Jalapenos I Grew: The Food Thread Part 2

[ZapperZ]

Vivian Howard, the Chef of "Chef and the Farmer Restaurant" and also the start of "A Chef's Life" on PBS here in the US, is making her rounds for her book publicity. She will be in Naperville, a suburb of Chicago, this evening at a bookstore.

I will be attending, and bought tickets to this. So I'll be getting some meet-and-greet and a book signing. I was at her restaurant about 2 years ago, and had a great time. In fact, we are planning on going back there again in late April next year when we visit relatives in N. Carolina.

BTW, her book "Deep Run Roots" is excellent! It is more than cookbook. It tells a story and the place of the food of Eastern North Carolina that has been neglected, till now. If you like the TV series, you'll love the book.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Had a great time at the Vivian Howard book signing party tonight. She was as real and as genuine as what you saw on TV. I wore my "Chef and the Farmer" t-shirt while waiting in line, and people wanted to know how the restaurant was and how the food was. I guess not a lot of people from this part of the country have been to her place out in Eastern N. Carolina.

Her husband, Ben Knight, was serving dessert, a chewy pecan bar, which is a recipe from her book. It was delicious, and I'm determine to make this one some time soon.

We told her that we have plans to go back to her restaurant in late April next year. Not sure if she'll be there now that she is no longer actively running the restaurant day in and day out, but we're still looking forward to trying the food and the ingredients at that time of the year.

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Hey, what are you guys eating for NY's eve/NY?

I'm having people over for NY's eve this evening, and instead of the usual party/dinner stuff, I decided to go Asian. It is traditional to serve noodles for New Year in Asian/Chinese culture, so I'm making my own homemade Southeast Asian Noodle soup with chicken. This has a remote resemblance to the Vietnames Pho where it rice noodles served with a flavorful, clear broth.

Of course, I have to make the broth myself since that is the most important component of the dish. I bought a whole hen (not a chicken), and since 9 am this morning, I've been simmering it in a huge pot to make the broth. I added 4 cinnamon sticks, 8 star anise, 2 onions, one whole head garlic, pepper corns, whole cardamoms, several thick slices of ginger, and a few bay leaves.

It has been simmering for 2 hours, and I'm going to let it go for another hour. If this was your ordinary supermarket chicken, it would be mush by the time I'm done.

The whole house smells of fragrant spices and rich broth... yum!

I'll post more as I progress along with this, and hopefully show you the final product when I serve it this evening.

Zz.

 

[Evo]

Hey, what are you guys eating for NY's eve/NY?

I'm having people over for NY's eve this evening, and instead of the usual party/dinner stuff, I decided to go Asian. It is traditional to serve noodles for New Year in Asian/Chinese culture, so I'm making my own homemade Southeast Asian Noodle soup with chicken. This has a remote resemblance to the Vietnames Pho where it rice noodles served with a flavorful, clear broth.

Of course, I have to make the broth myself since that is the most important component of the dish. I bought a whole hen (not a chicken), and since 9 am this morning, I've been simmering it in a huge pot to make the broth. I added 4 cinnamon sticks, 8 star anise, 2 onions, one whole head garlic, pepper corns, whole cardamoms, several thick slices of ginger, and a few bay leaves.
View attachment 110949
It has been simmering for 2 hours, and I'm going to let it go for another hour. If this was your ordinary supermarket chicken, it would be mush by the time I'm done.

The whole house smells of fragrant spices and rich broth... yum!

I'll post more as I progress along with this, and hopefully show you the final product when I serve it this evening.

Zz.

Oh Zz, that looks delicious!

 

[ZapperZ]

Oh Zz, that looks delicious!

Thanks! Glad to report that it was delicious, and the dinner went very well.

This is what the broth looks like at the end. I veered out of the "traditional" broth for the noodles because I added veggies, since I like lots of veggies with my Asian noodle soup. I added Napa cabbage and Swiss chard.

The hen has been take out and the meat shredded.

People who know of the Vietnames Pho will know that there are accompaniments with the noodle dish that you can add to your hot steaming bowl of noodles. No different here. Here are the accoutrements that I laid out to garnish the noodle soup: lime wedges, bean sprouts, green onions, Vietnamese basil leaves, caramelized shallots, and Serrano chilli peppers that have been macerating in soy sauce.

