The Food Thread

[belfpala]

Thank you. I will try this on Friday when this next one ripens a bit (:
But I never chilled it in the refrigerator afterwards. I simply scooped up the "noodles" with a fork and ate them after it was done cooking. What's the purpose of chilling?

I don't know about the chilling, that's just how I learned to do it. It might be one of those unnecessary things that gets passed down. If it works the way you do it, keep doing it that way. In fact, I'll probably try it your way next time (I can see them being quite hot if you try make the "noodles" right away though... use a towel to hold them?)

[belfpala]

Urhrhghhhh.

Ok, let's not make this thread die.

[ashley2ashes]

i am pretty terrible at cooking pretty much anything. at the moment i am trying to figure out how to cook noodles right. ive managed to concoct a really good tasting rose sauce but oh god the linguini noodles... they always turn out either overcooked or hard, and whenever i put sauce on them its like the noodle taste overpowers the sauce and the sauce is barely tasteable. its like eating plain noodles.

:\

[belfpala]

i am pretty terrible at cooking pretty much anything. at the moment i am trying to figure out how to cook noodles right. ive managed to concoct a really good tasting rose sauce but oh god the linguini noodles... they always turn out either overcooked or hard, and whenever i put sauce on them its like the noodle taste overpowers the sauce and the sauce is barely tasteable. its like eating plain noodles.

:\

Dry noodles, I assume? It's a good sign you know that they're overcooked or undercooked (hard). Most Americans don't know the difference (I'm not saying you're American, just saying you have good taste).

If you're starting with dry noodles, bring about 4 quarts (4 liters) of salted water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Salt just enough so it tastes like seawater. Once you have a boil, put in the noodles. Do not reduce heat; add more salt or skim off foam if necessary to stop a boil over. Should not be necessary if the pot is large enough. Other than that, start tasting the noodles about 3 minutes before the package says they should be done. Once they're too your liking, reserve some of the pasta water in a cup, strain the rest, and immediately toss with whatever sauce you're using. Use the reserved water to thin the sauce if necessary.

That's about it.

If you're using fresh pasta, bring salted water to a boil, add pasta, and go about 90 seconds after it returns to a boil (or up to 3 minutes if you're doing ravioli or similar).

Edit: throw the sauce in the pot the pasta was cooking in as you're straining the pasta; add the strained pasta to that; toss. Serve the pasta with tongs. It will grab on to as much sauce as it wants; do not over sauce. If there are any elements you'd like to be on every plate (shrimp, for example) remove them from the sauce earlier and add at the last second.

[ashley2ashes]

thanks for the tips! do you have any tips for a rose sauce? i normally just take a can of tomato sauce and add cream to it. it turns out tasty enough but a real recipe might make it even tastier

[belfpala]

thanks for the tips! do you have any tips for a rose sauce? i normally just take a can of tomato sauce and add cream to it. it turns out tasty enough but a real recipe might make it even tastier

Yeah. Roma tomatoes instead of pre-prepared sauce. Sometimes labeled Plum or Italian tomatoes. From a can is fine for this. Get a big can (32 Oz. is common).

Then put some olive oil in a pan and saute whatever you like (onions, mushrooms, garlic?). Blend/food process the tomatoes and add to the pan. Add in one of those small cans (6 Oz i think) of tomato paste, salt, pepper, and herbs (basil and ground fennel seed, imo). Stir. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low/medium-low, and let it go for 30 minutes or so with an occasional stir. Add a few hefty splashes of cream until it's the color you like, let it simmer a few minutes and it's ready to serve. Fresh ground parmesan on top is always a good idea.

There was also a very good looking tomato sauce posted a couple pages back ("sunday gravy"). I've been meaning to set up an index on the first post, but I've been really busy lately.

[Kerath]

Hi guys,

I'm looking for a nice Chili con Carne recipe. Not too spicy (I like it with a bit of a kick, but not too extreme).
Can anyone help?

