What's Cooking

[Rob Z]

GMW,

All of that food above looks quite tasty  [tongue] .  I do like Indian food although we only get it when in-laws come to visit.  The mother of one of my son's former teammates is from India and she used to bring some mouth-watering stuff over for us.

I have been thinking about buying a "traditional" paella pan, but not sure if it will yield any better results than the cast iron skillet.

Are you near a Harris Teeter? They have salmon on sale this week and last night we had a perfect piece of salmon for dinner. 

Cheese

Yes, the File was just for a bit of taste enhancement.  That method described by Chef John really worked well.  I have to admit in times past I have had a bit of a problem getting a roux to turn out just right, so I was plenty pleased to find this method.

Speaking of Jambalaya....  [big grin] [big grin]

 

[GoingMyWay]

Thanks Rob.

Authentic Indian food is definitely tastier and spicier than the stuff I've made.

Yup, there are a couple of Harris Teeters near me.  I don't shop there very often though.  Thanks for the heads up on the salmon!

Don't forget, next Tuesday is Mardi Gras!  Perfect time to make lots of cajun/creole food.  Last year I had live crawfish delivered.  I don't think we're gonna do that this year.  Maybe just make some gumbo and/or BBQ shrimp.

I also really wanna make Swedish Meatballs.  I think it's going to be hard to find lingonberries though.

 

[Cheese]

Getting back to the Louisiana food theme, this is a Paul Prudhomme recipe from 1991. Twenty-one different ingredients but it's worth the effort.

Here are 7 Jalapeños, 7 New Mexico's and a yellow onion ready to sauté...before & after.

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The final product baked in a CI skillet then served with a very large dollop of sour cream and some cilantro. The brown crust on the top is white cheddar which along with the sour cream removes some of the heat.

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Here's a view of the center. The toasted cornmeal crust on the bottom rises up because of the baking powder and also contains brown sugar which contrasts nicely with the heat and also tames it a bit. The egg center contains the peppers & onion.

Call it a frittata or a quiche it's a wonderful tasting egg dish that even my 96 year old mother likes...I brought her over a slice last week and she ate it cold.  [eek]

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[GoingMyWay]

Were the jalapenos spicy? 

I've had some jalapenos that had about the heat of a bell pepper and then occasionally you get some are "blow your mind" spicy.

Last night I made Swedish Meatballs.  I combined two different recipes that I had seen.  Turned out pretty good.  We also made some sous vide bread and butter pickles as a side and mashed potatoes.  I tried a different technique and boiled the whole yukon gold potatoes in heavily salted water.  Normally I always cube up the potatoes and boil in plain, unsalted water and season the potatoes after I've riced them.  I kinda liked this technique.

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As I expected, I couldn't find any whole frozen lingonberries, but I did manage to find 2 different jars of lingonberry sauce/jam.  The lingonberries tasted to me just like cranberry sauce.  I wasn't really worth the trouble of finding or the cost.  The lingonberry sauce was $8.99!

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This morning I made corned beef hash with an over easy egg and a slice of toast.

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[Cheese]

1. Were the jalapenos spicy? 

2. Last night I made Swedish Meatballs. 

3. As I expected, I couldn't find any whole frozen lingonberries, but I did manage to find 2 different jars of lingonberry sauce/jam.  The lingonberries tasted to me just like cranberry sauce.  I wasn't really worth the trouble of finding or the cost.

4. I tried a different technique and boiled the whole yukon gold potatoes in heavily salted water.  Normally I always cube up the potatoes and boil in plain, unsalted water and season the potatoes after I've riced them.  I kinda liked this technique.

5. This morning I made corned beef hash with an over easy egg and a slice of toast.

1. The jalapeños are just slightly hot because the seeds & membranes have been removed. It's that slight heat at the back of your throat contrasted with the sweetness of the corn meal & brown sugar crust and the sour cream. 

