What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[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.

I volunteer to do the spots on beer, wine and whiskey. OK - you can pay me.

I think we'll have to visit all the microbreweries, vineyards and whiskey distilleries around the world - just to be fair.

 

[wolram]

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

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I would like some too, boy it looks good.

 

[Moonbear]

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 think it really is a good idea! Good cooking starts with choosing good ingredients. A show that just goes through choosing fresh ingredients would be really helpful for people. For example, how many people know how to choose a ripe avocado, or can find a good ear of corn without stripping off the husk (which then let's the kernels dry out). When they head to the meat case, do they have a clue how to choose the cuts? Do they even know what different cuts mean? Explaining things like marbling of beef, what cuts are more tender for grilling/roasting/pan searing, and which are tougher but great for soups and stews, myths and facts about "corn fed" vs "grain fed" meats, does organic really make any difference, etc, would all be useful for a lot of clueless consumers (and the side effect is that if we educate the consumers, the grocery stores will be forced to meet their raised expectations and start putting better quality food on the shelves, so we can find those quality ingredients easier). You could do each show with a featured ingredient. Spend 15 min of the show explaining how to choose that food, all the varieties, what's unique about each and why you'd choose one or another for various dishes, then the remaining 45 min of the show teaching people how to cook a couple dishes with that ingredient that take advantage of the characteristics of one over another variety or cut. Heck, you could even make it so you have two dishes per episode, one which is a more gourmet dish that takes some time and skill to prepare and people could use to impress friends at a dinner party, and the other a simple dish you can prepare for every day meals that's healthy and lower in fat for the health conscious.

It's definitely a show I'd be more interested in watching, especially if it alternated between mundane and exotic ingredients (i.e., one episode would discuss selecting onions, the next talking about something like bok choy or jicama or some of those tropical fruits that few people in the US know how to choose or prepare, so there's something both for the clueless beginner and for the more advanced cook who wants to learn about more uncommon ingredients...it might work the other way around for immigrants too; they know how to use their own ethnic ingredients, but could learn about how to use the foods commonly found in American grocery stores that they are less familiar with and how to make good dishes with them).

 

[turbo]

A show that spent an appropriate amount of time each episode in food selection would be popular, I think. Alton Brown was probably the best of the Food Network "gurus" back when we had cable TV. He talked about the quality of the ingredients fairly regularly.

There are some little ins and outs that people often aren't aware of. Case in point: Maine exports a LOT of potatoes, and the quality is quite good. So if you live in Maine, should you buy Maine potatoes? Maybe not. Potatoes that are not going to cross state lines are not going to be USDA-inspected and the producers face little risk if they misbrand poor-quality potatoes as top-quality. If last year's crop was poor, or the weather conditions during harvest were not conducive to good storage life, some pretty crappy potatoes can show up in the stores, especially in the spring and early summer. If you're not a good judge of potatoes with a visual inspection and a squeeze/light tap for firmness, it's probably a safer bet to buy potatoes that were grown out-of-state and had to undergo at least some level of inspection.

 

[Moonbear]

A show that spent an appropriate amount of time each episode in food selection would be popular, I think. Alton Brown was probably the best of the Food Network "gurus" back when we had cable TV. He talked about the quality of the ingredients fairly regularly.

There are some little ins and outs that people often aren't aware of. Case in point: Maine exports a LOT of potatoes, and the quality is quite good. So if you live in Maine, should you buy Maine potatoes? Maybe not. Potatoes that are not going to cross state lines are not going to be USDA-inspected and the producers face little risk if they misbrand poor-quality potatoes as top-quality. If last year's crop was poor, or the weather conditions during harvest were not conducive to good storage life, some pretty crappy potatoes can show up in the stores, especially in the spring and early summer. If you're not a good judge of potatoes with a visual inspection and a squeeze/light tap for firmness, it's probably a safer bet to buy potatoes that were grown out-of-state and had to undergo at least some level of inspection.

That happens with other produce too, and not just in the US, and not just because of inspections. The best quality stuff gets exported because it can command a higher price, and the lower quality stays local because it's so prevalent there that they can't charge much for it anyway.

