Smithy

Dutch Potato Bread, recipe from The Partisan Baker (a.k.a. @bethesdabakers).Mick posted here about this recipe last summer, and I finally got round to trying it. It was a new experience for me, and of course I came away with questions. This recipe calls for 125% starter, grated onions, grated potatoes, yogurt, grated cheese, and of course flour and salt. There is no water added. I kept checking the recipe. Nope, no water. I tried it as written, reserving the idea that if it didn't pull together properly then I might add a bit to help it along. As it turned out, there was no need; the dough came together and had plenty of moisture. What it didn't have, and never developed - despite kneading, stretching and folding, and proofing (all as I've been doing with my reliable loaves) - was a good rise or structure. If this had been mixed using commercial yeast I'd have concluded the yeast was dead. Since it was mixed using my well-fed and -refreshed, quite lively sourdough starter, that couldn't be the problem. Oh, it rose a little but refused to develop the texture I'd have expected. It lay flaccid in its bowl at room temperature, then overnight in the refrigerator, and the next day coming up to temperature. I considered kneading it more and perhaps adding some flour to try to make it less shaggy, then letting it proof longer. Then I decided to take the recipe at its word for proportions and stop waiting. I bunged it into a bread pan to give it some shape for the final rise. Doesn't look very promising here, does it? Nonetheless it browned and baked beautifully. It isn't a high loaf, but it isn't the brick the photos might suggest. It's dense, very flavorful and delightfully tangy. Here's the crumb: I will definitely make this again. I wonder about pointers, though. The recipe calls for wholemeal wheat flour. I had, and used, King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour. Would the flour difference account for this loaf's refusal to rise? Does the type of potato or onion matter? I used grated russet (starchy) potato rather than waxy potato. Incidentally, this was delicious with last night's spaghetti dinner, and this morning's breakfast. I'll be making it again.

@EsaK, you may find this eG Culinary Institute course helpful: All About Eggs -- Poaching. There are a few other topics around here on egg poaching, and of course we can hope that @blue_dolphin elaborates on her method.

Or bacon wrapped chicken livers, with or without the accompanying water chestnuts? It was all the rage in the US a few decades back, and I still like it - although I suspect it isn't Chinese.

I'm having trouble imagining whipping cream as an appropriate binder, but my pâté experience is limited. What about making a sauce appropriate to sloppy joes or pulled pork, then serving it with potatoes, noodles, or bread? Another possibility is to use it as a component in enchiladas.

It's true that a meal might take less time for preparation, but isn't finger/snack food more appropriate for the game? Have it set out so people - even if it's just you and DH - can go fill their plates as needed. In addition to your oh-so-difficult and time-honored dip, you could have another dip (bean dip? buffalo chicken dip?), crackers, chips, celery sticks. For more substantial fare SV ribs would work. Another idea would be buffalo wings. What about chili? Can your IP be put to use holding something warm for people to dip into at will?

Like you, I don't have a spiralizer and have been enjoying following everyone's experiences with them. I tried the zucchini spaghetti a couple of times last summer, using a peeler. I don't remember to what degree I troubled to adjust the widths. Let us know what happens if you score the zuc first; it sounds fiddly but might get the widths more even. (By any chance do you have a julienne peeler? That might be just the ticket!) FWIW the 'noodles' did cook quickly and came out well. Even the zucchini-hater in our household liked it. I didn't tell him what it was until after he gave an opinion.

I once mistook a container of frozen lemon juice for a container of frozen chicken broth. Oh my, that was a tart pilaf.

I used to very much like the Gato Negro wines that I could get in Washington State. At the time their wines ran around $3/750ml bottle at the grocery store. This was years ago, and no doubt the price has gone up, but I'd try the label again if I were to see it. I remember a red (merlot? blend?), but I think they also offered a white that we liked. Edited to add: I second kayb's recommendation of the Bota Box Pinot Grigio.

