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Trying to throw the thread into the air - so Dag or littlek come by with info about a fennel cole slaw served at last night's A2K get-together in the Boston-zone.

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Fennel cole slaw for ehBeth

The recipe calls for about a 1:3 mix of fennel and green cabbage. I switched it to 2/3s fennel 1/3 cabbage. Here's the original recipe (it's very light, fresh and refreshing):

1/3 C white vinegar
1 TBS olive oil
1 TBS sugar
2 tsp anise seeds (are anise seeds = fennel seeds? I used fennel seeds slightly ground up in a mortar and pestle)

whisk the above ingredients together (I actually heated some of the vinegar and dissolved the sugar in it. Also sort of steeped the fennel seeds). And add:

3 C finely shredded green cabbage
1 C finely shredded fresh fennel bulbs
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper

Toss all in a big bowl. Can make it 24 in advance.

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I have another question. This is for the folks who have made the No Knead Bread that you cook in a Dutch oven. Do you have to oil the Dutch oven? If not doesn't your bread stick to the pan?

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Fennel and anise seeds are different...

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I bake bread in my cast iron frying pans sometimes, with a smattering of cornmeal at the bottom - no trouble getting the bread out. But.. I haven't done the no knead bread thing yet....

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Thanks, osso. That's what the recipe calls for, but I'm worried. I just got a new enameled cast iron Dutch oven and I don't what to runi it.

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A question about substituting tinned (usually Italian plumb) tomatoes for fresh, when the fresh ones just aren't up to scratch, taste-wise. So say a recipe calls for 4 fresh, ripe tomatoes. Would you simply substitute with the same number of the tinned variety? And how about the juice in the tin? Would you use any of that as well? (For soups, pasta sauces, etc.) I've just about given up on bought tomatoes - no taste, too hard & thick skinned. But I grow my own cherry tomatoes for salads, sandwiches, etc.

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msolga wrote:

A question about substituting tinned (usually Italian plumb) tomatoes for fresh, when the fresh ones just aren't up to scratch, taste-wise. So say a recipe calls for 4 fresh, ripe tomatoes. Would you simply substitute with the same number of the tinned variety? And how about the juice in the tin? Would you use any of that as well? (For soups, pasta sauces, etc.) I've just about given up on bought tomatoes - no taste, too hard & thick skinned. But I grow my own cherry tomatoes for salads, sandwiches, etc.

It would depend on the recipe, Olga. What are you making?

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Swimpy wrote:

msolga wrote:
A question about substituting tinned (usually Italian plumb) tomatoes for fresh, when the fresh ones just aren't up to scratch, taste-wise. So say a recipe calls for 4 fresh, ripe tomatoes. Would you simply substitute with the same number of the tinned variety? And how about the juice in the tin? Would you use any of that as well? (For soups, pasta sauces, etc.) I've just about given up on bought tomatoes - no taste, too hard & thick skinned. But I grow my own cherry tomatoes for salads, sandwiches, etc.

It would depend on the recipe, Olga. What are you making?

I was making this soup, Swimpy. Although it was quite good, I wondered if, by adding the tinned tomatoes & their juice, I'd overdone the "tomato-ey taste"! The recipe called for 4 fresh, ripe & tasty tomatoes. How many would you have used if you were substituting them with the tinned, Italian variety? (I omitted to include the chicken stock to my list of ingredients, after gently frying the onion, pancetta, celery & garlic till the vegetables were soft. I think it was rather over-powered by the tomatoes.)

msolga wrote:

Soup tonight. Tomato & lentil. With onion, pancetta, celery & garlic. Plus some slices of grilled Italian sausage thrown in right towards the end of cooking. Served with fresh basil leaves. Rather nice!

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I make tomato soup all the time, don't follow a recipe, so amounts vary. But, I err on the side of too few tomatoes and use the juice in another dish.. even my pasta sauces are getting much more dilute re the tomato "juice".

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Tinned tomatoes should be just fine in soup. I use them all the time. I would steer away from the ones packed in sauce or puree. They seem to have more of a cooked tomato taste. Canned tomatoes are better than those horrible things they sell in the supermarkets any day.

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So basically the same number of tomatoes, tinned or fresh, but minus the juice when substituting fresh for tinned?

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That's my take, msolga, but only a generalization. I've added the whole thing many times - mostly re playing with sauce. Depends on volume, and my changing taste.. I do now like less sauce in the sauce, even very much less, as in mostly none. One can always add tomatoes, or sauce.

and I do tend to strongly not like tomato paste taste. Just give me the tomatoes, eh?

There may be an exception for me on the tomato paste thing, that I found recently, but I'll post it when I try it. Usually I can't stand the taste. Kills me for commercial pizza.

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Thanks, osso.

I just wish that bought tomatoes (at the height of the season!) were roughly what they're supposed to be!

I'd be interested in your findings on the "tomato paste thing".

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I found it when I was sfinciuni-ing.... but I don't remember where. No doubt I'll run across it again. I think it was a sauce in Carol Field's book, and, gah, I may have posted it on that thread. Or maybe I just read it. Bet it was from her. It involved simple long cooking...

Then again, maybe I'm confused. I am assertively not a person of photographic memory.

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I trust your judgement (& your memory!) always, oss! Very Happy

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No, Olga, don't trust me for anything... except my regard for you, which is too corny to go on about.

Okay, enough of that. Slaps self, hitting big toe on left foot, collapsing entire structure of philatilism.

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I'm afraid you can't dissuade me, osso! No, no, no! Very Happy

... & I'm really touched that that you hold me in good regard. Now that is truly a compliment! Thank you!

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Swimpy wrote:

Tinned tomatoes should be just fine in soup. I use them all the time. I would steer away from the ones packed in sauce or puree. They seem to have more of a cooked tomato taste. Canned tomatoes are better than those horrible things they sell in the supermarkets any day.

I just found this post, Swimpy. (What's wrong with my email updates? Confused

)

I only use the Italian tinned varieties (Just like like Marcella recommends! :wink: ) but sometimes I absolutely crave some real fresh, juicy, squishy, yummy tomatoes, just like my dad used to grow in our home garden, years ago! Gone, I'm afraid. Sad

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Msolga, canning is a process that requires salt. So adjust for the salt in your recipe (even if you rinse the heck out of the tomatoes, they are still going to have salt). Otherwise they should be fine for a sub.

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