Tropicalsenior

Unfortunately for me, my housemate is allergic to every type of fresh pepper, garlic, onions, scallions, leeks, in fact, everything in that family. So like you, when he is out for the night I go all out and indulge my flavor starved taste buds. He always laughs when it comes in and takes a big whiff. Now when he's going to be gone for the evening, he stops and buys me a big onion, a head of garlic and some peppers.

Your Mexican rice looks delicious. Would you be willing to share the recipe?

I know that I am going to offend a lot of vegetarians and vegans, but now that you asked. I respect, completely, their decision not to eat meat for whatever reason, but, why try to pretend that they are eating meat by giving it a meat name. Schnitzel is meat. Had it been a filet, I could probably have even gone along with carp schnitzel.

Maybe they're operating on the same concept of chicken fried steak. If it's breaded and fried it's schnitzel. But then... where does that leave us with the unbreaded schnitzel? Must we then call that something else? One of my pet peeves is adding to a classic dish or completely changing the recipe and still calling it by the classic name. i.e. Chicken Alfredo, Salmon Carpaccio and so on.

According to Dear Old Google, who incidentally isn't always right. Quote "What is the difference between country fried steak and chicken fried steak? The other distinction that sometimes comes up is that, where country-fried steak is flour-dusted and usually served with brown gravy and onions, chicken-fried steak is breaded with eggs and served with cream gravy." I was always told that it was called chicken fried steak because the breading is reminiscent of the breading used to fry chicken.

@Duvelyou're right, I've learned more about schnitzel from this discussion then I ever knew before. All the more reason to love it. I've even learned a lot from our slight disagreements. Schnitzel is kind of like meatloaf. Everyone has their own recipe, and well made meatloaf can be a thing of joy. As long as it's not like my ex mother-in-law's meatloaf. Even the dog wouldn't eat it.

Actually, you're both right. By definition @heidih is right. the Schnitzel is the unsauced piece of meat. A thinly pounded, well breaded, well fried schnitzel is a thing of joy all by itself. But then, @Duvel is also right in that the sauce defines the dish. Example, a hamburger is a patty of meat served on a bun. The flourishes one puts on that hamburger defines the type of hamburger. Cheeseburger, mushroom burger, bacon cheeseburger burger, and so forth. Personally, I love a sauce with schnitzel, served under the meat so as to not destroy that beautiful crisp crust.

Thank you for the suggestion, but I'm afraid that trying to find something like that down here is just the impossible dream. I would ask my grandson to bring it down when it comes next month but he's informed me that I've reached my limit of available space. He makes quick trips down here quite often and only brings a carry on. However, I have saved the page and I will put it down for a future trip In the meantime, I have found a recipe for a mushroom Dashi and I think I'll give that a try. I'm not even sure if it can properly be called Dashi without the Bonito flakes.

Thank you, in other words, what I should be looking for is kombu (dried kelp) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes) in which case, I may be out of luck. The last time that I tried to buy bonito flakes they sold me dried boniato which turned out to be dried sweet potato (in Spanish). I'll just have to keep looking unless there's something I can substitute. Sometimes the joys of living in a foreign country just overwhelm me!

That looks much more than just OK.

Thank you @heidih for the wonderful thread to okonomiyaki. (Do we have threads here for everything?) Being fairly new to eGullet I'm learning something new all the time and the more I learn the more I am glad I joined. I am about three-quarters of the way through the thread and I am in love with okonomiyaki. If I can pull this off, it will be my new alternative to frittata as a clean the fridge option. Since the topic was started in about 2003, many of the links have disappeared but I kept clicking on them just to see what would come up. I finally found one receipe that not only was a wealth of information, it gave a lot of tips for people that couldn't find the necessary ingredients such as tenkasu. I also learned that nagaimo is actually taro root which I can get here in my little local Feria (Farmers Market). As for the sauce and the mayonnaise, those I can make. Thank you, @kayb I will give the recipe that you gave me a try. Now all I have to do is go into San Jose to my favorite Chinese store and see if I can find the Dashi and I am all set to try this.

@heidih thank you. This should keep me going for a while.

Just saying , you could have been describing a Costa Rican steak.

