What did you cook today??

[Dee Jay]

I found a jar of jamaican jerk sauce!

I've heard of jerk chicken but didn't know it was spicy till I watched Jamie's summer video. I've always wanted to try it so I snapped up a jar. the wife said I'd be stuck with this product if I didn't like how it tasted and true enough for the various jars that's been sitting in the fridge for over a year but getting authentic jerk spices and fresh hot peppers in this city is next to impossible but I had to try jerk chicken so I took chance and I am glad I did. It was dee lish... if you like hot buffalo wings, jerk chicken will light you up.

It has a funky kinda sweet pickle relish smell to it but it's changes after it's cooked. It seems more acidic than vinegar cos it marinated the skin in less than an hour and made it pale so I went for 2 hours more and added honey as Jamie did. Be sure to cut slits on your meats to get maximum permeation and keep the fire low and cook real slow to grill the honey and skin but not burn it.

I squeezed some lime juice on it fresh off the girll, took a bite and KAHOBAHTAYA! HOT but it's a whole different kind of spiciness that I've never tasted before. the grilled honey on the crispy skin was screamin good, meat was tender, bone marrow adds flavor, and you're left with lovely hum around the lips. Gonna have to try it with some quality beers..

food discoveries like this makes me feel "born again", this has got to be good for the soul..

[Dee Jay]

Deejay are you watching it in Japanese or in English? The reason I am curious is that it is not meant to be a practical cooking show that you watch to learn tips on cooking or practical cooking, (the English dubbed version anyway). It is purely meant to be a kitsch appeal show. Basically when translated and dubbed in English it is so bad it is funny, and that is why people watch it. Well that is the point of it in Australia, it is not intended to be watched as a cooking show, rather as an absurd kitsch show. There is a bit of an undertone where we laugh at the crazy Japanese, and their premise that someone would create a "Kitchen Stadium". Something like Takashi's castle.



I have watched quite a few episodes, but not for the food, that is awful, it is more for the asburd factor.

Aha, kitsch..like a plastic jesus? I suspected kitsch at the intro when I Chairman Kaga snickered as the camera pulled away from the close-up. I watched the english dubbed version on youtube. I think americans took it seriously..my friends and family anyway, and youtubers praising this show like it's "all that" Kitsch to foreigners but what about the Japanese? humor and food? sure, as long as it excites the palate at the end of the show.

good to know Luke and Peter is rockin Australia! Thanks for bringing them up, I'll have to catch up on these guys....

[Kingfish]

Veggy Dinner.
Nothing special: Baby Dutch Yellow potatoes, carrots sliced oblong, ¼ of a Walla Walla white onion, broccoli, basil & oregano, red chili pepper, fresh cracked black pepper, and salt basting away on medium high heat in a goodly splash of extra virgin olive oil until lightly seared/about when the onions begin to turn. This image was taken about one minute before I pulled it. It has a nice al dente texture which I enjoy thoroughly. Often I will have meatless dinners to balance out the meat-heavy or pasta-heavy meals. Rotation is good for the body, and this particular meal is loaded with vitamins.

Normally my veggy dinners have a lot more veg to it but I was running low on selection when I threw this together last night. I like bell peppers and squash, green beans, maybe an Anaheim pepper, even spinach. I used to add celery but I’m spoiled and prefer to grow my own; the stuff that is sold in supermarkets is anemic and worthless, and not worth a damn.

I bought this cask iron skillet methinks over a year ago when I got into buying fresh meat from a local butcher; that’s all they sold: quality grass-fed animal. I just like the way things grill up real nice in the skillet. I miss my BBQ; the Hex got that and wrecked it by leaving it out in the rain. I would BBQ every night if I could, but my present hidden urban bat cave makes that nearly impossible without pissing off the natives. The skillet is the closest device though that I know that can render a tasty dose of melanoidin character onto fine cuisine without leading to charring; brings out the deep savory and hints of sweetness without a lot of fuss. I just like the way cast iron heats foods evenly.

Bon Appétit, KF

[Dee Jay]

After havin so much wings and beers my body was screaming for some veggies.

Nice dish, KF!

[Dee Jay]

Got both seasons of Jamie At Home series!

Wow, Jamie is a spice eater! Like me! And so is his chilled out stoner garden buddy bet he grows some dank, too

Also it's strange that Jamie uses the same slangs and catch phrases I use I thought I was being original…

[Dee Jay]

I improved my chili with more fresh ground cumin and black pepper, rock salt, celery, more green bell peppers, fatty pork shoulder instead of beef, and this time with pickled jalapenos! Fresh jalapenos would be ideal.
I think I like pork over beef, it's nice and sweet!
I just can't get over how good this dish is and yet so easy!

