jackthehack
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Cagey said:
Get yourself one of these, and it's never too late/dark to grilll...
http://www.amazon.com/Hands-Free-Miners-Light-Flashlight/dp/tech-data/B00309Q1DI
what'sfor dinner, your own recipes
- Thread starter Jusatele
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Get yourself one of these, and it's never too late/dark to grilll...
http://www.amazon.com/Hands-Free-Miners-Light-Flashlight/dp/tech-data/B00309Q1DI
Cagey
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That's not a bad idea. I've had several occasions in the last 6 months where that would have come in handy for other things, as well. Replacing lamps and/or light switches, for instance. It's more than a little scary working on hot power lines in the dark <grin>
jackthehack said:Cagey said:
Get yourself one of these, and it's never too late/dark to grilll...
http://www.amazon.com/Hands-Free-Miners-Light-Flashlight/dp/tech-data/B00309Q1DI
I needed one of those this morning.. woke up at 5 to get a pork shoulder going on the smoker!!
I am not even sure if this will turn out as pulled pork or some kind of sliced ham... (I am still a beginning smoker)
Nightclub Dwight
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The Central Scrutinizer said:jackthehack said:Cagey said:
Get yourself one of these, and it's never too late/dark to grilll...
http://www.amazon.com/Hands-Free-Miners-Light-Flashlight/dp/tech-data/B00309Q1DI
I needed one of those this morning.. woke up at 5 to get a pork shoulder going on the smoker!!
I am not even sure if this will turn out as pulled pork or some kind of sliced ham... (I am still a beginning smoker)
Don't worry Marko, that shoulder should pull. If its too firm keep cooking it. You can even wrap it in foil and finish it in the oven if necessary. Just remember, low and slow and you'll be fine.
Cagey
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Nightclub Dwight said:
"Low and slow" is a good way to cook many meats.
Ideally, you're looking to reach an internal temperature. That's tough to do with most cooking methods. They rely on relatively high external temperatures to get the internal temperature up in a reasonable length of time before the exterior is ruined. Turkeys and large pork/beef roasts are good examples of where that's nearly impossible. Sometimes, the combination of a wrecked exterior and proper interior is good, such as with steaks or burgers, but not always. Poultry and fish are both very good examples of where that's not true. They're fragile meats, and over-cooking them leads to kids hiding parts under the rim of their plates to give the illusion that they've eaten all their supper <grin>
There is a method called "Sous Vide" cooking where the meat is placed in a water bath that's precisely controlled to bring the food to the desired internal temperature. The "water ovens" that do it are surprisingly expensive, though. For instance, this unit from
So, you gotta want one real bad. On the plus side, if you want the best chicken or fish you've ever eaten, they're tough to beat. You absolutely can't overcook the meat outside or in, and you can hold it for hours without detriment.
Of course, you could always learn to poach properly and save yourself enough money for 20 cases of beer <grin>
Once the food's done, you can always toss it on the grill for a short bit to get the same effect as if you'd cooked it there from the start, with the added benefit of it being mostly edible.
jackthehack
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Lamb & Feta Cheeseburgers!!!
1 lb. fresh ground lamb
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 scallion finely chopped/minced
2 heaping tablespoons flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Zataar seasoning
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
Fresh ground pepper and Sea salt to taste
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl, then form into 4 patties.Ground lamb tends to "draw in" when grilled a lot more than beef, so make the patties a bit thinner/larger in area than normal.
Grill to desired doneness and put Feta cheese on top when almost done to melt over burger.
Serve on your favorite artisan roll or ciabatta, slather the bun with zitiki sauce and add thinly sliced red onion and sliced tomato. If you like spicy, slather one side of bun of Shatta.
Tasty, but VERY messy....
1 lb. fresh ground lamb
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 scallion finely chopped/minced
2 heaping tablespoons flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Zataar seasoning
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
Fresh ground pepper and Sea salt to taste
Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a mixing bowl, then form into 4 patties.Ground lamb tends to "draw in" when grilled a lot more than beef, so make the patties a bit thinner/larger in area than normal.
Grill to desired doneness and put Feta cheese on top when almost done to melt over burger.
Serve on your favorite artisan roll or ciabatta, slather the bun with zitiki sauce and add thinly sliced red onion and sliced tomato. If you like spicy, slather one side of bun of Shatta.
Tasty, but VERY messy....
TroubledTreble
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Jack that sounds very tasty save the lamb. I've always liked the idea of lamb and it sounds good, but it just doesn't make it past my taste buds. I wonder if you can substitute with Elk or Bison? Not being into lamb I'm not sure if there is an marriage of those spices and the qualities of lamb which to me has a slightly "game" note to it.
