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

[tehno]

I'm a 100 kg/190 cm heavy weight who eats almost anything I can get hold of and digest.Last night I ate two big grapefruits. No extra sugar.My friend was in shock watching me doing that -repeating:"How could you"?
What can I do when I adore egzotic foods...
I plan and looking forward to to taste fried grass hoopers incoming summer.
I already tasted frogs and snakes so grass hoopers keep your eyes on me...

What unusual food "articles" have you eaten so far guys?

 

[Severian]

Last night I had sweet and sour chicken with fried rice.

The night before, I had friends round so I cooked a proper meal: a starter of scallops, main course was venison steaks with asparagus and croquette potatoes, followed by sticky toffee pudding.

Three nights ago I fried some calves liver and ate it with mashed potatoes and I forget the vegetable.

Quite often I will make a risotto or pasta or something easy.

 

[tehno]

Severian ,we are two of a kind.

 

[brewnog]

I can't remember the recipe I gave Moonburger for Bubble & Squeak, mainly because no two are the same. It's traditionally cooked with leftover vegetables from a Sunday roast, but you can make it from scratch if you want.

Mash your potatoes with shredded cabbage and swedes or carrots or turnips or sprouts and any other leftover vegetables you have. Mush them all up into a vomit-looking paste. Season well with salt and pepper, and (if you're feeling adventurous) with cumin, turmeric and some cayenne pepper. Then fry it like a really thick pancake in plenty of hot butter.

I'm not a great fan of it. And it's not what I'd call "typical English food". I can't even remember why I mentioned it but Moonbeer seems to have enjoyed it! I just can't believe that out of all the recipes I've shared on here, that's the one you chose!

 

[Beeza]

Either half a pound of chicken or a dozen eggs (6 full eggs and 6 whites) and 3-4 slices of toast ;)

 

[moe_3_moe]

hey guys i am a bodybuilder so i recommend some boiled potatoes with oil on the top with some tuna or boiled eggs ...

 

[Gokul43201]

...

hey guys i am a bodybuilder...

Now there's another one of those coincidences!

 

[hypatia]

Its dirty rice and cornbread tonight! Now dem's good eats!

 

[moe_3_moe]

so anymore bodybuilders?

 

[Ouabache]

I've never heard of cloves in chili. Don't usually see corriander either, but I could see adding it if you wanted. Chili powder is usually just chili Pepper, red pepper, oregano, cumin, and maybe garlic, I've also seen paprika added.

Yeah, I haven't tried cloves yet. But they are listed in many 'chili powder' mixes. ref01, ref02, and ref03 (2nd, 3rd and 4th entries).

Coriander I do like, it adds a nice citruslike taste. (for the benefit or our readers, coriander is the seed from cilantro plant) It's great in salsa and guacamole too. I see Hypatia uses it in her chili . I take it for granted everybody here knows, to use fresh ground herbs & spices. If I open a jar and it no longer smells fresh, I generally dump it rather than risk a mediocre result. The recipe I described is American "midwest chili" (not to be confused with Texas chili, implicitly understood "no beans").

Evo, I see you have a passion for this dish too. Your recipe looks mighty tastey. I wonder how did yours stack up against your muse's. I can see why carrots may be included. Its natural sweetness counters the acidity of the tomato.

I remember an hypocryphal account on the origin's of "chili". The chuckwagon chef for the old cattle drives, started out in American southwest, using all beef in the chili. As they got further along the trail, they began running out of meat and added beans to the pot. By the end of the drive, they used mostly beans (I only learned recently, the construction of the http://www.ambrosevideo.com/resources/docs/173.JPG was the impetus for the cattle drives. The drovers got a better market price for cattle shipped by rail).

 

[Ouabache]

I can't remember the recipe I gave Moonburger for Bubble & Squeak, mainly because no two are the same.

Thanks for sharing. With all those starchy veggies, it sounds like a 'kicked up' version of our hashbrowns. I've have to try that.. I hear Wollie makes a good one too. Maybe he'll stop by and tell us..

 

[Evo]

Yeah, I haven't tried cloves yet in my chili. But they are listed in many 'chili powder' mixes. ref01, ref02, and ref03 (2nd, 3rd and 4th entries).

Those people should be shot!

The recipe I described is American "midwest chili" (not to be confused with Texas chili, implicitly understood "no beans").

Ooooh, you are a true chili connoisseur.

I wonder how did yours stack up against your muse's.

That was too funny, we both decided not to compete with each other, so neither of us entered.

I can see why carrots may be included. Its natural sweetness counters the acidity of the tomato.

Noooooooo. Now you've disillusioned me.

 

[radou]

Doesn't anybody just eat sandwiches here?

 

[moe_3_moe]

sandwiches are the best and the easiest

 

[Ouabache]

Noooooooo. Now you've disillusioned me.

Perhaps I misunderstood??

In midwest chili, we do use vegetables. The aromatics (mirepoix) are fine, including onions, celery and carrots; cut in small dice. Though I admit, I haven't tried carrots yet. If I did use them, I would grate (like you would a hard cheese). I find the larger surface area releases sugars more easily. Bell peppers are good, but they and the celery are more delicate. To maintain their sweet flavor, I would add, maybe 20min before the chili is done. If you add bell pepper too early, it takes on a bitter flavor.

 

[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 ).