Marcella Hazan

[ppanther]

Because of you people, my cookbook moratorium has been lifted and I've ordered "Essentials of Italian Cooking" -- which will be GREAT to have given my desire to lose baby weight.

Perfect. THANKS!

Seriously though, I'm looking forward to reading and trying out some recipes. What should I make first?

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

I hear the oven roasted lemon chicken is where it's at. Requires very few ingredients too which is nice. Only one I've tried so far is the pan roasted chicken with garlic, rosemary, and white wine sauce. Highly recommend it.

[ppanther]

Awesome. I read 'Mastering' for fun, just because the discussion of technique is so interesting. I cannot WAIT to get this book.

I know there will be recipes that are fine for a smart diet. I'll become an expert on them.

On another topic, I lied when I said I'd been on a cookbook moratorium -- I actually bought "Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day" a couple weeks ago. I just remembered after tasting a delicious piece of the loaf I just baked. The book does not lie, the bread takes almost ZERO time and effort, only a little forethought and planning. Holy smokes, it's good. I mean GOOD. Anyone who likes to bake should check this out. http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/

[Mikey]

The book is a good read besides the recipes.

I've only begun to scratch the surface, but the lemon chicken is really good. Others off the top of my head that were good:

Ossobuco
Pork roast braised in milk
Chard, which is steamed and then seasoned with lemon juice, EVOO and salt
There was one with celery in it that was very unusual, but good. I can't quite remember but I'll try to look it up later.
Also a steak dish that was cooked in a sauce with tomatoes and olives.

[Mikey]

I made the Bolognese this afternoon and it was excellent. Not a lot of work but you have to cook it for about 5 - 6 hours total.

[smackaholic]

one thing i could never figure out. italian cooking really is very healthy. they do wonderful things with veggies and all. but still, every little old italian lady i ever saw, including my grandma, was a master of such cooking but about as wide as they are tall.

maybe it's all the over processed american shit that they eat when they aren't doing the authentic italian stuff.

[MgoBlue-LightSpecial]

I was in the mood for a simple pasta meal tonight, so I made the Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter tossed with spaghetti. Probably the simplest and most "ingredient free" recipe I've ever made for a red sauce, yet it might've been the best.

Tomatoes
Butter
Salt
Onion
Grated parmesan

That's it. And it was excellent. But you have to use a good quality tomato (fresh or canned) otherwise you're just wasting your time.

[Dinsdale]

good quality tomato

Don't know if this is the place for it, but...

Like plenty of other places, 'maters grow like weeds 'round these parts. And it's been so ridiculously warm for this time of year (actually, only a few degrees above average, but it's done it consistantly for the last 6 weeks or so), that I'm considering getting some tomato starts in the ground by the end of February. If the soil temps are high enough (haven't actually measured them yet), it would be nice to take advantage of the long growing season this area is known for, and the long daylight hours the above-the-45th-parallel latitude offers, which could result in the Greatest Tomayyyytoes Evar.

[smackaholic]

i would think 'maters would like it better over on the dry side, or is p-land close enough to being dry side to do it?

[Dinsdale]

i would think 'maters would like it better over on the dry side, or is p-land close enough to being dry side to do it?

Huh?

You seem to have some strange ideas about the hardiness zones and whatnot around here.

First, just about every temperate plant on earth grows better in the Valley (Willamette) than anywhere else, anywhere.... we're kinda known for it.

Next, the Dryside is almost universally at high elevation (the majority sits on the Columbia Plateau), and get's arctic influence coming down the Columbia Valley. Translation: It's still fucking 30 degrees in the morning in freaking June. And Dryside soils suck, and the Trampises of the world spend much time fighting that shit.

They grow awesome hot-weather wine grapes in parts of the Columbia Valley, and the Walla Walla Valley has developed a reputation as growing some of the finest Bordeaux/hot climate grapes anywhere... which the winery I'm kind of a semi-unpaid "employee" of fully exploits. The '08 syrah, from the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley is going to rock the world when it hits the shelves.

[Mikey]

Tomatoes are a year round crop here.

There's one guy at the farmers' market that I go to every Saturday morning who's actually still selling the tail end of the 2009 crop of heirlooms. Not quite as plump and pretty as the ones he had in August, but still...

Making the veal stew with mushrooms from Hazan's book this afternoon. The aroma of the rosemary and stuff has been driving everybody here crazy for the past couple of hours. I'll be serving in an hour or so with some polenta and a nice salad.

[Dinsdale]

Tomatoes are a year round crop here.

I'm guessing a lot of things are?

[Mikey]

Tomatoes are a year round crop here.

I'm guessing a lot of things are?

A lot of veggies, herbs and other stuff are.

Tree fruits are, of course, going to be seasonal. Some stone fruits don't do so well here because they need a cold winter.

Funny thing...some of the tastiest navel oranges anywhere are grown right around here. Juicy, sweet and tangy. But you can't find them in most of the grocery stores because they're realtively small and not as bright a color as the ones they ship in from...wherever (the sticker says California but prolly San Joaquin Valley or something). I don't know where they ship them to or what they do with them but right now I can go out to the farmers' market or any number of roadside stands and get a 5 lb. bag of ugly but awesome navels for $2, and they make the store bought fruit taste like something squeezed from cardboard.