Whatcha Cooking today?

[worth1]

Another Worth original..
I sliced off two ground beef patties and flattened them out.
Yellow American cheese was placed on the patty and the other patty placed on top.
The welded together so the cheese doesn't leak out.
After browning on one side I flipped over and then put a can of cream style corn around it.
Salt and pepper on the patty and hot smoked Spanish paprika on the corn.

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[bower]

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I went a bit further up the shore today, to pick up some berries for my Mom from a local fish store. These guys are great, the product is second to none but it is a bit pricey all the same, well worth it.
I got a 5 lb sack of partridgeberries for myself (best berries on earth), some packets of local savory and some cod fillet.

The fillet was so lavish and good looking, I decided to do a baked pasta dish. Haven't had this for so long!
It was not a great fit for the pan but I dug around and found... OMG the best thing I had was some garlic scapes, lurking in the veggie drawer since August!! Draped upon it. And I didn't have anything suitable to fill the gaps, but then I saw an opened jar of artichoke hearts in the fridge, just waiting for an excuse to be et. So these pickled artichokes got plopped around the cod.
I then boiled up some broad egg noodles and layered on top. And then I made a cheese sauce. Basically starting with a white sauce aka bechamel if you are french but we call it labydywack: oil, bay leaf, pepper, garlic, bit of white flour, sizzling, then some milk. And in this case some grated white cheddar then added plus some parmesan, a little extra milk to keep it creamy. Poured on top of the noodles, followed by breadcrumbs and more parmesan. Baked 400F for 30 minutes.
It was a worthy piece of fish, definitely fresher than anything I got at the store. Scapes were pretty amazing. Might've cut in advance for ease of getting them out, but they were not too tough or stringy to eat. They did not get soft or tasteless in the time it takes to cook fish, whatsoever. Still very crisp, very garlicky bites. I like.
It was also easy to get to this local food store and a much shorter distance than I thought. Just minutes extra for better food. I will be back to this place going forward and check out all the seafood especially.
Partridgeberry gorging is pending....

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[worth1]

I'm going to be up and down all night long so I'm eating early.
It's my world famous chopped ham and cheese and pickled jalapeno grilled sandwich fried in butter.
Deli thick sliced real American cheese on both ends and the chopped ham in the middle.
Hot smoked Spanish paprika on the outside.

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[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

Been promising the lovely and long suffering Mrs. Gotch some roasted Sweet Spuds for a LONG time...just got to it; Garnet on the left and Jewel on the right:

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Turned out well; some will be eaten with catsup/mustard, others will be mashed for her signature OKAY-SUE-dillas

The Gotch

[worth1]

Homemade clam chowder..I used what was within.
Can of clams
Celery stump.
Yukon Gold potatoes.
Flour roux.
Clam juice from the clams.
Bacon.
Black pepper.
Butter.
No cream or milk.
Thick when hot unlike the canned progresso that's runny when hot.

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[karstopography]

Pork Butt on the BGE. Hard to pass up on the 97 cents a pound pork butts at HEB. Used apple wood chunks for the smoke and meat church honey hog seasoning. Wife raved about the flavor. 225°-250° for about six hours but my fire was dying out so I wrapped the 8 pound butt in foil and finished it in the oven to 204° internal temperature.

Going to give some of the meat to my folks. Shredded Pork butt, a little barbecue sauce and cole slaw make a good sandwich. Pickles and onions work too. Several nice meals out of a chunk of meat that cost less than $8.

[worth1]

@karstopography
You might think about this the next time you do a pork butt.
You could mix it up with the BGE for smoke flavor and braising in apple cider.
I'm going to try this myself.
The woman is from Russia in case anyone is wondering about the accent.
Long time follower.




https://www.helenrennie.com/kitchen/abo ... he%20coast.

[worth1]

Canned in 2021 mackerel patties.
Ingredients.
Chub mackerel.
Dill relish.
Cap full of apple cider vinegar.
Cracker crumbs.
San Antonio chili powder.
Black pepper.
Knorr shrimp bullion powder.
Baking powder.
Some but not all of the mackerel juice.
Egg.
Rice flour.
Cornmeal.
Chopped onion.
Half of a Honey Crisp apple leftover from the other day.

Nothing really fancy.
Also prepping some French fries.

