Mellicita's Profile
Having trouble learning to cook with Pressure Cooker
I was delighted to recieve a pressure cooker!
But I'm having difficulty adjusting to the style of cooking....
My usual way of making a soup or stew would be carmelize meat..... take out... sautee mire poix of veggies.... deglaze with the wine and let reduce.... add some broth.... and the meat...... later add the veggies that cook more quickly...... and the whole process of cooking reduces the broth and juices into a delicious dish.
If I go through the above process, I dont seem to be saving any time cooking because the dish is almost done by the time I'm ready to just let it cook.
If I just throw everything in, I dont seem to get the same good flavor of carmelized meats or veggies, and I am limited in how much liquid I can add because liquids dont reduce much as everything cooks, so the concentration of flavor isnt there.
I would LOVE a recipe where I could dump everything in, put on lid, and open it up later to a finished product! (am I dreaming!?)
I also have issues with either overcooking or undercooking things, because even folloing the time guidelnes on my Fagor model, my pot doesnt seem to work the same way (eg, I cooked lentils with the pressure on for 40 minutes and they still had to simmer with the lid off for 15 more minutes until they were done.
Anyone have some tried and true recipes?!?! (I'd really appreciate it if you actually have tried the recipe yourself, because I can easily google search for sites with various recipes, but have no idea of knowing if they will work to produce a final dish up to chowhoud standards!)
No Carb - No Fat Cooking
Look for shirataki noodles.... they are a naturally lowcarb noodle that you can use to make a variety of asian stir fry or asian noodle soup dishes. (I think people use them for other things too, not just asian inspired..)
They are 40 cals and 2g carbs for the entire bag.
Interesting Lemonade recipes
This isn't exceptionally original on my part.... But along the lines of using mint leaves....
I like to muddle basil leaves with ice, and then pour homemade lemonade over them, and finish with a bit of pureed and strained strawberries = strawberry basil lemonade
Gravy, as in Biscuits and Gravy 2.0
May I suggest going to Rachael Ray's tv show website. (please dont flame me chowhounders!) ... she has several videos that show her making gravy.
The technique is the same for what you want to make with regards to making a roux (thickening agent) with flour and fat, and then adding in liquid until it becomes a gravy. It may help you to see the consistency a roux looks, and then how things look as you add in liquid slowly.
The basic ratio for gravy is 1 tablespoon flour, 1 tablespoon fat, and one cup of liquid
Depending on what you are making, the fat can be butter, oil, or drippings, the liquid can be milk, cream, stock, or even partly wine or juice.
so what's the best canned chicken soup?
I actually like Campbells cheap-o condensed chicken noodle... I dilute it with the no-salt-added Kitchen Basics chicken broth, for extra flavor. I guess since my mom gave it to me when I was sick, I associate the flavor with comfort.
Understanding that Campbells may not appeal to you......... If you need chicken soup and dont want to make it yourself, I'd suggest finding the best take out place that has chicken soup, Boston market is ok in a pinch. Your own city probably has some restaurant or jewish deli somewhere that would sell it "to go" for you.
DC Hound in Dallas for 5 days: Tex-Mex, barbecue, and old
Sorry, I'm a bit confused... is Off the Bone one in Ft Worth? I seem to be showing a Dallas location when I look it up online? Is the Dallas location any good?
-----
Off the Bone
1734 S Lamar St, Dallas, TX 75215
Need ideas for 'wet' food - let me explain further
Chicken and Dumplings? or Chicken pot pie (not sure if a flaky puff pastry crust would be ok for him)
I makea delicious creamy parmesan polenta served with a ragu of sorts that is like the sauce for osso bucco, but made with braised short ribs that are cooked until they are fall apart tender, and then I cut the meat into small pieces. The sauce is finely chopped onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomato paste or sauce, white wine, bay leaf, and chicken broth.
Does he like Indian food at all? An assortment of navaratan (spelling?) vegetable korma, paneer masala, butter chicken, etc might be nice. Dal soup for appetizer. Mango lassi for dessert!
What salad goes with stew, polenta and mustard greens?
Here is a delicious winter fruit salad recipe:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/winter-fruit-salad/
Vegetarian Stews
Since we are admitting to Rachael Ray recipes...
