Whatcha Cooking today?

[Tormahto]

@pepperhead212; you still had a Butternut Squarsh from LAST SEASON???

The Gotch

I know, that's hard to believe, but true! I grow those Polaris hybrids, from Pinetree. It was sometime in September that I still had maybe 5 left, but 4 had small spots forming, so I took those, and peeled and seeded them, and cut the bad spots out, diced them, made a dish like this with a small amount of it, and dehydrated the rest! This one, that didn't have any bad spots I left on my kitchen counter, and watched it. It was still good when I cut into it, and I noticed that the seeds were sort of flat, indicating that it was probably one of those late ones I picked, that wasn't quite ripe yet, like those last two I picked this year, that had some green on them.

One squash that I kept for even longer one time, just to see, was a Seminole Pumpkin, which I kept for 2 years! They were very good, but not as productive as the butternuts I grow, and I only grew them for a couple of years.

Do any of your old butternut squash start oozing a sugary sap? Mine, fully ripe when picked, do after about 4 to 5 months in storage. I can go 8+ months, then the warmer weather comes, and squash that were shelf stable for a long time, quickly deteriorate.

[Sue_CT]

OK, beans not spicey. I used the term "fry" a bit loosely. Put in a frying pan with oil, loosely qualifies. I particularly like Tex-Mex. I like a little heat. But not in every ingredient, so the beans are OK, just too much garlic. I like the looks of her recipe for the Guajilla beans, I will try that soon. Yes, when trying restaurants recommended because they were "authentic" Mexican, I did ctually find them bland. Was not really to my taste. But, I can fix that at home, lol.
The beans were loose, just like her video, when I made them, but that was when they were hot. As they cooled they got much thicker.
I will try wetting the the tortilla first before putting them in a warm frying pan to warm up. I also used a cast iron frying pan. Maybe a regular or nonstick pan would be better. That cast iron fully heated and it got the tortilla too hot too fast, even though I had it on med-low. But filling and rolling them off the heat I think is going to be key.

I don't have traditional mexican cooking equipment and at this time don't plan to buy them. So no comal. Frying pan or cast iron griddle will have to do. I prefer the pan for making a single burrito, the griddle is too big and heavy and I don't need anything that big for that. Eventually, I would like to try making a flour tortilla. Just for fun, no investment in special equipment. I just want to see if it makes any difference to me in taste. Either way, I am happy using the corn for tacos and the flour for burritos, which are perfectly good once they are browned a bit in the pan.

I am very happy with the sausage but I will try the Villa Cocina one too. I want to try her Carne Asada. The marinade sounds delicious.

I am trying to eat healthier and drop weight, which difficult on the steroids I am taking not to mention my decreased activity due to my breathing and not working any more, but this food does not help either, lol. Mexican food not exactly low in calories. At least not what I am making.

[worth1]

A comal is a cast iron or any other griddle.
Some are made from stone or clay and huge.
So you have a comal if you have a griddle.

[pepperhead212]

Do any of your old butternut squash start oozing a sugary sap? Mine, fully ripe when picked, do after about 4 to 5 months in storage. I can go 8+ months, then the warmer weather comes, and squash that were shelf stable for a long time, quickly deteriorate.

I never have any sap oozing from the butternuts - the only ones that even oozed of the ones I've grown were the
Tromboncino, which is the type of moschata squash (all I can grow, due to SVB) that is often picked small, like a summer squash. Those things would be "oozing" the same day I picked them, and sometimes before being picked! I had a number of other butternuts begin to soften, even before the 3rd month.

I do get some oozing on the stems, shortly after picking, but I wipe that off, and after it's dry, I seal them. I always figured that is where it looses most of its moisture, in storage, so if I "paint it", with a little shellac (always have some shellac flakes in my workshop, plus alcohol), it seals the stem, at least, though with the varieties that softened early, it didn't really matter.

