Weekly Cooking Thread (Happy New Year) Jan 1, 2011

FreeRepublic | Jan 1, 2011 | libertarian27

[libertarian27]

Happy New Year!

Weekly cooking thread to start the new year. What was your favorite recipe in 2010? Please share and make it a fellow FReepers favorite recipe for 2011.

What are you making this week? Have a favorite left-over recipe idea for all those roasts and big dinner leftovers? Trying something new, need a new tried and true recipe?

Let's get cooking.

[varina davis]

My all time favorite chicken recipe is one I adapted from Ina Garten:

LEMON ROAST CHICKEN
(Make chicken enchiladas with leftovers)

1 (4 to 5-pound) roasting chicken

1 large yellow onion, sliced
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 cups (3/4-inch) bread cubes (1 use French or just regular white bread

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Take the giblets out of the chicken and wash it inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers. Toss the onion with a little olive oil in a small roasting pan. Place the chicken on top and sprinkle the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper. Place the lemons inside the chicken. Pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels, brush it with the melted butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Cover with foil and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. (The onions may burn, but the flavor is good.)

Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until very hot. Lower the heat to medium-low and saute the bread cubes, tossing frequently, until nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add more olive oil, as needed, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the croutons on a serving platter. Slice the chicken and place it, plus all the pan juices, over the croutons. Sprinkle with salt and serve warm.

[MasonGal]

I’d love to be on this ping list!! Thanks!!

[Snoopers-868th]

Please add me to your ping list. Thank you.

[pyx]

When you pressure canned the meat, did you cube it?

No. I simply scraped off any fat I could see and processed the entire boneless skinless chicken breast within the mason jar topped of with 1/4 tsp of salt and water in a pressure cooker for 75 minutes at 10 pounds.

Did you cook it first or did you put it in raw and process it letting it cook that way?

I put the boneless skinless chicken breast RAW into the mason jar as mentioned above and finger snugged down the screw band on the mason jar. The chicken is entirely processed by the pressure cooker canning.

I’ve pressure canned chicken breast but what I do is make chicken stock first and then dice up the meat and add the meat and stock and then pressure can it.

I save the chicken stock liquid in the mason jars AFTER I use the chicken in stews and soup and grilling in a cast iron fry pan. The chicken stock liquid is 'to die for' when microwave nuked and poured over Ramen noodles. This precious liquid stock can also be used as a soup base. :)

I’ve heard that you can just cut up the meat and put it in the jars as is, without water, and pressure can it that way. Is that correct, do you know?

Yes. I've heard this also. You could do it that way, but there is such a small amount of water added that I try to avoid any noticeable spaces at the tops of the mason jars as I process meat in the pressure cooker. The resulting chicken, beef, pork or vegetable stock is too precious and is so usable in almost everything once the mason jar has been re-opened. I shove a clean PLASTIC knife down the side of the mason jars to wiggle out any air spaces before closing the mason jars up for processing.

I mean, no one in their right mind is going to turn down a delicious stock if its right there. Even on mashed potatoes or in gravies its very very good stuff. :)

All information in this reply is a suggestion. I take no responsibility at the actual results.

[metmom]

Thanks.

I’ll have to try some of these different methods for doing the meat.

I guess it doesn’t matter then if some of the meat is above the liquid in the canning jar then, does it?

I mean, it’s not like it’s going to dry out or anything. Right?

[tubebender]

We buy Albacore Tuna off the boats in Humboldt Bay and pressure can it every two or three years. The Tuna is caught by hook and line, landed on the deck and then they slash the gills and let them bleed out for a few minutes and then toss them in the hold and flash freeze them as the meat turns soft rapidly. We put them in the freezer until a couple of days before canning. I set up a table out doors, using a oil cloth cover I cut up the fish which is a learning process because the guts are still intact and you want to avoid tainting the edible parts. Twenty pounds of Tuna yields about ten pounds of fish.

As I get some loins ahead my wife takes it in the house and packs it in 1/2 pints that have been sterilized in the dish washer, adds a bit of salt and takes a lid out of a pot of hot water, puts it on the jar and tightens a band and by then I have a canner going on a heavy duty camp stove set up in the garage. Then I cook it for 90 minutes at 15# AFTER the temp comes up. While that is cooking we ready another canner and continue. We used pints when the kids were home and We do all this outdoors as the smell in really really bad. Our newest canner is a All American with the top clamps to secure the top. The seal is metal to metal with no rubber gaskets to give you fits.

We also can fresh ocean caught Salmon when we get it but it has been scarce the past few years. At one time my wife put up hundreds of jars of vegetables and fruit but the kids are on their own and work so they go more for processed quick foods and our appetites have waned as we age so she uses fresh veggies. Has anyone else noticed that not only is canned foods going up in price but the size of the can is shrinking enough to throw you off on a recipe...

[tubebender]

Here is a link to a University web site on USDA PDF on safely canning meats, vegetable, fish etc. There are hundreds of other sites but many of them are trying to sell you something. Make sure you use sterilized "Mason" or Ball type canning jars and that there are no nicks in the top of the jar and wipe that surface clean after packing the meat before installing the lid and band. Use new fresh lids as the rubber dries out in some climates. Warning... I am not a cook but I play one on FReeRepublic...

