The ZGeek Cooking Show!!!

[Spingo]

Well, since the other cooking/gastronomy thread has been lost somewhere, and since I have had numerous requests to share my pikelet recipe with those who have tastes my yummy breakfast treat, I thought that I'd kick it off again...

Spingo's Magical Pikelets! - Serves approx 6 (ZHouse portions)

Ingredients :: 2 cups of self raising flour, 1 pinch of salt, 1.5 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 4 tablespoons of melted butter, dash of lemon juice, dash of white vinegar.

Sift flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and sugar into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle, and mix in the eggs and milk - sifting the dry ingredients and making the well in them is important, as this will make the mix less lumpy!.

Mix thoroughly until there are no lumps. Mix in butter and lemon juice. The lemon juice will curdle the milk slightly, which tends to make the pikelets less sticky in the pan.

Once this has been mixed in, add the dash of vinegar. The vinegar is the catalyst for a reaction with the bicarbonate of soda - if you mix this in the right amount, you will see the mix start to bubble. This is normal, and is encouraged - When cooking the pikelets, they are nicely done when the bubbles remain open.

Pour 1 tablespoon of mixture into a dollop in a fry pan in medium heat - you don't want it too hot, or the pikelts will stick. Too cold, and they wont cook. I normally cook 5 pikelets at once in an electric frypan.

Serve with strawberry jam (preferably the non-mouldy variety) and cream, with butter, with lemon and sugar, or if you are Bussie, with tabasco sauce. :D

[RaZ]

sweeeet, now before we begin cooking class for the 1337, can we order or re-order posts to have good recipe's in the first set of posts, perhaps by vote order or something ??? Or just ppl search the pages ?? Cause for some funny reason I don't feel like putting them in a text file and just putting a link, I do however feel like posting them every now and then and taking requests ;)

The first one Veggie dish for a main meal that can also be used for lunch the next day. Tastes really good, even for us meat lovers :) But I'll post that after ya answer the question above :)

[rickbitch]

Raz: Methinks that would be too hard!

My recipe is not for food! It's for a drink I invented!!

The Bishop

In a 7 ounce glass, pour 1 nip of Southern Comfort. Fill glass with Father O'Leary's Irish Cream. Add ice if desired.

YUM!

I called it the Bishop (apart from the obvious) because a bishop is an upgraded father.

[RaZ]

what would be too hard, the order of posts or the meal, cause the meal is really really easy :) and is good eating.......


mean while,

Teh RaZz0r Shot
(strong)
Amount of each is = in the shot glass

. \------/
.. |____|<---- Kahlua
.. |____|<---- Second lot (coconut one)
.. |____|<---- first lot of rum

Bacardi white rum, Coconut flavour rum (Bombora is good) & kahlua.

If you pour these in this order you should almost get a top layer of the kahlua and then slam it down in one hit. Warms the tummy nicely with a wicked after taste ;) (Thought of it when I was working for Bacardi in Canada)

And one for the women to sip on or drink quick ;)

1 Large Glass
2 cubes of ice
1/2 shot of coconut rum
1/2 shot of Tia mira or Kahlua
Milk

throw in the ice first !! Then the rum & milk remembering to leave enough room in the glass for the kahlua.
Throw in the Kahlua while giving it a slow stir. Tastes like a choc milke shake with a coconut after taste :)

(btw add a shot of each to make it stronger, but beware, even the 1/2 shot of each will get you girls giggley)

[CMYK]

Cut turkish bread
Insert in toaster
Toast until ready
Lavish with butter and honey.

[Colonel Kurtz]

Take a scotch fillet steak, season with salt and pepper, cook in pan until rare to medium rare, serve with a pepper sauce, hot french fries with garlic butter drizzled over them, batterred and fried onion rings with mustrad mayonnaise, honeyed baby carrots and green beans and bernaise sauce.

If I could find a way to slip in some sausages and a shnitzel it would be my perfect meal

And people wonder why I'm on a diet....sheessshhhh:D

[sagit]

but i want my turkish bread soft and thick. tis yummy stuff. everytime i had breakfast at a sydney cafe, the turkish bread got toasted.

oh well.

[kleph]

my beloved thread is gone....

i weep.

my recipes are locked in storage and i cannot retrieve them....for now i can only offer you the teachings of my god....

http://www.cliffordawright.com/images/author_1.jpg (http://www.cliffordawright.com/)

[Snowball]

I love sausages but the ones you buy today are total crap. They are stuffed with filler which is genearlly bread crumbs and a some sort of meat.
The following recipe is a bit time consuming but well worth the effort.

You can also substitute the pig intestine for the comercial sausage skins.

The following is a recipe for Traditional English sausages.

500 grams Pork fat(back fat is best)
1kg of pork neck
3 teaspoons salt
fresh parsley/basil
Pig Intestines or the synthetic tubing for the sausage.
250 grams dry bread crumbs.



It is fairly simple to start, the fat and pork neck need to be chopped very finely. The fat was the hardest as when we put a small amount through a blender it just turned to mush and had no texture to it so we found it better to chop it by hand.
The pork neck we put through a blender as it was not as touch and came out at a nice consistency.

Once this has been done it is a matter of mixing in the rest of the ingredients.
Now comes the hard part. I choose to use the pig intestine. My theory was that it would add more flavour and i wanted to do it the traditional way.
We used a medium size funnel and slid as much of the intestine onto the end of the nozzle as we could, tied a not in the end and proceded to push the mixture through the nozzle into the intestine until we had made a decent sized sausage. We then twisted the intestine to close it off and continued on make the next sausage.

Out of this mixture we got around 15 sausage's and they really tasted great.

I will have to perfect my method of getting the intestine onto the funnel as it is very slippery but over all it was well worth it, they were the best tasting sausages i have had in a long time.

[ersatz]

Is your cupboard bare? Too po' for anything other than a 56K connection? Nothing but stale bread, a few ragged veges and some tomato paste? Fear not! For here on the threshold of starvation comes the Bachelor PizzaToast of Unforseen Adequacy!


* Locate your few remaining stale slices of bread (preferably something with grains in it for fibre) & stick under grill or on handmade coathanger-toaster until dark brown.

* Chip the frozen half-tin of tomato paste or random pesto from the back of the freezer, nuke/defrost then spread on toasted bread. If you've got any onion, garlic, or chillies, chop very finely and spread on the pasted bread. Place under grill.

* Retrieve any other non-furry vegetables (or fruits in the case of the tomato & capsicum) from the bottom tray of the fridge or pantry. Use these only if gloves or tongs are not needed for handling. If they're soft it's still okay, just not TOO soft. ew. Chop up finely & mix/stir. I prefer tomato, red & green capsicum, mushroom, squash & sometimes zucchini. Stick back under grill and toast the fuck out of it, you never know what's growing in that fridge.

* Just before anything gets to burn, add grated cheese & herbs, re-grill, remove just as the cheese begins to brown & eat.


Long-winded I know, but it works a treat if you're on your last legs or just couldn't be bothered shopping. As an added bonus your fridge is now cleaned out & you're eating something that looks a little bit like pizza.

[angel_b]

Make cabbage soup.

Eat.

Sulk.

[Colonel Kurtz]

Dice three onions and four cloves of garlic, olive oil and place in large pot. When they are nice and golden, add half a dozen diced rashers of bacon (leave fat, remove rind), then add 1kg of mince and brown. Shred 4 carrots and four sticks of celery and add that as well. Add a large can of crushed tomatoes and amedium size jar of tomatoe paste. Add half a bottle of red wine (those party leftovers that keep in the fridge for cooking). Add oregano, basil and assorted other italian herbs to taste, bay leaves (ground) a good belt of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper. Simmer for several hours to get the full flavour. A dash of curry powder is also good.

Serve with pasta of your choice and fresh parmesan (fresh parmesan melts better), and a nice bottle of red.

[Bostonmess]

Just a taster :D (I don't know why but I'm in a giggly mood, must be that beers and pot:))


PASTA YAYA

Pasta YaYa is Cajun dish
Make it when you're tired of fish
Cook Andouille sausage or something hot
Boil plain water in a pot
Drop in bouillon cubes of bird
Be sure they're smunched, and crunched and stirred
Remove the pot and grab a pan
We'll saute like a crazy man
Heat some oil of any kind
Cook all the peppers you can find
Add chopped garlic and onion too
Till the aroma holds you like super glue
Slice some strips of chicken breast
And add them in with all the rest
Cook until they turn to white
Then add the sausage just for spite
And boil 'em till they start to scream
In half a cup of heavy cream
When the sauce begins to thicken
Add a little broth of chicken
And one big pinch of blackening spice
(Recipe included because I'm nice )
Add the pasta, prepared in advance,
Soon your tongue will start to dance

[Bostonmess]

Why do one post when you can do three? Found these:

http://www.obrien.ie/book138.cfm

http://www.faisons.com/newsite/rhyming.htm

[Spingo]

PLEASE NOTE :: THIS IS A "DISCUSSIONS" THREAD! Any posts not containing serious material regarding cooking, recipies and previous posts on topic will now be deleted!

[imp]

CHILLI in a Bread Bowel (Sourdough usually)

This is what i ate in the U.S A LOT which is why my ass is sp big now and i'm having to diet.

Find BIG round (deep) bread loaf.

Cut a hole in the top and scoop out the bread. Try and keep it all attached.

Buy yourself a can of STAGG chilli. (Cue for most ppl to feel ill but really it's good. My Dad made me eat it in Canada and I couldn't stop)

Heat in a pot and add more Tabasco as the Chilli tends to be a bit mild.

I usually add some extra celery and kidney beans for good measure just to make it a bit chunkier.

Grate cheese.

Once it's heated, pour into bread bowel and sprinkle with cheese. Dip bread in Chilli during mastication.

p.s. They have a lite version of STAGG chilli as well which contains lean meat. And YES you can get STAGG chilli in pretty much any supermarket.

:D
And that's how I gained 5 kilos. :p

[utopian]

there's another version of that, it uses spinach and cottage cheese (i think) in place of chilli.

one of my friends parents serves it at parties whenever they throw one at their place. it's delicious. served warm, very yummy.

the best bit is when most of the filling is gone (because of people using corn chips as well as the bread), and there's a shell left with the remnants on the sides. nice to just break off and eat straight away.

it takes people a little bit of time to get used to the idea of snapping the bread shell to use it to scoop out the insides.

[imp]

Also I made split pea and ham soup with the left over smoked ham i had on the bone form Xmas.

That was delightful.

And also made a mini Paella with the leftover seafood I had from the fish markets (mussels, prawns and crab) :D

[Snowball]

Originally posted by Utopienne
there's another version of that, it uses spinach and cottage cheese (i think) in place of chilli.

one of my friends parents serves it at parties whenever they throw one at their place. it's delicious. served warm, very yummy.

the best bit is when most of the filling is gone (because of people using corn chips as well as the bread), and there's a shell left with the remnants on the sides. nice to just break off and eat straight away.

it takes people a little bit of time to get used to the idea of snapping the bread shell to use it to scoop out the insides.

I personally find this dish foul.
People always double dip, stick their fingers in it and so on i cringe each time i see it.

[katana]

Smoked Salmon and Avacado sauce for pasta.

Ingrediants.
Smoked Salmon.
Aacado.
Thickened Cream.
Garlic.
Olive Oil.
Bacon Fat.(rendered)
Italian Herbs.