No pics cos it looks exactly the same as the first..

[Kingfish]

Spicy Manhattan-style Snow Crab Chowder


Just before serving.

Another of a series of tomato-based pepperpot stews, though in this case it’s more of a thick soup (I call it a sloup though now I forget why). Into one large pot goes the following:

1 can 29 oz. Tomato Puree, with…
3 cans of 14.5 oz. Diced Tomatoes; base stock.
Approx. 2 pints of water, as required. (added in at a cup at a time to keep thickness down)
Good splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 large cloves of fresh Garlic, sliced and diced
Pinch of whole Black Peppercorns
Followed with coarsely-grated Black Pepper, to suit
Dash of Crushed Mexican Red Chili Pepper, to suit
1 large White Walla Walla Onion, chopped
1 large Anaheim Pepper, deseeded, sliced and diced
1 Green Pepper, deseeded, sliced and diced
2 small fresh Zucchinis, chopped
5 Stalks of anemic-looking Celery, chopped (it had to have some, but dang was it pale looking)
Dash of Celery Salt (Celery Seed & Salt) to make up the missing flavor
½ leftover Broccoli head, chopped (optional)
1 modest bunch of fresh Organic Carrots, chopped (about 6 or 7 medium-small carrots)
1 thoroughly-washed fresh bunch of leafy Spinach, chopped
1 package of 0.66 oz. fresh Organic Basel, chopped
Pinch of Fennel
Two Pinches of Oregano
1 oz. bag of Mexican Sesame Seeds (nutty texture)
Salt to taste
2 pounds of Alaskan Snow Crab leg meat* - added last, chopped

Cook for 2-4 hours on medium-low heat. Add water as necessary to keep consistency from becoming too thick like a stew, though not too thin like a soup. Serve with Sweet Black Bread or with fresh San Francisco Sour Dough if available. Not too bad with a Mexican lager; Pacifico would work well.

*Alaskan Snow Crab: This was on sale at my local. Couldn’t believe the price, so I got two pounds. As I unwrapped it, I noticed some extra text below the weight and price. I chopped up the meat and tossed it in. There was something peculiar about the meat so I ate on bit and it tasted fine… maybe a little bland even, whatever. Stirred it in, then grabbed the wrapper to read what it said…

SURIMI ALK SNOW LEGS FLVRD
Ingredients: Fish protein contains one or more of the following: Pollack, and/or Pacific Whiting, Water, Wheat Starch, Sugar, Egg Whites, Sorbitol, Snow Crab Meat (wow, glad there was some in there! ), Contains less than 2% or less of: Salt, Tapioca Starch, Mirin (Rice Wine), Whole Egg, Soybean Oil, Sodium Pyrophospate, Brown Rice Syrup, Soya Lecithin, Glycern, Artificial Flavors (read: MSG), Carmine and Paprika for color, Canolia Oil and Hydrolized Gelatin. (probably the biodegradable casing shit to hold it all together)

Gawd I can’t believe I’ve been duped buying fish. I guess I better catch it myself next time. I mean I knew they could do things with Pollack and faking chopped crab meat, but this looked just like recently shelled snow crab leg meat in the shape of the muscle. I feel like I’m eat’n Soylent Green, or in this case – Soylent Red Herring. Grrrr!

Taste: Well, despite all the water I added it still came out quite thick. The “meat” soaked up a lot of the pepper flavor, so it actually tastes sort of bland compared to my normal expectations. The “meat” cooks out and breaks up into layers, like oriental flat rice noodles, with a hint of fish flavor. Overall the dish is a little on the sweet side; a splash of rice wine vinegar would fix that.

Conclusions: I dunno; it’s like getting all dressed up to go out on a hot date, you pick her up in your waxed-out car, present to her a nice corsage... big welcomed smiles, great expectations, and when you get to the shindig - she splits to go hang out with her friends.

I should have used the fresh fish. But is it r e a l l y fish, or something that has a small percentage of fish in it so they can legally market it as fish?

Where’s the rod and reel? KF

[Philistine]

SURIMI ALK SNOW LEGS FLVRD
Ingredients: Fish protein contains one or more of the following: Pollack, and/or Pacific Whiting, Water, Wheat Starch, Sugar, Egg Whites, Sorbitol, Snow Crab Meat (wow, glad there was some in there! ), Contains less than 2% or less of: Salt, Tapioca Starch, Mirin (Rice Wine), Whole Egg, Soybean Oil, Sodium Pyrophospate, Brown Rice Syrup, Soya Lecithin, Glycern, Artificial Flavors (read: MSG), Carmine and Paprika for color, Canolia Oil and Hydrolized Gelatin. (probably the biodegradable casing shit to hold it all together)

One of my favourite tins at the supermarket is a no-name tin of pet food (I presume it is dog food, but I am not 100% sure), and all it says on the tin is "Meat with Chicken". I would have thought it was accepted that chicken was a subset of meat, but for some reason the express mentioning of chicken, as if it is some big fancy claim to be making, makes me question their meaning of the word "meat".

