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Recipe Thread #1
Susan Mallery wrote: "I just posted a new recipe to my blog: Spicy Manchurian Cauliflower. It's realllllly good. I made it with half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and that was a little too hot for me. Next time, I'll pr..."Thanks for posting. I printed it out to try it sometime. I love roasted cauliflower.
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Linda wrote: "Pomegranate molasses sounds very interesting, I've never seen it. The main difference , imo, is that the dark or dark amber maple syrup (my personal favorite) is very rich and kind of..."I prefer Martinis dry, straight up with 3 olives or a nice dry red, hold the molasses, puleese!
Pomegranate molasses is not at all like molasses (as in slow molasses, which I hate). It is just a pomegranate syrup.....would be a nice addition to a Cosmo. I only like frou frou martinis. But I love olives!
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I am wondering of one of the spices caused this....the pom molasses is not THAT bitter..."I think cloves could be considered a little bitter. "Bitter" is a hard flavor to get rid of. Once it's there, it's there. Adding sugar just makes it bittersweet, but it doesn't eliminate the bitterness, I don't think.
Susan Mallery wrote: ""Bitter" is a hard flavor to get rid of. Once it's there, it's there. Adding sugar just makes it bittersweet, but it doesn't eliminate the bitterness, I don't think. ..."I think you hit the nail on the head! Thanks
I went to a cooking demonstration last night, at a unique place near us. http://www.celebritykitchens.com/The chef who cooked owns a very high-end and successful restaurant at the beach and is a CIA graduate.
I love going to this place because you learn so much and dine at a leisurely pace. The place only seats 24 and each table holds 4 people. So if you go as a twosome, as my sister and I did, you get seated with strangers. Except that we got seated with someone I went to HS with - and his wife! Small world.
As an amuse, we had tomato water with black olive air. It was so delicious. Here is the recipe for the tomato water. Yes, it is kind of odd, but soooo delicious! And it is clear golden in color when done.
TOMATO WATER
Chop 3 pounds of plum tomatoes. Not too small. Add 2 chopped scallions, basil (12 leaves), one chopped jalapeno, salt, 2T red vinegar, 1 sliced garlic clove and cover. Let stand at room temp all day in a covered bowl.
Using a stick blender, lightly puree the tomato mixture (you do not want this to be real smooth/emulsified)
Put a napkin or cheesecloth over a bowl and dump the tomato concoction into the napkin. Do not press on tomatoes or broth will not be clear.
Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator overnight. The clear, golden juice will drip through. It is the most incredible tasting stuff. Pure essence of tomato.....even using lousy winter tomatoes!
Some ways to use it (we had it in a little bowl)
As a base for Bloody Marys
As an added flavoring for vodka
As a base for gazpacho or cocktail sauce
As a poaching liquid for shrimp, calamari or lobster
As a dressing for fresh oysters
As a marinade for white fish
As a vinaigrette mix-in
As a rice seasoner
Interesting. That's the first I've heard of something like this.
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "As an amuse, we had tomato water with black olive air ..."That's a bunch of tomatoes but you make it sound so tempting, JoAnn. I must ask what that second ingredient is...i envision opening a can of black olives, inserting a straw above the liquid line to suck up (& holding in the straw) the fumes, then depositing (by blowing) said straw-air into the tomato water. How far off am i? ;-)
It sounds as though it was a delightful event.
deborah
I thought I had never heard of tomato water but last night saw an old Iron Chef America and one of the chefs (not the Iron Chef) included tomato water in one of his dishes. I guess when you have something brought to your attention you are more likely to notice it.
Madrano wrote: "JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "As an amuse, we had tomato water with black olive air ..."That's a bunch of tomatoes but you make it sound so tempting, JoAnn. I must ask what that second ingredient is......"
The black olive air is a white foam and he did not show us how he made it, or else I was not paying attention. I will have to ask my sister (who does not eat olives but loved the "air"). I liked your idea of how to get this air!!! LOL
I am going to the beach tomorrow with Laura and Charlie. Laura and I are going to experiment and make the tomato water.
Better remember to pack my stick blender.
Bobbie57 wrote: "I thought I had never heard of tomato water but last night saw an old Iron Chef America and one of the chefs (not the Iron Chef) included tomato water in one of his dishes. I guess when you have something brought to your attention you are more likely to notice it..."So true! Wasn't that a funny coincidence???
I cannot wait to hear how your tomato water experiment goes, JoAnn. We no longer seem to get the bumper crops of tomatoes, which would be great for this recipe, i think. Of course i would only get them after DH made & canned his salsa, marinara and paste. We value our plum tomatoes!deborah
Madrano/DeborahOf course i would only get them after DH made & canned his salsa, marinara and paste. We value our plum tomatoes!
