What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[arunbg]

I just wanted the thread to have 200 posts
Keep posting you foodies !

 

[Astronuc]

I just had my first class in cooking from my dad this afternoon. We prepared (well, at least my dad) a typical south Indian rice dish known as the Biriyani. My region is famous for this particular dish . It is similar to the Chinese fried rice but is a lot more spicy with strong flavour elements .

The Biriyani we made was actually the prawn Biriyani, and it took about 1.5 hours to prepare.

I graciously offered to do the dishes after my dad did all the hard work.

I love Biriyani, especially Lamb Biriyani, and chicken is also good.

That's great that your dad is teaching you.

 

[Moonbear]

Ah, at last, I've perfected it! Guacamole for one, Moonbear style!

One very ripe avocado.
One plum tomato.
One thick slice of onion (don't use the whole onion, it'll be too much, and if you have a sweeter onion, like a Vidalia onion, even better, but then only take half a slice.
Half a lime.
A couple sprigs of cilantro (2 is more than enough unless you really love cilantro...use one sprig if you really don't like it much).

Peel the avocado and remove the pit, and lightly mash the avocado in a small bowl. Squeeze on the juice from the half lime. Finely mince everything else, and add it in. Mash it all up with a fork (you could also toss it into a food processor, but that seems like a lot of work for one person). Eat with tortilla chips. I think it'll be better if chilled to let the flavors mix more, but I didn't have enough patience to wait.

And since Cyrus is so worried about my sodium intake with the Tostitos scoops, I got different chips this time. Shearer's Cantina Style. Mmm...nice flavor without salt. But they are breaking in my guacamole. Oh well, it's good enough to lick off my fingers when I fish out the chips.

 

[Evo]

Ah, at last, I've perfected it! Guacamole for one, Moonbear style!

One very ripe avocado.
One plum tomato.
One thick slice of onion (don't use the whole onion, it'll be too much, and if you have a sweeter onion, like a Vidalia onion, even better, but then only take half a slice.
Half a lime.
A couple sprigs of cilantro (2 is more than enough unless you really love cilantro...use one sprig if you really don't like it much).

Peel the avocado and remove the pit, and lightly mash the avocado in a small bowl. Squeeze on the juice from the half lime. Finely mince everything else, and add it in. Mash it all up with a fork (you could also toss it into a food processor, but that seems like a lot of work for one person). Eat with tortilla chips. I think it'll be better if chilled to let the flavors mix more, but I didn't have enough patience to wait.

And since Cyrus is so worried about my sodium intake with the Tostitos scoops, I got different chips this time. Shearer's Cantina Style. Mmm...nice flavor without salt. But they are breaking in my guacamole. Oh well, it's good enough to lick off my fingers when I fish out the chips.

Mmmmmmmm, sorry, I have have to have salt on my chips.

 

[Moonbear]

Mmmmmmmm, sorry, I have have to have salt on my chips.

Well, they're not exactly salt-free, but very light salt. They had a lot more flavor than the salty brands, and I wasn't particularly craving salt. I'm sure the guacamole will taste just as good with salty chips.

 

[Evo]

I want this so bad.

 

[Moonbear]

I want this so bad.

It looks like salad. Gosh, if a salad would make you that happy, I'll gladly have you as a dinner guest...that's a meal I can easily handle!

 

[Astronuc]

I want this so bad.

Chickenolives says the caption, so its roasted chicken, black olives, tomato, hard boiled egg, shallots(?) on a bed of lettuce or spinach, . . . and what's that in the back (top)? Is the dressing Italian? A vinagrette?

Looks good.

It would make a nice appetizer.

 

[eveseh]

i love rice that's my own food i eat the most

 

[Evo]

I'm easy. Yes, that's a grilled chicken salad.

 

[Moonbear]

I'm easy. Yes, that's a grilled chicken salad.

Where's Danger? I'd expect him to be all over that remark.

 

[Astronuc]

Where's Danger? I'd expect him to be all over that remark.

