Monthly Cooking Thread - June 2018

[Jamestown1630]

This month: more Instant Pot experiments, and a great recipe for summer squash.

-JT

[CottonBall]

Well I don’t have an instant pot but I have about eight zucchini plants that are thriving. I know that’s way too many, but I can’t kill the poor little things once they get started.

But I did find I could Blanche and freeze it, and have it still be somewhat crisp. Not real Chrisp but enough to use in zucchini bread or lasagna or throw into other pasta dishes.

[CottonBall]

Tried the food saver marinade or for the first time this week. Boy did it work great! Unfortunately our marinade was very vinegary, and so was the chicken. I’ve never had that happen before so obviously a lot of it did get into the meat!

Then we tried a sesame sauce marinade. Hubby decided it was too thick and really thinned it out with water. Too much. No flavor whatsoever got into the meat. It was one of those situations where I had to bite my tongue and just figure we would give it a try. At least he was helping for a change! But I hated seeing that expensive marinade get so watered down. PF Changs, which isn’t my favorite, so I was OK seeing it all used up. But it would’ve been nice to have tasted some of it :-)

[Jamestown1630]

We bought one of the Foodsaver containers for salad - it really keeps those ‘spring mix’ salads from the grocery nice and fresh for a long time.

https://www.foodsaver.com/food-storage-bags-and-containers/vacuum-food-containers/10-cup-food-storage-vacuum-containers/foodsaver-fresh-container-10-cup/FAC10-000.html#start=5

[Liz]

Your squash recipe sounds like a must make. Could be a whole meal paired w/ this recipe from a local restaurant.

Something different for reliable broccoli. Delicious bits of broccoli are drenched in cheese and batter, then fried.
The batter is kinda like a tempura. For thicker batter, double the flour to a cupl b/powder/salt to a tsp; omit tsp oil.

DIP SAUCE Mix/set aside to steep 3 tb Dijon, 4 tb honey

BITES Chop 2 c florets small; or proc/pulse lightly. Toss with cup
shredded Cheddar. Prepare/then pour Batter over; toss to coat well.
Drop spoonfuls into 1/2 cup 375 deg veg oil; fry golden brown.

SERVE dipped in Honey Mustard Sauce.

BATTER Beat an egg; stir in cup milk; combine w/ sifted 1/2 cup flour,
1/2 tsp ea b/powder, salt, beating well. Beat in 1 1/2 tsp veg oil.

[jetson]

Looks great!

[Jamestown1630]

That looks great. One of my most-used recipes is a casserole
of broccoli in a cheesy cream sauce. Broccoli and cheese are made for each other.

[Liz]

Easy lasagna uses Alfredo sauce, assorted veggies, including zucchini. Nice appy, or serve as a side w/ entrée.

VEGETABLE LASAGNE / charmingly baked in cupcake tins

VEGGIES Soften/saute 2 tsp heated evo, 4 oz shredded zucchini, 3 oz
small-dice broccoli, 2 oz shredded carrots. Add tsp Italian Seasoning,
¾ cup Classico light Alfredo sauce.

ASSEMBLY Layer in 8 sprayed muffin cups, wonton wrapper, ricotta,
veggies, sprinkle of mozzarella. Then a 2nd wonton wrapper on top and
repeat the layering. Top w/ Parm/Italian seasoning.

Bake golden 375 deg 18-20 min. Cool 5 min in pan, then plate.

[Liz]

Broccoli and cheese are made for each other........amen.

[MV=PY]

Thanks for the feedback on instant pot experiments JT.

We really like this one:

https://pinchofyum.com/instant-pot-beef-stew

We see no reason to add the sugar. The carrots are the secret to this recipe; the flavor is amazing without having to add spices.

[Liz]

You went nuts in the produce dept, or your veg garden wont stop producing? Japanese recipe, can sub American ing.

Farmers’ Market Fantasy

Layer on plate:
sauce of curried fresh carrot juice
shower of blanched okra & mitsuba bits
grilled green & yellow patty pan squash
sautéed spinach with sesame, garlic, soy sauce
crispy polenta cake
fire-roasted anaheim chile
fresh goat cheese & asatsuki
cumin dusted grilled beet
spicy smoky heirloom tomato & Thai basil
roasted japanese eggplant, maldon smoked sea salt flakes

[PGalt]

Thanks for posting. BUMP!

[Jamestown1630]

My husband would like that; I’ll show it to him and he’ll want to try it.

[umgud]

We cook baby back ribs in the Insta Pot, then lather w/bbq sauce and put them in broiler.

So tender the bones fall off the meat, quick too.

[Jamestown1630]

My husband does that! The ribs and pulled pork are among the best things we’ve tried.

[Liz]

The cooked InstaPost chicken got a few minutes under the broiler to crisp and brown skin.

Another idea: slice the chicken into serving size pieces, butter or oil the skin, then broiler to crisp and brown.

[Jamestown1630]

It’s a good idea; but I still don’t think a roast chicken is one of the best uses an Instant Pot ;-)

I have one of those clay pots - a Romertopf - and I think I’ll try a chicken in that, next.

[jonrick46]

Here is an Instant Pot recipe one can use with their One Pot cooker:

Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken Fried Rice
Yield: 10 - 12 Servings

Ingredients
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp cooking sherry
• 1 egg white
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 C onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 eggs plus one yolk
• 2 C basmati rice*
• 3 C chicken stock
• 1/3 C soy sauce
• 2 C frozen veggies
Instructions
1. Combine the corn starch, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp cooking sherry and 1 egg white in a dish.
2. Place chicken in mixture and coat well.
3. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
4. Preheat IP on saute and add sesame oil.
5. Brown chicken thighs on both sides and set aside.
6. Remove excess oil with a paper towel.
7. Add the butter to the pot and saute the onion with a wood spatula, scraping stuck bits while stirring.
8. Add the garlic and saute one minute.
9. Add the egg yolk and two more eggs.
10. Scramble for a minute or two.
11. Add the basmati rice , chicken stock and 1/3 cup soy sauce.
12. Stir well then place the chicken on top.
13. Close the lid and turn the steam vent to closed.
14. Press the keep warm/cancel button to reset the unit.
15. Press manual and adjust the time to 10 minutes.
16. Quick release the steam when the unit has finished counting down.
17. Remove the chicken and dice.
18. Stir in the frozen vegetables and diced chicken.

*Use your favorite rice rinsed in water in a strainer.

[Jamestown1630]

Rinsing rice is important, but it’s something people tend to pass over. It removes some of the starch, and makes rice fluffier. The Japanese have special rice-rinsing bowls for this:

https://www.amazon.com/Inomata-Japanese-Washing-Bottom-Drainers/dp/B004QZAAS2