What's Cooking?

[lil_elvis]

That sounds like a good idea, except for the salt (I need to control sodium consumption). And we have an enamel coated dutch oven, but have never used it in a slow cook manner as you suggest. maybe I'll try that before the warm weather comes. I don't usually use wine either, but it sounds like a good idea too. Any suggestions of what I might use?

Thanks.

Suggestions for wine...always a good question, but as has oft been said, if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it. All depends on your presonal tastes. Chicken or pork can go either red or white (although I'd be wary of Chardonay - not one of my fave's anyway - especially if they're of the more oaky variety), while with beef and lamb you need a red to stand up to the meat. And with lamb, something deep and robust. For a four serving batch, I generally use 1-1.5 cups of wine and make up what's needed with stock.

You can even use beer (it's a Belgian dish, the only aromatic is onions and the liquid is beer and beef stock, just can't remember the seasonings offhand)

The great thing about braises is they're wonderfully flexible and forgiving, plus they're economical because they're designed to make cheaper (i.e. tougher) cuts tender. Just use whatever is on hand and a little extra time in the oven doesn't really hurt anything should you get distracted, want to socialize with your guests a bit longer or someone's running late. Plus you can serve them with a multitude of starches - noodles, potatoes (mashed, roasted, browned), pasta or rice. Or add other veggies new the end of cooking for a textural contrast and additional flavor - throw in a box of frozen peas for the last 10 minutes or so.

Another good ingredient is dried mushrooms. I always have porcini on hand and put some of the rehydrating liquor in the pot. Whatever liquids you employ, they should cover the meat about half way.

TMI or should I go on?

 

[Guest]

 

[mcopado]

Scalywag,

Instead of the crock pot, cook everything in a dutch oven (heavy, lidded pot - Le Crusset and Lodge being a couple of the better known manufacturers, usually coated in enamel).

Enamel? Sacrilege of the highest order Cast Iron...at least 50 years of age. (you can usually find one at a garage sale for no more the $25-30...Or in your grandmothers basement) re-seasoned...can take the heat, be used in oven, on the stove, at a campfire or in the fireplace, or as a helmet if you are ever invaded by Enamel broadsword wielding philastines..

Enamel, pshah!!!

The rest of Lil_Elvis advice though..Dead on!

Glad t see this thread sparked up again!

 

[Vincent E]

Braciole

Rather than simply adding meatballs or sausage to a pasta dish, try this old Italian classic. Braciole (Pronounced bra-SHOLE)

1 1/2 lbs sirloin or flank steak pounded with a meat tenderizer and flattened
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 clove garlic minced
2 hard boid eggs sliced
2 slices prosciutto
1 tablespoon parmesean or romano cheese (real parmesean, not Kraft)
2 teaspoons olive oil

For sauce:
1 can plum tomatoes
1 clove garlic minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Trim fat and pound steak until thin. Combine parsley, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Top with prosciutto, eggs, and cheese spread over steak. Roll the steak and ingredients into a log and tie with string. In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and brown the steak on all sides. Add the remaining olive oil, garlic, parsley, and tomatoes. Simmer for approximately 40 minutes or until beef is tender.

The proper way to serve braciole is to let it set and slice into circular wheels 1/2 in thickness. Keep meat in the sauce to retain juices.

 

[mcopado]

Rather than simply adding meatballs or sausage to a pasta dish, try this old Italian classic. Braciole (Pronounced bra-SHOLE)

Hey, when I was a kid, the Italian family across the street used to make their meatballs with a hardboiled egg in the center of it...What is it called? How is it made without overcooking the hard boiled egg when frying the meatballs?

 

[Vincent E]

Hey, when I was a kid, the Italian family across the street used to make their meatballs with a hardboiled egg in the center of it...What is it called? How is it made without overcooking the hard boiled egg when frying the meatballs?

I don't know that one, but my guess about the egg in the center is that it is taking up space where the meat does not need to cook. Kind of like making hamburgers with holes in the middle. Less volume requires less cooking time.

But it would have to be one hell of a large meatball to fit a whole egg.

 

[lil_elvis]

Enamel? Sacrilege of the highest order Cast Iron...at least 50 years of age. (you can usually find one at a garage sale for no more the $25-30...Or in your grandmothers basement) re-seasoned...can take the heat, be used in oven, on the stove, at a campfire or in the fireplace, or as a helmet if you are ever invaded by Enamel broadsword wielding philastines..

Enamel, pshah!!!

The rest of Lil_Elvis advice though..Dead on!

Glad t see this thread sparked up again!

you're right, well seasoned cast iron is also a viable and less expensive alternative. however, if you're working with acidic ingredients (tomato, citrus, vinegar, etc.) these can destroy the seasoning on the cast iron. So as long as you don't mind re-seasoning frequently, no problem. but I'm too lazy for that.

 

[entitled]

i've got a recipe for egg-filled meatballs i can dig out at some point. They're pretty easy.

 

[Guest]

 

[mcopado]

you're right, well seasoned cast iron is also a viable and less expensive alternative. however, if you're working with acidic ingredients (tomato, citrus, vinegar, etc.) these can destroy the seasoning on the cast iron. So as long as you don't mind re-seasoning frequently, no problem. but I'm too lazy for that.

