First, I have to admit that I have tried to cook shad roe on my own after having a wonderful version at a restaurant. I checked recipes to find out about the basics, but have failed miserably. So, today, seeing shad roe at my fish mongers and being quite happy about it, I asked his advice and came home quite confident that I would be successful. NO!!! Does anyone know the ins and outs of cooking this? I poached them in simmering water for 2 minutes and sauteed them in butter for 5-6 minutes (turning, so this inclues both sides.) I know I screwed up when I separated the pairs so that some eggs escaped as the sacks split a bit. It wasn't a total loss, but not pretty. I made a black butter sauce with capers, but, as I say, it wasn't perfect. Any help out there?

Virginia Girl

The Silver Spoon, Phaidon Press, is the backbone of Italian cooking for young Italian newlyweds--it is a cooking bible somewhat like our Joy of Cooking. It was only translated into English about three years ago or so. Basic pasta recipe: 1 3/4 C. all purpose flour (plus extra for dusting), 2 egs slightly beaten, salt. Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a mound on the counter. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Using your fingers, gradually incorporate the flour and eggs and then knead for about 10 minutes. If too soft, add a little flour, if too firm, add a little water. Shape into a ball and let rest 15 min. Roll out and cut into desired widths.

When in Italy I had soft polenta with fontina cheese melted in and some sauteed radicchio mixed in. It was absolutely wionderful.

I just googled it and came up with the recipe--in fact, a few of them. Check them out.

Any GREAT pasta dishes with a lot of flavor? Would like something simple and possibly no meat.

Thanks. All good ideas. Y'all convinced me to make cornbread. Also found a great watercress and orange salad with red onion on this site. Sounded refreshing!

Spinach is marvelous in the microwave. Pack a large glass bowl, pushing down on the spinach gently to pack in more--right to the top and mounded up above is o.k. No water. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for about 5 (I guess that's minutes--it's the number 5 button timer.) Watch it around 4 minutes. It should lose half its volume and be nice and green--sort of just till it collapses but doesn't dwindle down more that half. Check to see if done--not raw, but still nice and succulent. Careful in removing the wrap for the steam. If not done, just put back for 1 more minute. Press down on spinach with a fork to extract water, pour off. It will be in a large lump. Pass a knob of butter over the surface, cut in two and serve (for two people.) Wonderful. You can also partially cook it and add more spinach after 1 1/2 minutes if you are serving more people. Or, do two batches.

Last minute invite to watch football. Friend making big pot of chile. What do I take? She suggested cornbread. I'm thinking salad, or what??? Don't want average salad--boring. What goes good with chile? THANKS!

What about Casa Lusa brand? From Portugal, exported by Tradifoods, LDA. The plain ones are good, and the flavored ones are just right--light but not overwhelming in lemon or lightly smoiked in hot sauce.

As odd as it may seem, my dad used to eat shredded wheat (the large pillows of it) with warm milk, a pat of butter and some salt and pepper. You might try that with your oatmeal.

My fish cook book suggests following with a salad, cheese and a fruit dessert. I would skip having a cheese plate because the soup is rich. Instead, I would slice some French bread into a little more than a quarter inch. brush with olive oil and toast on one side. Cool and put slices of goat cheese on the bread and then on a baking sheet, which can be all prepared in advace. I get the logs that can be sliced about the same size as the bread. Pierce the cheese in a few places with a sharp knife, sprinke with a little chopped rosemary (dried is fine) and very little coarse black pepper and then drizzle a little olive oil on the cheese. I use a spoon and just drip and smear it around a little. Into the oven at 400 degrees for a few minutes until the cheese starts to droop--not melt all over the place. Have your salad plates filled and sit two of the cheese rounds on each at the side. It's just enough cheese to satisfy, but doesn't overload you with richness after such a nice lobster stew. Then have your fruit pie, or whatever, The cheese/bread sounds like a lot of work, but it's not--assembled in minutes and served warm, everyone loves it.

Forgot--yes I added three big cloves of garlic, but not more because I didn't want garlic soup, and I didn't have fresh ginger so added a little powdered (which was freshly bought) and I sauteed the ginger with the onion to bring out the flavor. I think I didn't cook the broth enough. Thanks, I think that was it. Plus I could have added some herbs, but I like the fresh vegetable taste rather than a lot of herbs, so would go light on that. I don't know if I have the courage to make the soup again. A lot of work for some greasy, watery tasting soup.

If you like roquefort cheese: buy some Belgian endive, which is expensive but you don't need a lot--maybe one or at most two would do. Cut the root part off the bottom, separate the leaves and put a dollop of softened roquefort on the bottom part of the leaf. The endive stays crisp for a long time, you can arrange a plate like a big flower with the leaves radiating out, and people just pick up a leaf and pop it in their mouths. Easy, not too expensive and kind of chic. I also like to get those little pickled, sweet red peppers in the deli section, fill them with softened goat cheese, and serve. Very good.