Cagey
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I'm the same way. I'll eat damn near anything, but I can't even be in the same room as cooked lamb. It just trips my gag reflex. Tastes like what I imagine roadkill would taste like if left to ferment in a storm drain for a couple/few days. Never had it as a kid, so it's not a bad memory thing from poor prep. I don't know what it is - all I know is I'd starve to death if that's all there was to eat.
jackthehack
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TroubledTreble said:
Where are you guys getting your lamb? Elk is MUCH gamier... You could basically substitute any other quality ground meat, but the lamb will be a lot juicier. Treble, I see you're from Portland, try going to this Halal market (Halal is to Islam as Kosher is to Judaism) Amir Halal Food Grocery Market 7100 Northeast Glisan Street, Portland, OR 97213-5520 (503) 255-1535, you should be able to get FRESH ground lamb that was walking around 48 hours ago, might change your take on lamb....
Cagey
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jackthehack said:
I'm not getting any lamb anywhere. I'd rather eat dryer lint.
Actually, I'd rather have chicken. It tastes just like chicken <grin>
Although, you wanna talk about some nasty animals... you'd be hard-pressed to beat chickens. You don't even wanna live within a mile of a poultry farm.
Nightclub Dwight
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I respect that people have their own tastes in food, but I have to agree with Jack on this one. Really fresh lamb is a revelation and does not taste gamey in the least bit.
TroubledTreble
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Point well taken. I did notice upon moving here that Lamb was much more popular, which should mean a better supply and fresher product. I agree it's best to get the goods where they are highly regarded and held to higher standards. I will have to try it again. Thanks for the tip on Halal.
As for Elk, I have only had it here in the NW. I thought it was quite mild as far as game goes. Of course it can be quite dry since it is so lean and usually it's mixed with pork fat to get it to cook properly, so that changes the flavor. Lamb would definitely be more moist.
Mmmmmm Elk or Bison burger with Blue Cheese, Yum! (add Lamb to the list? maybe)
As for Elk, I have only had it here in the NW. I thought it was quite mild as far as game goes. Of course it can be quite dry since it is so lean and usually it's mixed with pork fat to get it to cook properly, so that changes the flavor. Lamb would definitely be more moist.
Mmmmmm Elk or Bison burger with Blue Cheese, Yum! (add Lamb to the list? maybe)
jackthehack
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Grilled Red Snapper and Scallops on Bed of Tomato and Spinach
The below is for 2 servings, adjust for more people...
2 Four Oz. portions fresh Red Snapper
6 large Diver's scallops
1 cup spinach
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 1/2 cups farmer's market fresh tomatoes, diced inrto 1/2"
1 tablespoon fresh thyme dice
zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Lime infused extra virgin olive oil (infuse the zest of a lime in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil at least overnight)
Combine red onion, garlic, and ginger in skillet with extra virgin olive oil until they begin to sweat/ go tender. Add spinach and cook/wilt while stirring. Add tomatoes and rest of spices and just heat through tomatoes and turn off heat. See pic below, this is basically a variant of Indian seasoning.
Salt, pepper and dust scallops and red snapper with lime zest. Grill until done as shown below, (That grill pan is available at Home Depot for $15 and essential for grilling seafood.) brushing with lime infused olive oil as necessary.
Plate as shown below, with scallops aranged on thin lime slices and red snapper atop the bed of tomatoes/spinach. Avocado or other vegetable side of your choice completes.
The below is for 2 servings, adjust for more people...
2 Four Oz. portions fresh Red Snapper
6 large Diver's scallops
1 cup spinach
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 1/2 cups farmer's market fresh tomatoes, diced inrto 1/2"
1 tablespoon fresh thyme dice
zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Lime infused extra virgin olive oil (infuse the zest of a lime in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil at least overnight)
Combine red onion, garlic, and ginger in skillet with extra virgin olive oil until they begin to sweat/ go tender. Add spinach and cook/wilt while stirring. Add tomatoes and rest of spices and just heat through tomatoes and turn off heat. See pic below, this is basically a variant of Indian seasoning.
Salt, pepper and dust scallops and red snapper with lime zest. Grill until done as shown below, (That grill pan is available at Home Depot for $15 and essential for grilling seafood.) brushing with lime infused olive oil as necessary.
Plate as shown below, with scallops aranged on thin lime slices and red snapper atop the bed of tomatoes/spinach. Avocado or other vegetable side of your choice completes.
