Thread: Find your inner chef - Recipes 2018 Board: Heaven / Ship of Fools.


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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
It looks as though the old Recipe thread has gone to Higher Planes, so if it's OK with the Heavenly Hosts I'll start a new one.

As it was an unutterably filthy day here (you name it, it's been falling from the sky) the correct response seemed to be to make soup, and as I had sundry bits and bobs left over from a Hogmanay dinner party, I used them up. I adapted a recipe from the old Delia Smith books, but I think my version is different enough to claim as my own.

Hogmanay Leftovers Soup

A little butter and oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper
About 1lb cold clapshot*
About ½lb cooked ham, chopped
1 pint chicken stock
1 pint milk
About a tablespoon of cream
A pinch of nutmeg

* Clapshot is a traditional accompaniment to haggis, and is made by boiling turnips (swedes) and potatoes (separately) in a ratio of 1:2 and then mashing them together with butter and pepper.

Heat the butter and oil over a low/medium heat in a heavy casserole and add the onions, a little salt (bear in mind that the ham may be salty), the garlic and a few twists of black pepper. Stir to get everything coated, cover and cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the clapshot and chopped ham, cover and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Add the stock and milk, bring to a simmer, turn the heat down very low and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes or until the onions are soft.

Take the pan off the heat, add the cream and nutmeg and whizz with an immersion-blender until smooth.

Taste to adjust the seasoning and serve.

[ 05. January 2018, 03:13: Message edited by: Piglet ]
 
Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :
 
That sounds warming and filling, ideal for the weather you people have up there now.
 
Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
I have also started on the winter soup round, andwe have just had split pea and ham soup, made with the stock from the gammon piece I cooked for New Year.

I did a big supermarket shop today and, with celery soup in mind, bought a couple of heads of celery and extra onions. I also bought parsnips for our favourite, a curried parsnip and apple soup, using some cooked bramleys from the freezer.
Recipes available if anyone fancies them
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
My brother every now and again gives us a lobster dinner for Xmas. A firm named LobsterGram ships these out. This year my brother foolishly failed to note that we were going to Atlanta for the holidays. Thus my son, who was keeping the home fires burning and feeding the cats, sent me a frantic text, "There are three lobsters on the front step!"
Upon opening the styrofoam coffin he found there were 2 live lobsters and one very dead one, apparently slain in transit. He cleverly cooked the live two and popped them into the freezer, and when I came back I made lobster thermidor and then used the shells to make lobster stock.
Also when I came back I emailed the LobsterGram people, reporting the dead crustacean. They immediately offered to replace it, and yesterday I was astonished to get another styrofoam coffin with not one but two lobsters in it. Apparently, like many vital organs, lobsters come in twos. So we boiled and ate these two last night, eking them out with a loaf of garlic bread and some roast butternut squash. And once again the shells and detritus went to make lobster stock.
So now I really have to make some fish stew, to use up some of this stock!
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Lothlorien:
That sounds warming and filling, ideal for the weather you people have up there now.

It was indeed. I was a bit worried it was going to be a bit bland, but D. described it as "subtle" and we really rather enjoyed it.

It was handy too, because we usually go out for lunch on a Friday after D's concert, but because we were getting a lift with someone else we had to go straight home, and all it needed was heating up.

BC, I'm glad it was you and not me who had to deal with the lobsters; having always thought I wouldn't like them, I had lobster-salad rolls for the first time last summer at a friend's house and enjoyed it, but the idea of having to cook the things doesn't appeal at all.
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
It's not the cooking. It's the liberating of the succulent flesh from the carapaces. There's a reason why lobster rolls, lobster salad, etc. cost so much.
 
Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on :
 
I don't think I could deal with killing the lobster myself. I'd end up turning it into a pet like Homer Simpson.
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
The 'sever spinal chord with one blow of cleaver' bit is beyond me, I agree. But to pop the lobsters into a large kettle of boiling water is not technically difficult, thank Heaven.
 
Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
Just one time I cooked live lobsters. The steam was escaping from the carapaces and it sounded like the lobsters were screaming. [Waterworks]

Never again.

I did eat them, however! [Big Grin]
 
Posted by lily pad (# 11456) on :
 
If you pop them in head first, there is no noise. That being said, we only ever buy them already cooked at the wharf. They are exceptionally fresh and beautifully cooked that way.
 
Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :
 
Son of a fishmonger here:

I have done this many times.If you pop them into a pan of boiling water head first they put their claws on the bottom of the pan and for a short while push back. Not a task for the squeamish the first few times, you get used to it.
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
And far, far less gruesome than stabbing them on a cutting board. My son-in-law (an adventurous cook) prepared lobster in this way, and it turns out that some neurological functions continue even when the main brain stem is severed. Like, the thing is still moving even after you cut it in half. I carefully focused upon my email during that period, because I did want to eat the lobster after he cooked it.
 
Posted by lily pad (# 11456) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by balaam:
Son of a fishmonger here:

I have done this many times.If you pop them into a pan of boiling water head first they put their claws on the bottom of the pan and for a short while push back. Not a task for the squeamish the first few times, you get used to it.

We use much deeper pots!
 
Posted by wild haggis (# 15555) on :
 
I like your recipe Piglet but sadly it isn't really Scottish.

Traditionally Scots would never use garlic in cooking. It wasn't available for ordinary households. When I was growing up you would never dream of cooking with garlic.

Hogmanay meals traditionally were steak pie with mashed potatoes and usually eaten after 10pm, when all the cleaning had been done to make the house sparkle for New Year and before you ushered in the New Year with your whiskey, shortbread and various cakes including black bun.

Clapshot is not a traditional accompaniment for haggis. It comes orginally from Orkney.It is good with game. We do it with sausages.

