I asked my friend for her guianese spicey pumpkin recipe and will pass it on. It is probably similar; my wife goes cookoo-crazy for this stuff also.
Whoa - my friend Montek just made a Pumpkin masala this weekend. I'll hit him up - it was great!
Saba and Soulmarcosa:
Both of these sound most excellent. If you get a grip on them let me know. I also asked my Thai friend if she could ask her mom, I'd be happy to pass them along as well. I am loving getting into big flavors and more complex dishes.
Keeping with the Pumpkin Theme, my mom makes some killer Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies around this time of year. Freakin heaven, I need to get that recipe from her.
All the Folks frustrated with baking:
Bread isnt that hard it just takes patience....A while back I would have said I had zero patience, then I realized I my blood pressure would appreciate as much patience as possible. I like making bread, it can be soothing. Last week I made Buttermilk Bread for the first time, it was accompanied by Butter Nut Squash Soup, both from Scratch. It took like 5 hours but it was soooooo worth it. I guess if you have the time......But if you dont Muffins, Banana bread and other quick breads are hella easy and take half an hour or so to throw together.
I prefer making Savory things and cheating generally on breads and pastries. I tried making Croissants once, now that is Frickin' hard! Crispy or not, those things are no joke....I thought 6 hours to make bread was a long time....it takes 2-3 DAYS to make proper Croissants. No wonder they are so expensive, not to mention the pound of butter.
I think recipes are rather useless if you want to improve your cooking. Learn basic preparations, try to understand the use of key ingredients aso. Grab a couple of good books with explanations ("On food and cooking", a recent edition of "the professional chef" or another cooking school book). Just my two cents
this is the realest thing on here
And how do u learn basic preparations? Through basic recipes, Dumbass.
Like DJing or painting you have have to have some point of reference. You not gonna saute some fuckin FrootLoops w/ Procuitto as serve it to your peeples - talmbout - "I dont need a recipe to learn the basics of food combos."
And im the first mofo to say Art has no rules, but im not tryin to disregard certain information and boil some hotdogs in mayo.
Exactly, dude... I'm kinda coming at this from an inexperienced perspective, so the recipes definitely help. Thanks for these... I'm printin em out & plan on cookin it up!
Ok, just to clarify. Probably my term "basic preparations" was misleading. I meant basic cooking techniques ( for example, braising, pan frying, broiling... and for example a basic understanding of the varieties and differences of stocks, soups and sauces. When to use what and why...) IMO that's much more important than recipes and it's especially much more important if you are inexperienced. Once you begin to understand WHY you are doing certain things in recipes, you will really learn something and improve your cooking in general.
I'm pretty sure I've posted this before. Anyway, I make/eat this a lot in the fall/winter. It's fast and easy, I'm a big fan of simple recipes.
Generally, I use 4 cups stock if it's a side soup and 6 - 8 cups if it's the main meal. Other amounts depend on how hearty or liquidy you want it. If you're using instant stock, you don't have to make it in another pot, when you're almost ready to add the stock, start your kettle and once the water's boiling, throw the stock into the pot and add the right amount of water and stir and heat through-out so there's no clumps. This is way easier and less pots to wash.
garlic olive oil chili flakes white kidney or romano beans or barley pre-cooked small pasta or rice - I prefer to cook it separately so the soup doesn't get the starch rapini stock
parsley
lemon wedges fresh grated parmesan
In a large pot, heat garlic and chili flakes in oil, stir in beans or barley and cover. Putting in the beans early will give the soup a creamier texture, if you're not into this, put them in at the end. If the beans are in, keep watch so they don't get too mushy or stick. Watch that the barley doesn't stick. When the garlic is golden, add a small amount of water and put in the rapini, toss and cover for a minute or two. Add stock and then the pasta or rice. Stir and cover for a few minutes - until the barley is cooked. Again, make sure there are no stock clumps.
Serve with choped parsley and have the lemons and cheese as optional toppings.
Other than minestrone, I'm not a big fan of tomatoes in soups, but if you like, add chopped roma tomatoes to the garlic/oil/chilis at the start.
When I have a cold I add a couple of teaspoons of turmeric to the garlic/oil/chilis at the start. The parmesan cheese does not taste too good in this case imo.
Mustard Seed & Peppercorn Brined Pork Chops Pan Fried with Orange Zest and Rosemary[/b]
Shop 3 or 4 days before you want to eat.
INGREDIENTS Tasty Ass Pork Chops Salt Sugar Whole Black Peppercorns Mustard Seeds Garlic Cloves Several sprigs of Rosemary Olive Oil Butter
Optional: any other spices you might like (Bay leaves, pickling spices, thyme, juniper berries, celery seeds, etc.)
