What's the secret ingredient in my wife's famous zucchini bread?

[Evo]

Perhaps I misunderstood??

Oh, that has to do with things that should never go in chili.

I just read where someone added blue cheese to their chili. I like blue cheese...hmmmmm. T_E would die, he refers to blue cheese as bile.

 

[scorpa]

Oh, that has to do with things that should never go in chili.

I just read where someone added blue cheese to their chili. I like blue cheese...hmmmmm. T_E would die, he refers to blue cheese as bile.

Ughhh how can you eat that stuff! I had some once because someone told me how good it was and I nearly threw up!

 

[Evo]

Ughhh how can you eat that stuff! I had some once because someone told me how good it was and I nearly threw up!

You and T_E would get along. I suppose you don't like eggplant either? He calls it landfill.

But he's an admitted clove eater. I won't even keep cloves in my house. My mother would put tincture of clove on my gums when I was teething and I have HATED cloves ever since. I think it's the most vile taste on earth, it's medicine! BAD medicine.

 

[turbo]

Ughhh how can you eat that stuff! I had some once because someone told me how good it was and I nearly threw up!

Bleu cheese has its place. My wife makes a wonderful salad dressing with it - it's great on spinach salad. I like bleu cheese with slices of apple, but it is definitely an acquired taste.

 

[brewnog]

Thanks for sharing. With all those starchy veggies, it sounds like a kicked up version of our hashbrowns.

No, it's nothing like hash browns. The potato is just the fundamental substance, rather than the main ingredient. They're worlds apart. And the texture of eating Bubble & Squeak makes you realize that it's pretty onomatopoeaic food to eat.

Also, here, chilli powder is just the powder made from dried chillis. You can get all sorts of crazy packaged 'chilli con carne' mixed flavourings, but there's nothing like making your own spice mix.

 

[Ouabache]

*Carmelization is critical to flavor and it lends a richer, sweeter taste to the chili.

I heartily agree!

*You can spice the chili to taste - use your imagination. For "heat", get as many different kinds of peppers into the chili as possible, including cayenne, crushed red pepper, fresh jalapeno, and habanero. They are not all the same, and they will create a complex "burn" that does not have to be really hot to be enjoyable. You can pretty much "wing it" with
quantities.

Yes, I tried to describe this, but you've stated it much clearer. A good tasting chili has a rich complex flavor. Reminds me of the complex taste of a good cup of coffee (e.g. fresh 100% Colombian). Let me also add, working with chili peppers is an art. You need to taste the quality of heat and flavor each one contributes, and then balance them to your taste. I also use "crushed red pepper" but it would be nice to know from which variety it comes.

*quotes - came from this related thread.

 

[scorpa]

You and T_E would get along. I suppose you don't like eggplant either? He calls it landfill.

But he's an admitted clove eater. I won't even keep cloves in my house. My mother would put tincture of clove on my gums when I was teething and I have HATED cloves ever since. I think it's the most vile taste on earth, it's medicine! BAD medicine.

I have no idea I have never had eggplant, heck I don't think I have ever even seen an eggplant. Maybe I'll give it a try one day.

 

[Ouabache]

I won't even keep cloves in my house. My mother would put tincture of clove on my gums when I was teething and I have HATED cloves ever since. I think it's the most vile taste on earth, it's medicine! BAD medicine.

I've only used cloves in desserts especially with pumpkin (pie or bread comes to mind). It's mixed with cinnamon and ginger and used only in small amounts so the flavor is not overpowering.

I know what you mean about having an aversion to this one.. In an electron microscopy class, we used "clove oil" in the process to embed tissue in paraffin prior to sectioning. Our prof passed around a bottle of clove oil, at the beginning of the semester. He pointed out, "It smells nice now. By the end of the semester, you may not enjoy the smell quite as much." After a while, our lab wreaked of clove oil.

 

[turbo]

I have no idea I have never had eggplant, heck I don't think I have ever even seen an eggplant. Maybe I'll give it a try one day.

It is a tasteless vegetable, with less character than zucchini. It is the vermin of vegetables. I will eat eggplant parmesan when my wife makes it, but not for the eggplant. The eggplant is just filler - it's the spicy tomato sauce with peppers, onions, etc, and the crusty, bubbly cheese topping that makes it edible. Instead of breading and deep-frying the slices of eggplant to layer in this casserole, you could bread and deep-fry cardboard beer coasters, and end up with a dish that is just as tasty.

 

[scorpa]

It is a tasteless vegetable, with less character than zucchini. It is the vermin of vegetables. I will eat eggplant parmesan when my wife makes it, but not for the eggplant. The eggplant is just filler - it's the spicy tomato sauce with peppers, onions, etc, and the crusty, bubbly cheese topping that makes it edible. Instead of breading and deep-frying the slices of eggplant to layer in this casserole, you could bread and deep-fry cardboard beer coasters, and end up with a dish that is just as tasty.

Haha gee sounds real yummy You're right sounds a lot like zucchini, my mom sometimes puts zucchini in chocolate cake because it makes it moister but you would never know it was in there taste wise.

 

[turbo]

Haha gee sounds real yummy You're right sounds a lot like zucchini, my mom sometimes puts zucchini in chocolate cake because it makes it moister but you would never know it was in there taste wise.

We grew some zucchini last summer and my wife and I chopped and froze a lot of it, and that's how it gets used. Shred it and put it in cakes and breads for the moisture and texture, but be prepared to get all the flavor elsewhere. My wife's zucchini bread is wonderful, but the squash is just a place-holder in that bread - the nuts and spices are everything. It's great with a little cream cheese and a cup of hot black coffee.

 

[Ouabache]

No, it's nothing like hash browns.

That's what I meant by "kicked up".. I noticed they're all starches which would griddle up nicely. Yup, I can easily imagine the sounds it would make sizzling in the skillet.

Also, here, chilli powder is just the powder made from dried chillis. You can get all sorts of crazy packaged 'chilli con carne' mixed flavourings, but there's nothing like making your own spice mix.

That is what prompted me to find out what was in chile powder. You can buy the separate ingredients fresh and mix them in a proportion to your taste.

You can do the same thing with "garam masala" or "curry powder", they are both mixtures. Some use these names http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/india/crrypowd.html . Here is a sampling of ingredients: coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, ginger, garlic, fennel, clove, mustard, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper and saffron. It's fun to experiment with each of these spices individually as well as in combination.

 

[Ouabache]

My wife's zucchini bread is wonderful, but the squash is just a place-holder in that bread - the nuts and spices are everything. It's great with a little cream cheese and a cup of hot black coffee.

You're making me hungry.

A colleague of mine brought in a 'mock apple cake', using zucchini instead of apples. I swear, I thought they were apples.

 

[turbo]

You're making me hungry.

A colleague of mine brought in a 'mock apple cake', using zucchini instead of apples. I swear, I thought they were apples.

The trick is using cinnamon and nutmeg to make you think "apple pie" when you taste it. You can disguise the lack of the tartness of the apples by including a touch of lemon juice.

 

[Moonbear]

We grew some zucchini last summer and my wife and I chopped and froze a lot of it, and that's how it gets used. Shred it and put it in cakes and breads for the moisture and texture, but be prepared to get all the flavor elsewhere. My wife's zucchini bread is wonderful, but the squash is just a place-holder in that bread - the nuts and spices are everything. It's great with a little cream cheese and a cup of hot black coffee.

I want an invitation to dinner! I promise I won't wear anything scented (you can send me a pre-approved unscented bar of soap to use before I arrive ).