Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

Last week I got to thinking about Sloppy Joe sandwiches, which I hadn't had in ages but loved when I was a kid. We decided to try making it from scratch, and settled on Chef John's recipe. It came out really good - I think I might add some jalapeno next time - but it doesn't really taste like the Sloppy Joe made from the canned sauce. I'm not sure what to do to it, to make it more like the childhood favorite (except buy a can of sauce ;-) and I'm wondering if anyone else has made it. Here's is Chef John's recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/219635/chef-johns-sloppy-joes/

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I happened to be browsing archive.org for old cookbooks, and found Rufus Estes' cookbook 'Good Things to Eat, as Suggested by Rufus'. Estes, born a slave, was one of the first famous African American chefs, and the first to write and publish a cookbook. The recipes are sometimes kind of sketchy, as they are in all of these old cookbooks, but the instructions are adequate to figure out the dish. Cherry Season is coming on, and I was intrigued by his recipe for pickled cherries:

"CHERRY PICKLES

Stem, but do not pit, large ripe cherries. Put into a jar and cover with a sirup made from two cups of sugar, two cups of vinegar and a rounding teaspoon each of ground cloves and cinnamon cooked together five minutes.

Let stand two days, pour off the vinegar, reheat and pour over the cherries, then seal."

I searched for more modern recipes and was surprised that most are pretty much exactly as Rufus made them; but here is a recipe that pits the cherries, and adds lemon and star anise:

http://janesadventuresindinner.com/2014/09/celebratingtheharvest-pickled-cherries.html

You can read or download the Rufus Estes book at Archive.org (lots of great antique cookbooks there):

https://archive.org/details/goodthingstoeata00esterich

or purchase a newer edition hard copy at Amazon or Dover Publications:

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Things-Eat-Suggested-Rufus/dp/0965433315

http://store.doverpublications.com/0486437647.html

-JT

[Liz]

Here's a no-sweat way to make an eye-catching patriotic dessert.

Make a cobbler using blueberries and strawberries. Top w/ whipped cream.
and star-shaped biscuits. (Cutout biscuit dough in star shapes; bake golden).

[Jamestown1630]

The Internet, and all the technology that went into it, represent one of the most mind-boggling forces we have ever created. The good that can come from it in terms of equality of access to information and education is astounding.

Everything good can be misused; but I’m amazed at all that has taken place in such a short time, and the value created.

-JT

[Ellendra]

Any cucumber will work, and so will zucchini and other summer squash, or even green tomatoes.

I make bread-and-butter pickle relish every year, using whatever we have the most of. The recipe I use is out of a Jackie Clay book. I’ll type it up for you later tonight.

[Ellendra]

I have. It makes a perfect, flaky crust!

I didn’t see the one in Cooks Illustrated, the one I saw was in Backwoods Home.

[leaning conservative]

I apologize for the late response. I think that is a wonderful story & memory. I love how you keep that memory going by buying a box once a year. Thank you for sharing such a sweet story.

[leaning conservative]

I too swear by my pastry blender. It’s amazingly reliable, plus space is an issue & getting out the processor is a pain. I only use it to make pesto. I should never have never bought it. Live & learn.

[kalee]

Please ping me when you post it.

[kalee]

I was blessed to have them for grandparents. They were married 70 years and he was heartbroken when she died.

[leaning conservative]

Scrap that last never ; )

[leaning conservative]

Not many people can have a love that long. When my grandmother died my grandfather lost his zing. Losing his son, my father, was the final loss he could bear. Love is a wonderful & powerful thing.

[Jamestown1630]

Well, it’s pretty good for grating cheese, if you’re doing a lot of it, and good for some other stuff; but I don’t like it for shredding cabbage or carrots for salads. Unless you’re very careful, everything gets too finely done, and watery. I stick to my Granny’s little old grater - it’s probably 60 years old, at least.

But, we don’t have the greatest processor; there’s a wonderful (*expensive*) Breville on our wish-list, and we’re hoping that when we can finally budget it, it will work a lot better ;-)

-JT

[Liz]

Beautiful Belgian specialty cake found in confectioneries that dot Belgium's countryside. Serve at breakfast, dessert or as an afternoon
snack w/ all the fresh berries you can carry home from the produce dept.

ALMOND CAKE

PREP Parchment 8" springform or butter/flour bundt pan.

