quote:

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Ricardus: "I wonder what happens if I add this?"

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Kaboom!
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Recipes? What are those?

I have been throwing things into saucepans since we used, as teenagers, to try and replicate the one exotic cuisine we had encountered - ending up with a sort of rice/mince fry-up we described as 'Chinese myeh'. Then we discovered curry powder and turned mother's frying pan yellow with late night experiments. Student days were dominated by spag bol and things concocted from lentils, baked beans, breadcrumbs and marmite. My main cookbook - though I didn't appreciate it at the time - was written by the likes of Jane Grigson and Robert Carrier; a repository of classic Anglo-French fine dining.

And do it has gone on: a combination of dishes way beyond my pay grade interspersed with ethnic binges (especially Indian) and wild experimentation.
 

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Posted by Sandemaniac (# 12829) on :
 
Over the last couple of years, ours has been distinctly Madhur Jaffrey oriented (including tonight, when we did exciting things with a piece of huss).

I blame Wodders and, I think, Firenze. Especially for the turmeric stains!

AG
 

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Posted by Yangtze (# 4965) on :
 
Generally avidly reading cookbooks and cooking blogs and then failing to cook any recipes from any of them but rather looking at what's in the fridge/cupboard and making something up.

Obviously the 'making up' has been informed by both the reading and the food I've eaten elsewhere in my life, so I'll generally have some kind of idea of the theme I'm heading towards, generally differentiated by the herbs/spices/sauces I choose.

I would like to cook more recipes from the books/blogs but somehow rarely manage to get organised enough to plan and shop.

Mainly cook from scratch, though I confess to being rather fond of baked beans on toast.
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
I try to fix what my family likes--which is an eclectic mix of tacos, egg rolls, various Asian soups, pizza, stir fry, BLTs, spaghetti, and pasties. Yeah, we shop at the international market.
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
Bearing in mind that I haven't really been allowed to cook much for the last 17 or 18 years but my staple when I lived in UK was sort of generic Indian which, at the time, was mostly Punjabi style as that was what I was used to. I also cooked a fair amount of Italian influenced stuff. During the week it was variations on a theme of an onion, some garlic paste, a couple of briquettes of frozen chopped spinach and a few mushrooms with added spices and/or herbs then either vermicelli or rice or pitta bread - weekdays were often sort of dash-in-from-work-cook-shower-change-go-out-to-evening-meeting so time was at a premium - weekends could be anything but my weekend breakfast one of the days was often a humungous and very veggie-British fry-up.

Most meals involved mushrooms in one way or another.
 

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Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :
 
Dutch cuisine isn't very special, but I realise that I still cook Dutch food relatively often. Three times last week only.
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
My cooking seems to be all over the place. Just a few days ago, I made a big pot of seafood gumbo. (Oh, yum! Spicy!) Roasted veg is a frequent winter treat, and my version of spag bol. And I do make the very best french onion soup ever! Oh, and yummy mac and cheese.

When I make a new recipe, I will normally follow it to the letter, except for leaving out things that I can't eat. (Bay leaves give me a huge headache.) The next time I make the recipe, I start improvising. Eventually, if it's deemed worthy of a place in the lineup of recipes, it is prepared by my normal 'dump and pour' method of cooking.

The most grabbed utensil is a wooden spoon. I hear those snickers you're making!
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Where to begin?

D. does most of the cooking chez Piglet, as he's a free agent during the morning when I'm at w*rk; he has a few signature dishes (notably chicken casserole, The Sausage Thing and the best shepherd's pie ever).

I tend to do most of my cooking at weekends (although if the mood's on me, I'll put something together in the evening for next day).

Sweary? Abso-****-lutely!

Messy? Not really - I do the clearing-up and load the dishwasher, so I tend to be quite economical in my use of pots and pans.

I do possess a favourite apron (I got it from my m-in-l, and it's got pictures of notable places in Colchester on it) but it only comes out for serving morning coffee at the Cathedral sale.

