Mandolia

I use my late mother's fish pie recipe which, when you read them side by side, is almost identical to the TFL recipe, down to the last full stop And it's awfully good. I don't think tiny/airplane sized bottles of things such as Pernod are available in the UK, although one can get airplane sized bottles of wine which is useful when a recipe calls for a "splash" of wine.

My question was pretty stupid, really! Akin to leaving a review for a recipe on a website (giving it 5 stars) for something with a list of the reviewer's substitutions (inc swapping beef for chicken) ending up "otherwise it was excellent". I get the NY Times e-mailed cooking newsletter (I love reading recipes) and the reviews are almost better than the recipes for sheer entertainment value. Cioppino - I had to google it! Sounds similar to Spanish (particularly Menorca, one of the Balaeric islands/the Med) caldereta de langosta and/or bouillabaisse in France??? (and there are many variations to fishy/seafood elements). Great hunks of local bread to soak up the sauce and, as you say, a glass of wine (or 2)...heaven on a plate. My idea now is to make a "sort of" coquilles st Jacques with scallops and shrimp, plus the fennel and pearl onions, in a white wine sauce with mashed potato on top - or, if I have patience, spoon some of the mixture into individual scallop shells and VERY CAREFULLY pipe pretty blobs (!) of mashed potatoes round the outside.

I'm thinking of doing Ina's seafood pot pie as all the components - including fennel: fennel & leeks au gratin is delicious - are particular favourites of mine. But when it was shown the sauce beneath the pastry looked awfully thin/"brothy". I've read the recipe and am contemplating doing the unthinkable and substituting the "brothy-ness" for bechamel with a splash of Pernod - which will probably morph into white wine, because I'm not about to buy a bottle of Pernod for one recipe! In effect, taking the base ingredients and doing a massive change so it's not the recipe as written!! I wonder if anyone has made it as per Ina's recipe? I love the idea of the seafood, aniseedy fennel, pearl onions*, etc but was put off by the sight of the thin sauce however yummy it might be. (Don't much like pastry either: this is almost a non-starter of a Great Idea!) * I think I've seen frozen pearl onions at one of the big supermarkets in the UK

Silly me for forgetting that important component (and the baby marshmallows).

To use the title of the 1980's book: "real men don't eat quiche". (I suppose you could just about get away with it by calling a quiche Lorraine An Egg & Bacon Pie - with the addition of onions, several cloves of garlic, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, chipolte (sp?) peppers and a whole buncha cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce.) Plus copious quantities of cheese (multiple types) and a great dollop of heavy cream.

Agree about the grounds at Versailles. We actually got locked in (!) - communications' failure with the slightly unfriendly gatekeeper at the entrance to where we parked. Ended up being the most hysterical episode as we drove back and forth in front of the Orangery, occasionally taking a different route to find a gate with a person who might let us out. We saw quite a lot of the park/grounds one might not usually see. Eventually we found a gate with a chap who was so old he was probably a boy when Marie Antoinette was playing at being a shepherdess and we explained our predicament; he produced a key the size of house and unlocked the gates and off we went, my friends' daughters by this stage crying with laughter. (What was really peculiar was that there were gendarmes patrolling in cars and not once were we stopped.) As far as the Louvre is concerned, I think it's probably better to go on ones own, or definitely not with 2 slightly sulky/bored/hungry teenagers. There were various sections in which I longed to linger, just staring in rapture. What I wouldn't do ever again is go to the top of the Arc de Triomphe (and you wouldn't get me near the Eiffel Tower). I have an absolute terror about heights and stood about 3 yards away from "the edge" - there was no way I could look down...instead I concentrated on the view ahead, admiring the radiating avenues of Place l'Etoile. And the climb up and down the winding, narrow spiral staircase was my idea of hell. There is so much to see in Paris, almost too much to take in.

I spent one Easter weekend in Paris and on Easter Sunday morning we went up to Montmartre. I decided to have a peek inside Sacre Coeur despite the fact that a service was being held. I tiptoed to the (open) door and stood looking/watching but with no thought of venturing further inside during Easter mass as it just didn't seem right (I'm not RC but Anglican/Protestant/whatever you want to call it!). To my acute embarrassment I was sort of scooped up by someone attached to the Basilica who insisted, in a mixture of whispered French and English, that he took me on a wander around the interior to have a good look at everything...right up to the altar just as communion was about to begin. All the while my new "friend" was explaining things in whispered French and English. It was a faintly surreal experience, but v.v.v.v. interesting! We (I went with a couple of friends plus their youngest daughter (then 16) to meet up with their middle daughter (18) who was attending a course at the Sorbonne) couldn't visit the Musee d'Orsay as it was shut! We did go to the Louvre early one morning - there was a free-of-charge entry to an exhibition of British sporting pictures in one of the wings and then, by mistake but without being "challenged", we went through a door which led us into the main body of the Louvre and saw an awful lot, inc Mona Lisa (not sure what all the fuss is about!). The girls got slightly bored of Art & Culture and zoomed through every exhibition room at high speed. There was a fabulous exhibition of Goya paintings which I tried to get A and A to concentrate on to no avail: they were more concerned about the prospect of lunch and they kept saying they'd faint from hunger (I reckon, with hindsight, they meant boredom!). (my laptop doesn't speak French, hence lack of accents)

Thank you and phew! Bit in bold: ohhhh....what delicious fun!!

