KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
edited July 2007
Wow, just a heads up for anyone who's made the homemade flour tortillas from Robert Rodriguez's "Breakfast Tacos." They are absolutely delicious to make wraps with, and store well in a big ziplock bag in the fridge. yum.
On a similar note to Tofystedeth, I'm discovering the joys of chana masala, a chickpeas curry. There seem to be a few variations on the actual recipe, but the basic method stays the same, and it's incredibly simple (and, once you've bought all the spices, rather cheap). I'm using this recipe, with a few modifications (real garlic, 1tsp ground ginger, can of crushed tomatoes) and it works fine.
[edit: also, when adding crushed tomatoes, bring it to a boil and then back down to a simmer. Add the water and chickpeas when the sauce is just starting to reduce.]
On another note, Cookthink has its flaws but is still really impressing me lately. The reference section in particular would be really helpful for those just getting started in the kitchen, although like the rest of the site it's still a bit undeveloped. Check it out, though.
As far as mac and cheese go, I don't bother with the sauce nonsense. Just layer cheese, pasta, salt+pepper and pour a little 2% in the bottom so it doesn't get dried out. It's done when the 2% evaporates. You get more cheese-flavor my way, I think. Also more texture.
1 cup of white rice
2 cups of milk
1 cup of sugar
1 packet of French vanilla pudding
Cinnamon (optional)
Raisins (optional)
Directions:
Boil the rice longer than you usually do; when you're done, drain the the rest of the water away.
Add milk, sugar, vanilla, rest, and boil on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Pour in cereal bowls, and put the bowls in the refrigerator.
Eat like a pig.
Elki on
0
Options
Irond WillWARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!!Cambridge. MAModeratormod
edited July 2007
I used to make rice pudding all the time. You can use eggs and vanilla instead of the vanilla pudding mix as well. Good stuff.
Grilled chicken, broccoli, spinach, pesto, alfredo, and Frank's Red Hot sauce are underappreciated as pizza-components. There are never leftovers when I make pizza for people, no matter how much I make. The spinach alfredo is the favorite, but my buffalo chicken pizza is the best of its kind. Honestly there's nothing magical about any of it, it's just a pizza, but people don't experiment enough with pizza ingredients as far as I'm concerned. Grilled chicken pesto pizza, grilled chicken broccoli alfredo, grilled chicken and broccoli on spicy red-sauce (made by putting down a red sauce and zig-zagging Frank's all over it before adding cheese and toppings). The only trick is that you can't mix Frank's with the alfredo or pesto, Frank's has to go with red sauce. Also, anything that can be a tasty hot sandwich makes an awesome pizza.
It's a lot of work, and twice as much work to clean up. I just buy the parts instead.
ViolentChemistry on
0
Options
Irond WillWARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!!Cambridge. MAModeratormod
edited July 2007
If you make homemade pizza, don't bother trying to class it up by using fresh mozzarella instead of the shredded fake American stuff. Once you shred fresh mozzarella it basically turns into strained cottage cheese.
If you make homemade pizza, don't bother trying to class it up by using fresh mozzarella instead of the shredded fake American stuff. Once you shred fresh mozzarella it basically turns into strained cottage cheese.
Why would you ever try to shred real mozzarella? Slice. It doesn't need to be shredded to melt evenly, I mean fuck, just look at it.
Use uncooked dough. You can make your own, which is a very useful skill to learn, and hard to screw up really, or you can buy some frozen white bread dough. Either works, but you'll like your homemade pizza much better with fresh dough instead of precooked rounds.
If you're having trouble transferring your pizza on raw dough, you can par cook the dough for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to handle.
When making pizza sauce microwave the oil with the herbs and spices for thirty seconds. It will make the sauce meld in minutes instead of hours. (You're just warming the oil here, not cooking anything. Herbs will acquire an unpleasant crispiness if you saute them)
Use a little anchovy paste in your sauce, even if you don't like anchovies. It will add amazing depth, just don't overdo it. (I use probably 3/8 of an inch of the stuff that comes in a tube. That's about half of a medium to small anchovy fillet.)
If you use one of those big blocks of packaged mozzarella sprinkle a little salt on top before cooking. Those blocks are so big that the inside portions of cheese are actually pretty bland.
If you want to use fresh mozzarella you slice it, don't shred it. You'll want to put it in the freezer for about ten minutes first to get it hard enough that you don't have to make really thick slices.
A pizza peel is helpful, but not necessary if you don't want to shell out.
A pizza stone helps a lot, but they're expensive. Most peoples' ovens aren't big enough to really need one anyone though. A one foot unglazed quarry tile will work fine. That one's not mine though, it's Alton Brown's.
