What's cooking? part 4

Experiments in braising #4: extra-thick chuck steaks browned and braised in red wine, pan drippings, garlic, cracked black pepper, celery seed, whole allspice, black cardamom, bay, and a chunk of ginger. It smells amazing at the moment.

Except, then the gas got turned off for the building so it went in the fridge and we had take-out. Still no gas this morning = toast + tea for breakfast. Thankfully the kettle's electric.

Thank god for you Jaq, not only does that sound awesome but I feared I'd killed the board.

Anybody besides me tried the bandwagony Bittman bread recipe? I've done it three or four times I think and it really is realiably delicious - the only times I've gotten crumb like this is when I've done a poolish and even then it wasn't this proper, only problem with this loaf really is the bottom crust, which is too hard & kinda weird - and I'm using a casserole, not a Dutch oven, so that might be the problem

Yes, I did it a couple of times last year--turned out great once, not so great a second time (the second time I tried to make rye bread, probably used too much rye flour, and it came out as thin as a slipper and as heavy as a brick). The first time, although turning out stupendous bread, was also kind of a disaster, as the handle on the lid of my big pot melted in the oven. I finished it with aluminum foil on top, and ate it with fear that the fumes from melting plastic had infiltrated into the bread. All present at that dinner are still alive, so I suppose it turned out ok. Should make it again, now that I have a new--all metal--handle for my big pot.

I do remember the bottom crust being very hard, but not to the extent that it was a problem. No idea how to modulate that--Jaq?

I found and printed out that recipe, and will give it a shot as soon as I get past current deadlines. The enameled dutch oven I got for xmas will be perfect for baking it.

I'm also going to bust up a duck or a goose and confit the leg quarters.

Here we go again: Bittman points to another piece on home bread-baking, nay, a campaign for home bread-baking.

Just home from a weekend away - and the gas is STILL OFF. This truly sucks. The landlord called a minute ago and said the earliest it can be turned back on is Wednesday afternoon.

I will have a think about modulated crustiness though. I like to knead bread too much to try the Bittman no-knead thing.

i love spring break. tonight, i made whole wheat pasta with sauteed green squash, onions, garlic, tomatoes and salmon. mmm.

Thinking about bottom crust too hard business - possibly too high a temp causing this. If you're using a glass/pyrex casserole, try reducing the temp by 25 deg. Could also be too long a baking time - in that case you would increase the temp, again I would up it by 25 deg, and shorten the baking time by 10-15 min. If the interior of the loaf seems quite well done, you could just shorten the baking time without the increase in temp and see what you get. If the interior turns up too damp and stodgy, it will make good bread pudding still.

There are some after-the-fact things that can be done to crusts, brushing with butter/oil, misting with water, but those are for top crusts which form much differently than the bottom one.

Okra at the market today (+ fish & shrimps) = gumbo for dinner tonight. Yay for the gas company getting their act together finally! Now I can boil stuff again.

mmmm, gumbo. I like the Gumbo Zeb version with a base of greens. (mustard/collard for me.)

Rachel Ray was on at the gym the other day, making just that. Except in 30 minutes with excessive down-cleavage camera angles.

Baking brownies today for a friend's bon voyage party tonight. House smelling of rich chocolate-y goodness.

I've just started a Bittman no-knead loaf for baking tomorrow, and a loaf in the bread machine for comparison. (Same flour.)

And after reading G00blar's post on the cooking blog, I've gone out to get what I need for James Oseland's beef rendang. (I'm pretty sure I still have some lemongrass and galangal in the freezer.)

I would give a hundred bucks for Eugene Levy to reshoot some of Mark Bittman's "Minimalist" videos in his Bobby Bittman character from SCTV.

cosign.

Did you get candlenuts?

ha, no such thing here. I used macadamia nuts. Unfortunately, the chuck roast I used was a little too lean or something, because the meat just toughened up and toughened up as the sauce reduced. Flavor A+, Texture C-.

Huh. I bet that'll be a problem for me too (it's next on my list to make, tho I was hoping to find the elusive candlenuts)--even relatively fatty beef is pretty tough to find these days.

Mmmmm, roasting chicken in the oven, smells so good. Standard sprinkles of thyme, cayenne, and cracked black pepper.

