eG Foodblog: rsincere - DIY cooking school/cooking therapy in WI

[RSincere]

I've been simmering this mess for an hour and ten minutes and the parsnips are still hard as a rock.

[RSincere]

To start with, I did all this prep work and put 4 cups of onions into my pan only to realize that the rest of the ingredients were NOT going to fit. I had all the rest of the ingredients in layers in a huge mixing bowl. So, do I mix everything in the bowl all up and divide the contents between two pots? No. I attempt to divide the ingredients up, layer by layer: I dig in the bowl with my hands and attempt to move half the chickpeas to one pot, half in the other. Half of the canned tomatoes in one pot, half in the other. By the time I got to the bottom, I realized I should have just mixed it all up, but it was too late. Here's what I ended up with:

An hour and 50 minutes later:

Even on low, the simmering was more like boiling, so I had to add a little liquid along the way, and I added another 1/2 can of tomatoes per pot. The parsnips are al dente, the rest of the vegetables range from mush to somewhat recognizable to almost al dente.

That little pot in the back? That's the couscous. Which I overcooked. To the point of smoking. I thought I was turning the flame off, but I turned it to high. We will not be eating the couscous.

I realize that you can't polish a turd, but in the spirit of eternal optimism, I garnished with parsley anyway:

The flavor is very good.

I neglected to mention that I am enjoying this with a large glass of diet Coke with ice.

Edited October 13, 2004 by RSincere (log)

[SobaAddict70]

I have a feeling there wasn't enough liquid covering the vegetables...hence the rockhard parsnips.

I hear you about the inadequate pot sizes. I had to go get some from BBB (Bed Bath & Beyond) a few years ago just to make stock.

Soba

[jgarner53]

Don't feel bad. I've had trouble with parsnips taking a year and a day to cook, too. You're very brave to show us the good, bad and ugly, but it all looks wonderful from here.

Any homemade bread is a good thing. Lopsided or not.

[reesek]

yaaay! i had a feeling it was you from the teaser soba put in torakris' blog.

for those new to rachel's posts, check out the egullet pantry challenge thread. you have come a long way, baby. keep it up!

5 cups sounds like a massive amount of broth. different meats have different levels of water in them - it's possible that yours was watery - and her original recipe used less watery meat...i love bloviatrix's idea of using the leftover as chicken sauce. you could brown the chicken, then slow cook it "cacciatore" style in the oven until tender. a lot of the liquid will evaporate in the oven, leaving a thicker sauce. i love Jaffrey's recipes. is there a keema recipe in that book? I used to make her recipe for keema from Introduction to Indian cooking with lamb, but it could be easily made with beef - and it's very simple - maybe daniel might like it?

[RSincere]

I'm so ashamed. Jinmyo, you might want to look away.

I was still bummed about lunch so Daniel and I made a quick trip to pick up a few things after school.

Do you know what I'm making? The diet Coke is there for full disclosure. The rest of the ingredients are for puppy chow!

I melted the bag of chocolate chips plus one cup peanut butter in the microwave, stirred it into the Crispix, and shook it all in a grocery bag with about 3 cups of powdered sugar. Sugary, fatty, crunchy, hydrogenated goodness.

I think this might be a regional thing. Puppy chow is a perfectly acceptable "dish" to take to a Wisconsin potluck. And kids like making it. I just had a big handful of puppy chow and my diet Coke, and I feel better. I'm such a food harlot.

Edited October 13, 2004 by RSincere (log)

[RSincere]

reesek, I do think there is a keema recipe in that cookbook, unless I'm thinking of Monica's book. The word "keema" rings a bell, anyway.

soba addict, I am sure you are right about the water. All those chunked-up vegetables, and the recipe only called for two cups of water, plus the juice from a can of diced tomatoes. The whole time, I wanted to add more water, but I thought that maybe the vegetables were going to let out all this liquid and if I added water, it would be too soupy. I should trust my instincts a little more. These things happen to me a lot!

[RSincere]

A couple more questions...

I can make mango salsa a day ahead, right? Ingredients are cut up mangoes, papaya, orange juice and lime juice.