Styles and signature dishes: I suppose my "signature dish" is Piglet's Pancetta Pasta, but I have a few others: paella, chilli con carne, chicken-and-tomato pasta, macaroni cheese with Things In It and a few varieties of soup (usually chicken-and-veggie, as that's D's favourite).

I like making things that are more usually bought ready-made: chicken stock, jars of red-pepper jelly, home-made pâté and French bread.

Ingredients I couldn't do without: garlic

Implements I couldn't do without: enamel shallow Dutch oven; bread-making machine; food-processor; ceramic knives; and the wooden spatula that I think may have been D's before I was.
 

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Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 
Cooking is one of my favourite things, I love the whole caboodle; looking for recipes, choosing a theme, buying ingredients, experimenting, presentation, the lot. I'm lucky in that I work flexibly from home so have time to spend on cooking. I cook for the family most days and have a special feast at least once a week, usually on Friday. On this day I will chose a style or country and cook a huge meal with homemade breads, relishes, side dishes and dessert. My favourites are Indian, Asian or Arabic; I like interesting combinations of flavours and spice but not too hot. I like to experiment and look at recipes for inspiration but seldom stick to them and can improvise well. My essentials are garlic and lemon juice.
I am an organised tidy cook, which is why I can't bear cooking with my husband, who is a very disorganised person.
Couldn't live without my Kenwood, but I'm fond of my breadmaker (for mixing dough) and the slow cooker.

[ 27. July 2015, 14:48: Message edited by: Heavenly Anarchist ]
 

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Posted by Sipech (# 16870) on :
 
My cooking is rather English.

My main (slightly unusual) feature is that I do all the preparations before I start cooking. In other words, anything that will be chopped, deseeded, topped-and-tailed, etc. has to be done before the gas gets turned on. I hate the panic of starting cooking and then starting on part of the prep.

That way, my cooking is ordered and calm, even if it means that overall, it takes a little longer than it might.

I'm frequently frustrated by the number of recipes that look good, but then at the last minute they're ruined because they add such abominations as cheese, nuts or mushrooms. Such things have no place anywhere near food.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Sipech:
... they're ruined because they add such abominations as cheese, nuts or mushrooms ...

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quote:

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Originally posted by Sipech:
I'm frequently frustrated by the number of recipes that look good, but then at the last minute they're ruined because they add such abominations as cheese, nuts or mushrooms. Such things have no place anywhere near food.

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Ah, the pleasure of a Dutch-style bacon, cheese and mushroom pancake (with golden syrup) has passed you by, and many an Eastern dish with added nuts along with it...

Chicken with cashew nuts; lamb with pine nuts; roast almond duck; prawns with coconut sauce; beef satay; pork and peanut curry; closer to home, trout with flaked almonds; date and walnut cake, pecan pie, brazil nut cookies, hazelnut and chocolate cake, roast chestnuts, pistachio ice cream...

Ah well. Back to the thread.
 

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Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :
 
I'm sorry, but you'll never be able to match the pancakes made by my (Dutch) mother
 

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Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on :
 
Find a recipe which looks good and tweak it. So I make a rather nice cassoulet type sausage casserole which came from the website of a rather expensive supermarket and now gets made using things from a rather cheaper supermarket, altering the amounts of spices - the recipe for Grasmere gingerbread gets made with double the amount of ginger - a certain amount of "about this much" rather than exact weights, although Darllenwr does most of the cooking these days.
 

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Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :
 
I enjoy cooking and I am always reading cook books for new ideas. I seem to go in cycles. Southern, Turkish, Sea food, Soups, Salads, Italian and Asian, I would say Mexican shows up on the table at least once a week as does pork a family favorite.

I am home most days so that is a joy as far as cooking goes. Gone are the days when it was hurry home from work and get something on the table in an hour. Now I can spend hours if need be on a dish.
 

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Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :
 
Cooking style: lobbit

And I wouldn't be without my slow cooker - works a treat with almost any lobbit you can imagine..... (though the combination of pork with English mustard and green chilli was inedible. I'd forgotten I'd put the one in when I added the other: bad mistake!)

