Maggie's FarmWe are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for. |
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Monday, October 21. 2024Like chicken?I've been off chicken since my nasty experience with Campylobacter a year ago. Not rational I know, but I do not want to go through that hospital adventure again. Chicken Is Not a Healthy Choice. Chicken products contain cholesterol, carcinogens, and contaminants In retrospect, I don't think chicken was much more than a protein vehicle for the added flavors. Well, except for Southern Fried Chicken.
Tuesday, October 15. 2024I did not know much about BananasThey seem to have their origin in New Guinea where they have been domesticated for maybe 10,000 years. The "trees" - not really trees - die after producing a bunch once. And the fruit is technically a berry. A Banana Split used to be a cool dessert. I like cooked Plantains. And I like Wikipedia when the topic is as non-controversial as bananas. Our readers already know who first brought bananas to North America - the old Cape Codder Lorenzo Dow Baker. Tuesday, October 1. 2024Good food: A day in the life of a charter yacht chefSaturday, September 28. 2024Sloe Gin with booksSloe Gin is a Brit thing. I'm not aware of people growing Sloes in the US. Sloe Gin is technically a liqueur and ideally homemade. All I've heard of is a Sloe Gin Fizz. I'd try one and I'm sure I'd like it, but I do not handle booze well anymore other than wine and beer. I do love a gin martini, but... The protagonist, Dr. Tom More, in Walker Percy's Love in the Ruins was a Sloe Gin Fizz drinker. Like all of Percy's novels, a strong and crazy book. I know that The Last Gentleman is his most famous book. Percy, along with Mark Helprin and Cormac McCarthy, are the few contemporary authors for whom I have read everything they have written. True, they are all a bit dark at times. I like this Amazon intro to Mark Helprin: Educated at Harvard, Princeton, and Oxford, MARK HELPRIN served in the Israeli army, Israeli Air Force, and British Merchant Navy. He is the author of, among other titles, A Dove of the East and Other Stories, Refiner's Fire, Winter's Tale, and A Soldier of the Great War. He lives in Virginia.
Thursday, August 22. 2024A very good dinner in Umbria (from 2011)Here's a fine Umbrian meal we were served (and split between us) in the dining room at the Abbazia, all with a hearty 2006 Sagrantino: Fava Bean and Pecorino Puree The rest is below the fold - Continue reading "A very good dinner in Umbria (from 2011)"
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Wednesday, August 21. 2024French Sandwich
In my experience, it's some baguette with a little butter or mayo, a slice of cheese, and a slice of ham. Not bad, assuming good baguette. This lady makes fancier sandwiches.
Friday, August 16. 2024Short ribsBraised short ribs are delicious, and generally have enough fat in them. Cheap too. What cut are short ribs? How to cook braised short ribs.
Saturday, August 10. 2024Bagel with caviarYou can put anything on a sliced bagel. Just a shmear is good. Lox with capers of course good too. But what I want on this birthday is a slightly toasted bagel with a shmear and a tablespoon of good caviar. With a glass or two of champagne.
Wednesday, July 17. 2024Grilled FruitI have not been much of a fan of fruit since I was a kid, but I do love grilled fruit for dessert or even as a side dish. Grilled Pineapple is the best thing with grilled Swordfish. Most kinds of fruit can be grilled (apples and pears take longer than most). In Italy, fresh or grilled fruit is the usual dessert. (Gelato is not dessert - it's a street snack.) No need for a recipe, but you can sprinkle some sugar on the fruit while on the grill. Sunday, June 30. 2024The ultimate Tuna MeltIt's an American treat - Tuna Melt with Chips on the side Pickle relish substitutes for capers or jalapenos. All good. I don't think it needs Dill, though.
Thursday, June 20. 2024For Mussel-loversI like all kinds of seafood. Shellfish especially. Mussels in a tasty broth, you betcha. No cilantro is my rule. While banging around the New England coast on our boat this week we stumbled in the best mussels I've ever had - and I've had lots of them. Noah's in Essex, CT, on the river. Seafood place. For one thing, these were large mussels, not the 2" ones. But they were steamed in their broth with the following ingredients: harissa, chermoula, cherry tomatoes, plenty of whole garlic cloves, chopped shallots. With toasted bread of course. I had no clue what harrissa or chermoula were, but have to make me some chermoula soon (no cilantro). I think it would be good for baked Cod. I'd be happy to live on those mussels for a week. With some wine of course. It's not that mussel broth require all of those ingredients, but it was amazing. Mussels are "farmed," of course, nowadays. It's a real business and I am a good customer.
