BS: Recipes - what are we eating?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 18 Mar 19 - 09:11 AM

For the dressings, just use white wine vinegar, cider vinegar (said to be good for arthritis), or lemon juice (extra vitamin C) instead of the balsamic.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Mar 19 - 09:53 AM

Yep, freshly-squeezed lemon juice instead of balsamic is good. However, you wouldn't be using much balsamic anyway. You wouldn't notice the sweetness. Don't use bottled lemon juice and only use the finest extra virgin olive oil.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: leeneia
Date: 19 Mar 19 - 02:33 PM

Two days ago I invented a real taste treat. i made cole slaw with a dressing of vegetable oil and lemon juice. Then I put in some dried spearmint leaves. We had some and I thought, "Meh".

The next day we had spicy Mexican food, and I got ought the rest of the cole slaw. The spearmint had had time to infuse the entire dish. A mouthe
ful of that cold, minty cole slaw after spicy, tomatoey meat dish was an absolute treat.

I feel that sure that finely minced peppermint would taste as good.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 19 Mar 19 - 03:44 PM

There are lots of attractive mint flavours - apple mint, pineapple mint, strawberry mint, etc. and plain old garden mint - but the two that I never use in food are spearmint (tastes of chewing gum - horrible) and peppermint (tastes of toothpaste - not what I want in my dinner).

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Mar 19 - 10:05 PM

Last year I made homemade corn tortillas for a taco lunch that friends were coming over to share. When they arrived I put some tilapia fillets into the oven and while those baked I prepared the rest of the toppings for fish tacos. I'd never eaten fish tacos, let alone made them, but as it happened the last friend to arrive brought a cold black bean salad with tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and a vinegar dressing that was PERFECT as the topping to finish our tacos.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 20 Mar 19 - 10:26 AM

If one wants to make a vinaigrette without mustard, how does one emulsify it?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: leeneia
Date: 20 Mar 19 - 11:59 AM

A tiny jot of mayonnaise will do it. Less than half a teaspoon. If you make a small batch and eat it all right away, you may not need it.

h=Here's my basic recipe:

Two parts oil of your choice. Corn, canola, olive. I like Smart Balance with omega 3.

One part of something astringent. Lemon juice, lime juice, juice from a garden tomato, some kind of vinegar. You might want to dilute the vinegar.

Some black pepper.

An herb. I like tarragon with lime juice. Basil with lemon juice.

Put everything in a medium-sized bowl and whisk till the mayo disappears.
=============
I'm asking myself how pineapple juice, orange juice or pureed strawberries would do as an astringent ingredient.

For our small family, I find that 1/4 cup oil plus 2 T of juice makes a useful small batch of salad dressing.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 20 Mar 19 - 12:38 PM

How do I make myself a sly treacle pudding while my is in hospital recovering from a hip replacement?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: BobL
Date: 21 Mar 19 - 03:50 AM

You can get microwaveable individual ones in M&S. They're not bad either.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 25 May 19 - 07:21 AM

A vegan coming to lunch or dinner - any good main courses? I'm going to make some ratatouille, and steam fennel over orange juice and white wine, but what's a wow-worthy main course?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 25 May 19 - 09:10 AM

Orecchiette con cime di rape. It contains olive oil, cherry tomatoes (in my version), chilli, parsley, garlic and seasoning, as well as the main ingredient, which in Puglia is rather stringy turnip tops or similar greens but which I replace with tenderstem broccoli. I leave the florets whole but chop the stems into small pieces.

Put on the orecchiette pasta (or other short pasta, but I wouldn't use tubes) in boiling salted water in a big pan. Slice the garlic thinly and sauté gently in the olive oil with chilli to taste (I use chilli flakes). You want a bit of heat. When it starts to sizzle (it mustn't go brown), add a handful of halved cherry tomatoes and a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Season. When the pasta has two minutes to go, throw the broccoli into the pasta pan (honest: some recipes have you cooking the greens separately but you absolutely don't need to do that). When the pasta is al dente and the broccoli is cooked but still with slight crunch, drain, retaining a bit of the pasta water. Add the pasta/broccoli mix to the sauce. Stir well, adding a bit of the retained water if needed. There you go. We have this with parmesan but that is completely optional and would typically be served without in Puglia unless you ask for some. A final dressing of extra virgin olive oil is good.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 25 May 19 - 09:31 AM

Like Steve said.