[liveforphysics]

Chicken is a plant. Plants are what food eats.

[Kingfish]

One of my favourite tins at the supermarket is a no-name tin of pet food (I presume it is dog food, but I am not 100% sure), and all it says on the tin is "Meat with Chicken". I would have thought it was accepted that chicken was a subset of meat, but for some reason the express mentioning of chicken, as if it is some big fancy claim to be making, makes me question their meaning of the word "meat".

Last night I fell asleep watching Forks over Knives. What could have been stated in deluxe with 15 minutes, they used 90 to batter the same content over and over again that "meat" was bad for us. I had just came from the market with 2 lbs. of that crab meat thinking "Right. Go veggy. Too late. Glad I didn't pick up the ice cream too." But the documentary (boring as it was) did cover well how mechanization has ruined our diets.

I struggle to eat chicken anymore; it’s not the same as when I was a kid as the texture has changed. When cooked, it puts out a funny chemical odor – I mean, I’m a retired beer judge with a well-developed sense, and I know when I smell (and taste) unnatural chemical complexes.

What is worse though is the quality of vegetables; the stuff I see in the store makes me want to scream. There used to be greater selection. We don’t have a Sunday public market here like in some towns; that’s missing – but it would solve the veggy problem.

Actually, I just need to grow my own and barter with others that do the same. Unfortunately, about the only thing I can grow with great success in this hidden urban bat cave are fungi. Wouldn’t be so bad if they were edible. Alright – that’s it; I gotta move!

Here's to the undisclosed meat, not! KF

[amberwolf]

At least in pet food, if they just put "meat" then they can use *any* meat, from any source, whatever they got cheapest that week from the floor of the slaughterhouse or some other factory's scraps or unusable-for-human-purposes stuff, and they don't have to change the label for the ingredients list.

If they specify a type of meat, then they have to have that in there, above a certain percentage (by weight, I think). When they say "with chicken", then that means there is a small but definite amount of chicken in there, somewhere, but below the critical amount that makes it possible to say it's made of "chicken" instead of made "with chicken".

This is also all probably true of human food as well.

[Philistine]

.

[REdiculous]

I've been making a lot of pancakes lately and I finally figured out where the cake part of the name comes from. Apparently, if you make 'em thick enough, there's cake in there!

[Kingfish]

I've been making a lot of pancakes lately and I finally figured out where the cake part of the name comes from. Apparently, if you make 'em thick enough, there's cake in there!

I'm a crêpes man myself; one of the first homemade foods I mastered (after oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies; priorities ). Therefore I like to make my 'cakes from scratch, eggy and thin. Served with real maple syrup, or rolled up as a cheeze blintz with fruit compote There was a restaurant chain here in the PNW called Elmer’s that used to make Swedish pancakes (imagine a huge pop-over type pancake) topped with powdered sugar, lemon and butter, and/or lingonberry fruit compote. Man, that was the best! But they don’t make it anymore

Sweet-tooth, KF

[StudEbiker]

Chicken thighs and baked potatoes.

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[Kingfish]

Spicy Chicken & Corn Pepper Pot

This recipe is based upon my last entry – the Spicy Manhattan-style Snow Crab Chowder which at the time I considered a bust. In retrospect – even though the “snow crab” was a manufactured product containing some snow crab and who knows what else, it was one of the most filling sloups I’ve ever made! (Actually it thickened to become a true rib-sticken’ stew). Very rare that one bowl can fill me up, and yet I am quite certain I put on weight enjoying every bite. It would be great to create a real seafood stew, though perhaps later. Instead, I’m going on a slight tangent – the using many of the same basics that you’ll recognize.


Looks remarkably like my last effort, yes? That’s cos it’s the same picture. I went to go take the shot with the first bowl ladled out and the camera batteries were dead. My stomach had thought my throat was slit so feeding it took priority over posterity… And ya know, it really does look almost exactly the same except that there are more yellow bits from the shucked corn.

