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From Talk

"Drop It Like It's Hot"

Drop stuff on the floor on a regular basis. I reckon eating it gives me fantastic immunity from almost everything. Obviously not fond of basset hound hairs on stuff, so they get washed off if I can get to the dropped goods before the basset. Meat is definitely washed. We worry a little too much about bacteria. Food safety is necessary. But too much sanitizing leaves you open to food sickness when you travel to other countries. Why does the US think it can't eat raw milk cheeses under 60 days' old? Are the French and Italians dying like flies? Why do cured meats from Europe have to be pasteurized? Do you think if an Asian, a Latino or an African in their own countries tosses food when they've dropped it? It's a privilege of the wealthy.

From Talk

Sliced pork belly -- now what?

This is late to the threat. But if you decide you liked it enough to buy more, or if you find some pork belly WITH THE SKIN ON in an Asian market, here's a wonderful European recipe: Score the skin every half in inch but not too deeply. Rub in salt and powdered fennel seed. Place skin side up in a 400F oven for 15 minutes to draw the fat. Pour fat off and add white wine three-quarters of the way up the meat. Turn heat down to 300F and bake for 3 hours. While the meat rests, pour off the juice and separate the fat from the gravy. Slice the pork through the score marks, serve with pureed mash potato and the juice poured over. Bon appetit, eatWashington

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

My grandfather invented sardines. As a young grocery delivery boy with a bicycle, he went over on the ferry to Norway from Newcastle-on-Tyne in the North of England where he lived to find new markets, and saw the Norwegians were canning fish. He bought the rights to do the same, came back to England and launched Skipper Sardines. The round-cornered flat can was opened with a key attached to its underside. It was wrapped in paper illustrated with the picture of a bearded sailor in a yellow sou'wester that's become an iconic poster. The French sued him in court for using the word 'sardine' which they said was theirs. Since it doesn't describe a species of fish, my grandfather lost the case and had to change the name of his canned fish to "bristling".
They were our regular Sunday night supper, after a heavy roast meat lunch with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy. We squashed them with the back of a fork into thick slices of hot buttered brown toast, squeezed some lemon juice over and several good grinds of black pepper. Wonderful! eatwashington.com

From Serious Eats

Best Ethnic Markets and Grocery Stores in the Washington D.C Area

If you want to know about masses of ethnic groceries in the greater Washington area, check out www.eatwashington.com. Julia Watson, of eatWashington.com.

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From Talk

"Drop It Like It's Hot"

Drop stuff on the floor on a regular basis. I reckon eating it gives me fantastic immunity from almost everything. Obviously not fond of basset hound hairs on stuff, so they get washed off if I can get to the dropped goods before the basset. Meat is definitely washed. We worry a little too much about bacteria. Food safety is necessary. But too much sanitizing leaves you open to food sickness when you travel to other countries. Why does the US think it can't eat raw milk cheeses under 60 days' old? Are the French and Italians dying like flies? Why do cured meats from Europe have to be pasteurized? Do you think if an Asian, a Latino or an African in their own countries tosses food when they've dropped it? It's a privilege of the wealthy.

From Talk

Sliced pork belly -- now what?

This is late to the threat. But if you decide you liked it enough to buy more, or if you find some pork belly WITH THE SKIN ON in an Asian market, here's a wonderful European recipe: Score the skin every half in inch but not too deeply. Rub in salt and powdered fennel seed. Place skin side up in a 400F oven for 15 minutes to draw the fat. Pour fat off and add white wine three-quarters of the way up the meat. Turn heat down to 300F and bake for 3 hours. While the meat rests, pour off the juice and separate the fat from the gravy. Slice the pork through the score marks, serve with pureed mash potato and the juice poured over. Bon appetit, eatWashington

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

My grandfather invented sardines. As a young grocery delivery boy with a bicycle, he went over on the ferry to Norway from Newcastle-on-Tyne in the North of England where he lived to find new markets, and saw the Norwegians were canning fish. He bought the rights to do the same, came back to England and launched Skipper Sardines. The round-cornered flat can was opened with a key attached to its underside. It was wrapped in paper illustrated with the picture of a bearded sailor in a yellow sou'wester that's become an iconic poster. The French sued him in court for using the word 'sardine' which they said was theirs. Since it doesn't describe a species of fish, my grandfather lost the case and had to change the name of his canned fish to "bristling".
They were our regular Sunday night supper, after a heavy roast meat lunch with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy. We squashed them with the back of a fork into thick slices of hot buttered brown toast, squeezed some lemon juice over and several good grinds of black pepper. Wonderful! eatwashington.com

From Serious Eats

Best Ethnic Markets and Grocery Stores in the Washington D.C Area

If you want to know about masses of ethnic groceries in the greater Washington area, check out www.eatwashington.com. Julia Watson, of eatWashington.com.

