Whatcha Cooking today?

[worth1]

I'm not a huge fan of some Mexican chorizo either.
But I've had some i liked also.
Mostly without the strong sour vinegar taste.
Some Mexican chorizo even has cinnamon in it.
If yoy look at chorizo like you would a German bratwurst you'll get a better perspective on said sausage.
In other words not all Mexican chorizo is the same.
Obviously the addition of vinegar came out of necessity due to the lack of refrigeration.
Then it became a taste people came to look to even after refrigerators became common in certain areas.
Another thing we have to consider is unlike the US where there seems to be a giant refrigerator on every street corner it isn't like that in other countries.
Especially in Mexico.
Many parts of Mexico don't even have a constant source of electricity and if they do they can't afford to power refrigerators.
When you kill an animal you have to eat it cook it or preserve it for at least a little while.

[worth1]

Now getting off the chorizo subject I have a big kettle of chicken thighs cooking in the broth I made awhile back.
Not for sure what I'll do with them but they needed to be cooked.
My options are endless.

[Sue_CT]

Haven't watched the entire video yet, but is it necessary to rehydrate the peppers? I usually heat them to bring out the flavor and oils, seed them, and make chili powder out of them in their dried form. I was planning to do the same and add the Chili powder to the meat or the Paprika, like in Pepperhead's recipe. I would have to order the Chilis she uses, since I only have Ancho, Cascabel, and Arbol. I will probably try the sausage with the Paprika or one of those first before I order more new Chilis. I need to make more Chili Powder mix anyway for Chili this winter so when I run out of Chilis I can add a couple new varieties in my next order. Not sure about the vinegar. Pepperheads recipe has very little in it though, so I think that is a good recipe to start with.

[worth1]

Not really but it won't be the same
I'm literally surrounded by all these dried chilies in my house.
I can't emagin not having easy access to them.

As for my meal today I decided to make a delicious soup based on Mexican and Asian Indian flavors.
They go together perfectly.
Chicken deboned and flour tortillas for the addition.
The dish is not spicy hot and no hot peppers added.

20221008_100439.jpg

[Sue_CT]

Do you ever throw away dried Chilis? I have a huge amount of Arbol Chilis, and they are losing thier color because they are a few years old. Had them stored away in a box and haven't been making much Chili the last couple of years. Not sure if I should just toss them and buy new. Taking stock and I actually have more than I realized so I don't need much. Probably should toss the Szeged Paprika, its pretty old, not sure how old. Those Paprikas from Savory Spice are 5-7 years old. Even the Sweet Smoked Spanish which the oldest at 7 years old, still smells pretty good. But if I was going to place an order for shipping anyway, I might replace one or two. How long do you keep your spices and keep using them? I have never followed the 6 month recommendation, but 7 years might be pushing it, lol.

Chili powder ingredients

[pepperhead212]

@Sue_CT, I have some peppers much older than that! Believe it or not, I have some cascabel chiles from 1994!!! Back then, they were available NOWHERE around here, or in catalogs, and only occasionally when I would make a trip to NYC to stock up on all sorts of things would the Mexican grocery have those. I got them on a trip to California, with my parents, and found them in bulk in a supermarket in Bakersfield, of all places. I must have gotten 5 gallons of them - my Mom couldn't figure out why I would get so exited over finding these peppers! There were some others I got, but they are long gone, but still a couple of quarts of these.

The ones I won't use as fast I either put in vacuum sealed bags, or suck the air out of many of the jars I put them in, when storing them in my basement. Powders I always put in the bags - I might have some in jars in small amounts, but when I need to refill it, I just snip the corner of the bag, and refill, then reseal it through that corner. Powders loose flavor fastest, since there is so much surface area to loose flavors through, as well as the oxidation to take place. Same thing when I make those spice mixes - the ones I use fast, I'll put in a larger jar, but if I rarely use it I'll put it in a small jar, and maybe put some in a vacuum seal bag.

The chiles I use the most are the Thai type - sort of like chile de árbol, used mostly for heat, but with even more flavor. I grind them, for my version of cayenne, and crush them, for red pepper flakes. But most I leave whole, and put the first half gal jar in the basement, after sucking the air out, and give last year's leftovers (which are still better than most things in stores!) to friends, who like getting them!

