Unexpected Food Gifts

[KennethT]

59 minutes ago, BonVivant said:

 

But what are you making with the paprika? "édes" means sweet paprika. Only add, generous amounts, paprika to hot fat and briefly to prevent bitterness and turning brown.

 

I spent the last 2 weeks of December 2016 in Hungary. The final days of the year were in Tokay ("Toe-Koi", like French "moi". At least it sounded like that when I ask Hungarians to pronounce the word so I could hear it).

 

Train station

 

Road block, Tokaj style.

 

It was so cold in Hungary that winter. -7C to -10C every day. We ate warming gouyash a few times, both beef and fish versions. The following photos of gouyash were taken in Tokaj.

 

 

 

The fish gouyash were for the partner. I only had a tity taste each time (most freshwater fish taste swampy to me 🤢).

 

Tokaj is a small wine producing town. We were probably the only 2 (non Hungarian/Eastern) tourists round that time of year. It's so dead in the winter.

 

Only a handful of wine tasting places were open and we made the most of it. Excellent Furmint and other Hungarian native grape varietals you almost never see outside Hungary.

 

Would love to return to Hungary. Good wines and hearty food.

 

 

Tokaj is known for its sweet wines.  My wife was brought there to visit Oremus which is a sweet wine made by the same company that owns Vega Sicilia in Spain.  https://www.temposvegasicilia.com/en/presentation/wineries/5/tokaj-oremus

 

I have no idea what I'm going to do with either the sweet paprika or the chilli paste - I have literally zero experience with Hungarian food - eating or making.  I'm open to any and all ideas!

[Anna N]

 

The "eye" of a AAA rib eye. 
 

 

 

Enjoyed as breakfast. In a perfect world I would have put more colour on it but I'm always cognizant of the proximity of that damn smoke alarm. 

[Kim Shook]

My BIL sent us this box of lemons from his tree in AZ:

There are 20 of them and they are huge.  They are beautiful and I really do appreciate them, but I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with all of them.  He asked how many I wanted and I said 10.  He sent a similar amount to us back in 2021.  I made Katie Loeb's delicious limoncello with 12 of them and froze the rest.  The frozen ones are still in the freezer and there is still a couple of cups of the limoncello in the fridge (we're not big drinkers).  I'm sure that I'll be making some of @Tropicalsenior's microwave lemon curd and freezing it.  And maybe a half batch of Katie's limoncello.  

[Anna N]

5 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

My BIL sent us this box of lemons from his tree in AZ:

You might also consider a jar of preserved lemons.

Here's Paula Wolfert's method. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Paula has published several methods.   I use a simpler one in which she advises cutting lemons into quarters, moosh with salt, pack in jars, fill with lemon juice and additional salt.    Let molder for a week before using.   

I like the fact that I can extract a single piece of lemon when wanted, as opposed to having to deal with a whole lemon.  

Will look up the precise recipe if anyone interested.  

 

 

Host's note: for the rest of this discussion, please go here: Preserved Lemons

Edited April 9, 2023 by Smithy
Added host's note (log)

[Shelby]

Worse comes to worse and you're out of ideas, I squeeze them, put the juice in those rubber ice cube trays, freeze and then ziplock.  Take a cube out or so and it's perfect juice.

 

OR my fave is Lemon Posset.  Easy and SO good with all kinds of berries.

[Smithy]

@Kim Shook: Lemon Meringue Pie. Lemon Curd. Lemon Curd pie. (Dorie Greenspan has a fabulous recipe, for example.) I'll keep thinking...but don't you love tarts and cakes? And lemon cookies. 

 

Edited to add, since nobody has responded to this yet: Here's a link to Dorie's Lemon-Lemon Lemon Cream Recipe.

Edited March 25, 2023 by Smithy
Added last sentence, and link (log)

[Smithy]

@Kim Shook, I've also made this Taste of Home recipe for Lemon Curd Chiffon Pie and been delighted with it. 

 

Lemon curd keeps very well, and is wonderful stuff to spread on toast or crackers, or dollop atop another dessert. @JAZ's recipe in one of her Instant Pot Cookbooks is the best and simplest I've ever had.

 

And in the savory direction: don't forget about the Greek soup, avgolemno! Delicious!

[Margaret Pilgrim]

41 minutes ago, Smithy said:

@Kim ShookEdited to add, since nobody has responded to this yet: Here's a link to Dorie's Lemon-Lemon Lemon Cream Recipe.