Traditional haggis meals served on Burns Night or St Andrew's Night consist of haggis, neeps (orange turnip/swede not the white stuff) and tatties. The mashed turnip and potatoes are cooked and served separately with plenty of salt and pepper. As haggis is already spiced you don't want any more or you would spoil the spice mix in the king of sausages. Sometimes it is served with a whiskey sauce but it our house we used to add some tomato sauce - sacrilage, I know!

But I still like your recipe.Must try it sometime.

Here is a Chorizo hot pot for cold nights. It's a variant on Portuguese/Brazilian fejeoada. I learned it from my Portuguese landlady.

Serves 4

8onz ring of chorizo of your choice (I prefer Portuguese, not quite so spicy or fatty as Spanish but Spanish can do)

I tin chopped tomatoes

2 sweet potatoes thickly sliced

A small tin each of chick peas/butterbeans/cannelli beans


1 green & 1 red pepper cut into thick chunks

Handful fresh corriander and parsley.

1 large onion

You can add peas if you want, but I never do.

1)Fry onions with thickly diced chorizo until red and rich smelling.
2)Add tomatoes & sweet potatoes and cook for 20 mins.
3)Add beans and herbs and cook another 10-25 mins until it is all melded together into a rich stew.


(Sometimes I have to cook it a wee bit longer, depends on ingredients.)

When ready serve with thick chunks of rough corn bread or other country bread.

Sit back and feel warm and satisfied.

Good for using left over veg including potatoes.
 
Posted by Jengie jon (# 273) on :
 
Wild Haggis

You do realise you are lecturing an Orcadian on what is and what isn't Scottish, don't you?

Jengie
 
Posted by Uncle Pete (# 10422) on :
 
If piglet makes it, it is Scottish, ipso facto.
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by wild haggis:
I like your recipe Piglet but sadly it isn't really Scottish ...

I make no claims about the Scottishness or otherwise of the soup - only that it was based on leftover clapshot.
quote:
Originally posted by wild haggis:
... before you ushered in the New Year with your whiskey (my italics)

If we're talking about what's Scottish and what isn't, I doubt that any self-respecting Scot would usher in the New Year with whiskey ... [Devil]

I should imagine there are as many "traditional" Hogmanay feasts as there are Scottish families: in mine IIRC it was usually a baked gammon joint. When my mum really started to enjoy the delights of cooking (she was a very good cook), it would be served with gratin dauphinoise - potatoes with cream and garlic - and cabbage cooked with garlic and juniper, which I freely admit had b*gger-all to do with Scotland but tasted very nice indeed.

[ 06. January 2018, 19:29: Message edited by: Piglet ]
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Sorry for double-post - missed editing window
quote:
Originally posted by Uncle Pete:
If piglet makes it, it is Scottish, ipso facto.

Thanks, Uncle Pete! [Killing me]

eta: I've just noticed Wild Haggis's "from" line ... [Two face]

[ 06. January 2018, 19:32: Message edited by: Piglet ]
 
Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :
 
Many years ago (maybe 40?) I found in my local library The Alice’s Restaurant Cookbook by Alice May Brock (Yup, that Alice.) IIRC, she suggested adding wine to the boiling water before plunging in the lobsters, so that they died happier and were therefore more tender. I seriously doubt that the wine had time to take effect that quickly.

I know I could never do it. I don't even like taking apart a whole, cooked lobster -- but I love the tails!
 
Posted by wild haggis (# 15555) on :
 
Sorry for the spelling but I am dsylexic!! This site, sadly doesn't have a spell check and looking up a dictionary isn't much help. So please......... no need to be nasty about spelling for those of us who have a genuine disability.

I am aware that there are different traditions within Scotland. I am Scottish after all, born and breed on Clydeside from a proud Scottish family and lived and taught there until I was 27 - with continual visits and stays back. I am very proud of my nationality and all things Scottish.

There is debate about whether the islands in the north are truly Scottish because of their Norse heritage but for my money they are part of Scotland.

New Year's day was a day for ham, yes I agree. Now you're talking!
Ham with marrowfat peas, mashed potatoes and carrots, followed by my grand-dad's trifle.

But Hogmanay always was steak pie, traditionally in Scotland. Modern Scots don't always stick to the old ways.

Yes, Scots do drink the water of life at New Year. My home town, which was almost flattened in the Blitz and had a distillery has now started again. So try some Auchinstoshan. Great stuff.

A happy new year to you all and enjoy traditional Scots food accepting that there are many food traditions within our wonderful country.
 
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
<tangent>Most browsers have spell checkers or the option to use a spell checker. It's not a site function but a browser function. </tangent>
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by wild haggis:
Sorry for the spelling but I am dsylexic!!

My apologies - no offence meant. I just thought you were referring to the wrong nationality of whisk(e)y. [Big Grin]

I've never come across the steak-pie Hogmanay tradition, although my parents both came from Greenock, so if it was a Clydeside thing, they (or their families) must have missed the memo ...
 
Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by wild haggis:
Yes, Scots do drink the water of life at New Year. My home town, which was almost flattened in the Blitz and had a distillery has now started again. So try some Auchinstoshan. Great stuff.

I have the American Oak finished one. However I saw in the new year with The Botanist, a Scottish GIN, and tonic. It was what I fancied at a time. Rules are made to be broken.
 
Posted by georgiaboy (# 11294) on :
 
What is called 'clapshot' (up-thread) sounds like what my Swedish friend serves at her Christmas Eve dinner. She called it 'root-moose' (my approximation of her pronunciation). Google came up with the Swedish spelling of 'rotmos.' Delicious! Particularly with gravadlax.
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
The recipe (by the British cookery writer Delia Smith) from which my soup was adapted calls the base recipe Punchnep.

