BS: Recipes - what are we eating?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 14 Jan 21 - 04:21 PM

Mrrzy, open it and smell it. If it smells OK and there is no sign of mould or - very important - anything turning pink, it will probably be fine.
I also had some rather solid cream, use-by date mid-October. I added it to a pasta sauce along with some white wine and herbs, plus leeks and mushrooms. It was delicious and there have been no ill effects.
Trust your nose.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 14 Jan 21 - 03:46 PM

Really? It isn't a usable dairy product that just isn't cream any more? Aw.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 Jan 21 - 11:19 AM

Use-by dates? I'm using a chorizo ring tonight that expired in September. Looks good, smells good - but I am cooking it. Sliced ham: always seems ok two weeks out of date. Unopened milk, fine for two or three days past. Sniff. Out of date eggs, crack 'n sniff. Best for omelettes or scrambled. Hard cheese, ignore date. Soft or blue, not quite so forgiving but generally good for at least a few days past. Throw that cream away.

"Out-of-date wine?" Huh? I don't understand...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 14 Jan 21 - 10:10 AM

The Google has failed me again.

I bought too much fresh-ish-by-American-standards cream for my solstice bûche. Now, a month later, I have an unopened glass container of something fairly solid that has been in the fridge the whole time.

What do I have? Is it something like crème fraîche? Ricotta? Still cream, just solidified? Cream cheese? Cheese? My assumption is that it is still edible...

Thank you!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Jan 21 - 08:21 PM

My 10.05am recipe from the 11th should have also included two roughly chopped red onions. Dammit! Anyway, I have the ingredients and we are having it tomorrow!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: leeneia
Date: 13 Jan 21 - 04:54 PM

I've started baking cauliflower, too. I cut it into slices of even thickness so it bakes more evenly.

Advice for people who dislike broccoli and brussels sprouts - try putting lime juice on them. It's delicious.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jan 21 - 03:29 PM

On Twitter I follow mystery novelist Laura Lippman, who does a lot of cooking also. And today she posted photos of a pizza they made, with big chunks of fresh mozzarella, sausage, tomato sauce, etc. But the feature that was one of the "slaps forehead!" moments for me was that it was on a paddle to slide onto a stone in the oven, sitting on a piece of parchment for the easy sliding. Something to try the next time.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 12 Jan 21 - 10:12 AM

Hmmm... Cauliflower is one of the few veg I really like overcooked. Mush that woman's cauli my way!

Made what I thought was a tactical blunder: had leftover pork loin that had been marinated in an Oriental style, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger. Totally forgot how I'd cooked it, so just thought of it as leftover pork, and decided to make sauerkraut soup with it, Eastern European style, rosemary, celery seed, some leeks. Adding the meat after chopping it, ate the last sesame-y piece and thought Uh oh, this will not work.

But it did. It was absolutely de-yum.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Jan 21 - 01:50 PM

Small amounts of pickled raw cauliflower can be good, otherwise it needs to be al dente. Cauliflower, like sprouts, is very unforgiving if even slightly overcooked. I had an aunt who I dreaded going to visit if she was cooking Sunday lunch. To save time she pre-cooked the cauliflower early in the morning then reheated it for the lunch. The merest touch with your fork and it totally disintegrated. Vegetable abuse writ large.

Adding the chorizo turns it into a proper full meal. Yotam suggests it as a side dish if you leave out the sausage, and suggests that you up the amount of paprika. Unless you're a veggie I'd include it. You'd be pleasantly surprised: the little rings of chorizo turn agreeably crunchy around the edges. I like my black pudding done like that too, but that's another story. Not sure about adding Parmesan. I might try it next time, but the sausage stays. It's a one-tray meal and we can scoff it out of a pasta bowl in front of the telly. Sorry about the parsley, Maggie. I'm sure a bit of coriander would be a good sub.