Quite apart from my laughter about the "big goose, small oven" tale, have been giggling about the wonderful cat and dog stories. Not sure I'll be able to get back to sleep!

Brilliantly put. And I now feel that I might be perceived to be pompous and arrogant and entitled and judgemental and superior and know-it-all-ish with my comments about steak frites. (overdose of "and": never mind) Which couldn't be further from the truth: it was just a great irritation.

Girl Meets Farm hasn't, as far as I know, been shown in the UK - unless on subscription tv which I don't have. Thinking about it, there was a 2012 series repeated in the UK not that long ago - Rachel Khoo. Her apartment in Paris was where she ran the smallest restaurant you can imagine (4 covers?) in the tiniest space. Her kitchen was barely the size of a medicine cabinet in a bathroom. I suppose it was one person with a camera. So, yes, it can be done BUT not if it's a Busby Berkeley theatrical production. (it's worth searching for Rachel Khoo on Y/T - interesting, an engaging & articulate presenter, fab food and it's always lovely to follow someone totter around French markets and little food shops.)

It does make me despair!

I had the pleasure (?) of the above yesterday - the UK now has moments of only being about 6 months behind Drummond Time! (grisgris I do so hope you won't mind me cropping your original post back in April. I agree with absolutely EVERYTHING you said.) The reference (several times) to steak frites made me shout at the television. How dim/dumb/thick is Ree? Apart from anything else, the potatoes were potato wedges: not even a third cousin to a frite. Ladd, as PW's commis chef preparing the DIY seasoning, looked so uncomfortable throughout, suffering his wife's coquettish sideways glances and appallingly laboured flirtatious chatter. I found it slightly odd that Ladd had (I think) rib eye and Ree had fillet but hey ho. Then the hollandaise sauce alongside ranch dressing. I love hollandaise sauce (I love bearnaise sauce, too - a local restaurant does deliciously wonderful bavette steak*, bearnaise sauce,, watercress salad and (wait for it) proper frites of the sort you have in France) and I'm pretty keen on dressings such as Ranch. BUT NOT ON THE SAME PLATE! Just the idea made me feel slightly sick. (And I have a thing about Iceberg lettuce: I always think that, as the name suggests, it's rather glacial with nothing to commend it except for the Crunch Factor.) * in the last few years, butchers in the UK have started selling slightly old-fashioned/less expensive cuts which I think is a great step forward. I can't afford fillet so I suss out the local butcher for these cheaper cuts (I do have fillet steak on Christmas Day which is a great treat) Cuts such as bavette, pichana (sp?), hanger steak - can't remember the names of any of the others - have really taken off as they're a) delicious and b) not bank-breakingly expensive. (slightly wandered off topic...sorry!!)

Sorry to burst the bubble but Nigella's "new kitchen" with the sweet patio area was actually a film set! And the external shots of rather elegant London houses aren't anywhere near where she actually lives. It caused a small uproar when the article below appeared...tho, to be honest, I think most people realised that there has always been an element of pretence, for want of a better word, attached to the show/location. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5071265/Nigella-Lawson-s-new-series-filmed-five-miles-home.html Realistically, I suppose it's totally impractical to film an entire series at home unless you have a suitable building which can be turned into a bespoke television studio...I am gazing in the direction of the Drummond Ranch! (and at the Barefoot Contessa set-up!) The layout and space in most domestic kitchens simply wouldn't suit all the paraphenalia (and people) involved.

If I could chose where to live between the two locations it'd be Ina's house, regardless of the size of pantry, real or one created just for the cameras - frankly, I'd hate to be in the "middle of nowhere" (in English terms, I do live in the middle of nowhere!).

It really is a goody, (if PW got her hands on it I suppose she would cowboyfy/Tex-Mex it with a whole buncha jalapenos, 2lbs of grated cheese (3 varieties). a gallon of hot sauce and a ton of cumin, etc!) Jars of roasted (bell) peppers in olive oil are a great addition to ones pantry (in my case a small cupboard in the kitchen, rather than a vast great room.)