I'd never heard the name anywhere else; in the recipe book it's described as Scottish, but she seems to have given it the Welsh name.

From the description in the link, I can see where the name comes from - "punched neep" (turnip).

You learn something new every day, eh? [Smile]
 
Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
Swede (yellow turnip) and potato mashed together seems to be a fairly widespread dish. An elderly friend (of Welsh extraction) used to call it 'potch'
(She also called her tortoiseshell cat the same name).
i have often wondered if the word derives from, and should be pronounced, 'poach' as mashing the veg together does remind me of the land often seen around field gates, where it has been 'poached' by the trampling feet of cattle.
 
Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on :
 
I know quite a few people of Scottish extraction and steak pie is definitely a thing with them. They are Glaswegian or from the Kingdom of Fife. I couldn't say which part of Glasgow though.

'Traditional' means whatever we decide it need to means.

BTW, root mash would be stamppot or stoemp in Belgium/the Netherlands and in Casa Arachnid is served with fricassee (a stew of meatballs and pork pieces in lemon gravy) and pickled red cabbage, for birthdays.
 
Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
My children call root vegetable mash "Hunters Mash" because they associate it with shooting lunches for which it is jolly useful since it means you don't have to lug masses of different containers of vegetables out of the back of a 4 x 4 into a draughty bothy.
 
Posted by Cathscats (# 17827) on :
 
The steak pie is definitely a thing for the turn of the year, but some eat it on New Year's Day, rather than Hogmany. I understand from.a Glasgow butcher I know, that some of the Clydesiders like their New Year's pie (but only that one, not the rest of the year) to include sausages with the steak. Which is weird.
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
My wife (from Clydebank) remembers New Year steak pie from her youth. But we always have a good ham now.

There is a pub in Devon (The Nobody Inn) which used to do (5 years ago) the most magnificent steak pie. Whether it's still as good today I don't know.

[ 09. January 2018, 18:13: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
 
Posted by Gill H (# 68) on :
 
For our New Year's Eve meal a deux, Hugal and I made Mary Berry's ginger ham (as seen on the 'party' programme on BBC1 just before Christmas). It was delicious!

Basically it's an unsmoked gammon joint cooked in a saucepan on the hob, or a lidded casserole dish in the oven. You cook it in ginger ale and water for about two and a half hours. Then take the skin off and score the fat. Wrap the joint in foil, leaving the top open. Then pour over some syrup from a jar of preserved ginger (we left our foil a little bit open so it would run down into the foil to create lovely juices). Finish with chopped up stem ginger pieces on the top. Then give it 25 minutes in the oven to brown the glaze.

Amazing, and it did us two meals and some sandwiches too.

We did braised red cabbage and apples with it, which left us with 3 portions to freeze as well as plenty on the day.
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
Sounds wonderful - and I love red cabbage with apple!
 
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
I must find that Mary Berry recipe - I made baked ham, but with apricots, studded the top with cloves and used a mustard/vinegar/molasses glaze. I didn't see any red cabbage to braise with apples, because I love that.

One of the things I found in the very reduced pile recently was a pack of red cabbage glazed with cranberry, which worked really well. It microwaved in not very long or took ages on top of the stove (an hour?).
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
I didn't see any red cabbage to braise with apples, because I love that.

We bought ours ready prepared from the chiller cabinet at W++tr+s+. You can also get it in glass jars from your local Polish shop.
 
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
I used to get red cabbage regularly when I had a veggie box and would braise half and use the other half in salads. Braised red cabbage with sausages and baked potatoes is a nice supper meal, followed by rice pudding - fills the oven and cooks about the same temperature, leaving left overs for another day. Red cabbage works shredded in with a blue cheese dressing.
 
Posted by MaryLouise (# 18697) on :
 
Another fan of red cabbage chopped up and stewed with red onion, a green cooking apple, soft brown sugar, cloves, a little cinnamon, a few caraway seeds and balsamic vinegar, some black pepper.

Excellent with venison, lentil bakes, roast duck and gammon.
 
Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Gill H:
pour over some syrup from a jar of preserved ginger .

There just isn't enough syrup in a ginger jar for all the things it could be used for!
My usual gammon recipe has a whisky & marmalade glaze, but I am very fond of ginger, so when I have a new jar of ginger, one with enough syrup to spare, I might give this a try - I do have a piece of gammon in the freezer, as I halved a big joint at Christmas. (The supermarket had pieces of gammon that would fit in my slow-cooker for £10, or some "on offer" that were twice as big, which I could cut into two pieces of roughly the right dimensions for £11. The smaller "half" of one of those big joints is the piece in the freezer).
I also like red cabbage, but they are too big for the two of us. I braise half with apple, which serves the two of us twice, and leaves another serving each for the freezer. Then the other half cabbage gradually dehydrates in the veg box.
 
Posted by wild haggis (# 15555) on :
 
Yummy.

I make a mix of runny honey, a teaspoon of English mustard and some thick cut marmalade - depends on the size of the ham how much I use. That's after I have taken of the skin, scored the fat and put cloves in.

I boil my ham first with celery, onion and bay leaf and the last half hour finish it off in the oven with the glaze. The boiling liquid then can be used for a base for soup.

My grandfather used to use a mixture of marmalade and whisky. My aunt used home-made bramble jelly. My mum used apple sauce. You can take your pick I suppose.

Served with buttered mashed potatoes with chives or parsley, glazed carrots and peas - what could be better on a cold New Year's day.

You can take you pick, I think.

We had a butcher in Clydebank who made brilliant steak pies. He was called Mr Tough and his strap line was...."If it's Toughs, it's tender."
 
Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by wild haggis:
We had a butcher in Clydebank who made brilliant steak pies. He was called Mr Tough and his strap line was...."If it's Toughs, it's tender."

Love it!
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Another fan of braised red cabbage with apples checking in! On Hogmanay, as well as haggis and clapshot, we served a small baked ham with braised red cabbage and apples (recipe from Delia Smith's Christmas).

I was lucky enough to find a half red cabbage, so I halved the recipe and it worked out very well, with just a little left over. I kept it in the fridge and re-heated it in the microwave about a week later, and it was just fine.
 
Posted by Gill H (# 68) on :
 
Yes, we used Delia’s recipe too. Delicious.
 
Posted by Hedgehog (# 14125) on :
 
Over on the Soup Maker thread, I mentioned making Red Lentil & Lemon Soup today, so I may as well put the recipe here.

Ingredients:
● 3 tbsp olive oil
● 1 large onion, chopped
● 2 cloves garlic, minced
● 1 tbsp tomato paste
● 1 tsp ground cumin
● 1/4 tsp kosher salt, more to taste
● 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
● 1 pinch ground chile powder , more to taste
● 1 qt. chicken broth
● 2 cups water
● 1 cup red lentils
● 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
● Juice of 1 lemon
● 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:
1 In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.

2 Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

3 Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

4 Using a blender, purée half the soup (about 4 cups) then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.

5 Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro.

It makes roughly two quarts of soup.
 
Posted by MaryLouise (# 18697) on :
 
That looks delicious, Hedgehog. I have a vegetarian friend coming over for lunch this week, so I would use vegetable stock rather than chicken broth.
 
Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
How does kosher salt vary from other salt? Is it what my mother's generation would have called "plain salt," which was salt with none of additives?

In NZ iodine is added to table salt because it is a trace element lacking in the soil which meant that goitres were common in earlier times.

Huia
 
Posted by Hedgehog (# 14125) on :
 
Kosher salt tends to be somewhat coarser than regular table salt, but the real difference is that it usually does not have the added iodide.
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
When a friend was going through treatment for thyroid cancer, she was told to avoid iodised salt and use kosher salt instead. She was concerned that shop-bought bread would have ordinary salt in it, so I bought some kosher salt and used it in some bread that I made for her.

It seemed to behave pretty much the same way as ordinary salt - I usually crushed up the grains a bit so that the volume would be right in the bread recipe.
 
Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
Standard UK table salt is not iodised. You are only liable to get iodised salt if you either specifically buy it (a well-known brand still makes it - yellow packaging) or you opt for "sea" salt.
 
Posted by Kitten (# 1179) on :
 
I remember when I was young, my mother had separate salt for cooking and table. The cooking salt arrived in a loaf shape wrapped in waxed paper and was slices with a bread knife before being stored in a crock.

I haven't seen this for years and use table salt for everything
 
Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Hedgehog:
Over on the Soup Maker thread, I mentioned making Red Lentil & Lemon Soup today, so I may as well put the recipe here.

This recipe looked really good, in spite of the fact that I don't seem to enjoy lentils as much as everyone else does. Oh. My. It's really good! I made a pot of it this morning, and took a container over to my parents' house, too.

I'm waiting for their opinion, and mine is that this is a permanent addition to my soup recipes!
 
Posted by MaryLouise (# 18697) on :
 
What JJ said. Hedgehog, that soup (with vegetable broth) was a great success.
 
Posted by Hedgehog (# 14125) on :
 
I'm so pleased you like it! I am relatively new to lentil soups (being actually a little surprised that there even were different colors!) and I personally find that red lentils are tastier than "regular" lentils.
 
Posted by lily pad (# 11456) on :
 
The red ones cook up quickly too.
 
Posted by Uncle Pete (# 10422) on :
 
The tastiest, but fiddliest, of lentils are mung dahl. Those little balls of happiness have to be soaked overnight, but once that is over, water in a pot at medium heat cooks them thoroughly. Well worth the effort, cooked with chilies, garlic pieces to taste.

If you are confident with a pressure cooker, the pre-soak can be skipped.
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I think next time I'm in Soup Dragon mode (probably early next week) I'll give Hedgehog's lentil soup a go too - it looks yummy.
 
Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by MaryLouise:
Hedgehog, that soup (with vegetable broth) was a great success.

I'm actually going to use veggie broth to make it again on Saturday! My friend is coming home from a long vaca, and I want to surprise her with a batch of it in her fridge when she gets home!
 
Posted by MaryLouise (# 18697) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Uncle Pete:
The tastiest, but fiddliest, of lentils are mung dahl. Those little balls of happiness have to be soaked overnight, but once that is over, water in a pot at medium heat cooks them thoroughly. Well worth the effort, cooked with chilies, garlic pieces to taste.

If you are confident with a pressure cooker, the pre-soak can be skipped.

I'd forgotten mung beans are from the same family as peas and lentils, but mung dahl or moong dal is very popular out here in South Africa where many Indian South Africans are from a Gujarati background. I make a mung dahl (called khatta mung) with chilli, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, garlic, ginger and a little creamy yoghurt. Delicious and cooling in hot weather.
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
My spouse is having upcoming surgery that requires a pre- operative three weeks of a mostly liquid diet...which is leaving me on my own as far as my meals. Because I don’t want to be sitting across from E1 and her chicken broth with some delectable feast on my own plate, I’m trying to eat foods she either hates outright ( salmon, parsnips) or couldn’t eat anyway ( most fibrous veggies; most vegan dishes). This week I think I’m going to try a vegan lasagna based on something I saw on Pinterest; it has a tofu faux- ricotta filling and is topped with faux Parmesan cheese made from nutritional yeast and cashews...sufficiently icky from E1’s perspective, lol.
 
