Monthly Cooking Thread - August 2019

[miss marmelstein]

I’m going to look up Colwin’s recipe and maybe reprint it. But, first, I’m off to our local curb market for some eggs!

Here, in AL, of course, we do the abominable Pimento Cheese, which is a staple here at parties.

[miss marmelstein]

My southern meal for tonight:

Baked sweet potatoes
Southern green beans - a staple here in AL. Green vegetables are cooked in a way that is very close to Irish-English cooking. In other words, they are cooked TO DEATH. The difference is that smoked meat is generally added to them for depth of flavor and for nutritional value. Since it is the way my mom cooked veggies, I happen to love overcooked greens. I just make sure to consume the pot liquer. I will make White Lily biscuits in a cast iron pot - they will come out amazingly delicious. My husband goes crazy for them. I follow Guy Fieri who says to fold them over and over again so that they pop up and can be split easily. Barbecued chicken will be the protein. And for dessert, since I continually mess up peach cobbler, I will be making a peach tart that I've mastered. I sprinkle in some blueberries on top and the result is that it could be photographed for Savuer Magazine and not embarrass me.

[Ellendra]

I just remembered, any recipe that calls for sweet potatoes, you can usually substitute chunks of squash.

[leaning conservative]

We’ve lived in the south for 25 years this month. I was introduced to pimento cheese & I love it! Delicious comfort food. My husband, born on Staten Island, hates it! He also hates sweet potatoes, catfish, even fried okra.....sigh.

[miss marmelstein]

I love everything you mentioned except the pimento cheese. My prejudice comes from my husband getting violently ill on it many years ago when we were down here for a conference. I suspect he overindulged in the stuff which is why he reacted as he did. It was one of those store-bought varieties that was day-glo orange; you know the kind I mean?

My passion is for...hushpuppies! I’ll eat them any where, any time.

[pugmama]

Zucchini Salad With Pecorino, Basil and Almonds Yield 4 to 6 servings/ Time 15 minutes Many recipes call for shaving raw zucchini into long strands, which looks whimsical but often leads to soggy squash. Cutting zucchini into thicker batons helps the vegetable retain some bite. Douse the strips with a bright garlic-caper vinaigrette, tender herbs and tangy pecorino, and just before serving, toss in some chopped almonds for crunch. This zucchini salad makes a great starter or a side, but it can also be the foundation of a meal. Add it to cooked penne or pearl couscous for a quick pasta salad, or scatter it over a slice of grilled bread that’s been slathered with mascarpone or ricotta. Ingredients for vinaigrette: 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons) 2 tablespoons capers, chopped, plus 2 teaspoons caper brine 1 teaspoon lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon juice 1 garlic clove, minced Kosher salt and black pepper Ingredients for zucchini: 3 medium zucchini or summer squash (6 to 7 ounces each) ⅓ cup shaved Pecorino-Romano cheese ¼ cup torn fresh basil ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley ⅓ cup roasted salted almonds, chopped Preparation In a small bowl, stir together the oil, shallot, capers, caper brine, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Trim the ends of the zucchini and cut each squash into 2-inch segments. Slice the segments lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slabs, then slice those slabs lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick batons. Add to a large bowl. Just before serving, season the zucchini with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Stir in the cheese, herbs and dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the almonds and serve immediately. I served this with a fresh tomato goat cheese tart. Perfect summer meal.

[pugmama]

Yikes.....sorry!

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020368-zucchini-salad-with-pecorino-basil-and-almonds

[pugmama]

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12684-tomato-and-goat-cheese-tart

[nopardons]

You're welcome!

I was ALWAYS told that it was an Hungarian; my family being proud of our heritage, but NEVER once used this as a hyphenated American one..everyone was always happy and proud to just be an American!

I had NO idea that Jews would even EVER claim it. LOL

There are extremely FEW foods that are religion specific...especially "JEWISH", which is an unalloyed canard!

[nopardons]

Big YUCK re the pimento cheese! :-(

Please let me know if Colwin's recipe is different from the traditional Hungarian one I know and gave to Jamestown1630.

[Jamestown1630]

I once made a butternut squash soup; and was put off by all the work of peeling and chopping. I’m thinking of buying a cleaver and a rubber mallet to deal with those suckers. But I found this - and it looks very good (I like this lady - she’s fun to watch):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVAAFTn2dcY

[miss marmelstein]

Thanks for the video! The squash is difficult to handle and since I have so much, I’ve been chopping for seemingly hours! What a pain.

[miss marmelstein]

In looking it up, I see she doesn’t even call it Liptauer - I think I probably read that it was on many of the Colwin blogs that have sprung up after her death. She calls it “Viennese Cheese” only because her baby sitter was from Vienna and she introduced it to her family. It’s a cream cheese/sour cream mix with paprika, celery and capers. I doubt it’s authentic although she swears by it. Her recipes are problematic often but she’s a wonderful writer on the subject of food and 80s Manhattan.

[nopardons]

I've NEVER heard of anything called "VIENNESE CHEESE", but then, my family had its own names for certain FOR REAL Hungarian dishes ( GERMAN FRIEND POTATOES...but they ARE an Hungarian dish, with a Hungarian name, I found out, as an adult, but I still call it by that "family" name! ), but they NEVER changed the actual recipe, except to either up date it a bit ( once wood stoves were replaced by gas ones, using butter instead of lard, because American lard didn't taste "right", etc. ), or adapt to American ingredients, once they were here.

And your description of that spread sounds awful; especially compared to the for real Liptauer one. So please DO try the posted authentic Hungarian recipe IF you think it might be something you'd enjoy eating. :-)

[nopardons]

YIKES...that's German FRIED, not friend, Potatoes. :-(

[miss marmelstein]

There is no such thing as Viennese Cheese - I explained how the name came about. I don’t really do these type of things, anyway, the closest I’ve come is Lipton’s Onion Dip with sour cream. Interestingly, people fall all over that stuff when I have it at parties. Same with Pigs in a Blanket. No matter how snobby people are, they love American-style appetizers even while sneering at it. Never fails!

[nopardons]

LOL...I DID explain about "family named dishes" so yes, I know that you explained the name.

True...pigs in a blanket is always a crowd pleaser...even with THE snobbiest "foodies"! :-)

[Liz]

Mastering the Japanese cooking art of tempura, frying coated vegetables crisp and golden in light, tempura
batter, is a delicious appy guests will snap up in seconds. The Dipping Sauce here is extraordinarily good.

Tempura Green Beans

DIPPING SAUCE whisk/warm on low 1/2 c Dijon, 1/4 c honey, 2 tsp hot sauce, 1 1/2 tea light soy sauce, pinch dry mustard. Cool in ramekin.

BATTER whisk 2 lge whites to soft peaks. Whisk in 1 1/2 c flour, 1 1/4 c club soda. Batch-dip lb trimmed beans,
then fry golden 3-4 min in 4 c 350 deg canola oil. Drain; sprinkle w/ salt. (CHEF NOTE: any veg can be used.)

SERVE w/ dipping sauce.

[nesnah]

Bookmark

[Liz]

Chef secrets for making perfect tempura:

<><> Keep ingredients ice cold, (some chefs freeze the dry flour overnight)

<><> Use low gluten flour

<><>Use minimal mixing to lessen gluten development (chefs “tap” the batter instead of mixing—lumps are good)

<><> Keep ing very cold, replacing some water with ice cubes; work with mixing bowl in ice

<><>Use a neutral tasting oil with a high smoke point such as grapeseed, peanut oil or light olive oil designed for frying

<><> Drain cooked tempura on paper towels and serve immediately, or as quickly as possible