How and why sauces break (or dont) @aragusea

How and why sauces break (or dont)

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Beef Wellington with homemade rough puff pastry

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***RECIPE, SERVES SIX***

For the pastry

1 lb (454g) cold butter
1 lb (454g) flour + more for dusting
1 tablespoon (15g) kosher salt (if using unsalted butter)
1-2 teaspoons sugar
egg wash (an egg beaten with a little water)

For the filling

6 oz (170g) baby spinach
1 bunch fresh parsley
1 bunch fresh sage
1 cup (100g) panko bread crumbs
juice of half a lime
salt
pepper
ground ginger (very optional)

For the roast and sauce

1 2-3 lb (907g - 1.36kg) center-cut beef tenderloin roast, trimmed of silver skin
1 onion or a few shallots
1 teaspoon tomato paste
half a bottle of red wine
mustard
butter (I used a whole stick, 113g)
fresh thyme
salt
pepper
oil

Maybe also get some green veg for the side — I did steamed broccolini

Start with the pastry, which you can make days in advance. Cut the cold butter into large cubes and toss them with the flour, salt and sugar in a big bowl. Mix in just enough cold water to barely bring everything together into a shaggy dough. Cover and refrigerate at least half hour to let the flour hydrate and keep the butter firm.

Flour the dough and you counter and roll it out into a rectangle about a centimeter thick — go slowly to keep the pastry from cracking, and turn it frequently to keep it from sticking to the counter. Fold the two outer flaps in on themselves, like a letter.

Repeat the rolling and folding for a total of six times. It’ll get easier at first, and then harder again as the gluten tenses up. Wrap and refrigerate for at least a half hour (again, to firm the butter).

Trim the roast, saving any inedible trimmings for the sauce. Season heavily with salt and pepper and coat in a thin film of oil. Sear all sides in a very hot pan until you have some brown color, but get it out asap so that you cook the interior as little as possible. Let cool.

Put any beef trimmings you have into the hot pan to brown, followed by the onion or shallots, roughly chopped. When everything is brown, stir in the tomato paste and let it brown a minute. Deglaze with the red wine. Put in a roughly equal amount of water or stock, reduce heat and simmer at least an hour, topping off with more water as needed to keep the solids submerged.

Make the filling by blending all the ingredients in a food processor, which you’ll probably have to do in a couple batches. It should have a moldable texture at the end — if not, mix in more panko.

Coat the cooled roast in mustard, and pack on the green filling all around in as thin a layer as possible (see my plastic wrap method for doing this in the video). Don’t worry about the ends — you’re going to trim them off. Cover and chill while you roll out the pastry a final time.

Flour you counter and roll out the pastry about half a centimeter thick. Place the roast on it and roll it up, trimming off any excess pastry. Use egg wash to glue the seam and position the seam on the bottom. Crimp the ends. Wrap tightly in plastic and you can hold that in the fridge for a day if you want. Save any excess pastry for something else, or to cut into decorations for this.

Strain the solids out of the sauce. If there’s a lot of rendered fat, remove most of it with a gravy separator, or put it in the fridge to let the fat solidify on top so you can easily remove it. Return the sauce to the pan to reduce a little. Drop in some whole fresh thyme sprigs to infuse the sauce — lift them out after a few minutes and discard. Reduce the heat so there’s no more bubbling and then slowly melt in a lot of cold butter — it’ll take about as much as you want. Season to taste. You can reheat this sauce before serving, but do it very gently — if you boil it you’ll break the emulsion.

When you’re ready to finish the roast, heat your oven to 425ºF/220ºC. Spread some flour on a baking sheet and plop the Wellington on top. Brush the whole Wellington with egg wash. At this point you could lay on some strips of your leftover pastry to make a decorative lattice, or you could make shallow cuts to create a design, or you could scatter chunky salt over top, or all of the above. Plunge a probe thermometer from the side into the center of the meat.

Throw it in the oven, and be ready to pull it well before it hits your desired internal temperature — there will be more than the usual amount of carryover cooking. For medium rare, I pulled my roast after about 45 minutes at 110ºF/43ºC and it went up to 135ºF/57ºC as it rested. The roast can hold for a long time before slicing — it'll stay pretty hot. When you're ready to serve, slice with a serrated knife, and slice thick — the pastry will shatter if you slice too thin.

Flood each plate with sauce, lay on a slice with some vegetables on the side and eat. Maybe never do this again because it's way more work than it's worth.

The next phase of our relationship

Adam Ragusea 2022-12-19 | We need to talk about something serious. Grab a drink and come sit by the fire.

Does frozen food last forever? Why get so upset about non-traditional cooking? (PODCAST E37)

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00:30 - Does frozen food last forever?
21:33 - Why get so upset about non-traditional cooking?

Chicken soup 101

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This is not a recipe. Here's some general guidance for making a chicken soup:

Buy a whole chicken and a roughly equal quantity of vegetables (by raw weight). Any vegetables are fine but definitely get some form of onion in there. Dry noddles or any other dry grains are nice, but you won't need much because of how much they expand during cooking. Get whatever spices you want, but turmeric makes chicken soup look especially pretty. Maybe buy fresh herbs for garnish, and/or a little lemon to squeeze in.

Put your chicken in a big pot, along with any giblets that came with it. If you have any old aromatic vegetables (onions, carrots, celery, etc) hanging around that aren't super good anymore, you could throw those in but I wouldn't waste good fresh veggies on this step. Cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the chicken is fall-apart tender, 1-2 hours.

While you're waiting, cut up all your vegetables. Remember they'll shrink when cooking, so cut the chunks a little larger than how you want them.

Pull the chicken out and let it cool. Fish or strain out any remaining inedible solids. Dump in the vegetables along with a couple pinches of salt (be conservative — you can add more to taste later) and simmer until they're soft, 30-60 minutes. If you need to add more water to keep everything submerged, that's fine, but keep in mind the veg will release a lot of water as it cooks. You can always add more later.

If you're using dry noodles or rice or some such, throw that in when you're about 30 minutes from the end. Put in less than you think you'll want — it'll expand 2-3x as it cooks.

