What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Moonbear]

Okay, I tried a new variant on the pork with sauerkraut dish tonight. MUCH better...at least to my taste (no idea if it tastes anything close to the authentic dish anymore since I've been playing). For starters, I didn't use pork, I used beef. The pork just seemed too bland, and I didn't like the way it tasted as leftovers (and you wind up with a lot of leftovers with the dish). I'm not as big of a fan of pork as I am beef anyway.

So, Beef with Sauerkraut a la Moonbear

Took about 2 lbs of stew meat (chuck), and cut it into bite-sized pieces (smaller than cubes usually put in stew). Seasoned it with lots of salt and pepper, then browned it in a little olive oil, and kept draining off the excess juices (part of this was that it was still a little frozen when I started, so was producing more water than usual). As it started to really brown, I added about half of a medium onion, chopped, about a half tablespoon of cumin seeds, and about a half teaspoon of mustard seed.

Meanwhile, I got the sauerkraut ready. Melted about half of a stick of butter, and briefly sauteed one and a half medium onions, chopped in it, then added a large can of drained sauerkraut, and sauteed in butter a bit longer. This seemed to help a bit more with developing the sauerkraut flavor compared with just dumping it in and boiling.

When the beef was fully browned, I deglazed the pan with a bit of white wine, and let the beef absorb all of the liquid before adding the onion and sauerkraut. I then added enough water to get the whole mixture boiling, but not drowned (you want to have a sauce out of this, but not runny). Once it was boiling, I added more cumin seed (total about a tablespoon), more black pepper, and a sprinkle of onion powder. Then, just let it simmer on low heat for a while until the meat finished getting tender.

And, I'm eating it now with a slice of bread and a bottle of beer. Excellent! The cumin is the most important spice, and I was too cautious last time. Now I see that it's hard to go overboard, and better to add more cumin than you think it'll need than to underdo it. I was also afraid to add more salt to the sauerkraut last time, thinking it would be salty enough on its own, but the added salt was definitely required.

 

[Evo]

Okay, I tried a new variant on the pork with sauerkraut dish tonight. MUCH better...at least to my taste (no idea if it tastes anything close to the authentic dish anymore since I've been playing). For starters, I didn't use pork, I used beef. The pork just seemed too bland, and I didn't like the way it tasted as leftovers (and you wind up with a lot of leftovers with the dish). I'm not as big of a fan of pork as I am beef anyway.

So, Beef with Sauerkraut a la Moonbear

Took about 2 lbs of stew meat (chuck), and cut it into bite-sized pieces (smaller than cubes usually put in stew). Seasoned it with lots of salt and pepper, then browned it in a little olive oil, and kept draining off the excess juices (part of this was that it was still a little frozen when I started, so was producing more water than usual). As it started to really brown, I added about half of a medium onion, chopped, about a half tablespoon of cumin seeds, and about a half teaspoon of mustard seed.

Meanwhile, I got the sauerkraut ready. Melted about half of a stick of butter, and briefly sauteed one and a half medium onions, chopped in it, then added a large can of drained sauerkraut, and sauteed in butter a bit longer. This seemed to help a bit more with developing the sauerkraut flavor compared with just dumping it in and boiling.

When the beef was fully browned, I deglazed the pan with a bit of white wine, and let the beef absorb all of the liquid before adding the onion and sauerkraut. I then added enough water to get the whole mixture boiling, but not drowned (you want to have a sauce out of this, but not runny). Once it was boiling, I added more cumin seed (total about a tablespoon), more black pepper, and a sprinkle of onion powder. Then, just let it simmer on low heat for a while until the meat finished getting tender.

And, I'm eating it now with a slice of bread and a bottle of beer. Excellent! The cumin is the most important spice, and I was too cautious last time. Now I see that it's hard to go overboard, and better to add more cumin than you think it'll need than to underdo it. I was also afraid to add more salt to the sauerkraut last time, thinking it would be salty enough on its own, but the added salt was definitely required.

OOOOOHH!

I'll bet this goes well with beef short ribs also! (I learned to exchange pork for beef ribs from my late Jewish step mother-in-law by my first husband).

For a minute there MB, I was afraid you were going to exchange the sauerkraut for pasta and I'd have to fish slap you into the food blashpemy thread. I also notice you had the class to rename the dish, as should be done. Gold star for you.

I think I'll make this tomorrow! Did you leave the cumin seeds whole or crack them with a mortar and pestle? (Evo doesn't get to use her mortar and pestle very often).

 

[Moonbear]

OOOOOHH!

I'll bet this goes well with beef short ribs also! (I learned to exchange pork for beef ribs from my late Jewish step mother-in-law by my first husband).