I would have needed a half of a papaya for the recipe, but when I saw how big papayas were, I said forget it and bought papaya slices in light syrup in a jar. Would rinsing those slices work to get all the sugar off, do you think? If this would be bad in the salsa, I'll leave the papaya out entirely. This is my first homemade salsa and also my first time eating non-tomato salsa. I need to cook ahead because I have to go to my doc in Madison tomorrow morning and won't be back until 11:30 or so.

[LaurieB]

Yes, you can rinse the papaya slices, pat them dry on paper towels and use them.

Also, please know that henceforth the phrase "taste bugs" has replaced "taste buds" in my vocabulary.

Good blog.

Laurie

[bloviatrix]

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I know you're working on your knife skills, but next time try to use a smaller dice for your vegetables. Additionally, you probably want to sweat all the vegetables for a longer time before adding the liquid as that will help soften them.

For the couscous, the best advice I ever got was to boil the water and then add it OFF HEAT to the couscous. Then tightly cover the bowl with saran wrap. Let it sit for a bit so the liquid is absorbed and then fluff with a fork.

Everything looks fabulous. Don't make excuses. The most important thing is that you're trying. :thumb's up:

[tejon]

Were the pans covered while everything simmered? If not, that would probably account for some of the inconsistancy. Also, it could just be that the recipe was off in some way. While I was learning to cook, I assumed that any problem was always on my end (and admittedly, that was certainly true often enough!), but now I've learned not to trust any recipe completely, no matter who it came from.

The tagine looks great - and if it also tasted good, that's all that matters.

[RSincere]

I know you're working on your knife skills, but next time try to use a smaller dice for your vegetables.

That would have helped, I think. What does "chunked" mean, anyway?!

Additionally, you probably want to sweat all the vegetables for a longer time before adding the liquid as that will help soften them.

That probably would have helped. The recipe only has you sweating the onions and garlic; the rest of the vegetables get added all at once with the two cups of water. I think I would have had to have a huge pot to sweat all those vegetables!

Were the pans covered while everything simmered?

Yes. They were only supposed to be partially covered, but I covered them all the way because I didn't want to lose any more moisture. One of the pans doesn't have a lid, and I used an upside-down cookie sheet for a lid, so that might have not been tight enough. Also, I had the flame as low as it would go, but it was bubbling pretty hard for a simmer!

Thanks, Laurie. I will make that salsa tonight. I'm not sure how many papaya slices would equal half a papaya. It's supposed to be two mangoes and 1/2 papaya. I'm guessing that would probably be equal parts, don't you think?

[Cusina]

Yay, another Wisconsinite takes up the blog!

So far, so good. I'm glad to read your posts. Do you ever get to that great farmer's market in Madison?

[LaurieB]

Prolly. Taste the mango and the papaya before you mix it all in. See how sweet both are.

I spent last summer making tons of mango salsa -- mostly for salmon -- it had jalapenos, lime juice, cilantro (sometimes a bit of finely diced red onion).

It took me to late this summer before I could process another mango!

Laurie

[Cusina]

ooo, one more thing, I'd guess if you put a little (maybe 1/2 a teaspoon) grated lime zest (just the green part of the lime) and a pinch of salt in that salsa it would be tasty. Balance some of the sweetness and add some color. If you like margaritas, it would be fun to dash a little tequila in there too. Maybe 1 or 2 tablespoons for a little kick.

[RSincere]

I made the salsa tonight. It's 2 mangoes, about the same amount of papaya, the juice of 1/2 orange, the juice of a lime, and a chipotle in adobo. I tasted it and thought it was interesting, but I was so enamored by the adobo I added an extra spoonful to the salsa. This was my first time using chipotle in adobo. I still feel it's a little sweet--I do think I'll add some salt. To me, adobo is like barbecue sauce, but a little evil.

Taking apart a mango is not as easy as it looks in pictures.

I was going to grate the cheese tonight--then I looked at the cheese I bought. I meant to buy pepperjack, but when I read the label it said "Processed cheese food with jalapeno peppers." I tasted it and it's gross, so I'm going to get some real pepperjack tomorrow. If I slice the gross cheese and put it on Ritz crackers during a Packer game, Jason will eat it.

Cuisina, I have been to the Farmer's Market. I was asked to give a speech on the Capitol steps last summer, and it was during the Farmer's Market. It was so great looking at all the different things--but they are very overpriced.

I forgot to eat supper until just now, so I had a yogurt and some diet Sprite. I'm debating eating a Star Bar too. I shouldn't, because I've had a lot of sugary foods today, but I might anyway.

