So what have you cooked lately? (Year three!)

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i've got a large pot of lebanese-style moussaka from nigella's how to eat on the stove, and the rest of the lamb merguez roasting in the oven with some calabaza squash. rah!

― lauren, Monday, 26 February 2007 00:13 (seventeen years ago) link

I made a lamb and aubergine casserole from a recipe book my parents brought me back from Barbados last year. It's basically layers of rice, sliced aubergines and minced lamb spiced with cinammon, and is totally and utterly nummy. Seconds for dinner tonight.

― Madchen, Monday, 26 February 2007 15:11 (seventeen years ago) link

Feeling all cold and flu-ey so comfort food day. Carrot and butterbean soup, followed by mince and tatties. Terrific stuff.

― ailsa, Monday, 26 February 2007 23:27 (seventeen years ago) link

Hope you're feeling better Ailsa - a nice rich hot soup is always such a comfort.

We've got a group of Polish engineers at my work who've been here since October - I was gone most of the time they've been here, but now I've gotten to know them and am thinking about having a party for them before they leave in mid-March. One was complaining about the food they've been eating here (apparently, mostly Pop-tarts from the vending machine). The internal debate rages.

― Jaq, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 14:21 (seventeen years ago) link

Strike now, Jaq, while their standards are low!

― Laurel, Tuesday, 27 February 2007 15:25 (seventeen years ago) link

I roasted a chicken last night, and after this, the second within a week, I can confidently state that I've figured out how to make it GREAT.

Marinade: pound 2 big cloves of garlic with a teaspoon of sea salt in a mortar and pestle into a paste. Add a tablespoon of coriander seeds, crush them in there, and rejoice in the wonderful smell that floats up. Add the juice of a lemon and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix. Rub this all over your chicken and marinate overnight (or, you know, as long as you've got).

Roasting: Breast-side down, 230ºC (450ºF) for 20 minutes, then turn down to 200ºC (390ºF). Roast for another 15-20 minutes, til it's quite brown. Then turn the chicken over and roast until the breast browns a bit, usually about 10 minutes.

SO GOOD. We ate it with fresh pitas, marinated artichoke hearts, some rocket, and the wicked garlic sauce from the lebanese deli.

― G00blar, Wednesday, 28 February 2007 14:29 (seventeen years ago) link

Gorgeous halibut steak, marinated in meyer lemon juice, grated ginger, chopped garlic, black pepper, sesame oil, and olive oil. Finally got the timing right: 12 minutes at 425 F (for a 1.5" thick steak).

And as the oven was heating up, UPS rang the bell with a case of wine! It's still chilly out, so the whites were just right. I opened a 2005 Wellington Vineyards marsanne, and it was delish. Marsanne makes a more citrusy wine than floral, so it was really a nice complement to the lemony-garlicky fish (and ho-hum steamed broccoli).

― Jaq, Thursday, 1 March 2007 02:46 (seventeen years ago) link

Ooh, I love halibut, don't eat it enough.

Tonight, piled onto beautiful toasted rolls: lambs lettuce, grilled portobellos, roasted red pepper, and goat's cheese. A 'healthy' staple for us, but, when done right, as tonight, brilliant.

― G00blar, Thursday, 1 March 2007 22:51 (seventeen years ago) link

That does sound good.

I too love halibut. I try to forget that it's one of the fish you really shouldn't eat.*

In cheerier news, though. Monkfish quota have been raised due to something of a species recovery.

*interestingly, a little research yields the factoid that cod and halibut, which are complete no-no's in UK waters, are perfectly okay for americans to eat due to stable pacific stocks. All back to Jaq's, then.

― Matt, Saturday, 3 March 2007 09:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Spicy meatballs! An Indian recipe. Big hit with both me and my husband. Very easy to make and extremely yummy. Involved yoghurt, minced meat (duh!), onions and, of course, lots of spices. Tomorrow I'm make another Indian recipe. Finally got around to using Indian recipe book. I'm a sucker for those cheap Easy Recipe books.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0572028075.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

― nathalie, Saturday, 3 March 2007 14:01 (seventeen years ago) link

we went out for what turned out to be very mediocore bbq last night. i hate wasting valuable eating time! tonight is home cooking for sure. miso salmon, i think.

