What I learned today

Several weeks ago I bought a couple of dozen eggs. Next to the white eggs, which had been purchased significantly in greater numbers was a big stack of same-brand brown eggs for a dollar less. Go figure. Guess which I bought? I like brown eggs for their aesthetic appeal.

It means the bran hasn't been polished off, right?

Is there such a thing as egg racism?

The eggshell color depends on the breed of the hen. Generally speaking, white shell eggs come from hens with white feathers, while brown shell eggs are produced by hens with brown feathers. Nutritionally, both brown and white eggs are identical unless the feed has been enhanced for specialty eggs such as Omega-3.

Nutritionally, both brown and white eggs are identical unless the feed has been enhanced for specialty eggs such as Omega-3.

Because they crack each egg open and put a drop of fish oil in it?

Well, what do you know, that explains why my last batch of eggs had Band-Aids on them. Think I will cook them today and make Momofuko eggs.

The eggshell color depends on the breed of the hen. Generally speaking, white shell eggs come from hens with white feathers, while brown shell eggs are produced by hens with brown feathers. Nutritionally, both brown and white eggs are identical unless the feed has been enhanced for specialty eggs such as Omega-3.

I had an Araucana chicken that laid green eggs.

I had an Araucana chicken that laid green eggs.

Best served with ham, of course.

-Paul W.

I had an Araucana chicken that laid green eggs.

Best served with ham, of course.

-Paul W.

Without a doubt.

Well, what do you know, that explains why my last batch of eggs had Band-Aids on them.

What color were the Band-Aids?
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No, no, never mind me....

Mistake that turned out well:
Saturday I had oysters and striped bass from market, then Betsy realized we had collards from previous week CSA, and new CSA pickup Sun AM. She said she would handle collards, while I cooked fish, shucked, made rice. .
(as an aside, though Southern I never had collards as a kid, though we had turnip greens. My mom grew up poor, proudly achieved upper-middle classhood, and wouldn't serve what she thought of a trailer/poor people food - and said it stunk up house)
She was doing a recipe that called for bacon, braising in chicken stock, then red pepper at end. When looking for my chicken stock in freezer, she discovered partial bags of dashi and lamb stock. Combined and used instead. We had our oysters,then served collards with the bass. Collards take a while, so Betsy served us, but left burner on on low to tenderize a little further. Colards were good, if a bit chewy and maybe a bit heavy on the chile flakes.
We finished dinner, cleaned up, decided to take advantage of the remaining light (yeah June!) to take Ruby on a long walk. Got back, I read and had a little more wine while she took a bath. She comes downstairs, and says "omigod the stove is on." She thought the collards would be totally dissolved.
Nope. Tender, but held form. Intensely flavorful, the long cook brought out the bacon (Nueskes) as well as the complex broth.Pretty spicy, but best collards of my life. I recommend the 2-3 hour braise.

[Jenise]

Dale, I remember seeing an interview with, if I'm not mistaken, Hester Blumenthal--a famous London chef, anyway, if not Hester, in which he went on and on about the complex sweetness of long-cooked vegetables (and the heavenly pot liquor that comes from same). I, too, am a fan. Green beans are, of course, famous for that. Collards are too--when preparing them, I always hold back a handful to add toward the end of cooking for variation of color, flavor and texture. Best of both worlds there.

[Jenise]

Last night I learned that fresh mint, not basil, is the perfect garnish for ricotta ravioli in a chunky lamb+tomato sauce.

[Jenise]

So yesterday I pressure-cooked two artichokes purchased last Saturday but left on the counter all that time. I was pre-rinsing them, as I usually do, when I got called away on a task that was going to take several hours, so I put them in a bowl of water to soak--a change from normal procedure--and cooked them when I got home. 16 minutes, slow cool--as usual.

The cooked artichokes were sublime, much creamier than any I've cooked in a long time. Apparently, the soak rehydrated something that didn't seem dry, but of course in the days from farm to market some change, not for the better is inevitable. From now on, I'll pre-soak my artichokes!

