Jalapenos I Grew: The Food Thread Part 2

[Evo]

I have pretty much stopped watching the Food Network because it's nothing but game shows now, and they keep recycling the same old group of Food Network faux chefs.

Absolutely agree on Masterchef UK and the Great British Bake Off, much higher class and about the knowledge and ability to cook sans the theatrics.

I can't watch A Chef's Life though, although the woman took a culinary course after she failed at advertising, she doesn't really have a basic knowledge of food and cooking and it's just too painful to watch the mistakes she makes as she learns about cooking while running a restaurant, which I guess is what the show is about. I wish I could remember some of the jaw droppers she's made, but it was something like being at a farm and asking what an adult calf would be called, the guy gave her the best "I cannot believe you really just asked that" look and said "it's called a cow". I thought she grew up on a farm? Anyway, I tried watching another episode after that and she didn't understand something really basic about eggs, and that was it for me. Of course normal people probably don't get worked up over her mistakes, I'm not NOrmAL.

 

[ZapperZ]

Vivian also wanted to know the difference between butter beans and lima beans.

But that is the charm of the entire show, especially if you learned about her background. She may have grown up in eastern N. Carolina, but she couldn't wait to get out of there. But now that she has gone back, she's learning all about the food that she grew up with and the food that came out of the region. So she's looking at all the things that she used to "despise", but in a different light and with a new appreciation. Otherwise, one wouldn't serve a Tom Thumb at the James Beard House.

I find the show charming, but more importantly, very honest with itself. I don't know of any other shows like it.

Zz.

 

[Evo]

Vivian also wanted to know the difference between butter beans and lima beans.

But that is the charm of the entire show, especially if you learned about her background. She may have grown up in eastern N. Carolina, but she couldn't wait to get out of there. But now that she has gone back, she's learning all about the food that she grew up with and the food that came out of the region. So she's looking at all the things that she used to "despise", but in a different light and with a new appreciation. Otherwise, one wouldn't serve a Tom Thumb at the James Beard House.

I find the show charming, but more importantly, very honest with itself. I don't know of any other shows like it.

Zz.

See, I was looking at it the wrong way, I first thought it was about a seasoned chef, then was disappointed, so I nit picked on every mistake. I read another version of the interview you posted, which seems to explain a bit more and that although her family had a farm, being the youngest she didn't really get involved with farm life, so that explains a lot of my misconceptions.

I'll give her another try now that I understand the point of the show.

Here's the other version of the interview. http://www.eater.com/2014/1/21/6294499/chef-vivian-howard-on-southern-food-and-her-pbs-show

Have you watched UK Masterchef Professional? That will bring tears of joy watching the high level of expertise and encouragement.

 

[turbo]

I learned a lot from my grandmother, She was the cook for the Kennebec Log Drive. KLD consisted of a lot of local workers that would saw the trees, dump the wood into local streams and rivers to float down to the pulp and paper mills, so there were a lot of guys that had to be fed really fast every morning before the day began. Grandma could have dozens of eggs frying in seconds. Get a couple of frying pans hot and buttered, and get to the eggs. Grab a couple of eggs, whack them on the edge of the counter, and flick them open with her long thumbnails, and there they were, cooking in the pan. How many men had to be fed? That number went up and down, but it never mattered to her. Years later, older guys would approach me and brag on her cooking skills, and ask if I knew any of her tricks.

 

[Evo]

I learned a lot from my grandmother, She was the cook for the Kennebec Log Drive. KLD consisted of a lot of local workers that would saw the trees, dump the wood into local streams and rivers to float down to the pulp and paper mills, so there were a lot of guys that had to be fed really fast every morning before the day began. Grandma could have dozens of eggs frying in seconds. Get a couple of frying pans hot and buttered, and get to the eggs. Grab a couple of eggs, whack them on the edge of the counter, and flick them open with her long thumbnails, and there they were, cooking in the pan. How many men had to be fed? That number went up and down, but it never mattered to her. Years later, older guys would approach me and brag on her cooking skills, and ask if I knew any of her tricks.

