Pierogi
-
Posts
1,476 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by Pierogi
-
-
How much do one of those containers (of any configuration, round/square/rectangle) weigh when full? This might be something to consider. If you intend to stay in this home for the long run, I'd say keep it in the back of your mind. It may not be an issue now (or ever), but then again, 10 years ago *I* never thought there would be days I'd need help taking a 5 pound sack of flour out of my shopping cart.
Maybe putting a false front on one of the lower cabinets, complete with a false toe-kick, and finding a set of wheels/dollies for under the containers would work? You could pull them out to clean under them, and not have to worry so much about hoisting a full one.
-
Are there some good guidelines or hints for making a basic vegetable stock that will make for a bit more depth?
Run, don't walk, to your local bookstore or library or otherwise beg, borrow or steal a copy of the Greens Cookbook (the original, not the followups). It has a magnificent section on vegetable stocks, with a grand selection of vegetable stock recipes for various uses, guidelines on the use of various vegetables in stocks, and suggestions for building specific stocks for specific recipes. I prepare their Summer Vegetable Stock in bulk and can 6-8 quarts of it once or twice a year, as a nice base for many recipes, as versatile as my poultry stock. But still there are plenty of recipes where I prepare a one-off vegetable stock just for that dish.
YES !!!!! I was given a copy of this book eons ago. And since I am most vehemently NOT a vegetarian, never cooked from it. A couple of years ago, when I joined a CSA, and was faced with a whole bunch of veggies I'd never eaten, let alone cooked with, before, I opened it up to see what I could see.
My favorite is a winter squash soup, seasoned with mint and red chiles. The base stock is made from the seeds, "strings" and peel of the squash (and probably some spices/herbs/aromatics) and is so deep and amazing, I could drink just that. You will be blown away by the complexity of the stocks in this book. The copyright date is 1987.
-
One of the local yuppified markets (Sprouts for those of you in the Southwest) had Hatch chiles for sale last weekend when I dashed in to use a coupon. Both the roasted and fresh (!), which I've never seen locally. Of course, I had to buy some of both. I have tons of ideas on how to use the roasted ones (including a frittata tonight with fresh corn, fresh zucchini, garlic chives, jack & Cheddar cheese and some of the Hatches---good stuff). But the fresh ones have me at a bit of a loss.
Must Hatch chiles be roasted before use? What is the taste like unroasted, and does anyone have any T&T ideas for using them fresh? Since I still have a stash of the roasted guys, I'd like to try to use the fresh ones as is. To me, they look very much like poblanos/Anaheims, but taste very different.
I was thinking about some sort of green chile/pork thing to stuff soft tacos. I have some boneless loin pork chops, and had the idea to thinly slice them, saute them with some onion and the fresh Hatches, then mix in some of the roasted ones, and maybe a tomato or two, and cook it down. But any alternatives are more than welcome.
-
Or, anything much you can do with a bunch of not-yet-full-sized green tomatoes?
Mjx, don't see why you could not pickle them, brine time should soften them to edibility
and kill off any nasties. Maybe add rosemary for a resinious zip, like a caper berry? Just a thought...
Mjx, I have a *KILLER* green tomato refrigerator pickle recipe. I just made 4 quarts-plus of them over the weekend (a windfall from my CSA, be careful what you ask for !). Let me know if you'd like it. They are very, very tasty.
-
Tomato tart on puff pastry from "Cooks Illustrated", July/August 2003. REALLY, really good, and I was surprised that I could taste the difference between the three types of tomatoes (Beefmaster and Marvel Stripe, from my plants, and a Green Zebra from my CSA). There's a layer of jamon de serrano under the tomatoes.
Quite yum.
-
Eggplant is evil. But then, so is tofu.
