Cooking & Recipes Thread

[Yagathai]

Here's a lasagna I made the other night:

4 chicken breasts

1 medium onion, diced finely

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pint sliced white mushrooms

1/4 cup gluten-free flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)

3.5 cups whole milk

1 bunch (roughly 1/2 lbs) spinach (don't forget to wash the spinach first!)

1/2 lb gluten-free lasagna

2 cups grated parmesan cheese

Butter

Olive oil

Nutmeg

Salt

Pepper

Various other spices to taste

Boil a pot of salted water, for the spinach. Once the water boils, blanch the spinach, then drain it thoroughly and chop it roughly. Start another pot of water for the lasagna, unless you're using an oven-ready kind.

Spice the chicken to your taste -- I used ground ginger, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Melt two tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan, and sear the chicken on both sides until it's fully cooked (about 4-6 minutes). Remove the chicken from the heat and let it cool.

Add a stick of butter to the chicken pan and melt it over medium heat. Add the mushrooms to the butter and cook them until golden-brown, roughly 8 minutes. Once the mushrooms are done, add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and transparent, roughly 4 more minutes. If I were you, I'd take this opportunity to cook the lasagna according to the instructions on the packaging if you're not cheating with oven-ready pasta. I'd also start pre-heating the oven to 375 degrees right about now.

Next, add the flour to the pan, mix well and cook for a couple of more minutes, until it's a light blonde roux. Now start adding the milk to the pan, little by little, mixing the previous batch of milk into the roux thoroughly before adding any more (if you've ever made a flour-based gravy, this is the exact same process). Next, add the spinach, 1/4 tsp of nutmeg, about 1.5 cups of the cheese and salt and pepper to taste to the sauce, and mix thoroughly until it's smooth. Cover immediately. This is your bechamel (ETA: Well, technically it's a Mornay sauce, but nobody knows what a Mornay sauce is and people know what bechamel is, so I'm just going to call it a bechamel sauce). Now personally I like to wake the bechamel up with some hot sauce, but that's because I'm a barbarian who adds hot sauce to everything. You probably want to skip this step.

The chicken should be well-cool by now, so chop it into bite-sized or smaller cubes. Coat the inside a casserole dish with olive oil (I use a brush or paper towel, personally), and then add a layer of bechamel sauce to the bottom. Add a layer of lasagna, another layer of sauce, a layer of chicken, some more grated parmesan. Add another one or two layers, depending on the size of your dish / amount of ingredients you have. Finish the top off with a layer of sauce and a generous grating of cheese.

Cover a baking pan with tinfoil or parchment paper, and put the casserole dish on top of it (trust me, this will save you a lot of heartache and pain and smoke alarm trouble down the road) before throwing the whole assembly into the oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes or so.

Remove from heat, let stand for 20 minutes, and then enjoy!

[Minaku]

I made my own applesauce last night. I jarred it and stuck it in the fridge, and had a bite this morning. It's delicious. And so much better than other apple sauces. I think I'm even going to put it in my oatmeal.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Okay,

I've done couple of experiments cooking hams on my charcoal kettle grill. Both times I've done it the exterior of the ham has been scorched. The interior is delicious wonderfuly smoky flavor. I've though I could just cover the ham with aluminum foil but I'm concerned the smoke from the hickory chips will not get to the ham. Would a funnel of foil open at the top allow smoke to get to the ham while preventing scorching of the meat?

[Yagathai]

Okay,

I've done couple of experiments cooking hams on my charcoal kettle grill. Both times I've done it the exterior of the ham has been scorched. The interior is delicious wonderfuly smoky flavor. I've though I could just cover the ham with aluminum foil but I'm concerned the smoke from the hickory chips will not get to the ham. Would a funnel of foil open at the top allow smoke to get to the ham while preventing scorching of the meat?

In short, no. In long, nooooooooooooo.

There was something in last quarter's Cooks Illustrated on this very issue, IIRC, though it was with regards to pulled pork, not ham. You could try scoring the ham, then brining it for a day in brine with some liquid smoke added, then you take the foil off part-way through cooking. I think that was the compromise that they recommended, though I'd have to doublecheck to be sure.

[ants]

Help needed.

Ok, I'm thinking about doing the whole "managerial dinner" thing and inviting my team over for dinner. There are 4 members, who include a Muslim (so Halal only) and a Vegetarian. So I figure I'll just go down the vegetarian route.

The plan is to do my Mum's Salmon Mouse (sp?) with home made mayonnaise for an entree, a egg and bacon pie without the bacon (effectively eggs, corn, spring onions, red capsicum) and butterscotch pudding.

The problem is what to serve with the pie. Its a simple (but tasty) pie so too much of it would be a little boring, but I don't just want to do salad. I will do a salard as well, but wanted something a little more complicated than just the pie and salad (will go tomato, carrot, baby spinach, cucumber, iceberg lettuce, dressing). Does anyone know a good vegetarian side dish that would fit?

