What's cooking? part 4

Slices of black truffle?

Basil?

i wanted macaroni and cheese, so i made my first roux, but i didn't have flour, so i used some cornstarch, it didn't seem to matter

is it supposed to?

I don't think so, unless you want to get the flour browned for some toasty flavor.

cornstarch has a different consistency and flavor than flour, in this case since youre mixing it with all that cheese it prob doesnt matter too much, but in some sauces its p easy to tell the differnce

huh, apparently my lyfelong platonic macaroni ideal kraft uses cornstarch (at least, in the organic one - the reg one sez 'modified food starch', which who knows), so p. much zero chance of my noticing if the cornstarch makes it come out weird

: )

you can make that weird half solid half liquid science project with corn starch but you can't make it with flour

i'm poaching a whole chicken like q said to. not quite the same recipe but it's ok.

well, i used real cheese which seems to make full technological refinement in the sauce impossible, not sure where i can get cheese powder to substitute

maybe i can buy a box of kraft and just use the packet

on a bit of a pizza making binge; trying to get dough to be perfectly how i want it (not necessarily crsipy/crackery like i was into for awhile, but more)like new york slices. last night at home madea nice one with just green olives (fontina and sauce, natch). today @ work have got the dough more refined, put roasted red fresno chile strips, roasted eggplant, on top of sauce and mozz. pizza rules

mmmm, I believe 5-7 minutes on a low/medium setting will give it enough gluten to provide elasticity. my friend that works @ a pizza joint says she knead theirs for 13-15 minutes but that's doing a 50# bag of flour. not sure what overworking would look/feel like

I used to knead in my stand mixer for 3-4, having no idea that longer would make it more elastic - I tried my last one for about 7 minutes and wow, what a world of difference! I dedicate my next pizza to you.

funny you say that. i think i need a bit more patience than i had today. still came out real nice but coulda been a little more elastic. had it on a medium speed for about 3 minutes 'cuz i had some stuff i needed to get on with doing

Do you guys use the high-gluten flour that's supposed to be better for pizza? I can only find that around here in large bags, so I haven't tried it.

Also, I use the no knead method - mix dough, let sit for 18 hrs, then form and let rise for 2 hours. Anyone make pizza this way?

have never used high-gluten before but made my first batch of dough with .00 flour (specialty flour that is used for pizza in Italy) the other day. not sure what dif it made. was def v cracker-y.
last pizza of the week today: dough>sauce with finely chopped habaneros added>mozzarella>topped with thin slices of red chiles and pineapple. that is all

A handful of almonds and some brussels sprouts count as breakfast, yes? I don't even know what I want to cook anymore, I could eat Chinese and Indian takeout for weeks, I feel like.

gonna dutch oven-roast a chicken this weekend, i am excite

we won a ten pound "pasture sampler" of various meat cuts from a local farm in a silent auction and it has been really fun trying out all these different things. We have 2 lbs of stew beef and a small chicken and like a pound of ribs left over, this weekend we are making chili w/the beef and maybe that 40-garlic-clove chicken recipe? not sure yet.

A 40-clove recipe would definitely drive me to buy one of those deli containers of already peeled cloves. It's probably about the only thing that could.

OMG I want that 40 clove recipe where is it

http://hormelfoodws.blob.core.windows.net/products/7505000611.jpg

this is my new go-to for stir-fry sauce. mmmmmmmmm

I've been going to TOWN on my new stove this holiday season, esp the big griddle thingie. So far I've used it to make tons of pancakes and arepas and also falafel? i dunno, it was not as good as fried, but still tasty. Makes a great tortilla warmer too.

dutch-oven chicken turned out ok --- unfortunately it ended up a bit over cooked, the oven temp was a little higher than I thought and i should have checked it after an hour, but it was waaaaaaaaaay done at an hour 20.

made some BITCHIN gravy though. damn. gonna try it again, shorter cook time should do the trick.
despite being overcooked though, it was ridic tender

I pulled a pack of roasted green chiles from the freezer today and made my version of posole. I didn't taste these chiles back when I roasted them, just peeled and froze 'em -- holy shit are they hot. The stew turned out so good, but my wife couldn't eat it.

