Forum Activity for @folkfan

I'll certainly be playing it!

Robin Thompson said:

Strumelia said:

Robin Thompson said:

How shall we mark the day?
I'm thinking I'll listen to our official song a time or two.

Ah yes...the official theme song.

Strumelia, I'd play our official tune if I knew it. Who knows, maybe I'll learn it by Thursday.

Thanks Lisa for all you great work, you are special.
Joe

Forget the food - I'd go straight for the draft Guiness!!!!

It is good to hear you have a welcoming music scene in your town Strumelia.

I think that we should make the effort to reclaim our bars and other public spaces for live music. We have had to fight a number of battles over here. And the musicians' political lobby has stopped draconian licencing regulations and amended by-laws on music in bars and other venues. We can now play "incidental music" without the venue needing a music licence. This basically means that you can get paid for a gig and as long as the venue is not selling tickets specifically for your gig then they don't need a licence. Pub landlords have become far more welcoming since this law change.

We do have flat screen TVs in pubs over here (but we nick the TV remote from behind the bar at the George when we arrive so we can swich it off). Carrying one of those universal remotes in your MD case should solve that issue in most bars

Keigh, that seems like an entirely reasonable response.

The Mix version sounded musical to me. To my ear, the flatted seventh gave it a Scotch or Irish sound, and made it sound more backwoods and ancient.

No offense to my Scottish brethren, but gopher might be an improvement upon traditional goat haggis, though I should admit that I've never tasted the stuff.
A new family tradition for us is to make Honduran tamales every New Year. We all gather around the dining room table and begin assembling the tamales. My mother-in-law (yes, the one from Honduras) makes the masa, and we make our tamales with any combination of seasoned chicken, seasoned pork, carrots, potatoes, olives, onions, beans, even dates and peanuts. Although considered a heretic, I began making some vegetarian versions and some with crab meat, cheese, and green onions.And we wrap the tamales not in corn husks but in banana leaves, which are much easier to manipulate and allow for much larger tamales.Somehow I became the salsa maker, and I usually makes three or four types each year. The best versions, in my opinion, are the tomatillo salsa and the chipotle/corn salsa, in which the heat of the peppers is balanced by the sweetness of the corn. Still, my wife always prefers a standard fresh salsa with tomatoes, onions, and cilantro, the latter of which is a key ingrendient in all the salsas.The wonderful thing about this tamale tradition is that eating them is only half the fun. The other half is gathering everyone around the table while we assemble them, each one of us bragging that ours will be the best and finding subtle ways to add a signature to the way the tamale is wrapped so we can tell the difference. And tying the wrapped tamales up is the only stage that wee little hands can't do, so even the kids can make tamales that taste just as delicioso as the rest of 'em.All this writing has got me hungry. We may not wait for New Years. Maybe we'll do some tamale making this weekend in honor of our 800th member.D.T. Ken Hulme said:

Yeah Mennonite tamales would be like the rest of their food - filling but bland! Actually in Alabama/Mississippi, the tamale was introduced over 70 years ago by migrant works and adopted into the local comfort food canon. Not quite Mexican, but very good.

DT - you've never had Santa Ynez Gopher & Goat Haggis???

I sereve my leftover turkey with Mole Poblano, a fabulous mixture of 20-30 ingredients including several kinds of chiles and chocolate.

Whatchagot Stew can be a culinary masterpiece or an utter disaster

As a beginner: I'd like to ask, with only one dulcimer so far, Is there any reason not to tune DAD to learn one song then tune CGG to try to learn another. Is this behavior likely to break strings? I did get some spare strings.

Hi D.T.

Here are some photos of the board. I simply cut it from a piece of ply. It really only took me an hour or so to build. I didn't put much time into it as I wasn't sure if it would work - but I've been using it every day for the last 9 months!

