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[Cooking] thread 2: 2019's 2020's revenge

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Posts

  • Brovid HasselsmofBrovid Hasselsmof [Growling historic on the fury road] Registered User regular
    Another day, another 4kg tomato harvest

    w0kkhz4scpba.jpg

    Also pulled up maybe 20kg of potatoes yesterday. From the bed where I just planted a few leftovers that I couldn't fit in the actual potato bed.

  • UnbrokenEvaUnbrokenEva HIGH ON THE WIRE BUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered User regular
    Hey @Xaquin i just bought a little under a pound of maitake mushrooms from the farmers market, and I’ve never cooked them before - any recommendations?

    My first instinct is pizza but I’m open to other ideas

  • XaquinXaquin Right behind you!Registered User regular
    edited August 2021
    Hey @Xaquin i just bought a little under a pound of maitake mushrooms from the farmers market, and I’ve never cooked them before - any recommendations?

    My first instinct is pizza but I’m open to other ideas

    I personally use them for soup stock and jerky, but I'll occasionally sautee them in butter slow, and top a burger with them. I've also cut the fronds into slivers and tossed them in ramen

    they're a pretty good mushroom for hearty stuff like shepherds pie!

    edit: I'm sure they'd be good on pizza too but I'd cook them before putting them in the oven

    Xaquin on
  • GrudgeGrudge blessed is the mind too small for doubtRegistered User regular
    Went to the local farmers market today and bought a big batch of tomatoes - will make my special 4 ingredient (tomatoes/green olives/cream/Parmigiano) sauce tomorrow. It's a lot of work for a sauce, but it's worth it.

  • V1mV1m Registered User regular
    V1m wrote: »
    Websters can shut their noise-holes. Tomato crisps are thus:

    1: Oil a flat non-stick baking sheet
    2: Thinly slice (about 1/8" or 2mm) a couple of tomatoes (depending on size) and lay them on the baking sheet so they don't overlap (they will shrink during cooking so it's OK if you pack em in tightly)
    3: Season them toms with sea salt, pepper, olive oil and any other seasonings that seem like a good idea. Paprika is nice, oregano is nice, I bet chipotle would be great.
    4: Put them in the oven at about 150C for 25-30 mins or so, then check them, and if needed give them a few more mins. They should be much thinner and drier and a caramelised around the edges.
    5: Eat one to test it, noting that they're rather fragile when still hot and need to be lifted carefully.
    6: Eat the rest immediately because they're amazing. They go great with almost everything but there's a lot to be said for some good crusty bread and some salami, especially if you can use the bread to wipe up the excess tomatoey peppery salty olive oil from the tray.
    7: In theory, if you leave them to cool, they will crisp up and you can use them to garnish stuff. Prolly better make 2+ trays if you want to test this out.

    NB: If you leave out the salami element, you can use these to befriend vegans.

    We currently have Way Too Many tomatoes, I've been making batches of pasta sauce to freeze but I will have to try this now.

    Yes. You do.

    PS if you like eg: macaroni cheese, then these things are the business on top of that.

  • RightfulSinRightfulSin Registered User regular
    Making a mayo less egg salad type riff using greek yogurt and mashed avocado instead with hard boiled eggs, lemon, parsley, onion powder, garlic, s and p for lunches this week. Having it with some rustic whole grain seeded cracker bread crackers and some mandarins as well.

    Will report on results.

    "If nothing is impossible, than would it not be impossible to find something that you could not do?" - Me
  • The Zombie PenguinThe Zombie Penguin Eternal Hungry Corpse Registered User regular
    Man, i bought some fancy middle eye bacon and it's just the most disappointing stuff ever. Really flavorless, even when salted and whether i've air fried or baked it, in it's own fat or on a rack

    Ideas hate it when you anthropomorphize them
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  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    So

    What does one do with a whole pineapple?

  • TefTef Registered User regular
    So

    What does one do with a whole pineapple?

    Cut em in 10mm-15mm slices, sautée them with some salt and chilli flakes?

