What's cookin', good lookin'?

When you don't know the English word, please tell us your word! I don't mind learning something in another language... lots of food comes out of my kitchen that I may not know exactly what to call it!

Collar_N_Cuffs said:

When you don't know the English word, please tell us your word! I don't mind learning something in another language... lots of food comes out of my kitchen that I may not know exactly what to call it!

Click to expand...

I checked. It's called lactic acid fermentation in English.

Sausage, peppers & onions on a hero

Sausage peppers and onions on a hero sounds awesome... welcome to the thread JM!

Lactic acid fermentation does not sound so good bit I think it is delicious as well... I love homemade sauerkraut!!

Collar_N_Cuffs said:

Sausage peppers and onions on a hero sounds awesome... welcome to the thread JM!

Lactic acid fermentation does not sound so good bit I think it is delicious as well... I love homemade sauerkraut!!

Click to expand...

Thanks...it was good

seela said:

Last winter I found a good place to pick winter mushrooms, which are the wild version of enokitake, so we ate lots of those. I hope there will be some this year too.

I always have lots of dried mushrooms, mostly yellowfoots, trumpets of the dead and various boletus mushrooms. I also freeze some mushrooms, but now my freezer is so small that it's making my mushroomery a bit difficult.

Do you mind sharing a recipe for the mushroom and rice dish you mentioned? I have lots of saffron milkcaps and they work surprisingly well in Asian dishes. Maybe they'd be good for that, too.

I haven't taken pics of my food in ages, but I can try to start doing that again. This pasta (I think I've already posted this here) is the only mushroom dish that I have taken a pic of. Well there's also this yellowfoot soup, but it doesn't look too spectacular.

Click to expand...

That looks so~ yummy! Both dishes look so pretty, too. （≧∇≦）Do you have a recipe for the pasta? I'm kind of Jonesin' for mushrooms now. Lol

Making mixed rice (takikomi gohan) is pretty personal in that everyone tends to make it a little different. I don't use measurements when I cook and converting and giving directions is no good for me. I looked up a recipe and this is a blog that I think is very informative and trustworthy when it comes to good food. I hope you don't mind the link instead. ^_^; It's true that she explains it a lot better than I could. Also, there are links to explain ingredients. This site also gives directions for stove top along with rice cooker directions.

This type of dish generally uses a stock or broth for flavor, I've used chicken stock for others and think you can play with it a bit. Also, additives can range. I use whatever is in the kitchen, so carrots and bits of meat or seafood are all pretty tasty. Aburaage may be hard to find (it's my favorite part) so you can leave out anything that you don't have and add what you do. Let me know if you need help and make sure to let me know how it comes out.

Ooooohhh... make it with a light mushroom stock as well? Layer the mushroom flavors... yum!

Pan grilled Chicken Al Pastor and pineapple, Spanish rice, with a tomato, cucumber, and feta salad tossed with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Dessert: Oatmeal and cranberry cookies

MeekMe said:

That looks so~ yummy! Both dishes look so pretty, too. （≧∇≦）Do you have a recipe for the pasta? I'm kind of Jonesin' for mushrooms now. Lol

Making mixed rice (takikomi gohan) is pretty personal in that everyone tends to make it a little different. I don't use measurements when I cook and converting and giving directions is no good for me. I looked up a recipe and this is a blog that I think is very informative and trustworthy when it comes to good food. I hope you don't mind the link instead. ^_^; It's true that she explains it a lot better than I could. Also, there are links to explain ingredients. This site also gives directions for stove top along with rice cooker directions.

This type of dish generally uses a stock or broth for flavor, I've used chicken stock for others and think you can play with it a bit. Also, additives can range. I use whatever is in the kitchen, so carrots and bits of meat or seafood are all pretty tasty. Aburaage may be hard to find (it's my favorite part) so you can leave out anything that you don't have and add what you do. Let me know if you need help and make sure to let me know how it comes out.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link! I've never marinated mushrooms quite like that, so that sounds interesting. I have dashi powder and sake left over from my previous visits to Japanese cuisine, so I definitely have to try this! I don't think the saffron milkcaps will work in this dish though, because they're not quite as delicate in taste as shiitake, oyster mushrooms or even chanterelles that were mentioned in the recipe, but I can look for other, less meaty and sturdy mushrooms for this.

I don't use particular recipes either, so I can't give you one for the pasta, either, but it's really simple to make. In that one I used wood hedgehogs, chanterelles and trumpets of the dead. For a mushroom pasta sauce I just saute onion and garlic in a little bit of butter and then add the mushrooms and finally herbs. Rosemary and thyme work well with mushrooms too, I usually add those along with the onions and butter already so that the flavor seeps into the butter.

The mushrooms release some liquid, so that'll give you some sauce-yness without having to add any water to it. If your mushrooms are very watery, it's a good idea to saute them on a dry pan first to get rid of at least some of the liquid before adding the onion and garlic along with butter. I recommend using at least partially butter and not all oil, if you cook with wild forest mushrooms.

Lots of people like to add some cream too. It works sometimes and with some mushrooms, but I've noticed that very often it drowns the flavors of mushrooms, so it's not always a good idea to add it.

Collar_N_Cuffs said:

Ooooohhh... make it with a light mushroom stock as well? Layer the mushroom flavors... yum!

Click to expand...

