Whatcha Cooking today?

[karstopography]

Blackened redfish done out on the BGE to avoid smoking up the house and Aarti Sequeira‘s massaged kale salad. I made this last evening and it was freaking awesome. Red drum was I’m certain designed to be cooked this way and it almost reminds me of the taste and texture of foie gras, but even better, if that’s possible. A fillet from a 3.5 pound redfish is the perfect size and thickness for this. A fillet from a bigger fish would be too thick so the fillet would need to be divided into two thin pieces. The cook only takes 4-5 minutes.

I substituted toasted pecans for the pepitas and pomegranate for the mango in her salad, but otherwise followed her lead and if you don’t like kale, I used the black-tuscan-dinosaur-lacinato type, it’s all the same thing, she recommends black kale, but, if you think you don’t like kale, I bet you would this way. The lemon juice breaks down the thinly sliced kale so that the texture is more like lettuce than stiff, raw kale.

Tonight, its nacho cheese Doritos taco salad with catalina dressing. Wife swears by it, seems like I had it once upon a time, but cannot really remember

[Amateurinawe]

Love that cavolo Nero kale. When it grows you can pick and pick and pick. Just remember to remove the tough central vein in the leaf unless you like a lot of bite. Mmmmm

[Shule]

Baked wheat vermicelli noodles. I plan to put some butter, evaporated milk, and old cheese powder seasoning (which I need to use), and parmesian cheese (not old) on it. Anyway, nothing fancy; that's just what I'm about to eat. It's pretty cool that you can bake noodles in water instead of boiling them on the stovetop, though!

[Shule]

Here you are. I added artificial bacon bits, too.

Here are the baked noodles right after I drained the water. They were baked for 30 minutes on 450° F. in a toaster oven (on the bake setting, of course):

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Here's the finished product, which I have yet to taste:

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The noodles were Bio | Organic Mie-Noodles, made in Germany.

Edit: I think I left them in the water a little too long. They're pretty soft (but not inedibly so; they hold their shape easily even when soft if baked). Interestingly, they were firmer last time with the same cooking time when I used two segments of noodles instead of three. Also, the noodle flavor seems to overpower the artificial bacon bits (whereas in the two brands of macaroni and cheese I've tried it with, the bacon bits add lots of flavor).

I don't exactly recommend this dish, but it's what I'm eating. I might recommend it with a different kind of cheese powder, and another kind of cheese besides parmesian.

I plan to see how macaroni turns out when I bake it, probably this week some time. Spaghetti, too (although I think I've probably baked spaghetti in water, instead of boiling it on the stovetop, successfully in the past, probably between 2009 and 2011).

[bower]

Picked up a really small 1 1/2 lb eye of round roast today. I read a few advices (as always with beef) and drenched the little feller in marinade (olive oil, garlic, thyme salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar and a little red wine) to sit for awhile before the toaster oven expedition. Cut up an onion and plastered that onto the roast all over top and sides. Some German Butterball potatoes found a place. Too much room so I also chopped some large pieces of cauliflower to roast in the pan. I didn't want them to dry out so made them a drizzle 'marinade' as well, with garlic salt pepper mustard and lemon juice. Thoroughly basted. All this kept me from putting the roast in before it had a chance to 'marinate'.
Sear at 450 for 10 minutes then 325 for ? I put on an hour, will see shortly if it is cooked or not, and fit to eat or... a waste of time.
Just kidding I'll eat it even if it's boot leather. Dinger gone, see ya later...

[Rajun Gardener]

I wouldn't cook it for an hour, pull it at 121F and let it rest for some medium rare thin slices.

[bower]

Well it wasn't too bad, but I need to eat beef more often if I'm gonna figure out how to cook the darn stuff. Tx Rajun, too late for this time but maybe next.
I was most annoyed not to get any juices for gravy. Burnt black. The little half potatoes were decently seasoned by that, but I do love gravy if I can get it, so not very pleased with yon mini oven tendency to scorch the pan.

[worth1]

Eye of round is best served rare to slice really thin for a French dip sandwich.
I mean thin like 1 16th inch thin.

[worth1]

Another option is to soak it in wine and spices for a month.
Seriously a month even longer.
Saurbraten I think is how you spell it.
I don't care for the vinegar soaked meat.
Then the marinade can be cooked into a sauce gravy like stuff.
Very tasty.