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  • sarukunsarukun RIESLING OCEANRegistered User regular
    Slice it up however you like and just eat it raw.

  • RightfulSinRightfulSin Registered User regular
    Recommendations for simple sides to serve with a riff on oven roasted chicken tandoori using my oven and marinated chicken thighs that I planning for Sunday night (and the rest of the week)?

    "If nothing is impossible, than would it not be impossible to find something that you could not do?" - Me
  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    pineapple also cans well but I was also raised by boomers who considered canned pineapple a standard weeknight dessert so take that as you will

  • Brovid HasselsmofBrovid Hasselsmof [Growling historic on the fury road] Registered User regular
    So

    What does one do with a whole pineapple?

    Use it as a centerpiece for a fantastic hat

  • BucketmanBucketman Call me SkraggRegistered User regular
    Cooking thread, my very close friends just had a baby, so tomorrow the wife and I are helping these new parents out by having a cook storm.

    Making big pans of mostaccioli, chicken and dumplings, meat loaf, and a bunch of mashed potatoes. Honestly I'm just excited to be cooking full meals for a change.

  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    raw pineapple burns though.

    I'm thinking I might just chop it up and then just sautee it down in lots of butter and sugar and then maybe use that in a bread pudding/spoonbread kind o thing?

  • KetarKetar Come on upstairs we're having a partyRegistered User regular
    raw pineapple burns though.

    I'm thinking I might just chop it up and then just sautee it down in lots of butter and sugar and then maybe use that in a bread pudding/spoonbread kind o thing?

    Boil it, mash it, stick it in a stew.

    Seriously though, my personal favorite prep is to cut the pineapple in half vertically, hollow out each half, and then use one half as a serving vessel that you fill with pineapple ice cream or similar. Garnish with some cherries, mint, or whatever you feel like really.

    Pineapple pairs well with various meats, and while ham is the typical go-to I'm sure you can find some recipes that use it with chicken that you would be happy with. A good huli huli chicken recipe or similar. Heck, even sweet and sour chicken - there's a reason why so many Chinese restaurants use it in that dish. Grilled pineapple is delicious and can be used to accompany a wide variety of meats or other dishes.

    All that said, I'm sure it would be delicious in a bread pudding and if that's what you want to use it for you absolutely should.

  • JedocJedoc In the scuppers with the staggers and jagsRegistered User regular
  • sarukunsarukun RIESLING OCEANRegistered User regular
    raw pineapple burns though.

    I'm thinking I might just chop it up and then just sautee it down in lots of butter and sugar and then maybe use that in a bread pudding/spoonbread kind o thing?

    It hurts so gooooooood.

  • Commander ZoomCommander Zoom Registered User regular
    I have to respect a fruit that tries to digest you right back.

  • PinfeldorfPinfeldorf Yeah ZestRegistered User regular
    Do you, though?

  • TallahasseerielTallahasseeriel Registered User regular
    Pineapple+ orange juice is like my favorite fruit flavor combo

  • UnbrokenEvaUnbrokenEva HIGH ON THE WIRE BUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered User regular
    edited August 2021
    okay, be brave, be brave, all @sarukun can do is judge you, you'll be fine

    so... I tried making an approximation of Cuban sandwiches this weekend. Nobody around here seems to sell real Cuban rolls and I wasn't quite ready to try baking them myself just yet, but I got some rolls from a baker at the farmer's market that seemed to be the next closest thing I could find.

    Pork + marinade = potential:
    MtnX1fZh.png

    The roasting begins! (first basting)
    yWQZXFdh.png

    omg this pork
    peak9vzh.png[

    alright, first try assembly. I don't have a press, so I heated up my carbon steel pan and used that to put some heat/pressure on top, and flipped partway through. I had the pans a little too hot though, so the cheese didn't melt before the bread toasted. I'll fix that for next time.
    kdmfh5Jh.png

    absolutely fucking delicious, looking forward to round 2 tomorrow

    UnbrokenEva on
  • SalSal Damnedest Little Fellow Registered User regular
    Made something called Chicken Marbella tonight:

    m1aFC3l.jpg

    You wouldn't think olives and prunes would work, but somehow it all came together nicely

    xet8c.gif


  • sarukunsarukun RIESLING OCEANRegistered User regular
    edited August 2021
    okay, be brave, be brave, all sarukun can do is judge you, you'll be fine

    so... I tried making an approximation of Cuban sandwiches this weekend. Nobody around here seems to sell real Cuban rolls and I wasn't quite ready to try baking them myself just yet, but I got some rolls from a baker at the farmer's market that seemed to be the next closest thing I could find.

