Midnight Snacks

[Shalmanese]

argh, Argh, ARGH!!! It's freaking 4am, I have a freaking plane I need to be on tomorrow, there are people coming over while I'm gone so the place needs to look at least presentable... so what demon of a craving decides to hit me at this particular juncture in time? Freaking RISOTTO of all things.

Sure, risotto, 30, 40 minutes cooking max, no hard steps, eat, sleep, doable you say, a veritable novice at this whole torture-yourself-with-food-thing! Well, that would be fine if it were so. Sure, I have chicken and beef stock in my fridge, and it's GOOD stock too, home made, slowly simmered, lovingly reduced to almost a demi-glace and intensely flavoured. But, no, I don't feel like the standard beef or chicken stock based risotto.

No, what I really want is a rich, hearty pork stock based risotto with the meltingly tender meat gently shredded and folded in at the last moment. And by god, when I wan't something this bad, I HAVE to have it otherwise it's insomnia for the next 3 hours.

So, as I'm speaking, pork spare ribs are roasting away in my oven, until they are all brown and golden. Then, into the pressure cooker for 20 minutes to get all that ambrosial goodness into the stock and another 40 minutes of gentle stirring and other activities that should be reserved for people in a more cognizant state of mind.

I can't beleive this freaking brain of mine could hate me so much.

[Shalmanese]

Okay... I admit that maybe someone up there DOES like me. The creaminess of the rice, the rich silkyness of the pork, the sheer decadence of butter and parmesan... its something I sorely needed. Who cares that I only get 4 hours sleep tonight, it was SO worth it.

[rajsuman]

I had my first encounter with prawn dim sum last week. They were so delicious. Since then, I have been craving them at night and in the mornings. Can't wait to go back to the restaurant and stuff myself.

[snowangel]

I had my first encounter with prawn dim sum last week. They were so delicious. Since then, I have been craving them at night and in the mornings. Can't wait to go back to the restaurant and stuff myself.

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If you are talking about a dumpling type, make them yourself and freeze them uncooked (on a cookie sheet, then put in a ziplock). That way, when the craving hits you at midnight, you can pull a few out and steam or pot-stick them. I've found when I freeze them, it is best not to defrost them before cooking.

My craving last night at about 12:30 am was typical for me. Bacon ("imported" from Lenny's meat market in New Ulm, MN).

[rajsuman]

If you are talking about a dumpling type, make them yourself and freeze them uncooked (on a cookie sheet, then put in a ziplock).  That way, when the craving hits you at midnight, you can pull a few out and steam or pot-stick them.  I've found when I freeze them, it is best not to defrost them before cooking.

My craving last night at about 12:30 am was typical for me.  Bacon ("imported" from Lenny's meat market in New Ulm, MN).

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Yes I'd love to make them myself! Freezing things is my solution to beat the cravings. There's long discussion over on the Chinese forum on dumplings, so I have plenty of virtual guidance. However, the obstacles in my path are:

1) Lack of a recipe which will produce exactly the same result. Every recipe Google shows is very different to what I ate. Of course I could describe it over on the Chinese forum and perhaps they can help me out.But....

2) The Chinese shops are all based in the heart of the city as far as I know, and I really don't want to go into the city during the pre-christmas shopping rush. So I have no access to the wrappers. Ditto with the restaurant - it's quite far away and I'm not brave enough to face hours of standstill traffic to eat a few dimsums. I'm hoping to get there ASAP, though.

Just hoping this damn craving would go away, since there is nothing I can do about it just yet.

[Vancouver Lee]

My latest late night craving was for a grilled cheese sandwich with ham and mustard. Not just any cheese, either, it has to be plastic, processed cheese. Oh, and French's mustard. A classic white trash sandwich.

I blame my parents.

[mighty quinn]

i work "the night shift" and my stomach has absolutely no sense of time. probably my worst nocturnal gastronomic offense is raw bacon. ok, i know that's gross. peanut butter by the spoonful follows a close second. i do love a grilled cheese, but if i have to be up before 1100 and it's after 0300, i generally won't cook. but sometimes i do make an exception and that's for oatmeal with a ton of butter and brown sugar. i also drink beer at 8am after work, but not so much anymore that Tune Inn (of D.C. fame) is a 90 minute drive.

[lovebenton0]

Tonight I sat right here in the chair reading eG and eating gumbo at 2:00AM. I was lucky, made it yesterday, but did need to make the rice.

Then I saw this thread . . .

Now I want some good rice pudding.

[Mabelline]

I just got through making a fish taco with leftover fish from fish and chips I made yesterday. For some reason, I've been wanting seafood in a craving strength the last week, which would explain my fridge being inhabited now by clams, shrimp, oysters, monkfish, and the leftover fried fish. The reason I KNOW this is a bonifide is the carnitas I made yesterday are totally ignored so far, except by DH.