I never "throw away" peppers!
Peppers I have left from previous years, that I either didn't use much, or got more of this year, but don't give to friends, I take outside and grind up in an old food processor. I throw the stuff (using gloves!) places I know rabbits or squirrels like to hang out, or go through to get somewhere, and they don't like it! I also use it for making homemade capsaicin/garlic/herb sprays - put a bit of all the ingredients in my VM, with a little water, and blend a while, then strain. Here are some of those peppers I haven't ground up yet - still about 1/3 gal of the ground up ones in a jar in the shed!
peppers from previous years, to grind up for outside use. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

BTW, that Szeged paprika was what I used to use for that chorizo! The first time I ever got any paprika worth using was on a trip to NYC, and up on the NE side (84th St?) was a store - Paprika Weiss, where I got that, and some others, plus some kitchenware, and I went there many times after that, when I'd stock up on food, as well as getting my kitchen stocked. I'd only find these stores and addresses for them in cookbooks back then! As you can tell, I got obsessed with food early on.

[Sue_CT]

I only started using Thai Chilis recently and I LOVE them! I have only used the fresh ones, and I grew a few of my own this summer. Just one plant. I didn't get a lot but I wasn't sure the season would be long enough to get any, but I did. They are pretty cheap to buy at the local indian market so growing them is just for fun. I throw the fresh ones in a ziplock in the freezer and chop them up for my dishes as I need them. I have never bought or used them dried.

Going to place order with Penzy's and replace my Paprika, only because it is free today! They are having a special where if you spend 10.00 you can pick a free 1/2 cup jar of spice and a free 1/4 cup jar of spice. So I will get some Guajillo chilis, and fresh Paprika at the same time, although they don't carry the Hot Smoked that I like from Savory Spice. I can always add an additonal arbol chili if I want to increase the heat a bit.

[worth1]

@Sue_CT
If yoy used peppers and paprika like I did it wouldn't get old.
I honestly wouldn't toss the chilies and just use them.
Also rehydration of the dried chilies isn't that hard and well worth it.
You'll get the flavor you're missing didnt know was there or looking for.

[rxkeith]

english roast in the crock pot is cooking with some salt, pepper, and onion. very simple.
in the oven cooking is some small green with mottled orange squash. this is an apparent
hybrid of the small dark green silver striped squash i had gotten from a local csa farmer.
i hope they are good because i have quite a few of them. i will report back.

the squash were on the dry and flaky side. flavor was acceptable, but way too dry for my
tastes. i won't be saving seed for this one.

keith

[worth1]

Dinner and a movie.
Taco salad and.....
One flew over the cuckoo's nest.

20221008_174537.jpg

[Danny]

I only started using Thai Chilis recently and I LOVE them! I have only used the fresh ones, and I grew a few of my own this summer. Just one plant. I didn't get a lot but I wasn't sure the season would be long enough to get any, but I did. They are pretty cheap to buy at the local indian market so growing them is just for fun. I throw the fresh ones in a ziplock in the freezer and chop them up for my dishes as I need them. I have never bought or used them dried.

Going to place order with Penzy's and replace my Paprika, only because it is free today! They are having a special where if you spend 10.00 you can pick a free 1/2 cup jar of spice and a free 1/4 cup jar of spice. So I will get some Guajillo chilis, and fresh Paprika at the same time, although they don't carry the Hot Smoked that I like from Savory Spice. I can always add an additonal arbol chili if I want to increase the heat a bit.

Seeing your post made me go look at Penzy's. With the freebie shipping and 2 free items, it was a deal. I tend to buy more in bulk than what they offer mostly, but got a couple things to try out.

[pepperhead212]

I only started using Thai Chilis recently and I LOVE them! I have only used the fresh ones, and I grew a few of my own this summer. Just one plant. I didn't get a lot but I wasn't sure the season would be long enough to get any, but I did.

If you are interested in growing a good Thai pepper, the best one I have tried (and I have tried a lot!) is Thai Vesuvius - a pepper I have only gotten from Renee's Garden. Unfortunately it is one of those she sells in a set - this time with an orange Thai pepper, which really wasn't that good (and not like another orange variety, by any means), so I only grow the red, but I don't mind. They are OP, but saving the seeds is a pain - when looking for the end of a branch to put a bag on, almost all of the flowers are already set! I'd have to plan in advance, and do this in the very beginning!

