What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Moonbear]

That's critical. If you are cooking with dried beans, you have to have high heat for several hours to get good results.

AH! That explains the problem I've had then. I don't cook ANYTHING on high heat for several hours. When I cook things like soups that cook a long time, it's on a slow simmer so I can do things other than stand around in the kitchen all day watching that it doesn't boil over or boil dry. I think I had been told to just boil an hour, and obviously that's not enough then. I think I'll stick with canned beans. Dry just seem to take too long no matter how you do it.

 

[Evo]

Yes. I used plenty of water...

Just as much as Evo said to use. 2" above them. 32 ounces of water for 1 lb of beans.

That's for a quick 30 minute cooking time. Overnight would require more. But lentils are really too delicate for slow cooking, IMO. Perhaps you can make biscuits out of them?

 

[turbo]

That's a problem with beans and peas, Moonie! If you don't you give them a long luke-warm soak or a shorter high-temp parboil to break their skins and get them ready to absorb the other ingredients, you can end up with flat-tasting, mealy beans and peas. When I was a kid, we ate a LOT of cheap stuff that involved dried peas, beans, lentils, etc, and it almost always involved pre-soaking or parboiling the legumes. You've got to open those rascals up so they can absorb the flavors from the other ingredients, spices, and herbs that you add to the dish.

 

[OmCheeto]

That's for a quick 30 minute cooking time. Overnight would require more. But lentils are really too delicate for slow cooking, IMO. Perhaps you can make biscuits out of them?

I did purchase a second pound of lentils in case something went wrong. The neighbor cats should be as happy with this batch as they were with my pork stuffed with english wood hyacinth bulbs versus bull garlic bulbs. I noticed a severe mental transient that week. (I've learned not to mix my flower garden with my herb garden}. Alkaloid poisoning, although interesting, can be quite fatal.

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Hepburn" and search for tulips...

 

[Andre]

All the pea talk reminds me of our genuine Dutch split pea soup (snert). But I wonder if you can call it soup if the spoon stays upright in the pan. Very traditional dish for the winter. So when there is natural ice ocasionally, drawing a large crowd for skating, you may find a temporary stand where they sell Snert

Ingredients: Split peas, carrots, onions, celeriac (turnip-rooted celery), plain celery, parsley, leek, pork all sliced and diced and simmered for a couple of hours. Stir every 15 minutes. Add a lot of smoked sausage only at the end to keep it from falling apart during the simmering.

Hmm perhaps tomorrow.

 

[Moonbear]

All the pea talk reminds me of our genuine Dutch split pea soup (snert). But I wonder if you can call it soup if the spoon stays upright in the pan. Very traditional dish for the winter. So when there is natural ice ocasionally, drawing a large crowd for skating, you may find a temporary stand where they sell Snert

Hmm...wonder if that's where we got the word "snot?" Y'know, I've never had split pea soup. I refused to eat it as a kid, because it looked like a big bowl of green snot to me, but I really should taste it sometime.

 

[turbo]

Split-pea soup is not bad, but I much prefer soup made of whole yellow peas with onion, celery, and chunks of ham-hock. If we had ham in the winter as a kid, I knew that pea soup was on the menu soon, with either biscuits or corn-bread.

BTW, Isn't Snert Hagar's dog?

 

[Evo]

I just got back from the grocery store. I was so angry at how much everything cost, I came home with only the cheapest block of frozen spinach I could find, 79 cents for 10 ounces. I'm going to mix it into a cheese sauce and pour it over my baked potato tonight.

 

[turbo]

Evo, here's a real treat. Fire up your oven and bake a potato. Put a few cloves of garlic in a baking pan and stick that in the oven, too. When the the potato is done, turn up the oven to about 500 deg, and take everything out of the oven. Split the potato in half lengthwise and chop the potato flesh inside the skins. Nip the ends of the garlic cloves and squeeze the garlic into the chopped potato (just like toothpaste!). Season with some salt and pepper and top with some grated cheese (I like sharp Vermont cheddar), and put those potato halves in the pan and return to the oven until the cheese is melted and starts to brown. Mmmm! About 25 years ago, my wife had a bad case of the flu and although I managed to keep her hydrated, I couldn't get her to eat anything for days. I came up with this little treat, and got her eating again, and it turned out to be something that she wanted over and over again. We sometimes make these to serve with our hot chili con carne.