Posted by Pangolin Guerre (# 18686) on :
 
I post this with some reservation, but friends of mine to whom I've passed this on have been very positive. I offer this up.

While there is considerable variation by locale, 27 January is widely observed as Holocaust Memorial Day. This is from a documentary on CBC Radio1, a programme called The Doc Project. It's a cake recipe that survived the Shoah. Make it - or whatever else - to help you remember.
 
Posted by Pangolin Guerre (# 18686) on :
 
I'll try the link again.
 
Posted by Pangolin Guerre (# 18686) on :
 
Ah! That works.
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
The vegan lasagna was outstanding. I had low expectations for both the ricotta and Parmesan analogs, but they both turned out great. The parm is 3/4 cup raw cashews ( or blanched almonds), 3 Tbs nutritional yeast and 1 tsp salt, buzzed in a food processor. The ricotta was made with one 15 oz package of extra- firm tofu, drained and pressed; 1/4 cup nutritional yeast; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp each onion and garlic powders and ground pepper; about a dozen minced basil leaves or dried equivalent; and the juice and rind of one lemon. ( The lemon seems excessive, but it was fine.) I layered the lasagna with spinach and sautéed mushrooms.
 
Posted by MaryLouise (# 18697) on :
 
That sounds delicious, LutheranChik. After several years now of cooking and eating many vegan dishes, I have forgotten associations with the meat/dairy dishes from which they are derived so just think of nut or tofu or mushroom flavours rather than Parmesan or ricotta or meaty sauces.

I made a Burns' Night dish with mushroom, lentils and cashew nuts and called it 'haggis' which was a jarring note because those who like haggis missed 'real' offaly haggis, and those who find the idea of haggis revolting would rather have called the dish a mushroom bake.

[ 26. January 2018, 06:13: Message edited by: MaryLouise ]
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
MaryLouise: As an enthusiastic omnivore, I would have totally loved your haggis! Anything with mushrooms or lentils in it makes me happy. I would also be game to taste traditional haggis. ( Lamb fries are the most offal-y cut of lamb that I have ever experienced.)

[ 26. January 2018, 15:03: Message edited by: LutheranChik ]
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I make my own haggis, from a recipe called "Americanised haggis" - I call it "coward's haggis", as the nearest thing to offal it has is lamb (or chicken) livers.

It also uses minced lamb, egg, oatmeal, spices and a wee drop of whisky, and is baked in a tin like a meat-loaf.

In fact, if your friends are at all squeamish, just tell them it is meat-loaf. [Big Grin]
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
A few days before DS went on her full liquid diet, I made cod chowder. I’d never made a fish chowder from scratch before. DS, who lived in Maine for over a decade, declared it Maine- worthy, which was high praise.
 
Posted by MaryLouise (# 18697) on :
 
I’m another enthusiastic omnivore, LutheranChik although I cook a great many vegetarian and vegan dishes because I am so fond of vegetables and there are so many fascinating recipes around now, including Ottolenghi’s Middle East vegetable-based dishes.

Piglet, your ‘coward’s haggis’ sounds great. I’ve had the real deal,minced sheep’s lungs, heart, intestines etc genuine haggis served up by an anti-Sassenach-wimps fire-breathing Scot from Stornaway and it was tasty but, um, funky. I’m not sure I’d rush to make it or have it again!

The old habit of making vegetable dishes resemble meat dishes or naming them after meat dishes to make them sound more appealing is becoming a thing of the past. I always felt that lentil ‘cutlets’ didn’t do justice to lentils (ditto cottage pie with lentils) and veggie hamburgers needed a different PR.
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
Last night I made chicken pot pie to use up some remade pie crust dough we had left over from Christmas. My pot pie experience has always been the frozen variety... mine turned much better than that ( yay!), and a visiting friend took seconds and took some home. Dear Spouse, who hates pot pies with the blazing intensity of a thousand suns, happily dipped her liquid. diet clear soup while we tore into the pie.

Our recent lasagna experiment aside, I agree about veggie dishes being used as meat analogs instead of being allowed to shine as themselves. When our SiL was in the hospital several years ago, in an SDA with both omnivore and vegetarian cafeterias, it was interesting to note how many cutlets and loaves were being served in the latter - it was very 1960’s health- food- store.
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
I rustled up something last night I dubbed ‘Caribbean Paella’ which lends itself to wide adaptation.

I put a tray of chopped vegetable (in this case red pepper and onion with a couple of whole chillis and garlic) scattered with halved jerk-flavoured sausages in the oven to roast. When they were dsufficiently done, I got the wok, put in a handful of frozen peas and sweetcorn and a packet of ready-cooked rice, heated those for a few minutes, then tipped in the veg and sausage with any juices (but subtracting the chillis and garlic). Stir together for a few more minutes, add a dash of stock or wine or hot sauce or whatever takes your fancy and there you go.

Obviously you can vary the vegetables, leave out the sausages, tip in prawns in the final stage, make it more Asiatic than Caribbean with egg-fried rice and tofu etc etc.
 
Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
That sounds like a good base for all sorts of dishes, Firenze.

My go-to paella recipe is adapted from one in Save with Jamie by the rather ubiquitous Mr. Oliver, and has chicken, sausages, red peppers, onion, garlic, saffron, a little paprika, tomato puree, stock, rice, prawns and peas, and is really nice (and very pretty with the different coloured bits and pieces).

It's also dead easy, which is always a Good Thing. [Smile]
 
Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
May I take you on a shopping and cooking adventure? My cousin shared this recipe for ginger garlic noodle soup with bok choy.

So, off to the grocery store we go. Cri(e)mini mushrooms. Should be easy to find. Nope. One of the old fashioned words of displeasure from my parents' childhoods was criminy. Seems appropriate. OK, I'll just get plain white 'shrooms.

