The Virtual Cooking Conglomerate

[Parklife]

Well, it seems we've got quite a few cooks in the Lit world. I thought it might be interesting to try a new type of thread out.

It seems cooking clubs are growing in popularity with a group of people gathering once a month or so and either bringing or preparing food together. I've been involved in a few wine tasting clubs and have always wanted to do a dinner related one.

So... viola!! The Virtual Cooking Conglomerate

Every meal should consist of main dish, side dish, appetizer, first course, and a dessert.

For the thread, someone can elect a main dish and describe what it's like (recipes always much appreciated). From there, other posters can pick one of the remaining courses and describe what you would make to fit in with the meal.

When one meal stops, feel free to start another. If nothing else, perhaps we can get some ideas for interesting food pairings.
At worst, the first thread i start will fall into ignored oblivion. At best, i'll be inspired to create a meal from one of the Lit menus.

happy cooking,
Park~

Anyone care to suggest a first main dish??

 

[Rubyfruit]

Great idea, Park. I also think it would be fun to vote on say, four or five meals once a month and each prepare it at home, coming back here with comments and suggestions.

 

[Parklife]

Hell, that might be a better idea....

I'm all for anything that inspires in the kitchen..

Park~

 

[Aurora_s_Flame]

OMG

You mean like me...cook?

Hmmmmm...a challenge...

*puts her thinking cap on...and gets hungrier*

~ Rora

 

[Rubyfruit]

Bump.

Come on guys, this could be fun and besides, I'm not getting any sex so I need something else to focus on.

Where are all the foodies? Perky, Nora, Tortoise, come out come out wherever you are.

 

[Parklife]

ahhhh yes....

well, how to start this thing...


Well, I've got a pork loin in the fridge so i'm looking to make pork..

I can either start that off as the main dish, or we can all decide to make a pork recipe this week and share the results...



I'm thinking of Pork medallions in a green peppercorn cream sauce...

 

[lobito]

Morgy and I used to do this every Tuesday. It's been a while but I can probably do it if I think hard enough.

Lo

 

[The Squid King]

Ramen noodles boiled in beer

Recipe:
1 package Ramen Noodles broken up (any flavor)
2-3 Busch Talls (Busch pounders for those who don't know what a Busch tall is)

Cook like regular Ramen Noodles, but do not add flavor package.

It isn't that bad, and it is a godsend when your pipes burst and you no longer have running water for a month. (Fucking Ghetto Landlord)

Edited to add recipe.

 

[marksgirl]

PORK RECIPE

Saucy Pork and Peppers
------------------------------
2 fresh limes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
Dash cyenne pepper
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 to 3 fresh parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 medium onions, each cut into 8 pieces
2 medium tomatoes, each cut int 8 pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 8 pieces
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 8 pieces

Squeeze juice from limes, reserving peel. In small bowl, combine lime juice, lime peal, soy sauce, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic, parsley and bay leaf: blend well. Place pork cubes in plastic bag or non-metal bowl. Pour lime mixture over pork, turning to coat. Seal bag or cover dish; marinate at least 2 hours or overnight in refrigerator, turning pork several times.

Remove lime peel, parsley sprigs and bay leaf from marinade; discard. Remove pork form marinade, reserving marinade. Drain pork well. Heat oil in large skillet over high heat. Add brown sugar; stir until sugar is dissolved. Add pork cubes; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until pork is browned. Reduce heat to low. Add onions, tomatoes, peppers and reserved marinade; simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until pork is tender.

Makes 4 servings

Good stuff...enjoy!

 

[RosevilleCAguy]

Cool. "Iron Chef" lit style.

 

[Rubyfruit]

Park, how about I make your pork loin recipe and you make mine?

 

[Parklife]

Park, how about I make your pork loin recipe and you make mine?

Sounds great.... we can all divy up the pork recipes that are provided if other people want to post their recipes (a la Marksgirl)...

I'll have to wait until after lunch to grab the recipe as it's at home and i'm at work... nothing complicated though..

Park~

 

[Rubyfruit]

It's not spicy is it? I can't eat spicy food.

I'll post mine in a bit. I'm on hold with Kohler right now.

 

[lavender]

 

[marksgirl]

Ms. Ruby...

Just leave out the Dash cyenne pepper and it wont burn ya hon!

 

[Rubyfruit]

Ok Park, here's mine.

Make a bed of parboiled baby red potatoes, rough chopped sweet onions, chopped fresh parsley, (I prefer flat leaf), salt and pepper, tossed with a little olive oil in your roasting pan. Set aside.

Mix 4 ounces of softened butter with the finely chopped zest of one lemon, 1/16 of a pound of chopped prosciutto, a clove or two of minced garlic, a bunch of chopped fresh rosemary and salt and pepper. (Because this part is a bit labor intensive, I usually double the recipe and freeze half. It's great for putting under the skin of whole roast chicken as well.)

With a knife and then your finger, create pockets in the loin approximately one inch apart. Stuff the mixture above into these pockets, place on top of bed of potatoes and roast at 375 until the roast reaches an internal temperature of about 160. Be careful not to overcook.

While the roast is resting outside the oven, put the potatoes back in to brown for about 10 minutes, using the broiler if you have to.

~~~~~~

I'm looking forward to trying your recipe, Park. I probably won't get to it until tomorrow though.

