Text 21331, 72 rader
Skriven 2009-02-26 16:20:02 av Michael Loo (1:18/200.0)
  Kommentar till text 21288 av Dave Sacerdote (1:123/140)
Ärende: Neekha cooks! 282
=========================
Agreed with, but with amendments.

 DS> Be as honest and straightforward with her in person as you are here
 DS> when critiquing her "creations."  While I don't see a problem per se
 DS> with not wanting tips or wanting to experiment without recipes, she
 DS> needs straightforward feedback.  Otherwise it's too easy to fall into
 DS> a kind of arrogance where one stops taking into consideration the
 DS> tastes of the diners.  Cooking and eating is ideally a social event 
 DS> as much as an activity for survival.

It is not necessarily awful, this arrogance. But it should be
based on a well-schooled (whether through reading recipes or
experience) knowledge of the difference among acceptable, good,
and better. Sure, a steak smothered in its weight of onions is
going to be tasty, but one smothered in half its weight will be
better, and one with 10% better still. 

 DS> Also, she should remember that recipes help ensure consistency
 DS> and prevent us from re-inventing the wheel. I'd be the last person
 DS> in the world to advocate slavishly following recipes, but I still
 DS> use them as guidelines.  She'll likely grow out of that attitude,
 DS> though.  She's still a kid, and that kind of thing is just a
 DS> byproduct of her immaturity. 

True words were never spoken, or at least are seldom spoken.
Recipes are part of a body of knowledge that is meant to be
used and taken advantage of. There are various types of use,
from slavish lockstep imitation to interpretive license to
inspired adaptation. Of course, when the adaptation takes
place, it's a terrible mistake to pretend by nomenclature
that it's the same as the original.

 JW> stir fried lettuce in butter with Italian seasonings gets a a D- 
 DS> Wrong kind of lettuce [g].  Escarole might have worked very well that
 DS> way.

Any lettuce can be cooked, but an understanding of the wet
nature of the vegetable is most useful. Also - uncrowding
the pan, using high enough heat, being appropriate (generous
but not overboard) with the butter, ...

Sauteed romaine
cat: veg
servings: 4

1 hd romaine
butter
1 c stock
s, p

Wash lettuce well. Julienne leaves and most of
the stems. Wilt in butter over high heat. Add
stock and cook until evaporated. Season. Serve
with steak or other beefy thing.

My aunt Irene used to make this, and my mother
pooh-poohed it until Irene in her last burst of
sanity stayed with my parents and taught them
to like the dish.

I used to roast lettuce (I think I learned it
from some French cookbook and used to demonstrate
it before my friends - Carol when she was married,
for example - but do it this way more often now
as it is much easier and almost as good).

Source: moi.

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