We're very fortunate in Cornwall as we live in one of our major cauliflower-growing areas. All the supermarkets sell Cornish cauliflower and it's very fresh. Cheap too. I won't buy cauliflower that isn't tight and firm in the curd, or discoloured in any way, and I always give it a good sniff before purchase. Limp outer leaves are a no-no too.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Jan 21 - 01:05 PM

I concur - I don't care for raw cauliflower or broccoli. They're much better cooked.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 11 Jan 21 - 11:48 AM

If you make an oil- or butter-based sauce with your spices, paint the outside of the whole cauliflower with some of it, then turn the veg upside down and introduce the rest of the sauce into the cauliflower's insides, between the stalks, and bake whole at slightly lower temp, say 400F, for a slightly longer time, maybe up to 45mn. Cut into halves if small, quarters for large, to serve. A total fave.

I use crumpled tin foil, or a couple of toothpicks, to keep the cauliflower nicely upside-down.

I strongly prefer cooked to raw cauliflower, but I think that is a minority view...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Jan 21 - 11:10 AM

That's interesting, Steve.

Now, do you think some grated parmesan would work in place of the chorizo?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Jan 21 - 10:05 AM

We bake cauliflower that way too. I find that a large cauliflower does two of us. I got my idea from Yotam. I put the florets into a big bowl. Then I add a sliced-up chorizo (mild or hot 'n' spicy, either is good, but skin it first), a small handful of pumpkin seeds, about two ounces of chopped-up green olives (no stones), salt and freshly-ground black pepper, a generous dose of paprika (smoked is good) and several glugs of extra virgin olive oil. Get your hands in there and mix thoroughly, then spread it all out, as you say, on a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Half an hour in a fairly hot oven, stirred half way through. When it's done, I sprinkle the whole lot generously with freshly-chopped parsley. It's one of our favourites is that, and it works every time.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Jan 21 - 09:14 AM

I had the rellies (BIL and family) in for a steak dinner last night, as we’re all desperate for conversation and I have a freezer full of meat that otherwise won’t get eaten. Not to speak of rather a lot of wine that otherwise won’t get drunk.

Roasted cauliflower seems to be our new favourite veg dish. Recipe:

- A cauliflower, small or large, depending on the size of dining party
- Olive oil
- Salt, pepper, and herb & spice mix of your choice

Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (400 with fan). Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

Break the cauliflower into florets and cut the florets to more or less consistent size, about an inch and a half in diameter. Put the pieces in a large bowl, anoint with oil, and sprinkle flavourings with abandon. Toss.

Spread the cauliflower pieces on the sheet pan in a single layer and put the sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven. Roast until generally browned and tender to a fork, which usually takes about half an hour.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 05:31 PM

Duck eggs. Soooo much better than chicken eggs I find. Scrambled in butter mmmmm.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 01:27 PM

Well I just googled "perfect omelette" and flashed through the first two pages of results (I may have missed something). Only one website, the American (I think) Epicurious, suggested adding water or milk. At least two big names said don't do it (including Jamie Oliver). Felicity Cloake, who is a food writer in the Guardian who tests recipes, made omelettes with milk, with water and with neither. She found that both the milk and water robbed the omelette of richness and gave unsatisfying results.

My mum used to add milk to scrambled eggs, then overcook them. I've tried with and without, and I found that milk just made the eggs less rich. I've never heard of adding extra liquid to omelettes. A good thing to do with scrambled eggs is to melt the butter in the pan then pour half of it into the egg mixture, mixing quickly, then putting the eggs in the pan. Plenty of butter is the key. It's crucial to get the eggs off the heat while they're still at least half-runny.

Chachun à son goût!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 12:29 PM

Well all I can say is that I've been making omelettes and scrambled eggs for over half a century and they always turn out well - without water (or milk). In fact, I've never heard of the addition of water before the mention in this thread. Blimey, the albumen is 99% water anyway!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 10:35 AM

My omelet method is pretty much like Steve and Charmion concur is a good one. 1-2 teaspoons of water, two eggs, etc. But yes, in this instance I didn't want to stop and wash and reheat the pan so I added the egg to the browned chopped peppers and onions (there wasn't much of all of that, maybe 1/4 cup, and it was a half-ounce of the sausage) and moved the pan around to spread out the egg. Add the lid for about 30 seconds to help it set up, then cheese and struggled with this one to get it out of the pan because some of the fried bits stuck. It wasn't as pretty as usual.