In a frypan add Oil,garlic,Bacon Fat and herbs bring pan to a mild heat and then add cream and simmer. When the cream has reduced a bit add Salmon and avacado,the Salmon and avacado only need to be heated.

pour over pasta add some garlic chives and enjoy:D :D :D

[astro]

Astro's Uber-Tuna

Stuff you need:
about 200g of fresh Tuna steaks. Big, fat tasty ones. check your local fish market or fisherman's co-op. Not the deli section of Woolworths.
olive oil, Extra virgin (giggle!)
salt and pepper
one lemon's juice (more giggling)

Mix up this stuff in one bowl:
1/4 kilo of cooked baby taters
1/4 kilo of fresh blanched green beans
1 bunch of fresh water cress leaves
1/4 cup of salted and rinsed capers

and this stuff in a different bowl:
3 tablespoons of dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Then...
In a heavy frying pan heat the olive oil and sear the tuna on each side, 2-3 minutes, and let it rest for 10 minutes then dice into large chunks.
Combine the dressing, salad and toss gently, then add the tuna, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and drizzle over the juice of one lemon (optional).

Enjoy!

[astro]

Thanks, Utop... but I think we killed the thread ;)

Better give the masses something to eat then...

Astro's Green Prawns Panfried With Ginger, Green Mango And Linguine

Watcha need...

about 30 small green prawns
¼ pack linguine (fine ribbon pasta)
1 large green mango
Some peanut oil
Small piece of ginger, finely diced
a crushed clove of garlic
Some fresh coriander roots and leaves, finely chopped
a small red chilli, finely chopped
Some fish stock (about 2 cups)
50ml cream
Salt & pepper


Make it so!


Shell, head & tail, and devein prawns. Then sautee them in a some peanut oil with garlic and ginger for 2-4 minutes till just cooked. Stick 'em in a big bowl thingy, and chuck in the chopped coriander and chilli.
Peel and slice mango into thin long strips. Bring fish stock to a boil and blanch linguini till just soft. Drain into a sieve over a sink.
Return to pot and bring fish stock again to a boil, simmer and reduce to 1/2 cup. Whisk in the cream and reduce a little further.

Season to taste. Some lemon juice might be necessary to sharpen the sauce up.


How to plonk it on a plate...

Put some linguine on the plate and surround the linguine with the prawns (if the prawns have cooled off, give them another hit in the pan to warm them up again). Spoon a little bitof sauce on to the linguine, and then drop some mango slices on top.

Goes nicely with a tasty riesling.

Enjoy!

[angel_b]

Thanks for the tuna recipe, astro. Sounds tasty and low fat too. Have saved it and will try it in the near future. :)

[ShadowNemesis]

has anyone else here ever cooked something not from a recipe, found it tasted really nice, then never been able to replicate it?

[kleph]

kinda. a lot of times when i cook cajun i'll make a version of something that is just dead on amazing and i'll never figure out what exactly i did for that batch.

[Nandragon]

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole al la Nan

2 cups cooked rice
1/2-1lb steamed cabbage
1lb ground beef
basil, salt, pepper to taste
1 large can tomatoe sauce (I like the basil tomatoe)

Preheat oven to 350
Mix rice, meat and 1/2 of tomato sauce
In long shallow baking pan, layer in this order:
cabbage
Rice and Meat mixture
poor remaining tomatoe sauce over top
bake till meat mixture is done.

Serve with pepper sauce and cornbread
Yum, yum!

[Nandragon]

Nan's Skillet Cassataco!

Ingredients:

1lb ground meat
1 pkg taco seasonings
1 can mexican corn drained
1cup cheese (your choice)

Corn meal top:
5tbs self rising cornmeal
2tbs self rising flour
1 egg
1tsp sugar
1/2-1 cup HOT water (enough to make mixture pudding consistancy)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook ground meat till done follow directions on seasoning pkg.
(If you want you can use chilli powder, salt, pepper & tobasco)

In large oven skillet mix meat & corn, place cheese on top of meat and corn then pour over the corn bread mixture. Put in oven for about 30 minutes or until cornbread is done. Insertion of toothpick will come out clean.

[ShadowNemesis]

mmmmmmmm home made choc-chip cookie dough....even better, choc-chip cookies straight out of the oven....would give you the recipe, but can't remember how much of everything I put in except the butter:(

[Nandragon]

This one's for Kleph!

Low Country Boil

1lb of sausage
2lbs of shrimp (pealed or unpealed)
5lbs of potatoes (cubed and pealed)
2 lg onions (pealed and sliced)
Corn on the cob (I use about 6 ears cut into 3rds)
Crab legs optional
1 pouch of seafood seasonings

I LARGE pot of boiling water
add seafood seasoning pouch
cook sausage first for 10 minutes
add potatoes & onion 15 minutes
add corn on the cob 10 minutes

add shrimp and crab last for about 5 minutes.

pour mixture out on table and pick and eat southern Savannah style!

FEEDS MANY!!!

[dmso12]

OK, so I'm gonna record for the masses my own personal staple for cooking - it's cheap, filling, and good for you!

Take a pound of red kidney beans, and soak half of them overnight. Soak the remaining half for about 2 hours, wash them all, then add them to a pot. Add water and boil gently. After a good hour or so of boiling, you add the following:

1 medium onion, diced and saute'ed previously.
1 diced bunch of green onions.
1 minced clove of garlic.
3 chopped stalks of celery.
1 diced tomato, and 3 diced chiles (you can use Rotel canned chiles if you can find them)

If desired, add a few links of sausage. I personally use Boudin, but since nobody else on this planet seems to know what that is, I suggest italian sausage.

Cook for another hour. By this time, the beans that soaked overnight will have turned into a gravy. From this point, cook it until it is thick enough for your tastes. Last, add your salt, pepper, cayenne, hot sauce, onion powder, lemon salt, and whatever else you want to put in there.

Serve over rice.

[kleph]

is that french boudin or cajun boudin? if the latter is it red boudin or white boudin? and would i get bonus points for knowing what strawberry boudin is?

ironically, my dinner tonight is the last of a batch i made last week. it's similar to your version with a few important modifications.

i always base it around a bone. there is a deli store down the street and they will sell me the hambone when they have cut away all the slices for the deli trays. it still has a decent amount of meat on it to flavor the dish. i also cut up about a half pound of sausage to cook with as well.

i also add my seasoning when i throw in the veggies. i feel they work their way through the dish better and the salt helps break down the beans better.

[dwarfthrower]

Dwarfy's Lentil Dahl
--------------------------

Since Mrs Dwarf is pregnant, she's having cravings for weird foodstuffs. Normally she wouldn't go near a lentil with a four foot pole, but the other night she simply had to have lentils. Here's how I satisfy her urges:

Ingredients:
----------------

2 onions
6 cloves garlic - or about 8 teaspoons of the preminced stuff
About 4 cubic cm fresh ginger - or about 4 teaspoons preminced
500g red lentils
4 tsp Garam masala
Oil
Salt & Pepper

4 litres water.

Method:
----------

Finely chop onions, squish garlic & grate ginger

Fry onions, garlic & ginger in oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot until onions are translucent

Thoroughly wash lentils in a colander or strainer

toss lentils into pot, stir around, add garam masala, salt & pepper to taste.

Cover with 4 litres of water and let boil

stir occaisionally

it's done when the mixture thickens and looks like gloop.

Serve with rice, roti, yoghurt, and plum sauce

[kleph]

alrighty, i've finally moved enough of my stuff into my new apartment that i can actually begin cooking again. i did a simple roast chicken over rice last night and a chicken cacciatore of my own invention that came out pretty good...

1/2 chicken, in four pieces
2 cups red wine
1 onion (sliced relatively thin)
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
red pepper flakes
thyme
sea salt
orzo pasta
grated parmesan cheese

take a covered pan (i used my dutch oven but a good sauce pan with a lid would be fine) and pour thin layer of olive oil on bottom. get VERY hot and put the chicken pieces in. keep chicken moving so it doesn't stick an brown on all sides.

throw in the onion, garlic, salt, thyme and a healthy dose of the red pepper and a cup of the wine (or enough to cover the chicken about halfway). cover and let cook over a medium low flame.

turn chicken every 20 minutes or so adding red wine as needed. after an hour and a half to two hours the chicken should be cooked all the way through and there should be a somewhat thick sauce.

cook the orzo. put orzo in the bottom of a bowl, put chicken on top and pour the sauce over it. grate a healthy portion of parmesan cheeze on top and enjoy!

[kleph]

this is the most desirable woman in the world: http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/

[kleph]

Kleph's Artichoke Heart Pasta

this is a super simple recipe i swiped from an italian cookbook and changed to fit my own taste. it's fast to cook and tastes damn good.

penne pasta
olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
4 sundried tomatoes
parsley (just a few sprigs) chopped
parmesian cheese
lemon pepper
salt

boil the water and get the pasta going.

coat the bottom of a saute pan with oil and saute garlic. before the garlic turns brown throw in the artichoke hearts and the salt and pepper. let cook about two minutes and add enough of the juice from the hearts to cover them about halfway. simmer for about five minutes. throw in sundried tomatoes and chopped parsley. give it another 30 seconds or so.

drain pasta and put in a bowl. put the artichoke heart saute on top and grate a healthy dose of parmesan on top. mix it up so the cheese melts and grate some more on the individual servings.

[kleph]

Kleph's Chili Con Carne Version 1.0

I've been meaning to devise a somewhat-authentic Chili Con Carne recipe for some time but never got around to it. Since I'm back in California and the ingredients are redily available, I figured now was the time. After some research I decided to go the "no beans" route which, by the way, makes my recipe legal under the law of the State of Texas.

Essentially I wanted to get a sense of the technique required so I opted to use chili powders and keep the pepper heat under control. The next versions I'll play around with grinding my own dried peppers and mixing the types of fresh peppers for the proper "bite." I chose chuck on the bone because it is much more tender and I can freeze the bones for making broth later.

This version came out exceedingly well. It's rich and filling and comes in at about 2 alarm strength. As with all chili's, if you leave it overnight it's even better.

3.5 pounds chuck beef on the bone
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
3 tablespoons new mexico chili powder
3 tablespoons ground cumin
8 strips of bacon
1 onion (chopped)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
4 jalepenos (minced)
1 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons lime juice
9 cups water
1 cup masa harina or corn starch
salt
black pepper
tabasco
fresh cilantro (chopped)

cut the beef from the bone and into about 1 inch squares (most recipes call for smaller portions but I like a heavier sauce and this works better). coat in about 2 teaspoons of salt and set aside

mix chili powders and the cumin with 1 cup of water until it becomes an even paste. set aside.

cook bacon until very crispy in a dutch oven under a medium heat. try and extract as much grease as possible. take out the bacon and chop into 1/2 inch sections. set aside. pour all but about 2 tablespoons of grease out and set aside.

turn heat up to medium high and, just as it begins to smoke, begin browing the beef in batches. cook until each peace is browned on each side. add more bacon grease as needed with each batch. when done set the beef aside again.

pour in the last of the bacon grease (about half should be left) and, just as it begins smoking again, throw in the onion. cook until tender - about 10 minutes. throw in the garlic and jalepeno and cook until fragrant - about a minute. throw in the chili powder and cook until fragrant - about a minute.

throw in the beef, the bacon, the lime juice, the tomatoes and seven cups of water. cook until starts to boil and turn flame down so it simmers. cover and cook until it thickens - about two and a half hours.

mix masa harena (or corn starch) with 1 cup of water until smooth. pour into chili and stir until clumps are elminated. add tabasco, salt, black pepper to taste. cook for at least fifteen minutes more.

serve in bowls with fresh cilantro on top. goes great with flour tortillas and beer.


as always, any and all suggestions for the next versions is not only welcomed but encouraged...

