I've had luck peeling, cubing, and roasting it with other root vegetables. I'm also going to try it shredded raw in a salad with apples. Kind of like a slaw.

i love making a savory bread pudding with roasted or leftover cooked vegs and leftover cooked meat (optional, but always tasty). mix vegetables/meat with cubed bread (dry/stale is best), any herbs/seasoning you want, cheese (i've used everything from feta to mozz to a mix of cheddars). add to buttered casserole dish. beat about 4-6 eggs and mix in some milk. pour over veg/bread mix. bake at 350 for about 45-60min.

after cooled, this also freezes and reheats well. my favorite reheat method is in a pan on the stove, almost caramelizing the vegs and crisping up the cubes of bread.

i, too, went for the first time this past saturday around 7pm. we got the prosciutto and burrata focaccia, which i really liked, but i thought it was on the expensive side at $18, i think. i was eyeing the pastas but opted for the fritto di barca. it was a huge serving of deep-fried items, but i should have gone with a pasta. everything was a bit soggy as if it had been fried, then sitting out for a while. panna cotta for dessert was great. another friend got the latte dolce fritto, which i didn't particularly like.

i did have fun watching one of the guys behind the bar tossing pizza/focaccia dough.

i walked by twice this morning (around 8:30 and again around 10:30am), and although the fish-on-ice display was gone (i would be worried if it were there all night!), there was a big white plastic scoop, a lemon slice, and a dirty soaked towel in its place. i wish they had some kind of screen they could pull down in between display changes. it was a turnoff to see that the scoop/lemon slice/towel combo hadn't moved in at least 2 hours... would it be weird/rude for me to stop in and make that suggestion? maybe i could do it anonymously over the phone...

has anyone been? i work nearby and pass it each day. i finally stopped in today to take a look at the menu/prices (since their website is still in progress), and i was overwhelmed by the smell of frying oil. their site says they offer sustainable seafood and locally grown organic produce. there is a display of seafood/fish on ice looking out of a window onto sansome street. might be a good place for after work drinks (i didn't see a drink menu with cocktail prices) and appetizers. most of their menu is seafood, but i did notice a chicken sandwich offered. i think most items, if not all, are less than $20 (maybe i was offered a lunch menu - i wasn't really paying attention). at around 1:45pm the place was pretty busy.

how about shredding it for chicken salad, grilling and use to top a green salad, or making some good ol' chicken fried chicken?

thanks, melanie, for bringing the empanadas de leche. even as i was eating it, i kept expecting the plantain to be in the center instead of in the wrapper. i did think the leche was a bit thick/stiff, like almost-firm jello, but i'm sure that's because it wasn't fresh from the fryer. is the wrapper supposed to be crispy/crunchy due to the frying? i see from your pictures that they probably got chewy from the steam in the box. i can't wait to try one fresh!

susan, i think you confused el porteno and venga. the venga empanadas were the biggest of the bunch and, to me, had the thickest and most crispy (calzone-like, not flaky) dough.

i ordered the empanadas from venga using their online order form and arranged to pick them up from la victoria bakery saturday afternoon (no pickup available on sunday). an hour before pickup time i got a call confirming my order, and they were boxed up and ready to go when i arrived. when ordering, there is the choice of cocktail or meal size. on their website they suggest 2-3 meal size empanadas per person, but i would think a more reasonable portion would be 1-2 meal size. they are about 6-7 inches wide and about 3 inches tall. i chose the chimichurri sauce (versus the chipotle) and thought it had a wonderful garlic flavor and bright green herbs.

out of the venga empanadas (beef, chicken, spinach, and mushroom), the spinach was my favorite. however, out of all the empanadas i tasted, the beef from tanguitos, dudes in mexico, and the saltenas stood out the most. it was interesting to compare the styles side by side and notice the differences in filling combinations and dough textures. the other chimichurri (i think it came with the tanguito order) was darker more vinegary than the venga sauce. i also enjoyed the homemade llajua sauce.

thanks to windy for hosting and providing dandelion greens to offset the empanadas! also thanks to mariacarmen for the saltenas!

how about some potato gnocci, potato soup (potato/leek, "baked potato soup"), potatoes in curry, homemade tater tots, topping to shepherd's pie, potato pizza crust, or potatoes as a pizza topping!

i agree with the posters who mentioned the following advice:
-start slow. start with something easy, and that will build your confidence.
-have a decently equipped kitchen. having the right tools (non-stick pan, sharp knife, silicone spatulas, tongs, microplane, etc.) makes things so much easier.
-have a decently stocked kitchen with "basics" - dried pasta, beans, onions, garlic, good olive oil, canned tomatoes, eggs, etc. use these relatively cheap items to experiment with in new recipes.
-join a csa or split a share with a friend (some can be quite large). this is a great way to eat locally and seasonally. most csa's will provide some recipes or ideas on how to use their produce. you'll also be exposed to many fruits and vegetables you probably never knew existed!

