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Variation on a Tomato Pie Serves 8 as Main Dish. This recipe is loosely adapted from Laurie Colwin's "Tomato" essay in More Home Cooking. My changes: -I made a single crust for the top instead of a double crust (because I don't like soggy pie crust) -I reduced the butter by about 25% -I added salt to the crust dough -I reduced the cheese and subbed a smaller amount of a lower-fat cheese (mozzarella) for cheddar -I used a reduced-fat mayo -I used lime juice instead of lemon because that's that I had on hand -I added leeks to the mix Perhaps one day I shall actually follow a recipe..... Preheat oven to 400' F. Quickly and lightly mix: 3 TB COLD unsalted butter, cut in teeny pieces 1 cup flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp kosher salt (Morton's) 1/2 cup milk (I used 1% milkfat. Add more by teaspoonfuls if necessary to make a slightly sticky dough) Roll into an 8-inch round. Thinly slice tomatoes-I used about 1 pound beefsteak tomatoes. Though I did not do this, I would suggest draining some of the "guts" from the tomatoes because they get awfully juicy when baked. I also had a leek kicking around in the fridge, so I sliced that up (about 1 cup raw) and sauteed it for addition in a little extra virgin olive oil (about 1/2 tsp). Assembly: -1/4 tsp of extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of an 8-inch nonstick cake pan. -Layer in sliced tomatoes. -Top with 4 thin layers mozzarella cheese (about 4 oz. total)- just plain part-skim. Would probably be great with good buffalo mozzarella. -Sprinkle on chopped fresh basil and oregano. (about 1 TB of each). -Evenly sprinkle with the cooked leeks. -Pour on 1/4 cup mayo (I used prepared reduced-fat mayo) mixed with the juice of 1/2 lime (about 3 TB) -Top with the crust and tuck lightly around the tomatoes. -Slash the top crust a few times. Place on a baking sheet (in case of any excess burbling) and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool slightly before scooping out to serve. Keywords: Main Dish, Dinner, Breakfast, Vegetarian, Brunch, Lunch ( RG2022 )

Whole foods Market's web site Capers web site If whole foods market Inc.’s takeover of rival Organic food retailer wild Oats Markets Inc, then they will have a very large presence in the Vancouver market and most likely will control the natural food market. Choices Market in Vancouver (a local Natural food company) will be a fly in the ointment to the new Goliath (Whole foods) and Choices will definitely be the new David. It should create some very interesting retailing in the Vancouver area, with Whole foods having like six maybe seven stores. The gloves are off and we shall see if Whole foods will be allowed to fulfill their wish. Their presence will even affect the traditional grocery retailers with that store presence.chef stovetop steve

Host's Note I split this off from the Vegetarian one because it seemed to have legs of its own. I think this verges on the OT, but Pti, having eating Indian in the Indian subcontinent, the UK, France and the US, what's your take on the differences?My pre-opinion is that because of the products in France, one can cook Thai, Indian, even Japanese food and it's different than it is in the Mother country (But maybe this deserves a new thread).

Looking for a restaurant, entrees under $30, for a special dinner. Guest of honor is vegetarian, but everyone else is not. Location not that important. All suggestions greatly appreciated.

Ok, I'm having about 50 people over on Saturday evening for a themed party. We are calling it Arabian Nights, basically because I wanted to cook some Middle Eastern food, and belly dance all evening. Its not really a dinner party, so I'm making mostly mezze type things. What I need the most help with is timing all the prep so that I don't kill myself on Saturday with cooking Here is what I'm planning on having: Hummus bi tahini Muhammara<sp> Lebneh spread Lebneh balls rolled in zataar Vegetarian dolmas Lamb kofta Chicken kebabs Pide Balkava Cacik Raw veggies Its now Thursday, I'm off work, and I want to start getting what can be done, done. What besides the Hummus and Lebneh stuff can be made before Saturday? I figure I can do the Baklava tomorrow, it will still be fresh for Sat. Dolmas maybe tonight. What about the meats and the pide? I want the pide to be lovely and fresh. Any help, suggestions on timing, menu planning, ingredient choice, pep talks etc. would be much appreciated.

We have one veggie in our family and I want to try putting together some Indian meals for 4-5 people. While it is easy to find numerous recipes what I have difficulty is how to put them together into a balanced meal. Looking at recipes and cookbooks tend to be confusing as the dishes tend to stand in splendid isolation. Any particular regions that would be a good idea to look at to start building some experience? Preferences would be for no seafood, not a heavy coconut bias, definitely bread with the possibility of adding meat sometimes, strength can be mild through to hottish. Some tips and some groups of dishes and accompaniments that could be put together to form a meal would be helpful. I can do an occasional trip to an Indian grocery, but we do not have any local Indian grocery shops.

