Help me, cooking enthusiasts!

I like to watch some of those reality chef shows and Eric sometimes watches them with me. Today Eric and I made zucchini panini together for dinner and because Eric is better at working the panini press than I am, he got to be the Chef de Cuisine and I had to be the Sous-chef... in my own kitchen, no less!!!

Eric: Plate!!!
Angela: Right here chef.
Eric: Did you finish the basil prep?
Angela: Yes chef.
Eric: This is completely unacceptable. I wanted Thai basil and you have brought me Italian basil.
Angela: I'm sorry chef. It is what we had in the garden.
Eric: It is entirely unacceptable. I will have to completely rework the menu!
Angela: Yes chef.

Argh!!! I am NEVER going to watch a reality chef show again!

(Hey, do you think that was what Eric was going for???!!!!!)

No more Hells Kitchen for Eric!

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Janice

Big Fat Greek Tomatoes

Serves 4, Ready In 1hr 15mins

Carefully slice off top of each tomato and scoop out flesh. Reserve. Heat oil in a heavy based pan and fry onions and garlic until soft and golden. Add parsley, tomato pulp and olives. Cook for a few minuets and then add rice. Stir, then pour in wine, stock and black pepper and simmer mixture for 15-20 minuets on hob. Heat oven to gas mark 4 / 180c / fan 160c. Spoon filling into each tomato shell and top with cheese. Cook for 30-40 minuets. Garnish with parsley and server hot.

Ingredients

8 large vine tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, fine chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tbsp fine chopped flat leaf parsley
5 olives in brine, drained
75g long grain rice
50ml dry white wine
130ml vegetable stock
Freshly ground black pepper
40g Greek salad cheese, crumbled

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Yeah, Costco, Sam's and all those others help a lot, sometimes.

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Actually, I have a cooking question:
My mother sent me a recipe for "Whooppee Pies" (homemade Devil Dogs/Suzie Q's - whatever your region calls them). She's at close to sea level & I'm at about 5300 ft. (~1700 metres). How do I modify the recipe to compensate for the higher elevation?

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Actually, I have a cooking question:
My mother sent me a recipe for "Whooppee Pies" (homemade Devil Dogs/Suzie Q's - whatever your region calls them). She's at close to sea level & I'm at about 5300 ft. (~1700 metres). How do I modify the recipe to compensate for the higher elevation?

Might start here
http://www.thecookinginn.com/haltitude.html

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Actually, I have a cooking question:
My mother sent me a recipe for "Whooppee Pies" (homemade Devil Dogs/Suzie Q's - whatever your region calls them). She's at close to sea level & I'm at about 5300 ft. (~1700 metres). How do I modify the recipe to compensate for the higher elevation?

If you care to share the recipe, I am sure, we Setizen cooks, could adapt it to any altitude.

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Pluto will always be a planet to me.

Seti Ambassador
Not to late to order an Anni Shirt

Now this is just sooooo simple, it's silly.
Corn on the cob with no hassle.
We always shucked the corn first and cooked it in a big pot of boiling water.
Not any more.
Micro for 8 minutes per ear and voila!

Shucking corn on the cob....

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

Help me, cooking enthusiasts!

I like to watch some of those reality chef shows and Eric sometimes watches them with me. Today Eric and I made zucchini panini together for dinner and because Eric is better at working the panini press than I am, he got to be the Chef de Cuisine and I had to be the Sous-chef... in my own kitchen, no less!!!

Eric: Plate!!!
Angela: Right here chef.
Eric: Did you finish the basil prep?
Angela: Yes chef.
Eric: This is completely unacceptable. I wanted Thai basil and you have brought me Italian basil.
Angela: I'm sorry chef. It is what we had in the garden.
Eric: It is entirely unacceptable. I will have to completely rework the menu!
Angela: Yes chef.

Argh!!! I am NEVER going to watch a reality chef show again!

(Hey, do you think that was what Eric was going for???!!!!!)

"Angela, you have been Chopped..." ;-D

"For the dessert round your mystery ingredients are: Sweet Breads, Candy Corn, Rootbeer, and Marmite! You have 20 minutes..."

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"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - Orwell

"Angela, you have been Chopped..." ;-D

"For the dessert round your mystery ingredients are: Sweet Breads, Candy Corn, Rootbeer, and Marmite! You have 20 minutes..."

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love it!

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Janice

Here we go boys and girls - a variation on a vindaloo

2 lb beef chuck cut into 1inch cubes
14 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 small hot red chilles (this is a good starting quantity)
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon dry English mustard
1 lemon salt
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 bay leaves
5 cloves; whole
3 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 small onion
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup clarified butter
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sugar



Directions: How to Cook Beef Vindaloo

Place the garlic and vinegar into a blender and mix to a smooth paste. Remove the tops and bottoms of the chilles and remove the seeds. Add the peppers to the blended paste. Put cumin seeds, turmeric, mustard, ginger, salt and sugar into a small bowl and mix together. Pour this mixture into the blender. Remove the peel from the lemon, squeeze the juice, discard the pips and chop the inner pulp. Add the juice and the pulp to the blender, then blend thoroughly.

