Years ago... A long time ago in a lifestyle best left behind... lol, I had zuppa toscana at Olive Garden. I absolutely loved it.... but it needed something. A few weeks later, some tweaking of a recipe I found online, and some happy taste test subjects, I found it. So... tonight? Yeah, that's what I'm making.
I know people who adore that recipe. I should look for a vegetarian version. What what your tweak?!
I tried different sausage brands and each one added a difference flavor of course, but it just always lacked a little something. I try to buy our protein from an actual butcher vs. purchasing at the grocery store. I just happened to ask the butcher if they could add red pepper flakes as they made the fresh sausage and they said, "No problem!" I ended up bringing dried habanero and chile de arbol to them and oh lord! The flavor just explodes!
Marry me.
If you don't have a molcajete, the blender would be your next best option. Add a little chicken stock to help thin it and then strain. You won't be able to make it completely smooth unless you do.
Have you considered removing the seeds first?
I cut the end off and shake them. What falls out is most of them. The problem is my 16 yr old daughter will eat until she gets something tough....then she simply stops eating. So even the skin of dried peppers are an issue. I had to google....but yea...a basalt mortar could work. I just know a food processor isn't good enough and when I try to sieve it...too much comes through
What about a food mill??
I worked in college dorm food halls and then at a college bar all through college. Between that and just watching cooking shows, I acquired most of my knowledge there. After graduating, I almost decided to go to culinary school because the job market was so poor.
When I was in highschool I worked at a pizzeria/italian restaurant.. I am kind of obsessive when I discover something I am into and will dive in and relentlessly devour any bit of information I can until I master whatever it is that lit that fire.
I’m still a beginner when it comes to cooking - I’ve only recently learned most of what I know and that’s not much. But I learned some recipes from my mom. Those are my go tos for easy meals. I also learned some from doing a couple of meal kit delivery services - they had nice clear directions. I’ve tried a few recipes that I found online but they didn’t come out too well. That’s where I need to learn more - I need to learn how to modify recipes that need it.
I learned from my mother and my grandmother... later from my mother-in-law. Being Mexican, anytime family got together, all the women would get into the kitchen. I learned how to make different corn and flour tortillas, sopas (soups), marinades for tacos, barbacoa, posole.... you name it. Later, after I got married, I learned how to make dips (Buffalo hot wing, pizza). I never really learned from watching anything on TV but it would give me ideas on what to experiment with.
When you make chile rojo, you often leave the seeds in... for the kick and the flavor. The chiles are already dry and when you cut them open, they practically explode, throwing seeds everywhere. lol
I don’t bake either, I don’t like following directions that closely. Cooking is more about feel. Love to grill and smoke as well.
At one point, people asked me if I ever considered opening a restaurant. I was flattered but like you, cooking is how I show love and I didn't want that to become a job. I've "catered" a few times but it was mostly during Christmas where I'd make a ton of tamales.
My daughter is a natural. As a little girl, she'd watch and ask questions. Then as she got into her teens, she started cooking full meals and we were all blown away. She's absolutely amazing in the kitchen and I'm thankful that even though she lives in a small apartment, she still makes time to cook for herself.
I have gotten A LOT better at baking. I don’t do anything with yeast. I’m not patient enough and dough would be wasted on me. It wouldn’t be good. But I’ve gotten really good at cookies and cakes. I wish I could do bread. I’m just not good with guessing if the yeast is ready or the rise is enough. Nope.
Same! Except for cookies... I'll freaking burn them... again. LOL
that magazine sounds a bit like Cooks Illustrated. I subscribed for a year, but found most of the recipes weren't conducive to my dietary preferences, but the online database was so great.