[rxkeith]

beef short ribs in the crock pot.

first time i made them they came out great. second time i made them, i cooked them in a dutch oven, and they
came out a bit scorched. all the cooking liquid dried up. so can't go wrong doing them in the crock pot.

also going to make a big pot of split pea soup. i have a few work days coming up. if you are going to make a mess in
the kitchen, might as well make a big mess, eh.


keith

[karstopography]

79497201-F2AB-4DA8-A37B-CF15B352E26C.jpeg

Last batch of mild paprika for 2022. This last batch has more heat than the previous ones, but I’d still describe it as mild. I still have two ounces plus of cayenne and Aji Cristal to grind into powder, plus a few more Aji Cristal out on the one remaining pepper plant and also currently drying on the copper.

I now have 6 ounces of mild paprika in the freezer, plus an ounce plus of cayenne, Ancho and Aji Cristal. The Aji Cristal powder is the hottest overall and more fruity than ground cayenne. The ancho chile powder has a delicious raisin like flavor note, with some heat.

However far this stash of paprika takes me might determine how many and what kind of peppers I grow in 2023. One thing I want more of is the Poblano type Ancho chile to dry. I froze 3 gallons of various fresh peppers and especially mostly green poblanos. I used a couple of frozen jalapeños recently and they worked well and tasted great in the falafel. If all the peppers taste great after being in the freezer I’ll be growing even more in 2023 probably even if it is at the expense of tomatoes. I see a poblano soup or a goulash in my future with these peppers stashed away.

Half the battle with gardening is to figure out what you want to do with the harvest. We don’t all answer that question the same way.

[worth1]

Speaking of chili powder the bulk section finally had the jars full again.
Wasn't planning on buying but the opportunity arose because I was out of these types.

20221025_163241.jpg

[GoDawgs]

Today's lunch was Korean beef bulgogi, homemade kimchi and jasmine rice. It's been a while since I made some so I had to scratch that itch. Mission accomplished.

[worth1]

Heating up the 12 inch cast iron skillet for breakfast for supper.
Heating up another for eggs.
Broke down and bought some bacon.
Gonna toss together some pancake batter for one big pancake.
Hopefully runny eggs.
Hot link.
Red hot serrano chiles fresh from the garden..
Steens pure cane syrup.
Butter.

[rxkeith]

ok, question here for you chili powder makers.
i have never made it.
do you grind the whole pepper with seeds once dried, or do you remove the seeds first?
do you slice the pepper in pieces to hasten drying?
mortar, and pestle to grind or coffee grinder, outside of course?
i guess thats three questions.
the black hungarian pepper i grew last year might be a good candidate for making chili powder.
i can grow it here. it is productive, and it has i think a smokey kind of heat to it.


keith

[karstopography]

@rxkeith I have a Shardor grinder I got from Jeff Bezos. SHARDOR Coffee Grinder Electric, Herb Grinder, Spice Grinder Electric, Wet Grinder for Spices and Seeds with 2 Removable Stainless Steel Bowls, Silver, About $40. (I paid $35 in July) I use the 4 blade bowl. Takes about 30 seconds to grind 1 ounce to a fairly fine consistency.

I remove the vast majority of the seeds and all the stems before grinding. Maybe 3 or 5 seeds in 100 make it into the grinder.

Drying the peppers has been an education. I have copper sheet outdoors in the sun I dry them on as my first choice, weather permitting. I generally make a small slit with a sharp knife in each pepper to allow moisture to escape from the inside of the pepper. Sometimes, I’ll open up peppers like poblanos and remove the seeds and finish the drying process. I’m looking for the pepper to get a little brittle to call them dry enough. Sometimes, I put the drying peppers in my big green egg as the kamado cooker is cooling off after a cook. 180° or less.

An actual dehydrator would be easier, but I sort of enjoy finagling with the sun dried/BGE version.

[Sue_CT]

I don't dry my own peppers, I buy the dried peppers and use those to make my own chili powder mix. I remove stems and seeds, cut them into about 1-2 inch strips, warm them up in a cast iron skillet to "wake them up" and activate the oils in them, along with some cumin seeds to toast, then put the whole shabang into the vitamix and whir away. Pour into container.

