Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Supper -- what are you cooking? - Page 40  

Making tomato basil bread and meatless meatballs

Probably bad French, I'm afraid -- I suspect it should've been "étalée de", not "étalée avec." Or someting similar. Ah well, I try. :-} And isn't the French for peanuts great for Hallowe'en? Arachides -- related to the word for spiders. It's 'cos of the way fertilized flower stalks bend down and burrow into the ground, making a spidery form.

(IMO we grow the world's finest ngubas here in Virginia, the best ones as crunchy as almonds and nearly as big. I'm an enthusiast, a peanut partisan.)

[edit] Oops, I ought to remain on topic. What I'm eating not quite yet but soon as it's out of the oven and cooled enough to cut: cinnamon raisin bread with a bit of butter. In honor of that thoughtful cook Betty Botta. *salute*

tonight it's a large piece of meat.
brisket of beef flat blade, whatever that means.
it's in the crocker with ginger, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, oyster sauce, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and water. smells magnifico hope it tastes great. I'll make a thick gravy out of the drippings for the steak fries.

butternut squash peeled and chunked baked and in butter with cinnamon, brown sugar butter salt and pepper a bit nutmeg.

potatoes will be steak fries baked with french fry spice.

dessert is triple vanilla fantasy ice cream from Crystal with a topping spooned over of apple chunks in butter nutmeg cinnamon brown sugar white sugar salt flour and apple juice, cooked very slowly. ginger snaps will be sprinkled on top after being slightly warmed in the oven first

Just got done carving pumpkins with my nephews. They learned in school recently that pumpkin could be eaten and I was all too happy to oblige them when they asked how, other than in a pie, it could be prepared.

I just got back from the grocery store and am about to begin preparations on a meal in which everything contains pumpkin.

I'm thinking pumpkin gnocci, pumpkin stew, toasted ghost pumpkin seed watercress salad with a little white balsamic and poppy seed dressing, the meat of the ghost pumpkin(not really meat, more goop, but you get the idea) smeared on some sliced pork shoulder with grated ginger and nutmeg.

I just drooled a little.:thumb:

Mmm I love pumpkin. It's so under-used imo. That's cool what you're doing with it :thumb:

I had to think on my toes a little to come up with a way to match pumpkin with a meat. It's so savory on its own when it's cooked.

Some time I'm going to attempt to make India's version of ketchup--pumpkin-based and spicy.

I had a pumpkin curry at an indian-fusion restaurant and loved it.

jerkseasoning - new member

I enjoyed your thread, hope this is OK as not replied to anything before!

I have just prepared some vegetables which I pre-cooked in my pressure cooker - the majority will go into a vegetable soup which always contains potatoes leeks carrots parsnips if available and if lucky some greens which give the soup good colour and depth of taste, cold roast potatoes or any roasted veg really adds to the flavour. I always add bayleaf, dried herbs and fresh stock if any, if not vegetable cubes. I find its best to not make too much at a time as it can get boring having it always hanging around, and also has to be heated up everyday.

Also, I have just prepared a Paella, all I have is some frozen king prawns but would have like to have used some chicken.

I already had some cooked long grain rice- to which I added red pepper which I fried with the good part of the leeks I had just cooked, in extra virgin Olive Oil, fresh skinned tomatoes, little turmeric but not essential, then added some good stock, also a fish stock cube, some saffron strands (if you have them) dried herbs, fresh lemon thyme, lemon juice (fresh or bottled is fine for this), fresh chopped garlic, bay leaf, some salt, pepper then whatever prawns I have, defrosted frozen peas and parsley to finish. If I have celery I do add a stalk which I remove before serving - It is best to have the mixture just a little moist otherwise it will go solid on the plate.

I hope this was legible - gosh I love cooking!!

Where in Charlotte? I am there quite often and am always looking for new places to eat.

Oh and tonight I am going with a tried and true classic of a brined and marinated roasted chicken with pureed root veggies and a nice pan gravy.

That sounds interesting. Do you have a recipe by any chance?
Right now I'm smoking a batch of Pablanos from the end of the season. Tonight I'll grill some pork tenderloin and combine that with the pablanos a little stock, cilantro, grilled onions, tomatos and serve over rice.

It was actually in Charleston. It was Chinar, if anyone else is interested. Great Euro/Indian menu.

