Food bytes

[Former Member]

10 minutes ago, Bucket1 said:

Olive Oil wasn't rationed in the U.K. because it was medicinal. Elizabeth David came back home to find no butter but she was ok because she discovered olive oil during her stay on the continent

Where were they importing it from? We’ve only recently started producing it in California. Weren’t most of the prime Olive growing areas in enemy territory (Italy and Greece)? Was it from the Middle East?

[Bucket1]

31 minutes ago, droughtquake said:

Where were they importing it from? We’ve only recently started producing it in California. Weren’t most of the prime Olive growing areas in enemy territory (Italy and Greece)? Was it from the Middle East?

That's a good question. The documentary I was watching was about Elizabeth David so didn't really cover that. I guess the Middle East.

[mollyhousemouse]

I'm getting ready to do the menu plan and shopping list for this week and wanted to share with y’all a “cook once eat twice" meal.

Please keep in mind that we are in the South Central Texas, so the flavors may not be your thing.  

 

One of the meals we’ll do this week is Salsa Chicken.  This is one of those dishes that you can make a lot of and have leftovers for lunch, or put it into freezer bags for later. Also if you don’t like salsa, or if you can’t get salsa where you are, use a different sauce. I’ve also been told that sometimes salsa is called “picante sauce.” You don’t want the fresh salsa that some stores sell in the produce department. The last thing that makes this dish such a winner is that you can make it on the stove top, or in the oven.

 

You can use either boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs.  Trim any excess fat. Season with a little salt and a gentle sprinkle of ground cumin (comino).

To cook it in the oven, pour a little of the salsa into a baking dish, put the chicken on top, and cover with the rest of the salsa.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through.

 

OPTIONAL: sprinkle some cheddar cheese over the meat and put back in the oven until melted.

 

Serve over white rice with a spoon of the sauce.

 

Stove top preparation:  Cut the chicken into bite size pieces season as above. Cook in a frying pan just until no pink shows.  Add the salsa, and cover simmer for about 20 minutes.  Serve over rice.

 

The meat can also be shredded and used for chicken tacos, shredded and added to Mexican (Spanish) rice. It freezes and reheats well so it makes good lunches.

You can use this as a blueprint recipe with flavors and sauces your family enjoys.

If you use a marinara or other “spaghetti” type sauce, this is really good over pasta.

 

As far as cost, the thighs are much cheaper than the breasts.  Also, don’t be fooled by those big family size bags of “individually frozen breasts.”  If you check the unit price, they usually don’t cost less.  They are also, in our experience, of inferior quality.

For the salsa, since we aren’t eating this straight with chips, we just get the store brand.  

 

If you try it, let us know what you thought of it.  If you have any questions, also let me know.

 

 

 

 

[Former Member]

Awesome topic! I have decided to grow a small herb garden. I have found information here that can help me satisfy even the pickiest eater. If anyone has a recipe for low sodium homemade chicken soup, that doesn't taste like dish water, I would be forever grateful.

[Former Member]

2 hours ago, R J Drew said:

Awesome topic! I have decided to grow a small herb garden. I have found information here that can help me satisfy even the pickiest eater. If anyone has a recipe for low sodium homemade chicken soup, that doesn't taste like dish water, I would be forever grateful.

Ok, I am onto it. I cook chicken soup a lot, but don`t have a recipe. But I will write down, what I do.

[Former Member]

5 hours ago, Headstall said:

Here is the lovely lasagna poem Lyssa wrote for me in a review of Chapter 18 of Cards on the Table... and yes, there was garlic bread... it made tim happy!

 

Lyssa  3,240

Posted March 12 · Report

Lasagna, lasagna, lasagna, who doesn`t like you.
Lasagna, lasagna, lasagna, one for me and you.
Lasagna, lasagna, lasagna, I am your fan.
Lasagna, lasagna, lasagna, eat you whenever I can.
Lasagna, lasagna, lasagna, makes everything good.
Lasagna, lasagna, lasagna, comfy-food I understood. 
Lasagna, lasagna, lasagna.......

 

 for sweet Lyssa  

Thank you!!!!

[Former Member]

@R J Drew Here is the Chicken soup recipe. 

3 Chicken thighs
4 Carrots
1 leek
1 Celery fresh
Parsley, fresh
1 tablespoon vegetable broth
(If possible selfmade)
1 teaspoon paprika spice mild
0.5 teaspoon Cinnamon - sounds funny, but tastes really good
0.5 teaspoon Garlic peppers
1 teaspoon salt
lovage
1 Laurel leaves
5 Juniper berries
8 Pimento grains
10-12 Colorful pepper grains
a bit Mustard seeds yellow
a dash sugar

 

1 Peel and dice two carrots, the onion and the celery. 
The green of the leeks must be cut into coarse pieces.

2 Put chicken and vegetables in a pot and cover it with water. 
The parsley goes in as well and bring it to cook.

3 In the next step add the vegetable broth and season with pepper, 
paprika spice, lavage, Laurel leaves, Juniper berries, Pimento grains, 
a bit Mustard seeds yellow and a dash of sugar.and the cinnamon.



