Hi All,

Does anyone know where they sell Pizza Rustica aka Easter Pie on the island of Manhattan? After having lived in various parts of Brooklyn (Dyker Heights, Bay Ridge), I have developed a love of Pizza Rustica but I don't feel like shlepping all the way out there today.

Any help would be appreciated!

Looks like I'll be alone on Thanksgiving as well this year. I'm also around your age so if you're still looking for someone to have dinner with, I'd love some company and a good meal.

You can email me at: sourmangomama@gmail.com

Potato flakes may work as a good binder. And, also as a good breading...

Recently, I've been reading recipes that call for an initial boil of meat / bones to "get rid of the impurities." These recipes range from stock recipes to oxtail braises.

Just curious, how many people actually do this and does it affect the taste of the recipe? My mother (and I) always just skimmed the scum off the stocks as it cooked instead of boiling the bones first, giving the bones a quick rinse, and then adding fresh water to the stock pot.

How much were the lobsters at the Lobster Farm? And, which one did you go to? The one on Hester?

Can anybody recommend a good butcher / meat market in either Sunset Park Chinatown or 5th Ave Sunset Park?

I'm sure the cuts will differ between both locations but that's not a problem. Really, I'm just looking for a reliable and clean place to get meat.

Kim Chee restaurant on 93rd and 3rd Ave. It's family run and the Mom cooks the food. So far, everyone I've taken there loves it.

This place makes me happy.

Does anyone know where I can buy an 8" Thai Mortar and Pestle in Chinatown? I've been to the Thai Supermarket on Mosco but I can't recall if they have them in stock there.

Here's a picture of what I'm looking for: http://importfood.com/mortarpestle.html

I live in the neighborhood but never stopped in until today. Really great Pistachio gelato. The gelato was creamy, not too sweet and great pistachio flavor.

Also, the owner Gino was very enthusiastic about making good gelato.

Paul, great tips, thank you!

I do have a quick question though about cooking with the jars. Do you put the jars on the bottom of the pressure cooker and then add water to about halfway up the jars? Or, do you rest the jars on something? Thanks!

Hello All,

Gearing up to make some duck confit in the fall. Can anybody tell me where I can find 1-2 lb tubs of duck fat?

Thanks!

Do you use some sort of yogurt starter? And, what are your proportions? Thanks!

So, I just got my 30% off Border's coupon and I'm thinking about getting this cookbook.

I used to have "How to Cook Everything" but wasn't inspired to cook out of it so much. However, since I have a love for "global" foods, I figured I might give this one a go.

For those of you who have cooked from this cookbook, what do you think about it?

It seems like diet mania is all around me. Or, at the very least, people have certain attitudes on what is healthy and what they "should" or "should not" be eating. People use terms like "that is very bad" or "I was very naughty today" and it's been driving me crazy.

I've decided to throw it all out the window and just eat whatever I feel like eating when I get hungry. Now, I'm not talking about gorging myself but I'm trying to get into a mindset where I eat exactly what I want in exactly the right amount. For example, if I'm craving a couple of fried chicken wings, why eat cottage cheese instead because it's healthy?

Is there a sane way to approach eating in this diet-obsessed time?

Totally forgot that Eagle Provisions has chopped liver. I've been meaning to pick up some Chopped liver. Now I have the spot for it! Thanks!

I stopped by al di la at around 7:00 pm tonight. The calf liver entree really satisfied my craving - slightly pink calf liver on a bed of caramelized onions.

Thanks for the suggestion!

I will be in Park Slope tonight with some time to kill. Can anybody recommend a place where I can get some sort of Liver (chicken or beef) entree on 5th Ave between Union St and 9th St?

My liver craving is getting intense! Thanks!

There's also a lady who sells Tamales in front of the Church on 9th street between 4th and 5th Avenue.

I purchased two chicken tamales from her - one wrapped in banana leaf, the other wrapped in a corn husk.

She was there at around 1:20 pm today - Sunday.

Yeah - it's the darndest thing. I must have been walking by it all these years or just gotten used to going to the Vietnamese grocery store on Grand Street next to the fish market.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon what seemed to be a new Vietnamese-oriented supermarket in Chinatown - Tan Tin Hung Supermarket at 121 Bowery Street. (That's what it says on the bag anyways.)

The name doesn't sound Vietnamese but they have tons of Vietnamese and Thai ingredients.

Here are some of my finds:
1) Cha Lua - A few different brands plus the fried kinds.
2) Cha Ca - Again, a few different kinds
3) Vietnamese Herbs - Ngo Gai, Basil, Dap Ca
4) Duck Balut and Chicken Balut
5) Banana and Pandan Leaves
6) Tons of different kinds of frozen Vietnamese Products
7) Lemongrass - Whole Fresh and packaged, processed

In the back, they also have a selection of frozen Vegetarian mock meats.

(I'm not affiliated with this store - just a Viet-American on the search for Vietnamese groceries in the City.)

Saw this cookbook at Border's the other day - it was so pretty I almost plunked down the $50 to buy it!

Before I buy it, has anyone cooked out of this cookbook? Any reviews?

I think it's strange that in a city as large as New York, there is not a larger concentrated population of Vietnamese people. My mother (living in rural CT) can go up to Hartford and get all the Vietnamese ingredients she wants and then some.

I forgot to mention - Thanh Da off of 8th Ave and 56th had banh chung in honor of New Year's .

I ended up in Brooklyn Chinatown after a trip to the Chinese supermarket on 25th Ave/86th Street proved fruitless.

The Hong Kong Supermarket had holy basil and culantro but they didn't look great. So, I went to almost every single market along 8th Avenue until I hit paydirt. Lien Hung - 5705 8th Avenue had basil, rau ram, ngo om, and dap ca. The ngo om is usually quiet difficult to find but was exactly what I needed to make canh chua.

I have to say though, that both the Hong Kong Supermarket and the big market on 25th Ave/86th Street have quite the selection of frozen Vietnamese products.

I'm playing hooky today and have decided to cook some Vietnamese food.

Now, I know where to get the Ingredients I need in Manhattan but since it's bitterly cold out, I thought I might get the ingredients in Brooklyn.

I know there's a large Asian market on 86th and 25th Avenue - have any of you guys spied ingredients like Ngo Om (Vietnamese herbs) and other Vietnamese herbs? Alternatively, I could also go to the Brooklyn Chinatown as well. It's just that it's so darn cold out!

If I recall correctly, some of them call for up to 1/2 cup of the dry milk.
Would it still be ok to leave it out entirely?

Hello Everybody!
I just purchased King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking. It looks like a great book except for one point - quite a few of the breads have Nonfat Dry Milk as one of its ingredients. Unfornately, I'm allergic to dairy and was hoping to substitute an ingredient for the Nonfat Dry Milk. Any Suggestions?

Thanks!

P.S., No other allergies apply!