Text 29109, 102 rader
Skriven 2015-07-17 13:05:00 av Michael Loo (1:18/200)
     Kommentar till en text av Nancy Backus
Ärende: sushi &c 977
====================
 NB> Family camping is done with, and I'm at the Pond for a couple more
 NB> days... home tomorrow as I write this... then the packet gets
 NB> uploaded...  ;)

Glad to see you back.

 ML> Maki don't count - they're designed to get more use out of
 ML> less, if not fewer, ingredients. The seaweed that you find
 ML> in or on almost all of them helps by adding lots of umami.
 NB> Probably depends partly on who makes them... some are indeed rather
 NB> chincy... some are more generous...  of course that also goes for the
 NB> nigiri... ;)

It is said there's an ideal balance ... but for me that
balance is called sashimi. On the other hand, they claim that
it's all about the rice. I grant that rice done just so -
pearly but not separate, clumpy but not gooey - can be an
important part of the experience, but for me no savor, no deal.

 ML> There are some widely quoted young experts on the Internet
 ML> (on some of the supposedly more reputable sites) who deride
 ML> eating with the fingers, but they're speaking from inexperience,
 ML> either that or they're pretentious idiots the way so many
 ML> commentators in the arts and crafts tend to be.
 NB> Always those that think they know more than they really do...  :)

Everywhere and in every person.

 ML> you any at all, but that's changed: I went to a famous place
 ML> that charged lots of money and served interesting if not
 ML> superlatively tasty food, and it offered gobs of wasabi; at
 ML> least it was a real wasabi blend (not all that different,
 ML> truth be told). I ate it neat as a palate cleanser, but in
 ML> most situations I am as judicious in using it as I am a madman
 ML> with the (hot) pepper in dishes that call for that.
 NB> I'm more likely to use it with California roll or the like, or perhaps
 NB> a little to spark up a second bite of a mild fish... or, as you did,
 NB> take a little neat as a palate cleanser...  :)  Usually the sushi I
 NB> get is plenty tasty on its own, and doesn't need distraction...  :)

What kind of California roll? It's been a long time since
I've seen it made with real king crab, which doesn't want any
wasabi at all. The stuff you get nowadays (even in Japan,
where after all kani got its start), well, you might as well
just get avocado maki for cheaper.

 ML> That's no fair. Of course, the Japanese offer AYCE specials -
 ML> they're called omakase, and they're really all the chef thinks
 ML> you can eat, but you can ask for more, and they usually cost
 ML> at least twice as much as a regular meal costs. Think over $200
 ML> per diner.
 NB> Makes Fu's 19.95 AYCE special seem even more of a bargain,,, :)

I believe I raised an eyebrow here regarding how he could
hold the line on that price without compromising on the
ingredients.

 ML> thing. There was a bit of a scandal once when the fire chief
 ML> or some other civil defense official couldn't get somewhere he
 ML> was needed in a timely way, because he had to go around through
 ML> Pelham and then down Rte. 1 and so on into the city.
 NB> That could be a quite slow trip... but then, even the freeways can be
 NB> slow, especially in the NYC area...

He did have a nifty red car equipped with noisemakers that
no doubt helped him in such situations. I didn't ever meet him,
just walked past his house (it was a tour of geographic-
political anomalies) and was briefed by the neighbors.

 ML> Actually, there was a day when I didn't mind zucchini so much -
 ML> that's when I'd had it only fried with skordalia.
 NB> Some presentations are easier to tolerate than others...  ;)

That's a dish where one thing I love redeems three things I
don't - garlic vs. zucchini, potatoes, and vinegar.

 NB>> I suppose... A chef that made a reputation on letting ingredients
 NB>> speak for themselves might get a respectable following, though...  :)
 ML> And then the ego takes over. But if he/she survives that stage, a
 ML> return to basics might make things all right again.
 NB> And maybe even create an even better following... ;)

Not as long as those that think they know more than they
really do hold sway.

Mignonette
cat: sauce
yield: 4 oz

1/2 c white or red wine vinegar
1 Tb coarse ground white or black pepper
- or to taste
2 Tb minced shallots
salt

Combine all ingredients and chill. Serve with chilled
oysters or clams on the half shell.

Bon Appetit 3/64
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