PREPARATION
Make a brine for your chops: Boil 2 quarts of water. Dump sugar, salt (1/4 cup each), a big handful of mustard seeds and an equally big handful of peppercorns, 6 cloves of garlic (smashed with the flat side of a chef's knife) into your boiling water. Your brine should taste like the saltiest of seas. Boil for 10 or 15 minutes. Cooking mustard, if you've never done this before, gets kinda intense. It might burn your eyes and throat a little--this is normal. Don't worry. Let this cool completely. Then put your chops in there. Allow them to sit for 24 to 48 hours in the fridge.
Day Of: Make a nice, thick dressing for the chops. Smash five or six more cloves of garlic and mix them, along with salt and pepper in a quarter or half stick of soft butter. Zest an orange (this means, use a peeler or zester to get little chunks of orange peel) and mix a handful of zest into the dressing. Orange compliments pork, you can add a lot of zest.
Take the chops out of the brine (dump the brine juice). Pat the chops dry. Smother them in your dressing.
COOKING Start with a cold, heavy pan. Lay the chops on 5 or 6 sprigs of rosemary. Pork is lean, and is best served by starting with a cold pan. The rosemary keeps the pork from cooking against the skillet, and the herb gently perfumes the meat.
Start cold, place chops, turn heat to high. Let cook for 7 to 10 minutes (depending on thickness) and turn for a quick finish. Pork should be pink inside. Don't let it cook too much or it will be tough.
Pair with a nice vintage, such as Candi Staton or Clifford Coulter.
FINISHED!
It's easy. I like serving this with garlic and rosemary mashed sweet potatoes. Salad and/or steamed asparagus w/ lemon as well.
+++++
You can get real creative with the brine. Lots of tasty options. Brining pork makes it delicious. This ain't no steak.
Also, you can make a nice mustard sauce, which is terribly easy, instead of the dressing.
If you want to make it even better, you can stuff all kinds of tasty things into your chop during the dressing stage. Poke a knife into the chop in several places, then stuff something tasty into those openings (orange wedges, apples, small strips of uncooked bacon, olives, etc.).
Are you kidding? C'mon dude... I love pork chops. Por why? You have some tasty recipe to bless upon me?
Pork Chops w/ a Coffee Rub......
Coffee Rub: 1/4 cup ancho chili powder 1/4 cup finely ground espresso 2 tablespoons Spanish paprika 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon dry mustard 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1 tablespoon dried oregano 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 teaspoons chili de arbol powder 2 bone-in or boneless rib-eye steaks, 2-inches thick, approximately 1 1/2 pounds each Canola or olive oil Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Combine all spices in a bowl. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Preheat a cast iron pan over high heat. Brush each side of the steak with oil and then season each side liberally with salt and pepper. Rub 2 tablespoons of the coffee rub onto 1 side of each steak. Cook the steak, rub side down until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the steak over, cook for 2 minutes and then transfer to a baking sheet and cook in the oven to medium-rare doneness, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and let rest 5 minutes before slicing
Substitute Steak w/ Pork Chops - Pork has different cooking times than Beef.
Green Chile Potato Soup Ingredients: - Potatoes - Green Chile - Bacon (!!!!) - Heavy Cream - Chicken Stock
Start by roasting the chiles on your burner of however you wish. Char the outside skin and then place in a zip lock or paper bag to rest. After about 10 minutes the moisture should of loosened up the skins on the chiles and made them easy to peal. Clean the chiles - remove the inner seeds and veins and stems. Place chiles on side for the moment.
Chop up a package of bacon into small pieces. Cook bacon until crispy in a large soup pot. Remove bacon, leave the drippings in the pot.
I like to leave some peels on the potatoes - this is up to you. Chop potatoes into small cubes or not, up to you. Place in soup pot with bacon drippings, cover potatoes with chicken broth then add more fresh water. Boil potatoes until your desired tenderness - this is up to you, cant really mess this part up. After it has cooked add the green chile and cream.
At this point I like to hit it with my handheld wand blender and make it real smooth. How smooth is up to you. If you dont have a wand blender you could use something else to just mush and mix the chiles, cream, and potatoes.
I bring the soup back to a boil, add the bacon, and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (bacon has plenty of salt already, so be careful).
serve in a bowl and maybe sprinkle some grated Monterrey Jack cheese on top.
this shit has bacon and cream and is not a Frickin' everyday kinda soup.
