Cooking & Recipes Thread

[Deedles]

Necro time again. I was just so thrilled with my dish last night. Very, very simple. Baked black figs, goats cheese, serrano ham and a salad. If I were to do it again, I'd just do a leaf salad, with very little dressing (my dressing was olive oil, balsamic, honey, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper). Still, the fig juice combined with the goats cheese was special. I'd never tasted a fig before. I will again, and soon.

Have you done anything a little outside your comfort zone that worked recently?

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

I am going to try a watermelon and goat cheese salad. I am not sure how the family will feel about this, but I am rather excited.

[Shryke]

Tried this Black Bean, Chickpea and Avacado salad last night on a whim. Really really tasty.

http://www.cbc.ca/bestrecipes/2011/01/black-bean-chickpea-and-avocado-salad.html

[mor2]

lately we are having fun with sushi

[kairparavel]

Instead of chili, try something we like here in the Mercenary household:

Lentils, with curry powder, golden raisins, nuts (we like roasted pine nuts or marcona almonds) and last time we added spinach.

Tasty and filling.

[TerraPrime]

Necro time again. I was just so thrilled with my dish last night. Very, very simple. Baked black figs, goats cheese, serrano ham and a salad. If I were to do it again, I'd just do a leaf salad, with very little dressing (my dressing was olive oil, balsamic, honey, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper). Still, the fig juice combined with the goats cheese was special. I'd never tasted a fig before. I will again, and soon.

I have had similar dishes in restaurants as appetizers. They stuff the cheese into the fig, then wrap it in the ham/bacon, and bake it till everything is tasty good. The saltiness of the cheese and bacon works really well with the sweetness of the fig.

Re: Trisk

So the question: Does anyone know of some other kind of sauce that is not tomato-based that might work well in a meal that is basically chili in every other way? Is it madness to even contemplate such an abomination?

I suspect you can start with a basic white chilli recipe like this one and go from there. Substitue the chicken with vegetables that you like, and I think it should work. You often see white chilli recipes used in after thanksgiving as people try to use up the left-over turkey, too.

[Seli]

One variation on the bean-based dish I like is based on (canned) white beans.

The basis is some carrot, celery, bell pepper, union. which are all diced and fried, beans are added with the liquid, and the whole is stewed for a while.

Taste comes from any fitting combination of spices and herbs, and I usually add some sausages.

The idea can be slightly adjusted to something closer to a chilli. But for me at least the different beans tend to support the meal without the need for a red sauce.

[Nas!]

So in this one it looks like most of the liquid is the chicken broth. I have to profess my ignorance. Is chicken broth the same as chicken stock? Also, either way, how healthy is it/are they?

Stocks and broths are similar, but stocks are usually made with bones (as well as chicken meat) and tend to have a richer taste. I find that you can usually use them interchangeably in recipes, though I suspect a real chef might tell you differently. Store-bought chicken stocks are often very salty, in my experience, so, if your recipe calls for salt, you might want to taste first and adjust accordingly.

[MercenaryChef]

Instead of chili, try something we like here in the Mercenary household:

Lentils, with curry powder, golden raisins, nuts (we like roasted pine nuts or marcona almonds) and last time we added spinach.

Tasty and filling.

Damn it, woman. You are smashing the perceptions of the others. The chef does not eat lentils and spinach. He dines only on bloody flesh, whisky and rage.

[TerraPrime]

Re: Trisk

So in this one it looks like most of the liquid is the chicken broth. I have to profess my ignorance. Is chicken broth the same as chicken stock? Also, either way, how healthy is it/are they?

What Nasrudin said.

Stock should look like a soft jello when it comes out of the refrigerator, because the collagen from the bones that are used to make the stock has been extracted and it makes the liquid gel. Broth on the other hand is in liquid form. If you take the stock and dilute it out, you'll end up with broth. Stocks are usually used in recipes that need some thickening agent. So if you have access to only broth when the recipe asks for stock, you can just substitute and use some other thickening agent (don't what thickening agent is gluten-free, though, so you'll have to ask the paleo people. The ones I'm familiar with are all banned by the paleo people). Or, if you don't care about the exact consistency, just don't bother with the thickening.

If you do some cooking at home, it's really quite easy to make your own stock. Save all the bones by collecting them into a freezer bag and throw it in the freezer. This can be the carcass from a roasted chicken, for instance, or the bone part of a bone-in-ham. Beef stocks are more difficult since we rarely eat beef with bones still in them anymore, but ox tail is a great source of it. I've found that chicken carcasses are the easiest to come by. I save the carcass from roasted chicken (either homemade or store-bought) and freeze them for this use.

Here's what I do to make the stock:

2 chicken carcasses

1.5 gallon of water (or enough to cover at the beginning)

1 whole onion in big chunks*

3 ribs of celery, in big chunks*

3 carrots, in big chunks*

half of a star anise and/or 6 generous slices of fresh ginger

I typically don't add salt to homemade stock.