Hot sauce I use a lot these days is a Mexican pepper sauce brand called Tapatio. It won't send steam out of your ears but you can feel the heat and (most importantly) it adds a complementary flavor to the eggs. And this is a sauce, not a salsa.

Years ago, probably in my teens, I was watching an American television game show called What's My Line, and after identifying whoever the guest was, for some reason he cooked an omelet on stage. As he was setting up, regular panelist Arlene Francis said something about starting with milk and he was all over her - "NEVER use milk, always use water, just a tiny amount" (that's actually paraphrased - mostly I remember being impressed by his passion on the topic). I resolved at that time to use only water. I think it was confirmed by Julia Child at a later date, only use water.

When I make scrambled eggs I also only use a little water, same exact method, except the eggs are stirred around once they're in the pan.

There's a little OCD in play when I cook fried eggs for myself, and the dogs have caught onto it. When I crack the egg and carefully apply to the hot pan, if at the first the yoke breaks, it bugs me, so it gets a quick stir in the pan and is cooked just long enough to be solid for easy distribution to the three waiting dogs. (Sometimes it breaks when flipping, and if it isn't too bad, I live with it if I can corral the liquid yoke.) So when I make fried eggs for myself they're sitting there hoping I break all of the yokes. If I'm going to eat scrambled eggs, they're beaten briefly with a fork in a bowl with the aforementioned water the same as for omelets. I don't care for pan scrambled. My

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 08:38 AM

A French Canadian in Montreal told me she always use a drop of water, rather than milk, so that the steam will help the omelette rise.
But I reckon the eggs make it rise anyway, without extra steam.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 08:27 AM

My omelette method is just like yours, Steve. It’s how they do it in France.

Milk in the beaten egg softens the curd, which some people like. I do it when scrambling, but not for omelette.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 07:23 AM

That's what I do too. A very small non-stick frying pan is the ideal thing for that. I bought just the thing in Lidl for £3.99. No more gouging of burnt egg off the bottom of the pan for me! And still a bit sloppy for me, please! I can't quite remember how Dave and Si managed to produce an omelette rather than scrambled.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 07:16 AM

Sometimes if I have an onion that has started growing long green sprouts, I chop the green part and add it to the cheese in a cheese omelette. The combination of onion and cheese seems to magically create a third flavour that wasn't there before (a bit like the way mixing blue and yellow paint produces green paint, which wasn't there before).

That Hairy Bikers' method, without the addition of bits of egg shell, is the way I make scrambled eggs - leaving some recognisable yolk and white in the result.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 06:05 AM

I seem to recall seeing the Hairy Bikers making an omelette from scratch in under a minute by just cracking the eggs into the hot pan with seasoning, then beating the mix all around until it was set just so. It was some kind of contest to see who could make the fastest omelette. I think the verdict was that it turned out quite well but would have been even better without the bits of shell. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 05:54 AM

I take it that the sausage and green peppers were on the side and not in the omelette...?

A cheese omelette is a thing of beauty, and it's done in a trice. I'm not a big fan of non-stick, but for omelettes I have a pair of not-too-big non-stick frying pans, which are ideal. The cheese should be something like a strong cheddar and you don't need too much.

I'm not saying my way is the best or only way, but here's how I do an omelette:

Turn the heat up to very hot. Beat three eggs, not too much (very important), with some salt and pepper. Absolutely no milk. I can never understand why anyone puts milk in eggs for omelettes or scrambling. Get the frying pan very hot and drop in a knob of butter, at least an ounce. Only butter, no oil. When the butter sizzles like mad and looks like it's going to go brown, pour in the eggs and swirl to cover the pan. Leave alone for 20 seconds. Then tilt the pan and get the runny middle to come to the edge all round. There should still be some runny middle left when you add the cheese and/or flip the omelette in half. You are not making something to sole your shoes. As soon as you've flipped, turn off the heat under the pan. The hot pan will do the rest. After a few seconds turn the omelette over and leave for a few more seconds. Scoop your chips or whatever on to a warm plate and put the omelette next to them. Something green will make you feel like it's doing you at least some good. Manna from heaven in m'humble. If I have a spare bread roll kicking around, I'll have an omelette, without the cheese, for my breakfast, half of it inside the buttered roll and the other half just for greedy devouring. Keep your face over the plate and avoid company as you feast. Large mug of builder's tea essential.