Here are all the ingredients laid out on the table to build your own bowl of S.E. Asian chicken noodle soup.

Here's my first bowl... I'm not ashamed to admit that I had 3 helpings (hey, they were small bowls!).

I think everyone liked it a lot, especially the broth, which was the main ingredient here. That was why I went out of my way to make sure this was done properly. Life is too short to eat bad broth!

:)

Zz.

 

[Borg]

Life is too short to eat bad broth!

Words to live by.

 

[Evo]

Thanks! Glad to report that it was delicious, and the dinner went very well.

This is what the broth looks like at the end. I veered out of the "traditional" broth for the noodles because I added veggies, since I like lots of veggies with my Asian noodle soup. I added Napa cabbage and Swiss chard.
View attachment 110975

The hen has been take out and the meat shredded.

People who know of the Vietnames Pho will know that there are accompaniments with the noodle dish that you can add to your hot steaming bowl of noodles. No different here. Here are the accoutrements that I laid out to garnish the noodle soup: lime wedges, bean sprouts, green onions, Vietnamese basil leaves, caramelized shallots, and Serrano chilli peppers that have been macerating in soy sauce.
View attachment 110976

Here are all the ingredients laid out on the table to build your own bowl of S.E. Asian chicken noodle soup.
View attachment 110977

Here's my first bowl... I'm not ashamed to admit that I had 3 helpings (hey, they were small bowls!).
View attachment 110978

I think everyone liked it a lot, especially the broth, which was the main ingredient here. That was why I went out of my way to make sure this was done properly. Life is too short to eat bad broth!

:)

Zz.

OH YUMMMMMMM! Zz you should start a food blog!

 

[ZapperZ]

OH YUMMMMMMM! Zz you should start a food blog!

Yeah, maybe I'll call it "Oh No, Not Another Food Blog!"

Zz.

 

[Evo]

Yeah, maybe I'll call it "Oh No, Not Another Food Blog!"

Zz.

I've heard of people making $500,000 a year on youtube!

I can contribute to the "What not to do" portion of the video blog.

 

[ZapperZ]

I can contribute a rant. This is a kitchen gadget, so I think it is appropriate for this thread.

I found this last week, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why anyone would want to buy this. This is a "grater".

The thing is about a foot long.

Now really, think of how this is going to be used. Let's say you want to make slices of potatoes. How exactly do you go about using the slicer that is in the middle of this? You start at the top and drag the potato down. Sure, you'll get your sliced potatoes, but you'll also get shredded potatoes and grated potatoes as a bonus in one single stroke! You can't use just one of the features on this grater without bumping into another.

Who thought that this is a good idea? I often wonder if many of the kitchen gadgets were invented and designed by people who never cook. And worse still, did they actually test this out with actual home cooks that are their target consumers?

I don't know of any "good cook" who would buy this.

Zz.

 

[dkotschessaa]

I can contribute a rant. This is a kitchen gadget, so I think it is appropriate for this thread.

I found this last week, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why anyone would want to buy this. This is a "grater".
View attachment 111007

The thing is about a foot long.

Now really, think of how this is going to be used. Let's say you want to make slices of potatoes. How exactly do you go about using the slicer that is in the middle of this? You start at the top and drag the potato down. Sure, you'll get your sliced potatoes, but you'll also get shredded potatoes and grated potatoes as a bonus in one single stroke! You can't use just one of the features on this grater without bumping into another.

Who thought that this is a good idea? I often wonder if many of the kitchen gadgets were invented and designed by people who never cook. And worse still, did they actually test this out with actual home cooks that are their target consumers?

I don't know of any "good cook" who would buy this.

Zz.

It's intentional. They're trying to make America grate again.

 

[NascentOxygen]

Let's say you want to make slices of potatoes. How exactly do you go about using the slicer that is in the middle of this?

Invert it, maybe.
Or use the other side?

 

[ZapperZ]

Invert it, maybe.
Or use the other side?

The other side? Have you tried using a grater on the reverse side? The cutting edge is only one one side.

