What's cooking? part 4

Leftover Turkey Curry mk II tonight. Mk I was a bit boring.

I think I might roast a chicken later but I don't have a roasting pan or a rack; if I just put it in a dutch oven w/ some potatoes/celery/onion/garlic around it is it going to be a soupy greasy mess?

― y kant max read (Stevie D(eux)), Sunday, December 28, 2014 12:35 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

do you have a regular baking sheet with a low rim? or a decent-size ovenproof skillet? cause those will work fine too.

I usually roast chickens in a big ovenproof skillet.

But I feel like kind of a lout for saying this but I much prefer roasting cut up parts over a whole bird - it's so much easier to deal with as I can cook the dark and light meat separately, I get crisper skin, and I don't end up with chicken juice over every square inch of the counter which always seems to happen when I carve whole birds. I can cut up a raw chicken in like three minutes and the only downside is not having a carcass to pick at.

Visiting Jaq and Mr. Jaq last month got me interested in using coconut oil -- it's in heavy rotation in their kitchen. So far so good, after frying and scrambling eggs, browning beef and making cornbread with it.

I just made this salad of tortellini, arugula, cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil + really good evoo/lemon juice/s+p/microplaned garlic/so much grated parm reg

it is

so

gooooooooooooooood

i dig coconut oil xp but i'm not crazy about having that coconut flavor in everything. it's nice sometimes but it's a more dominating flavor than olive oil

Coconut oil is especially good with pork imo. I like olive oil better with beef. If you're making curry though, coconut oil all the way.

What should I do with two boring pork chops to make them not so boring? They are boneless, which is not my preference, but there you go.

Maybe I could cube and kabob them?

I dunno. Boneless pork chops are the chicken breast of the pig world.

Cry onto them; marinade them in your tears.

slice thin and stir fry imo

Kabob gets my vote. Boneless lean chops are so uninspiring.

Hmmm yes but what sort of seasoning?

I have some sichuan peppercorns and uh ginger and garlic and soy?

Does a pork curry sound too weird? I have Mae Ploy curry pastes and coconut milk. And curry leaves.

With kabob at least I could put them on the grill and get some char/smoke going on.

Pork curries are delicious

Those pork chops are nice with a sizzling topping - I did something good with a jar of preserved aubergines in an ovenproof dish, but can't for the life of me find the recipe.

This coconut oil I got has no coconut flavor at all, which surprised me a little. Brand name is Better Body Foods.

Is it extra virgin first pressing and all that? The Nutiva brand we use has a fairly mild coconut scent and flavor but it's definitely noticeable. It also has a low smoke point. When we need a high smoke point, we use ghee or avocado oil.

It doesn't say extra virgin or anything, but it does have a high smoke point (425F). I got it so much hotter than I usually get the shortening when I made cornbread that when I poured it into the batter, it scrambled a bit of the egg.

It's this one:
http://www.vitacost.com/Images/Products/500/Better-Body-Foods/Better-Body-Foods-Coconut-Organic-897922002492.jpg

Yow, sorry for hueg

refined coconut oil doesn't really have a flavor, i think.

Yeah refined = little scent or flavor of coconut, also much higher smoke point

Not sure what the refining process consists of. Does it make it less healthy?

Not necessarily - as long as it's not hydrogenated I'm sure it's fine.

what are some good appetizers or small plates to serve during a casual new year's eve party? prefer something easy

Thinly sliced serrano ham. Puff pastry with savory or sweet toppings. Dates stuffed with pecans.

can't go wrong with good cheese and charcuterie

belgian endive leaves with a gorgonzola or roquefort "mousse" tucked inside.
i think classic stuffed mushrooms are easy
dunno how hard vietnamese spring rolls are to you but they can be made at least a couple hours ahead of time and sauce options are aplenty
nice cheese platter always seems to be a winner but that's pretty obv
crudites with a nice healthy dip can be nice, too. my sister made Nava Atlas' recipe for dill miso tahini dip the other week and people went crazy for it

interestingly spiced almonds or peanuts

thanks everybody! great suggestions

we are gonna have some variety of good cheeses, these amazing alphonso olives my dad brought me, roasted delicata squash rings, sauteed arugula, pan-fried baby bell peppers, some crusty bread, roasted spiced chickpeas. it should be good!

Amazing! What time should we be over?

I'll bring wine.

Cooks of ILX:

I cannot find the sardine thread.

Was it sandbox?

Is anyone still eating sardines?

Or was this A Brief ILX Phase.

haha bring wine and whiskey all

Quincie, wasn't it a nutrition Nazi thread with all the sardines?

i love sardines loaded with calcium and omega 3's; inexpensive; and according to Monterey Bay Aquairium they're sustainable/"best choice"

Yeah all the sardine talk was on the nutrition Nazi thread.

I've got this jawn going in the slow cooker for new year's dinner as we speak - http://www.bowenappetit.com/2011/01/05/chicken-with-tomatillos-potatoes-jalapenos/

ahhhhhh yes of course NN, thanks! Thanks to that thread I bought many different tins and ate none. May give it another go in 2015. I really like fresh sardines!

ha! i recognized that recipe from the url!!
This recipe is from Everyday Mexican, by Rick Bayless, which is our go-to Mexican food cookbook.

i made it a few years ago and it was really good iirc but i never made it again! weird. maybe i will.

I a deeply creeped out by Rick Bayless. TV show with his daughter somehow even more creepy than without.

the only food i had yesterday was five slices of toast and a couple of tins of parmentier sardines, which weren't very good although usually they are

i am going to make dill pickle dip

also hot toddies i think

toddys?

idk

i've never seen his show at least not maybe more than 1x?
i just have the cookbook

it's ok for easified Mexican recipes, although I know they aren't the same ones he uses because i doubled the chiles once and it was like 5x better tasting than when i followed his recipe. i think he waters them down!

There is something a little weird about Rick B., quincie, I agree even though I like his show and generally enjoy his food (in both pre-packaged, restaurant, and recipe form). For me it's a cross between his voice and his ultra-lean yoga bod. I kind of love Lanie, though, although I don't know whether that's because I legitimately like her or because I feel some weird sense of protective loyalty towards her.

LL, I have that cookbook and go through phases where I make some of those recipes tons. It's been sitting on the shelf so long, I actually had to wipe dust of off it this time. I'm glad that you liked that one! What did you serve it with? I'm thinking black beans and rice.

in both pre-packaged, restaurant, and recipe form

Both of those three things. Sheesh.

anyway, there is no way that this translates to a retelling but I'm telling it anyway because I it made me inordinately happy then and now, so:

Jeff, Jesse, and I were at Frontera Grill for dinner once and Rick Bayless happened to be there. We hadn't lived in Chicago long so I was way too excited about a real live celebrity chef sighting, and kept looking around for him, when Jesse pointed towards the kitchen and semi-yelled, "Here comes Rick Bayless! And he is ANGRY!"

Neither of which were true, but for some reason it made me LOL and LOL.

i don't think i served it with anything? i might go with something lighter tasting, like something with lime or avocado. cucumber-onion-tomato-avocado-lime juice salad would be good. i don't remember honestly -- it was a long time ago. i do remember it was pretty heavy, like a stew.

Oh, cucumber-something-something would be perfect. I'm delightfully close to numerous grocery stores rn, too. Thanks!

a la orden

hahaha that Jesse quip is making me LOL, too

Jesse plus Rick Bayless scenario would be awesome