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What did you Bake/Cook Today?!?!?! :)

S

sammy

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Do either of Balti or Tikka massala make it into your daily cuisine?

Balti (food) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chicken tikka masala - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If so, you are eating english dishes, and I wonder how they have ended up in your (family?) repetoire?

If you think I'm labouring the point, it's that I love good curries of all sorts, and I'm kinda proud my country invented some of the best :)
No, this is quite interesting! I'm finding out that my family's food isn't totally authentically Pakistani :D Well, there's not really any sort of "authenticity" when it comes to Pakistani culture (it's a mishmash of everything, really), so it shouldn't surprise me, but I would not have thought England to be the point of origin for one of my Mom's favorite meals to cook (karai chicken). Most of my family originated in Kashmir, so from what the wiki article states, it makes sense.

Hurrah to Britain for inventing these dishes! ;) Chicken tikka masala is also one of the most commonly made dishes in Pakistani households, but I think I attribute that to the fact they all get these masala boxes from the Indian grocer where the spices are already mixed in dry form and you just have to add the meat and whatever else is necessary.
 
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Hurrah indeed! I've always found "authenticity" to be a very overused and overrated term when it comes to cooking. If it's good, it's good. It doesn't matter to me how long people have been preparing a dish a certain way.
 

Geoff

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Geoff's spicy bacon gnocchi

1 long red pepper (eg mediterranean), chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 large mushrooms chopped
4 rashers of very lean extra trimmed bacon, roughly chopped
1 mini-tin (about 50g) of tomato puree
500g of passata (chopped, pureed tomatoes) or 1 large tin chopped tomatoes
1 fresh red chili, seeded and chopped
1 small handful fresh oregano, chopped
500g (enough for two people) fresh gnocchi (potato done like pasta)

Gently saute the pepper, chili and garlic in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes
turn up heat and add bacon and mushrooms fry 2 or 3 minutes until cooked
add passata, oregano, tomato puree
Bring up to a simmer and leave to bubble away for 20 mins or so.

Cook gnocchi by bringing water to boil in a saucepan and add, after about 2 minutes should all be floating on surface -> it's done!

Divide gnocchi into two, ladle sauce over the top.. maybe sprinkle with some fresh parmesan.

Very yummy.. if I say it myself.. I made this one because I fancied something a little fiery without onion... and it's nice... rich and tomatoey with a kick :devil:

Enjoy! :party2:
 

Seanan

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Hurrah indeed! I've always found "authenticity" to be a very overused and overrated term when it comes to cooking. If it's good, it's good. It doesn't matter to me how long people have been preparing a dish a certain way.

I agree... I once went to Italian home where they had been cooking the sauce for 2 days with 3 kings of meat. It didn't taste any different that what I cook in an hour with those meats.
 

Geoff

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Geoff's leg of lamb pot roast, mediterranean style (which he made today :party2: )

1 leg of lamb, about 1 1/2-2lb. Good quality.
1 red onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves of garlic, peeled, whole
1 small handful of each of fresh rosemary, thyme and basil
1/4pt/200 ml (ish) of good quality red wine
some gravy thickening powder
a little olive oil

Get olive oil smoking hot in a large frying pan
fry lamb on all sides for about 2 mins each until a little crispy and starting to cook
chuck in the onion at the start too so it kinda brows and starts frying
put lamb in a crockpot/slow cooker along with the garlic, fresh herbs and onions
take heat off frying pan
chuck in wine, scrape away until wine has picked up any juices (known as deglazing the pan)
tip wine and juices over lamb in the slow cooker

cook on high (remember, this is a slow cooker/crock pot, so it's still a low heat) for about 4 or 5 hours

strain wine/juices out of crockpot into frying pan, add a little water and gravy thickening powder and bring to boil, stirring until it thickens, use as gravy (taste it, might need more water etc)

serve lamb, carved with mashed potatoes, veggies and the very delicious gravy

tip : save 1/2 the lamb, and use it a couple of days later to make a decent curry (especially a bhuna or balti.. at least that's my plan!)

Enjoy!

