Shamanjoe

I tried a version of Swiss Steak the other day with a couple or nice ribeye steaks that were a little past their prime. I followed very generally the Alton Brown recipe from Good Eats, lightly breading the steaks and frying them on both sides, then letting them rest while browning some onions, celery and chopped baby peppers (the peppers were my addition). Then I added some pureed tomatos (I had a bunch, so I threw a few in the blender) as well as chopped tomatos. A handfull of dried spices (smoked paprika, oregano, basil) and some freshly picked rosemary from the garden all went in the pot, and I added the steaks back in, carefull to get them submerged and in full contact with the liquid. Into the oven in my cast iron dutch oven at 325 F for a couple hours. The meat came out super soft and tender, practically falling apart, and the vegetables made a rich and flavourfull sauce that I just loved. The problem though is that the meat, while having a great texture, didn't absorb much of the flavour from the sauce. The long cooking process does wonders for the texture, but it killed the flavour. Is there a different cut of meat that would stand up to the time or absorb more of the flavour during cooking? I used the ribeyes because they needed to be cooked, and I wanted swiss steak, but I'd like to do better next time. edited to make the font better..

What killed me was that the fries are considered a vegetable. I know potatos are vegetables, but I think they lose any benefit after being chopped, par-boiled, frozen, reheated and served as a french fry. What I think made Jaime really mad after hearing that french fries satisfy the vegetable requirement is that, according to the National Health Service (which looks to be the UK equivalent of our USDA, or something similar) potatos aren't even included in their list of vegetables acceptable for "5 servings per day" because their main component is starch. They are listed with the other starchy foods, as are yams, plantains and cassava. edited to fix poor word choice and usage..

How did you start the tumeric and galanga? I've been trying tumeric for the past couple years from a piece in the ground, and it sprouts some leaves but never develops any roots.

Be careful with the sage Heidi, I have one that started out as a 2" pot and it's now 6 feet tall and over 4 feet in diameter. I do have a question though, how do you use it? I love the smell, but I haven't really cooked with it. It just takes up a corner in my garden, smells nice and has beautiful red flowers.. edited to fix the font.

I certainly wouldn't call Trader Joes "Mecca" or even (Mecha). There are large product categories where they either suck or carry no products at all. But their good stuff is generally either very good or excellent and the cheapest you will find anywhere. Whole Foods seems like it's trying to be Mecca, and for the most part they are great. Just not the place to go for low prices. I have to admit I love Whole Foods, but only a specific one with a great meat counter that happens to be 45mins away from me. TJs is only 10mins away though, and I love the cheese section almost as much as the one at Whole Foods. And for a long time, it was the only place I could find Kerrygold Irish butter, and their aged cheddar, which to me is just heavenly.

I think Steven just wants all of us to start using medical containers

I love sour cream on many things, but for me it has to be applesauce. There's just something about the sweetness and texture that makes applesauce the perfect thing.

I'm sure they're playing up the ignorance of the townspeople somewhat, but even with a healthy dose of exaggeration, their attitudes make me embarrassed to be an American. The "lunch ladies" in particular came off badly. They're lunch ladies, that's what the kids have called them since I can remember, and getting all snippy about the title just shows how much they really care. They want to be called cooks, but I don't see how what they're doing qualifies. They can follow the package directions and reheat or steam frozen crap, but that doesn't make them cooks. It just makes me sick to see all the red tape he has to fight through just to get anything done, and the attitudes of the people that are supposed to be working for the welfare of the children are just appalling. I know guidelines can be dumb, and you have to follow them, but his first effort with a school menu was better then the standard lunch menu, even with the stupid "bread" issue. And as far as which meal the kids picked, OF COURSE they picked the crap when they had a choice. They're kids. I think the result would have been much better if they had JUST Jaime's food.

I'll definitely be watching this thread. My little one is only 2 months right now, but I know she'll be eating any and everything when she can. As far as freezing goes, is that making up individual portions from a large batch and then freezing for later thawing and eating? I can't wait to start blending stuff up for my little one. And thanks for the no salt tip.

Two more for me, Bobby Flay's Bold American Food and Ina Garten'sBarefoot Contessa: Back to Basics.

Is that the Petite Larousse?

