What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

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The discussion revolves around a vibrant exchange of food-related topics, with participants sharing favorite recipes, culinary experiences, and kitchen mishaps. A notable focus is on lentil recipes, with suggestions for dishes like chocolate lentil cake and lentil lasagna, as well as creative uses of lentils in various cuisines. Participants also share recipes for pasta with pesto, grilled shrimp marinades, and Indian dishes like dahl and gulab jamun. There’s a strong emphasis on improvisation in cooking, with many contributors discussing how they cook "by feel" rather than following strict measurements. The conversation also touches on cultural influences, such as the appreciation for Lebanese and South Indian cuisine, and the importance of traditional meals like the Indian sadya. Additionally, humorous anecdotes about kitchen disasters and the challenges of cooking techniques, like frying mozzarella sticks, add a lighthearted tone to the thread. Overall, the thread celebrates the joy of cooking and the communal sharing of food experiences.
  • #4,051
rhody said:
I figured someone might have noticed the infinity symbol.

Rhody... :smile:
I noticed, but your supply of Ghosts is somewhat less than infinite, so thank you for sharing. I hope to convince the greenhouse-guys to propagate some for me starting in February.
 
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  • #4,052
turbo said:
I noticed, but your supply of Ghosts is somewhat less than infinite, so thank you for sharing. I hope to convince the greenhouse-guys to propagate some for me starting in February.

True, Turbo for numbers at least, but for some, the heat is so intense it might as well be infinite.

Rhody...
 
  • #4,053
I can't wait to try them out. Too bad they are not here now. Tomorrow, I am going to marinade another batch of jumbo shrimp, and a couple is coming to visit that is pretty adventurous and might like to try that heat.
 
  • #4,054
rhody said:
True, Turbo for numbers at least, but for some, the heat is so intense it might as well be infinite.

Rhody...

:approve:
 
  • #4,057
After all of this talk of peppers, I chopped an orange habanero up and topped my bowl of chili this evening. My daughter said my voice still doesn't sound normal.
 
  • #4,058
WhoWee said:
After all of this talk of peppers, I chopped an orange habanero up and topped my bowl of chili this evening. My daughter said my voice still doesn't sound normal.
Woosey...

Rhody... :smile:
 
  • #4,059
Thanks, Rhody! I haz ghosts! Now I'm in a bit of a quandary. I cut off a piece about 1/2"x1/4" or so and chewed it up. Nice taste and impressive heat - enough so that I don't know if I should sub fresh ghost pepper for my habanero relish when I make marinade for the shrimp, or just stick with what I know works. If I ended up with grilled shrimp that is too hot for everybody, I'd have a pound of shrimp all to myself, but that kind of negates the whole purpose of grilling out for friends.

Ghosts.jpg
 
  • #4,060
turbo said:
Thanks, Rhody! I haz ghosts! Now I'm in a bit of a quandary. I cut off a piece about 1/2"x1/4" or so and chewed it up. Nice taste and impressive heat - enough so that I don't know if I should sub fresh ghost pepper for my habanero relish when I make marinade for the shrimp, or just stick with what I know works. If I ended up with grilled shrimp that is too hot for everybody, I'd have a pound of shrimp all to myself, but that kind of negates the whole purpose of grilling out for friends.
Hmm... not too hot for you, that is a good thing. That sweet taste is unique and one of a kind, isn't it. I would do two batches, one using the normal hab relish, a second with some bits similar to what I posted the other day, unless the bits end up somehow embedded in the poor shrimp, I predict no drama. You should be able to separate enough seeds to continue growing them forever. I will send some chocolate ones once I grow and harvest those. I used my last seeds in starting this batch that I did a couple days ago.

Rhody... :biggrin:
 
  • #4,061
Well, I'm all in. I used a whole de-seeded ghost in my shrimp marinade. I hope every body likes them. I blended the pepper and garlic very thoroughly in the marinade, so there shouldn't be any little chunks.

