Sorry, I only "saw" Ottolenghi (even though westminstress didn't post that). The recipe is in Plenty (US pg 99). FYI, red cabbage is fine and I usually omit the dried cherries.

I have to try the Jerusalem recipe this summer.

I love kohlrabi and I love it leftover. I think I only tried the sesame version of this dish. And, I may have thrown some in with dun dun noodles.

If the Ottolenghi kohlrabi dish is the one with cabbage and dill, you must try it. It is delicious. I also liked a version in Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. And, I think I posted about the dishes in the appropriate threads. There is a stir fried version also from WV, that is also very good.

But, take this with a grain of salt - I would eat kohlrabi plain with a bit of salt as well. I don't because other then peeling the darn things, it's a really easy vegetable to prep and eat.

Thanks. I'm hoping to do so next week before I get overwhelmed by the number of reports.

I am enjoying the book overall.

Thanks. Coincidentally, I was going to buy the cheat shallots anyway. Unfortunately, Ming's (in the South End) only had fried scallions and garlic.

I really enjoyed this as well. I was fascinated about the chapter on pet food and the chapter on spit. I still can't believe that every human generates 2-3 pints of saliva a day! I loved that factoid.

Also, I really enjoyed her discovery of scientists' names and their specialities (or what they should specialize in depending on their last names). I wonder when she will write a book about bugs.

The book was amusing and interesting.

I've made about 7-8 recipes so far and been remiss in posting the results. In the most part, I've enjoyed everything and found the dishes have come together quickly. I haven't made anything that had the shallot oil, fried shallots, toasted chickpea flour, shrimp powder or anything with a special ingredient.

I have realized that I need to up all the spices and lowered the water amounts. Otherwise the flavors are too muted. And, I've played fast and loose with ginger, shallots and garlic amounts.

I've going to the Chinese grocery store tomorrow and plan on picking up some dried shrimp. Ay other suggestions as to what I should pick up that is absolutely necessary?

I'm enjoying this show. I find it interesting everyone's interpretation of their specialities and the differences in regional and personal tastes. But, what I really like about the show is that there isn't any overt meanness to it. On the most part, the judges give constructive criticism but do so in a way that isn't mean spirited. Most of the contestants know when/if they've baked or presented poorly.

But, I find Hollywood's taste a bit limited. He's never heard of bacon and chocolate or chili pepper and chocolate? I want to find that bacon and chocolate recipe (I've already forgotten what kind of baked good it was but it looked delicious).

I had a get together with similar parameters. Mine was for about 15 people, most paleo and a couple of vegetarians. The vegetarians weren't picky though and didn't care if meat touched the vegetables, they would just pick around the meat.

I mostly used middle eastern dishes, and mostly from Ottolenghi's cookbooks.

For the appetizers, I had a butternut squash dip, beet dip and hummus. The hummus I split into 2/3 and 1/3 (for the vegs). The 2/3 was hummus with lamb and lemon sauce. All of the above are from the Jerusalem cookbook (it was COTM and I've reported on the result there).

For the main, I made a roasted herb turkey breast (from Ottolenghi's original cookbook, Ottolenghi) and meatballs baked in tahini sauce (same source). I also had two sides, roasted cauliflower with pomegranate seeds and yogurt (Melissa Clark's, Cook this Now) and roasted butternut squash with pine nuts (Jerusalem).

The vegetarians munched on the appetizers and sides and were more then happy. Even though hummus isn't technically paleo because of the chickpeas, I didn't care.

For dessert, I don't remember what I made but it wasn't even close to paleo.

Lastly, the beauty of these recipes is that most of the dishes could be made ahead of time or were maintenance free (just stick in the oven and then slice). So it all came together quickly.

So sorry to hear that RHT didn't work out for you. The a/c situation sounded awful. I do love that crispy poached egg though.

It's also too bad that you are hear during less then stellar weather. Between yesterday's heat and today's humid rain, it really doesn't show case Cambridge.

Here's hoping that you get better chow later today and that you and your son have a nice visit.

You can also check out her informal place, Sofra on the Belmont/Watertown line. It's about 2 miles for Harvard square. Sofra also has some of the dishes from the cookbook.

I'm not sure when you are coming up, but you may be interested in a cooking demo by Joanne Chang. This is in Porter Sq, Cambridge, about a mile north of Harvard.

http://www.portersquarebooks.com/even...

Also, there is a Flour Bakery in Central Sq, Cambridge. This is a mile in the other direction, very close to MIT.

ETA: also in Harvard Sq is the Harvard Bookstore. Downstairs is a used book section that has a decent selection of used and remaindered cookbooks. This is next to Bartley's Burgers so you can kill two birds with one stone.

I also finished it a few days ago and loved it. She writes beautifully and evocatively.

I've found both fresh lemongrass and galangal at HK Market. I suspect the Malden one will have both as well. I've also seen lemongrass at WF as well.

Not only the word Chowhound but it the teenager was using chowhound.com to look for the restaurant and or dish. I took it to mean she searched the archives in both Manhattan and Home Cooking.

Thanks for the McSweeneys link.

RED-BRAISED BEEF WITH TOFU BAMBOO – p. 108

I finally made this dish. I had bought dried tofu bamboo and then totally forgot about them. Anyway, this dish is just delicious, even on a muggy rainy day.

For these FD stew recipes, I tend to buy more protein then needed. Almost twice as much. Between trimming the meat and the amount of liquid, I always find that it could use more stuff in the broth. For this, I bought 2 lbs of chuck.

Shortcuts - I didn't do that pre-blanching of the meat. I never found a huge difference in the finished product so I just stopped. I do occasionally skim the dish while it's braising. I also made everything into one pot. Once the aromatics are fragrant, I add everything into the pot. I use a 4.5 Le Creuset.

