Foodgasms

[thør]

So my first time using some of my duck stock went great! I made leek and potato soup. Since I didn't have chicken stock (only broth) I added a generous helping of my duck stock to the chicken broth to give it a richer flavor. I also used some of the duck fat to fry the leeks in. It turned out delicioso! Yay for duck!!

Excellent!

Soon there won't be a bone that hasn't been boiled leaving your kitchen.

This is not a bad thing.

 

[laZilla]

Excellent!

Soon there won't be a bone that hasn't been boiled leaving your kitchen.

This is not a bad thing.

In the wake of this delicious duck stock I have begun to think about and remember (in horror) all of the many duck, chicken and other carcasses and bones I have simply tossed in the trash after roasting. How sad!

 

[laZilla]

Also I was going to mention in the post about using the duck stock: it gave my soup a savoury, rich, velvety dimension that I have not previously experienced cooking with broth. It really was remarkable how much it improved a simple leek and potato soup, and I didn't even need that much. I am going to make and keep this stock (and others) on hand at all times from now on!

 

[thør]

In the wake of this delicious duck stock I have begun to think about and remember (in horror) all of the many duck, chicken and other carcasses and bones I have simply tossed in the trash after roasting. How sad!

We always do turkey stock after turkeys.......

If I buy a rotisserie chicken from New Sagaya, 50% of the time, the bones and skin make chicken stock for a fabulous soup.

Fish bones (salmon backbone) make some great stock for rice.

Sometimes, I'm known to roast the bones before boiling to add some additional flavor.....

 

[laZilla]

I read that roasted bones produce a vastly greater stock. Great minds...lol

What about making stock with lamb bones? I cook a lot of lamb. Could be good for cooking indian food with perhaps?

Lamb stock does strike me as something that could smell and taste yucky. Lamb fat...not so tasty like the duck fat lol. But I don't know since I'm a newbie at making stocks.

 

[thør]

I read that roasted bones produce a vastly greater stock. Great minds...lol

What about making stock with lamb bones? I cook a lot of lamb. Could be good for cooking indian food with perhaps?

Lamb stock does strike me as something that could smell and taste yucky. Lamb fat...not so tasty like the duck fat lol. But I don't know since I'm a newbie at making stocks.

I have not done lamb bones.......

but, I always roast ham hocks or smoked turkey drumettes before using them in soup, it brings out more flavor.....

 

[laZilla]

I bought some beef soup bones. They have a bunch of marrow inside. Do I roast them first? Won't the insides of them melt away?

 

[thør]

I bought some beef soup bones. They have a bunch of marrow inside. Do I roast them first? Won't the insides of them melt away?

I would throw them into my stainless 6 Qt stockpot and roast them in the oven at about 350°F for an hour or so.........anything melted and browned is great. Deglaze the pan and at least start the stock in that pot......just be cautious you don't burn the bones or marrow.......browning is fine, black is bad....

 

[laZilla]

Thanks for the tip. I have one more question and then I will leave you alone I promise! lol I always hear foodie people on tv talking about eating bone marrow, and having bone marrow butter on their steaks, and how it's the best thing in the world etc etc..is this the same marrow that's in my cheap beef soup bones? That cost $1 a lb?

 

[thør]

Thanks for the tip. I have one more question and then I will leave you alone I promise! lol I always hear foodie people on tv talking about eating bone marrow, and having bone marrow butter on their steaks, and how it's the best thing in the world etc etc..is this the same marrow that's in my cheap beef soup bones? That cost $1 a lb?

Yes.......

I believe that the marrow they talk about is cooked. I do like cooked bone marrow. It was something to fight about at the dinner table when I was young. Luckily, Mrs t is not a marrow fan, so I get it all.........

pork chops used to always come with marrow, now they never do.......

 

[laZilla]

So when Anthony Bourdain is drooling over some bone marrow on the food network, it is just these cheap soup bones, roasted? Wow.

 

[thør]

So when Anthony Bourdain is drooling over some bone marrow on the food network, it is just these cheap soup bones, roasted? Wow.

