Yesterday, on the Dinner 2016 (Part 7) topic, I posted images of a couple of mysterious ingredients I had bought earlier in the day. Here they are again.   Number 1   Number 2   @Thanks for the Crepes was first to correctly identify Number 2 as a type of small chili. More info here. Number 1 remains unidentified at time of writing - guesses so far include dried lily bulbs or dried mushrooms. It is neither. And just for fun, here is another ingredient, which I bought this morning. This time I've given you an idea of scale. These are about 16 inches / 43 cm long.   Number ..read more

My very generous friend presented me yesterday with a family pack (around 15 in the package) of chicken legs. Ugh. I really do not like chicken legs, but I try not to look a gift horse in the mouth. How can I prepare these to trick myself into thinking they are nice white meat chicken ..read more

I don't eat bacon much ... maybe once a year, if that, ergo, I don't know much about bacon.  I do, however, sometimes cook with it, and when I need some bacon for cooking I buy just what I need from one of the nearby butchers or meat markets.  At the most, it's usually it's just two or three strips.   That said, I was at Costco recently and noticed that they had two brands of center cut bacon on offer.  The bacon seemed leaner ... more meaty ... than the bacon I typically see.  Is center cut bacon always meatier or leaner ..read more

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240715-gond-katira-a-natural-way-to-cool-down-in-indias-scorching-summers   After reading the above article recently and delving down the rabbit hole that is Gond Katira, I found myself intrigued and poised to click "place order" on my amazon cart.   Prior to doing so I thought I would share this with you fine folks to see if anyone has ever heard of this stuff, let alone used it - and if so; your thoughts?   Seems pretty interesting....     ..read more

I had just bought a new jar of white miso when this article popped up on the Guardian this morning extolling the delights of miso in its many forms. Titled "The miso miracle: how to use the ingredient that makes every dish delicious", there's little new for the already converted, but makes a good read just the same.     It is easily available here in all its traditional forms. Not surprising really - it originated in China and was carried to Japan in the 6th century CE.  Unfortunately, I've never found dried bonito, katsuobushi (かつおぶし 鰹節) here and the supply I smuggled back fro ..read more

I could not find @Anna N '  comment on Costco mechanically tenderizing its meat.   as My FCO was going well , even though St.P's day's S&S point CB's will have an impact ...   ( a tasty one ! )   I had planned to get a gift certificate from time to time in the future to get various Prime Cuts there as a well deserved treat    from time to time.     Id SV the meat them deal with its consumption in various ways later.   I was alarmed that C'  does this with tis meat.  it precludes SV   So I called a Costco  20 min awa ..read more

Wasn't sure where to post this. I don't need identification - the tag says what it is. They are so cute - the biggest ones were about 2" long. I've searched a few recipes online but just curious if anyone has a tried and true for tindora squash ..read more

I remember using Bob's Fine Grind corn meal. I can no longer find locally or online. Bob does show a corn flour. Might this be substituted for fine corn meal, or is it essentially just fine corn meal?  There are other acceptable options that I can use, but my preference is to stay with Bob's in this case if possible ..read more

Looking for real wasabi root, either prepared or whole root.  Any ideas where it can be obtained?   I've looked at several products that claim to be wasabi, but they all, at best, contain only a small amount of the root.  Here's a typical ingredient list from a product described as real:   HORSERADISH 40.0 % WASABI 15.0 % IODIZED SALT 8.0 % SOYBEAN OIL 7.0 % CORN STARCH 5.0 % MUSTARD POWDER 1.0 %   ..read more

I've a need for a simple beef stock but I want better quality than boxed, commercial broth.  I don't want to make a full-tilt stock in which bones are roasted, etc., nor do I need anything like that.  I'd like to try using ground beef and the appropriate aromatics and additions.  Any thoughts on the idea or suggestions to enhance the flavor?   I'm familiar with, but haven't used, Better than Bullion and More than Gourmet, and I may consider using one of those or another similar product, but for the moment I'd like to explore the idea of using ground beef ..read more