*Good to have in, but okay if you don't have them handy. I've made stocks with one of these things missing and it's not an issue.

In a pot that is large enough to submerge both carcasses, bring the water to mild boil and add everything. After boiling, turn to medium-low heat and simmer (uncovered) until liquid has been reduced to half in volume. You will need a lot of those plastic containers (1 cup size) and distribute the stock out when cooled. Freeze. They'll be good for months. This is an easy task to do on a weekend as you do other house chores. Just put the stuff on the stove and go about your business.

Re: Chef

Damn it, woman. You are smashing the perceptions of the others. The chef does not eat lentils and spinach. He dines only on bloody flesh, whisky and rage.

I hope Chef also adds metameucil to his diet, then, or Chef is going to be very Elvis Presley.

[MercenaryChef]

on the subject of stock, particularly chicken stock...

terra's methodology is right on. i like the star anise note in a stock. i have been known to go coriander in my veal stock. it gives a nice sweet undertone that is impossible to place.

for chicken at home i love using wings. yeah, the whole wings. wings have a great amount of gelatin and impart great flavour without having a lot of fat to skim away. i tend to like to roast them first. your stock will have a deeper color and that lovely roasted flavour.

the making of stocks is near and dear to my heart. coming up in a french kitchen i was taught it was the backbone to cuisine. i still believe that. just yesterday i made a gorgeous veal stock at work. there is something so cathartic and mystical about standing over the kettle skimming away impurities, seeing it gently bubble, the bones, vegetables, herbs and simple water over many hours becoming something so sublime and integral to proper cooking.

onto the curried lentils of the mercenary household:

i rarely measure things when i cook at home. i cook by feel and taste. so this is a rough estimate.

1 sweet onion cut brunoise

2 carrots cut brunoise

4 cloves of garlic microplaned

1 pound yellow or red lentils

vegetable stock or water

madras curry powder to taste

fresh spinach leaves

golden raisins

almonds or pinenuts

greek style yogurt

saute the onions, carrot and garlic in a fat of your choice until soft. add the lentils and cook until fragrant. follow with the curry powder coating everything. at this point things will smell awesome. add stock to cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are to a texture you enjoy. add more stock as needed. finish with the raisins, nuts and spinach leaves. garnish with yogurt and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.

and yeah, it is good.

[Sis Who Swears]

on the subject of stock, particularly chicken stock...

terra's methodology is right on. i like the star anise note in a stock. i have been known to go coriander in my veal stock. it gives a nice sweet undertone that is impossible to place.

for chicken at home i love using wings. yeah, the whole wings. wings have a great amount of gelatin and impart great flavour without having a lot of fat to skim away. i tend to like to roast them first. your stock will have a deeper color and that lovely roasted flavour.

the making of stocks is near and dear to my heart. coming up in a french kitchen i was taught it was the backbone to cuisine. i still believe that. just yesterday i made a gorgeous veal stock at work. there is something so cathartic and mystical about standing over the kettle skimming away impurities, seeing it gently bubble, the bones, vegetables, herbs and simple water over many hours becoming something so sublime and integral to proper cooking.

onto the curried lentils of the mercenary household:

i rarely measure things when i cook at home. i cook by feel and taste. so this is a rough estimate.

1 sweet onion cut brunoise

2 carrots cut brunoise

4 cloves of garlic microplaned

1 pound yellow or red lentils

vegetable stock or water

madras curry powder to taste

fresh spinach leaves

golden raisins

almonds or pinenuts

greek style yogurt

saute the onions, carrot and garlic in a fat of your choice until soft. add the lentils and cook until fragrant. follow with the curry powder coating everything. at this point things will smell awesome. add stock to cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are to a texture you enjoy. add more stock as needed. finish with the raisins, nuts and spinach leaves. garnish with yogurt and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.

and yeah, it is good.

That does sound really good MC. I think I'm going to have to try that one.

Also!

I love how you appear to have two personalities on this board. The one is loud, crude, obnoxious and gross. And funny as fuck.

The other, when you are describing food is eloquent, poetic, serious and dare I say, gentle. :P

[MercenaryChef]

That does sound really good MC. I think I'm going to have to try that one.

Also!

I love how you appear to have two personalities on this board. The one is loud, crude, obnoxious and gross. And funny as fuck.

The other, when you are describing food is eloquent, poetic, serious and dare I say, gentle. :P

gross? when have i ever been gross? :)

but, yes, cooking brings out the best in me (perhaps the worst as well.) i truly love being in a kitchen and producing delicious food.

[Zoë Sumra]

MercenaryChef - MCGeek and I still owe you our thanks for your barbecue spice blend in http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/45339-give-a-man-some-roast-pork/page__view__findpost__p__2226837 . I add reconstituted tomato puree to it to create barbecue sauce for chicken, meatballs, anything. Works best with a little added cayenne pepper, IMO. :) (Something we discovered when out of paprika.)

