Looks good, str8fencer.
I regret I don't know more of our regional mushrooms. I pick Morels every spring but don't know other species well enough to eat with confidence.
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Looks good, str8fencer.
I regret I don't know more of our regional mushrooms. I pick Morels every spring but don't know other species well enough to eat with confidence.
Not much known about edible or recreational native mushrooms in this country. Most of them just seem to want to kill you for some reason.
Mick
While eating a pretty boring chili from the work cafeteria tonight. I got a call saying "Bring a crowbar up to the ambulance garage because we have an ambulance ETA of 10 minutes and the doors are stuck shut."
A few seconds with the crowbar and they were open!
Chili didn't taste any different cold when I got back.
Came across a fresh turbot at the market and could not resist. It is something of a rare bird in my parts, and I use the words on purpose. The ancient greeks had access to all kinds of goodies, they basically ate everything, but they held the phesant to be the most delicious meal of them all. The turbot they called "the phesant of the sea". Anyways, here is my take: Turbot sous vide, with oysters, asparagus, aerated hollandaise and thrice baked potatoes.
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Here in my mostly land locked state of IL, I have very little access to decent seafood. I envy your posts on fish. I didn't post any pics this week since there was nothing new, steak with bearnaise. It was requested by the wife for her birthday. But I have to say, there IS a big difference between prime and choice. These steaks were outstanding.
While not exactly 'land locked' here in the SE corner of Washington State USA 'fresh' fish is hard to come by and it costs you your first born if you want Halibut!
As far as beef goes, until you've tasted hand raised farm beef that's been carefully fed and finished, you've never actually tasted what is possible. I've tasted commercial 'prime' and it didn't hold a candle to my dad's hand raised steers.
With that said, dad used to say that he wished he could raise beef like his father did as granddad raised two year olds. But he had the farm to provide the hay and grain to feed with during the winter and of course the grass pasture during the spring, summer and fall; which dad didn't. Dad used to say that when they used to have beef steak you had two plates, one for the steak and the other for the potatoes, veggies etc as the steak took up the whole plate!
Damn what I wouldn't give to have dad here to raise just one more beef so my grand kids could know what Real Beef tasted like!
Amen Roy.
Grass fed beef, accept no substitute..
:beer1:
Dad raised cattle on grass, but would start 'graining' them to add marble to the meat before butchering time. I remember him using oats but since he's long gone I can't add more about the 'finishing' of the beef.
I do have an old book called 'The Farm Efficiency Manual' and it says that if you use corn to grain cattle you need to run pigs in with them as they will consume what the cattle didn't. Thus making it more 'efficient'.
Makes good sense to me!
Again, I'll have to defer to you on the methods. And frankly, I'd be content with grass fed if the marbling was as good. But good beef is partly about fat. And every grass fed steak T my local is very lean.....and cut very thin for some reason. Thin and lean is a bad combo.
I may not being clear here; There is a Huge Difference between cattle raised 'Exclusively' on 'grass' and then butchered and cattle raised on grass and then for several weeks are fed oats or other grains to 'fatten them' thus the marbling which adds flavor and also tenderness.:y
Oh and for the life of my I can't imagine anyone cutting 'thin' steaks as you've said, that's a recipe for disaster. :banghead:
Well im not sure what the differences are. All I know is that at my store they have specifically labeled steaks that are labeled grass fed. These are always anemic looking steaks of an unappetizing, liver-like color with no marbling and cut detrimentally thin. They have the appearance of being from a very lean animal, almost like game. The size and shape of the cuts are not typical. I tried them once and that was enough. Maybe you would be able to identify them better. They are all I know about grass fed.
My dad was in the Canadian beef business, not a farmer, but the industrial side of beef. He's gone now but always bought Alberta grass fed beef aged for like 42 days I believe, at the holidays. Said the cows eat grass naturally, their bellies don't digest corn well, so since they are what they eat, he always told me get grass fed, even though it's more $. Said the whole free range thing was bollux as if the cows ate grass, it was in a pasture, so they ranged free to get it. Big business, closed pen farming involved force corn feedings for cost efficiency, not the quality of finished product. Cow would never eat corn over grass if given a choice, as per pa.