I think people that grew up learning about food are the best cooks. Cooking is a science, even though these natural cooks don't realize it. I believe that you have her recipes memorized, you should write them down.

Turbo, I know you picked up your cooking skills from watching and learning. These people that take a 6 month *culinary school* course just have no clue, they learn a few tricks and have no idea what's involved. A UK Masterchef opening show had 2nd year culinary students asked to scramble eggs as an elimination test, only one student knew how to scramble an egg properly. And these students had been hand picked as the school's best students. Culinary schools there aren't the 30 week certificate 'schools' that you see so commonly in the US, but these kids couldn't cook after 2 years. It was shocking.

I don't know where my mother really learned so much about cooking, she said she would spend a lot of time in the kitchen watching their cook. She had unbelievable high end cookbooks from France that I would go over until I memorized them, I found out that my sister threw them out years ago, she said they were collecting dust, I almost died. I remember when I was 10 and crying because I didn't properly temper the eggs I was cooking for an ice cream, yes people, real ice cream is a cooked custard that has air churned into it while it freezes, it is not cream and sugar solidified with liquid nitrogen. I also made ice cream with rennet. People today don't even know what rennet is.

I was also 10 the first and last time I actually made home made phyllo dough, took me all day, it was back breaking getting it into a paper thin see through sheet so large that I had to line the floor with wax paper in order to finish rolling it out. the baklava was the best I ever tasted, but I'm sure the work I put into it prejudiced me somewhat. It makes me really critical of these "tv cooks' that have no clue what they're doing. Actually it infuriates me that these people are on tv.

Ok, my blood pressure is up. Time to stop.

 

[Evo]

Ok, while I'm on a rant and roll..Julia Child...hated her.

She destroyed French cooking. I did read that what she was famous for was taking French classics and adapting them for American cooks.

Ok, what that means is that she took great traditional French recipes and dumbed them down to the point that they were no longer recognizable to French people. She ruined so many great French classics like ratatouille, her version is nothing that even resembles the original. Instead of it being a classic stew where all vegetables simmered together to meld the flavors, she cooked them separately and then mixed them together at the end. Nothing like the original, completely lacked the beautiful complex flavors developed by the original recipe.

It just never ceases to amaze me is how some people that are really not good become famous. then of course, people try to jump on that bandwagon by aligning themselves even if that means being fake. Jacques Pepin comes to mind, he jumped on her bandwagon, he also sold things like "flavorless and odorless sesame seed oil". WHAT?? Evo Child accidentally bought me a bottle of that junk when I sent her to the store to buy me a bottle of sesame seed oil for a Japanese dish I was making. His junk cost $8. But, she's not into cooking, I couldn't yell at her. I don't think they're sold anymore.

 

[ZapperZ]

I think you are way too hard on poor old Julia.

The problem here is that you are looking at her shows (at least, her original series) in light of today's world. You need to remember that there was nothing like that show way back then, that a cooking show like her was truly a trail-blazer. Not many typical household in the US were familiar with French cooking and technique at that time, and she basically had to start showing them from scratch. So I can completely understand if she had to dumb it down. She wasn't teaching culinary students. This is similar to what they do on America's Test Kitchen, especially when they try to recreate some ethnic cuisine. They simply can't make the recipe too complicated or using ingredients too exotic, because their whole mission is to allow someone in a typical US household to be able to make these dishes. I see nothing wrong with that.

Secondly, I think we look at food shows on TV differently. I don't mind someone who isn't professionally trained. This is because there are two things I often try to get from food shows on TV: (i) news ideas, techniques, and inspiration, and (ii) the connection of the food to the local culture and surroundings. This is why I love Andrew Zimmern's shows. You don't learn the culinary arts on his shows, but I love the CONTEXT of the food in relation to the location. It is amazing how much one can learn about a culture or a society simply by learning about the food and what they normally eat. As an ethnic food fan, I devour those types of shows. It is also why I love watching Pioneer Woman, even though she isn't a professional chef, and her culinary technique is a mess. I love the context with where she lives and how that is reflected in the food she prepares for her family and friends. Besides, many of the stuff she prepares are very easy to replicate without remembering the recipes.