While you're waiting, pick all the meat off of the chicken — using your fingers will allow you to feel for any bones, cartilage or slimy bits you don't want to eat. (If you want, you can brown all these scraps in the oven and then simmer them for a second stock you can use later.) Roughly chop through your pile of picked meat so that you won't have any super-long strings of shredded chicken in the final soup. Put the meat back into the soup before you taste for seasoning.

Taste for seasoning. Add salt and any spices you like to taste. You could also stir in some fresh herbs and maybe a little lemon juice (or vinegar) to taste, or you could let people do that in their individual bowls.

Why people prefer bronze die pasta to normal pasta

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Thanks to Dr. Frank Manthey at North Dakota State University: https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-home/directory/frank-manthey

2005 book chapter co-authored by Dr. Manthey about pasta manufacturing: https://www.academia.edu/32989147/Extruding_and_Drying_of_Pasta

2008 Italian paper on the effects of different pasta die materials: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996908000690

2007 book chapter that was the source of the above paper's claim about sauce retention: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470113554.ch17

Why some people can eat dairy, and others REALLY cant (PODCAST E36)

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The whole episode is about lactose intolerance / lactase persistence, so no chapters! Buy the Adam Ragusea chef knife here if you want one: adamragusea.com/store/ragusea-chef-knife

Hearty leek and potato soup

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***RECIPE, FEEDS 4***

4 oz (113g) hard salami, bacon or other cured fatty meat (or skip it)
1.5 lb (680g) leeks
1.5 lb (680g) potatoes (any kind but I prefer waxy)
1 32 oz (946mL) carton of stock (I use chicken but any kind is fine)
1 cup (237mL) cream
salt
pepper
fresh rosemary and thyme (or whatever herbs you've got)

For god's sake, treat the above quantities as approximate.

Cut the meat into big chunks, put it in a cold soup pot, turn on moderate heat. Fat will melt out of the meat and then you can start browning the meat in said fat. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't burn.

While the meat is going, prep the leeks. I like to cut off the root end, bisect the leek lengthwise, and cut crosswise into thin strips. I use both the white and the green parts, but I don't use the very tops of the greens where they get really dry and fibrous. Leeks have dirt between their layers, so I put all the cut leek strips into a big bowl, swish with water, drain, then I fill the bowl up again with a lot of excess water. Then you can grab the floating leeks off the top and all of the sand will sink to the bottom.

Put the leaks in with the meat, stir, and let soften for a few minutes. While that's going, peel and cut your potatoes into chunks as big as you want. Drop those in the pot, stir and let everything cook for a few minutes. Pour in just enough stock to cover all the solids (might not be the whole carton), cover and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, maybe a half hour. Stir in the cream and simmer until you see the cream thicken just a little.

Puree the soup, partially puree it (my preference) or don't puree it at all. Live your own life. If you want the soup a little thinner, add more stock. Flavor with salt, pepper and herbs to taste.

Why dutched cocoa is different from natural cocoa

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2015 paper on cocoa alkalization by Arlen Moser of Blommer Chocolate Company: blommer.com/_documents/Blommer_Alkalizing_Cocoa_and_Chocolate.pdf

My old video on why (some) people first started cooking with lye: youtu.be/QDAu9shX8Xg

Do fiber supplements work? Do green powders work? Thoughts on soul food? (PODCAST E35)

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00:17 - Do fiber supplements work?
22:46 - Do green powder supplements work?
39:39 - Thoughts on soul food?

Detroit-style pizza at home

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Thanks to Buddy's Pizza in Detroit for showing me their process, on which my recipe is based: youtu.be/iY24pIHjT7s

****RECIPE****

To get the right dough thickness, I think you want to start with 1 cup (237mL) of water per 110 square inches (279 cm) of pan area. My pan is 165 sq in, so I started with 1.5 cups of water, which is the recipe you see below. Adjust all other quantities accordingly.

1.5 cups (355mL) water
1.5 teaspoons yeast
1.5 teaspoons coarse salt
bread flour (I don't measure it, but I probably used about 500g, 4 cups)
1 cup (237mL) canned crushed or pureed tomatoes (they use Stanislaus brand at Buddy's)
7 oz (200g) Wisconsin brick cheese (instead you could use mild cheddar or low-moisture mozzarella or both)
2 ounces (57g) sliced pepperoni
olive oil
herbs and spices for the sauce (I used oregano, thyme, garlic powder and black pepper)

Combine the water with the yeast, salt, and as much bread flour as you can stir in with a spoon. Cover and let autolyse for 20 minutes. Knead in some more flour until you have a stretchy dough that's still pretty sticky. Cover and let rise until doubled, about two hours.

While you're waiting you can prep the cheese by cutting it into chunks — chunks will melt slower than shreds, and we want to slow the melting. Keep the cut cheese in the freezer, for the same reason. You can also mix the canned tomatoes with some herbs and spices, maybe a little olive oil and a little water if it looks too thick to spread. If your pepperoni slices are very wide, maybe cut them into quarters.

Prep your pan by coating the interior surface with a film of olive oil. A well-seasoned blue steel Detroit-style pizza pan would be traditional, but an aluminum cake pan or sheet pan would do ok instead.

When the dough is risen, transfer it to the oiled pan and stretch it out to fill the pan as well as you can. Cover and let it proof and relax for about a half hour. This would be a good time to get your oven heating as hot as it will go, convection if you have it. After the dough has proofed, you should be able to stretch it into the corners of the pan, if you weren't able to before.

Top the pizza with the pepperoni first, then the cheese, and then lay on the sauce in a few narrow stripes on top. Bake until it's as brown as possible but before the cheese squeezes out a ton of grease. Mine took about 15 minutes. Run a spatula around the edge to release the pizza from the pan before sliding it out to a board and slicing.

