Post Your Best Recipe, or the Strut's Definitive Guide To Onions

mr.brett

Here's a relatively healthy comfort food recipe. The cheese isn't necessary, and you can make it with all turkey, or another Cook's Illustrated variation involves wrapping the loaf in bacon and recommends a meat mix of 1 lb beef, 1/2 lb pork, and 1/2 lb lamb.

Formatted pdf here: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/brandle/shared/TurkeyMeatloaf.pdf

Turkey Meatloaf with Cumin Gouda Chunks and Brown Sugar-Ketchup-BBQ Sauce Glaze
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated "The Best Light Recipe"

1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
salt
1/2 cup milk or plain yogurt
2 large eggs
2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb 93% lean ground turkey (don't use ground turkey breast meat [99% fat free] or it will be dry and grainy)
1 12 oz package Smart Ground Mexican Style seasoned veggie protein crumbles
1/2 cup cubed White Jasmine Cumin Gouda cheese (available at Whole Foods)
1 1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs (see below)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup bbq sauce (I really like Montgomery Inn- it's pretty sweet and was delicious in the glaze)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tsp cider or white vinegar

Key Ingredients:





1) Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top; set aside. Fold a piece of heavy-duty foil into a 10 x 6-inch rectangle. set aside.
2) Combine the onion, garlic, oil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a medium skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onion has softened, 8 to 10 minutes; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, whisk the milk eggs, thyme, mustard, Worcestershire, hot sauce, pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt together.
3) In a large bowl, mix the turkey, veggie crumbles, cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, cooked onion mixture, and egg mixture together with your hands until uniformly combined. Press the mixture together into a compact mass, then turn it out onto the foil rectangle. Using your hands, press the meat into an evenly thick loaf about 2 inches tall and 1 inch smaller than the foil on all sides.
4) Transfer the foil and meatloaf to the center of the prepared wire rack. Stir the ketchup, bbq sauce, sugar and vinegar together, then brush half of the mixture evenly on the meatloaf. Bake the meatloaf for 45 minutes.
5) Brush the meatloaf with the remaining glaze, and continue to bake until the center of the loaf measures 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer, about 15 to 20 minutes longer. Cool at least 20 minutes before slicing into 1-inch thick pieces.

Per serving (originally calculated w/o cheese and 2lb turkey instead of 1lb turkey and protein crumbles): Cal 260; Fat 10 g; Sat fat: 3 g; Chol 120 mg; Carb 18 g; Protein 26 g; Fiber 1 g; Sodium 480 mg.

Fresh Bread Crumbs
Use a country white loaf, plain Italian loaf, or baguette.
1. Slice off and discard the bottom crust of the bread if it is tough and overbaked.
2. Slice the bread into 3/8-inch thick pieces. Cut these slices into 3/8-inch strips, then cut these into cubes and chop until you have small pieces about the size of lemon seeds.
3. To make the crumbs in food processor, cut the trimmed loaf into 1-inch cubes, then pulse the cubes in a food processor to the desired crumb size.
4. You can use the crumbs as is or toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown.

Mr_Lee_PHD

SALSA (the real ass kind - not that puree shit)

Ingredients:

4 large red tomatoes
?? - ?? a red onion.
?? a lime
?? cup of preferably fresh coriander (or maybe more ??? it MAKES the salsa so don???t skimp on it!)
?? a teaspoon of lazy chilli peppers

Method:

1. Get a really sharp knife and tell everyone to wait for quarter of an hour.

2. Dice the 4 red tomatoes nice and small (but don???t turn them into mush ??? a blender is not good!) ??? whack it all in a bowl.

3. Dice yer red onion up and add to bowl.

4. Chop up yer coriander (nice and small). Add to bowl.

5. Add half a teaspoon of chili ??? not too much cause you???ll ruin it and waste all that chopping you???ve been doing.

6. Take the teaspoon and stir it all up.

7. Take your lime and squeeze it over your bowl of ingredients.

8. Ok, now you're done ??? grab a bag of salted tortilla chips and get busy.

NB. Don???t let everyone eat it ??? you spent a lot of time making the salsa so you deserve more than everybody else (don???t be afraid to resort to violence to defend your portion).

fejmelba

Gouda with cumin is Leidse

batmon

I made Smothered Curry Pork chops last night.

I used Jamacian Curry powder. U could use thai curry paste if you wanted to.

elise

Here are two of my recipes that I get asked to make from time to time from friends. Simple, too.

Pork Tenderloin with Fennel, Garlic Smashed Potatoes with Walnut Oil



1 pound of pork tenderloin
salt and fresh pepper
1 fennel bulb, frongs reserved
1/2 Sweet white Onion, julienne
1 pound of baby dutch potatoes, smashed raw
3 cloves of garlic, smashed then chopped
2 cups of vegetable oil, for frying
1/4 Sauvignon Blanc
3 TBSP english style butter


Preheat vegetable oil to prepare for frying. Preheat oven to 400??F.