Cagey
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That sounds excellent! I had something similar once down in Puerto Rico, and thought I'd died and gone to heaven, although their presentation wasn't quite as fancy. Then, I almost died anyway because while I was sitting there, I looked out the side of what could loosely be called the building, and not 5 feet away was a lizard the size of Godzilla's father. At first, I thought it was a very well-done bit of taxidermy placed there for decoration until it blinked at me. Then, my heart skipped about 37 beats. I'm not kidding, this thing had to be 5 feet long if it was an inch. It was a genuine honest-to-god Japanese horror movie monster. I couldn't tell if it was sizing me up to decide whether it should go for dark or white meat first, only that it was almost certainly not going to take it long to eat me.
After about 28 mini-heart attacks, I decided that forewarned was forearmed, so I stopped worrying about it and went about my meal while keeping a sharp eye on it. Figured if it made any threatening moves, well, I have opposable thumbs, some metal utensils, and I'm a crafty little sociopath myself. But, the damn thing never twitched. If I live to be 982 years old, I'll never forget that bugger, or that meal.
After about 28 mini-heart attacks, I decided that forewarned was forearmed, so I stopped worrying about it and went about my meal while keeping a sharp eye on it. Figured if it made any threatening moves, well, I have opposable thumbs, some metal utensils, and I'm a crafty little sociopath myself. But, the damn thing never twitched. If I live to be 982 years old, I'll never forget that bugger, or that meal.
jackthehack
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Rotini con Olive e Pomodori
With beautiful farmer's market tomatoes available at their best, it's a great time to do classic/rustic Italian dishes! This makes enough for 2 portions and some left over for lunch, double quantities for a dinner for four.
Chop 1 lb. fresh farmer's market tomatoes (I used heirloom romas and purples in this dish, get the best you can find). Add to serving bowl with 1 heaping tablespoon shredded fresh basil, 1 heaping teaspoon fresh oregano and 1 heaping teaspoon lemon zest; mix and pepper to taste and let stand at least one hour at room temperature to allow the flavors to infuse with one another.
Combine 1/4 lb chopped/pitted kalamata (or other) olives, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 small chopped (or 1/2 regular) red onion and red pepper and 1/2 lb. prosciutto shredded into small pieces and 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
While preparing 1/2 lb. rotini (fusili or other pasta can be substituted) per instructions, add olives/garlic/red pepper/onion/prosciutto to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive olive and saute until onion start to become translucent.
While pasta is draining, add other sauted ingredients to serving bowl with tomatoes, then add pasta and toss thoroughly. Plate and grate fresh parmesan or romano cheese and serve.
Fresh, simple, tasty!
With beautiful farmer's market tomatoes available at their best, it's a great time to do classic/rustic Italian dishes! This makes enough for 2 portions and some left over for lunch, double quantities for a dinner for four.
Chop 1 lb. fresh farmer's market tomatoes (I used heirloom romas and purples in this dish, get the best you can find). Add to serving bowl with 1 heaping tablespoon shredded fresh basil, 1 heaping teaspoon fresh oregano and 1 heaping teaspoon lemon zest; mix and pepper to taste and let stand at least one hour at room temperature to allow the flavors to infuse with one another.
Combine 1/4 lb chopped/pitted kalamata (or other) olives, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 small chopped (or 1/2 regular) red onion and red pepper and 1/2 lb. prosciutto shredded into small pieces and 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
While preparing 1/2 lb. rotini (fusili or other pasta can be substituted) per instructions, add olives/garlic/red pepper/onion/prosciutto to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive olive and saute until onion start to become translucent.
While pasta is draining, add other sauted ingredients to serving bowl with tomatoes, then add pasta and toss thoroughly. Plate and grate fresh parmesan or romano cheese and serve.
Fresh, simple, tasty!
Nightclub Dwight
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Every Thursday night we have a dinner party for 6 people, we call it Thursday Night Dinner. The rules are they bring the wine, we do the cooking (I'm a bit of a control freak about what I eat.) There are 2 vegetarians, so its usually a vegetarian dinner, although for certain menus I'll make a meat option.
Tonight it was one of our guest's birthdays, and on a birthday we allow them to request a menu, all other times its whatever we (me and my partner) want to cook. Tonight it was a salad I call Two Hearts Eat as One, a white bean dip with fresh vegetables and a pasta with manchego cheese and capers.
