What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Evo]

I was taught that you put your thumb and middle finger together and that caused the feelings of the various doneness, works for me.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I was taught that you put your thumb and middle finger together and that caused the feelings of the various doneness, works for me.

I actually use the back side of my hand, in the fleshy part between the thumb and index finger, with the order being reversed for the finger progression. There is still technique involved since it depends on how hard your squeeze, but it is a pretty reliable measure with a bit of practice.

A long time ago... while in high school, I worked in a good steak house. Our top guy there could just use the flat side of a long fork and tell by the springiness of the surface. That never seems to work for me.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

One more thought is that when a steak is cooked properly, meaning as fast and as hot as possible without turning it to a cinder, it is important to allow the meat to relax for at least five minutes afterwards. If you like it medium rare like we do, it should be soppy wet and drenched in its own juices when served... with lightly blackened surfaces. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Of course you have to pick a good piece of meat in the first place. We always buy ribeyes from top-quality Angus Beef.

 

[nei14]

PORK ADOBO! The best! :D

Ingredients

- 2 lbs pork belly
- 1 tbsp whole pepper corn
- 2 1/2 tbsp of sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp of oyster sauce
- 1 clove of garlic, minced or crushed
- 3 to 4 pieces dried bay leaves
- 4 tbsp vinegar
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- salt to taste

Cooking Procedure
- Slice the pork belly in good chunks of cubes then put in the mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic and sugar to marinade for at least 1 hour
- Heat the pot and put-in the marinated pork belly then cook for a few minutes.
- Pour in water, whole pepper corn, and bay leaves until it boils. Leave for 40 minutes to 1 hour to soften the meat.
- Put-in the vinegar and simmer for 10-15 more minutes
- Add salt to taste

Serve while hot and with rice! Enjoy!

 

[rollcast]

What is a good flavour combination with rhubarb?

I was thinking on either apple or ginger but maybe there's something better?

 

[Evo]

What is a good flavour combination with rhubarb?

I was thinking on either apple or ginger but maybe there's something better?

Strawberry and rhubarb is classic.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Chicken a l'orange.

4 chicken thighs. Actually, you're supposed to use breasts, but everyone in my family prefers dark meat.
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
4 Tbsp honey
1 l'orange, sliced near the center into disks across the wedges so they look like wagon wheels.

We have a great abundance of oranges in the house and so someone suggested that I make chicken a l'orange. For the purpose of reducing the orange population, this was a fool's errand. The orange is just for a garnish, the orange juice is what makes this dish what it is.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F. Wash the chicken and rub in some salt and pepper. Sear the skin side of the chicken in a bit of vegetable oil. Make sure the skin is brown and crispy. While the chicken is searing mix the orange juice with 12 oz water and the honey along with some salt and pepper in a small sauce pot and bring it to a boil for 3 minutes. When the searing is done, paint the chicken with the orange sauce, place a slice of orange on each piece and put it in a baking pan skin side up side. Pour a little more sauce on each piece and place it in the oven. In about 8 minutes, open the oven and pour the rest of the sauce on the chicken. In another 8 minutes check the internal temp. 170 F or so should be good. Then take it out and let it rest.

I served it with rice and some snap peas. If you want you can do the same, but really, it doesn't matter what vegetable you serve, you will never be as elegant as the Snyders.

 

[turbo]

A Maine main-stay is going to be featured on "Food Paradise". Dysarts is a truck stop that serves breakfast fare 24-7 and also has a lot of other tricks up their sleeves. I'd always opt for the full breakfast (baked beans, home-fried potatoes, biscuits, eggs, bacon, pancakes, etc, and an endless cup of coffee) but they have a lot more specialties. Still, long-haul truckers that work in pairs and have to watch their logged hours are quite fond of Dysart's menu. It allows them an opportunity to pull in late at night and get their trucks and themselves fueled up.

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/07/...s-good-eats-at-dysarts/?ref=mostReadBoxLiving

 

[dlgoff]

What is a good flavour combination with rhubarb?

Nothing.

 

[turbo]

What is a good flavour combination with rhubarb?

