What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[turbo]

Mmmm, birch beer. That was my favorite when I was a kid. It was red in color with a tinge of brown. I don't know that I would like it today if they've gone to corn syrup for sweetening, though. None of today's sodas taste like the old ones that used real cane sugar.

 

[Moonbear]

Mmmm, birch beer. That was my favorite when I was a kid. It was red in color with a tinge of brown. I don't know that I would like it today if they've gone to corn syrup for sweetening, though. None of today's sodas taste like the old ones that used real cane sugar.

The ones I got DO use can sugar instead of corn syrup. Maybe that's the huge difference I notice in how the soda tastes...it doesn't have that really heavy, overly sweet taste that the sodas with corn syrup have.

 

[turbo]

Sounds good. I remember doing some consulting work in Kentucky and the nearest town with decent lodging was Paducah. I met a musician there and went back to his place to jam with his band one Saturday. He had RC Cola in the fridge and offered me one. I took it though I hadn't drunk soda for a long time, and it tasted great. He explained that the mother of the owner of the bottling plant liked RC, but corn syrup disagreed with her, so her son kept using the old cane sugar recipe. Huge difference.

 

[Evo]

Great picture turbo!

Last night my older daughter spawn of Evo was going to come by and make dinner, but she'd had a fever all day, so she stopped at the noodle restaurant around the corner from my house and bought the "pasta fresca". This was penne pasta, roma tomatoes, baby spinach and onions sauteed in a sauce of balsamic vinegar, white wine, roasted garlic and fresh herbs, topped with feta cheese.

If was very yummy, but WAY too stingy with the spinach, onions and feta. I'd like to make a version of it using the right amounts of ingredients. I swear I only found 2 baby spinach leaves smaller than my thumb in a half pound of pasta. And that tiny measuring teaspoon of feta disappeared in the pile. The sauce was excellent though.

 

[turbo]

Great picture turbo!

Last night my older daughter spawn of Evo was going to come by and make dinner, but she'd had a fever all day, so she stopped at the noodle restaurant around the corner from my house and bought the "pasta fresca". This was penne pasta, roma tomatoes, baby spinach and onions sauteed in a sauce of balsamic vinegar, white wine, roasted garlic and fresh herbs, topped with feta cheese.

If was very yummy, but WAY too stingy with the spinach, onions and feta. I'd like to make a version of it using the right amounts of ingredients. I swear I only found 2 baby spinach leaves smaller than my thumb in a half pound of pasta. And that tiny measuring teaspoon of feta disappeared in the pile. The sauce was excellent though.

So typical! Noodles are cheap, and fresh vegetables and cheeses are relatively expensive. That recipe sounds very similar to stuff that my wife and I throw together. It's great to get fresh vegetables out of the garden and roast or saute them, then combine them with a sauce of cheap wine (but not the salted cooking "wines"!) herbs, seasonings, and serve over pasta with a shredded cheese - feta is OK, but I prefer Romano in most instances.

I love summer and early fall. Just wander out into the garden, see what's at its peak for flavor and ripeness, and the supper menu is underway. I harvested our acorn squash yesterday, and got about 30 nice ones. They are sitting in our nice warm kitchen to dry and cure for a couple of weeks, then I'll take them to the cellar where it is cool and dry. They could easily last until at least February, if we don't eat them all first. Acorn squash is the best!

 

[Evo]

I bought a whole smoked turkey today. A couple of weeks ago all I could find were legs.

We will be eating high on the hog, or rather the turkey for the next couple of weeks, there are so many recipes that you can throw smoked turkey into. I'm thinking perhaps a smoked turkey chili.

 

[turbo]

Smoked turkey also goes very well in New England style baked beans. Lately, we've been making baked beans using Black Turtle Beans, instead of the tradition Soldier or Yellow-Eye varieties. It is killer with black beans. We used to make baked beans with salt pork years back, but have been making them with chicken thighs, smoked turkey, left-over pork spare ribs, etc. As long as you use dark meat from the birds, and good cuts of pork, there is enough fat and flavor to perk up the beans nicely.

 

[Evo]

There is no way I could even inhale the fumes from something that hot.

I've been living off of potato chips for 2 days now. They were on sale.

I need someone in my life that enjoys good food. The fruit bat is perfectly happy eating chips for dinner, so I have no reason to cook. I need someone to cook for, oooh, maybe I can find homeless people...

 

[turbo]

There is no way I could even inhale the fumes from something that hot.

I've been living off of potato chips for 2 days now. They were on sale.

I need someone in my life that enjoys good food. The fruit bat is perfectly happy eating chips for dinner, so I have no reason to cook. I need someone to cook for, oooh, maybe I can find homeless people...

Start thinking "potato, carrot, cabbage, onion, garlic, meat" and start thinking of a meal that SOMEONE might have suggested a few times, not that I know a damned bit more than your favorite Alton/Raye/XXX advisors. Make real meals, and save and savor the left-overs. Take control.