Of course, I had not got one solitary clue what Potatoes O'Brien might be so - as the clock struck midnight in my little piece of England - I had to google. How yummy. In fact, similar to something I do except that I add chunks of courgette (zucchini) as well. PW's gazillions of photos (we all know what a potato looks like, ditto onions, ditto peppers, ditto every last addition: talk about unnecessary) is such a waste of time. If you like aubergine (eggplant!), by chance I fell upon the most delicious dish called Tumbet - it's a sort of layered ratatouille with the addition of sliced potatoes. Done in a gratin dish and shoved in the oven. Originates from the Mediterranean. Truly scrumptious served with roast pork, roast lamb or steak. Or as a vegetarian stand-alone dish. https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/tumbet_98868

I know your post goes back to April 2017 but it has made me laugh because of my own "Englishness" and using expressions that the rest of the world wouldn't have a clue about! The Two Fat Ladies was great television, and it was a masterstroke to put the two of them together - the food the duo produced was almost incidental to the programmes. I've got a couple of their books and the recipes - without the jovial banter seen on tv - are brilliant.

This has been a joy! I have read every single post, having crept over from paddling in the waters which are Oklahoma and "what's-her-name". I am a great fan of Ina's, mostly because she is a proper cook however much her shows can be spectacularly OTT in terms of staging. I still laugh about the stylists in one show (when a photoshoot of a photoshoot was being filmed...loads of extra people in view) agonising about which shade of taupe - or some other rather dreary colour - should be used for the place mats and napkins, plus worries about which cutlery and which china should be used. Ina and somebody else calmly had lunch - can't remember what she cooked - in the midst of the chaos. But, alongside the sometimes rather bizarre set pieces, I think she produces food that we'd all like to either cook or eat (or both). And, of course, where she lives is stunning. For those who are planning trips to Paris: I recommend visiting Versailles. It is breathtaking, even if you don't go into the actual Palace. Create a picnic a la Ina from little shops close to where you're staying, get yourself to Versailles and wander around the grounds before tucking into bread, cheese, pate, fruit. Or walk into the main square, where there are lots of small restaurants which aren't tourist traps in terms of excessive cost.

I don't use cream, just "proper" milk and let the whole thing bubble away gently for ages which is how my Italian friend does it (it's a tenderiser as much as anything else). Mary Berry - who is practically a Culinary Saint! - adds cream to her ragu and cooks it in the oven at a low temp for quite a while. Shrieks of outrage from the keyboard warriors, similar to the spears of outrage pointed at Nigella for her version of spaghetti alla carbonara as she adds a glug of vermouth (or white wine) AND cream: the they-think-they-know-it-all purists went into meltdown...she did make the point with the recipe that it was her take on spag alla carbo. All rather silly, really. Having said that, I dread to think what the purists would make of Ree's pasta carbonara, as she calls it, recipe as it includes not only heavy cream (which I think, but am not sure, is like double cream in the UK) but also onions and garlic (and peas). Which, with the eggs, bacon/pancetta and cheese, is probably all rather good but it's more like pasta-in-a-creamy sauce! It's one thing to add a spin to a recipe, but quite different if essentially reinventing the wheel (no mention of jalapeno, tho, in PW's version - which is a huge disappointment!!). Spaghetti alla carbonara is one my most favourite things, with garlic bread and salad.

Wrong thread...

Goodness me, a new episode and Mrs Drummond has made A Discovery: adding milk to a ragu (messed up ground beef) (or what I call mince). This not some new-fangled idea, of course. I was told by an Italian friend, about a hundred years ago, that adding milk to the basic ragu was something her mother, her grandmother, her aunts, the whole caboodle of family and all their friends did. Ever since I've always added milk when I've cooked ground beef/mince.

I do wish the family would eat more vegetables. Vegetables may be "uncool" for cowboys, not macho or Marlboro Man enough, but they've never actually killed anybody. 500 interesting (the same) things to do with ground beef is all very well but... Root vegetables are wonderfully comforting in the winter: a big beef stew/casserole/call it what you will with loads of onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, herbs, beef stock, cooked for hours, with mashed potatoes/carrots/parsnips (only a SMALL QUANTITY of butter added to the mash and possibly a dash of cream, plus lots of salt and pepper and grated nutmeg), with steamed spinach and cauliflower or broccoli is heaven on a plate. (I do actually add a whole jalapeno pepper - or two - to the beef while it cooks...I also add a whole pepper when cooking pasta: scooped out before serving, otherwise seismic explosion of heat!) Also, Ree never, ever seems to check the seasoning of what she cooks: just chucks in a pinch of this and dollop of that. Then dissolves into a sort of miasma of pleasure when she has a forkful of the finished thing. Which I find irritating and not true to life. You do taste as you go along! AND, with her prodigious use of tinned tomatoes, she never, ever adds a touch of sugar...tinned tomatoes benefit from a bit of sugar.

Thank you Fairffax, chessiegal and Automne for the info. I did wonder about whether there were different rules/criteria state-by-state. Seems an absolute nightmare. And the "darker side" is too awful to even contemplate. No more questions, I promise! I shall keep on track and "on topic"!

Please somebody tell me I've not gone mad or started PW-inspired hallucinations: I swear the trailer to the new episodes we're getting here are a nod to Dallas in years gone by: same-ish music and same-ish stills of the "characters" in the opening credits. I am sure I didn't imagine this.