We have pasta-and-greens for supper sometimes, usually with cheese but sometimes with toasted pine nuts, which would be vegan. I've never been to Puglia and never expect to go, so I have no idea if that's canonical.

This dish also works with boiled potatoes, especially leftovers. For greens, use literally anything a bit bitter, even kale (which needs steaming before it goes in the pan). Instead of tomatoes, I like to add the juice of a lemon if I have any lying around idle.

The other vegan dish I like well enough to serve to guests is Madhur Jaffrey's channa dhal with meat spices, served with rice and a cilantro=and-lime chutney. Jaffrey also has a terrific recipe for channas with tomato and spinach. In fact, if you plan to entertain the vegans often, Thompson, "Vegetarian India" by Madhur Jaffrey is well worth buying.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 25 May 19 - 09:45 AM

A few pasta dishes are vegan until it comes to the cheese on top at the end. I'm thinking of the Sicilian dish pasta alla Norma, which has a delicious tomato and aubergine sauce. You'd normally sprinkle some salted ricotta (ricotta salata) on top, but often in Sicily they would replace the expensive cheese with toasted breadcrumbs on pasta dishes. I haven't tried that on that dish but it could work. It works on pasta con la sarde well enough.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 25 May 19 - 10:29 AM

Thanks! I hadn't thought of pasta!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 May 19 - 11:41 AM

Though it isn't exactly soup weather, I made a small batch of chicken soup last night to use for lunches this week. Soup and salad for warmer summer days.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 27 May 19 - 04:01 PM

Apologies if I missed it, but:

On 14 November last year, Steve Shaw said: ‘I have my own salmorejo recipe but I couldn't possibly post it in November in the northern hemisphere. Ask me again in May.’

So I'm asking ...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 27 May 19 - 08:33 PM

Right then, Jos. This is my recipe using the best vine-ripened tomatoes you can get your hands on. They must be fully red-ripe, not green about the gills, but mustn't have started to go soft and squishy. You can use canned plum tomatoes instead, but they must be the best. Cirio is a good brand.

Salmorejo is a cousin of gazpacho, but it's thicker and is served very cold in small quantities as a tapa, best on a hot, sunny day. The quality of your ingredients is paramount. Any one ingredient that is below par will ruin the dish. Silk purse, sow's ear, etc.

For four, you need:

About a pound and a half of vine-ripened tomatoes
The yolks of two hard-boiled eggs
At least 100ml of the very best extra virgin olive oil
A goodly dash of sherry vinegar (essential)
One smallish ciabatta, slightly stale is best, no hard crusts left on
Half a teaspoon of sugar
Two peeled garlic cloves
Salt

First step: blend everything except the bread into a rustically smooth paste. Ps. Don't bother to skin the tomatoes!

Second step: break up the bread and soak it in your paste for ten minutes. Best to slightly underdo the bread if you're not sure how much to use. You can always tweak with a bit extra later on.

Third step: blend again now that the bread is in. If it seems a bit runny, add a bit more bread. Taste for seasoning, then just chill for a few hours or overnight.

Salmorejo is always served with a sprinkling of chopped hard-boiled egg and a pinch of finely-chopped Serrano ham on top. A mini-breadstick or two is generally served. It should be served very cold, maybe in a glass that has also been chilled. It will keep and Improve for a day or two in the fridge.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 28 May 19 - 02:32 AM

That's great Steve, thank you.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 28 May 19 - 12:09 PM

How's about desserts? And normally I'd make smoothies, but is there any alternative to yogurt? (My go-to smoothie is made in a Nutrabullet with orange juice, almond milk, yogurt, frozen mango, frozen mixed berries including blackcurrants and blackberries, and a banana and a couple of passionfruit, oh, and a squish of honey.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 May 19 - 09:26 PM

I weeded one corner of the garden where herbs sprawl through the tall grass, and some mint is drying hanging over the kitchen sink (the strands pulled out by accident with the grass. I'll harvest it for real in a day or two.)