[gooey]

Bean Nachos!!

ingredients:

some olive oil
a chilli
one onion
some herbs and spice eg. oregano, rosemary, thyme...
a zuchini
a red pepper
a can of refried beans
a can of red kidney beans
(DONT GET OLD EL PASO STUFF - ITS CRAP!!!)
shredded cheese
bag of cc's or dorito's or whatever corn chips you like.
sour cream
guacamole


how to make:

preheat oven to 180.
chop onion, red pepper and zuchini and finely chop chilli.
put a dollop of olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat
cook chilli first for a minute or two, then chuck in onion until it goes yellowy-clear
put in zuchini and pepper and other herbs, cook quickly for a minute
then put in red kidney beans and refried beans, turn down heat to low and let it simmer for at least 10mins (preferably bout 20min) - stir every now and then.
get a baking dish, put your chips in it and stick it in the oven until they're golden and hot (bout 5mins).

grab a plate, put some chips on it, sprinkle some cheese over the top, put some bean mixture on that , and then a bit more cheese on top of the bean mixture.
put some sour cream and guacamole on the side.

voila!

[kleph]

one of the few highlights of living in this godforsaken part of Southern California is the abundance of fruits this time of year. i found a new way to make lemonade so i picked up a bag of lemons and experimented. not only was it absolutely excellent, i have a few new ideas for my sangria as well...

Pucker up and Enjoy Lemonade

12-15 lemons
1.25 - 1.5 cups sugar

cut the tips off the lemons and slice lengthwise. cut the halves into thin slices. put the slices and sugar in large sturdy bowl and, using a potatoe masher or heavy wooden spoon, mash until enough liquid has emerged to completely absorb the sugar.

put half the lemons into a collander (set in a bowl to catch the juice, of course) and mash until as much of the juice is extracted as possible. repeat with other half.

pour juice into pitcher and add 5 cups of water. chill and serve over ice.

[kleph]

the local carniceria had cornish hens on sale and i just couldn't pass them by. i meant to grill them but it rained today and that idea went out the window. so i went back to my bible - Clifford Wright's excellent, A Mediterranian Feast - and found plan b, an Algerian dish that calls for stewing the hens on the stovetop. and lordy it was good. the mix of lemon and corriander tastes jumps out when you take a bite but the slow-cooked sauce is a filling undertone. a happy surprise for a rainy day.



Hauam Muhammar - Cornish Hens with saffron and corriander

2 cornish hens, quartered
1 cup olive oil
pinch or two of saffron
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
chicken broth
sea salt
ground black pepper
1/2 cup corriander leaves
1/2 cup shallots (or 1 medium size sweet onion)
1 lemon

In a deep pan or stovetop casserole dish add oil, saffron and cumin. Heat on medium hot burner until spatter of water boils off immediately. Pat hens down with paper towels until dry. Add to oil and brown.

Turn heat down to medium and add enough chicken broth to just cover the hens. Add salt and pepper. Cover and cook until tender - just more than an hour.

Finely mince the corriander/cilantro and shallots. Take hens out of sauce and turn heat up to high. Add a small handfull of the corriander, shallot mix and reduce by half. Pour sauce over hens, top with the remaining corriander and shallot mix. Add juice of lemon.

[kleph]

and, since i had a meat dish, i needed a veggie. i had some leeks on hand because i used the leaves to make my chicken stock. i also needed the bacon grease for another dish i want to make later this week so this gratin was a logical necessity.

Leek Gratin

3 pounds of leeks
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound bacon
1/2 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk


Cook bacon until crispy. Chop into small pieces and set aside.

Wash leeks and julienne the white part. Chop into short pieces. Heat olive oil in large sauce pan and cook leeks down until soft - about 10 minutes. Add parsley and bacon, salt and pepper and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Let cool.

Whisk together milk, cream and eggs. Pour into leek mixture and mix until uniform.

Pour in pie pan or gratin dish and cook in a preheated 425 degree oven for half an hour or until top turns slightly brown.

[RaZ]

RaZz0rs big breaky..................

This can take a while to make mainly because of timing, but here goes :-

*This is mainly to feed two ppl*

4 Eggs
1 1/2 cups of Milk (more will strech it a little too much)
1/4 green pepper (capsicum)
1/2 tomato (chopped)
1/2 Onion (small)
1/2 Cup of Cheese (grated)
1/2 Cup of chopped Ham (or not if you don't like it :) )
2 tea spoons of oil or a table spoon of butter
Onion salt
Black Pepper
Herb Mix

Best to use a deep pan for this as you can make it a Omelette
very easy !! *the trick for that is to cook it on a low heat, I will explain later !*

Mix up the Eggs & Milk with the green peppers/tomato/cheese & the pepper, salt & herbs.

Once thats done heat up the pan to medium heat and throw in the Onion/Ham & butter. Cook untill brown and then add the Egg mixture in, before adding the mixture be sure to use a fork to rapidly stir the mixture for a few seconds.

When you have added the egg mixture to the pan use the fork to stir the bottom of the mixture, this makes sure that the bottom don't burn while cooking and also turn the heat down to low.

And thats it, if you want toast then once you have stired the bottom of the pan when you put the eggs in, put the toast down then, the timing for the toast to be ready should be about when the egg mixture is ready. Of course you will know its cooked when the egg mixture is no longer runny !! :)

Also a quick easy one is :-

take 2 eggs & a small pot, fill small pot 1/3 with water and bring to boil on high heat. As soon as the water starts to boil, gently using a table spoon put the two eggs in. Also add about a tea spoon of salt, this will stop the eggs from leaking if they happen to crack.

Time the eggs being in the water to 3 mins, go a extra 30 seconds if you don't like your eggs too runny, YES 30 seconds only as the eggs cook on their own while they are still unopened in the shell. Cook a shit load of toast while you do all this.
When the 3 1/2 mins are up take the eggs out, put them in to a small shot glass and cut open the top if the eggs. Take the toast that you made, butter them & cut in to fingers about 3 cm wide.

Take fingers and dip in to open egg = YUMMY !!! :)

[Spingo]

I promised to post this many months ago.. Urban reminded me last night while on IRC, so, here it is! One piece of advise - this will take at least 3 hours to cook - maybe even longer if you cook the mince more slowly (the slower you cook the mince, the more it will melt in your mouth)...

What you will need:
500g mince
100g salami
an onion
a 850g tin of peeled tomatoes - these should be undrained and chopped. I usually get cans with olives in them
tomato paste
a clove of garlic, or garlic paste
basil, oregano, sugar, salt & pepper
oil
butter or margerine
plain flour
125g tasty cheese
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
lasagne sheets


Basically, there are three stages to make the lasagne in, but the timing is crucial. I generally start making the meat sauce first, then start the cheese sauce at the 1.5 hour mark, and start the assembly at the 2 hour mark.

Meat Sauce
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a saucepan while you finely chop the onion and salami. Once the oil is heated, add the onion and a bit of garlic, basil, oregano and pepper. Fry for around 5 minutes, and then add your mince and salami on medium heat. You want to make sure that the mince seperates - you dont want chunks, otherwise assembly is difficult. The best way I can describe what it should like is "pebble mix". :p

Once the meat is brown, add the tomatoes in juice, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar and about 3 tablespoons of tomato paste. Cover and simmer, stirring every 10 minutes.

The longer it simmers for, the softer it will be, and the yummier it will be. The meat sauce is done when most fluid has all boiled off - you want it moist, but not runny. Once it starts to get to this stage, this is when you start the cheese sauce.

Cheese Sauce
At this point, preheat your oven to 200 degrees celcius. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter or margerine. Then, add 3 tablespoons of plain flour and mix throuroughly with a fork. This should make a yellow paste. Gradually stir in 2 cups of milk over a medium heat. The fluid should not be too lumpy. Grate 125g of tasty cheese. When the liquid is warm, add the cheese as well as a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. you'll need to stir this constantly until the cheese melts and the mixture thinkens - if you don't keep stirring, stuff will get stuck to the saucepan, and you'll be scrubbing it for hours afterward!

Assembly
Grease your lasagne tray with some butter or margerine. Then write "ZGeek Lasagne" in the tray, like so:http://www.zgeek.com/images/zmeet/images/1zmeet%20006_jpg.jpg Pour 1/3 of the meat sauce in the bottom of the tray, then cover with lasagne sheets. Then pour a third of the cheese sauce. Follow with another layer of meat, lasagne sheets, cheese, meat, lasagne sheets and the rest of the cheese. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top of the lasagne (this makes it go crunchy at the top!).

Cook for around 30-35 minutes, then lower the temp to 150 degrees and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serves around 4-6 people.. :D

:: edited - I forgot where to mention where you should put the salami *chortle* ::

[Chocoholic]

I admit that I spend way too much money and on occasion have less than $10 to cook a meal for 4, so this is what I cook when friends come for dinner in times of financial hardship. (ok the night before I get paid then).

What you need.

Tub of Cream (Sorry Ang its cheap not fat free)
Parmesen(spelling?) Cheese (usually in fridge as you don’t use much)
Bacon
Mushrooms
Pasta (usually spaghetti in the cupboard)


This takes a while to cook, 30- 40 mins and is impressive because you made the source from scratch with little effort just time.

Clean and cut the mushrooms and bacon
Put cream, mushrooms, bacon and a bit of cheese in to a pot.
Cook on low heat and stir continuously. (well maybe not continuously but most of the time).
Keep stirring adding a little bit more cheese until the source is to your likely, be careful not to add to much cheese. In total I use less than 3 table spoons of cheese.

Stir some more then keep stirring. (this bit takes some time) so after about 15 mins
Start Boiling pasta
By this point I am usually tempted to turn it up so it cooks faster but don’t. Keep stirring.

Stir until source thickens. You want the source to be really thick so if you are cooking this for the 1st time you are tempted to serve the source to runny, hang in there keep stirring it won’t take much longer and you will know when you have a nice bosciola (sp?) source.


You can serve this however you want. Premixed or source on top of pasta.

[kleph]

i must admit, the ZGeek Lasagna is hella cool and mighty tasty. kleph says, "It's swell!"

i'll post the gumbo recipe again when i dig up the most recent (and simplified) version. to post it i'll have to write it from scratch (rather than cut 'n paste) so i ain't doing it tonite. i'll also scrounge up my jambalaya recipe since i recall it was pretty popular as well.

while visiting my folks in phoenix this weekend i stopped at the HUGE asian supermarket they have there and stocked up on exotic ingredients for upcoming experiments; a whole octopus, three pounds goat meat, deer steaks, an entire cow femur, etc, etc.

i plan my first adventure for saturday when i attempt duck wing stew in the style of languedoc.

[Nandragon]

Escargo

Serve raw like oysters.