:D
 

prplchknz

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does anyone know of a good tomato based vegetable soup that's a bit spicy?
 

Jive A Turkey

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does anyone know of a good tomato based vegetable soup that's a bit spicy?

Yeah. Good idea.

I think mulla-ga-tani (mulligatawny) would get you out the gate pretty good. Tomato puree and South Indian aromatics with heat typically come with the package and acidity is often raised by integrating lemon. So your mouth'll be in for it. That kissing disease vendetta you been talking about.

I'm not so sure about vegetable addition, though. Pouring in some veggies will make the soup look like you just poured in some veggies. The world needs more black vegetables. I bet those would look threatening in red puree.

The rest is really in your head.
 

Jae Rae

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Geoff's Turkey Chilli Burgers (I really ought to come up with a better name for this...)

500g or 1lb of healthy lean turkey breast slices/steaks (sometimes called escalopes), chopped finely
2 red chilli peppers, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh chopped leaf coriander (also called cilantro)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh chopped mint

Mix all ingredients together and form into about 5 or 6 burgers. Squeeze each handful tightly to make it stick. Optional : refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Heat a grill/pan/bbq to a med-high heat... cook burgers about 6 or 7 minutes each side.. when turning, turn the heat down to a low medium to avoid it burning before it's cooked through.

Made this one up/cooked it over the weekend. Absolutely delicious... and about 90cal and 0.5 g of sat fats per burger. Pretty decent in a toasted pitta or bun with something like fat-free blue cheese dressing as a sauce.

Enjoy!


We made these last night and they were delicious. My 15 year-old daughter called them toothpaste burgers, but asked for seconds. We served them with brown rice/shitake pilaf. Thanks for the recipe.

Jae Rae
 

Geoff

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We made these last night and they were delicious. My 15 year-old daughter called them toothpaste burgers, but asked for seconds. We served them with brown rice/shitake pilaf. Thanks for the recipe.

Jae Rae

Cool, I'm so glad you liked them. Even if they resemble toothpaste! As I am sure you realised, the trick is just cooking them enough that they stay juicy without being undercooked.

Let me add another snack to the collection.

Quick and easy spanish chorizo lunch.

per person :

2 eggs, beaten with a little milk.
1 or 2 tbsp of finely chopped chorizo (the spicy dried spanish sausage, not the uncooked mexican one!)
2 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 garlic and coriander pitta.

Cook the chorizo in a frying pan until it crisps and releases all that yummy red oil.
Add the eggs and coriander, some salt and pepper and turn the heat virtually off.. it should set virtually with the heat of the chorizo.. you want it just cooked and not dried.
Meanwhile toast the pitta.

Make the pitta into a pocket and fill with all that yummy goodness. Trust, me, it's delicious!
 

Ivy

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(cilantro)

NEXT! :D

Speaking of iffy ingredients: okay, I know not everyone likes tofu, but then again, not everyone has had it cooked correctly. My father-in-law taught me how to cook tofu in such a way that everyone in the house eats it and asks for seconds. This is not what I would call a super-healthy meal since the tofu is sauteed in oil, but if you add enough stir-fried veggies to the mix you can make it work.

Drain a block of extra firm tofu. Lay it on a dishtowel or a few paper towels, put another dishtowel on top of it, and then stack some books or a cutting board on top to squeeze out as much of the water from the tofu as possible without crushing it. It helps to tilt it a bit to help the liquid drain out.

Once you've wrung out the tofu, cut it into bite-sized cubes. Maybe 1/2, 3/4 inch cubes are fine. You want them big enough to stay together, but small enough to cook firmly all the way through. Also chop up some cabbage, broccoli, water chestnuts, carrots, and whatever other veggies you like in a stir fry. Set all this stuff aside for now.

Prepare a pot of rice- jasmine is my favorite, for this or any other recipe, but go with what you like. When the rice is on its way, start the sauce. In a small saucepan mix together rice vinegar, soy sauce, and a fruit preserve of your choice (apricot is nice) in roughly equal proportions. You want to end up with enough to coat all of your tofu and veggies, so measure appropriately. Bring slowly to a simmer on low-medium heat. Sift in a little cornstarch to thicken it up a bit, turn the heat down to low, and keep stirring occasionally. You can start the next part while it simmers. When it's the consistency of sweet & sour sauce, take it off the heat.