For a minute there MB, I was afraid you were going to exchange the sauerkraut for pasta and I'd have to fish slap you into the food blashpemy thread. I also notice you had the class to rename the dish, as should be done. Gold star for you.

I actually contemplated doing that just to see your reaction.

I think I'll make this tomorrow! Did you leave the cumin seeds whole or crack them with a mortar and pestle? (Evo doesn't get to use her mortar and pestle very often).

I didn't crack the cumin, but I'm sure it could only help (I tend to forget I own a mortar and pestle when I get opportunities to use it).

 

[hypatia]

Wow, that does sound good. Think I'll try it tomorrow night for dinner. About how long from prep till dinner is ready?

 

[Evo]

Oh my, I just found another sauerkraut recipe. I'm not so sure about this one.

Roadkill Stew
Servings: 17
Submitted by Gertrude Bartle, Kerhonkson New York

2 lbs sauerkraut
4 cups beef broth
sh!tload of beans if you got em
3 big-@ss onions
1 head garlic
6 pack of gud beer [schlitz,meisterbrau etc.]
bunch of dead critters [squirrel,possum,skunk,deer,cat,muskrat,dog]


debone the dead muther-humpers and boil in a big kettle

chug 2 of the beers

add the rest of the stuff

cook it

three mo' beers

keep kookin dummy

drink sum more

wut r you staring at...#$&*!*?*@!

Prep Time: yup
Cook Time: yup

http://www.sauerkrautrecipes.com/recipe21000.shtml

 

[Moonbear]

Wow, that does sound good. Think I'll try it tomorrow night for dinner. About how long from prep till dinner is ready?

Um...I think it took about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, including the simmering at the end. I decided it was done when I was too hungry to wait any more.

 

[Moonbear]

Oh my, I just found another sauerkraut recipe. I'm not so sure about this one.

Roadkill Stew
Servings: 17
Submitted by Gertrude Bartle, Kerhonkson New York

2 lbs sauerkraut
4 cups beef broth
sh!tload of beans if you got em
3 big-@ss onions
1 head garlic
6 pack of gud beer [schlitz,meisterbrau etc.]
bunch of dead critters [squirrel,possum,skunk,deer,cat,muskrat,dog]debone the dead muther-humpers and boil in a big kettle

chug 2 of the beers

add the rest of the stuff

cook it

three mo' beers

keep kookin dummy

drink sum more

wut r you staring at...#$&*!*?*@!

Prep Time: yup
Cook Time: yup

http://www.sauerkrautrecipes.com/recipe21000.shtml

I guess when you've finished the 6-pack, you've had enough liquid courage to eat the dish, and enough alcohol in your stomach to kill any germs the cooking missed?

With sauerkraut and beans, I don't recommend this dish for anyone who has to share a room with anyone else after eating it.

 

[turbo]

Here's what I have been doing this morning. My father called and said a friend of his had a cooler of big fresh Atlantic salmon and did I want one. I said sure, never expecting one that took up most of the length of the kitchen table. I filleted the salmon, cut the fillets in halves (they wouldn't fit in my smoker full-length) and am currently brining them prior to smoking. I've got hickory chunks soaking and will give these fillets my favorite treatment. After they're rinsed from the brine, let them sit until a tacky film forms on the meat, then rub with salt and pepper and a little dill, then drizzle maple syrup on them and smoke in really heavy hickory/charcoal smoke them until they're dark, but still moist. Mmmm! This was all spur-of-the-moment, so my wife won't be expecting this treat when she gets home from work. This smoked salmon is is killer on crackers with a little cream cheese and hot pepper jelly.

 

[turbo]

Salmon part deux

Well, the fellow with the salmon was swamped and he gave my dad another, bigger salmon, and we cut it into steaks for freezing while I was smoking the first one that I filleted. What a treat! A breeding facility was clearing out their brood stock (they are not allowed to sell the breeders per their agreement with their largest retailer) so we were on the receiving end of a very nice deal. At current prices, we got over $100 worth of fish today for free. The steaks are in the freezer, and we're having one of the smoked fillet sections for supper with salad from our garden. Dad's friend said that he agreed to take 3-4 of the culled salmon, and they delivered 10 instead, the biggest of which was 28 lb. Sweet deal!

My dad's friend was bragging about how great the salmon tastes after he gets another friend to smoke it, sprayed with apple juice during the smoking. Well, on his way home, dad stopped and gave him a taste of the my first smoked fillet, and the guy raved about it and wanted the recipe, as did the clerk that runs his retail operation.

 

[Evo]

This really isn't fair.

