fifi

Beef barley is done. I sauteed a good sized shallot and a garlic clove in a little butter. I dumped in about a quarter cup of brandy and let that cook off. I ended up buying some more mushrooms so they went in next and the lid went on for them to sweat down. I added the barley, water and the mushroom base. Simmer simmer. For the last 15 minutes, the cubed roast went in. It is really beefy and good. the brandy added a nice touch. I just wish it were colder outside.

How much soup do you think I can eat, woman?

I am in the same boat, Marlene. I did find oxtails but I refuse to pay $3.49 a pound to make stock. OY! What is up with that? Shanks are just about as bad. I think I saw somewhere (in the eGCI course Q&A?) that brisket adds good beef flavor. I wonder how that works out. I really like the beefy flavor of chuck but I have never used it for stock. That might be a really good idea but I have to find some bones. I like my stock reduction to get to something like a hockey puck in its little jar.

I will be making the beef barley (of sorts) today or tomorrow. I will have a hard time doing a "recipe of the week." I tend to use soups to use up things I have cooked. The beef barley is a case in point. I did this little chuck pot roast smothered in mushrooms. They were just plain button type but huge and very fresh. I ate them all. Now the little roast has been put into service for sandwiches and into a salad. Its last gasp will be in the soup. I plan to saute some shallots and maybe a little garlic. Then I will use my mushroom base cheater and cook the barley in that, adding the diced roast at the end to heat up. I have never done this with roasted beef before so we shall see if that is a noble end for the beast. I am just wishing it were a little cooler than 75 F here.

I pretty much never stir it when I do it in the oven. I may check every few hours and poke it around to see how it is doing. I have to confess that the crockpot seems to require more attention. The one I have tends to run a bit hot when the mass of the contents cooks down. Last batch I ended up moving to the oven for its overnight sojourn. I think woodburner copied my picture a page or so up. I will go look. I consider it ready when it is a rich brown and a jam like consistency. edit to add: picture here

Thanks for the replies. Next time out that I need to do a big bird I will try one. Why can't they raise them in England? Is it because of the hormone injections? If that is it, maybe it just isn't practical to do the . . . er . . . clipping surgically.

My feeling is that you need sufficient fat for flavor, texture and it helps to keep it from sticking. But then, I like fat. I personally wouldn't try this on top of the stove because it would be a real pain to have to keep stirring. Whatever the heat source, it is concentrated at the bottom and you run the risk of scorching it as the sugars build up. The whole point of going low and slow, besides the flavor development, is the fact that you don't need to mess with it much. That is why my favorite is in the crockpot or in a heavy pot in the oven at about 225 F. I would move this thing to the oven and quit worrying about it. So, who cares if it takes 20 hours if you do it that way?

I have to say that I have used Gallo's Hearty Burgundy in my recipes for many years. The results are comparable to dishes that I have had in France.

The first soup of 2005 is likely to be a beef barley type. My sister and I were just discussing how much we like barley and I have this little beef chuck that I braised with mushrooms. I ate the mushrooms so I will have to improvise. I have some mushroom base that I found at the big HEB so that may help. I may even add a cup or so of onion confit. It will be a really rich and thick soup . . . the kind I like. Does this count as week number one?

Yep! Everything on my agenda has gotten a weather shift. The blackeyed peas ended up a salad. I would have done something else different this morning but you couldn't see ten feet for the fog. Driving even the five blocks to the store was out of the question. The nice little chuck roast braised in mushrooms (I ate them) is probably destined for another salad. So . . . We have a season change . . . backwards.

