Ok, so two different BBQ sauces. The first is a great base and can be added to and changed to your hearts delight but its a solid base. (actually came from my grandmother)

1 Cup ketchup
1/2 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Cup White Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat in sauce pan. Pour it down your britches. Rinse. Repeat.

This other one is the Carolina....

2 Cups cider vinegar
3 tbls ketchup
2 tbls brown sugar
4 tsp coarse salt
1 tbls hot sauce
1 to 2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 to 2 teaspoons black pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk until the sugar and salt dissolve. Season to taste. I usually transfer it to a squeeze bottle and refrigerate the leftover.

Ears perked for the sauce recipe.

I had this scallop and truffle chowder in seattle that i'm going to try and take a guess at some time.

Oh, and I miss publix, i'd shop there like crazy when i lived in florida. Might be the best quality/value in a grocery that i've ever seen.

and everyone, throw up some more pix.

thanks for the recipe. Will try soon, as it's getting on to the close of indoor cooking season.

I think the best Christmas present I got was the Truffle Salt that Bloor gave me last weekend.

I have been slipping it into a lot of stuff. One of which is risotto, which is quickly becoming my favorite thing to make/experiment with.

i think risotto is tricky, but yeah, it's fun to play with. What brand is the truffle salt? Any links?

I think i'm going to take part of spring break and try and get a better handle on making gnocci.

I'll check it out when I get home. I think Risotto is easy - you just have to figure out your reducing liquid and what flavors you want to impart and make it happen.

If you're interested I can post my grandmother's gnocci recipe. It's the real deal Italian recipe passed down from my great grandmother, who was a chef by profession in Italy. It's actually the family meal for special occasions.

HELL YEAH! I would owe you big time.

i've had risotto at restaurants that was crunchy in places, and at friends houses where it was still too wet. I think the trick to risotto is enough reducing liquid, low flame, and lots of time and patience.

also, you've heard the story on truffle oil right?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/dining/16truf.html

No problem, I have to find it first but I know it's around here somewhere. My grandmother is from the same city in Italy as http://www.lidiasitaly.com/. Her recipes and my great grandmothers are scary similar.

My grandmother will only make gnocchi for special occasions because she thinks it's too much work otherwise. But store bought gnocchi pales in comparison.

You got it right, brotha - it's like making a roux - be patient and fucking stir, stir, stir.

I just love that you can sort of do whatever you want as long as the reduction liquid is the flavor you are trying to impart.

I did NOT know that about truffle oil. strangely enough, I just had a friend pick me some up at Whole Foods last week.

Some nice recipes on there. I'm doing this next weekend:

Buzara di scampi

24 large raw shrimp, 1 ounce apiece (U- 16 size )
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or more
3 plump garlic cloves finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup white wine
1 cup of water
Freshly ground black pepper or to taste
1 tablespoon bread crumbs or more if needed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Recommended equipment:
• A heavy-bottomed sauté pan, 10- to 12-inches diameter, for the sauce
• A heavy-bottomed 13- to 14-inch skillet for searing the shrimp

Without removing any of the shell, remove the vein (digestive tract) that runs inside the curving back of each shrimp: Slice open the back with a sturdy sharp paring knife, cutting through the shell, and scrape out the vein. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry.

Pour ¼ cup of the olive oil in the sauté pan and set over medium-high heat. Scatter in the garlic, cook until sizzling, then stir in the shallots. When they’re sizzling, stir in ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ cup of the wine. Cook, stirring frequently, until the wine is nearly completely evaporated and the shallots have softened. Drop in the tomato paste and stir it around the pan for a minute, coating the shallots and caramelizing.

Pour in the rest of the wine, bring to the boil quickly, then add the water and ¼ teaspoon salt, stirring. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the sauce bubble gently and reduce for about 5 minutes while you sear the shrimp.
Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the wide skillet and set over high heat until very hot. Scatter the shrimp in the pan, toss them in the oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for just a minute or slightly longer, until the shells are lightly colored and the flesh underneath is opaque, then turn off the heat.

With the sauce still bubbling, slide in the seared shrimp and tumble to coat them all with sauce. Stir in the coarsely ground pepper, then the tablespoon bread crumbs—use more crumbs if the sauce is thin. Cook for another 2 minutes then turn off the heat.