4 Cook it until it is ready. If there is a little foam, 
you can skim it.
Let everything cool down a bit, remove the meat and pour the broth through a sieve.



5 Cut the remaining leeks into cubes and the two other 
peeled carrots into cubes and add to the stock.



6 Remove the chicken thighs from the skin, bones and cartilages, 
cut them into small pieces and add them to soup.



7 Let it boil again. You can add noodles or rice or some potatoes, if you like.

 

[Former Member]

On 4/30/2017 at 0:39 PM, Lyssa said:

@R J Drew Here is the Chicken soup recipe. 

3 Chicken thighs
4 Carrots
1 leek
1 Celery fresh
Parsley, fresh
1 tablespoon vegetable broth
(If possible selfmade)
1 teaspoon paprika spice mild
0.5 teaspoon Cinnamon - sounds funny, but tastes really good
0.5 teaspoon Garlic peppers
1 teaspoon salt
lovage
1 Laurel leaves
5 Juniper berries
8 Pimento grains
10-12 Colorful pepper grains
a bit Mustard seeds yellow
a dash sugar

 

1 Peel and dice two carrots, the onion and the celery. 
The green of the leeks must be cut into coarse pieces.

2 Put chicken and vegetables in a pot and cover it with water. 
The parsley goes in as well and bring it to cook.

3 In the next step add the vegetable broth and season with pepper, 
paprika spice, lavage, Laurel leaves, Juniper berries, Pimento grains, 
a bit Mustard seeds yellow and a dash of sugar.and the cinnamon.



4 Cook it until it is ready. If there is a little foam, 
you can skim it.
Let everything cool down a bit, remove the meat and pour the broth through a sieve.



5 Cut the remaining leeks into cubes and the two other 
peeled carrots into cubes and add to the stock.



6 Remove the chicken thighs from the skin, bones and cartilages, 
cut them into small pieces and add them to soup.



7 Let it boil again. You can add noodles or rice or some potatoes, if you like.

 

Thanks Lyssa! 

[Mikiesboy]

Asparagus

 

It’s Spring which means fresh Asparagus. I love this stuff!  Michael and I pig out on it when it’s in season, but only then! It’s a wonderful vegetable.

 

As well as being delicious it has chromium, fiber, folate and vitamins A, C, E and K. It’s full of antioxidants and may help to fight cancer.

 

I can eat it steamed and hot or cold. It’s perfect on the side of your preferred main, with a bit of butter and lemon juice to brighten the flavour!

 

And I know what Lyssa is coming up with and I want that!!

 

But I am bringing quiche. I love these too! Now, I’m a good baker and I can make pie crust but I am not fond of it so I don’t often. If you have a recipe please feel free to share it or use it! Personally I buy premade crusts made with lard, which I think is the best for crusts.

 

I’m not a big fan of really custardy quiche; if you are then this isn’t for you.

 

Now that I’ve admitted all that, on with the quiche!

 

Preheat oven to 350 f

1  9” Pie crust
6 large eggs
½ cup milk or cream (if you don’t want milk add another egg and 1tbsp water)
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
½ to 1 cup of shredded cheese (I prefer cheddar but use your fav!)
1 to 1 ½ cups lightly steamed asparagus (you can use broccoli instead or add some lightly cooked mushroom. Whatever you like to eat.)
½ cup of chopped lightly steamed onions
 

Break eggs into a medium bowl, add the dairy and beat with a fork until eggs are well beaten. Add the salt and pepper and beat to blend.

 

Place the steamed vegetables onto the crust; make sure to spread them around evenly.

 

Sprinkle your cheese over the top of the veg. Yes, if you want more cheese by all means put more in.

 

(Some of you have likely noticed I haven’t blind baked my crust. Well, no, I don’t do that either…read on.)

Put the cookie sheet in the over for a few minutes.  The hot cookie sheet will help to bake the crust.

 

Then (using hand protection) take the hot cookie sheet out of the oven and put your nearly done quiche on it.

 

Fill it with your egg mixture and put it in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.  It should be golden on top and not too wiggly.

 

You can eat hot, cold or my preference is room temperature.

 

We usually have our quiche with a nice salad made of fresh spring mix lettuce and other leaves.  Serve with your favourite dressing.

****

 

It is Asparagus time, it is strudel time!!!

