Weekly Cooking Thread Ping List......~Ping~
Recap of last week’s recipes:
Appetizer* 15 Mama hen w/ baby chicks
Appetizer* 56 Baked Crab Dip
Appetizer* 56 Feta Olive Dip
Appetizer* 78 Artichoke Dip
Appetizer* 84 Angel Eggs
Bread* 14 Zucchini Bread
Bread* 10 Hot Cross Buns
Dessert* 16 White Carob or White Chocolate Easter Treats
Dessert* 19 Homemade Almond Joys
Dessert* 22 Easter Bunny Cake
Dessert* 25 Bird’s Nests
Dessert* 38 Zucchini Apple Crisp
Dessert* 64 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pie
Dessert* 69 Chocolate Pudding
Ingredient* 40 Ham Glaze (various)
Meal* 13 Easter Eggs In A Basket
Meal* 17 Rosemary and Garlic Leg of Lamb
Meal* 20 Awesome Chicken Strips
Meal* 21 Caroline’s Macaroni & Cheese
Meal* 33 Chicken Salad
Meal* 52 Cook’s Country Ham Salad
Meal* 79 Chicken Salad
Meal* 80 Chicken, Black Bean, and Corn Tacos
Meal* 90 Cheesy Potatoes and Ham
Side* 23 Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
Side* 58 Summer fruit salad
Side* 72 No Yolk Deviled Eggs
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2709393/posts?page=100#100
To be added/deleted, please request on thread or with a PM.
KILLER CHILI
Ingredients:
2 lbs stew meat
2 lbs ground beef
4 cans pinto beans
2 cans black beans
2 cans DARK red kidney beans
1 can chili beans (seasoned)
1 large can stewed tomatoes (either whole or chopped)
1 green pepper
2 medium onions
6-10 jalapenos (depending on how hot you want it)
6-8 yellow peppers (increase number to 8 if you increase the jalapenos)
1 habenero pepper (optional)
Chili powder
Cumin powder
Cayenne (red) pepper powder
Salt and pepper, garlic powder to taste
Cut the stew meat up into ½” to ¾” chunks, trimming the gristle and excess fat. Brown the stew meat until cooked through (medium/low heat), in batches if need be. While you are browning meat, open cans of pinto beans PARTIALLY so you can tip them up in the sink to drain. Open all other cans and dump them into big assed pot, from here on out to be known as BAP.
Keep checking meat and stir it and turn it as needed, and begin chopping washed fresh veggies and onions. Slice the jalapenos and yellow peppers into ¼ to ½ inch “disks”, all else you cut to the size you prefer. Chop them fine if you’re a sissy, leave them in hunks if you like man style chili. (If you put in the habanero, chop it fine. And wash your hands before you rub your eyes or pee, or you’ll be sorry.)
Keep checking the meat, and brown until there is very little liquid left, and dump into BAP as batches are done. Once all veggies are chopped and added, and all cans (don’t forget pinto beans when they’re done draining) have been added, you can turn on the heat (low at first) under the BAP.
Check the meat, and brown the ground beef once stew meat is done, taking it to the point that there is little liquid left in the pan before you dump it into BAP.
Once the heat is on the BAP, it is time for spicing it up. To start, I would use half of a 2.5 oz jar of chili powder, and maybe 1 tablespoon of cumin. Stir that up real well, and then add salt and garlic powder. The black pepper should be light, maybe ¼ teaspoon or so, figure 15 shakes over the BAP. For the cayenne, I like to add about 15 shakes as well, but try 5-10 and let the actual temperature build in the BAP and taste it every so often to make sure you don’t over spice yourself.
Once the BAP has heated throughout (stirring often) the flavors will be released and blend and meld, and you can tell better what the chili needs as far as salt, cumin, chili powder, hot stuff, etc.
Pasta Carbonara (after Ruth Reichl's style)
1 lb pasta, thin spaghetti works very well
6-8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped rough (not fine)
1-2 tsps dried ground thyme
red pepper flakes, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
3 large eggs
1/2 lb slightly fatty bacon, diced
In a 5 qt pot, or larger, fill 3/4s with water and add 4-5 tsps fresh ground black pepper. Bring to a boil.
While water comes up to temp, put diced bacon in a large skillet on medium heat. Distribute bacon evenly around skillet.
In a large bowl, crack the eggs, add dried thyme and a few grinds of black pepper. Whisk well and let stand.
When water boils, add pasta, boil for 7 minutes or until the consistency you prefer is reached. Meantime, keep turning the bacon in skillet; you don't want crispy, just well-cooked. Add the garlic to the bacon about 3 minutes after putting the pasta in the water.
If all goes well, the pasta and the bacon (KEEP the bacon oil!) will be finished at about the same time. Drain the pasta, pour into the bowl with the egg-thyme mixture. Then, as quickly as possible, add red pepper flakes to taste and pour the diced bacon AND the bacon oil into the bowl. Add a few more grinds of black pepper, then toss rapidly with tongs (the hot pasta and the hot bacon oil cook the eggs, no worries) until well mixed.
Options: sprinkle a good bit of shaved Parmesan cheese before or after mixing, and/or add chopped black olives to the bacon while cooking ('carbonara' means 'burnt' in Italian and black olives, although not burnt themselves, contribute to the concept). Serve immediately after mixing -- have everyone already at the table, fork in hand.
Note: if the bacon looks like there's too much oil (everybody's different on this), drain some off.
Another note: you CAN make this a creamed sauce by (guess what?) adding cream. Don't do it. Reichl doesn't, and I don't either. Nor does Mario Batali, fwiw.
Mangiare bene ed piacere!
Not being able to cook very well myself I like to try the recipes. .
Today I have a big leftover ham bone and some extra leftover ham. I want to try to make a soup. Here's basically the recipe I'm going to try from About.com.
Ingredients:
1 meaty ham bone
3 cups water
3 cups chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced fennel, optional
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh or freeze-dried parsley
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning or seasoned salt blend pinch thyme
1 cup corn kernels
1 cup frozen chopped spinach or mustard greens
2 cans (15 ounces each) Great Northern or Navy beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) tomatoes, diced
1 cup diced ham, optional
salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Combine ham bone, water, and chicken broth in a large saucepan. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, fennel, pepper, parsley, Creole seasoning and thyme. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add the corn, spinach or mustard greens, beans, and tomatoes. Remove ham bone and cut meat from the bone and dice. Skim fat off the top of the soup and add the ham, along with the extra ham, if using.
Taste and add salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer for about 30 minutes longer. Serves 8 to 10.
I'm going to add a leek or two just because I like them and maybe some leftover potatoes, onions and carrots from a roast we made so they don't go to waste.
This should turn out like most ham soups do looking kinda brown/gray.
What I really want to find is a recipe that looks more spring like with the brighter veggie colors. Maybe a chowder?
There was a recipe on the net but I forgot to save it.
Going shopping for some groceries now so I won't be able to post for a few hours. Back later.
THANKS for these threads!
BTW do any of the old time FReepers remember Chef Carlo? I haven't seen any posts from him for a long time. IIRC He had been in somewhat declining health, I hope he's OK. He had FANTASTIC recipes!