The hardest working meals?

[GordonCooks]

Personally, I've never been a huge fan of crab legs.

I can't tell you how many times I've waded through leg after leg, crunching, snapping, bending, and slurping, only to finish hungrier than when I began. Let's not even metion Peel & Eat shrimp or Artichokes.

I'm curious as what everyone considers an effort or effortless?

[NulloModo]

I think crabs definately depend on the type of crab. Huge snow-crab or king-crab legs that you get a decent amount of meat per section in, sure those are worth it to me.

Maryland Blue crabs however, love 'em softshell, don't bother with 'em hardshell.

[lala]

I will HAPPILY spend the time it takes to demolish and devour a freshly cooked Dungeness crab. I consider it time very well spent!

In terms of cooking, I consider Cassoulet worth taking the days it needs to make. My friends are aghast at the time it takes to make 'Pork and beans', but I can tell the difference.

And I adore spending time to properly temper chocolate, and hold it just right for dipping and decorating. Fiddly, temperamental, but fun.

[Anna N]

Hmmmmmm... an interesting perspective. I LOVE food that requires some effort on my part and takes forever to eat - shrimp in the shell, steamed lobster - I will work and work for that last tiny bite from the teeniest leg - pork chops with bones that need much gnawing, pistachios in the shell, food cooked at the table by the diners such as fondues (but not the cheese ones - they are just dippers!). Am now dreadfully allergic to crab but used to love the work involved in eating hard-shell crabs.

[Ovenfrenzy]

Grapefruit is a pain. All that carefull cutting and seed picking, only to be rewarded by a couple of mouthfuls of fruit...just gimme a glass of juice.

[Andrew Fenton]

I don't do pomegranate: too much work and too much mess, for too little reward. Other food (especially meaty food) that requires lots of effort-- shrimp, crab, Chinese duck soup with bones and chunks of fat-- are fine, however.

[Behemoth]

Ha. I don't mind things that take time to eat (more time in between for drinking!) but I am really impatient about stuff that takes a long time to cook. Bolognese lasagne for instance. love it, but I end up eating the sauce before I ever get around to making the noodles. I am an instant gratification typa gal.

[howard88]

I just don't get the payoff vs the work for those seasoned blue crabs.

I am sitting in front of a dozen crabs, on newspaper armed with a mallot and a dentists pik. You pound, you tear, you pik to get a thimble full of crab meat while your clothing is wearing a lot more crab and shells than is going in your mouth.

The upside is you get a good enough workout to bail out and find a restaurant where you can actually eat more food than you are wearing.

[GordonCooks]

Crawdads? I've never eaten the traditional way. I'm not a suck out the tomalley type on the lobster type guy so I think I'd pass. My inquiring mind would like opinions though

[Pan]

Malaysian Udang Galah (like giant prawns).

I can enjoy eating pomegranate every so often when I really have lots of time and feel like doing that. That juice is a problem if it gets on anything, however.

[Mayhaw Man]

Crawdads? I've never eaten the traditional way. I'm not a suck out the tomalley type on the lobster type guy so I think I'd pass. My inquiring mind would like opinions though

Once you learn how to handle the little devils, crawfish are really easy to eat.

Crabs, on the other hand, are a pain in the ass. I used to buy crabmeat (lump, claw, backfin) by the ton (literally) and had occasion to visit picking houses. Row upon row of ladies in hairnets listening to the radio or a reader (in Vietnamese in the case of the readers) and using very sharp, very short paring knives to extract the beautiful and tasty meat. Watching the experts made me realize that if it was that slow for them, I would never get it. I eat them all the time-but never enjoy them the way that I enjoy eating picked meat. Too much work.

[Mottmott]

Part of the pleasure of blue crabs, pomegranates, grapefruit, etc. is the process itself that requires a slow, sensual savoring of the food, fingering it and taking it bit by bit to the mouth with great anticipation of the tiny nugget of flavor. You all are missing out.

edited to add: artichokes, the little legs on lobsters, pistachios in shells

Edited June 9, 2004 by Mottmott (log)

[fifi]

Most of you know, I like a project. So some of my favorite things require some work.

Gumbo can be a project, if you are going for that really dark stuff.

Mayhaw Man's family version of Chicken Pie is one I tried recently and had a blast doing.

I am really going to do a cassoulet this coming winter. I will make my own duck confit. I will probably pass on making my own sausage. But the research to find just the right sausage may take a while.

Some things aren't really complicated but the length of time and attention to detail required to make them really sing make them a bit of trouble:

Perfectly smoked pork butt or brisket.

Or how about a whole pig.

Onion Confit may seem simple, but we devoted 10 pages of discussion to it.

I once did a really complicated classical beef burgundy recipe (I think it came from Cook's Illustrated). Took me all day and dirtied just about everything in the kitchen. The final result as judged by my beef burgundy eaters was... don't bother. We like your quicky version better. Can't win 'em all.

[Dana]

I agree with Mottmott with regard to the 'process' eating crawfish. It's not just the edible portion of the tail - it's the company, atmosphere, sitting outside in the sunshine, getting messy, and all the other fun stuff that goes along with eating crawfish.

[Carlovski]

You can take the shortcut method with pomegranates, turn them upside down and whack them with a wooden spoon. In the words of Prince, 'Purple Rain'.

I do find a lot of 'old school' french braised dishes are not much diminished by si plifying. Indeed I hate recipes where you remove the meat/chicken and then reduce the cooking liquid. I think it then becomes meat and sauce, rather than an integrated whole.

