What's something you always see at the grocery store....

[shroomgirl]

cactus saute and tastes like lemony green beans
Tripe, tried cooking it did not do it right
Tongue tried to eat it my brain got in the way
hmmmm....salsify is like artichoke, looks different but really has that texture and flavor, I get mine fresh from a farmer and they are bizarre looking....carroty shape with lots of hairy roots.
Celeriac....oh my gosh this stuff makes the best root slaw with adding carrots, red pepper, parsley, green onions and a remoulade

[Mezzaluna]

KyleW, I've cooked tripe, and I'd be the first to agree it smells funky when you're cooking it. For me it would be some of the roots I see in the store from Mexico and the Caribbean. That and bitter melon. The name puts me off.

[Risa]

Fresh loofah(sp?). I see this at the Asian store and I've seen recipes for it, but I've never cooked it myself. Every time I see them, I think of taking a bath. Another for me is raw herring in sour cream -- think that's what it was -- which I saw at the seafood store. That really made me cringe. I love sushi, but whole raw herring puts me off.

Definately the sugar cane....I mean...I've got sugar..white and brown... so what are you supposed to do with short pieces of sugar cane stalks?

[Pooh]

Shroom,

Salsifis, how do you cook'em? What do you serve them with? Hey what'dya do with'em?

[holydiver]

Sugarcane also would be good for grilling with shrimp.

[shroomgirl]

OK....sugar cane, cut into spears and put a cube of fish on the end and sear or shrimp kabob....or a fun veg....

Salsify, peel with a potato peeler, cut and roast or boil. just like parsnip or beet, treat it like a winter root....mash it in potatoes...

ya know I don't understand or care for kholrabi...it does nothing for me.

[nancya]

There are a lot of things I don't WANT to eat [liver, kidneys, brain, etc.] but for me, the answer to this thread would be Kim Che (sp?) - isn't that essentially rotten vegetables?

[Pastachef]

I'll have to agree with you on the ham hocks, Jay. My husband was from the south, and I've cooked a whole lot of beans with ham hocks

[monpetitchoux]

NancyA: Think of it as a fresh pickle that is not as fresh. I actually like the one that's a little more fermented.

It's almost like that fermented tomato that gives true borsht that characteristic taste.

[kuan]

For me it would be that preserved fish "stuff" at the Vietnamese grocer. I don't even know what it is. I think it's preserved something or other in salt. The sugarcane is awesome just to chew on. Remove the skins and cut it up. I love that stuff. Also you can boil it and make a drink out of it. If you have a sugarcane juicer you can enjoy fresh sugarcane juice everyday!

Kuan

[CompassRose]

Mine would be eddoes, I think... they show up now and then, small hairy brown roots.

Fermented tomato? The True Borscht??? Never have I heard or read or seen (or tasted) of this before! Tell me more! I love borscht hot; I love it cold; I love it with sourcream; it's never lived to be nine days old.

[adenoma]

Nancya, think of kimchee as the Asian version of sauerkraut. It's made almost exactly the same way, except that instead of being made only of cabbage it combines several vegetables,e.g., Napa cabbage, radish, scallions, turnip, and seasons them with ginger, garlic, and hot pepper. I have made it a number of times from a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey's "World of the East vegetarian Cooking." Not difficult and very good (that is, if you're as addicted to very spicy foods as I am).

[shroomgirl]

I had a Korean neighbor that buried hers in a crock jar (kimchee) seems fish was involved..

[monpetitchoux]

Yep, in most of the recipes I've read for kimchee, some sort of raw sea animal was involved. Mostly they call for small shrimp. Very often it's left out. Sometimes when I eat out at a Korean restaurant, they present two dishes of the napa cabbage kimchee, one with the other without the seafood. Although I like both of them, I like the one with the shrimp more. As a matter of fact, I am rather delighted when I get a piece of raw shrimp. And yes, the recipes also call for burying the kimchee in its earthenware pot in the soil. It was probably for temperature regulation so here in the US, the refrigerator should do a fine job. There's another very delicious one made of raw blue crabs and garlic scapes. I think Kroean cuisine has elevated the art of pickling.

Re: the fermented tomatoes. I learned about it a few years ago when I was watching Taste with David Rosengarten on the TVFN. Before Iron Chef, it was my favorite show on TVFN.

Oh, another thing I don't know what to do with is hearts of palm. I often see it in the tiny section designated for Asian foods. And I also see it when I shop in Chinatown. But how is that used? What's it like texturally and tastewise?

[ June 24, 2001: Message edited by: monpetitchoux ]