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

Well, it has been a year, but I got one more. I bet even Marvin from Burnt Lumpia doesn't know about this. When I get my hands on some green (unripe) mango (traditional craving for pregnant Filipinas), we get some which start to get soft but still green. We (our family) scrapes it with a fork/chops it very fine and serves it with sardines and tomato sauce and rice. Sometimes we saute it a bit, but mostly we don't bother.

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

Personally I love sardines right out of the can too. No frills just the can and the fork! I like the one with Soybean Oil and my dog is even hooked on them too! He sure has a shiny coat now and no constipation problems so I don't have too much of a problem sharing with him. lol
My problem is trying to find a quiet spot to eat them where he can't find me! lol
Husband hates the fishy smell tho. Guess its a required taste.

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

i love sardines right out of the can. i eat one can everyday and i savor it.
delicately picking out the bone and eating bite by slow bite... i practically lick the can.

i've discovered that in order to get good sardines you've got to pay for them. the cheap ones have more of a fishiness that i don't like. i buy norwegian brislings. mediterranean style is my favorite. i've discovered that everyday i actually feel better after i eat them. they really help me stay alert for the rest of the day. i felt an instance high after the first time i ate them, so i've been hooked every since.

i've tried doing recipes and mixing them in salads but honestly, i love em plain and that's how i only eat them from now on.

From Talk

"Drop It Like It's Hot"

Hmmm spectacular drops in my past include a tortiere that was baked in one of the infamous dollar store foil pans mentioned above. Ex hubby took it out of the oven, the pan folded and efficiently dumped the entire thing on the oven door, which of course, was hot so the contents COOKED onto the door. Then there were the hamburger condiments that were sprayed onto the living room wall when I tripped on my boyfriend at the time's cast. My mom once dropped an entire roast chicken on the floor with company sitting in the next room. I once flung a plate of spaghetti with meat sauce clear across the kitchen (I kept a hold of the plate but the contents went flying) when someone scared me as I was serving myself from the stove. Peppercorns are a nemesis. Oh and then the time I had raw cookies sitting on top of the stove waiting to go into the oven. Opened the door above the stove - my mom had not wrapped up the bag of rice correctly and it poured directly onto my cookies.

As a general rule, we salvage all we can! The cookies were, however, a tad crunchy!

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

guess what I make a living out of them. I do product development for a certain brand in asia. But eversince I started working on it, I stopped eating them at home. C'mon give me a break, they're everywhere at work. =) I want to eat something else. lol.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with fried sardines but they're great on toasts and on rice as well. One can eat it right off the can or bottle (yes, there are bottled sardines). But for the tomoto sauce based sardines, I'd rather heat them first and add some lemon or a bit of soy sauce.

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

I, too eat them out of a can. I prefer the ones packed in mustard sauce, as the mustard hides a bit of the fishy taste, but also buy the water-packed and add my own mustard. I just smash a few onto wheat bread or a bagel. Eating them on bread also makes them more palatable for me. Eating them with hard-boiled eggs sounds like a good idea, too...

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

As suggested above, buy sardines packed in water. Drain well, mash and spritz with balsamic vinegar and malt vinegar to taste, add a scant amount of mayonnaise, if you like a creamy spread or omit. Fold in a tablespoon of chopped, drained and rinsed, capers and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Spread on hot, buttered rye toast. This sandwich is quite palatable, even delicious. This is a variant of the French Canadian "sardines on toast.

The sardines won't be oily, 'fishy'. Buy the cheap brand of sardines in spring water and visit a dollar or discount store to buy capers. The ones from Spain seem the cheapest. I think this sardine approach is good on all counts. Do try to enjoy....

