Things that are making you happy*******food and drink edition******

[foodguy]

wanna fix that link and i'll tell you what it is. or try anyway. or maybe just bore you to death with a pedantic recitation of cucurbit genealogy.

 

[kwilkinson]



wanna fix that link and i'll tell you what it is. or try anyway. or maybe just bore you to death with a pedantic recitation of cucurbit genealogy.

Pic isn't working? shows up on my compooter. Anyway:

It shows up in google under both Lebanese Squash and Mediterranean Zuch.

We've been using it a ton though. Throwing it in rattatouille, other tomato sauces, sauteed veg, etc.

 

[foodguy]

yup, those go under a variety of names. sometimes out here they're called mexican zucchini. generally speaking, they're different than regular zucchini because they're firmer in texture, so they'll hold onto their shape better after they're cooked. i do find the flavor is a little milder, though. those bulbous squashes are derived more from a group that used to be called "vegetable marrows". the thinner, darker, more cylindrical squashes are descended from an Italian squash family called cocozelle. garden zucchinis we know today are usually crosses between the two groups with emphasis on one side or the other. (fun fact: zucchini wasn't invented until the 20th century).
probably way more than any sane person would want to know.

 

[gomestar]

i had no idea what they were ... but 'plumcots' from Citarella are incredibly good and making me very happy.

 

[kwilkinson]



yup, those go under a variety of names. sometimes out here they're called mexican zucchini. generally speaking, they're different than regular zucchini because they're firmer in texture, so they'll hold onto their shape better after they're cooked. i do find the flavor is a little milder, though. those bulbous squashes are derived more from a group that used to be called "vegetable marrows". the thinner, darker, more cylindrical squashes are descended from an Italian squash family called cocozelle. garden zucchinis we know today are usually crosses between the two groups with emphasis on one side or the other. (fun fact: zucchini wasn't invented until the 20th century).
probably way more than any sane person would want to know.

Noice, will read after work tonight.

I noticed that the seeds on these are more similar to cucumber than other squash.... those flat, round, tear-drop seeds. Interesting. Delicious squash though.

 

[foodguy]



Noice, will read after work tonight.

I noticed that the seeds on these are more similar to cucumber than other squash.... those flat, round, tear-drop seeds. Interesting. Delicious squash though.

there is not much distance (genetically speaking) between a cucumber and a squash. they're both members of the same family. and so are melons. taste watermelon rind and cucumber and see what you think.

 

[foodguy]



i had no idea what they were ... but 'plumcots' from Citarella are incredibly good and making me very happy.

there are some really good ones. plumcots are crosses between plum (duh) and apricot. they're basically a solution to the fact that almost all commercial apricots taste like nothing at all. some of them are quite spectacular.

 

[itsstillmatt]



there are some really good ones. plumcots are crosses between plum (duh) and apricot. they're basically a solution to the fact that almost all commercial apricots taste like nothing at all. some of them are quite spectacular.

You know, the ******* peaches at the markets right now are atrocious. Hard as a rock. I am going down there with your book next time to show them what is up.

 

[kwilkinson]



You know, the ******* peaches at the markets right now are atrocious. Hard as a rock. I am going down there with your book next time to show them what is up.

I bought some the other day, in the "nice" store here. I was afraid it would be hard as a rock, but the outside was soft and it smelled like peach, so I bought a few. Lo and behold, I bite into the first one and it's somehow soft on the outside centimeter, then hard as a rock all the way in to the pit.

 

[foodguy]

peaches are tough at retail. when they're ripe, they're so fragile that they get the sh*t beat out of them just by shoppers pawing through them. the good news is that they are, ahem, a "climacteric" fruit which means that they will continue to ripen off of the tree. if you see peaches that match the other criteria (golden background color rather than green, etc.), you can buy them and hold them at room temp for a day or two and they'll be good. don't lose track. one of my favorite farmers sent me a box of his spectacular Snow Queen nectarines that were underripe and when i remembered to check them 3 days later i had cultivated quite a little mold garden. was only able to rescue a half-dozen, which were truly amazing.

 

[mordecai]

I've had some unbelievably delicious plums this week.

 

[impolyt_one]

Yesterday, I hit up Pho 79 in Garden Grove - it is the ******* truth, it's almost definitely the best pho in the USA. Tasted like the pho I normally ate in the middle of nowhere when I went to college in the Midwest, but pho 79 was just a lot 'nicer' - herb plate was mad fresh, sambal and sriracha choice on the table (always sambal for me though) - but the broth is so silken, with clouds of bone collagen all through. Perfectly seasoned. I'd say if anything, I could've used fewer noodles, more soup, more onions and green onions. Beef was a little tougher than I like but it wasn't too tough.

 

[SField]

Where is this Garden Grove?

 

[mordecai]



Where is this Garden Grove?

Follow the yellow brick road...



P.S. I always thought pho 79 was in San Gabriel

 

[SField]



Follow the yellow brick road...

is that some sort of scientologist temple? anyway, is that close to LA?

I want to have this magical pho.