Shabu Shabu Serves 4 as Main Dish. This is a simple and fun meal for two or four. The trickiest part is procuring the right cut of meat if you are using beef or pork. See instructions below. I have found an electric skillet is easiest for this but you may use a hot plate or traditional hot pot with sterno if you have it. 1 lb beef, pork, seafood (see below) 1 large carrot, sliced into thin rounds 1 pkg mushrooms: oyster, button, straw 1 brown onion, quartered 1 napa cabbage 1 daikon radish, grated fine 1 bunch green onion, minced 1 snow peas/ sugar snap peas 1 bottle Ponzu sauce 1 bottle Sesame sauce (optional) 2 servings cooked rice If using beef or pork: These must be thinly sliced like a carpacio or prociutto. You may be able to find this cut already at a Japanese or other Asian market. If not, go to your butcher and choose a couple steaks that are nicely marbled, we prefer choice ribeye, and instruct the butcher to freeze it and slice it as thin as humanly possible, laying it out on a deli plate for you with paper between any layers. Cut carrots into rounds, quarter mushrooms and onion, peel a few leaves from the napa cabage and quarter those as well. The peas should be rinsed clean and dried. Put all this onto a pretty serving plate in a nice display. It will hold in the fridge all day so you can do this as early as you like. The ponzu sauce and sesame sauce should be placed in small bowls, one of each for each person. The minced green onion and daikon should be placed in separate serving bowls. You'll need about 1/2 cup of each. Each person will take some of each of these as is their preference to season their ponzu sauce. Put water in the electric skillet (or other vessel) in the center of the table and bring it to a simmer. Each place setting should have a bowl of rice, chop sticks and a bowl each of ponzu and sesame sauces. (We only use the ponzu at our house!) Toss a few veggies in the water and each person can fish them out with their chopsticks as they wish. Put the meat in a location where each person can reach it. You will take a piece of meat, swish it in the water until it has reached your preferred donenness (generally only a few seconds) and dip it in your sauce before eating. Keywords: Easy, Japanese, Beef, Main Dish, Dinner, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Healthy Choices ( RG1998 )

Marinated Green Beans Serves 4 as Salad. This really simple salad is perfect for taking along to a picnic or potluck. The garlic and onion give it a big punch of flavor, and the green beans are tender crisp and really refreshing. 3/4 lb green beans 1/4 c red onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1-1/2 T olive oil 3/4 tsp salt 3 T lemon juice Cook the beans in a large pot of boiling water, uncovered, for about 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain beans. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the onion, garlic, olive oil and salt. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hbour, tossing mixture occasionally. Refrigerate if you want to marinate the mixture longer. Just before serving, add lemon juice and toss to coat beans. Keywords: Salad, Vegetarian, Vegan, Easy, Vegetables ( RG1991 )

I'm working on creating a vegetarian bacon for a rather elaborate plate. This is my idea for the process (try and follow): Using a long, rectangular terrine bold, I'll fill it with store-bought egg whites and steam it. I'll then thinly slice the big regtangular bar with a sandwich slicer so that I'm left with paper-thin, long, rectangular slices of cooked egg white that very closely resemble the fatty part of a bacon strip. I'll lay that on the plate. I'll then create a spice mixture that I feel closely resembles the flavour of bacon (smoked paprika, brown sugar, a bit of cayenne, a bit of hawaiian salt, ground sezchuan pepper, all spice, etc. [lots of 'red' spices]). I'll sprinkle the spice mixture in 'lines' of varying width along the egg white 'fat'. Voila, fake bacon! Should work pretty well, shouldn't it?

Some of you may know that I work as a cook on a cruise ship. It's been an interesting job, made more so recently when I was transferred a month ago to the Special Orders crew and told that I would be making meals for our guests with special dietary requests. My biggest challenge came this week when we had a group of 30 passengers who were all Jain. My word, what a difficult challenge this was for me!! The dietary restrictions alone made getting any sort of flavor into their meals quite diffcult--strict vegetarian, no onions, no garlic, no ginger, no potatoes--nothing that grows beneath the ground. Add to that, that I'm not all that familiar with the food of the Subcontinent, and one has a ready recipe for disaster. Then I remembered eGullet!! And what a resource your little corner of the Internet has turned out to be. I bought a couple of cookbooks (Lord Krishna's Cuisine; The Dance of Spices) but mostly I just opened this page and worked my way through posts in this sub-forum with a notebook handy and every day have been able to put together a multi-course meal complete with raitas and pickles. My crowning achievment came yesterday when two tables sent back for second helpings of my pumpkin "Rogan Josh"-style main course. Waitstaff have been asked what part of India I am from ("The part that's in Minnesota," quipped one waitress.)--who would have thought?!? I couldn't have done it without you good people. Thank you very much.

