Cooking & Recipes Thread

[Tobin]

you mean everyone doesn't already have a silpat? greatest invention since....wine?

I haven't been able to find one here - I must be looking in the wrong places.

Bed, Bath & Beyond has them online, so hopefully that translates to the local store.

[boiled leather]

I just need to check something. When you say that you don't mean salt that comes from Maldon in Essex in the SE of England, do you? Because that's a gods-damned long way away to import salt from.

I had a bit of a tantrum the other week when I realised that the lemon thyme I was using in a soup was grown in Israel and shipped to the UK. Insanity. :stunned:

are always welcome to some from our backyard, but I think that might be further than from Israel. And I think the relgious thyme tastes better, you know the black hats in Israel give it some mystical goodness.

[boiled leather]

I haven't been able to find one here - I must be looking in the wrong places.

Bed, Bath & Beyond has them online, so hopefully that translates to the local store.

we got our through Amazon. it was "bill stuffer" so that our balance qualified for free shipping.

[Xray the Enforcer]

X-Ray - thanks a million for the info. And yeah, you know I'm really trying to get at the UPer pasty, but I'll settle for (1) something someone thinks is good and (2) is called a "pasty." I'm just trying to figure out how to get started, because I don't trust recipe books on this one by a long shot, and my mother-in-law's church, while they do an admirable job, do things just differently than would be my ideal, i.e. they use ground beef.

Feel free to PM me for more details whenever you are going to make them and I'll try to help as best I can. Really, the only unforgivable sin when making pasties is creating one that's too dry and the meat turns all tough. Everything else can be chalked up to "regional differences." :)

Oh yes, and the variety of potatoes I used was "Chieftain." I can't recommend them -- they got too soft during the baking. I'll try Yukon gold next or maybe Russian banana -- I remember both of those varieties holding up well during roasting, etc.

[seastarr]

I just need to check something. When you say that you don't mean salt that comes from Maldon in Essex in the SE of England, do you? Because that's a gods-damned long way away to import salt from.

I had a bit of a tantrum the other week when I realised that the lemon thyme I was using in a soup was grown in Israel and shipped to the UK. Insanity. :stunned:

Yes, I do. I love that salt, although apparently I can't spell its name. Its texture is fantastic and its taste is very fresh, no bitter, harsh after-taste. And yes, it is a long way, possibly making my ecological footprint much larger than it needs to be. I'm a salt elitist.

I also have pink salt from the Himalayas, Hawaiian sea salt, and Jurassic salt from Utah. My spice rack is a global village.

[Guest Raidne]

Thanks X-Ray. I'm going to work it into my next two-week dinner rotation. Yes, that's right I actually plan this stuff out two weeks in advance. I know, I'm lame and uninspired, but I save a lot of $$ that way.

I will have a ton of Yukon gold potatoes left after this rotation though, due to allowing the husband to even minimally participate in grocery shopping, so that's what I'll use them for. I think fingerlings are really waxy also, no?, but that would go well beyond the parsely rule. :)

[fitheach]

Made our family ratatouille recipe for dinner tonight, mmmmm good.

Ingredients

1 medium sized onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium or large eggplant, diced

2 large potatoes, diced into smallish/med chunks

1 can stewed tomatoes

2 medium zucchini diced into large chunks

add herbs (I like rosemary, but basil is good too)

olive oil to saute onion and garlic

salt and pepper (taste)

Directions

Saute the onion and garlic (until tender)

Add eggplant and tomatoes, bring to simmer

Simmer, covered for 15 minutes

Add potatoes

Add zucchini

Simmer for 10-15 more minutes until veggies are soft

Remove from heat

Stir in rosemary (or basil, but not both) and salt and pepper to taste

I add grated parmesan on top after spooning into bowl, toasted some crusty bread on the side. Hit the spot.

Love this thread, it's making me hungry and I really shouldn't be...

I improvised a peach glaze (peach, OJ, white wine, brown sugar, honey, cilantro) for some plantains last night. It was pretty good, but maybe a bit sweet. Next time I do it on plantain, less brown sugar and maybe some red pepper flakes.

Oh God this is killing me, I need to take some notes.

[Noontidal]

I cook most of the meals in my household, probably 98%. The men in my family have always done the bulk of the cooking, so it's certainly no deviation. One of the best parts about being the primary home cook, is you get to pick the meals.

