Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

You had me at "pleasantly undisgusted".

Marmite but not Vegemite? I don't even know you any more.

Chicken stock without celery? My bubbe would roll over in her proverbial.

Curry laksa is very popular here in Australia and I adore it, but I have to restrict myself to special occasions, as the saturated fat level in a single bowl is astronomical - it's like mainlining cholesterol. (My kingdom for a tasty, low-fat version!).

I totally agree with toad3000 - $17 for anything that makes your eyes roll back in your head is a bargain...

I had to work all day and only received my pay in the afternoon, so I couldn't afford to buy my ingredients until late. I dashed home, but only had time to make the Smitten Kitchen beef spare ribs recipe at 3:00pm. The recipe indicated 3 hours and I gave it until 6:30pm, so an extra half-an-hour, but the sauce was still a little too watery and the meat not exactly falling off the bone. The dish was still tasty and appeared to be popular (not sure if this was an example of "pity eating"!). I returned the remainder of the dish to the slow cooker and continued cooking it overnight on low heat and OMG, it was delicious at 6:00am the next day! Melting meat, glutinous sauce. Mmmmm. Lesson learned: ALWAYS cook the brisket the night before, even I have to borrow money from my dad to purchase the ingredients.

@Duncan, there are many theories.

(1) In deference to the sacrificial lamb that was roasted before the rapid exodus from Egypt, some customs dictate that no dry-roasted meat be eaten. Thus, the braising option is preferred.

(2) A more practical reason may be cost. Jews have experienced a great deal of hardship over the centuries and many dishes reflect this. Much like "Jewish penicillin" (chicken soup, which was often made from an old chicken and old vegetables), brisket is relatively cheap to make, and once cooked long and lovingly, can feed a large family for a couple of days. Also, unlike chicken with its many bones, almost all of the brisket is edible, so no wastage.

(3) Observant Jews cannot light fires on the Sabbath, and a brisket (like cholent) can be placed in a low oven before the Sabbath begins in the evening and the dish can be ready for Sabbath lunch the next day.

(4) Jews aren't drinkers, but boy are we eaters! We'll happily wait for delicious dishes (we waited for 40 years for milk and honey!)

This recipe looks delicious, Kenji. I adore this site, but I am puzzled by the dearth of pasta recipes (your renowned lasagne notwithstanding) when pasta is surely one of the most frequently consumed meals.

More pasta recipes please!

As long as the advertisements must be initiated by the reader, I'm more than happy to ignore them for the sake of excellent SE content.

And that, children, is a wonderful example of graciousness in the face of unwarranted criticism.

An Australian national dish is a tough one. As we are a (relatively) young country (with due deference to our indigenous people) with a diverse, multicultural community, we enjoy many dishes from around the world. Many people would probably nominate spaghetti bolognese as their favourite meal, and BBQs are ubiquitous in summer, but people now eat Asian food on a daily basis. Curry laksa, salt-and-pepper squid, sushi, chicken teriyaki, butter chicken, ramen noodles and Thai green curry are all really popular.

If I had to think of the most iconic Australian dish, it would probably be the meat pie. It fits into your hand, contains diced beef and gravy and is the ultimate take-away food - it is almost mandatory to consume one at an Australian Rules footy match. Having said that, we stole it from the British (along with the sausage roll and the pastie).

The three truly Australian dishes are desserts:
* lamingtons (a cubed sponge cake with a layer of jam, rolled in chocolate and then coconut);
* Pavlova (meringue crust with a creamy, marshmallowy centre and fresh fruit) - so named because it was considered as light as the ballerina, Anna Pavlova; and
* Anzac biscuits (oats, flour, coconut, sugar, butter and golden syrup) - invented by loving wives on the homefront to send to their husbands fighting the Great War, specifically designed to withstand long sea voyages.

Spaghetti bolognese and spaghetti carbonara - mixed together!

I have it for my birthday every year (seemunkee is "dead"-on about not knowing what's around the corner).

The red meat/cream/bacon combination is beyond delicious (and will one day play the role of executioner via my clogged arteries).

Bugger. I accidentally sent the post as I was typing it. Lucky this thread is so old, no-one will see my stuff up!