Recipes and Cookery (now including : the wonder that is Cajun Cookery by YLJ!)

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by FMWarner

"Joy Of Cooking" is homier and more reminiscent of Grandma cooling pies on the windowsill or Donna Reed making a Sunday roast. I own both, and while they're both fine, I find "Joy Of Cooking" a little bit anachronistic for my taste. It doesn't include new recipes that incorporate modern influences on the way people eat today, like ethnic flavors and small plates.

From reading the writeup on Amazon, the 75th Anniversary Edition of JoC apparently addresses some of those issues, though perhaps not to the degree you would prefer.

[Shimpei]

Originally Posted by Usehername

And Shimpei, can I ask what goes in between the chicken breasts & at what temp & for how long you cook it? (You bake that in the oven, right?) (And the bacon strips go on top while they're still raw?)

That one looks very do-able for me. I might even put the cheese on it and have a minor allergic reaction it -- looks like a real meal I can create.

You look like a genius. I wish I knew already how to cook; my first year out is going to be not so tasty.

It goes like this: You put bacon strips in two "columns" on the bottom of the oven pan so when you finish layering you can put the ends of the stripes together with baking pins on the top.
Then come one layer of chicken strips (two-three chicken breasts without bones and skin), then one layer of shredded cheese, then another layer of chicken strips etc. Then come the bacon strips.
You pour a cup of water beside the chicken "bum", cover it with aluminum foil and then put it in the oven. You cook it on medium heat for around one hour.
Enjoy!

[Oberon]

Hey Shim, have you ever had Rumaki?

[Geoff]

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!

[Geoff]

Geoff's Easy Rogan Josh curried beef.

1/4 jar of patak's rogan josh curry paste
1 large onion
1 cup of chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
300g (10oz or so) of extra matured lean beef (21 days matured is perfect)
200 ml / 1/2 pint of top quality beef stock
1 large tin (500g or so) of premium chopped tomatoes

Gently fry the onions until softened.
Add the beef and the paste and fry at a higher heat until beef is just cooked through
Add the stock, tomatoes, and coriander.
Simmer for a good 30 minutes, or if time allows a few hours in a slow cooker/crock pot, on a low heat.

Serves 2, over boiled rice. Serve with mango chutney and naan bread.

It really is that simple, but the matured beef just makes for a fabulous rich curry base.

-Geoff (posting a very english recipe!)

[Ivy]

Originally Posted by Geoff

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!

I'm printing this one out.

Except I'll omit the cilantro

[alicia91]

That sound great Geoff. Do you think it's important to use the escalopes of turkey or would ground turkey be easier?

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by alicia91

That sound great Geoff. Do you think it's important to use the escalopes of turkey or would ground turkey be easier?

I use the real turkey breast/escalopes because they are tastier - but you can use the ground turkey - it would be quicker I would advise just checking the label first as ground turkey is often much fattier!

[alicia91]

Ok - I'll use the escalopes then!

I've noticed that ground turkey now comes in two fat levels - 85% lean and ?? 91% (I think). But the latter is significantly more expensive.

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by alicia91

Ok - I'll use the escalopes then!

I've noticed that ground turkey now comes in two fat levels - 85% lean and ?? 91% (I think). But the latter is significantly more expensive.

Oh! Lucky you. In the UK there doesn't appear much choice in ground turkey, so I avoid it.

Good luck with the recipe. The trick to it being delicious is for it to be just cooked... don't over cook it