Dinner 2015 (Part 6)

[Kim Shook]

rotuts – This is the beef that I use:http://http://grocery.harristeeter.com/pd/Esskay/Chipped-Beef-Air-Dried/3-oz/027300100155/

It is very salty, so I don’t use any additional salt.  Just sizzle it in a couple of tablespoons of butter, add a couple tablespoons of flour and cook a little more.  I add 1 1/2 cups of whole milk (1/2 cup more than recommended), cook down to the right consistency, add a little Worcestershire and a LOT of pepper.

 

Shelby – I love sloppy joes.  Yours looks great – how do you make it?

 

Baked all day yesterday, so - breakfast for dinner:

Perfect meal for a baking day!

[kayb]

Cooler weather always turns my thoughts to German food, so yesterday, it was rouladen, braised red cabbage with cream, and German potato salad. Good stuff, though I didn't get enough mustard in the potato salad.

 

 

Rouladen, ready to cook. Grassfed beef round, jacquarded and then beaten with a mallet to thin it a bit more. Brats from a local farmer. Bacon is Wright's; dills are Claussen's.

 

 

Cabbage, sauteeing in bacon fat.

 

 

Complete dinner, with potato salad and crowder peas.

 

 

[rotuts]

""  it was rouladen ""

 

i love roulades as you say when its cooler.   I never managed to add pickle to mine, and the bacon was inside the 'roll'

 

great stuff !

[Shelby]

KAY!  Your roulades caught my eye immediately.  I must try making this.  I think Ronnie would LOVE it.  I'll sub venison for the beef...do you think that would work?  Will you be posting more about them on your blog?  If so, I'll read over there, but if not, what temp and time do you bake these at?

 

Kim   I tried recreating sloppy joe sauce a while back and it just didn't taste the same or as good as the can of Manwich that I like.  I don't say that often about anything canned vs. homemade, but sloppy joes are one of them. I did sauté a good amount of onions and bell peppers to go in there.  And topped them with more caramelized onions and pickles.  I'm going to bake today (I think) so I like your idea of breakfast for dinner.  

 

Steve, beautiful crepes!

 

Spaghetti night with salad.  Venison in the sauce.

 

 

 

 

Venison taco salads 

 

Fried chicken last night with 'taters and some of the Silver Queen corn I froze.  

 

Edited November 9, 2015 by Shelby (log)

[liamsaunt]

Fish chowder made with pollock.  I have a weekly fish share, and usually love whatever they give us.  That said pollock is the one fish I really don't like, and since it is such a common fish we are guaranteed to be given it at least once in every eight-week cycle.  There is something about its texture that I find off-putting.  It is OK in chowder though.  

 

[kayb]

KAY!  Your roulades caught my eye immediately.  I must try making this.  I think Ronnie would LOVE it.  I'll sub venison for the beef...do you think that would work?  Will you be posting more about them on your blog?  If so, I'll read over there, but if not, what temp and time do you bake these at?

 

 

 

I think venison would work just fine. I browned them in the skillet over medium heat, added the wine and broth and seasonings, and then transferred to a 325 oven for about 2 1/2 hours. I turned the heat off, left them in the oven for two hours, came back and turned the oven back on for 15 minutes. That's plenty to get the round steak fork-tender.

 

The quality of the bratwurst can really make or break this dish. Hope you've got access to good ones!

[Shelby]

I think venison would work just fine. I browned them in the skillet over medium heat, added the wine and broth and seasonings, and then transferred to a 325 oven for about 2 1/2 hours. I turned the heat off, left them in the oven for two hours, came back and turned the oven back on for 15 minutes. That's plenty to get the round steak fork-tender.

 

The quality of the bratwurst can really make or break this dish. Hope you've got access to good ones!

I'm sure I only have Johnsonville brats in the freezer.....can you recommend a brand or kind?

[kayb]

I'm sure I only have Johnsonville brats in the freezer.....can you recommend a brand or kind?

Johnsonville should be ok. If you've got a farmer or meat market anywhere close that makes them, that's usually better.

[Okanagancook]

kayb, I must admit, I am not a fan of rouladen but yours really did catch my eye with the BACON wrapped around.  And of course braised red cabbage is a perfect match.  Nice choice.  We made some Brats a month ago so I think those would be wonderful.  Thanks.

[kayb]

kayb, I must admit, I am not a fan of rouladen but yours really did catch my eye with the BACON wrapped around.  And of course braised red cabbage is a perfect match.  Nice choice.  We made some Brats a month ago so I think those would be wonderful.  Thanks.

 

Everything's better with bacon!

[mmille24]

Black beans with chorizo and rice.

 

[Okanagancook]

So simple but so good!   Looks like Spanish chorizo.  What kind of rice did you use?

[mmille24]

So simple but so good!   Looks like Spanish chorizo.  What kind of rice did you use?