    Pork + marinade = potential:
    MtnX1fZh.png

    The roasting begins! (first basting)
    yWQZXFdh.png

    omg this pork
    peak9vzh.png[

    alright, first try assembly. I don't have a press, so I heated up my carbon steel pan and used that to put some heat/pressure on top, and flipped partway through. I had the pans a little too hot though, so the cheese didn't melt before the bread toasted. I'll fix that for next time.
    kdmfh5Jh.png

    absolutely fucking delicious, looking forward to round 2 tomorrow

    That looks really solid, well done!

    Real Cuban rolls aren't super difficult, but finding good manteca isn't always that easy. Otherwise, it's pretty much just French bread.

    And yeah, if you're putting swiss on there (as you should be), it's gotta be real low and slow on the pressing, swiss takes a minute to get melty.

    sarukun on
  • GrudgeGrudge blessed is the mind too small for doubtRegistered User regular
    Grudge wrote: »
    Went to the local farmers market today and bought a big batch of tomatoes - will make my special 4 ingredient (tomatoes/green olives/cream/Parmigiano) sauce tomorrow. It's a lot of work for a sauce, but it's worth it.

    Last night I cooked my "special" tomato and olive pasta sauce. Now, this is something I had in Rome many years ago, which I have tried to reverse engineer, and I think I've come fairly close to how I remember the original.

    There are only 4 ingredients (+ the secret pasta chef trick), and for 2 people you need this:

    18-20 tomatoes
    18-20 green olives
    0,5dl full cream
    0,5dl grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

    That's it! Now because this dish does not rely on spices for the taste, the quality of the ingredients themselves is important. So you want nice fresh, sun-ripened tomatoes (which means that it's tricky to make it in the winter - this time I used big plum tomatoes, that's a safe bet), good quality green olives (not the cheap cocktail ones) and the proper cheese (powder stuff will not work).

    Start by taking the skin off the tomatoes (scald them quickly in boiling water, the skin will easily peel off), cut them up and remove all the seeds and hard green/white stuff inside. This is important because the sauce is mixed later and skin/seeds will ruin the texture). Put the tomatoes in a pot (I use a sauteuse) and simmer without a lid. Don't add anything, no oil, no salt or pepper, just tomatoes. Let them simmer for half an hour or so, until they start to break up. Then dice the olives (remove the pits obviously, if they still have them) and put them in together with the tomatoes.

    Reduce it down to a thick slurry. You want to concentrate the flavours and get rid of most of the water. This may take 1-2 hours depending on the tomatoes. Once it's thick enough (and does not taste watery) it's time to mix the slurry into a sauce. I use a hand blender directly into the sauteuse, it's the quickest and easiest.

    Put it back on low heat and add the cream and the cheese, and let it slowly come together while stirring. If you heat it too quickly the cream might separate, so slow and easy does it. Take it off the heat, but keep it warm until serving.

    Now it's time to cook the pasta - because the sauce is pretty subtle, I prefer large pieces cooked al dente. Now for the pasta chef trick - when the pasta is done, just before draining it - save 1 dl of pasta water to add to the sauce. This will provide salt, starch and a bit of extra water to the sauce. Don't add it all at once, use a little splash, stir and check the texture, then add more if needed. The sauce should be pretty thick so it sticks properly to the pasta.