Good morning all. I have a client who is requesting a vegan cake. No problem there, done those before. This is for a wedding and will be 3 tiers, top only to be vegan. I typically use a shortening based 10x icing with soy margarine for a portion to lighten up the taste, real vanilla and almond for the flavors. My bride and groom, although swore they liked it the day they tasted, have now decided that it's too heavy and would like something lighter. The design on the cake is very simplistic with a base ribbon and gum paste roses to be zig zagged on the tiers. Do you have any suggestions for a lighter vegan icing that tastes good enough for non-vegans to eat, will hold up to a wedding cake, can sit outside in Cleveland August heat, and is either ivory or white? Thanks in advance!!!

All the threads for kababs, grilling season in full flow, brings me memories of a disaster that happened a little while ago... I had some costco bought chicken thighs - rinsed them under water - marinated them in yogurt, kasuri methi, garam masala, salt, turmeric, red chili powder... and then kept them in a 350 degree oven to bake. I had shaken much of the marinate out but some remained for flavor... From what I had heard from a friend, it was supposed to get all red and about 10-15 minutes later - I was supposed to baste it with oil to get a nice outer layer... Alas, there was somehting that went out of control and it looked like this... At one point, i had to literally drain the water away to get the chicken cooked. Flavor was ok but watered down, and experience was disaster. I don't own a grill and want my second experience in oven to be a better success than the one above. Please help... (PS: I can hold my own in stir frying however grilling - i m not good @... Also a converted vegetarian here - so feel free to add your other tips as well)

I've decided to do an Indian-themed dinner party. There's no sense trying to make authentic Indian food, since our Indian postdoc occasionally invites the lab over for supper and we load up on the good stuff there. We thought it might be fun to do a sort of 'fusion' meal, but are coming up a bit short on ideas (handicapped by my lack of knowledge of Indian food and his lack of knowledge of North American food). Everything must be vegetarian (dairy is ok, but not eggs). Here are some of the ideas we've come up with: -onion badji 'wings' (blue cheese centre, spicy dipping sauce) -sagoo soup (potatoes, carrots, and turnips with spices) -frozen raita (frozen yogurt with mint and cucumbers, topped with crushed chilies) -indian cheese platter (assorted cheeses, accompanied by indian pickles, chutneys and spice mixes, no clue on the specifics ) Notably lacking is some sort of main dish. Any help would be appreciated!

Since spring is becoming summer and there are so many regional dishes we've prepared that are wonderful served at room temperature, I figured this might be a good topic and useful when making plans. Nothing wrong with fried chicken, watermelon and bacon-laced potato salad with radishes and celery seed, but sometimes pizza rustica, olives, salami and figs sound just about right. So, please consider this a place to report inspiring menus or document what you've done. Ask for guidance or make suggestions. * * * I'm asking for advice since I promised to bring a vegetable dish to a potluck picnic. Haven't made it for years, but the beauty of one local farm's escarole inspired me to decide to prepare the escarole pie in one of Marcella Hazan's cookbooks in which piles of the green are flavored with garlic, olives, anchovies, capers and pinenuts. Well, there is someone coming who is allergic to nuts and a whole mess of other stuff that may prove difficult for everyone to accommodate. I don't want to omit the pinenuts and welcome any excuse to bring just a little something else I've never tried before. So....I came across a Ligurian recipe for Polpettone di Fagiolini, a torte-like dish that is somewhere in between a pastry-less custard and a vegetarian meatloaf. Green beans are cooked and puréed. Garlic, marjoram, Parmigiano and reconstituted dried porcini provide flavor; milk-soaked bread, bulk; and eggs beaten with a soft, creamy fresh cheese, the custardy element. Sounds like perfect picnic fare. Here's the thing. The list of allergies includes green beans, too! I figure that while green beans may be traditional, the dish sounds versatile enough. Any thoughts? N.B. Anna del Conte, my source, also has a recipe for a torta di zucchine from the same region that I'd prefer not to make because it involves filo-like pastry and I like the idea of preparing something coated only in bread crumbs. Zucchini, onion and uncooked rice that swells in the eggy filling. Sounds like a great combo, but not necessarily easy to integrate with first recipe since the light touch of rice makes sense with zucchini (vs. bread) and I suspect the porcini that complement green beans would drown out the more delicate squash.

