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

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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...
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― 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

we had simple vegetarian tostadas last nite. really good!

― Ai Lien, Thursday, 5 April 2007 14:32 (seventeen years ago) link

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/229/447245489_e90180b1e2.jpg?v=1175784942

― nathalie, Thursday, 5 April 2007 15:02 (seventeen years ago) link

last night: homemade spicy black bean burgers w/ guacamole

― Ai Lien, Friday, 6 April 2007 14:08 (seventeen years ago) link

I am going to be up all night making challah breads for this Easter brunch tomorrow. Which is silly probably since they're just going to be turned into french toasts. Nevertheless this is a huge batch of breads to turn out in my teensy oven.

I hope I am remembering correctly that challah makes good french toast. That is not my department, the frenching and toasting.

― Casuistry, Sunday, 8 April 2007 06:16 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh, it does, really excellent french toast. And also, bread pudding. Mmmmm. Happy Easter.

― Jaq, Sunday, 8 April 2007 14:21 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh that's right! Hey maybe there'll be extra for pudding.

I'm not entirely happy with the breads -- they're not kneaded enough, and I didn't take enough care with the shaping (although I did braid each of the five loaves in a totally different way, just to experiment) -- but as french toast they will be fine. The recipe strikes me as probably ho-hum, but we'll see. I mean it will be entirely fine. But it's been far far too long since I've made bread!

― Casuistry, Sunday, 8 April 2007 17:03 (seventeen years ago) link

birthday cooking: bay scallops with a balsamic glaze, oysters broiled with pesto, and a giant steak (seared in the cast iron skillet then finished in the oven). nothing complicated but all very delicious.

i've got to get busy rolling up the pigs in a blanket. my friend is having a sopranos premiere potluck, and that's my contribution.

― lauren, Sunday, 8 April 2007 19:27 (seventeen years ago) link

I haven't been cooking. I think about it, but haven't been able to expend the energy to do it, beyond nuking something. Now that I've been home for a few days, I'm back to doing some simple stuff: goose-fat roasted potatoes for breakfast this morning with thyme and black pepper, some basic pork chops and sauted greens. Right now, there's a duck in what I hope is now a steam-bath in the oven, to be roasted after he's sweated a bit.

I haven't baked anything in ages, and Mr. Jaq slipped back into anti-carb mode while I was gone, but there's a small bunch of over-ripe bananas from the last organic delivery just begging to be muffinized. I'm thinking about adding some chopped crystallized ginger to the batter.

― Jaq, Sunday, 8 April 2007 23:56 (seventeen years ago) link

That was some excellent french toast.

― Casuistry, Monday, 9 April 2007 00:34 (seventeen years ago) link

homemade pizza for dinner last nite. it made the house smell more of a bakery than a pizzaria.

― Ai Lien, Monday, 9 April 2007 14:13 (seventeen years ago) link

Fish (I think it's called cod in English, not sure though) with a curry sauce. I made way too much and there was a lot of butter in it so.... artery slipperage. :-)

Am I the only saddo who can't identify fishes? I had to ask my husband. :-(

Tomorrow I'll try lasagna or maybe aubergine (?) with minced meat. Or maybe both! I can microwave the lasagna the next two days, right?

― nathalie, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 14:58 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh! The recipe doesn't specify how long I need to put the lasagna in the oven. (I have to cook the lasagna and prepare the mushroom 'n' minced meat sauce first.) Anyone know how long? 15 minutes maybe? On 200 degrees C? :-(

― nathalie, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 14:59 (seventeen years ago) link

i think 15 minutes in the oven would be too brief. my friend made a large one on sunday, and it baked (covered in foil so the top wouldn't burn) for about 30-40 minutes at 375F and then was uncovered and put back in for another 15 or so at 400F to brown the top layer.

― lauren, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 18:19 (seventeen years ago) link

re: reheating - if you have the time/patience to do a combination of regular oven and microwave it will be nicer, but just using the latter works fine.

― lauren, Wednesday, 11 April 2007 18:22 (seventeen years ago) link

Thanks! I will attempt this this week. I think I'll be making a ragout (thick creamy sauce) with cauliflower and chicken or fish. Not sure though. My husband will probably balk at the idea of combining it with fish, so will grill some chicken.

― nathalie, Thursday, 12 April 2007 08:24 (seventeen years ago) link

Lasagna bolognese! I fucked up a little. We'll eat it tomorrow. Yum!

― nathalie, Friday, 13 April 2007 12:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Fucked up as in: Last layer was pasta (wrong! ding ding ding), bechamel sauce I think was a bit too thick and I only did it on the bottom, mushrooms weren't prepared (so raw) before putting it in the uh... think and the ~~thing~~ pot was a bit too small. I had gone for two new ones but I opted for the smaller one. Sigh.

― nathalie, Friday, 13 April 2007 12:51 (seventeen years ago) link

Bummer Nath. Did it taste okay and the textures just were off? I think casseroles like lasagna - lots of different elements that are supposed to blend harmoniously - are tougher to master than most dishes.

We had quick pizzas for dinner last night - naan flatbreads from Trader Joe's, some tomato sauce, some cheese, popped in a 500 deg F oven for 10 minutes. I had committed to bring in duck risotto for some fellow food-ophiles at work, so spent the rest of the evening simmering up some stock, chopping meat, dried criminis, and fennel stalks, and stirring stirring stirring.

― Jaq, Friday, 13 April 2007 15:48 (seventeen years ago) link

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