That was a set up for Danger if I've ever seen one. I think though that Evo has a very discerning palate.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

One of my new favorites - the peppadew.

The first truly new fruit to be launched on the world market since Kiwi Fruit 26 years ago, the story of the Peppadew™ Sweet & Spicy Fruit is as intriguing and endearing as its taste.

Just a few short years back, businessman and farmer J.S. (he prefers to stay anonymous) was looking around the garden of his holiday home in the Eastern Cape in South Africa when he spotted an unusual-looking bush, standing head high, laden with small bright red fruit which looked like something between miniature red peppers and cherry tomatoes.
[continued]

http://www.peppadewusa.com/peppadewstory.htm

Sold at the local Safeway Deli.

 

[scorpa]

Right now I am having some homemade smoked sausage, garlic butter potatoes and carrots ...with the potatoes and carrrots being straight from the garden...yum!

 

[Mk]

One of my new favorites - the peppadew.

Again, a very interesting thing I would never buy.

 

[Moonbear]

One of my new favorites - the peppadew.


http://www.peppadewusa.com/peppadewstory.htm

Sold at the local Safeway Deli.

Wow, that guy must have been pretty crazy to taste a bright red fruit to discover it was edible! I can understand ancient people not knowing any different, and if the person tasting it lived, the rest of the group would eat it, but nowadays, you'd think most people would avoid bright red fruit for fear of it being poisonous.

I'd never heard of it before. I guess it's not sold out this way yet (we don't have Safeways here, so maybe that's the only chain carrying it yet).

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Wow, that guy must have been pretty crazy to taste a bright red fruit to discover it was edible! I can understand ancient people not knowing any different, and if the person tasting it lived, the rest of the group would eat it, but nowadays, you'd think most people would avoid bright red fruit for fear of it being poisonous.

I'd never heard of it before. I guess it's not sold out this way yet (we don't have Safeways here, so maybe that's the only chain carrying it yet).

Could a person be trained to know poisonous fruit with a nibble? Is there anything common that one might learn to recognize with a little taste; too small to be dangerous?

Heh... did our entire diet evolve through nothing but a great deal of painful trial and error? [I for one will never put a dozen hot yellow peppers on a sandwich again, so perhaps evolution continues...in the bathroom at times ]

 

[Astronuc]

Right now I am having some homemade smoked sausage, garlic butter potatoes and carrots ...with the potatoes and carrrots being straight from the garden...yum!

Are the sausage and potatoes separate or mixed. I do a sausage and potato mixed together, after the sausage is sliced and cooked. Then the sausage is mixed with sliced potato and cooked in water. It's great with chili sauce and vegetables.

One of my new favorites - the peppadew.

I'll have to check it out, especially the hot sauce and salsa. I'm always up for new foods to try.

 

[star.torturer]

as it is a big thread then this will certainly have been said before but:

this thread is makin me hungry

but then again I am always hungry so it can't be said to be true

PS: i don't know any recipies except for the best fruitcake ever:

Ingredients:
12oz dried fruit (cut up small IE curant sized)
4oz sugar
8oz flour
1/4pt water
1 medium egg
and 4oz of somthin else that i can't remember

lob fruit sugar and water in pan, simmer down to nothing
let it cool down then lob flour and egg in and stir
stick it in a bakin tray
and stick it in the oven for about 15 mins on high (dont trust me on that)

 

[MindRafter]

as it is a big thread then this will certainly have been said before but:

this thread is makin me hungry

but then again I am always hungry so it can't be said to be true

PS: i don't know any recipies except for the best fruitcake ever:

Ingredients:
12oz dried fruit (cut up small IE curant sized)
4oz sugar
8oz flour
1/4pt water
1 medium egg
and 4oz of somthin else that i can't remember

lob fruit sugar and water in pan, simmer down to nothing
let it cool down then lob flour and egg in and stir
stick it in a bakin tray
and stick it in the oven for about 15 mins on high (dont trust me on that)

REcipe Continued as follows:
When you get burnt smell, get it out of the oven
Serve fresh and burnt and hot, to dog.