Zz.

 

[Evo]

You're right, I am way too hard on tv cooks because I learned old school Haute Cuisine, my mother was a perfectionist and she drilled into me that nothing but perfection was acceptable, and with that type of cooking, you really did not deviate. I think it's actually kept me from being flexible and creative when it comes to cooking. I did love watching Joyce Chen on PBS when I was growing up, but then I had no clue what Chinese cooking was about, so her Americanized versions of Chinese dishes were all I had to go by.

I adore Andrew Zimmern, I have watched all of his shows over the years, he's awesome.

 

[turbo]

Supper tonight was awesome! Our niece and her boyfriend rode their snowmobiles to a pond in northern Maine and spent a couple of days there ice-fishing. This afternoon, he dropped in and gave us a large brook trout they had caught. My wife got the oven going and baked some potatoes, and steamed some broccoli, In the meantime, I convinced here to split the brookie lengthwise along the spine before frying it. She was hesitant, but I got her to realize that the fish would fry up better if it wasn't so thick. She preheated and buttered our biggest skillet and got the fish cooking. It came out perfect! I still have 1/2 of that fish left over to have with breakfast tomorrow. I can't wait!

 

[JorisL]

Coming back to the TV show discussion, recently I liked the hairy bikers (UK): Asian adventure.
I love Asian cuisine and got some great ideas from the 2 episodes I saw so far.
Next week I'll likely make fresh ramen (not the noodles because I don't have the time for that).

Also Goulash must be my favourite stew, ever.

 

[Evo]

Coming back to the TV show discussion, recently I liked the hairy bikers (UK): Asian adventure.
I love Asian cuisine and got some great ideas from the 2 episodes I saw so far.
Next week I'll likely make fresh ramen (not the noodles because I don't have the time for that).

Also Goulash must be my favourite stew, ever.

I *LOVE* Hairy Bikers!

 

[DiracPool]

I recently bought a rotisserie oven and just rotisseried a a full Huli Huli chicken. Soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, crushed garlic, ketchup, lime juice, tabasco sauce, and some olive oil I had to substitute for sesame oil. Put it on 325 for an hour and half. Set it and forget it...BAM, that was good. Didn't have much in the cupboard, but I had some macaroni and cheese as a side, that I dressed up with a jalepeno pepper and some extra graded cheddar, and and an iceberg salad with chopped carrots and tomatoes with an olive oil and imported balsamic vinegar dressing. Yummm.

 

[Evo]

I recently bought a rotisserie oven and just rotisseried a a full Huli Huli chicken. Soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, crushed garlic, ketchup, lime juice, tabasco sauce, and some olive oil I had to substitute for sesame oil. Put it on 325 for an hour and half. Set it and forget it...BAM, that was good. Didn't have much in the cupboard, but I had some macaroni and cheese as a side, that I dressed up with a jalepeno pepper and some extra graded cheddar, and and an iceberg salad with chopped carrots and tomatoes with an olive oil and imported balsamic vinegar dressing. Yummm.

That sounds yummy.

 

[lisab]

First meal cooked over fire this year! Chicken wings over hot coals (actual wood, not charcoal).

And asparagus . Not sure yet how it will be cooked.

 

[dlgoff]

Something new for chicken breast for me. I'm hoping this will be good; Thai Chili-Teryaki baked boneless chicken breast.

Marinaded for 24 hours with these,

then baked @ 350°F for 1.5 Hours.

 

[Evo]

Oooh, looks good!

 

[dlgoff]

Oooh, looks good!

