Subj : Re: Al K. Haul To : Ruth Haffly From : Dave Drum Date : Mon Jun 30 2025 05:27:00 -=> Ruth Haffly wrote to Dave Drum <=- DD> booze as an ingredient so much over the years we've both been on the DD> echo that I made an assumption. And we both know what "assume" does. RH> A few years ago we started trying small amounts of it in cooking. Still RH> don't drink it tho. DD> Which brings us back to the original reason for fermentation, eTc. As DD> a food preservation method from back in the pre-refrigeration days. RH> Same with a number of things we don't do these days. When was the last RH> time you buried a ham in a barrel of salt to cure it? Most likely, RH> never, but that was common at one time. Never salt cured anything - except ice. Bv))= ButI did help hang hams and pork bellies (to make bacon) in the smoke house and stoked the smoke generating stove. DD> But your usage pretty much mirrors mine these days. I use it DD> culinarily, not recreationally. RH> You probably use it more than we do. We can go months without using it, RH> then I'll do something that calls for it a couple of times, then not RH> again for more months. Shrimp scampi is enhanced by a splash of white RH> wine a couple of minutes before turning off the heat & serving it over RH> pasta. Actually it's been a couple years since I've used anything alcoholic as an ingredient. I still have two of the 187mL bottles I bought from Walgreens when I stocked this kitchen 10 years ago. One red and one white. My friend, Lee, makes wine as a hobby - much like our late friend Burton Ford. Lee presents all in his monthly group with a bttle(750 mL) of some very nicely done grape juice. I re-gift it to someone who will enjoys it. DD> My grandmother used to act scandalised when she had the sip of wine DD> at Sunday communuin in her church. But she kept a bottle of RH> Chrisyain DD> Brothers brandy in her pantry for use in cooking. Bv)= RH> We use grape juice for communion. The church we were members of when we RH> were first married used wine but after that we've been members of RH> Southern Baptist congregations. Joined a small SBC church in California RH> when Steve was in language school, liked what they stood for (a few RH> minor side disagreemenst but nothing serious) and have stayed with them RH> ever since. DD> Without getting off into an off-topic discussion of religion - wine is DD> and has been an integral part of Western religion since before the DD> late, great J. C. RH> Definatly. IIRC, the southwestern native Americans fermented cactus RH> juice. Agave cactus is the basis for tequila. DD> And many of the old, traditional wineries/distilleries began in and in DD> many cases are owned/operated by various religious orders. RH> Which goes against some orders of poverty. But they weasel their way around it with fancy bookkeeping - just like politicians. You do know that politics was invented/refined in the Roman church, don't you? Bv)= MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 Title: Politically Correct Balkan Pljeskavica Categories: Pork, Grains, Cheese, Herbs, Chilies Yield: 4 Servings 1 lb (440g) ground pork 1 lg Egg 1 tb Cracked wheat, bulgur, flour - or bread crumbs 1/2 c Chopped mushrooms 1/2 c Grated "yellow" cheese 1/2 c Crumbled feta Splash of beer Paprika, salt & pepper 1 ts Chile powder 1/4 ts Dried oregano or chubritsa 2 tb Chopped fresh dill; (the key - ingredient) Onions & garlic are optional * kashkaval cheese if can get it A kind reader passed along ths, which, he says is a hybrid of the pljeskavica he found in Serbia (where it is best), in Macedonia (where they claim to have invented it), and in Bulgaria (where he lives). In Serbia and Macedonia they like to serve it as a giant flat communal burger, he says, so it can be spread on a baking pan, baked until it turns slightly pink, and then put on the grill. Pljeskavica is traditionally served with a salad of chopped tomatoes and cucumbers with feta, salt and oil, fresh bread, and "of course," Balkan (or even Czech) plum brandy. It may also be served with djuvec rice. Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl. Make individual patties or one large one. Cook on a grill, a grill pan, a frying pan, or under the broiler. From: http://www.ochef.com Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives MMMMM .... Drink coffee: do stupid things faster with more energy. --- MultiMail/Win v0.52 * Origin: SouthEast Star Mail HUB - SESTAR (1:3634/12) .