If you invert it, since the cutting edge is on the "lower lip" of the opening, then the sharp edge won't be scraping against the object you are trying to slice. It won't work.

Zz.

 

[NascentOxygen]

The other side? Have you tried using a grater on the reverse side? The cutting edge is only one one side.

I have one. I tried it. It works.

It's exactly the same as yours, with possibly one slight difference. Mine has the cutting edge of the slicer protrouding out of the smooth side so that is how it's used.

 

[Evo]

I have one. I tried it. It works.

It's exactly the same as yours, with possibly one slight difference. Mine has the cutting edge of the slicer protrouding out of the smooth side so that is how it's used.

Yes, some have the grater on one side, the slicer on the other.

 

[jtbell]

Did you know that at the Texas State Fair, you can eat(?) fried beer? (only if you're over 21, of course)

Deep-fried beer invented in Texas (The Telegraph)

I actually found out about it just now while watching a Texas-oriented travel TV series, The Daytripper, on PBS. Tonight's episode was about the Texas State Fair, with a good portion devoted to all the different kinds of fried food you can eat there.

 

[ZapperZ]

Turkey is read to go in for Thanksgiving Dinner. I rubbed it with a compound butter flavored with rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

I rubbed the butter in between the skin and the flesh and then rubbed it all over the bird. It is in the oven now.

I'm sure the bird will file sexual abuse charges against me after this.

Zz.

 

[Nidum]

How is the famous US deep fried chicken actually prepared ?

 

[jim mcnamara]

@Nidum
Commercially prepared deep fried chicken is often done in a pressure cooker to speed up cooking time, a regular home open deep fryer works well.
Open fryers are set to 350 °F. At high elevation, deep-fried foods can overbrown on the outside but remain underdone inside. Approximation: lower the temperature of the oil about 3°F for every 300m in elevation above sea level. Beware of smoke points of some fats/oils e.g., flaxseed oil.

Dredge cut up chicken in flour mixture: flour, salt, optional spices: sage, summer savory, thyme
Heat oil first to temp, then add chicken carefully. Remove when medium brown.

https://www.thespruce.com/smoking-points-of-fats-and-oils-1328753

 

[Bystander]

At high elevation, deep-fried foods can overbrown on the outside but remain underdone inside. Approximation: lower the temperature of the oil about 3°F for every 300m in elevation above sea level.

I'll make a note of that --- thank you.

 

[Evo]

Looks awesome Zz!

I bought a sous vide stick and was tempted to sous vide the turkey, but figured, today is not the day to experiment with DA Boid. I am rubbing mine down with Sazon though.

 

[ZapperZ]

Here's what the cooked turkey looked like a few hours ago.

It is almost all gone now, except for the carcass that I'll make turkey broth for soup tomorrow.

Zz

 

[Evo]

Here's what the cooked turkey looked like a few hours ago.
View attachment 215510
It is almost all gone now, except for the carcass that I'll make turkey broth for soup tomorrow.

Zz

Beautiful! Mine is also becoming soup today.

 

[ZapperZ]

This past week saw the last episode in the outstanding series "I'll Have What Phil's Having". It is my opinion that, outside of Andrew Zimmern's "Bizarre Food" series, this is the BEST food and travel show on TV.

Most of my friends were shocked and disappointed that there were only 5 episodes in this first series. Many of us have written to PBS/WGBH and to the show directly asking them to produce more. As I've always emphasized, the food and the context of the food with the surrounding society and culture make for a richer story-telling. To me, this is a show becomes more than just a food show. And this series often will make you laugh out loud in one instant, and in the next, almost will make you almost shed a tear. Not many food show can do that!

Speaking of shedding a tear, did anyone catch the Guatemala episode on Andrew Zimmern's "Bizarre Food"? Towards the end, when one of the ladies thanked him for eating their food and for not looking down on their cuisine, Zimmern was in tears, and I almost lost it. This entire series is just spectacular.

Zz.

In case anyone missed it, "I'll Have What Phil's Having" on PBS has morphed into "Somebody Feed Phil" on Netflix. The new series premiered last Saturday, and all 6 episodes are available. The show follows the same format, and the Skype with the parents are as hysterical as ever.

Do not miss the Bangkok episode. You'll be mesmerized by it.

