Food

[Oblarg]

What are you eating right now?

 

I'm enjoying some onion bhaji.

[Humodour]

What are you eating right now?

 

I'm enjoying some onion bhaji.

 

I just had some wedges with sour cream and sweet chili. Mmmm.

[Krookie]

Homemade cookies courtesy of a couple of a few girls down the hall from me, yaaaay!

[Hiro Protagonist]

Went to Killa's today for their 30 cm (1 foot) wide burger. They serve it in a cake box. Still digesting it after an hour since I got home.

 

 

[Gorth]

The usual office fare at work... Greek salad with Feta and Olives, Tuna, Pineapple, Tomato an some unknown stuff and a sandwich with some chicken and avocado. Not bad

[Oblarg]

Well, I was only able to eat my onion bhaji before filling up, so I now have roti, vindaloo, and rice all waiting for some time tomorrow.

 

I would have eaten the full meal, but there was a rather funny incident at Indian restaurant I ordered take out from - there was some confusion in the kitchen in which they made a garlic naan that no one had actually ordered, so they gave it to me while I waited for my food. It was a large garlic naan, and by the time the food was done I was almost full (I don't have a very big appetite).

 

Ah well, I'll probably go back to the place again, they're very friendly. They also make the curry nice and hot.

[Walsingham]

I may have to make a curry now. You bastard.

[Nepenthe]

Since I'm not allowed to eat solid foods for two weeks now, this thread is not making me feel better.

[mkreku]

You're a Finn, you're supposed to live off of vodka anyhow, stop whining.

[Walsingham]

I may have to make a curry now. You bastard.

 

I made roasted pork chops in lime and soy sauce, served on celeriac and carrot mash. With carroway seasoning.

[Nepenthe]

You're a Finn, you're supposed to live off of vodka anyhow, stop whining.

 

Well, better vodka than folk

[Enoch]

Leftovers. The other night, I cooked a pork tenderloin. Seasoned it with salt & pepper and browned it in a pan, then transferred to a baking dish in a 400F oven to cook until the internal temp reached 140F. Meanwhile, in the still-hot pan, sauteed a minced shallot and a clove of garlic in a little oil. Then added some chicken stock, some white wine, some cider vinegar, an apple (peeled cored and sliced), and a fistful of dried cherries (chopped). Reduced. Added a little butter and salt. Once the meat was cooked and rested, sliced and served with the sauce. And some green beans.

 

One of the better pan sauces I've ever made-- just the right balance of vinegar to sweet to savory. (Too bad I didn't measure any of the liquids.)

Edited October 27, 2010 by Enoch

[LadyCrimson]

Brunch: Toast w/blueberry preserves & some vanilla yogurt.

 

Think I'll make a Boboli thin crust pizza tonight. Just pepperoni/jalapeno/onion.

[LadyCrimson]

Making a pork roast and it's making the house smell nummy!

In another couple hours or so it'll be in my tummy!

[Monte Carlo]

I am making an Iberian-themed slow-cooked beef stew with chorizo, carrots, cumin, garlic and tomatoes.

 

I'll be eating it in about ten hours with buttery mashed potatoes, green beans and (bizarrely) nachos and guacamole.

 

Am contemplating what to drink with it, probably a dark but cold beer, maybe a Dos Equis Gran Reserva.

[Walsingham]

I am making an Iberian-themed slow-cooked beef stew with chorizo, carrots, cumin, garlic and tomatoes.

 

I'll be eating it in about ten hours with buttery mashed potatoes, green beans and (bizarrely) nachos and guacamole.

 

Am contemplating what to drink with it, probably a dark but cold beer, maybe a Dos Equis Gran Reserva.

 

If you're going to go with a dark beer - and I think you're right - then don't muck about with some half arsed iberian one. Sounds to me like you'd be better off with something a little crisp, but still dark from Samuel Smiths.

[Gorth]

Lets see... had some roast chicken, different kinds of cheese, crackers, pine apple, melons, figs, dates, various nuts, fresh strawberries and red wine (and beer for those aren't wine drinkers).

 

Had to wear a funny tie too.

 

Yeah, it's Melbourne Cup day, so we had a long lunch at work. Americaine won me $15 in the betting pool

[Oblarg]

Had pho for dinner. Was good.