Things which seem to take a long time, and almost as long to wash up afterwards can be worthwhile though. I find it quite therapeutic (Although my housemates think I am mad - taking three hours to make something you eat in twenty minutes)

Some examples

• Fish Pie - Cook the fish, reduce the liqour, make the mash, occasionaly fry off some mushrooms etc - pretty much every ring + the oven.
  
• Indian meal - If I am in the mood and make a main dish, couple of side dishes, rice pilaf etc. Lots of grinding, chopping, frying
  
• Fajitas. Doesn't sound like it should does it? But if you make your own Salsa (I I normally do two), Guacamole and prepare all the other bits and bobs (I draw the line at making my own tortillas though), then I only ever cook one or two portions worth at a time so it is properly balckened and sizzling.
  

[binkyboots]

quiche lorraine, ok, it takes three hours to make as apposed to three minutes to buy, but it's just so good!

cassoulet ~ fancy trying to make this, but everytime I read through a recipe I get scared of the seemingly neverending list of steps and decide to leave it for another day.

[bleudauvergne]

I'm curious as what everyone considers an effort or effortless?

The work involved in putting away a real bouillabaisse is worth all the effort because the sum-of-its-parts payoff is so incredible. But this must be enjoyed with friends and lots of wine.

[GordonCooks]

I'm curious as what everyone considers an effort or effortless?

The work involved in putting away a real bouillabaisse is worth all the effort because the sum-of-its-parts payoff is so incredible. But this must be enjoyed with friends and lots of wine.

I agree wholeheartedly, I enjoy the long cooking process of making a stock, cassoulet, paella, etc (It's how I relax) These dishes are pretty much ready to go when served.

I guess it's when I'm faced with hunger pangs and am unable to gorge myself at a reasonable rate

[HKDave]

...I enjoy the long cooking process of making a stock, cassoulet, paella, etc (It's how I relax)

Word. If I'm grumpy, the delectable Ms. A will brightly ask "How about making cassoulet?" (or jambalaya, or roasted garlic soup made from fresh stock with goat cheese croutons, or...) knowing that a nice complicated dish will keep me busy humming a happy tune in the kitchen and safely out of trouble.

[fimbul]

I'm curious as what everyone considers an effort or effortless?

The work involved in putting away a real bouillabaisse is worth all the effort because the sum-of-its-parts payoff is so incredible. But this must be enjoyed with friends and lots of wine.

I agree wholeheartedly, I enjoy the long cooking process of making a stock, cassoulet, paella, etc (It's how I relax) These dishes are pretty much ready to go when served.

I guess it's when I'm faced with hunger pangs and am unable to gorge myself at a reasonable rate

Indeed, I think it depends on one's mindset. Somedays, I love the work and mess involved in eating smaller, fiddly foods. Then, other days, I find myself sitting in front of a quail roasted whole and I think, "O, come ON! I don't wanna mess with this!"

Edited June 10, 2004 by fimbul (log)

[bleudauvergne]

I'm curious as what everyone considers an effort or effortless?

The work involved in putting away a real bouillabaisse is worth all the effort because the sum-of-its-parts payoff is so incredible. But this must be enjoyed with friends and lots of wine.

I agree wholeheartedly, I enjoy the long cooking process of making a stock, cassoulet, paella, etc (It's how I relax) These dishes are pretty much ready to go when served.

I guess it's when I'm faced with hunger pangs and am unable to gorge myself at a reasonable rate

Indeed, I think it depends on one's mindset. Somedays, I love the work and mess involved in eating smaller, fiddly foods. Then, other days, I find myself sitting in front of a quail roasted whole and I think, "O, come ON! I don't wanna mess with this!"

Quail is not fiddly if you eat it with your fingers...

[Big Bunny]

Grapefruit is a pain. All that carefull cutting and seed picking, only to be rewarded by a couple of mouthfuls of fruit...just gimme a glass of juice.

Long ago I stopped the grapefruit ritual. I like the fruit as it is, without sugar or anything, so I peel it like an orange and section it. It is not as neat as a tangerine, but it is so much easier than cutting and sectioning. Also, unused sections will keep for a few days in the fridge.

I once spent the six hours to do Diana Kennedy's recipe for "Mole Poblano." I was very happy with the result - glad to have the well-written recipe - and a bit pleased with myself. I would gladly do it again for the "right" dinner guests.

BB

[browniebaker]

Grapefruit is a pain. All that carefull cutting and seed picking, only to be rewarded by a couple of mouthfuls of fruit...just gimme a glass of juice.

You need a designated garpefruit-peeler in your household. Everyone in my house claims they love grapefruit, but none of it gets eaten unless I peel the grapefruit. I peel them like oranges, but I also remove all membranes so that it's just pure grapefruit sections. I peel about ten grapfruit at a time and keep them in a bowl in the fridge. That's when the grapefruit-lovers come out and the grapefruit sections are gone in no time.

[Wayne]

I agree with previous posts concerning blue crabs. The fun is having a large pot

of crabs, a table of good friends and beverage of choice.

A friend, born in northern China, introduced us to eating the crab with dark

vinegar and grated ginger. A nice combination.

[sparrowgrass]

Take your pomegranate apart under water--fill a bowl, get your knife, slice just thru the peel as if you were going to quarter the thing, put it under water, peel, and rub the seeds off the membrane.

The membrane bits will float, and can be skimmed off. The seeds sink. No juice stains on your clothes or fingers, and it is quick as a wink.