What's cooking? part 4

chicken grilled in moroccan spices, topped with slices of chorizo and melted emmental. Sliced and into a wrap with some salad, there's tomorrow's lunch.

man there is a piece of 'turkish delight' candy in my fridge and i just may have to eat it tonight!
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vqCp77E1L._SL500_AA300_PIbundle-36%2CTopRight%2C0%2C0_AA300_SH20_.jpg

that mint sauce sounds delish!

I'll be making my usual batch of chicken stock tonight from the left over roast carcass... I always end up making chicken/veg soup with it. Delicious, but doesnt last long. What else can I do with a pot of stock? Apart from risotto (kind of went off risotto)

you can also thin it out with some shallots, vinegar, water and use it as a dipping sauce
i like herby dipping sauces a lot, like Colombian ají

trayce why don't you freeze the stock and save for later?

I'm going to plant mint so I can make that sauce, La Lechera. It sounds amazing.

I always reduce my stocks to jelly, Trayce. They keep for months, don't take up much space in the fridge, and it's great to have them on hand for soups/sauces/hot rich broth/etc.

i am making muaddara tonight

Both good ideas!

I've only had it a day, but I'll rep for this Kitchenaid 5-speed blender that got recommended on the nn thread. Chili sauce last night, whole grapefruit smoothie this morning. Can't wait to make La Lachera chili mint sauce in it.

i wish i had an excuse to get a new blender. ours is a stupid 'smoothie' blender and shit gets stuck down in the bottom spout thing at the base.

http://i720.photobucket.com/albums/ww201/fashionjuicecris/fashionjuice/Cuisinart_Smooth_Operator.jpg

but it technically works, so i can't justify buying a replacement (i didn't choose this... it came with the boy).

here it is on some scallops and brown rice
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3363/4559431160_723169e223.jpg

and as a dipping sauce with steak
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5004/5353691408_9527a4031f.jpg

btw i make this with a stick blender usually -- so fast and easy

The brisket and sauce from upthread were fantastic. Tenderest brisket I've ever had, which was a big surprise to me.

makign this with spinach http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2908
also pumpkin pudding for breakfast tomorrow

the pasta thing i made was kinda blah. not hearty enough or something. i think next time i will make the sauce and serve it over a big spoonful of mashed potato, with some chicken on the side.

scallop + brown rice is a work of art, the kind of shit they serve righteous choreographers in heaven

hey thanks! i was afraid it looked like green barf on some scallops but would like to take this opp to assure you all that the flavor was extremely zesty. healthy, but healthy and zesty.

the vegetables in the second pic are caramelized fennel + green and yellow beans just in case that also looked kinda gross

they were good

they both move me, don't worry

I had a conversation with my mom about how we're both reluctant to cook parsnips and cauliflower bcz they don't add nice color to the plate like other veggies do. I just bought some green plates, though, which I hope will solve the problem.

Cauliflower soup!

... wait, thats the only thing I ever mention on here isnt it haha.

Maybe I should make that soup someday. Does it have other colorful stuff in it? I don't hate white foods, but I'm not too crazy about them, either. I think it is why my mom puts little scallion slices on everything.

btw I sometimes think of you when I see a cauliflower bcz of that soup!

Hahah thats awesome! <3 I make it with leeks and thyme, so it can have a sort of speckle to it.

Or you could chuck in a head of brocoli as well maybe so its green?

Actually I remember once my mom got all obsessed with dyeing chrysanthemums and expanded her obsession to boiling cauliflower in water with food coloring added. The results were weird. Spooky pink, green, and blue halos around all the cauli was NAGL for a meal.

Yeah I dont think I'd want a blue gloop soop.

Spooky pink, green, and blue halos around all the cauli

<3<3<3

halos round the cauli
slap me on the patio

Hahahah

trying out a dry mole rub on boneless pork loin chops. i made a spinach, red pepper, and jicama salad w/ citrus vinaigrette to go with. i forgot how much i love jicama!

tomorrow: pork belly marinated in fish sauce, with quail eggs

http://jessieandthegiantplate.com/blog1.php/for-the-love-of-pork

wow!!

There's someting about the idea of a "meat rub" that always makes me snigger. I am 12.

<3 pork belly

i made twice cooked pork w/ it just the other night

if i make an apple pie crust (flour, shortening etc.) and it cracks and also crumbles at the edges when i roll it out, what is this symptomatic of?

I think thats just the nature of shortcrust innit? :/ Maybe not enough fat tho?

The dough might be too cold or it might need a tiny bit more water. If you can't patch the crumbly areas easily, mist with just a light spray of water and let it sit for a minute or two, then try patching again.

hmmm the recipe told me to refrigerate for 30mins before rolling it out. and to err on the side of less water! so i will try a touch more liquid next time.

It's super easy to add too much water, and how much to use is going to depend on your flour (how old it is, etc), so most recipes will have you start with the barest minimum. It takes practice (and lots of practice pies to eat!) to recognize how much is just right. 30 min in the fridge won't get it too cold to work, so you probably needed just a tiny bit more water.

it was still delicious! i just wish there was MORE crust! i posted about this on the rolling vegetarian/vegan thread: i served it with a dairy-free cream i made from scratch, out of cashews, water, agave, vanilla and coconut oil.

The best thing about making ketjap manis is how great it makes the kitchen smell.

I've been pondering the role of an egg dip in fried foods -- fried chicken, chicken fried steak, onion rings, etc. The egg helps hold the flour/crumb coating to the payload, but it sucks up a lot more oil as well -- I think it's the protein in the egg that grabs the fats, but I'm not 100% sure of my kitchen science there. Does ILC have some received wisdom on this, or tips on great fried-food coatings? I'm planning on making chicken fried steak tonight, is why I ask.

From this page, I learned that the flour enables the egg to stick to the food, but I don't know how much more oil it retains. Guess it would depend on the temperature of the oil?

One thing I learned last night, panko does not make for a good schnitzel coating :(

I usually don't use egg - just the moisture already on the meat, or a little water/seltzer/marinade, or buttermilk for chicken. doo dah's otm about the oil temp. If it's not hot enough, it will just get absorbed into the coating without frying, then the steam from the interior sogs up the breading from the inside out.

I think I'm going to go buttermilk > seasoned flour with these dudes. Thanks, doo dah and Jaq!

guys so apparently i am doing valentine's this year for the first time in basically forever and i don't know what to make for dinner :-/

Make things you can do ahead of time so you have time for pre-dinner makeouts. Start a beef bourguinon today, good loaf of bread, bottle of wine, profit.

I've soaked the chicken in soured milk for a couple of hours in advance when I've done fried chicken before, not sure whether this would work for beef but it means I don't have to use egg.

oh man i've been trying to figure out how to get stuff to stick to tofu! i always marinate it first but then if i dip it in the breading or whatever it just falls right off. so i tried egg replacer (i have to find vegan ways around everything) which initially seemed to work but once the tofu was in the pan the breading slid right off.

justine! i made cornflour crusted tofu the other night and here's what worked: almond milk + flour (sub'd cuz i didn't have cornstarch) before breading

worked amazingly well

yeah that was on my list for the next thing to try (just the cornstarch), since i saw it in a recipe recently.

what's the difference btw cornflour and cornstarch?