 

[wolram]

I bought super fine bread flour instead of self raising, apart from bread, is there any thing i can make with it?
Thankee.

I have a recipe, cut a potatoes into 1/4inch thick scallops, mix a half teaspoon of Daves insanity hot sauce with two table spoons of oil, line a baking tin with foil and spread the potatoes evenly, sprinkle with sea salt and the oil mix, bake folded
in the foil for 30mins, uncover and bake for 15mins, sprinkle with strong cheese and bake for 5mins, makes a lovely snack.

 

[turbo]

Wow! that does sound good, and I might try more than just potatoes in that. Sounds like a great place for sliced yellow onions and carrots, too!

 

[wolram]

How difficult is it to make spicy sausages, the ones that keep for a long time, i like the taste of some of them only they are like chewing leather, can they be made with a softer texture?

 

[wolram]

Wow! that does sound good, and I might try more than just potatoes in that. Sounds like a great place for sliced yellow onions and carrots, too!

9 out of 10 of my efforts end in the bin, my treacle sponge turned out like molten glass.

 

[wolram]

I love hot food 99% of the time, but some times i crave sweet, the only sweet thing i like is treacle, it is that sort of toffee taste, i think the once a month sweet binge revives my taste buds and the craving for hot food.

 

[Evo]

Smoked oysters and mussels. :!)

 

[turbo]

I will pay £500 for one weeks board and food.

Sounds like a good deal, but first tell me if you can practically inhale food when you taste something that you like. I'd have to charge you double if you can eat like Astronuc and/or his son. Those fellas can pack it away.

 

[turbo]

Smoked oysters and mussels. :!)

Oh, yeah! Smoked oysters or smoked baby clams with sharp Vermont cheddar, mustard, and/or cream cheese and chili jelly on wheat crackers. When we have BBQ's or family get-togethers, hors d'oeuvres like this are standard. My nieces and nephews learned young that the green jelly was jalapeno, and the pretty pink jelly was habanero. Every one of them got the chance to explore. My sister and her daughters visited with their spouses last summer after one of the nieces got married and one had her first child. They and their husbands lugged off jellies and salsas, and one (precious) jar of habanero relish when they went home.

 

[wolram]

Sounds like a good deal, but first tell me if you can practically inhale food when you taste something that you like. I'd have to charge you double if you can eat like Astronuc and/or his son. Those fellas can pack it away.

To me quality is everything, i eat little and often, some times my metabolism is dormant.

 

[turbo]

Come over when your metabolism is on low and when the weather is temperate. I'll set up a cot in the garage and you can work in the vegetable garden or pick wild berries for entertainment. We may "rough it" with cheeseburgers, stir-fries, etc, but I promise you at least one New England boiled dinner - the left-overs are often better than the original meal because the flavors have a chance to set in. Have you tried making this meal, Woolie? If not, and if you'd like to give it a shot, I'll re-post the instructions. It's a killer meal for people who live alone or who have small families because it is cheap and very easy to make and results in the best left-overs you've ever had.

 

[wolram]

Boiled dinner? i guess if you say it is good it must be, i like beef stew with dumplings,
just so long as the dumplings are light and do not stick to yer teeth.

I am an ace berry picker, but need picture cards to identify weed from food.

 

[turbo]

Boiled dinner? i guess if you say it is good it must be, i like beef stew with dumplings,
just so long as the dumplings are light and do not stick to yer teeth.

I am an ace berry picker, but need picture cards to identify weed from food.

Woolie, this will kick beef stew's butt over and over again, and it is TOO easy to make.

There are lots of things that my wife cooks better than I do, but she has ceded cooking these pot roasts to me (and the smoking of turkeys, making salsas, etc). I take the pan out to the side burner on the grill with just a thin layer of peanut oil on the bottom of the pan and sear the entire outside surface of the roast, previously rubbed with salt and black pepper, until it is well-browned and the meat juices have formed a caramelized brown glaze on the bottom of the pan. This is smoky work, so I do it outside. Then I take the pan back to the cook stove, dump in about a pint of cheap burgundy and about enough water to cover the roast, add powdered garlic and onion and bring to a boil. After the roast has simmered for about 3 hours or so, I throw in all the vegetables (turnip, carrots, potato, onion and some fresh garlic), and let them cook for about another hour and a half to soak up that dark juice and get the flavors combined. After removing the meat and vegetables, I keep the juice simmering and whisk in a solution of cool water and corn starch, until a nice rich gravy forms. And dinner's ON!

As long as you watch the liquid level in the pan (keeping the cover on is mandatory) you CANNOT blow this recipe. You can tinker with herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, etc) later, but try the basic recipe first. It's easy to make and tend on a rainy/snowy day, and you will have anew favorite meal. Use a very cheap cut of meat (beef shoulder roast is best IMO) and buy it on sale - you'll thank me.