Turned out it was good. Thanks. I'll be making it again.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I can't claim credit for the following recipe (saw it on a facebook link months ago and copied to my phone) but I can absolutely attest to its awesomeness! This weekend was a bank holiday in the UK so finally having the time and excuse I cooked it. For those of you unfamiliar this is a take on the classic full English breakfast in pie form. From the top and with pictures as I went along:

Ingredients:

Pastry:

570g Flour
200g lard (plus a little extra for greasing tin)
2 teaspoons salt
Pinch of pepper
1 beaten egg (for glazing)

Filling:

8 thick medallions of bacon (fat removed)
12 mushrooms (slice and pre-cook these while making the pastry)
4 sausages (get good quality!)
4 hashbrowns (pre-cook these whilst making the pastry)
3 Black puddings
1/2 tin of baked pins (you want as little juice as possible so use a fork to drain)
4 eggs, two whole and two for extra yolks.

Recipe:

Step 1: Sieve the flour into a bowl and mix in the salt

Step 2: Melt the lard and the water together in a pan

Step 3: Mix the water/lard with the flour and once cool knead together into a ball (make sure to flour the surface well). Roll that ball into a rough rectangle (or whatever matches your tin shape)

Step 4: Grease the tin with the rest of the lard and carefully place the pastry in. Make sure to break off a fist size lump for the lid. Trim the edges off and use that to make a second lump just in case you need it, if not it becomes decoration.

Step 5: Lay in the bacon

Step 6: Add the mushrooms, remember these must be roasted before going in.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Part 2! Forum doesn't like too many pics

Step 7: Skin the sausages

Step 8: Add the sausage meat, mushed a bit to fit

Step 9: Add your hashbrowns, remember to precook them

Step 10: Add your black puddings

Step 11: Add the beans, remember not too much juice

Step 12: Add the eggs and the two extra yokes

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Final part!

Step 13: Add the lid plus your decoration (F.E.P stands for full English pie, thought my housemate preferred the name F*ing Epic Pie)

Step 14: Cook at 200C for 20 minutes, then turn down to 170C for 90 minutes

Step 15: Let the pie cool then place in the fridge over night. The next day carefully remove from the tin, slice and serve. Can be heated in the microwave if you prefer.

Enjoy!

 

[Evo]

Ooooh, if only i could get my hands on black pudding here, I'd have to special order it.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Ooooh, if only i could get my hands on black pudding here, I'd have to special order it.

I could send you some :) I think, I assume they'd survive airmail!

 

[Evo]

I could send you some :) I think, I assume they'd survive airmail!

I would love to try real British blood pudding, probably not something that can be shipped here though. I should check online, is there a brand that you recommend? There was a deli my mother used to be able to get home made meats from when i was little and one was a lovely blood and tongue sausage, I found a place that is highly recommended in the US, but their "blood sausage" appears pink, not the normal reddish black.

http://www.edelweissdeli.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=71&product_id=180

 

[Bandersnatch]

Ooooh, if only i could get my hands on black pudding here, I'd have to special order it.

If you've got a Polish deli nearby, then you may try getting a 'kaszanka' from it (sometimes called 'kiszka'). It's pretty much the same stuff as British black pudding, only usually sold is smaller diameter sausage form.

By the way, that looks delicious, Ryan!

 

[Evo]

If you've got a Polish deli nearby, then you may try getting a 'kaszanka' from it (sometimes called 'kiszka'). It's pretty much the same stuff as British black pudding, only usually sold is smaller diameter sausage form.

I'll have to check, where I live is just starting to get a few tiny ethnic markets, mainly middle eastern, the little Asian market didn't last long. :(

 

[ZapperZ]

I had approximately 6 hours to burn during my last layover at Hong Kong International Airport on my last trip. So I practically walked and saw almost every square inch of Terminal 1. Other than exhausting my credit card at the HK Disneyland store (is this revelation a surprise to you?), I was also scouting various eateries there. I avoided the main food court on the upper level of the terminal. Then I found, tucked away in a side of one part of the terminal, this group of smaller restaurants. One of them specialized in just noodles, and not only that, they were freshly-made noodles, hand-pulled right there!

It was a no-brainer.