 

Koshihikari short grain rice. I bought a 15lb bag a while ago. Always comes out delicious in my Zojirushi rice cooker.

[cyalexa]

Risotto with shrimp, corn, and saffron. Needed parm (not called for in the recipe) but otherwise good. 

 

 

 

 

 

[sartoric]

A simple chicken and veggie (red onion, celery, zucchini and baby corn) stir fry with hokkien noodles.

Flavoured with garlic, ginger, soy and oyster sauce.

Served with fried shallots sprinkled on top.

[Dejah]

kayb: Glad to see your rouladen. It's perfect for keto-friendly meal, so I will be making them this weekend with some of the sirloin tip slices I picked up. The recipe I have puts diced bacon and pickles inside but njot the brats. THAT would be even better...

Shelby: Venison would be the way my s-i-l would make this.

 

Steve Irby: That spinach crespelle would be good for my Keto-cooking...Thanks!

 

All the meals are delicious! Looking at this forum is the only time I miss bread (especially Ann_T's)  and rice!

[ElainaA]

 

There are such amazing meals here! This one is super simple. Meatloaf (with my home made ketchup both in the meat loaf mix and on top), mega-garlic mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli.

Edited November 10, 2015 by ElainaA (log)

[sartoric]

DSC00383.jpg

 

There are such amazing meals here! This one is super simple. Meatloaf (with my home made ketchup both in the meat loaf mix and on top), mega-garlic mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli.

Can I ask how you make your ketchup please ?

[liamsaunt]

This week's fish share was much more appreciated than last week's pollock.  Haddock, cooked on a bed of dijon mustard, white wine, and leeks.  Crispy lemon garlic parsley crumbs on top.  Sides were leftovers from weekend family meals: sweet potato puree and cauliflower gratin.

 

[ElainaA]

Can I ask how you make your ketchup please ?

I use a recipe from Helen Witty's Better Than Store Bought - one of my favorite books. The ingredient list looks a bit intimidating but it really is pretty basic stuff. I make 2 batches each fall - we don't use a lot of ketchup so that sees us through until the next tomato harvest.

 

8 qts. ripe tomatoes (preferably plum)                                           1 stick cinnamon (2"0 ) broken

1 1/2 c. chopped onion                                                                  1 T whole black pepper corns

1/2 c. chopped celery, with leaves                                                 1 bay leaf

1/2 c, chopped sweet red pepper                                                  1 t. whole cloves

2 cloves garlic, minced                                                                   1 t. ground coriander

2 T. salt                                                                                            1/4 t. celery seed

2 c. cider vinegar                                                                             1/4 t. red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

1 T. mustard seeds                                                                          1/4 c. sugar

1 T. whole allspice                                                                           1/3 c. packed dark brown sugar

 

1. Wash, drain and quarter the tomatoes. Cook , stirring occasionally about 30 minutes, until soft. Measure 4 qts of pulp into a large pot.

2. Add the onion, celery, sweet red pepper,garlic, salt and vinegar. Bring to a boil.

3. Tie the spices (mustard seeds, allspice, cinnamon, peppercorns, bay leaf, cloves, coriander, celery seed and pepper flakes into a square of cheese cloth. Add to tomato mixture. Add sugars. 

    Cook over medium heat until the ketchup thickens moderately.  (I've never timed this - it takes a while)

4. Strain the ketchup through a large sieve, pressing hard on the vegetables. Discard the pulp and spice bag and strain again. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. 

5. Reheat. If not tick enough boil longer, stirring. 

6. Ladle into sterilized half-pint of pint jars, seal and process 10 minutes for half-pints, 15 minutes for pints. 

Makes 8-9 half pints.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Tonight I made a stir fry with some lovely vegetables flavored with pork. There was half a red bell pepper, a whole jalapeno pepper, 3 king oyster mushrooms, a little white onion, a nice juicy fat clove of garlic, grated ginger, a zucchini, 3 Roma tomatoes, a few ounces of broccoli, about a cup or so of finely shredded red cabbage and scallions for the veggies. All of this was flavored with about a half pound of finely shredded pork, soy sauce, black pepper and homemade chicken broth. I'm also not afraid of MSG, so that made an appearance too. This made 4 generous servings.

 

I served it over thin spaghetti because I'm running low on rice. I missed the rice because it would have absorbed the sauce better, and the spaghetti was hard to get wound up on a fork with the chopped veggies. It was still very good, though.

 

I was going to add fresh water chestnuts too, but I screwed up. I realized after looking at some YouTube videos to find an easier way to peel them that what I had actually brought home from the Asian grocery were American chestnuts, not water chestnuts.  I know better than this, because I have bought fresh water chestnuts at this very store before. I could have sworn the sign said WATER chestnuts along with the price. If you ever see fresh water chestnuts, get them. They are flattened rounds with a little topknot sticking up from the top like an onion to which they are not related. I will never buy canned ones again after having them fresh. They're a pain to peel, but oh so good.

