Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

I once attended a wonderful wedding dinner given by a Greek lady for a friend of mine. The marriage was a late-life second marriage for both the bride and groom, and they just went off to the courthouse in the morning and 'got hitched'.

That evening, they were feted with the first authentic Greek dinner I'd ever enjoyed, with about fifty people seated at numerous tables that were set up in the home of the hostess. This lady and her husband managed the cooking and serving of the dinner alone, in a feat of efficient, elegant hospitality that left me in awe. They served leg of lamb, a Greek salad, and potatoes like none I'd ever tasted.

There are many recipes for these Greek-style garlic- and lemon-flavored roasted potatoes, most of them pretty much the same. Some recipes include a little lemon rind in addition to the lemon juice; and some have more or less garlic. I'm still trying to get the balance of garlic and onion down, and next time I'll use more garlic; but this recipe has turned out very well. It's adapted from 'Greek Meze Cooking: Tapas of the Aegean', by Sarah Maxwell:

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

2 lbs. large, waxy Potatoes (like Yukon Gold), peeled

1/4 C. Olive Oil

1/2 C. freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

2 tsps. dried Oregano (If you grow or have access to fresh oregano, use twice as much)

3 Garlic Cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste

1/2 C. Water

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the potatoes into quarters or eighths lengthwise, and place in a large baking dish (Use a dish or pan large enough to have the potatoes all in one layer.)

Add the remaining ingredients, and stir to coat (hands are best for this ;-)

Bake at the top of the oven, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until lightly golden, crisp on the outside and soft inside. You need to watch this, so that the potatoes don't become too dry; if they do, rearrange them and add a little water during cooking. A little bit of slight burn on edges doesn't hurt, but you don't want them to be so dry they stick to the plate and can't be turned.

Here is another recipe for the same thing, with slightly different measurements, which I will try next:

http://www.food.com/recipe/greek-potatoes-oven-roasted-and-delicious-87782

When I first became interested in Asian food, and was experimenting with various levels of vegetarianism, I read the exhaustive 'Book of Miso', by William Shurtleff. Miso is a savory seasoning made from fermented soybeans, and used very much in Japanese cooking.

From this book, I learned to make Miso Soup, and the Dashi base of that soup; as well as how to handle Tofu. After learning those basics, I was attracted to a potato recipe in the same book that turned out really well.

The book has now been made available as a free PDF, and 'Potatoes with Miso White Sauce Au Gratin; is on page 136 (scroll down about halfway, to find the download):

http://www.pdf-archive.com/2013/01/24/the-book-of-miso-savory-soy-seasoning-william-shurtleff-akiko-aoyagi/

Mr. Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi also manage the Soy Info Center:

http://www.soyinfocenter.com/aboutus-authors.php

Lastly: a great 'Smashed Potato' recipe.

When my husband and I became aware of all the cooking shows on Cable TV, one of the TV personalities we really liked was Ina Garten; so we bought one of her cookbooks, and her Parmesan Smashed Potatoes immediately became a family favorite:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parmesan-smashed-potatoes-recipe2.html

(Frankly, we've never made an Ina Garten recipe that didn't turn out very well.)

[greeneyes]

Yes, they have similar tastes. I don’t think the cabbage “noodles” would really work otherwise.

I tried another low carb quickie fix today for breakfast. Kinda like egg drop soup. Just put a bullion cube or tsp of base in a micro wave safe soup bowl and add a cup water and whatever spices veggies you want. I put in some minced onion, garlic powder, chives, and a small spoonful of turkey, since I had no mushrooms.

Microwave the broth mix till it comes to boiling. While the water is coming to a boil, Crack an egg in a dish and whisk it till well combined. Add the egg to the hot bullion mix with a gentle swirl. Cover the cup and let it sit a bit till just right to eat. Add some pepper if desired.

This was a lot more satisfying for some reason than just having a boiled egg and drinking some broth. No insulin reaction either to interfere with energy level.

[greeneyes]

I forgot to mention, instead of adding a pat of butter, I added a tsp of EVOO, as the turkey was from my home canned meats, and had a bit of fat/gel in the spoon too.

[Liz]

POTATO BITES / TANGY CHIMCHURRI SAUCE

POTATOES Dredge 1 1/2 c par-boiled, drained-dry russets
in 1-2” cubes into combined 1/2 c flour, tea ea salt,
paprika (hot, sweet or smoked). Shake off excess.
Deep-fry batches golden in 350 deg oil 3-4 min.
Drain. Drizzle w/ sauce at service.

SAUCE Proc/cup parsley, 2 tsp dry oregano, 3 gar/cl.
Add 2 tb red wine vinegar, tsp kosher/salt, 1/4 tsp ea
red/black pepper flakes. Slowly stream in 1/2 c ol/oil.

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks for both of these bits of info in your 60 and 61.

[greeneyes]

You are welcome.

[Liz]

Relax, foodies....the chocolate recipe is here.

CARNIVAL CRUISE MELTING CHOCOLATE CAKE
Carnival Cruise signature warm chocolate melting cake
is an incredible, gooey dessert..the chef himself
presented the melting cake recipe to a passenger.

METHOD Melt 6 oz ea semi/chocolate and butter. Mix
4 eggs and 1.5 oz sugar; whisk a few min, then add 2 oz
flour. Add to chocolate; set into buttered 8 oz ramekins.
Bake 390 deg 14 min.

CARNIVAL CRUISE CHEF’S TIPS: use room temp eggs and
warm chocolate; serve with ice cream; can add a fruit garnish.

NOTE The heat of Lindt Chili Dark Chocolate can be
used to offset a scoop of Carmel Sea Salt Gelato.