What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Evo]

I'm always on the lookout for different things, this sounds good, and gives me ideas for playing around with it a bit. But don't call it ketchup.

CHIPOTLE KETCHUP

2 tablespoons BUTTER
1 medium ONION, minced
2 cloves GARLIC, minced
1 tablespoon GROUND CUMIN
1 tablespoon DARK BROWN SUGAR
2 CHIPOTLE PEPPERS in ADOBO SAUCE, minced
1 tablespoon ADOBO SAUCE
1 tablespoon VINEGAR
1 tablespoon WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
4 tablespoons TOMATO PUREE (TOMATO PASTE)
2 cups WATER
1/2 teaspoon SALT, optional
2 teaspoons SMOKED HOT PAPRIKA, optional

1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When the foam subsides, add onion and garlic and saute until soft.
2. Add the cumin and brown sugar, stir to combine, and cook for ~1 minute.
3. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, vinegar, worcestershire sauce, and tomato puree, stir to combine, and cook for ~2 minutes.
4. Incorporate the water 1/2 cup at a time, reducing the sauce before each addition (this should take 20-30 minutes total).
5. Taste the sauce and decide whether you need/would like to add salt and/or smoked paprika. If so, add the spices and cook for a further few minutes. If not, remove the pan from the heat and either use the sauce/ketchup as is, or blitz in a food processor or chopper to make smoother.
6. Cool and use immediately, or refrigerate and use within one week.

http://whowantsseconds.typepad.com/who_wants_seconds/breakfast/index.html

 

[Evo]

Ive been searching for awhile a a real traditional HOT Hungarian paprikash dish. I used to be able to buy hot Hungarian paprika here, but stores stopped carrying it a few years ago, no idea why. I have found online sources, but they're so freaking expensive.

If you have access to hot Hungarian paprika, try this out. I'm going to make this as soon as I can get my hands on some.

Chicken Paprikash (Csírkepaprikás)

This is one of the classic paprika recipes from Hungary. But sure to use only imported paprika in this dish, or the flavor will not be the same. It is traditionally cooked with lard or goose fat and served with dumplings. Serve over egg noodles, plain rice, or boiled potatoes.

3 tablespoons corn oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 rounded tablespoon medium-hot paprika

1 tablespoon hot paprika

1 whole fresh long red chile , such as New Mexican

2 rounded tablespoons mild paprika

2-1/2 to 3-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

2 medium onions, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons brandy

3/4 cup chicken stock

1/3 to 1/2 cup sour cream

Salt (to taste)

Heat the oil and butter in a large (4- to 6-quart) heavy stove-top casserole. Brown the chicken pieces over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and set aside. Add the chopped onions to the casserole and saute the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to very low, stir in all the paprika, and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Add brandy; stir to deglaze the pan. Add the browned chicken pieces and mix well. Add the chicken stock and whole hot red pepper.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Bring the liquid in the casserole to a boil over high heat, and reduce the liquid by about one-third. Turn the heat to low, and slowly stir in the sour cream, until the sauce is smooth. Add salt to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Heat Scale: Medium

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/profile_paprika.html

 

[Evo]

This is for Turbo1 and Astronuc. Well anyone that craves hot and unusual. Great little piece.

Szechuan flower pepper

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave2/sichuan.asp

Fatalii peppers

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/profile_fatalii.asp

 

[Evo]

I've been to Thailand, and as a result, I do not like Thai food. You cannot get real real Thai food in the US, that's a GOOD thing. I witnessed some VERY SCARY food being cooked along the roadside. I've got to find my photos and scan them in.

Thailand's DARK SIDE OF THE FORK

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave2/weird_thai.asp

 

[DaveC426913]

Save the shell and tail for me. I love the tail and shell when fried and crunchy!

You can eat the tail and shell too?? Shrimp just got more yummy!

 

[Astronuc]

You can eat the tail and shell too?? Shrimp just got more yummy!

Yeah. I once went to a Japanese restaurant where one picks the meal the chef cooks the food on hot surface. He cooked some shrimp (ordered by a friend) and then chopped the tails off and put them aside. I asked if he was discarding them. He said yes. I then asked if I could have them. He look at me if I was nuts, but then swept the fried tails to me. They we crunchy and delicious!