You might try first just a classic pizza margherita. It's crushed tomatoes for sauce, fresh sliced mozzarella, fresh basil, and salt and pepper. Then ramp up the extra herbs, spices, and toppings one at a time.
I think that's all I've got for now. Maybe I'll throw in a couple more later.
I bake pizzas occasionally, but I can't think of some sage advice to give you Except that you should spread some flour over the baking pan / pizza stone before you cook the pizza, so that you can peel it away easier.
Corlis on
But I don't mind, as long as there's a bed beneath the stars that shine,
I'll be fine, just give me a minute, a man's got a limit, I can't get a life if my heart's not in it.
Use uncooked dough. You can make your own, which is a very useful skill to learn, and hard to screw up really, or you can buy some frozen white bread dough. Either works, but you'll like your homemade pizza much better with fresh dough instead of precooked rounds.
If you're having trouble transferring your pizza on raw dough, you can par cook the dough for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to handle.
When making pizza sauce microwave the oil with the herbs and spices for thirty seconds. It will make the sauce meld in minutes instead of hours. (You're just warming the oil here, not cooking anything. Herbs will acquire an unpleasant crispiness if you saute them)
Use a little anchovy paste in your sauce, even if you don't like anchovies. It will add amazing depth, just don't overdo it. (I use probably 3/8 of an inch of the stuff that comes in a tube. That's about half of a medium to small anchovy fillet.)
If you use one of those big blocks of packaged mozzarella sprinkle a little salt on top before cooking. Those blocks are so big that the inside portions of cheese are actually pretty bland.
If you want to use fresh mozzarella you slice it, don't shred it. You'll want to put it in the freezer for about ten minutes first to get it hard enough that you don't have to make really thick slices.
A pizza peel is helpful, but not necessary if you don't want to shell out.
A pizza stone helps a lot, but they're expensive. Most peoples' ovens aren't big enough to really need one anyone though. A one foot unglazed quarry tile will work fine. That one's not mine though, it's Alton Brown's.
You might try first just a classic pizza margherita. It's crushed tomatoes for sauce, fresh sliced mozzarella, fresh basil, and salt and pepper. Then ramp up the extra herbs, spices, and toppings one at a time.
I think that's all I've got for now. Maybe I'll throw in a couple more later.
They say that out of the billions of megabytes of data posted on the internet every day only a few are actually worth one's time and effort reading... This sir, was one of them, so have a cookie!
Most average grocery stores should have frozen white bread dough. It's fairly common, and extremely helpful. I'd just check the freezer section, or ask a grocer.
We modified our stir-fry recipe last night, and came out really well.
Ingredients:
Carrots
Snow Peas
Red Pepper
Bean Sprouts
Peanuts Apple
It was really good. The apple came out just right and was really juicy. I didn't know what to expect, but for such a random collection of stuff, it was amazing.
Andrew_Jay on
0
Options
Irond WillWARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!!Cambridge. MAModeratormod
edited July 2007
Carne Adovada
3-5 lbs pork roast. Basically the cheapest, toughest pork roast you can find
4 dried anaheim or New Mexican chiles per pound of meat or the equivalent in chile molido (ground chile powder)
2 cloves garlic per pound of meat
1 onion per 3 lbs meat
a little lime juice
a little cumin seeds
a little oregano
Anaheim chiles are the big red dried ones that you see in ristras in Southwestern homes. You can use dried poblanos if you're a sissy. If you're going to use chile powder, make sure you get the kind that doesn't have salt and cumin mixed in - this will ruin your meal. You can check the ingredients if you're not sure.
First, pull the stems off the chiles. You can deseed them as well, though it will make your meal less spicy.
Coarsely cut your onion and garlic. Put in in a largeish pot with a little vegetable oil. Sautee at medium-low heat until nicely caramelized. Then add some water - first just a little to deglaze the pot, then enough to cook the chiles. Once the water is heated, add the dried chiles, cumin seed and oregano. It should take a little while for them to rehydrate, so cover the pot and let it sit for a half-hour or so, stirring occasionally and adding water if it needs it.
Cut your pork roast into one inch cubes or 2-3 inch strips. Put it in an oven-save pan and pour a little lime or lemon juice over the pork.
Once the chiles are nice and soft, turn off the heat, let the pot cool to sane temperatures, and then add the contents of the pot gradually to a blender or food processor. Hot things in blenders tend to explode, so be careful here. Salt the sauce and if you desire add a little honey or brown sugar. The sauce should have a smooth consistency.
