Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

You can buy ground chuck for cheap, and brisket which you can easily grind, very inexpensively. I bet your own home made combo will be as good and one third the cost of the hootey tootey stuff.

A New York City secret--sidewalk hot dog vendor onions. I was literally starving to death one rainy February day on West 34th Street. Seated next to his Sabrett stand on that cold, windy street was a wrinkled old man. I felt sorry for him and took the risk and ordered two franks with mustard and extra onions. My friends tell me to stay away from them. I think they’re crazy. Franks are reliable, legit New York food. I like 'em.
This time the onions were different, tasty. I said I am a chef, and complimented Juan, the ancient Spaniard, on his onions. He proudly informs he makes his own. They really tasted better. No one does that anymore. His sense of pride makes him eschew the commercial junk. He even buys the top grade of franks, though most people can’t tell the difference. Would he share? He very graciously did. Here, as he gave it to me:
“2 lbs yellow onions, sliced thin. Use a Japanese slicer. Cover with water and bring to a boil for just a minute, then drain. Add half a can of tomato paste, a few heaping teaspoons of Spanish paprika, olive oil, S&P, a hefty pinch of sugar. Cook and adjust seasoning until you like the way it tastes. You can add some more paprika if you like.” Keeps in the fridge for a week, longer if you add a few TB of vinegar. Best,
Michael

Try to remember what you were thinking when you were shopping. I often see something and bring it home, later on find something to do with it. But no one should tell you what to do with it. Your own imagination needs the exercise.

Thanks for the photo of that souffle; delish. You have me drooling. I'd have big anxiety choosing between the chocolate and Grand Marnier, but in the end, I'd go for the Grand Marnier, even though it might not be real GM. Better yet, I'd go with a friend, each of us ordering a different favor. I was there and had their crepes, fantastic.

Moosie82, yes the recipe is easily done with a fryer, or deep skillet. Be very careful to shield yourself from hot oil splashing on you when the legs, which contain water, explode. You can count on the explosions, which is why I prefer a deep fryer to do them in. You can do the garnish in a skillet, and toss in the pieces of cooked crab at the end.

It was my first year at NYU grad school. the WTC was then only half built, classes were held at 100 Trinity Place, the back door opened onto the street where the American Stock Exchange was located. Every day at lunch time, there lines in front of Vincent Petrocino's open window where I ordered fried softshells in a soft loaf of Italian Bread, dripping with tartar sauce.

It was my first experience with the delish critters, and would have eaten two times what I did, but for my student sized budget. Through the years, I saw them on many menus, cooks were trying to invent new ways to prepare them, but no one ever bested those deep fried, battered beauties, crisp on the outside, and delish inside.

I remember a soup a l'ail I had in France. A combinatioin of beef and chicken stock, it was thickened slightly with flour, had red wine as an ingredient, bacon too. I swear it cured colds.

I add this not to win a book but to share another of my grandma's recipes:.Babaganoush
One medium sized eggplant, slashed to let the steam out, and a barbecue or open flame stove. Roast the eggplant, turning to keep it from really burning, but enough to let the skin char. That charred taste makes it authentic. If you think it might be cooking too much, it's about right. Remove from the fire when the innards are tender. Let cool slightly. Cut the eggplant to lay open the insides, and scoop out with a spoon into a bowl. Mash it with a fork.
Now add lots of crushed garlic, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, chopped parsley, freshly ground cumin, good E-V olive oil. Keep tasting. Set aside for half an hour to let the flavors develop and get friendly with one another.

Scoop up with triangles of freshly made pita. Here's my cheat:
Use pizza dough pressed into thin rounds and let to stand half an hour, can be cooked over the barbeque. Turn them often, pay attention to them. They should puff up.

The chef at the former Black Sheep restaurant in the west village served it as a brunch special, and gave me his recipe. He used Pillsbury's Flaky biscuits ("better than home made, and easier") and while they were baking, the sausages were in a cast iron pan simmering away. He'd tear the meat to give it the kind of texture where the sauce would stick. After the meat was cooked, a tablespoon of flour was stirred in, then a tiny drop of liquid smoke, not too much, some warm water, and some half and half till the sauce reached the right consistency. He'd season with salt, pepper, and a grate of fresh nutmeg. The biscuits, ready by then, were torn open to let the sauce invade them. He said the plates, though generously stacked, always came back whistle clean.