gilintx's Profile
Your best Swiss chard recipes
We had very good luck with this Swiss chard gratin from Alice Waters:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/11/alice-waters-swiss-chard-gratin-recipe.html
Like creamed spinach, but a little bolder.
What to do with whey from ricotta?
It works well as a substitute for milk in most baking recipes (your mileage may vary), it can be sweetened and drunk chilled, it is good for watering plants and pets. I know I'm forgetting a lot.
Why is the Olive Garden so reviled?
I think the difference between Olive Garden and other chains is the way they present themselves. Applebees, Chili's, Friday's et al, don't really sell themselves as a fine restaurant to go to when you get that big promotion; Applebee's sells affordable family dining, and the other two are just places to grab some pizza shooters and extreme fajitas while you watch the sports ball game and drink light beers. If you listen to what Olive Garden claims, they claim to sell fine, authentic, Italian, cuisine. I'm no fan of Red Lobster either, but at least the claim that the food is "from the sea" is accurate. Olive Garden's food may be palatable to a broad range of American palettes, but it is in no way "fine," "authentic," or "Italian."
Which rice for asparagus risotto
I have no experience with them, but vialone nano and carnaroli are supposed to be the best for risotto. Arborio is generally what's used here. All three are acceptable.
Mozzarella Failure - Help!
It needs to be kneaded hot. Toss the curd into a microwave-safe bowl and nuke it for about 30 seconds then try again. My cheesemaking guide says it needs to reach a temperature of 135 fahrenheit to stretch properly. Keep kneading hot, then put back into the nuker for 15-20 seconds at a time to keep it very hot when it cools down.
Summer Sipping - alcohol & otherwise
Some great ideas here already. I've been looking for non-alcoholic recipes for summer drinks lately. Here are some of the things I've been experimenting with:
Agua fresca (basically just fruit pulp, water, and sugar. I find it helps to steep the puree overnight then strain. I've only made strawberry agua so far, but this will be happening more often.
Shrubs (fruit muddled with vinegar for a few days then strained). I've done this once with cider vinegar and loquat. The concentrated syrup mixed with soda water is wonderfully refreshing, and I'm told that the vinegar is good for the hot weather. Will be trying this with summer berries soon.
Horchata (sweetened rice water). Very light and fresh. I steeped a puree of ground rice, cinnamon, and raw almonds in water, then strained, added a touch of vanilla and some simple syrup. This is nice like this right out of the fridge.
Ginger syrup, hibiscus syrup: both prepared by simmering large quantities in water, then using the strained liquid to make a simple syrup. Mixed with either fresh water or soda water.
Need help with Science Fair food
Banana.
Cheese (pref. something squishy).
Potato.
Strawberries.
What did you have for breakfast today?
Anson Mills oatmeal with milk and sugar. Wheat toast with raspberry preserves. Whole foods coffee.
Meatball subs?
I've been having some serious cravings lately for a meatball sub, and I'm looking for any favorites in town I've been missing. So far, my experience has been limited to Thundercloud (yuck), Spec's (surprisingly dull), and Delaware Subs (pretty decent, actually). Here's what I consider a decent meatball sub:
light, nicely seasoned meatballs
flavorful sauce applied judiciously enough to not drown out my bread or meatballs
bread with a nice chew and a little substance to it, not something that will turn into a wad of sauce-soaked goo before I'm finished eating.
OK, hounds: what Italian style meatball subs am I missing?
Please Don't Put Onions or Shallots In Your Gazpacho
My wife is also prone to migraines from raw onion. Her solution is to soak the (diced) onions in water before using them. That takes enough of the bite out of them to not affect her. As for your gazpacho, you might give it a little time to mellow before giving up completely. The acid in the tomato should take a little bite ouf of the shallot.
Where should an aspiring cook begin?
Learn to make eggs to order. Eggs are deceptively tricky, and it takes pretty good chops to do them properly scrambled, over, poached and sunny side up.
Help With Mother's Day Menu
My wife had great success bringing a basic green bean salad to things like this last summer. It's simply blanched green beans tossed with a dijon vinaigrette, some finely sliced shallot, and some toasted nuts. Can be served at room temperature, looks pretty, and is a real crowd-pleaser.
Best Thing YOU Ever Ate, Austin
The salt and pepper shrimp at T&S seafood. White pizza at Home Slice. Green mole at brunch at Fonda San Miguel. Oxtail mac & cheese (I'm sure it had a better name than that), at Foreign and Domestic, but it's not on the current menu. Marrow bones at Parkside.
Yume Dog from Peached Tortilla truck.
A quick google got me the following description:
Yumé Dog (all beef hot dog, wasabi mayo, tonkatsu sauce, nori, crispy onion strings).
That at least gets us a list of ingredients, I suppose.
Austin Burger Smackdown!
The wife and I hit up Hopdoddy on Anderson on their first day open today. Had not been to the South location, so this was a first for both of us. We were very pleased with the experience and the food both. There was no evidence of first day hiccups, and even the bigger than usual crowd was handled quickly. Food was hot and fast, and service was good. I can't compare the burgers to the other location, but the meat was flavorful, the specialty burgers thoughtfully composed, and the fries crispy, hot, and properly seasoned. My classic cheeseburger was a touch on the done side (I had ordered it 'pink') but the wife's mushroom sandwich was spot-on pink. Wife had her sandwich on a gluten-free bun, which she declared about as good as she has had. We'll definitely be going back.
Seared scallops with minimal fat
Grill or broil. Brush with a touch of butter if you want a crust.
