What's Cooking (Take Four)

[Jenise]

My mom believed that the need for routine tonsillectomies was a cash grab by surgeons and hospitals at the expense of innocent kids and gullible parents. So none of us had one, and time has proven her correct. Thank you, Mom!

My poor friend had to have one because she has been getting infections twice a year and, lately, extreme dizzy spells which they believe are related. Sure hope this fixes both for her.

I also had them out when I was six. I don't recall anything about the procedure but I do recall a very welcome dish of ice cream afterward.

I never ended up getting mine taken out, although a lot of my friends did.

Last night, I made a pizza with sauteed porcinis, fontina, prosciutto, walnuts, and fresh thyme. I ended up making a bit of a mess of it, so I need to get back to making more pizza. I might do that tonight (can't have too much pizza!) or maybe it will be pasta tonight.

I never ended up getting mine taken out, although a lot of my friends did.

Last night, I made a pizza with sauteed porcinis, fontina, prosciutto, walnuts, and fresh thyme. I ended up making a bit of a mess of it, so I need to get back to making more pizza. I might do that tonight (can't have too much pizza!) or maybe it will be pasta tonight.

What went wrong? Inquiring minds want to know.

When I was growing up many in the medical profession considered tonsillectomy to be a routine procedure for children. My dad, an anesthesiologist who had seen first hand all of the things that can go wrong with the procedure, disagreed. My brother suffered from chronic infections of the tonsils and adenoids and had them removed for that reason. I kept my tonsils and have never regretted it. The tonsils are there for a reason. They are a key part of the immune system. In my case they've helped fight off numerous incipient throat infections.

Tonight I'm making pork lo mein.

-Paul W.

I had mine taken out as a youngster. It was the thing to do. I cannot say I've been worse off for it. It was also a thing to take out one's appendix. I had a hysterectomy in my forties, and the surgeon said, might as well take out the appendix while we are in there.

The potato salad I made with the baby red potatoes turned out yummy. Those little guys are so tasty, very small. I cut them in half and put the dressing on while they were still warm so they could soak up some of the goodness. I also added a small amount of sweet gherkins. Cut up. Added a nice tang to the creamy dressing.

What went wrong? Inquiring minds want to know.

I was doing the thing where you put the pizza on a piece of parchment paper and then onto the pizza stone. After a set amount of time, you just slide the pizza off of the paper and right onto the stone. Unfortunately, I left the thing in the oven too long before sliding it off of the paper, and the paper charred and feel apart around the pizza. When I tried to slide it off of the paper that was under it, it folded over a bit and I had to try and "unfold" it in the (very) hot oven. It wasn't pretty, but after redistributing things a bit it was not too bad. It tasted great.

What went wrong? Inquiring minds want to know.

I was doing the thing where you put the pizza on a piece of parchment paper and then onto the pizza stone. After a set amount of time, you just slide the pizza off of the paper and right onto the stone. Unfortunately, I left the thing in the oven too long before sliding it off of the paper, and the paper charred and feel apart around the pizza. When I tried to slide it off of the paper that was under it, it folded over a bit and I had to try and "unfold" it in the (very) hot oven. It wasn't pretty, but after redistributing things a bit it was not too bad. It tasted great.

Over the years, I've had my goofs with pizza, sometimes resulting in a Daliesque "Persistence of Memory" shape. Are you using a wooden or metal peel, or sliding the pizza off a cookie sheet or something similar?

I was doing the thing where you put the pizza on a piece of parchment paper and then onto the pizza stone..

Why the paper? I would skip that. Just slide it directly onto the stone. If your setup allows for you to complete the pizza with toppings and then slide it onto the stone, that works. Otherwise, I sometimes put the dough on the stone and then quickly add toppings, to avoid a mess.

I was doing the thing where you put the pizza on a piece of parchment paper and then onto the pizza stone..

Why the paper? I would skip that. Just slide it directly onto the stone. If your setup allows for you to complete the pizza with toppings and then slide it onto the stone, that works. Otherwise, I sometimes put the dough on the stone and then quickly add toppings, to avoid a mess.

Something I learned from Yaniger. It works great if you don't leave the paper in there too long. The dough firms up and you just slip the paper right out from under it. You don't have to worry about the dough sticking on whatever you're trying to slide it off of and on to the stone and the stone stays as hot as possible for quick cooking.

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Something I learned from Yaniger. It works great if you don't leave the paper in there too long. The dough firms up and you just slip the paper right out from under it. You don't have to worry about the dough sticking on whatever you're trying to slide it off of and on to the stone and the stone stays as hot as possible for quick cooking.

Well SY is a fine person for cooking tips, that's for sure.

I do see the logic, but still sounds a bit complicated for my tastes.