Base Stock – brought to simmer

1 can 15 oz. Organic Tomato Sause
2 cans of 28 oz. Organic Diced Tomatoes
1 quart tap water
2 cloves of diced garlic
Copious splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 palm of salt
6-8 Black Peppercorns, followed by a few cracks of the pepper mill
1 Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
1 Pinch of Fennel
2 Bay Leaves, crumbled
Dash of Celery Salt (contains celery seed and salt)

Add in Veggies n’ stuff -

1 large white Walla Walla Onion, diced
1 small Serrano Pepper, deseeded and diced
1 large Anaheim Pepper, deseeded and diced
1 modest Green Bell Pepper, deseeded and diced
2 Yellow (Crooked-Neck) Squash, diced
3-4 medium Organic Carrots, unpeeled, diagonally-chopped
4 stocks of the greenest Celery I could find, chopped
4 ears of Corn on the Cobb: This came in one of those 4-packs. Peeled off the husks, washed, and then shucked the corn off with a knife right into the kettle.
~ 2 lbs. of deboned Chicken Thighs, carved into bits; sorry I don’t have the exact weight, but it was one of those huge value packs.
1 package of 0.66 oz. fresh Organic Basel, chopped
1 oz. bag of Mexican Sesame Seeds (nutty texture)
1 Pinch of Oregano
Top off with about another pint of water; good and sloupy.

Bring to light boil and hold for 2-3 hours.

Whist this is going on, someone asked me how to pronounce “sloup”; here is the etymology:

Sloup: n. Slang for thick n’ chunky soup but not so thick that it becomes a Stew. Best pronounced with a light soft drawn-out faux lisp (ala “thhhhh-Sp’anard”) so your guests will laugh. Origin: Scottish wife when she was still thhhh-sp’eaking to me.

Test-tasting:
The first bowl was after a goodly inch had boiled off. The heat from the peppering was very apparent though gratefully didn’t cause my nose to run like a raging bull, so it looks like I augering in on the right blend of ingredients that can balance the Serrano Pepper.

At this point I switched off the burner and put the lid on, then watched a 90-min. movie.

The second bowl followed after and was a game changer: The peppery heat was nearly gone, though replaced with a well-defined Serrano and Anaheim pepper flavor! I was instantly reminded of the fiery red Indian curries which had me thinking a pint of coconut milk could be the right dope to launch this into the stratosphere. Tempting…

Also noted after the long cooldown was that the chicken was beginning to soften up, and the vegetables, particularly the squash was just at the point of breaking up; perfect for a nuker-reheat.

Score: 8.5 Stars.

Glad I held off on the Red Chili and Black Pepper.
Support your inner-scarfdom, KF

[John in CR]

BBQ'g eggplants later today, a Russian thing. Incredibly good for what it is. Just cook it whole like a shish-kabob till the skin is looking burnt. Peel the skin off and eat the meat. The hamburgers and sausage will be like an afterthought in comparison.

[Dee Jay]

got my dutch oven on the Double Dutch Bike!

now where's yours?

30 bucks for a 30cm Captain Stag brand pot, dollar per cm I guess.. ha ha!

sucker was heavy on the bike, I was lucky it fitted right under the rack on top of the bike's support beam, and the pedals cleared it by just a few cm. LUCKY! the nylon luggage strap came in handy too. If I weren't so lucky I would've had to pay for delivery.

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At the same shop, I bought some jalapeno seeds, cayenne pepper seeds and some soil, gonna start me a chili pepper garden! So stand-the-fck-by for some true Chili Con Carne, woo woo!

Also I lowered the panniers with great results.. I didn't know how I was going to do it and feared having to renovate the whole rear rack system or buy a new rack but the universe unfolded for me, as it should cos I am the man...

And the gear shift never made it to the handle bar, it had been just dangling under the seat so I had to stop every time I wanted to shift gears but now it's firmly secured

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And I managed to fit a rear rack on the fork. not sure if I would want too much cargo weight on the fork but I installed it anyway just to mess with people's minds ha ha!

happy happy joy joy

[Dee Jay]

Asian Americans ROCK

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I followed this recipe just hours ago and I gotta say this is way simpler than how I've been doing it.

[Dee Jay]

Returned the Captain Stag Dutch Oven cos it had a manufacturing defect, a crack on the corner of the inside and a dent directly on the opposite side outside.. I didn't take a picture of the defect cos I was just disgusted by the overall quality. I returned that crap and got the Coleman, also 30cm but deeper, for 80 bucks! The difference in quality is drastic, the Coleman is much more refined with smooth surface all around, and comes with a good quality lid-handle and a nylon bag. and $4 for the stainless steel grill.

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$80 is worth it cos this will be our everyday pot for frying, grilling, stewing, and umm.. chilling? as well baking pizza and roasting turkey.