2. The Swedish meatballs look delicious, just the way I remember them. What's the sauce on the meatballs & potatoes?

3. I needed some lingonberry jam for a recipe. Found it at the local grocer...made in France...$9.99...tasted like cranberries.
Then I found some lingonberry jam at Williams Sonoma...made in Italy...$14.99...tasted like cranberries.
I'll not travel that path again. [smile]

4. I like to cut the potatoes into quarters and then boil in heavily salted water, it's easy & quick to cook.

5. The corned beef hash & egg looks delicious. I've never cooked that but I think I'm going to try it.

 

[Rob Z]

Wow, I love corned beef hash with an egg on top! My mom used to make that all the time when I was a kid.  [smile]

 

[Rob Z]

Sometimes, something simple is very good and satisfying  [big grin] .  Working at my desk yesterday, and Mrs. Z delivered this to me. [eek]  With the bonus slice of ham included !  [big grin]

 

[GoingMyWay]

1. The jalapeños are just slightly hot because the seeds & membranes have been removed. It's that slight heat at the back of your throat contrasted with the sweetness of the corn meal & brown sugar crust and the sour cream. 

2. The Swedish meatballs look delicious, just the way I remember them. What's the sauce on the meatballs & potatoes?

3. I needed some lingonberry jam for a recipe. Found it at the local grocer...made in France...$9.99...tasted like cranberries.
Then I found some lingonberry jam at Williams Sonoma...made in Italy...$14.99...tasted like cranberries.
I'll not travel that path again. [smile]

4. I like to cut the potatoes into quarters and then boil in heavily salted water, it's easy & quick to cook.

5. The corned beef hash & egg looks delicious. I've never cooked that but I think I'm going to try it.

1. Ah, you removed the "good" parts of the jalapeno [wink].

2. This was the first time ever making Swedish meatballs.  The sauce is just the remnants of the canola oil used to fry the meatballs, the fat/juice from the meatballs themselves, some butter, and finally heavy cream.  One of the recipes I saw made the gravy from 4 cups of veal stock and 2 cups of heavy cream.  That seemed like a lot of extra work whereas the other recipe just pan the pan sauce from the drippings and heavy cream.

3. I kinda wished I had done a bit more research on what exactly lingonberries tasted like.  On the other hand, I might have read other's descriptions as "cranberry" and probably not believed it until I tried it myself.  I wonder if frozen whole berries taste any different - I suspect they most likely taste just like a cranberry.

4.  The whole potatoes (albeit were on the small size) surprisingly only took about 20-22 minutes to cook through.  I might have actually slightly over cooked them as some of them split in half and fell apart as I was using a fork to transfer the cooked potato into the ricer.  I do really like the idea of cooking in salted water.  I think that seasons the potatoes more than just adding salt at the end.  That should have been obvious to me as I always insist on seasoning a soup broth at the beginning versus adding salt at the very end.  I also always cook my pasta in very heavily salted water.

5. We always buy Mary Kitchen Corned Beef Hash:https://www.amazon.com/Hormel-Mary-Kitchen-Corned-Hash/dp/B07GG7FNZW/ref=sr_1_1_sspa.  It's much better than Libby's in my opinion.  For some reason the corned beef hash at home never tastes like the generic kind served at most diners.  This is sorta like my quest to find the same tasting cottage cheese that you find on salad bars.  I've even bought the large industrial sized can of corned beef hoping it would taste the same as a diner, but alas it didn't.

Wow, I love corned beef hash with an egg on top! My mom used to make that all the time when I was a kid.  [smile]

Having the yolk run on top of the corned beef hash is the best!

Sometimes, something simple is very good and satisfying  [big grin] .  Working at my desk yesterday, and Mrs. Z delivered this to me. [eek]  With the bonus slice of ham included !  [big grin]

Is that a grilled cheese and ham sandwich?  What kind of cheese is that?  The way it's melted looks amazing.

 

[Rob Z]

GMW,  Yes, that is a grilled ham and cheese, or "toastie" as our friends in the UK call it. [big grin]

I just went to kitchen to check but it looks like the package of cheese was finished. I think it was Boars Head cheddar. That bread is a brioche that HT carries. It makes amazingly tasty grilled cheeses and also French toast .

HT has ribs on sale so Mrs. Z loaded up yesterday. I need to buy some more lump charcoal for my Primo so we can have ribs later this week.

 

[Cheese]

That bread is a brioche that HT carries. It makes amazingly tasty grilled cheeses and also French toast .

The brioche for French toast would really be amazing.