This is a good point! I use a lot of dried mushrooms, and when I do, I usually put them into water to plump up before adding them to the food. That plumping up water makes for really good stock for risotto and soups, so I'm sure it'd work well here, too. Unless, of course, you're plumping up mushrooms that have to be cooked afterwards to get rid of the toxins. In that case it's not a good idea to use the water as stock.

Curious_in_Cali said:

Pan grilled Chicken Al Pastor and pineapple, Spanish rice, with a tomato, cucumber, and feta salad tossed with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Dessert: Oatmeal and cranberry cookies

Click to expand...

I had no idea what chicken al pastor is so I had to google. I would have never thought there's that kebab style thing in Mexico, too! Interesting.

Sounds good seela! I can't wait to give this a try!

seela said:

There are dried mushrooms and mushrooms preserved in salt, vinegar or oil. You can also pickle some mushrooms like sauerkraut, I don't know what that pickeling method is called in English...

Click to expand...

I seem to be having comprehension problems. When I saw mushroom preserves my mind jumped to adding sugar, such as jellies, jams, etc.., not preserving, as in salt, vinegar, and oil. I was having great difficulty picturing sweet mushroom jelly.

seela said:

Edit: mushrooms are really good with gravlax, too.

Click to expand...

Reaaaaally.

Endless_Night said:

I seem to be having comprehension problems. When I saw mushroom preserves my mind jumped to adding sugar, such as jellies, jams, etc.., not preserving, as in salt, vinegar, and oil. I was having great difficulty picturing sweet mushroom jelly.

Click to expand...

You can actually make sweet jam/chutney type things from chanterelles and yellowfoots. Wood hedgehogs would work well too, I'm sure, since they're so similar to chanterelles. And Scotch bonnets are pretty sweet by nature, so those would no doubt work as well, but I've never tried. Chanterelle-lemon jam is really good with fish.

You can't buy the sweet kinds of preserves in supermarkets, though, or at least I've never seen them. Only the vinegary and salty kinds are widely available here.

Oh seela... This thread made me want some mushrooms with dinner tonight. I had some baby bellas to use up, so I created mushroom mac'n cheese. I'm meeting Mister tonight for a show, just before leaving this morning he tells me I have to make a picnic dinner. (ｰ ｰ

So this morning I set to work and made curried egg salad for sandwiches, mushroom mac, and a tasty raw broccoli salad. Oh, and mixed fruit. （＾ω＾）I should be able to pack this for the train.

MeekMe said:

Oh seela... This thread made me want some mushrooms with dinner tonight.

Click to expand...

I see that my work as the crazy mushroom lady has been done.

I learned to peel pomegranates today! After years of struggle I finally asked my friend's mom how it's done. It's so easy! No more kitchen that looks like someone's been killed there.

making chicken parm with a salad and homemade dressing

oh I forgot....With my own sauce

john69mets said:

oh I forgot....With my own sauce

Click to expand...

That almost sounds ominous
We love recipes, especially super secret ones

Collar_N_Cuffs said:

That almost sounds ominous
We love recipes, especially super secret ones

Click to expand...

Ok I'll type out the dressing recipe today.......Sauce nope...lol

john69mets said:

Ok I'll type out the dressing recipe today.......Sauce nope...lol

Click to expand...

Well I had to try

Collar_N_Cuffs said:

Well I had to try

Click to expand...

yes I might give it up one day...but the dressing is very good

Salad Dressing
1/3 cup Olive oil
1/3 cup Balsamic (aged) not the cheap sit
2 cloves of garlic minced
tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
teaspoon of oregano
salt & pepper

In a bowl olive oil and minced garlic. just these 2 for an hour in the bowl. The longer the garlic & oil are together, the better, but an hour is fine.
Next goes the rest of the stuff (make sure the Dijon mustard is last) than wisk like your doing dirty things to yourself. Wisk hard and fast until it becomes thick. Set aside until your ready to put it on your salad. If you did it right, it won't separate.
I also use this as a sauce when I make chicken cutlets with arugula. Just drizzle over both.

ok Happy now

I'm always happy, that doesn't hinge on your salad dressing
Which, by the way, sounds delicious. Thanks

Jerusalem artichoke soup with roasted pumkin seeds, sesame seeds and pine nuts.

Baked zander filled with fennel, garlic, lemon, tomato, basil and butter.
Sauteed green beans and cherry tomatoes.
Salad of baby spinach, basil, marinated cherry tomatoes and mozzarella.
Lemony butter and garlic sauce.

Manchego, gorgonzola and brie with figs, apple slices and apricot jam.

Panna cotta seasoned with lime juice and orange blossom water, served with pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of lime syrup.


Sometimes it's nice to open the fridge and realize that your leftovers can easily turn what was supposed to be a simple lunch into a four course thing. Even if the courses aren't really from the same world, because it wasn't planned.

We're having Gravlax today. My SO is highly suspicious (about the name, not the salmon). He says Gravlax sounds like an Austin Power's super villan!

Will report back later on results. Hopefully with pics, if I can figure out how to use my phone camera.

Endless_Night said:

We're having Gravlax today. My SO is highly suspicious (about the name, not the salmon). He says Gravlax sounds like an Austin Power's super villan!

Will report back later on results. Hopefully with pics, if I can figure out how to use my phone camera.

Click to expand...

Did you cure the gravlax yourself or buy it? I have never tried curing it, and am not sure if I would trust anything more commercial. I just think it might be too... strong.

(Love the thought of this as a super villain moniker!)