Here's my random creation of the week.

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Chicken breast, cubed, seasoned, deep fried, lightly dusted with white sugar, tossed with very ripe plums. Sounds bizarre but one child and one wife said it was great. The other child disagreed. If I make it again, I'll just pan sear the chicken. Deep frying resulted in too much cooking and not enough browning. Plus I have blisters on my arm from drops of hot oil.

Dinner was: said chicken; vinegared onions; carmelized carrots; plum slices fried in butter; saffron rice; Pinot noir. Fortunately my blood sugar is under control.

One thing I have always wondered is why so many of you guys "invent" things to cook. Given the hundreds of excellent cookbooks out there, plus the near limitless availability of recipes on the internet, why not pick a long-established recipe and make it? Why so many Franken-dishes?

I'm reminded of the pie that Livi made the other day, shown in another thread. He takes a recipe from a cookbook and substitutes anchovies and onions for whatever was supposed to be in there... Anchovies? Onions? FIVE onions, in one "pie"?

JR

It often boils down to what you have at hand. When I do a recipe search, there are always those pesky ingredients that aren't in the fridge. Or that spice that is out of stock. So I substitute. Or I combine 2 recipes. Or flat out wing it. This leads to at least one throw-away dinner per year (I had one 3 nights ago) & several edible fails, but also some successes that surpass the original. I will often net search for recipes with 2 unconnected ingredients & it leads to some interesting combinations.

I have been the principle cook in every household I have been in since I was 20. So at 57, I am seriously bored with dozens of great recipes that I have made for years & I am always looking for a different twist.

Ian

I probably have something like 10,000 recipes in the cookbooks on my shelves, so I doubt I'll ever get bored. Lately, I've been trying to refine some of the recipes that I have cooked before, using ideas that I get from one chef or another.

I'll admit that I have a very well stocked pantry, which is essential. If I need something that I don't have, I just head to the store. Usually, if I'm planning on cooking anything interesting, I'll have already made a trip to buy the ingredients. I tend to shop frequently, with specific meals in mind. I almost never subtitute anything. I've been wanting to make a batch of Cacio e Pepe and I've been waiting for several days, as the best cheese is sold on the other end of town and I won't substitute the typical crap "pecorino romano" sold in a grocery store. I'm headed that direction today for something else, so I imagine that will be tonight's dinner.

JR

I have about 5 cookbooks that I use & 20 that just gather dust (including The Joy of btw). I also keep a recipe box for some tried & true & I have have a large binder that I have been organizing for years with my gold standards & internet-sourced variations & 'possibles'. Most of my recipes have written personal comments I have documented with suggestions & successful mods for next time.

I am not a by-the-meal shopper. I stock up weekly & use what I have.

Ian

Necessity is the mother of invention. That's the situation here sometimes, I get home, wife says I'm cooking dinner, kids are asking "where's dinner, Daddy", and the refrigerator has a bit of this and a bit of that. Yes, I always have stuff on hand to make some basic dishes, but I'm bored with making them. So the random stuff happens.

Actually, boredom is a big factor. I get interested in certain stuff, right now it is Indian food, but call it XYZ. The family doesn't necessarily want to eat XYZ 24 x 7, or even at all. But I don't necessarily want to make some standard dish I've made too many times. And I'm not likely to hunt up a recipe that isn't XYZ and that doesn't interest me, just to feed the family. That's not my job description - nor is ironing shirts - that stuff is my wife's job, although apparently no-one told her, or maybe I was supposed to get it in writing, because as it turns out I do most of the ironing too.

So the family can either enjoy some more XYZ, or endure some random invention, or feed themselves. Left to myself, I'm happy to eat tuna from a can, day after day.

Sometimes I can't be so doctrinaire. When I was into cooking spleens and pancreases from the Chinese market, I had to make a steady flow of family-friendly meals too. Once they figured out what the mystery meat was, they wouldn't touch it.

This I couldn't do. Even when I was single for several years a couple of decades ago, I would make good dinners for myself at least 2-3 times a week.

I also have a chest freezer which simplifies choice. At any point in time, I will have beef & pork ribs, beef & pork roasts, pork tenderloin, boneless loin, rib & strip steak, ground beef, numerous chicken options & probably King Crab legs, Italian sausages etc etc - all in stock. Mainly a 4 legged diet due to the family.

Ian

:)

Yes, I probably ironed that shirt.

I don't cook, I only brew beer and mead. My wife takes a basic recipe, tries it, then modifies to suit our tastes and preferences. Beth is truly gifted at taking a dish, "deconstructing" it, then making it her own!