[Dejah]

That "puppy chow" had me going there for a minute. I couldn't imagine feeding my dog Crispex, peanut butter, sugar. Not that he wouldn't love it...

[RSincere]

That "puppy chow"  had me going there for a minute. I couldn't imagine feeding my dog Crispex, peanut butter, sugar. Not that he wouldn't love it...

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What's even worse is that I forgot to add the whole stick of butter that the recipe calls for.

[Daddy-A]

The flavor is very good.

Isn't that the important thing?

I've been enjoying your foray into the world of cooking having started the journey myself 10 years ago. Keep up the great work!

A.

[lovebenton0]

Malt O Meal is, IMHO, more similar to cream of wheat than to oatmeal.  It may be a midwestern thing?

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I know I'm about a day behind on this but just got to read your blog -- which I'm enjoying immensely. We have Malt O Meal down here in TX. Hot cereal just isn't my favorite, but I made lots of it while my son was growing up, for he and his dad. Now my son lives in Kenosha and makes it for his son.

Great to see someone charging into new culinary territory. Food looks wonderful. And don't ever feel bad about the bread! Picture perfect is nice, yeah, but homemade goes so fast who's going to have time to complain? Or even want to.

Have fun! And thanks for sharing all the meals with us foodies.

[RSincere]

Today's breakfast looks the same as yesterday's. I have to go to Madison this morning and won't get back until close to lunchtime. Usually, when I have to drive to Madison, I grab a junior bacon cheeseburger at Wendy's, but today I'm making chicken enchiladas with pepperjack cheese and mango papaya salsa. (SusaninFL, it's from the CIA cookbook again, but I'm cutting the recipe in half.)

[Laksa]

I'm not sure how many papaya slices would equal half a papaya.  It's supposed to be two mangoes and 1/2 papaya.  I'm guessing that would probably be equal parts, don't you think?

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Kudos to you for having the guts to try so many new recipes. It's not something I have the courage to do. Especially if it's a dish I've never tasted before. I would be at a complete loss as to what to aim for.

Papayas come in all sizes, from about the size of a large mango to as big as a small watermelon. Is that an American recipe? Papayas I've seen here are usually about the size of a cantaloupe or slightly smaller.

[chile_peppa]

Taking apart a mango is not as easy as it looks in pictures.

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I've been enjoying your posts! Your spirit and enthusiasm are inspiring!

I learned the same thing about mangoes. A friend for some reason had too many and gave me some this summer. I tried to dice them nicely, following the diagram in some book or another, but they all turned into a big mush. So instead of the mango cobbler I was going to attempt, I made sorbet!

Keep up the good work!

[little ms foodie]

More great posts Rachel! Great work!

Mango's were my enemy for many years until this summer I saw some chefs on Today Show showing how to cut them. Now it is easy, but you have to be ok with how much it looks like you are wasting.

They pointed out that if you put a mango on it end it will resemble an egg shape (pointing up and down). the entire center is that tough pithy part. Peel the mango with a veggie peeler, stand it on it's end like an egg, and cut off the flesh in large arc's or c shapes staying away from the core. You will get 2 thick sides and 2 thinner. Then dice. Does that make sense to anyone?? I'm not very good at writing things out but it works like magic. And I think I normally get about 3/4 c. with 1 mango.

I love mango salsa! I add drained and rinsed black beans, queso fresco or blanco and the diced up orange pieces and serve with tortilla chips. It's a party staple at our house!!

[Carrot Top]

You know...I love mangoes but they never fail to make me cranky. What is it with them? They sit there and look so enticing, promising fruit, sweet delicious fruit. A fruit that has the flavor of no other.

And you want it.

And then when you go to take them up on their sneaky little promise....what do they do?

They hang onto that tough rubbery skin like a virgin to her blouse in a 1950's black and white movie. They mush up and sqoosh about, becoming nothing so much as an instant countertop mess-maker. You continue with all the best equipment you can muster....hundreds of dollars worth of knives and cutting boards and peelers and this and that just sitting there expectantly to help...but to what result?

Half a cup of slimed-up orange gook.

Pah.

(Mostly though, I think the cause is the quality of the mangoes we get here in the usual grocery store. Not ripe, yes bred for travel, and somehow will never be quite right. Sigh.)