BS: Recipes - what are we eating?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Nov 18 - 09:24 AM

Carmalize, do not carnalize, a chopped white onion per loaded Yam with chopped jalapenos. spice to your own delight and POOF the Yam is no longer sweet but a crinchy savory treat. Pile on top cooked bacon, cheese and some baked yam then bake again until melted.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 23 Nov 18 - 08:28 AM

And we have just ordered a pressure/multi cooker. I'm not quite sure where it's going to go yet or whether or not it will get much use but vegetable soups are one thing we have mind for it.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 23 Nov 18 - 05:17 AM

I don't have a pressure cooker, or a slow cooker for that matter, but I can't see how a piece of beef suited to long, slow cooking can properly develop a melting texture and depth of flavour in 30 minutes. Naturally, I stand to be corrected, but I won't be investing in such gizmos any time soon. About thirty years ago I did flirt with a slow cooker. I found that it produced a diagreeably dry texture in meat.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: BobL
Date: 23 Nov 18 - 03:40 AM

Pressure cooker: Beef stew 15-20 mins. Topside pot roast about 30 mins depending on size. Chicken casserole 5 mins. Plus the preliminary browning and bringing up to pressure. But I wouldn't bother to use it for rice, which only takes 10 mins (15 from cold) anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 23 Nov 18 - 03:29 AM

I saw onion in some recipes and not others and decided against. I'm not a massive fan of raw onion. No garlic in mine either. I don't recall seeing that during my recipe-sweep. My recipe has a small handful of cherry tomatoes, the best I can get, per two avocados, finely diced, which nicely loosens the mix. I found that I need to use a tad more salt than I might have thought I needed. I'm not a salt fanatic.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Nov 18 - 11:28 PM

My guacamole is made by squeezing a lemon into a bowl then scooping the avocado out of the skin with a tablespoon and using a couple of forks to mash it up, but it isn't smooth like the grocery store stuff. I grate onion into it because years ago my son wouldn't eat onion if he saw it in things but he liked the flavor if he didn't know it was there. I dice up jalapeno or poblano peppers really small and use the garlic press for the garlic. Chop up the cilantro and stir in. Salt and pepper.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Nov 18 - 06:34 PM

I understand that a wild turkey has been terrorising the town of Johnston, Rhode Island, for months. Good for him!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 22 Nov 18 - 05:36 PM

For our Thanksgiving turkey dish, I sliced a raw turkey breast into thin "steaks" and sautéed them in toasted sesame oil. Dee-licious!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Nov 18 - 02:15 PM

My chunky guacamole is definitely better for a few hours in the fridge. The lime juice prevents any browning of the avocado. I suppose it could be different if you're making that smooth purée of the type supermarkets sell. I too love coriander, but it's denied to me. I suppose I could always sprinkle a bit in last minute, but it wouldn't be the same somehow.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Nov 18 - 12:43 PM

I love coriander, but there is apparently a gene involved with whether people like that or not. I grow it (comes back voluntarily every fall and winter) and freeze it to use in guacamole, bean dishes, etc. Guacamole is best eaten as fresh as possible. If it has to be stored, I freeze it as soon as possible in ice cube trays to defrost as many as I need later (defrost slowly, microwaves must be used carefully if that is your preferred defrost method. 10-20 seconds at a time.)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 22 Nov 18 - 11:18 AM

Golly, my pressure cooker wouldn't do a stew in 15 minutes!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Nov 18 - 10:49 AM

It's Thanksgiving day, a holiday in the US on the fourth Thursday of November, so people take the whole week off if they can, or at least take off Friday if it isn't already a part of their holiday. Wednesday is usually a good day to start preparing part of the meal, but this year I was racing to finish putting up a new corner of the fence to keep the dogs in and anything else out. I'm working carefully around the house today because I pulled a muscle yesterday.

The 16 pound (small by most standards) turkey is in the brine as of early this morning. I find it doesn't need to be in the salt and sugar mix for more than 4-6 hours to be very nicely seasoned and salted. I steam-juiced some frozen cranberries this year so instead of our usual sparking apple juice (Martinelli's is the best brand) I'm mixing frozen apple juice half strength, adding a cup or so of my full-strength cranberry juice, then when people want a drink I'll mix it with seltzer to give it a sparkle at the correct dilution.