[metmom]

We have the All American pressure canner as well and love it.

Yes, food prices have been going up and package size has been going down.

[metmom]

Thanks for the link. I’ll check that our later today.

I’ve been canning for decades. I learned by helping my mom when I was a teenager and just kept at it.

I break a couple rules though. For one thing, I put my squeaky clean canning jars in the over and warm them to 200. I have NEVER had a canning jar break that way and never had a problem with food spoilage.

Not that I’m recommending that others do it. Just saying....

But you do need to make sure that you take the unused jars out when you’re done and they’re cool. It would not be a good thing to preheat the oven for baking with jars still in there.

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[Netizen]

I pretty much cut all the fat off the roasts and have used chuck, bottom-top round, sirloin, london broil, etc. anything that is on sale.

You can also just cut any of those into cubes for casseroles, soups and stews.

[Netizen]

That looks familiar. Did you post that last week?

[Netizen]

We're having one of our favorites.

Beef Chili
2 pounds ground beef, or cut into 1/2 cubes Salt and freshly ground black pepper(salt optional) 1 T ground cumin 1 large onion, diced 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 T chipotle pepper puree	3 T chili powder 1 T arbol chili powder 1 T ancho chili powder 1 tsp cayenne powder 2 (28oz) cans tomato sauce 3 cans rotel 2 cans beans (pinto and kidney?)
In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, season the beef with salt and pepper, and saute until browned.  Sprinkle with cumin and stir well.  Add the onion and garlic, cook until soft.  Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, or until the beef is tender.  Remove from heat and adjust seasonings, if needed.

[Netizen]

Couple of optional things. Drain beans and rinse before adding to meat mixture. You can also add 2 tsp of sugar or 2 tsp of vinegar to reduce acidity. I also add 1 1/2 tsp of ground flax meal. I add ground flax meal to most things. Start with a small amount. In a 6 qt pot of chili you won’t even notice 1 1/2 tsp. The idea is to sneak healthy stuff into food for the family. A little here and a little there, all adds up and no upturned noses!

[kalee]

I love this chicken recipe!

[kalee]

Beef Guinness

3 tbsp olive oil
1 lb stew meat
3 med onions coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove (crushed)
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 can beef consomme
10-12 oz Guinness stout
salt and pepper
fresh thyme sprigs

Brown meat cubes in 2 tbso olive oil in a large frying pan. Drain and put in casserole dish. On low heat cook onions, garlic and mushrooms until soft; add to casserole. Put 1 reamaining tablespoon oil in pan and use flour to make a roux, Adding beef stock a little at a time, cook for a few minutes to obtain smooth sauce. Pour in the the Guinness and cook until liquid comes to the boil. Add brown sugar, cider vinegar, salt and pepper and thyme. Pour the liquid over the beef in the casserole and bake for 2 ½-3 hours at 250F. Serve with boiled red potatoes and cooked carrots.
Serves 4

[sauropod]

mark

[libertarian27]

Click onto my profile and there will be links to all of the recipe recaps - Starting December 12th

Happy Cooking & Baking

[varina davis]

Yes, it’s just great and so easy.

[Bean Counter]

I put this recipe up by itself yesterday, and a couple of people asked me to post it here too.

Spicy Jerk Marinade for Seafood, Pork or Chicken

In a blender, combine the following:

1 large red onion, peeled, rough chopped
1 large shallot, peeled, rough chopped
2 large garlic cloves, peeled, rough chopped
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, rough chopped
1 large jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, rough chopped
1 1/2 tsp Dry Thyme
Juice of 1 lemon (or lime)
3 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp freshly ground Allspice
1 tsp sharp cinnamon
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 TBS Olive oil

Blend everything to liquify, by leave it a bit chunky. Store for up to a month in a refrigerated, covered container.

I lay out my fish in a marinating pan, and put a coat of the marinade on it, flip it, and coat the other side. On a mild fish like Tilapia I only marinate for an hour. Shrimp can marinate for a couple of hours; the same for stronger fish like tuna or mahi-maki. Later this week I'm going to use some of this to prepare some scallops...

I cook the fish with the marinade still on it, in a hot pan with a little olive oil, about 3 minutes per side, covered, until done.

Tilapia done this way, then chilled, makes an outstanding fill for fish tacos...

I'm sure you could use this on pork as well as chicken; and it might make an interesting stuffing for a pork tenderloin...use your knife steel to puncture the tenderloin along it's length, then use a pastry bag to inject the marinade in the center. Truss it up and roast till done... It will overpower a mild piece of meat or fish if you marinate it for too long, so take it easy with this stuff until you get a feel for it's potency. If it's not spicy enough for your tastes, a bit of cayenne pepper or even a couple of your favorite hot chilies added to the blender will kick it up to as hot as you prefer.

Enjoy!

[tubebender]

Just another day at Botchie's Crab Shack (est 1928) in Eureka Ca...