Wolfert

Kit: did you use the same temperature and timing as suggested by nancy silverton? I've tried the gastroflex and was really disappointed with the glassy exterior. The moul'flex may be the way to go. I'm going to try it. In the meantime, I would like to share a story, recipe and notes for canele de bordeaux which will appear in my new book coming out this fall. (My recipe originally appeared in Food Arts about two years ago.) http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/canele.html any comments would be much appreciated.

I apologize for supplying only the main ingredients that go on top of grilled Turkish breads. These are simply from notes a while back. You asked for Armenian toppings; I am sure they are somewhat similar. The topping is usually folded within the thin bread before grilling. Fillings include: crumbed cheese with parsley and sesame seeds(izmir)', crushed poppyseed and petmez, atype of grape must(konya); scrambled eggs and a few leafy wild greens(sanlifurfa); cooked spiced potatoes (mersin); and a flat bread spread with spiced ground meat called lahmajun which you can find everywhere including the middle east and is more often baked in ovens. Some of these breads are prepared on a saj; others on clay trays and still other on ridged grills. It's the cook's choice.

I would like to just add my two cents to the above comment. George Germon should be recognized and thanked for popularizing grilled pizza in the United States. No one did more to make it a standby in summer. I certainly think his book cucina simpatica is a keeper. On the other hand, you might want to also thank Armenians and the other folks from southeastern Turkey who have been making similar breads with toppings for a very long time.

I am very lucky to have had Fran McCullough as editor on two of my early books. She couldn't have been more enthusiastic . The first book I did with her on Moroccan cooking came out in 1973. She didn't pay me much and it didn't make waves nor money for years. Happily, Harper kept it in print and I finally started seeing royalities about a dozen years ago. It is still in print! My choices in stories, recipes and book ideas have been picky and personal, moderated by my experiences. I have written and will write only about food I like to cook and eat. Income from my column in Food & Wine, cooking classes, and a book advance varies from year to year. Honestly, it is almost impossible to make a living as a food writer. It helps to have a supportive partner.

Very true, Paula. It all unfolds such generosity if we are willing to find out what the possibilities are. My current adventure is to newly explore something I thought I knew well: kimchi. There are actually dozens of kimchi just involving daikon. As the seasons roll on and ingredients become available, the Days of Wonder are upon me.* ---- *I like to romanticize but with hyperbole. Sincere hyperbole though. Your discoveries with kimchi reminds me of what Ansel Adams said "the negative is comparable to the composer's score and the print to its performance. Each performance differs in subtle ways." If a recipe is the score, then your adventures (prints) with kimchi have so many possibilities.

I think of myself as a cook first. On the weekend or when I have time there's such pleasure in cooking something special. The recipes I bring home to cook I consider adventures. And then there's the adventure of the ingredient, the new spice, the new grain. There's the adventure of the new pot.

For thirty years, I have been working within the culinary world of mother to daughter to grandaughter, women's knowledge, women's skills, women's secrets...women's power. There are now vast changes in the parts of the Mediterranean where I usually work. (Not just the political situation.) There are still little pockets of women in black dresses, but they're harder and harder to find. And there is still a mother-to-daughter sharing-the-work world, but less than before. I was up in the mountains of Crete, and I saw daughters learning from their mothers. They continue the food traditions, but I had the feeling if those daughters could leave that town they would. Maybe I should continue to romanticise this mother-to-daughter thing. It's a beautiful vision stuck in a time bubble---women learning from one another and sharing the food; where the recipes continue through the generations, and the wedding and ceremonies are communal. All that stuff takes place in the kitchen, the camarderie of women; sharing and understanding. I love that milieu. But the truth is their lives are hard. It's easy for me. I love the people, I move in and help out, but I get to go home. Of course, it's really interesting, but do I want that life? no! And then when I return I write articles, recipes, and finally collect the work in a book. I admit I romance the recipes. That is what I like to do. I want to tell the stories that set the food in place. For people to have fun cooking a recipe you publish, it has to be in some sort of context. So I provide stories: who ate this? why? what's the excitement? i structure all this around the recipe so the reader will share the adventure. Hopefully, she or he will want to make the dish.

I apologize if I offended you. I hope a smile will halt any approaching frown.

Thanks for your kind welcome. I just read your "bio" You go girl!

Dave: You are absolutely right. Though this method does deliver a very tasty crust. Perhaps the grapeseed oil which smokes at a much higher temperature than other oils has something to do with it. I'd love to know your thoughts .

I remove the meat from the refrigerator about an hour before grilling. I pat it dry and brush with fresh oil. oops..I re-season just as I take it off the grill.

Thank you very much.

A little trick I learned from the late French chef Andre Guillot: lightly salt the meat the minute you bring it home; lightly coat it with grapeseed oil to keep it from drying out; and let it mature overnight before grilling.

Muhammara This recipe was first mentioned on eGullet on the Raw Sauce thread. This is one of the outstanding dips of the eastern Mediterranean, as delicious and striking as the far more famous hummus and bab ghanoush. I urge egulleteers to take the time to make it. I promise it will be a revelation. Try it with meat or fish kabobs, or simply with crisp pita triangles or warmed floppy lavash. The dip will keep well for up to one week in a closed container in the refrigerator, improving a little each day. REturn to room temperature before serving. 2-1/2 lb red bell peppers 1 small hot chili, like Fresno or hot Hungarian 1-1/2 c walnuts, coarsely ground 1/2 c crumbled wheat crackers 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 T pomegranate molasses, more to taste 1/2 tsp ground cumin, more for garnish 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp sugar 2 T olive oil, more for garnish 1. Roast peppers and chili over a gas burner or under a broiler, turning frequently until blackened and blistered all over, about 12 minutes. Place in a covered bowl to steam for 10 minutes. Rub off skins; slit peppers open and remove stems, membranes and seeds. Spread peppers, smooth side up, on a paper towel and let drain for 10 minutes. 2. In a food processor, grind walnuts and crackers with lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, cumin, salt and sugar until smooth. Add bell peppers and process until pureed and creamy. With machine on, add olive oil in a thin stream. Add chili to taste. If paste is too thick, thin with 1 to 2 tablespoons water. Refrigerate overnight. 3. To serve, let dip come to room temperature and sprinkle with cumin and olive oil. Yield: about 3 cups. Keywords: Vegetarian, Middle Eastern, Dip ( RG474 )