Once the sauce is cool enough to not cook the meat, pour the sauce over the meat and mix it in. Cover with foil. At this point, it's best if you can let the whole thing marinade overnight in the fridge. If you can't do this, then just proceed to the cooking.
Cook the pan, still covered in foil, at 300 degrees for 3-4 hours. Check occasionally to make sure it's not drying out - it should be a thick sauce, but not dry. Add water if it needs it. Really, since it's tough pork, you can cook for longer maybe at a slightly lower temperature depending on the cut - like barbecue, cheaper meat takes longer to cook but tastes better than anything else once all the connective tissues have melted away.
Serve over rice or with eggs or in a burrito. Sour cream goes nicely on the side, as do tomatoes and lettuce and pinto or refried beans. This stuff is great, and easy meal, and when I cook it I generally make a fuckton and freeze it for general use.
In fact, I'm marinading a bunch right now. I'll try to take a picture and post it when I cook it tomorrow.
Here's my recipe...I made it one day when I was experimenting and it's really really good.
You need:
1/2 can Hunts canned diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano
1/2 white onion, diced
some sliced mushrooms
whatever spices you want, I just use some salt and pepper
diced chicken, however much you want, but at least as much as the tomatoes
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp butter
arrowroot to thicken
olive oil
sautee the mushrooms, tomatoes and onions together in the olive oil until the onions begin to caramelize, stirring every so often. Add chicken and milk and butter. Stir every minute or so, and let that reduce, adding about a teaspoon of arrowroot until the sauce is as thick as you want it. It should be a light pink color. Pour over spaghetti or other pasta.
One of my favorite simple pastas is Linguini alla Amatriciana:
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium low heat for one minute.
Add 4-6 ounces of pancetta, bacon, or salt pork and cook over low heat. (You're rendering out the porkfat). You're going to leave it in the pan, so undercook rather than overcook here.
Raise heat to medium and add one medium onion, diced. Saute until the onion is translucent.
Add two cloves of garlic. Preferably very thinly sliced (they really do do that Goodfellas thing) but you can just dice or smash it if it's easier for you. Cook for about a minute.
Add two 14oz cans of crushed tomatoes.
Let that simmer while you cook a pound of pasta.
Spoon the sauce over the hot pasta and sprinkle a cup* of freshly grated hard cheese over the top. Pecorino Romano is beset, but you can go with asiago, or parmigiana, or whatever.
*It's a cup if you use a proper microplane grater for this. They're extremely useful for a lot of things, and not expensive, so I'd advice getting one. If you decide not to, or just don't have one yet, scale back the volume based on the coarseness of the grate.
It's so simple and delicious, and you've probably never had pasta like it, since we almost always put a lot of herbs and spices i our tomato sauces.
edit: I completely forgot to mention that the quality of ingredients here is paramount. If you don't want to shell out for expensive canned tomatoes you should probably reduce the amount of tomato by 1/3 or more to keep the sauce from becoming bland.
MentalExercise on
"More fish for Kunta!"
--LeVar Burton
0
Options
KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
I am doing home made Doner kebabs. I got two chuck (lower grade stewing) steaks. Hammered them to about half thickness. Then i cut them into small 1 to 1/2 inch pieces making sure to cut out any big pieces of fat or sinew. I marinated them in a dollop of sour cream ( i think tradition calls for natural yoghurt but i didn't have any) and three tablespoons of harissa ( north african spice paste heavy on the chilli). After they had marinated ( an hour or two will do) i threaded the pieces onto metal skewers and roasted them in the oven at a high heat until the top was just beginning to go charred, i turned them and waited for the other side to char a little as well. When they are done you get some flat bread, i used white lebanese bread and put some shredded lettuce, onion and slices of tomato on it. Then using a large sharp knife you shave the meat off the skewer in thin slices onto the bread, roll it up and hook in. Havent eaten it yet so will add a rating soon. Wish me luck.
bezerk bob on
You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are. -- Colonel Adolphus Busch
H5 on the amatriciana, I do that one sometimes. Bacon goood. Although I use fresh tomatoes so there's a little less liquid at the end.
edit: Did apricot chicken tonight, and it turned out pretty well, although I added a bit too much stock and the sauce was therefore not as thick as I think it was meant to be. It should last me all week, there's freakin' heaps of it :P
Matriciana is wonderful, though I omit the garlic and throw in some red chili.
Also, I use penne and add the pasta to the pan at the end, mixing to combine. It makes a huge difference.
Cat, how are you using the fresh tomatoes? I've been meaning to try it with fresh tomatoes for a while, but I'm not sure what the best approach would be.