 

[Moonbear]

Well, the fellow with the salmon was swamped and he gave my dad another, bigger salmon, and we cut it into steaks for freezing while I was smoking the first one that I filleted. What a treat! A breeding facility was clearing out their brood stock (they are not allowed to sell the breeders per their agreement with their largest retailer) so we were on the receiving end of a very nice deal. At current prices, we got over $100 worth of fish today for free. The steaks are in the freezer, and we're having one of the smoked fillet sections for supper with salad from our garden. Dad's friend said that he agreed to take 3-4 of the culled salmon, and they delivered 10 instead, the biggest of which was 28 lb. Sweet deal!

My dad's friend was bragging about how great the salmon tastes after he gets another friend to smoke it, sprayed with apple juice during the smoking. Well, on his way home, dad stopped and gave him a taste of the my first smoked fillet, and the guy raved about it and wanted the recipe, as did the clerk that runs his retail operation.

Wow! I wish I had friends like that! I love smoked salmon, and agree, when you smoke it yourself, it's THE BEST! One of my friends smoked his own salmon for a party we had, and nobody could stop eating it. He cold smoked it, and I told him next time he does it, let me know and I'll chip in on the fish purchase and stop by to learn how it's done. I think that has to wait until cooler weather though so he doesn't have to babysit the smoker as much (I seem to recall some mention of that).

 

[turbo]

This really isn't fair.

You can't live in Oklahoma and expect stuff like this. Of course, you might benefit if you've got a friend who raises premium cattle and one of them wanders into traffic.

 

[turbo]

Wow! I wish I had friends like that! I love smoked salmon, and agree, when you smoke it yourself, it's THE BEST! One of my friends smoked his own salmon for a party we had, and nobody could stop eating it. He cold smoked it, and I told him next time he does it, let me know and I'll chip in on the fish purchase and stop by to learn how it's done. I think that has to wait until cooler weather though so he doesn't have to babysit the smoker as much (I seem to recall some mention of that).

Smoking is pretty much an art. I've had excellent results in the summer and in the winter, but you've got to adjust to the outside temperature, the soaking-time of the hickory chunks, the temperature of the charcoal, etc. It's a bit like juggling, because when it all comes together, you just grin and go with it. When my wife came home from work, I was finishing up smoking the last of the halved fillets, and she had a puzzled look on her face, like "why are you firing the smoker in the dead of summer?". That turned around very quickly when I lifted the lid of the smoker and turned to a look of joy when I showed her two more smoked fillets ready to pack, and at least 10 lbs of salmon steaks in the freezer. Tomorrow, I'm going to pay my father back by taking him up another couple of pounds of smoked fillets, and some fresh garden green beans and baby beets. I'm going to give his friend some smoked salmon, too, so he remembers us next year. He still talks about the jalapeno/habanero salsa that I gave him after he lent my dad his appliance hand-truck so I could get a nice forced-draft water-heater last year. The good stuff you do just keeps coming back/

 

[scorpa]

Wow turbo that sounds so so good, I love salmon although I have never tried it smoked! I'm heading for the coast for a week or so and I am sure looking forward to all the fresh fish!

 

[turbo]

Wow turbo that sounds so so good, I love salmon although I have never tried it smoked! I'm heading for the coast for a week or so and I am sure looking forward to all the fresh fish!

It's a funny thing. Once salting/smoking/drying/curing was the path toward making fish available for longer periods of time, but now I smoke fish with the intent of eating it within a few days, so I can go for a heavy smoke flavor AND moist flesh. This combination is killer at holiday parties where there are crackers, mustard, cream cheese, pickles, sour cream, hot sauce, etc, available. I have never taken a maple-syrup smoked salmon fillet to a party and had it survive more than about 10 minutes. 5 lbs disappears into 10 people in no time. I try to make more, but it does not last significantly longer, once the word is out.

 

[Evo]

A few nights ago I was walking by the deli at the grocery store as they were closing up. They had three containers filled with something that I couldn't quite make out, so I walked closer and instantly two employees appeared out of nowhere. The guy grabbed a container and held it out to me over the counter. It was a hot pot roast with carrots, onions and potatoes. He kept saying "you've GOT to get this, the meat will melt in your mouth, it's that tender". I had already made a salad at the salad bar and planned to eat that, so I was really hesitant, but he pushed it into my hand insisting it would be the best pot roast I ever had. So, I bought it.

OMG! IT WAS THE BEST MEAL I'VE EVER HAD! It was unreal, it was so flavorful, the meat just fell apart, so moist, the potatoes and baby carrots were perfect.

I want them to call me whenever they do this again. It was that good. :!)