Tuesday, June 18. 2024Kare Kare - Oxtail Stew
Anyway, we had a Filipino helper for years, when the kids were younger, and, without wanting to be racist, I still believe that they are the best people in the world. Besides their work ethic, they seem to be caring and loving souls. Yes, I know they like to eat dogs but that's a stretch for me. She liked to make Filipino suppers, and I was all in on that. This was one of my favorites, served with white rice. The tripe is not required, but the peanut butter is, along with lots of pumpkin hunks:
Monday, June 17. 2024Feathers and all: It's Soft-Shelled Crab seasonOn the Atlantic coast from Nova Scotia down to the Gulf of Mexico, it's molting season for the Blue Crab. Some people don't mind picking the meat out of these delicious Blue Crabs for crab salad, crab cakes, a crab boil, or She-crab soup, but my preference is Soft-Shelled, right after the molt. You just eat the whole juicy thing, feathers and all. No waste whatsoever. Sometimes you will get a batch of crabs whose new shells have begun to firm up a little too much, and are too chewy. I don't like that. Chewy is fine, but hard is not. If you have any sauteed crabs left-over in the fridge, you can put one on white bread with some mayonnaise and salt and pepper, and it might be the best sandwich in the world. Here's the best recipe. Thursday, May 30. 2024Raccoon TacosYou might be surprised by your local hunting laws, so stay out of trouble. Still, I doubt you would go to jail for shooting a raccoon. Everybody knows that possums are tasty, but what about raccoon? No shortage of those critters.
Sunday, May 26. 2024It's Steamer Season
It's the time of year when you send your kids or grandkids on the coast of New England out to the salt marshes and mudflats to dig Steamers at low tide. They are the most delicious seafood in the world. AKA Soft-Shelled Clams. Digging for Steamers takes a bit of skill and gentle use of the right tool (a clam rake or, better yet, a clam fork), because you don't want to crack their fragile shells. And you have to know where to look, because they cluster. The fun part is getting covered with black marsh mud without having to pay for a spa. You steam up a giant pot of them, just long enough for them to open and cook a bit, but not so long that they get tough or fall apart. You want to steam them, so don't use too much water in the pot. It's acceptable to throw a slice of onion in the water. Then you pour everybody a mug of the broth from the pot and a heaping pile of clams. That broth is the essence of the sea and the marshes. And you give everybody a bowl of melted butter. I prefer them without the butter so you get the pure clammy flavor. You pull them out of the shell using their long necks as a handle, and I toss the necks to the gulls. These in the photo below are not Steamers. These are Littleneck Clams, which should never, ever be cooked for any reason - which they have been in the photo. It's a disgrace. Cooking them turns them into clam-flavored chewing gum. They should only be slurped down fresh and alive:
These are Steamers. These precious critters are only eaten steamed, and I am convinced that God made them for that purpose:
Sunday, May 5. 2024Rhubarb is foodMy rhubarb patch is ready for the first harvest. There are all sorts of things to do with it, but this is the simplest olde New England thing: Wednesday, April 24. 2024Camembert vs. BrieNeither is terrible, but both kinda bland for my taste. Baked Brie is a very good dessert. (As usual, I do not support the idea of cheese as an appetizer. Why eat a filling savory thing before a good hunk of meat or a stew? )
Saturday, March 30. 2024Easter FeastWe have the whole crew here this year, sadly without Popop who died a couple of weeks ago. Mrs. BD is busy picking out his funeral music. Yes, it will be an RC Funeral Mass. Thanks to God, life goes on and Easter is a magical day, a feast day in Christianity. I'm grilling 2 marinated butterflied legs of lamb - might be more than 16 people need especially including the littles. I have 4 1/2 grandkids and 4 step-grandkids. Mrs. BD is making 2 traditional Rice Pies. I made some mint sauce. Everybody else has to bring sides. I think we'll watch the NYC St. Patrick's Easter Mass live on the machine in the morning, cuz too much to do to get to our church. Yes, we Protestants do love an RC Mass and I do like Cardinal Dolan. Same narrative. Easter blessings to all, regardless of views on existence and its mysteries.