-
Great minds, Heidi. I scored a lobster tail at Sprouts the other day ($5.99 !!!) and I also got some tri-tip steaks on the regular grocery schlep. I'm figuring on a surf & turf with one of the steaks on the grill tomorrow, with some grilled corn as well (finally found some that looks good....). Some sliced dead-ripe tomatoes, of which I still have a plethora, and frozen yogurt (Ben & Jerry's, sadly not homemade) for dessert. Sounds good to moi.
-
I have recently heard a lot of the *star/famous/top/celebrity* chefs extolling the virtues of using water to dilute a sauce or a braise that has gotten too thick or too reduced. I mean people "we" respect, like Bayless, Bastianich (Lidia), Pepin and such, not Guy and Rachael. I've been doing it as well recently, and I agree. It just smoothes out the flavors, and lessens the intensity, but without washing away the flavors you worked so hard to build. I still like cooking rice and orzo and couscous in broth (in certain applications), but for the final touch on a pan sauce or braise, I do think water is the way to go. You may then need to adjust salt/acid, but it will mellow that over-reduced stuff right out.
-
I finally made butter chicken and naan last night. Thank you so much to all of the people that helped me on the Fenugreek seed thread! I've never cooked this kind of food before. OMG the butter chicken was flavored soooooo.....DEEP. The sauce was so rich that you got full after just a few bites. I might have had more for breakfast this morning.
I wonder is butter chicken one of those dishes that varies from house to house? I think some chunks of peppers and onions would be good in there, too, along with the ones that got blended up for the sauce.The naan wasn't nearly as scary to make as I thought it would be. However, I'm not sure if it's too thick or too thin or just right? I've never seen it in real life before.
Congratulations Shelby !!!! Looks real good to me. I've had naan that thick, and I've also had it thin and lacy. I think a lot depends upon if it was cooked in a tandoor (thin & lacy) versus fat & puffy in an oven. Mine usually turn out about the same thickness as pita bread. Even the commercial ones (not from a restauraunt) are about the same thickness. Maybe roll a bit thinner next time. Did you bake them on a stone? That helps with the texture as well.
I've not seen peppers in murgh makhani before, but again, if it tastes good to you, do it. It might not be 100% authentic, but oh well. FYI, I've not seen a lot of sweet peppers ("bells") in many Indian dishes. They tend to lean more towards the chile pepper end of the spectrum. Good introduction to Indian food, yes? Now you need to try some chicken tikka masala, and some dal, and some saag paneer, and some raita, and some cilantro chutney, and some pilaf.....I could go on forever. Indian cuisine is my favorite.
-
As I watched it, she was getting a running commentary from Becky, the other female finalist, and that is what she was reacting to. I, for one, hope she wins. And I absolutely do NOT think she is faking it.
I agree about the running commentary keeping her abreast of what's happening down below.
And when Becky and Christine paired up on this week's challenge, Becky was basically leading Christine through the show pantry picking out ingredients, getting her feedback, and so on.
I know Christine has an non-contestant assistant who helps her get around in the show kitchen because of her lack of sight. I'm assuming the assistant didn't do any of the plating of last week's tuna dish and that it was all Christine's doing which makes it all the more remarkable since the judge's said her plating looked the same as the original plated dish.
I also remember hearing, the first episode out after the finalists had been chosen, that the assistant was not allowed to cook or plate. She could help Christine find things, and point them out on the board, but essentially could not touch the food in any prep, cooking or plating.
-
"------I think Christine will win in the end. She has an amazing talent for flavor and for plating, if you can believe that (she's legally blind).---"
I don't know the definition of legally blind, but she seemed to be able to see very well from on top of the balcony to what was going on down on the kitchen floor.
dcarch
As I watched it, she was getting a running commentary from Becky, the other female finalist, and that is what she was reacting to. I, for one, hope she wins. And I absolutely do NOT think she is faking it.
-
MSG must be cheaper.
Oh, God. You opened the MSG door.....let the preaching commence !
-
I've thought about making it with "meatloaf mix" which is blend of beef, pork and veal, but no one seems to carry it in my area any longer. I used to see it all the time.
