Text 16931, 89 rader
Skriven 2014-09-12 11:11:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: good food & guesses 959
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 ML> this - the public is treated to media descriptions of
 ML> how wonderful a food is, and then they try it in all
 ML> its wonderfulness, and they don't like it, so the
 ML> restaurants tone it down and tone it down until everyone
 ML> except me is happy. 
 NB> I tend to not go to the fancy American places... especially not for
 NB> non-American foods...  ;)

I try to patronize places where the ethnicity of the personnel
and the clientele tends to match the cuisine, but that taken
to the extreme might yield silly results. And anyhow, anybody
can cook anything, given training and experience, and lacking
that maybe even a good recipe. I have been very pleased by
some of the Asian food served by some white folks, and I cook
as well in Italian and French idioms as most Italians and
French, so the prejudices are easily rebuttable. For price
to performance, non-American food is probably best purchased
in non-American establishments.

 NB> This place seems to be pretty much an authentic Chinese place... they
 NB> make a big deal on their website (according to my friend Edith, who
 NB> suggested it for our Fourth Sunday get-together) about not being
 NB> fusion or trendy, just good food... Noodle dishes, with or without
 NB> broth, are the main focus...  

Noodles are the great unsung heroes of Chinese cuisine.

 ML> I've had similar. The bread is an unsalted steamed bun,
 ML> into the middle of which go a teaspoon of sweet sauce
 ML> (hoisin by preference), a length of scallion green, and
 ML> then an ounce of roast or braised pork belly. Done well,
 ML> these things, a sort of poorman's Peking duck, can be
 ML> very delicious.
 NB> Similar to what you did with the cracklings...?  I saw what I presumed
 NB> was one of the steamed bun offerings, it looked a lot what you put
 NB> together at Janis' last picnic, with the bun wrapped around the
 NB> filling like a hand closed on it... not totally enclosed...

That's the country-style way of doing it, and I endorse it
in thought, word, and deed.

 ML>> Hah - I checked on line, and it's a vacant lot, wooded now.
 NB>> Better than one might have hoped for, then...  :)
 ML> One wonders why it was spared, though.
 NB> Any number of possibilities, I suppose...  

It couldn't have been toxic unsuitability, otherwise the
area nearby would also be vacant. Possibly an old gravesite
or some native mound, but then I got the feeling back in
1959 that the lot had been used for dumping. There could be
ledge difficult to put plumbing and stuff through, but the
property values are so high that at some point it would have
been economically feasible to claim the land. On reflection,
the most likely explanation is that the area had been zoned
for a certain number of dwellings, and the plans were off by
one, so they took the least desirable piece of land and kept
it vacant.

Mussels Steamed in Wine with Cream
cat: main, shellfish
servings: 4

2 qt mussels
3 Tb minced shallot
2 Tb butter
2 Tb minced parsley
pepper
2 c Muscadet or other dry white wine
1 c creme fraiche

Moules Mariniere a la Creme

Clean mussels. In a large heavy saucepan saute shallot in
butter for 2 - 3 min, or until it is softened. Add the
mussels, parsley, pepper to taste, and white wine. Bring
the liquid to a boil and steam the mussels, covered, over
high heat, shaking the pan once or twice, for 6 - 7 min or
until the shells have opened. Discard any unopened shells.
Transfer the mussels with a slotted spoon to a heated deep
serving dish, keep them warm, and reduce the cooking liquid
over high heat for 5 min. Add creme fraiche and reduce the
sauce for 2 - 3 min, or until it thickens. Pour the sauce
over the mussels and sprinkle the dish with minced parsley.

Source: Adventure Sports Unlimited

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