Katie Meadow
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Posts posted by Katie Meadow
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I'm in the southern Appalachian mountain town of Highlands, NC. To stock up our airbnb we drove a few miles north to the town of Cashiers. They have a small farmers' market that's open every day. The selection was limited, but very interesting. There were a few things I've heard about but never until yesterday ever laid eyes on. There were muscadine grapes and also scuppernongs! Both were larger than any grape I've ever seen. I was surprised how thick the skins were; I ended up sucking out all the fruit and tossing the skins. Of the two I preferred the green scuppernongs. There was pristine fresh white corn, which was good. There were greenbeans that were the best in memory. They were clearly very fresh and actually tasted like....GREEN BEANS. Better than any beans I've bought at farmers' markets home in the Bay Area. We splurged on a quart box of blackberries, also delicious. The rest of the haul hasn't been tasted yet: baby crookneck summer squash (so Barbie fucking cute!), a mix of tiny baby fingerlings that were various different unlabeled shapes and colors. Pale yellow onions that are the exact whole size of when I really want a half an onion. A pint each of fresh shelled Black Eye Peas and the same for Butter Beans. A customer in the market swooned when she heard me talking about them and said she liked them just boiled for twenty minutes or so and eaten with just gobs of butter and salt. Sold! We're going to eat the peas or beans tomorrow night for dinner and take the remaining pint down to my daughter's in Decatur. I'm told my twin granddaughters who recently turned two, adore all beans. I hope they never decide to do what my husband did when was two, which was put dried beans so far up his nose that he had to be taken to the hospital.
We then proceeded to an Ingles supermarket the size of a soccer field. Just a rough guess, of course. I admit I don't do much of the shopping any more, but I never imagined the way the cereal aisle has evolved. Some of them were higher than any child's eye level. In fact they were MY eye level. OMG. There was a box of KitKat cereal; mesmerizing chunks of KitKats floating in a bright blue sky. My husband saw my trance and said, uh, no. I hardly ever even eat cold cereal. If I'm still thinking about it the next time we hit up Ingles I may have to make the leap. After all I'm on vacation!
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Using up my miles, American first class to Atlanta. The last time it was inedible, this was a little better. The choice was lasagne (vegetarian) or beef. I've never had lasagne on a plane that was edible, so I ordered the beef, even tho I rarely eat beaf. It was supposed to be short ribs, but was more like a brisket. Not as terrible as it could have been and I left half of it uneaten. Came with what I think was some overly rich mashed potato type dish. Also edible but weird. Salad was dark leafy greens, so at least I got some percentage of my daily requirement. .Dessert was a choice of "cheese plate" or mango sorbet. I got the sorbet. Also edible, although it needed ten minutes to defrost from a sold block. The best part of the meal was the flatware and tray tables. Real flatware and magnetic tray table, so fun to play with. You can get a spoon to stand up at very strange angles.
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On 8/23/2023 at 3:13 PM, pastrygirl said:
Passage from a novel I'm reading, the woman is cooking four stockpots full of Cajun stew:
'She lifted the lid on the largest pot, and tiers of white smoke wafted out, smelling like shrimp and andouille sausage'
Uhhh, I think if your stockpot is emitting smoke rather than steam, you have a problem 😱
Not to mention the shrimp being overcooked.
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I don't think of tinned fish as a low-end product, but I do think of it as pantry food. I can open a can as well as a restaurant kitchen. And I can serve my tinned sardines and open a jar of pickled piparra peppers at home, when I don't feel like cooking or eating out.
Here's my favorite sardine meal these days: Japanese rice made in the Zoji. Nuri spicy sardines plus the oil served on the rice. And for color I add some jarred Matiz piquilllo peppers. On the side I have some thin slices of cucumber with a little salt, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and a sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds. All good, especially when there's little in the fridge.
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11 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:
How important is 'h olding together'? Do you need big clusters or would you be happy with loose but appropriately sweetened oats?
Does clumpy granola always depend on more more sweet syrup? I make granola that is not clumpy and it is not very sweet.
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I make two tomato soups. The one I make in the winter uses canned Italian plum tomatoes that get roasted before blending. For this soup cream is optional and gets added at the end to taste. I prefer it without the cream. Come summer I make a fresh tomato soup with dry-farmed early girls. I suppose it could be made with heirlooms, and I also assume, since there's not much to this soup except for peak-season fruit, the flavor of the soup would change depending on the variety of tomato.
To make my summer tomato soup I find this to be a most effective way to seed and peel:
It is by no means perfect, but it is extremely good looking: a red plastic tomato press. It is a design which probably could have been improved, but it gets the job done. And it makes you feel very happy when you first take it down from the shelf after many months of not looking at it. The happiness is somewhat tempered by frustration when the suction bottom fails, but now that's just part of the experience.