This, Dorie's rendition of herme's lemon creme, is my go to.    Absolutely, without doubt, the best lemon curd/creme/filling I've encountered.   It freezes beautifully if there is any not scarfed up as soon as it cools.   

[Smithy]

One final thing, for now: yes, you can freeze the juice. I generally freeze it in largish containers (1 cup, 1 pint) but that can be a mistake unless your labeling is very good. I once mistook a pint of juice for a pint of chicken broth because the label had fallen off.

 

That was a VERY tart pilaf!

[heidih]

Also think of lemons as the acid in your food. Places where vinegar might go. Salad dressings, quick pickles, the finoish on a dish that neeeds a perking up.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

My BIL sent us this box of lemons from his tree in AZ:

There are 20 of them and they are huge.  They are beautiful and I really do appreciate them, but I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with all of them.  He asked how many I wanted and I said 10.  He sent a similar amount to us back in 2021.  I made Katie Loeb's delicious limoncello with 12 of them and froze the rest.  The frozen ones are still in the freezer and there is still a couple of cups of the limoncello in the fridge (we're not big drinkers).  I'm sure that I'll be making some of @Tropicalsenior's microwave lemon curd and freezing it.  And maybe a half batch of Katie's limoncello.  

 

Ignoring for the moment your excuse "we're not big drinkers"* I'd vote for Fish House Punch, originated in the State in Schuylkill, formerly Colony in Schuylkill -- that is, before George III and all that unpleasantness.  Fish House Punch, a favored tipple of George Washington,  Marquis de Lafayette, and Suzanne, my dear former boss.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_house_punch

https://www.mountvernon.org/inn/recipes/mixology/fish-house-punch/

 

 

In an era of servants and slavery, the Fish House cooking, food preparation, and all the most menial of chores were performed by Schuylkill Fishing Company members and their guests:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuylkill_Fishing_Company

 

And as I have, if you've ever been floating down the Schuylkill wondering if you might drown, this post might possibly make more sense.

 

 

*It's never too late to start.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kim Shook]

Thank you all so much for your ideas and help.  For one reason and another I am feeling terribly overwhelmed and a bit paralyzed right now.  I am just feeling inadequate to the tasks that I have coming at me in the next month.  So, I think that the very best I'm going to be able to manage right now is washing, zesting, and juicing all of the lemons and putting the zest and juice in the freezer for future use.  I'm hoping this feeling doesn't last too much longer and then I'll be looking at all of those delightful sounding ideas!  Please know how much I appreciate your help!  

[Shelby]

27 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Thank you all so much for your ideas and help.  For one reason and another I am feeling terribly overwhelmed and a bit paralyzed right now.  I am just feeling inadequate to the tasks that I have coming at me in the next month.  So, I think that the very best I'm going to be able to manage right now is washing, zesting, and juicing all of the lemons and putting the zest and juice in the freezer for future use.  I'm hoping this feeling doesn't last too much longer and then I'll be looking at all of those delightful sounding ideas!  Please know how much I appreciate your help!  

I very much know how you are feeling.  Absolutely nothing at all wrong with juicing and freezing!  No waste and all that good stuff to look forward to in the future.  Take care of yourself--no beating yourself up young lady.

[Anna N]

48 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Thank you all so much for your ideas and help.  For one reason and another I am feeling terribly overwhelmed and a bit paralyzed right now.  I am just feeling inadequate to the tasks that I have coming at me in the next month.  So, I think that the very best I'm going to be able to manage right now is washing, zesting, and juicing all of the lemons and putting the zest and juice in the freezer for future use.  I'm hoping this feeling doesn't last too much longer and then I'll be looking at all of those delightful sounding ideas!  Please know how much I appreciate your help!  

Please don't feel bad, Kim. Sometimes even the most wonderful food gift comes at a time when we are not prepared to deal with it. Do what you can to preserve as much possible and don't feel guilty that you could not do more. It happens to many of us. 

Edited March 25, 2023 by Anna N
Typo (log)

[heidih]

A friend showed up with a gift basket for me from a woman I don;t know well. All things I will enjoy. Sunshine on a  rainy day.

