Create my meal – the game

[gfweb]

5 hours ago, sartoric said:

@Thanks for the Crepes, that's fair enough. 

Seeing that webby seems MIA, I nominate you.  

 

 

Haven't been called Webby since grade school :- ) 

Yes, MIA I've been. My apologies.

[Anna N]

36 minutes ago, gfweb said:

 

Haven't been called Webby since grade school :- ) 

Yes, MIA I've been. My apologies.

You're a good sport!

[kayb]

I'd take the pork butt steaks and marinate them in a pernil-style sofrito of onions, garlic, cumin, oregano and either some vinegar or lime juice overnight. I'd gril them very low and slow, maybe finishing up in a pan under foil to keep from drying out but still get plenty of tenderness. Served with fried maduros, yucca frita, and a Caribbean-style rice with cumin, peppers, onions and coconut milk, if you have any.

 

 

[Lisa Shock]

I checked the web for the steak idea to make sure it was somewhat traditional. (I have made the sauce before.) I found the steak listed on Steve Raichlin's site. Most recipes call for a jarred/canned grilled pepper, but, I figured you could use fresh instead. You can vary the amount and type of nuts by what is on-hand also. (completely non-traditional, but, in an emergency, peanut butter makes a good sub here)

[sartoric]

16 hours ago, gfweb said:

 

Haven't been called Webby since grade school :- ) 

Yes, MIA I've been. My apologies.

No disrespect meant, @gfweb, it would be considered a term of endearment here

Feel free to jump back in the pool when you've got time....

 

[gfweb]

No disrespect felt. Just nostalgia.

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I'm so grateful for so many good ideas, and many of them will be used in the future. Thank you to everyone who spent time and effort to help me with my ingredients, and for providing the impetus to Google some stuff that was previously out of my ken.

 

I decided to go with @kayb's idea, so are IT, lady.  

 

@Lisa Shock,

 

Thanks for the link to Steven Raichlen's site. I have bookmarked it, and will definitely try romesco sauce down the road. Roasted jarred red peppers are something I always keep in the pantry, too. Trader Joe's has some good ones, but they are easy to find elsewhere. I have even bought them at Dollar General, but haven't seen them there in some time.

 

I have one of the big butt steaks marinating now. I made something similar to this when my nephew and his girlfriend visited one time but did not know to call it pernil, so thanks for that. I used dried spices in the marinade because I have so many that are appropriate, and because I think they actually infuse more flavor than the more labor intensive fresh veggies, or I could just be lazy.  I used Goya Adobo (contains ground oregano), a good chili powder, Lisy Chilisito (guajillo, salt, lemon), ground chipotle, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and ground black pepper. Since the first three marinade ingredients have salt, I did not add any additional.

 

I think I'll cook maduros, which I've been anticipating since I bought the plantains, yucca frita, but not the rice. I'll already have two carby fried elements, so I'll either go with fried zukes or a salad to lighten it up a little. I do have coconut milk in the pantry, though, and it is destined for some form of coconut rice down the pike. I'm looking very much forward to tomorrow night's dinner, and if the crick don't rise or I have an internet outage I'll report back here tomorrow night. Stay tuned...

[Thanks for the Crepes]

On 7/17/2016 at 9:37 PM, sartoric said:

I often find myself standing in the supermarket amidst the myriad choices, list in hand, thinking, what am I going to make for dinner tonight ? I end up buying a variety of stuff, then spend hours poring over books and the Internet for inspiration.

So, let's play a game.....I'll go first.

 

1. I provide a list of what's on hand.
2. You have 24 hours to make a suggestion.
3. I cook the suggestion I'm most intrigued by and report the result.

 

The person whose suggestion gets cooked goes next, ie. provides a list, seeks suggestions, cooks the meal, reports the outcome. Rinse, repeat, and the game continues. We could get some wild and crazy meals out of this.

Assume basic pantry items, eggs, sauces, pasta, rice, herbs, cheese etc are available.

No more than 10 items on the list, obviously you don't have to use them all.

 

Oops! I thought part of your rules was that the person who is up has 24 hours to make the meal after they have chosen the one they like best. Now that I reread it, there seems to be no time limit on making the chosen meal. My bad, and many apologies to @gfweb, 'cause he's a sweetie, and as @Anna N said a really good sport. 

 

 It would make for a faster moving game, but I have heard the term "herding cats" used many times in relation to managing the members who create the content on this site.  Most of us are very knowledgeable, creative and articulate, but maybe not so keen on strict rules, deadlines and so on.

 

Just a thought, because this is sartoric's thread, but would some sort of reasonable limit on cooking the chosen dish be appropriate? Thawing proteins, soaking beans, marinating and pre-preparing ingredients can take time. And life can certainly derail the best laid plans.

