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Heaven: 2023 Food, marvellous food! Recipes we enjoy...or not!

BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
edited January 7 in Limbo
Here is the place for us to share about the food on our tables. This is a good place to put hints we've discovered while tweaking recipes and ingredients; or to share the tried and true recipes that are staples in our homes!

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Comments

  • As promised in the Christmas Foods thread, this is for @Piglet, @GeeD, @Doublethink or anyone else curious about the tomato aspic that was mentioned. Here are a few recipes.
    Here is my mother-in-law’s pretty simple recipe:

    4 cups tomato juice
    ⅓ cup chopped onion
    ¼ cup chopped celery leaves
    2 tablespoons brown sugar
    1 teaspoon salt
    2 small bay leaves
    4 whole cloves
    2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
    3 tablespoons lemon juice
    1 cup finally chopped celery (optional)

    Combine 2 cups of the tomato juice, onion, celery leaves, sugar, salt, bay leaves and cloves. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes, then strain.

    Meanwhile, soften the gelatin in 1 cup of the remaining cold tomato juice; dissolve the gelatin mixture in the hot tomato mixture. Add the remaining tomato juice and the lemon juice.

    Chill to partially set. Add celery (if using). Pour into 5–cup ring mold. Chill until firm.

    Makes 8–10 servings.
    This recipe, from Being Dead Is No Excuse: The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral (a funny read, but it does have some good recipes in it), is similar, but a little more complicated, but very much along the lines of how I’m familiar with it:

    4 cups tomato juice
    6 slices lemon
    3 slices yellow onion, separated into rings
    2 bay leaves
    Tops of one bunch of celery
    Several whole cloves
    10 teaspoons (28 g) unflavored gelatin
    ½ cup apple cider vinegar
    3 tablespoons horseradish
    1½ teaspoons salt
    1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon lemon juice
    1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

    Put the tomato juice, lemon slices, onion slices, bay leaves, celery tops and cloves in a heavy pot and simmer for 20 minutes. While this simmers, mix together the gelatin and the vinegar. Strain the tomato juice mixture and add the gelatin mixture. Stir until the gelatin is dissolved. No lumps! Add horseradish, salt, pepper, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Taste and correct seasoning.

    Lightly oil a 6-cup mold. Pour the mixture into the mold and chill until firm, several hours or overnight. Overnight is best. Unmold on a bed of greens. If the aspic will not come out of the pan easily, run a knife around the edge of dip the pan into a sink of warm water, but only for a second.

    Serves 10.
    Or this, from The Joy of Cooking:

    Combine in a medium saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes:

    4 cups tomato juice
    ½ cup tomato purée
    ½ cup chopped onions
    2 celery stalks, chopped
    2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
    2 teaspoons sugar
    2 teaspoons dried basil or tarragon, or 2 tablespoons minced fresh
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon black peercorns
    1 whole clove
    1 bay leaf

    Let stand in a large bowl for 5 minutes to soften:
    2½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
    ½ cup cold water

    Strain the hot tomato juice mixture into the gelatin. Measure the volume and stir in enough water to make a total volume of 4 cups liquid. Chill the aspic. When it is the consistency of raw egg whites, and 1 to 2 cups of any combination of the following:
    1 Haas avocado, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
    1 cup diced yellow bell peppers
    1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
    1 cup lump crabmeat, flaked
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or basil

    Rinse a 6- to 8-cup mold or bowl, then shake out the excess water. Pour in the aspic, cover and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. Unmold, garnish with fresh vegetables, and serve.
    Sliced olives or diced green pepper are also common additions in the aspic in my experience, and a dollop of mayonnaise or sour cream is sometimes added on top. And some people use V8 Juice instead of tomato juice.

  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Thanks Nick! I think I'll pass on the last recipe: crabmeat, jalapeños and cilantro really don't float my boat!

    I'd need to see if I could find a ring-mould, or divide up the recipe so that it doesn't feed an army ... :mrgreen:
  • Oh never heard of the last one, but want to give it a try. Thanks. Crab season just starting here.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Thanks - shops open properly again tomorrow, so we'll give that tomato aspic a try
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    edited January 2023
    @Nick Tamen those ones with Worcester sauce look like a bloody Mary recipe without the vodka and with gelatine - that gives me an idea ...
  • NenyaNenya All Saints Host, Ecclesiantics & MW Host
    A couple of people asked for my bolognese sauce recipe; it's one I do mostly by instinct and I've had to substitute onions and garlic with a teaspoonful or so of Asafoetida spice because of Mr Nen's food intolerances. I also use turkey mince as we try to avoid red meat; steak mince is a bit nicer really but with all the other flavours no one really notices - not in our house, anyway.