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[pepperhead212]

Today I made a one dish meal in the Instant Pot, using about 3 cups of canned tomatoes, and about the equivalent of 3/4 c of dried ones, plus about the equivalent of a lb of dried eggplant. I had a lb of sweet Italian sausage I had to use up, which is what got me thinking about making something Italian, plus I wanted to use some of that basil, since it's been a while since I had some!

I put the dried EP and tomatoes to soak in hot water, then I cooked the sausage separately, and set it aside. Then I cooked a medium chopped onion in a little olive oil on Sauté until soft, then added 4 minced cloves of garlic, cooked a minute, then added about 4 tb of Kalamata paste, the dried tomatoes, blended smooth with the soaking water, plus 3 cups more, and the crushed tomatoes in the jar, and the drained EP, with some marjoram and about a third of the basil, chopped up, and simmered about 25 minutes. Then I stirred in the cooked sausage, a little more salt and hot pepper flakes, and stirred in a lb of pasta shells and a half cup of moong dal, hit stop, put lid on, and set for 2 minutes on Manual (I usually set for 3, but this has more to heat up), and when finished, release heat quickly. Then I stir in the remaining basil.
First harvest of the basil from the hydroponics. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

A pasta sauce in the Instant Pot, with canned tomatoes and dried tomatoes, with dried eggplant, with sweet sausage and olive paste. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The sauce cooked down with a third of the basil, and the dried eggplant, then the sausage and pasta added, before setting for 2 minutes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished pasta, with the last 2/3 of the basil, ready to stir in. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

First bowl of pasta, with a little more basil. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[Uncle_Feist]

Wife wanted breakfast in bed this morning. I just knew that wouldn't happen.

[worth1]

@Uncle_Feist
In the Marine Chow Hall they had hash browns every morning.
They didn't have the ketchup out.
I changed that.
They had no idea people put ketchup on hash browns.

[karstopography]

@Uncle_Feist
In the Marine Chow Hall they had hash browns every morning.
They didn't have the ketchup out.
I changed that.
They had no idea people put ketchup on hash browns.

I like ketchup on hash browns. No ketchup on hamburgers or hotdogs, though, please.

[worth1]

I'm warming up my turkey broth and meat to pull some out to make turkey and dumplings..the dumplings will be made from the cheapest canned biscuits money can buy.
Economax.
Nothing fancy just basic Po folk turkey and dumplings.

The turkey broth is a stiff gelatin not just a broth.
Much better than the boxed stuff.
More nutritious too.
I mixed flour and the broth to make a slurry to thicken the dumpling sauce or whatever you call it.
You have to cook the flour for awhile unlike a roux or you'll taste raw flour.
Not finished with the turkey yet.
Next will be some sort of gumbo with okra.

[bower]

Looks like a hearty breakfast alright. Hash browns with ketchup... that's dessert!

I just put my last slab of frozen cod/scapes pasta in the toaster oven for supper. Squeeze of fresh lemon will do it.
I could've picked a couple other choices, but I want an excuse to go back to that shop where I got the cod and a big bag of partridgeberries, and see what else they got. It was expensive, not sure what I payed for the excellent cod, I think the 2.5 kilos of partridgeberries was costly - obviously if you pay someone to pick your berries they need some kind of pay per hour.
Makes me feel good about all the berries I contributed to the family economy over the years.
Anyhoo I will be back there because nothing in the world pleases me more than a good piece of cod.

Ah @worth1 I asked them about mackerel but they had nought.
Fresh filleted mackerel, it's been some years since I could get my hands on it. Need to get out in a boat I guess.
Mackerel should be gutted as soon as its landed, they spoil so quickly otherwise.
I have one recipe for mackerel:
Cut some clean fillets, really clean em well.
Marinade half and half lemon juice and soy sauce. I used to use Rooster mushroom soy, that was the best. No longer in stores here.
Get them into the marinade for a little soak. After that you can do anything with them.
Freeze for later. Roll in crumbs and fry. Bake. Grill. Whatever.
It is really delicious blend of flavors.

I do the same thing with caplin, but that's even more labor intensive to fillet the small fish.
Worth it all the same.
I do love me some mackerel though.

[worth1]

Turkey and dumplings.
Select herbs and spices.
Basil.
Tarragon.
Star anise whole.
Fennel seeds.
A whole nutmeg nut ground.
Black pepper.
Plus whatever was in the broth.