Season pork with salt and pepper generously. Grab small potatoes and smash with the back of your knife. Enough to crack open the little potato.

Put the smashed potatoes in a hot oil and let them fry for about 10-12 minutes, until brown.

Toss the fried potatoes with garlic and put in the oven. Then on to the pork tenderloin...

Heat oil in a saute pan (cast iron preferred). Sear off the pork. Place on small baking sheet and put in the preheated oven.

Toss onion and fennel into the pan that the pork was seared in. Saute till golden, then deglaze with wine. Lower heat and add butter.

Your pork should be finished once it hits 155??F...then it should rest for about 8-10 minutes before carving. Should reach about 160??F after resting.

As your pork rests, pull out your potatoes and place on serving platter. Saute your onion/fennel mixture until hot. Slice your pork tenderloin after the resting point and place on platter next to potatoes. Finish the dish with topping it with the onion/fennel mixture. Garnish with fennel frongs.

Pour a little walnut oil over the potatoes and it is ready to go.



Roast Chicken With Bread Salad


adapted from Judy Rodgers ???The Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco???s Beloved Restaurant.???

For 2 to 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken
??? One small chicken, 2-3/4 to 3-1/2-pounds
??? twine
??? Kosher salt
??? 1 TBSP melted butter
??? Fresh Rosemary (1 Sprig), Optional

For the salad
??? Generous 8 ounces slightly stale open-crumbed, chewy, peasant-style bread (not sourdough)
??? 6 to 8 tablespoons mild-tasting olive oil
??? 1-1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar (check your labels for "gluten free"!)
??? Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
??? 1 tablespoon dried currants
??? 2 tablespoons pine nuts
??? 2 to 3 garlic cloves, slivered
??? 1/4 cup chopped Shallots
??? A few handfuls of arugula, fris??e, or red mustard greens, carefully washed and dried


Preparing the Bread Salad:

Cube and toast your bread until hard in the oven at 350??. Let cool and rub them with the garlic just to get the essence on the bread. Toss oil, vinegar, left over garlic, shallots and season with salt and pepper. Place on sheet pan and set aside.


Preparing the Chicken:

Preheat oven to 450-500??...Basically the highest heat that your oven can handle. Get the freshest and healthiest chicken you can buy. A quote I heard this semester from a Chef Instructor, "You can't make shit food taste good." It is a good point, and that is where in lies the obvious rule of flavor, seasonality, and truly the best way to enjoy a meal.

Pat your chicken dry, but not completely. Lightly season with kosher salt in the cavity and outside. The reason I say lightly is because you will be basting the chicken later with salted butter, er, I mean, magic. You can tuck the rosemary under the skin for decoration and for flavor. This is always optional. Tie legs together with twine...I leave the wings out cause they are my favorite part--all crunchy and crisp!

Put your chicken on the cast iron pan and let it cook (basically "searing" it in the oven) for about 35-45 minutes. No need to open the oven and turn it. Have no fear! This is how you get that crispy, golden skin. Bast with melted butter.

Reduce heat to 350?? and let chicken roast for another 30-45 minutes until it reaches the temperature of 170?? from the breasts (and this is US by Agricultural terms).

Place your bread salad in the oven to "toast" some more (about 15-20 minutes).

Remove from chicken oven and let rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

Once your bread salad has "toasted" some more, take out of the oven and toss with the currants and pine nuts. Then toss with your freshly cleaned greens.

Cut up chicken and place on top of salad--and savour every moment.
As you probably noticed, I did nothing to this chicken except let it be what it is--a chicken.

I have roasted chickens so many times that I have found that just this simple way of roasting it is truly the best way to have it.

Unherd

This recipe takes forever, but its some of the best bolognese I've had. Seriously tho, it's like a whole day, mostly unattended, but literally like 8 hours. I doubled the recipe yesterday and cleaned the whole house and worked while it cooked. Tomorrow, I'm gonna hook up a serious lasagna with it, and have the freezer stocked for weeks.

From the Times..