 

[Math Is Hard]

I used to be on an email list for a place that occasionally had this really incredible enchilada soup. Sometimes they would be sold out of it by noon!

 

[turbo]

Evo, if you've got access to a grill with a side-burner or a WELL-ventilated hooded stove-top, you can easily out-do those deli guys. Get a really cheap cut of meat (chuck roast is fine) and rub it with salt and black pepper. Oil a big stew pot with peanut oil (it will take a lot of heat without breaking down) put it on the fire and throw that roast in there turning it while you scorch it at high temperature. This is the smoky part, but it's where you pound those deli guys into the dirt. What you're doing is browning all the exterior surfaces of the meat and creating a dark layer of carmelized juices and oil on the bottom of the pan. Once the meat is browned, lower the heat and dump in at least 1/2 bottle of burgundy or red cabernet along with onion powder and garlic powder and add enough water to cover the meat. Simmer for at least 2-3 hours, then add halved yellow onions, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and turnip and cook until the vegetables are done and have absorbed that nice dark juice. You can use the juice to make gravy , but often we forgo the gravy and save the juice as vegetable/beef stock for bean soup, stir-fry, or some other future meal. You've got to try this dish on some rainy weekend. The left-overs make fantastic lunches.

 

[Evo]

Evo, if you've got access to a grill with a side-burner or a WELL-ventilated hooded stove-top, you can easily out-do those deli guys. Get a really cheap cut of meat (chuck roast is fine) and rub it with salt and black pepper. Oil a big stew pot with peanut oil (it will take a lot of heat without breaking down) put it on the fire and throw that roast in there turning it while you scorch it at high temperature. This is the smoky part, but it's where you pound those deli guys into the dirt. What you're doing is browning all the exterior surfaces of the meat and creating a dark layer of carmelized juices and oil on the bottom of the pan. Once the meat is browned, lower the heat and dump in at least 1/2 bottle of burgundy or red cabernet along with onion powder and garlic powder and add enough water to cover the meat. Simmer for at least 2-3 hours, then add halved yellow onions, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and turnip and cook until the vegetables are done and have absorbed that nice dark juice. You can use the juice to make gravy , but often we forgo the gravy and save the juice as vegetable/beef stock for bean soup, stir-fry, or some other future meal. You've got to try this dish on some rainy weekend. The left-overs make fantastic lunches.

Sounds wonderful, as always!

 

[turbo]

Sounds wonderful, as always!

My mother was a great cook, and in the winter months, the kitchen was the warmest place in the house, so I got to absorb a lot of her tricks. I didn't cook much at home, but when I got my own apartment at school, I could "wing it" pretty well in the kitchen, and I ate quite well for a college guy.

Another winter favorite was a very inexpensive but tasty soup that her family used to make, and they all called it "French soup". She'd send me down cellar for a quart of our home-canned stewed tomatoes and she'd combine that with rice, water, diced potatoes, and minced yellow onion, and she'd mince some of the leeks we had salted down during the summer and throw those in with some black pepper for seasoning. When the rice and potatoes were done, the soup was ready. Great with buttered saltines (REAL butter, please). That soup doesn't sound like much until you've smelled and tasted it. I've tinkered that soup with herbs, spices, etc, and always ended up going back to the basics. Same with my lentil soup - lentils, onions, celery, water, salt, pepper and some ham or a ham bone if I had that (salt pork if not).

 

[turbo]

OK, now it's almost 11 and I'm hungry again. Time to snag some of that smoked salmon and some crackers with a little sharp cheese and mustard.

 

[Evo]

OK, now it's almost 11 and I'm hungry again. Time to snag some of that smoked salmon and some crackers with a little sharp cheese and mustard.

I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!

Just kidding , of course.

Riiiight, like I don't mind that he has access to better food.

 

[turbo]

OK, the last cracker/cheese/salmon/mustard snack is hereby dedicated to Evo. They taste pretty good with cold Molson Golden.

 

[Evo]

OK, the last cracker/cheese/salmon/mustard snack is hereby dedicated to Evo. They taste pretty good with cold Molson Golden.

 

[Astronuc]

The Berry Bible: With 175 Recipes Using Cultivated and Wild, Fresh and Frozen Berries (Hardcover)
by Janie Hibler

. . . Amending our lack of berry-smarts, Janie Hibler's The Berry Bible presents a definitive guide, with over 200 recipes using cultivated, wild, fresh, and frozen berries--from well-known types such as blueberries and raspberries (and their related varieties), to lesser known kinds, like the cloudberry and manzanita, and apple-like fruit enjoyed traditionally by Native Americans. The recipes cover a wide range of easily produced dishes, such as Morning Glory Muffins with Blackberries and Pork Tenderloin Salad with Warm Strawberry Dressing, and also include formulas for smoothies, cocktails, condiments like chutney, and homemade berry liqueurs such as Madame Rose Blan's Crème de Cassis. . . .