    Fry one onion and two cloves crushed garlic until soft (if using).
    Turkey/steak mince - fry gently until brown in a small amount of oil (I use a low calorie spray).
    Add chopped fresh mushrooms, a teaspoonful of Asafoetida (if using), a teaspoonful of mild curry powder, half a teaspoonful of mild chilli powder, a good shake of dried mixed herbs.
    Cook until mushrooms are soft - I turn it to low and put the lid on the pan.
    Add a large tin of chopped tomatoes and quite a lot of tomato puree.
    Add also a good slug of red wine, or I use a red wine stock pot (available in the UK from Tesco's but I'm not sure how widely available they are).

    One of the keys is the cooking time - I let it bubble for quite a while until it reduces, or sometimes I cook it all up and then put it into the slow cooker on Low.
  • @Nick Tamen those ones with Worcester sauce look like a bloody Mary recipe without the vodka and with gelatine ...
    I’m quite sure that’s not coincidental. :wink:

  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    My sister used to be widely admired among her friends for her Bloody Mary soup, which I understand had quite a lot of vodka in it.
  • MaryLouiseMaryLouise Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Thanks, @Nenya, bookmarked to try with steak mince next week!
  • john holdingjohn holding Host Emeritus
    Late to the game, but my recipe for tomato aspic is much simpler -- use tomato juice (commercial is fine) instead of water when making a lemon jello. A dash of worcester sauce does not go amiss.
  • KarlLBKarlLB Shipmate
    Late to the game, but my recipe for tomato aspic is much simpler -- use tomato juice (commercial is fine) instead of water when making a lemon jello. A dash of worcester sauce does not go amiss.

    Wouldn't a lemon jelly be sweet? Isn't that going to clash with the savoury flavours of the tomato and Worcester sauce?
  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Could work - I always add a good pinch of sugar to any tomato sauce to mellow it.

    Meanwhile I am going to take note of @Nenya 's bolognaise and see if I can use it in tonight's lasagne.
  • john holdingjohn holding Host Emeritus
    KarlLB wrote: »
    Late to the game, but my recipe for tomato aspic is much simpler -- use tomato juice (commercial is fine) instead of water when making a lemon jello. A dash of worcester sauce does not go amiss.

    Wouldn't a lemon jelly be sweet? Isn't that going to clash with the savoury flavours of the tomato and Worcester sauce?

    They work together well enough -- the sweetness and citrus add life to what is otherwise just red stodge. And just a dash of worcester sauce, not enough to flavour, just enought to add piquancy.
    COmmercial tomato aspic ( as found in restaurant buffets) is, IMO, inedible, especially (again IMO) when bits of various vegetables are added in an effort to add interest.
  • NenyaNenya All Saints Host, Ecclesiantics & MW Host
    Firenze wrote: »
    Meanwhile I am going to take note of @Nenya 's bolognaise and see if I can use it in tonight's lasagne.
    Oh, great! Let me know how you get on. :smile:

  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Nenya wrote: »
    Firenze wrote: »
    Meanwhile I am going to take note of @Nenya 's bolognaise and see if I can use it in tonight's lasagne.
    Oh, great! Let me know how you get on. :smile:

    It was better than some. I added white wine (because I have some hanging about) and sugar, but left out the curry and chilli powders.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Nick Tamen - that tomato aspic recipe is very good and will have a place in our summer menus.
  • I’m glad y’all liked it, @Gee D. I am curious—which of the three recipes did you follow?

  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Nick Tamen wrote: »
    I’m glad y’all liked it, @Gee D. I am curious—which of the three recipes did you follow?

    Your mother-in-law's traditional with the extra chopped celery. Thought it best to start with the family, and later on try the commercial (if that makes sense). We did add the extra celery at the end. It will become a regular summer dish for us. All the ingredients are readily available
  • KarlLBKarlLB Shipmate
    Making Scotch Eggs with the youngest.

    Is it just me or have supermarkets started using really thin and fragile sausage skins? Noticed it at Christmas when I was turning chipolatas into cocktail sausages for the pigs in blankets.
  • Gee D wrote: »
    Nick Tamen wrote: »
    I’m glad y’all liked it, @Gee D. I am curious—which of the three recipes did you follow?

    Your mother-in-law's traditional with the extra chopped celery. Thought it best to start with the family, and later on try the commercial (if that makes sense). We did add the extra celery at the end. It will become a regular summer dish for us. All the ingredients are readily available
    Glad you liked it!