Drizzle over the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil—or more to taste—and incorporate it well, tumbling the shrimp in the pan. Sprinkle the parsley on top and serve immediately.

The only thing missing from the recipe, Charlie, is the part where you slap your dong against the hot saute pan! Jebus. I just bookmarked that page.

Lidia has a show on PBS that's very good. I tried her scalapini marsala and it was awesome. Unfortunately, I didn't write down the recipe and have since forgotten how to do it.

Also I want this badly


Amazon wrote

That looks good. I have this coming to me right now.

You're going to have to cherry pick some recipes out of there for me Charlie.

Absolutely.

Also, this has been a favourite of late:

* 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb.)
* Bacon (about 7 slices)
* Old style dijon mustard (such as Maille a L'ancenne)
* Montreal steak spice (or any steak spice available)
* Pure maple syrup

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pork on a greased oven dish. Wrap pork with bacon. Brush mustard over top until it's evenly distributed. Sprinkle with Montreal steak spice, as desired. Drizzle maple syrup over the pork and brush over meat until it's evenly distributed. Place dish in oven for 45 minutes, uncovered. Broil for 5 minutes or until bacon is crispy. let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Supper, courtesy She Stopped Breathin':

Garlic and Herb marinaded baked, boneless pork chops
Steamed mustard greens
Black skillet smothered potatoes and onions
Fried okra

Reduce that!

Chuck, you'll dig this; I made it a couple of times several years ago. Its a Jamie Oliver (Naked Chef) recipe and Good. As. Hell.

Pork with Peaches

Serves 6-8
1.5kg pork loin, boned
1 bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked
1 bulb garlic
200 grams butter
2 cans peaches in natural juice, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Around 15 slices of pancetta, streaky bacon, or Parma ham
1 glass (about 6 ounces) white wine
A little flour
1 glass (about 6 ounces) water
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C/gas 7).
Score the skin of the pork through the fat, the incisions should be about 1 centimetre apart. Turn over. Make a pocket for the stuffing by cutting an incision at an angle, about 3 inches (7.5 centimetres) deep in the centre of the streaky part of the loin, working away from the eye meat. Starting slightly in from the side of the meat, slowly slice along the loin not quite to the end, this will ensure your stuffing won't fall out.
Chop half the thyme with 1 clove of garlic and scrunch together with the butter, 1 tin of peaches, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Push the butter into the pocket and pat back into shape. Lay the pancetta, bacon or Parma ham over the pork, leaving the skin side uncovered, and tie up firmly with 3 to 4 pieces of string.
Place skin-side up in a roasting tray with the remaining peaches, the garlic cloves, thyme, and half of the white wine. Roast for around 1 hour until the skin is crisp and golden.
When ready, remove the pork and peaches to a plate and leave to rest for 15 minutes whilst you finish the sauce. To do this, remove most of the fat from the roasting tray, then place the tray over a high heat. Squash the cooked garlic and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir and add the rest of the wine with a glass of water or stock. Simmer and leave to reduce for a few minutes. Strain and add any extra juices from the rested pork. Check the seasoning and consistency and serve drizzled over the sliced pork.

was that gnocci recipe ever posted?

Also, whatcha been up to? Nothing serious here tonight, i'm blackening some salmon fillet with the skin removed. Garlic, cayenne, paprika, s&p, olive oil.

I think i'll flake some of it into a cream sauce over pasta. Serve the rest next to it.

Maybe a spinach salad to go with.

So five months in and my new girlfriend is complaining about needing a diet...(for the record: she doesn't need it) I guess maybe I have been doing the bulk of the cooking, and I cook with butter (go big or go home) Think I will try that shrimp recipe tonight with some scallops or dungeness and whatever else the Pike Market has to offer up, do you suggest rice under all that goodness?

sure, why not? How about paella instead?

you know I was thinking paella too, actually. Problem is, if I make paella, I'm making a bunch and people better be bringing wine.
wait, where's my phone, there IS no problem. Its my weekend, and there's dancing in the neighborhood tonight for after dinner.