"Authentic" cooking style

"Meryl" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I would like to make a recipe for Osso Bucco which is "authentic". I've
looked through a lot of cookbooks and I saw at least three cooking
styles:

1. in one heavy pan (or dutch oven), saute veggies then brown the
meat;
2. in one heavy pan, brown the meat then saute the veggies;
3. in two pans, separately brown the meat, saute the veggies, and then

add the meat to the veggies.

What method do you use? Do you think one method more authentic than the
others?

In a general way, this opens up the question of what exactly is
authentic?
Is it defined by adherance to similar ingredients? Too cooking style
also?
As a starter for debate, French Onion soup is often cooked with water
or
chicken stock in France, but in America it's almost always chicken or
beef (or veal) stock.

Meryl

As far as "authentic" goes, if a chef invented it for a restaurant or
whatever, you can say that his recipe is the original, authentic dish. No
doubt, there's only one original way to go.

If it's something that's something cooked at home by people in some region,
it's harder to pin down. Chances are everyone cooked it little differently,
from house to house and town to town, depending on how they learned to cook
it, what utensils they had available, and what ingredients they had on hand
or that they particularly liked. Not to mention that over time the recipe
probably changed as people incorporated ingredients that were new to the
region.

At some point, maybe somebody wrote down a recipe, or a restaurant
popularized a certain variation, but that doesn't mean that any of the
earlier versions weren't "correct" or that later variations are good as
well.

Think of something as simple as a ham sandwich. Imagine that someone who had
never eaten one wanted the "authentic" recipe. After going to restaurants
and homes across the country, there would be thousands of variations
including the type of ham, thickness of slice, type of bread, add-ons like
cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle; condiments like mayo or mustard. Do you
toast the bread? If you toast it, do you toast just the bread, or do you
toast the whole sandwich? What would an authentic ham sandwich be? Everyone
would have a favorite, so how do you choose which are "real" and which
aren't?

Another problem is that if what you're looking for is really old dish,
you're going to get people who will tell you that you can't use anything
that wasn't native before the conquerors/explorers/settlers showed up with
new ingredients from far-off lands. No matter that the new ingredients have
been in use for 500 years. No matter that the original spice is now extinct
or has been classified as toxic. No matter that no one wrote down those
recipes, so everyone's guessing, anyway.

I've got a few recipes that came from my mother, and presumably her mother
taught her how to cook them. However, while the dishes were originally from
the "old country" some of the ingredients were modified to take advantage of
modern conveniences, like commercially canned foods. They're probably not
authentic recipes if you want to go back to the roots of these dishes, but
they were devised/revised by authentic ethnic cooks.

D.Currie said:

"Meryl" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I would like to make a recipe for Osso Bucco which is "authentic". I've
looked through a lot of cookbooks and I saw at least three cooking
styles: > Meryl

As far as "authentic" goes, if a chef invented it for a restaurant or
whatever, you can say that his recipe is the original, authentic dish. No
doubt, there's only one original way to go.

(clipped comments)
I remember seeing a food history show recently. We all think of tomatoes as a
basis for "authentic" Italian cooking, but the tomato didn't make it across the
big pond until after Colombus. Course it's been over 400 years ...
Edrena

Meryl said:

I would like to make a recipe for Osso Bucco which is "authentic". I've
looked through a lot of cookbooks and I saw at least three cooking
styles:

1. in one heavy pan (or dutch oven), saute veggies then brown the
meat;
2. in one heavy pan, brown the meat then saute the veggies;
3. in two pans, separately brown the meat, saute the veggies, and then

add the meat to the veggies.

What method do you use? Do you think one method more authentic than the
others?

In a general way, this opens up the question of what exactly is
authentic?
Is it defined by adherance to similar ingredients? Too cooking style
also?
As a starter for debate, French Onion soup is often cooked with water
or
chicken stock in France, but in America it's almost always chicken or
beef (or veal) stock.

