Recent Foodsville publications by Mayor

Hungarian Thickening (Rantas)

mayor@foodsville.com — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:52:40

This recipe is from Hungarian Specialties Cookery Book (1900) by Nelly de Sacellary.

First we would like to say a few words about our soups and vegetables. To foreigners it is strange that we eat much thicker soups and vegetables than the people of other countries. The reason is that we prepare a thickening for all our soups and vegetable dishes. "Rantas" is the special Hungarian thickening and whereas in other countries foods are prepared with either butter or a little flour, in our country this thickening is used always. Especially in the country it is inconceivable to prepare a soup or a vegetable without thickening. Its purpose is to thicken and flavour the food. Not all, but most vegetables and soups are prepared in this way. In our recipes it is indicated whether a dish is prepared with or without "rantas." It is prepared in the following way:

VINTAGE MUTTON STEW (Sziireti birkagulyas)

mayor@foodsville.com — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:08:09

This recipe is from Hungarian Specialties Cookery Book by Nelly de Sacellary.

After the vintage is over, it is a custom that the wine-grower invites all his workers to a dinner cooked in the open. The amount of meat used depends on the number of guests. In the old days there were homes where ten sheep were killed during the vintage and the festival lasted till morning with eating, drinking, dancing.

"TRANSYLVANIAN" STEW (Szekely Gulyas)

mayor@foodsville.com — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:57:55

This recipe is from Hungarian Specialties Cookery Book by Nelly de Sacellary.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH COOKED BEEF (Tyuk leves bennejott marhahussal)

mayor@foodsville.com — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:39:09

This recipe is from Hungarian Specialties Cookery Book by Nelly Sacellary.

Our recipe will serve six people, but one can imagine that at a Hungarian village wedding, where 100 or 200 people are invited, what great quantities of ingredients are used to prepare this soup, which is just the first course of the holiday banquet. Chicken soup is an infallible dish at wedding festivals or at the Easter Sunday dinner.

Shaken, Not Stirred

mayor@foodsville.com — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:01:13

From today's New York Times: Where to Eat, Ask Your iPhone

SNAFU

mayor@foodsville.com — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:43:30

Dear Foodsville Residents:

I have been informed by many citizens that each of us has been inundated by Foodsville email with links to articles that have been previously published. I have alerted the Public Works Department about this unwanted torrent that is flooding our beloved citizens. They have turned off the main valve and normalcy has been restored. I apologize for this incontinence.

Foodsville Alert: Electrical Outage Tomorrow

mayor@foodsville.com — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:44:12

Dear Residents of Foodsville:

Yikes! I just got an email from the Head of the Foodsville Public Works Department. He informed me that all of the electricity going to Foodsville will be shut off for a couple of hours tomorrow (Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 9-11 am GMT, 4-6 am EDT, 1-3 am PDT).

Apparently, the main Foodsville generator (or something) is being moved to the other side of the Great Pond. I have great confidence in our Public Works Department, but if you can't see anything when you come to town, tomorrow, you'll know why.

Thank you for your attention. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Sincerely,

The Honorable Mayor of Foodsville

Nice Mentions of Foodsville

mayor@foodsville.com — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:47:53

7.11.08--University of Florida Digital Library Center Blog mentioned Foodsville "which repurposes digitized historical cookbooks to create a cookbook community and herald in innovations in printing." Thanks, Laurie N. Taylor.

3.24.08--And here. Thanks, again, gardnerjoy.

3.22.08--New user, gardnerjoy, receives the Mayor's thanks for spreading the word about Foodsville here. She's my friend; she's a friend to all in Foodsville.

3.21.08--Thanks, Kate, for also mentioning Foodsville in your food blog which is here. Kate's now a citizen of Foodsville. Can you guess who she is? Her blog gives a clue.

3.21.08--With pride I point you to: infodoodads

"There’s more to Foodsville than just cookbooks; I found myself sucked in several times by the “Daily Feed” a collection of about five links on topics ranging from Dumpster Diving to Tamil Cuisine to Popcorn. There are recipes to try, books available for purchase, and groups to join. Even if you’re not looking for another social network, it’s worth taking a little tour of what Foodsville has to offer."--Kate, infodoodads

Favorite Food Memoirs: Ruth Reichl

mayor@foodsville.com — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:14:57

Ruth Reichl: Favorite Food Memoirs appeared on NPR last summer. In an interview with Steve Inskeep, the editor of Gourmet talked some of her favorite memoirs. Reichl summed up today's interest in food memoir: "People are writing their lives in food. They are actually looking at the world food-first." Here are books available on Foodsville that Ruth Reichl mentions.

