What's cooking? part 4

we're working on the technology

WORK FASTER I'M HUNGRY

Smitten Kitchen cookbook just out. Deb's Gnocchi with tomato broth p. good; also made pumpkin muffins

oh cool, i'll check that out

oh yummo

i found this blog today: http://www.frenchrevolutionfood.com/blog/. haven't gone too far but i think i'm into it.

I just got into an argument with my mom about searing meat. I'm cooking two pork tenderloins and she insisted I sear them before putting them in the oven, that it will seal the juices in and give it a good crust. She said you do this with any steak or roast. I said it's unnecessary?

I always do.. But I like the seared bits a lot.

It doesn't seal in the juices, but it does really add to the flavor for meat that is braised. Not at all necessary when you're roasting though.

Tonight: country ribs slow braised in achiote, lime, chilis, garlic, salt, cumin, mexican oregano, and a little cinnamon with roasted yams.

that sounds great jaq

It smells so good right now - needs another hour. How did the chili turn out?

Made the most disappointing veg curry last night, was basically just a "use up the scraps of veggies in the fridge cos I'm po" thing, so a load of eggplant, green beans, carrot, capsicum. But it really needed a sweet coconut milk base and I had none, so used yogurt. Which was nowhere near as good - too tangy, too bland. And I had to eat it for dinner AND lunch. BLARGHH. Hate that.

in all about roasting, i believe the base pork tenderloin recipe calls for searing on the stove and then transferring to a roasting pan. i would do what molly says tbh.

It smells so good right now - needs another hour. How did the chili turn out?

― Jaq, Sunday, November 4, 2012 8:49 PM (10 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

it turned out good! it's not a very forgiving recipe so my challenge has been to get the *right* amount of spice out of the chile puree where it has a nice peppery kick but doesn't leave you with a fiery mouth. i think i accomplished that today which leaves me open to further experimentation in the future.

All About Roasting looks like a great book, thanks!

if i've never talked it up here, it's an amazing book and highly recommended.

here's the shorthand of the basic pork tenderloin recipe:

oven @ 350, pork at room temperature. heat a skillet, add oil, sear pork undisturbed on all sides, 6-8 mins total. transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet, roast until pork reaches 140-145 degrees, 13-18 mins.

i believe the pork will overcook on the bottom if you move the skillet to the oven, thus the transition to the second pan.

I'm trying this tonight
http://www.food.com/recipe/perfect-pork-tenderloin-63828

btw that method didn't work, pork was undercooked, trying to fix it and not completely dry it out?

my lentil chard lasagne was pretty good, but there was too much fennel

Jacob, if the interior temp didn't get up to 145 F, either heat it in a covered pan (with some oil) on medium heat on the stove top or turn the oven back on to 300 F and stick it back in there until it does. Pork juices can still be pink at 145 F, but it will be safely cooked.

made 'bimla's chicken curry' from madhur jaffrey's climbing mango trees book for dinner - wow that was a good curry. TWENTY cloves of garlic! p sure you can smell me from here, lol.

kind of a crazy meal prep - I wasn't paying attention and forgot to start the rice when the curry was almost done, so it had to sit for a little bit while the rice cooked. but that gave me time to throw together an apple crisp for dessert with some sad leftover golden delicious that were looking very unloved in our fruit bowl, which is now in the oven.

kind of a marathon cooking day today! but all delicious, so def worth it! also: buggered

madhur jaffrey is great

p sure I'm voting her queen of my kitchen

I have so much red curry paste. Does anyone have suggestions for what to do w/ it besides coconut milk + protein + veggies?

Make spicy Thai Bloody Marys!

Mix with lime juice and marinate all the meats before grilling.

Incorporate into brownies or chocolate cake or ice cream, somehow

^^^maybe not such a good idea

Make a dressing for salad/veggies in general

Rub on penis

^^^No, don't do that

Make spicy Thai Bloody Marys!

― quincie, Tuesday, November 6, 2012 11:14 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ho. ly. shit.

Rub on penis

― quincie, Tuesday, November 6, 2012 11:16 AM (8 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ho. ly. shit.

OK to be fair I have been in the same position re: rubbing on penis no I mean I have been in the same position with having a tub of Mae Ploy red curry paste, which is the bestest prepared red curry paste for sure, and thinking UH what am I gonna do with the rest of this stuff now that I have used one tablespoon.

IME it lasts forever and ever in the fridge if you seal up the lil baggie up tight.

Meanwhile, here at headquarters, we are rubbing red curry paste on penis no I mean roasting beets in the fireplace. Not sure how well this will go, but it seems wasteful to heat up the oven for a couple of little beets when I have a fire going already.

Actually I'm feeling kinda proud of the spicy thai bloody mary idea; you can stick a crushed stalk of LEMONGRASS in there in lieu of dumb celery.

N.B.: I like dumb celery

That is a rather inspired idea! I wonder if a little coconut milk in it would work, or just be gross?

i made a vegan tikka masala with tofu last night and it was SO FUCKING GOOD! i was surprised by how delicious the tofu turned it - it was really buttery and rich.

fancy butcher shop opened up near me so i want to check it out. first purchase--seasoned ground goat.

i'm thinking of making lamb meatballs with tomato sauce tonight and i have a bunch of squashes (butternut and buttercup). what should i do? might cook w/ onions, ginger, cinnamon, and raisins i dunno

made little fried cakes out of leftover saffron risotto and ate it for breakfast with poached eggs. fucking savage.

Ooh. Can I do something similar with leftover brown rice, obviously not as delicious as saffron risotto, but for breakfast?

That sounds amazing! I love risotto cakes but I've never made one/them. Is it sticky enough to stay together w/o some kind of binding agent or do you need to add egg or sthg?

All right, well, I had a lot of brown rice in the fridge so I added cheese and an egg, chives, broccoli. Browned it, flipped it. WIthout the yogurt or another binder, it didn't hold together, but it's still pretty good. I fried a 2nd egg and put it on top. :)

well mine was quite stiff from the (v cold) fridge so i could just lever out spoonfuls and flatten them a bit in the pan. in other circumstances a little bit of beaten egg might have been necessary. also breadcrumbs, flour, these are options.

That egg and browned-up rice cake thing was so good, I want to make some more rice that I don't need for anything just so I can have it for breakfast again.

Also I'm going to do something with a pork shoulder roast today. Roast it, probably.

playing it safe huh

jk