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[pepperhead212]

I made a delicious Mexican style dish today, with a chipotle sauce, and some pintos, along with a butternut squash, diced up, and simmered with them. I started by soaking 1 oz of dried tomatoes (about a lb equivalent) in 1½ c hot water. Then I put 1¼ c dried pintos in the Instant Pot, with 4 c water, ¼ tsp baking soda, and about a half tb of salt. I set that to cook 20 min, then release naturally - a little short, but it simmered a while later. Meanwhile, I pan roasted 8 cloves of garlic in a skillet, over medium heat, and toasted 3 moritas in the pan, pressing on each side about 10-12 sec/side, until blistered and slightly smoking, then put in to soak with the tomatoes. When the garlic was softened, I let it cool, peeled it, and put it in the Vitamix with the tomatoes, peppers, soaking liquid, 1 tsp Mexican oregano, 1 tsp of that coriander/cumin powder (something I make to use in my Indian cooking, but works well in the Mexican dishes, too), and about a tsp of salt, then blended to a thick paste. Then I rinsed out the container with about 1/2 c water. Then I cut up the butternut squash, and diced a medium yellow onion, and put it into the wok with about 2 tb olive oil, to sauté over medium heat. By now, the beans are finished and I strained them, and let them drain.

When the onion started getting a little color, I added the sauce, plus half of one of those Mexican chocolate disks, chopped up, turned the heat up a little, and cooked, scraping the pan constantly for about 7 minutes - until the sauce is very thick, and the spatula leaves a trail in the pan. Then, I added about 1½ c water, the butternut cubes, and the pintos, corrected the salt, and simmered about 15 minutes (the squash was still crunchy), then another 15 minutes, and it was done just right.

If I had planned this in advance, I would have gotten the tortillas out of the freezer this morning, but I only have those for tomorrow, now. I only had the last two of the last pack sort of broken up, which I toasted the pieces of, and broke them up more, and tore up the lettuce, as well - whatever works!
1 oz dried tomatoes, and 3 mirita peppers, soaking in 1 1/2 c water. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Those tomatoes and Morita peppers, ground to a very thick paste. I rinsed the container out with about 1/2 c water. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Chipotle sauce, ready to cook down. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Cooked down chipotle sauce, showing the thickness. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

That last butternut of the year, I wasn't sure that would ripe, but it was orange all the way through. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The pre-cooked pintos, peeled and diced butternut, and about 1 1/2 c water, added to the cooked down sauce, to simmer. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's the mix after simmering 15 minutes. The butternut was still quite crunchy, so I simmered it about as long again. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's the finished dish, after about 30 minutes simmering, getting darker and thicker. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's some of the last of the outside lettuce, I'd usually use whole, with the whole tortillas, but last 2 were broken up. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The finished dish, with the torn up tortilla pieces, with some lettuce to use in pieces. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[worth1]

I'm making a gumbo out of part of the turkey.
Didn't have Bell peppers so I substituted them with pickled hot jalapenos.
Also used a whole bag of okra.
15 ounce can of diced tomatoes.
Usual spices and herbs I normally use.
Can't find garlic to save my life.

[karstopography]

Last night, I made gumbo, too. The cheater version. Instead of making a roux, I used Tony Chachere’s instant roux. I used Cajun Holler Andouille made in Waelder, TX and it is surprisingly spicy. Also threw in a bunch of shrimp at the end. This was an okra-less version. I did use the Cajun holy trinity of bell peppers, onion and celery. The Bell peppers came from the garden.

Leftovers tonight.

[worth1]

I found my garlic where I always keep it.
Everything is cooking down sans the turkey.
My herbs and spices are.
Ancho powder.
Hot smoked Spanish paprika.
Frozen cilantro cubes.
Herbs de province.
Cumin garlic powder onion powder and so on.
The roux is always homemade and to the flavor I like nice and toasty.
No sausage because I don't have any.
Some of the turkey will be for turkey salad sandwiches.

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[worth1]

It's never too late to improve or try new things and I bet this one will be a big hit.
I needed more roux and I wanted some rice in the gumbo as well.
Total gumbo blasphemy but I couldn't care less what the haters think.
Well anyway I like the Mexican rice that is toasted in oil.
So I decided to combine the flour rice and oil all together and then put it in the gumbo.
This should work out pretty well.
More toasted flavor.