Cookin again

[the Jester]

I didn't take pics, but I made a nice dinner tonight.

I made bok choy baked in ponzu sauce. It turned out great. Definitely worth a repeat.

I also have a winter melon, which is like a white fleshed watermelon, though less juicy, with a flavor reminiscent of cucumber; so I diced some of it up and put a little tajin on it (a Mexican spice mix containing chili powder, salt, and lime), then let it marinade in a thin dressing of lemon juice, honey, and water. It was okay but I think it would have been better without the tajin but with a stronger dressing- if I had had lime juice instead of lemons on hand, that would have been a nice touch. And maybe I could have made it a sugar-based syrup instead of honey. Next time!

Then there were dinner rolls.

Finally, my girlfriend and I had bacon, and my mom- who is vegetarian- had a portabella that I marinaded in teriyaki sauce and fried for her.

Yum!

 

[Zardnaar]

Fat Bastard Pies. Been wanting to try them for aged.


On the inside.


Far left. Lucifers pepper steak, two halves of steak and cheese.



Chicken and other half of the pepper steak pie.
They were awesome. Sone of the best I've had.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Looks tasty!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

What is the normal amount of chili crisp to put on your bowl of chicken and rice? A third of a jar, right? Right?

 

[overgeeked]

What is the normal amount of chili crisp to put on your bowl of chicken and rice? A third of a jar, right? Right?

So much that you know it’ll be a problem later. Not so much it’s a problem now.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

On one of Bourdain’s shows, he was part of a group eating at a Thai restaurant where the table had a heavily seasoned & peppered pot of cooking oil in the center of the table that everyone dipped their food into for cooking. As the meal continued, the oil got lower in the pot, concentrating the seasoning.

After the meal, his host/guide told him, “You did very well tonight, but later, you will have dire rear (diarrhea).”

As he’s wrapping up that segment, he’s lying in his hotel bed, talking to his camera. Then his expression changed, he got up quickly and ran to the bathroom…

“OH MY GOD!!!”

 

[overgeeked]

Recently brought this one back at our house. Makes a lot. @Gradine

Orzo with Shrimp and Feta

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups orzo
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped coarse
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (~1/2 cup)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Fill a medium-sized pot 2/3 with water and bring to a boil. Add shrimp. When the shrimp are pink and floating, they’re done. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss in a bowl with lemon juice and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Add oil to a medium pan over medium heat. Once shimmering, add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30-60 seconds.

Add orzo and stir thoroughly to coat the orzo with the oil. Cook for 5-6 minutes.

Stir in broth and water. Bring to a boil and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add olives and feta. Cook 5 minutes.

Add shrimp and lemon juice. Stir and let warm through, 1-2 minutes.

Serve with a splash of olive oil and more feta.

 

[overgeeked]

We tried this one for the first time the other night. I’m meh on it but my wife likes it.

Lentil Taco or Quesadilla Filling

1 cup dry Lentils, washed, rinsed and drained
1 can plum tomatoes (or a small can of tomato paste)
2 cups water (extra 1/2 cup if using tomato paste)
1 onion, diced
2 shallots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Rinse and drain lentils.

In a medium pot over medium heat toast herbs and spices. Add oil, onion, garlic, shallots. Cook 5 minutes.

Add lentils, tomatoes (or paste), and water.

Bring to boil, lower to simmer, and cover.

Cook for:
15 to 20 minutes: Red lentils, yellow lentils.
20 to 25 minutes: Black lentils.
20 to 30 minutes: Brown lentils, green lentils.

Use as you would a taco meat.

 

[TiQuinn]

We’ve been having this a couple times a month for awhile now:

¾ cup canned black beans, rinsed
⅔ cup cooked quinoa
¼ cup hummus (water down a bit to drizzle on)
¼ cup crumbled feta
1 tablespoon lime juice
¼ medium avocado, diced
3 tablespoons pico de gallo
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Good, healthy, satisfying stuff.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

A couple days ago, I made some cavitappi pasta to be eaten with 2 different sauces.

The first night, we had it with a butter wine sauce with sautéed shrimp & lobster tails. We killed that day 1.

The second sauce was a butter wine sauce baked with a variety of mushrooms & garlic cloves. We’ve worked on that for a couple days now. (I made lots of it.)

Tonight, I decided to pair the pasta & sauce with some hatch chile sausage links. Mom simply mixed hers in with her pasta. But I decided to make a sandwich with mine.

The sandwich was fairly simple: 1 link, sliced open and placed on the toasted sourdough with mayo…with a generous layer of tabouli. The tabouli in this context almost works like dill pickles or a dill relish*- giving a tartness to the sandwich- while simultaneously giving you that herbal kick.

* yes, you could substitute tabouli for dill relish on a hotdog or in an egg salad