[druid]

Yesterday at Kitchen Stadium I manufactured some ZGeek lasagne and I must say it rocked. It was the first time I made lasagne and coincidentally the best lasagne I have ever had. Never trusting only on my own opinion I asked the jury and they agreed. Female members of the jury compared the experience to the special dessert coded by Mirovingi in Matrix Reloaded.

I didn't have all ingredients so I had to improvise a bit with ingredients that will remain secret for the general public. And much for Thingy's relief, I didn't "stick in the salami." :D Thanks to Spingo for this excellent dish and the very well written "technical article" on making it. My only problem really was that my ovenware was elliptic but the lasagne sheets were rectangular so I had to integrate over the surface.

Hint: the meat sauce makes a rather good pasta sauce on its own but I wouldn't have the patience to simmer it as long if it wasn't for a greater good.

Conclusion: a man who has a recipe like this must be evil.

[alcor]

Roasted Tomato & Bacon Soup
[vegos can omit the bacon - it matters not to I nor the soup]

I don't measure things - ever, so you will have to use your brain & judgement as to how much you will need.
Most things I cook don't require a huge amount of precision anyway.

Get about a kilo of ripe/overripe fresh tomatoes - not those hard supermarket ones.
Soak in just boiled water for 30 secs - 1 minute
Drain em
'X' the skins with a sharp knife at the base and peel the tomatos Try and keep them whole at this point.

Preheat oven to reasonable heat. Medium I guess.
Put all the tomatoes in a large deep baking tray, so they are covering the whole bottom
throw in some peeled and roughly crushed garlic
(you could also add peeled peppers at this point or whatever you fancy, but lotsa tomatoes is the key)
Sprinkle a bit of brown sugar over them
Pour over a good drizzle of olive oil (unfiltered is teh best)

Now let those tomatoes get nice and cooked.
Maybe for 1/2 hr or so but keep checkin 'em
Then, get yer bacon ,
4 or 5 large rashers should do it
and cut of the manky bits you dont wat to eat
Feed em to the cat or dog.

You know you are ready for the next step when the tomatoes are just starting to caramelise on top
They should be going crispy a bit and there should be juice bubbling away in the bottom.
Splash in some red wine (what you plan to drink with your meal, ideally)
Tear up a handful of fresh basil and sprinkle over the tomatoes
Lay the bacon rashers over the tomatoes & basil so they cover the contents of the tray.
Whack it back in the oven.
Turn the bacon once to make sure it cooks evenly

Maybe set the table or put some bread in the oven, and make sure your blender is clean.
If you got no blender - use a masher or something.

Now your bacon should be cooked after 10-15, but still moist - not all dried out, mind.
Remove the bacon and put aside.

Now get everything from the tray into the blender, especially all the bits stuck to the bottom and sides [thats your flavour there , that is]
Blend but keep it chunky, like.
Season/reheat if needed.

Pour soup into bowls

Chop the bacon into bite size bits and sprinkle over soup.
(you can leave the bacon in with the tomatoes and blend it all together, but the bacon tends to disintergrate and sink to the bottom - not good)

Grated Romano or Parmasen cheese goes well on top, as does a dollop of sour cream.

Pour a glass of good red wine, grab a crusty roll or two and enjoy on a cold winters night.

[frednurk]

The simple things are often best.

1.- Go to nice, clean, drug needle free, sandy beach (lots to choose from in Queensland!)
2.- Light driftwood fire and allow to cool to coals and ash.
3.- Catch and humanely kill nice sized fish of your choosing.(choose wisely)
4.- Place immediately on fire. No alfoil,cleaning,scaling,nothing.
5.- Peel off skin,scales with a fork and eat whilst watching the sunrise/sunset.

For the more "conventional", or those not blessed with access to beaut beaches:- Here's one to help those lesser fish like bream taste better.

Ingredients:-

Fish fillets of choice,de-boned and skinless
Parmisan cheese (grated or thinly sliced)

Method:-

Place cheese in pan to rough shape of fillet
Place fillet on top and cover. Cook over a LOW heat till cheese melts. Cheese will stick to fillet and turn golden brown.
Repeat for other side.

No I'm not being patronising. You might just like it.
P.S. For those who don't yet know- I really do like fishing!

[Pirate]

PMS - Pirates Man Stew

This recipe is hella easy, yummy and will get you farting. It was popular with the ZHouse (or so I am told) and it's easy to feed lots of people. Not too popular with "the ladies".


Ingredients:

500g of mince meat
500g of sausages
1 large tin of tomato soup
1 small tin of drained diced tomatos (optional)
1 tin of baked beans
1 tin of red kidney beans
2-3 teaspoons of wet chill peppers (no dry shit)
1 onion
1 teaspoon of garlic (crushed)

(optional - fried bacon sliced & diced)

Method:
Brown onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil (or chili oil if you have it)
Brown meat's
Add tomato soup and diced tomatos
Add all the beans
Add chili

Simmer for about 30 mins, and eat with either rice or bread. I prefer the bread option because it's more of a bready food.

[astro]

Skippy Pies.

What's that Skip? We're Eating you?
(In the US, please substitute Skippy for Lassie ;) )

This recipe is resonably easy - it's pretty much a casserole that you slap in a little soufflé and cover with some pastry, and i'm sorry to say Pirate, that it won't make you fart all that much :( It is, however, really fucken yummy.

For those in Non-Australian countries, or those who couldn't bare to eat poor old Skippy, you can substitute the Roo meat for just about anything. Beef, Lamb, Veal, whatever. Just remember that for other meats, you might want to give them a little longer in the frypan on step 3 if you prefer well done meat. Personally i'd do the same as what's written - i'm a medium rare man.

Stuff that goes in…

Some Puff Pastry
1 egg yolk whisked with a little water
100 grams unsalted butter
4 tablespoon olive oil
1 diced carrot
1 diced celery stick
2 diced onions
200g quartered mushrooms
4 crushed garlic cloves
½ litre red wine
½ litre brown stock
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can tomato concasse
Rosemary & thyme
Salt and pepper
1.5 kgs kangaroo meat, diced
Garlic chives for decoration
Flour for dusting

Make it so!

1. Heat half the oil and half the butter in a large fry pan.
2. Dust kangaroo pieces with flour.
3. Brown kangaroo pieces in fry pan (in several batches), then transfer to an ovenproof casserole. Don’t let them cook – just brown them. Roo meat is REALLY tough if it is overcooked, and you can overcook it if you heat it for a minute too long.
4. Add more oil and butter to the frying pan, then add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic.
5. Cook on a medium heat for 3 minutes until slightly brown.
6. Stir in tomato paste then the wine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Add stock, tomato concasse, fresh herbs, salt & pepper.
8. Bring to the boil, then pour over the kangaroo pieces.
9. Cover casserole and cook in slow oven for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
10. Sautee the mushrooms in a little butter. Season with salt & pepper.
11. Add to the kangaroo mixture.
12. Adjust seasoning and allow to cool.
13. Divide mixture into 6 individual pie/soufflé dishes. Mine were about 12 cms in diameter.
14. Cut the pastry into 6 circles. (about 15cms in diameter)
15. Cut a hole into the centre of each circle to allow the steam to escape.
16. Brush the edge of the pie/soufflé dish with the egg wash. Place pastry on top of each soufflé dish.
17. Press the edges of the pie against the soufflé dish.
18. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash.
19. Bake in preheated hot oven (about 190°C) for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.
20. Sprinkle a couple of Garlic chives over the top and drape a napkin (plain white, preferably) over the pie to keep it hot and hidden till it gets to the table. It's funny when you plonk them down in front of your guests - sometimes they take the napkin off and go "Oh, this is a joke, right? You're serving pies? What, did you just duck down to the Servo before we arrived and buy some pies or what?".... and then they taste them ;)

Serve it up with a nice aromatic red, a Cab Sav Shiraz or a merlot or something like that. I had a 99 Mc Williams "1877" Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz. Yummy.

[kleph]

Drunken Shrimp

3 12-oz beers (lager)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup of cold butter cut into tablespoon sized chunks
2.5 ounces Cajun spice mix (i use Tony Chachere's (http://www.cajunspice.com/))
2 lbs medium size shrimp (with shells)
2 tablespoons rosemary
salt

Pour the beer in the saucepan and cook over medium heat until the foam dissapates. (I use your basic crappy beer for this like Miller or Coors or something) DO NOT ALLOW THE BEER TO BOIL! When settled add the garlic and whisk the butter in one chunk at a time until the mixture is blended. Add the spice mix.

Add the shrimp in batches, poaching them for about 4 minutes. Take them out and sprinkle Cajun spice mix, salt and rosemary on them as they dry. You can peel them to eat but I enjoyed these with the shell on it's so good.

if you can't get Cajun seasoning try this following recipe...

1 box of salt
3 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoon parsley flakes (crunched)
4 tablespoon red pepper (ground) (cayenne)
2 tablespoons chili powder

Combine all ingredients; store in an airtight container.

[kleph]

Originally posted by LisaJ
Kleph..

Any chance of posting that gumbo recepie again?? please...

certainly - sorry this took so long....


To make gumbo you have to start with a roux....

Use a cast iron pot and take about two cups of flour and add peanut oil until it clumps up pretty good. Cook over a very low heat stirring constantly. You are looking to get it a nice dark reddish brown which can take more than an hour. If it starts smelling burnt and there are black flakes - you blew it and need to start over.

Then you make a stock....

1 chicken (5 lbs or so)
2 large onions
1 bunch celery
1 bunch italian parsley
bay leaf
peppercorn

Halve the onions and throw them in the bottom of the pot. Add a few celery stalks, a dozen or so peppercorns and the bay leaf. Fill with water so it just covers the top of the chicken. I always add a few chicken feet and a cup or so of white wine but it's not necessary. Use a medium high heat until the stock heats up and turn down to low before it boils. DO NOT LET IT BOIL! DO NOT STIR! Let it slowly cook, skimming the gray "scum" off the top as it forms. Cook it for at least two hours but as long as it takes for the chicken meat to easily pull off of the bone. Pull the bird out and strain the stock through cheesecloth until as much of the particulate matter is removed.

Then you make the gumbo...

2 lbs sausage cut into bit-sized pieces
1 large onion chopped
5 - 6 green onions diced
Cayenne pepper
Salt
Black Pepper

Slowly heat the stock back up and add about half a cup of roux. Stir until mixed. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and put in the stock. Add the sausage and the onion then the spices to taste. Cover and let cook, stirring occasionally. Don't let it boil and cook it for at least one hour. When the chicken meat breaks down into strings it is done. Dice up the rest of the parsley and add it with the green onion. Serve over rice spicing with Tabasco Sauce to taste.

[Colonel Kurtz]

Bachelor Food Item 1 - Porcupines

Ingredients

500g Mince
1 Cup rice
1 large can tomato soup
Pepper

Method

Throw mince and rice into bowl with pepper (a good belt), and mix thoroughly so that the rice and pepper are evenly distributed through the meat. Roll into balls a little larger than golf balls, and place in large stewing pot. When complete, empty soup can into mixing bowl. Fill empty can with water and add to bowl. Mix thoroughly and pour over meatballs. They should be just covered, if not dont worry too much. Simmer over a low heat for 2 hours. Stir occassionally to avoid burning.