 

[wolram]

Woolie, this will kick beef stew's butt over and over again, and it is TOO easy to make.

There are lots of things that my wife cooks better than I do, but she has ceded cooking these pot roasts to me (and the smoking of turkeys, making salsas, etc). I take the pan out to the side burner on the grill with just a thin layer of peanut oil on the bottom of the pan and sear the entire outside surface of the roast, previously rubbed with salt and black pepper, until it is well-browned and the meat juices have formed a caramelized brown glaze on the bottom of the pan. This is smoky work, so I do it outside. Then I take the pan back to the cook stove, dump in about a pint of cheap burgundy and about enough water to cover the roast, add powdered garlic and onion and bring to a boil. After the roast has simmered for about 3 hours or so, I throw in all the vegetables (turnip, carrots, potato, onion and some fresh garlic), and let them cook for about another hour and a half to soak up that dark juice and get the flavors combined. After removing the meat and vegetables, I keep the juice simmering and whisk in a solution of cool water and corn starch, until a nice rich gravy forms. And dinner's ON!

As long as you watch the liquid level in the pan (keeping the cover on is mandatory) you CANNOT blow this recipe. You can tinker with herbs (basil, parsley, oregano, etc) later, but try the basic recipe first. It's easy to make and tend on a rainy/snowy day, and you will have anew favorite meal. Use a very cheap cut of meat (beef shoulder roast is best IMO) and buy it on sale - you'll thank me.

So now i need a fresh shirt, i like the bit about caramlised brown glaze.

 

[Maria Porerro]

I it all, except parsley... =)))

 

[turbo]

I it all, except parsley... =)))

That was only a suggestion. If I were to play with herbs with this dish (and I have) I'd go with a few torn-up leaves of fresh basil. I made this for my father when he came down for dinner last weekend, and kept it simple. Served with some home-made dill pickles and some yellow mustard on the side for the beef, it was great. We split the left-overs with him because he doesn't bother to cook much.

 

[wolram]

What are your favorite pots and pans?

 

[turbo]

What are your favorite pots and pans?

I prefer stainless steel Revere Ware saucepans and stew-pots. You can get the stew-pots with a thin copper-clad bottom or with a heavy thick stainless bottom and we've got one of each. It's pretty durable stuff, and not as expensive as the stuff you see in cooking specialty shops. My favorite knife is the 6" Sabatier chef's knife that you can see in the images in the chili relish post. I have a stainless one, but they also make them out of forged steel, and I may pick up one of those someday, too, since there are times when my wife and I both want to use it. There are lots of businesses using the Sabatier name - my preference is the one using the stars and elephant in its logo. My fry pans and skillet are all cast iron - nothing but. We do not cook in copper or aluminum pots or pans and don't own a single non-stick pan.

 

[wolram]

Every where i look pots and pans have some special coating, thee knows it is all most impossible to find a proper pot about here, i will do search on the net for cast iron ones.

 

[scorpa]

I badly want to buy some new knives so I went to the store to look at some prices...and my good god are they ever expensive! It never occurred to me that they would be so much money! I think I will be waiting a year or two to finally get myself a nice set.

 

[wolram]

I badly want to buy some new knives so I went to the store to look at some prices...and my good god are they ever expensive! It never occurred to me that they would be so much money! I think I will be waiting a year or two to finally get myself a nice set.

I know what you mean, i bought a set that cost £30 in a fancy wooden holder, after 3 months the super serrated edged carving knife would not cut cheese.

 

[turbo]

Here they are, scorpa.

http://www.thebestthings.com/knives/sabatiercarbon.htm

I suggest you start out with a 6" chef's knife and get a 3" paring knife, too if you can swing it. Then buy others from open stock one at a time. The 6" chef's knife is the most versatile and most-used knife in our kitchen. It is never used anyplace except on a flexible plastic cutting board, and I hone it on a steel before every use so it stays razor sharp. Carbon steel will take a better edge than stainless (they make both), but you can rinse off stainless and put it in your knife block without having to dry it thoroughly. The carbon steel ones darken when you cut tomatoes, fruit, and other acidic things, but I don't mind that. We have quite a few stainless knives from Chicago Cutlery, but it's best to save your money and buy top quality once for a lifetime of use.

If you ever spend some time going to yard sales, estate sales, or moving sales, you can occasionally find these high-quality knives on the cheap. I have found a few nice carbon-steel chef's knives this way over the years. If you're having trouble deciding on a knife at such a sale, look at the tang (the metal extending through the handle. If the tang gets narrower from the bolster to the back end of the handle, it is a forged blade, and once it is properly sharpened, it will hold an edge wonderfully, as long as the previous owner didn't follow Alton Brown's advice and let some goof-ball sharpen it on a belt grinder and compromise the temper. What a maroon!