suepea's Profile
Mustard oil - is it safe eat and cook with?
FWIW... We decided to use the Laxmi mustard oil (that we bought through Amazon) in a cranberry mostardo. It was not as strong as we anticipated, but we have no frame of reference for judging its strength. Good luck!
Mustard oil - is it safe eat and cook with?
Thanks Grant, the NYT article is REALLY helpful. I think we'll use our oil.
Help with Pizza in Needham
Try Alta Strada - it is somewhat reminiscent of Figs pizza; very good, but limited choice of toppings. I think it's thin and wood fired. Probably a little pricey for takeout.
As for homemade - we make awesome crust using King Arthur pizza blend flour. Avoid the mixes with flavorings and stuff, or suggestions to add "pizza flavor" to the special blend. Just use yeast, salt, and olive oil. Great crust, thin (if you make it that way) and crispy; excellent flavor. 500 degree oven, stone (preheated) is mandatory.
Mustard oil - is it safe eat and cook with?
My husband bought some mustard oil online through Amazon (an Indian product, Laxmi brand) for a recipe; as he was searching he noticed some descriptions saying "recommended for external use only" so he took care to find a brand that was meant for human consumption. Well the order arrived, and guess what, it states "recommended for externaluse only" - but the weird thing is that the description on the bottle (and on Amazon) extols the virtues of the "flavor" "purity" etc. etc. as though this oil IS meant to cook with. Some research suggests this warning about being for external use only is due to lack of FDA approval for mustard oil in the US, and "wink wink" it is OK to cook with. Thoughts? OK to go ahead and use this with food?
Source of "trash" fish for bouillabaisse
The Asian markets are good idea. 9lives, I get that! I guess that was the point of the question, I know I am not going to see this stuff at Captain Mardens but just wondering if there was some hidden gem out there. Not that I think it will happen with me making one batch of bouillabaisse for Christmas eve, but I would love to start a trend where we Americans start demanding more of this type of fish, so that it IS worth the commercial fisherman's while. If recent news reports can be believed, pretty soon the cod are going to be off limits anyway. StriperGuy: "Trash" fish is what the people who write about authentic bouillabaisse seem to refer to the main ingredients as - http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Food/2010/1229/Fish-stew-French-style
Source of "trash" fish for bouillabaisse
Well, I am sure there is such a thing as "trash fish", the problem is, the fishermen don't bring it to market -- that's why it's "trash.: Just wondering if there are any markets out there I am not aware of, like wharfs in Boston or something similar to Marseilles.
Source of "trash" fish for bouillabaisse
Is there a source in the Boston area for a New England version of the types of "trash" fish typically used in bouillabaisse?
Has Blue Ribbon BBQ gone downhill?
"As a coda, NONE of the original employees were there."
That's what I noticed too. All the same, we've been back to BR a few times (due to the Groupons) and the food, portions, etc. seemed a little better than reported, so perhaps we had some off experiences. Can't speak to whether RedBones or other places are or aren't better, more passionate, etc. - wasn't comparing BR to other BBQ joints, just to its former self. It has been years since I have been to RedBones. I remember they had excellent pecan pie. I always thought the BBQ was good too, but perhaps not.
Has Blue Ribbon BBQ gone downhill?
Yeah, I'm one of those people holding a few groupons. But we've been noticing the decline for at least 6 months or so; it just seems to be gradually sinking in that the quality of the product and the service are not as good. Not basing this on just the last visit ,it's just that that that's my most recent memory for supplying detail.
Has Blue Ribbon BBQ gone downhill?
I have to say, we have been diehard Blue Ribbon BBQ'ers for a while; I've had them cater 3-4 big parties for crying out loud! I can forgive some occasional inconsistency or the vagaries of BBQ. I still maintain they are going downhill; there has been a noticeable decline in quality of food and service. I don't think we are so persnickety. I think the owners are resting on their laurels, and they are risking their future business, and that's depressing.
Has Blue Ribbon BBQ gone downhill?
Blue Ribbon BBQ had been an extremely reliable "go to" place for us -- great BBQ, food always good, and portions generous. A Godsend on weeknights when we were too busy too cook. Unfortunately, for the last year or so, it seems to be on a downhill slide. Has anyone else noticed? The folks behind the counter don't seem to be as friendly or as consistent as in the past. On Weds night, my husband (a big guy) ordered a pork rib and beef brisket duo, and got just two ribs (he usually gets 3-4), and the brisket was a skimpy portion too (and a bit dry). I know his portion was skimpy because mine seemed huge in comparison. The coleslaw had no flavor, like it was missing key ingredients (salt? vinegar?). It's a shame I recently bought 3 groupons (forgetting about the downhill slide we've been noticing). In the recent past, I've noticed the meats being less tasty, or carelessly served up (lots of fat and nonedible stuff...)