As Evo said, the classic combo is strawberry-rhubarb, but I wouldn't be be afraid to pair rhubarb with peaches. Up here, the wild strawberries come into season at about the time when rhubarb is at its peak, so strawberry-rhubarb pie and even strawberry-rhubarb sauce over biscuits topped with whipped cream (a kind of shortcake recipe) were popular. Peaches are not in season when rhubarb is at its peak, but I wouldn't hesitate to pair them, now that we have ways (freezers, mostly) to preserve the rhubarb until it is time to make the pie-filling/sauce.

 

[Astronuc]

What is a good flavour combination with rhubarb?

I was thinking on either apple or ginger but maybe there's something better?

My mom made rhubarb pie which was delicious without adding other fruits or berries. Strawberry is common, but one could add raspberry and/or cranberry, and perhaps red currants.


Tonight I made a dish somewhat like a succotash. I browned some ground beef with onion and garlic, and various seasons, including a little chile powder. To that I added sweet corn, black beans and green beans.


A more traditional succotash is beans, corn and tomatoes. If I had a can of Rotel tomatoes, I would have added it. Here is another possibility: summer succotash with bacon and croutons
http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/07/summer-succotash-with-bacon-and-croutons/

 

[Evo]

AAAARGH! Stupid celebrity chefs propagating misinformation.

I watched the finale of the worst cooking competition show yet "Around the world in 80 plates". That woman won for impaling a goat and sticking it in a barbecue pit when the other chef actually created dishes?

Anyway, that's not what really bugs me. What bugs me is all of the misinformation I see on tv about Italian people being used to only fresh pasta and knowing and expecting their pasta to be fresh. That's absolute bull. Italians eat primarily dried pasta. Fresh pasta is not the norm.

The contestants were in Italy and the stupid "celebrity" chefs kept saying how crucial it was for the contestants to make fresh pasta because the Italians they were serving would be expecting it.

The emphasis on fresh pasta is an American fabrication. Italians know the best pasta is going to be from a pasta producer and dried, they don't mess with making it. Sure some people do, but that's a minority.

And yes, I have source to back it up. Also, recently on Lydia's Italy, I was glad to see her explaining why she used pre-packaged dried pasta, she explained that in Italy, even fine restaurant chefs used dried pasta, it was the norm.

Not here in Italy. Except in a few regions of the north, Italians don't bother much with pasta fresca at all. Don't get me wrong. Beautifully made pasta fresca is glorious, but for everyday meals, whether in high-priced Milanese restaurants or humble Tuscan farmhouses, Italian cooks rely on the stuff in the box. And they don't apologize for it, either.

That's not just because pasta secca represents a cheap, quick, easy way to throw together a delicious dish. Italian cooks, professional and at home, are fully persuaded that commercial dried pasta is a high-quality product, every bit as tasty as -- and often even better than -- pasta fresca.

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/17/d...-for-return-basics.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

So, why do these tv chefs continue to spread false information?

 

[turbo]

Today is my wife's "give food to the neighbors" day, apparently. She gave away most of the broccoli, and we just grilled up a big pizza-pan full of jalapeno poppers - way more than the 2 of us could eat, especially since we're going to have steamed clams and mussels and corn on the cob for supper, so she's giving poppers away right now.

Very simple recipe: slice large jalapeno peppers in half. De-seed them and fill them with a mix of cream cheese and chopped cooked bacon. Top with shredded Monterey Jack and cook them on the grill. We line a large pizza-pan with oiled aluminum foil and put the poppers on that. About 5 minutes or so on our gas grill, set to medium heat or until the shredded cheese browns.

 

[Evo]

My stuffed bell peppers turned out so good. I keep it super simple. Just brown a pound of ground beef with chopped onion, garlic and salt to taste. Mix in 4 cups of cooked rice and one 15 oz can of tomato sauce, season with salt.

Either cut off the tops or cut in half lengthwise 3-4 large bell peppers, remove seeds and ribs, stuff with rice mixture. Arrange stuffing side up in a baking pan, pour in just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan, and lay a sheet of foil across the top. If you prefer you can parboil the empty peppers briefly to soften before stuffing.