[belfpala]

Hi guys,

I'm looking for a nice Chili con Carne recipe. Not too spicy (I like it with a bit of a kick, but not too extreme).
Can anyone help?

I'll get shanked, most likely, if I try to help you... so to stay safe, let's start with Texas chili. As an aside, "con carne" just means "with meat" and that's exactly what chili is... meat and sauce. And sometimes beans. But I'm staying out of that debate.

Ok, so I've looked at dozens of "secret" recipes for chili. One thing is mandatory: build up the flavors as you go. This means slow cooking, lots of ingredients, added in specific orders. Otherwise, who knows. Everyone and their grandmother has a "secret" something... everything from root beer to bacon fat. All of this is unnecessary.

So. Big pot. Heat. Some oil. Holy Trinity (1 part chopped bell peppers, 1 part chopped celery, 2 parts chopped onions; add in chopped chiles of choice if you want it hotter). Saute. Add in ground beef. We're making a big batch, so like 2-3 pounds. Let that brown in the pot and then dump out excess beef fat.

Tomatoes. Roma. 3-4 of them diced. Throw them in. More if you like it more... tomato-y.

Here's the spice blend you should have done in advance. I don't know measurements but I think 1 part should be about 1 tablespoon: 4 parts chili powder, 3 parts cumin, 2 parts fresh minced garlic (or 0.5 part garlic powder), cayenne pepper to taste, salt to taste, black pepper to taste. Throw that in to the mix and stir.

Let that go for a while, adding water or stock as needed to maintain the right thickness (it should be thick).

This makes a mild chili. To make it hotter, add fresh chiles (jalapeno, serrano, etc.) to the saute step, or cheat by using more cayenne. Or cheat even more and use your favorite hot sauce.

Serve. Condiments should include quality grated cheddar, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, tortilla chips, lime wedges, and lots of tequila.

[Heringer91]

Give me a repice for some delicious potato skins

[ashley2ashes]

Yeah. Roma tomatoes instead of pre-prepared sauce. Sometimes labeled Plum or Italian tomatoes. From a can is fine for this. Get a big can (32 Oz. is common).

Then put some olive oil in a pan and saute whatever you like (onions, mushrooms, garlic?). Blend/food process the tomatoes and add to the pan. Add in one of those small cans (6 Oz i think) of tomato paste, salt, pepper, and herbs (basil and ground fennel seed, imo). Stir. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low/medium-low, and let it go for 30 minutes or so with an occasional stir. Add a few hefty splashes of cream until it's the color you like, let it simmer a few minutes and it's ready to serve. Fresh ground parmesan on top is always a good idea.

There was also a very good looking tomato sauce posted a couple pages back ("sunday gravy"). I've been meaning to set up an index on the first post, but I've been really busy lately.

thank you that sounds delicious! i am going to make this thursday night for sure

[Thuunda]

1. I am a professional chef. Tell me the ingredients you have available, and I can probably help you do something interesting.

Also, what would go on your ultimate hamburger and how would you cook it?

Potato chips.

No, really. Potato chips.

Lost all credibility "HAY GUYZ PUT DA FRIES IN DA MILKSHAKE YAAAAY! I INVENTED THAT SO IM PROFESSIONAL"

[sheffield]

Bulgogi - that's it.

The second was deep fried... balls (I know the description is horrible) of, I'm not sure what. But there was definitely some pork and carrots in there. Almost like a really jumped up hush puppy. With some dipping sauce, I'd go through a dozen before I even knew they were gone.

hmm.. being korean.. now i'm curious.. the 2nd part of the word that you think it is, is "jeon" which is korean for any type of fried appetizer that contains breading/flour.. basically a pancake type dish.. but the first part of the word is what gets me.. when you mention fried.. pork.. and dipping sauce... the first thought that pops into my mind is donkatsu (japanese dish that's very popular in korea).. you might have had a variation of some sort.. or i could be totally off heh

---------- Post added 2011-07-19 at 04:07 PM ----------

The closest thing I can think of is mandu, but that's in a dumpling wrapper. It's usually made in kind of a crescent shape, but it could maybe be done as a ball.