Traditional Ethnic Recipes
Check YouTube. I searched "Mexican cooking" and "Ethiopian cooking" and got several hits that looked like videos of mom or grandmom making traditional dishes. Can't vouch for the recipes, of course, but they look pretty darn authentic.
rapid simmer
Is there something with your simmering that you haven't been able to get right yet? It appears to be tripping you up. Which dishes have you tackled so far? If they turned out ok, you probably simmered just fine.
Date night dinner
Frites are delicious when they are fresh from the fryer, but don't really hold for very long. If you want to have a leisurely time, you might want to reconsider something requiring that much attention. Maybe roast potatoes instead? Or a gratin?
Both entrees sound great, though if it were up to this 40-something, I would say chicken.
As for wine, either of these dishes would pair nicely with a bubbly. Of course, I think almost everything goes well with champagne.
How do you make beef stock?
Traditional beef stock is made by roasting the bones in a hot oven with some mirepoix until browned, transferring same to a stock pot, then deglazing your roasting pan with a little wine (pour out any accumulated fat first). After that, you slowly simmer your bones in water with more mirepoix and a bouquet garnis for a good four hours. The longer you go the better. My wife has been known to make this a two day project, after which she ends up with a super concentrated jelly-like stock.
"Simple" Tacos
You can find these sorts of tacos at Taqueria Arandas on N. Burnet. You'll find the usual meats, for very cheap prices, and the salsas are very good.
More Mexican than Tex-Mex, but you might be interested in checking out El Borrego de Oro on S. Congress. It hasn't been brought up on the board lately, but I've only ever had good food there. It's been a long time since I've been to any of the old Austin Tex-Mex suspects on S. 1st, but perhaps someone who has been lately can recommend one.
"btw, what's the difference between uchiko and uchi?"
Uchi is the first of the two restaurants. It is in a smaller space (an old house), and serves a more traditional sushi menu.
Uchiko is the newer restaurant, and as such, is bigger, flashier, and sexier. Correspondingly, the dishes veer from traditional Japanese a bit more than at Uchi. I've only been to Uchiko, but consensus seems to be that both are excellent choices.
Your two choices for barbecue could not be further apart from each other. On one hand, you have the Salt Lick, which locals usually reserve for visiting groups of visiting relatives or graduation suppers. Don't get me wrong; the food is very good, but what you're buying at the Salt Lick is the chance to sit in that big noisy room and have as much barbecue as you care to eat while drinking beer out of your own cooler. At the other end of the spectrum is Franklin, which is touted as serving some of the best meat in Austin, but which you have to queue up an hour or more before opening time for. Both worth trying, but both very different.
"Tiger" or "Rock" Shrimp in Austin???
Well, you've got us, Snoochies. Fact is, there's no shrimp (or barbecue, apparently) in Texas that can compare to that found in Ohio and Carolina. That's the reason for the huge exodus of food lovers and cooks from Texas to Ohio. We are sorry that you have been dragged away from the booming food scene back east, and we are sorry that we can't compare. As you're already noted, we just don't know any better. I'm sure it's not easy to conceal your superiority in a situation like this, but could you please just show us mercy?
Homemade Soda for a Crowd
I had pretty good yield with a batch of ginger syrup I made. I gently simmered unpeeled ginger coins in equal parts water and sugar until it got a thick consistency (about an hour). Make sure to use lots of ginger, or the sugar in the syrup will overpower the spice. You're shooting for a syrup that's spicy with ginger. Luckily, ginger is relatively cheap. I eyeballed my attempt, but if you're looking for specific measures, there are several recipes on the web. Just look for ginger syrup or ginger ale.
gluten free meal for new mom
If you can get your hands on some gluten-free bread, a meatloaf can be divvied up into portions to freeze and reheats pretty well. Its also fairly easy to throw together. I like Martha Stewart's recipe. Meats can be any combination you want; I like a mix of ground chuck and ground pork.
Barbecue Trip Report II (Also Long)
So nice to hear such a thorough report from a new set of taste buds. You're making me reconsider a couple of spots.
suggestions please! : job interview/ lunch
A couple of questions: are you asking for a chain recommendation? If so, a search through Yelp might be more appropriate. Do you have a price range in mind? A type of cuisine? An impression you want to give to your interviewee (laid back, sophisticated, businesslike)? Sales people are generally used to eating whatever their client wants, so it makes sense that they would express no preference, but I bet that given a few choices, your candidate would pick something interesting, not to mention possibly telling.
Moses Falafel report
Went to this falafel cart inside the fences of the Dell Jewish Community Center yesterday and came away very impressed. Menu is dead simple, consisting either of a pita stuffed with falafel, tomato and cucumber salad, hummus, lettuce, pickles, and sauce ($5.50), or a larger portion served as a plate ($6.75). Moses lists all their food as vegan, kosher, and gluten-free (if you skip the pita).
Based on the frying sounds when we placed our orders, the falafel appears to be cooked to order. Veggies are crisp, hummus is good, though a side note, and the pita is wonderfully soft and chewy. Most surprising were the pickles, which I did not expect to go with falafel, but which was an excellent combination. According to the owner, Samuel, pickles are a must with falafel in Israel, which was news to me.
I polished off lunch with a piece of baklava, which was sinfully gooey and properly flaky.
The owner is a really nice guy, and even came over to visit with us on a lull, asking for feedback on the food. We also got two stamps on our 'buy 10 get one free' card. We'll definitely be back.
http://moses-falafel-austin.com/
What would be a good, smoky tasting vegetarian substitute for ham hocks in split pea soup?
Maybe vegemite? I've never eaten it, but I do know that it's very earthy and savory. Might give the soup that oomph.
