What's for tea tonight? (#8)

[Cheesypoof]

Freestyling tonight. Boiled the fuck out of the remains of last night's chicken carcass in the pressure cooker after rescuing the remaining chicken.

Doing a stew in the slow cooker with the stock, chorizo, chicken meat, beans, pearl barly. I'm now worried that although I soaked the beans over night and they are spending the day in slow cooker they may still be hard. Should have blasted them first.

No they shouldnt be. Just keep checking. Hope your dinner works out!

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Colcannon mash.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Anybody any good at making Miso soup and want to share their recipe? My other half loves the stuff and orders whenever she can we are out, but had a go at making it and wasn't happy with it. We've got some of the paste, but obviously it's more then that. I'm guessing good quality stock would make a difference? Been handed over to me as I'm obsessive enough to spend time researching stuff before I make it.

 

[PursuedByBears]

We're having spaghetti with broccoli cooked in the pasta water, chilli flakes and garlic. Kids are having pasta shells and pesto. Wine, rum & coke or Pimms to follow.

 

[Orang Utan]

Cassoulet toulousain from a tin - excellent quality nonetheless
Salad
Raspberries with crème fraiche

Some wine

 

[moonsi til]

I'm home from a week in Majorca so having a Indian takeaway and red wine. There will be lots of lovely paneer and pompadoms.

 

[neonwilderness]

Tuna salad and rice. A couple of beers to take the edge off

 

[Thimble Queen]

Four mini flammkuchens with wine.

 

[Voley]

Sirloin steak, medium rare, with jalapeños and chips for me tonight. Really good.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Just sticking on some pork fillet on to marinade, throwing some spicy Korean paste into the mix this time. I love this cut of meat. It's so easy to cook and always comes out delicious. I was tempted by pork belly, but that seems more hit and miss and I've at least got to have a passing nod to our waistlines.

 

[Orang Utan]

yellow chicken pasta

 

[UnderOpenSky]

yellow chicken pasta

How do you make the chicken yellow?

 

[Voley]

I made a load of curry paste earlier this week, loosely based on this recipe.

I was missing fennel seeds but I added fenugreek. I gave it more garlic and chilli but it still seemed to be lacking a bit of something. I've just bunged a load of Rajah's generic hot curry powder in, though, along with a good shake of cayenne pepper and more garlic and it's dead good now.

So a chicken curry made with that. It's vaguely a Madras I suppose. Basmati rice to go with it.

 

[Orang Utan]

How do you make the chicken yellow?

Turmeric. Like this:
YELLOW CHICKEN

(chicken sofrito from Claudia Roden's Book of Middle Eastern Food)


1 chicken (a large one will do for 2 dishes, a smallish one for 1)

sunflower oil

1 tsp turmeric

1 cardamom pod

white pepper

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt

water


In a large pot put 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 crushed cardamom pod, juice of 1/2 lemon, tsp pepper and 1 tsp salt together with about 1 glass of water (or a bit more if you want as bit more sauce), mix and bring to the boil. Put in the whole chicken, cover, lower heat and cook gently, turning the bird occasionally in the juices so that it absorbs the flavour and takes on the colour all over. Cook for about one hour, or until the flesh lifts clean off the bones. Remove from pot, reserving juices, allow to cool, then remove all the flesh from the bones. Keep the bones to make stock.


Chicken done like this is the basis for Chicken with Pasta and Chicken Eggah (see below and next page). It is also very nice eaten cold as it is, cooled in the juices, which jellify when cold.


CHICKEN AND PASTA



chicken from Yellow Chicken above, chopped in small pieces

cooking juices from chicken

1 lb spaghetti, spaghettini, tagliatelle or any long pasta

sunflower oil, or the chicken fat skimmed from the top of the cooled cooking juices

1 tsp ground cinnamon

water, or stock (made by boiling up the bones and bits of the chicken with vegetables [an onion, a carrot, a stick of celery -- any vegetables you have lying about], herbs [parsley, bay leaf, rosemary, oregano, dried herbs -- whatever you have] a few peppercorns -- anything you fancy! Boil all together gently for about 1 hour. You can use this twice -- once for boiling up the pasta, then keep it when you drain the pasta and use it for making vegetable soup or any other recipe requiring stock. It freezes well. If you can't be bothered simply use water -- it will be fine.)



