Another East meets West concoction.
1/2 cup of black eyed peas.
Water.
1/2 cup of bacon ends and pieces.
Tablespoon Knorr tomato chicken bullion powder.
Teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika.
Teaspoon Black pepper.
Teaspoon or more of Cumin powder.
Tablespoon of Mexican oregano.
About a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds ground up.
I used a lot of water so it's simmering uncovered for awhile.
Yet another fenugreek seeds experiment.

The black eyed peas and the chicken livers and eggplant came out fantastic.
Chicken livers and eggplant go quite well with each other cooked this way.
In my opinion they compliment each other.

I accidentally made raw fermented bell pepper. The ripe bellpepper jar to the right, I put in the brine and didn't cooked it like the other green ones because I thought I was going to made hot sauce in a few day, I left it a too long fortunately I didn't overtighten the jar and no explosion. The flavor is good and very citrusy, not over fermented. I did bought the jar lids designed for fermenting so I think I'm going to ferment more stuff. The hot sauce process took so long, 4hrs. 6% Carolina Reaper, 12% Habanero, and 50% green Serrano. 7lbs overall.

Roasted pork loin sandwiches with Kennebec twisty fries.

Now that looks good.

Vanman wrote: ↑Sat Oct 28, 2023 9:03 pm Now that looks good.

It was... Thanks!

I always make a large amount of pasta sauce, I can't help myself.
This is the meat one I always make.
Usual weird ingredients.
That most people don't put in their pasta sauce.
But it's good and it's not chill.
Things like.
Crushed tomatoes.
Tomato puree.
Sweet vermouth.
This time dates not raisins.
Sweet sherry.
Worcestershire sauce.
A1 sauce.
Dash of thick Soy sauce.
Cumin.
Paprika hot and regular.
Pinches of ancho powder.
Fresh and powdered garlic.
Chopped onion.
Turmeric.
Small amount of chili powder.
Mexican oregano.
2 pounds of ground chuck.
I can't even remember it all until I start putting it in and it always comes out the same.
It's going on spaghetti because it will tick off the Italian community.
Italians in Italy somehow think meat sauce never goes on spaghetti.

worth1 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 29, 2023 12:52 pm I always make a large amount of pasta sauce, I can't help myself.
This is the meat one I always make.
Usual weird ingredients.
That most people don't put in their pasta sauce.
But it's good and it's not chill.
Things like.
Crushed tomatoes.
Tomato puree.
Sweet vermouth.
This time dates not raisins.
Sweet sherry.
Worcestershire sauce.
A1 sauce.
Dash of thick Soy sauce.
Cumin.
Paprika hot and regular.
Pinches of ancho powder.
Fresh and powdered garlic.
Chopped onion.
Turmeric.
Small amount of chili powder.
Mexican oregano.
2 pounds of ground chuck.
I can't even remember it all until I start putting it in and it always comes out the same.
It's going on spaghetti because it will tick off the Italian community.
Italians in Italy somehow think meat sauce never goes on spaghetti.
IMG_20231029_123531781_HDR.jpg

As an Italian it don't bother me at all that someone would do such an abomination as putting ground meat in spaghetti sauce. I just giggle to myself every time I put beans and spaghetti in my Texas chili.

Uncle_Feist wrote: ↑Sun Oct 29, 2023 3:49 pm

worth1 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 29, 2023 12:52 pm I always make a large amount of pasta sauce, I can't help myself.
This is the meat one I always make.
Usual weird ingredients.
That most people don't put in their pasta sauce.
But it's good and it's not chill.
Things like.
Crushed tomatoes.
Tomato puree.
Sweet vermouth.
This time dates not raisins.
Sweet sherry.
Worcestershire sauce.
A1 sauce.
Dash of thick Soy sauce.
Cumin.
Paprika hot and regular.
Pinches of ancho powder.
Fresh and powdered garlic.
Chopped onion.
Turmeric.
Small amount of chili powder.
Mexican oregano.
2 pounds of ground chuck.
I can't even remember it all until I start putting it in and it always comes out the same.
It's going on spaghetti because it will tick off the Italian community.
Italians in Italy somehow think meat sauce never goes on spaghetti.
IMG_20231029_123531781_HDR.jpg

As an Italian it don't bother me at all that someone would do such an abomination as putting ground meat in spaghetti sauce. I just giggle to myself every time I put beans and spaghetti in my Texas chili.

I put Texas chili on my spaghetti.

Back in the days when tomato soup came in a can, my mom used to dress it up special with a dab of sherry. No doubt about it, tomato and sherry is a fine taste, alright.