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Just the other day I purchased a 28 oz can of
Cento- San Marzano Peeled Tomatoes. They are imported from Italy. The can cost $5 ! I almost fainted when I got home.
I know the San Marzano tomatoes are the best, but I didn't realize the price until I got home. I was busy reading the labels for added salt. I never buy tomatoes with added salt. I think when you have a quality product you don't need to mask it with a bunch of salt like many products do.
Wow! Will you take them back for a refund? I think i'd be tempted to do just that. Maybe they have gold nuggets in each peeled gem? ;-)
Alias Reader wrote: "I know the San Marzano tomatoes are the best, but I didn't realize the price until I got home. I was busy reading the labels for added salt. I never buy tomatoes with added salt. I think when you have a quality product you don't need to mask it with a bunch of salt like many products do...."I did not buy the San M tomatoes the other day for a soup I was making and now wish I had....the soup was so acidic that I needed to add a pinch of sugar, which I never do (although my mother always did).
The chef I went to see the other night said that pepper is for seasoning a dish, while salt is an essential ingredient to make a recipe taste its best.
Madrano wrote: "Wow! Will you take them back for a refund? I think i'd be tempted to do just that. Maybe they have gold nuggets in each peeled gem? ;-)"-------------
No, I won't return it. I already used one can to make a sauce for pasta.
I bought 2 cans.
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: The chef I went to see the other night said that pepper is for seasoning a dish, while salt is an essential ingredient to make a recipe taste its best.---------------------
I do like the taste of salt but I never use salt in my cooking anymore. I also don't buy any products that have salt added if possible. One gets used to it. It's one of the easier dietary changes I've made. I now buy no salt added, tuna fish, tomato products, broth, catchup etc. I also tend to make my own food and stay away from processed foods. That makes it easier to cut the sodium.
To be honest I am appalled at the amount of salt I see used by TV chefs and also when I go out to eat. It's one of the reasons I limit my going out to dinner.
They say you should limit your sodium to 1200 a day. That is even if you don't have high BP.
Unfortunately, if you read labels as I do, you will see most products go way over this amount and that's just one meal !
I love that some restaurants and chains have the calories listed. I wish they would pass a law stating that they have to list the sodium.
So, Alias, I guess you do not follow the chefs' advice that the water in which you cook pasta should taste like the ocean......
Heavens, no. I don't add any salt to the water. Zero.Sometimes, with spaghetti, I will add a drop of olive oil to the water to prevent sticking. Though it's not really necessary if one stirs the pasta.
Alias Reader wrote: "No, I won't return it. I already used one can to make a sauce for pasta.I bought 2 cans. ..."
That's a dent in ANY budget!
I checked in my grocery store today and the tomatoes you bought for $5, Alias, were $3.29. And that was not a sale price. Quite a difference.
I am in the midst of step 1 of my "science experiment" ---- making the tomato water. I have the tomato mixture (3 pounds of plum tomatoes, garlic, basil, scallions, vinegar, and salt) "resting" in a bowl on the counter. In a few minutes I will lightly puree them, then dump them into a napkins to drip into a bowl overnight. It really was no work at all....
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I checked in my grocery store today and the tomatoes you bought for $5, Alias, were $3.29. And that was not a sale price. Quite a difference."-------------
Yes. I guess a lot of things are more expensive in NY. :(
Yes. I guess a lot of things are more expensive in NY. :( Yes Alias -- that is what I learned when I moved to Buffalo. The cost of the space adds to the cost of the food.
I made the tomato water last night (and into this morning as it sat, dripping, in the fridge, overnight). It was almost no work except for ten minutes of chopping. And it is so amazingly delicious. But it only made a quart. I had a few spoonfuls with lunch and made small Bloody Marys for my sister and I before dinner. DIVINE!
JoAnn, thanks for sharing the experience/experiment with us. Good to know it's a breeze to make, not allowing for time, that is. I'll bet you'll be treating that quart like gold! Enjoy!deb
Alias, I read the NYT online and always look at the WELL page. Do you read it? Today was vegan recipes:http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03...
I do not think I have ever cooked fava beans...in fact, I am not sure I have ever seen them in a grocery store.
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Alias, I read the NYT online and always look at the WELL page. Do you read it? Today was vegan recipes:http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03...
I do not think I have ever c..."
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No, I didn't see it. Thank you for thinking of me ! That's a nice idea for lent.
I am going to pass the article on to friends.
I am pretty sure I've never eaten a fava bean. I just checked the package of Goya 16 beans. They are dried beans that I use for soup and it's not in that either.