― lauren, Saturday, 3 March 2007 18:52 (seventeen years ago) link

Making like two pounds worth of meatballs for eating and freezing! Meatloaf mix with milk-soaked bread, eggs, basil, etc, and a red sauce to accompany. Could have used some ricotta, though -- a grocery store oversight.

― Laurel, Sunday, 4 March 2007 23:39 (seventeen years ago) link

After Lauren's comment on miso salmon, I thawed a filet we had in the freezer (from Thanksgiving, yikes!) and looked up a few recipes on-line. Found one that had light miso and some hoisin sauce mixed together and smeared on the filet, so thought I'd fancy that up with some natural wasabi powder and ginger and dried seaweed flakes, thinned with a bit of mirin. Smeared the resulting paste on the flesh side of the filet, heated the oven and big cast iron skillet up to 425 F, then laid the skin side down in the hot pan for 12 minutes (this is my new target time for all fish, since it worked so well on the halibut). Mr. Jaq really liked it, but I thought the coating totally overpowered the fish. Also. I am highly suspicious of fish when I am eating it. I take tiny tiny bites and always expect bones/scales/scary things to be there. So, plain fish with no sauce/coating/breading is really my fish of choice. I don't like being this tentative and easily put off by something so delicious, but it's hard to overcome years of midwestern no-fish-eating.

― Jaq, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:06 (seventeen years ago) link

thick miso sauce is good for tofu and cubed pork shoulder (i think it's shoulder - whatever korean recipes use, basically). you don't have to worry about overwhelming the flavor, and there are no unexpected bones!

― lauren, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 15:40 (seventeen years ago) link

Last night: made ROASTED butternut squash soup, as found here, with the additions of pancetta early and parmesan late. Sweet, salty enough to balance, a little umami from my two additions, smooth, warming, pretty easy, 'though it certainly took longer than yr standard squash soup. SO BEST.

― G00blar, Thursday, 8 March 2007 13:11 (seventeen years ago) link

i haven't cooked anything since last saturday! i feel bad. my bf has been like mr. mom this week. when i left this morning, he was getting the ingredients together for cassoulet. i need to do something nice tomorrow.

― lauren, Friday, 9 March 2007 21:39 (seventeen years ago) link

The most I've made in the past week is, uh, toast. I hate being that busy at work, as I just eat crap

― stet, Saturday, 10 March 2007 13:12 (seventeen years ago) link

Once upon a time I got some "Kansas City Blend" spice rub for steaks that was really good. Yesterday I thought I'd try recreating it -- salt, black pepper, brown sugar, chili powder, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Sprinkled it on burgers for the grill yesterday and it turned out great. If only I'd had some smoked salt, it would have been perfect.

― Rock Hardy, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 19:23 (seventeen years ago) link

So I finally made use of my sadly neglected Indian cookbook. Wanting to start with something simple and having a crapload of red lentils kicking around, I made a tasty dhal...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/421460122_7ffe3cb489.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/421460078_3b77ed4036.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/98/421460015_db2ab89d19.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/148/421423779_3fd7deac8d.jpg

― robster, Wednesday, 14 March 2007 22:20 (seventeen years ago) link

^mmmm

Cooked a veal breast the other night. I could believe how much fat there was- really tasty but not enough actual meat to justify the cost.

― brownie, Thursday, 15 March 2007 13:48 (seventeen years ago) link

could not believe

― brownie, Thursday, 15 March 2007 14:25 (seventeen years ago) link

Phwoar, I'm in the midst of making Egg Malai Masala!

