Recipes / Food - Drink

[beppe]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

Surely the answer to that is risotto. Especially the mushroom "risotto" that too often passes as the vegetarian option, and turns up mushy and flavourless

Risotto, risotto risotto. I cut it out of my diet, but it remains my favorite carbohydrate. I will not post how to make risotto. But just a trick that might be useful to the risotto makers.

Preliminary trick

Spoiler:

There is one sort of rice that is particular apt. It is called Carnaroli. It costs a little more, but it has the great advantages that it stays firm (the contrary of mushy) for longer time than other kinds.

Motivation for the trick

Spoiler:

So what do you do if you want to serve risotto for a dinner? You have to stay around the pot cooking it while every body has fun with the aperitifs. When the risotto is ready you start to fuss around, red in the face with the exertion and with your drink gulped down like it was water, while it was that special sherry that.... Dish out the risotto and anxiously look your friends when they taste it. Next time you'll cook something else that let's you enjoy the company and that can be prepared in advance. Risotto requires about 20 minutes overall, so you cannot say to your friends after the entrée, how about a little round of canasta?

The trick itself

Spoiler:

My friend DerKuk (fantasy name, the guy is Milanese like me) is a professional chef on cruiser ships and Hilton Hotels around the world. Risotto takes 20 minutes. It is a pain. Following his advice I prepare the risotto and cook it for 10 minutes only. Then I poor it on the marble table top and spread it so that it cools fast. When it is time to serve it, I put it back in the pan and finish it with prudent ladles of hot broth. Then the usual finishing touches. I can enjoy the aperitif, the entrée, chat with my friends, and be away for the risotto only few minutes.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by beppe

Risotto, risotto risotto. I cut it out of my diet, but it remains my favorite carbohydrate. I will not post how to make risotto. But just a trick that might be useful to the risotto makers.

If I had a marble worksurface, I'd use that trick! (I keep thinking about getting a large marble slab for pastry making anyway). I already use carnaroli rice - it definitely keeps its texture better than arborio

[SameOldStory]

Have you ever asked yourself "How stupid can I get! That's a great idea!"

pendragginp asks in Color ereader & pics -

Originally Posted by pendragginp

Does anybody know if a color ereader (the JE100, for instance) will display color photographs which are part of a book? Within a cookbook, for instance; or a biography with color pics?

Thanks

Some will hate the idea. But if you're making something from the internet that you've never even seen before this could be great. Both for the recipe and its presentation.

[Wetdogeared]

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

Have you ever asked yourself "How stupid can I get! That's a great idea!"

pendragginp asks in Color ereader & pics -



Some will hate the idea. But if you're making something from the internet that you've never even seen before this could be great. Both for the recipe and its presentation.

I saw this dedicated eCookBook at Costco this week.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

If I had a marble worksurface, I'd use that trick! (I keep thinking about getting a large marble slab for pastry making anyway). I already use carnaroli rice - it definitely keeps its texture better than arborio

If you had a large freezer you could cool a rolling surface large enough. The all trick is cooling the whole rice fast.

Thank you for the comment.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by badgoodDeb

This one looks nice Presto Belgian Waffle Maker.

Edit: darn you all --- you made me order one from Amazon! $39.95 there.

Let us know if you like it and if it's worth buying!

[SameOldStory]

Originally Posted by Wetdogeared

I saw this dedicated eCookBook at Costco this week.

This is one heck of a way to do a product review.

There are lots of non-reviews on the internet where they just say that the "Demy Digital Recipe ebook Reader" is out there. But very little real reviews.

This is the best that I can do (unless someone wants to give me one ).

Amazon has 3 reviews. The first one is a review from their website and voices most of the concerns that have. (This is from last summer so some things might be better now.)

One problem that I have is that YOU don't send the recipes to the reader. You send it to their web site and then it gets downloaded to the reader. Kind of like a bad Kindle. If anything happens to them....

What else?

Review 2

Review 3

YouTube 1

YouTube 2

If kovidgoyal were to write a program to load recipes into this reader I would very likely buy it.

Thanks Wetdogeared.