 

[wolram]

It is like the meat and fish in this country, fresh fish? i bought some muscles and half did not open, tried another store and the same thing, sea fish should smell of the sea not what ever
aromas have been wafting through the store.
Meat? i am sure it is injected with water, and some of the cheaper cuts cook like old boot leather, i only buy hung meat now, it is expensive but at least one does not have to chew it for half an hour.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Cupcakes… I'm thinking about http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/02/04"…

⚛​

 

[wolram]

Cupcakes… I'm thinking about http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/02/04"…

[SIZE="6"
]⚛[/SIZE]​

I am good at making cakes, i have no idea why as i never follow recipes, i just mix stuff together, the proof is that all my cakes are eaten before they have hardly cooled.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

I am good at making cakes, i have no idea why as i never follow recipes, i just mix stuff together, the proof is that all my cakes are eaten before they have hardly cooled.

That's awesome! Way to be, man. It's like you've got the Midas touch of cupcakes.

⚛​

 

[Evo]

My meat connection has come through again. Tomorrow I'm getting 10 more pounds of the cheddar jalapeno sausage and 5 lbs of the jalapeno beef snack sticks. :!)

 

[turbo]

My meat connection has come through again. Tomorrow I'm getting 10 more pounds of the cheddar jalapeno sausage and 5 lbs of the jalapeno beef snack sticks. :!)

I am jealous - cheddar jalapeno sausage sounds really good.

 

[Astronuc]

I had dinner with a close friend last Friday, and we talked about the great food we had while doing a project in Spain. There was a great recipe for cod, so I looked it up and found something that is close - Bacalao al Pil-Pil.

http://www.spain-recipes.com/bacalao-pil-pil.html

In Spain, what we remember is a cod fillet cooked on low heat in olive oil for about 3 hrs. It was seasoned with fresh garlic.

There's lots of great recipes on that site.

 

[Evo]

Queen of Meat

I have my meat! Muwahahahaha!

The meat guy gave out samples of some of his and now people are after my meat. I'm not selling, this stuff is too precious.

I was thinking that this would make an awesome jambalaya.

 

[Andre]

I was thinking that this would make an awesome jambalaya.

Ah, Paëlla, how is the supply of seafood for that, in the continentalst part of CONUS?

 

[Evo]

Ah, Paëlla, how is the supply of seafood for that, in the continentalst part of CONUS?

I love paella, haven't made it in ages, I love saffron. I'd have to go with frozen fish, but the quality of frozen fish has really improved with onboard freezing now.

 

[turbo]

I have created a monster! We just finished up the second batch of hot chili soup today, and my wife wants me to make another batch this afternoon. Looks like I'm going to be cooking this a lot. I call it "soup", but it's actually quite thick. I'm going to steam a batch of basmati rice tonight and serve the stuff over that. It's really easy to make this stuff - recipe here:

https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=1637796&postcount=224

 

[Evo]

Too funny, my older daughter "Spawn of Evo" was in Austin for the SXSW music conference and attended Rachel Ray's party. She'd never heard of her. She said she loved the southwest style macaroni and cheese.

 

[turbo]

Too bad she missed the Southwest style Hamburger Helper chili. I hear is was killer. Not.

 

[wolram]

Scrap pie.

I had

2 large potatoes
1/2 red onion
3 oz strong cheese
4 slices corned beef
2 eggs
2 cloves smoked garlic

So i made mashed potato, chopped the onion, garlic, corned beef and cheese and mixed them with the potato, added a teaspoon of chili flakes 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and the two eggs, give it all a good mix and throw it in the oven for 30-40 mins at 180, it sounds rubbish but it is tasty and filling.

 

[Moonbear]

That sounds quite delicious, wollie! Sort of like a corned beef hash omelet.

 

[turbo]

Actually, it sounds pretty good. I cook like that a lot with whatever is on hand

 

[wolram]

The best sausage, may be my taste buds are dead, but the humble banger just does not taste of much these days, i have to cook them all most crisp before i can taste any thing.
do you have a favorite pork sausage?

 

[Math Jeans]

I'm going to try to get a hold of the recipe for that curry stirfry that I mentioned during chat.

OK. Here it is:

Ingredients:
Any type of cut up vegetable (between four and six cups). (Suggested: Bok Toy, Bean sprouts, broccoli, onions, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, green beans, chinese cabbage)

Any type of meat (about a third as much as the vegetables or as much as desired). (Suggested: flank steak sliced on an angle and marinated in soy sauce, chicken cut up, shrimp(required ))

Garlic crushed/chopped (several teaspoons)
Sesame oil (several teaspoons)
Chicken broth (1-1/2 cup)
One block Golden curry (S & B brand)
Any insanely spicy red curry for taste (about 1 teaspoon)

(Habaneros if desired)


Instructions:
In a large wok, heat sesame oil and add crushed or chopped garlic.

