Cooking For Noobs

[BigFatCoward]

25 minutes ago, The Anti-Targ said:

Insanely calorific usually = insanely delicious.

684 calories per 100gm.  I use 200 grams when I make my curry, but it does make 10 portions. 

[BigFatCoward]

tonight i'm making the meal that gives me the most pleasure for the least skill/effort. 

chicken and bacon pasta pesto

Put favourite pasta on to boil (i'm currenty into spirali) fry 3 rashers of bacon and 1 diced chicken breast (per person), add juice of half a lemon, add large teaspoon of store bought red and green pesto, hot sauce to the desired level, handful of green olives, tablespoon of creme fraiche, salt and black pepper, then add cooked pasta.  Whole thing is on the plate in 10-12 mins. 

Edited May 1 by BigFatCoward

[The Anti-Targ]

For me, most pleasure for least effort/skill is baked beans on toast. Still a pleasure to eat after 45 years of having it semi-regularly.

[BigFatCoward]

4 minutes ago, The Anti-Targ said:

For me, most pleasure for least effort/skill is baked beans on toast. Still a pleasure to eat after 45 years of having it semi-regularly.

i have never made myself beans on toast, i've eaten the kids leftovers and thought 'yum' but never actually made it for myself. 

[HexMachina]

11 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

684 calories per 100gm.  I use 200 grams when I make my curry, but it does make 10 portions. 

Is this actually 10 portions or "Serves 10" but you actually serve, like...4?

11 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

For me, most pleasure for least effort/skill is baked beans on toast. Still a pleasure to eat after 45 years of having it semi-regularly.

Love. With a nice spread of butter and marmite (I guess it would be vegemite for you?). And it needs to be the most basic cardboard naff loaf of shop bought bread, nothing artisnal or sourdough please. Sometimes I'll splash out with a sprinkle of sharp cheddar on top

[BigFatCoward]

7 minutes ago, HexMachina said:

Is this actually 10 portions or "Serves 10" but you actually serve, like...4?

 

No. 10 proper portions. 5 freezer bags filled with enough for 2. 

Edited May 1 by BigFatCoward

[The Anti-Targ]

1 hour ago, HexMachina said:

Love. With a nice spread of butter and marmite (I guess it would be vegemite for you?). And it needs to be the most basic cardboard naff loaf of shop bought bread, nothing artisnal or sourdough please. Sometimes I'll splash out with a sprinkle of sharp cheddar on top

Hmmm, never tried with marmite...how dare your impugn my honour by suggesting I eat that Aussie muck!

To be completely honest the marmite/vegemite issue splits families here and then there are marmite factions with NZ vs UK marmite. I'm in the NZ marmite faction, my sisters is all about vegemite. 

My default toast is Vogel's a NZ wholegrain brand, it gets crisp and resists soggyness after being toasted and has a great nutty flavour.

Question on cooking baked beans: do you add butter to the beans while cooking? My whole life I never did, but my fairly new daughter-in-law was horrified that our family didn't. It makes the beans richer, but not sure it makes much difference (or is necessary) when on a well buttered piece of toast. I can see doing it if having it without toast.

 

[Spockydog]

16 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

tonight i'm making the meal that gives me the most pleasure for the least skill/effort. 

chicken and bacon pasta pesto

Put favourite pasta on to boil (i'm currenty into spirali) fry 3 rashers of bacon and 1 diced chicken breast (per person), add juice of half a lemon, add large teaspoon of store bought red and green pesto, hot sauce to the desired level, handful of green olives, tablespoon of creme fraiche, salt and black pepper, then add cooked pasta.  Whole thing is on the plate in 10-12 mins. 

Sounds really tasty. Might try that, sans the creme freiche 

[Fragile Bird]

Beans on toast is literally a can of Heinz beans warmed up and poured onto a piece of toast, right?

I think I once saw a suggestion that you fry up a sliced onion, red or yellow, add the beans to warm them up and pour that on the toast.

I do like a mess of mushrooms fried up and put on toast. (What do you call a bunch of mushrooms? Mess seems ok)

[HexMachina]

16 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

Beans on toast is literally a can of Heinz beans warmed up and poured onto a piece of toast, right?

I think I once saw a suggestion that you fry up a sliced onion, red or yellow, add the beans to warm them up and pour that on the toast.

I do like a mess of mushrooms fried up and put on toast. (What do you call a bunch of mushrooms? Mess seems ok)

Heinz? Fancy!  but yes. That's all, very simple and wonderfully satisfying. Its also a very cheap go to for families on a budget - we'd buy supermarket own brand so it was like 7p a tin or something stupid like that.