You get a a lot of 'porcupines', meatballs with spikes (rice), that are tender, tasty ans spicy. You will get a lot of sauce also, so this is best served with mashed potatoe, or for the semi health concious, rice

Mmmmm, mmmm. MEAT!



:p

[beowulf437]

Good Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can condensed milk (not the sweetened kind)
1 can mushrooms

mix cream of mushroom soup and condensed milk thoroughly in a pan. add can of mushrooms (don't drain). add water until the desired consistancy is reached (I like mine kinda thick) cook on low heat, season with garlic power and black pepper.

[Stocking]

I come from the 'Watch TV' school of cooking. Roasts are good for this because you prepare them, put them in the oven, then watch TV.

My Fav dish is the Risotto. Now some people spend their time carefull adding stock etc, and it takes alot of time. I on the otherhand have invented the 'Watch TV' Risotto. My example is the one I made last night, but all the ingredients are optional/replacable.

Smoked Salmon and Brocollini Risotto

Sautee (fry on a low heat) 1 large onion until clearish in a wooden spoons full of butter and a decent splursh (ie pour for as long as you say the word splursh) of olive oil. Add lots of Garlic and herbs from the herb jar called mixed herbs. Add a cup/mug/measuring implement of rice to the onion, make sure each rice is covered with boil, you can make sure of this by stirring really fast 10 times. Add exactly 3 times the amount of water as you did rice.

Turn the heat up a little. Watch TV until the first add break, go into the kitchen and give the rice a stir. Watch TV, next add break, go in a give rice a stir (taste rice to see if it is still crunchy) add anywhere between a dash to a standard glass of white wine to the rice, pour a glass for yourself (no-one else can touch the wine until dinner!) add the broccolini (asparagus/ broccoli stuff) and smoked salmon. Don't use the soft sushi-like smoked salmon, use the firm tasty/scottish stuff (trout is also ok).

Go watch TV, next add break (the show should be finished by now) add a hand-full of parmasan mix and serve.

everyone will think that you are a cullinary genious and you won't have missed much TV.

[SOC]

Stocking cooked this risotto for our dinner last night, and I have to say it was magnificent - the best risotto I've ever had! But I *will* say that I never saw her once go near the television set while making it.:p

[SOC]

Originally posted by Colonel Kurtz
Bachelor Food Item 1 - Porcupines
Ingredients
500g Mince
1 Cup rice
1 large can tomato soup
Pepper
Method
Throw mince and rice into bowl with pepper (a good belt), and mix thoroughly so that the rice and pepper are evenly distributed through the meat. Roll into balls a little larger than golf balls, and place in large stewing pot. When complete, empty soup can into mixing bowl. Fill empty can with water and add to bowl. Mix thoroughly and pour over meatballs. They should be just covered, if not dont worry too much. Simmer over a low heat for 2 hours. Stir occassionally to avoid burning.
You get a a lot of 'porcupines', meatballs with spikes (rice), that are tender, tasty ans spicy. You will get a lot of sauce also, so this is best served with mashed potatoe, or for the semi health concious, rice
Mmmmm, mmmm. MEAT! :p

This is a dish my Mum used to make me, and she passed on the recipe to me. I actually know them as "Hedgehogs" cos I think it may originally be an English dish.

I make it pretty much the same way as outlined by Kurtz, with a few differences:

Mix in some finely-chopped onion and garlic to the mince along with the rice, plus some herbs (thyme is good)... oh, and some salt as well.
Add some tomato paste to the tomato sauce mix - one of those small tubs is fine. And I skip the water, too, cos you get a thicker sauce.
Cook in a casserole dish in a moderate oven rather than on the top of the stove, also for about 2 hours.


Yes, mashed potato is the perfect side dish, plus peas and baby carrots. Fresh, crusty bread and a glass or 3 of good red complete the meal.

[kleph]

so, after i brushed the dust of the office from my sandals and entered the ranks of the officially unemployed i got in my trusty honda and drove up to sacramento. i had a trunk full of orange tree roots and experimentation on my mind.

while visiting my brother a few weeks ago we whipped together a few dishes that came out extraordinarily well. his boss (actually a pretty cool guy) came over and flipped out over the chicken wings. he was so impressed he said he would pay for the food and beer if i came up and cooked again.

seeing as how the man offered me beer, how could i refuse. so after a six hour drive and a good night's rest i got crackin. i did the drunken shrimp posted above as well as Buffalo Wings and smoked Baby Back Ribs. it wasn't too bad if i dinna say so myself.

[kleph]

one of the little discoveries i've made this year is Cooks Illustrated (http://www.cooksillustrated.com/) which i found out about when i was given their most recent book Here in America's Test Kitchen (http://www.cooksillustrated.com/store/store_show_one_product.asp?iProductID=194) to review for the paper. i never wrote the review but i cook the crap out of their stuff.

the reason they are so great is that they explain exactly how they came up with each recipe and write about it in a straightforward manner. a lot of the time i maul the recipes at will because i already have an understading of what is going on (which usually takes a couple of tries to get a handle of). it also has helped me tweak a number of the recipes i already use.

that said, the buffalo wings recipe they have in the recent book is dead fucking on. it's not tough to cook at all (messing with the oil can be a bit of a pain) but DAMN! they are good. the key seems to be drying the chicken so the skin fries perfectly.

The Sauce

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
.5 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons Tabasco Sauce
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Melt the butter over a low heat and whisk in the rest of the ingredients. (NOTE: use a mild Louisiana hot sauce such as Frank's for the flavor and then a hotter one like Tabasco to add the burn)

The Wings

1-2 quarts peanut oil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
18 - 24 whole chicken wings

Take the wings and cut off the wingtip and discard. Cut again to seperate the two larger sections. Pat dry with paper towels.

Mix the cayenne, black pepper, salt and cornstarch. Sprinkle over the wings and mix until they are all covered.

Heat the oven to 200 degrees (farenheit). Heat the oil in a deep pan to about 360 degrees (farenheit). Fry the wings in about three batches until crisp - usually about 12 minutes. Keep done wings warm in the oven.

Put the cooked wings in a large bown and pour hot sauce on. Mix until all the wings are covered and serve.


ooooohhhhh..... it's soooooo good. and, if you want to be a real bad ass, make the blue cheese dressing as well.

2.5 ounces crumbled blue cheese
3 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
.25 teaspoon sugar
a pinch of garlic powder
salt and black pepper to taste

mix well with a fork until the cheese is in small enough chunks and the whole thing is nice and creamy

[kleph]

i've been playing around with different strategies for barbecuing lately and this recipe is about just where i want it. i'll start with the shopping list but since the trick here is all in in the technique i'll eschew the normal recipe style and serve it up as a narrative:

12 pack super cheap beer - the cheapest
wood chips
1 cup kosher salt
.5 cup sugar
4 racks of baby back or loin ribs (about 2 pounds each)
1 bottle apple cider
.5 cup rub

you start with four racks of baby back or loin ribs. get nice ones that weigh about 2 pounds and don't have the ribs showing through on the sides. (side note, a lot of folks say you need to pull off the whitish membrane but i don't because 1) it does nothing to the taste and 2) i'm lazy)

the folks at Cooks Illustrated i lavished the praise on above suggested brining the meat. i've gotta say, it knocked my socks off. take 1 cup kosher salt and about a half cup of sugar and dissolve in a stock pot filled with cold water (thats about 4 quarts). let sit for at least an hour.

remove the ribs and pat throughly dry. appy the rub (see below) putting about a tablespoon on each rack of ribs. really rub it in with your fingers so the meat turns reddish. let sit for at least another hour.

while doing all that you should be getting the fire going. since i lived in riverside, ca. the one wood they got a lot of is orange wood. just drive out to any new development and pick it up where they cut down the groves. it worked really well with the ribs because the smoke has a crisp flavor that doesn't totally overwhelm the pork like mesquite and hickory can.

you need to take a 12 pack of the shittiest cheapest beer you can and pour it in a bucket the night before. let a bunch of wood chips - none any bigger than a credit card - soak in the beer. you can then make a normal briquette fire but, since i got the wood, i made an orange wood fire letting the coals burn down really well.

i made the fire at one end of my grill (which is pretty big) and put the grate down as low as possible. before i put on the ribs i toss on a few wood chips to get smouldering.

put the ribs on the grill but as far from the fire as you are able. continually spray them down with the apple cider to keep them moist (i just fill a plastic spray bottle and squirt 'em every time i open the lid).

the key here is rotating the ribs so they all cook equally and making sure the fire stays a constant heat. you will have to add more wood and it will flame up - just do that at the far end of the grill and move the coals over to the middle of the grill as they form. keep adding soaked wood chips to the middle of the coals too keep them smouldering and forming that wonderful smokey goodness.

it'll take about four hours to cook the ribs but i've had success with a cooler fire and a longer cooking time. the ribs are done when you twist the rack slightly and the meat comes away from the bones. (also look for the rib ends to start showing as well)

take the ribs off the grill and let sit for about five to ten minutes. cut between each of the bones seperating the ribs and have at it. these are soooo damn good they really don't need barbecue sauce but i'll put a bowl of it on the table to use as a dip for those that must have it.

as for the rub, it is as follows...

.25 cup firmly packed brown sugar
.25 cup paprika
3 tablespoons black pepper
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

mix it all together until it is uniform. store in an airtight jar - it'll keep for at least six months.

[kleph]

i made an attempt at this last night and, while i got the roasted part down right, the lemon side was an absolute disaster. any tips, folks?

[Stocking]

Originally posted by kleph
i made an attempt at this last night and, while i got the roasted part down right, the lemon side was an absolute disaster. any tips, folks?

Obviously there are many variations on the roast chicken and lemon theme. Some being rich and oriental through to European styles. Tell me a little about this dish, how you put it together, what went wrong, and maybe I can help:D

[sagit]

Originally posted by kleph
i made an attempt at this last night and, while i got the roasted part down right, the lemon side was an absolute disaster. any tips, folks?

Taken from my Asian Cooking book (details after):

"Lemon Sauce (as part of Cantonese Lemon Chicken):

80ml fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 tablespoon water, extra
4 spring onions, very finely sliced


Combine lemon juice, water, sugar and sherry in a small pan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir the cornflour into the extra tablespoon of water and mix to a smooth paste. Add it to lemon juice mixture, stirring constantly until the sauce boils and thickens."

from "The Essential Asian cookbook" (1997). ISBN 0-86411-692-6. Page 23. :D

[LauraleeBug]

Ok, lotsa geeks and wannabe geeks have just loved this so here I'm gonna tell you how to make it; 'cause it's easy....

HOWEVER - This recipe requires you to mix meat thoroughly with your HANDS ---- If you can't do this, it won't work - mixing with a spoon isn't good enough (and yes, I know your next question -- NO! You cannot use a mixer or a food processor!!!)....

Best I can tell you to do is use a pair of gloves if you want, as I suggested to Teddy (LOL :D We know you gottem now, huh???)

but anyway here goes:

To serve 2-4 Ppl:

First preheat oven to 180-200C (or 375-400F)

500gm mince (chopmeat)
1 onion diced
About a CUP of diced fresh (or canned*) mushrooms
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 whole raw eggs
2-3 tbls of cooking oil

Season with: steak salt (or onion salt, or real salt, but only 1 of them!!)
pepper
basil
oregano
** optional: some ppl like to add grated cheese too
also, 1-2 tbsp of bottled minced garlic go well, too!!!