Bake at 350F for 35 minutes, or until a knife easily slides into the side of the pepper. I didn't parboil the peppers and they were very thick walled, so I had to bake them for an hour before the peppers were done. Luckily, the water and the top foil kept the stuffing moist and they turned out perfect.

I did get a little creative with the meat this time. I added red curry powder (corriander, cumin, chili pepper, red pepper and cardamom) when I was browning the beef. OMG, that's my new trick from now on when making these.

 

[turbo]

Tonight's supper was fast and fantastic. My wife made a garden salad while I fired up the grill. Get the gas grill to around 500 degrees, take out a tuna steak, dust it with salt and pepper and some peanut oil. A 3/4" to 1" thick steak only takes a few minutes to sear,with a couple of flips per side, leaving the center rare to medium rare.

BTW, this isn't the Maine bluefin tuna that the Japanese covet, but the less-pressured yellowfin. Once the bluefins are wiped out due to Japanese demand, they will probably start putting pressure on the yellowfins, too.

BTW, Duke had some tossed salad (no onions) and some tuna-steak, too. Judging by the looks of his tail, he approved.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

After over a year and a half, this Atkins diet [very low carb] lifestyle is becoming rather comfortable and seems normal. The idea of eating bread actually seems a bit strange now. The only thing that got to me one night was the smell of fettucini alfredo, in a restaurant. I do miss pasta but not the blood sugar issues.

The other day I was in a 7-11 to get some milk [whole milk, of course]. As I stood there I was noticing that there was almost nothing in the store that I can eat! Even more amazing is that it isn't even tempting any more. It is quite rewarding to know there are entire stores full of crap that I won't eat.

I heard that C&H had to shut down an entire factory when I gave up sugar.

 

[Evo]

After over a year and a half, this Atkins diet [very low carb] lifestyle is becoming rather comfortable and seems normal. The idea of eating bread actually seems a bit strange now. The only thing that got to me one night was the smell of fettucini alfredo, in a restaurant. I do miss pasta but not the blood sugar issues.

The other day I was in a 7-11 to get some milk [whole milk, of course]. As I stood there I was noticing that there was almost nothing in the store that I can eat! Even more amazing is that it isn't even tempting any more. It is quite rewarding to know there are entire stores full of crap that I won't eat.

I heard that C&H had to shut down an entire factory when I gave up sugar.

What about the new version of Atkins? Have you looked into that?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

What about the new version of Atkins? Have you looked into that?

I heard a bit about it. For me the diet serves the dual role of weight loss and blood sugar control. My pancreas is so out of control that shutting down the glucose-insulin response is critical. I'll probably adopt the second phase of the original diet, which is a little less restrictive than the induction phase, as my new permanent lifestyle.

At times, when I wasn't eating well, even a glass of milk was enough to put me on the verge of passing out from the sugar [actually the release of too much insulin in response to the sugar]. When I realized that I knew I had to do something drastic.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Overheard on a cooking show on PBS.

A: What kind of salt do you use, Kosher salt or sea salt.
B: I use sea salt.
A: I use kosher salt. Sea salt has a lot of sodium.

 

[Evo]

Overheard on a cooking show on PBS.

A: What kind of salt do you use, Kosher salt or sea salt.
B: I use sea salt.
A: I use kosher salt. Sea salt has a lot of sodium.

Buwahaha

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Chili

One can of cheap store brand diced tomatoes.
One can of cheap store brand crushed tomatoes.
One can of cheap store brand kidney beans.
One pack cheap store brand chili powder.
One lb. cheap ground beef.

Saute the beef and drain off the fat. Then mix all the ingredients and simmer. Serve with cheap store brand grated chedder and pepper jack cheese and cheap store brand saltines. Tell your wife you used expensive ingredients so you can step out Friday night for a beer.

 

[Evo]

Chili

One can of cheap store brand diced tomatoes.
One can of cheap store brand crushed tomatoes.
One can of cheap store brand kidney beans.
One pack cheap store brand chili powder.
One lb. cheap ground beef.