The bean dip was a last minute thing I whipped up because we thought the menu lacked protein and fresh vegetables (since it was a birthday request menu it may not have been well planned for nutrition.) I noticed that our calamata olive baguette had gone stale, so I shredded it in the food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs. The rest of the dip is really easy; just drain and rinse a can or two of white beans (or any other bean you like), add a good handful of fresh rosemary chopped fine, and crush 5 or 6 cloves of garlic with some kosher salt to make a paste. In a food processor pulse the beans, rosemary and garlic with several tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil. Use enough oil so that the beans puree smooth insead of mealy. I just keep adding it while blending till it looks good. You'll know when its right. I turned the puree into an oven safe dish, covered the top with the fresh breadcrumbs I made, and broiled it for a few minutes to brown the breadcrumbs. Serve with slices of fresh vegetables; I used yellow and orange bell peppers, carrots and cucumbers.
The Two Hearts Eat as One salad is simply marinated artichoke hearts and hearts of palm served over a bed of lettuce. The dressing is olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic and dijon mustard.
For the pasta we used two boxes of rigatoni cooked al dente. To that you add about a half pound or more of grated manchego cheese and several tablespoons of capers that are sauteed briefly in a little bit of olive oil. I like to add more olive oil to the pasta to lubricate it along with about a cup of water taken from the pot the pasta cooked in. The cheese has a tendency to clump up when you mix it with the pasta so the water is good to thin it out a bit.
Lots of olive oil tonight, but I don't really see how you can cook without it. I probably have ten or twelve different bottles of olive oil I use for various things according to their character.
We've been doing Thursday Night Dinner for 3 or 4 years now and we have most every menu stored on an Excel file if anyone is interested in seeing it.
Tonight it was one of our guest's birthdays, and on a birthday we allow them to request a menu, all other times its whatever we (me and my partner) want to cook. Tonight it was a salad I call Two Hearts Eat as One, a white bean dip with fresh vegetables and a pasta with manchego cheese and capers.
The bean dip was a last minute thing I whipped up because we thought the menu lacked protein and fresh vegetables (since it was a birthday request menu it may not have been well planned for nutrition.) I noticed that our calamata olive baguette had gone stale, so I shredded it in the food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs. The rest of the dip is really easy; just drain and rinse a can or two of white beans (or any other bean you like), add a good handful of fresh rosemary chopped fine, and crush 5 or 6 cloves of garlic with some kosher salt to make a paste. In a food processor pulse the beans, rosemary and garlic with several tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil. Use enough oil so that the beans puree smooth insead of mealy. I just keep adding it while blending till it looks good. You'll know when its right. I turned the puree into an oven safe dish, covered the top with the fresh breadcrumbs I made, and broiled it for a few minutes to brown the breadcrumbs. Serve with slices of fresh vegetables; I used yellow and orange bell peppers, carrots and cucumbers.
The Two Hearts Eat as One salad is simply marinated artichoke hearts and hearts of palm served over a bed of lettuce. The dressing is olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic and dijon mustard.
For the pasta we used two boxes of rigatoni cooked al dente. To that you add about a half pound or more of grated manchego cheese and several tablespoons of capers that are sauteed briefly in a little bit of olive oil. I like to add more olive oil to the pasta to lubricate it along with about a cup of water taken from the pot the pasta cooked in. The cheese has a tendency to clump up when you mix it with the pasta so the water is good to thin it out a bit.
Lots of olive oil tonight, but I don't really see how you can cook without it. I probably have ten or twelve different bottles of olive oil I use for various things according to their character.
We've been doing Thursday Night Dinner for 3 or 4 years now and we have most every menu stored on an Excel file if anyone is interested in seeing it.
Jusatele
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Vegy sandwiches tonight
took a few french rolls and split them,
mustard, and a layer of Humus, then some black olives
Pickles, cucumber, zucchini, and a few radishes, salt and pepper
A layer of Avocado and Alfalfa Sprouts, dress with Italian Dressing and serve with a Glass of a good Burgundy Wine
oh, some Squash Chips on the side
Squash chips, young summer squash cut real thin and deep fried, drained in paper to loose all the oil and salted, not as crisp as potato chips but a lot better for you.
took a few french rolls and split them,
mustard, and a layer of Humus, then some black olives
Pickles, cucumber, zucchini, and a few radishes, salt and pepper
A layer of Avocado and Alfalfa Sprouts, dress with Italian Dressing and serve with a Glass of a good Burgundy Wine
oh, some Squash Chips on the side
Squash chips, young summer squash cut real thin and deep fried, drained in paper to loose all the oil and salted, not as crisp as potato chips but a lot better for you.