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

Try getting a tin of the smaller sized variety and using them instead of anchovies in a puttanesca sauce. I cut them in half lengthwise rather than chop them.

If you ever have a chance to try Venetian sarde in saor, do it!

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

I just ate my first can of sardines. These were packed in water. Quite tasty. I ate them plain right out of the can with a little pepper on top. Thanks for the sardine tips. They are an excellent source of protein.

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

re: sardines and rice -- yes! must be cos i'm half filipina? salad of choice to accompany is red onion/juice ripe tomatoes/coriander and a sharp vinaigrette.

my parents retired to live in st jean de luz and every time i visit them i stock up on their sardines from this WONDERFUL shop: http://www.labelleiloise.fr/

in fact, my ma sent me a dozen tins for my birthday!

the other way i like tinned sardines is in on toast with plenty of mayo and sliced tomatoes.

if i get fresh i make them in escabeche OR grilled -- too too yum.

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

Try Sultan brand sardines in chili oil from Morroco. Yellow box. They are great and would probably go well with pasta and just use the oil on the pasta as well. Maybe add some capers, green onions or how about some lightly sauteed kale........? And how about some toasted old baguette just smashed up in there?

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

I can eat them out of can, but that's me. Here's a good way to tart them up:
http://badhomecooking.typepad.com/bad_home_cooking/2007/04/how_to_avoid_br.html
Which I did at Pessach last year.
Good luck. And don't overthink what you can or can not eat whilst pregnant. I craved tekka maki (tuna roll sushi) when I was pregnant with my first....ate it all the time, in defiance of the Parenting Police. The now 11-year-old is tall, smart and healthy. And loves sushi.

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

@eatWashington: Not to endorse the evil WTO, but you grandfather would have prevailed today with a sardine labeling case, as bristling (sprattus sprattus) is now considered one of twenty-one fish species that are permitted to be labled and sold as a "sardine" per the WTO Codex Alimentarius.

Um, Peru won a huge sardine labeling case a few years ago. I learned about the current regulations then.

Yay for all sardines!

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

Oh, wow!!! Such good eats. I drain 'em (Packed in oil or water) on a paper towel then slather up a couple of slices of bread wirh mayo, slice up a little onion and pile it all into a sandwich. Don't even have to slice or mush up the sardines. yum

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

This vision brings tears to my eyes - Daddy and I would sit on the back porch (Mother would not allow sardines in the house) and smash sardines on Saltine crackers. I was about 5 and none of my siblings would touch them. Just me and my Dad. I hadn't thought about that until I read this piece today. I can hardly wait to get a can, sit on the back porch and think of my Dad, long gone, but those sardines were only thing that was "just us". We liked "Kipper snacks" the best but forget mayo and mustard. Thanks for the memory!!

From Recipes

Eating for Two: How Do You Love Sardines, Tell Me All the Ways

Hi Robin

This is a devious recipe from a book I wrote called The Healthy Lunchbox designed to lull unsuspecting children into eating sardines. Maybe it would help you too?

Just-like-tuna paté
Enough to fill 2 large wholemeal baps, 4 wholemeal rolls or 3 granary or wholemeal sandwiches
1 can of sardines in sunflower or olive oil
75g/3oz Quark or low fat curd cheese
Grated rind of half a lemon
1 tbsp chopped chives
Freshly ground black pepper
Drain the sardines, split them lengthways and remove the backbone. (Yes, I know it’s healthy but there’s nothing more offputting to kids than coming across crunchy bits of bone) Put the sardines in a blender with the Quark, lemon rind and chives. Whizz, taste and season with pepper.
* you can of course make this by hand but the extra smooth texture you get from blitzing the mix makes it somehow less sardiney.

http://thefrugalcook.blogspot.com


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About eatWashington

Website: http://www.eatWashington.com

Location: Washington DC

About: Began a weekly newsletter in Soviet-era Moscow on fabulous food finds in a city with no food. Now in DC, launched eatWashington.com, a guide to eating and cooking well locally, with chef profiles, recipes, tips, and my favorite markets.

Favorite foods: Anything rice noodles from Asia and egg noodles from Italy.

Last bite on earth: A big bowl of brisket-and-tendon pho.