I ordered this seafood noodle soup. I was very good, but definitely the main attraction is the fresh noodles. Just as with fresh pasta, you cannot get that kind of texture and chew from dried noodles. And the broth was just light enough that it perfectly compliments the noodles.

I made another trip to this same place later in the day, about an hour before my flight, and got a different noodle dish that was stir-fried. If I had more time, and I wasn't as full, I would have eaten more!

Zz.

 

[Evo]

I had approximately 6 hours to burn during my last layover at Hong Kong International Airport on my last trip. So I practically walked and saw almost every square inch of Terminal 1. Other than exhausting my credit card at the HK Disneyland store (is this revelation a surprise to you?), I was also scouting various eateries there. I avoided the main food court on the upper level of the terminal. Then I found, tucked away in a side of one part of the terminal, this group of smaller restaurants. One of them specialized in just noodles, and not only that, they were freshly-made noodles, hand-pulled right there!

It was a no-brainer.

I ordered this seafood noodle soup. I was very good, but definitely the main attraction is the fresh noodles. Just as with fresh pasta, you cannot get that kind of texture and chew from dried noodles. And the broth was just light enough that it perfectly compliments the noodles.

I made another trip to this same place later in the day, about an hour before my flight, and got a different noodle dish that was stir-fried. If I had more time, and I wasn't as full, I would have eaten more!

Zz.

Gosh, that looks so delicious, I would love some of that right now.

 

[Borg]

Impromptu and very healthy dinner tonight. Hummus, carrots, pita bread, mozzarella and a glass of wine. Yum.

 

[dlgoff]

Impromptu and very healthy dinner tonight. Hummus, carrots, pita bread, mozzarella and a glass of wine. Yum.

I'll be right over. Save me some.

 

[Evo]

Impromptu and very healthy dinner tonight. Hummus, carrots, pita bread, mozzarella and a glass of wine. Yum.

Oh, thank you, you reminded me that I bought a bag of Stacy's "Simply Naked" pita chips today. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

 

[Borg]

Oh, thank you, you reminded me that I bought a bag of Stacy's "Simply Naked" pita chips today. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Those are really good pita chips - very light and flakey. I have a buy one get one free rain check for them and have been waiting for a coupon to make them $1 per bag.

 

[Evo]

Those are really good pita chips - very light and flakey. I have a buy one get one free rain check for them and have been waiting for a coupon to make them $1 per bag.

What?? Coupon? This is a once every other month splurge for me. But they are SO worth it. Now I am regretting that I didn't also buy something to dip them in. There is this artichoke parmesan dip that is to die for, it's from Stonemill Kitchens. Buy this, you will thank me.

http://www.stonemillkitchens.com/product1.html

 

[JorisL]

Made Paella today. Bought frozen seafood a while back and haven't been able to get the squid tender.
This recipe worked (yay not a total loss), it's based on Jamie Oliver's recipe minus the chicken and bacon. I replaced carrots for the peas.
Only had risotto rise, but that works too :-)

 

[Evo]

I love paella, had a great recipe once, but I believe that it's in one of hundreds of my old cookbooks that got destroyed in a flood.

 

[Evo]

I haven't made this yet, but it sounds yummy. It's spicy edamame dip.
Ingredients
4 large cloves garlic, un-peeled
16 ounces shelled edamame beans (about 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Pita chips, for dipping

Directions
In a medium skillet over medium heat, roast the garlic, turning frequently, until light brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, and then slip off the skins. Set aside.

Bring about 8 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan and drop in the beans. Bring back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water before draining. Drain the beans and cool.

Transfer the garlic into a food processor and chop coarsely. Add the beans, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, pepper and process in the food processor. Add the olive oil, lime juice and cilantro and pulse to combine. Add the reserved water a little at a time while processing until smooth (you may not need to add all of the water). Use pita chips for dipping.

