I made something very similar the other night.... chopped deboned chicken thigh/legs into two inch chunks, coarsely chopped onion, green pepper. red pepper, a lot of pitted green olives, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, olive oil, a bit of white wine... in a baking pan for an hour at 425F. Covered for the first 45 minutes.
On top of Japanese white rice.
Didn't take pictures, but it was delicious and gave us two dinners ( just the two of us ).
On top of Japanese white rice.
Didn't take pictures, but it was delicious and gave us two dinners ( just the two of us ).
I went pretty traditional on this one, saffron, paprika, white pepper, ground ginger, ground cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, chopped onion, minced garlic, caramelized the lemons first, browned the chicken both sides, then onions until soft. Spices, water, add chicken back, cover and simmer until chicken is done. Added lemon juice, caramelized lemons and green olives back right at the end. Only thing I didn't have was preserved lemons, so just a pinch of sugar right at the end. The missus loved it and gets a lunch for tomorrow out of it! Kids were a split decision. Good thing I make two options every night. Eat it, or go hungry!
i bought some Ras El Hanout (for making Moroccan stuff) but I haven't used it yet. My plan is to use the tagine with that... and the cous cous...
Have your tried putting chopped dates, dried cranberries or prunes in your cous cous? It's delicious.
Saffron, nost often, I combine Spanish saffron with Spanish smoked paprika in the same dish (like paella). Always fry the paprika and add the saffron in chicken broth later.
I ought to try the lemons... or actually the limes. My lemon tree died... but I got a lime tree loaded and a small satsuma orange tree also loaded. So, I need to figure out what to do with them. I usually make a great orange marmalade ( cutting back big time on the sugar and adding Splenda )... this time I'm thinking of making a lime marmalade... Would be useful for the dish you made.
Oh, I made four pints of blueberry jam this week.... I tried using frozen berries before but the flavor collapses in the jam, you got to use fresh ones.
...
I can imagine how much food you are making with three boys.
We have one of each... and we'd seldom had any left overs when they were teenagers. At one point I'd make four one pound ribeyes for Sunday Dinner and we'd have NO left overs... Whenever we went out for sushi, I'd feed the kids a PBJ sandwich before we went. That was worth about 100 bucks! They ate everything... they loved too so we couldn't just hold it from them. But, ay! Do they eat.. specially the boys when they get into those cross country teams and their need for 8000 calories per day...
Have your tried putting chopped dates, dried cranberries or prunes in your cous cous? It's delicious.
Saffron, nost often, I combine Spanish saffron with Spanish smoked paprika in the same dish (like paella). Always fry the paprika and add the saffron in chicken broth later.
I ought to try the lemons... or actually the limes. My lemon tree died... but I got a lime tree loaded and a small satsuma orange tree also loaded. So, I need to figure out what to do with them. I usually make a great orange marmalade ( cutting back big time on the sugar and adding Splenda )... this time I'm thinking of making a lime marmalade... Would be useful for the dish you made.
Oh, I made four pints of blueberry jam this week.... I tried using frozen berries before but the flavor collapses in the jam, you got to use fresh ones.
...
I can imagine how much food you are making with three boys.
We have one of each... and we'd seldom had any left overs when they were teenagers. At one point I'd make four one pound ribeyes for Sunday Dinner and we'd have NO left overs... Whenever we went out for sushi, I'd feed the kids a PBJ sandwich before we went. That was worth about 100 bucks! They ate everything... they loved too so we couldn't just hold it from them. But, ay! Do they eat.. specially the boys when they get into those cross country teams and their need for 8000 calories per day...
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I've got 2B and 1G. 14, 15, 18. Girl child (15y) is the pickiest one, she'll eat a dozen eggs in a day if she's home from school. She's 5'7" and pretty trim, I often wonder where she puts all the food, lol! The boys pretty much devour anything I put between their face and video game systems. Youngest can be particular, but only certain things. Oldest just started classes at the local CC and works at a pizza joint on weekends. He'll eat pizza at work, bring some home, order Door Dash and then eat dinner I make! At least he's able to feed himself financially, I dont know if I could afford to!
A small source of pride for me, when they have friends over (we're the "kid house" 5-8 kids on a weekend isn't uncommon for us) and I'm cooking and baking, they'll request certain dishes and their friends are blown away at what we eat on a regular basis! The good kids tend to stick around and get to eat all kinds of stuff.