Take a large slice of bread (crust and all), any kind you like, and tear it into tiny pieces in a mixing bowl. Once done add enough milk to soften the pieces up but not so much it pools at the bottom of the bowl. Leave for ten minutes and go chop up two cloves of garlic and a decent amount of parsley.
Add half the garlic, half the parsley, salt, pepper, oregano and around 500g of fine minced beef (as good as you can find) to the bread in the mixing bowl and start kneading it all into one big ball. Some people might like to add an egg or two (whisked) to add to the consistency, but I don't think it's necessary. In fact, I like to add a little flour at this point. It seems to dry out the mixture and make the balls more stable. Once thoroughly mixed you can start tearing off pieces to roll into small balls. You can get about thirty to forty reasonable-sized balls out of this amount of mince, so enough to feed four people if they're greedy enough to have ten each.
Once all the balls are rolled start frying them into olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Keep them on the move, as you don't want them to stick to the pan and fall apart. When they've started to brown all over add two cans of chopped tomatoes (or passata or whatever you like to use), the rest of the parsley and garlic, and whatever seasoning floats your boat. Lower the heat and let it all simmer while you measure out the spaghetti, put a pot of water on the hob to boil and make a start on that large glass of red wine.
KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
edited July 2007
Here's something I threw together out of stuff in my fridge. Cook up some frozen ravioli (i like beef) in boiling water - once it starts floating, turn off the heat. Melt some butter in a skillet with a squirt or two of olive oil. Fry the ravioli in the butter until it starts to brown - throw in some sliced garlic, some chopped tomato (fresh or roasted), a handful or so of spinach, a few leaves of fresh basil or sage if you have some. Add salt and pepper, toss together for a few minutes. Serve, sprinkled liberally with parmasean cheese.
Edit: Another one - delicious panini sandwich.
Cut open a panini/hoagie/ciabatta roll. Spread mayo on the bottom. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Layer on ~2-3 strips of bacon crisped for 2-3 mins in the microwave. Add a few slices of turkey breast. Add a layer of shredded cheddar and swiss cheese. Add a layer of baby spinach with a few fresh basil leaves thrown in. Place the top of the roll on. Spray a little olive oil onto a nonstick pan heated over low heat. Heat a heavy pot over medium-high heat over another burner. Place sandwich on the pan, spray a little more oil on top, use heated pot to press the sandwich for 1-2 minutes. Remove, cut in half, eat.
Ok, I'm not even through the second page of this thread, but I feel I must share an recipe I basically improvised once, and found myself liking enough to make it again and again.
Note that the quantities, when given, are extremely approximate. This sort of thing is hard to get wrong; you just have to be careful with the few ingredients that have the more powerful flavors. Anyway, here goes:
Pasta: can be any pasta, but I like it best with macaroni or fusilli. In order to match the rest of the recipe, cook enough pasta for maybe two full servings.
1-2 regular onions, diced: if you like cooked onion like I do, you'll chop 2 up.
Garlic, to taste: when I have fresh cloves, I'll use 3-4. When I don't, I use garlic powder or garlic flakes, but it's not as good.
Mott's Clamato: both the regular and the extra spicy versions work great. Don't worry if all you have is the extra-spicy, as it gets less spicy when you cook it.
Sun-dried tomato pesto: About half a jar, or about 3-4 rounded tablespoons. I can get this at my supermarket. Tasty.
Bacon: the first time I tried this recipe, I only had real bacon bits in a small jar (the kind you can buy for Caesar's salad, but it's real bacon, no the fake stuff). Easier than having to cook the bacon and then chop it up myself.
Any herbs and spices you want to use: oregano, basil and parsley go great with anything tomato-based like this. Celery salt or celery seed can be nice (actually, real celery might be a nice addtion to this recipe!). A very small amount of cumin could also liven things up.
Hot sauce (Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot, for instance) to taste. Not necessary, especially if you're using extra-spicy clamato.
Grated Parmesan Cheese: if you like that sort of thing on your pasta, like I do.
A little bit of butter
A dab of olive oil
Cook the pasta, then strain and keep aside.
In the same pot you used to cook the pasta (assuming it's stainless steel) melt a little butter and mix in a dab of olive oil. (I actually keep some garlic margarine in my fridge, and use that instead of the butter. You don't get the buttery goodness, but it compensates with the garlic taste, and the fact that you can spread it even when it comes fresh out of the fridge.)
Drop in the onion, and soon after, the garlic, and fry until it starts to caramelize (but before it blackens.) The more brown there is, the tastier the result, in my opinion.
When the onion and garlic are cooked to your taste, add the clamato (at least a cup's worth, more if you don't want the sauce to be too thick) and the tomato pesto. Add in all the spices and everything else except for the bacon and the parmesan (and the pasta).