I personally don't know about the oats for fattening, but it makes perfect sense as the fat is the marbling.
Google kobi beef for some extreme cow care tips. :)
I would think that OCD's store choices are not ideal if the only choices for grass fed are livery looking thin cuts. Find a local farmer, or farmer's market, buy some real grass fed beef and you will not be disappointed. I guarantee it!
;)
Makes me want to grill a steak now.
Have to agree with Mike, all our beef here in NZ is grass fed, is what they eat naturally. The only reason for feeding them corn and grain is to maximise profit from less land from what I have read.
I bought some colorful peppers from a friend at the market and stuffed them (pretty simple and virtually foolproof). The filling is ground meat (in this case local grass-fed beef), rice, diced onion and carrot, and simple spices (salt, pepper, cumin, savory). I use pieces of tomato as plugs so I cut up the leftover inside of the tomato and put it in the filling too.
I didn't take pictures in the plates (just what you see in the pan and plain yogurt for sauce, but here is
before:
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and after baking:
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Yummy :)
An international favorite to be sure. Looks appetizing. Enjoy
Here is the benefit of duck confit. Its a quick and delicious lunch with very little prep. I took a break from my work, cleared the computer off of my TV table, and made a pretty nice lunch for a weekday. Technically I'm not supposed to be drinking during my work day but that one glass doesn't count.
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Tarte Lorraine tonight, aka quiche. Some say real men don't eat quiche. Well, more for me I guess. The bulk of today's cooking is a massive pot of stock. Twenty five pounds of bones and a few extra pounds of shank. When it's over I will have plenty of demi glace in the feezer ready for sauces this fall/winter.
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While I've been served 'quiche' they looked nothing like yours! Especially on the inside! Now That is something that I think I could enjoy. :y
The closest thing that I fix to that is a Spaghetti Frittata it's meatless but I think I'll play with it a bit next time. Thanks for the idea. :tu
Quiche Chicago style looks awesome OCD!
Nice meal.
Well I'm not! I'm baching it again for a few days so I'm living out of cans and/or steak and eggs as whim would dictate. :)
Mick
Today it's store bought crab cakes along with frozen french fries and onion rings. I'm having a banana split for dessert.
Back in the day before the divorce I'd cook almost every day. Then afterward the divorce the kids would come over regularly as they hated their mother's 'cooking' then both moved in and it was once again a joy to cook. Then the oldest moved out but they youngest was still here and his girlfriend soon joined us and it was great.
However after several years they decided to try life on their own so most days, so now it's just me and I don't find cooking for 'one' fulfilling.
With that said on my next day off I'm making red sauce with tomatoes out of my little patch for some spaghetti with homemade meatballs . I may also make Focaccia Bread but that's a definite 'maybe'. :shrug:
Off to have the banana split :tu
Well I'm actually tossing up what to have for lunch right now. Dinner is still too far ahead in the day to think about for us Southerners just yet. ;)
Mick
OCD......I need your best chicken stew recipe , and spoon it over mashed taters...So Yah Got one .....the leaves are changing color here and it's cool out....prime time for some stick to your bones cookn !!
Quick Late Supper: Chicken Broth,noodles and chicken Pelmeni(Russian dumplings),chopped onions,Portobella mushroom,Italian green beans,fresh rosmary,smoked Paprika,diced pork....nothing fancy but satisfying for the soul on a cool Fall morning.
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'Love the photo, nightblade. Its a real still-life - rather than posed. The simple scene of simple fare is terrific. With a little luck, I'll find out tomorrow how my 2nd attempt at Volkornbrot turns out. 'One of the very German 100% rye breads that can double as a doorstop if it doesn't taste that good. 'Heavy, dense, moist - for using like a cracker or with strong meat/cheese. 'Definitely not a sandwich loaf. 'Takes 2 days to 'rest', in which the moisture disburses, the crumb firms up. Keep cooking, keep posting. keep having fun doing it.
Can't wait so read about it.
If it turns out well, will you share the recipe? Maybe under the bread thread?
