What did you cook today?

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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

ronnie_suburban wrote: Sun Nov 20, 2022 7:26 pm
taz575 wrote: Sun Nov 20, 2022 1:21 pm I chunk up turnips, boil for around 35 minutes, drain and let cool. Then I put some in cheese cloth and wring out most of the water. Then I mix with seasoning, shredded cheese and butter and bake for 10-15min at 375 convection, stir and then add more cheese on top and pop back in for another 10 min or until the cheese is melted. Came out really good for a small batch I did. I used 4 purple topped turnips that were about 3" or so in diameter. Next time, I am going to mix rutabaga and turnips and do the same thing, probably for Thanksgiving. Turnips and rutabaga have a lot of water in them!
Sounds good. I think just about all veggies are around 90% water but some seem to hold that moisture more than others when they cook. Squeezing them out seems like a great move, especially for a gratin.

I started out my cooking day with another task on my incremental path to Thanksgiving . . .

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Toasted Breadcubes
Some Japanese milk bread that I cubed up then baked in the oven at 350F for about 15 minutes. I'm just going to let these sit out until dressing assembly day, which will either be Wednesday night or Thursday morning, depending on how cold my walk-in/garage is then. If 40F or below in the garage, I can work ahead a bit. If not, I'll wait until the morning of.

Next, it had been a couple weeks since I omeletted but I wanted to get RID of some leftovers this morning. Did that with my Demeyere 5-Plus nonstick . . .

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Leftovers Omelet
Sausages, onions, peppers, bechamel sauce and assorted cheeses. Toasted/buttered Japanese milk bread. Worked some of the bechamel into the eggs, which may explain their pale color. That wasn't a move I'd eagerly repeat. It was fine but not really an improvement over plain old eggs.

Next up, extracted some pork tenderloins from the depths of the freezer and thawed them overnight . . .

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Pork Tenderloin Mise En Place & Sukenari HAP40 Gyuto, 210mm
White wine, red jalapeno, 4x gelatinous pork stock, slivered garlic, leeks, yellow & orange bell peppers, trimmed and trussed pork tenderloins, sagey black pepper, salt, red onion and evoo.

Staying on theme, deep in the fridge, I found some foraged maitake pieces that I'd forgotten about (shit!). They weren't in perfect condition but the fact that I'd cleaned them ahead of time and stored them in a double paper bag left them in fine shape. Decided to saute them . . .

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Sauteed Maitakes
Evoo, unsalted butter, shallots, scallions, garlic, 4x gelatinous beef stock, red wine, salt and pepper.

Oiled and seasoned the tenderloins, then seared them in evoo. Once browned on all sides, I removed them and sauteed all the veg in the pan. Added the wine and stock, let it reduce a bit then put the seared tenderloins on top of the veggies (adding some mini tomatoes that I decided to use after I took the pic) and put the whole thing the oven for 20 minutes at 400F convection . . .

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Pan-Roasted Pork Tenderloin
This seemed to reduce just the right amount by the time the pork reached 135F internal. Veggies were soft but not mushy. Sauce was there but flavorful.

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Plated Up
Happy to have cleared the freezer space and remembered the maitakes before it was too late.
That shot in the pan is so good.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

trancher wrote: Sun Nov 20, 2022 9:16 pm Scrumptious, Ronnie! Really diggin' that pork tenderloin in the pan picture. Nice work.
ChefKnivesToGo wrote: Mon Nov 21, 2022 6:04 pm That shot in the pan is so good.
Thanks, guys. Like a lot (most?) of what I make, it's a nice, easy dish that's extremely adjustable, depending on what you happen to have on hand.

Today, a bit more (after work) Thanksgiving prep. This one is a bit out of left field (at least in terms of Thanksgiving) . . .

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Salmon Misoyaki Mise En Place
Years ago, my mom attempted to usurp Thanksgiving by floating a fabricated rumor that no one wanted turkey and that everyone wanted salmon. That sounded a bit suspicious, so I asked around and figured out that she was trying to pull a maneuver. No one had said any such thing. We had turkey, and Thanksgiving was left intact. But mom does love salmon, so now, I try to make it for her every Thanksgiving, and she really likes this prep. It can handle a long marinade, so I figured I'd start it today. I'm just leaving it in a baggie in the fridge, and I'll flip it over a few times between now and Thursday, when I'll throw it on the gas grill at my sister's house.

Next, a quickie dinner. Grilling up some NY Strips from the butcher and decided that some aging mini tomatoes and sliced garlic -- sauteed together in evoo -- might make a nice, compote-like condiment . . .

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Tomato/Garlic Condiment Mise En Place & Sukenari HAP40 Gyuto, 210mm
Black pepper, dried oregano, salt, mini tomatoes, evoo, slivered garlic and red wine vinegar. Just a very hot toss-around in the pan until the tomatoes softened, then a few drops of the vinegar at the very end . . .

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Tomato-Garlic Compote
This turned out really nicely and went well with the beef . . . sweet/salty/oily/acidic and aromatic.

