What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[dlgoff]

Maybe the tag should have been Ninfa's.

 

[Evo]

Some things are so simple, you don't think about a recipe, but I realize that we have some people new to cooking, and some of us are getting older and can't remember as well as we once did.

This is one of those simple recipes. It's for corned beef hash, but you can use any leftover meat, roast beef, ground beef, ham... This is SO GOOD.

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

And just in case the URL ever goes bad, here's the recipe.Corned Beef Hash Recipe

If you have leftover cabbage from corned beef and cabbage, feel free to chop that up as well and add that to the hash.
INGREDIENTS
• 2-3 Tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2-3 cups finely chopped, cooked corned beef
• 2-3 cups chopped cooked potatoes, preferably Yukon gold
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
METHOD
1 Heat butter in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium heat. Add the onion and cook a few minutes, until translucent.

2 Mix in the chopped corned beef and potatoes. Spread out evenly over the pan. Increase the heat to high or medium high and press down on the mixture with a metal spatula.

3 Do not stir the potatoes and corned beef, but let them brown. If you hear them sizzling, this is good. Use a metal spatula to peak underneath and see if they are browning. If nicely browned, use the spatula to flip sections over in the pan so that they brown on the other side. Press down again with the spatula. If there is too much sticking, you can add a little more butter to the pan. Continue to cook in this manner until the potatoes and the corned beef are nicely browned.

4 Remove from heat, stir in chopped parsley (if desired). Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and add salt to taste.

Serve with fried or poached eggs for breakfast.
Serves 4-6.

If you like it spicy, sprinkle with a bit of cayenne or red pepper flakes when you add the meat and potatoes.

 

[dlgoff]

Yummy fresh from the pasture.

Check out the results of my simple shroom batter:

whisk 6 Roger egg yolks
whisk in liberal amount of McCormick Perfect Pinch Cajun seasoning
whisk in some NaCl
whisk in 1/2 box (8.5 oz/box) "Jiffy" corn muffin mix
put in the shrooms and gently make sure all surfaces are covered
Place battered shrooms in deep fryer @ 400°F until golden brown

 

[trollcast]

My latest experiment with bread making:

I didn't have enough strong flour so I used about a 70:30 ratio of strong : plain however I wasn't able to build up enough elasticity in the dough so it collapsed a bit although overall the texture is good its more like a dense non yeast risen bread texture.

I also used maple syrup to give the yeast something to grow with (It seems to have given the bread a nicer flavour compared to the normal sugar)

 

[drizzle]

Looks like a slice of a pound cake to me, troll.

But if the bread tastes good, who cares what it looks like.

 

[Evo]

Ohhhh. ohhhhhhh. I made fried fish tonight, perfectly crispy and crunchy on the outside, moist and perfectly cooked on the inside. I drained it thoroughly on layers of paper towels on both sides.

I haven't done this in ages because I fear fried foods due to my gall bladder. It was sooooo good. And I seemed to have gotten most of the oil off. I should've made tartar sauce, but I ate a pickle on the side instead.

 

[turbo]

I had a late night meal of pan-fried baby potatoes. I love small potatoes when they are hard and crispy. Here's how:

Warm up a small cast-iron pan and toss a dollop of butter in there.
Cut up your potatoes (if they are early-season reds, I simply halve them, but larger potatoes get quartered).
Toss the chopped potatoes in the pan and wait for the butter to come back up to temperature. When the butter starts sizzling a bit, cover the pan so the potatoes are steam-cooked and soft.
Check the potatoes from time to time, and uncover the pan in order to brown them.
When the potatoes are browned, enjoy.

I realize that this seems like a simplistic "recipe", but it really does matter how you cook the potatoes to get a decent meal from them.

 

[dlgoff]

Here's how I make Blackberry topping on the fly.

Two batches of blackberries; one whole, one with sugar to juice out with a colander.



I stuffed the jars with whole berries, cooked (microwaved) the sugared juice, then added fruit pectin (just enough to thicken but not set) to the juice.



I ladled the hot juice into the 12oz jars of berries, tightened on the lids, and brought up the temps in a canner (just long enough to get good seals). Since there wasn't enough juice for all the berries, I sugared the remaining for freezing.

 

[turbo]

Killer, Don!

