• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large onion, thinly sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 cups fresh okra, ends trimmed and halved lengthwise

Directions

Caribbean Cabbage in Wine Sauce

Hot Banana Salsa

Persian Saffron-Dill Pilaff with A Potato Tah-Dig (Crust)

This recipe for buttery rice, encrusted with a layer of crisp potatoes, all infused with saffron and studded with dill, is from my newly published Yummy Potatoes! (Chronicle Books, December 2007). It is available at books for cooks, amazon, etc.

This dish of potatoes and rice was prepared by my brother's mother-in-law, Naima, when we came for Sunday lunch, as my then-little daughter loved it so! Naima would give her the biggest crunchiest hunk of tah-dig, that crisp crust from the bottom of the pan, an edible token of affection for the child.

Cooking rice the Persian way - first boiling, then draining and rinsing off the starch, then layering with flavourings and steaming - results in a rice that is fluffy, light, fragrant. The rice from the bottom of the pan becomes crispy and crunchy, and is called tah-dig. This traditional variation uses potatoes instead which turn buttery crisp at the bottom of the pan, whilst their moisture helps keep the rice light and succulent.

Ingredients:

250g long grain rice
4-6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large potato (jacket size) or 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and sliced
very very thinly (use a mandoline, food processor, or just slice thinly
with French (chefs') knife)
2-3 large pinches of saffron threads
Salt as desired
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh dill

Instructions:

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the rice and boil for about 5 minutes or until the rice kernels are not quite cooked through: bite into one - the core of the grain should be a little crunchy. Drain and rinse in cold water, then drain and rinse again. Set aside.
2. In a wide-bottomed heavy nonstick saucepan heat about half of the butter. Working in one layer at a time, lightly sauté the potato slices, removing them and setting them aside as they begin to go translucent.
3. When all the potato slices are tender, arrange the layers on the bottom of the saucepan, coming up the sides about a quarter of the way. Sprinkle with a pinch of saffron and salt, then add about a third of the rice.
4. Dab with about a third of the remaining butter, then a sprinkling of saffron and dill, and repeat: rice, saffron, salt, dill, and butter, ending with the butter.
5. Cover the top of the saucepan tightly with a clean cloth, then place a heavy, tight fitting lid on top of that.
6. Heat over medium-low heat without disturbing the rice, and cook gently, letting the potatoes brown a bit and the rice finish cooking in its own steam, for about 10 minutes. Do not let the potatoes burn.
7. Remove from the heat and let sit for a further 10 minutes or so. Unmould onto a platter. If the potato tah-dig comes out easily in one disc, that is wonderful, but if it doesn't that is fine too - simply cut the potato crust into pieces and serve along with the rice.

Hot & Spicy Borscht

Ingredients:

2 medium sized beets julienned
one can of beets(don't throw away the juice)
2 white onions quartered and sliced
copious amounts of coarsely minced garlic
2 pretty large potatoes
about 2 1/4 pounds of chuck steak cut into bite size pieces with all of the excess fat saved
half a cabbage chopped about the same size as the onion
4 or 5 carrots into about 1/2" long slices
3 tomatoes chopped
6 scotch bonnets minced(or however many of whatever pods you choose)
coriander
caraway seed
dill
parsley
salt
black pepper
2 beef bouillon cubes 
a couple tablespoons of distilled vinegar
vodka
butter
flour

I meant to get celery too but forgot when I was at the store.


First I heated some olive oil and put in the onion and garlic. Once it was getting caramelized I added the beef. Once the beef got browned I added the beets(vinegar now too to maintain their color), potatoes, carrots, and pods and started to add in all of the seasonings(which I did slowly throughout the process to adjust to taste). After about 5-7 minutes I dumped in the beet juice, cabbage, tomato, bouillon, and a few cups of water to just barely cover everything.

That pot was then turned down to low to medium-low, covered and allowed to simmer and finish cooking everything(I ended up leaving it for about 2 1/2 hours).

All that fat from the beef I then sliced up and put in a shallow pan with a little water, and another 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar, around 2 shots of vodka, and let that go for quite a while. This was just something I came up with on the fly to melt down and extract a lot of flavor from the fat. The acid in the vinegar and alcohol were mostly added to help break down the fat and get more flavor out. I let that go for maybe an hour and a half covered.

Now that all of that was just chilling on its own, I broke out a frying pan and heated about 3/4 stick of unsalted butter. Once that was good and hot I slowly started whisking in flour until I had a nice and thick tan colored roux for both flavor and thickening.