Tuesday, March 12. 2024St. Patrick wasn't Irish - and Corned Beef and Cabbage isn't Irish eitherRe-posted cuz St. Patrick's Day is this Sunday. I don't have any known Celtic blood, bit I sure have lots of Irish relatives via marriage. Just wanted to set the record straight on the historical facts. Even worse, his name wasn't Patrick. He was an England-born slave of Irish raiders. Since England was still Roman in 400, he really was a colonial Roman. The "snakes" he drove out of Ireland were the pagan beliefs. Ireland never had real snakes. The Irish do not cook Corned Beef and Cabbage - except for American tourists What is Irish? Shepherd's Pie is. I happen to love corned beef and cabbage (plus potatoes) - as long as there is plenty of horseradish mustard and beer. The real name of the meal is New England Boiled Dinner. I cook it all together in a giant pot. If the pickled beef needs a knife, it's underdone. I think it should almost crumble. I make some for family, including my Irish father-in-law, yearly. No Guiness, though. It really does not go with food in my opinion. Heck, it's a meal in itself. In Irish pubs, they throw one or two raw eggs in it, stir it up, and call it breakfast. (Our kids are 25% Irish, 25% Southern Italian, 40% English, and 10% Scandinavian probably via the Norman invasion. In other words, all- American. Genetic mongrelization worked well for our kids, cuz I am 90% English, around 10% Scandinavian and thus overly-inbred in New England since the 1600s.) Saturday, March 2. 2024Can you eat orange and lemon peels?Sure can, if you wash them first. I've seen people eat an orange like an apple. I've done that on hikes. I like lemon slices with the peel. Tastier when they have soaked a bit in a cocktail like the orange peel in a Negroni. That is a treat.
Wednesday, February 28. 2024What does "Shrimp Scampi" mean? Plus other commentsIt's complicated. "Scampi" means a large prawn-thing in Italian, so the American menu item "Shrimp Scampi" sort of means "Shrimp Shrimp." I've had scampi in Italy. They are not really a large shrimp, but more like a crayfish. They will put one on top of a seafood risotto as a garnish. You only eat the little tail but it is almost impossible to get it out so I tend to give up on that. Shrimp Scampi is an American menu item, not Italian. It means Shrimp cooked the way Italians cook their crayfish-things - butter, oil, garlic, alone on a plate with parsley on top. In the US, it's typically served made with American shrimp on a pile of pasta as a main course. I know that I am annoying about these things, but that ain't Italian. Not too bad though. Italians do not make pasta as a main course. Italians tend to be skinny. Yeah, their lunch is our dinner. Their evening meal is spartan, like some soup. True, they often nap after their midday meal and close up shop for a couple of hours. The best real Italian meals I've had were in Volterra. We have not been to Bologna yet, though. The big tourist places tend to make stuff that Americans and Asians think is Italian - like red sauce. Wrong. And, because of my mood today, I'll be more annoying: Pizza in Italy is awful. For good pizza, go to NYC or New Haven. Yeah, it's junk food but fun with beer. I have a favorite pizza + beer joint in NYC, near the High Line in Chelsea. It's called Artichoke. ‘Shrimp scampi’ doesn’t mean what you think it means
Saturday, February 24. 2024Italian-American: Sunday GravySome people love this stuff, if only from family tradition:
Friday, February 23. 2024A little fun with some cheeses
The stinkiest cheese I've ever had was in southern France 18 months ago. At the end of a remarkable meal the Cheese Master came by with his cheese cart. Mrs. BD pointed out to him that I like stinky. He gave me a few small chunks of this and that, then a gooey spoonful of one. He gave me a look like "I dare you." It smelled like a mix of aged road kill and aged wet dirty socks, a real adventure for the palate. It might have been Epoisses (Napoleon was a huge fan of Epoisses, which was once considered "The King of Cheeses") but I'm not sure. Seemed like that cheese guy was impressed with me because I got a kick out of it. Some stinky cheese facts. Other fun cheeses: A buttery triple-creme: Saint Andre Another: Explorateur - France's triple-creme salute to the USA
Thursday, February 22. 2024Winter food: Like Pot Roast?Boiled meat with onions is of course an ancient food. Now we know how to make it better, especially by adding more interesting flavorings along with the onions. Another thing we know about cooking tough meat (chuck, round, brisket) is that a low simmer is better than boiling. I like to cook it in our slow-cooker, on low. Yes, it takes hours total but you get plenty of intermission time to get other things done. My French chef friend learned how to make it in Paris. Yeah. Not all French food is complicated. Recipe below the fold.
Continue reading "Winter food: Like Pot Roast?"
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