AGE your raw egg eggnog

Adam Ragusea 2022-11-28 | Buy the Adam Ragusea chef knife for Christmas or whatever you're into! adamragusea.com/store/ragusea-chef-knife

Thanks to Dr. Vincent Fischetti at Rockefeller University: https://www.rockefeller.edu/our-scientists/heads-of-laboratories/1160-vincent-a-fischetti/

More about Dr. Rebecca Lancefield at Rockefeller: https://www.rockefeller.edu/support-our-science/women-and-science/portrait-initiative/rebecca-lancefield/

Ben Zimmer's article on eggnog etymology: visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/the-origins-of-eggnog-holiday-grog

Virginian-Pilot article on George Washington's eggnog recipe (actually his lack thereof): pilotonline.com/holidays/vp-nw-george-washington-eggnog-history-20201219-gb5g5phvsjbxzontnlokngmfcm-story.html

***EGGNOG RECIPE, MAKES ABOUT A QUART/LITER***

1 cup (237mL) cream
1 cup (237mL) additional cream or milk
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (237mL) rum
1/2 cup (118mL) whiskey
nutmeg for garnish

Whip the first cup of cream in a small bowl. In a big bowl, beat the eggs and slowly drizzle in the alcohol until incorporated — don't stop mixing, or the eggs will curdle. It's important to mix the alcohol directly into the eggs to kill bacteria. Mix in the sugar, un-whipped cream or milk and the whipped cream until smooth.

Transfer the eggnog to a vessel that will allow gas to escape and chill in the refrigerator for about three weeks — aging will kill bacteria and enhance the flavor. The mixture will separate a bit as it sits, so stir it back up before pouring into glasses. Sprinkle nutmeg over top, if you're into that.

Is it bad to stare at your phone while eating? Thoughts on protests in Iran? (PODCAST EP 34)

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00:24 - Is it bad to stare at your phone while eating?
18:14 - Thoughts on protests in Iran?

How to eat acorns, but maybe dont

Adam Ragusea 2022-11-21 | Thanks to Trade Coffee for sponsoring this video! Get $30 off a subscription with Trade: drinktrade.com/ragusea

1993 paper on squirrels and oaks: researchgate.net/publication/262918953_Tannins_and_Partial_Consumption_of_Acorns_Implications_for_Dispersal_of_Oaks_by_Seed_Predators

1991 paper on how traditional clay processing of acorns adsorbs tannic acid: academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/53/2/448/4694247

2003 booklet on the Pomo people from the Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkley: https://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/TeachingKit_CaliforniaIndianFoodAndCulture-1.pdf

Why is European butter so much better? Is sourdough bread healthier than other bread? (PODCAST E33)

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00:18 - Why is European butter so much better than American butter?
31:47 - Is sourdough bread healthier than normal bread?
1:03:14 - Follow-up on "natural" testosterone boosters

The SHOCKING SECRET to great chili

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***RECIPE***

Cut up some onions and peppers. Cook them in a big pot until soft. Dump in canned crushed or puréed tomatoes and undrained canned beans — roughly equal quantities is a good starting point, though I like extra tomato. Dump in a lot of spices until you like how it tastes — cumin + smoked paprika + oregano + garlic powder is a good basic blend. Simmer for about a half hour. If you want to be fancy, melt in a little dark chocolate. Eat and go do something else with your life.

Nonstick is prob safe — the factories arent (PFAS contamination)

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Thanks to Dr. Sung Kyun Park at the University of Michigan: https://sph.umich.edu/faculty-profiles/park-sungkyun.html

Dr. Park's study indicating a link between PFAS exposure and diabetes: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35399113

Why do Americans eat turkey cold? Can you boost testosterone with food/supplements? (PODCAST E32)

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00:18 - Why do Americans eat turkey cold?
29:26 - Do "natural" testosterone boosters work?
47:42 - How do you get a book published? (Question for Lauren)

Chicken and dumplings (biscuity, Southern-style)

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***RECIPE, SERVES 4-6***

1.5 lb (700g) boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 bottle (750mL) white wine (could replace with water or stock
1 carton (32 oz, 946mL) chicken stock
8 oz (227g) white mushrooms
2 bunches green onions
1 lb (454g) carrots
3-4 garlic cloves
12 oz (340g) green beans
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup (177mL) cream
1 lemon
flour
oil
salt
pepper
dry herbs

For the dumplings

2 cups (230g) cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons melted butter
milk or water
fresh sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley or any combination thereof

Cut each thigh into 4-6 pieces. Season heavily with salt, pepper and dry herbs, then toss the pieces with enough flour to coat. Cut the mushrooms in half or quarters (remember they'll shrink in half when cooking), thin-slice the onions and reserve the green slices for garnish at the end, peel and thick-slice the carrots, smash and peel the garlic cloves.

Heat a film of oil in a large pot, then lay in the chicken piece by piece to keep them from sticking to each other. Keep your heat high enough to brown the chicken but don't let anything burn — low and slow is fine. When the bottoms of the pieces are brown, you should be able to scrape them off the pan with a wooden spoon and flip them.

When the chicken pieces are brown on all sides, push the chicken over to one side and drop in the mushrooms. Stir the mushrooms around and let them brown a moment. Stir in the sliced onion whites and let them cook for a moment. Deglaze with the entire bottle of wine. Stir in the carton of stock, garlic, carrots and a pinch or two of salt. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes until the carrots are almost soft.

While you're waiting, slice the green beans into small piece. Separate out the egg yolks (eat the whites for breakfast tomorrow) and beat them smooth with the cream.

When the carrots feel almost done, stir in the green beans — they'll need about 30 minutes total.

Now is when you want to mix up the dumpling batter. Finely chop a big pile of fresh herbs and zest the lemon. Throw all that in with the cake flour, baking powder, salt and garlic powder. Stir in the melted butter until it seems to disappear. Stir in just enough milk or water (no more than a cup, 237mL) to get you a shaggy, sloppy dough — if you over-mix, the dumplings will be tough. Form the dough into rough, small balls.

When the green beans are 15 minutes away, drop the dumplings in the soup, make sure the heat is high enough that the broth is bubbling, cover and let the dumplings steam at least 10 minutes before you check on them. When they double in size and look cooked, they're cooked — don't overcook them or they'll get dense.