I made liver and onions tonight, with a fried rice with lots of veggies.
I was out hosing out pots for a few hours while the wind howled from the NW and temperature was dropping into the 40's, and it felt like a liver and onions day!

It may be some sort of hillbilly red neck attempt at being a snob but I can't put myself to adding refined sugar to acidic tomato products, 'especially if canned, so I use sweet fortified wine and fruit to do the task at hand.
Adding a base to offset the acidity isn't an option because it kills the acid making the products ability to keep longer.
I used a base like baking soda only if it is all going to be eaten in a sitting.

I just wanted to add one other thing.
You pay for what you get.
For years I fought indigestion due to processed food.
I discovered my problem due to kidney stones brought on by things like calcium based antacids.
I had to change my diet.
The can in the picture is a can of CENTO crushed tomatoes.
The ingredients are vine ripened tomatoes and nothing else.
The salt content is 20 mg per serving.
No citric acid.
No preservatives.
Can BPA free.
The only salt added was a tablespoon of Knorr beef bullion powder.
The homemade thick Soy sauce was low sodium to begin with and it's mostly molasses.
Pay now or pay a hell of a lot later.

I've never found any commercially canned mater products from any company to be high quality.

I made Swiss steak today using actual high quality maters of a 2019 vintage. No need to add any sugar because it's naturally there masking the acidity. There's also no green veins or white flesh in the fruit representing a K or moisture deficiency, or both, just succulent red juicy flesh picked at the peak of maturity and preserved within hours of harvest with no added ingredients except salt. I like some salt.

Every year is different. If it's a not so perfect harvest season, I don't can, or can very little. If it's a spectacular year I can many gallons of maters to get through the lean years. I find that I get a spectacular year once every 10 years and 2019 was a 7 or so.. Commercial canneries trudge on with inferior product regardless if season is good or bad, but they have to, I don't.

Served with Yukon gold mash, a green tater onion, and cornbread made from fresh ground Tennessee Red Cob cornmeal picked from the stalk today.

I used to buy a large number of canned goods, before the prices went way up! All I bought really were legumes, but now I just use dried beans. They used to have those Can-Can sales a couple times a year, when things were half price, but not anymore.

Today I made a batch of mushroom barley soup, and some French bread, to have a piece with it, and sop it up. I had a pound of plain white mushrooms, and I soaked an ounce of boletus, while getting the rest of the ingredients prepared. I started with a large chopped onion, cooked in Instant Pot in EVOO in sauté mode, and after about 5 minutes, added about 2 tsp minced garlic, and a tb of white miso (my substitute for tomato paste), and a generous tb of minced rosemary. After cooking about a minute, I added the boletus and their soaking water, and 1/2 c purple barley, switched the sauté mode to high, and let most of it boil off. Then I added a qt of chicken broth, and 3 c water, corrected the seasonings, covered, and pressure cooked it 25 minutes, and let the pressure release naturally.

While getting this stuff done, I washed, and cut up the mushrooms, then steamed them briefly in a wok, then in just a tb of EVOO, sautéed them for about 7 min, or until the mushrooms are browning. Then I set aside. This was also when I put the bread in to bake.

I added 3/4 c red lentils to the soup, to thicken, then set the IP to slow cook - high, and it was thickened in 20 minutes. After it thickened, I added the cooked mushrooms, switched the slow cook to normal, so it was just keeping it warm, while the bread was cooling.
Some French bread, to eat with the soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Mushroom barley soup, with some red lentils added, to thicken. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

@Uncle_Feist
I don't have the luxury of anything but commercial canned tomatoes at this time.
So I try to get the best thing I can find.

@worth1 The best consistent quality I have found are from the Red Gold company. I really like their Red Pack and Tuttorosso products. 100% mid west grown and family owned.

Uncle_Feist wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 6:53 am @worth1 The best consistent quality I have found are from the Red Gold company. I really like their Red Pack and Tuttorosso products. 100% mid west grown and family owned.

I buy Red Gold also.

Our Zuke Crust, our sliced Tomatoes, our Tomato Sauce, our Kale, our Parsley, our Garlic, our Peppers...had to sub out the cheese, sausage, & olives: ¡Maravillosamente Delicioso!

The Gotch

Absolutely fabulous looking @Cornelius_Gotchberg !

PlainJane wrote: ↑Mon Oct 30, 2023 9:36 amAbsolutely fabulous looking @Cornelius_Gotchberg !

If you's haven't ever tried Zuke or Cauliflower crust, yer in for a real treat. It's taken the lovely and long suffering Mrs. Gotch a coupla...um...misfires while trying to refine it, but it's sho' 'nuf fine now!

The Gotch