Add meat, chicken, or shrimp and saute until nearly done. Remove meat and put in separate bowl.

Add more sesame oil, heat and add the vegatables, and saute until about half cooked.

Add the block of curry and the chicken broth.

Stir until the curry dissolves (add more broth as necessare to achieve desired consistency).

Add red curry (if desired. The original recipe does not include it, but over time, I started adding it as it is nice with it. However, I personally only do it because its spicy, but do not use that much of it as it does not help the taste alot. Just the heat.)

ENJOY!

 

[wolram]

I just found this,

http://www.showcook.com/pilchards.htm

I was thinking of making a sort of pilchard tart toped with a strong cheesy custard and served with a plumb, ginger and chili chutney, but could not find any thing like it.

 

[~christina~]

I'm going to try to get a hold of the recipe for that curry stirfry that I mentioned during chat.

OK. Here it is:

Ingredients:
Any type of cut up vegetable (between four and six cups). (Suggested: Bok Toy, Bean sprouts, broccoli, onions, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, green beans, chinese cabbage)

Any type of meat (about a third as much as the vegetables or as much as desired). (Suggested: flank steak sliced on an angle and marinated in soy sauce, chicken cut up, shrimp(required ))

Garlic crushed/chopped (several teaspoons)
Sesame oil (several teaspoons)
Chicken broth (1-1/2 cup)
One block Golden curry (S & B brand)
Any insanely spicy red curry for taste (about 1 teaspoon)

(Habaneros if desired)


Instructions:
In a large wok, heat sesame oil and add crushed or chopped garlic.

Add meat, chicken, or shrimp and saute until nearly done. Remove meat and put in separate bowl.

Add more sesame oil, heat and add the vegatables, and saute until about half cooked.

Add the block of curry and the chicken broth.

Stir until the curry dissolves (add more broth as necessare to achieve desired consistency).

Add red curry (if desired. The original recipe does not include it, but over time, I started adding it as it is nice with it. However, I personally only do it because its spicy, but do not use that much of it as it does not help the taste alot. Just the heat.)

ENJOY!

I remembered that you mentioned this.

Not sure how good having a lot of vegies such as bean sprouts in curry though since it would give off water if you left it in the fridge and well watery curry is to me

and when you say bok toy I assume it's bok choy... and there are 2 different varieties as well.

I cook curry but I use the powder and just go with that.

And the homemade recipe has
onions (to make it sweet), large pieces of chopped carrots (1/2 in), chicken drumsticks, coconut milk, and chicken wings

coconut milk is a must in curry and I don't know how people go without it...

and I just found out I've been cooking and eating Malaysian Curry and the link for the recipe for a general one I found is:http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1739,153164-231204,00.html

 

[turbo]

Last night, we had meatloaf for supper - made with hamburg, torn bread, garlic, onions, green pepper and frozen spinach (yes, spinach) egg and seasonings. It was wonderful, and the baked potato was nicely accented by the dark pork-roast gravy from Sunday's dinner. I cooked the rest of the fresh asparagus, too.

Hint: It is often said that if you break asparagus stalks by bending them that they will break at the point where they begin to get tough and chewy. That is not really true, and asparagus is quite expensive up here, so I hate to waste any. I wash the stalks and snap them in half, then steam them. The tips are usually very tender, and sometimes the stalks are nice, too, for at least part of the way toward the base. Just set out a bowl in which to discard the chewy parts during your meal. You'll be surprised how much more asparagus you'll get with this method.

 

[Ouabache]

L I cooked the rest of the fresh asparagus, too.

Are asparagus poking up in your garden already?
re: last Sunday chat, that Lobster Festival in Rockland was awesome. Did you say you know someone who brings around lots of fresh culls?

 

[turbo]

Are asparagus poking up in your garden already?
re: last Sunday chat, that Lobster Festival in Rockland was awesome. Did you say you know someone who brings around lots of fresh culls?

I still have at least 2 feet of heavy, compacted snow covering my garden and won't see asparagus coming up for months yet. My sister-in-law picked it up from the supermarket, since it was on sale, and the spears were quite slender.

About the lobsters - a lobsterman bought the little house next to my father's place, and he and his buddy park their wives there while they head even farther north to his fishing camp on Moxie Pond. My father keeps an eye on the place, so the guy brings him culls whenever he comes up for a visit. Typically lobsters that have lost one claw in a fight.

 

[Math Jeans]

I remembered that you mentioned this.

Not sure how good having a lot of vegies such as bean sprouts in curry though since it would give off water if you left it in the fridge and well watery curry is to me

and when you say bok toy I assume it's bok choy... and there are 2 different varieties as well.

