lapluma's Profile
Do you love Banana Bread? What's your favorite banana bread?
I love banana bread with chopped BLACK walnuts from Missouri. I'm not an employee, just a fan, but the only place I know to get them is Hammons at black-walnuts.com. The combo with bananas is something special.
Tips for grinding walnuts, pls?
I'd appreciate some advice on grinding walnuts.
As a surprise for their moving-away party, I'm about to make a friend's secret family recipe for Syrian-style baklava, I think they actually call it baklawi. [The secret was shared, as we are friends of thirty years, and our families are very close, so extended family.]
I haven't made it in years, and have had some trouble grinding nuts lately -- I have a hand grinder that chops nuts, but probably a little too coarsely for good baklava, which I've used before. The Cuisinart makes such uneven grind unless I grind very fine.
Any tips or suggestions?
Thanks.
Seeking Great Southern Cookbook
Sorry, I also just remembered a fun little book I found on a remainder table once. Called "Recipes from the Old South", it is indeed filled with quaint recipes, historic, but often useable and always interesting. By Martha L. Meade, it's available used from Amazon for as little as sixty cents -- hard to beat the price for value.
Seeking Great Southern Cookbook
I'd second the suggestion to look at Edna Lewis books. Her "Taste of Country Cooking" might not be the best practical choice for recipes, but recounts in fascinating detail the home cooking of the black people of her town of Freetown, Virginia. The history and the food traditions, combined with her writing style, make for one of the best reads you'll find.
The book with Scott Peacock brings the recipes and the techniques up to date for modern kitchens.
No one has mentioned Helen Corbitt. She was director of restaurants for Neiman Marcus back in the 50s and 60s, introduced two generations of Texans to the then-exotic ingredient of sour cream in that part of the country, and minted peas, not to mention her fantastic 'sticky buns', then served in miniature with her signature popovers, also much smaller then than the giant, bloated ones served today. 'Miss Helen" knew a thing or two about cooking. Check Amazon for re-issues; I think her classics have been combined into a single book now.
One Free Night in Chicago: Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, or Charlie Trotter's?
No one's mentioned Green Zebra. We've only been once, but look forward to a return. Vegetarian menu, but like no other, seriously interesting food. Slightly upscale-funky decor. ALso, a cab ride to Salpicon can be rewarding for Mexican.
Ordering roasted organic or smoked turkey
Greenberg's is one of the best mail-order foods I"ve ever had. They are reliable, and delicious. When you've finished, if you save all your trimmings, bones, etc. you can make a strong stock that can be used, diluted, to make soups ordinarily make with ham. Skim the fat, chop some of the turkey meat and have a fat-free split-pea soup that can't be beat.