Hi Jerkseasoning - yes it was very legible and sounds tasty too. Looks like you know how to make the best of what you got - a great talent to make the most of. Cooking is great innit? :)

Tonight I'm planning to make a massive amount of lasagne, some for eating today, some to pack and freeze. My teenage son with the hollow legs has taken to liking a hot breakfast (aarrrrgggghhh), so if I package lots of single serves, it will keep us both happy! Microwaves are a blessing at times.

jerkseasoning - new member

Thanks DC Sunshine, it was great to receive your reply, in fact I have just been out and bought some pasta sheets and am going to cook lasagne for Sunday lunch, we love it and I had forgotten about making it recently. My son is grown up now:rolleyes:!!! so just cook for my husband and myself, we love our food.

I have amended my details as I am a Home Cook not a Private Chef, I thought
I couldn't join Cheftalk unless I was Professional, so that's all sorted now.

Happy cooking :thumb:

Most Welcome, Jerkseasoning :)

I'm sure you'll enjoy it here, there's such a diverse membership from across all levels of cooking, and you can find out pretty much anything you need to know, or can share recipes and experiences too.

Just make sure to check out each forums etiquettes, especially with the pro forums. We non-pros can read and learn but not post, but there is much to be learnt by browsing thru those forums. (I think a home cook is a pro anyway ....gotta cook every day).

There's a lot of dishes that come and go from one's routine of cooking...I used to make tuna mornay often, but haven't done it for ages. Lasagne is a regular on our list.

Packed lunch for my teens today - spicy sliced roast chicken with shredded iceberg lettuce and mayo on soft white hot dog rolls plus bananas and apples (granny smith).

Dinner - homemade fetta and chicken sausages, roast vegies (potato, carrot, onion) and oven baked Pide bread - it might end up as garlic bread, probably a tossed salad as well.

But that's later. Better go earn a dollar!

Tonight's dinner is pan fried pork chop and rotkohl, or braised red cabbage. The cabbage is taking time to cook, I got hungry, I already ate the chop. Besides, I wanted to get the bone cut off for the pork broth I'm making. Chile verde this weekend.

But the braised red cabbage with onions, apples, bacon is smelling quite nice, looking tasty:




The bowl off to the side with the chili stems is the skimmings from the pork stock going on the other burner.


mjb.

jerkseasoning - new member

Hi, that sounds like my type of cooking, but doesn't a red cabbage go a long way once its cut up - I must remember to buy just a small one next time, happy cooking!!

jerkseasoning - new member

Good of you DC Sunshine, for those tips re: chef forums etc. I plead guilty to never reading important info.

I think I shall be spending the whole weekend deciding what to do with the 7-8 large bags of healthy (ugh :cry:) dark green leafy veg that was delivered in my vegetable box yesterday evening :laser:. (never again, will in future choose my own veg. from the supermarket).

I'm probably going to make some lemon chutney tomorrow, as I have a few unwaxed lemons here, I find it very useful as a condiment in sweet pork dishes etc., and for generally adding interest to a perhaps dull rice dish. I once tried to make preserved lemons, but they went mouldy after a couple of months before they were opened, so the chutney will preferable.

Well folks thats all from me for a couple of days except I bought some fresh Dill today as the price was reduced, I've never used it, and don't even know what it tastes like - any ideas? i do have a rainbow trout in the freezer- shall I bake it whole and put dill inside - Help!!

Dill is great for fish. Also use it in potato dishes, pickles, salads...as far as the leafy green veg saute some onion and garlic add the veg and cook it down. That huge pile will get a lot smaller :lol:

jerkseasoning - new member

Thanks Mary B, you're a Diamond! :thumb:

Mary is a nice person, for sure :^) I made some soup with great northern beans, Canadian bacon, bay leaf, thyme, piquillo peppers (from a jar, new pepper to me and yummy), garlic, onion and s&p. It's kind of like regular ham and bean soup, just a little different. Perfect for dipping toast into. Oh, I just thought of something--going to sprinkle some powdered cloves into the leftovers, just a touch. It's still warm and I think the clove will go nicely in it tomorrow. This soup is one thing that is just as good the next day, if not better.

Yes, but it does cook down a bit. That pot ( a 4 quart ) was just about up to the brim with raw cabbage, so it cooked down almost halfway. Now something like spinach cooks down from about a gallon to maybe a cup.

As for the fresh dill, if you like pickles you can try making some fresh refridgerator pickles. Peel and slice a cucumber, and maybe half of a sweet onion. Put the veggies into a jar with a few of the rinsed dill sprigs.