 

[Astronuc]

I've been to Thailand, and as a result, I do not like Thai food. You cannot get real real Thai food in the US, that's a GOOD thing. I witnessed some VERY SCARY food being cooked along the roadside. I've got to find my photos and scan them in.

Thailand's DARK SIDE OF THE FORK

Does that mean you don't like Thai food in the US or Thai food in general?

I've always enjoyed Thai curries and other spicy food.

In Issan, one can . . . regularly scarf down swarms of deep fried and spiced waterbeetles, grasshoppers, grubs, worms and crickets. Not only a good source of protein, but also a cheap form of pest control.

I'm always up for trying something new or different.

 

[Astronuc]

This is for Turbo1 and Astronuc. Well anyone that craves hot and unusual. Great little piece.

Szechuan flower pepper

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave2/sichuan.asp

Fatalii peppers

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/profile_fatalii.asp

Thanks for that!

I've got some peppercorns - tiny little things like BBs, and man they are hot.

Re: Habañeros and Sichuan peppers, Due to their high dehydrocapsacin capsaicinoid content, C. chinense peppers typically offer a somewhat delayed heat sensation that sneaks up on you.

I can testify to the delayed reaction of dehydrocapsacin. My neighbor gave me some of his habañeros, and I ate one. I thought - what's the big deal? Then about 10 seconds later - the dehydrocapsacin must have hyrolyzed - because the 'hotness' came on like a surge. It was incredible, and it lasted a good while. It was the about hottest thing I've ever eaten.

Chicken Paprikash (Csírkepaprikás) - Thanks for that too!

 

[tribdog]

This goes back a few posts, but a while ago I read a book called "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. I thought it was a math book, but soon found out it wasn't. It's about an Indian boy who get's shipwrecked with a tiger. Very good book. I bring it up because he really does an amazing job of describing the Indian food he loves. I've never eaten anything from India that I know of and wouldn't know a chapati from a cheeto.
To Astronuc: throw away the shell and tails, they're not for eating they're for holding onto so you don't get cocktail sauce on your fingers. I had shrimp a couple of days ago, but the girl who prepared them didn't devein them and I didn't want to hurt her feelings so I didn't say anything. I ate the shrimp poop vein and all at it was still good, but when I accidently got a piece of tail (from the shrimp) along with the meat I almost choked. It was like...you know those ultra sharp pieces of popcorn shell that sometimes get stuck under your tongue? it was like that.

 

[Astronuc]

To Astronuc: throw away the shell and tails, they're not for eating they're for holding onto so you don't get cocktail sauce on your fingers. I had shrimp a couple of days ago, but the girl who prepared them didn't devein them and I didn't want to hurt her feelings so I didn't say anything. I ate the shrimp poop vein and all at it was still good, but when I accidently got a piece of tail (from the shrimp) along with the meat I almost choked. It was like...you know those ultra sharp pieces of popcorn shell that sometimes get stuck under your tongue? it was like that.

Unless they are fried, the shell and tails can be a bit tough. The shell and tail are best when crispy.

 

[tribdog]

I'll take your word for it. I just know it made my eyes water and I had to make that "glthhglthh" noise to dislodge the offensive tail.
You do peel your bananas don't you?

 

[turbo]

This is for Turbo1 and Astronuc. Well anyone that craves hot and unusual. Great little piece.

Szechuan flower pepper

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave2/sichuan.asp

Fatalii peppers

http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/profile_fatalii.asp

Thank you for those links. I have got to look for that chinese pepper/berry. It sounds like just the thing to spice up our habanero sauce!. The habaneros are getting bigger, and some are turning color, so we'll be making sauce soon.

Here is the link the the firegirl site. She started her business in Maine, but I notice that the address of her distribution center is now in PA. If you want hot, she's got it. When I was a papermaker, we visited a print shop in southern Maine to see how our paper was used, and they had printed firegirl posters that showed the illustrated labels of many of the brands she was carrying. She's got more, now! I wish I could have snagged one of the posters.

http://www.firegirl.com/fg0041.html

 

[turbo]

I've been to Thailand, and as a result, I do not like Thai food. You cannot get real real Thai food in the US, that's a GOOD thing.