Last night's dinner (really more drinking than dinner) party - this gentleman is pouring us all a 1975 Sauternes


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will be suffering thru a white burgundy tasting with So. American food tonight...

Now that is my kind of dinner!

It must be a struggle.

yeh it was -- nothing by 1er Crus -- you'd think they'd have had at least ONE DAMN Grand Cru, but nooooo


OTOH, the food was good but the guy who likes to take pics of his food couldn't make it so no pics fer y'all

Just to split hairs, there are no Grand Crus in Sauternes. Just premiers superieur, premiers & deuxiemes.

To stay on topic:

Tonight's dinner: A big batch of homemade spaghetti & meatballs.

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Ian

thx for the pic of the gorp - that's a favorite backpacking food

BTW, the 1er Crus comment was about the Wed. dinner with Chass-agonies Mount-ratchets, not the Tues. night dinner that ended with the Sauternes.

Gorp? This ain't no birdseed crap. It's stick to the ribs winter comfort food. I lied about the homemade part, though. I cheat & use 1 large can of Primo spaghetti sauce (not sickly sweet like most) + 1 large can of tomato sauce + spices. Simmered for 4 hours. Cool for an hour. Heat & serve with garlic bread.

Ian

Pre-cheese fondue pic - will make u all hungry...

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Not a great picture, but the meal was very good. Homemade pita bread with kafta (spiced ground beef). Served with Valencia rice. Very yummy.

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Ian

Ian,
Try making the kafta with lamb, it's an excellent way to serve lamb, the spices really kick up the flavor! Beth makes hummous with chickpeas or Navy beans and that is really good with it, too!

I couldn't get ground lamb today but then I didn't look too hard. I could have gone to a halal meat market but I was lazy. I make hummus a lot using a canned chick pea (with tahini) concoction that we get at a Lebanese store. Unfortunately, their pitas are usually stale.

This was my 1st attempt at pitas from scratch.

Ian

Made Sweet Potato Pecan pie as my contribution to my families Thanksgiving dinner... Top a slice with some Bourbon whipped cream... and it puts a nice finish to a great day....

Allegedly you will have to take a 16 mile walk to burn off the Thanksgiving dinner calories.. I'll have a port thank you

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Prime rib.

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Scored the fat cap, salted, let it in the fridge for several hours. Buried it in four lbs of rock salt in a Dutch oven, into a 350 F oven until internal temp 90 F, took it out and the temp coasted to nearly 110 F (all that hot rock), covered the Dutch oven and held the meat at 100 - 110 F for almost two hours. Then back in the oven for a blast to nearly 120 F, and finally seared the exterior in a cast iron skillet. Served with a sauce of shallots, garlic, red wine, stock, reduced by 1/2 then solids strained out, then 2 oz of unflavored gelatin, about a tbsp of corn starch, and a few oz of Amaretto.

Some of my wife's creations...
 

Homemade vegetarian pizza (leftover for lunch at work)

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Pumpkin pudding with pomegranate seeds...

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Apple pie...

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Chilaquiles with braised chicken, salsa verde and of course a wonderful sunny-side up egg.

The Hillbilly Kitchen ....

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Turkey Fryer .... Check
Dawg .... Check
Moonshine .... Check
Cigar .... Check
Fire Extinguisher .... Optional

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The finished product ... (2 Cigars & 4 Shots Later) ....

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A Bordeaux . . .

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A small bone-in pork loin with bacon (of course).

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Yorkshire Pudding.

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With gravy etc etc.

Ian

Prime Rib, 12 hours at 110 degrees in an electric smoker. Dry aged uncovered in a fridge for 5 days with salt/pepper rub.

For that low of a temperature, you have to sear the outside to kill any bacteria, sorta like a quick sear of Ahi Tuna where the outside is charred, but think pink and moist on the inside.

Propane torch and 3-4 minutes later, outside is seared. Note on the finished sliced photos, there isn't a 1/2" of grey overcooked meat on the outside........pink and tender through and through.

The recipe from Cooks Magazine called for a 7 pound rib roast, and 18 hours cooking at 110F. I only had a 3-4 pound boneless rib-eye roast, so got it going at 6 am in a electric smoker (home ovens won't go that low) and carved at 6 pm.


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All three (John's, Ian's, Dave's) look amazing!

Ian, did you just sear and roast? Timing?

Anyone have good chicken thigh recipes? Whole Foods had a special on thighs so I bough 5 lbs. I've done orange-hoisin marinade and bake enough. BBQ too. Onion-dill-buttermilk fried as well. What else? No grill, no smoker, just the oven.

I never sear pork. Season the roast & lay bacon on top. In the oven for a little over an hour at 350. I use an oven-connected probe for accurate temperature control. I pulled it at 163 which makes it just slightly pink but still juicy after the usual wrap & rest.