    That's it - grate some extra Parmigiano on top if you want and basil leaves for decoration. Buon Appetito!

    wmawn1tq83z6.jpeg

  • m!ttensm!ttens he/himRegistered User regular
    Grudge wrote: »
    Grudge wrote: »
    Went to the local farmers market today and bought a big batch of tomatoes - will make my special 4 ingredient (tomatoes/green olives/cream/Parmigiano) sauce tomorrow. It's a lot of work for a sauce, but it's worth it.

    Last night I cooked my "special" tomato and olive pasta sauce. Now, this is something I had in Rome many years ago, which I have tried to reverse engineer, and I think I've come fairly close to how I remember the original.

    There are only 4 ingredients (+ the secret pasta chef trick), and for 2 people you need this:

    18-20 tomatoes
    18-20 green olives
    0,5dl full cream
    0,5dl grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

    That's it! Now because this dish does not rely on spices for the taste, the quality of the ingredients themselves is important. So you want nice fresh, sun-ripened tomatoes (which means that it's tricky to make it in the winter - this time I used big plum tomatoes, that's a safe bet), good quality green olives (not the cheap cocktail ones) and the proper cheese (powder stuff will not work).

    Start by taking the skin off the tomatoes (scald them quickly in boiling water, the skin will easily peel off), cut them up and remove all the seeds and hard green/white stuff inside. This is important because the sauce is mixed later and skin/seeds will ruin the texture). Put the tomatoes in a pot (I use a sauteuse) and simmer without a lid. Don't add anything, no oil, no salt or pepper, just tomatoes. Let them simmer for half an hour or so, until they start to break up. Then dice the olives (remove the pits obviously, if they still have them) and put them in together with the tomatoes.

    Reduce it down to a thick slurry. You want to concentrate the flavours and get rid of most of the water. This may take 1-2 hours depending on the tomatoes. Once it's thick enough (and does not taste watery) it's time to mix the slurry into a sauce. I use a hand blender directly into the sauteuse, it's the quickest and easiest.

    Put it back on low heat and add the cream and the cheese, and let it slowly come together while stirring. If you heat it too quickly the cream might separate, so slow and easy does it. Take it off the heat, but keep it warm until serving.

    Now it's time to cook the pasta - because the sauce is pretty subtle, I prefer large pieces cooked al dente. Now for the pasta chef trick - when the pasta is done, just before draining it - save 1 dl of pasta water to add to the sauce. This will provide salt, starch and a bit of extra water to the sauce. Don't add it all at once, use a little splash, stir and check the texture, then add more if needed. The sauce should be pretty thick so it sticks properly to the pasta.

    That's it - grate some extra Parmigiano on top if you want and basil leaves for decoration. Buon Appetito!

    wmawn1tq83z6.jpeg

    That sounds delicious! I'm assuming the olives are brine cured and not oil cured? It's not like you need to add more fat, what with the cream and cheese. I poked through my Italian cooking bible (Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking) and there were not any sauces with olives in them though some of the tomato sauces had very similar ratios (mirepoix instead of the olives, and half the cream subbed out with butter for sautéing the mirepoix). I'll have to give it a try, maybe later this week. We had penciled in "spaghetti" which would probably have been her tomato & butter sauce but I'm going to try to convince Mrs mittens to give this one a go. What variety of olive do you typically use? I think we have allllmost enough fresh tomatoes in our garden (our daughter loves going back there and just picking tomatoes and eating them straight off the vine but I have plans for those tomatoes, kid!).

  • GrudgeGrudge blessed is the mind too small for doubtRegistered User regular
    It is! Yes it should be olives in brine. This time I used Italian Cerignola, but I have used other types before, for example Greek Halkidiki.

  • TerrendosTerrendos Decorative Monocle Registered User regular
    Anyone here able to help me with swiss meringue? I heated the egg/sugar/etc. mixture over a double boiler to 185F per the recipe, and when I took it off it looked nice and frothy, but while whipping it with my hand mixer I noticed a bunch of lumps. I tried one and I think it's a bit of cooked egg? But I'm not sure how that could have happened if it didn't have lumps when I pulled it off the heat and the bowl was metal so there wasn't sufficient thermal capacitance to keep heating the meringue.