 

[Evo]

Good lord, will someone please educate Rachel Ray on the difference in cooking oils so that she understands that extra virgin olive oil is only suited for moderately heated and uncooked dishes? She just told people to rub a grill with extra virgin olive oil, of course when she did this the grill immediately started smoking and wouldn't stop. BIMBO! You can't use extra virgin olive oil for high heat cooking, it breaks down and has a low smoking point!

She also made some coleslaw and was using red onions (which is common in raw dishes because it is mild). She told her viewers they could use any onion because there is no difference. No difference? Of course there is a difference! OY VEY!

Even searching on the internet anymore there is so much mis-information being propagated. Soon no one will know how to cook.

 

[Evo]

Evo, here's a real treat. Fire up your oven and bake a potato. Put a few cloves of garlic in a baking pan and stick that in the oven, too. When the the potato is done, turn up the oven to about 500 deg, and take everything out of the oven. Split the potato in half lengthwise and chop the potato flesh inside the skins. Nip the ends of the garlic cloves and squeeze the garlic into the chopped potato (just like toothpaste!). Season with some salt and pepper and top with some grated cheese (I like sharp Vermont cheddar), and put those potato halves in the pan and return to the oven until the cheese is melted and starts to brown. Mmmm! About 25 years ago, my wife had a bad case of the flu and although I managed to keep her hydrated, I couldn't get her to eat anything for days. I came up with this little treat, and got her eating again, and it turned out to be something that she wanted over and over again. We sometimes make these to serve with our hot chili con carne.

Oh, that sounds wonderful turbo! Maybe I'll throw in a couple of extra potatoes and make those too!

 

[turbo]

Good lord, will someone please educate Rachel Ray on the difference in cooking oils so that she understands that extra virgin olive oil is only suited for moderately heated and uncooked dishes? She just told people to rub a grill with extra virgin olive oil, of course when she did this the grill immediately started smoking and wouldn't stop. BIMBO! You can't use extra virgin olive oil for high heat cooking, it breaks down and has a low smoking point!

She also made some coleslaw and was using red onions (which is common in raw dishes because it is mild). She told her viewers they could use any onion because there is no difference. No difference? Of course there is a difference! OY VEY!

Even searching on the internet anymore there is so much mis-information being propagated. Soon no one will know how to cook.

She is a cheerful, over-active, under-educated cheerleader for food that she does not understand or know how to prepare. Maybe Britney can take over her show with bare midriff, headphone mic, and dance moves. It would be as entertaining, and less damaging to culinary arts.

 

[Evo]

It's alarming, just from this one 30 minute episode, millions of people now think that there is no difference in onions and that extra virgin olive oil is suitable for all types of cooking. Riiiight, just fill up that deep fryer with extra virgin olive oil. You'd think the "food network" would at least prevent their cooking show hosts from blatant misinformation. There is no difference in potatoes, squash or peppers either. Don't have zucchini? Just substitute acorn squash. Don't have bell peppers, just substitute habaneros.

 

[Moonbear]

Evo, here's a real treat. Fire up your oven and bake a potato. Put a few cloves of garlic in a baking pan and stick that in the oven, too. When the the potato is done, turn up the oven to about 500 deg, and take everything out of the oven. Split the potato in half lengthwise and chop the potato flesh inside the skins. Nip the ends of the garlic cloves and squeeze the garlic into the chopped potato (just like toothpaste!). Season with some salt and pepper and top with some grated cheese (I like sharp Vermont cheddar), and put those potato halves in the pan and return to the oven until the cheese is melted and starts to brown. Mmmm! About 25 years ago, my wife had a bad case of the flu and although I managed to keep her hydrated, I couldn't get her to eat anything for days. I came up with this little treat, and got her eating again, and it turned out to be something that she wanted over and over again. We sometimes make these to serve with our hot chili con carne.

Ooh, yummy! You can't go wrong with roasted potatoes and roasted garlic. Mmmm.

Evo, I don't think Rachel Ray knows there are oils other than "E.V.O.O." But, I guess "S.O." (sesame oil - good for stir frying, and adds a wonderful flavor) or "C.O." (Canola oil - a healthy-ish oil for high heat frying, like deep frying, when you don't care about flavor because the point is to keep the food from absorbing oil) just don't sound as fun to say. She's really just trying to tell you what a big fan she is of you, EVO-O.