 

I'm just afraid if there is no limit at all, this fun thread may die out and be buried. Lord knows, I have bookmarked recipes from here and elsewhere that I still haven't gotten around to actually executing.

 

Twenty-four hours, which I thought was the deadline, had me anxious if I'd participated with suggestions on someone's list. It interfered with other plans I had, and with people on different schedules and all around the world, sometimes one might not check back in to eG in time to get a full 24 hour notice. So while some limit might be good, 24 hours does seem harsh.

 

Also, if someone who is IT, doesn't feel like cooking the chosen meal after a certain time, perhaps sartoric could ask for volunteers from past "its" like gfweb, and @Smithy, and if they decline, ask for general membership volunteers to cook from the last list of ingredients.

 

I would like to keep the thread alive. I just think it's a brilliant idea, and would hate to see interest die out. So sorry again for my misunderstanding of sartoric's rules. 

 

Thoughts?

 

 

 

 

[sartoric]

35 minutes ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

 

Oops! I thought part of your rules was that the person who is up has 24 hours to make the meal after they have chosen the one they like best. Now that I reread it, there seems to be no time limit on making the chosen meal. My bad, and many apologies to @gfweb, 'cause he's a sweetie, and as @Anna N said a really good sport. 

 

 It would make for a faster moving game, but I have heard the term "herding cats" used many times in relation to managing the members who create the content on this site.  Most of us are very knowledgeable, creative and articulate, but maybe not so keen on strict rules, deadlines and so on.

 

Just a thought, because this is sartoric's thread, but would some sort of reasonable limit on cooking the chosen dish be appropriate? Thawing proteins, soaking beans, marinating and pre-preparing ingredients can take time. And life can certainly derail the best laid plans.

 

I'm just afraid if there is no limit at all, this fun thread may die out and be buried. Lord knows, I have bookmarked recipes from here and elsewhere that I still haven't gotten around to actually executing.

 

Twenty-four hours, which I thought was the deadline, had me anxious if I'd participated with suggestions on someone's list. It interfered with other plans I had, and with people on different schedules and all around the world, sometimes one might not check back in to eG in time to get a full 24 hour notice. So while some limit might be good, 24 hours does seem harsh.

 

Also, if someone who is IT, doesn't feel like cooking the chosen meal after a certain time, perhaps sartoric could ask for volunteers from past "its" like gfweb, and @Smithy, and if they decline, ask for general membership volunteers to cook from the last list of ingredients.

 

I would like to keep the thread alive. I just think it's a brilliant idea, and would hate to see interest die out. So sorry again for my misunderstanding of sartoric's rules. 

 

Thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

24 hours was just plucked out of thin air really.

Does 48 hours makes more sense given time differences and also allowing for prep ?

Perhaps, if anyone who participates and becomes "next player" but (for whatever reason) can't continue, they could call for volunteers/subs. 

 

I started this thread, but it belongs to all members.

If anyone wants to share ideas of how to make it easier for everyone, please do.

 

Here, kitty kitty kitty....

[Thanks for the Crepes]

One idea I've had is to let members who have "honorable mentions", like @Smithy, where the next player (it) uses one or more of their ideas, also create a list of ingredients and ask for suggestions, along with the official "winner".

 

It seems like a way to keep up the momentum and get more people participating. We are also not very used to the idea of winners and losers on this forum. So the more inclusive it is, the more great ideas will come to the surface, and the more we will all learn from each other.

 

For instance, I did a little happy dance when I discovered that the eG Cook-offs were more of a think tank on the dish in question than a competition, and novices were welcomed and mentored. I have learned so much in them, and my user name here can be attributed to the Crepes Cook-off , eight years before I ventured into membership here. That is where I learned to get over my fear of making crepes. "Cook-off" is suggestive of winners and also-rans, but they are deliciously and educationally different here.

 

Another idea is to let volunteers also cook from the list if they like, and report on their meals. Perhaps it would generate more interest and participation.

 

2 hours ago, sartoric said:

Here, kitty kitty kitty....

 

Meow, meow, meow. 

 

 

 

 

[kayb]

Going to get my list out there early, as I'm going out of town this evening and won't be back until tomorrow night.

 

I have on hand:

 

Protein:

A freezer full of assorted beef (steaks, roasts, ground beef)

At least two whole frozen chickens

A frozen Boston butt, about 6 pounds

Pork chops (loin, boneless)

A single tuna steak

 

Veggies: Tomatoes, corn, peas, sweet potatoes, Yukon golds, onion, garlic

 

Pantry: Pasta, rice, dry beans, wide variety of condiments and spices

 

A whole wheat baguette in the freezer. A half-loaf of Anadama bread in the fridge.

 

A reasonable collection of eggs, dairy and cheese, including some Rogue River blue I'd love to use.