Rice noodles. What? I have to choose wide or tiny thin? Wide noodles it is, then.

Star anise. I used to have some a couple of decades ago. None here in the store. What to do, what to do. I'll use anise seeds and put them in a tea sock! Yeah! That'll work. (Heaven forbid I would look at the bottom of the recipe to see that stick cinnamon could be used.)

And bok choy. First time for buying that!

So, this morning, I was chopping and slicing and preparing all the ingredients so all I have to do is dump things into the soup pot, like all you excellent cooks do! It did take longer than I thought it would, though. Chop a shallot, grab a tissue and wipe eyes and nose. Wash hands. Do the same after second and third shallots. Well, who knew that once the eyes and nose started waterfalling, the same would happen while slicing the green onions (known as 'stinkers' in my family who eat them out of hand just because.)

Wipe eyes, blow nose, wash hands four million times. Buy stock in tissue company.

Ok, cooked the shallots. Added the stinkers, garlic and ginger. So far so good.

Add the chicken stock, low sodium soy sauce and anise sock. Oops. I wasn't supposed to add the soy any anise until the stock came to a simmer. Oh Well!! [Big Grin]

While that is simmering, clean up various bowls and knives and such. Pick up packet of anise seed. Oops. Picked it up from the bottom. Half of the seeds go all over the floor. Sigh. Get broom and dustpan. Clean up seeds from floor. Wash hands. Get tissue, wipe nose again. Wash hands again.

Does anyone else have adventures like this while making new recipes?

Spoiler alert! The soup is really yummy!!! It is added to my list of favorite soups to make!

The end.

[You'd think I could spell a little better at my age.]

[ 05. February 2018, 18:34: Message edited by: jedijudy ]
 
Posted by Pangolin Guerre (# 18686) on :
 
Last Friday a friend took me out for my birthday lunch to a local pub known for its food. A very cold, clear day, ca. -20C, so I had the lamb and ale stew (and a half litre of local cabernet franc). It was very good, indeed, but had something I've never had in a lamb stew before - beets! Really quite delicious (at least, for those who love beets, such as me). The rest of the vegetation was as one would expect in winter. Lots of good bread for mopping up, too.

Next lamb stew I make, I'm going to par-roast some baby or small beets, then add them during the assembling, and give it a go.

[ 06. February 2018, 03:26: Message edited by: Pangolin Guerre ]
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
I have an Ecudorean lamb stew I make occasionally which is finished with mashed ripe banana. So yes, I can believe a little sweetness goes well with lamb.
 
Posted by MaryLouise (# 18697) on :
 
Went out for lunch the other day and had a roasted beetroot and fresh fig salad with a sharp dressing, very pleasant combination of sweet flavours.

I add sliced fennel to lamb stews for sweetness.
 
Posted by Arleigh (# 5332) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
I have an Ecudorean lamb stew I make occasionally which is finished with mashed ripe banana. So yes, I can believe a little sweetness goes well with lamb.

Do you have a recipe? Google couldn't show me one ...

Thanks ♥Arleigh
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
You need - (I’ve not given quantities as it depends how many your making for. But the method is based on 2 helpings)

Cubed lamb
Garlic
Red peppers, cut into strips
Fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
Cumin
Limes, quartered
Wine and stock, or just stock
Ripe banana
Fresh coriander.

Season the lamb with salt and pepper, a little oil and crushed garlic and let it marinate at room temperature for half an hour (or as long as you’ve got while you prep stuff). Batch fry your lamb until browned and put in casserole. Add the sliced pepper, chilli and half a tsp of cumin to the pan, fry for a few minutes and add to the lamb. Deglaze the pan with the wine/stock. Pour that in. Add the lime quarters, cover and simmer (or put in a slow oven) for about an hour or until the lamb is tender. Just before serving, fish out the limes, add a mashed banana and the chopped coriander and cook for a further 5 minutes stirring constantly.
 
Posted by Dormouse (# 5954) on :
 
Tonight we're having my favourite "lasagne" recipe - I put it in inverted commas, as I don't think any Italian would recognise it as lasagne - but I love it. It's a Mary Berry recipe and here it is for your delectation

I sometimes make it with cooked pasta instead of lasagne sheets, so it becomes a pasta bake instead.
 
Posted by Pangolin Guerre (# 18686) on :
 
ML - There is an Armenian recipe for braised lamb shanks that calls for fennel bulb. Delicious. I found it in Victoria Jenanyan Wise's The Armenian Table.

Firenze - I will try the recipe, even though I'm not keen on banana. Questions: Proportionally, how much banana? Given the ingredients, I'm guessing use white wine? What could I use in lieu of banana, but still keep it Ecuadorian (a cuisine about I know nothing)?

[ 07. February 2018, 12:44: Message edited by: Pangolin Guerre ]
 
Posted by Arleigh (# 5332) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
You need ...

Thank you - it reads delicious.
I'm going to try it (soon as the weather cools down a bit).

♥Arleigh
 
Posted by MaryLouise (# 18697) on :
 
PG, I'm wondering if you might try some sweet potato or yams? Not too much because that would be stodgy but mashed yam would give a similar texture and sweetness.
 
Posted by Gill H (# 68) on :
 
Long time Shipmates may remember Shoewoman from Germany. We stayed with her a few times and learned a recipe we’re cooking tonight.

I present to you Leeks a la Shoewoman.

Slice the top and bottom off some leeks (2 per person). Run a knife down the side so you can wash out any grit.

Part cook the leeks either in boiling water or in the microwave. Then wrap slices of ham round each leek and place in an ovenproof dish.

Cover with a cheese sauce and some grated cheese on top.