Place the beef into a bowl and pour the blended mixture over it. Stir in the poppy seeds and marinate for two hours (at least, better over night in the fridge).

After meat is marinated, finely slice the onion. Pour some clarified butter into a frying pan on medium heat, and add the onions. Cook until opaque. Add the bay leaves and cloves.

Lift the meat from the marinade and add to the frying onions, increasing the heat so that the meat is sealed quickly. When the meat is sealed all over (This is optional, about half the Indian families I know don't seal the meet like this), add the marinade. Cover tightly, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
Once the meat is very tender (at least 1 hour), add the tomato paste, stirring it thoroughly into the meat mixture, and cook for another 30min.

When the meat is tender, serve at once - piping hot. This is very hot! Nice served with plain boiled or steamed long grain rice. For a nice cooling touch you might serve with a lime cordial.


Be careful, this is a "quite hot" curry, start gently with fewer chillies rather than go in hard and not enjoy the meal.

You can substitute just about any meat you like or have available. Personally I prefer chicken or lamb to beef.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

What, remove the seeds from the chillies? Whimp! ;)

Fresh chillies vary quite a lot in hotness, you might want to have a careful try - but NOT the tip, as that has the least spice.

Also, chillies release spice over time with cooking. Don't add too many if it seems bland at first.

Just a few hints for those who haven't cooked a lot with chillies :)

Not forgetting that generally the smaller chillies are hotter than large ones.

Over the years I've found removing the seeds does little to the heat, but does reduce the bitterness.

Oh, don't rub your eyes when cutting chillies, it hurts, it really hurts, it hurts unbelievably hurts...

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Not that the seeds go to waste, I use them in a simple chutney.

Fresh (not dried) chilli seeds (left over from other dishes- I freeze them until I've got enough for a reasonable batch of chutney)
Fresh coriander leaves - a couple of big hand fulls.
Clove or two of garlic (this is a taste thing - I don't like much garlic in a non-garlic chutney)
Equal quantities of Oil (NOT olive oil, a "low flavour" veg oil is best) and wine vinegar
Sugar to taste.

Chuck the seeds, garlic and coriander into a blender and blitz for a few seconds, until the leaves and garlic are chopped.
Add in equal quantities of oil and vinegar, enough to cover the leaves and seeds, blitz again for a couple of seconds. You just want it all mixed, not a smooth cream.
Dump into a pan and heat gently, adding the sugar. (I find 1 teaspoon is enough for about 1 cup of seeds)
Once the sugar has dissolved bring to the boil quickly, then simmer until the vinegar smell has reduced. Simmer for another five to ten minutes - don't over cook.
Leave overnight to cool slowly. (I wrap the pan in a towel to keep the heat in)
Once cool put into a storage jar and let it alone for a few weeks. While nice when freshly made this goes through a bitter period at about a week, then matures with age.

This is a basic chutney, it can be embellished with a variety of spices, just try adding one at the "dry" stage. Ginger works quite well, as does cardamom or cloves(!). Don't forget to label the jars!!!

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

As per request:
Long Sufferin' Marie's
Famous Split Pea Soup!
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To start a pea soup you will need stock from a ham bone, boiled for 24 hours on your back burner, and then remove the bone and cut off the meat from the bone and put in stock.
Add: one diced onion
½ cup pot barley
one package of dried split peas 8 oz
salt and pepper to taste
Bring all above to a boil and let simmer for about three hours and add:
Diced carrots 1 cup
Diced potatoes 2 cups
Ian likes barley so I put it in soup, it is optional. Cook soup for another half an hour or so and serve. This makes at least six servings and actually is even better tasting the next day.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Warning, Addictive!

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Thank you Marie.

Time to close this thread and anyone can start a new one.

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Pluto will always be a planet to me.

Seti Ambassador
Not to late to order an Anni Shirt

Years ago during a family get together we ended up with a house full brothers, sisters, mothers, and kids of all ages, sizes, and stages of relationships. It was early in my marriage to Marie. We were living in a two bed room apartment with a kitchen dining room and a good size front room. (Best room.) It was getting close to lunch and all we had ready to go was a pot of Marie’s famous split pea soup that she had already made up as a treat for me at some point that week. The decision was made and though it would mean we would have children kneeling on the floor in the best room around the coffee table, we had our mothers sharing the dining room table with an assortment sisters and brothers and Marie after she finely sat down to join them. In the end one of my brothers and I ended up standing on the balcony re living some wild experience or other from our youth as peace officers. It was all worth it when our mothers declared to all in attendance that the pea soup was finally cooked up for the first time in years the way pea soup was supposed to be done, and not like some canned excuse for a meal that one sees all too often in this modern world. My sweet wife was close to tears with the complements that were being passed around the room. To top it all off the children chose that time to get up a rousing cheer for their Nona.

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