The Salton Sea: largest lake in California, important stopover for migratory birds, yet many (even nearby Southern California residents) don't know it exists. The annual Pelican Days Festival is intended to help remedy that, and by accident we arrived to camp there in time to participate. Last year's events had included a tour of the Oasis Date Gardens (who rarely offer tours) and a wagon-ride tour of another desert area that included a chuckwagon dinner. Both tours had sold out before I could sign up. This year, my hopes of a culinary education were dashed again: the tours weren't offered. The culinary fun arose from a chance meeting. I met a couple on a birding walk who had also discovered the festival by accident. Their English accents caught my ear; their lively interest and good humor held my attention. They were touring the Southwestern USA on a 3-month holiday, having rented a small camping van. They had stayed at several of the same places we had, dodging or inconvenienced by the same wet, cold effects of El Niño. We conversed a few times during the day. That evening I came home to our trailer contemplating a dinner party. I gave the trailer a long-overdue cleaning, pulled chicken from the freezer, mixed a marinade, found some things I'd been saving for a special occasion. If they didn't come over, we'd still benefit. Sometimes it takes a special incentive for me to do housework. I saw them again the next afternoon, and as we talked I hoped they were getting the same good vibe I was. "Would you like to come over for dinner with us?" I asked. "We're 2 campgrounds down." "Really?" they said, "that would be brilliant!" I asked careful questions, wondering whether I sounded considerate or neurotic. Were they vegetarians? Did they have any food allergies? Did they have problems with dogs or cats? They tended toward vegetarian meals but were not firm on it and had no issues with chicken; the rest of the answers were all 'no'. We made our plans to meet later that evening, and I gave directions to our campsite. 5:00 came, Anne and Glyn came, and Russ and I laughed when we recognized their van by its distinctive rock 'n' roll paint job, not at all what we'd expect of a rented van. We'd noticed it at Death Valley only the previous week. We poured drinks and gave a quick tour of our trailer. The grill was lit, the conversation and laughter blossomed. I have no photos of the evening. These pictures are either from previous posts or from the evening's leftovers. Dinner that night included specialty California and Minnesota items, things I'd been saving for a special occasion, and food I knew I could cook without disaster. Drinks: Shock Top beer or Tecate for those of the beer persuasion Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc, nicely chilled, that I'd been saving for a special occasion Water, of course, knowing that someone had to drive later First course: Fresh green salad of good lettuce and spinach from the nearby Imperial Valley (source of much of our winter produce) and cherry tomatoes from somewhat farther south Optional garnishes of grilled artichoke hearts in olive oil; my favorite central California (Lindsay Naturals) green ripe olives; and croutons (from a bag) Vinaigrette of Meyer lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and a few herbs - for those who liked garlic and lemon Bottled Caesar dressing - for those who didn't (there were no takers) Warm sourdough bread - my garlic rosemary olive oil sourdough, along with the commercially-produced sourdough after which mine is modeled As we ate and talked, skewers of meat and vegetables were cooking on the grill outside. The main course: Boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat grilled after marinating in yogurt with spices, loosely based on @Shel_B's recipe Grilled red bell pepper and onion more bread Pilaf using some of last summer's wild rice (photo shows fresh package and leftovers from the party) Dessert: Medjool dates filled with walnuts, purchased recently and saved for a special occasion Coffee brewed in the Keurig pod coffee-maker I'd given my darling for Christmas (for the first time I appreciated its value: each of us could pick a flavor) Chenin blanc, or cognac, or coffee spiked if people wished The conversation flowed as freely as the food; it's a gauge of fun that our evening started at 5 p.m. and went something past 11. When they left, one forgot a sweater - which gave me a reason to go visit the next day without seeming a pest. What could have been a short visit lasted easily another half hour. We've all moved on to different locations, but we may be able to connect again before they return home. If not - well, we have an invitation to Devon! There's a certain social risk involved in having strangers over for dinner. Suppose you don't like each other after all? Suppose they don't like the food, or someone has an unexpected allergic reaction, or a violent disagreement breaks out over the pronunciation of 'tomato'? Isolation is even easier during extended travels like ours: faces pass by, yet connections are rare. I'm glad we didn't let those 'supposes' keep us from a fun evening and a new friendship.

It seems to me that good scallops are a bit on the sweet side. I love it when I can get them fresh and fairly dry. Yours look nicely seared and cooked perfectly.

@shain, I rarely bake sweets but I would like to add that lemon-mandarin pound cake to my repertoire; it looks like just the thing for my next dinner party. Is that a recipe you can share?

It sounds like you've already sent it in, so the discussion is moot, but I would also have said "go for it". The essays didn't strike me as especially daunting; on the other hand, I missed those 'glaring concerns' that Shalmanese caught, so his eye seems better than mine. Do please keep informing us to the extent that you can. This is a fascinating process.

I had quite forgotten this topic, @Rebel Rose. Thanks for bringing it back up. I happen to be in southwestern USA desert at present, and am likely to have opportunities to draw inspiration here.

I'd never seen one like this, either. I may have to try one - at $9.99 (I didn't check shipping costs) it looks worth trying.

@HungryChris, how do you reheat your home fries? Is the texture the same after reheating as when fresh out of the pan?

Chicken Enchilada Pasta sounds a bit like cognitive dissonance to me, @ElsieD. It looks good. Did you like it enough to make it again? What were the ingredients?

I see what you mean about the difference. I use King Arthur unbleached bread flour, but its protein content is stated as 12.7%. That 0.7% difference may not seem like much, but combined with technique and hydration differences it might be huge.

What can you tell us about this flour? For instance, what's the protein content?