Ian

Bets use for a thigh is probably in a Thai dish, or maybe Chinese. Zillions of recipes for those on the 'net. Or, just aggressively salt and pepper them and roast them in a hot oven, until the sking gets a bit cripsy.

Why not?

JR

How do you make Yorkshire pudding? I want some!

Homemade Pho Noodle, broth is knuckle and femur bones with ginger and other spices simmered for 4 hours. The broth really came out great, add noodles and some sliced Kobe beef.
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My son Harrison's homemade pumpkin pie.
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Good question. I just don't. Most pork roasts have little internal fat so in my mind they just don't need juice 'locking'. I always add bacon to augment any external fat layer.

jyl

I post this with trepidation since the last time I did, someone used too much oil & had a wee fire in the oven with lots of smoke . . . kind of like I did last night as well. :mad: So . . be strict with the oil & don't overfill the muff cups with the batter.

Yorkshire Pudding:
A Basic Recipe from the Five Roses Cookbook (one of the best btw)

1 cup flour
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Crank the oven to 450. When it hits temp, put in muffin tins (12 cups total) with 1 tbs of oil or pan drippings in each cup. Don’t use too much or it may spill over as the pud cooks.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl & mix the wet in another.

Gradually pour the wet into the dry, mixing it with a power beater on medium. When you are done mixing, the muffin tins should be smoking slightly. Quickly pour about ½” - 3/4" of batter into 11 of them. Not 12, only 11. Put them back in the oven for about 12 minutes.

Turn temp down to 350 & continue cooking another 8 – 10 minutes until puffed & browned.

Your oven might be messy so clean the bottom when it cools.

Variations: You can add a third egg if you wish.

Ian

Searing doesn't really seal in any juices, like the popular wisdom goes. It just adda more flavor and give you something to make a pan sauce out of. If you really want a juicy piece of pork, brine it. This works best with bone-in chops at least an inch and a half thick. Sear them well and baste them with the pan juices. I usually start mine on the stove in oil, then move them to an oven and add butter. Turn and baste frequently. No bacon needed.

JR

Heathen!

Bacon makes EVERYTHING better! :D

Ian

Smothered Chicken, perfect for thighs. Not my exact recipe, but very close to what I do. Wing the rest details to your likes.


Smothered Chicken

Comment .Smothered chicken is an icon of Southern cooking because it is simple to cook for a large family. Serve it with rice or mashed potatoes. It's the perfect comfort food!

.
Servings: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (4-pound) chicken , cut into 8 pieces, skin removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion , finely chopped
several ribs celery , finely chopped
1 small green bell pepper , seeded and chopped
2 cups chicken broth or canned low-sodium broth
1 medium tomato , seeded and chopped
Chopped fresh parsley , for garnish
Cooked white rice , for serving

Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and roll the chicken in the flour to coat, shaking off the excess. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the flour. In batches, cook the chicken in the oil, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.


Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the skillet. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are browned, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with the reserved flour, mix well, and cook until the flour is browned, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the broth, and return the chicken and sausage to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken shows no sign of pink when pierced in the thickest part, about 40 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, sprinkle the tomato on top.

Transfer the chicken to a deep platter. Skim the fat off the surface of the sauce and season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the chicken and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve the chicken hot, with the rice...

okay, first hand recipe, stunningly good, wife gives it a 15 stars on a scale of 1-10.

yes. it's that good.

Sticky 5 spice Oriental ribs.......droolllllllllllll

Substitute Hoisen sauce instead of the Oyster sauce, I've done both. otherwise the recipe is spot on.

I've done both pork and beef ribs. Either is awesome. Pictures don't do it justice.


did I mention it's stunningly good? FIFTEEN STARS!!! I like to use cross cut ribs, korean style for nibbling on 1/2" thick nuggets of rib meat verses a whole dog bone size.

Sticky Five-Spice Short Ribs Recipe : Aida Mollenkamp : Food Network


not shown in the photos, but a sprinkle of diced green onion and cilantro adds a nice zest just before serving.



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Brown tastes gooooood.

Flamed BBQ Chicken halves, marinate in simple store bought jar Italian Dressing and thick sliced sweet onion for 24-48 hours, cook low and slow over indirect heat so the fat and oil doesn't flare up, 1-1.5 hours slowwwwwwwww, then sear 5-10 minutes over flame / direct heat to crisp up the skin and add a smokey bit of crunch and flavor.


YUM I LOVE BBQ chicken halves............remember, indirect heat!!! And lots of fresh ground black pepper doesn't hurt at the end either...........


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