~~~~~~

Marksgirl, your recipe looks delicious as well.

 

[Nora]

Ok, I'm not a big pork eater, but this recipe is fucking divine! The pork comes out so tender you just look at it and it slices itself up nicely for you. It looks like way more of a pain in the ass than it is, basically do the marinade the night before, come home from work the next day and cook it. Tenderloins cook *so* quickly. This can also be grilled.

HONEY-GINGERED PORK TENDERLOINS

two 3/4-pound pork tenderloins
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh gingerroot
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Garnish: fresh flat-leafed parsley sprigs

Pat pork dry and arrange in a shallow dish. In a bowl whisk together all remaining ingredients and pour marinade over pork. Turn pork to coat well. Chill pork, covered, turning it once or twice, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.

Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade. Sear tenderloins on the stovetop in a heavy roasting pan. Place in preheated 350° oven and roast, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

While the pork is roasting, put the reserved marinade in a pot and cut with at least half a cup of water or chicken stock. Bring to a boil over a medium heat and cook until slightly thickened. This sauce is VERY pungent and, as they say, a little dab will do ya.

 

[Nora]

Ok, and I'll offer a side dish for Ruby's roast. Other than the potatoes in the recipe, I mean. Of course, we're on the tail end of asparagus season.

Roasted Asparagus:

1 lb of asparagus, washed and trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
kosher salt (I'm a salt snob)
black pepper

Mix together olive oil and vinegar and toss asparagus to coat. Place in a single layer on a jelly roll pan or other low-sided pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated 475° oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until done.

Obviously, increase quantities in accordance to how much asparagus you're cooking. I pretty much guestimated amounts when I wrote this out anyway! lol

 

[Rubyfruit]

I'm a salt snob too, Nora. Both of those recipes sound delicious! I make that same exact recipe with asparagus, but I pan roast them on the stove top.

 

[Nora]

I'm a salt snob too, Nora. Both of those recipes sound delicious! I make that same exact recipe with asparagus, but I pan roast them on the stove top.

Do you have to stir them a lot to keep them from burning, Ruby?


btw, if your kids will eat it (you have kids, don't you? why can I not remember this??) the tastiest side for the honey-ginger pork is spinach sautéed with a little sesame oil. YUMMY and super quick!

 

[Rubyfruit]

I love spinach! Cooked, raw, steamed or blanched. Yum. I'm going to try that. I have three kids, Nora. One will probably eat it. She has a very sophisticated palate for a three-year old.

I don't have trouble with the asparagus burning in the pan, Nora. I use a medium-high heat and move them around every 3-4 minutes. Takes 10-15 minutes. Try it.

 

[Parklife]

Pork Recipe

Pork Medallions in green peppercorn cream sauce

Cut a pork loin into medallions (4-ounces or so a piece) or you can buy medallions at the store. In a large, heavy skillet (anyone else a Le Creuset fan??), heat a tablespoon or so of oil over medium-high heat (I always use olive oil, extra-virgin mostly). Season both sides of the pork lightly with salt and pepper. Add the medallions to the pan and cook for couple of minutes on each side (shouldn’t take long to at all to cook the 4-ounce medallions). Remove and set aside.

Add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet. When melted, add shallots (1/4 cup) and garlic (2 cloves minced). Cook until the shallots soften and add ½ C white wine and simmer until reduced to a few tablespoons (5 min or so). Add a cup of cream (heavy or light), bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half (another 5 min.). Reduce the heat to medium and add some Dijon mustard (1 tablespoon or so).. Add another tablespoon of butter, whisking everything together. Stir in a teaspoon of drained and crushed green peppercorns. Return the pork medallions and warm through. Bon Appetite!!



I'm a big fan of tailoring spices and amounts to your own tastes so the above are just general guidelines... Green peppercorns aren't spicy and if you can use black pepper, they shouldn't be a problem. I'm sure the sauce would taste just fine without them as well. In fact, i've made this recipe by substituting the cream with a gruyere cheese and omits the peppercorns completely... when that cheese melts and that sauce becomes thick... mmhmm...

so many tasty recipes we seem to have here... anyone pick one and feel free to make it and come back to report...

Salt snob here too.... and even have my dad hooked on it now..

Park~

 

[lavender]

 

[Parklife]

Oh i think there's plenty of times i've just grilled pork chops or had a good quality steak free from any detractors....

but then again, i love vanilla ice cream but i'll be damned if on occassion I don't enjoy a little mint thrown in, or chocolate chips, or mint chocolate chips...

It's an adventure.. and sometimes i enjoy walking on the path and sometimes i enjoy running through the bushes...

I eat much less red meat anymore so I tend to find new ways to eat the pork and chicken i make... it allows me to be creative and artistic since i have little 'traditional' artistic ability.

But, i will concede, sometimes straight up pork or a great filet of beef taste superb alone...

 

[Nora]

I love spinach! Cooked, raw, steamed or blanched. Yum. I'm going to try that. I have three kids, Nora. One will probably eat it. She has a very sophisticated palate for a three-year old.

I don't have trouble with the asparagus burning in the pan, Nora. I use a medium-high heat and move them around every 3-4 minutes. Takes 10-15 minutes. Try it.

I'm definitely gonna try it! Thanks!