Kill the heat and wait for bubbling to stop, then stir in the liaison (yolk and cream mixture). Turn the heat back on to a bare simmer and cook for a couple minutes until you see the yolks cook and slightly thicken the broth — be careful not to overcook or the eggs will go gritty. Taste the soup for seasoning and add any needed salt, a little lemon juice to taste, and the reserved onion greens.

Industry + immigrants = Detroit-style pizza

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Thanks to Buddy's Pizza, the original Detroit-style pizza: buddyspizza.com

How much protein you should eat and when, with Dr. Mike Israetel (PODCAST E31)

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Thanks to Dr. Mike Israetel of Renaissance Periodization for being on the show! Check out Adam’s workout with Dr. Mike on RP’s channel: youtu.be/YNRqlqvQFv8

Cheesy broiled sheet pan pasta with vegetables

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***RECIPE, SERVES 4-6***

8 oz (223g) cascatelli or other large pasta shape
1 lemon
2 lb (908g) brussels sprouts
2 carrots
2 shallots
4 oz (113g) thick diced pancetta (or any fatty cured meat, or none at all)
8 oz (223g) mozarella
8 oz (223g) ricotta
1 red chili
2 garlic cloves
panko breadcrumbs
pecorino or parmesan cheese
fennel seeds
thyme (or other fresh herb)

Start by making the breadcrumb topping. Zest the lemon, grate up a little pile or pecorino or parmesan cheese, thin-slice the chili, pick some thyme leaves, peel the garlic, and chop all of these ingredients into each other until fine. Combine with an equal quantity of panko and set aside. Save the rest of the lemon for later.

Grate the mozzarella and set aside. Prep the brussels sprouts by trimming off the stem ends and any decaying outer leaves and then quarter them. Slice the carrots thinly. Peel and chop the shallots.

Get a pot of salted water coming to a boil for the pasta. Lay the pancetta out on a sheet pan in an even layer, put it in the oven and turn on the broiler/grill. Get the pasta boiling — you'll cook it until it's a couple minutes away from being done, then drain and reserve.

When the pancetta has leaked out a lot of fat and it's about as crispy as you want it, pull the pan out, toss in the sprouts, carrots, fennel seeds, and enough salt for all the veg. Spread into an even layer and return to the broiler until the veg looks almost cooked.

Take the pan back out, toss in the drained pasta and about a third of the mozzarella. Use a spoon to drop the ricotta onto the pan in dollops. Scatter the remaining mozzarella across the top, avoiding the ricotta dollops (you want to leave them exposed on top so they brown). Do the same with the breadcrumb topping.

Return the pan to the broiler and cooked until brown and crispy on top. Squeeze lemon juice over everything and eat.

Why people cook with caustic alkali

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Can alcohol actually be good for you? Are supplements good as food for vegans? (PODCAST E30)

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00:33 - What's the healthiest way to drink alcohol?
21:35 - Why do light drinkers live longer than non-drinkers?
39:23 - Are supplements good as food for vegans?

Broiled chocolate chip cookies, v2.0

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***RECIPE, MAKES SIX LARGE COOKIES***

113g (1 stick) butter
200g sugar (1 cup granulated or brown, but I prefer 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar)
5-10g (1-2 teaspoons) molasses (optional, replicates the taste of brown sugar)
1 egg
10g (1 teaspoon of Morton kosher) salt (use 2/3rds of that if your butter is salted)
4-8g (1-2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
3g (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda
230g (about 1.5 cups) bread flour (1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour is OK instead)
100g chocolate chips or other mix-ins

Get the oven heating to 375ºF/190ºC, convection if you have it.

Melt the butter. Mix in the sugar (and optional molasses) until smooth. Mix in the egg until very smooth. Mix in the salt (FYI, some people might not like their cookies as salty as I do), vanilla, baking soda, flour and chips. The dough should be a little sticky — you can chill it for a few minutes to make it easier to shape.

Divide the dough into six 115g portions and roll each into something like a golf ball. Space them evenly on a baking sheet — no parchment paper, no grease. Flatten each ball into something like a hockey puck and tidy up the circular shape.

Turn the oven off and turn the broiler/grill on maximum. Give it a minute or two to heat up, then put in the cookies near the top. Let the broiler brown the tops of the cookies until golden — this should only take a minute, so don't walk away or they'll burn. If you're doing multiple pans of cookies, brown them each one at a time.

Turn the broiler off and the oven back on to 375ºF/190ºC. Give the broiler a couple minutes to cool down, then return the cookies to the oven. Bake until they spread and look done to you — mine take about eight minutes as this stage, but they'll take longer if you don't have a convection fan. I like the texture when they look a hair underbaked.

Let the cookies cool and solidify before scraping them off the baking sheet.

Why certain E. coli bacteria are so bad

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Thanks to Dr. Carla Schwan, director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia Extension: https://www.fcs.uga.edu/people/bio/carla-schwan

1977 paper where scientists (arguably) first documented Shiga toxin being produced by certain E. coli strains, whereas the toxin had previously been associated with Shigella bacteria: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC421302

1983 paper on Shiga toxin producing E. coli outbreak at McDonald's (arguably the first documented outbreak): ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC270845

CDC data on E. coli outbreaks: cdc.gov/ecoli/outbreaks.html

Other data on E. coli outbreaks came from the National Outbreak Reporting System: wwwn.cdc.gov/norsdashboard

CDC data on total foodborne illness burden by pathogen: cdc.gov/foodborneburden/index.html

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety data on childhood automotive fatalities: iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/children

How to stop splatter in the kitchen

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One-pan tuna noodle casserole (that actually tastes like something)

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Seafoodwatch.org's guide for buying sustainable canned tuna: seafoodwatch.org/stories/tips-for-choosing-sustainable-canned-tuna

***RECIPE, SERVES 6-8***

1 12 oz (340g) bag dried egg noodles
4 5 oz (140g) cans of tuna
1 12 oz (340g) jar of marinated artichokes
1 lb (454g) fresh green beans
1 sweet red pepper
3-4 small hot peppers (or another sweet pepper)
2 bunches of green onions
1 qt (1 liter) milk (or non-dairy milk, or stock, or water)
1 750mL bottle of dry white wine (or less, or none)
1 stick (113g) butter (or 1/2 cup, 120mL olive oil)
1/2 gup (60g) all-purpose flour
grated parmesan or pecorino cheese (optional)
garlic powder
onion powder
dried thyme (or other dried herbs)
salt
pepper

Heat a large, stove-safe baking dish over medium. Melt in the butter then whisk in the flour until smooth. Keep whisking as the roux cooks for a minute or two until it's just starting to turn brown and it starts to smell a little nutty. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring the sauce to a simmer until it thickens, then take the heat down to low, and remember to stir it occasionally while you do everything else, so the bottom doesn't burn.

