I'll be in London in a couple weeks -- and not-to-miss holes in the wall? The less Mediterranean the better. (as I'll also be visiting family in Sicily, so that will be more than addressed)
Leaves me out, our sales guy hates Indian food so I was treated to a parade of horrifying meals. I did get in a good tapas bar but that's Mediterranean.
Not to worry Daniel. not gonna happen. For my side, I'm really busy these days so there's no time for anything out of the ordinary and I don't usually take pics of BBQ chicken or squash no matter how well they turned out.
Kabocha squash fire grilled till black, then scraped, cubed and done in fermented bean and garlic sauce is wonderful but it's anything but photogenic.
Not to worry Daniel. not gonna happen. For my side, I'm really busy these days so there's no time for anything out of the ordinary and I don't usually take pics of BBQ chicken or squash no matter how well they turned out.
Kabocha squash fire grilled till black, then scraped, cubed and done in fermented bean and garlic sauce is wonderful but it's anything but photogenic.
Good to know that this thread has ebbed and flowed. A lot of the rest of DiyA has become a bit tiresome, and this is one of my indulgences. Oh, and the thread.
My cooking and eating has been pretty similar here, Cal. Nothing of note, but just banging out solid meals.
My wife brought home some Baltic herring and wondered how to prepare them. This is one of the very very Swedish dishes, easy to prepare and really cheap.
From my childhood I remember that the taste was OK, but the tiny bones was a big minus.
But today, for the first time in my life, I prepared the fishes, filled them with parsley (unfortunately we only had dried parsley, fresh parsley is much better) and made mashed potatoes - a MUST.
Nothing to find in La Cuisine Grand Hötel de Parism but I liked it. Especially when served with beer and vodka.
From my childhood I remember that the taste was OK, but the tiny bones was a big minus.
But today, for the first time in my life, I prepared the fishes, filled them with parsley (unfortunately we only had dried parsley, fresh parsley is much better) and made mashed potatoes - a MUST.
Nothing to find in La Cuisine Grand Hötel de Parism but I liked it. Especially when served with beer and vodka.
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Jealousy here. October is a wonderful time to be there.
We were sitting at the pool at Laggo Maggiore one afternoon, and I said to mamselle: "I think that woman over there has a kitten in her lap."
Driving by a meat place everyday you can't help but see the big sign outside Two can dine for $24.
Specially marinated sirloins, shrimp skewers, bacon and cheddar stuffed potatoes and lobster thermador mushrooms.
Wow, I thought. What a great way for people who are too busy or just not into cooking to do a nice dinner.
Uh ya...
1. While they tasted good, I've never seen two sirloin steaks look so different.
2. The shrimp are fresh water and unseasoned.
3. The mushrooms are large buttons. They were good but...
4. The potatoes are best described as 'woody'.
Now I know why I spend time in the kitchen. Sometimes I wonder if maybe it's time to buy these kind of premade meals so you have more time with your loved ones?
Sorry honey, not this week.
Specially marinated sirloins, shrimp skewers, bacon and cheddar stuffed potatoes and lobster thermador mushrooms.
Wow, I thought. What a great way for people who are too busy or just not into cooking to do a nice dinner.
Uh ya...
1. While they tasted good, I've never seen two sirloin steaks look so different.
2. The shrimp are fresh water and unseasoned.
3. The mushrooms are large buttons. They were good but...
4. The potatoes are best described as 'woody'.
Now I know why I spend time in the kitchen. Sometimes I wonder if maybe it's time to buy these kind of premade meals so you have more time with your loved ones?
Sorry honey, not this week.
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My problem with most take away is what goes in it. The umami thing is overstated IMHO, my chicken soup is always fine with no umami "shortcuts". Pre-roasting well takes care of color and flavor.
Knorr chicken bullion...
Salt, monosodium glutamate, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, chicken fat, hydrolyzed soy/corn protein, dehydrated mechanically separated cooked chicken, dehydrated chicken meat, dehydrated chicken broth, autolyzed yeast extract, dehydrated onions & parsley, lactose, water, colour, spices & spice extract, disodium guanylate ...
Sounds yummy!
I just made beef barley soup. I tend to buy my meat in large chunks and cut it up. Leaves a bit of bone left over.
Six smallish T bones boiled in sea salted water with a teaspoon of olive oil until the meat scraps fall off. Half a bag of barley simmered at least three hours until the barley is almost the size of a small kernel of corn. That is it.
So where do I get the monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed soy/corn protein, autolyzed yeast extract, dehydrated onions & parsley, lactose, colour, spices & spice extract, disodium guanylate?
Oh wait I can use "Accent" this is monosodium glutamate.
Now for a bit of meat trivia. When you cook a steak and the juices come out as it sits on a plate, that is a sign the meat was mechanically tenderized.
Your preference as to mechanical or chemical on lower quality meat cuts.
On tough cuts like brisket I prefer cooking with onions! The onions end up quite sweet and it tenderizes the meat if done properly.
Avoiding "free" glutamates is probably impossible, no SY anymore to clarify the difference between them and pure MSG if any. Unfortunately this article does not.
Foods with natural MSG - Business Insider
One friends favorite is essence of shiitake flavored soy sauce. I did find some rational discussion of this concerning l-glutamic acid vs others you would know better than me. There is so much vested interest and money involved separating the wheat from the chaff is difficult. All I know is I almost passed out twice immediately after a bowl of miso soup while most of the time I love it. I doubt I will ever get to the bottom of it.
Will be seeing SY in a couple of weeks with Jan.
More traditional Swedish dishes, but with a twist.
There's a dish called Pytt i Panna. Pytt has to do with finely chopped 'somethings' and Panna is Pan, i.e. finely chopped products fried in a pan. Normally you use potatoes (raw or cooked), onion and meat or sausage. It's a perfect dish when having leftovers. Served with fried egg and pickled red beets.
This is a slightly high-end version where peperoni is added and finally cream is added and all is left to simmer for 5-10 minutes when ground cheese is added and the dish is served (no eggs no red beet).
There's a dish called Pytt i Panna. Pytt has to do with finely chopped 'somethings' and Panna is Pan, i.e. finely chopped products fried in a pan. Normally you use potatoes (raw or cooked), onion and meat or sausage. It's a perfect dish when having leftovers. Served with fried egg and pickled red beets.
This is a slightly high-end version where peperoni is added and finally cream is added and all is left to simmer for 5-10 minutes when ground cheese is added and the dish is served (no eggs no red beet).
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We have a really nice, homey, Swedish restaurant here in Portland (brunch anyone?!), and Pytt i Panna is my go-to.
Edit: Scott -- I'm not terribly up to date on where/how people are trying to sneak in "umami" with additives, just wanted to make sure people knew (I'm sure you do) that it's possible to pump a meal with glutamates without touching a jar of MSG.
Edit: Scott -- I'm not terribly up to date on where/how people are trying to sneak in "umami" with additives, just wanted to make sure people knew (I'm sure you do) that it's possible to pump a meal with glutamates without touching a jar of MSG.
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