Saute the beef and drain off the fat. Then mix all the ingredients and simmer. Serve with cheap store brand grated chedder and pepper jack cheese and cheap store brand saltines. Tell your wife you used expensive ingredients so you can step out Friday night for a beer.

 

[turbo]

My wife made a nice potato salad for supper (heavy on the eggs and sweet pickles!) and I grilled a yellowfin tuna steak. Get the grill up to 450-500 deg F, grease the tuna with peanut oil (minimal scorching) and dust with salt and pepper. Just cook the tuna to get grill-marks, but leave the insides rare or medium-rare. As long as the tuna specials keep running, that's my go-to seafood.

 

[Monique]

Does anyone have experience with making sourdough bread? I'd like to make some, but I'm no star in fermenting things.. I blame my education in aseptic techniques But then the dough will be baked, so what could go wrong..

I've never seen starter cultures for sourdough, so I think I'll start experimenting with making some myself following this (6 day) tutorial: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/10251/starting-starter-sourdough-101-tutorial

 

[trollcast]

This is a funny conversation I had with my aunt this afternoon as I was putting the meat loaf into the oven for tonights dinner:

Aunt: Whats that?
Me: Meatloaf
Aunt:Are you putting it in the oven in that? #Points at the 2lb loaf tin
Me: Yes, why?
Aunt: Its full up to the brim.
Me: So?
Aunt:Well it'll come out over the top
Me: No it won't
Aunt: But, but its a loaf

 

[turbo]

One of my favorite cooking tools is my Black and Decker steamer. My wife called after work and asked me to fix some rice. Get out the steamer, load the base with water, put a cup of Basmati rice in the bowl along with 1-3/4 cup of water, and set the timer for an hour. No problemo. It only takes a few seconds to set it up. The steamer is wonderful for green beans, broccoli, etc, too.

 

[turbo]

Having supper. Stir-fry made with fresh green beans, broccoli and peppers from the garden, red onion and egg, mixed with the steamed Basmati rice. Egg? Yep! While stir-frying the vegetables, crack an egg in there. Learned that from the aunt of a friend. She owned a restaurant and used egg instead of soy sauce in her stir-frys.

 

[turbo]

Got another addition to the Thiers Issard stable. This time, it's a 3" paring knife.

My wife is always on the lookout for yet another paring knife, because the ones that she bought have been unsatisfactory for one reason or another. When she came home last night she grabbed this one and said "If you ever want to buy me a present, get another knife!" We both love cooking, and it's a whole lot more fun when you have decent tools.

These knives will last a lifetime, and your heirs will thank you when you pass them down. I hope my little brother's daughter likes cooking as much as he does - she might be the beneficiary.

 

[turbo]

My wife has a very young fan of her baking. She took a fresh-baked loaf of French bread to our next-door neighbors. Their grandson (6 yo) met her at the door and asked "Is that bread?!" He had a brownie in his hand, and he asked his grandmother if he could have a piece of bread instead. It is good bread, but it seems a little out-of-character for a little tyke to give up a brownie for a slice of bread.

 

[Astronuc]

I sauteed some beef cubes in onion, garlic and leeks, then added some carrots, waited a bit, the added mushrooms, waited some more, then finished it with red wine for a nice red wine sauce.

In the oven, I baked some potatoes, carrots and acorn squash.

Now I need to do some greens. We have something similar to collards, but I can't remember the name.

Update: I steamed the greens with some radicchio. I put the meat and mushrooms with the potato, carrot and squash, and put that over the greens.

One could also grill the radicchio - http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/grilled_radicchio_salad/

 

[trollcast]

Beef pot roast just hit the oven for about 8 hours cooking.

 

[ChiralWaltz]

We both love cooking, and it's a whole lot more fun when you have decent tools.

Solid instruments with wine and classical music, this is a nice slice of heaven. Debussy orchestrates great meals.

Breaded pork chops on an elevated wire rack in the oven helps them crisp to a uniform golden brown. This method works great for any recipe that suggests turning 1/2 way through (especially tater tots).

 

[Evo]

Beef pot roast just hit the oven for about 8 hours cooking.

I love good pot roast.

