pastameshugana

November 3, 2020

17 hours ago, David Ross said:

Made a German feast. This season the wild chanterelles were late by about three weeks, but now in abundance. These are harvested here in Eastern, Washington and sell for a very reasonable $12.99 a lb. Served with homaemade spaetzle. I actually like the texture of the dried German spaetzle I usually use, but this homemade had more flavor and more tender.

I hadn't done a Sauerbraten for a few years. I use a recipe out of the old Time-Life Series Foods of the World-German edition. I went a little far with the beef in the marinade at 5 days, but it was delicious and served with gingersnap gravy. Then homemade applesauce with golden delicious apples and currants. The sauerkraut was a fresh brand I like from the store, just added caraway seeds.

How have I lived this long and never heard of gingersnap gravy? Have I been under a rock? That sounds amazing! Can you share your recipe or link to it if it's elsewhere? Thanks!

November 2, 2020

On 10/31/2020 at 4:25 PM, MokaPot said:

Angel hair pasta is a divisive pasta shape. Carla of Bon Appetit, who is Italian, disparages angel hair pasta. I would have to agree with Carla on angel hair. Too skinny for thick sauces (hard to get a good pasta to sauce ratio). If you want to make a chunky sauce, you've got big chunks plus skinny threads of pasta: not a good match. Angel hair is maybe easy to overcook because it's so skinny. Step away from the pot and boom, it's overcooked.

I'm sure there are sauces that go well with angel hair, however.

All of this is stated in good fun, in case it didn't come across.

Angel hair is great with something super simple: Like browned butter & sage, or just butter & garlic.

Or if you're my kids, just OO or butter.

But I agree anything meaty or chunky just kills it.

And farfalle is a pain in the butt. Even eating it. It just slides around your plate like you're trying to grab the last sliver of a bar of soap with wet hands.

November 2, 2020

It's been a crazy week at home, myself and one of my sons tested positive for COVID, and a couple others in the house have symptoms. Thankfully it's been VERY minor for us: Just an irritating fever and tiredness.

Anyhoo - that means we're all at home for the duration, still waiting on test results on the rest of the clan. We did get out yesterday and the whole family went hiking on a deserted ridge to break the quarantine blues.

I had a boneless leg of lamb from Costco I defrosted to smoke. I've never cooked lamb at home, but love eating it. Especially in the 'before times' when we used to travel non-stop.

Dry rub, smoked for about 3 hours. My lovely wife made some incredible looking sides of peas and pilaf but alas, last night I discovered I had developed the other symptoms of loss of taste and smell. I can taste sweet and salt, and that's about it.

Daughter #1 made some lovely pumpkin pie empanada's for dessert.

November 1, 2020

8 hours ago, dcarch said:

Temperature was going to drop below freezing. I rushed out and picked the renaming ripen tomatoes and made the last 2020 BLT s.

dcarch

Everything about this is perfect: The tomatoes, the crispy bacon, and the photography!

October 31, 2020

54 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Served with Hubertus Schmalz, a delicious mix of pork and goose fat with apples, onions and herbs ...

And an icecream called “Dolomiti” - a fond childhood memory that beside me only my son enjoys ...

Chased by some more adult options ...

Good times indeed! Your bread looks fantastic, and that schmaltz...oh my.

For the 'dolomiti' ice cream - what is the flavor?

October 29, 2020

Well, son #2 (17) just bought a small home and is preparing to move out in December. Suddenly he has realized that he needs some cooking skills!

Tonight our oldest daughter took him under her wing and they made pizza and salad. One was a like a margherita but with a balsamic reduction sauce, and the other had a basic tomato sauce, with salami.

They did great at everything except the cleanup...which is par for the course I guess.

October 24, 2020

Some incredible meals here lately. We've had a hectic schedule so a lot less cooking and pictures lately.

@Ann_T I too would like to know your process and ingredients for those stuffed ribs - they sound and look amazing!

Last night we had a get together for son and DIL's gender reveal party (don't worry, no forest fires were started in the process). Mr's M was in charge of the food but got behind, so I was tasked with the ground beef taco meat. As usual, I just started a witches brew of spices, including but not limited to: Salt, pepper, freshly ground chiltepin, curry powder, cinnamon, cardamom, a can of El Pato hot sauce, and a stick of butter for some creaminess.

It turned out better than it ought've, but sadly I forgot to get any pictures as we were caught up in the moment.

And the big news is that our first grandchild will be a boy, and they told us last night they're naming him after me! So - a good time was had by all.

October 16, 2020

On 10/7/2020 at 12:14 PM, rotuts said:

I decided to try this :

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F8J5VKG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I’m probably imagining it, but it seems like for a pour over, this device would allow the brew to cool more than a ceramic pour over would. Which could be good or bad depending on how you like it.

October 15, 2020

15 hours ago, heidih said:

It is hot, I am sluggish. Later I remembered Jonathan Gold's review of our beloved Mariscos Chente (Coni's) where he describes with enthusiasm: But you can't leave without at least a taste of the tacos stuffed with smoked marlin and cheese A palate we trusted.

There are a few places in San Luis, Mexico that marlin tacos with cheese are a specialty. Very nice.

October 15, 2020

On 10/13/2020 at 10:07 AM, blue_dolphin said:

Grilled pear & gorgonzola with a drizzle of hot honey.

This looks ridiculously good. Food I'd be willing to get fat for.

By 'hot honey' are you talking temperature or is it chili-infused? Both sound amazing.

October 15, 2020

5 hours ago, weinoo said:

And Blake's Lotta Burger, where you can't forget the green chile and cheese on your burger!).