I cook because I have to, not because I especially enjoy it. Baking, on the other hand, is a entirely different thing and I love it. I make a mean lemon drizzle and equally mean coffee & walnut sponge. (Mmmm, nom...)

[ 27. July 2015, 21:29: Message edited by: kingsfold ]
 

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Posted by crunt (# 1321) on :
 
I'm a one-pot cook.
 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
My mum follows recipes to the letter and it drives me mad - we have several cookbooks published by a supermarket chain and she will go as far as sticking to the brands recommended

Unless I'm baking (which I rarely do) or trying to follow a specific recipe for authenticity's sake, I'm very much a one-pot, throw-it-all-in cook. Lots of curries, tagines and casseroles. If I want something quick it tends to be egg-based, or a homemade soup.
 

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Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :
 
I don't care enough about food to cook well, my style is 'slap dash' and it shows!

My husband does all the cooking as he's a raving foody. He likes nothing better than throwing a big dinner party so that his food can be enjoyed and appreciated (I am a poor audience when it comes to all things food). All is cooking is from raw ingredients, no bought sauces of any kind, all are home made.

He was playing in a concert the other day and only had time to do chicken wraps - he wasn't happy! When he's away I live on egg and chips or baked potatoes!

My brother lives with us three days a week and OH spends ages looking out good veggie meals. When he's away it's down to me - erk! Last time I really really tried hard and made a veggie 'chicken' quorn and mushroon pie - it was excellent! (but, even so, the effort was not worth the taste, my enthusiasm for cooking was not awakened!

[ 28. July 2015, 07:55: Message edited by: Boogie ]
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Our style, if it warrants that description, is based around the Mediterranean Sea - mostly French, some Italian, some Greek but more generally and vaguely the Levant, and then back to North West Africa. But quite a bit of my contribution, especially if I'm cooking mid-week and it's warmer weather than now, will be centred on the barbecue (US outdoor grill). While we do buy in spice mixes and sauces, especially for Indian food, most of the shopping is for fresh food. No meat or vegetables from the supermarket unless absolutely necessary.

Our cookery bibles are Beck, Bertholle and Child (both volumes) and anything by Elizabeth David. These are streets ahead of anything by modern celebrity chefs. Mastering the Art gives fantastic instruction in technique, a solid base of core recipes, and excursions into more unusual territory. Mrs David's works are great recipes and great reading; not anywhere near as precise as Mastering the Art, but to be used as a guide to what can be done. Always remembering that the local ingredients are not those of the originals, even something as basic as a potato is different here to what you buy in a small Provençal town.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Boogie:
... When he's away I live on egg and chips or baked potatoes ...

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quote:

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Originally posted by PilgrimVagrant:
Seeing as I'm on benefits, my own cooking style might best be described as 'economic'. Staples like rice, potatoes, pasta (and, occasionally, cous-cous) feature heavily. So do onions. After that, it tends to be tins - tins of tomatoes, beans, vegetables, and such stuff. I buy meat once a month, either fresh or frozen, to last the month. So that's minced meat, sausages, cooking bacon, maybe chicken portions, maybe offal like liver, kidneys, hearts. And I buy herbs and spices. And I find out of these, I can cook up some good, healthy nutritious stuff.

Cheers, PV.

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Pork or ox cheeks are cheap and though officially classed as offal, are really just like normal meat.

Do you know of Jack Monroe and her recipes?
 

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Posted by Jane R (# 331) on :
 
Cooking style? Perhaps best summed up as 'Oh God, is it dinnertime already? What's in the cupboard?'
 

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Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
Some people cook fusion, my style is more confusion

Huia
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Boogie:
... When he's away I live on egg and chips or baked potatoes ...

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ariel:

quote:

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Originally posted by Boogie:
... When he's away I live on egg and chips or baked potatoes ...