I really love this one: Eggplant Stew with Honey and Golden Raisen Polenta
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/eggplant-stew-with-honey-and-golden-raisin-polenta-recipe/index.html
Announcement: New Board Breakdown for Chowhound
I agree with the many posters who have noted that Palm Beach should be included with the Miami-Dade board for the same reasons given.
Interstate 95 allows for easy weekend travel between the 3 counties.
Interesting meals based around eggs?
Chicory is a very good idea!
I've done the salad with just finely chopped or shredded romaine lettuce... it works in a pinch!
false memories of condensed soup bliss?
Although.... I think the higher number of taste buds in children frequently leads them to prefer more "bland" foods... they can taste the bitter elements too easily in other foods (eg pugnant cheese or strong wine flavoring in a dish) Whereas adults need more taste bud stimulation to appreciate full flavors.
Agreed that ANYTHING tastes delicious when you are hungry!
false memories of condensed soup bliss?
Your missing ingredient might be cheese.
Some parmesan (from the green can of course!) or some swiss or cheddar mixed in will improve the flavor.
Adding some sauteed garlic and onions, a dash of sherry (plus the cheese) will help too.
You might try googling Paula Deen and casserole for some recipes... her stuff (while fattening!) looks like it would at least have some flavor to it.
This blog
www.foodwishes.blogspot.com
Has some recipes for "the great american casseroles" chicken with asparagus casserole and tuna casserole.
This chef makes a real white sauce (Bechamel) but then adds a can of cream of mushroom soup for nostalgia's sake.
In vegetable rut, need new ideas for what to do with them
Cream of --fill in the blank-- veggie soups are delcious.
Cauliflower,
Mushroom
Roasted red pepper
Tomato
Broccoli cheese.
Butternut squash or pumpkin
I also love minestrone soups (I do a version thats very similar to what Carrabbas restaurant serves - base of chicken broth with a parmesan rind, with sauteed pancetta and garlic, cabbage, celery, onions, carrots, potatoes, garbanzo beans, zucchini, yellow squash, a some fresh seeded and diced tomatoes.) You can obviously do a more tomato based broth if you prefer. And even things like beef soup are great guises for loading up a ton of veggies that get flavored like the meaty broth.
Make your own stir fries with an assortment of cabbage, bok choy, celery, onion, carrot, pepper, mushrooms, baby corn, bean sprouts, etc! Start with a base of garlic and ginger. Add a little white wine and soy sauce. If you like it saucy, you can add some chicken broth with a bit of corn starch mixed in. Can add some low sugar apricot jam if they like sweetness. Or try adding in a bit of peanut butter. A generous pinch of red pepper flakes if they like it spicy!
Have white beans--need an idea that will rock my world
I really like this dip, courtesy of Smittenkitchen.com
1 15-ounce can of white cannelini or navy beans
1 small jar roasted red peppers, or about 1 cup, drained
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice from half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Puree everything in a food processor until smooth.
http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/08/dorkalicious/
Problem with Ina Garten's Recipe for Salmon
I've also noticed that many of the recipes on the Food Network site are actually different from what is presented on the show.. and many of their posted recipes contain errors.
Help with office snacks
I would pick your favorite dip recipe - a homemade ranch, french onion, etc... and use lowfat Greek yogurt in place of the mayo or sou rcream.
Cottage cheese purreed in a food processor to remove all lumps turns into a thick creamy yummy sour cream like substitute that's also quite healthy.
I like roasted red pepper (from a jar is fine) dip... or sundried tomatoes blended with Greek yogurt and torn fresh basil (has to be fresh!) stirred in at the ened.
Budget Recipes for a Foodie?
Just wanted to thank you all for the recipes and suggestions!
I guess i need to also learn to sub in some cheaper ingredients.
I'm not naturally a big meat eater, so recipes with small amounts of meat or eggs or even meatless, and heavy on the veggies, are very appreciated and the type of recipe I'd select to make even if I were a millionaire!
I'm also trying to eat healthy foods, so I'm trying to avoid the recipes calling for a quart of cream plus pasta, etc!
Keep 'em coming! I definitely plan on trying many of these ideas!
Penzeys: "We're cutting back on salt." [moved from Home Cooking]
ummm... ok....
Aren't those specialty salts suposed to be healthier and contain more minerals anyway?
I agree with the poster who noted that if things were profitable, they'd continue to sell them
Interesting meals based around eggs?