Here is my bean soup recipe that I usually do with the leftover ham end. Linda’s REALLY GOOD Bean Soup (Or… What am I gonna do with that spiral sliced ham thing?) OK, you have peeled off all of that yummy sliced ham and you now have a big ham bone with all of that ham stuff still lumped on one end. Well, stay tuned and cook up a pot of bean soup that will make you “hurt yo’self!” 2 16 oz. Bags of 15 (or whatever) bean mix. (I like the cajun style I get at Randall’s.) 1 bag garbanzos Wash the beans and soak the beans in cold water for a few hours or overnight. Get a REALLY BIG pot and put in the following: 4 Tablespoons bacon drippings (Oh good grief… it won’t kill you and it tastes good.) 4 big onions chopped about ½” 5 big ribs of celery chopped about ½” 2 large heads of garlic coarsely chopped (Yes, the whole heads. Not 2 cloves.) Sauté until the veggies are translucent. Put the ham thing in the pot. Drain the water off the beans and put them in the pot. Pour in 6 bottles of a good dark beer. (OK, pour in 5 and drink one.) I like Samuel Adams Honey Porter but use whatever you like. Look for a balance of sweet and bitter. You can consume a lot in the name of research. Add water as needed to cover the beans. Cover and simmer for several hours, adding water as needed. The thing is done when the meat falls off the ham bone in shreds and the beans are tender but not mushy. Yeah… take the bones out and throw them away. Or give them to the dog. Merry Christmas, Dog! Salt and pepper to taste. That is the basic recipe, quite good as is. But you can add things to it as you wish. I freeze it and add stuff to my taste when I reheat it. Some suggestions: Chopped tomatoes Chopped fresh jalepeno peppers Chopped pickled jalepenos Picante sauce Fresh herbs, parsley, cilantro, basil, etc. Chopped fresh red bell pepper Grated cheese on top

Ah, Maggie, I hear you on the resolutions. Mine are . . . Build house, cook more soup. I love soup and it goes so wonderfully into the freezer for easy meals. I tend to freeze it in freezer zip lock baggies so that I can thaw a portion, put it into a big mug for a lunch meal. If I didn't have those, I might starve to death on working days. Alas, as of the end of March I may not have any working days due to retirement (Whoo Hoo!). Now I can have time to make all the stock I want and many other cooking adventures. Anyway . . . One of my favorite really rich soups is the mushroom soup I invented many years ago. I will copy below. The other is the Onion Soup recipe from Emeril's Louisiana Real and Rustic. Any other recipes are usually based on what I have available. Mushroom Soup 4 Tbs butter 1 cup minced shallots 4 large garlic cloves, minced 2 lbs. mushrooms, sliced 1 Tbs flour (Wondra works well to prevent lumps but you can use all purpose) 4 tsp chicken base (Knorr is good) 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried basil Several dashes Maggi (that little brown bottle of stuff) 2 cups milk 1 cup heavy cream 8 ounces grated cheese (smoked gouda is the favorite, gouda or jack will also work) In a heavy pot, sauté shallots in the butter until soft. Add garlic and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes longer. Put the mushrooms in the pot. Stir around to distribute shallots and garlic. Cover and cook on low heat until mushrooms are tender and juices are released. Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and stir to distribute to prevent lumping. Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently 10 to 15 minutes until cheese is melted. Do not boil and stir frequently. Notes: This is a rich soup and is best served with salad and good bread for a “light” meal. Feel free to vary the herbs to your taste. I typically make it with the common button mushrooms but you can substitute others to your taste. Since you need 2 pounds, using all “exotic” mushrooms would be pretty pricey and probably not worth it. Do get fresh mushrooms that have not developed dark gills. I did that once with mushrooms that were on sale because they had started to open their caps and develop the spores. It tasted fine but had an ugly brownish purple color. Stay away from Portobellos for the same reason. If you buy the Maggi seasoning just for this recipe, don’t shove it to the back of your spice shelf. Use it up adding a few dashes to a simple vinaigrette. Surprising but smashing. You can also add it to other soups and stews. Who would guess that this stuff is very common in traditional Mexican cooking?

Over Christmas, I was at my son's place in Chicago and got a chance to cook with the Chefmate cookware. I had bought both of the kids the set when it was on sale for $99 or so last year. I have to say, I am impressed. I used the fry pan, the sauce pans and the dutch oven to good effect. I would have to say that the properties were not unlike cooking in some friends' All-Clad. I am looking forward to using the stock pots for a new supply of stock in the next couple of weeks. I love those things.