I need some recommendation to substitute crab meat with a vegetarian look alike ingredient. Think of substitution I think of fat man! The last time I post for substitution for Tuna, he came up with beetroot which fit nicely to replace tuna, Thanks

The South & Passyunk Market opens tomorrow, May 8. Here are the details:

Calabacitas Serves 4 as Side. I put this recipe for calabacitas together from several I found in cookbooks and online, trying to recreate the version I had at a buffet in New Mexico. Calabacitas are a lot like potato salad: everyone has their own individual variation, and most are good. As such, measurements are VERY approximate. 3 zucchini or yellow crookneck squash, in 3/4" dice 1/2 onion, diced 2 T oil 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 1/2 c chopped green chiles, hot or mild 14-1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained well 1/2 c frozen corn kernels 1 c grated cheddar cheese 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp oregano 1/4 tsp ground black pepper salt to taste Preheat oven to 400F. Grease an 8" x 8" baking dish. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, zucchini, and onion, and saute until squash is just barely softened. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano, and saute another 30 seconds. Turn off the heat, stir in the corn, tomatoes, cheese, pepper, and salt. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Serve. (You can use fresh tomatoes or frozen/canned chiles or canned corn or add more corn or garlic - it's very, very forgiving.) There's a picture of the completed dish served here. Keywords: Side, Vegetarian, Easy ( RG1964 )

Title says it all. Basically, I have a gift card to a book store, and would I would like to take the opportunity to acquire a few good books that that will help me deal with the upcoming glut of CSA produce. I've checked out three Deborah Madison books from the library, and will most likely be purchasing one (or maybe two) of them: Greens, Local Flavors, and Vegetarian Cooking for everyone. I also checked out A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen, but I didn't like it as much. I don't necassarily need vegetarian cookbooks, just books with good ideas on using seasonal produce.

I'm putting together a dinner party for my wine club, and for one of the courses I'm planning to serve fish with a puttanesca sauce. For a fun plating idea (and to get around the problem that one of our members is vegetarian) I had though of perhaps doing a deconstructed version. A roasted cherry tomato, a whole olive, an anchovy filet, etc. But does that just miss the point of them all coming together into something better than the sum of the parts? If I give up on the idea of accomodating the vegetarian, I had thought about make a puttanesca sauce, pureeing and straining it, then using that as a base with the deconstructed elements on top. Thoughts? Ideas?

we're vegetarians! What should I do/make now? grr. I wish I had known before I invited them!