[murphy]

Help needed.

Ok, I'm thinking about doing the whole "managerial dinner" thing and inviting my team over for dinner. There are 4 members, who include a Muslim (so Halal only) and a Vegetarian. So I figure I'll just go down the vegetarian route.

The plan is to do my Mum's Salmon Mouse (sp?) with home made mayonnaise for an entree, a egg and bacon pie without the bacon (effectively eggs, corn, spring onions, red capsicum) and butterscotch pudding.

The problem is what to serve with the pie. Its a simple (but tasty) pie so too much of it would be a little boring, but I don't just want to do salad. I will do a salard as well, but wanted something a little more complicated than just the pie and salad (will go tomato, carrot, baby spinach, cucumber, iceberg lettuce, dressing). Does anyone know a good vegetarian side dish that would fit?

I make a spaghettini with spinach and red clam sauce for my vegetarian neighbor. Would something like that do?

[Yagathai]

Clam sauce? Salmon mousse?

Y'all do know that fish is still meat, right? It is not a vegetable. It once swam, and ate, and breathed, and loved, and lost.

[murphy]

Clam sauce? Salmon mousse?

Y'all do know that fish is still meat, right? It is not a vegetable. It once swam, and ate, and breathed, and loved, and lost.

Perhaps, but my vegetarian friend loves it.

[Yagathai]

So then your friend is not a vegetarian.

[murphy]

So then your friend is not a vegetarian.

She would deny that emphatically. I do think fish does not mean meat to a vegetarian. A Vegan would see things differently.

ETA: Okay, Wiki would say she is a semi-vegetarian, since she will eat fish.

[Yagathai]

She would deny that emphatically. I do think fish does not mean meat to a vegetarian. A Vegan would see things differently.

ETA: Okay, Wiki would say she is a semi-vegetarian, since she will eat fish.

The correct term is "pescetarian". A fish is an animal, therefore made of meat.

[ants]

I'm planning to check on the fish angle. If its a problem, I'll go with Cauliflower Soup for an entree. It will be the middle of winter so that might be ok anyway.

I make a spaghettini with spinach and red clam sauce for my vegetarian neighbor. Would something like that do?

Given the pastry component, I was thinking of leaning away from pasta/potatoes. I had vague thoughts of maybe some type of vegetable curry that would fit as a side dish - thought it might complement the taste of the pie. But I don't know any good vegetable currys. So all ideas are welcome. Espescially if anyone has already done something as a complement of pie.

[AutumnEvenings]

What is an 'egg pie'? Is it like a fritatta?

If you're interested, I've got a good veggie pot pie recipe that my fiance (an omnivor) also loves:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

8 ounces mushrooms (if you like them--I don't, so I just add more carrots and beans)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 large carrots, diced

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch wide

2 cups cauliflower florets

1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped into 1/2 inch pieces

3 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 recipe pastry for double-crust pie (or you could buy two frozen pie crusts. Also, make sure you use vegetable shortening and not lard in your crust)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan. Cook onions, (mushrooms), and garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in carrots, potatoes, and celery. Cook another minute. Stir in cauliflower, green beans, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are barely tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, and 1/4 cup water until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir into vegetables, and cook until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.

Roll out 1/2 of the dough to line an 11x7 inch baking dish. Pour the filling into the pastry lined dish. Roll out remaining dough, arrange over the filling, and seal and crimp the edges.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust is brown.

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I've also got a crock-pot squash and chick-pea stew thingy with cinnamon and cumin that's really good and can be a side-dish or a main course (tastes kind of like a curry but a bit sweeter). Raidne shared a mac-and-cheese recipe about a year ago that's a huge favorite in my house if you're looking for something heavier.

[ants]

Not a huge fan of chickpeas. The pie recipe is:

GOLDEN CORN PIE

5-6 eggs

310 g can whole corn

3 – 4 rashes bacon, diced

¼ cup sliced shallots

Pastry

½ lb plain flour

½ tesp salt

4 ozs butter

approx. 4 tablespoons cold water

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add water to make a firm dough. Knead lightly on a floured board. Wrap and chill pastry for half an hour. Roll out rounds of the pastry to fit a greased 20 cm (8") pie plate.

Break whole eggs into pastry case and cover with corn, shallots and bacon. Sprinkle ingredients with salt and pepper. Roll out remaining pastry. Brush edges of pastry case with water and fit pie top over filling. Seal edges firmly by pinching together. Decorate pie if desired. Brush pie with milk or beaten egg.

Bake pie 180º C for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot of cold.

From Edgell Kitchen Australia Family Circle May 1979.

