A Cook's Diary

Share recipes and tips, or memorable restaurant experiences here.
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fallingwickets
Clive the Thumb
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by fallingwickets »

spaghetti with marcella hazen tomato sauce. DeeeeeeeeeeLicious. If you gents havent made it yet, a definite arrow for the quiver

clive

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/101 ... mato-sauce
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TRBeck
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by TRBeck »

Really ought to try that one, Clive. I'll see if I can work it into the rotation for pasta night this week.
Regards,
Tim

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drmoss_ca
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Re: A Cook's Diary

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I'm hoping the Boss and the Boy will successfully buy a 'family pack' of fish and chips tonight. If they fail, I have to make an acceptable supper for three at 20 minutes notice. Life on the edge. To propitiate the gods, I already have made a steamed chocolate pudding:

1 egg
½ cup white flour
½ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 TBSP melted butter
3½ TBSP cocoa powder
½ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Butter and dust with flour a pudding basin. Mix the above ingredients and pour into the basin. I added a cup of cherries that had been soaked in sherry for the last four years in the basement - this is somewhat obviously optional. Seal the pudding mix into a basin and steam for two hours. Serve with custard, cream, fake whipped toppings, ice cream, or what have you. It's good.
Should the gods let me down, supper will be made of whatever dregs I can find at short notice in the freezer - I always keeps some frozen fishcakes on hand for emergencies. If the gods be good, I may reveal the treacle pudding version of that recipe, which is even better in my view.
And as I mixed, one of my Tamiasciurus friends came for a visit:

Image

Nope, I have no squirrel recipes. They may be nutritious and delicious, but that is part of the undiscovered country from whose bourn no eater returns and writes about it in a food column I would read.
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drmoss_ca
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Re: A Cook's Diary

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Making more dal today, this time a mix of soldier beans and red lentils. I'm still trying to get used to my new chilli powder. The old stuff was the colour of paprika, and you could use an honest teaspoonful. This is bright red and just the tiniest bit on the tip of a coffee spoon seems a bit too much! If very inspired I might make chapati or naan to go with it, but if not it will just be rice. It's still very hard to find any flour here, so trying to conserve it. At least chapati don't need any yeast!
"Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse."
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Re: A Cook's Diary

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The dal is smelling and tasting delicious! If anyone wants, I'll put the whole recipe out - it's easy and a guaranteed change for most of you. In the meantime, I have made an enormous mistake - one ought never watch food videos when hungry! How about all these varieties of grilled cheese sandwich?



I'd probably kill for some sharp aged cheddar melted into sourdough and crispily fried with mayo right now...
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fallingwickets
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by fallingwickets »

Ive been playing with my sous vide stick. Yesterday i did poached eggs....off the charts easy and tasty. (167F for 13 mins, crack open and eat!!) And for dinner, lamb chops (145F for two hours followed by a quick stint in a hot pan) with rice.

If i could find a 'free' cleanup crew, i would never eat out :)

clive
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fallingwickets
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by fallingwickets »

last night i made pork blade steaks seasoned with montreal steak seasoning, garlic and onion salt. 2'sh hours on he grill at 250F (140F internal) followed by a sear on the stove. Leftover rice, salad, and a frozen yodels for dessert. living the highlife!!!!!
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by drmoss_ca »

We finished off the dal with rice and home made chapatis. I see some fresh penne in the fridge, so likely there will be a fake meat bolognese sauce made to go on it. I had asked for some pasta to do a dish we enjoy occasionally made of leeks, tomatoes and tuna on pasta, but there were no leeks. A curious dish invented in Menorca, when we were trying to eat up all the odds and ends left in the villa at the end of the honeymoon. No doubt it tasted better as we were having to do the same with bottles of leftover booze.
That was just after Franco and long before the EU. It was still a strange place with plain-clothed Cuerpo Superior de Policía officers photographing every single tourist as they descended the steps from the plane, and that wasn't too hard as Menorca had very few tourists in those days, especially in early May. A litre of wine was 30p, and a litre of distilled spirits about 75p (nb these were local versions, so the gin was not distilled in London, but in Madrid). You have no idea what your head is going to feel like when you have two bottles of red wine, a bottle of advocaat, and a bottle of gin, and you'll be damned if you're going to waste them before leaving for the airport early the next morning. I remember tobacco was very cheap too, and came from the Canary Islands. I believe a big box of Farias cigars came home with me. Happy days!

