> >> putting duck on a shopping list for our next venture to Wegmans :)
> > It's getting a little expensive again, but it can
> > be cost effective if you use everything but the
> > quack, as they used to say.
> Yes, agree there :)

Ducks have been a staple home-raised food in many
cultures for many centuries, and there has to be
a reason for that. Good-tasting counts for a lot,
but there must be some practical advantages, ease
of raising, hardiness, whatever. The relatively
high prices we see these days are probably because
duck farmers don't enjoy the economies of scale
that the chicken farmers do.

> >Especially the fat,
> > which substitutes nicely for chicken fat or even
> > butter if it's gently rendered.
> It is so flavorful, I love it.  Duck is cheaper at the asian markets in
Ithaca,
> of course they are generally selling the whole duck frozen (I don't mind that
> (grin).  Now with the asian vegetables in my garden I can think about a
variety
> of dishes I love.. and duck soup from the bones, etc..

That's fine, but remember to get a gutted one. At her
picnic xxcarol got a whole frozen one from the Asian
market that I had to remove the entrails of, for which 
occasion, for some reason, none of the other participants 
joined me in the kitchen. The good news is that I got an 
intact liver and heart. I was not up for doing the 
intestines, which in retrospect I should have cleaned 
and cooked.

Which Asian veggies do you have? I will admit that
despite my self-made anti-greens reputation I like
many varieties of Brassica, especially the rapa
species (mizuna, napa, rapini, yu choy, etc.).

> > why bother. Green leafies haven't been my food of
> > choice anyway - I'm no rabbit. Recently acid foods
> > have begun to bother me as well. Old age.
> I try to eat a lot of green leafies...  For salads I use probably a really
good
> basamic vinegar with extra virgin olive oil.  Pehaps planting them in my
garden
> helps a lot it with that as well.  The other day as I was thinning things
I ate
> a ton of pea greens .. won't get sugar snaps on those at least right away...
> but I love pea greens:)

Now that I think of it, it's the lettuces that I
have the most disdain for. Pea shoots, sweet potato
leaves, pepper greens, all are fine; the B. rapa
as above (also some of the B. oleracea - anything
with "broc" in it).
 
> The red leaf lettuce I planted is doing so well.. I grabbed on of those the
> other day and we had tuna lettuce roll ups.. My son was happy (no meat) :)
Last
> night I made broccoli sauce and ziti for dinner and he was also happy with
> dinner (g). So now I won't feel guilty when I pull out the steak from the
> freezer and he decides to eat peanut butter/jelly instead :)

Broccoli sauce is fine if you add enough garlic, which
is the cure-all for vegetables (but not lettuces). I've
even made pasta with cabbage for echo people, who, though
initially skeptical, seemed to like it okay in the end.
A dose of pork product of course improves it quite a lot,
of course.
 
> > Mayo? For me a bit of rich on rich, I have a
> > strong preference for animal fat. Now if we were
> > talking about a nice auscitaine (now not very
> > fashionable mayo-like emulsified sauce made with
> > poultry rendering), then I'm your guy.
> Nah, I'd never eat mayonaisse on fries :)  I can't think of the last time I've
> had it even.. Ok I use it to make a good thousand-island dressing for things
> like reubens, etc. :)

Its use has become epidemic in south Asia, for some
reason, even as the nutrition shortfall in these places
has been eliminated. Seems the more calories one has 
available, the more one wants. It seems that mayo is
supplanting more savory sauces on many luncheon tables,
for example.

> ===Onion Rings from the 18th Century===

Interesting.

Ivar's Crab Louie Salad
categories: Seattle, seafood, salad, main
Yield: 3 servings

1/4 c sweet relish
1/2 c bacon and tomato twist mayonnaise
12 oz crabmeat
1 md hd green leaf lettuce, chopped
1 md hd iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 vine-ripened tomato, in 8 wedges
1 cn black olives (whole pitted)
1 sm green bell pepper, 1/4" rings
1 md cucumber, sliced 1/4"
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered lengthwise

In a medium bowl, combine sweet relish, mayo, 
and crabmeat. Set aside.

On a 12" chilled platter, combine the lettuces. 
Arrange tomato wedges around the perimeter. 
Alternate the olives, bell pepper rings, and 
cucumber slices between the tomatoes. Spoon 
the crabmeat mixture into the center. Top with 
the quartered hard-boiled eggs arranged in a 
pinwheel fashion.

Recipe courtesy of Ivar's Restaurant