mandelicious' Profile

Joined: March 29th, 2010


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January 16th, 2011

Roasted Polenta from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant

I agree that the recommended temperature of 275 seems too low for roasting much of anything. I presumed it was a typo and went for a temperature of 375 right off the bat. I poured my polenta (prepared... read more >


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mandelicious' Reviews


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6 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 6Sort by: Title | Date | Rating

The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant

By Judy Rodgers, Gerald Asher
W.W. Norton & Co. - 2002

The combination of arugula, corn and tomatoes tossed with a vinaigrette is hardly a revolutionary concept. This simple salad hangs on quality of its ingredients. If you can use fresh and in-season produce, including corn young and fresh enough to be enjoyed raw, then the simplicity of this recipe is its strength. But out of season, it's not worth it.

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16th January 2011

Boiled Kale with Eggs, Fried or Poached : page 163

In need of a recipe for the excess of kale coming from my garden, I turned here. I fried the eggs separately first and then used them to top the kale. "Boiled kale" may sound like something to be eaten solely for the benefit of your health, but this is truly comfort food.

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9th January 2011

Lentils Braised in Red Wine : page 267

Who knew that a pot of lentils could make your kitchen smell like a pot roast? The bay leaf, vegetables and wine combined to create the a fantastic aroma -- I would make this again just to recreate those smells, nevermind the delicious, nutty lentils that come along with it. I followed the instructions as printed, except to cut way back on the olive oil. Easy as this dish was, it did not taste simple. And seeing as I served it with a fried egg, bacon and boiled kale (pg 162), it was in no way an austere meal, even with the reduced olive oil.

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16th January 2011

Roasted Polenta : page 192

I agree that the recommended temperature of 275 seems too low for roasting much of anything. I presumed it was a typo and went for a temperature of 375 right off the bat. I poured my polenta (prepared according to the back of the bag rather than the Zuni recipe) into a pyrex baking dish and it crisped up nicely in the recommended amount of time.

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29th September 2010 (edited: 16th January 2011)

Zucchini Pickles : page 269

These homemade pickles are squite impressive, especially given how easy they are to put together. Rodgers says she serves them with her hamburgers at Zuni Cafe but I am enjoying these with crackers and cheese.

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29th September 2010 (edited: 8th October 2010)

Zuni Roast Chicken : page 342

This is the only whole roast chicken I've ever made, so I can't compare it with other recipes. Given how well this turned out, I don't think I'll feel the need to add others to my repertoire (unless salting the chicken the day before is ever a problem). I didn't bother with the official bread salad, but did serve it with a green salad. It was fantastic.

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