The food thread

Final result tonight. Lamb and Potatoes!

Decided it could do with some Bisto Gravy too. :cool:

TBH, I didn't understand Cal Weldon's advice about Iodised Salt and Probiotics. It is what it is. :)

The Rosemary was organically sourced from my front garden. The rest is a shot in the dark.

Quite Yummy actually.

OK, OK. Not much marks for presentation. I am NOT Gordon Ramsay. :eek:
 

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A relatively kind remark. In the cold light of day, last Night's dinner looks like something the Cat sicked up.

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Interestingly, I once had "Pork and Potatoes" at a French Restaurant. Considered peasant food, but quite yummy. Afters was Lavender Ice Cream...

I should attempt it. How hard can it be? :cool:
 
I never heat it because then you start decomposition by other organisms and it loses its shelf life.

That’s not exactly correct, back when we mass produced hot sauce for sale we water bathed the pint/half pint jars after fermentation to basically pasteurize it. This was to alleviate any problems down the road, it really didn’t affect flavor to much as long as we kept the bath water under 200F for 30 minutes on half pints 45 minutes on pints.
Anyway, point is we had some on the shelf (unrefridgerated) for 5+ years and still used it…..tasted the same.
actually some were there longer but I don’t trust anything canned after 5yrs!
 
we water bathed the pint/half pint jars after fermentation to basically pasteurize it.
Yes but I don't use heat so my statement still applies.
it really didn’t affect flavor to much as long as we kept the bath water under 200F for 30 minutes
That would be my concern and the main reason I don't do it. Glad for your results.
Anyway, point is we had some on the shelf (unrefridgerated) for 5+ years and still used it…..tasted the same.
Good. That's one of the nice things about glass.
actually some were there longer but I don’t trust anything canned after 5yrs!
I use plastic bottles so five years is out of the question. One year max here.
 
Today I went to a local Middle Eastern market that was opened by some Syrian refugees. Despite some problems (their first location was sold out from under them) they are doing a good business. As well as a good selection of mid-eastern specialties they have a halal butcher. They buy locally grown beef, lamb, and chicken, and prepare it their way. Today I bought a lamb leg.

View attachment 931837

A bit small and had a lot of flank and backbone attached, but whatever. After about 20 minutes of knife work I had it cut up as I wanted.

View attachment 931838

A "topside" roast for tonight's dinner, some additional meat to cut up for curry or stew, a shank, a nice piece of flank for the bbq, and bones and trimmings for the stock pot.

The roast I just brushed with oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, heated some olive oil in a skillet, browned the lamb on both sides, threw in some garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs, and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes.

View attachment 931839

Served with garlicky, lemony, Greek-style roast potatoes, salad, and a decent Tuscan plonk. Yum. Many smooches from SWMBO!

Final result tonight. Lamb and Potatoes!

Decided it could do with some Bisto Gravy too. :cool:

TBH, I didn't understand Cal Weldon's advice about Iodised Salt and Probiotics. It is what it is. :)

The Rosemary was organically sourced from my front garden. The rest is a shot in the dark.

Quite Yummy actually.

OK, OK. Not much marks for presentation. I am NOT Gordon Ramsay. :eek:

See my previous post for a nice lamb recipe. This takes a little more work as I bought a whole (but small) lamb leg and cut it up. Getting that big "topside" muscle separated makes for nice little roast, easy to cook. Your butcher will do it for you but charge for the work (as he should).
 
Cal ! Your suggesting heating shortens shelf life………well maybe so if you heated it then stuff it into old plastic liquor bottles! ;) But if done correctly it actually lengthens shelf life as seen with your 1 year shelf life vs my 5+ years.

Flavor doesn’t change much with pasteurization, in fact it adds depth……acidity doesn’t change either.

As far as the good live bacteria dying…….irrelevant if you want a for sure stable end product.
 
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I don’t think that fermentation and canning fundamentally go well together, but maybe with some vinegar added at the end(?).

I’ve got 1 1/2 pounds of mostly Serranos ( they were pretty much the only ones available at my store) sitting in brine now. I don’t have the traps for the breathing but will burb them daily and see how it goes.
Grocery store had more vanilla flavored yogurt varieties than microbrews in the 90s. Having found none that were non-pasteurized, I used a bit of active acidophilus instead from a pill capsule that had been refrigerated.

I added a few jalapeños and a poblano to mix it up a bit, in case the Serranos had too much of a “green” flavor. I would have hoped they were ripened enough to have been red, but not this time.

Today we bought dinner at The Spaghetti Factory, was better than I recall in the past, and it was take-out also.
Today I will later purchase a Covid test, as the alert I put on my phone has warned me that I have been in proximity with someone who’s tested positive.
 
Correct Bill, I just had/have a problem with blanket statements that aren’t necessarily true.

Nothing personal Cal :)

Bill, like I said the flavor doesn’t change much and in most cases it’s actually more flavorful.

Phase, no vinegar…..the acidity from the fermentation stays through the heat process.(as long as temps are kept around 190F for 30-45 min in my experience)
 
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I don’t think that fermentation and canning fundamentally go well together, but maybe with some vinegar added at the end(?).

Fermenting and canning were made for each other. It prevents the need for sterilization. Simple washing in soapy water does the trick.

Fermenting creates the 'vinegar' of which you speak.