[Darienne]

On 11/22/2022 at 3:15 PM, Darienne said:

Warning:  long story:  We now have a cleaning lady who comes every two weeks.  She's has become a young friend which is lovely.  She's the age of our youngest.  She and her husband are financially worth ten of us.   I note that only because most cleaning ladies are not financially well off.  She owns the cleaning company but loves to clean and picks her clients according to some set of criteria...mostly old and to quote her own words concerning me... 'you really are a dear old lady'.  

 

Background now set.  Her husband has some kind of incredible job where he travels a lot and last month he and the other executives went on a fishing trip where he caught many salmon.  Neither my friend nor her husband like salmon at all.   Today, cleaning day, every second Tuesday, she brought me I'd say roughly $75.00 worth of freshly caught salmon frozen professionally in water.  I was stunned to put it mildly.  Talk about an unexpected food gift. 

 

I am now going to make her a raspberry pie ice cream.  Like my apple pie ice cream, but with raspberries. 

 

Said "cleaning lady" is currently lounging in Cancun while we, back home in East Central Ontario, are still mired in snow.

 

So keeping in mind that neither she nor her husband like salmon...he's gone salmon fishing again and once again she has gifted us with 4 huge ice-bound chunks of salmon.   It was once again completely unexpected.  I guess I'll make her some raspberry pie ice cream when they return from their vacation.  

[Smithy]

I received two schnitzels, ready to cook (one pork, one chicken) and some Slovakian-style potato salad today. I'll post more about it later, but right now have to cook it!

[lemniscate]

On 3/24/2023 at 5:26 PM, Kim Shook said:

My BIL sent us this box of lemons from his tree in AZ:

There are 20 of them and they are huge.  They are beautiful and I really do appreciate them, but I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with all of them.  He asked how many I wanted and I said 10.  He sent a similar amount to us back in 2021.  I made Katie Loeb's delicious limoncello with 12 of them and froze the rest.  The frozen ones are still in the freezer and there is still a couple of cups of the limoncello in the fridge (we're not big drinkers).  I'm sure that I'll be making some of @Tropicalsenior's microwave lemon curd and freezing it.  And maybe a half batch of Katie's limoncello.  

If you are still looking for ideas (I don't know where you are in the process), you can slice them thinnish and dehydrate.  If you have a dehydrator, 140F for about 18 hours gets them dry.   Or a super low temp oven if possible.  You can sprinkle some sugar or stevia on them and dehydrate and have sweetened slices for tea/lemonade.

 

I've used the dry slices in cooking just like I would fresh with great results.   You can powder them up in a blender/food processor and add black pepper for diy lemon pepper.

 

 

[liuzhou]

I had a good day today. I have been dealing with some administrative nonsense regarding my residence status in China and spent the morning in the Immigration Police Office. After examining the numerous silly documents they wanted me to submit, they accepted my renewal application - which means I won!

To celebrate I ordered a few beers to be delivered to my home. They just arrived with a surprise 'gift' of some diced watermelon and a tiny plastic fork to transport it to my gob!

I've ben buying stuff from this supplier for a couple of years, but this is the first time they have awarded my anything I didn't ask for.

 

Edited April 10, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[Anna N]

3 hours ago, liuzhou said:

To celebrate I ordered a few beers to be delivered to my home. They just arrived with a surprise 'gift' of some diced watermelon and a tiny plastic fork to transport it to my gob!

Seems like such an incongruous pairing.  

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Seems like such an incongruous pairing.  

 

These 'gifts' often are. They just send whatever they haven't otherwise managed to sell. It comes from a large, very general store which sells everything from beer to fresh fruit and back again.

[SusieQ]

15 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I had a good day today. I have been dealing with some administrative nonsense regarding my residence status in China and spent the morning in the Immigration Police Office. After examining the numerous silly documents they wanted me to submit, they accepted my renewal application - which means I won!

To celebrate I ordered a few beers to be delivered to my home. They just arrived with a surprise 'gift' of some diced watermelon and a tiny plastic fork to transport it to my gob!

I've ben buying stuff from this supplier for a couple of years, but this is the first time they have awarded my anything I didn't ask for.

 

 

I'm glad you won.  : )

[Anna N]

 

There were two packages of the Garibaldi biscuits. 😊

[MaryIsobel]

20 hours ago, Anna N said:

 

There were two packages of the Garibaldi biscuits. 😊

I haven't thought of Garibaldi biscuits for years. My great aunts always had them on hand for out after church visits for tea. They called them currant biscuits. Were these purchased in Canada?