I don't know that it was necessary to de-seed the pepper, though. Out of curiosity, I chewed up a few seeds, and they seemed a lot milder than the flesh. Then, I tried a piece of the placenta (white tissue that the seeds grow on) and found some pretty impressive snarl there, though not as tasty as the flesh. The heat from the placenta is fast and biting and left my tongue hotter than the flesh of the pepper.
 
  • #4,062
rhody said:
Evo,

Here is a night shot of the three plants for you...

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/5140/ghostplants.jpg

Rhody... :cool:

Wow, I am impressed! Those plants are much smaller than I expected, considering how many peppers you have. And considering how big you say you get...
 
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  • #4,063
Ms Music said:
Wow, I am impressed! Those plants are much smaller than I expected, considering how many peppers you have. And considering how big you say you get...
Ms Music,

Yeah the numbers and size of peppers I got impressed me too, June and July were pretty hot and I am certain that made a difference. That Nagaland link I posted a few posts ago claims that after 3 years, indoor plants can be 12 to 13 feet high, I don't see how that is possible. I just went back and reread the http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/Genetic%20variability%20and%20traditional%20practices%20in%20Naga.pdf" , the claim is made on page 4.
In traditional kitchen gardens, Naga King Chili plants grow as high as 12 - 13 feet at 3 years of age.
There are more peppers than I expected and there are new flower buds underneath the hanging peppers. What I like to refer to as: "Ghost pepper plant run amok". They must trellis train them to grow this tall like a tomato plant, because normally they just spread and stay close to the ground. I may try to trellis mine indoors over the winter with the heat tape on them. This is crazy stuff, huh ?

Rhody...
 
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  • #4,064
First meal made with Ghost peppers! I used a whole fresh Ghost instead of a spoonful of habanero relish, and my wife commented that the grilled shrimp didn't come out as spicy as usual. I guess I can double/triple up next time.

I don't write down quantities for sauces and marinades - I just wing it, but here are the basics. Put olive oil, cheap burgundy, ketchup and molasses in a blender (in that order of quantity), and toss in chilies, garlic, and season with oregano salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth, and the oil is emulsified. Pour that over your raw, peeled, de-veined shrimp in a decent plastic container, and agitate that every once in a while while inverting the container. Marinade for a few hours, then cook quickly over hot charcoal and serve.

My wife's friend didn't finish her shrimp - she's taking them back home to impress her husband.
 
  • #4,065
turbo said:
First meal made with Ghost peppers! I used a whole fresh Ghost instead of a spoonful of habanero relish, and my wife commented that the grilled shrimp didn't come out as spicy as usual. I guess I can double/triple up next time.

I don't write down quantities for sauces and marinades - I just wing it, but here are the basics. Put olive oil, cheap burgundy, ketchup and molasses in a blender (in that order of quantity), and toss in chilies, garlic, and season with oregano salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth, and the oil is emulsified. Pour that over your raw, peeled, de-veined shrimp in a decent plastic container, and agitate that every once in a while while inverting the container. Marinade for a few hours, then cook quickly over hot charcoal and serve.

My wife's friend didn't finish her shrimp - she's taking them back home to impress her husband.
Glad you like them turbo. Like I said in my last post, how does the shrimp absorb the heat from the pepper ? The only way I know for sure is a good long soak. Perhaps next time to get a true sense of the real flavor, keep some diced raw pepper, and just before serving sprinkle a few bits on each shrimp. It sounds like you taste buds are pretty used to the heat.

Rhody...

P.S. I predicted no drama with the shrimp, and I was right, next try the small bits in some salsa and chips, I would put in a larger set of pieces for you, because you seem to enjoy the heat, then report back.
 
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  • #4,066
I was kind of behind the curve this morning, and didn't get the shrimp marinated as early as I usually do. That might have made a difference. Still, the flavor was fantastic, and my wife's friend is raving over the shrimp.

Another possible difference in heat is that when I make chili relish, I generally don't take out the placentas and seeds, and the vinegar probably does a great job extracting the cap while I'm simmering the relish. Have to experiment to get the max our of the ghosts.
 
  • #4,067
Not to worry turbo, there is more where those came from here:

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9962/ghostcircle.jpg

This is what I have now, I gave away about 30 or so peppers and have at least that many still growing and buds for even more. Just as an aside can you guess what kind of hardwood floor that is ?
I love the colors, reminds me of peak foliage in the Berkshires...

