What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[arunbg]

Calling all food lovers and connoisseurs of PF .
A thread to post anything and everything about food.
Share your favourite recipes, your kind of cuisine and favourite dishes, dining experiences, or even your kitchen antics and fiascos.

Let the food fest begin and remember, gluttony is not a sin.

 

[Evo]

Oooh, I'll be back in a bit. A friend and I were trying to find new recipes for lentils and we found some rather unusual fare, such as chocolate lentil cake.

We were also trying to find a modern version of "horsebread" that didn't require two bushels of flour.

 

[arunbg]

Chocolate lentil cake ! That's my favourite ( drools over keyboard ) !

 

[larkspur]

Pasta with Pesto Sauce

2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 or more large garlic cloves
3/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese (shredded or grated)
1/2 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put the first 4 ingredients in a food processor and blend while drizzling in the olive oil. Process until smooth. Pour into a jar and top with olive oil.

Prepare your favorite pasta(angel hair works great) combine it with about a tablespoon of pesto per serving.


Cover the unused pesto sauce with olive oil to keep it green and keep in the fridge up to a week.

 

[Cyrus]

By far, Lebanese food is one of the best in the world.

 

[larkspur]

By far, Lebanese food is one of the best in the world.

Got any recipes?

 

[Astronuc]

See also - Recipes & Cooking

Actually, one will find a lot of food threads in GD.

 

[Cyrus]

Got any recipes?

No, but if you drive down to Maryland I will take you to a good resturant in Bathesda .

 

[turbo]

Do you have a grill and a clamshell grilling basket with a fine wire mesh? If you do, here is today's recipe. Mix up a concoction of olive oil, dry red wine, ketchup, (insert favorite spicy salad dressing here - mine is Marie's Roasted Red Pepper Vinagarette), maybe some prepared mustard, the juice of one fresh lemon, molasses, some really hot habanero sauce, a crushed clove of garlic (or two), some oregano, freshly-ground black pepper, and salt. Mix them in approximately that order of decreasing amounts, tasting from time to time. That is your marinade. Thoroughly de-vein and de-shell some previously-frozen jumbo shrimp and marinate them in this for a few hours (or overnight), then cook them on your grill on high heat, painting them generously with the left-over marinade before and after turning. The molasses helps keep the seasonings stuck to the shrimp, while carmelizing nicely during cooking. When the thinner parts of the shrimp look crispy, open that grill basket and serve. Don't ask for specific quantities in the recipe. I don't measure, and you'll have to try this a few times to see what "by feel" proportions work for you. I can tell you that these grilled habanero shrimp never last more than a few minutes after they are served, so something must be going right. I grew up in a family of great cooks, so when you haul out a dish at a family gathering and it disappears in minutes with a crowd elbowing in for dibs, that is high praise. This one will make you popular at parties.

 

[George Jones]

A friend and I were trying to find new recipes for lentils

Dahl? (extra char)

 

[Rach3]

Mixed chopped fruit with yogurt, my favorite breakfast. Maybe:

chopped fresh fruit -
apples,
cantaloupe,
grapes,
orange slices,

topped with vanilla yogurt, in moderation as not to overwhelm the fruit. I discovered this combination at a cafe in Key West, off of Duval street, forgot the name.

 

[Rach3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttanesca

I got lucky once and this came out incredibly good, very strong flavors of anchovies and black olives (no capers for me), concentrated by reducing over a full hour at low heat. Mine was with spaghetti though, not rigatoni as pictured in wikipedia's article. I supplemented the olive oil with the olive oil the anchovies were packed in, that may have affected things positively, I'm not certain. I've also tried a version at an upscale restaurant, too soft and muted for my taste though, my version was better.

 

[Cyrus]

Mixed chopped fruit with yogurt, my favorite breakfast. Maybe:

chopped fresh fruit -
apples,
cantaloupe,
grapes,
orange slices,

topped with vanilla yogurt, in moderation as not to overwhelm the fruit. I discovered this combination at a cafe in Key West, off of Duval street, forgot the name.

Best breakfast, steak with runny eggs on top, oatmeal and 5-6 scrambled eggs. Protein +10.

 

[Rach3]

Best breakfast, steak with runny eggs on top, oatmeal and 5-6 scrambled eggs. Protein +10.

Sounds lethal.

 

[Cyrus]

Lethal?

Nope. It has all that your body needs for strength!