Without a recipe (how hard could it be to make vegetable soup), I proceeded to try and make my grandmother's vegetable soup. She's not around to ask for help anymore, so I just did the best I could. Bought string beans, carrots, onions, lima beans, san marzano tomatoes, corn, peas, cabbage, and used two large chickens (to make the broth, not to use the meat.)

Simmered the chickens in water to cover, midway chopped them up a bit to get more of the flavor out, then strained the broth and defatted it. Sauteed one huge onion till translucent, added the veggies to the broth to cook, in order of how long they needed to cook to be soft. Added some salt and pepper to taste. UGH. No flavor. I never get enough chicken flavor for the broth, but thought with TWO chickens it would work out.

Should I just buy canned chicken broth? Use boullion cubes :( which I really don't want to use. I will never make vegetable soup again unless I figure this out first. Maybe I should have roasted the bones first? Help.

My reply earlier confused people, I think. The muffin rings are just hollow rings and keep the egg in a nice shape in the water. It's easy to see when the egg yolk sets. Otherwise, I just poach it in the shell (much less time than for boiled eggs) and gently peel it--normally a perfectly oval egg emerges with a tender white and runny yolk. MMMM. Anyway you do it, poached eggs are one of life's grander meals.

Greyghost: Thanks for a great way to poach eggs in a microwave--I'm going to try it. Actually, I usually just simmer the eggs for 4 min. most of the time and painfully peel them. The other recipe was from "The Original Bosont Cooking School Cookbook, first published in 1896. It is actually for poached eggs--you can see when the yolks just start to set and take them out. Good, but still more work than the microwave :)

Thanks for all of your advice on technique. I think using less eggs, more cream/milk and incorporating more air into the mix is the way to go. Yay!!!!

I have a hungarian/german background. My grandmother would boil macaroni, drain the water (leaving a little), and add condensed unsweetened canned milk, some butter, salt and pepper. MMMM, macaroni soup. I actually crave it and it is an ultimate comfort soup. No nutrition, though.

Ewwwwww. When my mom went out for the day and didn't have time to cook, she'd open a can of chow mein, heat it and dump it over those greasy crunchy noodles. OMG, how we hated it.

I'll bet it was canned boston brown bread in a can that you heat up in water, cut out the ends of the can and eat.

My mom made potato chip sandwiches with a little mayo on them. Go figure. I thought this was normal. Otherwise, she was a pretty good cook.

I'd be worried--do White Castle's still exist? Maybe they are from another era and just frozen in time.

I just posted a question about making a quiche that is not heavy and more in between a custard and a quiche. I live in Reston and the only quiche I will buy and eat is from Patisserie Poupon on Wisconsin Avenue, just above Q Street, NW. Forget everything else.

I have Elizabeth David's "An Omelet and a Glass of Wine". It's a terrific book. This is an exciting project you've started.

I have luck with room temperature eggs. Simmer some water, carefully put in the eggs, then let them cook for exactly 4 minutes. Drain and cover with tepid water while you peel them one by one. You need to gently peel them (tricky) and sit them whole on a piece of buttered toast. Otherwise, you can use a shallow saucepan and muffin rings. Fill the pan 2/3 with water and get it to a gentle boil. Butter the muffin rings and put in the water. Break each egg into a cup and slip into the ring. When there is a film over the yolk and the whites are just firm, remove with a buttered spatula or skimmer, drain and put on the toast. :) Poached eggs are great!

I hate most quiches, but a local shop sells one that is delicious. It is not heavy, dense or dry. It's more in between a custard and a quiche. I have tried cooking them for less time and the result is not the same--it may be wetter, but is still dense. How can I make a more custardy quiche? Any recipes??? Thanks a million.

Sorry, me again. Have them crack the claws and keep the juices, and split the tails. that way you don't have any work to do when you get home. Melt some butter for the lobster and the new potatoes. Add chopped chives to the potatoes! I really hope you do this. It's an elegant, no work dinner that you can pull off. Yes, it's expensive, but hey, that's the trade off sometimes when you don't have the time. And it's realllllly good.

Addendum: The reason I have the lobsters cooked at the market is I can't stand to kill them. The last time I bought live lobsters I felt like driving them to the shore and releasing them. I insist they kill them before cooking, too. I know I'm a wimp.

If home alone with my husband, I serve lobster, steamed new potatoes and a salad. If you have a local store that has live lobsters and will steam them for you, you can pick it up on your way home...still hot. Normally, I reserve the lobsters and when I arrive at the store ask them to steam them while I finish my shopping. Cook your new potatoes, skin on, in the microwave (you can test one to see how long for the size). Have your salad dressing made beforehand and voila.

It isn't difficult to make the caramel sauce. I use superfine sugar -- much easier. Here is what I learned by trial and error: Dissolve the sugar in cold water before starting to cook it. Reduce the sugar water, watching carefully. Do not stir, but you may swirl the pan a little if you must. When it starts to turn golden, watch verrrrry carefully till a nice deep golden color. Pour immediately into your mold and turn the mold around to line the pan a little up the sides and the bottom. Voila.