Oh.Yeah. Forgot about the lump crabmeat.

[petite tête de chou]

Cold rare beef of any kind. With salt.

Dill pickles with mustard and cheese.

Canned tuna or sardines with curry, onions and mustard (love my mustards).

Saltines dipped in bbq sauce.

Sliced pears with hot tea.

Cold rice and tofu with sriracha, lime and soy sauce.

Maybe a chunk of bittersweet chocolate and a cup of black coffee while watching a Twin Peaks marathon.

[Luckylies]

"my craving for fettucini alfredo... "

oh god, this craving is the worst cause it has to be perfect* also carbonara. spinich ravioli in pink sauce w/ pancetta. baked ziti. ribs from any animal. mac and cheese. carpaccio.anything cooked in duck fat. grilled cheese with avocado tomato and pesto. quiche lorainne. rare burger. smoked salmon, anything that will make me really smelly in bed.

Goodness, are you on Ambien?

I'm not knocking it; I think cravings are a good thing and satisfying them is even better... but it does sound like some of the Ambien stories I've heard about. 

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you guys have me on the floor. one night i came home to find my dad wearing gym shorts in the kitchen eating waffles covered (COVERED) in butter and maple syrup and muttering unintelligibly to himself. i thought "great dad has finally snapped" turns out it was an ambien thing. had us all really puzzled for a few days, as he didn't remember a thing.

[bentherebfor]

Lately, I've had these strange midnight cravings for Coconut cake. The other night, knowing that the cravings might come as I went to sleep, I whipped up some coconut cookies, hoping they would do the job. They didn't........

[jamiemaw]

Mum kept us to a strict regimine of a scant four meals a day. We cheated frequently and when caught I would simply reclassify the nocturnal fridge-emptying as an 'early breakfast'. And although I moved away from Mum's dawn interrogations some 30 years ago, to this day I remain addicted to the thrill of the midnight hunt.

Do you preplan your raids or are they a capella? Sandwich or a simple dive into the casserole? Reheat or ice cold? Spousal punishment or actual alliance?

Please share your Nocturnal Admissions.

Edited October 22, 2005 by jamiemaw (log)

[culinary bear]

Mine tend to be a capella, as I find backing music would wake everyone else up.

I tend to go for salty things. A solitary pickled onion, or a smear of gentleman's relish on a piece of buttered toast.

[JEL]

peanut butter on saltine crackers.....

eat from the jar with a spoon, pop whole crackers in mouth as needed..........milk chaser.......

cold pizza. and the last beer from previous night's revelry...........had to get up to pee anyway.............

any sort of ice cream sundae........homememade cookies, pie or cake.....

i'm a shadow of my former self though.......thinking about the stuff i used to eat after a night of bar hopping.............

[srhcb]

Saltines w/Velveeta

SB

[Jake]

Depends what's in the fridge, but usually something salty. Last night, left over 40 day aged steak with fleur de sel and a wedge of peccorino with truffles.

[ruthcooks]

I take my pills with food at bedtime and have become such a night person I'm always eating at midnight or later, whether I feel like it or not. Last night, some melted Brie on Kavli crispbread. Some usual snacks are half sandwiches of meat, cheese or tomato, flavored yogurt, cheese & fruit, toast. Nothing that needs any more cooking than a pass through the toaster oven or microwave.

When I was a tiny tot, I remember my Dad waking me up to share pickled pig's feet with him. That started it all.

[Chris Amirault]

Just merged this new thread with two older ones that had been in Cooking (thanks, snowangel!). Unfortunately, I've no midnight snacks of my own to report -- though the seven-month-old kid in the house definitely prefers fresh breast milk in the wee hours.

[M.X.Hassett]

FAT and PROTEIN anything from as simple as salami and its ilk, to as elaborate as dry-aged ribeye with marrow and seared foie eaten at 2am a few days ago.

[snowangel]

My favorite midnight munchie is bacon (which makes the house smell really good when one arises in the morning). Late at night a year or so ago, I discovered the BLH on pita. Bacon, lettuce and hummus on pita. Way great.

[acautrell]

Cereal, with lots of milk and sugar....so you can drink the sugary milk out of the bowl after you wolf down the cereal while it's still crispy.

Floppy bacon.

I worked midnights for quite a long time, so I used to wake up my roommates by cooking "lunch" at 4 or 5am. It's still normal for me to be eating an actual meal in the middle of the night.

There's a local restaurant called the Log Cabin that is best eaten after dark or when intoxicated--I've been known to dash out for a to-go box of Biscuits and Gravy.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

ramen of the instant variety, leftover rice with umeboshi, or ice cream