 

[Moonbear]

You'd think the "food network" would at least prevent their cooking show hosts from blatant misinformation.

More importantly, from the liability of burning their houses down! That goes beyond botching the flavor of a dish and to flat out risking safety.

If she can't taste the difference in onions, that would explain her cooking...she has no tastebuds to discern good food from bad!

 

[turbo]

Make the baked garlic potatoes for yourself, Moonie! You will love it. It's killer with chili, BBQ chicken, or grilled steak and a tossed salad. We eat potatoes a lot (Maine is a potato-exporting region) so it's not a real surprise that I turned to potatoes to try to get my wife eating again during her illness. You can't rely on sugar and electrolytes to maintain health during serious illnesses, so the appeal of the browned cheese and the smell of the garlic was important to promote the vitamins of the potatoes and their skins. There are complex nutrients there that are are a whole lot more supportive than supplements. Please understand that I have no medical background, but that my mother and her female elders all had a hand in my treatment when I (and my sisters, cousins, etc) got sick.

 

[Evo]

I think that turbo, Moonbear, Zz, and I should approach the Food Network with a new tv show concept called "Real Cooking" where we can explain to viewers how produce and meats differ, so when they go to the grocery store they can actually make an informed decision.

Actualy, that really is a novel idea for a cooking show, explaining to people what the difference is between types of squash or potatoes, or apples. It seems a lot of people don't have this basic knowledge. A show just aimed at educating people about food. Then you could cook recipes highlighting the differences.

BACK OFF, THIS IS MY IDEA!

 

[turbo]

You can count me in. I can't travel, but the producers can show up with a camera crew and document my gardening, harvesting for freshness, and processing for maximum flavor. Most folks in the US haven't a clue.

 

[Evo]

You can count me in. I can't travel, but the producers can show up with a camera crew and document my gardening, harvesting for freshness, and processing for maximum flavor. Most folks in the US haven't a clue.

That's exactly my concern turbo, in the past, knowledge about food was handed down, but we are now faced with mothers learning from Rachel Ray and others like her that have no clue about ingredients that are passing this misinformation down to their children. It won't be long before any actual realistic information on food becomes unknown in America.

I know you don't have cable, but Jamie Oliver (on the Food Network) has just started a new show where <gasp> he uses produce grown in his garden, of course he has a professional gardener that does the actual gardening, but at least it's a more realistic and non "How much can I smile before my face breaks" show than what's prevalent on the network. I was dying laughing today at Sandra Lee as she walked backwards across her set to the refrigerator never turning or losing her fake smile. It was so unnatural it just stuck with me. Get a grip woman, just walk to the ****ing refrigerator.

 

[Astronuc]

I think that turbo, Moonbear, Zz, and I should approach the Food Network with a new tv show concept called "Real Cooking" where we can explain to viewers how produce and meats differ, so when they go to the grocery store they can actually make an informed decision.

Actualy, that really is a novel idea for a cooking show, explaining to people what the difference is between types of squash or potatoes, or apples. It seems a lot of people don't have this basic knowledge. A show just aimed at educating people about food. Then you could cook recipes highlighting the differences.

BACK OFF, THIS IS MY IDEA!

I like that idea!

Real Home Cooking!

 

[wolram]

Why has my chili relish gone mouldy, i am sure i cleaned every thing well.

 

[Moonbear]

I was dying laughing today at Sandra Lee as she walked backwards across her set to the refrigerator never turning or losing her fake smile. It was so unnatural it just stuck with me. Get a grip woman, just walk to the ****ing refrigerator.

And yet you keep watching. This is why they're still on the air. I wonder if anyone really watches that show to learn how to cook, or if they're all like you, just sitting with mouths agape in shock at how bad it is, yet unable to look away.

 

[turbo]

And yet you keep watching. This is why they're still on the air. I wonder if anyone really watches that show to learn how to cook, or if they're all like you, just sitting with mouths agape in shock at how bad it is, yet unable to look away.

Like a bad car wreck happening in front of you. You don't want to watch, but it's so bad you can't turn away. I'm so glad we don't have cable.

 

[Evo]

And yet you keep watching. This is why they're still on the air. I wonder if anyone really watches that show to learn how to cook, or if they're all like you, just sitting with mouths agape in shock at how bad it is, yet unable to look away.