Blake's is an institution around here. People who leave NM will come back just to get one. A friend in town from Tennessee this week is lamenting that he has to leave Blake's again. And rumor has it that one of our 'alumni' living in Rochester, NY will have her parents bring her green chile burgers on the plane when they go to visit.

September 30, 2020

On 9/21/2020 at 5:56 AM, IowaDee said:

Many years ago there was a small Mexican restaurant in a near-by town that had the best tacos al pastor outside of Mexico we've ever had. The place closed and I did everything in my power to track down that table model vertical spit. Funny, but all of a sudden my limited Spanish was no longer understood where it had been a month before! To this day it hasn't showed up at another restaurant in the area so is must have been whisked out out of town in the middle of the night. I have had one on my Amazon Wish List for many, many years!

After thoroughly enjoying tacos al pastor across Mexico (my favorite was in a family owned place in Mexico City - in a pretty bad part of town), and all things gyro, I think that the vertical rotisserie has a number of things going for it. And not the least of which is the fact that on a BIG one, that meat is on that skewer for a long time - and all the intermingling of juices, bacteria, and who-knows-what-else conspires together to make the flavor what it is. All that to say I'm tempted by the little Amazon unit, but it would be missing that 'fungal je nais se quois'.

As for tacos al pastor, #2 on my list is a little place in Nogales Mexico that is an open air car wash by day (about 7 bays) and restaurant by night. They tie up the hoses and pull tables out. Truly an incredible meal - it's become an annual tradition.

September 30, 2020

15 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

On a melted cheese binge apparently:

These last couple of dishes look amazing. Melty cheese, buttery bread, bacon - what's not to love?

September 29, 2020

Well, as I was scrolling through catching up on this thread, my cat who is on my lap kept trying to bite my iPad. I think that means he approves of your cooking!

Last night Mrs M made tomato veggie soup (roasted all the veg and blended) with open faced grilled cheese. This was an outstanding meal for the creeping chill that’s in the evening air around these parts.

September 21, 2020

On 9/15/2020 at 8:00 AM, andiesenji said:

This is a thing of beauty.

September 18, 2020

Well my baking adventures have been getting better, so I ended up with these basic french loaves Tuesday:

One went to son & DIL, one seemed to have just vanished ? too much 'testing' I presume, and the other turned into toast and sandwiches:

And last week while in Amarillo, TX, I had one of the best bowls of Pho since I was in Ho Chi Minh in February, with oxtail:

This was really good, very aromatic, the oxtail was cooked perfect, each little 'nub' of meat popped out clean, and I ate far too much.

September 8, 2020

24 minutes ago, heidih said:

Never a dull moment

If that doesn't describe parenting then I don't know what does.

I always tell people "Who needs TV when you've got kids?"

September 8, 2020

Or the tacos fresco...

September 8, 2020

So last night I was working on another sourdough (baking it often to try to improve it) and it was looking good, and in final proof, when I heard hair-raising screams outside and my youngest came through the front door yelling "dad come quick!"... So, daughter #2 fell off a little ledge, about 4 feet, into a big nasty patch of cactus, hitting it with sufficient force to drop her onto her bottom and then forward onto her arms... And of course in summer kids are never dressed appropriately to handle stuff like this.

I had to cut her clothes off and carry her back to the house, and it took 3 of us 2 hours to get the 'big' needles out. A long soak and ministrations from mom-meshugana and she's doing much better today, thankfully. Parts of her looked like she had fur they were so thick.

Needless to say, the sourdough proof was forgotten about, and it collapsed. But after the drama I rediscovered it and tossed it in the oven anyway, and it turned into a ridiculously good french toast in my wife's hands. She paired it with a spinach omelette, and blueberry syrup that the (formerly poky) daughter made a couple days ago.

September 7, 2020

26 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Looking for opinions - caveat, I need them in the next hour or so!!!

I was planning a striped bass with Thai tom kha flavors - I've been debating making the full tom kha soup and then simmering the fish in it for the last few minutes, or reducing the soup into a kind of brothy sauce - sort of like a curry consistency. Any opinions on which you'd prefer? Also, and I guess this depends on the sauce/soup question, but serve with rice noodles (like as a noodle soup with fish chunks) or with rice on the side that you can spoon some soup/sauce over? What I worry about with the rice noodles is having the fish pieces break up too much when eating the noodles sitting in the bowl below them. Striped bass isn't that firm of a fish....

I would personally prefer door #2) the thicker / curry-like consistency. That'll give you a little more adhesion to your meat.

September 7, 2020

14 hours ago, BonVivant said:

Dipped in Lindt 99%

- - -

This looks spectacular.

September 4, 2020

Mrs. Meshugana marinated some good looking tri-tip today, but it slipped my mind until late in the game. I wanted a long, slow cook but only had an hour.

So, one hour in a 170f oven, then a quick sear on the grill:

Turned out MUCH better than I was expecting.

My lovely wife made corn and mash, and daughter #1 made an arugula salad with walnuts, blueberries, feta, dill and some other things. She's a bit of a virtuoso in all things salad - and it always works way better than it should.

September 4, 2020

12 hours ago, Nicolai said:

This looks amazing - is that your own recipe or ??

September 2, 2020

I baked my first sourdough today using 'Reinhard', my new pet starter. It's an organic rye and water, I've been feeding for about a week.

The flavor of the bread was great, but it was a little more dense than I'd prefer. I think it's because I ended up with too much dough and tried to force it into three baguettes, rather than holding some back - so I didn't get enough stretch on my shaping and ended up with HEAVY loaves.