 

I forged ahead with my error, and peeled the chestnuts with the microwave method I found on YouTube. They looked like they might have been old, but you couldn't tell it when they were inside the shells. I tasted one and didn't really care for it. I asked my husband to taste a bit, and he liked it, but then I found one that was moldy in the center, so I decided to peel the rest and give them to the coons. I won't make that mistake again.

[liuzhou]

I was going to add fresh water chestnuts too, but I screwed up. I realized after looking at some YouTube videos to find an easier way to peel them that what I had actually brought home from the Asian grocery were American chestnuts, not water chestnuts.  I know better than this, because I have bought fresh water chestnuts at this very store before. I could have sworn the sign said WATER chestnuts along with the price. If you ever see fresh water chestnuts, get them. They are flattened rounds with a little topknot sticking up from the top like an onion to which they are not related. I will never buy canned ones again after having them fresh. They're a pain to peel, but oh so good.

 

I guess I am lucky. I buy the fresh ones already peeled. There is one woman who sits there all morning peeling them. She has got the technique down to a fine art. It takes her seconds to peel each one.

 

 

 

By the way, the most common name for water chestnuts round here is 马蹄  (mǎ tí)  which literally means "horse's hoof".

 

"Regular" chestnuts also come peeled if required. I usually require.

Edited November 10, 2015 by liuzhou (log)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Oh liuzhou,

 

You have no idea how green with jealousy I am! So lucky you are.

 

There's a video I ran across in my travail that may be something you or someone else on this site had linked to before, because I definitely remember having seen it before.

 

Just look up "peeling water chestnuts" on Google. It's the second entry.

 

I couldn't link to it for some reason, but I, personally, won't be chopping away at anything held in the air with my other hand with a sharp knife. It reminds me of this thread:

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/28863-mongolia-seriously-escape-from-mongolia/

 

I thought there was a photo in there of a native Mongolian cutting stuff in the air like that, but I couldn't find it. It must have been the lasting impression of Ellen Shapiro's expressive words in my mind of how they had no clean place like a cutting board to cut up their ingredients. Sorry I couldn't find the specific example, but you know what I mean, and maybe newcomers will like to read this great thread. I enjoy re-reading it myself. I deleted my fist link that was only her first thread on Mongolia, to replace it with the existing one, because it contains links to the seven different threads she posted it in in the first post there. No wonder I couldn't find the pic I remembered. I still think there might be one, but that is not the reason to read this thread.

 

Can't wait until I find some fresh water chestnuts.

 

Edited trying to get a link to work which never did. Edited again because sharing the url in the post, copying and pasting into Google didn't work either. 

Edited November 10, 2015 by Thanks for the Crepes (log)

[liuzhou]

Yes, that's pretty much how my market lady does it, too.

[sartoric]

I use a recipe from Helen Witty's Better Than Store Bought - one of my favorite books. The ingredient list looks a bit intimidating but it really is pretty basic stuff. I make 2 batches each fall - we don't use a lot of ketchup so that sees us through until the next tomato harvest.

 

8 qts. ripe tomatoes (preferably plum)                                           1 stick cinnamon (2"0 ) broken

1 1/2 c. chopped onion                                                                  1 T whole black pepper corns

1/2 c. chopped celery, with leaves                                                 1 bay leaf

1/2 c, chopped sweet red pepper                                                  1 t. whole cloves

2 cloves garlic, minced                                                                   1 t. ground coriander

2 T. salt                                                                                            1/4 t. celery seed

2 c. cider vinegar                                                                             1/4 t. red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

1 T. mustard seeds                                                                          1/4 c. sugar

1 T. whole allspice                                                                           1/3 c. packed dark brown sugar

 

1. Wash, drain and quarter the tomatoes. Cook , stirring occasionally about 30 minutes, until soft. Measure 4 qts of pulp into a large pot.

2. Add the onion, celery, sweet red pepper,garlic, salt and vinegar. Bring to a boil.

3. Tie the spices (mustard seeds, allspice, cinnamon, peppercorns, bay leaf, cloves, coriander, celery seed and pepper flakes into a square of cheese cloth. Add to tomato mixture. Add sugars. 

    Cook over medium heat until the ketchup thickens moderately.  (I've never timed this - it takes a while)

4. Strain the ketchup through a large sieve, pressing hard on the vegetables. Discard the pulp and spice bag and strain again. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. 

5. Reheat. If not tick enough boil longer, stirring. 

6. Ladle into sterilized half-pint of pint jars, seal and process 10 minutes for half-pints, 15 minutes for pints. 

Makes 8-9 half pints.

Thanks so much !