Green Chile Potato Soup Ingredients: - Potatoes - Green Chile - Bacon (!!!!) - Heavy Cream - Chicken Stock
Start by roasting the chiles on your burner of however you wish. Char the outside skin and then place in a zip lock or paper bag to rest. After about 10 minutes the moisture should of loosened up the skins on the chiles and made them easy to peal. Clean the chiles - remove the inner seeds and veins and stems. Place chiles on side for the moment.
Chop up a package of bacon into small pieces. Cook bacon until crispy in a large soup pot. Remove bacon, leave the drippings in the pot.
I like to leave some peels on the potatoes - this is up to you. Chop potatoes into small cubes or not, up to you. Place in soup pot with bacon drippings, cover potatoes with chicken broth then add more fresh water. Boil potatoes until your desired tenderness - this is up to you, cant really mess this part up. After it has cooked add the green chile and cream.
At this point I like to hit it with my handheld wand blender and make it real smooth. How smooth is up to you. If you dont have a wand blender you could use something else to just mush and mix the chiles, cream, and potatoes.
I bring the soup back to a boil, add the bacon, and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (bacon has plenty of salt already, so be careful).
serve in a bowl and maybe sprinkle some grated Monterrey Jack cheese on top.
this shit has bacon and cream and is not a Frickin' everyday kinda soup.
Why do u need a whole package of bacon? That much pork fat rendered by an entire package plus Chicken stock which has fat as well is overkill.Unless yor makin it for an entire cafeteria. The u have cream and cheese.
I was messin' with the frozen roasted hatch joints this winter. I found a spot that sells 'em in denver all year round, frozen, still in the skins with the seeds (they retain the roasted flavor and heat a lot better than pre-peeled and frozen chiles). Hatch, as far as I'm concerned, is about the only way to go. Once you go hatch, you never go back, etc.
Anyway, your recipe sounds good, I think I'll give it a try.
I did a hatch green chile stuffed chicken breast with a honey-chipotle glaze/reduction a month or so ago, that came out really really tasty.
Brined the chicken overnight, did a nm chile powder rub with some other stuff (garlic powder, salt, pepper, etc) with a little olive oil and let the breasts rest for about an hour with the rub. Then, I flattened the breasts and rolled them up with the green chiles, couple toothpicks, baked til done, then drizzled with the reduction.
Reduction was easy too. Puree a can of chipotle chiles in adobo, mix with honey, a little sugar, a little water, and some vinegar and heat on med to med/high heat, stirring a lot. Keep adding what you need to and reducing it until you get the flavor and consistency you like. Not rocket science, pretty easy dish to prepare, and it was tasty. Make your favorite latin rice dish and you're all set.
Why do u need a whole package of bacon? That much pork fat rendered by an entire package plus Chicken stock which has fat as well is overkill.Unless yor makin it for an entire cafeteria. The u have cream and cheese.
Where are u from?
Hahaha, I thought a whole package sounded like a lot too, but I guesss it depends on how big your pot of soup is gon' be. I would not use that much bacon fat. I would maybe use that much actual cooked bacon, but the rendered fat from all of that is a heart attack in a pot. I'd probably dump 3/4 of it. Bacon fat flavor goes a long way.
Why do u need a whole package of bacon? That much pork fat rendered by an entire package plus Chicken stock which has fat as well is overkill.Unless yor makin it for an entire cafeteria. Then u have cream and cheese?
Where are u from?
Hahaha, I thought a whole package sounded like a lot too, but I guesss it depends on how big your pot of soup is gon' be. I would not use that much bacon fat. I would maybe use that much actual cooked bacon, but the rendered fat from all of that is a heart attack in a pot. I'd probably dump 3/4 of it. Bacon fat flavor goes a long way.
Exactly. Unless your using the fat to saute some veggies before you add all the rest, that amount is insane.
This is basically Wendy's Baked Potatoes swimming in FatStock.
hey guys, i dont use all that, typo related. Last time I made this, i used like 4 strips of bacon for a large pot I use more chile and make it muy spicy.
hey guys, i dont use all that, typo related. Last time I made this, i used like 4 strips of bacon for a large pot I use more chile and make it muy spicy.
hey guys, i dont use all that, typo related. Last time I made this, i used like 4 strips of bacon for a large pot I use more chile and make it muy spicy.
Comments
Saba and Soulmarcosa:
Both of these sound most excellent. If you get a grip on them let me know. I also asked my Thai friend if she could ask her mom, I'd be happy to pass them along as well. I am loving getting into big flavors and more complex dishes.
Keeping with the Pumpkin Theme, my mom makes some killer Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies around this time of year. Freakin heaven, I need to get that recipe from her.
