MarkinHouston

Tammy, I have been away from the computer for a few days. Yes, the recipe should read 1/4 cup of capers. I think the amount is sufficient for apound of pasta so that would be perhaps 8 primi piatti (first course) servings or 4 main course servings. In a 5-course meal for eightenn people such as you mentioned, a double batch would be enough to complement 2-oz pasta servings. If you are using it to dress up two-ounce fish portions, a 1/4 cup topper over the fish might do the trick, so a single batch could be workable. Good luck!

Ah, folks, I love caves that document our origin as well as the next person and I'm well aware that this section is called "Restaurants, Cuisine, and Travel" but we're supposed to be talking food, so can we switch to foie gras, truffles, Cahors, etc.? ← I quite agree, john. I just had to get the "travel" department a/k/a caves taken care of in order that it does not interfere with the restaurants, Ferme Auberge, marches, vin rouge, etc. Vigna's post has completed that quest, so from now on, I won't "truffle" anyone's feathers about bison ancien!

Perhaps I should be clearer. We sould arrive in the morning and plan to see one grotto in the morning. Can we see two more in the afternoon? They seem to be close together, but living in Texas gives a jaded sense of proportions; I have trouble thinking of little country lanes the same way as Houston freeways until I consider ruch hour gridlock

We are making a journee rapide from our base up near La Rochelle for a lightning fast trip to see some Stone Age cave drawings. Based on previous posts, we are staying with Marco Polo's brother-in-law at La Salvetat between Bergerac and Sarlat. If we arrive in the area at midmorning, is it feasible to see three separate grottos in one day? (The following morning is market day in Sarlat, so the driver's perogative is foie over Cro-Magnon!) I believe that I read the Grotte de Font-de-Gaume and the Grotte des Combarelles are good examples. Should we use some of our precious time for Las Caux II, or should I say, are there better choices for a limited time frame? Thanks for any and all advice.

My rescheduled reservations are for Friday evening. I doubt there would be any available after this review!

I used the following for many years. It's quick and easy. Best Puttanesca Sauce 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped fine 1 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes, drained and chopped with juice reserved 1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes 6-8 anchovy fillets chopped 1/2 cup brine-cured black olives such as Kalamata, Nicoise, or Gaeta 1/4 capers drained 1/4 cup minced Italian (flat leaf) parsley 1/4 cup basil (fresh) and 1/4 cup oregano (fresh) salt & black pepper to taste In a large skillet heat oil & cook onions, garlic, & red pepper flakes over medium/low heat until onions wilted. Add remaining ingredients including reserved tomato juice, & simmer until thickened. Serve immediately over pasta.

Excellent suggestion, dj! I am indeed one of the sausage/pork belly/abcon fanatics, so I will definitely include the Oliveto. The trip is back on for mid-April, so the anticipation is building! Thanks.

I'm doing the "World's Best Braised Cabbage" from All About Braising by Molly Stevens. It's been revewed iver on the cookbook forum. Excellent stuff!

Thanks for the suggestions. Chevron has already changed the business meeting parameters since i first posted the question only a few hours ago. I'll have to wait until mid-April to firm up the schedule. Ah, corporate life!

My wife has a business trip in early April which requires staying in San Ramon. We are going early and will have one dinner up in Sonoma at The General's Daughter thanks to the great reviews here. The other night we want to eat somewhere in the East Bay area. We have transportation so location is not an issue. I think we would like to find a place offering good local products. Thanks.

1st Ed.: 12 oz. tenderloin + 4 oz. salt pork + 4 oz. fatback = about 33% fat? 2nd Ed.: 12 oz. tenderloin + 4 oz. pancetta = about 10% fat? That's quite a cutback on the fat. Has anyone tried it? ← I was under the impression that the fatback was omitted rather than needed to be omitted. I used both and mine turned out quite falvorful and juicy. Perhaps we need the voice of authority to clarify?!