Re: salad with poached egg... dont forget the French classic Frisee au Lardon - frisee lettuce with a poached egg on top, with a warm bacon vinaigarette.
Budget Recipes for a Foodie?
WOW... this certainly must have taken some time and effort to put together such a nice list!!
I will go slowly through all of these, but wanted to thank you in advance! Judging from the title of the recipes there are some gems in here!
Thank you for helping me!
How to give beef stew more punch?
Very much agree with the Chef!
Another issue I have encountered with slow cookers (in addition to lack of caramelization) is that they do not reduce the broth or sauce and concentrate the flavors.
When I make soup or stew, after browning, I deglaze and let the wine or whatever reduce.... then the stock reduces as the soup or stew simmers... concentrating the flavor more... with a lid on the crock pot, this doesn't seem to happen very much, since the steam condenses on the lid and the water drips back into the crock pot.
I believe chefs often even strain a stew, and then reduce and thicken the sauce more on the stove top to concentrate the flavors, if the stew has been slow cooked, covered with a lid, in the oven. You might try something like that after your crock pot stew is done.
Second tip: Are you using beef cuts with any bone still in there? The bones (eg short ribs) will contribute a lot of flavor and gelatin and essentially create a stock as you cook. If you are using cubes of beef, you could try throwing in a pack of neck bones or shank bones or something.
Budget Recipes for a Foodie?
I've looked through several threads via a search on Chow. (And appreciate many of the suggestions!)
However, I'm looking specifically for *recipes* that don't end up breaking the budget.
(not just suggestions like frozen veggies cheaper than fresh, or spices from the local Latin market, etc)
My problem is that what starts out sounding like a great cheap concept - say lentil soup or souffle (what could be cheaper than some bulk aisle legumes or eggs!?) - ends up costing way more than I anticipate, because the rest of the recipe for the soup involves using pancetta, my homemade chicken stock that came from expensive celery/onion/carrots/bay leaves/etc (and I dont eat enough chicken to have enough leftover carcasses for stock, so I have to buy chicken backs or parts), some wine or expensive balsamic vinegar, more expensive veggies for the mire poix.....or the rest of the souffle really needs $12/lb cheese to taste good.
I'm having the problem that I'm kinda a foodie, and want to make stuff taste really good... but that ends up costing more! I just cant bring myself to eat truly cheap stuff like ground beef with a can of tomatoes thrown in...
I'm trying to repay student loans... so I'm not broke, but I need to really tighten things up.
Any specific recipe suggestions?
Low Cholesterol Boiled Egg Breakfasts
Smart Balance has a regular with "good fats' mayo, as well as a light mayo.
You can always make egg salad with eggs that you throw away a couple of the yolks, if you are concerned about the cholesterol... my current understanding is that eggs are ok and dont raise cholesterol (esp not as much as high carb diets do)... although this is getting off topic from food.
I have been making egg salad lately with honey mustard dressing... (dont know if honey is out of the question for you).... but you can make a honey mustard dressing with sour cream or Greek yogurt, mustard, honey, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and perhaps a spike of cayenne or hot sauce if you like.
Your Favorite Lasagna (not a discussion re traditional lasagna)
I would like to put in a vote for using almond milk. I find that soy milk does have that odd soy taste to it, but almond milk has a much more pleasant mild almond nut flavor to it, that would go just fine in a bechamel.
Southern Style Christmas Dinner
I was curious what Emeril's recipe was like and found this online:
http://www.emerils.com/mobile/2881/Smothered-Green-Beans-and-Potatoes
Old fashioned in Dallas...
Other possibilities would be diners like Mama's Daughter's Diner or the Original Marker Diner.
www.mamasdaughtersdiner.com/
www.originalmarketdiner.com
Dallas Grocers - Pumpkin Dip???
I have a feeling it came from Central Market.
I tried some cream-cheese pumpkin dip they were offering as samples there.
Help fill out my vegetarian Thanksgiving feast
You could make most of that vegetable stew to go inside the pumpkin ahead of time. Then on the big day, roast pumpkin one hour, dump in stew, and finish roasting.
If you really want to be cooking it on Thursday, you could also just make the roasted vegetable and wine sauce part ahead of time and have it ready to use.
Turkey advice
I buy a cheap styrofoam cooler for a couple bucks from the grocery store. Then toss it and the "turkey germs" out after I'm dont brining.