Since I've been feeling bad, I've resorted to watching tv, and yes it's utter disbelief that these people are on tv saying these things. Where are the food police?

 

[turbo]

Why has my chili relish gone mouldy, i am sure i cleaned every thing well.

Did you follow the recipe and process the relish in the proper concentration of vinegar/water? While that not-so-low pH will not prevent spoilage, it will retard it for a good long time as long as you keep the jar refrigerated.

 

[wolram]

Did you follow the recipe and process the relish in the proper concentration of vinegar/water? While that not-so-low pH will not prevent spoilage, it will retard it for a good long time as long as you keep the jar refrigerated.

Refrigerated? I thought it could be kept like jam, oh well.

 

[Evo]

Refrigerated? I thought it could be kept like jam, oh well.

You don't refrigerate your jam?

 

[Evo]

My meat is here.

The deer killer in my office has a butcher he takes some of his deer meat to be processed and he just brought me 5 pounds of the beef, jalepeno and cheddar sausage that they make. :!)

slobber, slobber

The butcher is on the other side of the state, so it's a special thing.

 

[wolram]

You don't refrigerate your jam?

No, i have never known anyone to keep jam refrigerated, normally it will keep for years if unopened, mom has one of nans blackcurrant jams that seems unspoilt to this day, it would be a shame to open it just to test the theory though.

 

[turbo]

No, i have never known anyone to keep jam refrigerated, normally it will keep for years if unopened, mom has one of nans blackcurrant jams that seems unspoilt to this day, it would be a shame to open it just to test the theory though.

Jams and jellies are generally processed at high temperature in a water bath to kill microorganisms in the fruit and prevent spoilage. Processed jars like this can be stored at room temperature for months or years, but should be refrigerated after opening. Unprocessed foods must be refrigerated to prevent spoilage.

 

[Evo]

Ok, pictures of my sausage. You'll notice the pieces of fresh jalapeno, cheese, nice cuts of beef and coursely cracked black pepper. As soon as you lift this to your mouth, the fragrance from the fresh jalapenos hit. This isn't some wimpy "jalapeno flavored" meat, this has nice sized pieces of the pepper running through it. The light spots are cheese.

Help yourselves guys.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5432/sausagejaldv0.jpg

 

[Evo]

My older daughter spawn, came by Saturday with a fresh baked cheesecake. It had cream cheese, mascarpone, kalua, it was a traditional baked cheesecake, none of that uncooked stuff. The crust was crushed vanilla wafers in butter.

It was topped with piped chocolate ganache and whipped cream and sprinkled with chocolate shavings. It was the creamiest, most incredible tasting cheescake I've ever had. She's branching out into gourmet cooking.

Here are the pictures.

This was her first time ever to pipe whipped cream, I think she did rather well.

 

[Moonbear]

Ok, pictures of my sausage. You'll notice the pieces of fresh jalapeno, cheese, nice cuts of beef and coursely cracked black pepper. As soon as you lift this to your mouth, the fragrance from the fresh jalapenos hit. This isn't some wimpy "jalapeno flavored" meat, this has nice sized pieces of the pepper running through it. The light spots are cheese.

Help yourselves guys.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5432/sausagejaldv0.jpg

[/URL]

Ooh, that looks absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Moonbear]

My older daughter spawn, came by Saturday with a fresh baked cheesecake. It had cream cheese, mascarpone, kalua, it was a traditional baked cheesecake, none of that uncooked stuff.

What kind of cheesecake is uncooked? Khalua cheesecake does sound tasty though!

It was topped with piped chocolate ganache and whipped cream and sprinkled with chocolate shavings.

It looks fantastic. She did a lovely job decorating it...makes it look very professional. She's invited for Christmas next year (and so is Tom)...on the condition both bring cheesecakes.

 

[turbo]

Ok, pictures of my sausage. You'll notice the pieces of fresh jalapeno, cheese, nice cuts of beef and coursely cracked black pepper. As soon as you lift this to your mouth, the fragrance from the fresh jalapenos hit. This isn't some wimpy "jalapeno flavored" meat, this has nice sized pieces of the pepper running through it. The light spots are cheese.

Help yourselves guys.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5432/sausagejaldv0.jpg

Send[/URL] me a pound of that sausage! I'll send you a jar of my green habanero relish in return or some milder (but still mighty hot) tomato-based salsa in return.