It might have come out of the center of a round steak bone or the like

 

[Recidiva]

INDIAN LAMB IN YOGURT SAUCE

Ingredients
1 Whole leg of lamb

GROUP A
2 oz Almonds

8 oz Onion,chopped

8 c Garlic

4 Inch fresh ginger, in small

4 Whole green chile,chopped

3 tb Plain yogurt of of 1 pint

GROUP B
2 tb Cumin,ground

2 ts Coriander,ground

3 ts Cayenne

3 1/2 ts Salt

GROUP C
1/2 tb Whole cloves

16 Whole cardamom

1 Stick cinnamon

10 Whole black peppercorns

DECORATIONS
Whole almonds

Golden raisins

Preparation - Indian Lamb in Yogurt Sauce
In a food processor or blender mix GROUP A In a bowl stir the pint of yogurt (minus the 3 tablespoons) until creamy and smooth. Then add the Group A paste and Add GROUP B Now, put this mixture over, around, and in the leg of lamb. Use a glass pan and cover with plastic film. Refridgerate for 24 hours. Glass is used to avoid the possible chemical changes in the yogurt. 24 Hours later: Heat 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil in pan and add (when hot but not smoking) GROUP C A few seconds in hot oil and you pour the spices and hot oil over the lamb. Cover it all with foil and bake at 400F for 1 1/2 hours then uncover for 45 minutes. Decorate with whole almonds and golden raisins. Then give it a final 5 minutes to finish in the oven.

 

[Recidiva]

Breakfast! I used to always get BIG versions of this cookie in Chinatown in San Francisco and New York. Yummm.

Chinese Almond Cookies

8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted whole almonds, ground almonds
40 or so unsalted whole almonds

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and smooth. Beat in the egg, then fold in flour, baking powder, and ground almonds. Form the dough into a ball, then divide into four sections. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll each into a log about 4 inches long. Wrap each log firmly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour, until firm enough to slice.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Slice 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick rounds from the logs and arrange on baking sheet. Firmly press an almonds into the center of each. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a wire rack before serving. These will keep in an air-tight container for 3 to 4 days.

 

[Recidiva]

PARMESAN BLACK PEPPER PASTA

1 pound durum or all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup water
Semolina flour, for dusting
8 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, or low-sodium canned
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
1. Prepare the pasta: Mound durum flour on a clean work surface. Make a well in the center. Crack eggs into the well. Add 2 tablespoons oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. With a fork, whisk the eggs, slowly incorporating the flour. Slowly drizzle the water, one tablespoon at a time, into the egg mixture. When the dough holds together, begin kneading the dough to work in the remainder of the flour. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth, about 10 minutes. Form into a ball, and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Dust a baking sheet with semolina; set aside. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope, about 1/2 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough crosswise into slices 1/16 inch thick. Using your thumb, press the slices into coinlike pieces. They should be slightly larger than a quarter. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; set aside for 30 minutes to dry.
3. In a large saucepan, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add the reserved pasta, and cook until al dente, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain; reserving stock. In a large saute pan, heat remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the pasta and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Add 1 1/2 cups reserved stock. Bring to a boil, stirring gently to combine. Reduce the heat to medium low, and let simmer for 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and parsley; stir to combine. Let simmer for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat, and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Serve immediately

 

[laZilla]

I made some chicken mulligatawny soup last night that was so delish. I have been tweaking the recipe and experimenting with the ingredients and I think I finally got it. It would also taste great without the chicken if you want to make it vegetarian. The list of ingredients is long, yes but it isn't difficult to make.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, thawed
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 granny smith apple, finely chopped
1-2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (depending on how spicy you want it - 2 jalapenos gives it a nice bite of spice!)
2 tbl curry powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tbl ginger, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbl olive oil
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup of tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tbl heavy cream
2 cups fresh spinach
1 can coconut milk
1 lime, cut into wedges

Finely chop the onion, celery, jalapenos and apple (small, like a mirepoix). Add to a stock pot with curry, garam masala, red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic. Sautee in olive oil until veggies start to soften (3-5 min depending on the size of your dice). Add chicken broth to the pan along with chopped tomatoes and cream. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add chicken breasts and cover. Cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked through but still tender. Shred the chicken right in the pot or take it out and shred it on a cutting board and add it back to the pot. Stir in coconut milk and spinach. As soon as the spinach begins to wilt take it off the heat. Serve over rice (I like Jasmin but basmati or even brown rice would work great.) Serve with a few lime wedges on the side of each bowl so everyone can control the amount of lime they want in it. (I do this because I LOVE lime and lemon in my food but hubby only likes a touch of it while my 9 yr old likes it somewhere in between.)

Next time I think I will add about a quarter cup of cilantro to it just to see.

I haven't shared this recipe with anyone before so I am looking forward to getting some reviews and critique or improvement suggestions.

 

[laZilla]

I made this the other day and it was so good you would have swore it just came out of the kitchen in a Thai restaurant! It's a great recipe.