Gotta do this. A few years ago, goose hunting was unlimited and the nephew treated us with about five pounds of goose livers, mostly from speckle bellies. My sister and I combined what sounded good to us from many recipes into one simple one. It was outstanding. Essentially, we poached the livers in sherry in the oven. That was with a very little shallot that had been softened thoroughly in some butter. This was poured off into the food processor after cooling. We added some green peppercorns, heavy cream and cognac. WHIZZ! Unfortunately, we didn't write any of this down. (Perhaps we had nipped a wee bit of the sherry and cognac. ) Too bad. A friend of the nephew's took one of the little loafs to San Antonio and served it at a holiday "do" where a friend-of-the-family famous chef was in attendance. He was ready to pay REAL money for the recipe. Does anyone have a clue as to proportions of cream and peppercorns for about a pound of chicken livers? Or should I just wing it again and hope for the best? (Hey! . . . It worked once. )

I can't believe that I have missed this thread. I have the full collection of Tabasco. My favorites are the green jalapeno stuff (GREAT with eggs), chipotle, and garlic. The habernero isn't bad either. But the Goya brand Salsito habernero is a new favorite. It has that round, warm heat in the back of the throat (not painful) and great flavor. On the sweet side, Kroger has begun carrying the Fischer Weiser sauces from Fredericksburg, TX. The Mango Ginger Habernero Sauce is wonderful. It is a sweet sauce and is just made to be served over a good vanilla ice cream. Pickapepper and sriracha are staples. I put some on crackers and just enjoy. I may reprise the old saw of a block of cream cheese doused in Pickapepper to be spread on crackers. A classic from the 70s but a good one.

I am going to ask a really dumb question here. First . . . a confession. I don't think I have ever eaten a capon. Does it taste like chicken? I am serious. I sometimes need to do a larger bird for whatever reason and I pretty much hate turkey. The only turkey that I have liked is deep fried or turkey confit. I see capons at the grocery and think that they might be a good substitute. About the largest roasting chicken I have ever found was a nine pounder (Butterball). How big do capons get? Are they fatty? Is the fat really good in that I would want to dip it off the roasting pan and save it? How does a capon compare to a chicken as to taste and texture? I am in obvious need of education.

Oh goody! I do hope you try it. It is a really spectacular recipe. My sister and I figured out that it is really older than the 50 years I indicated in the introduction. She remembers eating it as a kid in the early 40s and it was already a tradition then.

Good tip. I get the beef and chicken at my local Randall's but I haven't seen the mushroom. I will have to ask the store manager to get it. This stuff is my go to "cheater" when I am out of homemade stock concentrate.

I don't think this is what you saw since the marinade isn't warm but maybe it is what you are looking for. For some stupid reason, I can get to the old RecipeGullet and so I copied it from there. Pickled Shrimp Submitted by: fifi Keywords: Appetizer, Easy, Shrimp, Snack, Hors d'oeuvre This recipe is at least 50 years old. I remember eating it at my Aunt Audrey’s house where we went every Christmas Eve. She was old enough to be my father’s mother so there is no telling how old it is. My sister got this recipe from her before she died and it has been handed down in my family ever since. It is truly terrific and I find it fascinating that this was around so long before recipes like this were trendy. Think of it as a very early escabeche. I have no idea where she got the capers back then but she did use them. I remember wondering what the heck those things were. 2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined 3 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced 12 or so whole cloves 6 or so bay leaves 1-1/4 c salad oil (Canola or other light vegetable oil, NOT olive oil) 3/4 c white or cider vinegar 1 large clove garlic, finely minced 1-1/2 tsp salt 2-1/2 tsp celery seed 2-1/2 tsp capers and juice Boil cleaned shrimp. Do not over cook. Arrange shrimp and onion rings in layers in a glass bowl or jar. Sprinkle with cloves and tuck in bay leaves as you go. Cover with marinade made with the last 6 ingredients. Let stand in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Can be kept for 3 days in a jar with a good lid. Pretty served in clear glass. Notes: I tend to increase the cloves, bay leaves and capers. I think it makes it better. I have marinated blanched asparagus in the left over marinade after eating all of the shrimp. Fabulous. You could do other vegetables as well and serve on top of greens as a terrific salad, including the onions. Fresh shrimp are always best but you could get pre-prepared shrimp from the grocery and it would probably still be good. At least that might inspire you to make this.