 

[Evo]

I love blackberries! You lucky dog!

 

[dlgoff]

Killer, Don!

Thank you.

I love blackberries! You lucky dog!

They were easy to grow. I just set out four starts (3 varieties) last spring. One of the varieties is just now starting to ripen (good to spread the season out). The hardest part was making the trellis deer and bird proof (but not Buddy proof along the bottom of the patch). But beware, they can take over your garden if you let them.

 

[Ms Music]

But beware, they can take over your garden if you let them.

And even if you try NOT to let them. My cousin took home some black berry canes many years ago, and he is now slightly resented in his community. It is a wealthy community in the hills overlooking the city, and all the hillsides are now covered in blackberry. The birds carried the seed. The worst part is apparently no one eats them, the local deer do. ? I can understanding not wanting the sticker bushes, but not eating the berries? Crazy rich people...

 

[dlgoff]

And even if you try NOT to let them. My cousin took home some black berry canes many years ago, and he is now slightly resented in his community. It is a wealthy community in the hills overlooking the city, and all the hillsides are now covered in blackberry. The birds carried the seed. The worst part is apparently no one eats them, the local deer do. ? I can understanding not wanting the sticker bushes, but not eating the berries? Crazy rich people...

Forget the thorns. I have the "prickle-free" varieties.

Semi-erect, prickle-free blackberries were first developed at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, and subsequently by the USDA-ARS in Beltsville, Maryland. These are crown forming and very vigorous and need a trellis for support. Cultivars include 'Black Satin' 'Chester Thornless', 'Dirksen Thornless', 'Hull Thornless', 'Loch Ness', 'Loch Tay', 'Merton Thornless', 'Smoothstem', and 'Triple Crown'. Recently, the cultivar 'Cacanska Bestrna' (also called 'Cacak Thornless') has been developed in Serbia and has been planted on many thousands of hectares there.

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

 

[turbo]

I made scrambled eggs for breakfast this morning. It takes a while to get them just right, but it's worth the effort. I don't mind sharing the extras with the dogs, because they are healthy and free of spices.

 

[gmax137]

I made scrambled eggs for breakfast this morning. It takes a while to get them just right, but it's worth the effort. I don't mind sharing the extras with the dogs, because they are healthy and free of spices.

Do you know the Ledbelly tune?

C’est bon les oeufs mouillés
C’est bon, c’est bon, c’est bon
Mais pas c’est bon brulés

 

[turbo]

I hadn't known that, but it is a nice go-with. I'll have to find a version that I can listen to while making the next batch of eggs. Thanks.

 

[wolram]

Meat

What is it with UK meat, wherever i go meat is tough, if i go out for a steak it is tough, medium rare
or well done. i have only found one place that serves a good steak and that cost £17 a go.
It is not even as if the meat has not been [hung] for long enough, so what is the best way to get a nice tender steak?

 

[dlgoff]

It is not even as if the meat has not been [hung] for long enough, so what is the best way to get a nice tender steak?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIUPHSIlZGA

 

[krash661]

MMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[lisab]

What is it with UK meat, wherever i go meat is tough, if i go out for a steak it is tough, medium rare
or well done. i have only found one place that serves a good steak and that cost £17 a go.
It is not even as if the meat has not been [hung] for long enough, so what is the best way to get a nice tender steak?

Not sure how things are in the UK, but in the US beef is graded, based on meat quality. Highest to lowest, it's: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, Canner.

Prime is **awesome**. Most grocery stores have Select or Choice. Prime is mostly sold in restaurants.

In my experience, there is not much you can do with a lower grade steak to make it anything close to Prime.

 

[Evo]

I've been watching Masterchef UK and in restaurants, meat is almost always cooked medium to well. Here in US restaurants, they refer to medium rare steaks as "normal", but in the UK medium is "normal". I also wonder about their aging and grading, I'll have to look that up.

 

[AlephZero]

Not sure how things are in the UK, but in the US beef is graded, based on meat quality. Highest to lowest, it's: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, Canner.

The UK "naming system" is based more on which bit of the cow you are eating, rather than an abstract notion of "quality".

But the US food industry seems to want keep the concepts of "meat" and "bits of dead animal" separate from each other..