 

[star.torturer]

no its too good for the dog, the 15 minutes is right, its just the temp I am not sure about

 

[MindRafter]

no its too good for the dog, the 15 minutes is right, its just the temp I am not sure about

Oh even I don't know the temp, but a guess work won't hurt...in case it goes burnt, its good for the dog, else, you're "real lucky"

 

[star.torturer]

stop joking about it, its too good to burn
and it is high, i checked

 

[scorpa]

Are the sausage and potatoes separate or mixed. I do a sausage and potato mixed together, after the sausage is sliced and cooked. Then the sausage is mixed with sliced potato and cooked in water. It's great with chili sauce and vegetables.

I'll have to check it out, especially the hot sauce and salsa. I'm always up for new foods to try.

Nah I kept it separate I've never thought of doing that before, I'll have to try it.

 

[Evo]

as it is a big thread then this will certainly have been said before but:

this thread is makin me hungry

but then again I am always hungry so it can't be said to be true

PS: i don't know any recipies except for the best fruitcake ever:

Ingredients:
12oz dried fruit (cut up small IE curant sized)
4oz sugar
8oz flour
1/4pt water
1 medium egg
and 4oz of somthin else that i can't remember

lob fruit sugar and water in pan, simmer down to nothing
let it cool down then lob flour and egg in and stir
stick it in a bakin tray
and stick it in the oven for about 15 mins on high (dont trust me on that)

 

[Moonbear]

I especially like the 4 oz of something else you can't remember. Talk about a secret ingredient! Maybe that's the bottle of rum you soaked it in so you wouldn't care if it was bad or good.

 

[SpaceElf]

I especially like the 4 oz of something else you can't remember. Talk about a secret ingredient! Maybe that's the bottle of rum you soaked it in so you wouldn't care if it was bad or good.

 

[Astronuc]

I just bought a bottle of Peppadew (mild).

It's pretty good, but I need the hottest that they make. Mild is just too mild.

 

[Evo]

I just bought a bottle of Peppadew (mild).

It's pretty good, but I need the hottest that they make. Mild is just too mild.

What does it taste like?

 

[turbo]

My wife and I are making a batch of hot bread-and-butter pickles today, with cukes, bell peppers, and jalapenos from our garden. This will be our 5th batch of pickles this season - typically 8-12 quarts each batch. We grow cilantro, too, so as the tomatoes ripen, we have been canning batches of salsa. Fresh salsa is the best, though, and it's hard to keep that around because I not only eat it with chips, but slather it on lots of other foods, like cheeseburgers, salads, beans and rice, omelets etc. Last night, "supper" was a bowl of wild blackberry cobbler with an oatmeal crust. I've been picking about 7 gallons a week and freezing them, in addition to the garden vegetables. We ran a gallon of them throught the juicer yesterday along with a few blueberries and a few apples - YUM! Even better over ice with a splash of Smirnoff and a twist of lime. I think that drink needs to be named Purple Mustache!

That new chest freezer had better be delivered tomorrow, or I'm going to have a logistical nightmare on my hands. With the price of gas, I can't afford to keep making the 40 mile round trip to my dad's to take advantage of his freezer, although it is nice to come back home with a bag of slightly-green Macs from his apple tree. Between the gardening, the woodpile, and the berry-picking, I have lost over 5 lbs this summer and still eat all I want. When we get tucked in for the long winter, I'm going to have to come up with an exercise program, though, because that's when we start having lots of baked beans, biscuits, pies, boiled dinners...

 

[Astronuc]

What does it taste like?

Well, it's a bit salty, vinegary, and spicy like Tabasco sauce, but it also has a sweet fruity taste to it, probably like mango or papaya.

Ingredients:

Sweet Piquanté Peppers,
Blend of vinegars,
Sugar,
Water,
Salt,
Ascorbic acid,
Aged red peppers,
Stabilizers (Xanthan & Guar gums).