Now, you gotta mix your face off.....

It's slow going and messy at first but you gotta actually break down all the ingrediants with your fingers and slowly knead until you can actually make a *Loaf* outta this thing....

Just take your time; and pretty soon you'll be able to make it into a ball and pat it around and shape into a loaf.... no shape won't work; only thing to keep in mind is to make it even & symetrical for cooking.....

Once the loaf is shaped and sticking together, grease a large pan (I use the spray shit).... and put the loaf in the oven.... In fact, if you are using spray oil, it doesn't hurt to lightly spray over the top of the meatloaf in the pan, too.... esp. if u like it crispy!

It usually needs between 45 min - 1 hour on the above temps

When it starts getting brown (but no TOO crispy) on the outside; just take a knife and slice down the middle to see if it's done; there should be no pink left.

At that point, just slice like bread, serve with Bug's famous mashedtaters & mushroom onion gravy (details to follow!)....

Ok? You'll love it!!!

P.S. - I wrote this one for Teddy.... good luck, girl - I know you'll do well!!! :)

* - When using tinned mushrooms, remember that sometimes it has gravy which may add to moisture content; in which case you should either add more crumbs or decrease oil
* - save some diced onion & mushrooms for the brown gravy, about a half-cups worth

[LauraleeBug]

Ok, so, you peel a coupla potatoes: enough for 1 or so per person depending on size;

dice em into cubes and boil till they fall apart.


While you're waiting for the potatoes to cook; get a frying pan and cook diced mushrooms & onions in butter*....

Get some Gravox or any other pre-mix brown gravy & start from there;

use the 3 tbsp required with 1 cup boiled water into the pan and keep stirring the shit out of it with a fork.

Mix about 2-3 tbls white flour (or cornflour) in a glass of *cold* water..... slowly stir this into the gravy while fry pan is on high flame.

Keep mixing until it grows thick and mixes with the gravox & rest...

Serve hot.

BACK TO THE POTATOES:

drain
add about 3-4 tbsp of butter or margarine
add onion salt, pepper
add some minced garlic in a jar (optional)

mash with a masher or electric mixer

when it starts to get a little thick, add whole cream milk until it becomes the consistency you want....

Serve on a plate with 1or2 slices meatloaf, potatoes & some veggie of your choice (corn is the standard, but) and put gravy on top of it all....

Enjoy!

Love,
Buggy

PM or email me for questions/specifics....

We also have other yank recipes... lemme know if u don't see your fav - I probably know it but!!! :)

* - the half-cup or so you saved from prior meatloaf recipe!!

[LeoFlare]

Here's a few recipes enjoy :banana:

This one is a low fat one which is delicious

Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies

105g Self Raising Flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup castor sugar
100g white marshmallows, roughly chopped
50g milk chocolate melts or buttons
½ cup reduced fat plain yoghurt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon vegetable

1.Preheat oven 180oC (350oF/Gas 4). Lightly grease and line a 20cm square cake tin.
2.Sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl and stir in the sugar, marshmallows and chocolate.
3.Whisk together the yoghurt, eggs, vanilla and oil. Add to dry ingredients and mix to combine.
4.Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool in the tin before cutting. Makes 16


Mississippi Mud Cake

250g Butter, chopped
150g dark chocolate, chopped
2 cups white sugar
1 cup hot water
1/3 cup whisky
1 tablespoon dry instant coffee
1½ cup plain flour
¼ cup self-raising flour
¼ cocoa
2 eggs, lightly beaten

1.Grease a 23cm square slab pan, line base with grease proof
2.Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, water, whisky and coffee in double sauce pan or in heatproof bowl, stir over hot water until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, cool to lukewarm
3.Transfer mixture to large bowl, stir in sifted flours and cocoa, then eggs
4.Pour into prepared pan and bake in moderately slow oven for about 1¼ hours
5.Stand for 10 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool. Serve dusted with sifted icing sugar



Lamingtons

6 eggs
¾ cup castor sugar
1 cup self-raising flour
1/3 cup cornflour
1/3 cup hot water
15g butter, melted
3 cups coconut

1.Grease a 23cm square slab pan
2.Beat eggs in medium bowl with electric mixer until thick and creamy and gradually add sugar, beat until dissolved between each addition
3.Transfer mixture to a large bowl, fold in sifted flours, then combined water and butter
4.Pour in prepared pan, bake in moderate oven for about 35 minutes
5.Stand 5 minutes before turning on to wire rack to cool
6.Trim crusts from cake, cut into 25 pieces
7. Dip each piece in icing, toss in coconut, stand on wire rack to set

Chocolate Icing

4 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
15g butter, melted
½ cup milk

1.Sift icing sugar and cocoa into a heatproof, stir in butter and milk, stir over hot water until icing is smooth

[Wolfette13]

I'll have to post more on this when I have recovered enough from shoulder seugery to type with both paws. I've got a vegen recipe that I created out of laziness one night and tons of one dish dinners that are so easy.

Beowulf should post his chili recipe & Thuvie should put up some of her dessert & salad things.

I just had dinner & I'm hungry again just from reading this thread.

<sheesh 10 minutes later & I'm finally ready to post>

[LeoFlare]

Apple Crumble

2 Apples
10g Butter
20ml White Wine
20g White Sugar
1/4 lemon

Paste
50g White Sugar
100g Butter
200g Flour
1 Egg

Crumble
50g White Sugar
50g Butter
80g Flour
10g Desiccated Coconut

Butter a baking dish or individual pie dishes

Peel and stew the apples(with Butter,wine,sugar and lemon jucie) till tender then cool down

Prepare the paste by rubbing all the ingredients together, roll out and line with dish/es

Place the cold apples inside

Produce the crumble by rubbing the ingredients together and top the apples with the crumble mixture

Rest for about 20 minutes then bake at 200oC for 30-40 minutes

[kleph]

soon to come, Boston Baked Beans, Rabbit Cacciatore and my new attempt at Roasted Lemon Chicken.

[Something Fast]

Lach's bloody awful pseudo nachos:D

This is good when you're feeling way too lazy to make anything healthy or even tasty. It's good as a snack, but that's about all you can say about it.

Ingredients:

Corn chips
Grated tasty cheese
tomato sauce
Chilli powder

Get a plate. Put a layer or two of corn chips on the plate. Cover the corn chips in way too much cheese, smother it in tomato sauce and then chilli powder. Stick it in the microwave until the sauce and cheese are seriously liquefied and look chernobylesque. Then eat it.

[gyrus]

Here is the best recipe ever for salsa (makes a nice big bowl)

Ingredients

2 tomatos (medium large)
1 Capsicum (choose your weapon, red or green)
1-2 Spanish Onions (2 medium or 1 really big one)
1-2 Jalapenos
3 Cloves Garlic
2 Cans crushed tomatos (small to medium make sure they dont have any extra business in them like oregano)
Corriander(cilantro for da yanks)
Salt
Pepper
Chili Flakes
Lemon Juice
Red Wine Vinegar (only a little!)


Process

Seed the tomatos and then dice them finely. Peel and dice the onion finely. Seed the capsicums and then dice them finely. Chop the jalapenos finely taking out the seeds if you're a pussy like me. Chop the garlic finely and then combine that all into a bowl. Add the chopped tomatos and stir well to combine. Add a fair bit of coriander, bout quarter to half of a bushel that you buy in the supermarket. Add the salt and pepper to flavour and then add about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar. If it aint hot enough, wait an hour before adding anything as the flavours need to soak in. After an hour, taste it. Add chili to flavour.

Always wait about 30 minutes to an hour before adding more flavours as everything needs to blend before the taste comes out.

And voila, it's ready.

[gyrus]

You can't have one without the other, so here's a nice easy guacamole dip thats easy to make.

Ingredients

2 Avocados (Nice and ripe)
1 Spanish Onion (medium-large)
Sour cream (about 4-500 mL)
Worcheistire Sauce
Tabasco Sauce
Avocado Pulp (very small container)

Process

Seed and mash the avocados up in a bowl. Dice the spanish onion finely and add that. Add the sour cream and avocado pulp till its a nice greenish white colour. Add the tabasco and worchehasdasdhkjtire sauce for flavour. Add lemon juice from fresh lemon(s) to stop it going that ugly brown colour. Voila

[angel_b]

Originally posted by gyrus
Here is the best recipe ever for salsa (makes a nice big bowl)

Use habeneros in your salsa, you big girlie boy! :p

[gyrus]

habaneros are just too hot for my weak as piss tastebuds. They may not seem hot when you down em' but just you wait for the burn......

[angel_b]

But habaneros have the absolutely best flavour of all the chillis.

You just have to develop an asbestos mouth ... and ring. :D

We have a habanero bush ... I call it "The Squirt Plant". :eek:

[CMYK]

Here's a quick, easy and very tasty dish.

500ml (2 cups) chicken or fish stock
400ml (cup and a half) coconut milk
1 or 2 red chillis, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)
10 green prawns, peeled with tails intact
1 baby bok choy, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped basil

Put stock, coconut milk, chilli, lime juice, fish sauce and palm sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the prawns and bok choy and cook for a further 4 minutes or until prawns are done. Stir in chopped basil. Serves two.

[kleph]

here's a shot of my baby back ribs (http://forums.zgeek.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5061&perpage=15&pagenumber=7) cooking to perfection on my wood grill...

http://www.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/ribs.jpg

[geggle]

Originally posted by kleph
here's a shot of my baby back ribs (http://forums.zgeek.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5061&perpage=15&pagenumber=7) cooking to perfection on my wood grill... That is one thing I'd definately say you Americans have perfected - I've never managed to get good ribs in Australia.

[kleph]

if i'm not mistaken, this is due to a difference of equipment rather than expertise. uncovered grills are more the norm in australia and, as a result, cooking ribs with the smoke becomes an impossibility. this is the soul of american-styles of barbeque.

[geggle]

I dunno kleph - that may well be part of the problem (i.e. the meat being drier and less smoked), but I also have noticed that the actual cut wasn't the same. Perhaps there just isn't the demand for whatever cut it is you Americans use, so it's not available.

[kleph]

a lot of american barbeque standards actually arose from cuts of meat that were oringinally considered substandard. tri-tip, the bastion of texas barbeque, used to be thought of as little more than a cut of meat to use in soups. flank and strip steaks fared even worse and they have become southwest barbeque and grill standards (just ask SOC about my carne asada which is simply marinaded strip steak).

one of the delecate tricks of barbeque is using the smoke to cook the meat so as to add flavor but control the process enough to avoid dryness. if you look at my grill (sorry about the crappy quality of the pic, i'll fix it when i get home) the meat is not over the fire at all. the ambient heat from the smoke is the primary cooking aspect and i continually apply apple cider (in the pink spray bottle) to the meat to keep it even more moist.

[sortius]

I've got some asian (yes, many parts of asia) recipies you see... and their in my head... but I dont know whether or not to put pen to paper and 'help' people... who, if anyone, would be interested in some crazy asian recipes.... maybe even my chilli recipe...

[royale]

RED CURRY RISOTTO
A little recipe of my very own. Very rich and creamy, and damn good.

