The monthly event which inspired me to bake red bean paste bread puddings is coming up again in the better part of two weeks. Normally, this wouldn't warrant the advanced notice I'm giving you, but since polls are fun, I thought you could all help me decide what I'm doing for it this time. This time around, the theme is "cook something that you wouldn't normally eat because you find disgusting or taboo".
There are quite a number of foods in the world which may taste just fine, but which I have diligently avoided my entire life. I need to choose something I'm willing - at some level - to prepare, so I'm skipping on deep-frying. (But really, I should try poutine before I leave Canada.) Thus far, these are the foods I'm choosing between to prepare on or before February 19th. Your input is, of course, most welcome.
* I ate an anchovy once on a pizza when I was young, a ball of fishy-flavored salt, and have been avoiding them ever since. Last night, I was reading Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating, and it assured me there were good anchovies in the world, and told me how to find them. I'm still somewhat suspicious.
Important note: I am a creature of delicate sensibilities, especially when food is involved, so don't make any overly disturbing remarks in the comments please, or I will be unhappy.
There are quite a number of foods in the world which may taste just fine, but which I have diligently avoided my entire life. I need to choose something I'm willing - at some level - to prepare, so I'm skipping on deep-frying. (But really, I should try poutine before I leave Canada.) Thus far, these are the foods I'm choosing between to prepare on or before February 19th. Your input is, of course, most welcome.
Which of the following foods should I try eating?
Durian
3(13.6%)
Marmite or Vegemite
4(18.2%)
Anchovies *
6(27.3%)
Snail
8(36.4%)
Frog legs
1(4.5%)
Something else for which you will argue in a comment.
0(0.0%)
* I ate an anchovy once on a pizza when I was young, a ball of fishy-flavored salt, and have been avoiding them ever since. Last night, I was reading Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating, and it assured me there were good anchovies in the world, and told me how to find them. I'm still somewhat suspicious.
Important note: I am a creature of delicate sensibilities, especially when food is involved, so don't make any overly disturbing remarks in the comments please, or I will be unhappy.
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owlfish- S. Worthen
- S. Worthen
Comments
Snails don't taste like much except the garlic butter they're cooked in. Garlic butter is great, but I'd just as soon dump it on bread and eat it that way.
Anchovies are fishy-flavored salt and I don't care what Zingerman's says.
Durian is a brave choice.
Frog legs taste like generic dark meat.
I've had haggis and blood pudding, and while I'm generally not keen on eating internal organs, I've at least had them before, to my general lack of interest. Every once in a while, foie gras can be really, really good, although I generally don't like liver. I'm not willing to do anything involving eyes or marrow right now, marrow because it makes me think too much of hoot & mouth disease, regardless of the animal involved.
I've voted for the durian purely because I've just finished the Patrick O'Brien novels, in one of which durians (and their infamous smell) feature quite prominently.
In other words, you're saying that despite my avoidance to date of snails and frogs' legs, they wouldn't actually be very adventurous choices in terms of flavor.
Anchovies have a lot of flavor, and can be added to dishes in very very very small amounts with amazingly positive results. You wouldn't end up with a mouthful of fishy salty ick, but a nice, rich smokiness throughout the entire dish. And it's hard to go wrong with them, if you're cautious about the amount you add. They're a natural place to start, I'd say.
When properly prepared, they have a subtle, earthy taste - but I've never cooked them -myself- only had them in a restaurant. You might consider trying a snail soup recipe though - I had a wonderful duxelle d'escargots in Paris in one of the restaurants right near where we all stayed back in 1998. The earthy flavor of the snail was still present, but the soup was thick and creamy and rich otherwise and delicious with bits of toasted bread. I'm not coming up with a recipe for it on a quickie search of various sites, though I'll keep looking.
Here's a classic snail recipe to try though, from epicurious</a..
As to anchovies ... if you put them in something, they're not so bad. Like pasta. Then again, I eat them out of the tin & so might not be a good person to ask ... ;)
Have you ever tried beef tongue? That may actually not be all that exotic, so pardon me if you've been there, done that. If you haven't, though, it is quite a good boneless (obviously) meat, with an interesting texture.
Durian is one of those things that you will either hate a lot or get addicted to. There seems to be no middle ground. I noted, during my stay in Taiwan, that most taxicabs in Asia have "No Durian Eaters" signs. This refers to both the act of eating them in the cab and having previously eaten so many of them that you will now smell like a Durian for several weeks.
/Don (spectrum die-evil-spammers ca.inter.net)
I like anchovies every now and then. Looking for something to eat while in college seven years ago I created a pasta dish that I still like to prepare now. Take a can of good quality anchovies and saute them with the olive oil from the can. Add some fresh ginger thin slivers of ginger and thin sliced of one garlic clove. Add a vegetable that has been steamed. I had some parsnips I cut them into 1/4 inch pieces steamed and once soft added to anchovies that melt away in a saute pan. Boil Farfalle pasta until al dente and throw them into the pan. It taste better if you add a little extra-virgin olive oil to taste. Sprinkle with Manchego or any sheep/goat cheese. I'm done with cow cheese.
Let me know what you think about the recipe at gomezrobert@gmail.com