Meryl

I know about Grandma's Authentic Pot Roast. The recipe includes peeled
potatoes, carrots, chunks of white turnip (swede), and of course, the
meat. That's a four-pound hunk of chuck, with a slice cut off the large
end, and studded tall over with garlic cloves. The slice went in along
side the big piece. All simmered slowly in a Dutch oven, started with a
little stock. Mmm!

Betsy was making some for Sunday dinner, when her inquisitive daughter
wanted to know why the end slice was cut off first. Betsy said she
didn't know. She had learned the recipe from her mother, and it was so
good that she didn't want to change anything. Inquisitive Daughter said
"Let's ask Grandma Alice." Grandma Alice had the same answer: she had
learned the recipe from her mother, and it was so good that she didn't
want to change anything. Grandma Alice's mother was living happily and
energetically in an assisted living facility. When asked why a slice was
taken from the large end, her answer was short: "To make it fit into my
old pot."

The best osso buco I ever had was in a French restaurant tucked away on
a mountain in the Catskills. "Osso buco" is Italian for something like
"country bone". Authentic in a French restaurant? Maybe not, but it sure
was good!

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Quoted message said:

We all think of tomatoes as a
basis for "authentic" Italian cooking

Who "all" thinks that? I thought olive oil and garlic were the only rules.

The recent enlightening that descended upon me was the report that pasta was
NOT a medieval borrowing from Asia. It seems the classical Romans had it
already.

"The Joneses" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I remember seeing a food history show recently. We all think of tomatoes
as a
basis for "authentic" Italian cooking, but the tomato didn't make it
across the
big pond until after Colombus. Course it's been over 400 years ...

I sure don't think that. Just because red sauce italian restaurants abound
doesn't
mean we think it's authentic Eyetalian qzeen. Tomatoes are from the
Americas.

nancy

Meryl said:

I would like to make a recipe for Osso Bucco which is "authentic". I've
looked through a lot of cookbooks and I saw at least three cooking
styles:

1. in one heavy pan (or dutch oven), saute veggies then brown the
meat;
2. in one heavy pan, brown the meat then saute the veggies;
3. in two pans, separately brown the meat, saute the veggies, and then

add the meat to the veggies.

What method do you use? Do you think one method more authentic than the
others?

In a general way, this opens up the question of what exactly is
authentic?
Is it defined by adherance to similar ingredients? Too cooking style
also?
As a starter for debate, French Onion soup is often cooked with water
or
chicken stock in France, but in America it's almost always chicken or
beef (or veal) stock.

Meryl

Most stews and braises start by browning the meat, removing it, and then
browning the veggies in the meat fat (with additional oil added or
meat fat drained off if necessary). Then you add water or stock to the
pot, and add the meat back.

This way you get more of the meat flavor into the veggies.

--

===============================================================
Regards

Louis Cohen

"Yes, yes, I will desalinate you, you grande morue!"

Émile Zola, Assommoir 1877

Quoted message said:

"Nancy Young" writes:

The Joneses said:

I remember seeing a food history show recently. We all think of tomatoes
as a
basis for "authentic" Italian cooking, but the tomato didn't make it
across the
big pond until after Colombus. Course it's been over 400 years ...

I sure don't think that. Just because red sauce italian restaurants abound
doesn't
mean we think it's authentic Eyetalian qzeen. Tomatoes are from the
Americas.

And aside from that, 'talian cooze-ine is highly regional, with the majority
subscribing to white, not red.

Also, many cooze-ines have independantly developed the noodle in some form,
from some grain, long, long before the 'talians... the 'talians are credited
with the *extruded* noodle, ergo so many configurations, literally hundreds,
and then only relatively recently... before then there wasn't even spaghetti,
only flat/cut noodles like everyone elses. Keep in mind, the corn tortilla is
a noodle too.

---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

PENMART01 said:

Keep in mind, the corn tortilla is a noodle too.