All the Folks frustrated with baking:
Bread isnt that hard it just takes patience....A while back I would have said I had zero patience, then I realized I my blood pressure would appreciate as much patience as possible. I like making bread, it can be soothing. Last week I made Buttermilk Bread for the first time, it was accompanied by Butter Nut Squash Soup, both from Scratch. It took like 5 hours but it was soooooo worth it. I guess if you have the time......But if you dont Muffins, Banana bread and other quick breads are hella easy and take half an hour or so to throw together.
I prefer making Savory things and cheating generally on breads and pastries. I tried making Croissants once, now that is Frickin' hard! Crispy or not, those things are no joke....I thought 6 hours to make bread was a long time....it takes 2-3 DAYS to make proper Croissants. No wonder they are so expensive, not to mention the pound of butter.
Ok, just to clarify. Probably my term "basic preparations" was misleading. I meant basic cooking techniques ( for example, braising, pan frying, broiling... and for example a basic understanding of the varieties and differences of stocks, soups and sauces. When to use what and why...) IMO that's much more important than recipes and it's especially much more important if you are inexperienced. Once you begin to understand WHY you are doing certain things in recipes, you will really learn something and improve your cooking in general.
Generally, I use 4 cups stock if it's a side soup and 6 - 8 cups if it's the main meal. Other amounts depend on how hearty or liquidy you want it. If you're using instant stock, you don't have to make it in another pot, when you're almost ready to add the stock, start your kettle and once the water's boiling, throw the stock into the pot and add the right amount of water and stir and heat through-out so there's no clumps. This is way easier and less pots to wash.
garlic
olive oil
chili flakes
white kidney or romano beans or barley
pre-cooked small pasta or rice - I prefer to cook it separately so the soup doesn't get the starch
rapini
stock
parsley
lemon wedges
fresh grated parmesan
In a large pot, heat garlic and chili flakes in oil, stir in beans or barley and cover. Putting in the beans early will give the soup a creamier texture, if you're not into this, put them in at the end. If the beans are in, keep watch so they don't get too mushy or stick. Watch that the barley doesn't stick. When the garlic is golden, add a small amount of water and put in the rapini, toss and cover for a minute or two. Add stock and then the pasta or rice. Stir and cover for a few minutes - until the barley is cooked. Again, make sure there are no stock clumps.
Serve with choped parsley and have the lemons and cheese as optional toppings.
Other than minestrone, I'm not a big fan of tomatoes in soups, but if you like, add chopped roma tomatoes to the garlic/oil/chilis at the start.
When I have a cold I add a couple of teaspoons of turmeric to the garlic/oil/chilis at the start. The parmesan cheese does not taste too good in this case imo.
Mustard Seed & Peppercorn Brined Pork Chops Pan Fried with Orange Zest and Rosemary[/b]
Shop 3 or 4 days before you want to eat.
INGREDIENTS
Tasty Ass Pork Chops
Salt
Sugar
Whole Black Peppercorns
Mustard Seeds
Garlic
Cloves
Several sprigs of Rosemary
Olive Oil
Butter
Optional: any other spices you might like (Bay leaves, pickling spices, thyme, juniper berries, celery seeds, etc.)
PREPARATION
Make a brine for your chops:
Boil 2 quarts of water. Dump sugar, salt (1/4 cup each), a big handful of mustard seeds and an equally big handful of peppercorns, 6 cloves of garlic (smashed with the flat side of a chef's knife) into your boiling water. Your brine should taste like the saltiest of seas. Boil for 10 or 15 minutes. Cooking mustard, if you've never done this before, gets kinda intense. It might burn your eyes and throat a little--this is normal. Don't worry. Let this cool completely. Then put your chops in there. Allow them to sit for 24 to 48 hours in the fridge.
Day Of:
Make a nice, thick dressing for the chops. Smash five or six more cloves of garlic and mix them, along with salt and pepper in a quarter or half stick of soft butter. Zest an orange (this means, use a peeler or zester to get little chunks of orange peel) and mix a handful of zest into the dressing. Orange compliments pork, you can add a lot of zest.
Take the chops out of the brine (dump the brine juice). Pat the chops dry. Smother them in your dressing.
COOKING
Start with a cold, heavy pan. Lay the chops on 5 or 6 sprigs of rosemary. Pork is lean, and is best served by starting with a cold pan. The rosemary keeps the pork from cooking against the skillet, and the herb gently perfumes the meat.
Start cold, place chops, turn heat to high. Let cook for 7 to 10 minutes (depending on thickness) and turn for a quick finish. Pork should be pink inside. Don't let it cook too much or it will be tough.