I tend to do a quick and dirty re-seasonning everytime I use cast Iron...I noticed one day that if you don't dry cast iron immediately it starts to rust...since I tend to end up doing a Ton of dishes when I cook, and the cast Iron is usually the first pot I clean and set on thr dish rack, by the time I was ready to dry and put away there would usually be a little rust developing...I found that if I set the wet pan on the burner and evaporate away the water it prevents it....so one day while it was hot I seasonned it with a paper towel and oil...

So I do that every time I use it....although I think once a year I still should do a full blown in hot oven seasonning session...

 

[entitled]

i've never done an oven seasoning on my cast iron. Neither did my dad on the set that he's had for probably 30 years or more.

Then again, the cast iron is our camping stuff. When we get ready for bed we just toss them all on top of the fire. By the time we get up in the morning the coals are pretty dead and the cast iron is reseasoned.

 

[Aurora Black]

The lunch du jour for today was spinach/green onion omelette.

I washed and chopped the spinach and green onions before setting them aside. I put a teflon skillet on the burner and set it on medium heat, adding a dollop of olive oil.

Since I was only cooking for two, I whisked 3 eggs together with cubed pieces of feta cheese, adding salt and black pepper into the mix. When the red eye at the bottom of the skillet was ready, I threw in the chopped onions and spinach, swirling them together until the leaves had cooked down enough to add the egg mixture.

Once I added the egg/cheese mix, I turned down the heat to low and flipped over the omelette until I was satisfied. It was delicious.

 

[Guest]

 

[Aurora Black]

I have a feeling we're going to order out tonight, or maybe have a "fend for yourself" night.

Fending for yourself isn't fun, quite the opposite.

 

[Aurora Black]

Cloudy's Jambalaya!

I'm bumping up this thread by posting Cloudy's recipe for Jambalaya in honor of Mardi Gras! Thought I'd share it with you guys.

here you go:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 medium green peppers, chopped
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 cup long-grain rice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 medium bay leaf
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 pound sausage (andouille or smoked sausage if andouille's hard to find)

In a big pot (one that can go into the oven, but it can be cooked completely on the stove with a lid), heat oil. Add onions, green peppers, and garlic; sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in sausage, tomatoes, rice, chicken broth, salt, thyme, cayenne, and bay leaf. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes (or cover and simmer), or until rice is tender. Add shrimp. Cover and bake (simmer) 10 minutes longer, until shrimp is cooked through and tender.

yummy.

 

[Guest]

 

[mcopado]

I'm sick..so it's canned chicken soup for me....Bleh...But it doesn't really matter I haven't any appetite...So why is it when you are sick, your appetite is the first thing to go???

 

[cloudy]

I'm bumping up this thread by posting Cloudy's recipe for Jambalaya in honor of Mardi Gras! Thought I'd share it with you guys.

eating now, and it's really good.

 

[SeaCat]

I'm bumping up this thread by posting Cloudy's recipe for Jambalaya in honor of Mardi Gras! Thought I'd share it with you guys.

I grabbed this one. Thanks Cloudy.

Cat

 

[cloudy]

I grabbed this one. Thanks Cloudy.

Cat

de nada. Enjoy.

 

[matriarch]

Apple and cinnamon muffins. Using an old recipe of mine for 'buns' (a smaller version of muffins and English 12-spot tins are smaller than muffins), I doubled up the recipe and filled a 12-muffin tray. Can't wait to see how they come out. Its been some time since I made any, and had to drag the recipe out of the depths of my head. Hope it works ok. Only problem I had, the brown sugar I bought last December and hadn't opened is now the texture of a housebrick and it would take a severe beating with a heavy blunt instrument to bring it back to usable consistency, so I used normal sugar instead. The crunchiness will be the same, but not the depth of flavour or colour. We'll see.

I'll take pics and post if they turn out ok.

Then I just have to persuade the gosling to at least try them. Do goslings eat muffins? Time will tell.

 

[Aurora Black]

Apple and cinnamon muffins. Using an old recipe of mine for 'buns' (a smaller version of muffins and English 12-spot tins are smaller than muffins), I doubled up the recipe and filled a 12-muffin tray. Can't wait to see how they come out. Its been some time since I made any, and had to drag the recipe out of the depths of my head. Hope it works ok. Only problem I had, the brown sugar I bought last December and hadn't opened is now the texture of a housebrick and it would take a severe beating with a heavy blunt instrument to bring it back to usable consistency, so I used normal sugar instead. The crunchiness will be the same, but not the depth of flavour or colour. We'll see.

I'll take pics and post if they turn out ok.

Then I just have to persuade the gosling to at least try them. Do goslings eat muffins? Time will tell.

If she doesn't, I will. *drooling*

 

[Aurora Black]

Chicken and Spring Onion flavored Ramen noodles. Yum.

 

[English Lady]

I made a gorgeous soup for my lunch, I used this recipe

http://soup.allrecipes.com/az/77981.asp

but I used a little less butter and no celery as i had none -it was yummy yummy!

 

[Aurora Black]

I made a gorgeous soup for my lunch, I used this recipe

http://soup.allrecipes.com/az/77981.asp

but I used a little less butter and no celery as i had none -it was yummy yummy!

I'm sure it was just the thing for a cold March day.