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Tomorrow night my plan is to make malfatti with brown butter sauce; you know, it's those little logs composed mainly of spinach or chard and ricotta cheese. The ones at my Italian restaurant down the street are so rich I can barely eat them, but they are delicious. I've never made them before, so if anyone has tips or a recipe they love, by all means send them. Thanks!
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1 hour ago, Ann_T said:Not sure why, but for some reason it has been difficult to find cornmeal in local grocery stores.Finally found some yesterday. So had to bake Moe cornbread this morning.
Something he loves as breakfast.Me too. I love it for breakfast, but I like it toasted and buttered. So that's my treat if I make cornbread the night before as part of dinner. Can you get Bob's Red Mill? The medium grind makes excellent cornbread. Also there are numerous artisan products on line from places that sell grits, such as Marsh Hen Mill (aka Geechie Boy) with a selection of various grinds. Now I'm thinking I'll make some this evening!
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I got curious and did minimal searches. Indeed there are plenty of recipes on line that use only tomatoes or tomato paste for Mexican red rice, but there are also plenty that use achiote, with or without tomatoes. It's also used to make Puerto Rican yellow rice. It has a very distinct taste. I'm thinking that many Mexican restaurants serve a blander version with only tomato flavor. It's been a while since I had a "red" rice side in a restaurant, but I don't remember it tasting like achiote. I also like it in a rub or sauce for grilled chicken. I'm sure there is someone on these boards that knows a lot more about it than me.
I notice that some of the recipes on line call for achiote powderI; I've never seen it sold in powder form. Once I tried to make oil with annatto seeds but the seeds were hard to find, so I just stuck with the paste. Really it is more of a soft little brick You break off a chunk and dissolve it into a paste or liquid as desired.
Then there's gullah red rice, aka Charleston red rice. That uses tomatoes to give it color and flavor and has a profile as you would expect from the holy trinity and often sausage or shrimp.
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1 hour ago, heidih said:
Interesting combo as always. On the red rice - a number of years ago I started seeing Knorr I think product that was tomato broth.Sure you use a complex blend but is your red coming from tomato paste or puree or?
I always thought the red color comes from achiote paste or oil made with annatto seed; two ways to get annatto. The paste is usually available from any market that sells a lot of Mexican products, and also from Amazon. It's east to work with as long as you know to soften it with lemon or lime juice rather than water. Makes very good red rice and tomato can certainly be added.
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4 hours ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:
Never tried nettles although they can be foraged locally.
Nettles on pizza is fabulous. I've never made it myself, but I do know there's some prep involved to take the sting out.
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28 minutes ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:
I should have added this earlier.
Colcannon made with long braised kale, optional bacon, and onions.
I would go with a 1Li part braised kale to 2 parts mash with butter, salt and pepper to taste.
Just looked up colcannon. Little did I know that I've made a version of it over the years. Basically mashed potatoes with sautéed chard swirled into it. I've also made potato-chard cakes, using pretty much the same mixture only adding egg and a little flour. Honestly I have no idea what it will take to get me to purchase kale over chard. My only experience with adult curly kale is when people bring a kale salad to a potluck. Raw kale seems like goat food to me.
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On 9/2/2023 at 11:10 AM, blue_dolphin said:
I only soak really big beans like Royal Coronas or Christmas Limas as it seems to help them cook more evenly and still remain intact.
If you know you're making a purée, the only advantage is a shorter cooking time - less energy used, less heating up the kitchen.
Pressure cooking is another option, either in a stovetop pressure cooker or an electric multi-cooker like an Instant Pot. Lots of people swear by them for beans.
I just cooked Royal Coronas for the first time. What a hoot! I typically soak my beans for 4-6 hours, starting in the morning the day off. These big babies could have used a longer soak I think, like overnight. As it was, they did take longer to cook than most any beans I've had from RG. I simmered them on the stove-top in a robust home-made vegetable broth with onion, garlic, fresh thyme and bay leaves and the resulting pot liquor was delicious. I make a pot of beans frequently and do not own a pressure cooker or InstantPot. My 5.5 qt Creuset is the most hard-working pot in the kitchen.
As for the op, I can't see how a soak would be any more beneficial than it would for beans that are not headed for the blender. I would just make sure they are nice and soft and creamy before blending.
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6 hours ago, KennethT said:
I make gai lan all the time. No par boiling required. I do it with a couple of different sauces - either a Thai style or a regular Chinese-ish style. All of them have in common the fact that it's best to remove the leaves from the stalks. The leaves get kind of leathery when cooked for more than a few seconds, while the stems need a bit more time. I slice the stems on the bias about 1/4" thick or so. Large leaves I'll cut in half and leave in a pile.