Mushrooms on toast, if I'm doing that I may as well go the whole hog and make it garlic mushrooms, in which case its got to be super garlicky, on well toasted good quality bread - a sourdough or similar, something robust

Edited May 6 by HexMachina

[DanteGabriel]

31 minutes ago, HexMachina said:

Heinz? Fancy!  but yes. That's all, very simple and wonderfully satisfying. Its also a very cheap go to for families on a budget - we'd buy supermarket own brand so it was like 7p a tin or something stupid like that.

Money was pretty tight for the first few years my family was in the US, and sometimes dinner would be a can of pork 'n beans and a pot of rice. I am not a fan of pork 'n beans to this day.

[Fragile Bird]

24 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

Money was pretty tight for the first few years my family was in the US, and sometimes dinner would be a can of pork 'n beans and a pot of rice. I am not a fan of pork 'n beans to this day.

Canned tomato soup.

[HexMachina]

Interesting! My reaction is the complete opposite to you both, even though those tastes are associated with a bleak time for us financially they're very nostalgic for me in a positive way. Tinned tomato soup is a go to comfort food for me if I'm feeling sick.

The way food makes us feel and the memories it evokes is fascinating, honestly

Edited May 6 by HexMachina

[The Anti-Targ]

4 hours ago, DanteGabriel said:

Money was pretty tight for the first few years my family was in the US, and sometimes dinner would be a can of pork 'n beans and a pot of rice. I am not a fan of pork 'n beans to this day.

Right there were the mistakes. Baked beans on toast is a magical flavour and texture combination, don't know how or why but it just is. If you mess with it by having pork in the can, or using some carb other than toast it simply doesn't work.

5 hours ago, Fragile Bird said:

Beans on toast is literally a can of Heinz beans warmed up and poured onto a piece of toast, right?

I think I once saw a suggestion that you fry up a sliced onion, red or yellow, add the beans to warm them up and pour that on the toast.

If you can afford it butter the toast first, or put butter in the beans while you are cooking them.

Simplicity is one if the hallmarks, so frying up some onion is extra effort for possibly not all that much reward. But if you have the time and inclination it sounds like a good variation on the classic.

[maarsen]

11 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

Right there were the mistakes. Baked beans on toast is a magical flavour and texture combination, don't know how or why but it just is. If you mess with it by having pork in the can, or using some carb other than toast it simply doesn't work.

If you can afford it butter the toast first, or put butter in the beans while you are cooking them.

Simplicity is one if the hallmarks, so frying up some onion is extra effort for possibly not all that much reward. But if you have the time and inclination it sounds like a good variation on the classic.

I had to laugh when you mentioned pork in the can. Canned pork and beans, when being made, apparently had a piece of pork fat waved over the vat as they seemed to be uncontaminated with pork once the can was opened.

[DanteGabriel]

11 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

Right there were the mistakes. Baked beans on toast is a magical flavour and texture combination, don't know how or why but it just is. If you mess with it by having pork in the can, or using some carb other than toast it simply doesn't work.

As maarsen alluded, "pork 'n beans" is quite the misnomer, as you would be lucky to find a small cube of wobbly pork fat in a can, which led to some of my disappointment.

Rice and beans is another classic combination, and one I enjoy and have cooked before. Just never with canned pork 'n beans.

[HexMachina]

I brought this up at work today and my friend conceded that pork and beans is actually acceptable, because of the bougie version or bean on toast - beans and sausages on toast. And we aren't talking some finest artisnal sausage from your butcher, we're talking drab soggy probably meatless thing tinned alongside the beans.

Now if you were eating that, wow, you were rolling in it.

[BigFatCoward]

8 hours ago, HexMachina said:

I brought this up at work today and my friend conceded that pork and beans is actually acceptable, because of the bougie version or bean on toast - beans and sausages on toast. And we aren't talking some finest artisnal sausage from your butcher, we're talking drab soggy probably meatless thing tinned alongside the beans.

Now if you were eating that, wow, you were rolling in it.

I always thought it was boujie, but looking it up apparently both are acceptable. 

Edited May 8 by BigFatCoward

[Ser Lany]

Beans have made me gag since I was a kid. I've never gotten over it.   I read a lot of British novels, and every time this comes up, I just shudder.

For me, the number one "cheap" meal we had growing up was spaghetti and tomato sauce. Feed the whole family for just a couple of dollars.

For my first husband, it was fried potatoes with onions and chopped up hotdogs.  His mom actually named it "Poor man's meal."  it's still a family favorite. (I top mine with some salsa)

Edited May 9 by Ser Lany

[Durckad]

Suddenly I have a craving for pork and beans. Haven't had any in a looooong time.

Edited Friday at 01:40 PM by Durckad