Ingredients
1/2 litre Chicken Stock
1 can Cocconut Milk/Cream
butter or oil
250g (1 cup) Arborio Rice
1 Onion
2 tbls Red Curry Paste (John West is a little mild but good, or make your own)
300g Chicken Thighs
Vegies to suit Thai curry (capsicum, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots peas etc)
About 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons palm sugar

Put stock, coconut milk (and water if required) into saucepan and put on med heat. When boiling, turn down to low (keep just below simmering).
Fry off the chopped onion and curry paste in a little oil (keeping a teaspoon of curry paste aside for cooking the chicken), when the onion is transparent, add the rice. Cook the rice for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add the stock mix to the rice a few ladles at a time, waiting until the last addition is absorbed before adding the next. This process should take about 25-30 minutes. While the risotto is cooking, cut the chicken into stir-fry sized strips, then fry off in a little curry paste. When the chicken is cooked through, remove from heat.
Add the vegies and chicken to the rice during the cooking, timing it to be ready with the rice. (ie, capsicum/mushrooms/chicken 5 min before the rice is finished, broccoli can be steamed before and added in the last few minutes. Remove from heat, stir through palm sugar then serve.

[sortius]

Originally posted by kleph
a lot of american barbeque standards actually arose from cuts of meat that were oringinally considered substandard. tri-tip, the bastion of texas barbeque, used to be thought of as little more than a cut of meat to use in soups. flank and strip steaks fared even worse and they have become southwest barbeque and grill standards (just ask SOC about my carne asada which is simply marinaded strip steak).

one of the delecate tricks of barbeque is using the smoke to cook the meat so as to add flavor but control the process enough to avoid dryness. if you look at my grill (sorry about the crappy quality of the pic, i'll fix it when i get home) the meat is not over the fire at all. the ambient heat from the smoke is the primary cooking aspect and i continually apply apple cider (in the pink spray bottle) to the meat to keep it even more moist.

sounds like you know your barbeque kleph... a few things I can add from my aussie style (?)...

I use nice heavy hardwood logs and turn them to coals, make sure they're nice n red, but not a powerful heat, just a nice mellow movement of heat up from the grill... I usually marinade the meat first, using something sour (lime, vinegar, and no doubt cider would do too), something sweet (brown sugar, sweet chilli sauce, etc), and something salty (salt {duh}, soy sauce, etc)... you can then augment the taste of the meat with garlic, herbs, etc... my main trick is marinade it for 24 hours and cook the meat as slow as possible, just as you said kleph, slow slow cooking... no flames, no searing heat... just slow heat that takes things slowly... I usually baste the meat with the marinade, keeping the meat moist, but not wet... a pastry brush is great for this, and no doubt the spray bottle even more effective... all in all, barbeque takes a lot of time and experience before you can say "I know how to barbeque"... my dad tried for years to convince me of this, but burnt meat isnt fun...

P.S. we do use covered barbeques here in australia, it's actually the norm now... webbers to gas grills...

[sortius]

sortius' 5 alarm chilli :fart:

now, before I start, this recipe should not be made by people who cant handle chilli... duh... and the measurements, well, they might, they might not be right... anyway, here goes:

about 1kg of mince... get cheap shit, u dont want it to be premium, you want fat in it
1 x can of refrito beans
1 x can of kidney beans... again cheap shitty ones
1 x large onion
8 x cloves of garlic
8 x small red chillies (thai work well)
ammounts of tabasco, mexican chilli mix (something like that, I use the masterfoods one), worcestershire sauce, and sambal olek (or some other chilli paste). :flame:
2 x cans of roma tomatos
1 x cup chicken/beef stock
olive or peanut oil
sea salt

ok, to start with, chop your onion into small cubes, crush (with a knife) your garlic then chop it coarsely, remove stems from chillis and crush them... it's upto you at this stage if you cut them up. in a huge soup pot, fry the garlic and chilli first, when the garlic starts to brown, add the onion, add some sea salt and cook till nicely translucent. add the beef and cook till well browned. as you are cooking the beef add a dash for tabasco sauce every now and then (as I always say, it depends on you). once the beef is cooked, add the tomatos, beans (kidney and refrito) and as much of the remaining stuff as you want. I warn you that Sambal Olek, tabasco and the chilli powder are quite hot and if too much is used for your palate you will regret it. the key to a good chilli, and I'm about to give it to you, is quite simple. cook it over a low heat for about 3-6 hours, you can shorten it to 1 hour, but then it just tastes like something's missing... by the time you're finished, the beef should be almost impossible to differenciate from the sauce... one warning though, if you do intend to cook it for 3-6 hours, either add water or red wine to it every so often to replenish the liquids.

stay tuned for orgasm chicken... :1337:

[sortius]

here's what everyone's been waiting for... I hope... if you have any concerns about this recipe... email me at sortius at metaverse dot ath dot cx

enjoy.

Rajasthani Chicken aka Orgasm Chicken

1kg chicken breast
1/4 cup of almond slivers (raw)
1 x 2cm cube of ginger, crushed and chopped.
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped.
1 medium onion, cut into crescents
2 teaspoons garam marsala
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
the juice of one lemon
1 cup of yoghurt
peanut oil
sea salt

NB: please ensure you are preparing this 1 day before you intend to eat it.

cut chicken into steakish pieces and score them. rub lemon juice and salt into the meat

ensuring the score marks are well covered. leave for about an hour unrefridgerated, turning

a couple of times and rubbing with residule lemon. the meat should be white around the edges

after this marinading process.

while the meat is marinading do the following:
put about 6 tbsp of oil into a deep fry pan or small pot, heat and add almonds. cook the

almonds well, making sure they dont turn black. remove almonds and add onion, garlic and

ginger, cook till onion becomes somewhat translucent. remove and save oil (you will need

this when cooking). add garlic, onion, ginger and almonds either to a pot or a blender. mash

or blend them into a smooth paste (if you mash it it wont go smooth) then set aside. put

your yoghurt and spices (garam marsala & cayenne) into a large bowl, mix well, then add your

paste/mix of almonds and so forth. combine well.

now that you've marinaded your chicken with the lemon, it's time to finish it:
add the yoghurt mix to the chicken, rub it into the chicken as with the lemon, mixing the

lemon into the yoghurt mix while doing so, leave this for at least 24 hours, turning and

rubbing a few times (maybe 6 or 8 times) while marinading.

Now for the fun part... there are a few ways you can cook this dish, all ways take at least

40 minutes to do.

1) Broiled: heat your oven up to a low to low-medium heat, put the chicken on a rack and

have a drip tray underneath. baste the chicken with the almond oil (made earlier) for 20

minutes a side.

2) Barbeque: over a low heat BBQ the chicken for 20 minutes a side basting in the process.

3) Grill: I dont think I need to explain this, same as the others, but grill over a low

heat.

Now, what would orgasm chicken be without orgasm rice?

Not So Plain Rice (pilfered from the net, and yes, it is a good one)

Sanjiv Singh
This is the basic rice-on-the-stove recipe. Add the optional ingredients and it becomes

not-so-plain.
Serves 3.

1 cup basmati rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 cloves (optional)
2 pods cardamom (optional)
1 bayleaf (optional)
1 medium onion, sliced (optional)

Wash the rice in several changes of water and leave to soak in water for 30 minutes to an

hour. Drain the rice well. On a medium stove setting, heat the oil in a heavy pan or pot.

Add the cloves, broken cardamom pods, and bay leaf and fry for a minute. Add the sliced

onions and fry until the onions start to turn translucent. (4-5 minutes). Add the rice and

stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Try to coat as much of the rice in the oil as possible. Add the

water and salt and cover. Lower heat to low and cook for 25-30 minutes.

EDIT: 1 thing I forgot to say about this rice, if you are going to add an optional ingredient add them all, otherwise add none.

[utopian]

Utopian's Dutch Donuts

Batter:
A simple 1:1:1 batter. One cup of flour, one cup of milk and one egg. You can adjust this if you find your batter either too thick or too thin.

Filling:
Any jam you like.
I suggest: Strawberry, plum, fig, apricot, raspberry, four fruits, black cherry.
Any fruits you like.
I suggest: Strawberry, apple (any kind will do), fig, cherry.

Other stuff:
Cinnamon (ground)
Sugar (white)
Loaf of bread (white)
Wok
Oil
Large drinking glass
Something to lift the donuts out of the wok

More famous than the French Toast I make the morning after a party, are these Dutch Donuts that my grandmother taught me how to make. They're a little messy to make, but it's well worth it.

Take the drinking glass and press down firmly on a slice of bread, then rotate it to cut the bread into a circle shape. You will need to do two of these for each donut you plan to cook.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/evertonp/donuts/01-cut-bread.jpg

Take a small slice of fruit (about the size of a 20c piece) and place it in the middle of the bread. It is very important that it's only a small slice. Don't make it too thick, either, or else it will be cold when it comes out. The fruit step is optional, depending on if you want a lot more jam.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/evertonp/donuts/02-sliced-apple.jpg

Take about one level teaspoon of jam and place it in the middle of the bread on top of the fruit. If you've skipped the fruit, feel free to put another teaspoon of jam in for good measure.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/evertonp/donuts/03-jam-bread.jpg

Place a second circle of bread on top of the first and firmly pinch the edges together with your thumbs and first two fingers. They must not have any gaps in them, or else the donut will be ruined. You will find that the donut is very puffy in the middle, this is to be expected, as that's where all your filling is.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/evertonp/donuts/04-pre-batter.jpg

Dip the donut in the batter so it is lightly covered. You must cover all of the donut in a film and wipe off most of the excess. Place it in your boiling oil in the wok so it fries up.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/evertonp/donuts/05-in-wok-1.jpg

Once one side has turned light-golden brown, turn it over and continue to fry it on the other side.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/evertonp/donuts/06-in-wok-2.jpg

After it is cooked, drain off any excess oil and toss/sprinkle/roll in cinammon sugar and leave them to stand for about 5 minutes, as they'll be pretty hot.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/evertonp/donuts/07-cinnamon-sugar.jpg

I'd serve two donuts per person, three if you really enjoy them. A loaf of bread will probably serve four or five people.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/evertonp/donuts/08-final-donut.jpg

[kleph]

typically i don't cook candies or cookies. baking is beyond me and pastries are just a culinary dream of mine. but, when i was in peru, i noticed the folks there love sweets. well, we folks from louisiana have a solution to that - pralines. but i'd never cooked them.

it turns out they are easier to make than i thought. there is a trick to them but, once you get that down, you can knock out excellent christmastime candies that everyone will think you slaved over for days.

Pecan Pralines

1.5 cups white sugar
.75 cups brown sugar
pinch of salt
.5 cup evaporated milk
.5 stick unsalted butter
2 cups pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla

put the pecans on a cookie tray and toast at approximately 300 degrees. toss the pecans every five minutes or so and take them out after about 20 minutes or when they just start to darken. you can taste the difference when they are toasted.

spread out a length of aluminum foil on the counter that has been greased.

put the sugar and salt in a pot over medium high heat and stir in the evaporated milk. heat to a boil and reduce heat to medium. stir constantly. after 10 or 15 minutes the mixture should be near soft-ball stage - about 238 degrees. it's best to use a thermometer to do this since if you go over the temperature the candy reacts very differently.

remove the mixture from the fire stirring until thick. add pecans and vanilla. drop the mixture by tablespoonfulls onto the aluminum foil with only a few pecans in each batch. if the mixture becomes hard, put back over the heat and stir until it sofens. let cool for half an hour.

the two parts you have to be careful with are when the mixture reaches the right temperature and dropping the right amount onto the foil. it takes a couple tries but, i found, folks don't mind eating the screw ups.