  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Try it with some home-made terrine - we had it with our regular pork and veal one, probably it's too strong a flavour for chicken, but shall give turkey a go.
  • Gee D wrote: »
    Try it with some home-made terrine . . . .
    I figured when providing recipes that I probably shouldn’t mention that I loathe tomato aspic. The rule in our house when I was growing up was that we had to take one bite of everything served and smile, or at least not make a face, while eating that bite. After that, we didn’t have to eat any more. Tomato aspic was one of the two foods my mother finally gave up on having me even try that one bite. :lol:

  • KarlLBKarlLB Shipmate
    Nick Tamen wrote: »
    Gee D wrote: »
    Try it with some home-made terrine . . . .
    I figured when providing recipes that I probably shouldn’t mention that I loathe tomato aspic. The rule in our house when I was growing up was that we had to take one bite of everything served and smile, or at least not make a face, while eating that bite. After that, we didn’t have to eat any more. Tomato aspic was one of the two foods my mother finally gave up on having me even try that one bite. :lol:

    It'd be anything with fish in it for me. Tastes like it's been dead a month the moment it comes out the sea.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Nick Tamen wrote: »
    Gee D wrote: »
    Try it with some home-made terrine . . . .
    I figured when providing recipes that I probably shouldn’t mention that I loathe tomato aspic. The rule in our house when I was growing up was that we had to take one bite of everything served and smile, or at least not make a face, while eating that bite. After that, we didn’t have to eat any more. Tomato aspic was one of the two foods my mother finally gave up on having me even try that one bite. :lol:

    Oh! I'd assumed that you'd tested it. What's the other food please?
  • We had a feeding program for the homeless on Saturday evenings. We would cook a main dish for 100 people and ask volunteers to provide salads and desserts. One dear lady offered to bring a salad for 12. She showed up with 12 individual tomato aspic molds. I will just say they were lovely to look at with a tiny slice of lemon and a bit of parsley on top of each. They however were not a hit, with many asking what they were followed by no thank you I will have some of the greens. From then on our requests for donated salads stated green or pasta salads.
  • Gee D wrote: »
    Nick Tamen wrote: »
    Gee D wrote: »
    Try it with some home-made terrine . . . .
    I figured when providing recipes that I probably shouldn’t mention that I loathe tomato aspic. The rule in our house when I was growing up was that we had to take one bite of everything served and smile, or at least not make a face, while eating that bite. After that, we didn’t have to eat any more. Tomato aspic was one of the two foods my mother finally gave up on having me even try that one bite. :lol:

    Oh! I'd assumed that you'd tested it. What's the other food please?
    Well, I’d tested it in the sense that I trust my mother-in-law’s recipes. And I knew the other two recipes were from reliable sources as well.

    The other food was (canned) beets.

  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Your canned beets may well be different to ours, which are usually too acidic. As an aside, beets here usually mean beetroot, rather than green leaves - is that the same for you?
  • Gee D wrote: »
    Your canned beets may well be different to ours, which are usually too acidic. As an aside, beets here usually mean beetroot, rather than green leaves - is that the same for you?
    Yes, same here—“beets” means beetroot.

  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    We have a green leaf vegetable called Silver Beet. When I was growing up, it was often called Spinach, although it is nothing like real Spinach. In those days, Spinach was difficult to grow here, but stronger varieties have been developed and it's now on sale most of the years.
  • Gee D wrote: »
    We have a green leaf vegetable called Silver Beet..
    Actually one of the less misleading names for Swiss chard. Not of the spinach family, as many of its common names imply, but a relative of beetroot, grown for its leaves and stems.
    As I grow it, we eat a lot of of it, pretty well all year round. I use it in most dishes requiring spinach. It has a similar texture when cooked, but with a more earthy flavour.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Silver Beet used be sold here as spinach, until ways of growing decent proper spinach were worked out.
  • ArielAriel Shipmate
    edited January 2023
    Tonight's dinner is pan-fried pheasant breast in a sauce made of chopped peeled apple, sage, garlic, stock and cider. I'm having this with some leftover rice with green peas and a side of brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts (you might not but I love them).

    I bought the pheasant breasts for the New Year, froze them and kept one over for Old Christmas Day and now using up the other. The trick is not to put too much garlic into the pan - normally I like a lot but this will spoil the recipe if you do. The end result should have a pleasingly gamey, apple and sage flavour with the garlic butter in the background. I picked a softish sort of eating apple as they're easier to reduce while cooking. The firm and crunchy ones don't work well here. Serve with a glass of cider, preferably vintage if you can get it - I used that in the sauce as well.

    Worked quite well, would make again some time.