The mild is probably as spicy (hot) as McIlhenny's Tabasco sauce.

 

[Astronuc]

My wife and I are making a batch of hot bread-and-butter pickles today, with cukes, bell peppers, and jalapenos from our garden. This will be our 5th batch of pickles this season - typically 8-12 quarts each batch. We grow cilantro, too, so as the tomatoes ripen, we have been canning batches of salsa. Fresh salsa is the best, though, and it's hard to keep that around because I not only eat it with chips, but slather it on lots of other foods, like cheeseburgers, salads, beans and rice, omelets etc. Last night, "supper" was a bowl of wild blackberry cobbler with an oatmeal crust. I've been picking about 7 gallons a week and freezing them, in addition to the garden vegetables. We ran a gallon of them throught the juicer yesterday along with a few blueberries and a few apples - YUM! Even better over ice with a splash of Smirnoff and a twist of lime. I think that drink needs to be named Purple Mustache!

That new chest freezer had better be delivered tomorrow, or I'm going to have a logistical nightmare on my hands. With the price of gas, I can't afford to keep making the 40 mile round trip to my dad's to take advantage of his freezer, although it is nice to come back home with a bag of slightly-green Macs from his apple tree. Between the gardening, the woodpile, and the berry-picking, I have lost over 5 lbs this summer and still eat all I want. When we get tucked in for the long winter, I'm going to have to come up with an exercise program, though, because that's when we start having lots of baked beans, biscuits, pies, boiled dinners...

Yeah , that does sound good.

I picked the ripe serranos yesterday, and I have a second batch on the way. I have a couple of large ripe Kung Pao peppers, which I need to pick, once I take their picture, and I have a bunch of habañeros, which are finally ripening. Then I have a few Hot Portugal, which look a little like the habañeros.

I think I will finally make some habañero-based hot sauce, a serrano-based one, and maybe a blend.

I still have cayenne and kung pao left over from last year. I dried them and put them in the freezer.

 

[TuviaDaCat]

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

lebanese?! hah! all middle eastern food is great!

Humus, maklawa, kuskus, falafel, shawarma in a lafa, all the hot spices, and much more...

those meals ussualy include a sea fish or some grilled meat of some kind, but those are not "complicated" or particular to middle eastern food

 

[turbo]

I picked the ripe serranos yesterday, and I have a second batch on the way. I have a couple of large ripe Kung Pao peppers, which I need to pick, once I take their picture, and I have a bunch of habañeros, which are finally ripening. Then I have a few Hot Portugal, which look a little like the habañeros.

I think I will finally make some habañero-based hot sauce, a serrano-based one, and maybe a blend.

I still have cayenne and kung pao left over from last year. I dried them and put them in the freezer.

Our habaneros are still small, though the jalapenos are filling in nicely. The jalapenos are much hotter than the ones we can get from the local supermarkets, and I hope that the habaneros follow suit. We can a VERY hot habanero sauce that forms the basis for my homemade pizza sauce, my BBQ shrimp marinade/baste, and pasta sauces. I never rely on one kind of heat, though. When I make pizza sauce, I use the habanero sauce, crushed red peppers, black pepper, cayenne, and any other hot stuff I have on tap, to give a variety of "burns" as the sauce blooms in the mouth. When I make thin-crust (flour tortilla) pizzas for a get-together, they disappear as soon as they are served. I have to sit down and eat a piece or two as I make every batch, or I don't get any.

 

[lo2]

My view on Food is that Italian food is the best, but there is of course also french food which is nice and there is of course also other kinds of food which is nice.

But FORZA Italian cooking!

 

[turbo]

My view on Food is that Italian food is the best, but there is of course also french food which is nice and there is of course also other kinds of food which is nice.

But FORZA Italian cooking!

You have never ben exposed to Mexicans, and you haven't found food yet!

 

[Math Is Hard]

You have never ben exposed to Mexicans, and you haven't found food yet!