I have a couple ideas for you. A traditional coq au vin or something more cajun etoufee like. I'll give you both but the coq au vin is a little more tricky. The problem with coq au vin is that it requires a long cooking time to develop the sauce. Most supermaket chickens are not old enough to simmer that long unless they fall apart on you. It can be done but if you go that route, only use the legs and thighs. I have a couple others (one already posted in the recipe section) too but I don't think they are what you're looking for.
Ok, this one I haven't made in many many years. But I remember it being a real homey tasty recipe. I personally would serve this with rice no "taters" but I think you can make the substitution without much compromise.
Gigi Patout's (Maw Maw's Chicken stew)
5 lbs chicken - either one whole, or legs and thighs as I suggested
2 cups neutral oil
3 cups flour
1 tbl cayanne pepper
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp white pepper
3 yellow onions chopped
2 green bell peppers chopped
2 celery stalks, choppd
8 cups chicken stock
6 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 bunches green onions chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Start by making a roux with the flour and oil. You want a dark roux. It should be reddish brown. The cajuns say it should cook for two beers. But that depends on the size of the beer and how fast you drink. But make the roux on a med low heat stirring constantly until its nice and dark but not burnt. Reserve.
If using a whole chicken, cut it up into 8 pieces. Preferably you're using all leg/thigh. Brown the chicken pieces in a heavy pan or Dutch oven. Brown them well on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add the roux to the pan and warm. Add half of the onion, celery, and peppers to the roux. Cook all this for about 5 minutes to wilt the veg. Whisk in the stock to avoid it lumping up. When all the stock is in the pot, add the rest of the veg. Season with salt and add the white, red, and black pepper. Simmer this for about 45 minutes to an hour. Stir frequently to avoid is scorching. Add the chicken and cook in the sauce until tender. If you start with an older bird, you can get more flavor out of it. When the meat is tender, remove it from the heat and allow it to rest for about ten minutes to let any fat rise to the surface. Skim and remove that. Add the mushrooms and parsley and bring back to a simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the mushrooms to cook through. Best served with rice but you can do potatoes too.
Coq au vin to follow.
Part 2, Coq au Vin
This, just like the last recipe is best with an old bird. But with this recipe its much more important because of the larger volume of acid from the wine. It takes time to cook that acid out of the sauce and a young chicken doesn't have the toughness to stand for that long of a cooking time. So I again suggest that you use only legs and thighs. And if you feel more persistent, you can do what I do and buy some chicken backs to simmer away for a couple hours before you add the chicken to compensate.
5 lbs chicken in pieces,
One bottle of red wine (pick a medium bodied wine with lower tannins)
2 oz brandy
Two cups of chicken stock
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 tsp crushed peppercorns
2 tbls tomato paste
2 tbl flour
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 bouquet garni (parsley stems, thyme, and bay leaf tied in a celery stick)
6 oz slab bacon cut in cubes
1/2 lb mushrooms quartered
4 oz pear onions
Place the chicken, red wine, brandy, peppercorns, onion, celery, and carrot in a large bowl. Let this marinate overnight in the frige. The next day, remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat some oil over med heat. Add the chicken and brown well. This part is crucial as the development of flavor is happening here. Let the chicken brown thoroughly. While the chiken is browning, strain the veg from the wine in the marinade. Allow the veg to sit in the strainer this whole time to get as much liquid out as possible. When the chicken has browned completely, remove it and set it aside. Add the veg from the marinade and brown it slightly in the pan. When lightly brown, add the tomato paste and allow that to caramelize lightly. Add the flour and mix well to ensure it absorbs all the oil. Begin adding the wine slowly being sure not to allow the floug to lump (stir well while adding it). When all the wine has been added bring to a simmer. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes to boil off the alcohol. Add the stock and the garlic. Brin back to a simmer. Add the bouquet garni and the chicken and simmer until tender. Just before tender, add the pear onions. Meanwhile in a separate saute pan, brown the bacon pieces. When brown, add them to the pot with the chicken. In the same skillet as the bacon, add the mushrooms and brown them on high heat. Add them to the chicken as well. Allow all of these to simmer for a few minutes and serve.