Rhody... :devil:
 
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  • #4,068
The floor is bamboo laminate.

Lovely collection of peppers, Rhody.
 
  • #4,069
Turbo,

I was making dinner, when out of the blue, I had one of those moments, I am still kind of shaking, hear me out. Back in the 80's I lived in San Diego, CA, and on weekends I would take my bike 1980 Honda CB900F (frankenbike suspension, that is a story for another day) with a couple of bike friends and we would take early morning rides to http://dudleysbakery.com/products.html" in Julian, CA. We would hit the road early to have fun at para-legal speeds and second to be there early when the bakery was serving hot loaves of Jalapeno bread. That stuff was heaven, still warm with butter, to die for. See the link for their bread types. They called it simply Jalapeno bread back then, now it is Baja Jalapeno. They have added Jalapeno Cheddar

If you are up to making fresh bread, that has a semi thick crispy crust and soft center and dare I say ghost pepper bits in it, we have discovered a new treasure. Second, this stuff would sell by the ton. Want to know why ? The third reason we would arrive early was that they always sold out early of jalapeno bread, year in year out, it made no difference. I remember having to settle for sour dough a few times and grumbling for being late. The ride up was great, beautiful country,good company and the bread was to die for. What more could one who was near broke hope for, a tank of gas and a few bucks for the best bread in the world. You know where I am going here, right ? A couple variants of the bread. The hottest one, I would call Turbo's Terror. Obviously it would have the most ghost pepper content. At the bottom end how about Baby Ghost. I went back to Dudley's less than ten years ago, and it was still family run, some of the staff had been there almost fifteen years. Must be a fun place to work. Anyway that's my story, and am sticking to it.

Here is a screen grab of their bread offerings.

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2481/breads.jpg

Rhody... :wink:

P.S. Yep the floor is bamboo, not many folks recognize it, I like the color texture and hardness of it, 5 year aged.
 
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  • #4,070
rhody said:
P.S. I predicted no drama with the shrimp, and I was right, next try the small bits in some salsa and chips, I would put in a larger set of pieces for you, because you seem to enjoy the heat, then report back.
You're right. Still, the first time out of the chute with new peppers in an old proven, favorite recipe can be a bit of a gamble. It's not like the bag of extra-jumbo shrimp is too expensive, but the invested time, effort, and the timing to entertain guests means that a nice evening can be knocked askew with a mis-step. Things turned out great. The fact that my wife wants me to "step it up" with the ghosts next time is great. I hope that I can get the greenhouse guys to start some plants for me, and grow them on the deck.
 
  • #4,071
rhody said:
Not to worry turbo, there is more where those came from here:

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/9962/ghostcircle.jpg

This is what I have now, I gave away about 30 or so peppers and have at least that many still growing and buds for even more. Just as an aside can you guess what kind of hardwood floor that is ?
I love the colors, reminds me of peak foliage in the Berkshires...

Rhody... :devil:

turbo said:
The floor is bamboo laminate.

Lovely collection of peppers, Rhody.

Is it too OCD of me that I feel a strong urge to arrange them somehow, like make a design?
 
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  • #4,072
Loved the thought of those breads, Rhody. My wife makes traditional French bread every week and a batch of her garlic-and-herb bread. It wouldn't be too hard to convince her to start baking garlic-ghost bread. Gotta give it a shot.
 
  • #4,073
lisab said:
Is it too OCD of me that I feel a strong urge to arrange them somehow, like make a design?
Lisab,

Cute. You don't have a touch of it do you ? I like natural flow as well, I am not obsessed with the arrangements, but I thought the smile with the onions and tomatoes as eyes would be funny. My house is not like the show "Monk", there is disorder here and there which I am quite happy with, like I have said I have a mild case, which is ok with me, I wish I had recognized it sooner. My dedication to reading, studying the brain, etc... and I realized I had it all my life and wasn't aware because I don't have all the symptoms, only some and to lesser degrees.