I will never forget the Mexican-Italian man who suggested I put hot sauce on my spaghetti. It was like a great revolution in my tastebuds.

 

[turbo]

I will never forget the Mexican-Italian man who suggested I put hot sauce on my spaghetti. It was like a great revolution in my tastebuds.

A Mexican-Italian man? What's wrong with a French-American Indian/Irish-German guy with a taste for the hot stuff? I grew up in a family that loved hot foods, and I am chasing down that road over 50 years later.

 

[Evo]

A Mexican-Italian man? What's wrong with a French-American Indian/Irish-German guy with a taste for the hot stuff? I grew up in a family that loved hot foods, and I am chasing down that road over 50 years later.

My dad poured tabasco sauce on everything, he grew a variety of hot peppers that my mom would pickle. You had to love hot stuff in my house.

 

[Astronuc]

I will never forget the Mexican-Italian man who suggested I put hot sauce on my spaghetti. It was like a great revolution in my tastebuds.

I've been doing that for eons. I like hot sauce blended with spaghetti sauce.

My dad poured tabasco sauce on everything, he grew a variety of hot peppers that my mom would pickle. You had to love hot stuff in my house.

I put hot sauce on everything but dessert. One of my favorite breakfasts is fried (sunnyside-up) or scrambled eggs on grits with tabasco sauce or salsa picante.

Pace hot picante sauce is great on eggs, or on or in omlets.

And now I grow my own hot peppers.

 

[ZapperZ]

If you like it hot and exotic, try this:

Buy one of those "chilli paste" in a plastic jar that you can find at any Asian grocery stores (Some of them have the name "Sambal Olek" - btw, "sambal" is a malay/indonesian word for "chilli paste"). Take a teaspoon of it and mix it with 2 teaspoon of your favorite soy sauce.

Now here's where it'll blow you away. Drizzle your hot/spicy mixture over some fresh pineapples. Trust me on this! Now go pop one into your mouth.

You'll find that after the initial shock, and after you get used to it, you'll never want to eat fresh pineapples without it again.

Zz.

 

[turbo]

Sounds good! I'm going to try hot sauces with fruit.

There is a resaurant in Ellsworth Maine called The Mex, and they make a hot sauce that is 100% peppers - mostly jalapenos, I think. There are no other ingredients at all, just peppers. We have habaneros and jalapenos a-plenty in the garden and I'm going to see if I can make something similar, only hotter.

http://www.themex.com/

 

[turbo]

Pace hot picante sauce is great on eggs, or on or in omlets.

Pace?? (Not as severe as "New York City!?" ) You've got to work up a recipe for your own sauce. My wife and I can pints and pints of really hot salsa every year - hopefully enough to hold us over until the next garden comes in, because the commercial stuff doesn't cut it. We ran out earlier this year and had to start buying salsa again. We settled on hot Arriba! salsa, made with fire-roasted tomatoes and peppers. For our next batch of fresh salsa, we are going to fire-roast the peppers and tomatoes, and if we like the taste, that's how we'll prepare our salsa for canning - at least a batch or two, anyway. I grill a lot of vegetables, and the carmelization that comes with browning adds a lot of character, so I think that roasting the vegetables before processing will work out fine.

 

[Moonbear]

I've had both raspberry and peach salsas (sorry turbo, from jars), and the sweet fruit with the spicy peppers was definitely a tastebud pleaser.

 

[turbo]

Had the flame-roasted tomatoes and peppers tonight as salsa on our cheesburgers. A little tuning is in order (more blackening needed!) but definitely a keeper. I think that we've got to keep this blackening off the grill and on the side-burner, where the vegetables can be scorched without the cooking. It's a delicate balance between fresh salsa and fresh salsa with a little scorching and carmelization. I'd love to have a restaurant if I could stand being around people. Fragrances (and even "unscented" cosmetics with their masking fragrances) cripple me for days, with asthma, migraines, and joint pain, so a restaurant is out of the question. I love cooking, and can come up with a sauce for almost anything with a quick rummage through the pantry. Some of my most popular sauces (for chicken shishkebab and grilled shrimp in particular) arose from my wife's insistance that "we need something for supper, and you should come up with a meal". If you've got some cheap red wine, some vinegar or lemon juice, and a basic supply of spices, I can give you a primo meal with a minimum of time or fuss.