Edit: There are also steamed pork buns -- Jjinppang mandu -- and those might be deep fried (not sure).

never had a deep-fried mandu... usually steamed or pan-fried

[belfpala]

Lost all credibility "HAY GUYZ PUT DA FRIES IN DA MILKSHAKE YAAAAY! I INVENTED THAT SO IM PROFESSIONAL"

lol

I like potato chips on my burger. Not everything I do has to be amazing or fancy. If I recall, I then later suggested more about burgers, such as doing your own grind using 50/50 chuck and sirloin cut into cubes and pulsed in a food processor a few times. Turns out far better than buying pre-ground beef. After that, deciding what to put ON the burger is about as personal as deciding what goes on a pizza. Everyone has an opinion and nobody is wrong.

---------- Post added 2011-07-19 at 08:18 PM ----------

never had a deep-fried mandu... usually steamed or pan-fried

Yeah, I'm no expert on Korean food. I have a very good friend from Korea and she laughs at me when I try to say the food names, so I stopped trying

[Wynnyelle]

Lost all credibility "HAY GUYZ PUT DA FRIES IN DA MILKSHAKE YAAAAY! I INVENTED THAT SO IM PROFESSIONAL"

Chips on a burger are fantastic. Don't be a tool. Opinions are opinions.

On-topic: What are some good dishes that I can make with chicken? Usually I just end up grilling it or frying it and that gets kind of boring after a while. I'm not very creative when it comes to coming up with things on my own... so a couple of new ideas might help me branch out a bit. =)

[Deleted]

On-topic: What are some good dishes that I can make with chicken? Usually I just end up grilling it or frying it and that gets kind of boring after a while. I'm not very creative when it comes to coming up with things on my own... so a couple of new ideas might help me branch out a bit. =)

A home-made http://www.kfc.com/doubledown/ comes to mind. I recently had one, didn't deep-fry but grill the chicken and added some more stuff, but basically this is awesomeness

---------- Post added 2011-07-19 at 11:17 PM ----------

Oh and while I'm here, I'm looking for some inspiration for one or two cakes/pies that I could make for my gf's birthday. Preferrably with fruit, I might have access to some really good (sour) cherries, but that's just one example, apples, peaches, pears anything. Just no pineapple.
Hit me with your fruit pie/cake (recipes:P)!

[Soulshaft]

Read every page of this thread this evening while at work, and I must say, it is WIN.

Let's do this. Take my Ramen (pre-packaged, dried, and in a block), and make it extra-ordinary. Ingredients aren't an issue. Go mad crazy with this one.
Also to be noted, I have about a year and a half of culinary school under my belt, so make me think and work hard to make this delicious.

[belfpala]

Read every page of this thread this evening while at work, and I must say, it is WIN.

Thanks. Feel free to correct me if I'm doing anything wrong, or add things of your own.

Let's do this. Take my Ramen (pre-packaged, dried, and in a block), and make it extra-ordinary. Ingredients aren't an issue. Go mad crazy with this one.
Also to be noted, I have about a year and a half of culinary school under my belt, so make me think and work hard to make this delicious.

Ramen noodles plus anything... so, you're giving me a completely blank canvas. Alright. Ramen noodles tend to be thin. I don't particularly like thin noodles with sauces (tend to clump up, etc), so I'm going in the soup direction. How about some Thai-style chicken soup? It's incredibly healthy and tasty. It doesn't normally have noodles, but I don't think adding ramen would hurt.

If done right, this is probably the most sublime flavor balance you'll ever taste.

So yeah, this is Thai. It has a lot of ingredients and nothing is optional (except for 2 substitutions, which I'll note). For a home serving (about 4 as a soup course)...