First local asparagus of the season! Making hollandaise, steaming some up and serving with the leftover roast chicken.

i am waiting for mahi mahi to thaw and then i am going to attempt fish tacos for the first time ever!

this is exciting

Fish tacos! Do you marinate the fish in something?

i did a quick marinating in lime juice, olive oil, 21-spice seasoning, and some hot peppers. they came out yummy!!

put the fish in a whole wheat soft taco shell with cilantro, tomato, a little cheddar, salsa verde, lettuce, and greek yogurt as sour cream substitute.

^^Sounds awesome.

Made stock today; used the dark meat of the chicken for tonight's dinner;

Chicken salad+crispy bacon on toasted rye mmmmmmmmmmmmm

Needed to use up 2/3 lb ground beef, didn't want a burger and I'm the only one home for dinner tonight. So, browned it and added sun-dried tomatoes, green olives, preserved lemon, pine nuts, a load of typical tagine spices. Covered with water and am braising for 1.5 hours.

Olives + preserved lemon (even when rinsed off) = too salty. Also, when I tasted it at the 1/2 way mark, I threw in a handful of currants. And there's plenty left over for lunch later in the week.

i have two chicken breasts and a salmon fillet defrosting in the fridge right now to cook for my week's worth of never-at-home-dinners. any good marinade recommendations?

A spoonful of http://www.parkersdeli.co.uk/acatalog/hyjulianahotjerk.jpg and an equal quantity of olive oil.

Or a longtime fallback position is teriyaki marinade: 1 part veg. oil to 2 parts soy sauce, + garlic, + ginger, + brown sugar, + sherry, whizzed up in the blender.

i went with lime juice, chili paste, honey on one breast; balsamic vinegar, ginger and a dash of olive oil on another. for the salmon i rubbed with dill, salt, and lemon juice before cooking. my lunches/dinners are gonna rock this week.

Yay first asparagus

first lot was just steamed and eaten, I don't like to fuck with the first taste of asparagus I'll get all year (I don't want to get all seasonal bore about it, but asparagus really is fucking awful if imported so I do genuinely look forward to the four or five weeks I get to eat it each year, weather permitting). Second lot was made into a salad with new potatoes, a hard goat's cheese and soft boiled quail eggs, a little wholegrain mustard vinaigrette and off you bloody well go

I can't beat that, but tonight's london broil (ginger/garlic/sesame oil rub for six hours) with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli really hit the spot.

I'm thinking asparagus risotto, asparagus appointment, asparagus quiche - but I have to get back to the market for more asparagus first.

For dinner, I'm making up some meat pie things, filled with leftovers: roast pork, roast chicken, faux beef tagine from the other day. Veg will be either broccoli or blistered beans. Broccoli option is most likely.

asparagus appointment?

band name?

asparagus: v expensive here right now :(

Haha G00blar, no! It's a way of roasting asparagus from I think Alba over on ILE. Will have to find the thread.

Asparagus appointment

t, check out the greenmarket at usq. i got about a pound of organic from the farm i like for $4, and a few other stands were selling non-org for $3.50.

(it was fantastic, btw.)

woah that's awesome! i will do this next week if i can (not allowed to leave house from friday-tuesday except to go get my project bound at kinkos).

is there a best day for the greenmarket?

if you're housebound from fri-tues then i'd say wednesday is the best day for you to go. the vendor i mentioned (yuno's) should be there, plus weds is also knoll crest day - great eggs, fresh pasta, and whole chickens at $3.30/lb (cheaper than a factory chicken from key foods).

ok i should rephrase. probably next friday is the first day i could go. god, i hate my life right now.

A large chunk of halibut fillet (fresh off the boat and hacked from a 10-lb full side!) currently marinating in chopped garlic, black pepper, lemon juice and olive oil while my giant cast iron skillet is heating up to 400 deg F in the oven. Red leaf lettuce and heirloom tomato salad to accompany (the heirlooms are the ones that are deep red on the blossom end and striped dark green up near the stem, can't remember their proper name).

fishcakes made with smoked haddock, spot of mash, watercress and horseradish bunged on a quick salad of rocket and chicory

from my sister just now --
salad recipe:
greens, grape tomatoes, peppers, avocado, leftover salmon, quinoa, parsley, newman's reduced fat seame ginger dressing

sounds YUM

made my usual lasagne (turkey/mozzarella) with fresh spinach noodles (storebought) instead of the usual. boiled em for 1 minute, just a quick dunk, and the texture did come out nice and pliable after baking.