I used to travel as a consultant, and often worked in the deep south, as far west as Texas. For that reason, I can no longer stand "Mexican" food as prepared in gringo-land. Once you have eaten Mexican food prepared by Mexicans to their tastes, you can't waste time and money on this pretend Mexican stuff up north. My method was to ask the locals where the most authentic Mexican food could be had, then while I was sipping a beer and looking at the menu, I'd talk to the waitress a bit and ask her what food (from that kitchen) she liked best, and what the kitchen staff usually had for lunch, and I'd pick from those. Almost always, I'd end up with something inexpensive and very tasty - maybe a chicken dish with rice and beans. The best Mexican restaurant (overall quality) that I found was on the north side of the breakwater that runs from Tampa to Clearwater. It looked like a collection of shacks strung together, and it was busy.

 

[tribdog]

If you talked to your waitress it wasn't an authentic Mexican restaurant, around here they don't speak English and don't socialize with gringos. You haven't had real Mexican food til you've had tortillas cooked on a garbage can lid (seriously, that's what's used) I'm of the opinion that Mexican food is a little bit better once it's been Americanized a little. Authentic Mexican food usually doesn't have the best cuts of meat, or they just aren't as critical of a bit of gristle. They do make the best salsa and pico de gallo though and they've taught me to ALWAYS squeeze a lime on your tacos.

 

[turbo]

My mouth is burning! (Good thing, in my pepper-driven world.) I just had some salsa on tortilla chips, and it was great. My wife and I just made up a batch of flame-roasted salsa with

4 tomatoes fresh from our garden
2 bell peppers fresh from our garden
3 large jalapeno peppers fresh from our garden
large red onion (store-bought)
cilantro fresh from our herb garden
juice of a store-bought lime

The preponderance of garden-fresh ingredients makes a huge difference in the taste and texture of this salsa. If we buy all the vegetables to make up a batch of fresh salsa in the winter, the result is better than our canned stuff and WAY better than the commercially-packaged salsa, but it can't hold a candle to this garden-fresh stuff.

The last time we tried flame-roasting, I used the grill-top and got too little scorching and too much cooking. This time, we roasted them on an open grilling basket over the burner of our propane camping stove. Direct flame and heat did the job beautifully. We blackened all the vegetables, then cut them up after they cooled, just like for fresh raw salsa. We left in all the jalapeno veins and seeds to get the maximum heat.

It is chilling in the 'fridge now. We're going to have salsa and chips with tonight's main course - jalapeno poppers. Just slice them in half, remove all or most of the seeds for a nice mild flavor, stuff with cream cheese and crumbled crisp bacon and top with shredded Monterey Jack. Cook on a grill on high (we put them on a metal pizza pan and close the cover) until the cheese is browned.

Yesterday, we put up our third batch of canned salsa, and intend to put up at least 20 more pints before the season is through. We've got plenty of tomatoes, but the habaneros are slow to ripen, so we're stuck with jalapenos for now. We're growing Red Carribean habaneros, and my understanding is that if they turn all red on the plant, they are considerably hotter than if you pick them green or orange, so I hope the frost holds off for at least another 3 weeks.

 

[Moonbear]

turbo, last time I tried your jalapeno popper recipe, I just mixed pepper jack cheese in with the cream cheese/bacon mixture (I can't find just plain Monteray Jack for some reason, but that's okay, because pepper jack works well for the recipe). Tasted even better to me with the cheese mixture. The first time I made them, the pepper jack kept falling off the top before I could even get the things to the oven (wasn't grilling that day, just popped them into a 350 F oven for about 40 min...certainly the easy way to go if you're planning on making them for a crowd, which is the eventual goal).

The second batch I made was MUCH hotter than the first (included some seeds, but I think the peppers started out hotter too), but you really don't notice how hot they are until the next day!

