smittys's Profile
Pho Vietnam opening tonight in Northampton!
I went on opening day at lunch and got the vermicelli with fried tofu to go. I've had pretty bland vegetarian food at Vietnamese restaurants before, but this was pretty great. The vegetables were great, the tofu was crispy, and the sauce was flavorful and spicy. I would have liked more herbs and bean sprouts, but I think I would have said that no matter how much I got! I'll ask for extra next time.
I also wanted to mention that there's a new banh mi and pho shop opening on Route 9 in Hadley! I noticed the sign yesterday. It's in the same strip mall as Mi Tierra. Yay for Hampshire County Vietnamese food!
Soup from leftover pork shoulder?
Hi--I'm trying to figure out how to use a chunk of pork shoulder in my freezer. It's a chunk of bone with a bit of meat left on it. I originally roasted it with garlic, oregano and vinegar. I'd like to turn it into soup but I'm not sure how. I have lots of chicken stock, herbs, vegetables and beans. How would you do it? Thanks!
For Us Cooks: As You Cook Up A Storm, How Do You Keep Your Kitchen Clean?
I have the same problem and I love that you started this thread! I'm trying, trying, trying to train myself to clean-as-I-go--a skill I never learned as a kid.
I've realized that part of my problem is that I don't see the mess until it becomes overwhelmingly bad. I'll unwrap something and throw the wrapping on the counter, or spill something on the table, or whatever, and I just forget it. It's right in front of me and I don't see it!
The thing that works for me is to be obsessive about keeping the kitchen clean. That's right. Either I obsess and keep it really clean, or it becomes a complete disaster.
So, this means that I clean-as-I-go as much as possible, AND that I try to create rules like:
1. you can't go to bed if there are dirty dishes in the sink (most would not consider this rule obsessive, but this is a pretty new concept for me).
2. if there is one dirty dish in the sink, clean it. Otherwise it will multiply. Serious.
3. Is the kitchen clean already? No it's not. Find ten things to put away or clean.
This might sound nuts, but it works...for as long as I decide to be obsessive. As of today, my kitchen has been clean every day for more than a week. And I don't have a dishwasher!
Braising "London Broil?"
When I was a kid my parents cooked London broil pretty often. I made it last night for the first time and remembered why I never liked it. Whatever cut of beef I had was full of sinews, which made for an unpleasant experience.
I realize that beef labeled "London Broil" is any of a variety of cuts that are too tough to cook as steaks. I'm wondering if anything labeled LB can be braised instead. I make great pot roast. I'm asking because I'm buying a 1/4 cow this fall and expect to get a lot of steaks labeled as LB without any information identifying the actual cut. Can I just pull a couple LBs out of the freezer and cook them as pot roast instead? Should I be worried if they are only an inch thick?
Thanks!
quick & dirty Thai coconut curry
I need a method for a quick Thai-type curry. I just made one and the sauce separated into watery and grainy and so I'm obviously doing something wrong. Keep in mind, I don't want anything time-consuming and complicated; I'm looking for something I can throw together quickly, and in this instance authenticity is not a priority.
Here's what I did: fried some Thai curry paste in a bit of the coconut cream from the top of the coconut milk can. then I stirred in the rest of the coconut milk, and added some brown sugar, salt, and a dash of fish sauce. The sauce was creamy and delicious.
Then I added some chicken, let it come to a boil, turned it down and covered it and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. When I came back to it, the chicken was cooked and the sauce had separated.
It still tastes okay but the texture is awful. Where did I go wrong?
Homemade corned beef: what can I expect?
Thanks everyone--those linked recipes will definitely help me. I need to do some more digging, though--I'm not sure if store-bought CB has sugar in the brine and if not, I'll probably leave it out.
Homemade corned beef: what can I expect?
I have two small cuts of flat-cut brisket in my freezer and I am considering making homemade corned beef for St. Patrick's Day. I have never had CB other than the mass-produced cheap pink stuff that grocery stores sell by the ton every March, but I am definitely interested in avoiding all those chemicals this year (as well as the hormones/antibiotics/whatever else in mass-produced cheap meat).
However, I will be incredibly disappointed if I brine my own beef, spend time cooking it with all of the vegetables, and end up with meat that is tough or not well-seasoned (or cooking water that is insufficiently flavors my potatoes, cabbage, and carrots--the best part of the meal!).
