SC - green onions and stuffed eggs questions

[Anne-Marie Rousseau]

hey all from Anne-Marie
Stefan sez:
>But the recipe called for x amount of *chopped* herbs. If you mix them
>altogether how do you know you are getting the right amounts since they
>aren't chopped yet? Put them on the chopping board in the approximate
>ratios? Then chop it all up and if it is too much, simply discard the
>extra and assume the ratio is correct?

oh dear! My instructions are not very clear are they? (mental note to
change them....)

I should probably have said "X amount of minced herbs". to do this, I strip
off the leaves, about twice the final volume. Mince away. Measure.
Sometimes I need to add a bit more. I guess from experience I can do this
all at once, but until you see the volume yourself, you should probably
keep them separate so you can adjust as needed.

>Also, I was trying to exclude most of the stems and just use the finer 
>stems and the leaves. It sounds like there is no need to do this.

I would still do this...I find the flavor and texture better if you use the
nice soft new bits rather than the older woodier bits. You're not really
cooking them, like you would a soup, so there's still a bit of crunch left,
which can be unpleasant if you start with woody stems, etc.

one of the joys of working with recipes like these, reconstructed by
amateurs like me is the less than perfect directions. My apologies!!!

- --AM, who's been thinking about taking a cookbook writing course at the
local community college...