Some people put a little bit of oil or butter on the chicken before they flour it. I usually just make sure that my chicken is still a bit moist. The flour should stick just fine. Then, be sure to shake off the excess flour completely. Otherwise, the egg and the flour will separate from the chicken. As for the egg, I always mix in a bit of mayonnaise, maybe about 2 teaspoons for each egg instead of milk. For pork, you could also put in a half teaspoon of mustard per egg. It just gives it a little bit more zip. To keep the breading from separating from the chicken or the cutlet, bread it at least an hour before you plan to fry it. Someone before in the thread mentioned leaving it at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Since I live in the tropics, sometimes my kitchen is too warm to feel comfortable about leaving it in the heat so I put mine in the refrigerator for up to two hours before dinner. When you fry them, whatever you do, don't crowd the pan. Have sufficient oil and be sure that it is hot enough that the cutlets sizzle when you put them in the pan. I almost forgot to mention, season your chicken or cutlet about 10 to 15 minutes before you are ready to dip it in the flour. This will create some moisture on the surface that helps the flour to stick to it. I hope this helps.

@kayb Thank you. I'm grateful for any and all recipes and especially for the tips. This is something that I have never eaten but it looks intriguing and looks like that it would be quite simple to make. I appreciate the tips on things that I can substitute since so many things are unavailable here. I can get panko and I'm pretty sure I can get the Dashi. Strangely enough, I have yet to find water chestnuts, but I have found that chayote makes a passable substitute. Jicama, when I can find it, is even better.

I'm so glad that you have joined us. I've never been to Portugal but I have long been fascinated by the food and the rich culinary history of the area. Those ribs look marvelous. I hope you will enjoy being here with us. Please tell us a little more about you. Do you cook professionally or do you, like so many of us here, cook for the love of it?

@Duvel Thanks, I would love to have the recipe. Daikon I can get, in fact, it's something that I always have on hand. The yam was my main stumbling point in the ingredient list. Also, I do believe that I have seen the instant Dashi in my favorite Chinese store. If not, there is a very good sushi restaurant around the corner from us and maybe I can talk them out of a little of it. The okonomiyaki tare I'm not so sure of. Would something like this sauce be acceptable? I already know that the Katsuoboshi flakes are a lost cause because I have looked for them before with no luck. Thanks again, I am looking forward to seeing the recipe and making it.

This looks so interesting and so good that I went to Google, first, to find out what it was and second, to see if I could find a recipe. All of the good ones required ingredients that I haven't a prayer of finding here. I did find one recipe that calls for more readily available ingredients for the base that I could then dress up with more traditional toppings. If you would, please, could you advise me as to whether it might be worth trying or should I dismiss it as just a cheap imitation and just have to return occasionally to drool over your photograph.

@liamsauntlooks good to me!

Tonight's dinner was a light one with cucumber salad, one of the best melons I've had all season (not shown), and a sandwich called choripan from Argentina on homemade bread. It's a favorite street food down there that I just fell in love with when we were there there some years ago. Usually, I have to make my own sausage for this but I got lucky and they had some in our local PriceSmart a (subsidiary of Costco). Unfortunately, mine doesn't have the beautiful marks that you get from an Argentinian grill. And the sandwiches aren't complete without some good chimichurri sauce.

