What did you cook today?

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ColonelJLloyd
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ColonelJLloyd »

Thanks, Ronnie! Yeah, it's a double-edged sword sometimes with meals/dishes off-the-cuff. Sometimes they're a real hit but may never be made quite the same again.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by jmnorris »

Mushroom adventure

My inept gardening skills have earned me the nickname The Plant Killer. Well, a farmer's market stand was selling mushroom growing kits. I figured, "Mushrooms aren't plants, I'll give it a try." They started out well, but then stopped growing and started shriveling. I harvested them before they got any worse. I soaked before using since they were rather desiccated,. That worked well even they were still immature.

Chicken Marsala, sauteed zucchini and roast potatoes.


For chicken Marsala. Very sad pearl oyster mushrooms, Chardonnay, Marsala, pepper, butter, salt, cream, shallots,chicken cutlets with Tojiro DP Honesuki 150mm, oregano (which belongs with the zucchini image), thyme and bay leaf. Missing: Flour, avocado oil, chicken stock, and the same nakiri from the next two images.


For zucchini. Olive oil, zucchini with Harukaze AS Nakiri 165mm , salt, pepper, garlic, parsley (which belongs wih the chicken image).


For roast potatoes. Olive oil, salt and pepper, Harukaze AS Nakiri 165mm , white rose potatoes, onion, red bell pepper.


Served. Chicken Marsala (with the chicken hiding under the mushroom sauce), sauteed zucchini, roast potatoes with red peppers and onions, Chardonnay.

The Chardonnay surfaced when cleaning out a closet at work. It had been purchased for some pre-pandemic event. In spite of being (I assume) cheap and improperly stored, it proved surprisingly drinkable.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

ColonelJLloyd wrote: Sun Sep 04, 2022 3:22 pm Thanks, Ronnie! Yeah, it's a double-edged sword sometimes with meals/dishes off-the-cuff. Sometimes they're a real hit but may never be made quite the same again.
So true. It's one of the great, innumerable pluses of not being a pro . . . no customers to disappoint when you can't accurately recreate a dish they've ordered before! :D
jmnorris wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 4:25 pm My inept gardening skills have earned me the nickname The Plant Killer. Well, a farmer's market stand was selling mushroom growing kits. I figured, "Mushrooms aren't plants, I'll give it a try." They started out well, but then stopped growing and started shriveling. I harvested them before they got any worse. I soaked before using since they were rather desiccated,. That worked well even they were still immature.
Haha -- your meal looks great in spite of it all!

I'd bet that my gardening skills are worse than yours, which is why I've been so thrilled with our results this year. It seems more like random chance than the result of any skill or knowledge on our part. Even though our front yard faces south, a huge oak tree shades most of it, so we don't have very much space for planting. We're limited to a couple of raised beds, where we have some herbs, some greens and . . . tomatoes. To that end, I started the day with a cooking-related task; picking tomatoes from our garden . . .

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Tomato Harvest - 22.0905
We're getting baskets like this 2-3 times per week. I thought it was slowing down but needless to say, we're not quite there yet . . . and I'm certainly not complaining about it. A few splitters in here, which went directly into this salad . . .

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Tomato, Burrata & Basil Salad
Many tomatoes were left behind but still, we managed to work several into this salad, along with some of our homegrown basil and the end of our stash or WI burrata. Dressed this with evoo, a couple of vinegars, salt and black pepper.

The rest of dinner was a rare occurrence for us, meat and potatoes . . .

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Golden Globe Potatoes & Moritaka AS Gyuto, 210mm
We received these spuds (very similar to yukon golds) in our CSA box and as long as we had them, I figured I'd make some mashed potatoes. In breaking these down, it was made clear to me, once again, just how impressive this knife is. I mean, these are potatoes but the extraordinary grind on this blade just pushed the slices away like they weren't even there. 100% food release. Not one piece stuck to the blade. What a gem!

