. Lots of good ideas in there. For Southern cooking, Junior League is the way to go. Their recipes continue to dominate every holiday my family celebrates. Everything above is easy but tasty. I just received a copy of Jacques Pepin's Complete Technique, and I must say that I would only use it if I were catering a party or seeking to impress, well, Charles de Gaulle. I wouldn't even use it to impress Mitterand- for that I would turn to Bocuse.

As a kid, I always loved smelt when my mother made them. They were up there with Welsh Rabbit, in terms of cheapness and child approval. She always fried them in a cornmeal coating. I think they were gutted, but I do remember she said you could eat the bones, so we did. Calcium! I hope you eat them and enjoy them. The one time I have ever made smelt myself, it was as a substitute for some other tiny fish in an Indonesian recipe. And you know what- they were pretty good! So enjoy, and let us know how they came out.

Well, I asked this question on another forum, but I figured this would be a good place to ask, too: I have a nice piece of Spanish mackerel, which I would like to marinate in rice vinegar Japanese-style. The one recipe I have for this says to salt the fish and let it sit over night before marinating. My question is, is that necessary? Is there a shortcut so I can eat this fish tonight? thanks, scottie

Hey everyone, I just have to say Thank you!!! Hen and I had such a blast!! Thanks to Bill Klapp for the gi-normous double magnum of excellent barbera! Thanks to Dean's in-laws for granting the use and abuse of their space! Thanks to everyone who showed up and ate and pitched in and contributed to a fabulous evening. Next year: Alba!!! here is my recipe; I must say that I was helped out tremendously by Dean. While he was still conscious, that is! pleasantly full, scottie

Pasta con Broccoli Rabe, Pancetta e Pignolia Serves 6 as Main Dish. This is what I made for the eGullet pasta feast in Raleigh, NC, on 2/7/04: Ingredients 2 bunches Broccoli Rabe 1/2 head of garlic, peeled and chopped 1/4 c. olive oil, plus more as needed 1 tsp. crushed red chile 1/4 c. pine nuts 1/4 lb. pancetta Aged Asiago cheese 1. Make or procure some flat, wide-ish pasta, whatever you like. 2. Toast pine nuts in 400 degree oven or in dry skillet, taking care not to burn. 3. Crisp pancetta and set aside to cool, then crumble. 4. Blanch broccoli rabe, squeeze out excess liquid, and chop coarsely. Mince larger stems. 5. Heat olive oil over low to medium heat, add chopped garlic and saute until garlic looks cooked through but not brown. 6. Have pasta almost ready at this point, i.e. about 2 minutes more cooking time. 7. Put chopped rabe in saute pan, mix with garlic and add crushed chiles. When pasta is cooked through, drain and add to pan. Mix thoroughly. 8. Plate pasta, garnish with toasted pine nuts and crumbled pancetta, and grate asiago on top. Drizzle with EVOO, if desired. Yum! Keywords: Main Dish, Italian, Appetizer, Dinner, Intermediate, Vegetables ( RG864 )

Pasta con Broccoli Rabe, Pancetta e Pignolia Serves 6 as Main Dish. This is what I made for the eGullet pasta feast in Raleigh, NC, on 2/7/04: Ingredients 2 bunches Broccoli Rabe 1/2 head of garlic, peeled and chopped 1/4 c. olive oil, plus more as needed 1 tsp. crushed red chile 1/4 c. pine nuts 1/4 lb. pancetta Aged Asiago cheese 1. Make or procure some flat, wide-ish pasta, whatever you like. 2. Toast pine nuts in 400 degree oven or in dry skillet, taking care not to burn. 3. Crisp pancetta and set aside to cool, then crumble. 4. Blanch broccoli rabe, squeeze out excess liquid, and chop coarsely. Mince larger stems. 5. Heat olive oil over low to medium heat, add chopped garlic and saute until garlic looks cooked through but not brown. 6. Have pasta almost ready at this point, i.e. about 2 minutes more cooking time. 7. Put chopped rabe in saute pan, mix with garlic and add crushed chiles. When pasta is cooked through, drain and add to pan. Mix thoroughly. 8. Plate pasta, garnish with toasted pine nuts and crumbled pancetta, and grate asiago on top. Drizzle with EVOO, if desired. Yum! Keywords: Main Dish, Italian, Appetizer, Dinner, Intermediate, Vegetables ( RG864 )

Uh-oh! I'm being put on the spot! I must say that I have had zero Campari experience. But that POM/Prosecco stuff sounds delicious! Beans, how I wish you were going to join us! "Wee emmers"- haven't heard that in a while! We had a test run on the pasta last night; I'm thinking it won't take too much time. We might shoot for 5:30 or 6. Varmint, if you all are going to be making pasta earlier than that, could you please set aside some for my dish? It seems to work pretty well with a thick-ish, coarse semolina noodle. Otherwise, just let me know if I need to bring some. We're all sleeping over, too, right? see you all tomorrow- can't wait!

In preparation for the eGullet Southeast forum pasta feast, we will be having the same thing we had last night: Homemade semolina pasta in aglio e olio with Broccoli Rabe, Toasted Pine Nuts and Asiago and Pancetta, mmm... Wish I had a picture! Boy, now I feel all fancy-pantsy. Usually we just have hamburgers or similar.