Thanks to its leisurely cooking time, rag?? becomes more than the sum of its humble parts, with a satisfying depth that belies the fact that it???s as easy to make as lentil soup. ???It???s about low and slow,??? says Anne Burrell, the executive chef of Centro Vinoteca in Manhattan, where she studs her substantial lamb rag?? with fried gnocchi. ???You can never get those same results if you???re trying to make a fast rag??. I first learned to make a true rag?? when I was working in Tuscany. I???d cook the thing for like three hours and the owner would be like: ???Ugh! The vegetables are raw!??? I was like, ???What are you talking about???? ??? she says with a laugh. ???The funny thing is now I understand the life cycle of a rag??. I get it.??? Though she finishes the sauce with a three-hour-plus simmer, she says she believes that browning the vegetables (after pur??eing them in a food processor to release the liquid) and meat is the key to flavor. ???Brown food tastes good!??? she says in a Cookie Monster voice that she adopts every time she says the word ???brown.??? ???Don???t try to fly through the browning process. That???s the foundation you???re building your whole rag?? on. If you have a teeny-tiny foundation and you try to build a big house on it, it???s not going to work.??? During the browning steps, she likes to cook the ingredients until they form a ???crud??? on the bottom of the pan, scraping it off and letting it redevelop. ???Crud and scrape,??? she says. ???Crud and scrape.???

Once the active part is finished, the rag?? is put on the back burner for, as Marcella Hazan instructed in ???Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking,??? ???the merest simmer for a long, long time.??? This is when you get to reclaim your Sunday afternoon. Burrell uses this time to call friends and drink wine. Or you could read about what you???re going to cook next weekend.

??????

Beef Bolognese

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 ?? cups finely chopped onions

?? cup finely chopped celery

?? cup finely chopped carrots

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef

1/3 pound pancetta, finely chopped

1 1/3 cups tomato paste

1 ?? cups whole milk

2 cups red wine

2 2/3 cups whole canned tomatoes, drained of juices and torn

4 cups meat stock

Rotini or pappardelle, cooked al dente

Grated Parmesan.

1. Combine the butter and olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan set over medium heat. When hot, add the onions, celery and carrots, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables start to brighten in color, about 20 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, and just before it starts to brown, add the beef and pancetta. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is thoroughly browned, about 25 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the milk and cook at a lively simmer until the milk is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until the pan is almost dry. Stir in the tomatoes and the stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Skim the fat off the surface. Toss with al dente rotini or pappardelle and serve with grated Parmesan. Serves 6. Adapted from Insieme in Manhattan.

fishmongerfunk

re: salsa

is there a particular type of tomato that works best? do you drain the water out of the tomatoes and remove the seeds? what about the acidity of all the tomatoes and lime- does that need to be counteracted somewhat? what kind of onion?

i have been trying to make a great salsa for years and although one would think it is easy, i have come to the conclusion that there is some special technique or ingredient i am missing.

can you folks possibly shed some light on the secret to a truly great salsa?

HarveyCanal

I'll pay people to stop using red onions in their dishes. IMO red onions are mad foul.

batmon

crabmongerfunk said:

re: salsa

is there a particular type of tomato that works best? do you drain the water out of the tomatoes and remove the seeds? what about the acidity of all the tomatoes and lime- does that need to be counteracted somewhat? what kind of onion?

i have been trying to make a great salsa for years and although one would think it is easy, i have come to the conclusion that there is some special technique or ingredient i am missing.

can you folks possibly shed some light on the secret to a truly great salsa?

Fresher the better. Beefstaek or Plum.

Roasted Tomatillos for an alternative.

I prefer to let the salsa sit in the fridge for a little bit, for the flavors to meld, before serving.

It aint cooking though.

bassie

crabmongerfunk said:

re: salsa

is there a particular type of tomato that works best? do you drain the water out of the tomatoes and remove the seeds? what about the acidity of all the tomatoes and lime- does that need to be counteracted somewhat? what kind of onion?

i have been trying to make a great salsa for years and although one would think it is easy, i have come to the conclusion that there is some special technique or ingredient i am missing.

can you folks possibly shed some light on the secret to a truly great salsa?

This could end of being as controversial as the perfect guacamole!

I have no opinion on the type of tomato as long as they are ripe and not mealy, but I definitely de-seed them.
Tomatoes are not acidic - do you mean the tartness?
I use only green onion.
I always have bottles of El Yucateco green and XXX brown on hand, so if I don't have fresh hot chili, I mix one of the hot suaces with the lime juice for heat and skip the salt.

I have never met a cooked salsa I liked. It's got to be fresh imo.

batmon

One can roast an onion,tomatoes, and habeneros before adding the rest though.

LaserWolf

Red onion describes the color of the onion. Not the taste.

Some are hot, some are sweet, some are skanky. I like onions, and can work with what ever I get. The cheapest yellow onions can be good.

In the states we call fresh coriander, cliantro - or if you are over 60 Chinese parsley.

bassie

batmon said:

One can roast an onion,tomatoes, and habeneros before adding the rest though.

Definitely.