I did soak the dried tofu bamboo for a good 5 hours or so. When I added them to the pot, it thickened up the broth.

I served this with blanched spinach and shirataki noodles. I loved the flavor of the dish. It's so similar to the red braised beef from LOP (which has black beans and sichuan peppercorns) but different enough to stand on it's own.

I just started reading this book. It's very good and Soffer writes well. It's also clear that Soffer loves food. Both female protagonists also love food and described intriguing and delicious combinations. The older woman, Jessica, is an Iranian Jewish woman, who owned a restaurant. And, the teenager, Lorca, is trying to please her mother, who is also a chef.

Anyway, on page 44, Lorca is desperately looking information on her mother's favorite dish - Masgouf. In the book, she is deep in the Chowhound archives looking for the restaurant that served her mom this dish. Unfortunately, on page 45, CH failed her.

Regardless, it's an enjoyable read so far. I'm looking forward to learning more about Iraqi jewish cuisine. Unfortunately and surprisingly, there are no recipes in the book. Although there are some on the amazon page.

http://www.amazon.com/Tomorrow-There-...

I continued to support them the first time that made a huge tax mistake which also led to a temporary closure (I think). Then they did the same thing a few laters later and had the gall to ask for donations. It made me wonder what they did with my tax money when I bought their ice cream. I'm operating under the whole, fool me once...

That said, I really do miss the burnt caramel ice cream. It's probably one of my all time favorite flavors.

ETA: It's my own thing. I don't tell other people not eat there, I just don't go there or buy their products at the grocery store.

Good god. I now see what all the fuss is about with the indian mango. I couldn't wait any longer so I've been eating slightly green ones. Just the perfect amount of sweetness without cloying and that slight flowery scent is just intoxicating.

Re: the frozen meat. I think that's fairly standard practice in all hot pot restaurants. The main reason is that the meat is much easier to slice to the desired thinness when it's frozen.

Great, now I want a lamb pie.

It's for the same reason you mentioned. I gave them a pass the first time the tax thing happened. The second time coupled with the fundraiser, it just didn't sit well with me.

Of course, I'm probably cutting my nose off to spite my face.

The hazelnut spread is a hazelnut crumble. The butter dough was closer to croissant dough, I think but not as many layers. And there was pearl sugar baked on top.

But, even if it was a nutella spread, why would you yuck my yum?

Lastly, I stopped by for another salami and butter sandwich. This time it had little pickles (cornichons) on them. Totally unnecessary. I really adore this little sandwich.

Another Harvard experience is ice cream. Unfortunately, there are only two ice cream shops left in the square - Lizzy's and JP Licks. There are also a couple of frozen yogurt places - Pinkberry and Berryline. I love Berryline and they switch their flavors out every week or so.

Also, in between Harvard Sq and your hotel is Christina's ice cream. I love this ice cream. My favorite combo is burnt sugar and mexican chocolate.

Others may direct you to Toscanini's ice cream in Central Sq (closer to a MIT experience). Their ice cream is wonderful. Unfortunately for me, I don't eat Tosci's anymore.

Cambridge Brewing Company will soon be offering a special beer - I think it will be called the Collier Stout beer. It's in honor of Officer Sean Collier who was killed by the marathon bombers. Anyway, if memory serves, one dollar of every beer sold will be donated to some sort of fund (not sure if it's One or a Collier specific one.)

Despite passing by Swiss Bakers on almost a daily basis, I finally tried it last week. The staff are very friendly and happy. In the past, I've tried the berliner donuts at Formaggio and thought they were fine. This time, I tried the pastry. It was a butter dough with a hazlenut spread. I liked it ok, but not enough to get it again.

What I did love was my impulse buy. At the register, they had little sandwiches to go. It was a small pretzel roll with two different fillings. One was the pretzel roll with butter. The other was the pretzel roll with butter and salami. I got the salami sandwich and it was absolutely delicious. The salami/butter combo is not one I would have thought of myself, but thinking about it, it made so much sense. I mean, it's fat with fat, what's not to love? The pretzel roll was just chewy enough to give it heft but not too hard or soft to make the sandwich unpalatable. My friend also got this and would have liked some mustard but I thought it was perfect just the way it was. It's small, about the size of a palm but oh so tasty and satisfying.

There is a beautiful bar as well as tables. Your son, should be able to sit at the bar though. Bypass the upstairs hostess and go right downstairs.

I made these a second time and they weren't quite as good. The difference was the fridge resting time. The first time, the dough rested overnight. The second time, the dough rested for a hair over an hour. Even though the recipe calls for an hour rest, the cookie tasted significantly better with a longer resting time.

I like the downstairs bar significantly better then the upstairs bar. Also, ask the bartender what the secret burger of the week is. This is one of my favorite places to eat in the Sq.

I just picked up a box of kesars at Patel Brothers, also on Moody Street. I haven't eaten one yet since they are not quite ripe. But, even slightly unripe, they smell amazing.

Salted Butter Break-Ups. Pg 400, Desserts

I made these last night for book group and they were a huge hit. I wish I had read the earlier posts about extra salt though. I used 1 t of diamond crystal kosher salt and the cookie could have used a bit more salt. I think I'll try sprinkling a bit of maldon salt before the egg wash.

Breaking the cookie as a group was also fun. Big thumbs up for this simple and uber delicious cookie.

For me, the mess is from the splatter of the grease on to the oven floor and walls. The smoke I can take, the problem with the grease is that it continues to smoke every time I use the oven. The good thing is that it's now warm and cool enough weather that I can self-clean the oven and open my windows.