I must say, I like cooking. Particularly, I like baking. My cookies are some of the best homemade cookies, especially my oatmeal cookies, people that do not like oatmeal cookies will knock out a batch of mine. Only problem; I don't keep track of ingredients. I find a couple recipes, get the general concept, and it usually only takes me about 3 tries to understand what each item does for the pastry item (tarts, etc). Mainly I keep track of ideas about each ingredient, how sugar melts and bonds items, and how crusts will cook at 450, but you don't really have to worry about them at 300-350(f btw) etc.

So, to other guys(anyone): what do you cook, and what do you like to cook? I'm thinking of taking classes, especially for sushi. I can make sushi, but I'm currently unsatisfied with my results.

[tzanth]

I love cooking! I really like making different sauces, especially for seafood or pasta. A good tuna steak with a cilantro sauce and some pasta is one of my favorite dinners. Making pasta from scratch is pretty fun too, especially ravioli, although I rarely have time to do that anymore. I also really love making southeast asian food. I can make some pretty mean curries and have been expanding into making noodle dishes like phad thai. In general I think cooking is pretty simple. Its just a matter of finding tasty ingredients and putting them together in innovative ways.

ETA: why is the thread entitled "danger?"

[boiled leather]

I do 95% of the cooking at my house, because I like to. The RedWoman has fallen into a nice groove as my sous chef, and no one chops a carrot or onion like she does. :love: I probably started cooking because my mother was somewhat south of mediocre and I love food. For instance, it will be a crisis on thanksgiving when I go to eat with the RedWoman's family. No one in my family can make gravy. Really. I hated mashed potatoes growing up, till I realized they just needed gravy.

anyway, what do I cook? Most things. I love my grill, which I also use to smoke meats. Smoked Beef Short Ribs (the huge brontosaurus type) tomorrow, that I smoked on Sunday. I have mastered pork ribs, chicken, prime rib, steaks, pulled pork and, oh yes, burgers.

Some our standard meals include risotto, short ribs and polenta, home made mac and cheese (finally, my youngest likes mine better than kraft), meaty sauces and pasta. I love to use a brine. I never had risotto or polenta till I made them (after seeing them on tv). My pressure cooker is my best friend. Canellini beans are a staple these days, at least 1x per month.

Sometimes I just twist an old favorite. Last week I roasted a chicken. But I did it in my large dutch oven, top off. It started with some sweet onions, leeks, jalapenos and mushrooms around it (with refresh thyme and rosemary in it and around it). I surrounded it with sweet Italian sausage and drizzled some good olive oil. at the 40 minute mark, I took the sausage out and replace them with several tomatoes from the garden (various heirlooms) and lots of whole garlic cloves. Salt, pepper, etc.

you know where this is going right? at 1:20 (it was a big bird) I took the bird out to rest. The dutch oven went back on the stove with a significant amount of chardonnay to become -- my pasta sauce. Added the sausage, cut up, back in and served over Farfalle (bow ties) with the chicken carved on top.

sadly, sometimes I hit a rut and then we eat out a lot till I'm out of it.

I don't bake (cakes, cookies, etc). I can, but I don't. It bores me.

[Eyelesbarrow]

So, to other guys(anyone): what do you cook, and what do you like to cook? I'm thinking of taking classes, especially for sushi. I can make sushi, but I'm currently unsatisfied with my results.

I'm not a guy but my brother also cooks a lot. Like you, he makes sushi and other Japanese stuff. He's got okonomiyaki down pat and yakisoba too. He's also in charge of making fresh pasta, whenever we feel diligent about this kind of stuff.

[Eyelesbarrow]

Add the coconut milk, shrimp, crawdads and a couple of tablespoons of shrimp paste (two to four tbsp, to taste). The flavor mellows when you cook it, so don't be put off by the... punguent aroma. Bring to a low boil, stir, then simmer for another 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are done.

Man. Coconut cream and shrimp paste is a great combination. Sometimes, I think its better than coconut cream and curry. Have you tried pork with shrimp paste? It's artery-clogging but delicious with rice. Despite its pungent smell, I love shrimp paste, especially the sweeter ones. Whenever I make fried rice, I put in some.

[Isis]

Of course, in DC it's a total bitch to get your hands on a pork shoulder roast, since the local market apparently will not deign to eat a pork cut any more lowly than a tenderloin. They are crazy people who do not know what they're missing.

Yeah, that's their loss. Silly people. I did a 'mini hog roast' with a pork shoulder a couple of weeks back. It was devine but the seven hour wait was a bit of a killer.