The rolls will be started soon, the root vegetables that will be roasted will be peeled and cut up. I'm using an extra roasting oven (counter top) for either the rolls or the veg, but since the turkey is really best when it's had an hour to rest, that's plenty of time for other things to go in the oven. (I also have some green peppers that I'll put in with the root vegetables, just because I like roasted peppers.) They'll all get a coating of olive oil, salt, pepper, and anything else that strikes my fancy the roast till as much as possible is caramelized. There will probably be two, possibly three vegetarians here today, so we're going heavy on the side dishes.

Appetizers will be out for when people arrive - this crew always goes for the olives so there will be a can of those out (I didn't get by the fancy grocery store with all of the various olives that are available by the pound), some deviled eggs, cashews, just whatever is around they'll eat. Getting ready for the big meal an hour later, so they don't need to fill up, just graze.

The yeast rolls are homemade, the apple pie is brought by my ex and I have never been able to persuade him to make his own crust so it will be the tough grocery store crust with a pretty good homemade filling.

I'm going to mix up some cranberry sauce here soon and chill it. Make from scratch with cranberries, orange juice, and sugar. Cook it till the pectin is released and it naturally gels.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Nov 18 - 04:19 AM

Ooooh SRS, I can't wait for the Mudcat Tavern to open its doors!
And I hope they'll be serving hot buttered crumpets!

I've been trying for years to persuade my husband to reduce the quantities of salt and fat in his Fiery Horror. A heaped tablespoon of salt is far too much. Imagine his blood pressure! And all that blooming oil. It makes a greasy mess in the dishwasher filter.

I wonder if I hid all the tablespoons? But no, he merely use his cupped hand to hull more and more into the brew, like his mother and sisters do.
He's now discovered Vindaloo microwaveable meals at Morrisons. They have a really HOT one with that logo of five chillies on the packet and a warning printed in red. He often has one as a midday snack before heading off for his work. However can he stand it?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 08:51 PM

I wonder what they're serving over in the Mudcat Tavern?

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 02:14 PM

When I say boil, Jos, I don't mean a rolling boil in deep water. I mean a simmer in as little water as possible, say half way up the veg, with a tight-fitting lid, usually with a pinch of salt. I have pans with glass lids with a small vent (a hole) which means I can see what's going on in there but have the lid tight on. I got fed up with pans with lids that I had to have tottering precariously over the edge of the pan to let the steam out.

We're having my home-made chunky guacamole dip tonight with crudités, followed by cheese and biscuits (I have some Vallage triple creme cheese and a bit of leftover Gorgonzola piccante). I don't go for those abject little tubs of supermarket guacamole. I get two ripe avocados which I mush up roughly in a bowl with a fork. It can be as rough or smooth as you like, but I like a bit of texture meself. Into that goes half a green chilli, finely chopped, six diced cherry tomatoes, the juice of a small lime, a goodly seasoning of salt and some finely chopped parsley. It should be coriander/cilantro really, but Mrs Steve can't abide the stuff (she says it tastes like washing-up liquid) so I use the parsley instead. Maggie could stick with the coriander. ;-) I find it tastes better made at least several hours in advance.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: MMario
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 12:43 PM

Tonight will be tortellini en brodo (sausage stuffed tortellini, turkey broth) with asiago shredded on top, and a mixed greens salad.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 09:16 AM

I agree that the steamer is for puddings.

I don't "boil" my vegetables, I simmer them, and whenever possible I get organic ones, so using the water shouldn't be a problem.

I am astonished at Thompson's 10 or 15 minutes in a pressure cooker to cook rice. When I used to use a pressure cooker, that sort of timing would have been for a hearty stew of the kind that would have taken several hours in a slow oven.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 08:59 AM

Husband's Fiery Horror dinner:-

Brown a large chopped onion in a little vegetable oil.
Add two tablespoons of oil and one of peanut butter, and one tablespoon of salt, plus half a pint of water.

Add three chopped tomatoes and half a jar of tomato paste, a Maggi chicken stock cube and a tablespoon of hot Madras curry powder.
Chuck in four Scotch bonnets and a pile of cubed meat.

