Duvel

If you are getting into braising now, may I suggest “The truth about braising” from eGCI ..?

Again, there is a bit of mix up here. Let’s talk primarily of salt, not of acidic, oily of whatever “marinades”. I have an issue with articles (scientific or not) that are aimed at a certain goal, yet claim to investigate free of bias. The cited article is geared towards “busting a myth” and subsequently designs the experiments to support the goal. If you marinate a piece of meat, find out to much surprise (although there is plenty of scientific literature) that penetration of the marinate is just a few mm, then remove this part and cook only the interieurs you will get no difference. If you would have understood that the cooking part accelerates the diffusion inside the meat and is part of the process, you would not come up with biased experimental setup, and in return would get apt results. Plenty of research has gone into salt diffusion in meats, especially where it counts - in curing meats (e.g. briskets, hams, …). Strangely, the cure reaches the center and doesn’t stop at a few mm. If you do the process at elevated temperatures, it speeds up dramatically (about factor 2 for every 10 oC), so if one follows @btbyrds advice to cook with salt in a back, you not only get a perfectly cooked, but also a thoroughly flavored piece of meat. If your sauce is overpowering strong, and you need only the texture of the meat, maybe. If you have a decent (and larger) piece of protein and a delicate sauce, you will be disappointed with the flavors of the meat itself.

A multilevel question, touching some very fundamental issues. If you place a of meat into a watery liquid, it will undergo an equilibrium process. The cells in the tissue will slowly equilibrate their sodium chloride (and others) concentration with the surrounding aqueous solution in a passive way. Increasing the temperature will facilitate/speed up the process (as does physical damage to the cells). Along with the flux of water other (flavor relevant) compounds tag along, especially when cell integrity is impaired. You can call this process leaching. If you braise your meat in a salted stock, chances are that the flux of water goes from the piece from the meat towards the surrounding liquid. If you braise your meat in water, flux will be directed into the meat, leading to a dilution of flavor and possibly leaching of cellular liquid into the surrounding stock. You are not interested in either.

Today I got the empanadas - they sell two varieties, which to my surprise contain both tuna, in a kind of patty form. One had roasted peppers in them, the other was with onions & sesame. Not bad at all … We will be driving up today to Aragon, to the beautiful city of Alquézar. The next installment will be a bit delayed, as we will meet with my wife’s parents there (full story to follow) and there will be - naturally - a lot of catching up to do. Please be patient and don’t wander off 😉

It might be aimed at the international crowds, that swamp this town (in all seriousness: I heard only one couple speaking French, and one kid screaming in German so far here …). The other side of the Xiringuito displays an equally cosmopolitan word to lure in far-travelled drinkers …

Could you share an approximate version here as well, to conclude the topic ?

At least according to the cited article, both are fine … There are three cooking methods – boiling, steaming, and stewing. 1. Mince the lean and fat meat and blend. Add chopped leeks, ginger, a spoonful of sugar and two eggs. Stir. … but at the end, wouldn’t you agree that probably there are many small variations around the general LHM theme ? If you find time, maybe you can give the OP a quick translation of a recipe you deem the most authentic and then she is well equipped with a bandwidth of options should her “someone” challenge her food again …

Maybe there is more that one school of thought for this ..?

Late in the evening (after nap & some games) we headed out to the town & beach. It was a very pleasant evening, and as lunch wasn’t that much we decided to drop by one of the two Xiringuitos of the town. A Xiringuito is a kind of pop-up restaurant directly on the beach, mainly focusing on alcoholic beverages (these monsters !) and simple eats … Nothing beats a crisp fresh draft beer on the beach … Some mixed croquettes to start with (the mushroom ones were excellent) … Fried squid … And patates braves (fried potato cubes with spicy sauce) … We enjoyed the sunset and headed slowly home, as the bar emptied …

And then there was lunch (at around 16.00h) … Today might be a bit boring, as we were just catching up with a cousin of my wife, so I threw together what we had at home. Pa amb tomaquet, some sausages and cheeses, the beans & blood sausage, a salad with some really good tuna confit, confit onions (brought by our guests), bunyols de bacalla (salt cod fritters, also brought by our guests), crisps, octopus, olives, … Verdict of the lunch: I need to learn to make some really good bunyols de bacalla (because these weren’t that great) 😌

This recipe looks decent. It uses what I would consider the right cooking sequence of shallow frying & steaming. I would add a pinch MSG to up the umami, but that’s just me … Regarding the Udon noodles: I do like them a lot, and can see them working here (although, as @liuzhou has rightfully pointed out, they are Japanese). They are, however, just made from flour and water, and the quick-boil ones are actually just put into the boiling water to heat through and soften. They disintegrate very quickly, especially if you expect a cooking behaviour of Italian pasta, for example, and overcook by even 30 seconds. I think egg noodles are more forgiving, but the texture of perfectly cooked Udon is lovely. If I may add my two cents: I would not worry too much about the authenticity (just as in the Italian case). If you aim for -1.5% saltiness in your protein, and adjust the sauce after cooking to your liking you should be all set. And if that “someone” complains again he better be someone special or prepare his/her better dish next time him/herself 😉

Same here, actually … They claim “limited production” on the information display in town, so that might be actually true. The description you cited fits perfectly !