[kleph]

heading off to peru i left three gallon containers stored safely in the back of a closet. arriving home they were opened and decanted and LORDY! they was good. so if you head down to the farmer's market and they got cherries on sale - i got a plan for ya.

Cherry Bounce

2 quarts fresh wild cherries
3 cups sugar
3 teaspoons nutmeg
3 pinch clove
1 quart alcohol

clean a one gallon glass container very well. i use an empty pickle jar and it works fine but a sealable jar is best. fill jar one fourth of the way with cherries. add one cup sugar, one teaspoon nutmeg and one pinch clove. add another quarter of the cherries then the one cup sugar, one teaspoon nutmeg and one pinch clove. repeat once more and top with the last of the cherries. pour in the alcohol and seal.

shake well and store in a cool dark place. shake every day or so for at least a week and then let sit for at least one month. after that, open the container and strain the liquid through cheesecloth. pour into a sealable bottle and store for at least one month more.

i find most folks like this made with vodka but using burbon makes a great drink as well. brandy was a bit rough but i'm hoping it smooths out with age.

[kleph]

here's another south louisiana drink that is very common around christmas.

Red Rooster

1 12 oz can of frozen orange juice
1 quart cranberry juice
3 or 4 cups vodka

mix together and freeze. the vodka will keep it from hardening and it will have a slushee consistency. makes about two quarts.

[BtrFly]

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp butter (or margarine if thats all you have)
1 medium brown onion - chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed (adjust to taste)
about 250g mushrooms (depending on how much you like them) - sliced
1.5 cups arborio rice
4 - 5 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
herbs, salt and pepper for taste

Method:

1. place vegetable stock into a pot to boil.

2. while the stock is coming to the boil, place the oil and butter into a heavy bottom pan to heat until butter melts.

3. add onions and garlic - sautee until the onion is tender and fragrant.

4. add all the rice and stir until it is coated with the oil/butter mix. toast for 1-2 minutes, do not let it stick to the pan or turn brown.

5. once the rice is toasted (sort of) add some vegetable stock from the other pot (so long as it is hot, it doesnt have to be boiled, but still hot).

6. continue adding the stock to the rice and onion mix, stirring continually so it doesnt stick to the pot, until all bar the last portion of stock is left, and most of the moisture has evaporated and been absorbed into the rice.

7. when 6 is completed, add the sliced mushrooms to the rice mix, add the remaining stock and stir in.

8. continue stirring until most of the moisture has been absorbed - or it makes very little peaks in the mix when stirred.

9. take off the heat and stir 1/2 of the available parmesan cheese, and any herbs, spices that you want

10. serve with chunky italian bread and rocket and tomato salad with vinegarette, enjoy :)

[Turtle_Wrangler]

Noones placed anything here in a while.
So heres my spicy sweet tomato sauce.

you'll need:

1 - 14.5 oz can stewed sliced tomatos. Must contain bellpepper, onion, and celery bits. Must be sun-enriched. Dont go bargain brand. I use Hunts.
1 to 1.25 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1.5 medium sized pale green tabasco peppers. (how long you age the bastards is your own business) As an alternative, you may subsitute equal amount peppers of your choice. But keep it around a scoville of 4000-7000. dont pansy out, and dont go nuts. And for cryin out loud. DONT just use hotsauce... it wont work.
1.25 teaspoons light corn syrup
3/4s to 1 cup seven-herb tomato sauce - to space it out. This is a step of convienence. Sure, you could place 2 tomatoes (minus stems) and said herbs in a food processor w/ a tablespoon of tomato paste.. but thats wasting time. Go with a good brand. Ragu, or Seven Brothers is tops. Okay, you dont really have to have 7 herbs specifically, the point im getting across here, is it should be herbed, and nothing else. No bits veggies, or mushrooms, or tacos or any crazy shit.
1/4 teaspoon diced garlic. Read: diced. fresh. No dried flakes or any of that alternative crap.
salt
pepper
paprika (optional, either way, dont use a lot)
italian seasoning blend: thyme oregano majoram basil sage and rosemary
A tomato masher.
A plastic or good wooden spoon. (if you use a broken up, cheap wooden, ill shove it down your throat, best to just use solid plastic, or a batter spoon)


Okay. To the procedure.

Drain stewed tomatoes in a collander. get out a good 5/6ths of the water, or the sauce will be too bloody thin.
Set tomatoes aside in bowl. very lightly salt. Add a pinch of pepper, and lightly dust with paprika.
---
Get out a saucer and a sharp paring knife
Slice the peppers open first length wise, then cut them lengthwise in half again so that you have fourths.
Line up the strips of peppers, and dice them quite thinly.
arrange the diced peppers all at one side of the saucer, and place 1/4 (a bit more if you bloody must) teaspoon of diced garlic on top. set aside.
---
Get a good sized saucepan. If you dont have one, use a wok.
Add extra virgin olive oil to the pot, and set it on a tad less than medium heat.
When oil gets to the point that a tiny droplet of water starts a good sizzle on the surface, its ready. If its steaming/smoking rapidy, then youve fucked it up. Start over.
---
Add peppers and garlic to the oil, lift pan off flame, and give it a few shakes, for 10 seconds. place back on fire, add a small pinch of italian seasoning blend, then repeat lifting and shaking, twice. for 20 more seconds of cooking. As long as youve followed directions, and your oil wasnt searing, the garlic bits should be slightly darker, and youre ready to add the tomatoes. So do so.
---
Raise heat to a tad over half.
use spoon to move the tomatoes about and get them mixed in.
Get out your tomato masher, and mash them liberally. put some work into it. You want them to be mashed rather finely, but not so much that it looks like you pushed them through a strainer. think of the inside of an orange torn up.
Once youve got a sauce (mind its going to look rather thin), and not just sliced tomatoes, add 1.25 teaspoons of corn syrup.
Stir for 4 minutes.
Add 3/4ths to one cup of the 7-herb sauce to bring it to desired thickness. Keep in mind that the corn syrup isnt just going to sit there and play scrabble. Its going to thicken up as it cools.
Stir sauce for 3 minutes or until it comes to a light simmer. Reduce heat so that it heats but doesnt boil.
When piping hot, take off fire, and let sit 2 minutes. (tastes better as it cools, but you still want it well warmed)
Serve over thin spaghetti, linguini or (if you must) angelhair.
---
Enjoy, damnit.

[Freuds_Cat]

Any one got a good Mousaka recipe that Zucchini (Courgette) can be used instead of Eggplant?

I've got a garden full of Zukes

[kré]

anyone ever tried this one? i'm thinking of giving it a shot some time soon. apparently it goes extremely well with some vanilla ice cream.


Double Fudge Coca Cola Cake

INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE:
1 Cup Coca-cola
1/2 Cup oil
1 stick butter or margarine
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS FOR CAKE:
In a sauce pan, bring Coca-Cola,
oil, butter, and cocoa to a boil.
Mix the sugar, flour and salt, pour
in the boiling liquid and beat well.
Add the eggs, buttermilk, soda, and
vanilla and beat well. Pour into a
greased and floured sheet cake pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INGREDIENTS FOR FROSTING:
1 stick butter or margarine
3 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 to 1 cup pecans, chopped
1 pound confectioners sugar

DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING:
In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa
and milk. Heat until the butter melts. Beat
in the remaining ingredients, and spread on
the hot cake. Cool before cutting.

[astro]

Astro's Lemon and Coriander Lamb Chops with Bitter Sweet Star fruit Stir-fry.

6 Lamb chops
4 Lemons
Small bunch of fresh coriander
1 red capsicum
1 yellow capsicum
a handful of snow peas
large bunch of buk choy
1 large Star fruit
Olive oil
Salt.


Chop the lemons in half and microwave them for a minute on high. This makes them easier to squeeze. Place the chops in a large bowl and squeeze the juice from 3 of the lemons over them. Finely chop the coriander and toss that into the bowl. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt over the chops as well and massage the mixture around until the chops are really coated. Let them sit for half an hour or so. You can also use the Zest from the lemon peel, but i didn't do that this time as i didn't have a zest knife.

While they're relaxing in their acid bath, start on the stir fry. Peel the buk choy leaves away from the bunch and give them a wash. Roughly chop them and put them aside. Core and roughly chop the Capsicums. Take the tops off the snow peas. Slice the star fruit into 1/2cm star-shaped slices.

Now that you're ready, pour a generous amount of olive oil over the chops and massage that in as well. Most of the lemon juice will have soaked into the meat by now and it should look a little grey as if it's being slowly cooked.

Pop the chops on to a hot pan with a dash of olive oil, or onto a hot barbecue grill. When they're ready to turn, flip them over and get ready to start the stir fry.

Heat a Wok and add a little peanut oil. Put the Capsicums, the chunky white bits of Buk Choy, the snow peas and the star fruit in first and stir fry them until they start to cook. Once they're on the way, throw in a splash of water and put the lid on the Wok so they'll steam. once every thing's almost ready, chuck the rest of the Buk Choy into the stir fry and squeeze half a lemon over it.

Serve the chops next to a pile of stir fry, with rice if you like. Good with a crisp white, preferably a chardonnay.

[Afta Image]

Originally posted by cray
anyone ever tried this one? i'm thinking of giving it a shot some time soon. apparently it goes extremely well with some vanilla ice cream.


Double Fudge Coca Cola Cake

INGREDIENTS FOR CAKE:
1 Cup Coca-cola
1/2 Cup oil
1 stick butter or margarine
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS FOR CAKE:
In a sauce pan, bring Coca-Cola,
oil, butter, and cocoa to a boil.
Mix the sugar, flour and salt, pour
in the boiling liquid and beat well.
Add the eggs, buttermilk, soda, and
vanilla and beat well. Pour into a
greased and floured sheet cake pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INGREDIENTS FOR FROSTING:
1 stick butter or margarine
3 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 to 1 cup pecans, chopped
1 pound confectioners sugar

DIRECTIONS FOR FROSTING:
In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa
and milk. Heat until the butter melts. Beat
in the remaining ingredients, and spread on
the hot cake. Cool before cutting.

i cooked ythis and let me tell you it is intense but awesome..... I modded the iccing cause the icing in the instructions sem to have to much butter but it was a great cake ; )....

[Benwah]

Soak split peas overnight, drain, wash twice, drain and set aside.
Cook one onion (finely chopped) in olive oil until it's quite, quite brown add 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic or couple of teaspoons of basil - if your allergic to garlic ;) Wack in your split peas and kinda fry them in the stinky juices for a min or so add a goodly amount of stock (veggie works best, but chicken will do the job) and quite a bit of salt (I dunno, 4 teaspoons or something)
boil gently for 1 hour

stir, serve with bread.

Also, freezes REALLY REALLY well so you can make heaps and bring it to work.

I guestimate that this meal would cost no more than $3 and with crusty bread would feed at least 6 people.

[Chrissy]

I was chatting to Druid about my meal plans for dinner this week and he mentioned a receipe which he thought might be listed here but as it turns out, it isn't!

He called it 'Stockholm Sunday Pie' it basically consists of chicken marinaded in honey, chucked in a dish with tagliatelle and pears and baked. Does anyone have this r