 

I'll see responses Friday when I get home and let you know!

 

 

[sartoric]

I think we can take something from @kayb's post above. If the player knows they have commitments, say so and offer a timeframe. That won't cover black swan events, but at least manages expectations.

 

PS - I'll think about that list and my suggestion will come later.

[Lisa Shock]

I say, go Hawaiian!

 

Poke appetizer

 

Pork and Peas (also called pork guisantes) -Sub fresh, chopped tomatoes for the tomato paste and canned pimentos.

 

Rice -traditionally, a lot of long grain gets served, however, I prefer a Japanese short grain like Calrose or Imperial grade sushi rice.

 

Hawaiian Sweet Potato salad (served cold)

 

 

[sartoric]

Steak on the barbie* with a blue cheese butter. Potatoes or sweet potatoes wrapped in foil on the barbie*, corn on the barbie* and a mixed salad (you'd need to grab some lettuce somewhere). 

 

* Barbie, short for barbecue, a cooking device used outside with either charcoal or gas, sometimes referred to as grill

Edited July 29, 2016 by sartoric (log)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I know kayb suggested grilling the pork steak. I knew I would not be able to safely manage frying stuff inside and running back and forth to the outdoor charcoal grill. I briefly considered taking my large electric Dutch oven that I have often used for fish fries outside to the deck. Then I considered that we were under a heat advisory, as we have been all week from noon until 8 PM. Suddenly outdoor cooking lost all appeal, so I decided to broil the steak in the oven under the A/C and where I could easily attend to the frying. I'm sure the pork steak would have been better grilled over charcoal, but it was so delicious as it was that I regretted cooking it inside not at all. It's still 85 F/29.4 C and 74% humidity at 11 PM. I don't see a heat advisory posted for tomorrow, and they are predicting a relative cold snap down to 93 F/34 C for a high tomorrow. 

 

I had marinated the steak in a dry spice rub overnight as described above. I peeled and cut about 1/2 of a one pound yucca root into planks and wedges trying for as even thicknesses as possible. This is hard to achieve with the raw root because it has a tendency to split and splinter a bit. I wonder how microwaving it at a reduced power for more even heat distribution would aid the process? I use that to cut up winter squash sometimes and it makes it easier. Also note to self: sharpen your boning/fillet knife before this operation next time. The knife was very sharp. It had no problem at all with the ripe tomato. Every little bit helps, though.

 

I then put them in a pot of salted cold water and put it on a burner on high, and set the timer for five minutes. Last time, I cooked the root in large chunks, and just as Kenji warns here, this lead to uneven cooking. I decided to try five minutes because 15 resulted in very soft and crumbly yucca. Maybe six minutes next time, because I don't think I took them quite far enough, although one of the thinner pieces fell apart and became cook's treat. So it's important to get even pieces. This can be tough as the roots tend to taper at one end especially. This smaller root did not have nearly the amount of tough fibers and no woody inclusions like the last huge root did. I cooled the yucca in several changes of cold water in the pot it was cooked in and drained it well and patted dry with a paper towel.

 

I had already washed some lettuce and had that chilling in the fridge and I cut up tomatoes for a side salad. I grated some cheddar to top the salad with and put a dollop of sour cream on top sprinkled with a little mild chili powder. Queso fresco and crema would have been more authentic, but I was very glad I had included these dairy elements on the plate, as you shall see later.

 

Two ripe plantains were washed, dried, peeled and cut down the middle lengthwise and then into eight sections per fruit. When plantains are ripe enough for maduros, they look like overgrown bananas that would be good for nothing but banana bread or other baking uses. So forget what you know about bananas, if you want to try this.

 

I very lighty oiled my baking sheet and put the pork steak on it and under the preheated broiler and set the timer for 10 minutes.

 

The parboiled yucca went into a 12" skillet with about a cup of oil that had been preheated to frying temp and this was enough to nearly cover the yucca and came halfway up the plantain chunks later. Both items were shallow fried, flipping halfway through, until the yucca was golden and taken out and drained on paper towels on a plate on top of my poorly insulated stove, which makes a great warmer for plates and food. About that time the timer went off for the meat.

 

I had the last minute idea to broil a whole jalapeno pepper for me, like they do with carne asada. I quickly washed and dried it and dunked it briefly in my hot frying oil, flipping to coat all sides. When I took the pan out from the broiler to flip the meat I plunked the pepper down beside it, and put the pan back under the broiler. This worked really well, and in the ten minutes for the flip side of the meat, the pepper blackened and was cooked, but not overcooked. I love grilled or roasted peppers.

 

In went the plantain chunks to the frying oil. By the time the timer went off again, the maduros were done and also added to the plate with the paper towels.