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Charcoal-Grilled NY Strips
I think it had been a couple of weeks since I'd last grilled. :o Still, nice to be back at it, even in the dark.

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Plated Up
NY strip steak, tomato-garlic compote and a blob of the weekly slaw.

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

Post by ColonelJLloyd »

I found another nice use for the red yuzu kosho; remoulade.

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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by trancher »

ronnie_suburban wrote: Mon Nov 21, 2022 7:46 pm
Years ago, my mom attempted to usurp Thanksgiving by floating a fabricated rumor that no one wanted turkey and that everyone wanted salmon. That sounded a bit suspicious, so I asked around and figured out that she was trying to pull a maneuver. No one had said any such thing.
If she throws her hat into the ring this year for a political campaign, she has my vote. If she includes bacon too, I'll fund the damn thing. :D
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

trancher wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 10:33 am
ronnie_suburban wrote: Mon Nov 21, 2022 7:46 pm
Years ago, my mom attempted to usurp Thanksgiving by floating a fabricated rumor that no one wanted turkey and that everyone wanted salmon. That sounded a bit suspicious, so I asked around and figured out that she was trying to pull a maneuver. No one had said any such thing.
If she throws her hat into the ring this year for a political campaign, she has my vote. If she includes bacon too, I'll fund the damn thing. :D
LOL - she is sneaky, so probably would be a great politician. And somehow, she managed to get me advocating for turkey, which is also crazy. How did I end up on that side of the issue? I'd rather eat chicken. I guess in some rare cases, tradition matters to me more than flavor. :lol:
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by trancher »

ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 10:39 am LOL - she is sneaky, so probably would be a great politician. And somehow, she managed to get me advocating for turkey, which is also crazy. How did I end up on that side of the issue? I'd rather eat chicken. I guess in some rare cases, tradition matters to me more than flavor. :lol:
Sounds like you've only begun your kitchen duties. No wonder you had to get a weeks head start!
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

ColonelJLloyd wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 9:50 am I found another nice use for the red yuzu kosho; remoulade.
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That looks great, Justin. I think I can ID most of it but would love a road map of the ingredients if you get a chance.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

trancher wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 11:24 am
ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 10:39 am LOL - she is sneaky, so probably would be a great politician. And somehow, she managed to get me advocating for turkey, which is also crazy. How did I end up on that side of the issue? I'd rather eat chicken. I guess in some rare cases, tradition matters to me more than flavor. :lol:
Sounds like you've only begun your kitchen duties. No wonder you had to get a weeks head start!
Haha, yeah. I like to do a little bit at a time. Keeps it manageable and enjoyable. On that note, I rolled forward with a bit more of my dressing prep today . . .

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Partial Mise En Place & Sukenari HAP40 Gyuto, 210mm
Seared homemade sausage, sauteed mushrooms (garlic, red wine, 4x gelatinous beef stock), salt, minced garlic, celery, sagey black pepper, honeycrisp apple, toasted pecans, onions and homegrown/dried sage.

Still had to saute the celery, onion and garlic but this is most of what I'll do on the dressing front until assembly time. The apple is there mainly to remind me to include it later. Since it gets peeled and diced, and goes in uncooked, I won't prep it until I'm ready to roll.

Next, a very quick dinner . . .

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Plated Up
Charcoal-grilled chicken thighs, leftover/reheated turnip gratin and fioretto stir-fry.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by billk1002 »

WOW, those pork loins look fantastic!
I typically will rub mine down with something before browning them in a cask iron skillet, then bake them off at 450, but now I just have to try the wine and vegetable reduction thing!!
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

billk1002 wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2022 7:10 am WOW, those pork loins look fantastic!
I typically will rub mine down with something before browning them in a cask iron skillet, then bake them off at 450, but now I just have to try the wine and vegetable reduction thing!!
Yeah, just have fun with it, use whatever you have on-hand, etc. Fwiw, I cooked mine in a carbon steel pan. Not entirely sure it matters but iirc, it's not great to cook acidic food in cast iron for a prolonged period, so I avoid it (even though I'm not sure it's necessary).

Today it was Thanksgiving gravy time . . .

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Gravy Mise En Place & Sukenari HAP40 Gyuto, 210mm
Shallots, turkey necks, AP flour, unsalted butter, salt, sagey black pepper and chicken broth (about 2/3 of what I actually used).

With the turkey not in my hands until we get to my sister's tomorrow (as is usually the case), I've learned over the years that starting with necks is a nice work-around. And when the bird and I are finally together, I'll incorporate the pan drippings into the gravy. I've tried this a bunch of different ways, using every sort of homemade stock imaginable but canned chicken broth is what scratches the itch, so that's what I use.

Season and sear the necks in butter. Once browned, remove them and saute the shallots. Once they've sweated, add the flour, cook it for a couple of minutes to form a roux, then add the broth and finally, add the necks back. After simmering for a few hours (while stirring occasionally), remove the necks, pick off the meat, toss it back in and simmer for a while longer. Again, tomorrow I'll add the pan drippings from the turkey once I'm on site.

