cinghiale

Anyone looking to make their own dashi should consider kombu from Maine-based Ironbound Island, which is easiest to source from Heritage Seaweed. I’ve been making a fair amount of dashi recently, and this kelp really stands up to the Japanese kombu, umami-wise. But their dulse! A new one for me. Awesome flavor, especially when sautéed, becoming totally evocative of bacon. I plan to use some as furikake for a monkfish dish I’m making tomorrow.

1. See above 2. I thought it so encapsulated the preciousness of a Japanese pizza. 3. Negronis (not Tokyo-inspired). Latest season of Black Mirror, which had put me in a curmudgeonly state of mind.

“A perfect Tokyo Neapolitan pizza is defined by locally sourced wood burned in a locally sourced oven, an extra punch of salt, and a delicateness of dough that extends to the tip of the fire-seared crust.” FFS. From Eater of course

MR’s birds are out East, too

I visited The Spanish Table today - it’s a terrific store. Thanks for mentioning it, Stephanie. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, especially the woman who runs the wine program, which takes up the back half of the shop. Extensive selection of Spanish and Portuguese wines, including a wide range of sherries, vintage Riojas and ports, as well as Spanish vermouth. The coolers were in the process of being restocked, but I did manage to snag some boquerones. Awesome array of tinned fish, jarred olives and Spanish spices. They also had a lot of paella pans on display. I also noticed 20 l olive oil “boxes” for like $350. Might be a good investment these days. Everything in the store is apparently available through their website: The Spanish Table

I went to the Huron location. I certainly plan to return. As for Savenor’s, I meant that it really rocks as a butcher shop.

I recently visited the shop for the first time. Pretty impressive. Not quite as stellar as Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor or Di Bruno Brothers in Philly, but a great resource nonetheless for someone on the central CT coast, where cheese mongers are scarce. Parking in that residential neighborhood is a bitch, though. The best food purveyor I’ve found in Cambridge is Savenor’s - real gem.

Why the hating on the Hellbender review? It’s a pretty straightforward positive assessment, with good descriptions. I don’t get the fan letter diss. I mean, I’d try it based on the review.

Thanks for The Spanish Table rec, Stephanie. Lots to choose from per the website, especially the tinned stuff. I will mosdef visit during my semi-annual visit to Oakland next month.

IDK. My experience: 1. Steve has somewhere on the website a link to IP cooking times. I printed it out as a guide. But man, not helpful in practical application. First, there's "Soaked" vs "Non-soaked" cooking times. Who would first soak their beans only then to tip them into the IP? No idea. Second, the IP cooking time ranges are too broad. I use the low end as a guide. Like Mitch says, if they come out too crunchy, you can throw them on the stove. Third, big takeaway! Black and brown beans take longer than white beans. Pfew, that's good to know. 2. As to Ori's comment: I have run that experiment, albeit over decades. Does anyone remember when Gourmet sent someone I can't remember who back in the 90s to trail someone I can't remember in Florence? Like pork and beans aritisal style? The upshot: I went out and bought an oven-proof bean pot from Le Creuset. FFS: Hours upon hours in the oven - to what end? Constantly checking if they're done? Then, I adapted to other low-temp oven and stove-top applications. The tipping point from hard to soft was never timeable. I know, we all want our beans soft (Sneakeater once sheeplishly admitted that he liked his pasta > al dente). But without careful attention, the beans turn to mush. 3. IP solves a lot of these problems. I'm using it now exclusively. Maybe the finished product is somewhat "lesser", but I'll take it over the labor toil associated with other preps.

Has anyone else been using Insta(nt)Pot for RG beans? It’s like wow: I’d like to have beans tonight, and 30 minutes later, there you go. Game changer.

I’m adding to my store

Someone here mentioned tariff impact on RG. So I thought it prudent to stockpile

JTF turned me on to TRF. But, as I’ve mentioned elsewhere I think, Japanese Pantry is a great resource. This condiment is an awesome umami bomb. Used it in the Nobu marinade (using Alaska halibut rather than black cod) and also added it to a salad. Really good

Reading the obits, I was surprised to learn that “Pills” is a Bo Diddley cover. I just don’t associate him with “Got me takin’ that junk against my will”.