Prepare a bowl of 1 beaten egg and a splash of milk, and another bowl with flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Maybe 1/2 tsp salt, enough pepper that you can see it throughout the flour, and paprika to turn it all kind of pinky-orange. In a large skillet, heat your choice of oil (olive is fine) at about medium high. The oil should cover the bottom of the pan. Dip the tofu cubes first in the egg, then in the flour, and then put them in the pan. Cook them on all sides until they are nice and golden brown. When they are nice and firmly cooked, put them on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

Lastly, stir fry your veggies in a pan with a bit of oil and some soy sauce. Harder veggies go in first so they cook evenly. Keep them moving. When they are as crisp or soft as you like them, take them off the heat.

Now you can mix everything but the rice in a large bowl. Something with a lid is nice because you can close it up and shake to distribute the sauce. Serve over rice with soy sauce on the side.

This is probably my favorite recipe of any kind, meat or veggie, but I only prepare it occasionally because it's kind of complicated, not to mention fried. And I'm hit-or-miss when it comes to stir frying. If anyone has any tips for successful stir-frying, please post them!
 

Tigerlily

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Ginger Rice

This blends my memories of three or four different recipes from various Asian cookbooks (Singaporean, Vietnamese, etc.).


Cooking oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 inch ginger root, chopped fine
2 cups white rice

3 cups chicken stock

Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Fry garlic and ginger until the garlic begins to turn golden. Add the rice and stiry-fry very quickly, until all the rice has just been coated in oil (say half a minute), then add the chicken stock. Stir thoroughly to keep the rice from sticking to the pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and let cook 15 minutes, or until the water is aborbed, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove from heat and let sit another fifteen minutes. Fluff.

Notes. Oil: Basically any sort of vegetable cooking oil will do; olive oil is not very authentic but it is tasty. Rice: This works really well with long-grain basmati. With medium-grain "Calrose" rice, the results are still pretty good; I suspect it needs a somewhat lower ratio of stock to rice, but I haven't found the optimal one, and 3:2 still turns out nicely. Most of the recipes I've seen enjoin you to wash the rice multiple times in cold water until it runs clear. I've tried that, and neither I nor my guests can really taste any difference.

Edit: I copied this so when it says I or my it's someone else. If you haven't tried Ginger Rice I highly recommend it. :D
 

Jae Rae

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Brown rice

Cool, I'm so glad you liked them. Even if they resemble toothpaste! As I am sure you realised, the trick is just cooking them enough that they stay juicy without being undercooked.

Hi Geoff,

She meant the minty taste. But they were a big hit.

We're experimenting with brown rice recipes. Does anyone have a favorite that doesn't include pork?

Jae Rae
 

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I'm not a huge fan of brown rice, EXCEPT in rice pudding. Then I think it is way, way better than white rice. Rice pudding is one of my favorite "tweak it" recipes, since it's basically eggs, milk, rice, sweetener, and add-ins. It is delicious with maple syrup for sweetener. Hazelnuts sprinkled on top are also awesome.
 

Geoff

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I'm not a huge fan of brown rice, EXCEPT in rice pudding. Then I think it is way, way better than white rice. Rice pudding is one of my favorite "tweak it" recipes, since it's basically eggs, milk, rice, sweetener, and add-ins. It is delicious with maple syrup for sweetener. Hazelnuts sprinkled on top are also awesome.

Actually, I like robust brown rice with something with a really strong.. dark.. flavour. The nuttiness of brown holds up where the whiter rices are just blown away. So, it's good with a strong hot lamb balti, where the curry has been stewing away all day in the slow cooker/crock pot (which is what I had Tuesday!)
 

Jae Rae

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Thanks Geoff and Ivy. Can I get your balti recipe?