Boil a pan full of water or stock and cook the pasta until it is al dente (i.e. slightly under-cooked). Drain (keeping liquid if stock). Have ready a big shallow dish which will go in the oven, greased all over. In a large frying pan heat the oil or chicken fat and fry the pasta for a few minutes, stirring until it is coated with the oil or fat. Spread half of the pasta over the bottom of the shallow dish, and cover it with the bits of chicken. Sprinkle over 1 tsp cinnamon, then cover with the other half of the pasta. Heat the chicken cooking juices so they are liquid, and pour over the dish. Cover with a well fitting lid, or with kitchen foil. Bake in a moderate oven (180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4) for about 30 minutes, removing the lid or foil for the last ten minutes if you like a crunchy top.

If you haven't got an oven, or don't want to use it, make a bit more juice by using more water when you cook the chicken, mix up the cooked chicken, together with 1 tsp cinnamon, in this sauce, stir in the half-cooked pasta and finish cooking it in the pan with the sauce and chicken. To get the crunchy effect, finish it in a shallow dish or pan under a grill.

 

[bubblesmcgrath]

Tuna with lots of salad.
Skyr yogury with raspberries and blackberries

 

[moonsi til]

More curry from Indian takeaway, have paneer karhai & kabli chaana & rice. Will pop to naan shop for fresh naans (£1 for 4). And more wine as still off work.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Turmeric. Like this:
YELLOW CHICKEN

(chicken sofrito from Claudia Roden's Book of Middle Eastern Food)


1 chicken (a large one will do for 2 dishes, a smallish one for 1)

sunflower oil

1 tsp turmeric

1 cardamom pod

white pepper

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt

water


In a large pot put 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 crushed cardamom pod, juice of 1/2 lemon, tsp pepper and 1 tsp salt together with about 1 glass of water (or a bit more if you want as bit more sauce), mix and bring to the boil. Put in the whole chicken, cover, lower heat and cook gently, turning the bird occasionally in the juices so that it absorbs the flavour and takes on the colour all over. Cook for about one hour, or until the flesh lifts clean off the bones. Remove from pot, reserving juices, allow to cool, then remove all the flesh from the bones. Keep the bones to make stock.


Chicken done like this is the basis for Chicken with Pasta and Chicken Eggah (see below and next page). It is also very nice eaten cold as it is, cooled in the juices, which jellify when cold.


CHICKEN AND PASTA



chicken from Yellow Chicken above, chopped in small pieces

cooking juices from chicken

1 lb spaghetti, spaghettini, tagliatelle or any long pasta

sunflower oil, or the chicken fat skimmed from the top of the cooled cooking juices

1 tsp ground cinnamon

water, or stock (made by boiling up the bones and bits of the chicken with vegetables [an onion, a carrot, a stick of celery -- any vegetables you have lying about], herbs [parsley, bay leaf, rosemary, oregano, dried herbs -- whatever you have] a few peppercorns -- anything you fancy! Boil all together gently for about 1 hour. You can use this twice -- once for boiling up the pasta, then keep it when you drain the pasta and use it for making vegetable soup or any other recipe requiring stock. It freezes well. If you can't be bothered simply use water -- it will be fine.)



Boil a pan full of water or stock and cook the pasta until it is al dente (i.e. slightly under-cooked). Drain (keeping liquid if stock). Have ready a big shallow dish which will go in the oven, greased all over. In a large frying pan heat the oil or chicken fat and fry the pasta for a few minutes, stirring until it is coated with the oil or fat. Spread half of the pasta over the bottom of the shallow dish, and cover it with the bits of chicken. Sprinkle over 1 tsp cinnamon, then cover with the other half of the pasta. Heat the chicken cooking juices so they are liquid, and pour over the dish. Cover with a well fitting lid, or with kitchen foil. Bake in a moderate oven (180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4) for about 30 minutes, removing the lid or foil for the last ten minutes if you like a crunchy top.

If you haven't got an oven, or don't want to use it, make a bit more juice by using more water when you cook the chicken, mix up the cooked chicken, together with 1 tsp cinnamon, in this sauce, stir in the half-cooked pasta and finish cooking it in the pan with the sauce and chicken. To get the crunchy effect, finish it in a shallow dish or pan under a grill.