How you figure a tortilla is a noodle? Outside of flour and water I can't think
of how they're related. By that, pancakes would be noodles also?
Edrena

In article <[email hidden]>,

Meryl said:

In a general way, this opens up the question of what exactly is
authentic?

The first way it was taught to me.

Is it defined by adherance to similar ingredients? Too

Quoted message said:

cooking style also? As a starter for debate, French Onion soup is
often cooked with water or chicken stock in France, but in America
it's almost always chicken or beef (or veal) stock.

I use both chicken and beef stock.

Quoted message said:

Meryl

--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> 2005 Pirohy Marathon pics added 1-23-05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Meryl said:

In a general way, this opens up the question of what exactly is
authentic?

The first way it was taught to me.

Is it defined by adherance to similar ingredients? Too

Quoted message said:

cooking style also? As a starter for debate, French Onion soup is
often cooked with water or chicken stock in France, but in America
it's almost always chicken or beef (or veal) stock.

I use both chicken and beef stock.

Quoted message said:

Meryl

--
-Barb, <www.jamlady.eboard.com> 2005 Pirohy Marathon pics added 1-23-05.
"I read recipes the way I read science fiction: I get to the end and
say,'Well, that's not going to happen.'" - Comedian Rita Rudner,
performance at New York, New York, January 10, 2005.

Quoted message said:

The best osso buco I ever had was in a French restaurant tucked away on
a mountain in the Catskills. "Osso buco" is Italian for something like
"country bone". Authentic in a French restaurant? Maybe not, but it sure
was good!

Osso buco is Italian for bone (osso) with a hole (buco) in it. In other
words, shanks of some kind (usually beef or veal, though you can find
others, including turkey) cut crosswise so they have a ring of bone with
some marrow in it, surrounded by meat.

Kyle

D.Currie said:

"Meryl" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I would like to make a recipe for Osso Bucco which is "authentic".

I've

Quoted message said:

looked through a lot of cookbooks and I saw at least three cooking
styles:

1. in one heavy pan (or dutch oven), saute veggies then brown the
meat;
2. in one heavy pan, brown the meat then saute the veggies;
3. in two pans, separately brown the meat, saute the veggies, and

then

Quoted message said:

add the meat to the veggies.

What method do you use? Do you think one method more authentic than

the

Quoted message said:

others?

In a general way, this opens up the question of what exactly is
authentic?
Is it defined by adherance to similar ingredients? Too cooking style

Quoted message said:

also?
As a starter for debate, French Onion soup is often cooked with

water

Quoted message said:

or
chicken stock in France, but in America it's almost always chicken

or

Quoted message said:

beef (or veal) stock.

Meryl

As far as "authentic" goes, if a chef invented it for a restaurant or
whatever, you can say that his recipe is the original, authentic dish.
No
doubt, there's only one original way to go.

If it's something that's something cooked at home by people in some
region,
it's harder to pin down. Chances are everyone cooked it little
differently,
from house to house and town to town, depending on how they learned to
cook
it, what utensils they had available, and what ingredients they had on
hand
or that they particularly liked. Not to mention that over time the
recipe
probably changed as people incorporated ingredients that were new to
the
region.

At some point, maybe somebody wrote down a recipe, or a restaurant
popularized a certain variation, but that doesn't mean that any of the

earlier versions weren't "correct" or that later variations are good
as
well.

Think of something as simple as a ham sandwich.

I have been meaning to post this for some time but never got around to
it, its more a curiosity than anything else, but i actually spent 50
dollars on an old book press so as to be abel to make the following
recipe. Only later to have it pointed out to me that i could have put a
brick on a plate to the same effect.

Book makers sandwich
----------------------------

"This substantial sandwich is favoured by people attending race
meetings ; after perusal it well be seen that such a snack could on
occasion take the place of a full meal.