I'm aware of the parchment paper trick. I assume the parchment paper, with pizza on top, is resting on something like a peel or upside-down cookie sheet (I can't imagine carrying it with both hands into a hot oven). But I swear by rice flour. Cornmeal is okay, but rice flour is superior, IMO. A liberal dusting of rice flour acts as little ball bearings that don't absorb any moisture from the dough, so the pizza slides off easily.

I have both wooden and metal peels. I dust them with rice flour, lay the prepared pizza dough on top, apply the toppings, and then I jiggle the peel to see if there is any sticking at all. If there is any, I slide an extra-long knife I have under both sides. The pizza then slides off easily in the oven. Works every time.

Yeah, you shape the crust on the paper on top of the counter (or wherever), slide it onto something flat and large enough to hold it, and then slide into the over. I've tried cornmeal and had issues with it burning (although I'm sure I could fix that with less corn meal).

I've never bought a peel because the paper thing has always worked well enough that I didn't want to have to store one.

Once again, the secret is rice flour. It doesn't burn like cornmeal. But, best of luck with your next pizzas. What kind of sauce do you like? And is it homemade or purchased?

If I have the energy, I might make my own pizza soon, now that I've repaired my swamp cooler. It wasn't cooling. I thought the belt broke, but the set screw in the motor pulley came loose, the front part of the pulley unscrewed itself and fell off, leaving the belt useless. First time in my life to see that happen.

This last run was purchased dough but I also make my own. (By the way, I made another pizza the next night and it came out much better than that first one!)

Moving on from pizza, last night was bone-in chicken thighs painted with the oil from a jar of chili crunch and roasted. These were served with couscous and blanched green beans sauteed with morels and shallots.

[Jenise]

For lunch, I just made a plate of asparagus. The asparagus was picked on Wednesday and sold to me yesterday in Eastern Washington, and I can't remember when I last had, if ever, asparagus as sweet as this. Heaven!!!

It's very disappointing how asparagus is frequently treated in grocery stores.

[Jenise]

The supply chain let's us all down, doesn't it? Too big, too much, too slow. Btw, I also brought home the best Rainier cherries I've ever tasted, purchased from the orchard mere feet from the Columbia River's edge.

Now I'm the envious one. Love cherries. Recently watched a slap-dash sort of cook brandy some but I think I'm still up for another go at making mostarda. I seem to have the basics about right but I can't quite dial-in the flavor.

Yesterday I put a rack of baby back pork ribs onto a foil-lined sheet pan, seasoned it all over with sea salt and black pepper, and let it sit. During that time, I made a basting sauce which consisted of Dijon, ground mustard, honey, brown sugar, cider vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce. I basted it several times during the day, then put it into the fridge. It will get another basting this afternoon, then be covered with foil and go into the oven for 2 hours. A final basting for the last 30 minutes. The sauce tastes awesome. Oven-roasted veggies are on the menu, as well. I mixed mushrooms cut in half with red and Yukon Gold potatoes, Compani tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, whole garlic, zucchini, dried thyme and oregano, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil infused with roasted garlic. If I don't forget, I will add freshly grated Parmesan on top at serving.

Like Jenise, I found good-looking asparagus in the size I like and plan to grill it with garlic-infused EVOO in the next few days for my lunch menus. These will get a balsamic glaze.

[Jenise]

Once again, the secret is rice flour. It doesn't burn like cornmeal.

Don't think I've ever experienced burnt cornmeal, but this is interesting. Does the rice flour add an extra crunchy bottom?

[Jenise]

Today's my 40th wedding anniversary, and of course my favorite person isn't here but I'm celebrating anyway. Dinner tonight (bro and bro-in-law are coming) is going to have a Mexican slant based on my trip to the Columbia River earlier this week.

Dinner will consist of:

Chips and salsa
Salad with chile vinaigrette
Grilled prime rib eyes topped with a guacamole compound butter
Asparagus tamales from Los Hernandez in Union Gap*, a tiny shop in a tiny town that became nationally famous
after winning a James Beard award for those tamales
Homemade Cherry Garcia ice cream (store bought ice cream, chopped 70% Belgian choc and Columbia River cherries folded in)

The wines will be things I brought home from my trip, some whites and a trio of 100% cinsaults

*And yes, if you think you've heard of Union Gap because of that 70's band Gary Puckett and the Union Gap then yes, THAT Union Gap. Puckett grew up there. It's just outside of Yakima.

Today, I made a Mediterranean-inspired soup using the rest of the roasted half chicken I had, mostly white meat. I added rainbow Swiss chard, carrots, red potatoes, red onion, yellow squash, fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh garlic, mushrooms, chicken and beef stock, Dollan dry vermouth, Greek seasoning, and a Tellicherry black pepper citrus blend Penzeys sent me with my last order. Tastes pretty good now, should be a good healthy soup when done. It will go into the freezer for future lunches.

Your Mexican-inspired dinner sounds delish, Jenise!