Finish off in the oven.

[ 08. February 2018, 05:12: Message edited by: Gill H ]
 
Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on :
 
The French do much the same thing, but using endives.

(I assume the reason endives have never caught on in the UK is the bitterness. The climate is perfectly adapted to their cultivation – cold and damp. I quite like them personally.)
 
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by la vie en rouge:
The French do much the same thing, but using endives.

(I assume the reason endives have never caught on in the UK is the bitterness. The climate is perfectly adapted to their cultivation – cold and damp. I quite like them personally.)

They aren't nice with no accompaniment, but that is true of many vegetables, especially given the English tendency to put veg. on to boil at the conclusion of the previous meal.
 
Posted by MaryLouise (# 18697) on :
 
Endives are often sold as chicory or witlof here in South Africa and I enjoy them in salads or as a baked gratin.

I'm also fond of purple-red radicchio leaves in salads, although they are far more bitter than endives. It may be an acquired taste.
 
Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Pangolin Guerre:

Firenze - I will try the recipe, even though I'm not keen on banana. Questions: Proportionally, how much banana? Given the ingredients, I'm guessing use white wine? What could I use in lieu of banana, but still keep it Ecuadorian (a cuisine about I know nothing)?

One banana to c 500g lamb. And it really doesn’t taste bananay (the chilli sees to that). Your ignorance of Eucador can not be more profound than mine, so I have no idea what else they have to hand. I say, go with the banana. But thenI am a fan of banana fried with bacon (sweet! Salty! Sticky!)
 
Posted by Gracious rebel (# 3523) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Gill H:
Long time Shipmates may remember Shoewoman from Germany. We stayed with her a few times and learned a recipe we’re cooking tonight.

I present to you Leeks a la Shoewoman.

Slice the top and bottom off some leeks (2 per person). Run a knife down the side so you can wash out any grit.

Part cook the leeks either in boiling water or in the microwave. Then wrap slices of ham round each leek and place in an ovenproof dish.

Cover with a cheese sauce and some grated cheese on top.

Finish off in the oven.

I've known that recipe since I was a student in about 1980, and always knew it as 'St Davids Day bake'
 
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by MaryLouise:
PG, I'm wondering if you might try some sweet potato or yams? Not too much because that would be stodgy but mashed yam would give a similar texture and sweetness.

Actually, Ecuadorians do cook a certain kind of sweet potato (not African yam) so an approximation shouldn't be too off base.
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
Back around New Year’s Day I drew up a list of cooking challenges I’ve wanted to take but have just been unmotivated to do so. I cut the list into little slips, folded them up and stuck them in an envelope. Every month I will take one out and do it.

This month I drew “Make Cheese.” Hmmm.

I’m thinking yogurt cheese or ricotta. Any other ideas for fresh cheese that don’t require exotic ingredients?
 
Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
Allow milk to become solid but not smelly. Then strain through muslin, cheesecloth or even paper towels in a colander. The result will be soft cheese/curds. I've made curd tarts using it and they are very tasty.
 
Posted by Jengie jon (# 273) on :
 
I have never done it but I came across the fact that Paneer seems remarkable easy to make, no exotic ingredients and is a cheese.

Jengie
 
Posted by Dormouse (# 5954) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Gracious rebel:
quote:
Originally posted by Gill H:
Long time Shipmates may remember Shoewoman from Germany. We stayed with her a few times and learned a recipe we’re cooking tonight.

I present to you Leeks a la Shoewoman.

Slice the top and bottom off some leeks (2 per person). Run a knife down the side so you can wash out any grit.

Part cook the leeks either in boiling water or in the microwave. Then wrap slices of ham round each leek and place in an ovenproof dish.

Cover with a cheese sauce and some grated cheese on top.

Finish off in the oven.

I've known that recipe since I was a student in about 1980, and always knew it as 'St Davids Day bake'
This was the first meal that I cooked for MrD when we were "courting". Being brought up by a mother who liked convenience food I was just opening the packet of cheese sauce mix when MrD walked into the kitchen. Being brought up by a mother who cooked everything from scratch, he took over and made a proper cheese sauce with a roux and grated cheese and all that.
He still married me.
 
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
I make curd cheese fairly regularly - as a way of using and eating milk that's on its way out. That's just a matter of letting the milk turn, then straining the curds out. I would add chopped chives or onion, ground pepper to the curds and eat.

eta - another one here who knows that leek gratinée recipe - I learned it from a work colleague in the 80s - when we worked on an industrial estate miles from anywhere and took it in turns to cook. Another of the co-workers was Greek Cypriot, so we occasionally ate homemade stifado and other delights.

[ 11. February 2018, 12:39: Message edited by: Curiosity killed ... ]
 
Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
I thought that milk that has been pasteurised went bad before it soured and can't be used as sour milk in scones etc. Surely that also applies to its use for cheese.
Many years ago I occasionally made paneer with acidulated milk, using lemon juice. I haven't tried vinegar, doesn't it give the cheese a vinegary flavour?


As to the ham/leek recipe, I used that back in the '70s as a basis for a Shrove Tuesday meal, wrapping the leeks & ham in pancakes before covering with cheese sauce and baking.
 
Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
I'm still alive, and the milk was usable. As suggested upthread, the curds can be used for sweet and savoury dishes.
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
BTW, another of my challenges, somewhere in the pile of slips, is to make a recipe out of one of my many cookbooks that sit around unused, lol. Up in Resort Country, in the off- season when it’s harder to attract diners, several restaurants have Cookbook Nights or months where they do something along the same lines — pick an interesting cookbook and use it to come up with off- menu specials.

Paneer is a definite possibility. We like Indian food, and I think it would also be a good alternative to queso fresco in Mexican dishes.
 
Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
I came across a second hand copy of The Soup Bible and am working my way through it, according to available ingredients, to see how many of the recipes work in my soup machine. Omitting fat and therefore any sautéing.
 
Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Jengie jon:
I have never done it but I came across the fact that Paneer seems remarkable easy to make, no exotic ingredients and is a cheese.

Jengie

As I was checking Jengie's link, I saw that there was also a process for making ricotta cheese! Therefore, yesterday I made it and used it to make a yummy white pizza!

Thanks Jengie! I remember reading a story about kids making cheese when I was a child, and have thought about that through the many years that have followed. It was an easy thing to do, and I feel so...empowered! [Big Grin]
 
Posted by Martha (# 185) on :
 
I made paneer once. It's amazing! You put all the milk in a pan and boil it, and are completely sceptical that a little bit of lemon juice will turn it into anything edible, but lo and behold, it all clumps up and turns cheesy!

My only difficulty was pressing it evenly to form a solid lump, but it was perfectly edible. Only to be attempted when you have a lot of excess milk,though.
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
I am inspired!
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
Sorry for the double post... but I am making split pea soup today. Actually the slow cooker is making it; I did hardly anything to contribute.

How do the rest of you make yours? And are you green or yellow split pea people? DS, who lived in Maine for a decade and ate a lot of French- Canadian food, favors yellow peas. In my family, we used them interchangably. My mom used to like to put a smoked ham hock in hers; we’re trying to avoid that amount of fat, so for this week’s soup I’m using part of a ham steak —,actually a chunky tail-end slice of a bone-in ham. I just add water, onions, carrots, celery, a bay leaf, peppercorns and savory. I have made a vegan version too that was fairly good, but I did a lot of tinkering with seasonings to get an umami note.
 
Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
I used to make the green split peas into soup. We'd put the leftover hambone from the previous ham dinner with all the leftover bits on it, and celery, shredded carrot, salt and pepper with water to cover. Simple, but so good and filling!
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
Yes, that's the way to do it. The gourmet ham stores actually will sell you the bone, denuded of man, for soup. I am too cheap for this, and use a smoked ham hock.
 
Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by LutheranChik:
... I am making split pea soup today...
How do the rest of you make yours? And are you green or yellow split pea people?

I make split pea soup when we have cooked a piece of gammon - as I can't bear throwing the cooking liquid away.
I add onion, carrots, celery, sage, thyme and black peppercorns and soaked yellow split peas, cook until the vegetable and peas are soft then whizz it in the food processor.
To serve I reheat it, adding any leftover meat from the joint, chopped or shredded.
 
Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
The gourmet ham stores actually will sell you the bone, denuded of man, for soup.

Your ham bones come with naked men? I must go shopping with you!!!
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
Oops, missed the edit window, sorry! I meant 'meat', hate to disappoint you!
 
Posted by MaryLouise (# 18697) on :
 
Waiter, there's no man in my soup!

I've found that some fatless shin works well in a split pea soup when I don't want a rich hambone taste or am cooking for friends who don't eat pork products.

[ 20. February 2018, 04:40: Message edited by: MaryLouise ]
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
For some unknown reason my grocery store has been selling beef marrow bones, neatly sawn into sections. I believe these are intended for soup, but I of course wisely broil them first to eat the marrow. Then the denuded and now nearly defatted bones go into a stock pot, with some onion and peppercorns and a bay leaf or so. This gets you a gelatin-rich but not very fatty or meaty stock -- it's yellowish, not brown, and doesn't taste of beef. It makes a great soup base, and would be fine in a lentil soup. I used the last batch however in a Chinese lamb soup with tofu skins.
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
There are people who like to roast the split vones, then eat the roasted marrow with a spoon...not my favorite thing,but my parents loved marrow.

Since we're a household of two, we rarely have a proper hambone for soup-making.So I usually get a hock, even though it's too fatty for my taste. Our ham steak was a good stand-up in, though...smokier than usual.

I'm other cooking news...making facsimile ricotta this weekend for lasagna.I'm using The Barefoot Contessa's recipe, which is more like quark or queso fresco as far as cooking it -- just curdling
milk and cream with a little vinegar and straining out the curds.
 
Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by LutheranChik:


Since we're a household of two, we rarely have a proper hambone for soup-making.So I usually get a hock, even though it's too fatty for my taste. Our ham steak was a good stand-up in, though...smokier than usual.

I sometimes buy a cooked ham hock from the farmers' market and after cutting off all the fat, there's enough meat on it for about 3 meals for me as a single - it goes into the freezer in one person portions. And I boil the bone to make stock.
 
Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 
In stores near me they stock smoked ham shins which are much less fatty and more meaty than hocks. I used to use hocks like my mom did but I found ham shins and never looked back. [Smile]
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
My cheese project is on hold...I just realized that I don’t own a cooking thermometer, which a newbie like me should probably have. On to my March challenge: Piecrust.
 
Posted by MaryLouise (# 18697) on :
 
I use an adaptation of Dan Leppard's rough puff pastry with iced water, very cold butter and rolling out, folding and rolling again between bouts in the fridge.

Can't find the simpler recipe online, will keep looking. It is light as air and not crumbly, very delicate though.
 
Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
Unusually cold and snowy round here, so we will be having oxtail stew for dinner. I don't make it very often, and have no go-to recipe. Whichever I use it never tastes as good as the oxtail stew I remember my mother making.
 
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
Unusually cold and snowy round here, so we will be having oxtail stew for dinner. I don't make it very often, and have no go-to recipe. Whichever I use it never tastes as good as the oxtail stew I remember my mother making.

One of the keys is browning the oxtail pieces well before adding the stock. (Not water, beef stock.) Then long slow cooking.
 


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