I am posting this recipe because it might be a starting point for you. This is a family favorite that I developed some years ago from a starting point that I read somewhere. It probably isn't all that close to what you have had but some of the principles are in there. For instance, the mushrooms are sweated down to produce their own liquid. I seem to think that I have seen "mushroom base" mentioned somewhere. I am wondering what that would do to this recipe instead of the chicken base. I certainly hope we find it. That could be a valuable pantry item. Mushroom Soup 4 Tbs butter 1 cup minced shallots 4 large garlic cloves, minced 2 lbs. mushrooms, sliced 1 Tbs flour (Wondra works well to prevent lumps but you can use all purpose) 4 tsp chicken base (Knorr is good) 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried basil Several dashes Maggi (that little brown bottle of stuff) 2 cups milk 1 cup heavy cream 8 ounces grated cheese (smoked gouda is the favorite, gouda or jack will also work) In a heavy pot, sauté shallots in the butter until soft. Add garlic and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes longer. Put the mushrooms in the pot. Stir around to distribute shallots and garlic. Cover and cook on low heat until mushrooms are tender and juices are released. Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and stir to distribute to prevent lumping. Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently 10 to 15 minutes until cheese is melted. Do not boil and stir frequently. Notes: This is a rich soup and is best served with salad and good bread for a “light” meal. Feel free to vary the herbs to your taste. I typically make it with the common button mushrooms but you can substitute others to your taste. Since you need 2 pounds, using all “exotic” mushrooms would be pretty pricey and probably not worth it. Do get fresh mushrooms that have not developed dark gills. I did that once with mushrooms that were on sale because they had started to open their caps and develop the spores. It tasted fine but had an ugly brownish purple color. Stay away from Portobellos for the same reason. If you buy the Maggi seasoning just for this recipe, don’t shove it to the back of your spice shelf. Use it up adding a few dashes to a simple vinaigrette. Surprising but smashing. You can also add it to other soups and stews. Who would guess that this stuff is very common in traditional Mexican cooking?

Welcome to eGullet tamiam. What a way to start out in our community. That takes a lot of guts. You will do well here. You get extra points for admitting to such a thing. I am still trying to get a picture of your head in the freezer. Then there is the cucumber sticks up the nose. That has to be my eGulley laugh for the day. Sorry for the laughs but I can really empathize. I did a similar thing roasting some chiles some years ago. Unfortunately, the only thing that helped was time. Oh . . . My eyes got involved in that one, too.

You are indeed blessed! My Weber SM rocks. I am sure you will love it. Take a tour through this site for some helpful hints. I particularly like the "Minion Method" of firing it up. I can hold a reliable 225 F for about 12 hours with very little fuss. Of course, I don't know about that in Chicago in the winter. I just got back from visiting my son. I can't believe we were walking around Marshal Field's looking at Snow White windows in 2 degrees before you started figuring in wind chill. ACK!!! I also got McGee's book. I shipped all of the books home so I haven't gotten into it yet. I am a huge fan and have just about worn out the original edition.

Check out the confit of turkey leg here. I did it and liked it and I don't like turkey. The oil is incredible for salad dressing and sauteing.

I forgot to add . . . We did get into a discussion about the masa. I think there is some cinnamon in it. Others say that it is the seasoning in the filling permeating the masa. I, of course, think I am right. I could eat just the masa quite happily, thank you.

I am merging the current topic with the one from last year. The tamales were the star of the show for our pre-holiday celebration since we were all traveling to the four winds. Now that I have gotten my chops on the mole sauce I have to say . . . get it!