I have used this recipe to put up hundreds of quarts of pickles, and my friends have put up several hundred using it as well. I try to acquire all of my cukes at one time, preferrably about 3" long and 1" in diameter, as these will make two good tiers in a quart jar. It is difficult to make crisp pickles from limp cukes, so do not accumulate a week's worth of production and expect them to come out correctly. Follow the recipe, and you will be pleased, I guarantee. Thrills from the Hills Dills For ten to twelve quarts of pickles: 1 peck or so of small pickling cucumbers Brine: 1 gallon water 1/2 gallon white distilled vinegar 1 & 1/3 cup pickling/canning salt 40 peeled garlic cloves 40 Serrano peppers, de-stemmed 1 large bunch of fresh dill weed (with full heads!) Thoroughly wash cucumbers and cull out any with soft spots (or cut them out) Combine brine ingredients in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil. In the bottom of each of ten sterilized jars, place 4 garlic cloves, four Serrano peppers and 1 seed-head of dill. Pack jars with cucumbers and pour boiling brine over, leaving 1/2" head space. Seal jars with lids and rings, and then submerge in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Allow pickles to mellow for about 1 month before eating.

Mike, I would start with the bacon fresh, unfrozen and ready for Saturday morning. You can have your Italian sausages frozen when you start, and they will be thawed and ready for cooking by Saturday afternoon/eveming. reeze the Canadian bacon and it will be ready for Sunday morning.

I followed the no-soak method for dry corona beans last night, and they are still pretty crunchy after two full hours in a 250º oven. Their taste is fine, but I was planning to serve with Paula Wolfert's Pork Coddled in Olive Oil, although they may be a better candidate to become the base of a cassoulet or some other concoction that would continue their cooking. Any suggestions? (Or will these beans never get beyond the crunchy stage? I bought them packaged off the shelf, so they could be older than Methusalah for all I know!)

Slow cooked brisket is standard fare in Texas, and you would never find it cut with the grain' as kinsey mentioned above, it would be tough and stringy. And since corned beef is usually made from brisket, the rule applies.

Dave, Julia's "substitute" for Toulouse sausage includes a 3:1 ratio lean pork to pork fat, (Paula's is 3:2), garlic, twice as much salt as Woolfert, allspice and bay leaf versus nutmeg or mace, and cognac or armagnac instead of dry white wine. Two teaspoons of salt to 1&1/3 pounds of meat doesn't sound excessive, however. I would think the taste difference would not be wildly noticeable.

Funny you noticed that -- I just made the sausage from the book and the wine seemed to be key to the recipe. Maybe my cut and past technique was bad, or maybe she just forgot to type it in when she was kind enough to post it. my copy of the book is missing the back fat! I believe she mentioned the omission in on of the sausage threads, or perhaps from the book thread. I thought the wine really rounded out the flavor well. My impression -- after having looked at a couple Saucisse de Toulouse recipes besides Paula's -- is that it's the wine and the slight sweetness (with sugar and nutmeg) that make it distinctively "Toulousienne". ←

Paula's recipe for Toulouse Sausage in TCOSWF includes 1/4 cup of dry white wine along with the ingredoents posted above by Busboy--I mention that only because I followed the book's recipe and then made confit of sausage with all but a couple of links. (I quadrupled the recipe.) Generally I make hot sausage (boudin, andouille, and Italian) but after eating Toulouse sausage in France I decided to try a batch. Paula's recipe is exceptional; if not definitive, then it is at least a worthy starting point to build a more personalized flavor profile. I see no need to alter it.

Ragin Cajun is just west of your location a few blocks. Tony's is in Greenway Plaza as just reported--break out the old expense account! You are less than two miles from Central Market which is a fun place to spend extra time and money. The original complex of Goode Company restaurants (seafood, BBQ, and Taqueria) are at Kirby and West Park, just southwest of Greenway about two miles. There is a Molina's Mexican restaurant on Buffalo Speedway southwest of Greenway about one mile away from you.