Major New Improvement to the Daily Feed

mayor@foodsville.com — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:46:45

When user Cynthia posted her article on rum, I realized we needed to add a way to link back and forth between the subject of the Feed and the ever-growing content on the site. In order to accomplish that, I have aded a new feature to today's Feed. The Title of the Feed is now a link that brings you to any content in Foodsville tagged with that exact phrase. Authors should now consider tagging their articles and recipes, past and present, with titles from past Feeds. To tag articles, add words in the input box in the right column under the "About" area. To tag an article "scottish cuisine" type the words (ie scottish cuisine) separated by a space. To add another tag, simply put a comma between the words (ie scottish cuisine,haggis,robbie burns,gross). I think this will help draw attention to content on Foodsville, as the Feed makes its way out into the world and draws people into the site.

Meat the New Logo: Porkers of Foodsville

mayor@foodsville.com — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:22:16

As the fastest growing group on Foodsville, the Porkers of Foodsville now have something to squeal about. Today, the Chairman of the Branding Committee of the Porkers of Foodsville unveiled a new logo. Porkers will no doubt be learning more about the heritage of this logo at their "meat-up" this coming Tuesday at Bison County in Waltham, Massachusetts. For those who are unaware of the event, information is here. Please join the Porkers at this first-ever gathering of Foodsville citizens for what should prove to be a hog-wild, rib-tickling, evening among friends.

Citizen-of-the-Year Award Dinner

mayor@foodsville.com — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:19:21

It was an evening to remember, Sunday night as Foodsville Pioneers and City Councilors gathered at New York's hot, trendy, uptown Cuban restaurant Calle Ocho to eat and pay tribute to one of the most prolific authors in Foodsville, Pinckney Mikell. Attending were City Councilors Andrew Bolwell and Steven Rosenberg, Pioneers Michael Marino, Disty Pearson, Andy Smith, Cooper Wright and Pioneer and wife of the Citizen of the Year 2007, Laura Mikell.

The Mayor sent regrets, but sent Publisher Phil Zuckerman to present the first annual "Foodsville Citizen of the Year Award." Before appetizers, Mr. Mikell was presented with a plaque commemorating his achievement. He humbly accepted the award. "Thank you for this honor." Moments later, he was presented with a sherrif's badge and a selection of hot sauces from Pioneer Mike Marino, who had just returned from Texas.

According to the Mayor's press release, Mr. Mikell was honored for his unflagging enthusiasm for the creation and addition of content to Foodsville, for his willingness to encourage and help others, and for his "Foodsville rock-star status" among his growing hoard of food groupies in the Boston, New York, and San Francisco areas.

After Mr. Mikell's award, the Mayor sent along a surprise announcement. The City Council had voted to elect Andrew F. Smith as a city councilor. This position, though without remuneration or benefit, is in recognition of Andy's long standing as an advisor and friend to Foodsville and the Mayor's office.

Dinner was delicious. The meal began with appetizers of Gallitos, platter of traditional Costa Rican soft tacos with grilled beef, shrimp enchilado & chipotle chicken, four beautifully presented oyster shooters (mojito, caipirinha, sangria, margarita), and a ceviche sampler. The entrees were all served exquisitely: Bistec, Cuban style “steak frites”, traditional chimichurri; Lechon, mojo braised pork shank, guizo de maiz; Cordero, braised lamb “Barbacoa style”, rajas poblanos; Corvina, Chilean seabass, porotos mixtos, sea urchin butter, and Pato, duck two Ways, Colombian carimañola, dried cherry sauce. After much conversation and a little seat swapping, the meal was finished off with a medley of festive desserts and coffees: dark chocolate cake, toasted coconut ice cream, and a tasting of sorbets—mandarina, guanabana-kiwi.

The restaurant was friendly and festive. The waitstaff always at hand but never in the way. The evening was a true success.

At the end of the evening, as the group dispersed into the frigid New York night, Mr. Mikell presented a gift of venison steaks to Mr. Zuckerman, who reported: "These will be good." Mr. Mikell advised: "Don't cut off the fat." With that advice, fittingly, the gala evening ended.