[Rubies & Jade]

I've been trying to cook lots of new meat recipes lately... with mixed success. I really need a meat 101 class. Anyone wanna give me a lesson/tips? my main problem is that cooking times in actuality seem to vary greatly from what the recipes say, and I just don't have enough experience cooking meat to know what to do at that point. also, the whole marinade is mystery... so many recipes don't seem to use marinades, but without them meat seems so boring.

anyway, last night was lamb chops with minted spaghetti squash. The chops were so-so (pan fried with cumin) but the squash was great... cooked and scooped out, mixed with olive oil, chopped mint, scallions & salt & pepper. it was yummo.

the night before was pork meatballs...made with pine nuts, raisins & cinnamon. They were surprisingly good. (& served with garlic/spinach)

This weekend for Halloween week I'm making pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and chocolate/pumpkin muffins.

[boiled leather]

I've been trying to cook lots of new meat recipes lately... with mixed success. I really need a meat 101 class. Anyone wanna give me a lesson/tips?

I cook a lot by feel, but it can be learned with time. Here is a great meat doneness chart. If you don't have an instant read thermometer, get one, it will make the learning and cooking easier and more enjoyable. At $5 you can't say no.

For grilling there is an easy way to tell doneness on steaks. Its a feel. If you take your thumb and hold it to your index finger (or pointer). feel the area between your thumb and finger. Its soft. That's how a rare steak feels.

If you hold your second finger (or fuck you finger) to the thumb, the same area is slightly firmer that is medium rare-medium.

The third finger (ring) is medium well

The pinkie is well -- by now that area is firm with lots of resistance.

Here is one person's chart, which is slightly different than my usage.

(with chicken, poke the area between the leg and thigh and wait for "clear" juices". voila)

I hope that was helpful.

[Rubies & Jade]

I cook a lot by feel, but it can be learned with time. Here is a great meat doneness chart. If you don't have an instant read thermometer, get one

thank you boiled leather! that is hugely helpful! I think it will take a while to get the cook by feel method down, but I clearly need a thermometer... I'll start with that and the chard and try to get a feel for the whole thing.

[Deedles]

Had my first sweet potato (anything) oven baked fries last week. I remembered this thread and sprinkled paprika and cinnamon over them. Delicious. Thanks.

I'm currently eating a veggie soup. I fried up 2 teaspoons of olive oil with a little cumin and coriander seed. Added 3 cubed small potatos (Kerr pinks) and an onion and some garlic. Kept them over a low heat with the lid on. Then added 2 carrots and a leek for 2 minutes. Then added a litre and a bit of chicken stock, simmered for 25 minutes. Tasty.

This weekend I shall attempt rabbit for the first time (some research for recipies required) and venison steaks. I think the venison shall be pan fried wiht a chocolate sauce and maybe boulangere potatos.

[Eyelesbarrow]

Boiled leather, thanks for the tip. I'll try to remember this. I just made an eggplant salad: roasted peeled eggplant, tomatoes, onions, mixed altogether and then topped with salted eggs. It's great for a sandwich filling too, just take off the eggs.

Anyone here into coffee?

[boiled leather]

the decision has been made. it will be bought. You can all make your reservation for dinner at our house to try it out. You know the wine will be good.

I have now used the Chicken Roaster twice. TheRedWoman has nick named it spike. You really do have to truss the legs to keep it on the spike. It works better breast side up (its nice and moist breast side down --which is not TheRedWoman's preference), but it takes longer to cook as it has little breathing room from the veggies. It's not dry in either case

I found that the roast veggies take a bit longer -- when I take the bird off to rest, I put the potatoes back in to crisp on top.

I made one the other day using herbs in the chicken (sage, Rosemary and Oregano). The "veggies" were chunks of Russets, Sweet Potatoes, garlic and peal onions. I used beer in the reservoir for the steaming agent.

Do you need this? nope.

Was the chicken good? yes

Was Clean up easy? very

I thought the veggies where better than just being "around the chicken and chicken was evenly cooked.

oh.. and I ordered a Mac Chef's knife. Toys!

[Yagathai]

This weekend I had a housewarming party, and my menu was:

Braised short ribs in a red wine & sun-dried tomato gravy

Homemade pork apple sausage

Pumpkin feta quesadillas

A ricotta quiche with leeks, artichoke hearts and broccoli

My roommate made butterscotch blondies and mexican chocolate brownies, and I assembled a cheese plate of mixed fruit (fresh and dried apple, pear, apricot, plum, grape, pomegranate), Manchego y membrillo, Valdeon (a mild blue mixed goat-and-cow milk cheese), a workmanlike and very competent cow's milk Brie, some aged Gouda, some smoked Cheddar and a little horseradish spread. I served the plate with clover honey and apple butter, various crackers and breads and a large amount of raw broccoli that people liked a lot more than I thought they would.

Recipes at http://yagathai.livejournal.com/1010646.html