Once all that was done, I took a little sample of the broth and reseasoned to taste. I then removed the fat, discarded it, and added the fatty goodness liquid to the main pot and stirred in the roux. I let it simmer and reduce/thicken maybe another 30 minutes and there you have it.

Serve in bowls with some fresh dill sprinkled on to and depending on your personal taste a dollop of either sour cream or plain yogurt (optional). I recommend serving it with a good hearty rye bread sliced thick.

Keralan Potato Stew

Ingredients:

Potato-1 boiled and mashed
Onion-1 sliced
Green chilli-2 slitted
Curry leaves-1 spring
Ginger-1 inch piece juliened
Coconut Milk-1 cup(Thin Extract)
Coconut Milk-1 cup(Thick Extract)
Salt- to taste
Sugar-1 tsp
Coconut Oil-1 tblspn

Method:

In a kadai add oil and let it heat up.Add in ginger and fry for 1 min.

Now add in the onions,curry leaves,green chilli and fry for 3 min.

Add in the thin extract of coconut milk first and let it come up to a boil.Add in the potatoes and mix well..

Now let it cook covered for 5 min.Add the Thick extract milk and let it boil once.

Season with salt and sugar.Serve hot with rice or anything.

Potato and Mustard Greens Soup with Roasted Garlic

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds potatoes (about 4 medium) cut into chunks
4 cups coarsely chopped mustard greens
1 onion cut into chunks
1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
4 bay leaves
1/3 cup dry white wine
1-2 cup water
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons mashed roasted garlic
1/4 teaspoon white pepper or to taste
minced fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Place the potatoes, mustard greens, onion, salt, and bay leaves in a pressure cooker along with the wine and 1 cup water. Cover and cook over high heat until the pressure comes up. Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure come down on its own. If the potatoes and vegetables are not done, cook a few minutes more. If making this soup in a Dutch oven or soup pot, bring 2 cups of water, the potatoes, mustard greens, onion, and bay leaves to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the ingredients are tender. Add more water, if necessary, to keep the vegetables from sticking or burning.

2. When the ingredients are cooked, remove and discard the bay leaves. Add the milk and roasted garlic. Using a handheld blender, regular blender, or food processor, process the soup until smooth. If using a blender or food processor, you may have to do this in two or more batches. Add more milk if the soup is too thick. Stir in the white pepper.

3. Reheat if desired, but do not boil. Garnish with parsley and serve with whole-grain sourdough rolls.

The Other Hollywood (2005), by Legs McNeil, Jennifer Osbourne

This is like Please Kill Me in that it's an oral history, but this one focuses on the history of the porn industry.

Got this new issue of FM in the mail.....came with a tee as well:):)

Hey Joey,

[slightly off-topic] Check this out-

Assange says the upcoming Dreamworks (Spielberg) film on Wikileaks is designed to fan the flames of a war against Iran bit.ly/WnHfSP

Any thoughts?

Looks cool...I've never seen the Tintin movie, neither, and I'm suprised Spielberg didn't try to do it live action...
 
dave said:

I didn't see Spielberg's Tintin movie, but I love the comics. However, I just became aware of a 90s cartoon version of Tintin. What do you think?

Tintin - The Secret Of The Unicorn - (Part 1/4)

I've just seen a few minutes of it, but my take is that it's not too shab-bay. It won't replace the comic-book, but I like some touches like the panels.

I didn't see Spielberg's Tintin movie, but I love the comics. However, I just became aware of a 90s cartoon version of Tintin. What do you think?

Tintin - The Secret Of The Unicorn - (Part 1/4)

I've just seen a few minutes of it, but my take is that it's not too shab-bay. It won't replace the comic-book, but I like some touches like the panels.

Yess! Best New Find is Zen Pencils, a webcomic that takes quotes from famous people and puts it into panels. Newest has Carl Sagan.

Bubble and Squeek

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp sweet butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 ounces cooked Savoy cabbage, (2 cups)

1 pound boiled potatoes, peeled

salt and pepper

In frying pan, heat butter and oil, add onion and garlic, saute.

Add cabbage, season, toss.

Add spuds and crush with fork.

Toss and brown, add bacon if desired.

The Mushroom Forager’s Cottage Pie
From the book Yummy Potatoes by Marlena Spieler

A layer of savory meat topped with mashed potatoes: when made with beef, it’s known as cottage pie, and when made with lamb, as shepherd’s pie. The French call it hachis parmentier, a hash named in honor of the man who brought France potatoes: Antoine-Auguste Parmentier. Because this is prepared with beef, it is technically a cottage pie. But because it is so full of mushrooms, it seems that the cottage must belong to a mushroom forager.