Thai Chicken Soup

6 cups chicken stock
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced
1 lemongrass stalk
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced (if you can't find shiitake regular oyster or crimini mushrooms will work fine)
1 thumb-size piece ginger, grated (Trader Joe's sells jars of pre-grated ginger. Very convenient to have on hand.)
1-3 fresh red chilies, minced (to taste),
1 cup reduced fat coconut milk (Trader Joe's carries TJ's light coconut milk. You can also find this in most grocery stores in the aisian food section. You can use regular coconut milk I just like to use the reduced fat type for a low-cal version of this soup)
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (optional)
1 tsp. brown sugar (optional, according to taste)
handful fresh basil leaves
3 spring (green) onions, sliced

Prepare the lemon grass. To prepare the lemon grass first remove it's tough outer leaves until you have a pale yellow smooth stalk. Roughly chop up lemon grass and put it in a food processor on "high" for a minute or two until it's pulvarized. Now take the lid off the food processor and smell the lemon grass! It is so amazing, it totally overwhelms your senses. It is one of the most intense olfactory experience I've ever had in my kitchen or anyone else's for that matter. It's my favorite part of cooking with lemon grass!

Place chicken broth in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.

Add mushrooms, prepared lemongrass and red chilis. Boil 5-8 minutes, or until chicken is cooked.

Turn heat down to medium. Add the ginger, 1/2 can coconut milk and fish sauce. Stir well. Simmer gently 1-2 minutes.

When chicken is cooked add lime juice and stir.

Do a taste test. Look for a balance between spicy, sour, salty, and sweet flavors. Start with salty, adding more fish sauce if not salty or flavorful enough (1 Tbsp. at a time). If too sour, add the sugar plus a little more if you need it. If too spicy, or if you'd like it creamier, add more coconut milk. If not spicy enough, add more chili.

Ladle soup into serving bowls. Sprinkle a little fresh basil and green onion over each bowl.

You can also boil some Thai rice noodles and mix them into the soup for a wonderful noodle bowl.

* If you don't like little bits of lemon grass in your soup (my hubs hates it!) put the lemon grass in a mesh boiling bag and remove before serving the soup.

 

[laZilla]

My son turned 9 yesterday. I am officially OLD! lol

Today he had a birthday party and I decided to make a bunch of finger foods for the kids so they didn't have to sit down with a plate and silverware to eat. I did stuff like macaroni & cheese cups baked in a minimuffin tin, pigs in blankets, etc. But the best by far were the cupcakes. I made Reese's peanut butter cup stuffed cupcakes. I made some peanut butter buttercream frosting and piped it on top of the cupcakes along with another mini peanut butter cup on top for decoration.

http://i55.tinypic.com/24zekyh.jpg

Also, I whipped up some fruit dip that was fantastic. I mixed a tub of strawberry cream cheese and a tub of fat free cool whip with my hand mixer. The tartness of the apples tasted fantastic with the sweet dip. Definitely a keeper!

http://i52.tinypic.com/29vx7qf.jpg

 

[laZilla]

I used the chocolate cake recipe that is on the Hershey's cocoa tin for the cupcakes. I have been using it for years, it is so moist and yummy and basically idiot-proof. It always turns out great. The frosting for these is so good you can't help licking the spoon! lol However, the cupcakes are great without the frosting. It just makes them extra awesome.

Peanut butter cup stuffed cupcakes:

For cupcake batter:
2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup strong coffee, very hot
24 mini Reeses Peanut Butter cups

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2) In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. Stir in coffee.
3) Place 12 cupcake liners in a muffin tin. Fill liners halfway with batter. Drop in a mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. Continue filling cupcake liners.
4) Bake cupcakes for 20-25 minutes (until a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t stick the toothpick in far enough to puncture the peanut butter cup though.)

* While cupcakes are cooling prepare peanut butter frosting.

For frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
2 cups confectioners' (powdered) sugar

5) Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

6) After frosting cupcakes add one miniature Reeses Peanut Butter Cup for decoration.

 

[laZilla]

I made a great winter vegetable lasagna last night. I roasted some butternut squash and broccoli and layered it with a rich cheese sauce made out of 3 cheeses and sundried tomatoes. It was awesome. I recommend everyone to make one this winter!

http://i52.tinypic.com/szwgso.jpg

 

[thør]

I made ya-ya-ya

Did you make turkey stock?

 

[laZilla]

Did you make turkey stock?

No, but only because we got a smoked turkey. Didn't think that would taste too good. I got a duck for making stock for holiday cooking though!

 

[thør]

No, but only because we got a smoked turkey. Didn't think that would taste too good. I got a duck for making stock for holiday cooking though!

I think you might have been surprised, of course, carrots, celery and onion would have to be added......

We put the bones, etc in a big crock pot and left it on high for about 16 hours. One gallon of yummy stock.

 

[laZilla]

I was worried about it being too salty. I should have tried anyway. Yours sounds yum. What are you going to do with it all?

 

[thør]

I was worried about it being too salty. I should have tried anyway. Yours sounds yum. What are you going to do with it all?

might just be stock for rice some night