6 cups (1.5 liters) high quality chicken stock (make your own for best results).
1-2 stalks lemon grass, outer greens removed, roughly chopped
3 medium kaffir lime leaves (or more if you want)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 thai bird chilies, minced (or use serrano or jalapeno for milder; more or less to taste; remove seeds and ribs for most mild).
A big double handful of sliced mushrooms, preferably fresh shitake, but cremini is fine (usually sold as baby bella in the US).
*Meat of your choice (traditionally shrimp, but see below)
3 TBSP fish sauce.
Juice from 1 lime
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Large pinch of palm sugar (or brown sugar if you can't get palm sugar)
Vegetables of your choice
Optional: coconut milk

Boil the stock. Make a bouquet garni with the lemon grass and lime leaves (cheesecloth works well) and put that in. Add the garlic, chilies, and mushrooms. Reduce to a simmer. Let it go 5 minutes or so.

* Meat. Use whatever. Traditionally, it's shrimp, which get added later (they boil fast). It can be done with chicken, perhaps even the chicken you made the stock with; that's already cooked, add it last after shredding it. If you're starting with raw chicken, I'd recommend skinless chicken breasts; saute it in another pan until just done, then cut into cubes; that goes in last as well. You can do it with Tofu, even. Use Extra Firm, cut into cubes, and add when the shrimp should go in.

At this point, start adding vegetables in the order of how long they take to cook. For example, add some daikon raddish, then some cherry tomatoes. Shrimp, if you're doing them raw. Tofu can go in now as well. Let it go until the veggies cook, just a few minutes.

Delicate part. If using meat that doesn't need further cooking, add it now. Heat to low, add the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar (taste before doing this; if too hot, more sugar.. if too flat, more lime... if it needs more salt, more fish sauce... if it needs more heat, use your favorite hot sauce). And, if you want to ruin the healthiness of the soup, add about 1/2 cup coconut milk. Let simmer about 30 seconds.

Serve immediately over cooked ramen noodles, fresh cilantro on top, and perhaps lime wedges on the side. It should be a perfect balance of sweet, sour, salty, savory, and spicy. And most people should feel full after a single bowl. Now I'm hungry

---------- Post added 2011-07-20 at 07:20 AM ----------

A home-made http://www.kfc.com/doubledown/ comes to mind. I recently had one, didn't deep-fry but grill the chicken and added some more stuff, but basically this is awesomeness

---------- Post added 2011-07-19 at 11:17 PM ----------

Oh and while I'm here, I'm looking for some inspiration for one or two cakes/pies that I could make for my gf's birthday. Preferrably with fruit, I might have access to some really good (sour) cherries, but that's just one example, apples, peaches, pears anything. Just no pineapple.
Hit me with your fruit pie/cake (recipes:P)!

I'm afraid of baking...

Help? Someone? Anyone?

---------- Post added 2011-07-20 at 07:37 AM ----------

On-topic: What are some good dishes that I can make with chicken? Usually I just end up grilling it or frying it and that gets kind of boring after a while. I'm not very creative when it comes to coming up with things on my own... so a couple of new ideas might help me branch out a bit. =)

Whole chicken? Brine it. Roast it. Spice rub of your choice (inside and outside, make sure the rub doesn't have more salt). About 350-375 F, 60-90 minutes (until internal temps are 160 F).

Pieces? Slice a chicken breast and do a stir fry. Dredge each slice in some corn starch, pan fry with a little oil, remove. Toast some sesame seeds and remove. Do veggies of choice in the same pan with a bit more oil. Build up a sauce (say... a little chicken stock, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and chili sauce). Add the chicken back in. Serve on rice topped with the sesame seeds.

Chicken SAMMICH. Take a chicken breast and cut it into thirds. Lay them on the flat part (where you just cut) and pound the crap out of them until each piece is 1/4" (0.65 cm) thick. Season them (salt, pepper, herbs of your choice rubbed in). Dredge in flour, dredge in egg or buttermilk, dredge in flour again, or breadcrumbs. Put on a grill tray set over a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to overnight if covered). Cook in a pan on medium-high heat with some cooking oil, a couple minutes on each side. Put on bread with toppings of your choice.