[Danny]

I have a smaller electric grinder that I have used outside for really hot peppers in the past, but my hot days are past for the most part. Most peppers get air dried preferably ( in the dehydrator otherwise) and if a small batch, in the grinder it goes. Larger batches go into the Vitamix for a quick twirl. Either way, stemmed and seeded except in making hot chili oils or crisps. More comfortable in the house, LOL.

[karstopography]

This shardor grinder has two lids, an internal lid and then another external cover. It really doesn’t create a much of any pepper dust that escapes so long as I remember to put on the internal lid. I’ve ground the hot peppers like Aji Cristal and Cayenne inside without issues. Maybe something habanero hot or above might be trouble.

I have had much more trouble when I slice into a fresh hot pepper. That action has brought on terrible coughing attacks, but so far grinding these dried peppers has not.

[worth1]

Breakfast for supper.
Three red serrano chiles seeds removed chopped and put into pancake batter.
5 eggs.

20221025_195513.jpg

[worth1]

Fried fish and taters.
Special sauce.
Fish got dipped in cornmeal with new Mexico chili powder added.
Taters in a water bath with a little vinegar.
Special sauce was...
One bunch of cilantro.
Sour cream.
Mayonnaise.
Olive oil.
Lime juice.
Salt.
Three green serranos that weren't really hot at all.
All in the blender.
Thought I would try something different and just made it up.
Needed to do something with the sour cream and cilantro.
Pretty good too.
Reminded me a little of the sauce they put on shawarmas at a Middle Eastern market in Austin.
But with a twist to it.
It went really well with the fish and taters.

20221026_190749.jpg

[Tormahto]

79497201-F2AB-4DA8-A37B-CF15B352E26C.jpeg
Last batch of mild paprika for 2022. This last batch has more heat than the previous ones, but I’d still describe it as mild. I still have two ounces plus of cayenne and Aji Cristal to grind into powder, plus a few more Aji Cristal out on the one remaining pepper plant and also currently drying on the copper.

I now have 6 ounces of mild paprika in the freezer, plus an ounce plus of cayenne, Ancho and Aji Cristal. The Aji Cristal powder is the hottest overall and more fruity than ground cayenne. The ancho chile powder has a delicious raisin like flavor note, with some heat.

However far this stash of paprika takes me might determine how many and what kind of peppers I grow in 2023. One thing I want more of is the Poblano type Ancho chile to dry. I froze 3 gallons of various fresh peppers and especially mostly green poblanos. I used a couple of frozen jalapeños recently and they worked well and tasted great in the falafel. If all the peppers taste great after being in the freezer I’ll be growing even more in 2023 probably even if it is at the expense of tomatoes. I see a poblano soup or a goulash in my future with these peppers stashed away.

Half the battle with gardening is to figure out what you want to do with the harvest. We don’t all answer that question the same way.

If I remember making goulash correctly, you'll be emptying that freezer of ground peppers in no time.

[karstopography]

@Tormato I figure I have enough paprika for three goulashes or more, depending on the recipe. Most recipes call for 1/4 cup with some half that amount. I might do one hungarian goulash over the next few months and one chicken Paprikash, both those together will consume half the stash. The rest of it will go to assorted recipes.

I wish I had a pound of the paprika, though. I’m going to try growing some different peppers next season to see if I can increase the yield. I’ve got NuMex R. Naky and Hungarian Maygar pepper seeds, among others. I lost a lot of peppers to elusive giant grasshoppers, these are as big or bigger than hummingbirds (I finally caught one in the act of devouring a pepper). Maybe I’ll look into getting a proper dehydrator to efficiently crank out more dried peppers. I gave my old dehydrator away to my daughter. I was trying to rely on solar power, hot copper sheet and the BGE to do the drying, but this isn’t the most productive way.

[worth1]

You'll never guess what I'm making.
Peppers fresh from the garden.
I didn't even knock a dent in these things.

20221027_165320.jpg

[karstopography]

@worth1 what you making? I can’t begin to guess.

Grilled chicken. Split a 5.85# broiler and it is out on the BGE. Seasoned with citrus dill rub. Haricot Verts sautéed in a skillet with olive oil and the fancy ancient strain of hardneck garlic from northern New Mexico.