Having achieved some level of success have the owners become a little too hands off? I hope they start paying more attention before we all lose what was once a very good thing.
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Blue Ribbon BBQ
910 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476
Washing Moka pot?
On an episode of David Rocco's Dolce Vita, he claimed that you should never wash the upper chamber of a Moka pot (aluminum or stainless steel stovetop "espresso" pot). The suggestion was that over time, the crud would produce crema. Is this really true? I found some websites with instructions for stainless steel Moka pots (which claimed the aluminum pots should be avoided due to off flavors), suggested that the SS pots SHOULD be washed with hot soapy water -- no abrasives, no dishwashers, but yes, cleaning after each use is recommended. Anyone know?
Cooking in hay?
Fergus Henderson's "Nose to Tail Cooking" and Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall's "Meat" cookbooks have recipes for ham in hay; we tried the Henderson recipe yesterday, quite good. Hay is used both for insulation and flavor. It calls for an uncured ham that is brined for 12 days.
Help! Ham in Hay
Husband making Fergus Henderson's ham in hay. Washing hay (organic Timothy hay for rabbits) now, water very brown and dirty. Should this be washed till water runs clear? Is the flavor being lost? Kind of gross. Advice please...
Alta Strada: Why universally disliked?
Hmm, interesting. I too was a Figs regular, but had gotten kind of bored with it toward the end. I got really tired of the pizzas, which seemed to get more greasy and burnt and unappealing over time (maybe they stayed the same and my tastes changed?). They did have the best crab cakes I've ever had. Good cocktails too. I haven't been to Via Matta, but had been to Radius for a special dinner and was underwhelmed. Gee, I wouldn't say the food at Alta Strada is "uninspired" though maybe just simpler and smaller selection (again, not viewing this as "fine dining" but as a neighborhood place in the Figs vein). The pasta, though limited in selection, is consistently good IMHO. Again, I can see why people aren't raving about it I just don't get why it seems to get "dissed" so much. To each his own, thanks for sharing!
ps: the small portion was not an across-the-board comment about the plates, but about some specific items, such as the salumi or cured meats that are in the antipasti selection ($6 for three paper thin slices probably weighing a half ounce...). I do think the portions for most other dishes are just about right though.
Alta Strada: Why universally disliked?
I am relatively new to ChowHound (I have been using it to research restaurants and other food topics for a long time, but registered and wrote my first post yesterday, a review of Alta Strada's brunch). I happened to notice in other posts that Alta Strada is not very well liked, though few or no (?) reasons were given, probably b/c it wasn't the main topic of the posts.
Although it's not my favorite restaurant, being a resident of Metro West, it is certainly a reliable and convenient "go-to" place for us on nights we don't feel like cooking. I have relatively minor quibbles (which I"ve noted elsewhere, such as Open Table reviews... pricey drinks, miniscule portions for certain things liked cured meat antipasti)... The service is always excellent, good wine-by-the-glass selection, and the food is pretty darn good for what this is, a neighborhood joint. Some really good pasta dishes -- linguni w/clams, a tuna/tomato/pinenut/raisin thing that I've had in the past; and so on...
My husband and I have been to some top restaurants in Boston and NY and traveled extensively in Italy (Rome, Venice, Sicily, Tuscany, etc.), and I think we know a "dog" when we see one, so I have to ask...
Fellow ChowHounders... What is it you find so objectionable about A/S?
(Or like us, do you think it's just fine?)
Alta Strada brunch
We arrived at 11:15; were the only ones there for quite some time, began to fill up at around 11:45-ish. Husband had the eggs benedict with prosciutto cotto (i.e. cooked ham, not what we think of as prosciutto (cured ham or prosciutto "crudo"). Very generous portion -- 3 poached eggs with lovely runny yolks, and very tasty. I had the house cured salmon. The salmon was good, the dollop of mascarpone was a little skimpy. I was disappointed in the accompanying salad. The menu described a fennel and apple salad, which I envisioned being a perfect semi-sweet compliment to the buttery salmon. It ended up being a very lemony arugula salad with a miniscule amount of fennel and apple mixed in, completely overwhelmed by the aruglula and lemon. Had I known I probably would've ordered something else. $12 for a mimosa that was mostly OJ. Service was fine, friendly and attentive as usual. This is definitely a standby for us; we've dined there many times and plan to continue to -- just need to be particular about ordering.
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Alta Strada
92 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02482
