bloviatrix

Any particular type of cholent you want? It's not just the diffence in Ashkenaz vs. sephardi style. But, you can tell which part of eastern europe a person's family come from by the style of cholent they make. Some make it very soupy primarily with beans, barley and no potato . Others do a thicker style that's heavy on potato. Couple of things I can think of. First, you ate cholent on Friday night. It's a sabbath lunch dish. Won't taste as good if you eat it at the wrong time. Afterall, part of the joys of a good cholent is waking up on saturday morning with the whole house redolent of the smell. Second, and I know this will sound crazy, but your mom made it. For some reason, cholent is like grilling. It's the men who make it best, even if they're completely incompentant in the kitchen. It's in their DNA. On those rare times when I make cholent, it is ALWAYS a disaster. It turns out poorly seasoned and gloopy. So, Blovie is the designated cholent maker. I'm not allowed near the pot. Now that I got that out of the way..... Part of the problem with cholent is the amount of starches - the potatoes and barley just absorb all the seasonings so the flavor ends up being very muddy and the texture can glue-y. I know Blovie toasts and then cooks the barley separately before adding it. Other good flavoring agents are Goodmans onion soup mix (it's all about the sodium) and ketchup. The meat is also important. You don't want meat that's lean. Flanken is good because it gives you the bones and the fatty meat. But you need sizable chunks otherwise the meat will disintergrate into nothing. I'll ask Blovie to add his expertise when he has a chance.

Soba -- I know this is OT but, they're not still smoking are they? (you know lawyers, they think they're above the law :law:) With the exception of Phillip Morris, all buildings have been smoke-free since at least '93. And, I think they did away with the PM exemption.

It seems like the supermarkets put out their Passover goods earlier every year. They already turned over the kosher aisle at Shop-Rite last week - that's BEFORE Purim!! All the coconut covered marshmellows will gone before I have a chance to shop.

What about using them to flavor a tagine?

Who's the Fresca drinker?

Where do you guys do all your food shopping?

I wish I saw this before I made dinner. I had a hankering for a caesar salad with flaked baked salmon. I'll have to remember this for next time.

Wow. With comments like that, who needs a SO?

If I had a season subscription to Covent Garden, I would really be pissed. From my own experience, we have several theater subscriptions. When deciding to sign-up we take into account the work, the director, and the casting. So, if I layed out who knows how many quid to hear Voight and instead got some little-known waif-y German soprano , I would be furious. I'm curious to know the audience backlash on this.

I walked by yesterday afternoon. The place was pretty empty. I guess it's already last week's news.

The editorial board also weighed in on this, if you're reading the Times extensively.

The weather is miserable here in NYC. Cold, gray, and rainy. Basically, a day for simple comfort foods. Dinner tonight was a green salad and macaroni and cheese. Simply, the edible equivalent of a hug.

OCP - otherwise know as OCs or Oral Contraceptives (I assume the P is for pill)

I believe it's his very first one.

I haven't been there in 10 years -- I can't even remember the food. But, when the weather is nice it's great place for people watching assuming you have an outside table.

Interesting article. But something rankled me. Perhaps the constant use of the word "picky." Perhaps "discerning" is more appropriate, particularly when describing why Whole Foods carries many types of lettuce.

I would try adding a bit of red wine or sherry vinegar to the confit. The acidity should be a good counterbalance to the sweetness.

I tasted something nasty in the woodshed! I was thinking the same thing!!! Great minds think alike

Tonight I went shopping in the freezer for some black bean chili.

Blovie acidentally (or so he claims) bought 2% a couple a weeks ago instead of the usual skim. It was sooo good and rich. It almost brought tears to my eyes. And I don't even particularly like milk.

Do you rehearse at home? I live in a building swarming with opera singers and classical musicians so I frequently get musical accompaniment in the halls.

Kudos to everyone. It all looks delicious!!! (anyone care to send me a care package? )

I bet they taste amazing with butter. Must stop drooling......

I love your counter-tops. And being an apartment dweller, I'm jealous of your sunroom. And since I'm addicted to hockey....Go Leafs Go

Redfox, I never find that dough particularly wet or fragile. I double-checked my typing before I initially sent it. I wonder if I made a typo. My other thought is what type of fat did you use? I've never used butter, so I don't know if that affects the texture. This year I used the Healthy Balance non-hydrogenated fat margerine because I make mine pareve. It worked pretty well. After about 9 months of trying to decide whether or not I like this brand, I've decided it passes the baking test. For the chocolate ones I used something called "spoonable fruit" that erupted through the center when I baked the hamentashen. I couldn't remember what I used in past years and I liked that it was seedless. Well, after 3 dozen I was panicking. So I made the rest with apricot. The mishloach manot are almost totally packed. We're going simple. 8 'tashen (4 of each), and bar of chocolate, and mini bottle of grape juice. If we owned a digital camera, I would include photos, but we don't HAPPY PURIM!!