[Amateurinawe]

So looking through all these recipes and was feeling frustrated with not being able to get ingredients. I don't live in a cosmopolitan city but we are well served with Asian and Indian spices nearby but short on Mexican and cajun. Then, a head slap moment. I've been shopping online ever since covid. I just need to widen my search criteria. So, now got suppliers of genuine Cajun and also Mexican ingredients imported to uk. Not like having the real thing on your doorstep for meat and veg but at least I can get my hands on tony's, proper corn flower, beans and spices etc. Now I gotta go back through the listings to sort out some recipes......

[pepperhead212]

I made a delicious gumbo type dish tonight, in the IP, with some leftover ham and okra, from the freezer, a can of diced tomatoes, and onion, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, cloves, bay, and hot pepper. I also used toor dal and some leftover brown rice, and added some fish sauce, for salt, and that flavor it added was a plus. I cooked it for 2½ hrs. on slow cook high, and the lentils were done, but still had some texture - toor dal is another, like channa dal, that keeps its shape longer, without turning mushy. The rice sort of disintegrated - no big deal, but I probably should have put it in much later, since it was already cooked.
Gumbo type dish, with a pint of okra, brown rice, and toor dal. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[brownrexx]

I made my favorite pie - pumpkin! It's not Thanksgiving for me without one.

Pumpkin Pie 2020 by Brownrexx, on Flickr

[GoDawgs]

It's been Thanksgiving prep for the past few days. Over the years I've developed a schedule with easy cooking putters each day and by the time Thursday comes, it's all done but finally assembly.

Sunday I baked bread for the stuffing, made the rolls and put them in the freezer.

Yesterday I finished thawing the turkey bought last Wednesday. It was only a little icy inside and I got the bird rinsed out well. The neck and gizzard got simmered in turkey stock made from a pack of necks a month ago and frozen. Along with the drippings it'll make some dynamite gravy. I also pre-chopped the onion and celery for stuffing, tipped/tailed/cut up the green beans and chopped the mushrooms for casserole made from scratch. Pie crust was made and put in the fridge.

This morning I made the mushroom sauce and assembled the green bean casserole except for the topping. It's a recipe from Cooks Illustrated and is the best I've ever had. The sauce itself could stand alone as a superb creamy mushroom soup. This afternoon I'll cube up and season the bread and saute the onion and celery for mixing into the stuffing bread early tomorrow morning when I'll stuff the bird. Then I'll make a pumpkin pie with the dough that's already made. Pickles will make a peanut butter pie.

Any last minute stuff like peeling and cooking potatoes for mashing, making gravy at the last minute, setting the table etc will be easy. I love not having to rush on Thanksgiving Day!

[karstopography]

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One hour or so remaining for this 12# Brined Cherrywood smoked bird. Will be served chilled as an alternative to the hot roasted turkey tomorrow. Good for sandwiches, too.

[brownrexx]

OMG [mention]GoDawgs[/mention] you can cook! I love a totally made from scratch Thanksgiving dinner and you even made bread! I am impressed to say the least.

[GoDawgs]

Aw, shucks. Thank you for the kind words! It's just my kind of play time and Thanksgiving dinner is the ultimate tune in four part harmony for me. LOL!. I swear, that green bean casserole is just awesome.

Everybody, enjoy your dinner today, whatever it may be!

[worth1]

I'm cooking an old school pot roast in a cast iron Dutch oven.
The roast is super deluxe because it is one cut from up by where the T bone starts.
Browned in homemade beef tallow.
Rubbed down with salt black pepper and ground clove.
The smell is amazing.
Next melted butter in kettle and added carrots onion and celery.
More spices including nutmeg and garlic powder.
Set roast on top and covered.
The selection of spices might sound weird but it works and something done ages ago.

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[worth1]

A ((ham))burger.
Made with cured ground beef and spices.
Fresh pineapple slice and mayonnaise.

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[GoDawgs]

It's Turkey Recycling Day. I got all the meat off the bones and have a pot of stock simmering on the stove. The meat is in two plastic containers in the reefer. For lunch Pickles will be making a turkey and broccoli gratin that also uses Swiss cheese. That will be the last meal with turkey. Any turkey not used for that will be frozen.

The other turkey is still iced down and about half thawed in a cooler. As soon as there's room in the reefer it will go in there to finish. Then it will get half way roasted, deboned and canned sometime this coming week.

[worth1]

I just discovered how to make my fresh pineapple as sweet as can be.
First eat a salted lime then eat a piece of pineapple.
Well I discovered this a long time ago but it really works.
Just like you don't drink a dry wine with desert.
But today I'm making a pineapple fresh lime and salted lime marmalade.
Should come out great.

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