Thawed (overnight) the second half of a ribless roast from Coscto that I bought last month and decided to cook it on the Weber . . .

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Grilling
Trussed, lightly oiled and rubbed with salt, black pepper and a wee bit of my BBQ rub.

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Finishing Up
Even with a small and fading fire, this went fast and reached 130F internal in just under an hour. :shock:

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Plated Up
Smoke-Grilled ribless roast, mashed potatoes (with a crater of some run-off from the roast) and tomato salad.

Happy Monday, Happy Labor Day! :)
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by XexoX »

Looks good Mr. Suburban! Did you move the cast iron grills from your other grill to the Weber?
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

XexoX wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 7:33 pm Looks good Mr. Suburban! Did you move the cast iron grills from your other grill to the Weber?
Thanks! No, these are the aftermarket grates (from Amazon) recommended a while back by ColonelJLloyd. The Napoleon and Weber grates are not the same size, and aren't compatible.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by XexoX »

ronnie_suburban wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 7:42 pm
XexoX wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 7:33 pm Looks good Mr. Suburban! Did you move the cast iron grills from your other grill to the Weber?
Thanks! No, these are the aftermarket grates (from Amazon) recommended a while back by ColonelJLloyd. The Napoleon and Weber grates are not the same size, and aren't compatible.
Thanks, now that you say that, I remember. :?
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

Kicking off the work week with a 'meatless' stir-fry . . .

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Mise En Place & Konosuke Fujiyama FM Blue #2 gyuto, 240mm
Shaoxing wine, avocado oil, oyster sauce, white pepper, hot soy bean paste, shoyu, scallions, minced garlic, 4x gelatinous chicken stock, red jalapeno, minced ginger, corn starch (for slurry), silken tofu, broccoli florets and fermented black beans.

Chicken stock certainly disqualifies this from being vegetarian or even truly meatless but still, it was nice to go with something so veg-forward.

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Broccoli & Tofu Stir-Fry
Really like the way this one came together. I think by most stir-fry standards, the broccoli appears a little soft but it still had a perfect amount of crunch.

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Plated Up
With spicy-sweet cucumber salad and leftover/reheated jasmine rice.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by Jeff B »

Love...love...love some stir-fry! :ugeek:
If God wanted me to be a vegetarian he wouldn't have made animals taste so good.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by Bob Z »

It was hot today! (and still is!) It seems they inflate the supposed temp by a few degrees to promote global warming but maybe I just live in the country and there arent as many concrete places here...
temp.jpg
Made some chicken picatta with a bit of boxed scalloped potatoes. Ill keep making this as the chicken is tender and tasty but I think Im going to try to do orange and add some sweet to it and make sweet and sour picatta. I use this recipe:
https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-piccata/
You have to make sure you use plenty of oil and cook em like cutlets so they get brown. I use more wine than called for but...Cheap Pinot Grigio works well for about 6 bucks a bottle. Going to try to make olive garden chicken marsala next, soon as i get my hands on the Lombardo dry Marsala which is about 40 miles away...
Sorry no knife pix for this but it was a Wusthof petty.
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picatta 2.jpg
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by trancher »

Fine lookin' vittles, Ronnie.
ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 7:17 pm ...4x gelatinous chicken stock...
Is this a brand that is concentrated 4x, or is this saucery in the kitchen?
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by trancher »

Bob Z wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:12 pm It was hot today! (and still is!) It seems they inflate the supposed temp by a few degrees to promote global warming but maybe I just live in the country and there arent as many concrete places here...
temp.jpg
Made some chicken picatta with a bit of boxed scalloped potatoes. Ill keep making this as the chicken is tender and tasty but I think Im going to try to do orange and add some sweet to it and make sweet and sour picatta. I use this recipe:
https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-piccata/
You have to make sure you use plenty of oil and cook em like cutlets so they get brown. I use more wine than called for but...Cheap Pinot Grigio works well for about 6 bucks a bottle. Going to try to make olive garden chicken marsala next, soon as i get my hands on the Lombardo dry Marsala which is about 40 miles away...
Sorry no knife pix for this but it was a Wusthof petty.