They sell Bulleit at Trader Joe's? I'm going to have to pick up a bottle, haven't been in that place in months. I've been feeling traditional lately, mostly making Tom Collins' with different types of gin to see which is best. So far I like Saphire, but I still haven't gone through all the bottles in my closet.

That sounds pretty good. I'm always looking for more drinks that utilise pear. Does it have to be pear vodka though?

How is it that you are always such a font of great ideas! I'm going to have to give that a shot. I also need to look into the Foodsaver (thanks Kerry!), it seems like that will stave off at least some of my freezer woes.. edited to fix a typo

Ever since I went to Europe, I can't stand Hershey's chocolate bars, or most other candy bars here in the States. I still use Nestle Toll House semi-sweet morsels for making cookies, but that's about it. I still love Kraft Mac N Cheese though

I agree. With a smooth, modern glass, half the time I end up just holding it from the base, or saying "screw it" and grabbing it around the drink well, warming be damned. It's nice to have a delineation between the drink well and the stem. It has good function, and I think it adds to the class of the glass..

I've never been one to eat mushrooms on their own, but I might be tempted to snag a bowl of yours. As for washing the mushrooms, if you did soak them in water, would that make for a larger amount of mushroom-infused pan sauce later on? I've only cooked mushrooms a few times in my life, and they were finished with some beef stock and a dash of heavy cream. edited to add a quote

I looked, but I've never seen research on it one way or the other. Not allowing salt at the table may save some compulsive auto-seasoners, but it seems a bit pretentious to me. If a person is that addicted to salt, they probably wouldn't appreciate properly seasoned food in the first place. On the other hand, if it's regular Morton's iodized salt we're talking about, I probably wouldn't want it on the table either. For me, that kind of salt adds nothing to the meal. Fleur de sel on the other hand.. edited to correct capitalisation

I really need to clean out my garage freezer too. There's a package of steaks that were bought at CostCo and thrown in as-is that I unearthed the other day looking for some ice. If I thaw them, can I cut them up and use them in a ragu or something? They don't look good enough to salt/pepper and throw on the grill anymore, but it's only been a few months at most, and there's not too much ice, so it should work in a dish where lesser-quality meat would do fine, right? I hope? Please? There's also a couple bags of boneless skinless chicken breasts and tenders that have been there for who knows how long. Those may end up as compost if there's too much ice. Other than that, the freezer mainly consists of lots of gallon milk containers filled with water and frozen (smack them with a hammer, then cut them open and fill up the ice chest. Melts slower then cubes and dirt-cheap to make) and my mom's frozen dinners (I cook, she won't). After that, I think the freezer should be good. Can anyone tell me how you wrap your proteins so that they last in the freezer? I have a feeling I would buy and freeze more meat if I knew how to store it properly. edited to correct my sometimes horrible use of English

John, I know you recommended that over in the Tiki thread a month ago, but I still haven't gotten around to trying it Mike, speaking of a flaming bar, that gives me a whole new reason to love copper! I may have to pick up a bottle of 151 just to do that. I've had great results with Stroh '80' that Jeffrey Morgenthaler recommended for flaming pisco sours, but that's much more expensive (not to mention much more flavourful) than the 151.

I have a bottle of Lemon Hart that I use quite often, but I haven't been able to find the Wray and Nephew here in California. John, as much as I like the regular Gosling's offerings (I still say the Black Seal makes a damn good Mai Tai ), I didn't know about their 151. I'll have to give it a try if I can find it. edited to add: I agree completely with the Bacardi 151. I've never used it in an actual cocktail, and honestly haven't bought a bottle of it since turning 21. But I can remember the days..

I've never added it to milk, but a friend did add a high-proof vodka to milk and it curdled it. I'd imagine the 151 would have the same effect. Pretty good if you're making a "Squished Smurf" (apricot brandy curdles the Bailey's for a creamy texture) but then again, that's a shot too, not a drink. I'd skip the milk and float it on top of something tiki-style and light it on fire instead

Ms. Katie, as always, that sounds just awesome. I have everything I need at home, I think I'll try it when I get there..

It would be interesting to use some honey syrups made with different honeys and see if you can taste the different floral notes of each one. Thanks for the answer thirtyoneknots. Are there any tiki drinks that use it? I'll admit I'm not yet up to snuff on all my tiki recipes.

I have a bottle of that as well, and I'm ashamed to say that I haven't cracked it open yet, though it does look stunning on the shelf..