Zz.

 

[Borg]

I did see some of the original episodes based on your previous recommendations and enjoyed watching it.

Netflix

Looks like I won't be seeing the new ones though.

 

[ZapperZ]

Riot in France over Nutella sale?

I mean, I like Nutella and all, but this one made me scratch my head. Anyone living in France here? Can someone explain this to me? Is it because they like Nutella, or are they simply going bonkers over the huge discount?

Next time we have a riot at a store here in the US over some stupid products or items (and you know that is bound to happen some time soon), I don't want to hear about us crazy Americans going nuts over some sale!

Zz.

 

[StatGuy2000]

Riot in France over Nutella sale?

I mean, I like Nutella and all, but this one made me scratch my head. Anyone living in France here? Can someone explain this to me? Is it because they like Nutella, or are they simply going bonkers over the huge discount?

Next time we have a riot at a store here in the US over some stupid products or items (and you know that is bound to happen some time soon), I don't want to hear about us crazy Americans going nuts over some sale!

Zz.

There is an entire Reddit thread about the popularity of Nutella across Europe (not just in France):

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEurope/comments/3fyqrp/why_is_nutella_so_popular_in_europe/

Personally, I think Nutella is disgusting, but admittedly I'm not fond of peanut butter either, although I do like roasted peanuts and do like peanut sauce (which is not the same as peanut butter) for cooking.

 

[OmCheeto]

... I'm not fond of peanut butter
...

I've been living on peanut butter for the last 3 months, and I'm all out.

See you all later!

 

[Bystander]

peanut butter [insert]bubblegum[/insert] for the last 3 months, and I'm all out.

"They live."

 

[skyshrimp]

I cooked 3lbs of Cuban style pork in the slow cooker for 10 hours.

I loaded some on salty fries with Greek yoghurt and hot sauce.

 

[ZapperZ]

So, I have this mystery that maybe a few of you know the answer to.

I make curried butternut soup often, it's one of my favorite things to have, especially during the cold months. So I know all about butternut squash and have used it many times. However, earlier this week, when I decided to make another butternut squash soup, I stumbled upon something that puzzled me. When I cut it open to take out the seeds, I found not only the seeds, but also what appeared to be mung bean sprouts growing in the squash cavity! Take a look at the photos below:

This was definitely something I didn't expect.

There were no puncture holes or openings in the squash, i.e. I don't see a way for the bean sprouts seeds to get in there. I've cut open many butternut squashes, and I've never seen anything like this.

Have anyone seen this before, or know what happened here?

BTW, there was nothing wrong with the butternut squash. I cleaned it up, cooked it, and it turned out as usual. So whatever happened certainly didn't affect the squash itself.

Zz.

 

[DrClaude]

Have anyone seen this before, or know what happened here?

Never seen this before, but it looks like its the squash's own seeds that sprouted.

 

[ZapperZ]

Never seen this before, but it looks like its the squash's own seeds that sprouted.

Do butternut squash sprouts look the same as mung bean sprouts? I've never grown butternut squash before, so I don't know. But those sprouts sure looked like mung bean sprouts.

There are seeds that were not sprouting. And this is not an old squash, so I'm surprised that, if these are the squash sprouts, it would be sprouting already while still inside the cavity.

Zz.

 

[DrClaude]

From the lower picture, they appear to come from the seeds.

I find the following on the internet:
https://onalearningcurve.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/you-just-have-to-know-where-to-look/
http://katiecooksandcrafts.blogspot.se/2014/02/sprouted-squash-seeds.html

 

[ZapperZ]

From the lower picture, they appear to come from the seeds.

I find the following on the internet:
https://onalearningcurve.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/you-just-have-to-know-where-to-look/
http://katiecooksandcrafts.blogspot.se/2014/02/sprouted-squash-seeds.html

Wow. If this is true, then the butternut squash sprouts look like mung bean sprouts! I never knew!



Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

I've molested the turkey with the compound butter and it has gone into the oven. Good luck, Mr. Turkey!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Zz.

 

[ZapperZ]

Mr Turkey made it out of the oven!

Almost everyone went for the crispy skin. Yum!

Zz.

 

[chemisttree]

Smokin!
Sadly, we had no Nutella.

