What's your current food craving?

Mine is a custardy bread pudding I remember my Grandmother making. I don't have her recipe, but pretty soon I'll be trying to reconstruct her version, or at least her version as I remember it.

Now that I think about it, maybe some rice pudding also. <yum>

While I can't claim it's really cold here (at least not with Howie on the board), it is cold-ish and damp enough to get me craving soup, braised dishes, stews, etc. I made potato soup with shallots and bacon a couple of nights ago. Looking into some other possibilities for tonight or Sunday.

I've been obsessing about braised lamb shank with white beans and rosemary. A lot. And Osso Buco.

Soon.

I had surgery in early October to remove a small section of my large intestine. It has taken until the past week for my appetite and normal cravings to return. I had been eating lots of ramon noodles and had no wine until 2 weeks ago. Last night I had my first fish fry in 2 months, along with a few pints of Guinness and really enjoyed it. Earlier this week I had a very nice rare steak with a local Cab Franc and made a big pot of beef stew. Right now, the food part of my brain is planning for Thanksgiving dinner, especially pies for dessert.

Glad to hear you're feeling better, Howie! If you're back to fried fish and Guinness, then all systems must be back in order.

[Robin Garr]

Probably thick, hot soups for this season. And ice cream, but that's ongoing, and I've learned to ration it out moderately.

[Jenise]

Soups here, too, in general. And I'd love to have the stew/soup (I am always in a quandary to call something with a broth a stew, but I'm also loathe to call something with big chunks that requires eating with a fork a soup, so....) I made earlier this week of beef-potato sausage braised with cabbage and small whole white potatoes.

Since it is 53 degrees F here on the 23 of November(!), we will be grilling fillet steaks in rasher tonight with baked sweet potatoes and salad.

Bread! As Rustic as can be with seeds and grains sticking out everywhere. It has to be fresh; chewy, too, especially after thick cut slices are toasted. Nothing makes me happier as snow threatens for the middle of the week.

Every day craving? Chillies. Got hundreds in the freezer picked from my plants this year and a small plant in a pot in the kitchen I can clip fresh ones off.

Monthly: Escalope of Veal Holstein
That's breaded flattened escalope topped with fried egg, capers and anchovies. From a newspaper review I discovered an old fashioned restaurant in London whose menu has barely changed in 50 years and so we travel to London once a month to enjoy this dish. You can choose your veggies from anything they have cooked any way you like, so I have Lyonnais potatoes, courgettes sliced into discs and fried in a very light batter and either green beans or broccoli or some times both.

Add a bottle of Ch Batailley at a reasonable price and I am very happy.

That sounds delicious, Peter. I might have to try to recreate that at home.