It is sort of a determinate type, that gets a huge number of flowers, and the peppers grow quickly, and in early August I picked the first "flush", that were starting their ripening. Here's the second picking, and this triggered the second flowering - I usually get 3 flushes like this! This was just from 2 plants, plus another variety, not as productive.
Close to 2 qts of Thai peppers, harvested on 8-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr
2 of 2 trays of Thai peppers, ready for the dehydrator. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Now you can see why I use these peppers so much! Plus, they have a great flavor - better than most other, similar peppers I've tried, of the Chinese, Korean, Japanese, or Indian. I grew some árbol peppers one year, that did grow tall, but weren't as productive, as they didn't ripen until September, and only one harvest! I always dry the first harvest, freeze the red ones from the second harvest - enough to last me until next season - and green ones the end of the season (about now!). You can smell (careful, of course) how much more aroma is in these things, when you open jars of whole or ground ones.

Here are just a few of the things I have in my basement pantry.
Just a few of the Chiles in my pantry. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[worth1]

I'm now working close enough to a Fiesta market in Austin on 38th Street to make it worth while to stock up on things I can't get in Bastrop.
Like a thick dark cooking soy sauce and some exotic beans.
Great pepper selection too.

[worth1]

Gotta hankering for Indian food.
Or at least my version without following a recipe.
I know the players so it doesn't matter anyway.
Just adding to the chicken concoction from yesterday with more Indian spices.
Things like..
Garam masala my own homemade hot curry powder and heavy cream.
It'll go over basmati rice.

[Danny]

I sure like the curry roux blocks, we use the mild version, though you can get it in a hot version too. Don't cook enough Indian food to make my own garam masala or such, though we use some of the same spices that are used in many Indian dishes in other foods. Green and black cardamon pods and saffron come to mind off hand.

[Sue_CT]

In case anyone else is interested, Penzy's Spices is still offering the two free jars of spices, your choice with a 10.00 purchase, and free shipping with a 25.00 purchase through midnight tonight.

[pepperhead212]

I had a pound of creminis in the fridge I wanted to make a soup with. First thing I did, as with almost all this type of recipe, was put about ¾ oz beletus to soak in some hot water.

This one was mostly in the instant pot, starting out sautéeing a simple mirepoix in some EVOO, adding some minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, and a couple tb of tomato paste at the end, to cook a minute. I added 7 c water, along with ¾ c of barley, and ½ c toor dal (some keeps its shape, but some thickens the soup, with this type), and a little light soy, for salting. Cover, set on manual 25 min (or equivalent), and let pressure release naturally.

While that cooks, I clean and slice the creminis about 3/8" thick. Then squeeze the boletus around in the water, to get any grit out, then squeeze dry. Strain the water, then add a little clean water to the boletus, squeeze around again, in case there is any grit (usually gone the first time), squeeze dry again, and chop fine. Then I add this and the soaking water to a NS wok, or other pan, put the crimini in, and cover. Then steam everything, until the cremini is all cooked slightly, uncover, and boil off the water, tossing frequently. When the water is almost gone, add a couple of tsp of EVOO, and brown the ingredients, tossing frequently only this small amount of oil is needed here. And it's all ready before the IP ingredients!
Mushrooms, about halfway through the browning by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Browned cremini and boletus mushrooms, to put in the soup, after the first cooking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Mushrooms added to the barley lentil mix, pressure cooked first. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Mushroom barley soup, with some buttered, toasted slices of the rosemary whole grain bread. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And that very thick slice of toasted bread, baked last night, was delicious with it!

[Sue_CT]

But not one pepper or squirt of hot sauce in the whole dish, Pepperhead. You will never use up that supply that way, lol. From the looks of your pantry I wondered if you ever cooked without them. It looks delicious. Getting to be soup weather for sure.

[karstopography]

Made the most of a 12 ounce Beefmaster tomato from the garden yesterday. Bacon, mayonnaise and tomato sandwiches for lunch and cheeseburgers, dressed with sliced Beefmaster tomato,iceberg lettuce (braved the store on a Sunday afternoon for fresh lettuce) and sliced pickles with mayonnaise on toasted brioche buns for dinner. Threw on a link of sausage on the BGE next to the burgers just because. Weather as typical for October has been great for grilling and there’s still enough natural light late to get it done without turning on any lights to see what I’m doing.

Still trying to build dinners around or that might compliment what’s fresh in the garden or at least use some little something, an herb or sliced pepper at the least, from the garden. I’m probably a week or two away from even starting with planting any cool season vegetables.

[Julianna]

@pepperhead212 where do you get your boletus? That soup looks fabulous! I sometimes make my own cream of mushroom from a big mix. I am a big mishroom fan.