Next, a bit more Thanksgiving prep. Par-cooked about 3 pounds of green beans and mixed them up with the homemade cream of mushroom soup from a few days ago to make a tester of the homemade green bean casserole . . .

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Little Buddy
Really glad I made this advance unit because it was so dry, it was nearly a choking hazard. Flavor was intensely mushroomy and the bean texture was ideal but after trying this, I doubled down on the cream and added a bit more salt to the uncooked portion. There's not enough left to make another tester, so whatever happens tomorrow happens. :lol:

Next, I had time to throw together a batch of cookies . . .

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Oatmeal, Dried Tart Cherries & Toasted Pecan Cookies
Not sure how we're set for desserts tomorrow, so I figured I'd bring along one of the few I actually know how to make.

Lastly, there was dinner . . .

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Baked Rotini
With a blob of the weekly slaw.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by XexoX »

Mr. Suburban, did you deep fry the onions too? Asking for a friend. :mrgreen:
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

XexoX wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2022 8:35 pm Mr. Suburban, did you deep fry the onions too? Asking for a friend. :mrgreen:
No, sir. Bought a small plastic jar of them at Super H-Mart. I've fried shallots in the past but didn't think I'd have time for that this time around.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

Assembled and baked off the dressing before heading over to my sister's house . . .

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Dressing Pre-Bake

350F for 75 minutes, the last 20 or so uncovered . . .

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Dressing Baked

Just pulled it out of the oven and we're now heading over to my sister's house. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! :)
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by XexoX »

Looks good Mr. Suburban! And a Hap-hap-happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

Working some Thanksgiving leftovers into the meal plan. This pot of beans was built on the stock I made from the smoked turkey carcass . . .

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Rancho Gordo Borlotto Magnifico Beans
These borlottos, which I'd never seen before, were part of the November 2022 Bean Club shipment.

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Mise En Place & Shiro Kamo White #2 Gyuto 185mm
Borlotto beans (overnight soaked), salt, celery, bay leaves, black pepper, red onion, carrot, slitted red jalapeno & serranos, evoo, smoked turkey stock and smashed garlic cloves.

Probably didn't need the overnight soak but as long as I thought of it, I did it. I had another separator of stock and ended up using all of this one and half of the other one, so about 3 pints in all. As long as I was using stock instead of water, I figured a little soupier was just fine . . .

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Plated Up
Rather than mix it into the beans, I sprinkled some leftover smoked turkey over the top. Also garnished with some fresh jalapeno and chives. The borlottos worked out well. They held their shape well, were very creamy on the inside and produced a tasty pot liquor.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by HappyKnifeHappyLife »

3EB62F23-C55D-434C-9911-7C3B0C83F585.jpeg
Chinese Roast Pork Belly, Stir Fried Gai Larn & a new noodle dish from The Wok.
Very delicious.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by HappyKnifeHappyLife »

D74505F1-2C61-48AD-A4DB-C3B246B85335.jpeg
And from the previous night. Japanese Curry (all looked a bit beige this time,but tasted lovely) & Pork Tonkatsu with Steamed Rice.
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PS: we always freeze some of the sauce which allows us to have this dish with lightly blanched veggies of our choice.
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ColonelJLloyd »

ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 6:08 pm That looks great, Justin. I think I can ID most of it but would love a road map of the ingredients if you get a chance.
It's a recipe from Serious Eats for remoulade that I tweaked a little (added some small dice of garlic/dill pickle and half a jalapeno because I had them, used some Dusseldorf mustard, added some yuzu kosho).

I am pleased that my extended family went along with my request to shun the traditional Thanksgiving meal this year. Thursday my sister and I made some fresh pappardelle to use with my bolognese which I served with a big salad. Friday I made shrimp & crab cakes (served with that remoulade), roasted a piece of prime rib roast and rack of lamb chops which my dad finished on the grill. We had some yeast rolls, mashers, and grilled asparagus to round it out. I also cut into a 33-month old country ham last week and it is choice. I was pleased.

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Re: What did you cook today?

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ColonelJLloyd wrote: Mon Nov 28, 2022 2:37 pm Thursday my sister and I made some fresh pappardelle to use with my bolognese which I served with a big salad.
Wow Pappardelle looks great, did you use a rolling attachment for the kitchenaid or hand roll?
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Re: What did you cook today?

Post by ronnie_suburban »

ColonelJLloyd wrote: Mon Nov 28, 2022 2:37 pm
ronnie_suburban wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 6:08 pm That looks great, Justin. I think I can ID most of it but would love a road map of the ingredients if you get a chance.
It's a recipe from Serious Eats for remoulade that I tweaked a little (added some small dice of garlic/dill pickle and half a jalapeno because I had them, used some Dusseldorf mustard, added some yuzu kosho).
Thanks. I was curious and even unmixed, it looked great.
ColonelJLloyd wrote: Mon Nov 28, 2022 2:37 pm I also cut into a 33-month old country ham last week and it is choice. I was pleased.
Damn, dude. Everything sounds and looks amazing but you completely buried the lead. Holy moly . . . that ham. OMFG!
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