 

[JamesU]

I ate at taco bell for lunch...it was nasty...


that's al I have to say about food

 

[Pengwuino]

I just smoked some oil... disaster report soon to come

 

[Evo]

Dahl? (extra char)

Dahl (dal) is great, but I wanted to get creative. I thought "lentil lasagna". He thought I was nuts. I found a lot of recipes online for it, but they all mostly turned out to be boring vegetable lasagna with lentils included.

This one sounded good though. I would use ricotta instead of cottage cheese. It calls for a tomato sauce, which I don't think sounds good with lentils. I'm trying to think of what might work.

Lentil Lasagna

Ingredients
9 lasagna noodles
1 pkg. frozen spinach
1 lb. cottage cheese
1/2 c. dry lentils
1 c. grated cheddar
1 c. grated mozzarella
1/2 c. Parmesan
large jar of spaghetti sauce (I use Prego or Classico)

Instructions
Cook lentils in boiling water for about 20 minutes, drain.
Thaw spinach in microwave, press out liquid. Cook noodles al dente.
Make layers in oblong baking pan as follows: sauce, noodles, sauce,
cottage cheese, lentils, spinach, cheddar & mozzarella, more sauce.
Cover top layer of noodles with sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes. Add 1/2 lb. sliced sauteed mushrooms
to sauce if desired. For variation use black beans instead of lentils.

Then I thought lentils and eggplant would be yummy together in a lentil version of Moussaka. Substitute the lentils for the meat. Or even just add lentils to the meat.

There is a Lentil cook-off August 19th! Who wants to enter with me?

http://www.lentilfest.com/DrawEvents.aspx?EventID=8

I'm still trying to figure out some creative (but not disgusting) lentil recipes.

 

[Evo]

Do you have a grill and a clamshell grilling basket with a fine wire mesh? If you do, here is today's recipe. Mix up a concoction of olive oil, dry red wine, ketchup, (insert favorite spicy salad dressing here - mine is Marie's Roasted Red Pepper Vinagarette), maybe some prepared mustard, the juice of one fresh lemon, molasses, some really hot habanero sauce, a crushed clove of garlic (or two), some oregano, freshly-ground black pepper, and salt. Mix them in approximately that order of decreasing amounts, tasting from time to time. That is your marinade. Thoroughly de-vein and de-shell some previously-frozen jumbo shrimp and marinate them in this for a few hours (or overnight), then cook them on your grill on high heat, painting them generously with the left-over marinade before and after turning. The molasses helps keep the seasonings stuck to the shrimp, while carmelizing nicely during cooking. When the thinner parts of the shrimp look crispy, open that grill basket and serve. Don't ask for specific quantities in the recipe. I don't measure, and you'll have to try this a few times to see what "by feel" proportions work for you. I can tell you that these grilled habanero shrimp never last more than a few minutes after they are served, so something must be going right. I grew up in a family of great cooks, so when you haul out a dish at a family gathering and it disappears in minutes with a crowd elbowing in for dibs, that is high praise. This one will make you popular at parties.

I do a grilled skewered shrimp. Take two barbecue skewers (if you use bamboo, be sure to soak them in water first). Run the skewers through the front and rear portions of the shrimp so they hold their shape. Marinate them for at least 3 hours in a mixture of beer, soy sauce, lemon or lime juice, and crushed garlic. Grill over a slow fire until shrimp become opaque. Basting as they cook. Be sure to turn them frequently for even cooking.

You leave the shrimp on the skewers when served, resembling a satay.

I don't have measurements, I just "know" what amounts to use. Taste and adjust to your personal preferences. Anyone that likes shrimp will love this. If you want to be fancy, use white wine instead of the beer. Or omit the alcohol altogether.

 

[Astronuc]

RE: Marinate them for at least 3 hours in a mixture of beer, soy sauce, lemon or lime juice, and crushed garlic.

Is this like a cup (8 oz) with tablespoons of soy sauce, and half of a squeezed lemon or lime? I prefer lime juice.

I like Tecate con cal, and that's 12 oz with maybe a quarter or eighth of a lime squeezed into it.


As for something with lentils - I do like dals - particularly curried dals.
Here is a good site with some recipes - http://www.indianfoodsco.com/Submit/lentilsDal.htm

Progresso has a Tomato Basil soup that might go well with lentils, rather than a spaghetti sauce.

One could try Lentil minestrone.

With meat - lentil and lamb would be good, maybe with a little pineapple.

 

[Evo]

Is this like a cup (8 oz) with tablespoons of soy sauce, and half of a squeezed lemon or lime? I prefer lime juice.

I like Tecate con cal, and that's 12 oz with maybe a quarter or eighth of a lime squeezed into it.