Note. Can use frozen pastry sheets. Lightly grease dish. Lay thawed sheet on pie dish. To cover a larger area overlap sheets approximately 5mm. Press down on overlap to seal.

Cut pastry around edge of dish.

Planning on taking out the bacon, and putting in thinly sliced red capsicum. Considering putting in spinach as well. Its a really simple but delicious dish, and I can prepare it ahead of time so that I can converse with everyone at the table and not be at the stove. Usually served with salad, or cut up into chunks for parties.

However, given its simplicity it might be a little too much for the whole main meal. So I'm thinking a side dish to go with it and the salad. A curry would have the advantage of being able to be put on earlier and left to slow boil, and I feel the curry taste would go well with the egg/pastry combination.

[Guest Raidne]

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.

Okay, I finally gave this a shot. It was kind of spontaneous, no time to PM for tips. I used about 1.25 lbs of top round sirloin, cut up into tiny cubes, 4 yukon gold potatoes, 2 rutabagas, about half a carrot, and one huge yellow onion. I diced all the vegetables. This was enough filling for more than the 4 pasties I was trying to make - probably more like 5 or 6. The filling turned out great.

On the crust, I decided to err on the side of decadent, and used a 1/2 cup butter, 1/3 shortening, 2 cups flour, and cold water as needed (I think about half a cup). Using tons of fat will make a dough easier to roll out, that's for sure. Anyway, for a pie it would have been flaky wonderfulness, but I think I'd actually like a little less flakiness and will use only butter next time.

We ate dinner at 7:30pm and I woke up at 2:30am feeling incredibly full and again at 3:30am with heartburn. I froze the extra two and will break them out when I'm feeling brave again. But they were pretty freaking good.

[Nas!]

I decided that it was finally time that I learned how to cook, so I bought the Veganomicon cookbook yesterday. I have just finished making the red lentil - cauliflower curry (I chose it 'cause I love cauliflower) and it is really tasty. My plan is to do one recipe from the book per weekend to start, until I have some idea of what I am doing. Then I may start to improvise a little.

I will now read through this thread for tips!

[Deedles]

The thread on hobbies has inspired me to necro this thread.

The boy is away at the moment, so very boring food at the moment. Tonight I had some salmon, panfried to get the skin crispy, on a seasonal leaf salad with cucumber, red pepper and spring onions. I dressed it with an attempt at an odd dressing. I scooped out a passion fruit and added a little olive oil, red vinegar and black pepper. It worked pretty well actually.

Over the weekend I made a goats cheese and garlic mushroom pasta bake. It was pretty tasty.

More salmon tomorrow. I think I'll do a potato and crab salad with it.

Maybe make some sushi later on in the week if I can find some quality fish.

How about you?

[Bronn Stone]

I dressed it with an attempt at an odd dressing. I scooped out a passion fruit and added a little olive oil, red vinegar and black pepper. It worked pretty well actually.

How was the consistency? Would a puree of the passion fruit and some straining improved things if you were serving it to company?

[Sixshells]

I had a near-miss cooking experience just this evening as I was trying a new asian recipe. I was trying to prepare some stir-fried beef with chinese brocoli (kailan), but in the store I got confused and took some vietnamese spinach (both are leafy vegetables and similar-looking in the bags they were sold in). Realising my mistake I thought it would be okay to use the same recipe with the spinach instead. However, it was the first time I was using it and thus didn't know it had a tendancy to let out gooey juices when cooked (a little like okra), which confused the hell out of me, and I overestimated how long I could let it cook. In the end the veggies were well cooked and the meat still needed some time to cook. :crying: So I had to remove the preparation, take out the meat and re-cook it seperately.

At that point I pretty much had given up on the idea of serving it as stir-fried dish (veggies overcooked) and settled for a kind of stew. When the meat was done, I added the veggies, the juice from the previous preparation, and some water. To my surprise, served on rice it has turned up okay, needing only minor improvements. At least it was good enough to make me want to try more vietnamese spinach recipes. :read:

[Deedles]

How was the consistency? Would a puree of the passion fruit and some straining improved things if you were serving it to company?

Consistentency was a bit thin alright, and as you said, if I were to do it again, I'd probably puree them. Also, I think I'd tweak it a bit. I'd say a smidge of honey could work quite well.

What was really lovely was the bright colour of it. If it were for friends, what I think might work is a green salad with pomegranite seeds, and then the dressing in a glass jug on the side.

Mmm, vietnamese food. I was on hols there last year and some of the food was just divine.

Also, thanks due to, someone. I'm not sure was it on this thread or a previous incarnation - but someone, and I'm thinking Arbour Gold, but possibly Raids or Minaku (Sorry - cant' remember, please forgive me), gave a recipe for sweet potato chips with cinnamon and paprika. I've made these a few times and just got to say they are fantastic.