I think the fact that we don't have a TV as the center of our time together and instead it's food, the kitchen, music, conversation, eating, I feel very connected with my kids and family.
A good meal serves more than just the appetite.
A small source of pride for me, when they have friends over (we're the "kid house" 5-8 kids on a weekend isn't uncommon for us) and I'm cooking and baking, they'll request certain dishes and their friends are blown away at what we eat on a regular basis! The good kids tend to stick around and get to eat all kinds of stuff.
I think the fact that we don't have a TV as the center of our time together and instead it's food, the kitchen, music, conversation, eating, I feel very connected with my kids and family.
A good meal serves more than just the appetite.
For citrus, combine navel orange, ruby grapefruit and lime juice equal parts. A few toasted chile de árbol, several toasted pasilla chile and salt in a molcajete. Itll be some melt your face off hot, but so flavorful and delicious Yucatan style hot chile salsa! Great on eggs, pizza, tacos al pastor, or anything. Stem and deseed all chile. I think a 1/4C of each juice to 1oz of each pepper would be about right.
Oh, a wonderful dish using lots of citrus and probably my second favorite use of venison heart is kelaguen. A Chamorro ceviche type dish of hot peppers, fresh red meat, loads of citrus. My hunting partner is married to a Chamorro woman who taught me how to make it a few years ago. Eaten with chips, flat bread or other edible utensil.
Ay. can't use grapefruit because of my wife's meds...
And... when it comes to meats... I eat the muscles but I only eat the innards when they are in a pate or a sausage.
It's a prejudice I got as a kid going to the stockyards and the shops. I'd walk into the butcher and stockyard coolers and the glorious meats were there.... I'd walk into the charcuteries and you could smell the aroma of the sausages. I love a good pate, even the chunky, peppery Vietnamese style... and I enjoy a good head cheese too.
BUT, the entrails. were always in buckets of clean water (tripe) or on trays. To me, they just didn't look right, didn't smell right and they didn't have the mouth feel either.
Trust me, I've tried to like them... gone to Korean BBQs and tried a little bit just to see... but somehow I just can't get over it.
And... when it comes to meats... I eat the muscles but I only eat the innards when they are in a pate or a sausage.
It's a prejudice I got as a kid going to the stockyards and the shops. I'd walk into the butcher and stockyard coolers and the glorious meats were there.... I'd walk into the charcuteries and you could smell the aroma of the sausages. I love a good pate, even the chunky, peppery Vietnamese style... and I enjoy a good head cheese too.
BUT, the entrails. were always in buckets of clean water (tripe) or on trays. To me, they just didn't look right, didn't smell right and they didn't have the mouth feel either.
Trust me, I've tried to like them... gone to Korean BBQs and tried a little bit just to see... but somehow I just can't get over it.
Yes, chuck.
We were vacationing with friends one winter and left the cottage with a big chunk of chuck swimming in a bottle of red wine (fake beef in Barolo), covered in a slow oven. A few hours later, we came back and ate it. One of our friends said: "You did this with effing chuck?"
Beef shank's good also, and pretty cheap. A Bosnian market in our Chicago neighnorhood has veal breast for a decent price, so I do that similarly, but usually with white wine. Luscious.
For all these slow cooks, BTW, I keep it just the meat and wine, maybe a little celery for the long cook, then come back about an hour before serving and de-fat the liquid, break down the meat, sauté some onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and add them, so they're not all cooked to death.
We were vacationing with friends one winter and left the cottage with a big chunk of chuck swimming in a bottle of red wine (fake beef in Barolo), covered in a slow oven. A few hours later, we came back and ate it. One of our friends said: "You did this with effing chuck?"
Beef shank's good also, and pretty cheap. A Bosnian market in our Chicago neighnorhood has veal breast for a decent price, so I do that similarly, but usually with white wine. Luscious.
For all these slow cooks, BTW, I keep it just the meat and wine, maybe a little celery for the long cook, then come back about an hour before serving and de-fat the liquid, break down the meat, sauté some onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and add them, so they're not all cooked to death.
******* Chuck is one of the finer tasting portions of the cow, and what man doesn't like the female chest? (just don't tell them it's probably steer not cow)
Sous vide and / or slow roast opens up the possibilities. The acid from the wine, is good but it takes a long time. It's more about the flavour than the breakdown unless you are talking multiple days.