Yes!, YES, Yes, Yes, Hell Yes!

I love chicken picatta! After the previous posting of chicken marsala, all I could think about was this dish. And like magic, there it is!

Bob, this looks great! Nice browning on the meat, capers appear ready to add their unique salty flavor, and man, that chicken is juicy looking. :shock:

Anyone willing to go all of the way here for a perfect chicken trifecta? Marsala, Picatta, .....Cacciatore??? ... hmmm .. you know you wanna... :lol:
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

trancher wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:16 pm Fine lookin' vittles, Ronnie.
ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 7:17 pm ...4x gelatinous chicken stock...
Is this a brand that is concentrated 4x, or is this saucery in the kitchen?
Homemade. I usually make a gallon of stock in the instant pot, then reduce it to a quart on the stove top. Saves space and allows me to use it without diluting the dish or making it to watery.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by trancher »

ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:35 pm
trancher wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:16 pm Fine lookin' vittles, Ronnie.
ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 7:17 pm ...4x gelatinous chicken stock...
Is this a brand that is concentrated 4x, or is this saucery in the kitchen?
Homemade. I usually make a gallon of stock in the instant pot, then reduce it to a quart on the stove top. Saves space and allows me to use it without diluting the dish or making it to watery.
Interesting. Can this be stored for later use? I usually just freeze my stock into ice cubes. Would this be too thick/gelatinous for that?
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

trancher wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:44 pm
ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:35 pm
trancher wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:16 pm Fine lookin' vittles, Ronnie.



Is this a brand that is concentrated 4x, or is this saucery in the kitchen?
Homemade. I usually make a gallon of stock in the instant pot, then reduce it to a quart on the stove top. Saves space and allows me to use it without diluting the dish or making it to watery.
Interesting. Can this be stored for later use? I usually just freeze my stock into ice cubes. Would this be too thick for that?
Definitely can be stored. 7-10 days in the fridge or frozen, just as you'd store 1x stock. It's pourable until it's cold. Once refrigerated, it solidifies.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by trancher »

ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:52 pm
trancher wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:44 pm
ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:35 pm
Homemade. I usually make a gallon of stock in the instant pot, then reduce it to a quart on the stove top. Saves space and allows me to use it without diluting the dish or making it to watery.
Interesting. Can this be stored for later use? I usually just freeze my stock into ice cubes. Would this be too thick for that?
Definitely can be stored. 7-10 days in the fridge or frozen, just as you'd store 1x stock. It's pourable until it's cold. Once refrigerated, it solidifies.
Sounds like I'm about to save 300% in freezer space next year. Thanks!
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

trancher wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:55 pm
ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:52 pm
trancher wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:44 pm

Interesting. Can this be stored for later use? I usually just freeze my stock into ice cubes. Would this be too thick for that?
Definitely can be stored. 7-10 days in the fridge or frozen, just as you'd store 1x stock. It's pourable until it's cold. Once refrigerated, it solidifies.
Sounds like I'm about to save 300% in freezer space next year. Thanks!
Hehe, my pleasure. I really like being able to impart a lot of flavor without adding too much moisture. And yeah, the extra storage space is great.

Pork and beef generally solidify more than chicken but it really depends on what parts/pieces/bones you use. If you want really gelatinous chicken, best to use wings and/or feet.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by trancher »

ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 11:06 pm
trancher wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:55 pm
ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:52 pm
Definitely can be stored. 7-10 days in the fridge or frozen, just as you'd store 1x stock. It's pourable until it's cold. Once refrigerated, it solidifies.
Sounds like I'm about to save 300% in freezer space next year. Thanks!
Hehe, my pleasure. I really like being able to impart a lot of flavor without adding too much moisture. And yeah, the extra storage space is great.