 

[turbo]

turbo, last time I tried your jalapeno popper recipe, I just mixed pepper jack cheese in with the cream cheese/bacon mixture (I can't find just plain Monteray Jack for some reason, but that's okay, because pepper jack works well for the recipe). Tasted even better to me with the cheese mixture. The first time I made them, the pepper jack kept falling off the top before I could even get the things to the oven (wasn't grilling that day, just popped them into a 350 F oven for about 40 min...certainly the easy way to go if you're planning on making them for a crowd, which is the eventual goal).

Pepperjack is probably made up with vegetable oils, etc, and that stuff melts WAY too early to brown properly. You could probably substitute mozerella or a nice sharp Vermont cheddar for an interesting variation. If you like, you could grate some hard dry Romano cheese over the poppers after they're built up with the other cheeses and top with a little freshly-ground black pepper. I do this to all my pizzas - it adds a round toasty finish to the flavor.

The second batch I made was MUCH hotter than the first (included some seeds, but I think the peppers started out hotter too), but you really don't notice how hot they are until the next day!

Yeah, the next day can be an adventure. It's hard predicting the hotness of peppers. The type of pepper has a bearing (quite substantial, in some instances), but so do the growing conditions, (like sunlight, water, nutrients, etc) and freshness and ripeness. Some people think that the hottest peppers come from plants that have been stressed by lots of sun, hot temperatures, shortage of water, shortage of key nutrients like nitrogen, etc. There has been substantial variation in the hotness of our jalapenos this year, so if someone gets a popper that seems to be a bit much for them, I tell 'em to slide it onto my plate and grab another on from the platter. I get the best ones that way. If it's just the two of us (like tonight) we leave a substantial number of seeds in, and put the rest of them in baggies and throw them in the freezer to use later in spaghetti sauces, marinades, etc.

BTW, my wife has wanted more-cooked poppers recently and we have been lowering the heat on the grill and cooking them for a longer time, though I am campaigning to raise the temperature and keep the jalapenos crispier with more of their natural "snap". Either way, they're great, but I tend to follow the "sear'em and eat 'em" model. If it's good enough for steaks and shrimp, it's good enough for poppers.

 

[turbo]

We just ate our late-afternoon supper of cheese and bacon-stuffed jalapeno poppers, tortilla chips and salsa. It was great! I have to add that to the salsa ingredients mentioned in a post above, my wife added (without my knowledge at the time) a dash of cold-pressed olive oil because she read or heard somewhere that olive oil complements lime juice in dishes like this. I can't find fault with that. This flame-roasted salsa has a wonderful flavor with a mild jalapeno burn.

 

[Astronuc]

I had a jalapeño sauce with Vegemite and Swiss Cheese on toast this morning for breakfast.

Vegemite and jalapeño go well together. It's some new Mexican-Australian thing.

 

[turbo]

I'm going to try adding chopped apple to serving-sized bowls of our flame-roasted salsa, to serve with tortilla chips - it's a new Maine-Mexican thing.

 

[Astronuc]

Raspberry jam and jalapeños on cream cheese and crackers are good too! I learned this from a Norwegian. I think adding Monterrey Jack would be good too!

I was looking at the blackened vegetables, and it reminded me of blackened peppers that lady told me about. She wraps the peppers in paper afterward and then peels the paper away with the blackened skin and this leaves the roasted flesh. I've done roasted peppers before, but I haven't tried blackened vegetables or peppers.

 

[Moonbear]

I had a jalapeño sauce with Vegemite and Swiss Cheese on toast this morning for breakfast.

Vegemite and jalapeño go well together. It's some new Mexican-Australian thing.

Well, sure, if you burn out your tastebuds with the jalapenos, you can't taste the vegemite anymore.

 

[Astronuc]

The sauce I used was Green Jalapeno Chili Sauce with Coriander, an "Australian Hot Sauce" from Byron Bay Chili Co.
http://www.byronbaychilli.com/hot_sauces.html

I can't burn my taste buds with jalapeños, they are way too mild. I used to eat them straight out of the can.

Besides - I don't mind pure capsaicin.

