Ben Collver wrote to Dave Drum <=-
  Re: Re: Hunter's Stew
  By: Dave Drum to Ben Collver on Sat Oct 18 2025 05:04 am
After a nice plate of what I thought was chicken cacciatore I
learned that Sammy hunted his meat on the roof of the hotel. Pigeons!
Title: Pigeon Cacciatore
Nice squab story.  I've never eaten pigeons that i know of.  I read a local history about Chinese miners who were here during the gold rush. According to this book, they were reluctant to eat Western food and commonly imported and grew & raised their own ingredients.  However,
they did hunt and gather.  One story was about a western miner who
tried a Chinese dish prepared with crow meat.  He wrote that he had
tried crow before and it never tasted good, but it was delicious in
the Chinese dish.
I  grew up thinking that chop suey was authentic Chinese grub. Then I was living in Sunny Southern Californica and discovered the "House of Yee" in Inglewood. Owned and staffed by recent immigrants (1960s) and featuring Cantonese-style ciusine. I started at the time of their dinner menu and
went down the list taking mental notes as I went. Discovered several of
the entrees that went on the "repeaters" list. and a couple for the "Not
even at gunpoint" column. And just when I was feeling smug learned that
there were also Hunan and Peking styles to sample/experience. Oh, my ever expanding waistline. 
By the way, i am curious about your recent batches of "Hard Times" recipes.  Some of them don't strike me as the kind of food i would
imagine eating in hard times.  Cakes, strawberries dipped in candy
grade chocolate, etc.  How did you select those recipes?
I notice that too. I subscribe to the New York Times cooking section. And periodically they have a collection like that. The "Hard Times" was their header for the collection. Pull a gun on Sam Sifton - the editor. Not me.
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
      Title: Honey Curried Chicken Breasts
 Categories: Chicken
      Yield: 4 Servings
      3 lb Chicken breast halves;
           - without skin
    1/3 c  Orange juice
    1/3 c  Honey
    1/4 c  Dijon mustard
      4 ts Curry powder
I widh people who do curry recipes would specify *whic* curry spice is
to be used. there is as wide a variance in curry as there is in chile.
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Kaeng Paa Kai (Jungle Curry w/Chicken)
 Categories: Oriental, Chilies, Poultry, Herbs, Curry
      Yield: 4 Servings
 
MMMMM------------------------CURRY PASTE-----------------------------
      2 tb Takrai (lemon grass);
           - bruised, thin sliced
      3 tb Shallots; coarse chopped
      2 tb Kratiem (garlic); chopped
    1/4 c  Kachai (lesser ginger);
           - peeled, chopped
      8    Prik chee fa daegn haeng
           - (dried red Thai crushed
           - jalapenos)
      1 ts Green peppercorns
      1 ts Kapi (fermented shrimp
           - paste)
        ds Fish sauce
MMMMM---------------------------CURRY--------------------------------
      4 c  Chicken; in 1" pieces
    1/4 c  Nam pla (fish sauce)
      3 c  Chicken stock or water
    1/2 c  Makhua pro (Thai eggplant)
    1/4 c  Prik che fa (Thai jalaenos);
           - julienned
    1/2 c  Bai maenglak (kaffir lime
           - leaves); shredded
           +=OR=+
      1 ts Lime zest
 
  A recent trip to Bangkok resulted in our eating at a nice
  little restaurant in a back alley near the airport. This
  dish is quite common, but both my wife and I were taken by
  the presentation described here (the rest of the recipe is
  however my wife's).
  
  Of course before you rush out to try this, I have to say
  that you need a heavy, and very sharp knife - a machete or a
  survivalist’s Bowie might be suitable - and a degree of
  skill in its use if you are not to have a messy accident -
  spilling the contents of the coconuts all over the kitchen
  may well be the least of your problems. So of course I point
  out that you can open the coconuts some other way, and serve
  the dish in more conventional tableware!
  
  Preparation:
  
  First prepare the curry paste by grinding the ingredients to
  a fine paste in a mortar and pestle or food processor.
  
  Pierce the coconuts and drain the juice into a picher. Then
  using a machete chop off the top of each coconut, just above
  the mid-point, to leave four serving bowls.
  
  Using a spoon scoop out the coconut 'meat' in leaf shaped
  pieces with a spoon (or use a melon baller). Add about half
  a cup of coconut to the juice for every two cups of juice,
  and refrigerate.
  
  Reserve half a cup of coconut meat, and reserve the rest to
  make coconut milk for other recipes.
  
  Heat a wok or large sautee pan over medium high heat, and
  then add a little oil and stir fry the curry paste until
  aromatic. add the chicken, and stir fry briefly and then add
  the remaining ingredients, except the lime leaves and the
  chicken stock, and stir fry until the chicken begins to
  change colour. Add the stock, and cover, simmering until the
  chicken and the eggplant is cooked through.
  
  Now serve the curry in the four large coconut shell bowls,
  garnished with the lime leaves, and accompanied by rice in
  the tops of the coconut shells, bring the chilled coconut
  nectar to the table as a refreshing cool drink, and don't
  forget the usual condiments (nam pla prik (chilies in fish
  sauce), dried ground chilies, and sugar).
  
  Colonel Ian F. Khuntilanont-Philpott; Systems Engineering,
  Vongchavalitkul University, Korat 30000, Thailand
  
  NOTES:
  
  Kachai is a relative of ginger, known as Lesser Ginger in
  some parts of the world (though I am reminded that in other
  places this appelation is used for galangal). For those of a
  botanical bent its latin name is Kaempferia Panduratum.
  
  The prik chee fa are a mild chile, about 6 centimetres long
  and 1 cm thick. They are known as Thai jalapenos, and if
  unavailable the Mexican variety could be substituted. If
  dried red jalapenas are not available, deseed, and devein
  fresh jalapenos, and use them instead.
  
  Makheua pro are a Thai variety of eggplant, about the size
  and shape of a green golfball. If unavailable you can use
  normal aubergine, but will need to adjust the cooking time.
  
  Bai maenglak is a sweet Thai basil. If unavailable normal
  European basil may be used.
  
  Recipe By: Colonel I.F.K. Philpott
  
  From: 
http://www.recipesource.com
  
  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives
 
MMMMM
... As weird as vegetables magically suspended in Green Jell-O.
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