Though cynics might say there are 3 grades of steak in the UK: cow, horse, and other.

 

[Evo]

The UK "naming system" is based more on which bit of the cow you are eating, rather than an abstract notion of "quality".

But the US food industry seems to want keep the concepts of "meat" and "bits of dead animal" separate from each other..

Though cynics might say there are 3 grades of steak in the UK: cow, horse, and other.

Ah, thanks for the information! I guess the more expensive restaurants would have access to better grades of meat and aging? I'm used to steaks that don't even need a knife, they are fork tender. I remember eating steak in France and it was like shoe leather, it required so much chewing, it made my jaw hurt and I couldn't finish even the small piece I had. I guess that is why usually their meat dishes are stewed or braised.

 

[lisab]

The UK "naming system" is based more on which bit of the cow you are eating, rather than an abstract notion of "quality".

But the US food industry seems to want keep the concepts of "meat" and "bits of dead animal" separate from each other..

Though cynics might say there are 3 grades of steak in the UK: cow, horse, and other.

 

[Evo]

Funny, another thing that shocked me was that in the UK masterchef, someone that can make what they call "chocolate fondant" is considered a master and held in awe. It was a chocolate cupcake that when cut into, the inside is uncooked and runs out. It's what we in America call a "lava cake" which is labeled as "easy" and 'basic skills" in American recipes. I don't think there is a school mom out there that hasn't mastered this thing. I don't know what they are doing that makes it so hard. It was originally a mistake made by a chef that undercooked a chocolate cake and the middle was runny, but tasted good.

 

[turbo]

My wife has a recipe for "raw apple cake" that is to die for. I'll have to dig it up and post it. The guys around here love it. We have one neighbor that wants to help with the snow-removal, and another that wants to help with the firewood, and they both love that apple cake. It's not too sweet, but it has enough cinnamon and nutmeg to bring you back for another piece.

 

[Evo]

turbo, need your help on this one. They had a sale on some lovely bell peppers and I want to make stuffed peppers, but I was thinking this time to simplify and cut the peppers up and mix the cooked rice, tomato sauce and ground beef all together casserole style.

What do you think?

 

[turbo]

turbo, need your help on this one. They had a sale on some lovely bell peppers and I want to make stuffed peppers, but I was thinking this time to simplify and cut the peppers up and mix the cooked rice, tomato sauce and ground beef all together casserole style.

What do you think?

That sounds good. I'd probably saute some bacon and onion to start with along with the ground meat, and then toss in some potatoes, tomatoes and cooked rice. Some shredded cheese on top would be nice. Tomato sauce/paste would be mandatory, IMO. Good luck. With the garden coming in, we have more sweet peppers than we can eat, so we have to consider freezing them.

 

[Evo]

That sounds good. I'd probably saute some bacon and onion to start with along with the ground meat, and then toss in some potatoes, tomatoes and cooked rice. Some shredded cheese on top would be nice.

Ooooh, YES! Bacon, onions and cheese! You da man! That sounds so much better than what I had planned. Thank you!

Actually bacon, onions and cheese sounds good all by itself.

 

[netgypsy]

I've done this with both stuffed pepper and stuffed grape leaves which are really time intensive and both turned out great. You can microwave the peppers first so they are nearly well done, fix the rice and sauce separately, layer the peppers or grape leaves and rice and sauce or mix the rice and sauce, then layer and top with tomato sauce, cheese, whatever you wish for the peppers.

For the stuffed grape leaves I don't use tomato sauce but fresh tomato in small quantities, lemon, lamb or beef and lamb ground, mixed, and mint as well as the usual seasonings and I cover the grape leaves plus rice mix before I do the final microwave with the rice mix on top whereas the peppers I top with cheese or sauce or both and leave uncovered when I do the final microwave. To me they taste equally as good as the oven method and it takes so much less time.

I've also done stuffed cabbage using this method but a student used bulk crumbled sausage with the rice and no tomato and topped with kraut, - cover when doing the final microwave - and it was really good. It was an old ethnic recipe his mother made.

I also use onions, fresh garlic and sometimes sausage in the pepper recipe. Sounds yummy Turbo!

 

[Evo]

netgypsy! Where the heck have you been? I thought you died.

