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From Recipes

Cook the Book: Spaghetti alla Carbonara

spaghetti alla carbonara - we meet again old friend.

this may sound crazy, but i've found that the ideal ratio of pork to pasta is actually 1.5 to 1, as in, if you're making a pound of pasta, you need 1.5 lbs of pork.

i like 1 egg yolk per serving, distributed individually on top of each bowl's mound of spaghetti as the final round of pepper, cheese, and olive oil are applied.

From Serious Eats

Who Likes Grape Soda?

if it's in the cooler behind the counter, i pick grape soda.

From Talk

Cooking Myths?

i have an aunt and uncle who give, with completely straight-faces, what seems like the most wildly superstitious advice on how to prepare a whole octopus.

"bring water to a boil in a pot, then, for each pound the octopus ways, dunk the octopus head-first into the boiling water..."

wait for it...

"if it weighs 3.5 lbs., dunk it three and a half times - then cook it 20 minutes per pound without peeking."

ps - this did not deter me from actually doing it...and I have to say, the octopus was tender!

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Who Likes Grape Soda?

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Recent Comments | Response to Comments

From Recipes

Cook the Book: Spaghetti alla Carbonara

spaghetti alla carbonara - we meet again old friend.

this may sound crazy, but i've found that the ideal ratio of pork to pasta is actually 1.5 to 1, as in, if you're making a pound of pasta, you need 1.5 lbs of pork.

i like 1 egg yolk per serving, distributed individually on top of each bowl's mound of spaghetti as the final round of pepper, cheese, and olive oil are applied.

From Serious Eats

Who Likes Grape Soda?

if it's in the cooler behind the counter, i pick grape soda.

From Talk

Cooking Myths?

i have an aunt and uncle who give, with completely straight-faces, what seems like the most wildly superstitious advice on how to prepare a whole octopus.

"bring water to a boil in a pot, then, for each pound the octopus ways, dunk the octopus head-first into the boiling water..."

wait for it...

"if it weighs 3.5 lbs., dunk it three and a half times - then cook it 20 minutes per pound without peeking."

ps - this did not deter me from actually doing it...and I have to say, the octopus was tender!

From Talk

Extra Spaghetti Noodles?

my mom used to make a delicious frittata with leftover spaghetti. it's a little tough to judge how many beaten eggs to use per cup or lb. of pasta, but i tried it once and it came pretty good. cook the eggs slowly, and add a little cinnamon.

From Recipes

Dinner Tonight: Courgette Carbonara

This is my favorite deviation from the Platonic carbonara. I usually substitute basil for thyme and I always add a pinch of hot red chili flakes to courgettes.

From Talk

Best Red Velvet Cake in Brooklyn

Cakeman wouldn't take my order on Wednesday for Saturday, and I'm glad. I ended up ordering 2 dozen red velvet cupcakes from Joyce's Bakeshop on Vanderbilt Avenue and Park Place - they were a HUGE hit.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'The Barcelona Cookbook'

just last april I had tapas at la boqueria and had my first razor clams. the combination of the intense freshness and absurdly good olive oil blew my mind!

From Serious Eats

'The Next Food Network Star' Week 3

that eye roll was the last straw for bobby flay

From Serious Eats

Egg in Toast: What Do You Call It?

@gutreactions - on the money, that Moonstruck scene is classic.

"I'm confused!"

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Seven Fires'

tira de asado at Las Cholas in Buenos Aires...AHHHHH so good

From Serious Eats

'The Next Food Network Star' Season 5 Premiere

aarrrrgggghhh this show drives me nuts like the channel drives me nuts - I want it to be good so badly!!

early favorite, by a lot, is Jeffrey. he's a knowledgeable guy with presence on camera. debbie is good. a lot of clowns as usual, too.

From Talk

What's your favorite kind of meat?

yeah i'm going to go pork on this one, beef a close second. but i really love rabbit, wish i could get more of it.

From Slice

Alan Richman Names Top 25 Pizzas in the U.S.

what is Co. Company? I thought I had been to all the NYC pizza places...oh well, something new to try

From Talk

Citi Field Catch of the Day, Beware!

david, i have tried the clam & corn chowder and it was delicious - great value too!

i had the lobster roll with my uncle, a successful chef for over 20 years, who was appalled at the poor quality lobster meat and the stale bun. for $18, he said, they should put some tail meat and really make an effort to have fresh fish.

batman, wow.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Bottega Favorita' by Frank Stitt

ditalini w/ peas, sauteed onions, and little italian sausage "meatballs"

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Serious Barbecue' by Adam Perry Lang

bought a grill on valentine's day this year because of the balmy 40-degree reprieve from winter we got that day...grilled a glorious meal (asparagus and italian sausage) in a big jacket and gloves.