I did a loose version of this recipe a couple of weeks ago and liked it: Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini, from Saveur.com. I had a couple of quibbles with the recipe: the leaves didn't come out well enough to justify leaving them in, but then I cut the cauliflower into 8ths instead of quarters and may have messed things up there. The salt can be omitted. The tahini, according to my jar, has 25 mg sodium for 2 Tbsp. I plan to keep tweaking this and put it into regular rotation. Your sliced zucchini and yellow squash treatment makes me wonder about winter squash treatments. They may not be very low-carb, but they can be low-sodium and savory. Have you checked out the eG Cookoff #71: Winter Squash topic?

It's funny about Mexican food. My sister, mother and I grew up hating it, whereas my father liked it a lot. Somewhere along the line I developed a taste for it - a strong taste - and after that, whenever I visited my parents Dad and I would go out for our "Mexican fix". My mother never changed her opinion of the flavors and textures, and so far my sister is just as averse. Maybe there are other cuisines that are (a) considered monolithic when they aren't and (b) evoke strong antipathy to the perceived monolith, but offhand I can't think of one. ("Chinese" used to be considered monolithic but I think we're collectively past that even though some of us may be ignorant of anything beyond Szechuan vs. Cantonese.) Anyway, good on you for trying.

Too bad about the misunderstanding, but look at it this way: with a sherry vinegar you need not worry about serving your prized salad and dressing to someone who wants to avoid alcohol. I think I'd start with a nice vinaigrette based on a nut oil (walnut?) and a sherry vinegar. I seem to recall having good results with that combination in the past, although it's been a while.

This recipe from Fine Cooking is a favorite: Citrus-Marinated Roasted Chicken. I've posted about it here (with the finished product here), and several others have done so as well. @Darienne comes to mind as one; maybe she can find some of her posts. At any rate, the marinade includes soy sauce but I think you could reduce or eliminate the soy and still have an excellent meal. Does this sort of thing appeal to you? What about pastas stuffed or tossed with vegetables? I'd hate to do without cheese (I feel your pain there) but with well-roasted vegetables you'll get a good Maillard reaction and deep flavors. Roasted cauliflower, with or without a yogurt and spice coating? If that appeals, I have a couple of links for you.

Pan, this sounds like an excellent idea. Another possibility is to grind those hibiscus petals finely and add them directly to a spice rub. I haven't tried it, but I think it would work brilliantly. I do wonder whether hibiscus AND lemon juice might be a bit of overkill toward tartness. We keep working in our household toward lower-salt cooking, small steps at a time. The easy things are not to buy prepared foods, which almost inevitably have high sodium, and not to add salt during cooking. This is practical up to a point, but I'm fond of being able once in a while to grab a jar of prepared sauce or cooked beans, and the occasional deli meats. (2 steps forward, 1 step back...) Then there is the issue of bread...which needs some salt in the dough. As for the salt substitutes: he's perfectly happy with one of the potassium chloride-based fake salts. I hate 'em. I'm glad you're still with us and able to get this topic started again. Thanks for giving the rest of us a wake-up call. I think this is a great topic for a brainstorming sesson.

We had a few opportunities to try them, thanks to some gift certificates. We liked their crab cakes very much, because they seemed closer to the true Maryland crab cakes that we'd had in Baltimore than anything else we'd tried. I don't remember which other foods of theirs we tried; apparently they were good enough to eat once but not memorable enough to pursue. Our problem was with delivery: driver didn't show up in the promised time slot, and sometimes the delivery date was missed altogether because of it. To be fair, we live out in the sticks and drive times may be an extra complication, but the last straw came when the promised crab cakes turned up hours late, in the middle of the dinner party at which we'd planned to serve them. I might try a purchase again someday if I happen to see their truck parked at a convenient location, but I doubt I'll try delivery again.

Two and a half years ago, I discovered and fell in love with San Luis Sourdough's Rosemary Olive Oil bread. It has a pleasantly sour bite, good texture, just the right hint of rosemary, and makes killer grilled cheese sandwiches. Unfortunately it's hard to find: it seems only to be available in California - maybe in Arizona - and it's not carried by every grocery chain. I decided to try to make something like it for myself, given my difficulty getting it. I was just able to score a couple of loaves of the San Luis bread, and as it happened I had a freshly-baked loaf of my attempt. Here they are, for comparison: Theirs, on the left, has better shape. I'm still working on timing, and tend to overproof my loaves due to inattention or poor planning, with the result that my rounds aren't very. Theirs crisps beautifully in the toaster, but since it's an all-white bread it can get mushy when bitten. Grand flavor, especially with the above-noted grilled cheese sandwich. I've been overindulging on them lately, but without adequate freezer space I must use this bread before the mold gets it. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Mine, on the right, is half whole-wheat. At 80% hydration, with a good slow initial proof, it's getting a good airy crumb. It's a bit firmer than theirs, and doesn't get the contrast of crisp shattery exterior with soft interior from the toaster, but it also doesn't get mushy. I haven't tried it yet with the grilled cheese sandwich treatment, but I'm very pleased with its flavor as toast or standard sandwich bread. Progress: it's what pulls the world forward! I'm quite chuffed.