  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Gee D wrote: »
    Silver Beet used be sold here as spinach, until ways of growing decent proper spinach were worked out.

    I don't know whether it's available there, but there is a cultivar of silver beet called Bright Lightswhere both the leaf and the mid rib of it are different colours from usual. It can look attractive in a salad, but loses some of it's colour when cooked.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Ariel, that sounds absolutely delicious - I reckon that with the bacon and chestnuts, I'd even enjoy the sprouts (of which I'm not normally a fan).
  • ArielAriel Shipmate
    Piglet wrote: »
    Ariel, that sounds absolutely delicious - I reckon that with the bacon and chestnuts, I'd even enjoy the sprouts (of which I'm not normally a fan).

    You might indeed. Stranger things have happened...

    Btw someone was mentioning Kaiser rolls somewhere on one of the threads recently, something I'd not heard of. By a strange coincidence I found a pack of 4 in Morrisons this evening. They were decorated with poppy seeds but otherwise looked just like those nice Polish bread rolls I've been buying for months. AKA Vienna rolls.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Inspired by a recipe (sort of - she said she just made it up) given me by one of my erstwhile colleagues, I made a chicken thing in the slow-cooker today, and I think it was worth sharing.

    Chicken with lemon, garlic and oregano

    2 chicken breasts
    ¼ teaspoon salt
    ¼ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
    ½ teaspoon oregano
    Grated zest and juice of a small lemon
    A little oil and butter
    2-3 large cloves garlic, chopped or crushed
    1 chicken Stock-pot (the sort of jellied ones that come in little cartons) or a teaspoon of bouillon powder
    A scant half cup hot water
    A splash of white wine
    A few mushrooms, thickly sliced
    A heaped tablespoon crème fraîche

    Mix the salt, pepper, oregano and lemon zest in a small bowl and rub the mixture over the chicken.

    Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, cook the chicken breasts for about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden and transfer them to the slow-cooker.

    Put the Stock-pot jelly, garlic, water, wine and lemon juice into the frying pan, stir until the jelly has dissolved and pour over the chicken in the slow-cooker.

    Cover and cook on High for two hours, then add the mushrooms and crème fraîche and cook for another hour, and serve with rice.






  • Ooh, that sounds good.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Piglet, that sounds a mild variation on a dish we often cook. How much liquid in your chicken stockpot please? We'd use about a 250 ml cup of stock.
  • Piglet, I am making this tomorrow. YUM
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Gee D wrote: »
    Piglet, that sounds a mild variation on a dish we often cook. How much liquid in your chicken stockpot please? We'd use about a 250 ml cup of stock.

    This is the stuff:

    https://www.knorr.com/uk/knorr-products/stock-pots/chicken-stock-pot.html

    It comes in a little carton - about two tablespoons - and I mixed it with just under half a cup of water, the juice of a lemon and a splash of wine.

    I added a good splat of crème fraîche part way through, and it gave about the right amount of sauce, but you could add more liquid (wine, water, lemon juice or crème fraîche) if you prefer it "wetter".
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Thanks - that's not a brand here but we'll look for the equivalent when we're next shopping
  • KarlLBKarlLB Shipmate
    Incidentally, how do people feel about haggis on pizza?
  • KarlLB wrote: »
    Incidentally, how do people feel about haggis on pizza?

    Never tried it, but can't see any reason why not...
  • KarlLB wrote: »
    Incidentally, how do people feel about haggis on pizza?

  • 🙀🤮from the Antipodes. We see enough pizza murdered here without that
  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    There's a strong Italian presence in Scotland not least in food retailing (Boni ice cream, Margiotta grocery) and, naturally, pizza. Cosmo's do a haggis one which is perfectly palatable.

    From another significant ethnic influence you can also get haggis pakora.

    And, of course, deep-fried haggis and chips.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    KarlLB wrote: »
    Incidentally, how do people feel about haggis on pizza?

    I feel sorry for the pizza.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Firenze wrote: »
    ... And, of course, deep-fried haggis and chips.

    Which is what I'm having tonight, at the St. Pete's Burns supper.

    I've never had it before, so it'll be an interesting experience.

    I'm trying to decide whether it would be naff to bring a little pot of Branston pickle with me - I think it goes rather nicely with haggis.
  • I had deep fried haggis once, it must have been at a chip shop in Fort William several decades ago. The usual steamed version is much nicer, imo. I quite fancy trying haggis pakoras though.
  • KarlLB wrote: »
    Incidentally, how do people feel about haggis on pizza?
    Seems like a perfectly acceptable variation of sausage on pizza to me.

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