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Things-on-toast tend to be my standby a lot of times.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ariel:

quote:

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Originally posted by Boogie:
... When he's away I live on egg and chips or baked potatoes ...

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Things-on-toast tend to be my standby a lot of times. There are so many delicious cheeses you can have and sliced meats and relishes as a change from beans/mushrooms/pate on toast, hot bacon sandwiches or tinned fish in sauce on toast. One of my favourite things-on-toast is chicken with lemon juice, chopped coriander and garlic mayonnaise if I have any. Ham, cheese and sundried tomatoes are another good thing, just add black olives for that Mediterranean touch.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Pomona:


Do you know of Jack Monroe and her recipes?

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Yes. I love her madly, and have her first book, 'A Girl called Jack'. My other favourite is Delia Smith's 'Frugal Food'.

Thanks, PV.

[ 29. July 2015, 07:11: Message edited by: PilgrimVagrant ]
 

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Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on :
 
Mostly I let my husband cook. He enjoys it more than me. When I do find myself in the kitchen, I have been trawling a lot of recipes recently to come up with new things. My favourite cookbook is Gary Rhodes – you can tell that the recipes were put together by a Michelin-starred chef, but he writes them so that they’re within the reach of the average person. I do rather enjoy making traditional English food, which is seen as exotic here Things like toad in the hole and beef and ale pie, although they’re rather better for the winter…

OTOH, for a really special meal, my approach is Phone My Dad™. My Dad is an amazing cook, so for example when I found a rib of beef with 50% off (right up to the date), the first thing I did when I got home was pick up the phone. “Dad, I have a rib of beef, what do I do with it?”

For a few days next week, I shall be alone fending for myself. I am totally going to eat beans on toast.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
PV, how do you feel about Indian? Back in my dole days, I was heavily into dhals and potato curry and chickpeas. There's a modest initial outlay in getting the basic spices - but cheaper in Asian supermarkets.

All indigenous cuisines are based on making a very little protein go a long way while still tasting good.
 

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Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Pomona:
[QUOTE]
Do you know of Jack Monroe and her recipes?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Firenze:
PV, how do you feel about Indian? Back in my dole days, I was heavily into dhals and potato curry and chickpeas. There's a modest initial outlay in getting the basic spices - but cheaper in Asian supermarkets.

All indigenous cuisines are based on making a very little protein go a long way while still tasting good.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ricardus:
"I wonder what happens if I add this?"

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quote:

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Originally posted by la vie en rouge:
OTOH, for a really special meal, my approach is Phone My Dad™. My Dad is an amazing cook, so for example when I found a rib of beef with 50% off (right up to the date), the first thing I did when I got home was pick up the phone. “Dad, I have a rib of beef, what do I do with it?”

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Oh, now this is awesome.


I've tried to do that with my mother, but we generally get sidetracked into a discussion of why cut-of-meat X is not called the same thing in my state as in California.
 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
Tinned fruit is good for making lazy tagine/fruity curry type dishes (I know fruity curries are not very authentic but I still like them!). Tinned sliced peaches shouldn't work in a chickpea tagine, but do.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by la vie en rouge:
... I am totally going to eat beans on toast.

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What, all week????? Have you warned Monsieur en rouge?
 

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Posted by Banner Lady (# 10505) on :
 
My cooking style is to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. But as we were all in serious need of some mid winter comfort food over the last few weeks, here was my solution, and, I may add that the recipe is now in some demand!

NANNA’S NO BAKE BOOZE BOMBS

3 cups stale crumbled chocolate or fruit cake.
2-3 tablespoons fortified wine or fruit liquer
(like sherry, port, tokay, cherry brandy, butterscotch schnapps etc)
1 -2 tablespoons raspberry or blackcurrant cordial (neat).
1 packet melted chocolate buttons.

Optional:
chopped raspberry marshmallows
chopped raspberry or strawberry cream lollies

Mix together. Press into balls, cupcake moulds or slice tray.
Refrigerate before serving.