 

[turbo]

The peppers are overwhelming us. Green and red-on-the vine are too much. Probably have to resort to chopping, flash-freezing and bagging. Not a bad thing, but can be too much to process at times.

 

[turbo]

I love this time of year. The garlic is all out out of the ground, and though it has not been fully cured, it is ready for use, fresh.

I'm a big fan of bacon-fat, but that can overwhelm subtle vegetable flavors, so I tend to use butter. Mince a clove of garlic and toss it in a preheated skillet with butter. Don't be afraid to use "too much butter" because we want to use the butter to cook other vegetables and we want it infused with garlic. While the garlic is cooking, chop onions, peppers, and thin-slice new baby potatoes. Add these in any order you wish, but be aware that when you add them to the skillet, the temperature will drop quickly, so you will have to turn up the heat if you want to brown your vegetables. I am a heathen, so I like to add a hot dog to the mix. (Applegate Farms ballpark franks) Thin-slice the hot dog and dip in mustard while enjoying the browned vegetables. Add a side of steamed string beans, and I'm a happy camper.

A small salad is always welcome, too. We have cucumbers, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and some cider vinegar to drizzle on them. I dread winter when all we get is store-bought produce from thousands of miles away.

 

[lisab]

I just realized I don't like goat cheese. It tastes particularly "goaty" to me.

I've had the extreme pleasure to own goats -- ah, such wonderful animals! I adore them! But they do have a unique stink that isn't nice. I thought it was an oil or wax in their fur, but no. It's in *them*, because I definitely taste it in cheese made from their milk.

 

[Evo]

I just realized I don't like goat cheese. It tastes particularly "goaty" to me.

I've had the extreme pleasure to own goats -- ah, such wonderful animals! I adore them! But they do have a unique stink that isn't nice. I thought it was an oil or wax in their fur, but no. It's in *them*, because I definitely taste it in cheese made from their milk.

Oh, you have to get REALLY EXPENSIVE goat cheese, goats that live in a day spa, eat only flower blossoms, get their nails done, sea mud massages, Yanni music.

Even then, you take only a small dab of goat cheese from milk collected on a leisurely Sunday afternoon, after a ride through the country (the goat, not you). Be sure to do Dolphin Rainbow Chakra cleansing over the cheese daily.

 

[lisab]

Oh, you have to get REALLY EXPENSIVE goat cheese, goats that live in a day spa, eat only flower blossoms, get their nails done, sea mud massages, Yanni music.

Even then, you take only a small dab of goat cheese from milk collected on a leisurely Sunday afternoon, after a ride through the country (the goat, not you). Be sure to do Dolphin Rainbow Chakra cleansing over the cheese daily.

 

[turbo]

About ready to go back to bed. I woke up hungry and had to fix up a mess of scrambled eggs. If you like scrambled eggs, learn to fix them while you are awake so that you can fix them when you are half-asleep. I don't ever want dry, rubbery scrambled eggs. If they are not moist and fluffy, count me out.

 

[skyshrimp]

I picked a couple of apples today. I peeled and cored them, then reduced them in a pan with dark muscovado sugar, cinnamon, a little water and a splash of brandy. I had that with a large spoonful of extra thick double cream on top.

 

[Evo]

I picked a couple of apples today. I peeled and cored them, then reduced them in a pan with dark muscovado sugar, cinnamon, a little water and a splash of brandy. I had that with a large spoonful of extra thick double cream on top.

Sounds wonderful!

 

[lisab]

It's kind of a stretch putting this in The Food Thread, but ah well.

My husband and I just made our first two batches of hard apple cider. I'm not one to brag but dang they turned out really good :!)!

The last step in cider making is mixing. Once the apple juice is fully fermented and developed, all the sugar has been transformed into alcohol (thanks, yeasties!) and it's dry, dry, dry. Like the driest champagne. Some people like it like that, but most find it undrinkable.

So the last step is mixing, to make a palatable drink. You mix the fermented cider with any number of ingredients, usually apple juice concentrate, sugar, pear juice, berry juice...use your imagination!

It's not carbonated at this step, we have to buy some stuff to do that.

We came up with several mixes we like. Fun hobby!

 

[Evo]

It's kind of a stretch putting this in The Food Thread, but ah well.