Breaded pork chops on an elevated wire rack in the oven helps them crisp to a uniform golden brown. This method works great for any recipe that suggests turning 1/2 way through (especially tater tots).

Nice tip, thanks!

 

[trollcast]

The pot roast beef made an excellent sandwich for lunchtime today with a drop of HP sauce and some chopped onion.

 

[turbo]

The pot roast beef made an excellent sandwich for lunchtime today with a drop of HP sauce and some chopped onion.

Pot roast makes for great sandwiches. Very tender and flavorful meat, and lots of assorted vegetable to add to the mix (as long as somebody didn't hog them).

 

[turbo]

The new paring knife got a workout yesterday. With frost warnings in the forecast, we brought in most of the sweet peppers. My wife took control of the prep-work, coring peppers, peeling onions, etc prior to chopping and freezing them. I don't know how many times she said "'I LOVE this knife!"

If you want to choose from at least a dozen sub-par paring knives, come to our next lawn-sale. They will be cheap. Now, she has her sights set on a 4" Thiers-Issard paring knife. I won't be stuck for birthday/Christmas present ideas for a very long time.

 

[trollcast]

Pot roast makes for great sandwiches. Very tender and flavorful meat, and lots of assorted vegetable to add to the mix (as long as somebody didn't hog them).

There was no veggies left as I only put 3 onions in with the meat :( [I was partly restricted by the size of the roasting pot]

Do you reckon it would be possible to cook a pot roast in a big stock pot on the stove top?

I'd probably need to give the meat a good browning around the outsides in a frying pan first to stop it being grey?

 

[Evo]

There was no veggies left as I only put 3 onions in with the meat :( [I was partly restricted by the size of the roasting pot]

Do you reckon it would be possible to cook a pot roast in a big stock pot on the stove top?

I'd probably need to give the meat a good browning around the outsides in a frying pan first to stop it being grey?

I make a delicious pot roast on the stove top. You must brown all sides of the meat first, remove the meat, then add your liquid, etc...to the pan you browned in, then place the roast back into the same panm to get up all of the browned bits for added flavor. P

 

[turbo]

When cooking a pot roast, I always use a large pot on the stove-top. I brown the roast in peanut oil with some salt and pepper. Then, I lift the juices off the bottom of the pan by simmering with some cheap red wine. The roast goes back in with some onions, carrots, potatoes, and turnip - then simmer on the stove-top until you can't stand it anymore.

A good New England pot roast makes your house smell so good... We had them a lot when I was a kid, because it was a way to make cheap chuck roasts go a long way in a family of 6.

 

[trollcast]

I make a delicious pot roast on the stove top. You must brown all sides of the meat first, remove the meat, then add your liquid, etc...to the pan you browned in, then place the roast back into the same panm to get up all of the browned bits for added flavor. P

I normally use a drop of white wine vinegar and some boiling water to get the good stuff off the bottom, I think the acid in the vinegar helps get it off or something like that?

 

[Evo]

I normally use a drop of white wine vinegar and some boiling water to get the good stuff off the bottom, I think the acid in the vinegar helps get it off or something like that?

Yes, I use wine in mine also.

 

[trollcast]

Yes, I use wine in mine also.

We don't have any wine in our house, well there's stuff my dad uses as a feed for dundee cakes sometimes but its like 10% alcohol.

My aunt showed me it with wine before but I didn't think it was any better than a slug of the nearest bottle of vinegar, it even works with white / malted vinegar as long as you don't add too much and let it evaporate the acid out.

The only vinegar it hasn't worked with that I've tried is balsamic vinegar although I think it was more to do with the fact it reduces too quickly on a very hot pan and not the qualities of the vinegar.

 

[Evo]

We don't have any wine in our house, well there's stuff my dad uses as a feed for dundee cakes sometimes but its like 10% alcohol.

My aunt showed me it with wine before but I didn't think it was any better than a slug of the nearest bottle of vinegar, it even works with white / malted vinegar as long as you don't add too much and let it evaporate the acid out.

The only vinegar it hasn't worked with that I've tried is balsamic vinegar although I think it was more to do with the fact it reduces too quickly on a very hot pan and not the qualities of the vinegar.