Ingredients
5 medium white potatoes, either floury or waxy, peeled and cut into chunks
~ Salt
½ to ¾ oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1 dried shiitake, stem removed
2 cups vegetable, beef, or chicken broth
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
~ Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 Tbsp. olive oil, or as needed
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
~ A few generous shakes of soy sauce
4 to 6 Tbsp. sour cream
4 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. low-fat milk, or as needed

Steps

Place the potatoes in a saucepan with salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until they are just tender, then drain. This can be done up to two days ahead of time.
Place the porcini and shiitake mushrooms in a saucepan with the broth to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, until the mushrooms are very rehydrated. Let boil for 5 to 10 minutes to reduce the volume of liquid and intensify the flavor. Add the garlic and nutmeg, and remove from the heat to cool. This can also be done up to two days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.
In a heavy nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion and beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until the onion is limp and the meat browned in spots.
Mash up about 2 potatoes’ worth of potato and add it to the pan. Pour off the liquid from the mushrooms, then chop the rehydrated mushrooms and add them to the skillet with the meat sauce. Cook over high heat until the liquid has almost evaporated and the whole is savory and delicious. Remove from the heat and stir in first the soy sauce and then the sour cream. This can be done up to two days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make a layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 9-inch pie or cake pan. (I like round, but an oval, square, or rectangle is fine, too.) Mash the remaining potatoes with 3 tablespoons of the butter and the milk. Spread on top of the meat mixture, and cut the remaining tablespoon of butter into bits, then poke the bits into the top of the potato layer.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is golden in spots and lightly browned around the edges. Serve hot.

MEXICAN MASHED HIGHGROVE POTATOES

In the control room at the BBC, we ate this with spoons from a communal bowl. Being radio, of course, no one could see us. It makes a terrific side dish for a barbecue, picnic, Mexican-inspired menu or a simple roast chicken. Highgrove potatoes, by the way, are all-purpose potatoes, somewhere between a mealy baking type and a waxy variety.

INGREDIENTS:

--2 poblano chiles, or 1 Anaheim chile + 1 green bell pepper

-- 3 to 4 pounds potatoes, whichever are your favorites for mashing

-- 1/2 teaspoon salt + salt, to taste

-- 1/4 teaspoon sugar

-- 10 cooked tomatillos, chopped, or several tablespoons very mild green salsa (optional)

-- 5 garlic cloves, minced

-- 5 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

-- 2 to 4 tablespoons sour cream

-- Juice of 1/2 lime (more if you don't use tomatillos)

-- 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro

-- Pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS: Roast the peppers over a gas burner until the skins char. Place in a plastic bag and seal well. Set aside for at least 30 minutes. Remove the peppers and peel them. Cut off the stems, slice the peppers open and scrape out the seeds. Coarsely chop the flesh and set aside.

Rinse the potatoes, peel if desired, then cut into chunks. Put the potatoes into a saucepan and add water to cover, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar (it doesn't make the potatoes taste sweet, but brings out their flavor. It will get drained, as well).

Cook over medium-high heat until the potatoes are just tender. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Mash the potatoes coarsely, then blend in the tomatillos, garlic, olive oil, roasted chiles, cumin, sour cream, lime juice and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4 to 6.

DUCHY COCKTAIL

Red and fresh and tangy and bitter-sweet, this is a marvelous warm-weather drink. It's not too alcoholic, and is very refreshing. The amounts are adjustable, according to your taste. Do make it at the last minute, though, so it will keep its freshness and fizz.

INGREDIENTS:

--1 (750 ml) bottle of Lemon Refresher (see Note)

-- 2/3 cup gin

-- 1/2 cup Campari

--1 basket of strawberries, hulled and lightly mashed so there are lots of pieces and lots of juice

--Lots of ice

--Sprigs of mint

INSTRUCTIONS: Pour the Lemon Refresher into a pitcher then pour in the gin and Campari.

Next, add the strawberries, which will fizz a surprisingly large amount then subside. Add the ice to the pitcher and garnish with mint. Drink right away. Serves 4 to 6. Note: Lemon Refresher, the Royals' favorite drink, is marketed by Duchy Originals, and is available at Andronico's, Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Berkeley Bowl. If you can't find it, use any not too sweet, very lemony carbonated drink.