I'm terrible, I judge by the amount of shrimp. For a pound of shrimp, you could use one bottle of beer and then season with the soy, lemon or lime, (to taste) and at least one clove of crushed garlic. You want enough liquid to cover the shrimp. Tequila would be awesome in this.

I also add beer and bay leaf to my chili. I need to put together my chili recipe. I cook by "feel". The girls keep asking to write down my recipes so they have them, although I'm not allowed to die. Yeah, like either one of them would enter a kitchen with the premeditation to cook from scratch. They just want the recipes so they can have other people cook for them.

 

[Astronuc]

I'm terrible, I judge by the amount of shrimp. For a pound of shrimp, you could use one bottle of beer and then season with the soy, lemon or lime, (to taste) and at least one clove of crushed garlic. You want enough liquid to cover the shrimp. Tequila would be awesome in this.

OK, I can figure this out. Thanks!

I also add beer and bay leaf to my chili. I need to put together my chili recipe. I cook by "feel". The girls keep asking to write down my recipes so they have them, although I'm not allowed to die. Yeah, like either one of them would enter a kitchen with the premeditation to cook from scratch. They just want the recipes so they can have other people cook for them.

I start with a recipe, but improvise, or start from scratch, and do the 'little bit of this, little bit of that, pinch here, pinch there, . . .' - I go by feel, taste, consistency.

BTW, I prefer Prego to the other stuff.

 

[arunbg]

Well, this thread has certainly grown since my post .
Sadly, most of the recipes contributed have ingredients that are beyond my local market or are too expensive here at least, not to mention the difference in cuisine .So I don't think I (or my mum rather ) would be trying them for some time .
Anyway, I am always looking for simple recipes to satisfy my sweet tooth
(no use of chocolate bars or ice creams in the ingredients, they are good enough alone) .

Foodbites : The world's biggest food fight occurs annually in Spain, La Tomatina Valencia . Yes, you guessed it, it's the tomato street slug fest often showed on TV .

 

[J77]

Really into my food from North Africa through to the Middle East - am living in a largely Islamic neighbourhood at the moment, so can source all the ingredients from the shops and market

Lots of lamb, cumin and coriander - a nice tagine takes some beating

Made a nice dip from roast aubergine, tahini, garlic and lemon juice the other day - perfect with some freshly baked flat-bread

 

[fuzzyfelt]

Really into my food from North Africa through to the Middle East - am living in a largely Islamic neighbourhood at the moment, so can source all the ingredients from the shops and market

Lots of lamb, cumin and coriander - a nice tagine takes some beating

Made a nice dip from roast aubergine, tahini, garlic and lemon juice the other day - perfect with some freshly baked flat-bread

That sounds like a great baba mix! Also good is haloumi grilled on the BBQ-mmm!

 

[hellraiser]

I am going to hostel soon. Need I say more

 

[turbo]

I cook by "feel". The girls keep asking to write down my recipes so they have them, although I'm not allowed to die. Yeah, like either one of them would enter a kitchen with the premeditation to cook from scratch. They just want the recipes so they can have other people cook for them.

I cook by "feel" too. My "recipes" are simple lists of ingredients that I want to have on hand to make particular dishes or sauces. When I don't have the stuff I want, I improvise. The reason the shrimp marinade came out the way it did is that my wife brought home bag of frozen jumbo shrimp and said "I want you to make up a sauce to grill these with." and I just started throwing stuff in a bowl, whisking it together and tasting until I thought it was OK. The recipe was "locked in" when she said "that was the best shrimp ever - don't change it!". Now I have to make that marinade the same way every time - no experimenting with the shrimp. It's the same with my pizza sauce - if I change that recipe, there will be hell to pay.

 

[arunbg]

Yeah, me too hellraiser
Boy, am I going to miss my mom's cooking or what .

Anyway, I thought it might be nice to let you guys have a basic idea of South Indian cuisine , so here goes.
My state, Kerala is known as the spice capital of the world. I think that gives you a rough idea of how the cuisine here is .We use a lot of coconut milk and like our food well cooked.
Rice is the staple cereal and it is amazing, the number of dishes that can be made from rice alone is bewildering be it pancakes (dosa and appam), steamed rice dishes(puttu and idli) and even sweet desserts .
However we also have various breads and buns for breakfast or dinner .Being near the sea, there is a lot of fish as well, but I usually go vegetarian.

Lunch, by far, is the most important and most traditional meal of the day.
In Indian cuisine, eating by hand is considered a more graceful and cleaner way of consuming food . Lunch on festive occasions is a celebration in itself called the sadya . For sadyas we use not a plate but a banana leaf rather, in which boiled rice is served . A curry called sambar is usually served over the rice with an assortment of over 15-20 side curries . The meal is topped off with a sweet milk dessert drink known as payasam .