It's just that cooking any of those sweetens the flavour and personally, I am not a fan of that dulled sweetish taste. I like a fresh popping salsa!

batmon

bassie said:

batmon said:

One can roast an onion,tomatoes, and habeneros before adding the rest though.

Definitely.

It's just that cooking any of those sweetens the flavour and personally, I am not a fan of that dulled sweetish taste. I like a fresh popping salsa!

Ifeel u. Its the brightness thats lost when u heat shit up.

Im also a fan of grilllin the ingrediants for that smokiness if you want that kinda thang.

elise

I like my red onions pickled for carnitas.

Carnitas with Orange and Cloves


4 pound pork butt
4 cups of beef stock
1/2 Navel Orange, julliened
2 Cloves
1 Cinnamon stick
6-8 peppercorns
5 Dried Chilies
1 large onion, julienned
Kosher Salt and Pepper
2 TBSP Canola oil


Preheat oven 350??. Season pork butt generously with Kosher salt. Sear in pan (I used my deep cast iron pan) until brown on all sides.

Remove and set aside. Sautee onions till brown, then add the orange, cloves, peppercorns and chilies. Add half of the stock and return the pork butt to the simmering mixture. Add the rest of the stock and cover with lid or foil so that it is tight and moisture remains in the pot.

Cooking time will be about 5 hours. About an hour and half through, turn the pork over and cover again and remain cooking. Do the same in another half hour.

Pork should be very tender when done and falls apart easily. Take pork out and let it rest. While resting reduce the lefter over juice till it is nice and flavorful. Strain and season if necessary.

Shred the pork to your liking--thin, thick, however you like it! Add shredded, braised pork into sauce mixture and let it brown a bit and pick up the leftover flavors.

HarveyCanal

Case in point, I just had merely 2 scoops of some guacamole that had red onions in it. And just from that, although it tasted great going down, my mouth now tastes like red onion ass. Feels like I need to brush my teeth with turpentine to get rid of that afterflavor. I never have such a problem with yellow or white or green onions.

bassie

You're right!
The taste of red onion lingers way longer than other raw onions!

HarveyCanal

bassie said:

You're right!
The taste of red onion lingers way longer than other raw onions!

Yet, for some reason red onions are now being used like never before. I feel like it's a take-over by people who don't realize how bad their breath is. Even Wendy's is now featuring red onions on their burgers as if they are doing us all a favor. Plaese to make it stop.

bassie

It's for the look.
I think the chemical rinse gums on the market deal with this kind of thing.

LaserWolf

Does this really apply to all red onions?
I did not know.
I always expect to see thinly sliced sweet red onions in a Greek salad and I have always liked them grilled, especially with kabobs.

I am reading up on red onions.
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/ingredients-vegetables/whats-the-difference-sweet-yellow-white-and-red-onions-130223

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_onion

I found this link most useful:
http://www.practicallyedible.com/red-onions

I am guessing that the negative qualities of red onions that all you all have been noticing is probably due to a cheap mass market variety that is over running grocery stores. But maybe it is true for all red onions, I don't know.

pcmr

for the onion debate i beleive it would apply to most raw onion that is not green perhaps the red is more potent but raw white/yellow onion wont leav colgate aftertaste in your mouth either

red onion is essential in pickling and ceviche (greek salad as well)

batmon

Arent onions rinsed before added to salsa to get rid of some the sulfur?

meistromoco

When I make salsa with raw onion (and I remember), I'll squeeze lime juice on them to pickle / mellow them out a bit. I'll let them sit while I prepare the other ingredients. Takes the edge off.

Roasted tomatillo salsa:

A bunch of tomatillos, husked and halved
One large red onion, quartered
a couple of jalepenos, halved
1 garlic clove (skin on)
big handful of cilantro
1 or 2 limes
salt
sugar

put all the vegetables (and garlic) on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler until the skins start to blister / turn black. They should be mostly black /charred on the outside. Take them out and put in the blender. You don't want to completely liquefy, but pulse until chunky and well combined. Let cool for a bit and add lime juice, a large handful of chopped cilantro and salt. If it tastes bitter, add a bit of sugar, but you shouldn't need much (if any).

mr.brett

Now you fools got me looking into onions instead of cooking your recipes:

Cook's Illustrated talks about how onions in salads have a harsh flavor when raw. To temper this harshness, they recommend tossing them on a plate, covering with plastic wrap, and zapping them in a microwave for 15-30 seconds. Let them cool and they're ready for your salad.

The direction in which you cut an onion can affect its' flavor:
The test kitchen too eight onions and cut each two different ways: pole to pole (with the grain) and parallel to the equator (against the grain). They smelled and tasted each sample. Onions sliced pole to pole were much less pungent in taste and odor than those cut along the equator. For more info on why this is, look up thiosulfinates and allinases.