Snip the stem ends off all the green beans and then just them into large chunks. Stir those into the sauce. Seed the peppers, cut into thin slices and stir into the sauce. Tear any decaying outer layers off the green onions, trim off the roots, thinly slice both the whites and greens and stir into the sauce. Stir in the artichokes and their marinade. Dump in the tuna, season heavily with garlic powder, onion powder, dry herbs, black pepper and a big pinch of salt. Stir, taking care to not break up the tuna too much (there's more stirring to come, so go easy on it).

Stir in the dry, uncooked egg noodles. Top off with enough wine (or water, or stock, etc) to just barely cover everything and stir. Taste the liquid and add more seasoning if needed — it should taste a little too salty on its own. Make sure all the noodles are pushed down just below the water line. Grate some cheese on top, if you want.

Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake at 400ºF/200ºC until the noodles are soft and most of the liquid is absorbed, 45-60 min. Uncover and bake until the top is nice and brown, another 20 min or so. Let rest to solidify before scooping. Leftovers reheat great.

What even is lacto-fermentation?

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Thanks to Dr. Carla Schwan, director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia Extension: https://nchfp.uga.edu/

2013 paper showing how lactic acid bacteria use osmoprotectants to survive high-salt environments: ajol.info/index.php/ajb/article/view/99064

2021 paper showing some lactic acid bacterial cultures: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8067144

Are white potatoes actually healthy? Why does tap water taste bad at the beach? (PODCAST E29)

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On today's episode of the Ask Adam Podcast, Adam addresses the following questions:
00:15 - Are white potatoes actually healthy?
18:45 - Why does tap water taste bad at the beach?

#podcast #askadam #foodie #foodpodcast #cookingpodcast #q&a

Irish-style pot roast

Adam Ragusea 2022-10-13 | Thanks to HelloFresh for sponsoring this video! For 65% off with HelloFresh plus FREE shipping, use code ADAMRAGUSEA65: bit.ly/3RO6mRv

***RECIPE, SERVES 4-6***

3lb (1.36kg) mock tenderloin or round roast
1 22 oz (946mL) carton beef stock
3-4 shallots
1 lb (454g) carrots
1.5 lb (680g) waxy potatoes
a few sticks of celery
one or two bunches of green onions
starch
powdered gelatin (very optional)
tomato paste
mustard (any kind that's tart)
honey or other sweetener
garlic powder
onion powder
dried mushroom powder (or a glug of soy sauce, any other source of umami)
dried herbs
salt
pepper
oil

Oil the roast and season it heavily with salt and pepper. Brown the outside over moderate heat, taking care to not to let anything burn. Finely chop the shallots, and when the meat is brown, throw them into the pan at let them brown for a few minutes. Stir in a squeeze of tomato paste and let it brown for a minute. Pour in the beef stock and deglaze the pan.

Season heavily with garlic powder, onion powder, dried mushroom powder, assorted dry herbs and pepper. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let braise until you can feel the meat starting to soften, 2-3 hours.

Prep the vegetables by cutting them into really big pieces. For the green onions, I cut off the white parts and cook them whole — the greens I slice thin and use for garnish at the end. Don't start putting them in until the roast is getting soft and probably only needs another half hour or so. If you want to be able to slice the roast, take it out when it's just barely fork tender. If you want to tear it into chunks, cook it as soft as you want.

When everything is cooked, remove all the solids with a slotted spoon and transfer to a heat-safe platter. Keep this in a warm oven until you're ready to eat.

To finish the gravy, consider blooming a couple packets of powdered gelatin in some cool water for a few minutes until gelled, then stir that into the gravy. This will enhance the texture, but it's not necessary.

Mix a couple spoonfuls of starch with just enough cool water to make a thin paste. Drizzle some of that slowly into the gravy while you stir aggressively, and bring the gravy to a boil. Keep stirring in slurry until the gravy is as thick as you want it. Stir in mustard, honey and additional seasoning to taste.

Slice the roast, cover everything with gravy and garnish with the sliced onion greens.

Resistant starch — the carb with no calories (kinda)

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2021 paper introducing the SPUD Project, also a good (and free) primer on resistant starch: researchgate.net/publication/347097532_Resistant_Starch_Production_and_Glucose_Release_from_Pre-Prepared_Chilled_Food_The_SPUD_Project

2018 literature review that included a visualization of each type of RS: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-018-3221-4

1985 study proving the non-digestibility of some starch in living humans: academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/42/5/778/4692039

Champagne problems and the nature of happiness (PODCAST E28)

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On this episode of the podcast, Adam gives a speech to the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce discussing what happens to you when your dreams come true.

#podcast #askadam #foodie #foodpodcast #cookingpodcast #q&a

Pastina — tiny pasta porridge

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This isn't really a recipe, but the basic technique I like is 4-to-1 liquid-to-pastina by weight, or 3-to-1 by volume, but volume measurements will depend on the specific shape of pastina you're using. Bring the liquid to a boil, stir in the pastina, cook until almost done, take it off the heat, season, melt in some butter and cheese, and when the bubbling has fully stopped, stir in an egg or egg yolk.

