O Taste and See: 2024 Food and Recipes
Let's clear away the empty plates and crumpled napkins of our 2023 table, and set a fresh clean cloth out to enjoy the feast that is 2024! This is our thread for sharing general food discussion, recipes, food-related questions, etc. The 2023 recipe thread will be locked but will remain on the board for a little while in case a question or discussion from that thread needs to be re-heated and served up here.
Comments
I'll call it Sort-of Minestrone:
Olive oil
1 x 65g pack chopped pancetta
2 largish banana shallots, 2 medium/large carrots and 2 large cloves of garlic, all peeled and chopped
4 or 5 baby potatoes, chopped
Salt, pepper and a shake each of dried oregano and basil
A 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 cups (500ml) stock - I used homemade turkey stock because that's what I had, but chicken, ham or veggie stock from a cube would do
A couple of handfuls of red lentils
A small pack of fine green beans, trimmed and chopped
A couple of handfuls of macaroni (or whatever small pasta you might have)
Put the oil and pancetta in a heavy-based saucepan or casserole over a low/medium heat, adding the veggies and garlic as they're chopped along with the seasonings and herbs (go easy on the salt, as the pancetta is quite salty).
Cover and cook on the lowest possible heat for about 10 minutes and then turn up the heat and add the tomatoes, stock and lentils. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat again and cook for another 30 minutes, checking occasionally that it isn't sticking.
Add the green beans and pasta and give it another 10-20 minutes until they're cooked - the beans should retain a bit of bite.
Sounds like lovely, hearty fair!
We had most of a bottle of Caesar mix, having politely poured ourselves two small Caesars for Christmas. (A Caesar is a Canadian version of a Bloody Mary tomato juice and vodka cocktail - with the addition of clam juice.) I poured the remainder into beef chili. It was delicious!
I got Mr RoS to cut down the bed of Swiss chard to 3-6" so that I could fleece it ahead of the maybe-forthcoming-very-cold-spell. I then picked it over to separate edible bits for soup from the rubbish for composting and hunted out a recipe.
Having already got 2 x 2pt bottles of spicy parsnip & chard soup in the freezer I made chard and sweet potato this time. I hope it is good, as I now have 2 z 2pt bottles for the freezer and. having run our of empty plastic milk bottles, a further litre in a jug in the fridge for the coming week.
Every year some of us try to outdo each other in several categories. Most Spice, Most Unigue, Most Normal, Secret Ingredient.
This year my entry will be in the Most Unique category. Bloody Mary Chili. Basically, you throw in all the fixins for a a Bloody Mary Cocktail along with ground turkey, or beef, three types of beans: black, white, kidney. 32 ounces of Bloody Mary Mix. If you are vegetarian, just eliminate the meat.
I could throw in Vodka, but wife would not let me. Yes, the alcohol would burn off, but she thought it might go too far for a congregational meal.
Cooked most of the day yesterday. Smells Delic.
Let the games begin.
We used to have a chili cook off at church. I once won 1st place with my Holy Mole Chili, which has beer and chocolate in it.
These days, instead of a chili cook-off, we do soups for the Souper Bowl of Caring on the day of our annual meeting, which is generally the same day as the Super Bowl.
That sounds amazing. Any chance of a recipe?
1 T plus 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin (or less!!)
½ tsp ground chipotle chile
¼ tsp salt
2½ C water
2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
4 tsp lime juice
½ C chopped fresh cilantro
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle, and salt, and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro (or serve it alongside).
Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
1-1½ lb flank steak or bottom round steak
Juice of 2 limes
Sea salt
½ c chopped cilantro
3-4 slices thick-cut bacon, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp plus 1½ tsp chili powder
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp smoked Spanish paprika
½ tsp to 1½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
½ tsp to 1½ tsp ground chipotle pepper
About 1 tsp sea salt
1 can (14.5 oz.) crushed (or diced) fire-roasted tomatoes
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 c beer (I use IPA or pilsner)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 (approx. 1.5 oz.) dark chocolate bar
1 can (14.5 oz.) kidney beans, drained
1 Tbsp sugar (optional, to taste)
Sour cream, sliced scallions, and/or grated cheddar for topping
Directions
Trim the steak, discarding fat and sinew. Cut the steak into small cubes. Place in a plastic zip bag or freezer bag. Add the lime juice, a sprinkling of sea salt and the chopped cilantro. Seal the bag, getting as much air as possible out of the bag. Turn the bag over a few times to coat the steak with herbs and juice. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon, stirring until it just begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add onion, lower heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 4 to 7 minutes. Uncover pot, stir in garlic, and cook 1 minute.
Increase heat to medium-high and add steak, discarding remaining juice. Cook, stirring gently, until it loses its raw color, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in spices and 1 tsp. salt and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, beer, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover partially, and cook at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Break up and add chocolate and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add beans and cook at least 10 minutes, uncovered. Add sugar or other seasonings to taste.
Serve warm with toppings on the side.
FWIW, I tend to think it’s better the second day. The various flavors tend to get more depth and layer nicely.
Another FWIW, if I’m feeling fancy, I make biscuit bowls to serve the chili in. I make biscuit dough with a little cayenne pepper added, shape it around the bottoms of the cups on a large muffin pan, and bake. Cheese can also be added to the dough.
