cayjohan's Profile
In search of fresh fava beans
Saw them in stock at Holy Land today, $1.99/pound. Good sized, some brownish-bruise on them, but seemed sound. ,
What would make my wet curry turn blue?
i wouldn't take ginger out of the running either - I was just grating fresh ginger root on a ceramic grater and was surprised by a blue/green/gray hue. Tasted fine, seemed fresh, but was blue. Used it anyway to no ill effect in a dipping sauce. Dipping sauce did have grated garlic as well, but garlic was grated after the blue ginger. (Hmmm...non sequitur, but is that how Ming Tsai's restaurant name came into being?)
Oddly, I had just had another blue tinge experience hours before, while making applesauce. Ingredients: apples from the family tree (frozen), clover honey, and a dash of vanilla extract. Cooked in an enameled cast iron pot. Blue-tinged spatters accumulated on the pot sides above the level of the simmering applesauce. (I use no scouring cleansers other than baking soda. Can baking soda do it?) I relate this not to threadjack, but because it was so odd to have two food blue-ings on the same day, with nothing obvious in common!
I'm really curious about the situations in which this happens...it seems inconsistent, as I've most times had the same ingredients *not* turn blue.
Substitute for olives
I just made a squash gratin that involved some "what do we have to use up?" thinking, and ended up with a mixture of caramelized onions and a good bit of queso duro in with the squash. Hub and I tasted and nearly at the same time commented on how much it tasted like olives were in the dish. The sweetness of the onions and the saltiness of the queso duro really combined to say "olives" to each of us. I'm definitely using the combination again.
When to complain in a restaurant
occula, not just you! I am also reticent - although I can't say why, whether fear of rudeness and speaking up, or just plain feeling like I don't want the hassle. I'm easy-going and very forgiving on most service fronts, and as for food, I generally know what I'm in for when choosing a spot, so unless something is really inedible, I just chalk it up and continue with the easy-going.
But.
I have been reading this thread with interest as I've had a string of really bad experiences in restaurants lately, both with food and service. Really quite bad, and surprisingly so, especially in a couple of old favorites. I feel a little out of my depth regarding bringing such things to the restaurant's attention, as I don't really have much experience with the best protocol of expressing such a complaint. Yeah, I do read the various CH threads related to such, but I still don't have a lot of practical experience! In light of the sub-sub par experiences lately, I think I'm going to have to assert myself a bit more. These threads really help me sort out my thoughts about the issue!
Food for Earthquake-themed party [moved from SF]
The SF artist Liz Hickok's jello cityscapes are wildly charming: http://flavorwire.com/148003/liz-hickoks-amazing-jell-o-buildings. Might be a wiggly bit of inspiration!
Glass jars - fess up!
You make me smile with the buttons and marbles. Those are two dry goods in our house too. (We also display collections of rocks in glass jars.)
I'll agree with you on the Smucker's natural peanut butter jars. I like buying our co-op's bulk peanut butter, but we just as often, it seems, buy the Smucker's because we like the jars! Not bad peanut butter, either.
Foods that unreasonably gross you out...
For years I avoided coconut (my main exposure being candy bars and *less-than* renditions of pies). I slowly realized my aversion was to the sweet, versus the savory applications of coconut. Cookies and confections weren't necessarily for me, but the coconut dishes of SE Asia certainly were. Now, I'm okay with the occasional coconut sweet, even. It's an aversion I'm glad I overcame, as it opened up my cooking and coconut milk has become a regular player in my kitchen. I don't particularly groove on the coconut meat itself, but the milk is indispensable now in many things I cook.
Odd request... Good Salads.
We just recently had a salad of smoked trout, beets, pickled onion and arugula with a buttermilk dressing at Aster Cafe that was very well done - nice balance of flavors (although perhaps a tad light on the trout for my greedy side) and nicely composed. And for what it's worth, this wasn't one of those salads with giant chunks of greenery that one has to wrestle mouthward, but rather a manageable plate of mouthish-sized bits. (I appreciate that in a salad, honestly, despite how lazy it sounds. It just seems neater to eat.) I never really rave about salads, but this one impressed me. Nice place for a summer meal, too.
Foods that unreasonably gross you out...
Absolutely agree on the wintergreen as well. My grandfather was a wonderful man, but it was always difficult to be around him even as a child because he carried a bag of those Pepto-Bismol pink colored wintergreen lozenges in his pocket all the time, and I couldn't tolerate it.
As a wintergreen-averse person, I've learned to be suspicious of new-fangled chewing gum flavors. Wintergreen used to announce itself frankly as a flavor; now it's hidden in names like "Polar Ice" and "Arctic Blast" "Or Weasly Little Damp Wind from the North" or some such. I'd far rather chew actual polar ice than wintergreen under a pseudonym. I think I'm a lost cause on wintergreen, honestly.
What do people use it for anyway, besides lozenges and gum?
Foods that unreasonably gross you out...
