Thanks again to everybody for the advice. It's pretty clear that I will have to rearrange some things to get my spices out of that cabinet.

Thanks for the tip!

That's right, meatn3. Thanks chefj for that link and thanks to everyone. Now I've got to find some real estate in my kitchen for spice storage. I guess I'll put some pots or something above the stove.
One thing I have which I do like is a round metal spice container that I got in India. It seals very well and has individual metal cups for the various spices. They seem to stay fresh there.

Fair enough. It's an enclosed cabinet, so the sauce won't splash on the jars. There's not a lot of space for spice racks in the kitchen so it would be more convenient. I also have a vent which I don't use enough. At any rate, I'll try your experiment and see if makes a difference.

Do you think it's OK to keep my spices on that cabinet above my stove? It's about 3 feet above the stovetop and its the most convenient place to keep my spices. The bottom of the cabinet is a couple of inches thick but I'm wondering whether the heat from the stove will make the spices deteriorate faster. What do you do? Thanks!

Just an update--I made a gefilte terrine from the New York Times Passover Cookbook with whitefish, pickerel , and a couple of strips of pureed carrot and leeks in the middle. It was excellent. There was some leftover mix, which my daughter put in muffin tins for gefilte muffins. Thanks to everybody for the advice and memories.

I use it in turkey stuffing, with cornbread, apples, etc.

That's right--when I've had homemade "gefilte fish" in Israel that's usually what it's been.

Thanks for the correction. My Francophile wife would no doubt cringe at my spelling. The cookbooks I saw used the the term not for gefilte fish (essentially quenelles de poisson, non?) but to fish steaks or pieces in a cold gel sauce.

Yes, I'm now leaning toward a baked gefilte terrine. I've just been informed that a couple family members are not big fans of fish gel. I still want to try the old recipe soon.
I suspect that keeping the carp in the bathtub not only assured freshness, but purged it of some of its muddiness--especially if it had been caught in the East River or thereabouts.

Thank you for the effort! I may go with a sweet-and-sour filet or even a gefilte-style baked terrine (neo-Ashkenazi, I guess). At any rate, thanks for the insights and memories.
By the way, over on the Kosher board the thought of carp seems to have inspired other Hungarian horror stories.

Yes, I'd be interested in that too. I'm not opposed to including salmon--it's just that I'm kind of tired of plain salmon.

Wow, I didn't realize this topic would bring up such a flood of Hungarian carp horror stories! (I also posted it on Home Cooking.) I assure you have no intention of hosting a carp in my bathtub.

Yes, the NYT recipe is one I am looking at. Have you ever tried it?

Thanks to Nyleve--it would be great to see a Hungarian version. Any thoughts from anyone who actually likes this dish? ;^)

Sorry to hear that. But I'll bet the bus took less time to get there from Montreal than from Emek Refaim.

Thanks. Usually I go global--Moroccan, Italian, etc., but this year I wanted to go kind of retro-Ashkenazi. Growing up, we always had gefilte fish at seders so this is kind of new to me. Here's my question. Did you find the carp flavor too strong and would you suggest another fish? Did you find the bones a real bother? I have a couple of recipes and if I can adapt them it would be worth a try.

BTW, my grandfather was Hungarian but I never knew him. I'm told he used to spend Sunday afternoons reading Hungarian cookbooks.

I posted this message on the Kosher board but no response yet, so I'll try here:
Anybody have experience with making Carp a la Juive? It's an old Jewish dish in which carp steaks are poached in a court bouillon or sweet-and-sour sauce and chilled till it gels. I am thinking of making it instead of gefilte fish for the seder--and probably not with carp. I tried it this weekend with whitefish steaks, which tasted good but was way too bony. I'd also rather not use salmon.
Any tips? Suggestions for an alternative fish?

Sure. Sit on the #18 bus with 4 plastic baskets for 45 minutes. Get off at Machane Yehuda. Fill the baskets with more produce than you can use in a year. Get back on the bus and sit for another 45 minutes. Repeat every Friday morning. ;^)

Seriously, you can boil whole peeled carrots till al dente. Don't let them get too soft. Cool, cut into rounds, then toss with olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, red pepper flakes, s&p,and parsley or cilantro. Let it chill for at least a day if you can. The Jewish Food Newsroup archives (see my last message) has a few good examples. Bete'avon!

I pull it together from a few recipes. Here's a good one:
http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/rfcj/POULTRY/Chicken_Tajini_with_Prunes_-_meat.html
I usually substitute apricots for half the prunes and gently toast some blanched almonds in oil and sprinkle them on top.
Here's another good one:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
Obviously, you can use oil instead of butter.
If you want to go pan-Sephardic, you can make a Moroccan carrot salad and maybe potatoes or winter squash. I usually include a matzah kugel and asparagus.

I often make a chicken tagine with prunes, apricots, and almonds. It's easy enough to adapt most recipes for Pesach and it's always popular. I use a whole cut-up chicken but you can use thighs, boned chicken, or lamb if you want.

Anybody have experience with making Carp a la Juive? I am thinking of making it instead of gefilte fish for the seder--and probably not with carp. I tried it this weekend with whitefish steaks, which tasted good but was way too bony. I'd also rather not use salmon.
Any experiences? Any tips?

We tried the red bean this year too and it was a hit. Also popular with us: Pistachio butter.

Thanks for the suggestions. Any Italian speakers who know of good sites?

Thanks. Wow, the pictures on Linda's blog are too much! Makes me want to get right on a plane. Any other suggestions, anyone?

Since there has been a lot of discussion here about favorite Italian cookbooks, does anybody have favorite authentic Italian recipe websites--either in English or Italian? I'm looking for websites other than the usual Epicurious and the like (not to mention the Food Network and PBS stars).

One cookbook I've been using a lot lately is In Nonna's Kitchen: Recipes and Traditions from Italy's Grandmothers (Harper Collins). It has a lot of recipes I haven't found elsewhere, great tips, and hey--who can you trust if not someone's Nonna?

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone. So I had a couple of turkey legs (because I wanted to use some of the skin for dressing plus stock, etc.). I combined a couple of recipes I found and made a wild and brown rice stuffing with hazelnuts and cranberries, spread it on a pan, and roasted the turkey legs on it. It turned out pretty well. And now I'll have a little for leftovers. Now if only I could convince my family to try goose or duck...

Turkey pot pies--or rather a cobbler with biscuit topping--are definitely in the future. I actually bought a couple of turkey thighs for such purposes. Right now it's a choice between roasting legs and breast separately and getting some other kind of bird.

Of course, there is always the Calvin Trillin option--Spaghetti Carbonara. There's an article about it in today's NY Times. Actually, I often make it with turkey bacon (don't tell your Nonna) on the Sunday night of Thanksgiving weekend.
Duck breasts are closer to what I had in mind but my family doesn't like them--go figure. I also like Cornish hens but I will take suggestions for alternative foul.