Edit: I'm assuming that you have some cold-pressed olive oil, molasses, brown sugar, dry mustards, etc, that I can press into service. If you have just salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash, you're on your own. I can't help you.

 

[Evo]

Had the flame-roasted tomatoes and peppers tonight as salsa on our cheesburgers. A little tuning is in order (more blackening needed!) but definitely a keeper. I think that we've got to keep this blackening off the grill and on the side-burner, where the vegetables can be scorched without the cooking. It's a delicate balance between fresh salsa and fresh salsa with a little scorching and carmelization. I'd love to have a restaurant if I could stand being around people. Fragrances (and even "unscented" cosmetics with their masking fragrances) cripple me for days, with asthma, migraines, and joint pain, so a restaurant is out of the question. I love cooking, and can come up with a sauce for almost anything with a quick rummage through the pantry. Some of my most popular sauces (for chicken shishkebab and grilled shrimp in particular) arose from my wife's insistance that "we need something for supper, and you should come up with a meal". If you've got some cheap red wine, some vinegar or lemon juice, and a basic supply of spices, I can give you a primo meal with a minimum of time or fuss.

Edit: I'm assuming that you have some cold-pressed olive oil, molasses, brown sugar, dry mustards, etc, that I can press into service. If you have just salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash, you're on your own. I can't help you.

You can come cook for me anytime!

 

[Astronuc]

Had the flame-roasted tomatoes and peppers tonight as salsa on our cheesburgers. . . . . Some of my most popular sauces (for chicken shishkebab and grilled shrimp in particular) arose from my wife's insistance that "we need something for supper, and you should come up with a meal". If you've got some cheap red wine, some vinegar or lemon juice, and a basic supply of spices, I can give you a primo meal with a minimum of time or fuss.

Edit: I'm assuming that you have some cold-pressed olive oil, molasses, brown sugar, dry mustards, etc, that I can press into service. If you have just salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash, you're on your own. I can't help you.

I've done much the same. I like to experiment with food flavor and spices, although the rest of the family is not so keen. I like it when I try something and the flavors just go together - like braised chicken and cilantro, and the right white wine (chardonnay, without fermentation or aging in oak).

I also like to certain cuts of beef in red wine (e.g. certain Cabernets or Merlots) which makes a really nice gravy.

I have Mrs. Dash in the cupboard, along with other spices. Mrs. Dash works in a pinch.

We have an herb garden and grow a fair amount of basil, which brings me to something I heard tonight -

Celebrating Late Summer's Basil Bonanza
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5726130
by Jack Staub

All Things Considered, August 28, 2006 · Commentator Jack Staub rhapsodizes about his favorite herb, basil, which is abundant this time of year. He also offers hints about what to do with all of it, including a recipe for handy and easy-to-use pesto cubes.

These cubes will maintain a zingy, summery bite even after months in the freezer. To use, just thaw one or two. For real Italian pesto, reprocess with pine nuts and fresh Parmesan cheese.

You can also use them for marinating meats, tossing with vegetables and a squeeze of lemon, starting salad dressings, and adding fresh, green body to soups and stews. And, best of all, they'll keep that yearned-for taste of summer lingering on your tongue all winter long.

Commentator Jack Staub lives and gardens in Bucks County, Pa. He's also the author of 75 Exciting Vegetables for Your Garden.

Pesto Cubes
Bunch of fresh, rinsed and dried basil leaves
Olive oil
3 or 4 fat garlic cloves
Salt and pepper

Pack the basil leaves into a food processor, add about an inch of good olive oil, the garlic, a palm-full of salt, and some generous grindings of fresh pepper.