I cook curry but I use the powder and just go with that.

And the homemade recipe has
onions (to make it sweet), large pieces of chopped carrots (1/2 in), chicken drumsticks, coconut milk, and chicken wings

coconut milk is a must in curry and I don't know how people go without it...

and I just found out I've been cooking and eating Malaysian Curry and the link for the recipe for a general one I found is:http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1739,153164-231204,00.html

yeah. I forgot to mention at the end to take into account that the vegetables will release some liquid, and to take that into account. In this particular recipe, the curry is meant to be a sauce, and not particularly thick.

Just a note: This is my favorite meal of all time.

And yes, I did mean to say Bok Toy, as I am referring to baby bok choy.

 

[Moonbear]

I'm going to try to get a hold of the recipe for that curry stirfry that I mentioned during chat.

OK. Here it is:

Ingredients:
Any type of cut up vegetable (between four and six cups). (Suggested: Bok Toy, Bean sprouts, broccoli, onions, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, green beans, chinese cabbage)

Any type of meat (about a third as much as the vegetables or as much as desired). (Suggested: flank steak sliced on an angle and marinated in soy sauce, chicken cut up, shrimp(required ))

Garlic crushed/chopped (several teaspoons)
Sesame oil (several teaspoons)
Chicken broth (1-1/2 cup)
One block Golden curry (S & B brand)
Any insanely spicy red curry for taste (about 1 teaspoon)

(Habaneros if desired)


Instructions:
In a large wok, heat sesame oil and add crushed or chopped garlic.

Add meat, chicken, or shrimp and saute until nearly done. Remove meat and put in separate bowl.

Add more sesame oil, heat and add the vegatables, and saute until about half cooked.

Add the block of curry and the chicken broth.

Stir until the curry dissolves (add more broth as necessare to achieve desired consistency).

Add red curry (if desired. The original recipe does not include it, but over time, I started adding it as it is nice with it. However, I personally only do it because its spicy, but do not use that much of it as it does not help the taste alot. Just the heat.)

ENJOY!

Where do you buy blocks of curry? I've never seen or heard of it in that form. And where can one buy good red curry? I have had it and love the flavor, but have never seen it in any store.

 

[Math Jeans]

Where do you buy blocks of curry? I've never seen or heard of it in that form. And where can one buy good red curry? I have had it and love the flavor, but have never seen it in any store.

To tell the truth, I don't know where we get our blocks of curry . Just search the internet for the brand that I mentioned and you might find something.

And the spicy red curry was given to me by someone because they didn't think that I could handle it.

 

[~christina~]

yeah. I forgot to mention at the end to take into account that the vegetables will release some liquid, and to take that into account. In this particular recipe, the curry is meant to be a sauce, and not particularly thick.

Just a note: This is my favorite meal of all time.

And yes, I did mean to say Bok Toy, as I am referring to baby bok choy.

I really don't know but I've never heard of bok toy.. (I just can't accept bok toy b/c it's incorrect)

Where do you buy blocks of curry? I've never seen or heard of it in that form. And where can one buy good red curry? I have had it and love the flavor, but have never seen it in any store.

If you go to your local supermarket they should have the curry in the international food isle. I just happen to have a asian market near me so everything is asian there.. but I still prefer the powder. Why use the block when you can buy the powder (which is the form they probably will have it in in the supermarket) and mix it with coconut milk and water to make your own sauce? (you get to control how much you use)

 

[wolram]

Olde English desserts.

http://www.godecookery.com/allrec/allrec04.htm

 

[Moonbear]

If you go to your local supermarket they should have the curry in the international food isle. I just happen to have a asian market near me so everything is asian there.. but I still prefer the powder. Why use the block when you can buy the powder (which is the form they probably will have it in in the supermarket) and mix it with coconut milk and water to make your own sauce? (you get to control how much you use)

I've got supermarket curry powder, but it's pretty bland, not at all spicy, and just the yellow variety. They don't have blocks and they don't have red, and definitely don't have spicy.

 

[turbo]

My wife had eaten already this evening, so I was on my own for supper. I am hooked on Applegate Farms Organic Ball-Park hot dogs, and fried a couple up with onions and buttered rolls. I dressed them with habanero relish and yellow mustard, as usual, and piled on some dill-pickled jalapeno pepper rings and garlic. Mmm! If I were patronizing a street vendor, I'd easily consider paying $5 each for dogs like this. These are gourmet dogs!