This Friday I have a recipe, which needs a little more effort, than the other ones I posted. BUT it is worth it!

Strudel dough:
Put 300g Flour
 1 pinch of salt
4 tablespoons of oil
150 ml of lukewarm water in a bowl and stir.
 

Knead the dough on a work surface with the hands until it is smooth and supple. Knead for a maximum of 8 minutes - otherwise the dough becomes too firm and tears.

Form it into a ball and rub the remaining oil as a cover over the dough to protect it. Place the dough on a plate under a hot pot (rinsed with hot water f.e.) . Leave at least 30 minutes.

For the strudel-filing:

400g potatoes
350g white asparagus (Lyssa says white, but green is okay if that’s what you have)
125g cream fraiche
1TL salt
1 spring garlic clove
Freshly grated nutmeg
30g Parmesan, freshly grated
1 parsley, freshly chopped
1 egg yolk

1)Peel potatoes, cut them into 0.5cm thick sticks and boil them for 10 minutes, then drain the potatoes and let them dry.

2)Peel the asparagus and cut the ends. Cut the stalks in half and boil them in water (add a ts salt and sugar to the water) for 10 minutes. Drain the Asparagus and put it to the potatoes into a large bowl.

3) Cut the garlic in little pieces and mix it with the cream fraiche, salt, nutmeg, Parmesan and parsley. Add it to the potatoes and asparagus.
It should be strongly spiced, because the potatoes and the dough take a lot of the spices in.

4) Place the strudel dough on a baking tray (17 x 14 or a bit larger) upon a baking paper. Roll it out or spread it with your hands until it is really thin and fit the tray.

Put the potato and asparagus mixture in the middle. Blow one side of the blade over the filling on top on one half and roll the strudel with the help of the baking paper. Fold the first edge in and then take up the paper so the dough rolls itself. This needs a little training, an easier way is to fold it.

Brush the outside with a mixed egg yolk and bake the strudel at 180 ° C for about 30 minutes in a preheated oven until the strudel is golden yellow.

Of course, you can serve this strudel with and normal Hollandaise, but since we wanted to look on the healthy aspect I have unusual but very tasty suggestion:

Avocado hollandaise:

1 avocado
½ onion
170ml white wine/ alcohol free version take some apples juice
50ml olive oil
½ lemon
Salt pepper
water

1) For the avocado hollandaise peel the onion and chop it in fine pieces. Heat the wine in a pan and add the onion. Cook it for 5 minutes at high heat and transfer it afterwards into a blender.

2) Cut the avocado in half, remove the kernel and take the pulp out of the peel. Add the avocado pulp to the onion-wine mixture and pass well with a blender.

3)Add olive oil and the juice of half a lemon and season with salt and pepper. Mix the sauce again to homogenize it. If necessary stretch it with water until to your liking. Season again with salt and lemon juice.

Cut the strudel and serve with hollandaise and salad.
 

Variation:

Apfelstrudel - Apple Strudel

Instead of the Asparagus filling, you can spread melted Butter on the dough and cover it with a thin layer of tiny breadcrumbs.
Peel and dice some apples and put them with a bit butter, raisins and a spoonful sugar and a bit of cinnamon in a pan. Let fry a few minutes. Afterwards put it on the strudel dough.
Take some sliced almonds and put it with some butter and sugar in a pan. Caramelize it and pour it over the apples. Roll or fold the dough to a strudle. Brush egg yolk over it and bake it by 180° C for 30 min.
Serve it with vanilla sauce or ice cream. ;-)

Maybe make a strudel day.

 

One tip: As tim said Asparagus is a very helthy vegetable, with lots of minerals. Do not pour the cook water down the sink after cooking Asparagus. It is very good for a second use. Put it in the freezer and take it as cooking water for the next time you cook Asparagus, so the high mineral level, which gets cooked out in the first round, will benefit the new asparagus.

Edited May 5, 2017 by Mikiesboy

[Bucket1]

Mmmmmmmmm yum, both of those sound good. I must admit I tend to treat asparagus fairly simply, either on the barbie just as you are taking everything else off or in microwave and then coated in butter. Occasionally i chop it for inclusion into a garden salad but the quick zap and coat in butter is my favourite (and so easy).

 

And I am a non-sniffer as are all of my family. Made life very simple growing up

[Mikiesboy]

16 minutes ago, Bucket1 said:

Mmmmmmmmm yum, both of those sound good. I must admit I tend to treat asparagus fairly simply, either on the barbie just as you are taking everything else off or in microwave and then coated in butter. Occasionally i chop it for inclusion into a garden salad but the quick zap and coat in butter is my favourite (and so easy).