METHOD Cream 1/4 lb sweet butter and 3/4 c sugar light and fluffy. Add
cup almond paste; beat well. Add 3 eggs singly; beat each well. Add 1/2 tsp
b/powder, pinch of salt, 1/4 tsp almond extract,tb Kirsch or Grand Marnier;
stir/combine well. Fold in 1/4 c cake flour gently; do not overmix.

Bake golden 350 deg 35-45 min (pick comes clean); do not underbake. Cool slightly on rack. Dust w/ conf.

SERVE with fresh berries, maybe a dollop of softly whipped cream.

[miss marmelstein]

Again, I am amazed and impressed at all you do for your family. Meal planning is beyond me. I’m going to culinary school in September so maybe they’ll teach me.

[leaning conservative]

My mother in law sends us blocks of parmeggiano reggiano & one time I decided to use the processor to grate a whole bunch to put in a jar. It came out as these tiny little pellets. It was weird & my husband hated the texture, so I went back to using my hand held little flat grater. You get that nice airy cloud of cheese!

[Jamestown1630]

Yes, it’s not that great for the very hard cheeses. I use it mainly for cheddar, jack, etc. The Microplane is very good for making ‘clouds’ of very hard cheeses, too.

[Trillian]

I wish I could find the powdered packets of Manwich mix. I haven’t seen them in at least 15 years. I used to mix it with homemade tomato sauce and it was delicious.

[Jamestown1630]

I don’t remember that; but it doesn’t appear that they make it anymore:

http://www.manwich.com/sloppy-joe-sauce/

[Trillian]

I did a web search and the only thing that turned up was a PDF file on the person who created it for them. It’s odd that I couldn’t even find a picture of it. Usually I can find pictures of old products.

[Liz]

Disney Park recipe. Serve soup as main course, w/ all the recommended fixin's.

CHEESY ENCHILADA SOUP

METHOD sweat chp yellow onion, 2 tb veg oil. Add tb minced garlic, chp red bell
pepper, 1/2 cup corn; cook 2 min. Stir in 5 c chix stock, 15 oz can tomato puree, 1/2
tsp coarse salt, 1 1/4 tsp ea chili powder, sugar, 3/4 tsp hot sauce, tsp Worc. BTB;
simmer 15 min. Stir in flour/water slurry. BTB, then simmer 4 min.

FINAL Add 2 1/2 c shredded cooked chicken; bring to simmer.
Stir in 1/2 c h/cream, 1/4 c sour cream, cup shredded mild cheddar.

SERVE garnished w/ thin fried corn tortilla strips, chp cilantro.

FOR THE FIXIN'S bowls of diced avocado, more cheese, sliced jalapenos,
sour cream, tortilla strips. Don't forget a bottle of hot sauce for heat fans.

[Ellendra]

Here it is! My notes are in parentheses.

Jackie Clay’s Bread-and-Butter Pickles:

-4 Quarts sliced cucumbers (I use zucchini, summer squash, or green tomatoes, and I shred or grind them for relish instead of slicing.)
-6 medium onions, sliced (I use pearl onions and leave them whole.)
-1/2 cup pickling salt
-1 quart cracked ice
-3 cups white vinegar
-1 cup sugar
-2 Tbsp. Mustard seeds
-1 tsp Turmeric
-2 tsp celery seed
(I usually slice some multi-colored sweet peppers and substitute them for 1/3 of the onions. Mainly for color.)

Rinse cucumbers thoroughly, remove stem and blossom ends, and slice thin (or chop fine). Do not peel cucumbers (although some types of summer squash might need peeled). Mix cucumbers, onions, (peppers), and salt. Add cracked ice and let stand for 3 hours, then drain thoroughly. This will help make the pickles crisp. (I have a designated “pickle draining” cloth that I cut from a cotton bedsheet and only wash with dish soap and bleach. It’s not allowed in the laundry, but gets treated like a dish.)

Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Add drained vegetables, and heat just until boiling, stirring constantly. DO NOT OVERCOOK!

Pack boiling hot pickles in sterilized hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Ladle hot pickling syrup over pickles, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim of jar clean, secure lid, and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

(When making relish, I usually leave a bit more headspace, and then shake the jars once a day after they’ve cooled, for about 2 weeks. Otherwise I had jars where part of the food stuck out above the brine and spoiled. After 2 weeks, the food will have soaked up enough of the brine to be resistant to spoilage.
Shaking also works air bubbles out, which is important with thicker relishes.
When making relish with green tomatoes, don’t drain them quite as thoroughly. They’ll absorb liquid if you squeeze too much out at the draining stage, and then there won’t be enough brine to cover. Although you could also increase the amount of brine to compensate.)