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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by Rufus »

drmoss_ca wrote: Wed May 20, 2020 2:09 pm The dal is smelling and tasting delicious! If anyone wants, I'll put the whole recipe out - it's easy and a guaranteed change for most of you. In the meantime, I have made an enormous mistake - one ought never watch food videos when hungry! How about all these varieties of grilled cheese sandwich?



I'd probably kill for some sharp aged cheddar melted into sourdough and crispily fried with mayo right now...
One of my favourite late breakfasts is a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches and a bowl of tomato soup. I alternate making the sandwiches with just cheese or with cheese and Italian ham. When not having tomato soup I make a dip for the sandwiches from ketchup, mayonnaise and Tabasco sauce. I’ll have to try spreading mayonnaise on the outside of the bread before grilling; I just use butter or margarine at the moment. There were some interesting takes on the grilled cheese in the video that I want to try, but I think I’ll take a pass on the sardine variant. I like sardines, but mixing them into a grilled cheese holds no appeal; I have the same view of lobster mac and cheese: I love lobster and I love Mac and cheese, but mixing them is sacrilege.
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by Rufus »

Rufus wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 2:19 pm
Rufus wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 7:12 am We’re going to give Hoppin’ John a try tonight.
It was a great success: both my wife and I enjoyed it very much. We had the leftovers today at room temperature and without rice or any additions and they were even more tasty than when freshly cooked. I made it with canned black eyed peas and American-style (streaky) bacon, but next time I’ll make it with dried black eyed peas and a mix of streaky and Canadian bacon. Also, I will serve the rice on the side as we both thought the rice (Basmati) muted the taste a little bit. I think too that I may tinker a little with the spices and perhaps make it the day before serving it for dinner; I find that the intensity of the taste of most stews and chili increases when eaten the day after preparation. Nevertheless, it is a tasty and very enjoyable dish that is well worth the effort. Thanks for sharing your recipe, Chris.
Made it again last night. This time I increased the bacon to 6 pieces of streaky bacon and doubled the amount of Cajun spice. Used canned black-eyed peas Unfortunately I was too heavy-handed with the hot sauce. Served the rice on the side. Made it up first thing in the morning and let it sit until 8.00 pm for dinner. Notwithstanding the excessive hot sauce, it was excellent.
Bryan
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by drmoss_ca »

Most of the flavour is the 'cajun spice' combination with thyme. I don't see it as a super hot and spicy dish, and tend to use a fruity/sweet hot sauce rather than anything strong or fiery. Louisiana Joe's rather than Fear Itself. But I daresay there have been many folk dripping in lots of whatever their tastebuds can tolerate over the years, so go with whatever you fancy!
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pausted
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by pausted »

My wife’s late aunt lived in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She was a skilled Cajun cook and taught me several of her recipes. Yesterday, I made a pot of her chicken and sausage gumbo.

First, dice an onion, a green bell pepper and three stalks of celery ( the “trinity” of Cajun cooking.) Place all the vegetables in a bowl to have them ready for the next step.

Next, stir equal parts flour and vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat. I use a cup of each for a big pot of gumbo. Never stop stirring this mixture or you could burn it. Initially it will foam as it burns off the moisture in the flour. Then it will begin to darken as the flour browns. Don’t ever stop stirring! When the roux is the color of chocolate milk, remove from the heat and immediately stir in the vegetables. This will cool the roux and prevent it from scorching.

Now add liquid. I used a 6 cup container of low sodium chicken broth and 1 cup of water. Remember, gumbo is a soup, not a stew. Put back on the heat while you prepare the meat. Slice two links of andouille sausage in 1/4 inch slices. Any smoked sausage will work but andouille is best. Cut into large pieces 3 or 4 pounds of boneless chicken thighs.