Vinegar should work well.

 

[turbo]

If you can get cider vinegar instead of white vinegar, that could help.

 

[Astronuc]

I cooked up a pot of leek, potatoes and sausage yesterday.

We often do leek and potato soup, or some variant.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/potato_leek_soup/

The recipe is similar to one cited, but I didn't puree any portion of the soup. I did leeks and garlic cloves in olive oil. Then added Italian sausage to brown it, but not the leeks or garlic. I cut the sausage once cooked, then added some bok choi. After the bok choi cooked, I added water, brought it to near boiling, then turned it down to simmer.

After a while, I transferred the leek, bok choi and sausage to a pot, added some broth and water, brought it to near boil and added diced potato. One could do a number of variations, such as adding carrot to increase the sweetness.

Other variants could include adding parsnip (parsnip and carrot go well together), turnip and/or rutabaga.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/parsnip_soup_with_leeks_and_parsley/

 

[turbo]

Had a great lunch today. Home-made French bread and butter with a wonderful soup: Spicy chicken sausage, fingerling potatoes, onions, carrots, tomatoes, kale, etc. When cooler weather comes around, we have soups and casseroles.

Edit: there was barley and lentils in there, too. Most of our soups feature these.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I have always loved a good hot dog - the old fashioned kind made by Germans in the midwest. Ball Park brand has some Angus dogs that are pretty decent. So I've been buying those from time to time. but then they came out with Angus Beef Hot Links. Mmmmmm, that sounded good so I bought some and we were both hooked. Very tasty!

http://www.ballparkbrand.com/assets/media/franks/franks-angus-hotlinks.png

Now the bad news. Last night I finally made myself look at the nutritional information. 200 calories per link with 150 of those being due to fat! Egad! No trans fats and less than half is saturated fat, but still, 75% fat?! That is crazy.

 

[Evo]

I have always loved a good hot dog - the old fashioned kind made by Germans in the midwest. Ball Park brand has some Angus dogs that are pretty decent. So I've been buying those from time to time. but then they came out with Angus Beef Hot Links. Mmmmmm, that sounded good so I bought some and we were both hooked. Very tasty!

http://www.ballparkbrand.com/assets/media/franks/franks-angus-hotlinks.png

Now the bad news. Last night I finally made myself look at the nutritional information. 200 calories per link with 150 of those being due to fat! Egad! No trans fats and less than half is saturated fat, but still, 75% fat?! That is crazy.

Sounds about right. I think it's better to eat something tasty in smaller amounts than to eat tasteless garbage in larger quantities.

When I stopped eating low fat, low this and low that and ate the real stuff, not only was I more satisfied, I lost the weight I'd gained eating the fake stuff. Usually the tasteless "low" stuff has a difference of 10-20 calories and none of the flavor.

Now I need to try those!

 

[Evo]

Beef short ribs were on sale, so I plan to make my Jewish step mother-in-law's pea soup. Instead of ham, she used beef short ribs. To die for! It's now my favorite way to make split pea soup.

 

[Evo]

Ulimate chicken stock recipe from Ina Garten.

Chicken Stock

Ingredients

3 5-pound roasting chickens
3 large yellow onions, unpeeled, quartered
6 carrots, unpeeled, halved
4 celery stalks with leaves, cut in thirds
4 parsnips, unpeeled, cut in half (optional)
20 sprigs fresh parsley
15 sprigs fresh thyme
20 sprigs fresh dill
1 head garlic, unpeeled, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

Directions

Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, and seasonings in a 16- to 20-quart stockpot. Add 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 4 hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander and discard the solids. Chill the stock overnight. The next day, remove the surface fat. Use immediately or pack in containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-stock-recipe2/index.html

I wouldn't discard *all* of the solids. The chicken meat will have lost it's flavor to the broth, but will make great cat or dog food. The veggies should be flavorful, I'd eat them. Maybe let them drain and dry a bit, then slice and sautee or roast in some butter or olive oil. Or mash the carrots and parsnips with a bit of cream and serve with butter, salt, and pepper.