>  > Then there's the Vietnamese, who probably use pretty well everything 
>  > although they may not serve it to outsiders. 
>  ML> Yes, I'd forgotten, there is a huge Vietnamese
>  ML> presence in Texas and Louisiana.
> Not too long ago, Marcus Samuleson did a series called "No Passport
> Required".  One of his shows was set in New Orleans.
> We eagerly looked forward to it expecting to learn something new about
> Cajun or Creole cooking.  Instead it was 100% focused on the Vietnamese

Mkes sense, as the normal New Orleans subjects have 
been done over and over again. Plus, as he is a 
displaced person himself, he must have a lot of 
sympathy for other refugees and emigres.

> community in New Orleans -- which I never knew existed.  His show on
> Detroit was focused on the Middle Eastern community there.
> Neither show was what I expected, but both were excellent.   I think
> that there were only six shows in all.  Other shows were Ethiopian in
> Washington DC, Indo-Guyanese in Queens, Mexican in Chicago and Haitian
> in Miami.

All interesting.

> And yes -- most of us would quickly change some of the ingredients in
> this recipe, but it does look like it has possibilities.
>       Title: Spinach & Beef Pita Sandwiches !

Definitely not my kind of thing!

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v7.07

      Title: Eggplant Sichuan Style
 Categories: Chinese, Vegetarian
   Servings:  4

      6    Chinese eggplant, or:
      1 lg Italian eggplant
      2 ts Salt
      4 tb Peanut or corn oil
           - (or more if needed)
      1 tb Soy sauce
      1 tb Sugar
    1/4 c  Chicken stock
      2 ts Grated fresh peeled ginger
      1 tb Minced garlic
    1/4 ts Dried red chile flakes
    1/4 c  Chopped water chestnuts,
           -(peeled), preferably fresh
      3    Green onions, trimmed and
           - chopped
      1 tb Red wine vinegar
      1 tb Sesame oil
      1 tb Toasted black sesame seeds
           - (for garnish)

  CUT EGGPLANT into 1/2-by-2-inch strips. If using Italian eggplants, peel
  skin. In a colander, toss eggplant with salt; drain for 30 minutes.
Squeeze
  gently to remove excess water. Pat dry with paper towels. In a small
bowl,
  mix soy sauce, sugar and chicken stock. Preheat wok until hot over high
  heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the oil, tilt wok to coat sides. When hot, add
1
  layer of eggplant, stir-fry until seared and tender (about 3 minutes).
  Remove to colander. Drain over a bowl to catch juices. Cook remaining
  eggplant in same manner adding more oil if needed. Reheat wok over
  medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil, ginger, garlic
and
  chile; cook gently but do not brown. Add water chestnuts and half of the
  green onions; stir-fry together for 5 seconds. Increase to high heat, add
  reserved soy sauce mixture and eggplant juices; bring to a boil. Return
  cooked eggplant; toss quickly over high heat until most of the sauce is
  reduced and absorbed into eggplant (about 1-to-2 minutes). Fold in
vinegar
  and sesame oil. Remove to serving dish. Top with remaining green onions
and
  sesame seeds. Serve hot or cold.

  JOYCE JUE - PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK

  She means big purple eggplant when she refers to Italian.
  It would be better to add a little minced pork and/or an
  order of magnitude more hot pepper. White sesame seeds.
  [M's notes]

MMMMM
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)