Jenise, do you have houseplants? I always use any water I soak a veggie in to put into my potted plants. They all are doing great. Sometimes, I have a veggie that looks a bit weak, like the artichoke you mentioned, and soaking does wonders. Just like our skin which need moisturizer veggies can benefit from a nice soak.

There are some amazing videos on you tube on repurposing commercial jars, containers, even the paper inside the cereal boxes. I was amazed how some folks are reusing all the stuff I usually toss into the recycle. I reuse Food Saver bags and have for years, sure saves a lot of money. I learned some good kitchen hacks.

[Jenise]

Jenise, do you have houseplants? I always use any water I soak a veggie in to put into my potted plants. They all are doing great. Sometimes, I have a veggie that looks a bit weak, like the artichoke you mentioned, and soaking does wonders. Just like our skin which need moisturizer veggies can benefit from a nice soak.

Actually, I didn't think the artichokes looked weak. Looked fine in fact. It was just that I had to rush off unexpectedly so decided to leave it to soak as the clean pan of water was just sitting there.

[Jenise]

What I RE-learned yesterday was that I still can't stand frozen fish. Even if fresh caught by a friend halibut from Alaska.

There are some amazing videos on you tube on repurposing commercial jars, containers, even the paper inside the cereal boxes. I was amazed how some folks are reusing all the stuff I usually toss into the recycle. I reuse Food Saver bags and have for years, sure saves a lot of money. I learned some good kitchen hacks.

I recycle a number of things. The bag inside a cereal box is really vapor proof, so I use them as meat storage bags for the freezer sealed with twist ties recycled from romaine ties cut into four pieces. The big yogurt containers are great for storing leftover soups, etc.

Larry, good info about the cereal box papers, never have heard that. I am amazed what I learn each week, even at my age! I also saw a great use for those containers coffee creamer comes in. Not sure what brand was used, but the label was taken off, container washed and dried, then filled with chocolate chips, or nuts, frozen peas. They are air tight and clear so one can see what is inside. Looked very cool and neat in the freezer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAFP5x5aujI

What I RE-learned yesterday was that I still can't stand frozen fish. Even if fresh caught by a friend halibut from Alaska.

Have you tried heating it first, Jenise? It's been my experience that makes it much easier to eat.

I prefer my fish heated too, especially in a little butter, lightly browned on both sides, salt and pepper, with a drizzle of Lisbon Lemon juice, Easy, delicious.

[Jenise]

Have you tried heating it first, Jenise? It's been my experience that makes it much easier to eat.

LOL. Fair jab!!!

What I RE-learned yesterday was that I still can't stand frozen fish. Even if fresh caught by a friend halibut from Alaska.

I'm sure that you are aware that every piece of raw tuna you have ever tasted was flash frozen at sea. I have had fresh ahi just in off the boats in Hawaii (eaten by simply slicing off a bit with a sharp knife on the dock) and frankly never noticed any difference in quality with the usual commercial frozen at sea product.- except that it was safer! The hard fast freezing at sea eliminates any pests in the meat.

I looked it up and found this quote from he New York Times:

But Shin Tsujimura, the sushi chef at Nobu, closer to Wall Street, said he froze his own tuna. ''Even I cannot tell the difference between fresh and frozen in a blind test,'' he said.

Perhaps the fish that you found deficient frozen wasn't frozen in the same way, at sea, but came back to the port, and was cleaned and later frozen?

[Jenise]

Bill, yes yes yes. Totally understood about frozen at sea, but this was the result of a sport fishing thing expedition. When it thawed, all the inherent moisture in the fish poured out and, when cooked, it was dry.

So yesterday, I learned that pesto I made too long ago, and still looked great frozen, did not look so good when thawed. It turned a very dark green. It was wrapped tight in Kirkland food wrap and put into a freezer bag. Why I did not use my Food Saver, I have no clue. So my beautifully roasted bell peppers stuffed with cherry tomatoes, garlic slivers, and shavings of bell pepper from cutting a little off the bottom so the pepper would not rock, got a drizzle of my best balsamic and was glorious to eat. I only have two tubes of the pesto left and I think they are destined for the garbage.