For booze ball version:
Dust with icing sugar and/or sifted cocoa powder.

For spliced slice version: before refrigerating top with
1 cup choc hazelnut spread mixed with one small packet of cream cheese

For hic-cupcake version: serve on a plate with
Whipped cream and fresh red/black berries



 

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Posted by Banner Lady (# 10505) on :
 
And I quite possibly use much larger tablespoons than the average cook.....
 

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Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :
 
You are just following Aussie tradition, BL. Aussie tablespoons are 20 ml, others are 15.

Perhaps it is a bit like my golden syrup measurements in my much loved golden syrup steamed pudding. I vaguely remember the recipe says something like two tablespoons golden syrup. I use at least six.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Banner Lady:
My cooking style is to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. But as we were all in serious need of some mid winter comfort food over the last few weeks, here was my solution, and, I may add that the recipe is now in some demand!

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Would you like to post that on the Recipe Thread, Banner Lady? It will then be preserved for posterity.

(Same for any other recipes people might want to contribute: this thread will probably drop out of sight after a while and go the way of all flesh, but the Recipe Thread endureth forever.)

[ 30. July 2015, 07:09: Message edited by: Ariel ]
 

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Posted by Banner Lady (# 10505) on :
 
There's a recipe thread? Good Lord - now there's a place I have obviously never been....I rest may case about spending as little time in the kitchen as possible. Recipe threads are for people who intend to follow recipes. That's me out, then...
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
You don't always need to follow them, BL - just use them as a starting point.

D. had some interesting results by starting to follow a recipe then discovering halfway through that we didn't have any [insert ingredient of choice] and used something else instead.

Sometimes the results were delicious, sometimes a bit less so ...
 

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Posted by PilgrimVagrant (# 18442) on :
 
So, just done a nice combination of cous-cous, cooking bacon, (you could use any pork, ideally smoked), whole green lentils, onions and spices. I won't post the recipe, since that would spoil your fun reinventing the dish. And, to be honest, I can't quite remember what I did in what order with how much of each. So, experiment. It works both hot and cold, as a side or a main.

Best wishes, PV.
 

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Posted by Hugal (# 2734) on :
 
I pretty much cook what I fancy based on what we have in the house. OK so I am a trained chef, but with a little knowledge it is not too difficult
 

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Posted by Ricardus (# 8757) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Ricardus:
"I wonder what happens if I add this?"

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quote:

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Originally posted by Pomona:
My mum follows recipes to the letter and it drives me mad - we have several cookbooks published by a supermarket chain and she will go as far as sticking to the brands recommended

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ricardus:
Before I went to uni I got some recipes from my mum. After giving them to me she would then say "well instead of x I use y, and for m I find n works better", until not one of the original ingredients remained. ..

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I like her style. Some recipe writers really do not know their ingredients, nor how to write a recipe! And and I don't believe they have all been tried and tested before publication.

I am a "what can we make out of what's in the house and garden cook".
I'm also a know your physics, chemistry and properties of ingredients cook and a bit of an experimentalist. E.g If you're substituting macadamia oil for butter in a cake recipe (olive oil has too strong a taste) then use 70ml to replace 100gm of butter. What flavours are water soluble, oil soluble, alchohol soluble. Colloidal suspensions and protein denaturing are in my thoughts when cooking. (Souffle last night)

Started as a lad when my mother said that if I wanted biscuits for afternoon tea then I should cook them. Learning to cook the Sunday dinner was probably my start into project planning.
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
I didn't do the utensil bit when I posted earlier - anyway I think it is the clay pots we use for certain dishes - dishes cooked in a terracotta pot have a distinctive flavour, sort of a rounder flavour, if that makes any sense.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I think I know what you mean, WW - although we don't use our chicken brick all that often, it does make a very nice job of it when we do. D. has done excellent roast lamb in it, and it was just the ticket for doing chicken with 40 cloves of garlic.

[ 07. August 2015, 15:51: Message edited by: Piglet ]
 

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