I took some to my mom, who loves some Scovilles -- she took a bite and said "that's good -- not too hot, thoughOH MY LORD, WOW"

The 40 garlic clove chicken recipe originated with James Beard, iirc. I made it a couple of times back in the early 80s. All I remember for sure is that you were supposed to seal the lid onto the casserole dish with a paste of flour and water.

and then use a crowbar to open it back up again?

OK this probably doesn't really qualify as "cooking," but it is the closest I'm going to get in a hotel room! Today I'm going here to, among other things, *create my very own, one-of-a-kind Cup Noodle*!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momofuku_Ando_Instant_Ramen_Museum

i froze some of the gumbo that i made on christmas and ate it last night with tater tots instead of rice after going to a bar where the two were being served together and it was sooooooo gooooood
like gumbo poutine

gumboutine

omg LL that is blowing my mind, I'm gonna try that

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2887/11920912085_405e73cd3d.jpg
i plated it like this so the tots wouldn't get soggy

oh for a wonkavision app

I made some cinnamon biscuits from the Silver Spoon cookbook. They're like snickerdoodles, but made with olive oil. Don't think I've ever made a sweet anything with olive oil before.

That looks like the gumbo and the tots are going into battle

In my little camp-like kitchen (details posted on the cookbook thread) I have thus far prepared:

Steamed pork buns. Well, I bought the buns and warmed them up, which took some improvisation because at the time I had only one pot with zero lid or steaming rack at my disposal.

Udon with stir-fried beef, ginger, garlic, scallion, soy, sesame oil

Three-cup chicken with pepper, carrots, udon

Today's plan: rice cakes (the noodley disks, not the crispy styrofoam stuff) with pork and pickled mustard greens

Lot of noodles going on around here, basically.

I'm making my very first lentil soup, from Cooks Illustrated

Lentil soup gives a lot of payback for a little money and not a lot of work. Hard to beat.

holy shit I never ever thought I would describe lentil soup as "rich" or "sumptuous" or "a universe of flavor" but damn

fyi

INGREDIENTS

3 slices bacon (about 3 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped medium (about 1 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained (I used TJ's fire roasted w/ green chiles)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 cup lentils (7 ounces), rinsed and picked over
1 teaspoon table salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fry bacon in large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add onion and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in lentils, salt, and pepper to taste; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until vegetables are softened and lentils have darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high, add wine, and bring to simmer. Add chicken broth and water; bring to boil, cover partially, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 30 to 35 minutes; discard bay leaf.

2. Puree 3 cups soup in blender until smooth, then return to pot; stir in vinegar and heat soup over medium-low until hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley and serve, garnishing each bowl with some of remaining parsley.

does the pureeing just end up thickening it? could you skip that step and get a more liquid broth that was full of lentils? (cuz i don't have a blender.)

i made more macaroni, put some shit in it. i'm a goddamn whiz now. and fancy. chopped up some spinach, added it, looks like i am eating a meal prepared by an adult.

i wld assume it's just to thicken it a bit, yeah.

Nah, before you purée it the liquid/solid ratio is way off; it's just a pot of stuff with some liquid between the cracks and maybe an inch or so on top

gotta puree lentil soup! i use an immersion blender for everything and it works great.

Experimenting with adding proteiny things and extra vegetables to Nigella's Happiness Soup and making it into more of a Happiness Stew. Today: baked tofu, red peppers and spinach.

ah well, maybe i'll look for more of a soup-with-lentils recipe

xp to self: this was much better with hotdogs.

Soup is in the air! Today I am going to make some chunky (no blender here, immersion or otherwise) tomato basil soup to go with this delicious cheese bread we found at a random bakery yesterday, which I am afraid I will never find again now that I am addicted to their chocolate-peanut bread :(

lentils are dope as hell, dal bhat classic dish maybe w some greens or yogurt or something, so wholesome

damn i want some dal bhat now, no dal tho

Turning 40 lbs of apples into apple butter today.