Let this simmer for a few minutes, stirring regularly so the flavors can mix well. When you're happy with the consistency of the sauce, add in the bacon, stir a little bit, and then add in the pasta, stirring again.
Once you have everything mixed to satisfaction, you can serve, and sprinkle grated parmesan on top.
Takes less than 30 minutes to make, including the time it takes to cook the pasta.
2. Dry rub composed of - Paprika, garlic, random cajun seasoning and salt.
3. Grill. Preferrably charcoal.
Rub the rub on the ribs. Heh.
Light the grill.
When the charcoal base is going nicely....
Put the ribs on the grill.
Cook and eat.
My mom makes some kickass ribs in a similar way. But there's a few more steps involved:
1- if you want the meat to just come off the bone easily (and taste a lot better) you gotta boil the ribs, first. My mom boils them in a big pot with some onions, carrots, celery, those kinds of veggies. Sometimes, she even keeps the veggies and the stock for use in a side-dish. Just make sure the meat is properly cooked (I don't remember how long it takes.)
2- the rub is very similar: paprika, black pepper, garlic salt, onion salt, a small amount of cayenne pepper.
Just rub tons of this rub onto the ribs, and barbecue until you can't wait and look at them any longer (or about 10 minutes)
Some people prefer their ribs with some gooey barbecue sauce, but I like them better with just this dry rub.
Irond WillWARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!!Cambridge. MAModeratormod
edited July 2007
My experience with touch cuts of pork, and this includes ribs, is that cooking it at low temperatures for long periods of time, while making sure it stays moist, yields the best results by far.
I assume that this is the same for tough cuts of beef, like brisket or skirt steak, but I've not really tried slow-cooking beef. I know that beef roasts in a crock pot tend to dry out like a motherfucker.
That's pretty much how all barbecue is done, be it pork, ribs, or brisket, or even chicken. Barbecue is different from grilled, if that was unclear.
Is barbecue really spelled with a c?
In subliterate areas, it's generally "BBQ".
I understand the term comes from "barbe et queue" I guess meaning "beard to tail," referring to spitting a whole pig. It's probably hotly debated in linguistic circles.
edit: Wiki tells me I'm wrong and that the word comes from "barbicoa," a term used by some primitive Caribbean tribe.
let the darken darken just a bit, then add
1 zucchini, chopped into rounds
2 squash, chopped into rounds (depends on size, try to match the amount of zucchini and squash)
let them cook a little, then add 1/4 cup water and cover skillet with a lid
after a few minutes, add
1-2 cup (a big fucking handful) cherry tomatoes, split in half
let that cook up a bit, just a few minutes, then turn off the heat and mix in some
black pepper
parmesan cheese
Eat.
Notes:
Adapted from "Six Minute Meals for Six Pack Abs" (good book) recipe "A Good Game of Squash"
Also, homegrown vegetables are the best.
Posts
[edit: also, when adding crushed tomatoes, bring it to a boil and then back down to a simmer. Add the water and chickpeas when the sauce is just starting to reduce.]
On another note, Cookthink has its flaws but is still really impressing me lately. The reference section in particular would be really helpful for those just getting started in the kitchen, although like the rest of the site it's still a bit undeveloped. Check it out, though.
Sesame fudge? Is that like chocolate fudge... but with sesame?
No, it's just halva. The package's English half said "sesame fudge" so I assumed that's what you people call it; apparently not.
Ingredients:
1 cup of white rice
2 cups of milk
1 cup of sugar
1 packet of French vanilla pudding
Cinnamon (optional)
Raisins (optional)
Directions:
Boil the rice longer than you usually do; when you're done, drain the the rest of the water away.
Add milk, sugar, vanilla, rest, and boil on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Pour in cereal bowls, and put the bowls in the refrigerator.
Eat like a pig.
Sometimes I just mix the halva and sour cream in a bowl, and use the bread as dip.
Ah, rice pudding. Now I know what you people call it. Googling for "rice and milk" got me nothing.
It's a lot of work, and twice as much work to clean up. I just buy the parts instead.
Why would you ever try to shred real mozzarella? Slice. It doesn't need to be shredded to melt evenly, I mean fuck, just look at it.
Use uncooked dough. You can make your own, which is a very useful skill to learn, and hard to screw up really, or you can buy some frozen white bread dough. Either works, but you'll like your homemade pizza much better with fresh dough instead of precooked rounds.
If you're having trouble transferring your pizza on raw dough, you can par cook the dough for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to handle.