Yeah, me too, and isn't that annoying?
-
Mark, I may (ok, I *do*) need the recipe for that loaf. I made one a couple of weeks ago that a) nearly killed me (I unfortunately was boxed into making it on day with 100°-+ temps and 80%-+ humidity.....) and b) the recipe just sucked. No other words, just....sucked. Even the leftover sandwich a couple of days later was sucky. The 3/4 of it left went into the offering to the Trash Gods today.
Thanks Pierogi. Here you go:
Mine is an adaptation of one of the many CI recipes for the "best" meatloaf (it kills me that they keep recycling the recipes claiming they are all the best!).
(snippy snippity......)
Thanks Mark ! I think I did see that recipe at some point, and, like you thought "yeah, the 10,000th best meatloaf recipe from CI, carry on". I'll give it a try because it really looks great.
-
I do have a question though. Looking at cast iron skillets, I only find the enameled ones that are completely enameled. Seems to me I'd rather have one that wasn't enameled on the inside of the skillet. Does anyone know if/where I can find one made that way? Or is it all or nothing. I guess I could always file/sand the bottom of a non-enameled one down if it comes to that. I'd think the enamel on the inside defeats some of the purpose/function of the cast iron. Obviously, I could be wrong.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! Stop now. Now. Full on, dead stop. In your Dutch oven, you want a fully-enamaled cast iron (i.e., LeCrueset or its ilk.....). For the cast iron skillet, you want a Lodge UNENAMELED at all ! You will have to season it. it will be a bit of a pain in the butt (but not a big one) to do that. You will have to treat it carefully once its seasoned, but its not onerous. You want it ALL CAST IRON, NO ENAMEL. No grinding. No buffing. None of that. Lodge. Look for Lodge. Or Wagner is a good second choice.
Note, you do not have to season the exterior, just the insides.
-
Kim, I thought of you when I made another meatloaf!
The whole thing, just out of the oven/broiler:
Slices from the leftovers the following night:
I made the glaze a bit differently - added a splash of BBQ sauce in with the ketchup. Everyone liked it, no one could decide if we liked it better or not.
Mark, I may (ok, I *do*) need the recipe for that loaf. I made one a couple of weeks ago that a) nearly killed me (I unfortunately was boxed into making it on day with 100°-+ temps and 80%-+ humidity.....) and b) the recipe just sucked. No other words, just....sucked. Even the leftover sandwich a couple of days later was sucky. The 3/4 of it left went into the offering to the Trash Gods today.
It was bad. Even the vulture dogs barely ate it.
-
Trader Joe's Soy Sauce: Yesterday I purchased a bottle of TJ's reduced sodium soy sauce, a product we've been using for years. This time there was a new label, and the ingredients indicated the sauce contained vinegar! What's the deal with vinegar in soy sauce? Never heard od such a thing.
Oh, now this really honks me off ! TJs old label soy sauce was my absolute favorite. I liked its flavor way more than the other mainstream (read, gringo-ized) options. I had noticed the label change, and thought "hmmmmm, I sure hope they don't change the sauce itself", but went ahead and bought it anyway. I guess I've only used it in things where the soy sauce flavor wasn't forward so far, because I didn't really notice a difference. Just went and checked the label, yep, it has vinegar, had a taste and, yep, it isn't as good. Last bottle of TJs soy sauce for me......
Damn.
-
Outstanding ! Big congratulations !
-
A Blendtec/Vitamix is lovely if you a) make smoothies a lot (A LOT), do modernist things, or think you might need a lot of very smooth sauces/purees/etc. I personally, since I do none of the above, have found the need for one, and at that, I barely use my Oster blender. My immersion blender, however, you would have to rip from my cold, dead hands. Same with my food processor(s) (I have a big Cuiz and a mini-KA). Also my KA stand mixer, although I covet a more powerful one.
