What's cooking? part 4

I loooooove my cast iron grill pan! It's a Lodge and I use it all the time. Good gift!

yeah having used it i can now see that it's maybe more versatile than i initially thought

I use it to make all taco meats because it makes great crispy bits.

Also grilled veggies yes pls

The little blackened leaves that fall off all salty toasty, the soft and sweet middles, god.

I try to make all the leaves fall off because I like them a lot more than the middles.

I have the le creuset grill pan too -- so handy!

i have it too and i don't understand how to use it. everything sticks to it and i can't get it clean :(

I use a brush and lots of elbow grease.

my flank steak did not stick but i preheated it for a long-ass time over medium heat. i saw somewhere there's a water test you can do to see if it's hot enough. seems like food should be lightly oiled until you've built up a coating on the pan.

I have a grill pan that I didn't use for ages because everything stuck to it. I just didn't have it hot enough I think.

i don't think the water test works for cast iron (or cast-iron-like "preseasoned" finish enameled cast iron), that's for stainless. i preheated it for a long time. i don't want to have to use elbow grease. i give up.

oh, someone on chowhound says this water test is to see if it's too hot. i was thinking of the stainless one to see if it's hot enough. i can't keep track of all this!

yeah it's subtly different from the stainless test. all i did was put it over medium heat for like 6-7 minutes.

Choreboy copper scrubber for cast iron works pretty well.

If I need kombu for cooking beans, would I find it in the asian pantry aisle or in the produce section?

It's dried seaweed, right? Probably in the asian pantry aisle, but you never know.

Yeah I think you can get it dried and fresh? That's why I'm not sure what I'm looking for

hey thanks to whoever mentioned this blog, i am a paleo faker on a good day but she does pretty interesting stuff regardless. i made this tonight--http://nomnompaleo.com/post/3762844557/slow-cooker-korean-grass-fed-short-ribs# with some changes (mostly oven braise not slow cooker) and the sauce was unbelievable.

sauce is the bomb

justin3 – Asian pantry aisle – I have read the dried kombu in beans protip and done it many times but never tried to note if it made a diff.

i think it's supposed to aid digestion? bc beans can be rough on your stomach

Try adding some epazote - traditional mexican herb sort of like minty oregano.

do i just put in the cooking water? what kind of amount?

Yep - maybe a half tsp per cup of dried beans. I just toss in a handful usually.

I have one of those grill pans! I just rarely clean it and only vaguely do so when I do. At first I thought the weighted top was stupid, it didn't seem to do much but squeeze out the fat of the meat, but then I started doing eggplant and zucchini slices on it and it was super effective

I am in love with savoy cabbage + a Japanese mandolin = chiffonade cooked in a pot with bacon fat and fennel seeds

i can see how it might be good for vegetables but i tried to make chicken on it and i lost my mind

Tried making Cincinnati 5 Way Chilli, didn't like it at all. It tasted like what I imagine Americans mean when they say British chilli is rubbish (note I do not eat them), only worse. The raw ingredients were just fighting with each other and the sauce was WAY too wet and/or full of tomato to be good.

i don't have a weighted top -- mine looks like this

http://rainbowonyourplate.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Lodge-Cast-Iron-Grill-Pan.jpg

i had no idea how quick/easy rack of lamb roasts are until tonight.

also, i need to remember that the more i avoid snacks and things that come in boxes at the grocery store, the more money i can spend on racks of lamb.

About to log off and make a big batch of borscht. Bought a nice loaf of bread to go with.

you'll need a belt too, iirc

my first attempt to make corned beef tonight

bought a nice corned beef brisket from the old school specialty food store -- it was a little spendy but I was keen because they do the corning themselves and bcz I didn't want the prepackaged ones at the supermarket. was going to do it in the crock pot but decided that I would try steaming it in the oven instead - little bit of water, into the dutch oven with the lid on for 3 or so hours.

I'm excited! Mum used to make corned beef but she boiled it...and that whole boiled meat/boiled veggies thing is probably one of my least favorite food smells in the world. But oh how tasty corned beef is. I can't resist.

Am going to make colcannon too. Subbing out cabbage for kale, yes sacrilege but I seriously cannot eat cabbage anymore, it fucks up my stomach and makes me literally inflate with gas lol.

any ideas for a dessert involving ricotta? and maybe caramel?

i got a tub of tofu ricotta to use in a salad, first time trying it, and it's way too sweet. i also want to try out turning coconut cream into caramel or condensed milk.

Cannoli? Or cheesecake?

burned the hell out of my hand flipping fish which had been searing. still hurts an hour later, but whatever, got more crispy fish skin.

crispy hand skin and crispy fish skin

have any of y'all ever made kalua pig/hawaiian style pulled pork? It's, like, pork butt and salt and liquid smoke in a crock pot, super easy, super rich, and my friend *swears* by it and I am p stoked to make some tomorrow.

That sounds really good. My mom used to make Kahlua pork chops, which everybody loved -- haven't had those in like 15-20 years.

that sounds delicious.

coming around to the fact that i need to get a crock pot

i almost bought one the other day, then i realized i should make the ultimate sacrifice of giving my email to bed bath and beyoooooooond so i can get the 20% off coupon first

I make kalua pork about once a month, using bacon instead of liquid smoke though. Tasty and great for sandwiches or in stews or whatever too.

it's way better cooked in a pit in the ground but do what you gotta do :)

Throw some dirt into the crock pot?

We've been trying to eat more fish and had leftover baked steelhead in the fridge. I made up a sauce of ghee, capers, and Meyer lemon juice by just barely heating the ghee and whisking in the cold juice to thicken it some. I love how capers are salty little bursts of sour. And also flowers.

oh my goodness, what is one boy to do with four pounds of smoky pulled pork?? Ideas incl: nachos, sandwiches, eating it w rice.

weirdo tacos with cabbage slaw & lime?
on a plate with some greens and roasted potatoes/sweet potatoes
????

cubanos dude: ham/pulled pork/cheese/some kind of flatbread or tortillas - cook in frying pan or panini press & put in face
mix with mac & cheese (and sriracha) = seriously it's great
put it in ragout sauce on pasta
pizza topping
with eggs for breakfast

Make stew of chopped pulled pork, tomatoes, artichokes, garlic.

Posole-ish stew starting with sauteed onion, green chili, garlic. Dump in can of hominy (rinsed) and a can of Rotel, add chick stock and pulled pork, season with cumin and some minced chipotle with adobo. Add big squeeze of lime and tortilla strips before serving. Love this stuff--hominy is criminally underrated!

I need to just continuously buy brisket, I just finished off the adobo beef that I made and then froze, and I wish I had a whole nother pot of it.