Confit the gizzards in duck fat and serve sauteed with warm lentil salad. This is from Paula Wolfert, and is absolutely wunnerful!

"Fresh" nixtamal from Mi Tienda, Central Market's Latino cousin, formed the basis of an excellent batch of posole this weekend. I soaked the fresh hominy (is this the correct terminology?) for 6 hours and then simmered for two hours until soft while still retaining some texture. I used the following recipe with a homemade red chile sauce, which recipe follows. Tried and True Posole For the Pork: 3 lbs pork shoulder about 6 cups lightly salted water 1 medium onion, stuck with 2 cloves 8 cloves garlic, peeled 2 tsp peppercorns 2 tsp cumin seed 2 tsp oregano Place meat in saucepan, barely cover with water, add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Skim foam that rises, and cover pan. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer gently for 1 hour, do not allow the water to boil. Turn off heat and let pork cool in the broth. Cut meat into 1 inch cubes. Continuing with the Posole: 2 onions, chopped 8 cloves garlic, chopped 1/4 cup lard 2 tsp each (or to taste) of black pepper, ground cumin, cloves, and cayenne, powdered chipotle chile 6 cups prepared posole or canned hominy, drained and rinsed 6 cups pork broth, degreased and strained 2 cups chopped poblano chilies salt, if needed Garnishes Sauté onion and garlic in the lard until they wilt and start to brown. Add spices, stir for a minute, then stir in the pork, precooked posole or hominy, broth, and green chilies . Cook at a simmer, covered, for an hour. Garnishes (any/all/optional) homemade salsa, red or green finely shredded cabbage thinly sliced radishes chunks of ripe avocado chopped tomato (in season) lime wedges shredded Monterey Jack Serve with warm tortillas. Red Chile Sauce 10 whole dried cascabel and ancho chilies 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup (5 oz/155 g) finely chopped onions 2 cloves garlic, minced about 2 cups (16 fl oz/500 ml) chicken stock 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil salt to taste Preheat an oven to 300º F. Place the chilies in a heavy skillet and roast them dry in the hot oven for 3--4 minutes, being careful not to let them burn. Fill a pot just large enough to hold the chilies with water; bring the water to a boil and remove the pot from the heat. Add the roasted chilies to the hot water and, using a weight such as a pot lid, keep them submerged until they are soft, about 20 or 30 minutes. Remove the chilies from the water, stem, seed and tear them into strips. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over low heat; add the onion and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Put the chili strips, sautéed onion, garlic and 1 cup of the chicken stock into a food processor or a blender and puree until smooth; strain. Heat the lard or vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the chili mixture to the hot oil and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken until the sauce is the desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Keep 2--3 days, refrigerated. Makes about 2 cups (16 fl oz/500 ml)

This afternoon I stopped at Mi Tienda down in Pasadena, Tx. It is owned by the Central Market folks and its marketing is aimed at the Latino population; indeed, all of their ads are in Spanish with teensy English translation below --thank God for LASIK! Anyway, they sell freshly-made nixtamal which needs only the presoak and simmering before adding to posole. I will whip up a batch for the football playoffs this weekend and report the results.

Lasst week I made the Pork Chile Verde with Posole from the 150 Best American Recipes cookbbok which had been referenced in the cookbook forum. I have made chile verde many times and this is indeed an inspired recipe. The book specifically mentions using canned homny versus dealing with preparing the dried posole. I didn't find dried in the Mexican markets in Houston so I used the canned variety. I think unless there is a preferred brand of canned, I would prefer to try the dried. It makes a difference with chick peas and pinto beans, so I would expect a better version with dried posole as well.

I'm making ravioli this afternoon with confit of pheasant and quail legs; the breasts went into pheasant and morel pot pie posted by Carolyn Tillie--excellent, by the way! For saucing the ravioli, I am considering something with dried cherries or maybe the balsamic/butter mentioned earlier in this thread. Suggestions or alternatives are welcome. Thanks.