Another good place for hot sauce is http://www.2hotlicks.com/ . They have an incredible selection. There is one store in San Diego down by the bay - Seaport Village, 865 West Harbor Drive. San Diego, California 92126 - Phone 619.235.4000

Hot sauces - http://www.2hotlicks.com/sauces.htm

Xtra-hot sauces - http://www.2hotlicks.com/x_hot.htm

I'll have to try - http://www.2hotlicks.com/lg_images/endorphin_rush_lg.jpg

http://www.hotsauceblog.com/
http://www.hotsauceblog.com/hotsaucearchives/2005-fiery-foods-show-day-1/

 

[turbo]

Well, sure, if you burn out your tastebuds with the jalapenos, you can't taste the vegemite anymore.

If you can burn out your taste buds with jalapenos, you'll have to be carefull of actual hot peppers. My favorite home-made hot sauce (for inclusion in recipies, and not for direct addition after the fact, in most occasions) is made almost entirely of habaneros. If you're going to spice up a gallon of spaghetti sauce or perhaps a quart of pizza sauce,between a teaspoon and a tablespoon will do it, depending on how you like your "heat".

 

[tribdog]

Besides - I don't mind pure capsaicin.

Riiiiiiggghhhtt!

 

[Evo]

Your mention of green sauce reminded me of Ninfa's restaurant in Houston, TX. I used to get the bacon wrapped shrimp every time I went. But her "green sauce" was sooooo good. I used to make this all the time. Haven't had it in years.

Next weekend I'm making a ton of this. It's a version of guacamole with tomatillos. It's to die for. You will thank me for this recipe. (I just used all tomatillos instead of green tomatoes)

Ninfa's green sauce

3 medium avocados
3 medium green tomatoes
4 fresh tomatillos
3 garlic cloves
3 sprigs fresh cilantro
2-3 jalapenos
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste

Peel avocados and place them in a blender.

In a medium saucepan, boil tomates, tomatillos, garlic, and jalapenos for 15 minutes.

Remove from saucepan and place all ingredients in a blender with avocados.

Add sour cream and blend until smooth.

http://www.recipezaar.com/34965

 

[turbo]

Your mention of green sauce reminded me of Ninfa's restaurant in Houston, TX. I used to get the bacon wrapped shrimp every time I went. But her "green sauce" was sooooo good. I used to make this all the time. Haven't had it in years.

Next weekend I'm making a ton of this. It's a version of guacamole with tomatillos. It's to die for. You will thank me for this recipe. (I just used all tomatillos instead of green tomatoes)

Ninfa's green sauce

3 medium avocados
3 medium green tomatoes
4 fresh tomatillos
3 garlic cloves
3 sprigs fresh cilantro
2-3 jalapenos
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste

Peel avocados and place them in a blender.

In a medium saucepan, boil tomates, tomatillos, garlic, and jalapenos for 15 minutes.

Remove from saucepan and place all ingredients in a blender with avocados.

Add sour cream and blend until smooth.

http://www.recipezaar.com/34965

That sounds good! We want to keep our options open this winter, so we are freezing tomatoes, peppers, etc, hoping to combine them during the winter to make stuff that we like.

 

[Astronuc]

Ninfa's green sauce

Thanks! That recipe looks great. Makes me kind of homesick for Houston.

We used to go to a small Mexican restaurant, Leo's, on Shepherd Drive, up toward Westheimer Rd. Authentic Mexican. I miss that place. I think it is long gone.

There used to be a small restaurant that was frequented by Rice students, The Hobbit Hole. It was on Shepherd Dr near W. Gray/Inwood. They served great sandwiches and smoothies. That's also apparently long gone too.

Well, afterall, that was about 30 years ago.

 

[Evo]

Astronuc mentioning eating jalepenos made me think of my dad. He'd sit there with a huge bowl of them and eat them like popcorn. I used to be able to down a can of jalapenos in a single sitting (my ex was appaled, he was a damn Yankee and couldn't even be in the same room with a jalapeno, wimp).

But my dad ate these things like they were nothing. I couldn't even eat these, they were freeking hot! It used to make my eyes water even watching him.

 

[Moonbear]

If you can burn out your taste buds with jalapenos, you'll have to be carefull of actual hot peppers.

It was more of a dig on vegemite. Then again, habaneros never made my fingers burn like the one batch of jalapenos did! That was something new. I've never had a problem with preparing hot peppers before that my fingers started burning afterward...even after I washed them!