Rhody... :wink:
 
  • #4,074
rhody said:
Lisab,

Cute. You don't have a touch of it do you ? I like natural flow as well, I am not obsessed with the arrangements, but I thought the smile with the onions and tomatoes as eyes would be funny. My house is not like the show "Monk", there is disorder here and there which I am quite happy with, like I have said I have a mild case, which is ok with me, I wish I had recognized it sooner. My dedication to reading, studying the brain, etc... and I realized I had it all my life and wasn't aware because I don't have all the symptoms, only some and to lesser degrees.

Rhody... :wink:

...I want to arrange them into a free-flowing wave, from dark green to light, then transitioning to yellow-orange and into red...:biggrin:
 
  • #4,075
lisab said:
Is it too OCD of me that I feel a strong urge to arrange them somehow, like make a design?

And I feel pain looking at the blurry, out of focus image... :wink:
 
  • #4,076
Borek said:
And I feel pain looking at the blurry, out of focus image... :wink:
Funny Borek, I took shots with and without flash and reviewed them with image enhancing software (Windows). This light without uses a slow shutter, and my attempts at "stillness" apparently "FAIL" your blur test. I will post another image tonight with flash and the images should be sharp. I prefer not to use it if I don't have too, the light background takes away from the natural beauty of the mix of pepper colors.

Lisa,

You are right about the colors, it's almost like you want to take the peppers and turn them into some kind of art project. Trouble is the greens and oranges gradually turn red, then eventually they start to rot and turn black. I wonder if you put shellac on them if you could freeze the color. Just a thought.

Rhody... :wink:
 
  • #4,077
rhody said:
Funny Borek, I took shots with and without flash and reviewed them with image enhancing software (Windows). This light without uses a slow shutter, and my attempts at "stillness" apparently "FAIL" your blur test. I will post another image tonight with flash and the images should be sharp. I prefer not to use it if I don't have too, the light background takes away from the natural beauty of the mix of pepper colors.

I agree that direct flash won't work, reflection from the floor will kill the image. Best I can think of is to put them together so that they form small hill, and try to take picture with flash from side.
 
  • #4,078
Borek said:
I agree that direct flash won't work, reflection from the floor will kill the image. Best I can think of is to put them together so that they form small hill, and try to take picture with flash from side.
You are a stickler for details, I like that in you, most people don't give a rats ... about a lot of things. Same way with ingredients for recipes too. It shows you care and more important pay attention to details. Flash picture tonight then, stay tuned... hehe...

Rhody...
 
  • #4,079
rhody said:
I wonder if you put shellac on them if you could freeze the color. Just a thought.

Rhody... :wink:

Shellac? I thought you *ATE* them!

And I agree with Lisa, they need to be arranged by color.

That coming from someone that had a tough time staying in my truck this morning. I desperately wanted to pluck the pine branches from the trunk of the car in front of me today.
 
  • #4,080
Could be more hot grilled shrimp this weekend. My wife just called from the supermarket asking what size she had bought last time. It really matters, because "large" shrimp can fall through the gaps in my grill's grates, while "jumbo" shrimp can be handled with less care. That's a big deal, because when the temperature on your cooking surface varies (some places hotter than others), it is important to be able to handle the shrimp with tongs and move them from zone to zone when flipping them. I hate over-cooked shrimp (ruins the texture and flavor), and when you have to use smaller shrimp and resort to using a clam-shell wire basket, the little rascals don't get the individual attention that they deserve, and you have to shoot for a mean in which all shrimp are cooked to some level of browning (of the marinade), but some end up being over-cooked.

I hope she gets a deal on jumbo shrimp and buys them. The next batch will feature 1# of shrimp and two de-seeded Ghosts. If that doesn't meet our expectations for heat, I won't bother de-seeding the next batch (or will remove the seeds, and add the placentas back to the marinade before blending). When making habanero relish, I don't de-seed the chilies. I remove the stems and chop them whole in a food processor with the other ingredients. That may explain that I'm the only one who eats that stuff neat on hot dogs and hamburgers. My wife generally wants me to save the last bite of a hot-dog that I have dressed that way, but I'm pretty much the only person that eats my habanero relish.
 
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