My husband and I just made our first two batches of hard apple cider. I'm not one to brag but dang they turned out really good :!)!

The last step in cider making is mixing. Once the apple juice is fully fermented and developed, all the sugar has been transformed into alcohol (thanks, yeasties!) and it's dry, dry, dry. Like the driest champagne. Some people like it like that, but most find it undrinkable.

So the last step is mixing, to make a palatable drink. You mix the fermented cider with any number of ingredients, usually apple juice concentrate, sugar, pear juice, berry juice...use your imagination!

It's not carbonated at this step, we have to buy some stuff to do that.

We came up with several mixes we like. Fun hobby!

How fun, making your own booze!

 

[dlgoff]

Awesome. Save some for New Years Chat lisab.

 

[dlgoff]

Here's something new. At least for me. It's a pickled hot & sweet salsa.

Veggies
7 lbs (before coring) - Jalapenos
2½ lbs - Red Onions
1 lb - Yellow Onions
~3 lb (after pealing & dicing) - Tomatoes
4 big - Bell Peppers

Pickle Stuff
9½ cups - White Vinegar (5% acid)
14 cups - Sugar
4 cups - Water
2 pouches - Mrs. Wages Sweet Pickle Mix

The time consuming part was coring the Jalapenos. Otherwise it was real easy to make; although it does still have to age for 24 hrs. Anyway, put Pickle Stuff in large pot and bring to boil. Remove from heat and put in Veggies; gently mixing in tomatoes last. That's it. I sampled it before covering and I'm wanting more as I type. Here's before and after pics.

 

[Evo]

It looks great. I've never had sweetened jalapenos before.

 

[dlgoff]

Yea. Me either. It was an experiment. It tasted really good so I'm hoping that after it ages/pickles it will be even tastier. I should be able to refrigerate and freeze since I don't want to bring the heat back up for canning. The crispiness is what I'm trying to achieve.

 

[dlgoff]

I should be able to refrigerate and freeze since I don't want to bring the heat back up for canning. The crispiness is what I'm trying to achieve.

I let them stay in the pickle stuff for ~48 hours and it really helped bring out the heat. I didn't core the smallest peppers.

I decided to go ahead and hot-water can them; it didn't effect the crispiness. It's more like hot & sweet relish instead of salsa. Here's the results.

 

[amos carine]

I've been imagining having a blending diet sometime in the future when I can afford to eat better. I almost don't think I'll ever have the cash flow though. I think it is a shame that the food people eat is usually the unhealthiest through out all of their life in the years before, during or just after child rearing years. I personally think good food is important most through personality development and when a person might have kids. Even though I think this, I haven't radically changed my eating habits, but only in small ways (too poor to buy sweets/extras). So I've been dreaming or craving a diet for the future.
I would want a lot of veggies, say cucumbers and bells and leafy things and tomatoes, you know, what ever kind of vegatable is handy or cheap at the time. And also to add some fruits, which I don't peel if the peel is edible. Does anyone else not peel Kiwi or Mango? So have like a veggie and fruit blend, and maybe eat fish or nuts on the side. I'd even consider eating horrible tasting stuff, but blended foods may surprisde you for how tasty things may be that look like and sound like complete crud!
I had a blended drink of two sticks of celery, a large tomatoe or open hand of cherry tomatoes, at least 4 cups of spring mix lettuce, about 80-100g of carrot, an apple or bannana, and whatever else may be around the kitchen, for about a week before I left my home and the house blender, and generally felt at least a little bit better than before, or I do now.

 

[turbo]

I let them stay in the pickle stuff for ~48 hours and it really helped bring out the heat. I didn't core the smallest peppers.

I decided to go ahead and hot-water can them; it didn't effect the crispiness. It's more like hot & sweet relish instead of salsa. Here's the results.

Looks great, dlg. My garden is not coming in all that well (too much rain), so I might not be able to make salsa this year. Hot peppers like hot, dry weather and sun. I've still got some left from previous years, and ought to be able to get by.

 

[dlgoff]

It's more like hot & sweet relish instead of salsa. Here's the results.

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/8826/wdqp.jpg

It worked great as relish. Here's lunch.

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/9952/xznc.jpg

 

[Evo]

Yumm!