I always feel like a lone root beer hater, stuck amid connoisseurs. Glad there are others. I am a person who will try/eat virtually anything, and honestly has few dislikes beyond personal little political or petty snob issues about this food or that. But root beer sends me over the edge. It's my Kryptonite. I can't even smell it. And yes, I have tried and tried and tried. I keep feeling like I'm missing out, as it seems like an intriguing and complex brew. Those with palates I absolutely respect enthuse over it. But it definitely reaches the point of *unreasonable response* for me, as just reading the words makes me feel a little queasy.
I could just live on ______
I am indulging in my summertime need for a pitcher of gazpacho in the refrigerator at all times. It's marvelous. I could live on it. I am living on it. And happily.
I could just live on ______
Agreed. We consider it one of the best parts of the meal. We sometimes just tear up the remaining bread and toss it with the salad greens and dressing dregs so the bread gets a little soft. We have fruit with it, generally. It's a nice end to the meal.
Twin Cities best onion rings?
If out-state works, try the onion rings at Grandma's in Duluth. They're consistently reliable on the frying (crisp, not too greasy), and they're "hand-cut-daily onions", according to staff . And: they taste of *onion*, not just fried batter. Nice rings and worth a try.
Shallots in west 'burbs for a good price?
kevin, are the shallots at Byerly's a decent size? I regularly see shallots at the farmers' markets, but they mostly seem the size of a hefty garlic clove (or even a non-hefty garlic clove), versus the palm-sized ones you see when TV folk are mincing. For the high-ish price and small return, I usually pass, but would love to find shallots that have a little more size. Am I missing a good vendor at one of the markets?
Thanks, Cay
Things That Make You Go, "What the......."
A deer head carved of cheese and mounted as a trophy would be Pretty Dang Cool, no? But then, I'm a Midwesterner.
Things That Make You Go, "What the......."
In Western Wisconsin, amid the many roadside signs advertising "Cheese Curds, Next Right," one stood out: "Taxidermy and Cheese."
Time ruled out stopping, and I too regret that. I have a vivd imagination, though, so it may be for the best!
Lovage, Sorrel and Thai Basil...I planted them, but will need some ideas on how to use
gimlis1mum, I always wonder if I gave up on lovage too soon. I think I was perhaps trying too hard to force it to be celery. I recall I didn't mind any slight difference in cooked dishes, but was offput by its non-celeriness in raw states. I'm starting to think it was perhaps an *operator error* in thinking of lovage and celery as interchangeable. I might have to give this one a try again. Do you wrap the stalks to blanch them?
Lovage, Sorrel and Thai Basil...I planted them, but will need some ideas on how to use
If you cook the sorrel down into a puree, it freezes easily. It's already true that one must get over the fact that cooked-down sorrel is not the prettiest color in the world in any case, so you're really not facing any further loss of *fresh color* by freezing! When I freeze it, it's just the basic puree (often without even onions), frozen in trays and stored in a zip bag. Works great.
I've had a couple of years of major garden work, and my sorrel bed was decimated in the process. I'd better throw a few more in soon so I can stock the freezer for this winter!
Lovage, Sorrel and Thai Basil...I planted them, but will need some ideas on how to use
I love sorrel. I use it fresh with mixed greens for salad, a little shredded on a salmon salad sandwich, cooked down to make a sauce - it's my favorite sauce for grilled lamb. It's got a pleasantly snappy sour flavor. I got mildly obsessed with sorrel after reading Leslie Land about 25 years ago; as luck would have it, I found the link to that bit: http://articles.philly.com/1986-06-08/restaurants/26043057_1_sorrel-plants-sauce-cooking. It's not a really *pretty* plant in the garden, but it's pretty tough. Just keep cutting it and using it.
Lovage? I got rid of my plant - it got far too large for it's space - the thing was about 4 feet high and almost as wide, and tended to flop open in the middle. The flavor was to me like an aggressively unpleasant celery, and I found I didn't care for it either as a cooking herb in application where one would use celery, or a garden plant. I though about wrapping the plant to blanch the stems and see if that would tame the flavor a bit, but decided it wasn't worth it. I hope you have better luck!
Never grew Thai basil, but now I think I might have to give it a go!
Healthy foods you crave
Just made the kale pancakes, and swapped out half of the flour for buckwheat flour. Oooooh. We were still eating and I began to get wheedling on when I'm making them again! So glad I planted a ton of kale this year. Thanks for the link!
Glass or Plastic Jars
Your mention of storing berries in jars made the "Oh. Yeah." bell ring in my head: I remembered buying strawberries. Over three weeks ago. I usually use glass for berries, but the only large jar I had was a plastic mayo jar. I thought I'd try it, as we'd be eating up the berries quickly. Hah. (How could I forget berries for three freakin' weeks?) I had to run to the fridge to check.
But: they're still fine! And even though I've not noticed it before, you're right about the berries being firmer. I wonder how that works.
So: plastic with a lid works too. The berries-in-jars tip is one of my all-time favorites.