don't be intimidated that you have to give up easy mac and ramen right away (or ever!). i consider myself a decent cook, and i still sit down to a bowl of ramen every once in a while - although i spruce it up with some vegetables, meat, my own seasonings, etc. you'll also find ways to be more frugal and less wasteful. for example, saute those beet greens instead of tossing them in the compost. freeze your leftover bread and use it later for croutons or bread crumbs (i love to toast bread crumbs and sprinkle them on pasta). zest your fruit before squeezing and freeze the juice if your fruit is starting to go bad. you'll eventually come across recipes that will ask for these "random" things!

also, if you're following a recipe, read the entire recipe first, then start. there have been plenty of times when i've read the list of ingredients, said to myself "yup, got it all", and started, only to find out later that oops, i needed that butter melted, or i needed to let something cool before i could move on to the next step.

lastly, get inspired! i love to poke around on chowhound, visit sites like foodgawker or tastespotting, and i love to flip through cookbooks. also, walk around your grocery store and see what looks good. pick a "new" ingredient to experiment with, and HAVE FUN!

good luck!

i usually try to bring something local to my area that isn't so easy to find in the place that i'm traveling to. when i lived in boston, i brought some east coast beers to my friend in washington. another time i was visiting texas and brought back to boston 2 chicken fried steaks and a few pounds of brisket for my sister and me. when visiting montreal, i would get bagels and chloe chocolate bars - i guess that was more of a food gift to bring back home though. now that i live in san francisco, i bring boxes of see's candies (more out of nostalgia than gourmet-ness) or bags of locally roasted coffee to my siblings on the east coast. it also depends if i'm checking luggage or not (so i can smuggle wine out of sf or shiner beer out of texas!).

i don't have the recipe handy right now, but i love the corn pudding in sara foster's "the foster's market cookbook". no can of creamed corn, and i've never made the suggested accompanying red pepper sauce (i think that's what the sauce is). never needed it. so good!

my mom is totally the little old lady who pokes all the bread and squeezes all the fruit in the grocery store scene. love that movie!

i just placed a pre-order over the phone and requested a pick-up time of 5:30pm on Dec 24, and was told that the bakery is only open until 5pm on xmas eve. i pointed out that their website says a closing time of 7pm on dec 24, so hopefully this will be corrected soon...

how about:

a good whisk - i like my matfer
candy/frying thermometer
ice cream/gelato machine
waffle maker
a lame (for scoring your bread)
nice bamboo cutting board
pasta machine
or, you could always ask for sterling silver marrow scoops. i gave a set to my sister one year!

this reminds me of an uninvited guest that was brought to thanksgiving dinner last year. i made arrangements to make dinner for a roommate and her friend (both nurses that had to work until 7pm on Tday). i would provide all the food/wine, etc., and they would pitch in a predetermined amount of money to help me cover the costs (i had already bought most of the ingredients, so i pretty much knew how much dinner was going to cost).

the 2 nurses arrived for dinner, and they brought another nurse without telling me. ok, fine. there's plenty of food and another seat at the table. well, this new guest takes it upon himself to start carving the turkey. uh... a little akward for me, but fine, maybe because he's the only guy at dinner... at the end of the meal, the 3 guests start divvying up all the leftovers. let me just say that i would never attend a dinner and start packing up leftovers for me to take home, unless it was specifically offered by the host. what really got me was that the 3rd unexpected guest claims he's taking the dark meat home. ugh! everything was packed up so fast that i didn't have time to say anything or protest. before i knew it the turkey carcass was in the trash! *sigh*

i ended up with mostly white meat (still good, but i dream of dark meat), the 3rd guest got a totally free meal, and the 2 original nurses never paid me until i mentioned something a few months later when i owed them money - i kept waiting, hoping they would "remember" to pay me. i never mentioned how i felt about the dividing of leftovers or the extra guest to my friends (well, we are not friends anymore, but that is another story).

thanks for the link! i'm a bit embarrassed that that post didn't show up in my search results since my question was pretty similar. well, due to several delays (lots of accidents due to the rain today) i just stuck to my original plan above. hopefully next time there will be time for some tasty detours.

i stopped by whole spice in oxbow and picked up some smoked sea salt and instant espresso granules. just last week i had a chocolate (maybe it was a caramel?) that was topped with smoked sea salt, and i just thought it smelled amazing. i'm planning to use the espresso to make some homemade bailey's.

fatted calf had some nice looking porchetta (~$14/# uncooked, ~$15/# cooked), but i opted for a ham hock (for my new years black eyed peas in a few weeks!), some pate maison, and a garlic sausage. no free lamb chops this time...

at model i got a french boule, small batard of harvest fruit bread (has fruit and nuts), and a small batard of a pear, white wine, and walnut bread. i had some of the pear bread with aged gouda tonight, since that's the only cheese i have right now, and it wasn't a bad combo.