ATTENTION: My chili peppers have sprouted! I repeat, chili peppers have sprouted.

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[Kin]

^Can I put out a plug for target's brand of enamel covered dutch oven? It's $60 and has been my kitchen for the last year in college. *Everything* is cooked in that pot. Enamel/ceramic covering means slightly worse heat spread, but totally easier maintenance. I love that you have a regular dutch oven; I imagine that is nice for seasoning (and maybe extra iron :p if you're anemic)


Also, awesome home grown peppers (in training).

[Dee Jay]

^Can I put out a plug for target's brand of enamel covered dutch oven? It's $60 and has been my kitchen for the last year in college. *Everything* is cooked in that pot. Enamel/ceramic covering means slightly worse heat spread, but totally easier maintenance. I love that you have a regular dutch oven; I imagine that is nice for seasoning (and maybe extra iron :p if you're anemic)


Also, awesome home grown peppers (in training).

ya enameled pots are nice, bought a new one just last month, I burnt out the old one.. my guess is that it burned easy due to scratches from metal utensils. scratches will make it harder to scrape off caramelization <-? and will burn the bottom and that burn will become a permanent hot spot..so use only wooden or silicone/plastic utensils and your pot will last longer

As for my dutch oven, the seasoning burnt out and melted! I melted pork fat to coat the inside and at the same time baked 4 potatoes. The potatoes baked well but the blackened seasoning melted and gave the potatoes a chemical aroma and flavor. I'm gonna strip off the factory seasoning and start over with pork fat.

My chili sprouts are coming along. I use aquarium water, aquaponics, a technique I didn't even know existed, it just made a lot sense to me. Individuality and common sense ROCKS! Looked it up on the net just today and found a kindred spirit! But I still use soil and just scoop up a cup of aquarium water every morning.

[Dauntless]

Which one of you was cooking this?

[Kingfish]

My first Casserole of the Year: Veggie & Beef Surprise



It’s a surprise cos I don’t know how it will turn out. But here’s the recipe I drummed up. Originally I started out making a veggie & beef stuffing for Baked Bell Peppers, but as the bowl began to fill, I knew it was going to be a lost cause. My fallback was to create a casserole, even though I didn’t have the cheese to help bind it all. But whatever; I’m hungry so let’s git on it.

Start with a large mixing bowl and added in this order:

1 medium head of broccoli, chopped into bits
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ of a white Walla Walla onion, chopped
2 medium unpeeled carrots, half of which I grated and the other chopped fine
1 large bell pepper, chopped
Spices to suit: Oregano, Basil, Fennel, Red Mexican Chili Pepper flakes, Celery Salt, Ground Black Pepper, Salt
2 large brown eggs
Good healthy splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound (or more) of lean ground beef
1 bowl of Cherry or Grape-sized Tomatoes

Except for the tomatoes, I mixed all veggies and spices together first, then cracked the eggs over the top and added beef with olive oil next. Once that was blended - then folded in the grape tomatoes. It’s pretty veggie-heavy and I could have easily snuck in another pound of ground animal flesh. Regardless, all was ladled into a square Pyrex dish that I had previously olive-oiled up. Everything fit to the top of the dish with no room to spare.

Oven was preset to 375*F. Covered dish with aluminum foil and placed it into the oven. Let set for 15 minutes and reduced the heat to 350*F after reading that was a better level for casseroles. Checked it at 30 minutes and the meat had turned; off to a good start.

Normally I would have wanted some grated cheese and a starchy binder, like oatmeal or rice – but I wasn’t thinking with my brain: The stomach had taken over! Ah well… no worries. I figure I’ll give it an hour to be sure it’s all good and baked.

Well, ½ hour passed and I couldn’t wait any longer! Out of the oven it came, and it smelled wonderful. With a sharp steak knife, I created a ¼ cut. Despite my lack of experience with casseroles, it held together well enough to spatula out, leaving a good 1 inch deep tasty liquid layer behind. Had to let it cool some, but got to it while watching an old classic movie on Netflix: Witness for the Prosecution.

The sectioned meal was scrumptious and went down well with a slice of Dave’s Killer Bread. Halfway through the movie, I ate the second quarter; good stuff! It won’t last past tomorrow. The movie held up well with Time and scored 4.5-stars, and as for the Meal... meh – 3.5: Moist and not dry by any means, the grape tomatoes were tasty, but cheese really would have set it off. There's room for improvement and next time I’ll do better.

Bon Appétit, KF

[Kingfish]

Spotted this today on NPR: The Time Traveler's Cookbook: Meat-Lover's Edition

I'm off to chase a mammoth... KF