Simmer for thirty minutes until both cats and the wife are partly asphyxiated and requiring oxygen.

Meanwhile, using the rice steamer, put a selection of any vegetables in the steaming compartment above and cook with the Basmati rice until ready (about ten minutes)

The Horror left over can be decanted into containers and put in the fridge. It will do for a further two meals.
.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stanron
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 07:45 AM

By this time of the year my solid fuel stove is going full time all day and banked up at night.

It has a large flat top that can be used for slow cooking and heating water. It is very good for 'foil steaming'. Yesterday's offering had a piece of pork belly, one whole, peeled onion, one large peeled carrot (not chopped up) and one large slab of peeled swede.

All of these are placed on one half of a long strip of strong foil. When I remember a few cloves of garlic are put in as well.

The foil is folded back on itself and the three seams are double folded. All four corners get an extra fold. This gets placed on the top of the stove for a couple of hours.

Water comes off the meat and the onions also give off water. Over time this turns to steam. The package blows up like a balloon. Everything is cooked after the ballooning has gone on for about thirty minutes.

The vegetables are a revelation. Super succulent and sweet. I do the occasional vegetable only steam. Parsnips end up a bit dry but an extra small onion mashed up with the parsnip sorts that out.

I think I'll do a vegetable only job tonight, just replacing the meat with a leek. Yummy.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 07:25 AM

For a decent cheat's risotto (does away with all that adding and stirring), proceed as usual at first, sauteeing your onions gently (in butter, not oil). If you're also using chopped pancetta, add that now and cut down on the butter. Then turn up the heat and add the rice, just to toast it a little bit, stirring to coat with fat. Add a small glass of white wine and let that bubble for a minute or two. Then add any herbs you're using (chopped thyme is always good) and seasoning. Add your boiling stock (I find that you need slightly over twice the volume of stock as the volume of rice). Bring to a healthy simmer, give it a good stir, turn the heat down, put the lid on and forget it for 14 minutes (open the prosecco).

After that, you need to give it a really good bashing about for a minute of two to bring out the creaminess. Adjust the liquid. Only then do I add any other ingredients, such as cooked peas, broad beans or French beans, or sautéed mushrooms or scraps of leftover chicken or sausage. The world's your oyster. Turn off the heat and add a big knob of butter and a generous handful of freshly-grated Parmesan. Keep checking the liquid level (it keeps on thickening for a bit) and seasoning. For me, the coup de grace (but not for Maggie) is to stir in a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley. You'll live forever.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 06:40 AM

We always steam spuds. Makes them sweeter.

Risotto, though,I make in the pressure cooker (otherwise mainly used for stock). It’s not a classic risotto but a big hearty rice based mixup.

Fry chopped onion till transparent, add some risotto rice (I like carnaroli best), then when it’s glossy, courgette and aubergine and dried mushrooms, then a good dose of stock. A sloshy mix around and the pressure cooker is closed and brought up to pressure.

While it’s coming to pressure and humming away for I think around 10 or 15 minutes, I simmer a handful of frozen shellfish mix with butter and lemon and dill.

Then I take the pressure cooker off the heat and let the pressure off with a long-handled wooden spoon. Add in the liquor from the shellfish and a glass or more of white wine. Stir well and bring back up to pressure. Five minutes and it’s done.

It’s nice with lemon wedges to squeeze over, and/or (sorry, Italians) Parmesan.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 06:29 AM

Well just wash all veg thoroughly before cooking or eating raw. That will get rid of almost all residues. My point was that brassica water makes for not nice gravy, and I can't think of a good use anyway for water that spuds have been boiled in, except for when you make those lovely thick winter stews that you boil up for two hours with shin of beef, potatoes, carrots, swedes and onions. I'm making a vast crock of that this weekend, to go with Atora suet dumplings, what else. Just the thing for eating off your knee out of a big bowl in front of Strictly on Saturday and the results show on Sunday. I think she doth worry too much. Eating lots of veg will far outweigh in benefits the risks of ingesting what are probably tiny amounts of toxins.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Iains
Date: 21 Nov 18 - 05:16 AM

Scary vegetable cooking water. The longer you boil it, the more concentrated the pesticide residues.