Of course, I still love my cakes, burgers and pizzas .

MOM, IS MY DINNER READY ?!

 

[turbo]

It's the same with my pizza sauce - if I change that recipe, there will be hell to pay.

Since it's a rainy day, I decided to make a batch.

3 large cans peeled sauce tomatoes
HOT homemade habanero sauce
olive oil
garlic powder
onion powder
oregano
crushed red pepper
black pepper
salt
4-5 leaves of basil (fresh from herb garden)

I put each of the cans of the tomatoes (individually) in a blender, add appropriate amounts of the stuff above, blend the heck out each batch. Combine them in a large stock pot and simmer for hours until thick, then freeze in small containers for later. Blending is really important. You have to break up the cells of tomato or they won't de-water and thicken - they will scorch on the bottom of the pan and ruin the taste. Olive oil helps keep the sauce from spattering as it simmers.

 

[larkspur]

tomato recipe challenge

Can you come up with a recipe for these ingredients?
three small freshly picked tomatoes(pictured below)
fresh basil
fresh sliced mushrooms
garlic

I don't know what to do with the tomatoes. I thought about sauteing the mushrooms in butter and sherry with garlic, basil and a little lemon juice, but don't know how the tomatoes fit in...

http://home.comcast.net/~larkspur2020/tomatoes.jpg

 

[turbo]

I don't know what to do with the tomatoes. I thought about sauteing the mushrooms in butter and sherry with garlic, basil and a little lemon juice, but don't know how the tomatoes fit in...

http://home.comcast.net/~larkspur2020/tomatoes.jpg

[/URL]
Do that, and drizzle it over some flavorful bread (rye or pumpernickel are my favorites). Then add the tomatoes and maybe put in the toaster oven or broiler to slam in the flavor of some browned grated Romano cheese. You've got a killer dish there!

 

[Astronuc]

Do that, and drizzle it over some flavorful bread (rye or pumpernickel are my favorites). Then add the tomatoes and maybe put in the toaster oven or broiler to slam in the flavor of some browned grated Romano cheese. You've got a killer dish there!

Kind of like bruschetta. Some other ideas - http://www.cooks.com/rec/search?q=bruschetta

Stuffed peppers, or

Zucchini boats - lots more to do with zucchini - http://www.cooks.com/rec/search?q=zucchini.

 

[larkspur]

Do that, and drizzle it over some flavorful bread (rye or pumpernickel are my favorites). Then add the tomatoes and maybe put in the toaster oven or broiler to slam in the flavor of some browned grated Romano cheese. You've got a killer dish there!

Sounds good...got to get some good bread. Might try it this weekend. I 'll have more tomatoes ripen by then too.

 

[larkspur]

Kind of like bruschetta. Some other ideas - http://www.cooks.com/rec/search?q=bruschetta

That is a great link for bruschetta!

Thanks!

 

[arunbg]

What's the coin for anyway ?
I would use it to buy a sandwich rather than bother myself with tomatoes .
Mmm, on second thought, those tomatoes look like luscious apples, don't they ?

 

[Smasherman]

I finally cooked my favorite of all dishes: potato curry and chapatti! It turned out really well, considered I had never cooked Indian food, curry, or chapatti before (though I nevertheless couldn't flatten the chapatti properly, so it was a bit thick).

 

[larkspur]

What's the coin for anyway ?

Just to show how small the tomatoes are.

 

[Astronuc]

Just to show how small the tomatoes are.

Thinking like an engineer.

 

[Astronuc]

OK, I've given lentils some further thought -

Progresso Minestrone - Carrots, Celery, Light Red Kidney Beans, Potatoes (diced), Green Beans, Dried Peas, Enriched Penne Pasta, Garbanzo Beans, Spinach, Cabbage, Spices,

Spice-wise, one could consider which style of seasoning one wishes, for example:

Mexican (with chile or Rotel Tomatoes) - think of Mexican-flavored rice

Italian seasoning - basil, oregano, garlic, rosemary, thyme, fennel, parsley, . . .

Chinese (spicy) - spicy peppers, maybe ginger, in a beef or chicken broth, . . .

Indian - a curry base like dahl


Here is a recipe for minestrone soup which could serve as a basis for a lentil minestrone
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1648,146166-231205,00.html

or

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1648,144164-231207,00.html

or more generally

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search?q=Minestrone (382 recipes)


Besides minestrone, another recipe could be rice, corn and lentils, with green peas & beans (black, red, kidney, . . . ), carrots, potato (diced) . . . .