Hungry New England Patriots Game Day Menu (1775)

mayor@foodsville.com — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:59:04

A SUPER Feast for a New England Patriot (1775)...

Breakfast/Brunch

Get up early, there are chores to be done. Great way to keep the mind off the big event coming later in the day. If you're a farmer or living in the outposts, porridge and cider or beer were slowly cooking over the embers of the hearth fire. Grab some and go. Delish! If you're a city dweller, grab a mug of something alcoholic, throw down some cornmeal mush and molasses, and wash it down with more cider or beer. Just the thing to get you started on this special day.

Lunch

OK, so you don't really have any. We're talking Dinner at around 3-4 pm. Just before the coverage of night begins. You'll want to start your preparations early. Start by making a trencher. Take a stale loaf of bread and make it into a plate. In the future, hopefully someone will put one on the other side and call it a "bun" or make it thinner and crisper and call it a "taco shell." Make a stew. Make it from pork (Porkers of Foodsville take note) add vegetable and roots that are available: corn and cabbage; potatoes and celery; whatever you've got left in storage in this deepest part of the winter. Put the stew on the trencher and serve. Your guests may not be inclined to eat the trencher, although mine would. Your guests might rather put it out for the animals. If you're rich and want to really impress your guests, serve a soup and make a shepherd's pie or a meat pudding, add some fritter and sauces and pickles. Serve a sallat (salad). It looks decorative in the middle of your serving table. For dessert: cakes, tarts, fruits, and custards. Then sit around and consume plenty of beer and cider. Toast your favorite New England patriots. Let the games begin.

Supper

Your patriot friends might be excited to party all night long, especially if there is good news. Sing Yankee Doodle. Eat the leftovers. Make some gruel by mixing oats and corn meal in boiling water. Drink more beer or cider.

Now you are truly a New England Patriot. Go Pats!

More information on Colonial Cooking

Colonial Recipes

EVENT: Porkers of Foodsville Meat-Up

mayor@foodsville.com — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:37:56

When: Tuesday, March 4, 2008, 7 pm

Where: Bison County, 275 Moody Street, Waltham, MA (781) 642-9720

It was a warm and rainy primary Tuesday, as the Porkers gathered for the very first time to meat and greet. It started off a bit rocky as Bison County had lost the group's reservation. But luckily, it was a night when most people would be happier sitting by a fire or watching the primary returns from Texas, and the cheerful waitstaff found a giant room at the rear of the restaurant where the Porkers could sit in the warm glow of one another's company, ready to eat prime pig a la Texas. Under a 4-foot high Route 66 sign, a wooden sign that declared "No guns in the Cardroom," and a wall-sized map of Texas, the Porkers wandered in and sat down and introduced themselves to each other. Most had not met before, but there was much to talk about and plenty to eat.

The first dish out was cornbread, appropriate since cornbread was the subject of the Foodsville Daily Feed. The cornbread inspired talk of Tumbleweed's root beer reduction. Conversation erupted everywhere, and the table broke up into three or four groups chatting about food, family, travel, and home, and a myriad of other topics. The menu was Texas and South Carolina, which pleased Pinckney. There was beer and wine and water and Coke flowing. Everyone attending received a t-shirt suitable for staining. After three hours of fun and food, the Porkers split the check, vowed to do it again soon, and disappeared into the wet night. It wasn't quite John McCain's bar-b-que, as the only reporter was from the Foosdville Times, but it was definitely an evening to remember.

State of Foodsville Address

mayor@foodsville.com — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:39:50

Deputy Mayor, City Council, Public Works Department, Fellow Citizens:

As a new community slowly gathers, all of us in Foodsville share a great privilege: building a new city dedicated to sharing food and cookbooks. And tonight, I would like to thank each and every one of you and let you know how we will take your efforts and make the community ever stronger.

Two months ago, I stood on the steps of Foodsville City Hall and cut the ribbon to open the gates of Foodsville, so that any and all would be free to enter. This evening, I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and around the world, to build our community in numbers and spirit.

We now have 170 residents of Foodsville. You are the pioneers. It is through your hard work and feedback and good cheer that Foodsville has become the active place it is. Over the next weeks, I will direct the Public Works Department to build ways to recognize your stalwart efforts and designate all who reside in Foodsville by the end of March as "Foodsville Pioneers."