This month's Saveur has an article about brown rice, but no rice pudding. Instead they have little rice balls filled with cheese, brown rice, lentil and spinach soup, and chicken with brown rice and chorizo (one for you, Geoff):

Chicken and Brown Rice with Chorizo

2-1/2 lbs. bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,
to taste
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. smoked, dried chorizo, cut into
1"-thick slices (we used chicken chorizo)
2 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
1-1/2 cups long-grain brown rice, rinsed
1/2 cup white wine
3 roasted red peppers, peeled, seeded,
and cut into thick strips
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas

1. Heat oven to 400°. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook, without turning, until the skin is a deep golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. (Pour off and discard any accumulated fat and juices.) Add the chorizo and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to a plate, leaving the fat behind in the dutch oven. Set chorizo aside.

2. Add oregano, red pepper, garlic, onion, and bay leaf to the dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned and somewhat soft, about 8 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until surface is glossy, about 2 minutes. Add wine, bring to a boil while stirring often, and reduce by half, about 1 minute. Nestle chicken, chorizo, and peppers into rice mixture. Pour in broth and season liquid to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Transfer to the oven and bake until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

3. Remove the dish from oven, uncover, and gently stir in the peas with a fork. Let sit for 10 minutes, covered, to allow the flavors to meld.

We made it last night and it was delicious.

Enjoy!

Jae Rae
 
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Geoff

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Thanks Geoff and Ivy. Can I get your balti recipe?

This month's Saveur has an article about brown rice, but no rice pudding. Instead they have little rice balls filled with cheese, brown rice, lentil and spinach soup, and chicken with brown rice and chorizo (one for you, Geoff). We made the last one last night and it was delicious.

I'm still waiting for an oatmeal blueberry muffin recipe. Anyone?

Jae Rae

http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/home-garden-cooking/148-recipes-cookery-6.html#post137120

Just swap the beef for lean neck fillet, or boneless leg of lamb, and the beef stock for lamb stock.

Rogan josh is a good curry paste, but balti would work just as well.
 

ceecee

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Here's an easy one that is fast and simple.

Caramelized Chicken and Onion

1lb chicken breast tenders
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced into wedges
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp reduced-sodium tamari
1 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
Steps

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion wedges and sauté until onions soften and begin to brown, about 3 minutes.
2. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and add to the pan with the onions. Sauté the chicken until it is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove the onion and chicken from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the raspberry jam, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger paste, and rosemary to the pan and cook, stirring constantly with a fork or whisk, for 2 minutes.
4. Return the chicken mixture to the pan. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally and turning the tenderloins over.
 

Wolf

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So, yesterday on a whim I bought all the stuff I need for a batch of cock-a-leekie soup. The bad thing is that I don't have anyone to feed it to, and I'm pretty sure I have way too much for me to eat on my own. I suppose I can split it into a bunch of little containers and eat it for lunch and dinner for a week, though.

It's a traditional Scottish soup with a great story: After a cock fight, the losers are stripped/cleaned and thrown into a pot of water to boil along with available local veggies (leeks and carrots) and grain that wasn't used in making the water of life (barley) to avoid wasting anything (and for expediency/cheapness...after all, it's Scottish).

Cock-a-Leekie soup:
- Chicken meat (you can get this from an entire chicken if you omit the chicken stock, but to speed up the process I prefer to just chop available chicken into pieces and toss it in using chicken broth... Leftovers from a roasted chicken work well, too)
- Water or chicken stock, mattering on your meat. (I usually use stock anyway, to make it tastier.)
- Way the hell too many leeks, cut into small pieces. (If you think you have too much, you're almost there. Get 5-6 of them for a normal-sized batch.) Make sure to cut all the green bits off, since everyone knows that Scots don't eat anything that is green (follow the Scottish adage "eat anything as long as it's not green, but only if it's cheap").
- A carrot, cut into small pieces.
- Some barley.
- Parsley, chopped finely.
- A bit of pepper.

Put it all in a pot, cover, and boil the hell out of it until the chicken and barley is cooked, and the leeks have disintegrated. Remove any bones before serving if you added any chicken bits with the bones still in.

Serve.

I usually end up with what looks like enough to feed a bunch of big guys tossing cabers, but I seldom have leftovers, and never for very long.
 
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