Rice, corn and beans are supposed to make a complete set of amino acids that one would get from meat (protein).


Or a lentil-tomato bisque, based on TOMATO BISQUE - http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1648,136188-242196,00.html

Actually I've had great Tomato, Pumpkin and Squash bisques.

 

[wolram]

I had rind roulade in germany, it was yummy anyone know how to make it?

 

[Evo]

Another Salmon recipe

Spinach-Stuffed Salmon Fillets

INGREDIENTS:
2 (5 ounce) salmon fillets
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1/2 (10 ounce) package baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon prepared pesto
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons pine nuts

----------------------------------------------------------------------

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Make a slit two-thirds of the way through the center of each salmon fillet making sure not to cut all the way through. Season each fillet with the salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine the spinach, pesto, tomatoes, and pine nuts. Spoon 1/3 cup of the mixture into each slit.

Arrange the fillets on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes or until the spinach mixture is heated through.

 

[larkspur]

Another Salmon recipe

Spinach-Stuffed Salmon Fillets

INGREDIENTS:
2 (5 ounce) salmon fillets
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1/2 (10 ounce) package baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon prepared pesto
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons pine nuts

----------------------------------------------------------------------

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Make a slit two-thirds of the way through the center of each salmon fillet making sure not to cut all the way through. Season each fillet with the salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine the spinach, pesto, tomatoes, and pine nuts. Spoon 1/3 cup of the mixture into each slit.

Arrange the fillets on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes or until the spinach mixture is heated through.

ooooooohh! I don't even like fish but that makes me want go buy salmon and cook it!

 

[Pengwuino]

So there i was trying to make mozzarella cheese sticks. I decided to use a frying pan instead of a deep fryer. Turn the heat on, put hte lid on the oil, let it heat up on mid-high... for like 20 minutes. I make the mozzarella sticks, move them to the stove... take the lid off... smoke everywhere. Kitchen and front room had to be evacuated and we had to ventilate the air.

Tried it in the deep fryer an hour later and it was good :) mmmmm.

Although i think string cheese is prepared differently because the cheese doesn't separate as easily as other cheese sticks.

 

[Evo]

So there i was trying to make mozzarella cheese sticks. I decided to use a frying pan instead of a deep fryer. Turn the heat on, put hte lid on the oil, let it heat up on mid-high... for like 20 minutes. I make the mozzarella sticks, move them to the stove... take the lid off... smoke everywhere. Kitchen and front room had to be evacuated and we had to ventilate the air.

Tried it in the deep fryer an hour later and it was good :) mmmmm.

Although i think string cheese is prepared differently because the cheese doesn't separate as easily as other cheese sticks.

The deep fryer allows the food to move around in the oil that has pretty much an even heat. The the frying pan keeps the food too close to the heat source, causing uneven cooking and possible scorching/smoking.

You're learning though!

 

[Pengwuino]

The breading turned pitch black pretty much instantly when i tossed them in the frying pan

 

[scorpa]

I don't have the recipes with me onhand (mostly because I have never made them before... I leave that up to my grandma haha) but saurkraught buns (bread stuffed with hamburger, bacon, onions and saurkraught), perogies and cabbage rolls are awesome...mmmm and borscht.

 

[Moonbear]

Don't feel too bad. I managed to set off every smoke detector in my house yesterday making dinner. I was baking pizza and a bit of cheese wound up on the bottom of the oven, and burned. The pizza was fine, but the stuff on the bottom smoked up the kitchen. The smoke detectors here are WAY too sensitive. C'mon, a little smoke in the kitchen should not set off the smoke detectors a floor above it...not like I need 4 smoke detectors all within 5 to 10 feet of one another anyway Someone got carried away with the "a smoke detector in every bedroom" concept...this isn't exactly a mansion where you won't hear the smoke detector in the hallway from the bedroom. I thought I would go deaf and my pizza really would be burning by the time I got the smoke detectors all yanked off the ceiling and shut up (the "hush" button didn't work for some reason).

 

[wolram]

Penguin sandwich = any thing he has cooked between two slices of white bread.
Zebra sandwich = a double decker penguin

 

[Rach3]

This seems like the right thread to ask. Today I tried making tea, I put a tea bag in a glass of water and microwaved it at 1kW for some three minutes, it came out the right color but it didn't taste quite as good. What did I do wrong?

 

[Cyrus]

1kw? Dork alert...

Um, its called brewing the tea.

Every person from the middle east, India, and England just let out a big sigh and smacked themselves in the forehead.