I am going to a sort-of specialty grocery store while I am at the beach - Harris Teeter. It is mostly a southern chain. Always has incredible and unusual produce. I will look for fava beans there. They carry things like black radishes.... not all the time, but often. Produce I have never seen elsewhere.Some chef last week was waving around fava beans --- hum....I think it was Anne Burrell. I cannot remember what she did with them. I did find a recipe of hers with pecorino.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/an...
Here is step-by-step how to cook fava beans, with photos. Sounds laborious but I would try it once. Each bean has a casing that has to be removed!
http://chefinyou.com/2009/05/how-to-c...
With Saint Patricks day right around the corner, does any one have some favorite Irish recipes to share? I have a wonderful recipe for soda bread that my friend from Ireland gave me , if anyone is interested I'll post it.I also have to mention my favorite Irish cookbook,
.There are so many things to love about this book along with some wonderful recipes. I use her recipe for Champ every year. This is one of my favorite cookbooks. I understand she has a new one, which I am sure I will eventually have to have!
Can soda bread be made without raisins or currants, Linda?We loved the brown bread we had in Ireland --I am not sure if this is the same, but I should try it:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/rec...
What is your favorite Irish recipe from that book?
We like the raisins, but yes. In fact Darina Allen doesn't use them in neither her brown or white soda bread recipes. And caraway seeds....always optional. My family calls them the pokey seeds. Darina Allen calls that Seedy bread, which was probably added by Irish immigrants here in the US. Slightly different recipe also. My friend's recipe is different from any of her's, but quite authentic, as my friend is quite authentic. And sooo good!My favorite recipe or the one I use the most is Champ or one of the several variations of Colcannon. I've made her Ballymaloe Irish Stew (lamb) and my family loves her Shepherd's Pie . I made that this past Thursday, great comfort food!
I love Shepherd's Pie but rarely make it. I would like to see your friend's soda bread recipe but only if you already have it typed up and can cut and paste it here.The best food we had in Ireland was in a little Italian restaurant in Dublin!
I'd like a good soda bread recipe, too. I've only made it once and was unimpressed. Never been tempted again to try on my own.Whether this gingerbread is Irish, i don't know, but Guinness is one of the recipes, so i consider it such. ;-) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo... This was my favorite gingerbread recipe for the recent past. I haven't made it for a few years, though.
This year i'm hoping to fit my corned beef into our crock pot. Just to see how it turns out. DH doesn't like cabbage so i don't get to stew it in the juices, meaning (for me) that i can fit the entire meal, minus that, in one container.
Linda, we are making Irish Stew this week, as well. I looked up the Ballymaloe stew of Allen's. I've never made a lamb stew with chops, only with boneless roast. I wonder if there is a difference? I think the roast is from the leg, more often than not.
Anyway, thanks for thinking of the Irish & sharing.
deb
Deb, no problem with thinking of the Irish, I'm half Irish! Irish Soda Bread
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. melted butter
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/2 cup sugar
Mix above ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.
In separate bowl combine:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
Combine all in a large the large bowl. Cut a cross, 2 inches deep on top.
Butter a round 2 quart casserole, sides and especially the bottom.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
Deb as for the lamb for the stew, I usually buy a couple of pounds of lamb for stew pieces and use beef broth. I always feel free to take some liberties when cooking! In the Darina Allen cookbook there is a recipe for Kerry Treacle Bread. She mentions a treacle bread made in Ulster that is closer to gingerbread. Interesting....
Here's one for the leftovers from the Culinary Institute of America soup cookbook:Corned Beef, Barley and Cabbage Soup
1-1/4 pounds corned beef brisket (I used leftovers)
1 gallon Chicken Broth
1-1/2 onions, diced (about 2 cups)
1/2 head savoy cabbage, diced (about 6-1/2 cups)
1 celery stalk, diced (about 1/4 cup)
Sachet: 3 crushed garlic cloves, 3 parsley stems, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns enclosed in a large tea ball or tied in a cheesecloth pouch
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced (about 1-1/4 cups) (I used canned tomatoes)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt, to taste
Note: Since I used left over corned beef I just added all the ingredients and let it simmer until the veggies were tender.
Here is the recipe from scratch:
Combine the brisket and broth in a soup pot. Bring to a simmer and cook until the meat is fork tender, about 2 hours. If necessary, turn the meat occasionally during simmering to keep all surfaces moist.
Add onions, cabbage, celery, barley, and sachet.
Continue to simmer, 1 hour.
Remove the brisket and let cool slightly. Trim any excess fat and dice the meat.
Use a shallow spoon to skim any excess fat from the surface of the soup. Add the tomatoes and parsley. Simmer 15 minutes.