Thank you for all of your replies. I've learned more in 2 days from all of you than I have learned in all of my internet searches. It's nice to receive advice from people who know what they are talking about and are generous in sharing their knowledge. I received several recipes from @Norm Matthewsthat are some of the easiest and best that I have received. He has kindly given me permission to share them with you. I hope that he will consider posting them on the recipe gullet. At this time of year this is such a popular topic and his recipes are definitely keepers. CORNED BEEF FOR THE BRINE 2 quarts water 1 cup Canning and Pickling salt 1 tablespoon Tenderquick 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed 1 cinnamon stick, crushed 4 dried bay leaves, crushed 8 whole cloves 1. Make the brine: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salts, sugar, and spices; remove from heat, and stir until salts and sugar dissolve. Let cool. 2. Make the corned beef: Place brisket in a nonreactive container just large enough to hold it. Pour cooled brine over meat. Place 2 small plates on top to keep meat submerged; cover, and refrigerate for 2 weeks. Cooking Corned Beef Serves 6-8 3 1/2 lb or so Corned Beef Brisket from above 1/2 to 1 bottle beer Water to cover, approx 2 cups 10 black peppercorns 1 whole allspice 1 bay leaves 12 sprigs fresh parsley 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 2 whole leeks, green trimmed to fit pot, slice white part to clean 1 medium onion, peeled, quartered Simmer brisket about 3 hours Add 7 or 8 whole carrots, cleaned 2 large rutabagas, trimmed and quartered Simmer 1/2 additional hour This is a long process but delicious. Please read all three recipes before proceeding. Here is a recipe for CORNED BEEF from scratch. My family really likes it: 1. FOR CORNING 4-5 lb. front cut brisket 1 to 1 1/2 cups kosher salt 1/2 cup packed brown sugar. In a saucepan, put enough water to cover brisket, add salt and sugar. Heat and stir to dissolve, cool. Place brisket in ceramic or glass bowl and pour water with dissolved sugar and salt over brisket. Cover with plastic and weight with non-metallic weight. Refrigerate 2 weeks. 2. FOR SPICING 8 bay leaves 5 large cloves garlic, coarse chop 1 tbsp. peppercorns, cracked 1 tbsp. coarse salt 3 dried hot peppers, 1 1/2 inches long, seeds removed Rub spices hard into meat, wrap tightly in foil, put in plastic bag and refrigerate 3-5 days. Unwrap meat, leave spices on,(OMIT THE FOLLOWING and skip down to the next recipe) place in Dutch oven, pour on 2 inches of boiling water and cook, covered, barely simmering 3-4 hours, turning occasionally and adding more boiling water as needed. Let cool, uncovered, in broth. Serve hot or cold. Can be kept in refrigerator one week. 3.CORNED BEEF WITH CABBAGE This recipe is for use with the usual very salty store-bought corned beef. The washing, soaking in water and changing the cooking liquid are to reduce the saltiness. If you use the brisket prepared as above, you may omit those steps. I hope this helps. 4 to 5 lbs corned brisket 1 clove garlic, slivered 1 onion stuck with 2 cloves 8 carrots water 6 onions 6 turnips 1 head of cabbage, quartered Wash the meat and let it set in cold water for an hour before you cook it. Then slash it in several places and insert the slivers of garlic. Place the beef in a large kettle, add 2 carrots and an onion stuck with 2 cloves and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 1 hour. Then pour off the water and cover with fresh boiling water. Continue cooking until the corned beef is tender but not mushy. This may take 4 to 5 hours, but watch it carefully and test it often with a sharp fork. During the last hour, add 6 carrots, the onions and the turnips. Twenty minutes before you are ready to serve, add the quartered head of cabbage. Arrange the cooked corned beef on a hot platter and surround it with the vegetables. Serve with baked or boiled potatoes and a variety of good mustards and pickles. Thank you, Norm. And thank you to everyone for your valuable advice.

I've got no idea what it is but it looks good. Incidentally, matar in Spanish is to kill. Did you have to kill it to cook it?

Welcome, Luis. I'm so glad to see you joined us. Mexican food is one of my absolute favorite. My husband and I spent some time in Guadalajara, and we loved it. It's a beautiful city with wonderful people. I'm sorry that we didn't find your restaurant while we were there. My husband has since passed away but I hope to return to Guadalajara someday with my grandson and show him the city that we loved. I hope that while you are learning from everyone here that we may also learn from you. Guadalajara has one regional favorite that I have been trying to copy for years. In the near future I will definitely be asking you about that. Por ahora, bienvenido. Vivo en Costa Rica. Estamos casi vecinos. Con mucho gusto de conocerle.

@KennethT Thank you for correcting me. Now that I think about it, the space where I have mine does get shade in the afternoon.

@ElsieDI have grown cilantro. The trick seems to be that you have to thin it quite vigorously when it's about 3 or 4 inches high and to make sure that it doesn't go to seed. it needs space, sun, and quite a bit of moisture.