I've had cloudberries while in Sweden, where I ate roasted moose (älg) in a cloudberry sauce.

 

[turbo]

Mmm! Tonight, we had the last of the fresh salmon with creamy dill sauce, baked new redskin potatoes and whole-kernel corn. We've got some nice thick salmon steaks in the freezer, but it's really hard to beat the fresh stuff.

I'm going to order a set of adjustable racks for my pickup tomorrow. When I have free time, I ought to be catching brook trout for the winter, and I haven't been fishing as much since I got rid of my Pathfinder with its Yakima roof racks. My smallest canoe fits in the pickup bed OK, but for larger ponds, the larger canoe is essential, so I won't have to hug the shore when storms pop up. Mmm...fish (gollum).

 

[Evo]

Turbo, you always have the best food!

Tonight I'm cooking corned beef and cabbage. I found an incredible brisket, just a thin layer of fat. I can't wait to eat it.

 

[turbo]

Turbo, you always have the best food!

Tonight I'm cooking corned beef and cabbage. I found an incredible brisket, just a thin layer of fat. I can't wait to eat it.

Well, you are what you eat, and we like to eat well - and healthy. Corned beef sounds really nice! Mmm!

A few years back, I had been fishing pretty much catch-and-release all year, and at the end of the season I went with a couple of friends to a heavily-fished pond that held some secrets. Most people had no idea that there were fish like this in this pond, and I found out that the trout fed voraciously on a particular seasonal aquatic insect there and had managed to tie some flies that imitated those bugs quite well, after doing some on-the-water inventing the weekend before. I gave both of my buddies about 10 flies each, and told them how to fish them. They got skunked (they tossed back a couple of very small fish) Friday night, while I caught the 2nd and 3rd fish from the right. I also caught and released the 2nd fish from the left (who had a missing gill flap due to otter attack, likely). The next morning, I caught the fish on the far right, and re-caught the 2nd fish from the left (I culled him for sheer stupidity) and figured that I would stay just under the 7 1/2# possession limit and fish catch-and-release for the rest of Saturday and Sunday. Then, about 10:00 in the morning on Saturday, I caught the football on the left and had to keep it and go home.

We had (putative) custody of two very attractive teenage girls for the next weekend, and they can eat their weight in brook trout, so there went two fish right off the bat (#1 and 3 from the right). I gave #2 to my father on my way home, and we had him down for dinner two more times when we baked off the biggies on the left. Mmm! Brook trout with steamed fiddleheads and home-fried potatoes. Hard to beat a meal like that.

 

[Astronuc]

Great food and wine go together.

http://www.shawangunkwinetrail.com/

The Shawangunk Wine Trail is nestled between the famous Shawangunk Mountains and the majestic Hudson River. The Trail is just 85 miles north of New York City. The Trail is composed of ten family owned wineries from New Paltz in Ulster County to Warwick, in Orange County, along with dozens of "Associate Members" dedicated to making a visit to the Hudson Valley a memorable experience.

We have some great scenery, great climbing, great hiking, great wines, . . .

I'll be hiking here tomorrow -
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=78

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


From a local institution

http://www.ciachef.edu/admissions/news/news_story_univ.asp?iNewsID=590&strBack=/Default.asp&strlocationname=Home+Page

One can visit the Culinary Institute of America for lunch and/or dinner, and they have some great restaurants - http://www.ciachef.edu/restaurants/default.asp - for American, French and Italina cuisine.

 

[turbo]

Pickles! Today, I had accumulated enough cucumbers to make a big batch of Bread and Butter pickles, so I got out the trusty old KitchenAid mixer with its cutter attachment and sliced up 2-1/2 gallons of cucumbers, then went out on the deck to take advantage of the breeze (onions, you know) and chopped up 6 big white onions 5 green peppers, and almost a whole bulb of our neighbor's fresh Russian garlic. The vegetables are currently salted and are getting iced down in our two largest SS stock pots. When my wife gets home from work, we'll start tag-teaming the vegetables with cider vinegar, brown sugar, tumeric, mustard seed, etc. Even with the inevitable shrinkage, we're looking good for at least 10 quarts of pickles. It's an old family recipe, and we have lots of people hinting around for pickles, but we've got to start paying attention to our inventory. Until our 8-qt batch earlier this week, we were down to our last quart from last year. That's scary!