My mother used to do the acid style long before us Canadian west coasters learned about immersion cooking. Back then we called it 'boil in a bag' Different really.
How far we have come.
Chuck is still my favourite 'steak'
I wish mom was still alive. We got to enjoy new cooking, only a few times before she went to foodie heaven.
Here's the start of lechon. It seems I didn't show this before.
This is cheater lechon.
You start with a picnic style shoulder.
You ask your wife to rape the damn thing. She is brutal with it.
She brings you back the skin with about about 3cm of meat attached. There is no bone and the remainder of the meat have disappeared.
You ask her. She does not answer.
I reluctantly take over and proceed to stab the skin about 100 times on each piece, with a sharp steak knife.
I then turn the carcass over and slice almost through, at 3 cm gaps.
Using the two finger spreading method that many of you are familiar with,
You add the seasoning to those gentle folds of meat.
You then let it rest for an hour as that meat has been through a lot.
Then you flip 'er over, roast her for 2 hours at 280F
And then broil, to crisp the skin.
Results to come.
I am hoping for a happy ending.
This is cheater lechon.
You start with a picnic style shoulder.
You ask your wife to rape the damn thing. She is brutal with it.
She brings you back the skin with about about 3cm of meat attached. There is no bone and the remainder of the meat have disappeared.
You ask her. She does not answer.
I reluctantly take over and proceed to stab the skin about 100 times on each piece, with a sharp steak knife.
I then turn the carcass over and slice almost through, at 3 cm gaps.
Using the two finger spreading method that many of you are familiar with,
You add the seasoning to those gentle folds of meat.
You then let it rest for an hour as that meat has been through a lot.
Then you flip 'er over, roast her for 2 hours at 280F
And then broil, to crisp the skin.
Results to come.
I am hoping for a happy ending.
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The calorific requirements of teenagers is always an amazement. I think we forget how much we ate at that age. I recall at uni having a full grill, followed by apple pie and custard then going straight out for a kebab.
In places where food is highly sought after, scarce, or in dire need, we don't see things like bulimia or anorexia nervosa.
Hmmm... makes you wonder.
No, not really. Societal influences are way too strong in certain areas.
My societal influence tells me I should be the one out on the patio when it's below freezing but we still seem to need BBQ.
Either that or it's my wife telling me so.
I said HEY, I'm the one wearing the pants here! I will tell you when I will go outside and do the BBQing!
You know, I have come to enjoy the great outdoors these days. It's cold but the food is good.
I just wish she wouldn't lock the sliding door until the grill was ready.
My name is Cal and I love my wife...
...sometimes...
grumble...grumble...
Hmmm... makes you wonder.
No, not really. Societal influences are way too strong in certain areas.
My societal influence tells me I should be the one out on the patio when it's below freezing but we still seem to need BBQ.
Either that or it's my wife telling me so.
I said HEY, I'm the one wearing the pants here! I will tell you when I will go outside and do the BBQing!
You know, I have come to enjoy the great outdoors these days. It's cold but the food is good.
I just wish she wouldn't lock the sliding door until the grill was ready.
My name is Cal and I love my wife...
...sometimes...
grumble...grumble...
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Got more Diablo bread started last night, will start some plain sourdough today. The effect of fermented foods is noticeable since I've started eating it every day a few months ago. Overall my digestive system just feels better, I feel better after eating and its actually cheaper to make it all than to buy it.
I've been pondering some more flavored breads lately. Thinking I'd like to capture the essence of BBQ or smoked meat in a bread. Maybe black pepper, smoked paprika, touch of garlic, lots of sumac, mustard powder (though its finicky with longevity of flavor), a little liquid smoke, use beef consommé for liquid. I'd have to do an 8 loaf test of seasonings to get a good idea of what, when and how much.
Any out-of-the-box ideas for flavors or style?
I've been pondering some more flavored breads lately. Thinking I'd like to capture the essence of BBQ or smoked meat in a bread. Maybe black pepper, smoked paprika, touch of garlic, lots of sumac, mustard powder (though its finicky with longevity of flavor), a little liquid smoke, use beef consommé for liquid. I'd have to do an 8 loaf test of seasonings to get a good idea of what, when and how much.
Any out-of-the-box ideas for flavors or style?