[MercenaryChef]

MercenaryChef - MCGeek and I still owe you our thanks for your barbecue spice blend in http://asoiaf.wester...ost__p__2226837 . I add reconstituted tomato puree to it to create barbecue sauce for chicken, meatballs, anything. Works best with a little added cayenne pepper, IMO. :) (Something we discovered when out of paprika.)

i am so happy i could be of help!

[lokisnow]

for chicken at home i love using wings. yeah, the whole wings. wings have a great amount of gelatin and impart great flavour without having a lot of fat to skim away. i tend to like to roast them first. your stock will have a deeper color and that lovely roasted flavour.

gotta say that chicken stock with wings is amazing, I also like adding chicken feet to the stock (though I've never eaten them).

today's the first day of autumn rain in Los Angeles, I think I may be making stock tonight. Last year when I did this I had three chicken carcasses (just the bones) in my freezer ready for stock making, this year I have none. :(

I posted this in the other thread, but I think it belongs here more. How to use a stainless Steel pan without it sticking. The water-mercury ball thing is amazing.

http://rouxbe.com/cooking-school/lessons/170-pan-frying

[lokisnow]

question on stocks. I made chicken stock last night. I let it slowly simmer for about five hours. Then I pulled everything out, clarified it through strainers etc and am left with a gallon and a half of stock At this point should I just refrigerate/freeze it or crank up the heat and let it boil away a bunch of water? Or will bringing it up to a constant boil for a fairly long time damage the stock in some way?

[TerraPrime]

question on stocks. I made chicken stock last night. I let it slowly simmer for about five hours. Then I pulled everything out, clarified it through strainers etc and am left with a gallon and a half of stock At this point should I just refrigerate/freeze it or crank up the heat and let it boil away a bunch of water? Or will bringing it up to a constant boil for a fairly long time damage the stock in some way?

How much water did you start with?

Much of it will depend on how much bones you started with. Since you already threw away the bones, I'm not sure further boiling will do any good in thickening it further (and honestly, 5 hours is plenty to extract everything, so if it's not thick, then that means you didn't start with enough bones). So, if it looks too loose for a stock, then use it as a broth.

I really recommend that you divide it up into smaller containers. Most of the time you won't need to use the whole gallon of stock/broth at once, unless you're cooking at a restaurant. Containers that are 1-cup sized are the best, imo.

[MercenaryChef]

question on stocks. I made chicken stock last night. I let it slowly simmer for about five hours. Then I pulled everything out, clarified it through strainers etc and am left with a gallon and a half of stock At this point should I just refrigerate/freeze it or crank up the heat and let it boil away a bunch of water? Or will bringing it up to a constant boil for a fairly long time damage the stock in some way?

five hours is too long for a chicken stock. the amount of flavour and collagen that can be released from the chicken bones is long removed by hour two. simmering for too long with the bones still in the stock can result in something that becomes bitter.

i will share with you what i have used for years as a very rudimentary and in my professional eyes a perfect ratio for a stock. write this down. no. write it down. i will wait while you get a pen...

ok.

2 parts bones, 3 parts water, 20% total bone weight in mire poix. for me i like 50% onion, 25% carrot, 25% celery. feel free to mix it up with leeks, fennel, parsnips. if used, this ratio will result in a great stock.

reducing. yes, do it. it will make a more flavourful and more gelatinous stock. that is how i make a veal sauce or a chicken sauce. i will take a gallon of a nice stock and reduce it (skimming often) until i have something closer to a sauce consistency.

How much water did you start with?

Much of it will depend on how much bones you started with. Since you already threw away the bones, I'm not sure further boiling will do any good in thickening it further (and honestly, 5 hours is plenty to extract everything, so if it's not thick, then that means you didn't start with enough bones). So, if it looks too loose for a stock, then use it as a broth.

I really recommend that you divide it up into smaller containers. Most of the time you won't need to use the whole gallon of stock/broth at once, unless you're cooking at a restaurant. Containers that are 1-cup sized are the best, imo.

never reduce the stock with the bones in it. you are asking for a very cloudy stock that could develop a 'boney' taste to it. i can taste a veal stock and tell if it was cooked too long or too hard.

yes, i said 'boney, long and hard.'

[lokisnow]

thanks chef, next time I make stock I'll be weighing the bones and adjusting the mirepoix accordingly. That is much better than my "two onions three or four carrots, three or four stalks of celery, buncha garlic cloves." How do you prepare the mirepoix? I usually make really rough large cuts on a long shallow bias for the carrots and celery and just wedge the onions.

when you reduce, do you boil it long and hard for a short time or let it simmer for hours to reduce?

How long do you recommend for beef stock? I usually use two pounds of marrow bones, two pounds of oxtail and maybe two pounds of other neck-type bones and if I can find them, two pounds of feet. Typically, I'll let a beef stock simmer at least eight hours, the longest I've let it go was about 20 hours on a really low simmer, most of the time it goes about eleven or twelve hours.

TP, I store all my stock in quart, pint or cup containers, I like to have a variety of volumes frozen so I can use it for different purposes.