I'm new to the possum boards. What keeps them in your lap any better than the bare dulcimer? I have used a strap on everything I play, even my harmonica's are nearly always in a holder.
The zero fret is a manufacturing shortcut, for the most part. To adjust the string height at the nut takes longer, so some makers use a zero fret. I don't mean to imply that it is to be avoided. If the maker uses it, that's fine. What I meant to express was that it was no particular advantage for the player, and not worth adding as an option at extra cost. Frequently, manufacturers ship their instruments with high action, allowing the dealer to adjust it to the preferences of the buyer. I have seen a lot of guitars and other instruments on which the dealer didn't bother to adjust the string height at the nut, leaving the purchaser with an instrument that was hard to play. Some don't have personnel to make these adjustments, and tell you to take it somewhere at your expense.These dealers should be avoided. I shouldn't have said "maker" in my original post, as the problem mostly rests with dealers who don't build instruments. A lot of good dealers are out there, ready to adjust any instrument they sell. I hope I haven't created confusion. One of my dulcimers has a zero fret, but whether there is a sound difference from that, I couldn't possibly say. There are too many differences in my 2 dulcimers to narrow it down to any one factor.Paul

Well, I am confused, folkfan, but that's not your fault!

It's apparent that there are a lot of variables involved, which makes me even more nervous about buying an instrument from someone whose work I've never played or heard.

D.T.


folkfan said:

D.T. Remember when it comes to comparing the sounds of wood from a guitar to a dulcimer, there is a great deal more wood sounding on a guitar and the bracing is different as well. Your combination of woods can have both a bright and a mellow tone depending on the size of the instrument and where the bridge is place in relationship to the tail block. A longer VSL can have a tinny sound in the higher octaves if the construction of the instrument narrows the body out under those frets and you have a small strum hollow way out on the end of the instrument. Or you can have a shorter VSL that doesn't sound tinny as the body of the instrument is wide and deep well beyond the end of the VSL. But if the luthier has correctly placed the frets you shouldn't have a drastic sharping or flatting of notes in the higher octave. Even the same VSL can sound different based on the shape of the instrument. Is that clear, or have I just confused you????.

Speaking of cookbooks, has anyone come across a Honduran cookbook? Perhaps even a Central American cookbook?

Several years ago I bought my wife an expensive and beautifully produced cookbook entitled The Taste of Colombia . She was really excited, as was her Colombian father. But her Honduran mother then replied, "Well now you should find her a Honduran cookbook, too." As silly as it seems, she really felt that her side of the family was being ignored.

But I have been unsuccessful at placating my mother-in-law by fulfilling her request. A Honduran cookbook? I am afraid there is no such beast.

Chourio or Chouriso is the Portuguese/Spanish spelling. It's a relatively 'hard' sausage. You can also use Andouille, the wonderful tangy Cajun sausage, or Linguisa.

Chorizo is the Mexican sausage, which is very loose and used more as a flavorant than a bite of protein. Start cooking slices of chorizo and it melts apart.

FF - you can make this with fried ring bologna and it would be pretty good too!

Are those chorizos? Might be the same sausage, but I would like to make sure. (Should there be a cedilla under the c, as in chourio, I'd be more sure.)

Oops. My bad. Yes Porcini, if you can find them, or Crimini mushrooms, not proscuitto ham! I have seen Chicken Marsala with bits of proscuitto added for flavor...

Ken, did you mean porcini mushrooms rather than prosciutto ham?I like the idea of the cornstarch for thickening the sauce. It seems a shame to have a good sauce stay on the plate rather than stick to the fettucini that Chicken Marsala is frequently served with. The sauce last night separated and the butter floated about 1/4 thick over the entire plate. UGH