I always cook it with garlic - maybe 3-4 cloves? I'll start stir frying the sliced stalks and chopped garlic using medium heat. Once the stalks are mostly done ( you can watch the cross section to check progress) I'll dump the leaves on top, crank up the heat and throw on the sauce. Toss around till the leaves are mostly wilted (they'll continue on the plate) and the sauce is reduced.
Sauce A) 1/4C water, 1/2 t salt, 1/3t MSG, 1/2t sugar, 2/3t chicken powder (mine isn't very salty).
Sauce B) 2T soy sauce, 1T oyster sauce, 1/2T Golden Mountain sauce, 1T fish sauce, 1/2t sugar and maybe a dash of water
I'll add some chopped Thai chilli to the garlic if using Sauce B.
Sounds very promising. Happy not to par-boil anything. Doesn't the garlic get burnt during the time it takes for the stalks to cook? For most of my stir-fries I start by making a a spicy oil with garlic, ginger and a couple of small dried chiles in the wok. I take the solids out when they start to get golden and use the oil to cook all ingredients. Then maybe add some additional minced garlic with the leaves? Then throw in the sauce, cover to steam a minute? Gai lan is on the next shopping list.
Oh, what is Golden Mountain sauce?
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6 hours ago, scott123 said:
I know this is a food forum and not a nutrition forum, but... you might spare your taste buds if you ask your eye doctor what specific nutrients they want you to eat. If, say, they want you to get more vitamin K, natto destroys leafy greens. The vitamin A in greens is nothing compared to the vitamin A in liver. If it's about the phytonutrients, there's phytonutrients just about everywhere. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, purple sweet potatoes- just eat the rainbow. If chlorophyll is key, chlorella and spirulina top kale and spinach.
Spinach has oxalate concerns and kale can contain heavy metals. Neither is as well regarded nutritionally as they were a decade ago.
Now... arugula. Arugula is the real deal. Have you tried it on a pizza? White pizza, arugula, shaved parm and a little lemon juice. Magnificent. Also you can't beat arugula on a sandwich. But I would look for alternatives for the other stuff. Life's way to short to eat kale.
I'll skip the liver, thanks, but I'm all over the arugula.
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8 hours ago, Duvel said:
It is the natural evolution of the tuna shake, but with more omega 3 fats …
“You want to get huuuuuge, or what ?!”Okay, a sardine shake is a truly revolting idea.
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8 minutes ago, heidih said:
PS on gai lan - do you have a restaurant one you love and can't re-create or? I watched a video recently were blogger raved about a Thai cashew pounded dip with tomatoes and some chile - used blanched choi sum or bok choy as the vehicle.
No restaurant gai lan that I'm aspiring too. I love that dish with garlic and sauce, but often it isn't as good as I want it to be. Okay what else is new. Recipes vary as to whether to par-boil the gai lan or not, whether to peel the stems, etc. I just need to source some fresh vegetable with a lot of leaves and start experimenting. I would be happy with just that on rice.
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1 hour ago, Okanagancook said:
Spanakopita, Caesar salad, spinach soup,
typical recipes that include greens in combination Include potatoes, pasta and beans. Tonight I happen to using my farmers market kale with pasta, potato and cheese…Deborah Madison Local Flavours Cookbook.
I suppose you can always take a supplement targeting eye health.
I'm also taking an Areds eye supplement. My doc is thorough. There is no fix for my retina problem but I adore him so I'll do whatever he says! Spanakopita is a good idea. I love it but rarely make it since I have yet to conquer my trepidation about working with phyllo dough. Spinach soup will happen when fall and winter set in.
@heidihGumbo Z'Herbes is an excellent idea. I hadn't thought of that. Chase's recipe looks to be for 100 gallons. I'll get right on it.
@Margaret PilgrimDid you ask how it was done?
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My eye doctor wants me to eat more leafy greens. I like them, but I'm picky about it and I'm also guilty of being lazy. It's easy to throw some arugula into a salad or some Tuscan Kale into soups, but I'm looking for quantity. So far I've run through my favorites, which are the following:
*Creamed Spinach. I'm happy with the NYT recipe
*Sautéed greens with bacon. Unless I can get baby collards I prefer using chard. Recipe somewhat tweaked from Vivian Howard
*Garlic Braised Greens and Potatoes. NYT
*Savory Swiss Chard Tart. The Wednesday Chef
*Buttered greens and Radishes. This is a side to accompany a vinegar chicken recipe, but I don't like the chicken much. The recipe calls for mustard greens, which I like, but it can easily be made with other greens. From Bon Appetit
*Mustard greens and spaghetti with pine nuts. No idea where that recipe came from, but I've made it once in a while for years.
*Stir fry with a lot of choi sum. Delicious, but the quantity is comparatively moderate.