Add the meat to the pot along with 2 tablespoons of Cajun spices such as Tony Chachere’s. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered for two hours. You have gumbo! Serve in a big bowl over white rice. Enjoy!
Best regards,

Basil
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drmoss_ca
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by drmoss_ca »

Now that sounds really good! The Acadians who lived here, and those still on the 'French shore' of NS don't seem to have any distinct cuisine. But how they blossomed in Louisiana!
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by Rufus »

pausted wrote: Sat May 23, 2020 2:32 pm My wife’s late aunt lived in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She was a skilled Cajun cook and taught me several of her recipes. Yesterday, I made a pot of her chicken and sausage gumbo.

First, dice an onion, a green bell pepper and three stalks of celery ( the “trinity” of Cajun cooking.) Place all the vegetables in a bowl to have them ready for the next step.

Next, stir equal parts flour and vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat. I use a cup of each for a big pot of gumbo. Never stop stirring this mixture or you could burn it. Initially it will foam as it burns off the moisture in the flour. Then it will begin to darken as the flour browns. Don’t ever stop stirring! When the roux is the color of chocolate milk, remove from the heat and immediately stir in the vegetables. This will cool the roux and prevent it from scorching.

Now add liquid. I used a 6 cup container of low sodium chicken broth and 1 cup of water. Remember, gumbo is a soup, not a stew. Put back on the heat while you prepare the meat. Slice two links of andouille sausage in 1/4 inch slices. Any smoked sausage will work but andouille is best. Cut into large pieces 3 or 4 pounds of boneless chicken thighs.

Add the meat to the pot along with 2 tablespoons of Cajun spices such as Tony Chachere’s. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered for two hours. You have gumbo! Serve in a big bowl over white rice. Enjoy!
Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to give it a try.
Bryan
pausted
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by pausted »

I feel that I should mention that making the roux can be a dangerous proposition. It requires complete attention. Keep kids and pets away from the stove. They call it “Cajun napalm”. 😊 Just be careful.
Best regards,

Basil
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drmoss_ca
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by drmoss_ca »

That sounds much more exciting than a traditional roux, which is boredom personified. Yes, it does take all your attention, but there are no fireworks if your attention wanders, merely no sauce and a pan that will be hell to clean.

And talking of avoiding nasty pans, here's a cheating sauce from last night that worked out well. The Boss brought home more fresh pasta (see previous moans), and this time it was ravioli squares stuffed with tomato and some kind of cheese I've never heard of (and if it actually exists there will be the legal minimum in there for sure), and some ravioli triangles containing pumpkin. The lockdown won't make me starve, but it might make me a murderer.

Anyway, problem ravioli exists. What to do? Boss hates tomato based sauces, as she won't accept that being 60+ and obese leads to heartburn and reasonable people just swallow their proton pump inhibitor and get on with being old and fat. Here is my solution:

1. Cook weird ravioli as expected - boiling water and salt for ~seven minutes.
2. Mix one tub ricotta cheese with one large egg, some salt, some black pepper, a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper, a quick splash of lemon juice, and two generous pinches of dried parsley. Mix well, and then thin down with water - about a quarter cup. After mixing well, heat in microwave.
3. Steam some chopped asparagus.
4. Heat bowls.
5. Place hot drained pasta in bowls, then put a knob of butter on pasta.
6. Add drained asparagus.
7. Pour on sauce.
8. I haven't written this out in order. Figure it out; it isn't hard.

The result was actually pretty nice. The ravioli was as weird as it sounded, but the sauce was damn good and no flour was harmed in its making. That's a roux reference. Oh, never mind.
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pausted
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by pausted »

I came across a website that has a pretty good explanation with pictures of how to make a roux for gumbo. Also, she has two gumbo recipes, one of which is vegetarian. Go to gimmesomeoven.com and search for “gumbo” .
Best regards,

Basil
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drmoss_ca
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by drmoss_ca »

gimmesomeoven.com is an actual website, too. Thanks for that, Basil. Some interesting stuff there.
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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by brothers »

I love gumbo.
Gary

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Re: A Cook's Diary

Post by pausted »

Cook up a batch, Gary. You’ll enjoy it. I’ll bet the ingredients are readily available in OK City.😀
Best regards,

Basil
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