Now: eating my unexpected berries.
If you owned your own restaurant...
>> a conversational interaction of Spanish, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian cuisine and technique <<
That certainly gets my attention - the possibilities seem extraordinarily appealing to me! I'm curious: any particular dishes come to mind while pondering lotto picks?
msp to duluth to the canadian border..road trip recco requests
Our county fair circuit doesn't heat up until August, and builds to the State Fair for the 12 days ending on Labor Day, but within your time frame and route, there is this:
>>July 8-10, Wild Rice Festival in Deer River, Minn. Amid Chippewa National Forest north of Grand Rapids, this town celebrates the Ojibwe staple with a powwow, parade, kiddie tractor pull and fireworks.<<
Okay, just a kiddie tractor pull, but those can be wildly entertaining! And the powwow might be of interest to you if you are looking to experience the local culture.
I'll keep my eyes peeled; I've got to take a similar road trip route later this summer, and I haven't been paying enough attention to that part of the state for awhile. Thanks for jogging my memory.
Also, if you're going to spend some time around the Twin Cities, you might want to check this local food site out: http://heavytable.com/ . It's pretty solid.
msp to duluth to the canadian border..road trip recco requests
alithang, I just realized you're heading south to Red Wing as well. If your route-planning is flexible, you may want to consider a visit to Faribault Dairy in Faribault, MN. The blue-veined cheeses they produce and cave-age are amazing. But: no cave tours for the public due to regs. You can also pick up the Faribault Dairy cheeses in Surdyk's Deli in Minneapolis. If you're a blue-veined fan, it's really worth a try.
Here's a link: http://www.faribaultdairy.com/index.htm
msp to duluth to the canadian border..road trip recco requests
hamboney, Fitger's Brewhouse is a great rec! The OP might want to stock up on some growlers of Fitger's beer for the road trip! (I think they sell their root beer in growler's too; my root beer loving family tells me it's excellent, but I can't attest further.) Also: the wild rice burgers at Fitger's are among the best of any veggie-based burger I've ever had. Here's a link for the OP: http://brewhouse.net/
Oh, those Grandma's onion rings...Aren't they great? Chainish as G:ma's can seem in many ways, the onion rings are a big reason to go. And if the rings aren't enough to push all the fried food buttons for the day, there's Crabby Bill's little boat shack right across the parking lot by the lake, serving some tasty fried smelt.
Funniest Thing a Server Said to You
Small town supper club with your more-or-less typical steak-or-fish/potato-choice/salad bar menu.
One in our party ordered the fish special, and asked what kind of fish it was. The server frowned a bit, and then said "It's the Big Fish." Okay. Question rephrased, as to what *type* of fish the Big Fish was. Another frown, then the server worked her hands back and forth to settle on an approximate size and shape, and said "It's about like this." (N.B.: there is studiously suppressed mirth bubbling up in the party at this point.) She goes on to say that she prefers the Little Fish, but that's only on the kids menu for 12 and younger. She preferred them because "the Little Fish are golden and crispy, but the Big Fish is more just beige." (I can only assume that by "little fish," she was referring to the fish stick basket kids menu item.)
Oh. My. We did all manage to maintain our composure and not fall off our chairs laughing, but it was very tough. Since we all considered that it might be wise after this exchange to opt for the steak, I can't tell you what that Big-Beige-Fish-About-Like-This was. I'm still a bit curious, to tell the truth.
msp to duluth to the canadian border..road trip recco requests
Two things jump to mind. First, my absolute must-visit every time I'm in Duluth is Northern Waters Smokehaus in Canal Park. The smoked fish, meats and salumi they produce are consistently excellent - I'm particularly (excessively?) fond of their brown sugar smoked Lake Superior whitefish. Great place to stock your road trip cooler with some wonderful picnic fare. They make excellent sandwiches as well. http://www.NorthernWatersSmokehaus.com/index.cfm
Then, it seems your Duluth-to-Int'l Falls route would likely take you through Minnesota's Iron Range and its variety of ethnic offerings, particularly those dishes from Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Italy. While I haven't done much more than pass through the area in recent years, my guess is that there is still much the same the variety of specialties to be found. Here's a link to a book excerpt (pub. date 2001) on Iron Range fare: http://books.google.com/books?id=uu0qUVmvmv8C&pg=PA57&dq=iron+range+minnesota+ethnic+specialties&hl=en&ei=SLXnTZmOKKXb0QHNitDoCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=iron%20range%20minnesota%20ethnic%20specialties&f=false
You'll also likely run into plenty of places selling Minnesota hand-harvested, hand-parched wild rice. Buy some. It's worth it!
Enjoy your trip!
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Northern Waters Smokehaus
394 S Lake Ave, Duluth, MN 55802
Favorite CH user names
I've long been fascinated with the handle choice of "coneywitheverything," thinking, "Wow, that person really likes rabbit!"
Yep, it only recently hit me. Duh. But I still think of rabbit when I see it.