 

And I am a non-sniffer as are all of my family. Made life very simple growing up

I really want the strudel .. they sell a spinach one at work.. and it's good, but i bet this is sooooo much better.. well I know it will be.  What can be better than veg in pastry????     

 

I often just steam my asparagus and leave it in the fridge for snacks.. i love it. 

[Former Member]

1 hour ago, Bucket1 said:

Mmmmmmmmm yum, both of those sound good. I must admit I tend to treat asparagus fairly simply, either on the barbie just as you are taking everything else off or in microwave and then coated in butter. Occasionally i chop it for inclusion into a garden salad but the quick zap and coat in butter is my favourite (and so easy).

 

And I am a non-sniffer as are all of my family. Made life very simple growing up

Around here the traditional recipe to cook asparagus is, boiling or steam cooking and then serving with potatoes, hollandaise sauce or melted butter and a scrambled egg, ham or a Schnitzel.

I love Asparagus in salad or made in the oven, too.

And never forget my great grandmothers home made asparagus soup.

[Mikiesboy]

15 minutes ago, Lyssa said:

Around here the traditional recipe to cook asparagus is, boiling or steam cooking and then serving with potatoes, hollandaise sauce or melted butter and a scrambled egg, ham or a Schnitzel.

I love Asparagus in salad or made in the oven, too.

And never forget my great grandmothers home made asparagus soup.

soup.. omg i love soup

[Former Member]

Just now, Mikiesboy said:

soup.. omg i love soup

Should I ask my mum, how to cook it? LOL

[Mikiesboy]

1 minute ago, Lyssa said:

Should I ask my mum, how to cook it? LOL

Ask her if she'd like to adopt me..

[Mikiesboy]

I was just thinking .. a bag of bread flour is $10 (big bag)  a loaf of half decent bread is $3.00+ .. make your own bread folks.  

 

It really is not hard.. i swear to you. Easier than making bloody pastry. 

Edited May 5, 2017 by Mikiesboy

[Former Member]

Just now, Mikiesboy said:

Ask her if she'd like to adopt me..

LOOOOOOOOOL you don`t know my mum, she probably would! Think of all the foster brothers (4) and sisters (3) I already have. But jay, welcome to the family little brother.

[Mikiesboy]

Just now, Lyssa said:

LOOOOOOOOOL you don`t know my mum, she probably would! Think of all the foster brothers (4) and sisters (3) I already have. But jay, welcome to the family little brother.

Yay!!!!

[Former Member]

1 minute ago, Mikiesboy said:

Yay!!!!

[Mikiesboy]

14 minutes ago, Lyssa said:

Should I ask my mum, how to cook it? LOL

Yes, please.  soup is such a great food and fresh is sooooo much nicer than canned.. And you can stretch your food dollar making them... 

[Former Member]

1 minute ago, Mikiesboy said:

Yes, please.  soup is such a great food and fresh is sooooo much nicer than canned.. And you can stretch your food dollar making them... 

ok

[Bucket1]

It's a bit chilly here this morning so that means soup weather is on it's way

[Brayon]

This is a Cuban Style Black Bean, and White Rice recipe that I've made/had a few times. I got this from another forum, I used to frequent, and I hope you enjoy it as well.

 

Ingredients:

2/3 cup chopped onion

2/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

1-1/4 tsp. chopped garlic

1 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

3/4 bay leaf

2 tsp. olive oil

2/3 cup rice

10 ounces canned diced tomatoes

10 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1-1/3 cups water

2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

3/4 tsp. salt (optional)

1/4 tsp. black pepper

 

Procedure:

1.       Sauté onion, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, thyme, crushed red pepper, and bay leaf in olive oil until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.

2.       Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

3.       Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

[blake_logan]

After living on take-out and frozen dinners for the past several months, in an attempt to eat more nutritious meals I dived into the "farm to table" movement head first this week by purchasing a CSA share.  For the next 20 weeks, I'll get a half-bushel box filled with freshly harvested produce grown by a local farmer.  Average cost per box is $17.50.  The first box had leeks, scallions, chard, collards, bok choy and spring salad mix.  There should be a wide variety of items as the season progresses and I don't have to take anything that I really don't like (e.g. kale, turnip roots, rubarb).  My pick-up point is the tailgate market half a mile from my house. It's kind of like having a really big garden without having to do all the work.

 

The downside is I ended up paying in advance (big up-front cost) and if there's a crop failure my box might not get completely filled every week. 

 

Each farmer sets up their own rules -- some will do a week to week subscription;  some pre-pack the box and you take what they decide to put in it; etc.  -- so your mileage may vary but the concept is worth looking into if you're trying to eat better.

 

It's going to be interesting to see how this works out over the summer.

[Mikiesboy]

Thanks for that.  This is a good idea, i know that someplaces here to a similar thing.. keep us informed!!