I have been reminded by many citizens that the Free Library is the heart and soul of Foodsville. The Librarian of the Foodsville Free Library reports that we now have 125 books in the Free Library. These books have been slowly circulating among citizens, and as your Mayor, I have been making note of some of the more interesting passages. But this is not enough. Over the next month, Foodsvillians will notice many changes to the way books can be read and shared. The Public Works Department is actively engaged in making it easier and clearer for citizens to make margin notes, site passages, extract recipes, and use the book content at the center of the Foodsville experience. This content, until now unavailable to users, will strengthen Foodsville and the Food World. Our goal over the next year will be to add 25 historic cookbooks a week to the Free Library. These books from the past, like the 125 books already posted, will be free for citizens to read and make notes on, to share and use in any way. In addition, each of these additional books will be available through the Foodsville Bookstore at the same terms and speed of delivery as the other 14,000 books available from Foodsville.

Today we celebrate the 74th Foodsville Daily Feed. Today's Feed, "The State of the Onion" is a prime example of how the daily feed mixes specific food interests, history, recipes, entertainment, and fun into a collection of internet links. I have heard from many of you that you are enjoying the feed, and, over the next few months, you wil notice new options for the feed: subscribing daily or weekly so that the entire feed is sent to your email account and the ability to email feeds you like to friends. I hope the good citizens of Foodsville continue to feed me feedback on the feed. We thrive on it. Posting your thoughts about the feed on the site is greatly appreciated. Just like a small bird spreading the seeds of plants to propagate them in new places, the Foodsville Daily Feed flutters into the world and plants new links to Foodsville, bringing citizens the world over back to our community to experience the richness of our content. Already, it is appearing on Facebook, in the new group, Citizens of Foodsville, where the feed is posted as a link. We expect to do more with the feed to promote Foodsville and its unique content as the year progresses.

Over the next few weeks, Foodsville will be experimenting with a new community printed magazine, The Foodsville Digest. This magazine will be available to residents and will include content from the site written by users, including your Honorable Mayor. Look for information about this during the month of February. This is a precursor to enabling users to tag and use content to repurpose for print in custom magazines and custom books. These are the very first baby steps, and we will no doubt be asking for your input.

Community is paramount in Foodsville. We have seen neighbors befriending neighbors, adding comments, responding, forming bonds, learning together, sharing, meeting up. These are signs of a healthy community, and we look forward to expanding the population to include others while maintaining the small-town feel of our big city. The City Council and I have determined that given the importance of Groups, we have set up a task force, Group to Review the Optimization of Groups (GROG) to recommend ways in which Groups in Foodsville can be strengthened. GROG's findings will no doubt bring into focus how we can encourage a more vibrant community.

In my pledge to the people of Foodsville, when I became Mayor, I promised "no new taxes." The economy of Foodsville depends on the strength of its commerce. In order to stimulate the economy of Foodsville, this past December the City Council initiated a 30% decrease in the cost of books purchased through our bookstore. I am delighted to report that the City Council has approved my recommendation to continue this measure until further notice, with the hope that Foodsville citizen consumer spending will further stimulate the Foodsville economy and strengthen the climate for setting up business in Foodsville. Over the next few months, you may spot me around town sporting a button that reads "PBJ." It stands for Purchase Books Joyfully.

Lastly, I'd like to recognize someone who has been a rock of our community. Pinckney, please stand up. You have tirelessly and steadfastly contributed to the content of the site. We would like to recognize you as the Citizen of the Year 2007. Though there is no official plaque or monetary prize, we hope you take continued pride in the degree to which the City Council, the Public Works Department, the Deputy Mayor, her staff, and the entire community has benefited from your thoughtful contributions. Pinckney, you will be honored at a dinner in New York City on February 10, 2008, along with myself and members of the City Council. We hail the friendships you have developed and the knowledge you have shared. We look forward to more postings, more meat, and more discoveries.

In conclusion, I am looking forward to a year of great growth for Foodsville. Our Foodsville Pioneers have staked a claim in hitherto undeveloped fertile terrain. There is much promise in our land. We are at Peace. We are blessed with family and friends and a spirit of cooperation. Have a good night. Eat well.