My dad always overcooked everything. His idea of an omelette was to not flip it but to fry it on both sides until it was so rubbery that you could have slapped someone's face with it for sixty seconds and it still wouldn't have dropped to bits. In my teen years, when I'd copy his method, I found it to be surprisingly edible, but in no sense whatsoever do I now look back and think to myself "Now that's what I CALL an omelette..."

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 03:29 AM

"Hot sauce" isn't very specific. What kind of sauce? And does "hot" mean it contained chilli, or that you heated it up first? Or maybe both?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jan 21 - 12:07 AM

Lately I'm poking around the fridge and thinking about different combinations of the usual ingredients. Just for a change. If I land on something that is particularly successful, I'll share it.

I made an omelet the other days with some leftover chopped green bell pepper and onion, sautéed with some breakfast sausage. Cheese added before flipping it in half, and adding hot sauce on top. Not bad, but next time I'd use a different kind of sausage. I prefer it to be savory, but that sausage was too salty.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 07 Jan 21 - 06:41 PM

Yotam Ottolenghi is the guest on the latest episode of The Food Chain (BBC World Service), which should be available in podcast soon.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Jan 21 - 11:44 AM

I have a 1 quart low-power crock pot from the 1970s that is at its best when used for making oatmeal overnight, started right before bedtime. I have a glass electric kettle for boiling water, so while it heats I plug in the crock pot, add a little salt, cut up a few dates, add either old fashioned oats or steel-cut oats, then pour the boiling water over the oats and the pot is hot enough to cook them. Starting with cold water results in a mess by morning that would take a lot longer to finish.

I alternate the dried fruit; sometimes I cut up dates, other times I add raisins.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 05 Jan 21 - 11:37 AM

I have long enjoyed cocoa with a shot of blended or vatted malt whisky in it. If the game of "Dead Ants" had instead involved "Død tante/Tote Tante," I might have got into the game.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: BobL
Date: 05 Jan 21 - 03:24 AM

a.k.a. a Lumumba. Used to live on them, holidaying in Majorca half a lifetime ago.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Jan 21 - 04:52 PM

Why has it taken me so damned long to discover cocoa with rum in it?

Delicious, nutritious (sorta) and relaxing! Can’t say better than that.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Raggytash
Date: 03 Jan 21 - 06:07 PM

Thank you Leeneia, we are very proud Grandparents of a beautiful baby boy and loving every second of it!!

I should have expanded of Pomme Lyonnaise.

Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes and par boil. Cool under a running cold water tap and then drain. Ideally they are then baked until golden brown, although I cheated and deep fried them, then mix with onions that have been browned in a frying pan.

One of a thousand or more ways of preparing potatoes!!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 03 Jan 21 - 05:40 PM

Mrrzy, on a tous lu /La Zizanie/ il y a 50 ans, à peu près. Our parents bought Astérix books to encourage us to read French. They rather enjoyed the books themselves, too.

For the last nearly 20 years, I was a procedural clerk--greffier à la procédure--at the House of Commons of Canada, and the ability to function at a professional level in English and French (both written and spoken) was a prerequisite for the job. Before that, I was a soldier and served in French-language and bilingual units.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: leeneia
Date: 03 Jan 21 - 05:02 PM

Raggytash, your family dinner sounds wonderful. Congratulations on the new baby.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 03 Jan 21 - 02:01 PM

Si une des langues est le Français...


Made my sore-throat-cure soup- chicken broth, hot pepper, lemon juice. Drink from mug as hot as you can.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Jan 21 - 01:32 PM

Pas francophone, mais bilingue.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 03 Jan 21 - 01:29 PM

Qui a lu La zizanie, album d'Astérix?