On the Tavuk Izgara, Ken. Do you think I might be able to substitute chicken breasts and bake them in the yogurt marinade? I don't have a broiler, though I've been thinking about getting a large toaster oven. I only cook for two and heating the big oven for one item is something I just hate to do. It's so big and usually the pan I put in it is so small. ;-)I've never fixed Talapia, but the recipe you posted sounds great. Red pepper flakes without the seeds shouldn't be as hot, I'll have to see about getting some.And Pico de Gallo is something both Larry and I love.I mentioned getting a carton of plain yogurt draining so I could make Tzatziki . He thought it was a great idea and immediately was wanting to go get Pita bread for dipping. We'd make a meal just on that and sliced tomatoes. Of course, American yogurt isn't as good as Greek for the dish, but I'll drain it over night through a clean cotton cloth and it will thicken up some. Ken Hulme said:

Tavuk Izgara -- Turkish Chicken Thighs

2 Tablespoons Cumin seeds
1 Onion, coarsely chopped
4 to 6 cloves Garlic, finely minced
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Lemon, juiced
1 cup plain Yogurt
12 boneless Chicken Thighs
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
Lemon wedges for serving

Toast cumin seeds in a small pan over medium heat until the seeds are fragrant and start to pop. Remove from heat and grind in a spice or coffee grinder (or mortar & pestle).

Put cumin, onion, garlic, paprika, and lemon juice in a blender and pulse to liquify. Add the yogurt and pulse just until blended.

Put the thighs in a shallow non-aluminum baking dish or bowl. Pour the marinade over the chicken and toss well to coat. Let stand at room temperature at least 2 hours or cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the broiler to its hottest setting. Place thighs on a wire rack inside a baking sheet; dust with salt and pepper. Broil or grill until the juices run clear, about 6 minutes per side, brushing with marinade. Serve hot with lemon wedges, couscous and brined eggplant and tomato kebabs.



Tilapia Cubano
Tilapia prepared Cuban style - with green olives, skillet poached in a white wine sauce.

4 large (4-6 oz) fillets Tilapia (or any white fish)
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying (use water if concerned about fats)
1 Onion, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
4 fresh Garden Tomatoes, diced; or 1 can of Diced Tomatoes
1 cup White Wine (never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink)
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed Green Olives, chopped
3 tablespoons Capers, plus 1 tablespoon caper liquid
1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 bunch Cilantro, chopped, to taste

Salt & pepper the tilapia to taste. In a large covered skillet, saute the onion & garlic for 2 minutes, to bring out the aromatics. Add the tomatoes, wine, olives, capers, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to marry the flavors. Place the fish in the sauce. Cover, and simmer on medium low for 10-12 minutes until the fish flakes easily. Remove fish. Bring poaching liquid to a quick boil. Add cilantro to taste. If desired, add cornstarch slurry to thicken.

The side dish below is a quick Pico de Gallo of tomato, onion, cilantro and lime juice with a dusting of chile powder.

Totally into poaching chicken breasts with a little spice to add flavor. I haven't tried poaching fish.Tomorrow night we're having Lake Perch which I normally do in a pan fried manner, but using a non-stick pan and a minimum spray of olive oil. Usually I dredge the fish in a seasoned flour mix after dipping it into a water and egg white bath. Salmon I grill on a George Forman grill with a sprinkle of dill and a very light spray of oil. Fresh dill if I can get it, otherwise dried. If I can't get fresh salmon, then I do Salmon Cakes or loaf using canned salmon.And you're right about no-fat, no purines being a water diet, which would really make me lose weight quickly. Only if I lose weight too quickly, I get a gout attack from the breaking up of my own fat cells. An example of that is that for quick weight loss the Atkins diet works really well for me. However it is too painful as within less than a month on it the gout strikes.Oh, do you have any good yogurt recipes. Fat Free yogurt with fruit in it is usually a daily part of my diet, but I'd love to vary it. I need to make Tzatziki, thinking about it.

So here are some low-purine, low-fat recipes for Folkfan. None of these are "spicy" as in hot, but they do contain spices for flavor. When you can't eat a lot of things, you can help satisfy your tastebuds by using greater quantities of spices and herbs to flavor the things you can eat.

Mushroom Barley Bake
8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup medium barley
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste or need)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 cups vegetable stock (see below)

Preparation:
In a large skillet over medium-low heat saut mushrooms and chopped onion until lightly browned. Add barley and brown lightly, stirring. Add salt and pepper; turn into a buttered 3-quart casserole.