From Talk

what food do you miss from childhood ?

O'Boise potato chips...anyone remember those? they had a really unique crunch, nothing like it since!

From Talk

Who's your most/least favorite food personality on Food Channel?

I used to watch a lot of FN but honestly it's so overproduced these days I just can't get into it. I understand that they get the best ratings with these lame reality shows and camera-friendly cooks, but can't they appease everyone by having a few shows with hosts passionate about a particular part of cooking? Go ahead, play them at some weird-ass time of day, I'll tape it, but to me it's such a waste of a perfect medium to march out these clowns preparing the same bland recipe over and over and over again.

Favorites (none of these exist anymore): Jamie , Mario, Alton
Least favorites: Aida Whatever, Sunni Whatever

From Serious Eats

Served: Why Tipping Makes Everyone Uncomfortable

you lost me with this one. i thought what you described in your previous post was completely reasonable and i admired the way you handled the situation.

but to me, this post is filled with an air of entitlement that is really off-putting. i don't need a sociology lesson to explain the "power dynamic" i'm experiencing as a diner.

if a server is friendly and the service is adequate, I usually give 20% of the total. if the server just goes through the motions they get double tax. other people do it differently. they do what they see others do. they do what they can, or they tip cheaply and recite some lame rationale like Mr. Pink.

all that aside, explaining a huge cross-section of people's behavior in one paragraph is as inane as then prescribing the way they all should behave.

From Talk

Can I get sick from raw eggs in Pasta Carbonara?

As a carbonara afficionado, I've studied (prepared) this dish a grillion times, and no one has ever gotten sick from egg rawness. I don't have a food blog, but I've done a few posts on my favorite foods, and this is what I say about the eggs-rawness questions:

"The egg will cook, I promise. The water is boiling at 200+ degrees, and the pasta is well above 160 degrees (the federally recommended temperature for cooking "egg dishes"). You're taking a single yolk, breaking it up, and mixing it with boiling water and strands of piping hot noodles, it's going to cook! Also, this is why you use tongs to take the spaghetti out of the water - so you reserve some of that delicious boiling water."

http://bridgegirdermetronome.blogspot.com/2008/09/stories-are-all-true.html

In theory, you could wait so long after draining the pasta that it simply doesn't cook the egg at all, but I just don't buy it.

Jamie Oliver makes "zucchini carbonara" by mixing cooked pasta into the saute pan and waiting for the sizzle to quiet down, then he adds the egg mixture. Not a bad trick, but I've always found that the saute pan is too hot and will scramble the eggs.

I could talk about carbonara all day. I wish that were my job.

From Serious Eats

Serious Eats City Guide Premiere: New York (How to Leave Here Pleasantly Full)

@Ed: I think most New Yorkers might be over the Shake Shack burger - am I alone here? There is an amazing burger down in FiDi at a hotel bar - I would definitely add it to the list - at The Libertine..

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table

Thank you for participating, and congratulations to our winners:

Runningwithbeaters
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Winners have been notified by email and also appear on our Contest Winners page.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table

It's a tie between pasta with lentils and minestrone

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table

Pasta with bacon, garlic, red pepper flakes in a light tomato sauce.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table

My cheap Italian meal is spaghetti and meatballs with garlic and parmesan cheese. garrettsambo@aol.com

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table

Spaghetti with cheap spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table

Angel hair pasta with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper would be my choice. Adding cheese would be optional.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table

The classic is my favorite Pasta with fresh Parmesan, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table

I like Spaghetti with garlic, butter and parmesan!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table

Sauce from homegrown tomatoes, with pasta, and vegetables from the garden!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table

Ahhh, so many things to choose from, and economical too! I am going to go with Pasta Puttanesca, the spices and the anchovies really knock me out. I love to add extra cheese to it also, and serve it with nice crusty bread!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: The Southern Italian Table

I cook a great chicken parmesan! It's actually Amy Sedaris's recipe but I love it.

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Who Likes Grape Soda?

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About z911empire

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Location: NYC

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Favorite foods: salt, ditalini, broth, sausage, squid, basil, fresh tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, shitake mushrooms, asparagus, peas, white beans, eggs

Last bite on earth: crispy, piping hot, extra salty, salted squid with 2 sliced hot pepper rings from Hop Kee - 21 Mott Street, NYC