Cut of the crusts from the ends of a sandwich loaf leaving at least 1 cm
of bread on them.
Grill a thick steak, well seasoned with salt and pepper; allow it to
cool then spread it with mustard and sprinkle with grated horseradish.
Butter the crusts, put the steak between them and tie up with string.
Wrap it in several sheets of clean absorbent paper, place in a press and
tighten it gradually before leaving it for 30 minutes. When removed it
will be seen that the inside of the sandwich is saturated with the meat
juice which the outside crust has prevented from escaping. The string
and paper are removed and the sandwich is then wrapped in grease proof
paper or placed in a box with a lid.

Quoted message said:

Imagine that someone who had
never eaten one wanted the "authentic" recipe. After going to
restaurants
and homes across the country, there would be thousands of variations
including the type of ham, thickness of slice, type of bread, add-ons
like
cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle; condiments like mayo or mustard. Do
you
toast the bread? If you toast it, do you toast just the bread, or do
you
toast the whole sandwich? What would an authentic ham sandwich be?
Everyone
would have a favorite, so how do you choose which are "real" and which

aren't?

Another problem is that if what you're looking for is really old dish,

you're going to get people who will tell you that you can't use
anything
that wasn't native before the conquerors/explorers/settlers showed up
with
new ingredients from far-off lands. No matter that the new ingredients
have
been in use for 500 years. No matter that the original spice is now
extinct
or has been classified as toxic. No matter that no one wrote down
those
recipes, so everyone's guessing, anyway.

Especially now a days, imagine Italian cooking with out tomatoes, Asian
food without peanuts. Corn & chocolate are now parts of traditional
European cooking but were unknown to the Europeans 500 years ago.

Here's my contribution The first recipie is from Ada Boni' Talisman
cook book and the second is from Auguste Escoffier' Le Guide Culinaire.

Ossobuco
-----------

! tbs. butter

4 veal shin bones, 4 inches long, with meat

2 tbs. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup water

1 tsp. chopped parsley

1 clove garlic, chopped

4 strips lemon peel

1 anchovy filet, mashed

1 tbs. stock
1 tbs. butter

Melt 1 tbs. butter in a skillet. Roll bones in flour, place in skillet,
add salt and pepper and cook until well browned, turning bones over
occasionally during browning process. Add wine and continue cooking
until wine evaporates. Add cup of water, cover skillet and cook 1 hour,
adding more water if necessary.

Five minutes before serving add parsley, garlic, lemon peel and anchovy
and cook, 2 minutes longer, turning bones over once. Place bones on a
serving dish. Add 1 tbs. stock to pan gravy, add remaining 1 tbs.
butter, mix well and pour over bones. Serves 4 with rice or pasta.
------------------

And here's a French version

Ossi Buchi
--------------

Cut the knuckles of veal across the bone into round sections
approximately 2 - 2 & 1/2 inches thick. Season, pass through flour and
colour on both sides in hot lard, using a shallow pan. For 10 sections
of knuckle add 1/2 cup of chopped onion and cook together for a few
minutes with the knuckles, then add 2 & 1/4 pound roughly chopped flesh
only of tomato and 2 & 1/4 cups white wine. Reduce by two thirds,
moisten halfway up the ingredients with sufficient white veal stock and
add a bouquet garni. Cover with a lid and cook slowly in the oven for 1
& 1.2 hours, by which time the cooking liquor should be reduced by
approximately half.

Arrange the sections of knuckle in a deep dish with its garnish and
cooking liquid. sprinkle with a little lemon juice and chopped parsley.

--
JL

Quoted message said:

I've got a few recipes that came from my mother, and presumably her
mother
taught her how to cook them. However, while the dishes were originally
from
the "old country" some of the ingredients were modified to take
advantage of
modern conveniences, like commercially canned foods. They're probably
not
authentic recipes if you want to go back to the roots of these dishes,
but
they were devised/revised by authentic ethnic cooks.

--
Joseph Littleshoes

Kyle Phillips said:

Quoted message said:

The best osso buco I ever had was in a French restaurant tucked away on
a mountain in the Catskills. "Osso buco" is Italian for something like
"country bone". Authentic in a French restaurant? Maybe not, but it sure
was good!