Pour vegetable broth into the skillet and cook until hot. Pour over the barley mixture and mix well. Cover and bake in a preheated 350 oven for 1-1/2 hours, or until barley is tender. Check the barley occasionally and add more broth or water if needed.

Low Purine Vegetable Stock
All the veggies below are listed as "low in purines".

4 quarts water
1/4 of a Red Cabbage, shredded small
4-6 fresh Tomatoes, diced
1 bunch of Celery Tops (save the stalks for something else), minced
1 Teaspoon Marjoram
1 Teaspoon Thyme
1 Teaspoon Oregano
1 Teaspoon Rosemary,chopped fine
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon White Pepper

Simmer on low for 1-2 hours until the liquid is reduced by a third to a half and is flavorful. Strain. Use.


Rotkraut - Braised Red Cabbage
2 Tbsp Oil for sauting (or use water)
1 Onion, chopped fine
1 head Red Cabbage, cored and shredded
2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 to 1-1/2 cups Vegetable Stock or Water
1 Tbsp Sugar
3 Whole cloves
2 Bay leaves
Salt and Pepper -- to taste

Over medium heat in a large pot saut the onions until translucent. Add the cabbage in batches, stirring each addition until it wilts and begins to cook down. Stir in the vinegar and then add the remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-30minutes until the cabbage is tender. Adjust seasoning and serve.


Greek Style Eggplant Boats
Cut eggplants in half lengthwise; hollow into "boats". Rub skin with oil (you arent going to eat the skins), bake 30 mins @ 350F.

Meanwhile, brown about half a pound of ground lamb (or use diced tofu), add onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato, fresh sage, 1/2 oz feta cheese (just this once, for flavor), bread crumbs and eggplant guts. Simmer until thick. Stuff eggplant boats, top with breadcrumbs. Bake again @ 350 30-45 min.


Imam Biyaldi
Classic Middle Eastern Stew can be vegetarian or meated.
1 Eggplant, cubed
2 large Onions, sliced
6-8 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon All Spice
1 Teaspoon Cloves
Carnivores and others who can eat meats can add 1 lb of ground lamb.

Brown and drain the meat if you're using it. Combine everything in a pot with a cup or so of water and simmer into a thick stew. Serve with unleavened bread for scooping.


Moroccan Lemon Chicken
2 Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless
1/3 cup Kalamata or other Green Olives, pitted
1/2 teaspon Oregano
1 Lemon, sliced
1 cup, uncooked Israeli Couscous (large pearl, not the small grain kind)
2 cups water.

Brining the chicken in a handful of Kosher salt and a gallon of water for 1 hour before cooking will make the meat much more moist, but not particularly salty. Rinse and pat dry. Sear the chicken on both sides. Reduce heat, add the other ingredients, and simmer for 30-45 minutes until the chicken is tender and the couscous is cooked. If you're not on a low purine diet, you can substitute a couple cans of garbanzos for the couscous.

Ken, While I admit to drooling over your recipe for Mac n' Cheese, leaving out the fresh cracked black pepper is not the only thing I'd have to leave out. My triglyceride levels are too high so I'm under doctor's instructions to lower my fat consumption. Also it will help in lowering my calorie intake as I've got to lose weight for the arthritis in my legs. So here's my Mac n' Cheese recipe.Use 2 boxes of a good mac and cheese mix and prepared as per box instructions only don't add the margarine or butter (a small amount of an olive oil based spread might be used), use skim milk, add a few slices of fat-free cheese. I don't add salt to the dish as I use a bit of kosher salt in the water when boiling the macaroni. Which I rinse and drain.I'd much prefer your recipe, but my doctor wouldn't. Got any good tasting low to no fat, not spicy, and low in purine recipes, Ken????? I'm getting kind of desperate as there are just so many things I'm suppose to stay away from. DANG