What are you cooking now?

[AuntDaisy]

But Pulcinella is of course right - spaghetti (or linguine, possibly fettucine, tagliatelle, &c) - long and thin. Not maccheroni...

You could always add Tomato Ketchup...

BTW, the i had a list of the UK's Italian Food Crimes last week...

[french frank]

But Pulcinella is of course right - spaghetti (or linguine, possibly fettucine, tagliatelle, &c) - long and thin. Not maccheroni...

It's an attitude to food, of course. I always have to question WHY? if told that's 'how it should be done'. I like it like this, this is how it's always done: ergo ... That always seems like a challenge to me :-) But in the end, do it the way that satisfies you.

[vinteuil]

... if told that's 'how it should be done'. I like it like this, this is how it's always done: ergo ... That always seems like a challenge to me...

... a 'challenge' can of course be good. But there is also a value in 'tradition' - over time cultures have worked out the 'best way' to do things, and it wd be churlish just to disregard learnt techniques

.

[Pulcinella]

It's an attitude to food, of course. I always have to question WHY? if told that's 'how it should be done'. I like it like this, this is how it's always done: ergo ... That always seems like a challenge to me :-) But in the end, do it the way that satisfies you.

Quite so, but it's undoubtedly the case that certain pasta shapes are more suited to different types/consistencies of sauce than others.

[french frank]

... a 'challenge' can of course be good. But there is also a value in 'tradition' - over time cultures have worked out the 'best way' to do things, and it wd be churlish just to disregard learnt techniques

There's a whole debate to be had here. When it comes to French cooking, for example, there's Escoffier's Ma Cuisine, Larousse Gastronomique (both of which I have and consult), but there's also Tante Marie's Cuisine de famille (which I have) and 'every French grandmother's version' which may even change from day to day.

I tend to vary as I cook, I add in what I have and needs to be used. So my own 'recipe' today of salmon soup has a basis of flaked cooked salmon (chucked in at the last minute), sweetcorn and fennel. Plus anything which happens to be in the cupboard: today asparagus tips, red pepper, spring onion, mushroom (probably a mistake though). I inadvertently picked up Coop salmon with a sachet of sweet chilli sauce which I didn't use when I ate the first fillet (I cooked both). I considered whether I might add the sauce to the soup, sampled it - and decided not to. I shall stir in some rocket at the last minute. I have baked a wholemeal loaf this morning which I shall have with my soup and whether it's awful or not it will be nutritious because of all the fresh ingredients :-). The battery on my digital scales failed so the bread will be even more hit and miss than usual. It's always edible.

A purist I am not. (My puttanesca sauce, as well as having macaroni [sic] had some chopped bacon added. With Roger's aforementioned chicken puttanesca I would certainly have rice rather than pasta anyway. One thing I would never do is decide on the recipe first, then go out and buy all the correct ingredients. As with the puttanesca sauce I made it because I had the ingredients (more or less).

[vinteuil]

A purist I am not...

.... cela se laisse voir

I have my purist moments. And my Puritan ones, too....

.

[richardfinegold]

I made an Orzo salad with feta, garbanzo beans, red onions, cucumber and fresh lemon juice (spiced with thyme, salt and pepper).

[AuntDaisy]

I made an Orzo salad with feta, garbanzo beans, red onions, cucumber and fresh lemon juice (spiced with thyme, salt and pepper).

Sounds very tasty. Was it close to tabbouleh in flavours?

(Garbanzo beans were new to me - chickpeas this side of the pond.)

[richardfinegold]

Sounds very tasty. Was it close to tabbouleh in flavours?

(Garbanzo beans were new to me - chickpeas this side of the pond.)

They were always chickpeas to me as well, but about 15 years ago the labels in the store and the menus in restaurants renamed them. Who decides these things?
We had the remaining salad last night as a side dish to Beyond Burgers. It lacked something, relative to when it was fresh, and then I squeezed lemon juice and added it to the leftover and that restored the flavor. Since the tabbouleh recipe that we make also calls for fresh squeezed lemon juice, your query is making me wonder how much of the flavor or these dishes is due to our citrus friend?

[french frank]

Discussing nutrition at the baker's this morning and they asked me if I'd like to try a pot of their own kimchi - the new Co-op annoyingly didn't have any, only yesterday coincidentally. So lunch with what I already have: sweet potato (shall I cook some brown rice as well, and keep the baguette for the cheese course?), sliced avocado and baby spinach leaves. I wonder what I could use to make a dressing for the spinach leaves. Balsamic vinaigrette? With chili flakes and garlic?

[Pulcinella]

Discussing nutrition at the baker's this morning and they asked me if I'd like to try a pot of their own kimchi - the new Co-op annoyingly didn't have any, only yesterday coincidentally. So lunch with what I already have: sweet potato (shall I cook some brown rice as well, and keep the baguette for the cheese course?), sliced avocado and baby spinach leaves. I wonder what I could use to make a dressing for the spinach leaves. Balsamic vinaigrette? With chili flakes and garlic?

Sounds good, but simpler might be some natural yogurt with lemon juice.

[french frank]

Sounds good, but simpler might be some natural yogurt with lemon juice.

Could do the lemon juice without going out. Would natural kefir do instead of yogurt? What does the lemon juice do to dairy?

[french frank]

Also, I have a Costers del Segre Albariño which might go rather well with it.

[vinteuil]

... sliced avocado and baby spinach leaves. I wonder what I could use to make a dressing for the spinach leaves. Balsamic vinaigrette? With chili flakes and garlic?

.

Sounds good, but simpler might be some natural yogurt with lemon juice.

... yes, I wd go for 'simpler' - drop the chili flakes and garlick. My wife's a kefir fan, but I wd just do a simple vinaigrette, praps using your lemon and little bit of balsamic with a decent oil...

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[vinteuil]

sweet potato (shall I cook some brown rice as well, and keep the baguette for the cheese course?), sliced avocado and baby spinach leaves.

.

Also, I have a Costers del Segre Albariño which might go rather well with it.

the albariño sounds nice.
I think brown rice with the sweet potato, and keep the baguette for the cheese. Do we get to hear what the cheeses will be?