Je ne savais pas que t'étais francophone. Ô frère de Charmion.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Jan 21 - 12:55 PM

What next, Charmion?
I'll tell you what next, in the state of New Mexico
(just north of El Paso, Texas):
the local politicos passed an act in 1989
which made New Mexico the first state in the union to have
an official cookie, the Bizcochito.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 03 Jan 21 - 10:17 AM

I wonder who designated it the official state grain. Did they invite nominations, draw up a short list and ask people to vote? Or did a wealthy seed producer suggest it, and slip some influential state official a wad of notes in a plain brown envelope?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Jan 21 - 10:03 AM

Official state grain? What next?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Jan 21 - 10:28 PM

as to zizania palustris,
Wikipedia says it is the official state grain of Minnesota.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Donuel
Date: 02 Jan 21 - 05:19 PM

I'm experimenting with a new smoothie maker. New flavors include banana pear cinnamon, Chocolate banana mango, Cranberry-jellied cherry pomogranite, pineapple honeycrisp apple, bluberry peach clove, Lemon honey applesauce etc.
water added as ice but no milk. I'll leave it to others to invent cocktails.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 02 Jan 21 - 12:53 PM

C'est un drôle de nom de genre, Charmion. "Zizania" was the plant of discord, so it was an odd approach to apply to the wild aquatic grasses of North America.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Jan 21 - 07:32 PM

Empanadilla is what they call them in Puerto Rico, but I don't think they're any smaller than the empanadas that are made in Mexico, Central America, the Philippines, etc. It's just what they call them.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Raggytash
Date: 01 Jan 21 - 05:44 PM

Well tonight we were blessed with the company of our son and his partner (to whom he has just become engaged, on Christmas Day) and our new grandson.

We started with a simple Smoked Salmon salad followed by a roast of Fillet Steak with Pomme Lyonnaise, Petit Pois au Beurre and although I hate to say it a Cauliflower & Broccoli Cheese. This was followed by home made Ginger Cup Cakes and/or home made Double Chocolate Cup Cakes with home made Strawberry Ice Cream.

Needless to say copious amounts of alcohol were consumed by those not responsible for the baby.

We sat at the table at 4.30, they have just left at 10.40 and a grand night was had by all.

Happy New Year to you all!!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Jan 21 - 04:56 PM

My goose soup turned out good, but rather rich and a bit strange. It has leek in it, along with the mirepoix of celery, garlic, carrot and bacon, and the last quarter-kilo of wild rice I’ve been hoarding.

Most of it will have to go into the freezer, as a single plateful does me very well for supper. Fortunately, now the goose itself is out of the freezer, there’s room!

Steve, I have not forgotten your advice about adding rice later if you’re freezing soup. Wild rice is not actually rice (Oryza sativa), but a native North American grain the Ojibwe people call « manoomin »; its genus name is Zizania. It doesn’t turn into library paste if frozen in soup.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: leeneia
Date: 01 Jan 21 - 12:32 AM

We celebrated with spare ribs, coleslaw and red wine. Then we whooped it up with two sessions of Antiques Roadshow.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 31 Dec 20 - 12:01 PM

Due to severe incompetence by our government and the sudden abolition, first of Christmas then of New Year, it's just two of us in front of the telly with spag bol tonight...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 31 Dec 20 - 04:17 AM

Doesn't "empanadilla" just mean "little empanada"?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Dec 20 - 12:08 AM

On xmas eve I made a batch of the filling for Puerto Rican empanadillas (meat pies) for my ex as part of his usual annual gift, and I kept a small bowl of it for myself. He didn't want the pie crust part this year (too many carbs) so will heat and spoon it over rice. But I made a couple of small crusts and fried a couple of pies for dinner. Other places call their meat pies "empanadas," but in PR they are empanadillas. These were made with a lean pork tenderloin, cut up and added to sofrito, then tomatoes (pureed whole canned), cilantro, capers, and finished with green olives and pimentos in the pies.