h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Then some wise guy came along and suggested that a small pigeon be added to the bark and roots...

lanzababy:

I appreciate hearing your opinion, that EG recipe entries seem to be in metric units, but that's just an anecdotal claim, just now. I believe that I've seen more EG entries using the Cups, Tsp, Pints measurements. But when, exactly, is the last time you went into a pub and asked for a 0.568261485?

Of course, if somebody as done some research on EG recipes, and has the numbers (like 70% or more) to support your claim, I'll jump right on board! (I make the number of EG recipes to be something under 250.)

DSG-:

Actually, for the longest time, the pot was hanging over a wood fire.

And, don't forget that some other wise guy added the rice and leeks!!

Cheers, all!

And presumably invented a way of measuring called 'the handful'...

>>>>presumably invented a way of measuring called 'the handful'...

to which was added a pinch, a dollop....

But if you want to usefully share information, for example via a recipe, a little standardisation helps.

The trouble starts when one person's standard is different from anothers. It gets worse when some people use many standards, choosing one to suit their mood, and flipping between standards to demonstrate their multi cultural heritage, love of measurement, and ability with conversions. At least, when it comes to the pigeon, there is a single standard involved called 'one'.

Aye, 'the one', but is it the large one, the tiny one, or the middling one?

I have never seen a pigeon that wasn't 'pigeon-sized'.

http://www.mobiles24.com/downloads/s/327633-4-guy_attacked_by_a_huge_pigeon

He should have stayed hidden in the giant risotto (made using Imperial Measurements but written in Metric).

Now THAT was One BIG Pigeon!

Can this be sent to FM now, before everyone who has posted comments here gets bored with this entry? Any scout available to second this suggestion please?

Seconded, but it's a disgrace that a contributor to h2g2 should have been bored into deserting an entry by such inane commenting

I'm going to try this receipe myself later this week, but with something alternative to pigeon, not sure what yet

>>>>it's a disgrace that a contributor to h2g2 should have been bored into deserting an entry by such inane commenting

The researcher stopped posting well before the recent *inane commenting*. In his last post on this thread - number 11 - he asked a question. See F48874?thread=6780100&skip=0&show=20#p84899390

I'd be opposed to giving anything but the roughest of measurements for risotto. It's the kind of thing that you learn to cook at your grandmother/mother/grandfather/father/whoever/Gordon Ramsay's (if you're lucky) knee and you get a feeling for it.

I work on the volume measurement kind of thing. One mug (see, a large cup...) of rice for 4 people - one mug of vermouth/wine and 4 mugs of stock. Which could be, if you're not cheffy (like wot we are) 4 mugs of instant stock type stuff.

Plus an onion (bigger or smaller depending on how much you like onions) anything from 1 clove to half a bulb of garlic, some celery (unless, like me, you hate it and leave it out accidentally on purpose)...

You may not use all the stock, or you may use it all. It will depend on the age and type of your rice, and how fast you cook the liquid. A rolling boil isn't really the right way to make risotto, but if you do that you'll need something like 8 mugs of liquid. gentle simmering might only use 3 or 3.5 mugs, or might use more. Who knows?

Onions seem pretty strong to me. I prefer shallots. However I can offer this viewpoint:

Alton Brown, a TV chef who does a fair bit of research for his shows, tells a story about an Aunt and Uncle taking him to eat a fancy Italian restaurant, with Risotto available at the top and bottom of the hour. He demanded to know about the cream in the sauce and was assured that the creaminess stems from the rice, itself.

Alton, on youtube, suggests that traditional rices include Arborio, Carnoroli and Vialone Nano. He then suggests that vital ingredients include the rice, cooking liquid (wine and stock or broth, finely diced aromatic vegetables and butter.

His additional suggestions are Parmesan Cheese, of course, chunks of up to two cooked vegetables (he used asparagus and mushrooms), and last minute touches like lemon zest and/or nutmeg.

The aromatics could be a sofrito - Italian: onion, celery and carrot. Puerto Rican: onions, tomatoes, sweet red peppers, garlic, cilantro, ajices dulce. Another version: onions, green peppers, long coriander leaves, garlic, cilantro, sweet peppers).

Chef Gordon Ramsay was serving a green risotto that turned out to be a simple risotto with an asparagus puree added toward the end. Spinach puree was substituted, as a test at one point, and the quality control chef didn't seem to object.

Happy writing for the researcher, happy cooking to the cooks, and happy eating to everyone fortunate enough to find good risotto!




PS: One final note, I know that there is a backlash against the artificial nature of truffle oils; but my palate is not refined enough to knotice the difference. So, I've made a truffle butter log from which I cut a thin slice to float atop my risotto at the end or in the serving dish.

The question remains (see post 11 and 13, F48874?thread=6780100&skip=0&show=20#p84899390 ): is the EG the right place for recipes?
Note that another researcher, around about the same time, wrote a very good entry on curry and complained that (s)he had been asked to 'personalise it' and 'de-personalise it'. She ended up abandoning the recipe.

Is there a 'position' recipes? Is it that mentioned in post 13?

The distinction between classic recipes and the rest...

I think to walk that path is to stroll directly down the throat of the dragon called cultural imperialism.

Just because "people" have not heard of it doesn't mean that it isn't ancient or standard somewhere. If the "classic" test were applied and it were thirty years' ago, every person from the Sceptred Isles would object to anything containing rice or garlic or that wasn't boiled (to death). Classic dishes are hard to identify from any limited set of perspectives.

Having said that, I had a completely made up recipe on the front page last week - albeit made with traditional British ingredients.

Also if the recipe is too classic it will almost certainly hit some BBC copyright exclusion policy since the variation is certain to be in print somewhere.

I fail to see how a "classic" recipe, cooked by bazillions of chefs, can fall foul of any copyright issues. Even here where we have a hair trigger for that kind of thing.

I think that (and I have some recipes as Edited Entries from waaaay back when) the guide doesn't need to be a recipe book.

HOwever, if you look at the comments here for risotto - how difficult would it be to make an entry about something like risotto? It's a personal thing. EVERYONE has their own method and likes/dislikes. There are an infinite variety of ingredients - I love it with spinach - and there is definitely a story behind it. Who made the first risotto? What about the various types of rice that you can use? etc etc.

If we were to make the Great H2G2 Recipe Book in the underguide or create The Post's Book of Lovely Food I would back it 100%.

My assertion is that one continent's classic recipes are another continent's fringe food.

In post 13, Rich mentioned this A690815 , a compilation of recipes... maybe it needs to be better known