Make up a "brine" of about 1 cup vinegar, half a cup of water and perhaps a tablespoon of salt. Mix it well to dissolve the salt, pour it over the cukes and onions. Put the lid on the jar and stick it in the fridge for a few days.

Since these are not cooked or truly canned they do not last long, maybe for a week or two. Don't make up a couple gallons expecting them to last all winter. Of course, in my house they don't last much more than a week once they are ready to eat!

mjb.

jerkseasoning

Many thanks Team fat for your reply, I don't much like freshly cut cucumber but always have it in the larder simply because thick slices look good on top of a green salad, I usually end up throwing most of it away, I have made something similar but without the dill, and am quite happy making small quantities of any kind of preserve, so today am going to use the dill also.

Yes you are correct about cabbage cooking down, a lot of liquid is reduced out,
which I suppose why not much liquid ls added to the cooking mixture to start.
:cool:

I have been so lucky with cheftalk a great deal of assistance has been given to me by it's great members.:smiles:

Aren't powdered cloves a wonderful condiment Oregon Yeti, great in a chill etc., etc., couldn't live without smoked bacon, we are able to be Canadian here in England. I'm definitely mad today:mad:

Tonight

I roasted a 9 pound turkey breast and some potatoes, steamed some fresh broccoli and cauliflower and made a nice pan gravy from the de-fatted drippings and some of the stock from the freezer. Later tonight I'll clean the carcass and make some more broth. The leftover meat will be used for a simple tettrazini for later in the week and maybe a sandwich for hubbys lunch tomorrow.:peace:

jerkseasoning

Greetings Mattie405, I love turkey breast, but find it difficult to keep moist, do you wrap in foil to start, or skin side down? any suggestions would help.

Brine

I generally do a lite brine on them and then start roasting them breast side down for at least half the scheduled roasting time, the one tonight came out very moist......so moist I thought it wasn't done all the way but the digital probe put the thickest part at 169 and it rose to 175 after resting. I even re-checked it with my older thermometer and got the same results. I brined this breast for about 3 hours while we were running around today.

jerkseasoning

many thanks to you will do that brining, think I shall also get a probe.:thumb:

Had BBQ tonight....beautiful balmy night here - moroccan flavoured marinated lamb 4 1/4 chops, spiced meatballs and chevupchichi (sp?), potato bake with parmesan, cheddar and smoked paprika, tossed green salad. Toasted Pide bread, greek yoghurt to top the chops, then tinned peach and sliced banana mixed as a fruit salad for afters plus watermelon.

Spent ages at the table, chatting and catching up with the family - love nights like this.
It don't get much better than this :)

Preparing for breakfasts to come by making a batch of English muffins using a recipe from LindaPinda on AR. Last time I added a little lecithin and they came out very crumbly, downright fragile in fact. This time no lecithin, working directly from the recipe with no changes. They're in the (turned-off) oven now, rising slowly 'cos it's a bit chilly and I don't care to turn on the heat. In a while I'll have a stove burner on low to bake them, and the oven on low, just enough to keep them warm after baking in the pan.

Other English muffin recipes I've tried:

* Alton Brown's, which involves pouring thick batter into heated muffin or egg rings on a pan. I substituted buttermilk for the powdered milk and water. Utter disaster, more like failed crumpets. Maybe it was the substitution; that certainly made them taste awful.

* "Authentic English muffins" from cooksrecipes. Superb flavor and (long as I make the dough wet enough and don't accidentally deflate them after proofing) exactly the right texture with those crooks and nannies Thomas' goes on about -- but my golly, what a lot of work! Good thing that recipe makes a rather large batch. They took a long time to make but the supply lasted a long time too.

Got several other English muffin recipes in my AskSam database that I've not yet tried. Rather get so I can make one recipe reliably, then branch out and see what else is good. Time to see if they've risen enough to bake now... :-}

[edit] Righty, made a runt of the last bit of dough and baked it first to check the pan's temperature. Split it and toasted while still hot from the griddle. Delicious. Exactly right, both flavor and texture. No trouble with accidental deflation this time, used a whole lot of corn meal to keep them from sticking while proofing and I'm being very careful indeed transferring them into the pan and flipping. Even when done on one side they're so soft that they'll lose those critical air pockets if nudged wrong.

A correction: I realized that I did indeed make one substitution, unsalted butter for vegetable shortening. Didn't hurt things a bit.