When making pizza sauce microwave the oil with the herbs and spices for thirty seconds. It will make the sauce meld in minutes instead of hours. (You're just warming the oil here, not cooking anything. Herbs will acquire an unpleasant crispiness if you saute them)
Use a little anchovy paste in your sauce, even if you don't like anchovies. It will add amazing depth, just don't overdo it. (I use probably 3/8 of an inch of the stuff that comes in a tube. That's about half of a medium to small anchovy fillet.)
If you use one of those big blocks of packaged mozzarella sprinkle a little salt on top before cooking. Those blocks are so big that the inside portions of cheese are actually pretty bland.
If you want to use fresh mozzarella you slice it, don't shred it. You'll want to put it in the freezer for about ten minutes first to get it hard enough that you don't have to make really thick slices.
A pizza peel is helpful, but not necessary if you don't want to shell out.
A pizza stone helps a lot, but they're expensive. Most peoples' ovens aren't big enough to really need one anyone though. A one foot unglazed quarry tile will work fine. That one's not mine though, it's Alton Brown's.
You might try first just a classic pizza margherita. It's crushed tomatoes for sauce, fresh sliced mozzarella, fresh basil, and salt and pepper. Then ramp up the extra herbs, spices, and toppings one at a time.
I think that's all I've got for now. Maybe I'll throw in a couple more later.
--LeVar Burton
I'll be fine, just give me a minute, a man's got a limit, I can't get a life if my heart's not in it.
They say that out of the billions of megabytes of data posted on the internet every day only a few are actually worth one's time and effort reading... This sir, was one of them, so have a cookie!
'course, I'm lazy and bought mine from the little italian place down the road tonight, because I didn't get out of the city until 8pm :P
--LeVar Burton
Ingredients:
Carrots
Snow Peas
Red Pepper
Bean Sprouts
Peanuts
Apple
It was really good. The apple came out just right and was really juicy. I didn't know what to expect, but for such a random collection of stuff, it was amazing.
3-5 lbs pork roast. Basically the cheapest, toughest pork roast you can find
4 dried anaheim or New Mexican chiles per pound of meat or the equivalent in chile molido (ground chile powder)
2 cloves garlic per pound of meat
1 onion per 3 lbs meat
a little lime juice
a little cumin seeds
a little oregano
Anaheim chiles are the big red dried ones that you see in ristras in Southwestern homes. You can use dried poblanos if you're a sissy. If you're going to use chile powder, make sure you get the kind that doesn't have salt and cumin mixed in - this will ruin your meal. You can check the ingredients if you're not sure.
First, pull the stems off the chiles. You can deseed them as well, though it will make your meal less spicy.
Coarsely cut your onion and garlic. Put in in a largeish pot with a little vegetable oil. Sautee at medium-low heat until nicely caramelized. Then add some water - first just a little to deglaze the pot, then enough to cook the chiles. Once the water is heated, add the dried chiles, cumin seed and oregano. It should take a little while for them to rehydrate, so cover the pot and let it sit for a half-hour or so, stirring occasionally and adding water if it needs it.
Cut your pork roast into one inch cubes or 2-3 inch strips. Put it in an oven-save pan and pour a little lime or lemon juice over the pork.
Once the chiles are nice and soft, turn off the heat, let the pot cool to sane temperatures, and then add the contents of the pot gradually to a blender or food processor. Hot things in blenders tend to explode, so be careful here. Salt the sauce and if you desire add a little honey or brown sugar. The sauce should have a smooth consistency.
Once the sauce is cool enough to not cook the meat, pour the sauce over the meat and mix it in. Cover with foil. At this point, it's best if you can let the whole thing marinade overnight in the fridge. If you can't do this, then just proceed to the cooking.
Cook the pan, still covered in foil, at 300 degrees for 3-4 hours. Check occasionally to make sure it's not drying out - it should be a thick sauce, but not dry. Add water if it needs it. Really, since it's tough pork, you can cook for longer maybe at a slightly lower temperature depending on the cut - like barbecue, cheaper meat takes longer to cook but tastes better than anything else once all the connective tissues have melted away.
Serve over rice or with eggs or in a burrito. Sour cream goes nicely on the side, as do tomatoes and lettuce and pinto or refried beans. This stuff is great, and easy meal, and when I cook it I generally make a fuckton and freeze it for general use.
In fact, I'm marinading a bunch right now. I'll try to take a picture and post it when I cook it tomorrow.