― nathalie, Monday, 19 March 2007 11:49 (seventeen years ago) link

on friday, i defrosted some chorizo (from pampered organic pigs) that i got at the greenmarket a while back and cooked it into a cross between a sauce and stew with diced tomato, orange peppers, smoked paprika, cinammon, and an entire bulb of garlic. served with orzo, which i kind of forgot about for a while but am totally in love with again. saturday was indian food - saag and my variation on chicken tikka masala. i really wanted to use up the last of the red lentils for dhal after seeing rob's pictures, but i ran out of energy.

― lauren, Monday, 19 March 2007 14:39 (seventeen years ago) link

Yesterday I roasted some bream and served them with leek and runner beans fried in garlic and sweet potato and chilli mash. Deglazed the roasting tin with lemon juice and a slug of white wine for an intensely fishy gravy (of sorts). You don't get too much fat oozing out of bream so it work okay.

― Matt, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:54 (seventeen years ago) link

worked

― Matt, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 11:54 (seventeen years ago) link

Knocking out a special at work this evening which was quite pleasant. Pheasant breast on a cake of walnut risotto.

― Matt, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 23:47 (seventeen years ago) link

Ugh, I'm so lazy. I've had takeaway three nights running (bad, cheap takeaway at that).

― Madchen, Friday, 23 March 2007 11:28 (seventeen years ago) link

i did that last week. i sometimes get embarrassed by it.

― Ai Lien, Friday, 23 March 2007 21:13 (seventeen years ago) link

Tonight's dinner for me and Mrs Coastaltown was venison sausages, roast sweet potato and sprouts fried with pine-nuts and a touch of chilli. It was tasty.

― Matt, Monday, 26 March 2007 22:28 (seventeen years ago) link

taco bar: shrimp in tomato/green chili sauce and black beans with broccoli.

― lauren, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 14:31 (seventeen years ago) link

You had me until broccoli.

― G00blar, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 19:24 (seventeen years ago) link

i know it's not traditional, but i like broccoli in vegetarian tacos. i like broccoli in most things, really.

― lauren, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 21:32 (seventeen years ago) link

I have never had much dealings with tilapia, but I just made a couple of fillets very simply (3 minutes per side in half-butter half-olive oil, then set them aside while I turned the fat & fond into a quick sauce with white wine, lemon juice & capers) and they were really fantastic! A really buttery-tasting flesh. Plus some basmati rice and steamed broccoli and carrots.

― Rock Hardy, Thursday, 29 March 2007 22:59 (seventeen years ago) link

i've given up on tilapia. at least half of the time, it has a really off taste - like getting a mouthful of topsoil. i'm not talking about the muddiness that you get with catfish. this is a strong flavor that comes through any kind of spicing/sauce, and i've had it happen with both fresh and frozen filets.

― lauren, Friday, 30 March 2007 21:04 (seventeen years ago) link

i made this on sunday:

two bundles of soba noodles, cooked as directed. toss until coated in two tsp. of sesame oil.
saute, in two teaspoons of sesame oil, two cloves of garlic for about one minute. brown pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 lbs., cut in 1" pieces) in same pan. dust with powdered ginger (we didn't have fresh). add 1 tbs. of roasted sesame seeds and 4 stalks of sliced green onion, both green & white parts. cook for about 5 mins. add one cup of chicken broth and 1/4 cup of soy sauce. reduce a bit. add to soba noodles. eat!

feeds three really hungry people with room leftover for orange sherbert.

― Ai Lien, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 19:38 (seventeen years ago) link

cloves of garlic = chopped, of course.

― Ai Lien, Tuesday, 3 April 2007 19:39 (seventeen years ago) link

I have been living on fast food and frozen Trader Joe's stuff. And those little profiteroles and chocolate mochi. Which, yeah - both frozen. But tonight, I finally cooked something: sauted garlic and asparagus in olive oil, then briefly dropped in some gnocchi I'd boiled earlier. Topped with parmesan cheese and scarfed.

― Jaq, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 03:09 (seventeen years ago) link

I AM GOING TO MAKE A MEATLOAF (for the first time) today or tomorrow. Any tips? I can't wait to eat some juicy meatloaf.

