I do like plum sauce but a lot of the commercial ones are too sweet.
I find a splash of lemon juice and a wee bit of hot sauce improves

I find they are both too sweet and too salty and
generally too obvious. Not that they're one-note
Johnnys, but even if they've three or four or five
notes, the flavors just don't interact well in the
gloopy sauce setting.

them. I also like the results when I combine Chinese plum sauce with
Indian mango chutney.

Too sweet plus too acrid equals just right?

broccoli rabe

And rapini?

I thought they were essentially the same thing.

That's what I was asking. I am familiar with rapini and from what
I've read I was pretty sure broccoli rabe was another name for the
same vegetable. A little Googling confirmed that.

Brassica rapa has many faces, and those vegetables
you listed are all I believe subspecies of it.
Heading broccoli is a relative newcomer to the scene.

... The innumerable bottled sauces are enemies of good cookery.

Partly true, but Worcestershire, HP, and others
have been assimilated into even good cooking over
the years.

Ham Stock
categories: Canadian, Quebecois, ingredient
yield: about 10 c

2 sm smoked ham hocks
1 c diced carrots
1 c diced celery
1 c diced onion
12 c cold water
10 sprigs fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
10 sprigs Italian flat parsley
15 whole black peppercorns

Place first 5 ingredients In a large stock pot,
adding more cold water if needed to cover. Bring
to a boil, then reduce heat to a slow simmer.
Skim foam to remove any impurities. Add the
seasonings. Simmer 90 min, skimming from time
to time. Strain stock through a colander,
discarding vegetables but setting the ham
hocks aside to cool. Cool and refrigerate
the stock. Once the ham hocks are cool enough
to handle but still warm, clean the meat from
the bones, discarding the fatty and skin parts.
Chop the meat into bite-size pieces and store
in the fridge or freezer until needed.

Chef Marc Miron
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