You need:
1/2 can Hunts canned diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano
1/2 white onion, diced
some sliced mushrooms
whatever spices you want, I just use some salt and pepper
diced chicken, however much you want, but at least as much as the tomatoes
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp butter
arrowroot to thicken
olive oil
sautee the mushrooms, tomatoes and onions together in the olive oil until the onions begin to caramelize, stirring every so often. Add chicken and milk and butter. Stir every minute or so, and let that reduce, adding about a teaspoon of arrowroot until the sauce is as thick as you want it. It should be a light pink color. Pour over spaghetti or other pasta.
http://thornsbook.com online novel
I have bookmarked this thread and intend to print out all the good stuff.
I hope to bring some recipes of my own but I tend to cook kind of... uhm... "unconventionally"...
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium low heat for one minute.
Add 4-6 ounces of pancetta, bacon, or salt pork and cook over low heat. (You're rendering out the porkfat). You're going to leave it in the pan, so undercook rather than overcook here.
Raise heat to medium and add one medium onion, diced. Saute until the onion is translucent.
Add two cloves of garlic. Preferably very thinly sliced (they really do do that Goodfellas thing) but you can just dice or smash it if it's easier for you. Cook for about a minute.
Add two 14oz cans of crushed tomatoes.
Let that simmer while you cook a pound of pasta.
Spoon the sauce over the hot pasta and sprinkle a cup* of freshly grated hard cheese over the top. Pecorino Romano is beset, but you can go with asiago, or parmigiana, or whatever.
*It's a cup if you use a proper microplane grater for this. They're extremely useful for a lot of things, and not expensive, so I'd advice getting one. If you decide not to, or just don't have one yet, scale back the volume based on the coarseness of the grate.
It's so simple and delicious, and you've probably never had pasta like it, since we almost always put a lot of herbs and spices i our tomato sauces.
edit: I completely forgot to mention that the quality of ingredients here is paramount. If you don't want to shell out for expensive canned tomatoes you should probably reduce the amount of tomato by 1/3 or more to keep the sauce from becoming bland.
--LeVar Burton
H5 on the amatriciana, I do that one sometimes. Bacon goood. Although I use fresh tomatoes so there's a little less liquid at the end.
edit: Did apricot chicken tonight, and it turned out pretty well, although I added a bit too much stock and the sauce was therefore not as thick as I think it was meant to be. It should last me all week, there's freakin' heaps of it :P
Also, I use penne and add the pasta to the pan at the end, mixing to combine. It makes a huge difference.
Cat, how are you using the fresh tomatoes? I've been meaning to try it with fresh tomatoes for a while, but I'm not sure what the best approach would be.
Take a large slice of bread (crust and all), any kind you like, and tear it into tiny pieces in a mixing bowl. Once done add enough milk to soften the pieces up but not so much it pools at the bottom of the bowl. Leave for ten minutes and go chop up two cloves of garlic and a decent amount of parsley.
Add half the garlic, half the parsley, salt, pepper, oregano and around 500g of fine minced beef (as good as you can find) to the bread in the mixing bowl and start kneading it all into one big ball. Some people might like to add an egg or two (whisked) to add to the consistency, but I don't think it's necessary. In fact, I like to add a little flour at this point. It seems to dry out the mixture and make the balls more stable. Once thoroughly mixed you can start tearing off pieces to roll into small balls. You can get about thirty to forty reasonable-sized balls out of this amount of mince, so enough to feed four people if they're greedy enough to have ten each.
Once all the balls are rolled start frying them into olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Keep them on the move, as you don't want them to stick to the pan and fall apart. When they've started to brown all over add two cans of chopped tomatoes (or passata or whatever you like to use), the rest of the parsley and garlic, and whatever seasoning floats your boat. Lower the heat and let it all simmer while you measure out the spaghetti, put a pot of water on the hob to boil and make a start on that large glass of red wine.
Choose Your Own Chat 1 Choose Your Own Chat 2 Choose Your Own Chat 3
Edit: Another one - delicious panini sandwich.
Cut open a panini/hoagie/ciabatta roll. Spread mayo on the bottom. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Layer on ~2-3 strips of bacon crisped for 2-3 mins in the microwave. Add a few slices of turkey breast. Add a layer of shredded cheddar and swiss cheese. Add a layer of baby spinach with a few fresh basil leaves thrown in. Place the top of the roll on. Spray a little olive oil onto a nonstick pan heated over low heat. Heat a heavy pot over medium-high heat over another burner. Place sandwich on the pan, spray a little more oil on top, use heated pot to press the sandwich for 1-2 minutes. Remove, cut in half, eat.
Note that the quantities, when given, are extremely approximate. This sort of thing is hard to get wrong; you just have to be careful with the few ingredients that have the more powerful flavors. Anyway, here goes:
Pasta: can be any pasta, but I like it best with macaroni or fusilli. In order to match the rest of the recipe, cook enough pasta for maybe two full servings.