The legal strength supplement that actually works (not an ad)

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Excellent 2017 review on the safety and efficacy of creatine supplements: researchgate.net/publication/317612254_International_Society_of_Sports_Nutrition_position_stand_Safety_and_efficacy_of_creatine_supplementation_in_exercise_sport_and_medicine

2014 study indicating creatine supplementation can lower high blood pressure: nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-13-115

2003 study on creatine supplementation in vegetarians: paulogentil.com/pdf/Effect%20of%20Creatine%20and%20Weight%20Training%20on%20Muscle%20Creatine%20and%20Performance%20in%20Vegetarians.pdf

2015 study showing higher rates of testicular cancer among men who took over-the-counter muscle-building supplements, including (but not limited to) creatine: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4385953

Scholarly response to the testicular cancer study, pointing out the real culprit might be anabolic steroids: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4705873

1993 Associate Press article about creatine use in the 1992 Olympics: apnews.com/article/ea59b25346d362d22d4beaf673af66fe

Mount Sinai Health System website offering advice on creatine supplementation to the general public: mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/creatine

Ragusea body transformation, part II

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German-style soft pretzels — no lye

Adam Ragusea 2022-09-29 | Thanks to Helix Sleep for sponsoring this video! Click here helixsleep.com/ragusea for up to $200 off your Helix Sleep mattress plus two free pillows! Free shipping within the US! #helixsleep

***RECIPE, MAKES FOUR LARGE PRETZELS***

1 cup (237mL) water
bread flour (about three cups, 360g, but it really depends so just go by feel)
1 tablespoon melted butter (or oil)
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt (for the dough)
coarse salt for topping
baking soda to make washing soda (I use whole box and save the rest for next time)

To convert baking soda (sodium hydrogencarbonate) to washing soda (sodium carbonate), pour the baking soda in a pot and turn the heat on high. Stir the pan frequently to make sure all the powder heats evenly. Eventually you'll start to see little plumes of gas escaping, especially when you stir the powder. (It'll look most dramatic if you give the pan a vigorous shake). This is water and carbon dioxide leaving the pan. Keep cooking until you no longer see any signs of gas when you agitate the powder — it takes me about 15 minutes. If everything went well, the powder should weight a little less than 2/3rds of what it weighed originally. Let cool and keep dry in a sealed nonreactive container — plastic is good. It's mildly caustic, so try not to let it sit on your skin for too long, try not to get it in your eyes or breath a lot of it in, etc.

To make the dough, combine the water, sugar, butter, yeast, salt and as much flour as you can stir in with a spoon. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes (this would be a good time to make your washing soda). After it's sat, it will be much easier to knead in some more four — enough to get a smooth dough ball that's just barely sticky. Cover and let rise until about doubled, 1-2 hours.

Take the risen dough ball out and cut it into quarters. Roll each quarter up into a little log (see video), cover, and let sit for at least 30 min before shaping. To shape, lightly flour your counter, grab a dough log and use flat hands to roll the outer arms of the dough thin while leaving fat belly of the dough intact (again, see video). Roll the rope of dough longer than you think you want it. Grab the ends and make a U shape, twist the ends and then flop them over the belly of the dough (again, see vid). Once shaped, cover and let proof for about 30 min until puffy, or don't. Some Germans prefer to cook them right away for a denser texture.

It's much easier to boil the pretzel dough if it's cold — almost frozen solid. I recommend putting the fully-proofed doughs in the freezer for 20-30 min while you pre-heat the oven (425ºF/220ºC, or a little hotter if you like darker, crispier pretzels) and bring your washing soda bath to a boil.

Get a wide, deep pan of water for the washing soda bath, and a wide, deep bowl of plain water for rinsing the pretzels after the bath. Turn heat on high and dissolve about as much of your washing soda into the water in the pan as possible, but be conservative — it's better to have a solution that's not fully saturated vs a solution with big washing soda particles floating around in it (they could stick to the pretzel and taste bitter).

The water should be clear after a couple minutes of heating and stirring. Anything between a bare simmer and a full boil is fine. (This solution is mildly caustic, but not super dangerous. If you get it on your hands, wash it off, but you're unlikely to get a chemical burn unless you bathe in it.)

When the pretzels are firm, drop them in the hot water and cook for about 15 seconds — I recommend doing this one at a time. Transfer to the bowl of plain water and rinse clean (the solution tastes bitter). Transfer to a baking sheet and top with coarse salt while it's still wet (the water will hold the salt in place). Repeat with the other pretzels, and if you want you can score the fat belly of each with a knife to let it puff up more in the oven.

Bake until very brown, about 15 minutes. To make the pretzels shinier, you can spray them or paint them with water once or twice during the bake. Easier, though less effective, is to do the same right after they finish baking but are still hot.

Why seasoning means so many different things

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Is salt actually bad for you? Why do some people like salt way more than others do? (PODCAST E27)

Adam Ragusea 2022-09-24 | Thanks to Trade Coffee for sponsoring this episode! Go to drinktrade.com/adamshow for $30 off your subscription to the best coffees in the country.

Thanks to Policygenius for sponsoring this episode! Head to policygenius.com to get your free life insurance quotes and see how much you could save.

Salt, it's been used for cooking meals and added more taste to food. But why do people really love using a lot of salt? Are they putting their health at risk? Adam answers all of these questions and more on this episode of The Adam Ragusea Podcast.

#podcast #askadam #foodie #foodpodcast #cookingpodcast #q&a

A pie thats literally all crust

Adam Ragusea 2022-09-22 | Thanks to Harry's for sponsoring this video! Redeem your Starter Set for just $3: http://harrys.com/adam

***RECIPE***

1 stick (113g) cold butter
1/2 stick (106g) melted butter
1 3/4 cup (210g) flour
about 16 Oreo cookies (200g)
2 packages (250) graham crackers
1 tablespoon (15g) sugar for the pie crust
1/2 cup (100g) sugar for the binder
1/2 cup (150g) dark corn syrup (or golden syrup, or honey)
2 eggs
cold water
vanilla
salt
whipped cream for garnish

Cut the cold butter into the flour, tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt until the butter almost disappears. Stir in just enough cold water to make everything come together into a shaggy dough. Chill and rest for about a half hour to let the particles hydrate.