That sounds really nice. Ta.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I made a load of curry paste earlier this week, loosely based on this recipe.

I was missing fennel seeds but I added fenugreek. I gave it more garlic and chilli but it still seemed to be lacking a bit of something. I've just bunged a load of Rajah's generic hot curry powder in, though, along with a good shake of cayenne pepper and more garlic and it's dead good now.

So a chicken curry made with that. It's vaguely a Madras I suppose. Basmati rice to go with it.

That also sounds dead nice. Us there a advantage of making a paste before making a curry other then storing excess afterwards? Do you just add it to tomatoes and meat to make the curry itself?

 

[Voley]

That also sounds dead nice. Us there a advantage of making a paste before making a curry other then storing excess afterwards? Do you just add it to tomatoes and meat to make the curry itself?

Main benefit for me is that I get to experiment with different spices a bit. I don't think I ever really sussed what a difference mustard seeds make from the one I've just done, for example. And once you've got the mix right you've got a paste that you know is going to be right every time. I also like the process - toasting all the seeds at the beginning makes your flat smell amazing.

After the onions start to go translucent, I add the meat, let that fry a bit, then the paste. All of this lot frying together until the meat's cooked through is about right. Then I add the tomatoes and a bit of stock or whatever else and let it reduce.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Main benefit for me is that I get to experiment with different spices a bit. I don't think I ever really sussed what a difference mustard seeds make from the one I've just done, for example. And once you've got the mix right you've got a paste that you know is going to be right every time. I also like the process - toasting all the seeds at the beginning makes your flat smell amazing.

After the onions start to go translucent, I add the meat, let that fry a bit, then the paste. All of this lot frying together until the meat's cooked through is about right. Then I add the tomatoes and a bit of stock or whatever else and let it reduce.

Toasting all the spices and then grinding them does smell amazing!

I should have guessed how you cook with it. I'm a big fan of the variously Thai style pastes! Mustard seeds are amazing on dry fried spuds (bombay style?)

 

[May Kasahara]

Chicken curry with rice, naan and green beans, plus moaning from the children.

 

[blairsh]

Southern fried chicken tenders and chips

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Tomato and basil soup with seedy bread.

 

[Pickman's model]

pasta and some sort of tomato sauce

 

[PursuedByBears]

Squash, onion, chickpea, mushroom and tomato curry with rice. Soon hopefully, I'm starving!

 

[Saffy]

Roast chicken, spicy rice, salad and garlic bread.
Selero lollies for pudding.

 

[pogo 10]

A tin of beans on 2 slices of seeded toast. Took me ages to eat it.

 

[Cheesypoof]

Anybody any good at making Miso soup and want to share their recipe? My other half loves the stuff and orders whenever she can we are out, but had a go at making it and wasn't happy with it. We've got some of the paste, but obviously it's more then that. I'm guessing good quality stock would make a difference? Been handed over to me as I'm obsessive enough to spend time researching stuff before I make it.

You don't need to add any stock, that would negate from the miso - that's the star of the show. You could add some small chunks of tofu, chopped scallions and if you can get your hands on it, dried nori seaweed. The seaweed turns it into something really special.

 

[Cheesypoof]

Last night, had bar bites at the Porterhouse in Dublin. We shared some mini cornish pasties (three types: spicy beef, spinach and cheese, and chicken & stout), barbeque prawns, and ham and cheese croquettes with siracha mayo. Today, went out for a Sunday roast - pork with gravy, mashed potatoes,roasties, with carrots. Need to stop eating

 

[UnderOpenSky]

You don't need to add any stock, that would negate from the miso - that's the star of the show. You could add some small chunks of tofu, chopped scallions and if you can get your hands on it, dried nori seaweed. The seaweed turns it into something really special.

To late! It's on the go. Checking lots of recipes it seems fish flakes and as you mentioned seaweed are also used.

I'm basically making it up as I go along, so got some dried mushrooms, few bits of pearl barley, onions and ginger. Maybe some leafy greens at the end.

If it all goes tits up I've got my char su and I'm attempting to roast some veg with various asian spices, soy, oil and a bit of left over marinade. And rice.

I like having time to play in the kitchen.