My garden has oregano, rosemary, bay laurel, cilantro, lemon balm, thyme (though I think it needs replanting, the patch got shaded out and disappeared last year), garlic, onions, and more I'm probably not remembering right now. I'm not seeing basil yet this year (it usually reseeds itself) so I'll have to plant more. I love being able to step outside to pick fresh what goes into my cooking, but I realized this spring that I've been doing less cooking after I went through 18 months of steroid treatment for PMR (finished tapering last fall). After research I was careful about what I ate (avoiding foods that are considered a source of inflammation - since we didn't know why I had this, it seemed wise to avoid foods that might be cuplrits.) I eat less wheat than before, but I'm resuming a more "normal" diet. Now to lose the weight I gained during the couple of years of PMR (it took a while to realize there was a problem and wait on doctors to diagnose it.)

I love things like focaccia with olive oil, herbs, and Parmesan cheese, made with herbs from the garden. If friends are coming over and that is underway when the arrive, it's one of the most welcoming smells imaginable. I'll probably make it for friends coming for lunch on Saturday.

On the other side of the driveway are the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and again, more that I've forgotten to catalog. It's going it late, but it's going in, and if I can keep the stink bugs from demolishing my crops, maybe I'll do more cooking this year. Pardon me while I go pour the watering can with added organic Spinosad over the top of things I planted yesterday . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 30 May 19 - 10:07 AM

But dessert?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 May 19 - 10:59 AM

I use smoothies for breakfast most times - I use yogurt (only the varieties that are all cultured milk, I like some milkfat in there but will use non-fat if that's all that is available) with really ripe banana and a generous handful of frozen fruit, usually strawberries, but I'll use blueberries if I have no strawberries. A touch of honey or stevia if the bananas aren't super sweet. Into the blender, and there you have it.

I love bread pudding for dessert, apple cobbler, or quick (soda leavening) breads like banana bread, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, etc. All homemade. And the breads can be made in bulk then stored in the freezer.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 31 May 19 - 09:08 AM

Ew stevia... Tastes like saccharine or aspartame or other artificial sweeteners. I know stevia isn't artificial but ick. I envy those who can eat it. Wonder if it's like cilantro, genetic taster non-taster thing?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 31 May 19 - 10:15 AM

Never heard of stevia, what's that then ?


Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 31 May 19 - 04:49 PM

I ate a very small amount of sweets sweetened with Stevia a couple of years ago. They turned my stomach into a fair copy of a cement mixer.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Joe_F
Date: 31 May 19 - 06:02 PM

Half a can of Hormel's chunky chili, with a slice of onion chopped & mixed into it, zapped, then garnished with cubes of seriously sharp cheddar.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 01 Jun 19 - 01:27 PM

I mistakenly tried Heinz 'no added sugar' baked beans, thinking that meant they would be less sweet. How wrong I was. They were incredibly sweet, having been sweetened with stevia, and the sauce had a vile, slimy, jelly-like texture. Totally inedible.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 02 Jun 19 - 08:17 AM

Some nondiet pops [sodas] have it now.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Jun 19 - 12:31 PM

Stevia is a plant in the dandelion family. It contains glycosides in its leaves that are hundreds of times "sweeter" than sugar. You're welcome to it.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 02 Jun 19 - 12:41 PM

Another food plant causing sweetness problems is globe artichoke. It affects the taste buds so that whatever you eat or drink soon after eating the artichoke will taste sweet, whether you want it to or not.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: mg
Date: 03 Jun 19 - 03:46 AM

people vary with response to stevia. i thrive on it...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jun 19 - 04:39 PM

Glad to hear that, Mary! I buy bulk jars at the Vitamin Shoppe in town and decant it into a smaller container on my tea preparation tray.

Smoothie for lunch today, and to appease the taste buds wanted a salty snack, I had a couple of slices of hard salami and a couple of slices (they're all fairly small) of smoked gouda, leftover from lunch this weekend, brought by a friend. I've been making a decaff version of Market Spice Tea (Mary should know that one!) that I use for iced tea. A hint of Stevia in it and it's great instead of soda pop, fruit drinks, and other sugary drinks. (My father would be shocked that I add any sweetener to Market Spice tea, it was his favorite and he drank it without anything added. Mary also knew my father.)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 04 Jun 19 - 10:50 AM

Mg, how are you on cilantro (the leaves)?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Jun 19 - 08:36 PM

I like stevia. I also like aspartame, which tastes so much better than that stuff it replaced: saccharine. Now, that was just nasty.

Last night, I made a really good chicken-and-rice-type dish using farro instead of rice. I browned some chicken pieces (sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning) and set them aside, then added garlic, onion and reconstituted porcini to the pan, followed by farro. For liquid, I used stock, and the water from soaking the porcini, with some lemon juice, seasoned with salt, pepper and thyme. The proportion of liquid to farro is the same as for rice.