[SameOldStory]

I'm making a beef stew right now.

I'm not going to tell you the best type of meat, or what type of onions to use. Not going to even suggest what spices (mostly) to toss in.

When I say stew, I mean that I stew the meat not that I make it with a gravy as some do with a stew.

Stewing the beef. This is not a slow boil. I simmer it, which is below a slow boil

Now I'm going to make you shudder in horror.

I first cook the meat for about an hour and a half.

But that's not enough time!

Yes it is. Remember talking about vinegar? Put about 2 tablespoons (or 3) in the water. It doesn't matter what type. The vinegar will act as a meat tenderizer. If the meat is really tough you can add another falf hour.

Next. Find some cheep, strong beef bullion. Put a lot in the water (which should be just a little more than you need to cover the meat. I prefer the granular kind. [B]

"But that’s going to taste terrible!" A thud like a dropping body is heard in the background.
Don't worry. Everything will be fine.

Now add extra onion and garlic powder. A blood curdling scream is heard from several MR readers.

Don't put any fine herbs and spices in the water.

While the meat is slowly cooking do your veggie thing. Chop away.

DING

Get a colander to catch the meat. Let the liquid go down the drain. That is, unless you have servants that you don't like.

So what do you have now? You have tender meat that is infused with a little too much flavor. But some of that will go back into the new liquid.

After rinsing the soup pot out, put all of those veggies, meat, herbs, and spices that make it "your" stew/soup. Remember, the meat is already cooked so you're just cooking the veggies and adding the fancy stuff.

Note - I like barley in the stew but I cook it separately and add it after the veggies are tossed in.

One woman I told this to tried it with venison stew and loved it.

[beppe]

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

I'm making a beef stew right now.

I

That's my man.
Did you work on ships?

Just one small addition to your recipe. Put the meat in the water when it's already happily boiling. The heat will close the meat and the juices will stay inside. Other wise thi will dissove in the water that you throw away.
What do you think?

[kindlekitten]

we use vinegar a lot in venison dishes. sometimes that tasty lookin' buck is actually a stringy old grandpa.

[SameOldStory]

Originally Posted by beppe

That's my man.
Did you work on ships?

Just one small addition to your recipe. Put the meat in the water when it's already happily boiling. The heat will close the meat and the juices will stay inside. Other wise thi will dissove in the water that you throw away.
What do you think?

Sure. But even then I throw lots of extra beef bullion, onion and garlic powder in. After you throw out the water, the meat will have extra flavor.


This isn't fine dinning. But a nice hearty stew with bread fresh from the oven...

No one complains.

kindlekitten, I've only had venison twice. Once about 20 years ago, and it was tough indeed. The other was last year, and that one was good.

Need to borrow a Thompson Center Hawkin next black powder season?

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

Sure. But even then I throw lots of extra beef bullion, onion and garlic powder in. After you throw out the water, the meat will have extra flavor.


This isn't fine dinning. But a nice hearty stew with bread fresh from the oven...

No one complains.

kindlekitten, I've only had venison twice. Once about 20 years ago, and it was tough indeed. The other was last year, and that one was good.

Need to borrow a Thompson Center Hawkin next black powder season?

I have 2 of them, .54 cal, and a custom made .54 from curly maple. I am lobbying for my late Uncle's custom made .69... yeah it is a HUGE rifle! not many people enjoy shooting it, but I sure as heck do!

[SameOldStory]

Defiantly fun to shoot. Doesn't kick much with a ball. But it sure does with a full load and a Maxi Ball.

[kindlekitten]

that .69 kkicks like a bay mare! I held it wrong once and was bruised from my collar bone to my elbow! sheer luck I didn't break my collarbone!

[wodin]

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

Need to borrow a Thompson Center Hawkin next black powder season?

You can borrow mine, but you'll have to come the Beautiful Sandwich Isles to use it. Oh, and unless you want to use Pyrodex, you’ll have to bring your own black powder. You can’t buy it here; something about it being classified as an explosive rather than a propellant.

BTW, don’t even think about trying to bring black powder on an airplane!