A school of thought below.
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/should-vegetable-cooking-water-be-saved/

and a recent report:

[PDF]The 2016 European Union report on pesticide

https://www.actu-environnement.com/media/.../news-31777-efsa-pesticides-aliments.pdf
(I do not have much luck linking to a pdf so the link needs copying and pasting)

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 20 Nov 18 - 06:57 PM

I must say, over the past couple of years I've turned away from steaming. I'll still steam chopped sweetheart cabbage in order to ensure that I don't get overly soggy cabbage, but I've taken to boiling all other veg. I've found that hard veg such as carrot batons and tight Cornish cauliflower florets cook much more evenly when boiled, and, when I have awkward veg such as tenderstem, with tops that cook quickly but stalks that take much longer, I'm better off boiling with the shoots covered but with the stalks under water and the heads sticking out above in the steam. A very good idea is to split the lower parts of tenderstem stalks up the bottom inch or two with a sharp knife. When I steam, I find that the water in the pan underneath still ends up with water that looks like I might have lost nutrients. As I understand it, boiling, as opposed to steaming, doesn't really lose much at all. It's texture for me every time. Steamed carrots just don't do it for me at all. A very nice winter veg combo with your roast chicken is steamed organic cabbage mixed with boiled carrot batons. Naturally, you will also need roast parsnips, it goes without saying. And I will not use the cooking water from any brassica to make gravy. It just ain't right.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Nov 18 - 02:49 PM

I'm going to steam some green beans, but no Campbells soup will go near them.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Nov 18 - 07:26 AM

100 million Americans will eat Campbells green bean casserole recipe this week.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 20 Nov 18 - 05:17 AM

"...the blessed Nigella Lawson’s chicken thighs..."

Oh, I don't know. I've always thought she has very nice legs...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 20 Nov 18 - 03:51 AM

I might try the chicken, leek and peas recipe, but I shall add some green pepper, just to spite the "blessed" Nigella (who threatened to excommunicate anyone who used green peppers - on the grounds that red peppers are SWEETER). That recipe would be ruined by red peppers, but green ones would be rather nice, I think.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: sciencegeek
Date: 20 Nov 18 - 03:45 AM

found beautiful escarole at the store so picked up three heads and had a ball... first off was escarole soup

chicken broth well seasoned to taste
sweet Italian sausage formed into tiny meatballs
1 head of escarole chopped
bring to boil and then simmer 1/2 hour
add 1/4 cup of acini de pepe - a tiny pasta just larger than couscous
cook until pasta is done, serve with crusty bread

greens & beans

1# Italian bulk sausage crumbled and cooked in olive oil with plenty of minced garlic
add 4 cans of cannelloni beans
simmer for 20 minutes add water if needed
add 1 head of escarole torn into large pieces
simmer until greens are tender
serve with grated cheese and crusty bread

escarole with angel hair pasta

start pot of water for pasta

add minced garlic to olive oil & heat
add diced tomatoes - canned is fine
add 1 tbsp of capers
season with basil & oregano to taste
add 1 head of escarole chopped into bite sized pieces
cover pan and simmer until greens are tender

by the time escarole is done, pasta should be done, drained and returned to pot

stir the escarole into the pasta and serve with grated cheese

I cook by eye and taste, so adjust to your taste

all three dishes hold well and reheat just fine

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 20 Nov 18 - 12:13 AM

A lot of food is better as leftovers - partly because you’re anxious when cooking for others, partly because the tastes blend and intensify overnight. Here’s another good tray bake - very handy for guests because it’s so easy - the blessed Nigella Lawson’s chicken thighs with frozen peas and leeks:

Empty two packs of frozen peas into a chicken-sized roasting pan and give them a smash down. Add the whites of four or five leeks, washed and chopped in 2cm slices. Chopped cloves of garlic to taste. A bunch of dill, torn up. Eight chicken thighs on top. A good slosh of dry vermouth, or white wine if you don’t have it. A scatter of flaky salt, a glug of olive oil, or rapeseed oil.