I let the farro cook in the big sauté pan for half an hour before putting the chicken pieces on top of the half-cooked grain, put the lid back on and let it alone until the farro was done. It was just delicious — the grains plump and tender, but chewy. With a cheap bottle of Provençal rose, it was a terrific meal. Definitely a recipe to add to the rotation.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jun 19 - 09:55 PM

Charmion, that sounds wonderful. I don't think I've ever eaten farro. I've used quinoa in place of rice a few times.

Saccharine is my fall-back sweetener if Stevia isn't available. There was a Facebook discussion about sweeteners, and Mudcat's own Max Spiegel popped in to offer his opinion about artificial sweeteners, and it was something like "sphincter leak" - enough of a remark to send me researching these things more. Splenda was quickly dropped off of my "acceptable" list.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: mg
Date: 05 Jun 19 - 12:57 AM

i rarely encounter cilantro but i don't think i get a bad taste from it.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 05 Jun 19 - 09:07 AM

Ok I have a question: I was defrosting some steak for stroganoff, on a plate, and some juice collected on the plate so I thought I'd use it in the sauce, so I put it in the measuring cup. I added hot water but when I came back with my Better Than Bouillon there was something like a jellyfish in my measuring cup. What happened?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Jun 19 - 10:01 AM

The "juice" that leaked onto the plate was watery blood, Mrrzy, and you cooked the protein in it when you added hot water to the cup. Hence the strings.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 05 Jun 19 - 10:35 AM

Was it edible? I knew it was blood but I never saw the like.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jun 19 - 11:39 AM

If it seems gross don't add it or you won't enjoy the dish as much, no matter how delicious. ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 05 Jun 19 - 05:42 PM

Many thanks for the vegan recipes; I ended up making Pasta Alla Norma, the Ottolenghi version but without ricotta, and will make it again; it was very nice! Smoothies (made fattened with almond butter, in absence of yogurt) went down well as an aperitif.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Jun 19 - 08:39 PM

Yes, Mrrzy, blood is edible, if not particularly palatable to most people without some help from the rest of the ingredients of a black pudding. Nomadic herders such as the Masai get much of their dietary protein from blood at certain times of the year, bleeding rather than killing their cattle.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 05 Jun 19 - 11:14 PM

I knew the blood was, that's why I was gonna cook with it. But could I trust the jellyfish zombie?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Jun 19 - 09:12 AM

Absent a contaminant such as E. coli, cooked blood will not make you sick, Mrrzy, but the texture you describe makes it unlikely to integrate pleasantly into most dishes I am familiar with.

When making a dish that includes blood, such as the really old-fashioned version of coq-au-vin in which the blood of the elderly rooster is used to thicken the sauce, you handle it like raw egg. You don't just dump a beaten egg into hot milk and expect to end up with custard; you add the hot milk slowly to the egg while beating the mixture vigorously to retard the cooking process and, thus, prevent the egg protein from curdling. Likewise, the coq-au-vin is made by stewing an old cock in wine and, when the meat is cooked, beating the winy cooking liquid into a bowl of the reserved blood of the bird, then adding it back to the stewpot. Cook a bit more to integrate the whole, then serve.

You will notice that this process assumes that you have killed and bled the cock yourself -- not common in this day and age, except perhaps among people who raise poultry in a somewhat nineteenth-century way.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 06 Jun 19 - 09:45 AM

Aha, tempering. I just didn't think of it. Thanks all, I had fears of it coming back out of the disposall and doing The Blob on my cat in the middle of the night.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Jun 19 - 01:22 PM

Not much in the garden yet, everything was planted late so it's still small. But it's time to start thinking about cooking with all of the herbs I have out there and dry some of that mint for tea.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 08 Jun 19 - 02:00 PM

I discovered a wonderful breakfast the other day. Toasted bagel spread with chopped herring and beetroot and horseradish chutney. Must be my East European heritage coming out :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 08 Jun 19 - 03:45 PM

Wow, that sounds great Dave, must try it.

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 09 Jun 19 - 01:08 PM

A friend passing through today said she'd found a wonderful way to serve fizzy water on ice: add long slivers of cucumber and shreds of fine-chopped mint. A party in your mouth, she says.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 09 Jun 19 - 05:11 PM

That sounds marvy.