Recipe adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood (c) Clarkson Potter 2010

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/spicy-edamame-dip-recipe.html?oc=linkback

 

[Astronuc]

Creative/innovative cooking - https://tv.yahoo.com/video/wylie-dufresne-brings-iconic-dishes-142834545-cbs.html

 

[dlgoff]

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

I've never understood why (developed a taste for) this stuff is used.

 

[Evo]

I've never understood why (developed a taste for) this stuff is used.

You must be one of those unfortunate few that think it tastes like soap, that's too bad, it's really delicious. I can't eat papaya/mangoes, it tastes like cheap perfume to me. horrible.

 

[dlgoff]

You must be one of those unfortunate few ...

I guess. When going to new Mexican food restaurants, that stuff is the determining factor whether I will go back or not.

 

[Evo]

I guess. When going to new Mexican food restaurants, that stuff is the determining factor whether I will go back or not.

Ask for it not to be added.

I went to the Cheesecake Factory with Evo Child and ordered an Iced tea. I took a sip and spewed it out, it had papaya or mango in it. I called the waiter over and politely said i just wanted plain ice tea, he said they didn't have any, their only iced tea had papaya/mango in it because it was 'trendy" and that a lot of customers couldn't drink it and offered me a diet coke.

 

[dlgoff]

Ask for it not to be added.

I would but it's in the salsa. Kinda like:

... they're only iced tea had papaya/mango in it because it was 'trendy" ...

 

[Evo]

That sucks if you can't eat it, it's real, some people taste it differently and it's bad.

 

[lisab]

You must be one of those unfortunate few that think it tastes like soap, that's too bad, it's really delicious. I can't eat papaya/mangoes, it tastes like cheap perfume to me. horrible.

I know several people with that sad genetic trait. One woman can detect cilantro dang near the ppb level.

I like mangoes but I don't care for papaya or guava..."cheap perfume" is the perfect way to describe them !

By the way, pineapple and cilantro is a wonderful combination!

 

[turbo]

My wife went to our local market today. Somehow, they had decided to put pork spare ribs on sale for $3.99/lb. They had some spare ribs left over from a special that ran last week @$2.99/lb, and my wife bought them all. Two huge bags of them loaded into our chest freezer. This summer's cookouts will be great. Normally, I prepare and grill burgers, hot dogs or sausage, and salmon, but this year, there will also be pork spare ribs. My wife and I have some projects planned for this summer, so family members will be easy to get involved.

 

[ZapperZ]

Freshly-made waffles, "shmeared" with Nutella, and topped with fresh blueberries, strawberries, and sliced bananas. It was so good, I had to have TWO!

Zz.

 

[dlgoff]

Freshly-made waffles

I'd like two right now. That looks sooo good.

 

[ZapperZ]

I'd like two right now. That looks sooo good.

You can get as many as you want when you are at the Magic Kingdom. I haven't found any place else that does this. And even in Walt Disney World, I have only found one place that serves this: Sleepy Hollow counter service inside The Magic Kingdom.

I usually buy this in the afternoon as a "snack", or buy this and bring it over to where we are sitting waiting for the fireworks or the parade. Inevitably, some people around me will ask where I got it, because it looks so delicious.

If only I get $1 for every person I showed where to get this...

Zz.

 

[JorisL]

I made chocolate chip cookies. (recipe, replaced baking soda with yeast and 100g dark brown sugar + 60g white sugar)
They are yummy, unfortunately there are real chips any more, they instead made a goo-y center :-)

This about half the yield of the recipe (30-40 cookies ranging from the depicted size above to about 1/3rd of the size)

 

[Astronuc]

Sausage Cheesecake Appetizer - sounds rich
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sausage-cheesecake-appetizer

 

[Borg]

Sausage Cheesecake Appetizer - sounds rich
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sausage-cheesecake-appetizer

For some reason, this reminds me of a chip dip that a friend showed me how to make.
Not for those who are worried about their cholesterol.

Brown 1 pound of sausage
Melt 1 pound of cheese in a sauce pan
When the cheese is melted, mix in 16 - 20 oz. of salsa and the sausage.

Serve warm with tortilla chips.