visciole's Profile
Making heartier tomato soup
I like to add small orange lentils and shredded cabbage to tomato sauce (Marcella Hazan's "Tomato Sauce II") to make soup. It's delicious, more filling than tomato soup, and the cabbage gives it a nice texture.
Just made the BEST pizza crust I've ever made! Need the perfect sauce
I like to do the following:
Step 1: make Marcella Hazan's "Tomato Sauce II" recipe. (This recipe is super-easy*, and I love it so much I always keep tons of it in the freezer, so for me step 1 = take some out of the freezer.)
Step 2: heat up as much of it as you need, adding a few cloves of minced garlic, about a teaspoon of oregano, a pinch of sugar, and about two tablespoons of a good Italian tomato paste.
Voila.
*Here's the MH recipe, though this person inexplicably left out the salt. I think you need also to add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, or to taste:
http://playinwithmyfood.com/tag/marcella-hazan/
boiling
There really isn't a secret. When you add cold or room temp food to boiling water, the boil slows. You can turn up the heat, put on the lid, or you can wait. For most foods it won't matter if the water stays at an even boil the whole time -- the food will get cooked either way. And whatever you do, you still have to watch so it doesn't boil over. Using a larger pot helps with this problem.
Also, try posting cooking questions to the Home Cooking board. Many smart & helpful cooks over there.
Need help making my own almond flour
I buy mine from Trader Joe's, but I wonder if you could get better results for the home method if you freeze the almonds first. Never tried it myself -- just an idea.
Food allergies
Lime juice, carrot, ginger, sesame oil, and soy sauce. For extra body you could add pureed tofu as suggested above.
Pureed white beans mixed with tomato juice and some fresh herb you like.
I also agree with the great idea of pureeing avocado. I'd add tomatoes with lime and cilantro for a guacamole-like dressing.
"No mom, you don't have to cook..."
You mean it's not because Mom used to be a better cook? ;)
Mole in a jar, what to do?
Guess I'm as much a gardener as I am a cook, since I thought to myself, Wow, someone caught a mole in a jar? Pretty impressive!
"Hitting" on the Waitress (server) Is it OK?
I disagree with everyone saying "no note." When I waited tables if someone left me a well-written, polite, and maybe even funny note, I was perfectly happy. In fact I dated several customers who left notes.
Many people do on-line dating -- how is writing a note any worse? Asking in person puts the waitperson in an awkward position; a note does not.
Oh, and one guy left me a picture of himself with the note on the back, where everyone else could see it. I don't recommend this line of action, unless you relish the idea of the entire waitstaff laughing their asses off at you
Why I’m done with berries and grapes out of season.
Berries freeze really well. If you can spare the freezer space I'd recommend buying a large amount of local berries when in season and freeze them. You can freeze whole berries or slice them up with a bit of sugar and lemon. Yeah, they're not fresh but they're still way better than the lousy out-of-season ones at the grocery, and they'll be great in smoothies.
Can't stand the feel of cornstarch...
Well, not very many babies do, and look at it this way: the ones that do would probably not be able to see otherwise, so it's all good. :)
Can't stand the feel of cornstarch...
Actually some babies DO wear contact lenses. But the moms or dads pop 'em in, so unfortunately no help with the hand-eye coordination thing. They have to play video games for that.
Can't stand the feel of cornstarch...
Yes, I also hate it, especially picking up a full box. Worse than fingernails on the blackboard.
What is a good site to learn how to cook Indian food properly?
I know very little about Indian cuisine, but I wanted to be able to make some basic dishes. I stumbled upon this guy's blog, and I must say I find it very charming and helpful. He's a home cook, he gives easy recipes, provides good photos, and has a way with words. Plus I'm a sucker for anyone whose recipes call for "a generous knob" of butter. (I'm a fool for inexact measurements.)
http://www.route79.com/food/
But as I said I'm far from expert, so I'm sure other will have different ideas.
If all foods were nutritionally equal would you change your diet?
I love mashed potatoes, and make them with low-fat milk, olive oil, and with the skins on. Still not super low calorie but allows me to eat them more often. Added bonus: they are great cold and do not congeal the way the ones with butter do.
But then again maybe you're low carb, in which case it's the spuds themselves....
*Your* secret to great apple pie?
I prefer a really tart pie, and use a lot less sugar than called for, so maybe that makes a difference, since generally I'm all for salt.
lamb for Easter that isn't gamey and isn't chops.
Rack of lamb is chops uncut, but you can cook it like a roast and it's a beautiful piece of meat.
what to do with leftover jarred sweet and sour sauce?
Stick it in the fridge til the next time you want to make sweet and sour. It should last a long time.
"Top 40" favorite dessert recipes
Two from Julia Child:
Creme Caramel (ridulously easy. delicious, and impressive, good with fruit)
http://gratineeblog.com/2009/08/creme-caramel-caramel-custard/
My go-to chocolate cake, Reine de Saba, a luscious chocolate-almond cake. I add more chocolate than Julia says, though.
http://cooking.knopfdoubleday.com/2011/10/12/julia-child-reine-de-saba-recipe/
Gingersnaps as breakfast cereal
I have made spice biscotti -- heavy on the ginger -- and while they do not have the molasses-y chewiness of gingersnaps they do taste quite similar.
I would think for a more cereal-like effect you'd need to omit the molasses and add more flour, which may well equal something like biscotti.
Ham Hock Cannellini Soup
Just wait until the soup is done, then if you feel it's too thick or too strong-tasting, you can always thin it with some water.
How do I (politely) shut down a dinner party at my house?
The polite way to indicate to guests that it's time for them to leave is to begin flossing your teeth.
vegetarian sweet and sour stuffed cabbage recipe?
Yes, I have, I just took a regular stuffed cabbage recipe (where you fill the cabbage leaves with rice, ground meat, egg, grated onion and carrot, and some seasonings), and I substituted small red lentils -- uncooked -- for the meat. The lentils will cook in roughly the same amount of time as the rice, so it works out fine. I would think if you wanted extra heartiness, you could use some portobello mushrooms as well. Stuffed cabbage recipes are pretty versatile, I have found.
Reversing a Cupcake Recipe to a Cake
Yes, exactly, you will need to increase the cooking time. If you're using flat layer cake pans try 25 minutes or so. If you're using something like a bundt pan (i.e. thicker), or a one layer spring-form, that would need even longer -- maybe 30 minutes or even longer.
Pork with walnut sauce - any vegetable suggestions?
I have never made that walnut sauce so I'm sure you are more qualified to judge. I'm just on a big brussels sprouts kick lately, and they sound good with just about everything!
Visiting Manhattan on smallish budget
You can definitely eat well and cheaply in Manhattan!
Chinatown is your friend. Also Curry Hll as others have mentioned for Indian. Plenty of decent inexpensive places downtown. It's hard to suggest specific places since many of them are perfectly good, fun, acceptable -- but not necessarily good enough to stand out .
Try not to find yourselves, oh, say near the Met Museum or in Times Square and starving. Bring a few snacks in case, and take the subway to where there are better options.
For your nice sit-down I'd consider looking at early bird prix fixe menus if you don't mind eating early. Just as an example Apiary in the east village has a $35 3-course meal. That's just the first one that comes to mind.
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Apiary
60 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
How do you move your chopped vegetables?
Don't lean the board. Keep the board flat; then aim/corral/angle with the knife, as bamagirl30 said. Works with everything except asparagus, which loves to roll, roll, roll!
Almond Butter - a good brand?
Try to find one that is just almonds, and salt if you like it salted. Some health food stores grind their own, which is the best.