Osso buco is Italian for bone (osso) with a hole (buco) in it. In other
words, shanks of some kind (usually beef or veal, though you can find
others, including turkey) cut crosswise so they have a ring of bone with
some marrow in it, surrounded by meat.

Kyle

My education is now a tad closer to complete; thanks. I had imagined
that "buco" and "bucolic" were related.

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Joseph Littleshoes wrote:
...

Quoted message said:

I have been meaning to post this for some time but never got around to
it, its more a curiosity than anything else, but i actually spent 50
dollars on an old book press so as to be abel to make the following
recipe. Only later to have it pointed out to me that i could have put a
brick on a plate to the same effect.

Book makers sandwich
----------------------------

"This substantial sandwich is favoured by people attending race
meetings; after perusal it well be seen that such a snack could on
occasion take the place of a full meal.

Cut of the crusts from the ends of a sandwich loaf leaving at least 1 cm
of bread on them.
Grill a thick steak, well seasoned with salt and pepper; allow it to
cool then spread it with mustard and sprinkle with grated horseradish.
Butter the crusts, put the steak between them and tie up with string.
Wrap it in several sheets of clean absorbent paper, place in a press and
tighten it gradually before leaving it for 30 minutes. When removed it
will be seen that the inside of the sandwich is saturated with the meat
juice which the outside crust has prevented from escaping. The string
and paper are removed and the sandwich is then wrapped in grease proof
paper or placed in a box with a lid.

Well, maybe almost the same thing with a weighted plate, but think how
much more elegant the press is! In mind of unusual cooking tools, I met
a steamfitter* who had some pipe fittings connected like a funnel that
allowed him to cook rice and other foods for his lunch.

...

Jerry
______________________________________
Most buildings in lower Manhattan have no furnaces, instead heating with
steam piped in from the street like any other utility.
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

"Kyle Phillips" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The best osso buco I ever had was in a French restaurant tucked away on
a mountain in the Catskills. "Osso buco" is Italian for something like
"country bone". Authentic in a French restaurant? Maybe not, but it sure
was good!

Osso buco is Italian for bone (osso) with a hole (buco) in it. In other
words, shanks of some kind (usually beef or veal, though you can find
others, including turkey) cut crosswise so they have a ring of bone with
some marrow in it, surrounded by meat.

Authentic Italian Osso Bucco

2 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 lbs centre-cut veal shanks
1 Tbls. butter
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) PRIMO Tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp each salt, pepper, dried basil and thyme
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups Gnocchi (dumplings)
zest of 1 lemon, minced

In large, heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown shanks in
batches, approximately 1 minute per side. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add butter to pan and reduce heat to medium. Add carrots, celery and onion;
cook 15 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned, stirring
occasionally.
Stir in tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, salt, pepper, basil, thyme and
browned veal shanks; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 2
hours, or until meat is very tender.
Combine parsley, garlic and lemon zest; set aside.

Ricotta Gnocchi

1 egg yolk
1 lb. ricotta cheese
½ lb. flour
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

On a well-floured surface, mix the ricotta and egg together.
Slowly add in the half cup of flour and the grated Parmesan.
Season with salt and pepper.
Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes or until all ingredients are combined and
the dough is just slightly sticky.
Add more flour if the dough is too sticky to work with.
Separate the dough in to sections and roll each section of dough with your
hands into snake like logs until the thickness is about 1-1/2 inches.
Cross cut the logs so the gnocchi is about 1-1/2 - 2 inches by 1-1/2 - 2
inches.
Place the Gnocchi on a well-floured surface and refrigerate for at least one
hour.
Cook the gnocchi in boiling water for 1-2 minutes or until they are heated
through.
Drain the gnocchi and pour onto a plate or pasta dish.
Serve osso buco over gnocchi (dumplings) sprinkled with the parsley mixture.