 

Plated and served everything, and it was all delicious, although I still have more work to do to make yucca frita as good as the restaurant's where I was introduced to it. 

 

Okay, here comes the part where the dairy I had included in the salad came in handy. I was enjoying the meal, and sliced off the blossom end of the broiled jalapeno and cut it into small bites. It immediately got my attention because it was MUCH hotter than any grocery store jalapeno I had ever had. No problem, it had a wonderful flavor, and I'll just scrape out the seeds and membranes (which I usually eat). Continued eating, and really started to notice the heat from that pepper! Still tasted delicious, so I kept at it until I got a bite that caused extreme distress. As in sour cream, ain't gettin' it, burning all the way down my esophagus, and run to the pantry for the honey bear jar. Honey is supposed to help with capsaicin overload. I went and got a tissue and dried my watering eyes, blew my nose, and wondered for a few minutes if I was going to be able to continue eating this great meal. I paced around for a few minutes shaking my head, much to the amusement of my husband. Shortly, I was able to take a few bites of salad with sour cream and cheddar, and eventually I was able to finish eating. I was so done with that pepper, though! Wow!  

 

There was just enough leftover for a nice lunch for my husband tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2016 by Thanks for the Crepes (log)

[sartoric]

Gee, I'd struggle with that heat that late at night. 

I'm going to forage me some plantains ! 

[gfweb]

OK. I finally did it. NY Strip sliced, atop soy infused onions (barely visible). Spinach and arugula salad w browned onions, broiled peppers and cucumbers. Sort of what was suggested given the current limitations of my pantry and palate.

[sartoric]

8 minutes ago, gfweb said:

OK. I finally did it. NY Strip sliced, atop soy infused onions (barely visible). Spinach and arugula salad w browned onions, broiled peppers and cucumbers. Sort of what was suggested given the current limitations of my pantry and palate.

 

Looks great @gfweb, was it @blue_dolphin who suggested that ?

 

I don't see why a few challenges can't be running concurrently......

[gfweb]

not sure

 

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, sartoric said:

was it @blue_dolphin who suggested that ?

No, not me.  I suggested roasted brussels sprouts and potatoes.

[sartoric]

5 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

No, not me.  I suggested roasted brussels sprouts and potatoes.

Oops, sorry.

[blue_dolphin]

7 minutes ago, sartoric said:

Oops, sorry.

No worries.  I'd be most delighted to be served one of those lovely plates crafted by @gfweb.  Looks like a delicious summer dinner.

[kayb]

I'm going to pick and choose from among sartoric and Lisa Shock's suggestions, because the sweet potato salad intrigues me and I'd been thinking about poke anyway, but I don't want to thaw out that huge honkin' shoulder roast until I have more people on hand to feed. So it will be a steak on the barbie, accompanied by poke and a slightly altered version of sweet potato salad to take out the things I don't like and add things I do.

 

It's likely to be Monday before I can do this, as I am up to both ears with a grandson today, and tomorrow is son-in-law's birthday dinner and he's requested pork tenderloin.

 

[Lisa Shock]

4 hours ago, kayb said:

I'm going to pick and choose from among sartoric and Lisa Shock's suggestions, because the sweet potato salad intrigues me and I'd been thinking about poke anyway, but I don't want to thaw out that huge honkin' shoulder roast until I have more people on hand to feed. So it will be a steak on the barbie, accompanied by poke and a slightly altered version of sweet potato salad to take out the things I don't like and add things I do.

 

It's likely to be Monday before I can do this, as I am up to both ears with a grandson today, and tomorrow is son-in-law's birthday dinner and he's requested pork tenderloin.

 

 

Might I humbly suggest Hawaiian Steak? It should marinate for a day before grilling. It's apparently popular, however, I don't know if it suits your taste or if ingredients are in your pantry.

 

For the sweet potato salad, the sweet curry powder they refer to is probably S&B brand from Japan. You can get away with using whatever spice mix you like, even make your own, but, this brand guarantees a distinct Japanese type of flavor that is super-popular in Hawaii. (it's not very hot at all)

Edited July 30, 2016 by Lisa Shock
additional info (log)

[kayb]

17 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

 

Might I humbly suggest Hawaiian Steak? It should marinate for a day before grilling. It's apparently popular, however, I don't know if it suits your taste or if ingredients are in your pantry.

 

For the sweet potato salad, the sweet curry powder they refer to is probably S&B brand from Japan. You can get away with using whatever spice mix you like, even make your own, but, this brand guarantees a distinct Japanese type of flavor that is super-popular in Hawaii. (it's not very hot at all)

 

Sold! I love a Hawaiian rib-eye (used to live near a good restaurant that served them). I have everything but pineapple juice, and the grocery is only a few blocks away. About to get the steak out of the freezer right now.