Pork and beef generally solidify more than chicken but it really depends on what parts/pieces/bones you use. If you want really gelatinous chicken, best to use wings and/or feet.
Yeah. I really noticed this about my beef stock. I'm not sure what bones I get from the butcher, they are just labeled 'soup bones' but cooking a stock for 3 days hollows those bones out, and all of that marrow/gelatin/fat? ends up in there. It places a thick layer of fat on the top of the stock, sometimes I keep it, sometime I don't, but over a 3 day cooking, if you add spices/aromatics to it much before the last few hours of the cook, mine seem to burn in that fat layer as they float on the surface, creating a bitter flavor. No faster way to ruin a stock :oops:
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

trancher wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 11:22 pm
ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 11:06 pm
trancher wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:55 pm

Sounds like I'm about to save 300% in freezer space next year. Thanks!
Hehe, my pleasure. I really like being able to impart a lot of flavor without adding too much moisture. And yeah, the extra storage space is great.

Pork and beef generally solidify more than chicken but it really depends on what parts/pieces/bones you use. If you want really gelatinous chicken, best to use wings and/or feet.
Yeah. I really noticed this about my beef stock. I'm not sure what bones I get from the butcher, they are just labeled 'soup bones' but cooking a stock for 3 days hollows those bones out, and all of that marrow/gelatin/fat? ends up in there. It places a thick layer of fat on the top of the stock, sometimes I keep it, sometime I don't, but over a 3 day cooking, if you add spices/aromatics to it much before the last few hours of the cook, mine seem to burn in that fat layer as they float on the surface, creating a bitter flavor. No faster way to ruin a stock :oops:
Years ago I read something about stocks that I believe was said by Thomas Keller. He said he that never adds anything to them because they maintain maximum versatility that way. You can always add seasoning and other flavors later, depending on the dish you're making. That really stuck with me and that's how I make 99% of my stocks -- meat + bones + water. Anything else, I add when I'm cooking the final dish. Not only is it a very practical approach but it also makes preparing stock so much more convenient.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by trancher »

ronnie_suburban wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 12:02 am
Years ago I read something about stocks that I believe was said by Thomas Keller. He said he that never adds anything to them because they maintain maximum versatility that way. You can always add seasoning and other flavors later, depending on the dish you're making. That really stuck with me and that's how I make 99% of my stocks -- meat + bones + water. Anything else, I add when I'm cooking the final dish. Not only is it a very practical approach but it also makes preparing stock so much more convenient.
Yeah, BIG time saver doing it this way. I will be giving that a go next time I'm making stock/broth. This was all great information. Thanks, Ronnie.

Putting a lid on this enlightening conversation, since we are talking about stock, one day soon I'll have to tell the story of a re-heating 30 quart batch of beef stock that exploded upwards from super heating and surface tension. Major safety issue here I never knew about. It would be a good way to kick off a thread titled 'Your Worst Kitchen Disaster Moments'.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

trancher wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 12:19 am Putting a lid on this enlightening conversation, since we are talking about stock, one day soon I'll have to tell the story of a re-heating 30 quart batch of beef stock that exploded upwards from super heating and surface tension. Major safety issue here I never knew about. It would be a good way to kick off a thread titled 'Your Worst Kitchen Disaster Moments'.
LOL - I'd fully support such a thread (and could probably populate it all on my own)! :o

Bought some boneless/skinless chicken thighs with the intention of cooking them inside -- possibly in a stir-fry -- but decided to cook them outside because it was a beautiful night. Dabbed them with a bit of light olive oil and seasoned them with salt, black pepper, oregano, granulated garlic, onion powder and Hungarian sweet paprika.

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Charcoal-Grilled Boneless/Skinless Chicken Thighs
Was a very hot fire and these cooked fast, ~15 minutes, indirect/covered.

Image
Plated Up
With a blob of the weekly slaw and nice little dish of some spicy-sweet cucumber salad. :)
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