One other thing maybe worth mentioning, for those who don’t already know it. The ingredients include sugar, which is marked optional and to taste. Sugar is useful if the chili gets spicier than you’d like; a little sugar will cut the spiciness, but isn’t needed if you like the spiciness level..
@Mamacita I have some dried black beans I am soaking for this recipe, it is light enough to make a summer supper at the weekend.
@Nick Tamen saving this for an autumn or winter feast. I'm not that knowledgeable about beer -- does IPA stand for India Pale Ale?
I made minor revisions to adapt for some ingredients I couldn't find readily in my grocery stores. Fire roasted salsa instead of fire roasted tomatoes. A jalapeno pepper since I couldn't find any ground chipotle. We're a dark beer family, so that's what was around and went into the pot.
We'll definitely be doing this one again.
Thanks for letting me know, @MaryLouise ! Your additions sound wonderful!
I wonder if there's a UK equivalent of cream cheese frosting? Is it something you could make yourself?
I realise this would up the ingredient count a bit, but still ... CHOCOLATE ...
I did have to laugh just a little, though, that the recipe on “Back to My Southern Roots” called the one component “frosting” instead of “icing.” This Southerner’s experience is that until pretty recently, “frosting” was a term used by people from other parts of the country for what we always called “icing.”
Thanks, DT!
I have leeks in the garden, and also had the necessary portion of cabbage (savoy in my case), celery and spinach in the fridge, so it was (almost) perfect.
I was probably a bit more generous with the vegetables than the recipe required, and certainly so with the garlic and chilli, but was very satisfied with the results.
I didn't bother with the garlic & lemon breadcrumbs as it was a pretty substantial bowlful on its own, especially as Mr RoS likes to dunk a chunk of bread in his soup.
The recipe is supposed to serve 4, but my not-exactly-measured quantities did us two for lunch on 3 days,
For one quite peckish piglet:
1 duck breast
1 shallot and 1 clove of garlic, both peeled and chopped
A splash of port and the juice of a satsuma (or orange juice)
Half a cup of risotto rice
1½ cups hot stock, made with a red wine Stock-pot
A few large chestnut mushrooms, sliced thickly
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
A grating of Parmesan cheese
Score the fat on the duck, sprinkle with a little salt and put into a medium-hot pan and cook until the fat renders.
Remove to a plate and slice, then return to the pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring. Add the port and juice and allow to bubble, then remove the duck again.
Add the shallot and garlic, season with salt and pepper and soften - you might need a little olive oil to make sure it doesn't catch - then stir in the rice and let it get a little bit toasty.
Add the stock, a small ladleful at a time, stirring and letting it be absorbed before you add the next.
After about 10 minutes, add the mushrooms, and keep adding the stock and stirring for about another 10 minutes or until you've almost run out of stock. Put the duck pieces back in along with the last ladleful of stock, stir in the thyme and a grating of Parmesan. Check the seasoning and serve.
*I don't know whether they make a larger jar, but if they do it's not available in NZ.
We don't have onion in the house as son hates it, so I used onion powder and I replaced the sugar with Stevia as trying to cut back on carbs.
The flavour seems to improve and is tastier on the second day than it is on the day of making. I don't mind having a bit of oil/vinegar juice on my plate, but if that's not enjoyed I think the salad could be served with a slotted spoon to drain away most of the dressing(?)
I haven't made this for years, but have been looking for filling lunch alternatives that are not sandwiches or involve pastry. Have been having this with a bit of lettuce, tomato and protein of choice and have found it keeps me going until evening meal.
Did they walk from the fridge to the salad bowl by themselves?
I have enjoyed eating this as it was a recipe Dad loved and a Saturday lunch was often bread, cheese and this salad. Happy days!
5T Hoisin sauce
3T Light brown sugar
50ml water
2T sesame oil
Stick it in a saucepan, boil until at preferred consistency
Ingredients
1 box vanilla wafers*
3/4 stick butter, softened
3 eggs, separated
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup key lime juice
lime zest (optional)
4 T. sugar, preferably powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Directions
Crust:
Crush vanilla wafers finely enough to cover bottom of pie plate, reserving some whole wafers. Using hands, combine crushed wafers with softened butter and press into bottom of pie plate. Line sides of the pie plate with whole vanilla wafers side by side. (It takes me around 20 to line the sides of the pie plate.)
Filling:
Blend sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice and lime zest (if using). Mix in the three egg yolks. Pour into crust, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Remove from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before topping with meringue.
Meringue:
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a clean glass or stainless steel bowl, beat egg whites on low speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium and continue beating until the whites are fluffy, with large bubbles forming around the edges. While mixing, gradually add the sugar (around a teaspoon at a time), thoroughly mixing before adding more. Add vanilla.
Continue beating until peaks are stiff but still glossy.
Spoon the meringue onto the pie filling. Spread to the crust edge to seal the filling in. Fluff and shape meringue with the back of a spoon to make peaks across the pie.
Bake 12–15 minutes, or until peaks are brown.
Chill before serving.
*One reason I like this recipe is because I’m really don’t like Graham crackers, which is what one often encounters with key lime pies. We sometimes use ginger snaps instead of vanilla wafers; the lunch of the ginger snaps and the lime complement each other nicely.