Pair with a nice vintage, such as Candi Staton or Clifford Coulter.
FINISHED!
It's easy. I like serving this with garlic and rosemary mashed sweet potatoes. Salad and/or steamed asparagus w/ lemon as well.
+++++
You can get real creative with the brine. Lots of tasty options. Brining pork makes it delicious. This ain't no steak.
Also, you can make a nice mustard sauce, which is terribly easy, instead of the dressing.
If you want to make it even better, you can stuff all kinds of tasty things into your chop during the dressing stage. Poke a knife into the chop in several places, then stuff something tasty into those openings (orange wedges, apples, small strips of uncooked bacon, olives, etc.).
Pork Chops w/ a Coffee Rub......
Coffee Rub:
1/4 cup ancho chili powder
1/4 cup finely ground espresso
2 tablespoons Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons chili de arbol powder
2 bone-in or boneless rib-eye steaks, 2-inches thick, approximately 1 1/2 pounds each
Canola or olive oil
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Combine all spices in a bowl.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Preheat a cast iron pan over high heat. Brush each side of the steak with oil and then season each side liberally with salt and pepper. Rub 2 tablespoons of the coffee rub onto 1 side of each steak. Cook the steak, rub side down until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the steak over, cook for 2 minutes and then transfer to a baking sheet and cook in the oven to medium-rare doneness, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and let rest 5 minutes before slicing
Substitute Steak w/ Pork Chops - Pork has different cooking times than Beef.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes
- Green Chile
- Bacon (!!!!)
- Heavy Cream
- Chicken Stock
Start by roasting the chiles on your burner of however you wish. Char the outside skin and then place in a zip lock or paper bag to rest. After about 10 minutes the moisture should of loosened up the skins on the chiles and made them easy to peal. Clean the chiles - remove the inner seeds and veins and stems. Place chiles on side for the moment.
Chop up a package of bacon into small pieces. Cook bacon until crispy in a large soup pot. Remove bacon, leave the drippings in the pot.
I like to leave some peels on the potatoes - this is up to you. Chop potatoes into small cubes or not, up to you. Place in soup pot with bacon drippings, cover potatoes with chicken broth then add more fresh water. Boil potatoes until your desired tenderness - this is up to you, cant really mess this part up. After it has cooked add the green chile and cream.
At this point I like to hit it with my handheld wand blender and make it real smooth. How smooth is up to you. If you dont have a wand blender you could use something else to just mush and mix the chiles, cream, and potatoes.
I bring the soup back to a boil, add the bacon, and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste (bacon has plenty of salt already, so be careful).
serve in a bowl and maybe sprinkle some grated Monterrey Jack cheese on top.
this shit has bacon and cream and is not a Frickin' everyday kinda soup.
http://www.nmchili.com/order_fresh_chile.htm
and can we get a bacon graemlin?
Why do u need a whole package of bacon? That much pork fat rendered by an entire package plus Chicken stock which has fat as well is overkill.Unless yor makin it for an entire cafeteria. The u have cream and cheese.
Where are u from?
Anyway, your recipe sounds good, I think I'll give it a try.
I did a hatch green chile stuffed chicken breast with a honey-chipotle glaze/reduction a month or so ago, that came out really really tasty.
Brined the chicken overnight, did a nm chile powder rub with some other stuff (garlic powder, salt, pepper, etc) with a little olive oil and let the breasts rest for about an hour with the rub. Then, I flattened the breasts and rolled them up with the green chiles, couple toothpicks, baked til done, then drizzled with the reduction.
Reduction was easy too. Puree a can of chipotle chiles in adobo, mix with honey, a little sugar, a little water, and some vinegar and heat on med to med/high heat, stirring a lot. Keep adding what you need to and reducing it until you get the flavor and consistency you like. Not rocket science, pretty easy dish to prepare, and it was tasty. Make your favorite latin rice dish and you're all set.
Hahaha, I thought a whole package sounded like a lot too, but I guesss it depends on how big your pot of soup is gon' be. I would not use that much bacon fat. I would maybe use that much actual cooked bacon, but the rendered fat from all of that is a heart attack in a pot. I'd probably dump 3/4 of it. Bacon fat flavor goes a long way.
Exactly. Unless your using the fat to saute some veggies before you add all the rest, that amount is insane.
This is basically Wendy's Baked Potatoes swimming in FatStock.
Pork Soup w/ chile's and potatoes topped w/ MILK
Last time I made this, i used like 4 strips of bacon for a large pot
I use more chile and make it muy spicy.
whew.....