(Variation)

Gnocchi Di Semolina

3 1/2 cups Milk
3/4 cups Fine semolina
1/2 cups Butter
6 Tbls. Parmesan cheese
2 Egg yolks
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Breadcrumbs

These are sometimes thought to be a Roman specialty, but in fact they are
eaten all over Italy.
Heat milk with a pinch of salt, and when it boils gradually add semolina,
stirring the whole time with a wooden spoon to avoid lumps.
Continue to cook, stirring, for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons butter in small pieces, then
gradually stir in 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, the egg yolk, one at a
time, a pinch of pepper and nutmeg.
Oil 1 or 2 large dishes or clean marble kitchen slab and pour semolina
mixture on.
Spread out to 1/2-inch thickness using a cold wet spatula and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).
Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter; use some of butteráto to grease the
casserole you want to cook and serve gnocchi in.
Cut out squares or circles of semolina dough and place in greased dish.
Drizzle with butter and sprinkle with parmesan, add a second layer of
gnocchi, and so on.
Sprinkle breadcrumbs over gnocchi and bake for about 20 minutes or until
golden brown.

Makes 4 servings

--
Old Magic 1

Quoted message said:

Kyle

"Old Magic1" <[email hidden]> ha scritto nel messaggio
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Authentic Italian Osso Bucco

2 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 lbs centre-cut veal shanks
1 Tbls. butter
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) PRIMO Tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp each salt, pepper, dried basil and thyme
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups Gnocchi (dumplings)
zest of 1 lemon, minced

In large, heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown shanks in
batches, approximately 1 minute per side. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add butter to pan and reduce heat to medium. Add carrots, celery and

onion;

Quoted message said:

cook 15 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned, stirring
occasionally.
Stir in tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, salt, pepper, basil, thyme and
browned veal shanks; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 2
hours, or until meat is very tender.
Combine parsley, garlic and lemon zest; set aside.

(snipped Ricotta Gnocchi and Gnocchi alla romana)

Quoted message said:

Drain the gnocchi and pour onto a plate or pasta dish.
Serve osso buco over gnocchi (dumplings) sprinkled with the parsley

mixture.

Quoted message said:

The ossi buchi (singular is osso buco, with 1 c) look good, though the
Milanese, whom Italians consider to be the masters of Ossi Buchi -- it's a
Milanese specialty -- would use a lot less tomato, on the order of a few
tablespoons, and fresh herbs. I live in Italy, and have never encountered
them here over gnocchi. If anything, rice, though not necessarily risotto
alla milanese. Also, semolina gnocchi may be eaten all over Italy, but
they're universally referred to as gnocchi alla romana.

Kyle

Jerry Avins said:

Joseph Littleshoes wrote:
...

Quoted message said:

I have been meaning to post this for some time but never got around

to

Quoted message said:

it, its more a curiosity than anything else, but i actually spent 50

Quoted message said:

dollars on an old book press so as to be abel to make the following
recipe. Only later to have it pointed out to me that i could have

put a

Quoted message said:

brick on a plate to the same effect.

Well, maybe almost the same thing with a weighted plate,

I expressed myself poorly, rereading my post i can see how some one
might think i was comparing the sandwich to a "brick on a plate"

Quoted message said:

but think how
much more elegant the press is! In mind of unusual cooking tools, I
met
a steamfitter* who had some pipe fittings connected like a funnel that

allowed him to cook rice and other foods for his lunch.

At my request a metal worker friend fabricated for me a steel box with
a tightly fitted cube of metal to go inside that i can use in my book
press to simulate a "duck press". The only authentic versions of which
i could find were elaborately decorated antique versions costing
hundreds if not thousands of dollars (Sheffield plate vs. pure silver)
it 's great for making a quick pate. Took me a bit of time to get the
metal seasoned but now it works just fine, though i still get the
occasional question about making my own books when people see the old
book press in my kitchen.
--
Joseph Littleshoes