[LadyCrimson]

Cold weather always makes me want soup and noodles. That includes, when I'm lazy, cheap Top Ramen (with added things put in), but good pho, hot & sour, or wonton-styles soup are always the best. Mmm, comfort food!

[Irrelevant]

How did you guys learn to cook? I can make basic stuff but I usually don't know what to add to a meal to make it unique, any ideas on what types of spices or ingredients I could buy to add to a meal?

[Gorth]

How did you guys learn to cook? I can make basic stuff but I usually don't know what to add to a meal to make it unique, any ideas on what types of spices or ingredients I could buy to add to a meal?

I can't cook. I can however heat stuff. As long as I only have to watch a single pot or pan on the stove, I'll manage. Just follow the KISS principle. Fry some meat on the pan, add some spice and get something simple like steamed vegetables or rice (both of which can be made in the microwave) to it.

 

If it gets boring, add more spices

 

Edit: If you burn the meat, add more red wine... lots.

[Enoch]

A good place to start is with soup. Find some bare-bones recipes for a soup you enjoy, and try variations. (Different proteins, different vegetables/aromatics, different stocks/liquids, different herbs/spices, etc.) And if you're staring with store-bought stock (perfectly acceptable, but you will want to try a few and pick a quality low-sodium brand) and pre-cooked (or leftover) proteins, it can be very quick and easy. My go-to "I want something good in 30 minutes with ingredients I always keep on-hand" is a simple spicy black bean soup.

[Oblarg]

I will share my family recipe for chicken soup for the sake of the thread. Amounts are approximate, I never actually measure them. As a rule of thumb, the key to good chicken soup is *lots of vegetables.* If you're ever in doubt about the amount of vegetables you have, add more.

 

Ingredients:

 

One whole chicken

Two whole onions, peeled and cut into quarters

3-5 cloves garlic

One cup parsnips or two cups carrots, peeled and chopped

Three stalks of celery, chopped

One sprig fresh dill, or a teaspoon dried

Two teaspoons thyme

One tablespoon salt, or more to taste

Two teaspoons ground pepper

 

Place all ingredients in a large pot, and add cold water to cover chicken.

Place on stove, uncovered, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and partially cover, let simmer for at least five hours.

Taste periodically. When done to satisfaction, separate the solids from the liquid (I use a calendar).

Discard the vegetables - you may keep the chicken for the soup, though it will be rather flavorless and won't keep well.

Refrigerate, skim off fat once it solidifies.

Serve with noodles and/or matzah balls (you can find a recipe for these on the back of any matzah meal container).

 

Notes:

This makes a *huge* amount of soup. Unless you have a family of four (it would generally last mine for two to three meals), you're going to have too much to consume before it goes bad. Fear not - after skimming off the fat, you can keep it indefinitely by bringing it back to a boil, and then freezing it (preferably in meal-sized portions). Noodles and matzah balls should always be prepared separately for each meal. Do not boil noodles or matzah balls in the soup itself to cook them - you'll cloud up the broth and the texture will be wrong. Instead, boil them in salted water. In the case of Matzah Balls, after this they can be added to the soup and remain there for a fairly long period of time (about a day or so) without degrading. Noodles cannot be left in liquid for any significant amount of time without turning to mush.

 

Well, that was long-winded.

[Walsingham]

I learned to cook because my mother was a terrible cook and my absent father was not. That is he taught me the basics. How to kill and clean animals, how to grind spices, how to approach cookery. Rabbit stew, steamed mussels, pig's feet in molasses, and so on. Then I was obliged to use these skills or be forced to eat pies made out of things like hazelnuts and potato with tomato slices in.

 

My most notable meal recently was wok fried lamb's liver. Put in a deep slug of olive oil, white flour on the 2cm chunk's of washed lamb's liver. A good dash of salt. Cooked until only a little pink left in the centre of each cube. Added some red wine vinegar to the sauce and a very small dab of pepper. Served over boiled potatos in their skins. No extra butter is needed as the thick gravy is enough.

[Nepenthe]

I mostly make quick 'n dirty mediterranean food, due to my parents having lived there for decades (and myself for a lesser time). Occasionally bake, too. My dad's a pretty well established cook (has a cookbook published), unfortunately he insists on making stews regularly, and they are never good. Mom's also taught me quite a bit, they generally forced to keep me company to them as a kid when they were cooking, so I picked up stuff along the way.

 

p.s. the better your ingredients, the less seasoning you need.