Luisa, how art thou magnified....

[quemadmodum]

I seem to have been on LJ rather less often of late. Not sure why, really, except a lack of inspiration and the sneaking suspicion that continuing accounts of the garden or the aga or my other preoccupations are not terribly interesting to others. But people have actually ASKED me to write, so why not. Very flattering

Comments

[osodecanela]

sigh - This was the first year in 5 we did NOT do our post-Thanksgiving gay men's tamalada, but then I was on call.

In this bear's not so humble opinion, turkey tamales are the perfect method for disposing of holiday left overs. Frankly, 4 of the last five years, we had more folks show up for the tamalada, than did for the holiday. On more than one occassion, I had to make a second bird, just to have enough turkey for the tamalada.

Stripping all remaining meat from the carcass and then shredding it, then subsequently tossing it with sauted onion and garlic, makes for a tasty filling. The masa is where I really put in som variety. Traditionally, it's pretty bland. I however, prefer to season the masa. Powdered dried mushrooms and truffle oil work wonderfully. So does soaking dried guajillo chilies, then turning them into a paste to work directly into the dough, along with citrus zest.

[gorkabear]

I could but notice that the Tetrazzini reminds me of one local Barcelonian recipe, which is not exactly the same (it's MUCH more simpler) but follows the same philosophy: any leftovers from a roasted bird are minced, mixed with the remaining juices (no cream, we never use dairy for "salty food" here unless you cook "exotic"), then mixed with boiled pasta, covered with cheese and put in the oven "au gratin

[muckefuck]

There is a large tradition in Catalan cuisine to use leftovers.

¿Perquè no ho m'estranya? Érase una vegada un català que arrencava el paper pintat de casa seva, i això que va arribar un amic i digué, "¿Que, redecorant la casa?" "No, de trasllat."

[quemadmodum]

When Hotter was in good shape he was wonderful. Just heard him as Pizzaro in the Testament reissue of Fidelio under Klemperer, with the amazing, luminous Sena Jurinac as Leonore. No one can sing like that nowadays.

[rsc]

My mother used to make a killer turkey pot pie. I always thought it was the true raison d'être of the turkey.

created in honor of the brilliant Italian coloratura Luisa Tetrazzini. She looked a bit like a dumpling

My permanent mental association with Tetrazzini is a quote attributed to her that a net-acquaintance used as a .sig for quite a while: "Sono vecchia, sono grassa, ma sono la Tetrazzini!" ("I'm old, I'm fat, but I'm still Tetrazzini!" [There's really no accurate way to convey the meaning of that use of the definite article in English.])

but I think we'll do the Brahms 4 serious songs instead...Dichterliebe is just too long a group for a mixed program in someone's living room.

Yeah, I think you're right. By the way, you punched one of my buttons: I really wish that people would translate the title of the Brahms as "Four Solemn Songs"; the use of the word "serious" sounds (to me) silly, ironically enough.

[muckefuck]

We had Tetrazzini all the time as kids, but never with leftover turkey--mainly because, with four men in the house, there generally wasn't much in the way of leftovers! monshu's favourite thing to do with a turkey carcass is make soup.