Mix up the binder by stirring the corn syrup, half cup sugar, eggs and a splash of vanilla until smooth. This tends to separate as it sits, so remember to mix it again right before you pour it out later.

Melt the half stick of butter and use a little of it to lightly grease the inside of your pie pan. Crush the Oreos into crumbs and mix with about a third of the melted butter. Crush the graham crackers and mix with all of the remaining butter (and a pinch of salt, if the butter is unsalted).

Get the oven heating to 350ºF/180ºC.

Flour your counter and roll the pastry dough out until it's wide enough to cover your pie pan. (Rolling a little, rotating the dough, rolling a little again is a very safe way to roll out cold, crumbly pastry.) Lay the dough in the pan, pinch off any excess around the edges and make sure to patch any holes — you don't want the binder seeping through to the pan surface.

Pour a thin layer of the binder into the pastry crust. Dump in the Oreo crumbs, pat them flat, then pour in another layer of the binder. Dump in the graham cracker crumbs, pat flat and pour on the rest of the binder.

Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Take the foil off and bake some more until everything is brown and the center isn't jiggly anymore. Cool until the pie is solid enough to turn out. Slice and garnish with whipped cream.

Forgive me for what I have done.

Waxy vs floury potatoes (creamy vs mealy, boiling vs baking, etc)

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1994 paper from Iowa State with all the cool microscopic photos of mealy vs waxy potatoes: https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/entities/publication/17809123-ebb0-460e-ae4d-507ef4199c86

Is the liquid from canned foods ok to eat? Opinions on (potentially) illicit gear? (PODCAST E26)

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On this episode of the Ask Adam Podcast, I'll answer the age old question that I'm sure has been bugging you for your years: Is it ok to taste the liquid fro canned foods?

00:14 - Is the liquid from canned foods ok to eat?
27:17 - Your opinions on (potentially) illicit 'gear'?

#podcast #askadam #foodie #foodpodcast #cookingpodcast #q&a

The trick for ultra-smooth, not-gluey mashed potatoes

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Most recent literature review I can find on the effects of low-temperature blanching on potatoes: researchgate.net/publication/15131447_Effect_of_preheating_on_potato_texture

This vid isn't really a recipe, but here's the basic procedure:

1) Cut or slice your potatoes into smaller pieces than you'd normally do for mash.

2) Rinse and drain the free starch off the potato pieces (or don't — it doesn't make a huge difference).

3) Cover the potato pieces with water (and throw in a few peeled garlic cloves if you want).

4) Turn the heat on low and hold the potatoes at a sub-simmering temperature for about 20 minutes (that time is a guess — I don't know what the optimal duration is).

5) Either increase the heat to a simmer and finish cooking until they're soft enough to mash, or if you want an even more dramatic effect, drain and cool the potatoes all the way down before simmering until soft.

6) Drain, mash and finish as usual. A ricer will get you the finest texture, but whipping with beaters is fine — the low-temperature blanching step virtually assures a non-gluey texture. I like to finish with butter, sliced green onions, salt, pepper, a bit of the reserved cooking water, some powdered milk, and then I'll swirl a raw egg yolk into the hot potatoes at the table.

Why I salt my mashed potatoes, not my boil water (and other mash myths debunked)

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Is it bad to taste from the stirring spoon? Why you gotta make everything political? (PODCAST E25)

Adam Ragusea 2022-09-10 | On this episode of the Ask Adam Podcast, Adam answers your pressing questions. Including the most pressing question: is it bad to tase from the stirring spoon?

Thank you to Future for sponsoring this episode! Work with a fitness coach who will keep you accountable. Try your first month for $19: tryfuture.co/AdamRagusea

00:11 - Is it bad to taste from the stirring spoon?
40:16 - Why you gotta make everything so political?

Bouillabaisse — Frenchy fish stew with croutons and rouille

Adam Ragusea 2022-09-08 | Thanks to Squarespace for sponsoring this video! Go to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to http://squarespace.com/ragusea and add code “RAGUSEA" at checkout to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

I refuse to write an actual recipe for a stew that's better improvised. FWIW, here's how I would make bouillabaisse in broad steps:

1) If you want rouille for the croutons, start with that, because the flavor improves as it sits around for awhile. Rouille is spicy aioli and aioli is garlicy mayonnaise made with olive oil, with or without egg yolk as an emulsifier. Some possible additions would be roasted red pepper, nuts, breadcrumbs, fish stock (maybe just the juice from your stew), lemon juice or vinegar, saffron, chili powder, etc. There is no one traditional recipe, so work with what you have and what you like. Just make a spicy, garlicy mayonanaise.

2) To start the stew, I'd cut up some form of onion, thin slice a fennel bulb (reserving the fronds for garnish), peel and chop some garlic and get all of that softening in a pan with olive oil. In the video I diced up an artichoke heart as well, but that probably wasn't worth it. Once soft, cover with fish stock if you have it or plain water if you don't.

3) If you don't have fish stock, you can just buy a cheap, whole white fish, cut off whatever good chunks of meat you can and reserve, stuff the bones and skin and head and everything into some cheese cloth along with some bay leaves and any vegetable trimmings you have, tie off the cloth and submerge it in your simmering pot. In a half hour, you'll have amazing seafood flavor and body in your stew, and you can just pull the cloth out and discard before you eat.

4) I'd do all of the above before prepping fresh tomatoes, because I think it's good to preserve their freshness and put them in halfway though. If you want to take their skins off, you can put them in the simmering stew until their skins split, pull them out and then the skins should peel off easily. Chop them roughly and get them simmering with everything else. Cook until they're pretty much broken down.

5) The stew is often flavored with dried orange peel, but I liked the result from using a fresh orange toward the end of cooking. Grate the zest into the stew and then squeeze in the juice. You can also add any last minute seasonings to taste at this point — I just did saffron and salt. Saffron is expensive so consider using paprika instead if you want a redder color.