Cook for three quarters of an hour in a 200c/400f oven, take out and give a mix (but leave the leeks up top so they get caramelised and sweet). Back in for another half hour. Chop a bit more dill over the top and serve.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Raggytash
Date: 19 Nov 18 - 09:30 AM

Last night it was Murghi Saag that I had made the day before, for some reason this type of food is always better the day after it was made.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 19 Nov 18 - 08:41 AM

Maybe not - it’s a Neff, so should be good, but it can lie.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Nov 18 - 07:55 AM

Was your oven hot enough, Thompson? I've never had a failure! 35 mins max otherwise the cauliflower gets overcooked. Only use the best extra virgin olive oil too, enough to coat everything. A bit more fat comes out of the chorizo.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Jos
Date: 19 Nov 18 - 04:27 AM

I wouldn't ever use dried parsley either, but dried thyme is fine by me.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 11:18 PM

Tried the cauliflower tray bake but it didn’t really work for me. Half an hour: still raw. An hour: drying out. I added olive oil. Then I fell asleep. Woke and it had been put in fridge, rejected as too greasy. Tasted ok to me... maybe my oven’s too slow. Maybe I should have put foil over it...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 10:42 PM

I'm drying basil on my kitchen counter even as you type. Most of the time I put it fresh into ziplock bags, force the air out, and freeze them. It stays green that way, but for some things, dried works.

I don't like parsley, I'm not particularly fond of kale, I dislike lima beans. There, I outed myself.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 07:03 PM

"I don't sprinkle parsley because I don't like parsley."

How can this be? What's not to like if the parsley is fresh? The only parsley I ever use is fresh out of my garden, always flat-leaf. I wouldn't allow dried parsley into the house. In fact, I find all dried herbs, with the honourable exception of dried oregano, to be utterly disgusting. Dried basil is just about the worst.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 06:51 PM

We had the Puglian dish orecchiette con cime di rape tonight. You can use any short pasta but orecchiette is the traditional thing and without it the dish would be delicious but not authentic. As a matter of fact, the fact that I use tomatoes is not authentic either, but I think they add a lot. In Puglia they use stringy turnip tops, very nice too, but I've used purple sprouting broccoli or tenderstem to good advantage and tonight I used that new-fangled veg, kalettes, aka flower sprouts. Delicious. If you use tenderstem, you need to cut the stems into small pieces (leave the tops whole), otherwise you end up with a bit too much crunch.

For two people:

Put 250g orecchiette pasta in a very large pan of boiling salted water, having noted the required cooking time on the pack.

In your best shallow casserole pan, put two cloves of finely-sliced garlic into three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add dried chilli flakes (or fresh chillies) to your taste. The dish should be quite spicy but not fiery. Sauté gently for a couple of minutes.

Add a handful of good cherry tomatoes, cut in half. At the same time add a goodly amount of chopped fresh parsley. Simmer that lot gently for a few minutes to soften the tomatoes a bit. Season gently.

Two minutes before the pasta is due to be al dente, throw 200g broccoli/kalettes into the pasta pan. It will slow the pasta down by a minute, which is what you want.

Three minutes later, having checked for doneness, drain the pasta/greens pan quickly and throw the mix into the sauce. You need a bit of the pasta water to go in there. Mix thoroughly and serve up, topped with a grating of pecorino (or parmesan) and a drizzling of your finest olive oil.

You'll find fussier versions of this that require you to pre-cook the greens, etc., but forget all that. This works a treat. It's one of our favourite dishes, and Mrs Steve is very hard to please, I assure you.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 04:46 PM

Here is an image of my pork and eggplant recipe:

Flickr Mudcat album.

I serve it with the mashed potatoes, it's a perfect combination. I don't sprinkle parsley because I don't like parsley.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 02:18 PM

I am only organic in my gardening, Steve - that's where this peroxide recommendation comes from! Same with the cornmeal. See Dirt Doctor for lots of organic tips. Near the top on the left side you'll see "Library Topics" and you can search on hydrogen peroxide as a treatment or you can search on mold and see what is recommended.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 02:07 PM

I have a feeling that grey mould gets in at the flowering stage. I'll check whether hydrogen peroxide fits in with my organic sentiments. I suppose it's only water with an extra dollop of oxygen...

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 10:07 AM

If mold is a problem put some regular store-strength hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle and spritz them all in a preventative move or if you start to see the mold. And sprinkling ground cornmeal on the ground under them is good for fertilizing and slows or eliminates the mold growth.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 06:52 AM

Oh? Mine were a lovely glowing amber!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 06:42 AM

My Autumn Bliss ARE red!