Totally agree about not buying sets of anything. Except maybe china and flatware. Kitchen knives, a big chef's, a boning, a paring, a serrated bread knife and maybe a gratoned carver. Pots and pans depend on what you cook, but the Le Crueset French oven of a size that works for your family is a must. Same with a Lodge cast iron skillet. Make sure whatever you buy is heavy for its size. Same for bakeware (sheet pans, 8x8 pans, loaf pans, etc.) Comals are nice for cooking Mexican food, but you can do the same thing in a cast iron skillet or griddle. Molacajetes can be mimicked by a food processor. Don't get too hung up on specialized tools initially. You can add those in as you explore which cuisines you like, and what techniques you feel comfortable with.
Don't waste too much money on non-stick. One skillet will be sufficient, or maybe one large one for delicate things like fish, and a smaller one for eggs & omlettes. Everything else should be either clad stainless steel, copper (if you can afford it) or anondized aluminum.
EDIT----Ummm, that should be I, personally, have NEVER found the need for one, and at that, I barely use my Oster....
My fingers got ahead of my brain. Carry on.
-
In my local Pavilions market, which is the upscale branch of the Safeway chain in SoCal.....
Guy Fieri sausages and frozen pizzas. With Guy's face plastered all over the packaging, which would certainly kill any appetite I had to start with.
One of which (the pizzas) was a dessert pizza touted as a "S'mores Pizza" with a graham cracker crust, chocolate sauce and marshmallow topping. I can only shudder to think how the marshmallow (which are pretty gross to begin with IMHO) stands up to freezing.
The sausages all had some inane name like "Howdy Doody Andouille" and "Slamma Jamma Chili Bamma" or some such thing. I exaggerate on these, but only by a little.
Edit---that pesky spellling thing.
-
Doesn't German potato salad usually have bacon? Or at least bacon fat?
-
I do the same as Brown Hornet, but I do have a gas oven. I also don't use a baking sheet, just put the bread slices right on the oven rack, and flilp halfway through, or when it smells/looks toasted. 375-400 sounds about right. Since I'm usually toasting it for bruschetta or crostini, I usually brush the slices with some olive oil, but butter would certainly work. Just don't slather it, you don't want it greasy or the excess fat dripping off onto the bottom of your oven. With butter, I'd do another application of spreadable stuff after toasting.
Can't stress enough the importance of watching it closely.
-
With sour cream, sliced scallions, and some Lawry's Seasoned Salt and Seasoned Pepper. Mix, let sit for a day for the flavors to blend/mellow. Yummy.
Or as a filling for pierogies, with raisins and cinammon mixed in.
The thought of sweet cottage cheese makes me sort of queasy.
-
Boone's Farm Apple Wine.
Tastes much worse coming up than going down......
*shudder* Word, sister !
Also the Almaden Rhineskeller Moselle that I encountered after the "return engagement" it made when I was a junior in college. I had gone home for the weekend, gotten rip-roaringly pukey drunk from it, and just jammed my shall we say, "soiled" clothes into a plastic shopping bag to take home to the dorm to wash. When I opened that bag, after the wine puke had fermented overnight and most of Sunday it was....not pleasant. I had also poured some out of the 2 or 3 liter bottle into a plastic refrigerator jug to live in my little dorm fridge. I knew there was no way I could drink it, so I dumped it and soaked the jug in like 4 or 5 changes of very hot water, even with Tide. Never could kill that smell......I'd go to take a swig of cold water from the fridge and my toenails would curl up again. I ended up pitching that plastic jug into the trash.
I still can't drink sweet wines, of any ilk.
Where to find Pimms #1 in CA?
in Spirits & Cocktails
Posted · Edited by Pierogi (log)
BevMo, Bristol Farms, most liquor stores. It's fairly common, at least in SoCal, although not in the MegaMarts.
EDIT -- to say you'll actually have a harder time finding the Schwepes Bitter Lemon soda you need for a real Pimm's Cup.