6) Put your reserved fish chunks and any other seafood in the stew a few minutes before you plan to eat — most fish cooks very fast. This dish is traditionally made with a massive array of different kinds of fish, but I think it's cheaper and more sustainable to focus on making a great broth and then maybe just throw in some mussels at the end — cook them until they open up.

7) Slice up a baguette or some similar bread, toast the pieces under the boiler, top with rouille, and serve with the stew. Garnish with the fennel fronds.

Nightshades (probably) arent hurting you (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, eggplant, etc)

Adam Ragusea 2022-09-05 | Thanks to Trade Coffee for sponsoring this video! Click drinktrade.com/RAGUSEA to get $30 off your first order plus free shipping

2022 Arthritis Foundation overview of the nightshades controversy: http://blog.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/nightshades-arthritis

2019 Cleveland Clinic overview of the nightshades controversy: health.clevelandclinic.org/whats-the-deal-with-nightshade-vegetables

2017 experiment showing that an Autoimmune Protocol Diet can help with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5647120

2010 mouse study showing that solanine from potatoes can aggravate Inflammatory Bowel Disease: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20198430

1983 toxicology of solanine that mentions mammals don't absorb it very well when ingested: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6338654

2016 Boston Globe interview where Tom Brady's then chef claims that nightshades cause inflammation: boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2016/01/04/meet-the-chef-who-decides-what-tom-brady-eatsand-what-he-definitely-doesnt

2003 Swedish study showing that a Mediterranean Diet helped with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1754463

Dr. Norman Childers' old website with his various nightshade-related content: http://noarthritis.com

Why dont you use serrated knives? Are home-fermented foods safe? More money Qs? (PODCAST E24)

Adam Ragusea 2022-09-03 | Thanks to Indeed for sponsoring this episode! Need to hire? You need Indeed: http://indeed.com/RAGUSEA

On this week's episode of the Ask Adam Podcast, Adam Ragusea answers the following questions: Why don't you use serrated knives? Are home-fermented foods safe? He'll also answer any follow-up questions regarding YouTube monetization.

00:25 Why don't you use serrated knives?
18:19 Are home-fermented foods safe?
47:12 Follow-up questions about YouTube money?

#podcast #askadam #foodie #foodpodcast #cookingpodcast #q&a

Baba ghanoush with crispy grilled flatbread

Adam Ragusea 2022-09-01 | Thanks to Aura for sponsoring this video! Try 14 days free and protect yourself from identity theft: aura.com/adam

***RECIPE***

For the dip

6-7 lbs (3 kilos) fresh eggplants
1-2 lemons
garlic (I used like 5 cloves but that was a lot)
cilantro or parsley
tahini
olive oil
salt
spices, if you want (coriander, cumin, sumac, etc)

For the bread

3/4 cup (175mL) water
1/4 cup (60mL) plain yogurt (can replace with water)
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (60g) cornmeal (skip if you want softer bread)
bread flour (as much as it will take, about 2 cups, 150g)

To make the bread dough, combine all the ingredients with as much flour as you can stir in. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes, then knead in as much additional flour as the dough will take. Cover and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours. Divide the dough into six little balls and let proof for a half hour.

Flour the dough balls and roll them out about as thin as you can, docking them with a fork if you want lots of small bubbles instead of one big one. I like to lay each one on a little slip of parchment paper, stack them, and put them in the fridge until I'm ready to grill — they're easier to handle if cold.

Ignite a bunch of charcoal, put it in the grill, cover it with a bunch more unlit charcoal, and lay on the grate. If using a gas grill, just get it as hot as you can. Same if you're using your oven — ideally, use the broiler. Pierce the eggplants so they won't explode on you when they get hot, throw them on the heat, cover, and roast until almost completely incinerated — the skins should be burned to crisp and the flesh should be dark, soft and considerably shrunken. It took me about 45 minutes, but that'll vary a lot.

While you're waiting, you can mince your garlic.

Pull the eggplants off, cut them open, let them steam out until you can handle them, then scoop out the flesh, keeping burned bits of skin to a minimum. Drain as much water out of the flesh as you can — I do this by squeezing it in a tea towel, but some people use a sieve, some people use a salad spinner, etc.

Now you just stir in as much garlic, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, salt, herbs and spice as tastes good to you. When adding in the tahini and olive oil, drizzle it in slowly and stir really aggressively to form an emulsion. You'll want a lot of olive oil — enough to give you mayonnaise consistency at the end.

Scrape down the grill grates, slap on the doughs and cook for a minute or so on each side until puffy. If you want soft bread, pull the loafs when they still look a little doughy. I like them crackery, so I let them brown a little more.

Rip and dip.

Figs have tiny dead wasps inside them (but theyre ok to eat)

Adam Ragusea 2022-08-29 | Thanks to Squarespace for sponsoring this video! Go to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to http://squarespace.com/ragusea and add code “RAGUSEA" at checkout to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.

2006 journal article on 11,200-year-old parthenocarpic fig find Jordan River site: science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1125910

Scholarly response to the above article, arguing the find is not necessarily evidence of deliberate cultivation: science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1132636

1979 article in the journal California Agriculture on caprification of Smyrna-type fig trees: https://calag.ucanr.edu/archive/?type=pdf&article=ca.v033n11p12

A useful history of fig cultivation from the University of Florida: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG214

A delightful (and extensive) old blog post on figs and fig wasps from the now-retired Palomar College botany professor Dr. Wayne Armstrong https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/ww0501.htm

Ask Adam: How does YouTube money work (or not)? (PODCAST E23)

Adam Ragusea 2022-08-27 | Thanks to Masterworks for sponsoring this episode! Skip the waitlist and invest in blue-chip art for the very first time by signing up for Masterworks: https://masterworks.art/ragusea

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See important Masterworks disclosures: masterworks.io/about/disclaimer

Thanks to Trade Coffee for sponsoring this episode! Check out my coffee collection and get $30 off your subscription to the best coffees in the country: drinktrade.com/adamshow

On this week's episode of the Ask Adam Podcast, Adam explains the process of monetizing your videos on YouTube.

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