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Thompson
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 06:39 AM

I had Autumn Bliss and they were fab, but the red fellows, the grey squirrels of raspberries, outbred them.. must replant them.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 06:24 AM

Many moons ago I tried growing summer raspberries, but they soon got decimated by reversion disease. But the Autumn Bliss ones have been growing merrily away for twenty years and are as vigorous as ever. They are primocane raspberries (they fruit on new season's wood) which means I can hack the whole lot to the ground in winter and I don't bother training them (a bit of thinning maybe). I'm at the mercy of blackbirds occasionally but I don't mind if they have a few, and in indifferent late summers the good old grey mould gets lots of them just as they're getting ready to be picked. It's generally late August before meaningful quantities can be picked. But it's very nice to have them in the freezer for indulgent winter puds. My soil pH is a bit high for raspberries so I put on loads of grass clippings and leaf mould in spring in addition to a layer of compost. Once a year I have to bust my organic principles and give them a dose of chelated iron to stop the leaves going too yellow.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 18 - 08:16 PM

I envy you those raspberries! If you look at agriculture maps of the US, you'll see that the state producing the most raspberries commercially is Washington state, where I grew up. We spent summers grazing on various wild patches of raspberries planted and forgotten by neighbors. Pick the berry, blow off any dust or bugs, eat. That was the routine for 9-year-old kids.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 17 Nov 18 - 07:55 PM

I actually cut all my grass today (half an acre). It was surprisingly long considering that we had two quite vicious frosts two weeks ago. My garden's been a bit neglected for a few weeks after my dad died, but my sprouting broccoli bed looks great and my parsnips and leeks are looking good, and my freezer is full of a bumper crop of Autumn Bliss raspberries, best year ever.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Nov 18 - 07:38 PM

I grow garlic from some that I originally dug up in the woods across the street from my house. It's the hard-neck elephant garlic that is probably actually a leek. It can be strong, but since I grow it and keep it for a long time, I think it loses some strength over time. Use more to get the flavor you want.

Our weather warmed this week so I've worked in the yard. Dinner tonight was light—a sharp blond cheddar cheese on whole grain crackers, topped with slices of kielbasa and washed down with a merlot.

Subject: RE: BS: Recipes - what are we eating?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 17 Nov 18 - 07:09 PM

Mild garlic is about as useful as decaf coffee. No use at all in other words. When garlic is gently cooked, any harshness disappears and all will be sweet, soft and lovely. We've had Yottam's roasted cauliflower tonight, a one-tray dish with chopped Nocellara olives, a horseshoe of sliced piccante chorizo (skinned, natch), two red onions hacked into big wedges, a hefty sprinkling of sweet smoked paprika, a very large cauliflower hacked into florets, a handful of pumpkin seeds and a large glug of extra virgin olive oil. Not least, several cloves of garlic, smashed with the fist then lightly chopped into big pieces. Seasoning of course. You mix that lot in a big bowl then spread it all out on a baking tray on which you've put a big sheet of greaseproof paper. Roast in a hot oven (200C, or 400F for you antediluvian yanks) for half an hour, turning it all over once half way through. When you take it out, mix in a goodly amount of chopped fresh parsley. It's an amazingly beautiful dish. Me and Mrs Steve are very fond of hot spiciness, but if you're not quite as keen you could always use a milder chorizo.

If I need to use garlic in the raw, I just slice it very thinly with a sharp paring knife. I use that in my tuna pasta dish in which the only cooked ingredient is the pasta. The other ingredients are tuna in olive oil, creme fraiche, capers, garlic, parsley and seasoning. Don't be scared of raw garlic, or any garlic, but just cut it up very thinly. Garlic should rarely be the point of the thing, unless you're making garlic mayo in which to dip your chips. English chips, not crisps.

When I buy garlic I'm not concerned with how "hot" it might be. It has to look fresh and feel very firm and not smell manky. Beware of garlic that's on sale well out of season. It can be very harsh and acrid. I've had to give up growing my own because my garden soil is plagued with white rot, which screws up my onions, leeks and garlic and which has spores that live in the soil for twenty years.