Great. Not too thick, but with some bite. I don't think it needs a very textured surface, as the sauce will cling no matter what because it's essentially olive oil. Actually, I'm not sure I *need* fresh pasta. Somehow I thought it was a requirement! But if there's plenty around, then why not. What do you think about having crumbled pancetta on top? Are there going to be any vegetarians who might appreciate a totally meatless dish? Maybe everyone would appreciate having one dish sans meat.

Aglio e olio with Broccoli Rabe, Asiago and Toasted Pine Nuts. Maybe a dash of crushed red pepper. Not too sure about the pasta yet- rhombi, maybe? I must admit, I'm a little afraid of making fresh pasta... I was supposed to get a lesson today, but my friend flaked out. I promise to practice at least once before the big event!

The Babe cookbook. Yes, from the movie, except that it's written by a guy who had absolutely nothing to do with the movie. And it's written in the voice of Esme Hoggett, the farmer's wife. Here's an example: "Indeed! Oh my!" Mrs. H. said, proudly displaying her riot of leafing basil plants. "'Sweet Dani.' Pretty as anything in my flower garden! Strong, lemony...beguiling! That's the very word, isn't it? Hmm. High in essential oils, I'd say, and hmm, yes, citral content. Beguiling, wouldn't you agree?" And on like this. I got this book on sale at Borders, and it's worth the 3 bucks I paid for it. The recipes are actually pretty good. But the inane babble which prefaces every single recipe in the book definitely qualifies it for the stupidest one in my collection.

Ostrich and buffalo are both lean, high-protein meats that are readily available either ground or in steak form at Whole Foods. Tempeh is very high-protein for a non-animal food, and it's better for you than tofu. But I find it must be prepared well or else it is yucky. Barbecue sauce on thin strips of sauteed tempeh is pretty good. When I was on a high-protein diet, I used to make my own mixed nuts with curry flavoring. I hate peanuts, too, but macadamias, pinenuts, almonds etc. are pretty good. Yes, they are high in (good) fat, but they are also high in protein and I find a small handful of spiced mixed nuts with some raisins or other dried fruit takes the edge off hunger.

Bitter greens it is. What do you all think about...gnocchi? Have you given any thought to time of arrival and estimated time of dining? And hey, have you made it back from Baltimore all right, Varmint? Things is mighty snowy around here!

I mentioned the Sufis I know above, and this quote about Indian music struck me in particular because the man who founded their particular order, Hazrat Inayat Khan, was an acclaimed court musician in late 19th century India. He wrote several treatises on Indian music, and one in particular had to do with which ragas are appropriate for which times of day, which elements they correspond to, the state of the musician's body and mind, etc. A lot of this corresponds with Indian Ayurvedic theory, and a lot of that corresponds to a humoral system. So I would not be surprised if certain ragas were considered hot, or dry, or cold, or damp, or whatever. I should ask my brother, who is a musician and lately has been experimenting with Inayat Khan's musical theory. I'm not very familiar with Ayurveda, but I do know that in Ayurvedic cooking, and by extension in most Indian cooking, a full meal ought to incorporate all five flavors: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and pungent. Which, if you think about Indian food, it often does. And then, you would adjust the tastes according to your Ayurvedic humor: Vata, Pitta, or Kapha. For example, Vata people run hot and so would need to include colder foods in their diets. My mom has an Ayurvedic cookbook with recipes to make for each humor. I don't know if "humor" is really the right word, but I think the idea is more or less the same.

As I was reading this thread, I thought of the Sufi community in Sarasota, Florida, of which my parents are a part. These folks have in recent years become very interested in traditional Chinese medicine; some of them brought over a Chinese healer a couple of years ago, and one lady in particular has been studying Chinese medicine in China, which info she has brought back to the Sufis. I thought of this because the Chinese theory of the five elements very much informed the traditional healer's healing methodology, and since his visit, this doctrine has continued to influence the food intake of many in the Sufi community. For example, many folks with too much cold or dampness (yang, I think), no longer take ice in their drinks. He also recommended against eating too much spicy food. One might think that if you have too much yang, maybe you could balance it out with the hotness of yin foods like chili. But it's not that simple, because according to this system, different organs can have different levels of yin/yang. For example, I have a cold, damp spleen, while my thyroid runs hot and dry. I think. Also, the no ice/ no spice thing is in the overall interest of systemic balance. All of us who went to see this Chinese healer were given extensive regimens of medicinal tea, as well as dietary restrictions, tailored to our specific systemic imbalances of the body's chi. Let me tell you, that tea was some nasty stuff. I managed to drink all of mine (twice a day for 40 days), but a lot of people had trouble with it. I mean, there were like dried centipedes and stuff in there. But hey, whatever works.

Okay, I can do a veggie pasta. But, um, am I expected to actually make the pasta itself? I do have a pasta machine (2, actually, for some unknown reason), but I've never done it without disastrous and inedible results. Guess I have time to practice... But just to warn you, if I make it myself, it will be at least somewhat experimental. As for the veggie part, I'm thinking pumpkin with sage-infused brown butter. I have a pumpkin surplus at the moment. This could be topped with some crumbled pancetta, if people like. Or, the other option I'd like to try is a bitter green of some sort, like broccoli raab or dandelion greens or similar, with olive oil and pine nuts. I think cheese would be appropriate with this. And maybe some white truffle oil, though that might be redundant with the Tagliatelle. So, maybe this is a stupid question, but should be bring our dishes pre-made, then heat them up there? Or are we all doing cooking and assembly on location? Pasta's best freshly cooked, I suppose, but there's the potential for a lot of butt-bumping in the kitchen.