    I was supposed to turn it into a buttercream frosting for a cake I baked yesterday, but I don't think I can serve this as-is. It seems too thick to strain, regardless. Is there any solution I'm missing? I don't want to plow forward because I've got a pound of butter I'm supposed to be adding and I don't want to waste all that if it's not going to be any good anyway.

  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    Most Swiss meringue I know involve whipping the egg separately then heating the sugar and streaming it in at the end.

  • TerrendosTerrendos Decorative Monocle Registered User regular
    Blake T wrote: »
    Most Swiss meringue I know involve whipping the egg separately then heating the sugar and streaming it in at the end.

    I believe you've confused Italian and Swiss meringue. Italian meringue drizzles in a hot sugar syrup to whipped eggs. Swiss meringue heats eggs and sugar together and then whips.

  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    Oh yeah, my bad, sorry!

  • TefTef Registered User regular
    unforgivable

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  • RightfulSinRightfulSin Registered User regular
    So my egg salad lunch idea was/is a success. Also it's really simple. I mash up a ripe avocado with lemon juice. Mix in 1 tbsp plain greek yogurt with onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and minced garlic. Mash in 2-3 hard boiled eggs. Toss in chopped flat leaf parsley. Stir to combine.

    Been eating it with some rye bread crisps for texture. It is quite good.

    "If nothing is impossible, than would it not be impossible to find something that you could not do?" - Me
  • TerrendosTerrendos Decorative Monocle Registered User regular
    Blake T wrote: »
    Oh yeah, my bad, sorry!

    No worries, I asked in my Discord chat and the only response was literally the exact same mistake. I remade the meringue this afternoon and it turned out much better, no clumps at all. The main thing I did differently was take the eggs off the heat at around 170F instead of 185F. Maybe I was stirring more thoroughly this time too? I kept a strainer and second bowl nearby just in case, but didn't use them.

  • JuggernutJuggernut Registered User regular
    edited September 2021
    Did a ton of meal prep today.

    Made up a pot of rotisserie chicken curry over rice and broccoli. Baked chicken breast and tried to make a sauce from memory out of Greek yogurt, cumin, dill and spinach. Results are mixed. Also baking up a big batch of breakfast egg muffins stuffed full of trinity mix, diced mushrooms and bacon. I sautéed Brussel sprouts and garlic in the bacon grease when I was done to pair with the chicken breasts.

    Edit: now I have to clean up...

    Juggernut on
  • V1mV1m Registered User regular
    Adding some garlic, ginger, fenugreek and some kind of souring agent (eg: lemon, tamarind, tomato) will make you a much more credible curry base in my experience.

  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    edited September 2021
    Making these tonight. Going to use the instant pot to do the chicken though. Looking forward to it!

    https://youtu.be/Q3FuKbE3LIU

    webguy20 on
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  • V1mV1m Registered User regular
    edited September 2021
    Today I am making food on the "it's cold and grey outside and I don't wanna go outside at all even to get takeaway food" principle. So. Whatever there is.

    Massala rice (basmati cooked with a sliced and fried small red onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric and a chopped up chili)
    Cauliflower roasted with turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, fennel and sea salt
    Some pieces of belly pork (more pork, less belly) marinated in Worcester sauce, balsamic vinegar, cumin seeds, ginger-garlic sriracha and thai sweet chili sauce
    A red bell pepper, sliced up, kinda mixed around in the leftover marinade, which I'm gonna put under the grill with the pork when that's about half done.

    EDIT: I should say that obviously the leftovers are gonna get turned into fried rice tomorrow

    V1m on
  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    I just went out and picked a few cups of blackberries for blackberry cobbler tonight. While I hate the plants themselves I do love blackberry season in general.

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  • V1mV1m Registered User regular
    I have just eaten a plateful of very good decisions. Roasting cauliflower in aromatics is just a good idea you guys! And it went super well with the charred peppers and the sticky belly pork and a glass of Vin Orange.

This discussion has been closed.