What's cooking? part 4

also don't forget lemongrass!!!

oh yes I was going to buy lemongrass! and then didn't. I don't know why. I've also read palm/brown sugar is good though this already tastes sweet enough from the coconut milk.

yeah it's not a must, it's just good to try if you're fully into the thai curry thing. and it balances the fish sauce, kinda raises the flavor level somehow idk the science of it lol

palm sugar I mean

lemongrass is KEY

here's the red curry recipe i have

you use about one cup of coconut coconut cream to like 4 tablespoons of paste which is made from : chilies, galangal, lemongrass, lime zest, coriander, shallot, garlic, shrimp, coriander, cumin, peppercorn (i.e. out of a bag)

you fry this paste in the coconut cream and add 1 tbs palm sugar, then 2 tbs fish sauce, then cooked ingredients, then finish by adding two cups of coconut milk and some lime leaves

I had a tub of mae ploy in my fridge for years, after R the ex bought it, made like one curry then moved out on me. Red curry is way too hot for my taste so I never used it :(

...I didnt intend for my logic flow to sound like R went "making curry... oh man! I gotta dump trayce and LEAVE!" lol

I never found red curry that hot? maybe because it was sweeter or I just wasn't having hot enough red curries lol. Green was always hotter to me.

the recipe i have calls for sixteen red chiles per three cups coconut milk!

Yellow curry is about as hot as I can handle, Im a real spice wuss.

;_;

green is my fave. hurts so good

I'm sorry ketchup is a little on the spicy side for you, trace

*trayce

:P

rosemary and white bean soup now underway

And this time I'm ignoring the cook time. I'm just going to simmer the motherfucker til the motherfucking beans are done, I don't care how long it takes. I told mr veg, 'we're either having it for lunch or dinner, fyi' :D

TODAY. TEXAS CHILI.

Arroz con pollo to pack for lunch all week.

gosh i feel so lame and picky, i can't eat leftovers more than two days in a row

maybe if it was someone else's really fantastic arroz con pollo but my own leftovers always seem horrible on the third day

lentil chard carrot lasagne

*soup victory* You guys! I conquered beans!

Soup turned out deliciously, extra cook time well worth it.

puree? yummay either way no doubt.
having trouble deciding between tempeh reuben or pizza with porcinis for dindin. it's really warm here for frisco in november which is making me try and come up with something else altogether. on the other hand i'm catsitting for a neighbor and can heat up his apt and not mine if it comes down to 'zza

cubed beef for over and hour; this shit is finally on and simmering.

over AN hour

xxpost yeah pureed - but I've struggled to get beans to the right doneness for the puree to be tasty. This time they were nice and tender, pureed up a treat.

what's a tempeh reuben?

xpsot: yeah, i had trouble being patient enough to let beans go another 1/2 hour or whatever it took for doneness in my past. can totally relate.

tempeh reuben is rye bread with 1000 island dressing slathered on the inside pieces, sliced swiss cheese on top of that, then to one of the bread pieces top wtih ~1/4" slab of tempeh (that is sliced horizontally & sauteed to brownness), top with a big pile of sauerkraut, then sliced pickles and put the other prepped piece of bread on top. then fry in butter. i love this thing and have made it about 5 times in the last 4 or 6 weeks

update: chili is entering it 3rd hour of simmering. feeling very good about this batch.

ysi?

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