*Gai Lan. I'm working on trying recipes I like for gai lan stir fried with garlic, but haven't found the perfect one yet.
My only caveat is NO raw kale. I'd rather have a root canal, although I shouldn't say that considering I've never had a root canal. Frankly I prefer to swap in chard when a recipe calls for kale; I'm open to kale, maybe, but so far I'm not fond of it. So, I'm looking for tips and recipes that use major amounts of greens. Thanks!
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I have a couple of stupid questions, but since they are both about sardines this must be the place.
One: about the size of the cans. Most tinned sardines come in approx 4 oz tins. Personally I've always found this to be an awkward size, a bit too much for one portion of sardines on toast and not quite enough for the two of us, depending of course on how we are eating them. Am I a wimp? Do most people consider this standard tin to be the best size per person? For just a simple sardine in oil I like the slightly smaller can of Matiz small sardines. For the two of us I sometimes use a regular size and a smaller size combined. Strangely, I consider a 4 oz portion of fresh fish to be on the stingy side.
Two: about tinned vs fresh. The fresh sardine catch has pretty much tanked around Monterey Bay and other CA locations. When I first moved to the Bay Area in the seventies you could often buy fresh sardines very cheap and they were delicious grilled. Do the Spanish and Portuguese eat a lot of sardines fresh? I assume they have a well regulated sardine fishery.
@btbyrd--hilarious! I too give Gabrielle Hamilton a pass for no good reason except that she invented Sardines on Triscuits. Although, since it is so easy to replicate at home I never considered ordering it when dining at Prune. Those were the days.
Currently my favorite sardine pantry meal is Nuri spicy sardines over Japanese sushi rice. That way I get to used all the oil in the can. A simple cucumber salad with rice wine vinegar and sesame oil on the side is perfect.
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Durkees fans: what makes it different from just a combo of mayo and mustard? The extra sugar?
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33 minutes ago, btbyrd said:
BLTs. And peaches and cream.
Perfect and perfect.
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40 minutes ago, heidih said:
@Kim Shook I think of PuPu platters as Polynesian/Tiki/Don Ho
My late FIL co-opted the use of "PuPu Platter" to mean any appetizer spread; that could include his own cured olives, cheese and crackers, guacamole and chips. Anything you ate along with a drink before dinner was PuPu. One of those mildly annoying things I grew to ignore. He loved appropriating misc. phrases from other languages into his speech. He wasn't really fluid in anything but English, but he could fake it pretty well, giving lectures about physics in mangled French and/or Spanish. Most people, including his wife and children accepted it under the broad umbrella of "charming."
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5 hours ago, Ann_T said:Moe and I celebrated our 44th Anniversary today, although we have actually been together for 50 years.I worked today but planned dinner so it was something simple, but worthy of a celebration dinner.
One of Moe's favourite dishes from Centro Restaurant in Toronto was Fettuccine Natasha.A vodka tomato cream sauce with smoked salmon. I made it tonight using linguine.We had a small wedding with about 25 guests at the home of our very good friends Patty and Michael.We served Champagne so it has been our tradition to have Champagne on our Anniversary.
Congrats to you and Moe!
Dinner 2023
in Cooking
Posted
Being on vacation means eating out a lot, which we don't do often at home. We are in Highlands NC. Our first splurge dinner was a popular place called "Wild Thyme." They had a special of pan-fried grouper. I'm a grouper groupie, so that was a no-brainer choice. It was the best piece of fish I've eaten in ages. It came with a humble sauce that was a little lemony with capers that was really good. I ordered the sauce on the side because I like my fish fairly plain and usually find sauces too heavy handed.
We are trying to eat half our meals in our airbnb, so two days later we ate at "Gracious Plates," a restaurant in nearby Franklin that bills itself as "farm to fork." The star of the meal was the fried green tomatoes. They had a light crispy tempura batter. The tomatoes were sweet-tart and the slices substantial. I was in heaven! Whenever I'm in the south in the early fall I order fried green tomatoes, but typically they are battered with a thick cornmeal crust that dwarfs the tomatoes and taste like cardboard. These were ethereal. The rest of the meal was just okay, although the wine was a major good deal: apparently every Wednesday is half-price wine night. A glass of delicious minerally rose was like five or six dollars.
We did have an appetizer earlier in the afternoon. A roadside stand was advertising hot boiled peanuts, which I can never resist. These were cooked perfectly. It's the next morning and I'm already craving more. This is a "cabin in the woods" kind of vacation. We are at 4000 feet elevation and surrounded by dense trees. It's so dark as a result we are sleeping in late every day. The residents of these mountain towns are hearty folk. At "Wild Thyme" we opted to eat dinner indoors. They told us they don't drag out the patio heaters until November, when there's a chance of snow.