Chicken Curry? I think I did that earlier in the thread... [searching]

Yup

My Madras Curry

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...1#post12096152

Thai curry

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...1#post12153390

[Disenchanted]

On-topic: What are some good dishes that I can make with chicken? Usually I just end up grilling it or frying it and that gets kind of boring after a while. I'm not very creative when it comes to coming up with things on my own... so a couple of new ideas might help me branch out a bit. =)

Chicken fajitas? (or a close facsimile anyway)

Boil your chicken until it's cooked. It doesn't really matter what kind of chicken you use, but I normally use a whole bird. Unless, that is, I'm going for strips, in which case I use boneless, skinless breasts and grill them instead.

Shred the chicken (unless you're going with strips)

In a skillet, sautee strips of bell pepper and onion in canola oil. Don't cook them until they're soft and mushy. Leave them on the crisp side. I like to use a mixture of red, yellow and green bell peppers, but whatever you like is fine.

Add in your chicken, a drained can of diced tomatoes (optional) and a couple tablespoons of seasoning mix (add a little at a time until you get the taste you want). Your seasoning mix is basically:

5 parts ground cumin
3 parts oregano (dried is fine)
1 part salt
1 part cayenne pepper
1 part black pepper
1 part garlic powder
A pinch of onion powder

(or you can cheat and use 2 packages of taco seasoning. I'll never tell)

Cook and mix until everything is incorporated and HOT. Then remove from heat and lightly cover.

Warm up some tortillas, fill them with meat, peppers, onion and whatever salsa type you prefer (I'll add my quick recipe for my favorite condiment for fajitas after). Fold, eat, repeat. Have a beer or tequila and lime to go with it? Bonus!

Now, the (IMO) perfect condiment for these fajitas:

It's not a true pico de gallo, but it serves and is so tasty, I have to stop my girls from eating it with a spoon before I'm done cooking the fajitas

2-3 avocado diced
2 large tomatoes diced
(you're basically shooting for an equal amount of avocado and tomato)
1 large red onion diced
Juice of 2-4 limes
Salt and pepper to taste.

Add it all to a bowl, carefully FOLD until roughly incorporated. Taste. Add more lime juice, salt or pepper as needed. Fold again gently. STOP! You're done. Don't over-mix it.

Easy peasy. I'm not a great cook, but there's a few things I can make well. This is one of my daughters' favorites.

[belfpala]

5 parts ground cumin
3 parts oregano (dried is fine)
1 part salt
1 part cayenne pepper
1 part black pepper
1 part garlic powder
A pinch of onion powder

Yeah, chicken fajitas. Good plan. Although I cringe when anything but beef skirt steak is called fajitas (let's just say family style tacos or something for other versions). Fajita means, literally, "little belt" which is a reference to where the meat comes from on the cow. But unless you have an inside source with a good butcher, you can't even buy skirt steak in most of the US, so I don't blame anyone.

I'm wary of this spice blend. I haven't tried it, but I know that Cumin can easily overpower anything, and that Oregano can as well. I'm sure it tastes good, but I assume people need to be rather light handed with it?

Additional thing -- Something I like to do with "fajitas" is saute some diced chilies along with the other veggies. It doesn't add much heat at all if you use jalapenos with seeds and ribs removed, but adds a little punch to the final flavor.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Chicken Curry? I think I did that earlier in the thread... [searching]

My Madras Curry

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...1#post12096152

Attribution is hard :<

*cough*

As for cumin: if you dry roast and then grind the cumin you get a sweeter tasting spice. For the uninitiated: dry roasting spices basically means "stick in a hot pan without oil for a couple of minutes until it smells nice (and in the case of cumin goes dark brown)"