1-2 regular onions, diced: if you like cooked onion like I do, you'll chop 2 up.
Garlic, to taste: when I have fresh cloves, I'll use 3-4. When I don't, I use garlic powder or garlic flakes, but it's not as good.
Mott's Clamato: both the regular and the extra spicy versions work great. Don't worry if all you have is the extra-spicy, as it gets less spicy when you cook it.
Sun-dried tomato pesto: About half a jar, or about 3-4 rounded tablespoons. I can get this at my supermarket. Tasty.
Bacon: the first time I tried this recipe, I only had real bacon bits in a small jar (the kind you can buy for Caesar's salad, but it's real bacon, no the fake stuff). Easier than having to cook the bacon and then chop it up myself.
Any herbs and spices you want to use: oregano, basil and parsley go great with anything tomato-based like this. Celery salt or celery seed can be nice (actually, real celery might be a nice addtion to this recipe!). A very small amount of cumin could also liven things up.
Hot sauce (Tabasco or Frank's Red Hot, for instance) to taste. Not necessary, especially if you're using extra-spicy clamato.
Grated Parmesan Cheese: if you like that sort of thing on your pasta, like I do.
A little bit of butter
A dab of olive oil
Cook the pasta, then strain and keep aside.
In the same pot you used to cook the pasta (assuming it's stainless steel) melt a little butter and mix in a dab of olive oil. (I actually keep some garlic margarine in my fridge, and use that instead of the butter. You don't get the buttery goodness, but it compensates with the garlic taste, and the fact that you can spread it even when it comes fresh out of the fridge.)
Drop in the onion, and soon after, the garlic, and fry until it starts to caramelize (but before it blackens.) The more brown there is, the tastier the result, in my opinion.
When the onion and garlic are cooked to your taste, add the clamato (at least a cup's worth, more if you don't want the sauce to be too thick) and the tomato pesto. Add in all the spices and everything else except for the bacon and the parmesan (and the pasta).
Let this simmer for a few minutes, stirring regularly so the flavors can mix well. When you're happy with the consistency of the sauce, add in the bacon, stir a little bit, and then add in the pasta, stirring again.
Once you have everything mixed to satisfaction, you can serve, and sprinkle grated parmesan on top.
Takes less than 30 minutes to make, including the time it takes to cook the pasta.
Check out my new blog: http://50wordstories.ca
Also check out my old game design blog: http://stealmygamedesigns.blogspot.com
My mom makes some kickass ribs in a similar way. But there's a few more steps involved:
1- if you want the meat to just come off the bone easily (and taste a lot better) you gotta boil the ribs, first. My mom boils them in a big pot with some onions, carrots, celery, those kinds of veggies. Sometimes, she even keeps the veggies and the stock for use in a side-dish. Just make sure the meat is properly cooked (I don't remember how long it takes.)
2- the rub is very similar: paprika, black pepper, garlic salt, onion salt, a small amount of cayenne pepper.
Just rub tons of this rub onto the ribs, and barbecue until you can't wait and look at them any longer (or about 10 minutes)
Some people prefer their ribs with some gooey barbecue sauce, but I like them better with just this dry rub.
Check out my new blog: http://50wordstories.ca
Also check out my old game design blog: http://stealmygamedesigns.blogspot.com
I assume that this is the same for tough cuts of beef, like brisket or skirt steak, but I've not really tried slow-cooking beef. I know that beef roasts in a crock pot tend to dry out like a motherfucker.
Is barbecue really spelled with a c?
In subliterate areas, it's generally "BBQ".
I understand the term comes from "barbe et queue" I guess meaning "beard to tail," referring to spitting a whole pig. It's probably hotly debated in linguistic circles.
edit: Wiki tells me I'm wrong and that the word comes from "barbicoa," a term used by some primitive Caribbean tribe.
skillet on low-medium heat
2 tbsp olive oil
2 chopped garlic cloves
let the darken darken just a bit, then add
1 zucchini, chopped into rounds
2 squash, chopped into rounds (depends on size, try to match the amount of zucchini and squash)
let them cook a little, then add 1/4 cup water and cover skillet with a lid
after a few minutes, add
1-2 cup (a big fucking handful) cherry tomatoes, split in half
let that cook up a bit, just a few minutes, then turn off the heat and mix in some
black pepper
parmesan cheese
Eat.
Notes:
Adapted from "Six Minute Meals for Six Pack Abs" (good book) recipe "A Good Game of Squash"
Also, homegrown vegetables are the best.