 

[NascentOxygen]

I've cut open many butternut squashes, and I've never seen anything like this.

Have anyone seen this before, or know what happened here?

BTW, there was nothing wrong with the butternut squash. I cleaned it up, cooked it, and it turned out as usual. So whatever happened certainly didn't affect the squash itself.

I think I've seen this once, and in a butternut, too. Finding the seeds have sprouted is not uncommon in supermarket tomatoes, those hard tasteless ones, in lemons, and sometimes in apples though only to the extent of a white shoot just a few mm in length in the latter. I once planted the sprouting seeds from a lemon, and grew two impressive lemon trees, very thorny, but prolific bearers of fruit.

 

[ZapperZ]

This restaurant as the best promotion so far during the shutdown for coronavirus. Order a delivery or take-out, and you get a roll of bathroom tissue! :)

This place is actually about 10 minutes away from me, and I've never been there before even though I've passed it many times. So today, I thought, what the heck, let's order a pickup from them! When we got there, there was a curbside pickup, and sure enough, we got our food with a roll of toilet paper! Score!

We are not in any dire need of toilet paper, but it was hysterical that this promotion made the news and getting them business. I ordered from here for the first time because of this. The pull-pork sandwich and the BBQ brisket sandwich were quite good. So I definitely intend to come back here, hopefully for dinning in. So no matter what happens, this clever and funny promotion has been a success.

Zz.

 

[OmCheeto]

Something similar came across my Twitter feed the other day:

 

[Astronuc]

How To Make the Absolute Best Instant Pot Beef Stew
https://www.thekitchn.com/instant-pot-beef-stew-22949287

Don’t Stew with Stew Beef
Braising turns tough cuts of beef into tender, succulent bites, but you want to skip the pre-cut stew beef when you’re at the grocery store or butcher. Oftentimes, stew beef is cut into irregularly shaped pieces and can have a lot of tough gristle that will never get tender. Picking up a piece of boneless beef chuck instead means that you can easily trim off all the unwanted parts first, then make sure the pieces are cut into uniform 1 1/2-inch pieces that will cook evenly and quickly in the pressure cooker.

I like chunks of rutabaga, turnip and/or parsnip in my beef stews.

 

[hmmm27]

How To Make the Absolute Best Instant Pot Beef Stew
https://www.thekitchn.com/instant-pot-beef-stew-22949287

I like chunks of rutabaga, turnip and/or parsnip in my beef stews.

Despite not growing up with parsnips, I've been including them in stews for quite awhile, now. Maybe, a third to a half the amount of potatoes.

Next up, adding turnips (I was twenty or so when I found out the "turnips" my family usually had were actually rutabagas... to this day I've no clue what an actual turnip tastes like) to my cottage-roll and bok choy based "Irish-Canadian Stew".

No room for peas in a stew (though it seems to work in some's formulations) ; good in chili, though.

 

[Astronuc]

My mother used to cook roast beef with potatoes, carrots and parsnips. In the early years, we grew our own carrots and parsnips. I loved roasted carrot and parsnip, but my brother didn't so he'd pass me his carrots and parsnips under the table.

 

[waternohitter]

@Astronuc, it really sounds delicious for sure tastes even better. The raw carrots are also delicious to eat, well just saying thou :)

 

[Frigus]

Food prepared by my mother

 

[Astronuc]

It almost spring, and time for salads.

https://www.wellplated.com/creamy-cucumber-salad/

https://www.wellplated.com/cucumber-tomato-avocado-salad/

 

[BWV]

Really like the super easy Indian cucumber salad w/ some diced green chilies (I use serranos or jalapenos), lime juice, cumin and cilantro

 

[Evo]

It almost spring, and time for salads.

https://www.wellplated.com/creamy-cucumber-salad/

https://www.wellplated.com/cucumber-tomato-avocado-salad/

I make a great cucumber salad, low fat sour cream and lemon juice, some salt and pepper. So simple, Evo Child LOVES it. Thanks for resurrecting this thread!

 

[Evo]

Really like the super easy Indian cucumber salad w/ some diced green chilies (I use serranos or jalapenos), lime juice, cumin and cilantro

That sounds really good, I think I'll make that.