 

[DynaGlide]

Costco Filet's for daughter's fifth birthday

St. Louis style ribs last night for family:

Chicken wings last week for weeknight dinner, Bad Byron's BBQ rub and tossed in Nando's Medium sauce to finish:

Costco brats and peppers for a weeknight meal:

 

[Gregor]

Costco Filet's for daughter's fifth birthday
St. Louis style ribs last night for family:
Chicken wings last week for weeknight dinner, Bad Byron's BBQ rub and tossed in Nando's Medium sauce to finish:
Costco brats and peppers for a weeknight meal:

For some reason I got hungry 30 seconds ago...

4.  The whole potatoes (albeit were on the small size) surprisingly only took about 20-22 minutes to cook through.  I might have actually slightly over cooked them as some of them split in half and fell apart as I was using a fork to transfer the cooked potato into the ricer.  I do really like the idea of cooking in salted water.  I think that seasons the potatoes more than just adding salt at the end.  That should have been obvious to me as I always insist on seasoning a soup broth at the beginning versus adding salt at the very end.  I also always cook my pasta in very heavily salted water.

I cook skinned potatoes in salt water, while whole ones (to peel after cook - or eat as-is for fresh/young ones that have soft skin) get to bath in unsalted water that is laced with caraway and some rough ground pepper.

 

[GoingMyWay]

I cook skinned potatoes in salt water, while whole ones (to peel after cook - or eat as-is for fresh/young ones that have soft skin) get to bath in unsalted water that is laced with caraway and some rough ground pepper.

Is there a difference between peeling before cooking versus after cooking in terms of taste/texture?  I normally peel before because it's easier and faster - don't have to wait for the potato to cool before peeling and/or having the cooked potato start to crumble in your hands.

 

[mike_aa]

[member=66216]GoingMyWay[/member]  [member=44099]Cheese[/member]  Have you tried IKEA Lingonberry Jam?  It's what they serve at the store with their Swedish Meatball Platter.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/sylt-lingon-lingonberry-preserves-organic-10308626/

Smaklig måltid!

Mike A.

 

[GoingMyWay]

I guess I tried some of Ikea's lingonberry jam when I ate there, but that was 5.5 years ago so I don't remember what it tasted like really.  The closest Ikea is over 20 miles away so I we don't go there very often.

 

[Gregor]

Let's see: lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) translates to Preiselbeere in german, translating it back we're at the choices of:

cowberry [BOT.]
lingonberry [BOT.]
mountain cranberry [BOT.]
lowbush cranberry [BOT.]

Pick one. All are tasty to meats when you want it sweater and fruity, whatever name you call it (because they're basically the same plant).

Is there a difference between peeling before cooking versus after cooking in terms of taste/texture?  I normally peel before because it's easier and faster - don't have to wait for the potato to cool before peeling and/or having the cooked potato start to crumble in your hands.

Sure there is, cooking them peeled bleeds them taste wise.

I would suggest to chat with a potato guy at your local farmers market, a good one will have more variety than 'potatoes' - not only in size and firmness but also in taste. You might be surprised should you usually only use the industry kind (which IMHO is bland and uninteresting).

To peel them after cooking make a cut around their waist pre-boiling and quench them in ice/cold water for just some seconds afterwards:
I suggest to not let them sit in the ice/cold water, 5-10 seconds exposure should be enough given quality potatoes.

 

[Cheese]

Have you tried IKEA Lingonberry Jam?  It's what they serve at the store with their Swedish Meatball Platter.

So [member=30413]mike_aa[/member] .........does it still taste like cranberries?  [poke] [poke]

 

[mike_aa]

Have you tried IKEA Lingonberry Jam?  It's what they serve at the store with their Swedish Meatball Platter.

So [member=30413]mike_aa[/member] .........does it still taste like cranberries?  [poke] [poke]

[member=44099]Cheese[/member]  Jeeez, I dunno!  It tastes good to me, but I don't have the same discerning taste buds as all you aficionado cooks!  [not worthy]

Mike A.

 

[Tinker]

>>>Sure there is, cooking them peeled bleeds them taste wise.

 

[GoingMyWay]

I tried making pickled eggs for the first time, two different ways.  The dyed eggs with beets have a very mild flavor (only used 1/4 cup of vinegar). 

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The other jar is too sour as the liquid is 100% vinegar.

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Are there any other pickled egg fans out there?