Add the diced meat to the soup. Season with salt (optional).
Delicious!
Babs,I have one problem! Never have any leftovers! :)
Madrano wrote: "I'd like a good soda bread recipe, too. I've only made it once and was unimpressed. Never been tempted again to try on my own.Whether this gingerbread is Irish, i don't know, but Guinness is one ..."
BTW Deb,
I always do my corned beef in my slow cooker. Never cook the cabbage with it. I reserve a couple of cups of the cooking liquid, strain it and kind of steam the cabbage in that liquid. We don't like the fatty stuff and this method cooks the cabbage nicely because you can decide how well you want your cabbage done.
One of my littles ones mother from school is going to give me a recipe for slow cooker corned beef, that uses brussels sprouts and the liquid to make a mustard sauce. I'll let you all know.
Linda wrote: "Babs,I have one problem! Never have any leftovers! :)"
I sometimes make extra so the left overs can be used in Corned Beef Hash or this soup.
Babs wrote: "Here's one for the leftovers from the Culinary Institute of America soup cookbook:Corned Beef, Barley and Cabbage Soup"
This sounds interesting.... a GALLON of chicken stock? Wow, that is a lot!
Thanks, Babs and Linda for the recipes.
Linda, on the Food Network, Bobby Flay has a special show from Ireland and he visits Darina Allen's cooking school. Did you see it on Saturday? If not, it is repeated at 9 PM on Thursday, at midnight on Friday (12 AM Friday) and at 7 PM on Saturday.
JoAnn, I'll have to watch that! Thank you!I envy your cooking classes. I think you have read
, if not , hit the to be read button! I'm still so envy your classes. I'm a tad bit limited in my budget, some of you might have seen this in my past posts, and the reasons why. Whatever, I know I hate it when kids say it, but for an adult to knowingly get to this point, whatever means an awareness of what is important in life. The rest is whatever!I'll get there one day, or do the fly by the seat of my pants and start classes of my own! I have much to say about both. My father that just passed always said to me, write a book Linda! He said that to me a week before his heart attack. It might take some time....
Linda, I did read The School of Essential Ingredients a couple of years ago....this is what I wrote about it:3 stars
While I did finish this book, mainly to read about the food, this topic has been done before and done better, I think (by Joanne Harris and Sarah Addison Allen). I did not mind the magical realism (I am a fan of Alice Hoffman's, after all!) but the writing left a lot to be desired. I found the writing repetitious and the author used FAR TOO MANY SIMILES. By the middle of the book I was mentally groaning every time I encountered yet another simile.
Another thing that annoyed me was her over-use of descriptive words.... grrrr. Unnecessary verbiage in books really bothers my inner editor.
The charming characters were well-developed and the food descriptions were delicious.
I read this book expecting to read exactly what it was. No higher expectations at the time, so I enjoyed it for what it was. Charming characters, without a doubt. Food descriptions, I'm so thankful that reading, in the truest form is not fattening or can raise your cholesterol!I love when a writer can give me a visual. The ones that inspire me to paint or draw their words. I had that ability to be so inspired a long time ago, and am determined to find it again. Also to write the book my father said I should have written a long time ago. I just need his determination.
It's coming.
Linda, would you write a book about food?What kind of painting do you do?
Linda wrote: "Deb, no problem with thinking of the Irish, I'm half Irish! Irish Soda Bread
..."
Thanks, Linda. I'll try that this week.
deb
Babs wrote: "Here's one for the leftovers from the Culinary Institute of America soup cookbook:Corned Beef, Barley and Cabbage Soup
..."
We use our leftovers for Ruebens, a specialty of DH's. This year, however, i bought two packages of corned beef, one for Thursday & one for later in the month, strictly for leftovers, if they can be called that when there is no meal. Crockpot Rueben Dip will be one of the dishes. I am thinking someone here at BNC shared the recipe one New Year's Eve, for a day long fest she was planning. At last i'll be giving it a go. There is also a casserole to try & now this barley soup. Hmm...do you think next week would be too soon? Maybe i should run to the store & buy yet a third corned beef. I really like Ruebens in the summer. :-)
deborh
Book Nook Cafe
Books mentioned in this topic
Onions and Roses (other topics)The Joy of Cooking (other topics)
Sink Reflections (other topics)
The School of Essential Ingredients (other topics)
Irish Traditional Cooking: Over 300 Recipes from Ireland's Heritage (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Vassar Miller (other topics)Robin Miller (other topics)
Rocco DiSpirito (other topics)
Lorraine Bodger (other topics)
David A. Kessler (other topics)
Yes, it is very different than the pom molasses, for sure. I think I will be using the pom molasses in Cosmopolitans!