JCC Tomo-spiced karkana ribenes - the foodies' thread

still obsessing about dinner last night. Here: escarole, garlic & chili; hanger steak, arugula & parmesan

 

Yes. I work a few blocks away from a Juice Press now.

 

The stuffed piglet was a resounding success. We named it Charlie the Second in memory of hudzu 's Charlie.

Pic behind the spoiler tag, NOT recommended for vegetarians, animal-lovers and the faint of heart in general (I mean, it's a whole piglet, right?)

Spoiler

The stuffing was celery, shallots, garlic, ground pork, apples, potatoes, parsley, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, salt, pepper, orange and lemon juice and egg. I also added 2 kg apples, 1 head of garlic more cumin and coriander and more fruit juice to the baking dish, wrapped the whole thing in foil and baked it for 7 hours, then opened the foil and let it grill a bit for crisp skin.

Today I'm making pâté with the leftovers, I'll report when it's done.

 

That picture was so upsetting.

 

I'm very much a meat-eater, but I don't know that I could eat off of the entire animal corpse right there. I mean, turkey is the closest I come, I guess. That is my least favorite meat, I think, so that's kind of interesting. But I haven't even ever eaten off of a whole fish before. I'm pretty sure I would not be able to eat meat right off an entire dead pig. It's all mental, of course. I'm not saying it's awful and I deplore eating meat in that way or anything. I mean, it's as good a way to eat meat as any other. I just find it interesting that I have kind of a mental block there where even though I eat meat all the time, I would probably push away from the table if that was how I had to eat it. Very interesting reaction. Thanks for sharing the picture (though the spoiler tag was probably a good idea); it's definitely a thought-provoking image and certainly an interesting look at a type of cuisine I'm unfamiliar with.

 

guys. i'm trying to get better at cooking and trying to fill up my cabinets with the essentials.. and i've reached spices.

what are your favourite spices, and what do you use them for?

 

Mom made homemade pasta last night, and I'm so excited to have some for lunch.

 

Garlic (fresh though, but can store hanging somewhere)
Good Salt
Black Pepper (ground, and whole peppercorns to fresh grind)
Thyme (fresh)
Rosemary (fresh)
Bay Leaf (for longer items, stews, sauces, etc.)

Should be a good start of it.

EDIT: Zapdos

 

Zapdos A few ideas:

Cumin + lemon + garlic with lentils or chickpeas or any vegetable stew is my idea of heaven.

Turmeric and/or ginger and/or coriander (powdered, not fresh) with chicken.

Dried herbs (oregano, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary etc) with roast meat or meat stews.

Honey + mustard + salt + white pepper glaze on roast pork. (I prefer white pepper in general, but black will do just fine.)

Nutmeg in white sauce or mashed potatoes.

Pinch of cinnamon in meatballs or minced meat sauce.

(If you tell us what you like to cook or eat, I'm sure we can come up with more.)

 

All that, plus smoked paprika, for basically anything.

 

I think a lot depends on what you want to cook - if you like Indian or Chinese, for example, you'll want different spices than for Italian. When I first started years ago I bought a small spice rack that came with some basics and went on from there. You can see a sample of this type of thing on Amazon if you look for spices.

 

My spice rack is massive. Out of control, really. You never know when you are going to need turmeric or powdered clover, dammit!

 

I like how you think... but I only have whole cloves; I can grind it myself and saves space!

 

I've currently (for the time being until the weather really goes to hell), some fresh herbs growing outside. There's nothing like topping a pizza or lasagna with fresh parsley.

 

thanks. i've written down all your suggestions.

that's the problem. i've no idea. i like to look up recipes online and dream about making them, but then when i look at the ingredients i realise i don't have anything and just look up easier, more boring stuff to make instead.
and i don't like buying super rare ingredients that are only going to be used for this one thing, so i'm basically trying to figure out if there are a few things i should get that it'll come in handy for a lot of recipes and types of dishes.

 

Zapdos If you're not too sure how much spice you'll be using, I'd suggest buying them whole, to the extent that's possible (e.g. peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, whole cloves, the actual nutmeg nut, etc.) They'll keep longer than if they're ground without losing their aroma, and you can either use them whole or grind them yourself.

Also, if you want to post here a list of the 20 basic things you have at all times in your fridge/kitchen cupboard, I can try to come up with suggestions

 

Departing from the fancy, what do you all make for your children? Both of mine have rather simple palettes, so they're accustomed to the basics: PBJ, grilled cheese, chicken nuggets, etc.


Do any of your children prefer more flair with their meals? Mine are only 5 and 2, and so far only the 2 year old is willing to try new foods. I've breaded and baked my own chicken for them (my son will eat it, but my daughter sometimes throws a fit). I've made my own pasta with cheese for them (my son will eat it, but my daughter will refuse, of course). I've made grilled cheeses with various deli cheeses and breads (my son will eat it, my daughter...well, you get the picture now ).


Anyway, any suggestions or what works for your kids? Some of my friends have children with expensive palettes, whereas my daughter has an obsession with Chick Fil A (an obsession I do not give in to more than once or twice a month, as I'd rather cook for them myself).

 

My 12 year old won't eat red meat or fish.

I make a lot of chicken tacos for him. Soft corn taco shells. Add lettuce and homemade pico, spice the chicken myself with coriander and cumin and a little cinnamon, salt and pepper.

I've also done tacos with sauteed chicken, kale, red onions and black bean filling. The 12 year old really liked that.

He likes crepes with ham/cheese/spinach filling as long as there's not too much spinach.

 

Ezio Skywalker - your two year old is at about the perfect age in getting him to try new foods. Your five year old is probably in that picky stage where she will reject anything but her favorites. Maybe if you ask her to help you in the kitchen while you are cooking (with age - appropriate tasks, of course), she might be willing to eat something new if she had a hand in making it?

 

That's a really good idea. Maybe I'll start with a simple pizza.

 

That sounds like a great one to start with.

 

Pork chops. Just about one of the easiest things to make besides a plain steak.

 

My nephews and nieces who live downstairs (ages 6, 5, 4 and 1) will eat anything that has a creamy texture. They'll crinkle their nose at a vegetable stew or a vegetable soup, but if you add strained yoghurt to the stew or rice to the soup they'll love it. Mashed potato is also a big favourite (okay, all potatoes, but especially mashed potato) and anything with white sauce, e.g. vegetables au gratin as long as there's a lot of creamy white sauce and molten cheese on top. For meat stew I just thicken the sauce with a bit of corn flour.

Then of course, a whole roast chicken with potatoes is always the safe standby solution. Okay, well, not safe for the tablecloth, but they get to eat with their hands so they like it.

They'll also eat anything in a crisp crust, especially if it's an individual-size portion and they can hold it in their hand -- cheese pie, spinach pie, meat pie, chicken pie, you name it. That's how I first tricked them into eating leeks.

 

today at work i cooked 13 chicken sandwiches, several hamburgers, three meatloafs, six salmon, one tempeh and one well done filet 86 sides sub double coleslaw.

life in the restaurant business is illustrious

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

That's an awful lot of coleslaw

I just made a birthday cake for my coworker and I can't wait for everyone to have it tonight! I went with a chocolate stout cake with coconut swiss meringue frosting. Kept the decorating minimal with some toasted coconut pressed on the sides and some nice chocolate grated over the top. It should go really well with some of the stouts she picked out for her tap takeover