St. Cirq, would you please share your waterzooi recipe?

My mother learned her jambalaya recipe from a cookbook. She was born in Old Windsor, Berks.

Her mother was a cook at Eton College, but left when she married my grandfather. Later, after the war (II) she got a job as a cook in a well-known pub in Windsor. She said she wasn't going to ask my grandfather for money for shoes or a new dress. She wanted her own money.

My grandfather was educated (Cambridge) and posh, so he let her do what she wanted.

Thin

Thin you really need to write a book.....

1) My favorite dish I make myself is a good cheeseburger. My "best" dish is harder to know.

2) My mother makes a mean gumbo.

3) The dish I order more than any other is a cheeseburger. The best dish I've ever had is probably razor clam and parsley at noma.

<I>Gumbo is similar, but the word "gumbo" means there's okra in it. It's an African name for okra, in fact. I suppose seafood gumbo wouldn't have chicken in it. Usually gumbo, like jambalaya, has both chicken and shrimp (or crayfish).</I>

Not exactly true. For starters, gumbo need not have okra, it depends upon the region and the cook. Indeed, there is debate whether the word is African in origin at all. The alternate theory is it comes from a Native American word (kombo) for sassafras leaves, which is called filé. The presence of meat vs seafood (and what kinds) is, as with okra, dependent upon the region and the cook (and what is available) - chicken and shrimp would be a somewhat uncommon pairing. Sausage or Tasso would be the more common meats to mix with a seafood or poultry-based gumbo.

Gumbo and jambalaya are quite different dishes. Gumbo is a stew/soup served over rice or (more rarely) potato salad. There are some historical versions (and probably a contemporary household or two) served over grits. Jambalaya is a rice dish where everything is cooked together, like paella or risotto.

Here you go, Julie. Hard to go wrong with Julia Child, though she makes it sound simple, and that hasn't been my experience. I do love waterzooi, though, a very comforting food:

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/17/di...0517child.html

Gumbo *over* potato salad???

<i>Gumbo *over* potato salad?</i>

Yep. It isn't terribly common, but it is most definitely a thing.

Adding boiled eggs to gumbo is also not unheard of, likely a way to add protein if you are poor - much of Cajun cuisine derives from trying to feed many people with cheap ingredients.

1. My mother made a wonderful Shepherd's Pie made with leftover roast lamb and it's gravy.
2. Tow of my top dinners that I prepare are Linguine with Clam Sauce and Blanquette de Veau.
3.If I see this on a menu, I order it. Dreaming of Greece and Spain as I enjoy Grilled Octopus.

Eks

Thin has gotten mad at me in the past, by suggesting that he hone his writitng skills.

1. Stoofvlees (Flemish stew) with home-made french fries, of course
2. Coq au vin (my mother in law's - my own mother was a terrible cook)
3. fish, any fish except eel.

Stoofvlees ou carbonnades flamandes en français.
Absolutely fantastic when well done. Had a good one recently in Flanders but best ever was at NCO mess of 17RA.

@Whathello
Adding a bottle of Leffe brun (or Sint Bernardus abt 12, even better) and some sirop de Liège makes for excellent stoofvlees!

St. Cirq, Thanks for the waterzooi recipe. Unfortunately hunkered down with our kids in Orlando right now trying to escape Irma, so won't be able to try it right away but can't wait to make it.

Stuffed Shrimp (stuffed with lobster, ritz crackers, melted butter, sour cream and parmesan)
Mom's Swedish meatballs
Pasta and shellfish

Oooooh, Julie, take care! The waterzooi can wait!

<much of Cajun cuisine derives from trying to feed many people with cheap ingredients>

Much of many cuisines derive from that goal.

Gwendolyn we ought to get together sometime over Vietnamese. The new-ish New Yorker mentioned 2 places in the East Village....not so out of the way for us both by bus.....

MyriamC, is sirop de Liège the equivalent of the molasses or the gingerbread?

I really want to make this recipe as soon as it gets cold!

@StCirq
Sirop de Liège is made from apples, pears and dates.
http://www.sirop-de-liege.com/FR/sirop.php

Thank you, MyriamC!

ekscrunchy... will have to double check my New Yorkers. I'd love to investigate the restaurants, but right now a not serious, but PITA, medical problem is keeping me close to home. Thank god one can have anything one needs delivered in Manhattan. My friends from other places marvel when they visit. We also have a decent Indian restaurant in the neighborhood. They actually have a chicken liver appetizer. Love livers!

1. Your best dish that YOU make yourself.
Too many...
Just kidding. The answer is "fake dog meat", which is cooked from pork and some heavy shrimp paste, accompanied by lots of fresh herbs. Does it taste like dog? I don't know.

2. Best dish that your wife /husband/mother does or did.
Vietnamese nem that my mum cooks. It's nothing to do with the fried spring rolls you eat in restaurants.

3. Best dish you have at a restaurant (the one you order the most).
Wagyu beef. Although "wagyu" just mean "beef" in Japanese, the better kind you eat in Japan is really something.