Doofus' Mayonnaise, or, The Mayo of The Lazy OK, you've got to have a blender, an immersion stick, a hand mixer or a food processor... I haven't made this since Kiddle killed our blender during the Velveeta Fudge Incident. Without electrical assistance, this would take a VERY long time. I tried it once, it took me almost half an hour to get to the mayonnaise stage. THAT doesn't sound QUICK, does it? Now there are folks who will fill your head with esoteric information about temperatures, exactitude of yolk size, using or not the whites, HOW dire a mistake it is if even a smidgen of whites are present. We say "Silly Folks!" to those people. They're probably all very worried in the kitchen or worried about what you think of them in the kitchen. Well, we're not, we just want delicious food, right? After all, MY reputation is already ruined, so I don't need to impress anyone, I just want to feed them and give them joy. You do too, right? This is simple organic chemistry, and not rocket science or angel food cake, for doofus' sake! WE are here to make delicious, easy and fresh mayonnaise, not to become the next BIG thing in mayonnaise kings. So, don't get nervous, I promise, it will come out fine. I usually use a yolk right from the refrigerator, but I have used a room temperature batch of yolks before, and everything was just fine. I have been told that you can use a whole egg, but we savor egg white omelettes in our house, so we tend to save our whites. OK, here we go! 1 egg yolk 1 T vinegar or lemon juice pinch of salt 3/4 c of oil (we use olive, but you can use almost any oil) you may add any of the following for variations: 1 tsp mustard 1 tsp any herb of your preference cracked peppercorns 1/4 tsp paprika 1 clove of raw garlic (fake out aoili!) 1 shallot PARSLEY will make it GREEN unless you just add the finely chopped parsley after blending. 1 tsp sugar, if you like Miracle Whip already a bit of cayenne, if you like a kick a tiny bit of lemon rind a bit of capers, drained! 1/2 an anchovy DON'T ADD FRUIT, THAT'S JUST GROSS. = First, you blend the egg yolk, vinegar or lemon juice, flavor additions and salt together. For about a half of a minute, dears, not long. Things will start to lighten up, and look all creamy yellow. It will smell good, don't taste it, I mean it- Get your finger out of there! BTW, I usually make this with lemon juice, I prefer it to the vinegar flavoring, myself. You may feel differently. Both methods work. Now, you begin to add the oil, about 1/8 cup at a time, blending for a minute after the first addition. Then, you will blend the mayonnaise for about 30 seconds for each subsequent addition. Well, thinking back to the time I made this in my Cuisinart, maybe a bit less, if you have one of those heavy duty fancy pie machines. Sheesh, I'll wager you wear fancy panties, too. You do, don't you. Well, I'm jealous. When you get to the 3/4 cup mark, be a bit less nonchalant. Watch what you're doing there, Fancy Pants! When the mayonnaise becomes very thick and glossy and beautifully emulsifed, it's had enough oil. You can stop now. You'll know when the oil has incorporated and it is time to add more, you will, really! The mayonnaise will begin to LOOK like mayonnaise, that's how you will know. If you are working in the dark, this kind of cooking will not be successful, I'm sorry. You'll have to do this by some book, in that case. This is home cooking, and we cook with the lights up, and the windowshades down! OK, Dearie, that's all there is to it. Kind of a letdown, eh? You thought I was going to impart some difficult old lady secrets to you, didn't you? You did, I just know it. Nope, after all, I'm all about the joy in the kitchen, not the anguish! Oh, yeah, when it's done, store it in the refrigerator. TROUBLESHOOTING: If it curdles or separates, put a yolk in a clean bowl, beat or blend it 'til it's creamy, then add a couple of spoonfuls of the curdled sauce. When that incorporates and thickens, add some more, bit by bit, until it is all emulsified. If it tastes too oily, add a tiny bit of your acid, blending again. If it tastes too acidic, add a bit more oil, blending again. PS: Try to store this in a clean glass jar, not a plastic container. The flavor gets 'weird' in plastic after a couple of days. PPS: It will take you longer to read this recipe than it will to make the mayonnaise, how about that! Keywords: Kosher, Easy, Condiment, Vegetarian, Food Processor, Immersion Blender, Stand Mixer, Blender ( RG1957 )

Heya all, My father is coming for a visit next weekend and we'd like to go out to dinner. I'd like to bring my girlfriend along. London is not Paris, however, so I'm wary of just finding a spot and crossing my fingers. I'd like: 1. Somewhere quietish where we can have a conversation 2. Somewhere not too far from Zone 1 (easier for all involved) 3. Somewhere where there are a few vegetarian options 4. Somewhere with good service 5. Not too expensive! £20-30 without drinks per person. No restrictions on cuisine type... I live in Cambridge so I don't get around London restaurants that often. Any suggestions would be welcome and appreciated!

Hi, once again I need some ideas on the appropriate substitution of egg(yellow) and Crab meat(White) to vegetarian items of similiar colour? Many thanks.

Pare Tumis (Stir Fried Bitter Gourd) This recipe I’m about to share features bitter gourd (“pare” in Indonesian) and is very simple to prepare. Rumour says that bitter gourd is useful in cleansing the bowel! This is a very popular Indonesian side dish, and usually is used to accompany something like an egg main dish, where the flavours compliment each other very well. 2 cloves of garlic 2 medium bitter gourd [sliced very thinly with mandolin or sharp knife] 1 T vegetable oil 2 T shallots [sliced] 2 Large green chilies [sliced, deseeded if can’t stand the heat] salt and sugar [to taste] 2 T dried salted shrimp [fried in oil] Sautee the shallots, garlic and green chilies in oil until fragrant. Add the sliced bitter gourd, stir occasionally. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the salt and sugar. Turn off the heat and add the fried dried shrimp. Serve with steamed rice as a main dish or serve as a side dish Keywords: Vegetarian, Hot and Spicy, Side, Non-Alcoholic Beverage, Easy, Vegetables ( RG1941 )

Hi all, I'm doing a little sleuthing (not for an article) about where one can eat vegan in Vancouver. I'd like to get about a dozen ideas, both high-end (silver-domed service) and as low as they go (incense and hairy armpits), before I come for my next visit. Not to worry, I'm not turning vegan. Not in this lifetime, anyway. (Note: No offense to egullet vegans, although doubtful there are any. Seriously, what's life without cheese?!)