Let's talk about food

OK, so since all of us have specialized knowledge of something, and occasionally talk about it here at EvC, I thought I'd put it out there that I work for a widely-respected specialty food market and am a product specialist.Suffice it to say that I am a great big food geek and I really would love to know if anybody else here is in love with food and/or cooking.Even if you aren't, if anyone has any odd questions or interesting knowledge about food, please respond.

since we are moving into that time of year. (which is yet another possible thread since I really miss the time of year).This message has been edited by jar, 04-08-2005 05:15 PM

---

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I love to cook, particularly desserts. My dream is to one day learn to make my absolute favorite dessert: tiramisu. I've read a few recipes but GOD that sounds hard to do!

---

Keep America Safe AND Free!

You could ask Pat Buchanan for advice on the dressing!

---

Keep America Safe AND Free!

i'm in love with food and cooking.actually, now i think of it, i'm in love with eating.I like savoury thingys and no sugar is to be added. I used to eat anything, but now I'm becoming more and more vegetarian. Not through any philosophical bent, but just because I'm tired of meat. i want to eat vegetables and fish. I want to eat beans and chili! Chili with coffee and chocolate in it! Chickpeas! lebanese cuisine, lemon juice, mint! I want to eat tuna with oranges and limes! I want to eat italian food, squid and tomatoes and basil and pasta! I want to eat pitta bread with lentils and coriander and garlic! Sushi! Don't get me started on mushrooms!Once I've wiped those sweet juices out of my beard, I'm ashamed to say I REALLY like sweet and sour pork...God I'm hungry

God I'm really, really hungry

and now you're all visualising me as a really fat bearded guy with juice dripping off his face...

OK, here's my recipe for one of my very favorite salads ever:All quantities are to taste.Your favorite greens (mixed or one kind is fine, although nothing too delicate).An ounce or so good Roquefort cheese per person, or any good blue cheese that you like. Gorgonzola would also be nice. Slice or cube or crumble the cheese when it's cold and allow it to come to room temperature.Toasted walnuts broken into large pieces.Dressing:Three parts toasted walnut oil (Loriva is a good American brand)
One part sherry vinegar
One small shallot minced fine
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard (optional)Good sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.So, you soak the minced shalots in the vinegar for 10 minutes, then whisk the rest of the ingredients in, except the salt and pepper.Toss the greens in the dressing, adding some salt and pepper as you go. Add the walnuts, reserving a few for the top, and toss again.Portion out the salad, and top with the reserved walnuts and the cheese.Enjoy with some crusty bread!

Tiramisu can be more or less difficult depending upon how homemade you want to go.I never make my own ladyfinger cookies, and that's most of the work. Otherwise, you just layer sweetened (sometimes egg yolk enriched) mascarpone cheese, espresso-dipped ladyfingers (the crunchy kind are best coz they can soak up more espresso), and cocoa powder. The longer it sits in the fridge, the better--a day or two ahead is good.Here, I found a really easy version: easy tiramisuINGREDIENTS:* 3 egg yolks
* 1/4 cup white sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1 1/8 cups mascarpone cheese
* 24 ladyfingers
* 1 1/2 cups brewed coffee
* 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powderDIRECTIONS:1. In a medium bowl, beat yolks with sugar and vanilla until smooth and light yellow. Fold mascarpone into yolk mixture. Set aside.
2. Dip ladyfingers briefly in coffee and arrange 12 of them in the bottom of an 8x8 inch dish. Spread half the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Repeat with remaining cookies and mascarpone. Cover and chill 1 hour. Sprinkle with cocoa just before serving.

LOL!You've got it BAD!

Nah.not really.OK, maybe a little.

Hmmm....food!
Greek food, with that fried salty cheese to start out.
Tacos al pastor, or barbacoa de cabeza (and Lipitor), or sopa de ajos.
Cuban food.It's suppertime.

I love cooking and food. I find cooking particularly relaxing - after a long day of being exceedingly detail-oriented and precise it is nice to chop and sautee with abandon.I am a vegetarian for numerous reasons, but mainly because there are many cons to eating meat (for the individual, community, environment) and not a single real pro that I can think of... Many people claim that "meat tastes good" is enough of a reason, but I've found that there isn't much from the flesh-world that can't be substituted with something from the veggie-world (bone and gristle might be an exception). A close friend who is a major carnivore tried my meatless country-fried-steak with sausage gravy and said it was better than the real thing.Contrary to popular belief, most vegetarians I know eat a much greater diversity of foods than meat-eaters.

boil de eggs.When they are hard boiled IMMEDIATELY spoon them into a pan of ice water and let them sit for 3 minutes/egg minimum. (6 eggs = 18 minutes)While the eggs are cooling, mix the following (amounts will vary depending on how many eggs you biled.)mayo
mustard (should have enough mustard that the mix has a definite yellow cast)
Lea&Perins
salt & pepper
chopped parsley
basilset the mixture aside in refrigerator.one Vidalia Onion for every three people sliced in 1/4" slices (use the large center slices).one beefsteak tomato for every two people sliced in 1/4" slices.When the eggs have cooled, peel them and roughly cut them up. There should be chunks of egg white and the yokes should be mashed throughly.Mix the chopped eggs with the dressing making sure it's well mixed.Place a slice of tomato on a plate, layer it with egg salad, cover it with an onion slice, more egg salad and top with a second tomato slice.Pour a few drops of very good olive oil and basalmic vinegar over top tomato slice and serve.

---

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I often cook and eat vegetarian for weeks a time, but, as someone who has, for example, eaten real, pasture raised, free-range, carefully bred, humanely killed beef as well as veggie "fake steak"-type stuff, I can very, very confidently say that the real stuff is infinitely better....better as meat, rather than better as food, if you know what I mean. Your dish might have been better than the "real" meat dish your friend is used to, but it is likely that your friend was eating unremarkable, mass produced meat. That stuff is very nearly flavorless.I really don't believe in "imitation" food, myself, like tofu hot dogs or soy cheese.*shudder*I find there to be very few cons to eating meat, as long as it is in the proper proportion in the diet and is humanely and sustainably raised.That's the only kind I buy or eat out.