― nathalie, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 10:49 (seventeen years ago) link

Ok, I do want to know this: they tell you to soak the white bread in some milk and then squeeze excess milk out. But how much milk do Ineed to use? A gallon or a drop? Harumph

― nathalie, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 12:12 (seventeen years ago) link

On Kitchen Nightmares last night, Gordon Ramsay said the trick to good meatloaf is to use streaky rather than back bacon. Keeps it moist.

― Madchen, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 12:46 (seventeen years ago) link

A gallon or a drop?

Enough that you have some excess to squeeze out :)

I've never soaked the bread in milk or anything - just tear two slices up into a mix of ground beef and pork and maybe lamb, chopped onion and other herbs/spices, and work in an egg (all done with the hands - this was my favorite job as a kid). It's the fattiness of the pork and the onions that keep it juicy, as well as not overcooking.

Does the bacon get mixed in Madchen, or laid on the top?

― Jaq, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 13:33 (seventeen years ago) link

i think it's usually laid on top... ?

i have done no cooking lately, only gobbling. my bf, however, made a really fatty, tasty leg of lamb in the slow cooker yesterday. bless him.

― lauren, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 15:06 (seventeen years ago) link

Here's my recipe:

Finely dice 2 carrots, 1 small-to-medium onion. Sweat this and as much chopped garlic as you like (5 or 6 cloves for me) in skillet in 1 Tbsp. butter + 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Allow to cool.

1.75 lbs. ground chuck (80% lean)
4 oz. tomato sauce (not red pasta sauce, just plain old tomato sauce)
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
the onion-carrot-garlic mixture
salt & pepper, italian seasoning
Mix that up, form into loaf, into the baking dish it goes

Sauce:
12 oz. tomato sauce
2 oz. water, or less if you want the sauce to be thicker/glaze-ier
Some brown sugar
Some cider vinegar
Some ketchup
Some yellow mustard
Some Worcestershire sauce
Some Tabasco or Sriracha
Salt & pepper
I never measure the additions to the sauce, I've been making this for 20 years and wing it now.
Whisk this together and pour it over the meat loaf. Bake at 350F for about, uh, 75-80 minutes. Baste it a couple of times if you want. The fat will keep the meat loaf juicy, and the extra egg and the dry crumbs will make it hold together well to have meat loaf sandwiches the next day. Make sure you make mashed potatoes -- the sauce is GRATE over them and you can make a little potato volcano with sauce-lava and destroy the village and townspeople just like you did when you were a little kid.

― Rock Hardy, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 15:53 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh man, thanks you guys! Can I use the same metal tin I use for baking cakes? Sorry, I'm not an amateur... well, semi-amateur.

I will definitely try your recipe, RH. Woohoo!

― nathalie, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 16:46 (seventeen years ago) link

a mixture of ground beef, pork, and veal in equal parts makes a nice loaf.

― lauren, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 17:04 (seventeen years ago) link

Not sure, Jaq - I was knitting at the time so didn't see.

Ugh, I'm so lazy. I've had takeaway three nights running (bad, cheap takeaway at that).

My life has just got worse: bad, cheap microwave meal at my desk!

― Madchen, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 17:18 (seventeen years ago) link

I use a loaf pan, Nath, like for bread. It keeps the sides covered and contains the drippings. But you could use any pan that is deep enough to keep the drippings from overflowing. I think if you cook it in a sauce, you'd want to use a loaf pan, to keep the sauce close - no real need to baste then, except the top.

― Jaq, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 17:19 (seventeen years ago) link

I'd try things like ground lamb and pork in my meatloaf, but that's a no-go in a tiny town without a real butcher.

― Rock Hardy, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 18:29 (seventeen years ago) link

gosh, not even any ground pork? is it too late to learn the butchering trade yourself? i'm sure you'd run a class establishment.

― lauren, Wednesday, 4 April 2007 19:11 (seventeen years ago) link

I made my meatloaf! It was YUMMY (and heart attack inducing madness to eat so much of it). :-)

― nathalie, Thursday, 5 April 2007 13:28 (seventeen years ago) link

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