Good morning from the Mediterranean coast ! This morning the usual pa amb tomaquet (and a chocolate croissant for my wife) plus a bowl of beans 😋 The beans (and sausages) were very good - but the broth was fantastic !

but oyster sauce is Cantonese and not at all traditional in Lion's Head Meatballs. Neither is 5-spice powder. This is a heavily American-Chinese orientated recipe. Pork shoulder is all wrong - they are made from pork belly. I agree - it is a bit of a unusual combo, but I still think it will work nicely. For me it has a kind of Teochew vibe to it, and maybe thats where the connection to American-chinese cuisine comes in. For me, I do like some oyster sauce in my meat balls. At least from that the recipe it should come out tasty. Fully with you on the meat as well - the fattier, the better (and the more flavorful). I panfry, then steam and finally thicken the resulting sauce with cornstarch. Served over greens. Noodles seem odd indeed - @Susanwusan: they are not mentioned in the recipe, are they ?

You beat me to it 😉

I assume you are referring to this recipe. If you leave out part of the essential aromatics (five spice) and the umami component (oyster sauce), you eliminate significantly the depth and intensity of the dish. There is little question something might be missing then … My question would be why you choose to preemptively mute the dish - was there any specific intention to modify a recipe you haven’t made before ? I’d give the recipe another try, and if you want a bit more oomph, add a tiny pinch of sugar and some larger pinch MSG and your “someone”* will not complain … *is that the same one complaining about the Italian meatballs ?

Respect ✊

Dinner was simple: pa amb tomaquet with whatever the fridge had to offer … Plus some truita de patates (with onions, of course) … Some ready-made purchased, but freshly fried at home croquettes de pernil … And some cooked shrimps we picked up just before arriving home. Easy, yet very satisfying 🤗

Of course there were also some local products purchased. The famed mongetes de Santa Pau (in the non-touristy packaging) … Remember the “broth” combo from the supermarket ? I got some extra serrano ham bones, just because … I should have soaked longer, but two hours had to do … the beans will be featured in tomorrows dinner. And a piece of Garrotxa cheese to nibble for the busy cook 😉

Our tour through the Garrotxa region started in a place that featured large ground crevices (is that the correct term), as per legend inhabited by fairies. We searched, and little one made sure he went into every single one but - alas - no ferries, pixies, sprites or anything to be found (or maybe yes ?!) … Moving on we arrived to the picturesque town of Santa Pau, conveniently also famed for the elusive mongetes de Santa Pau, a extremely popular bean variety. The town itself was founded in the 9th century and quite beautiful. All the housing, the castle & the church are well preserved. A few kilometers down the road two former vulcanoes are located. We decided to visit Volcà Croscat. You have to walk a bit to come to the site, passing by fields of beans … The volcano itself has been extensively mined, as the foamlike stones from the vulcanic mass are perfect for absorbing, storing and releasing water for agricultural applications. An interesting sight. Returning to the car the little one was already showing signs of fatigue and surely enough, he fell asleep after a few minutes drive. We therefore skipped our visit to the town of Castellfollit de la Roca and just made the touristy round to the fields below the city for a commemorative picture …

It’s funny - we were discussing this the other day. Exactly 15 years ago my wife (then girlfriend) an me returned from living ~3 years in Japan back to Europe. And we argued where to go. I wanted to live in Spain - and Barcelona seemed like an excellent choice. Unfortunately, the job situation was (and is) still largely in favour of Germany. Plus I am more German than I like to admit, in many ways 😉. And don’t get me wrong: Both me and my wife got a nice job (with opportunities to live in other countries, cf. my last food log), we have friends, a decent house … but the lifestyle and quality of life here is simply another level. My current plan is thus early retirement and moving here as soon as I can afford it 😆

It is pretty similar to a french creme brulee, though the crema catalana derives the “background” taste from infusing the milk with cinnamon and orange peel, rather than vanilla …

Bon dia ! Today a medium-sized breakfast based on pa amb tomaquet in preparation for a (car) trip through the Garrotxa region, famous for cheese & beans (and vulcanoes, at least that’s what the rest of the family wants to see …).

After the (well deserved & necessary) nap we took a stroll through the town and along the beach. My attempts to motivate me or my family to have dinner failed … instead I enjoyed an early nightcap at dusk and concluded the day 😋

“Chewy sea water” - now that’s what I would like to see in the potato chips thread …