Process into a thick, green emulsion, adding more oil if necessary.

Pour into plastic ice cube trays and freeze.

When the cubes are frozen, pop them out and store them in freezer bags.

I thought this was a cool idea, and I'll have to try this. But I will probably have to buy a freezer.

See also - Indian Food: Eating in Technicolor
Kitchen Window By Roseanne Pereira

I love curries, especially Madras hot curries - the hotter, the better.

And this looks good - Keeping Cool: Salads Stay Composed - some pretty decent salad recipes:
Chicken Paillard with Spicy Summer Corn
Warm Salad of Salmon and Orange
Sesame Chicken Salad
Quick Shrimp and Spinach Salad
Lobster and Wild Rice Salad

And then early this summer - Summer's Here: Grills Catch Fire:
Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak with Cajun Swamp Sauce

Turbo, we definitely need to get together and experiment.

 

[ZapperZ]

I also like to certain cuts of beef in red wine (e.g. certain Cabernets or Merlots) which makes a really nice gravy.

That is very European. Popular dishes such as boef bourgeneon and others are often marinated and cooked in robust, red wines.

I have a "pot-roast" recipe that calls for beef marinated overnight in a dry red wine, rosemary, garlic, and peppercorns. It is then braised on the stove for about 3 hrs until fork tender. Supposedly, this is an italian country dish, so it is supposed to be rustic. You reduce the roasting liquid at the end as the gravy. Serve with mash potatoes and simple steamed vegetables and you have it made.

I've served this for several dinner parties and always got very good compliments for it.

Zz.

 

[turbo]

I have a "pot-roast" recipe that calls for beef marinated overnight in a dry red wine, rosemary, garlic, and peppercorns. It is then braised on the stove for about 3 hrs until fork tender. Supposedly, this is an italian country dish, so it is supposed to be rustic. You reduce the roasting liquid at the end as the gravy. Serve with mash potatoes and simple steamed vegetables and you have it made.

Zz.

When I make a pot roast, I kind of reverse that. I rub the roast with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, then brown it heavily on all sides. I use a big pot with a little peanut oil, and do the browning outside on the grill's side burner to avoid smoking up the house, because it's important to get the meat well-browned. When the meat is browned, there is a heavy layer of carmelized juices on the bottom of the pot. I put the pot (with the meat) on the gas range and add about 2 cups of water and 2 cups of dry red wine to the pot, and bring to a rapid boil to dissolve the carmelized juices, then reduce to a simmer and add carrots, potatoes, cabbage, turnip and onions and seasonings. Add hot water as needed, cover and simmer for at least 2 hours. The long cooking time helps the carmelized meat juices and wine penetrate the vegetables. Near the end, remove the cover, and let the juices reduce. When you're ready to eat, remove the meat and vegetables from the pot, and while the roast is relaxing, whisk some flour-and-water mixture into the juices with a little added salt and pepper to make a gravy. Make more than you need - people often go for seconds, and if there are left-overs, they won't go to waste. If you chop the leftovers and pan-fry them, they make a wonderful breakfast hash.

 

[turbo]

I thought this was a cool idea, and I'll have to try this. But I will probably have to buy a freezer.

When our second crop of basil comes in, I'll have to freeze some pesto cubes. Our second 13 ft³ chest freezer will be delivered today. Our first one is full, and we have been shuffling food to relatives' freezers in order to keep up with the berries and the garden. I checked the berry patches yesterday, and tomorrow, I will probably get close to 4 gallons of wild blackberries. The zucchinis are swamping us and we need the freezer ASAP.

Edit: Yay! 10:40 and the appliance guys showed up and delivered the freezer. Now, I'll have to go visit the relatives and get all that food out of their freezers and into our new one.

Turbo, we definitely need to get together and experiment.

We'll have to cook in secret, or the PF sisters will arrange a field trip and eat all our experiments. Maybe we could schecule it on the same weekend as the big chocolate festival, so they'll be distracted.:!)