rancho gordo had several varieties of beans for sale in 1 pound pouches, most for $5/#. i picked up a few bags for my sister who goes gaga over their beans, but i've never eaten them myself. i also grabbed a few bags of crimson popping corn ($3/#) to give away as gifts. i'm keeping a bag of the sangre de toro beans for myself.

i didn't see any mention of the nestle lion bar. *swoon* caramel, wafer, rice krispies, chocolate... if only it had toffee, then it would be my ultimate candy bar. i also love see's nut & chew awesome bar.

i'll be driving (i80) from sf up to the oxbow market / fatted calf / model bakery in napa and stopping by the rancho gordo store tomorrow afternoon. i've been to the oxbow et al. once before (my sister and i bought so much at fatted calf that we were comped a package of lamb chops...), but this will be my first time at rancho gordo. i'll probably stop by berkeley bowl on my way back home. where else nearby/along the way should i go? i'm looking for shops where i can get items to go (don't really want to sit down and eat anywhere - unless there is something amazing!). thanks!

haha "they will outlast you" - so true! i have no idea how long i've had my bag. i only break them out when making spare ribs with black bean sauce around chinese new year.

btw, i keep mine in the freezer for extra safe keeping.

i would save it and use it in a pot of black eyed peas for new years! or there's always jook/congee.

not really cold, but served room temperature i like cheese and crackers, roasted/salted nuts, and olives.

cold apps could be shrimp cocktail, gazpacho, cucumber slices with a number of toppings (cream cheese seasoned with herbs de provence, smoked salmon, etc.). or how about an antipasto platter?

i'm in sf where there is no such thing as outdoor dining weather, at least not at night!

oops! yes, i meant corn crab soup!

guess i should take "attention to detail" off of my resume :)

how about some sweet corn ice cream or a corn crap soup?

or a corn relish - the vinegar would hopefully balance out the sweetness, and you can adjust the amount of sugar down. there's a great recipe in the au pied de cochon cook book.

funny, i just bought a bunch of yam leaves and a bunch of amaranth leaves yesterday at the farmers market!

i cooked the yam leaves about 7 hours after buying them, with about 5 hours of refrigeration. i imagine they would last in the fridge (if you had the room - my stems were huge!) for about a day or 2. i found a recipe for the leaves that said the blanch, then rinse, then stir fry. i forgot the middle rinsing step and ended up with slightly slimy leaves (sauteed with chile infused evoo, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil). does anyone have any experience with the slime?

i plan on cooking half the amaranth leaves (along with some of the thinner stems) tomorrow night and the other half the next night. after 1.5 days in the fridge they still look pretty good. i recently rediscovered amaranth leaves a few years ago after realizing that they were the same as the "chinese spinach" my mom used to cook when i was a kid!

here's a link to some pictures i took to remind everyone of what we ate:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sanchow/M...

my favorites were the pescado ceviche, pollo a la brasa, fried plantains, anticuchos with the yellow chile sauce (thanks, melanie, for that suggested pairing!), fries, lucuma ice cream, and alfajores.

i thought the space was nice (hadn't been when it was previously rock soup) and the wait staff was helpful and accommodating to our large group.

one thing noted was that there was no real timing to when dishes came out. although the ceviches were "appetizers", they came after the seco and maybe a few other dishes, too. then, everything just arrived at the table all at once. however, everything was very tasty and got eaten up pretty quickly anyway.

here's a picture of the mangosteen from windy!

have you heard of or tried lay's ketchup chips? i've only known them to be sold in canada. yum... http://cgi.ebay.com/Canadian-Lays-Ketchup-Potato-Chips-Two-Big-Bags!_W0QQitemZ350212374172QQcmdZViewItem

here's another CH post about them, too:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/80678

i'm not really sure which board to post this on, but i was curious to know if other hounds give food to the homeless. my sister came to visit last week, and somehow i ended up with about 9 different loaves of bread... long story short, i made a ton of savory bread pudding (bread, spinach, kale, bacon, onion, dry vella jack, bulgarian feta, egg, whole milk - yes, i was trying to clear out the fridge!). i still have some in the freezer (i usually freeze leftovers and eat leftovers during the week for lunch and dinner - i hate wasting and throwing away food) and even took a container to work for co-workers. i ended up filling up a 32 oz yogurt container with bread pudding and giving it to a guy on the corner that i pass by every day on my way to work. i'd much rather give food to someone who will appreciate it than force myself to eat it just because it's there.

so, have you fed or helped out the less fortunate?

i just braised some french breakfast radishes in butter last week. the flavor was pretty good - it still had a tinge of spicy kick - but several of the radishes (they were small enough so i braised them whole) were stringy, and i felt like i was constantly spitting out a pile of thread.

has anyone else experienced this, or maybe french breakfast radishes aren't meant for braising? did i ruin a perfectly good bunch of radishes?