I saw this recipe on the front page (http://www.chow.com/recipes/18629) and am worried that a 3-day brine won't result in flavorful and tender beef. I've got plenty of time (16 days until St. Patrick's Day!) so a longer brine would work--I just want to make sure I choose the best one.
Does anyone have experience making CB from scratch? Any tips to share? I'd really appreciate it.
Smitty
Local Burger and Fries - Northampton
I disagree! Big burgers are too much for a lot of people to eat, and it is incredibly wasteful (in terms of the amunt of energy it takes to raise beef cattle) to by default give people more food than they can eat. But I agree that they could add something to the menu like "add $2 for a half-pound burger."
Do you use cloth napkins?
I am an extremely messy eater. What can I say? At the burrito place I go through a giant pile of flimsy paper napkins. At home my one cloth napkin lasts me a few meals (or until the dog decides to grab it off the table and carry it off). I own 8 of them, wash them when they're dirty, fold them when they're clean and throw them in a bowl I keep on the table, and never run out (there are 2 of us). I am morally opposed to ironing anything, including napkins.
Strange Holiday Food Gifts
A gift box that included:
--a miniature wooden spoon, like 7" long
--a 2 oz. bottle of garlic flavored olive oil
--dried-veggie-'n-herbs-pack
--approximately 1 oz. of handmade-looking dried penne
all packaged in a box with a faux-handmade label with a recipe for cooking everything (in a miniature pan? to feed a small rabbit?). It was obviously purchased at a fake country store or maybe a discount store. I wanted to salvage the oil, at least, but threw everything out, because I was suspicious that the whole thing was made in China and 10 years old.
Food that Most People Love and You Don't...
Asparagus. I feel deeply ashamed about it because I pride myself on eating everything. There are a few other foods I dislike, but to despise something so widely adored just makes me feel like I'm missing something. And I try to like it, I honestly do, and I just HATE it.
Mr. Clean Magic Erasers
They are indeed magical. Use them to remove coffee stains from the inside of coffee mugs. And they also instantly take off that gross combination of grease and dust that can sometimes accumulate on objects in a kitchen. This does tend to ruin the eraser, though, so I keep an old crusty one around for this purpose. I really look forward to having a range hood (we are in year 7 of our kitchen's pre-renovation phase) so I can clean off the greasy dust with that thing!
Local Burger and Fries - Northampton
I just got home from my first Local Burger meal...YUM. We got a burger with cheddar and mushrooms and a turkey burger with bacon and cheddar, plus fries on the side. It was about $18 with a soda. It was all really tasty and my burger was made with Chicoine Farm grass fed beef (Easthampton). The "local farm" burger is $5.99 and the regular burger is a dollar cheaper. Both types of beef are hormone- and anti-biotic free, and I am so happy to be able to get that quality of meat in a restaurant.
The onion rings looked ridiculous--obviously freshly made, not pre-made and frozen. Next time I'm getting those!
Food Banks..do you give?
As an administrative nonprofit employee, I give money to my local food pantry. Food pantries can't operate if they can't pay their staff. Volunteers go a long way, but every food bank/pantry needs to pay its staff, buy copier toner, pay the electric bill, etc.
Food Banks..do you give?
Ask first. Some places don't want single-use items; their clients are not usually homeless and have a shower like you and me, and those single-use things can be annoying to use.
I don't get Trader Joe's
I buy ingredients that are cheaper than anywhere else. Olive oil, canned tomatoes, canned beans, cheese, yogurt, nuts, dried fruit, frozen fruit. The only processed/prepared foods I buy are chicken sausage, hummus, and sandwich bread.
TJs has a reputation in many parts of the country for horrible produce. Ours (western Massachusetts) seems to be OK quality but nothing special. During the winter I do buy a lot of organic lettuce and greens there--much cheaper than anywhere else. During the growing season I avoid all supermarket produce entirely.
Too much cilantro
Unwashed cilantro can be kept in a closed mason jar for at least a few weeks in the refrigerator. I just did this--I think it lasted at least 4 weeks.
Braised beef (not short) ribs?
I just bought a bunch of beef ribs. They are individual ribs, not short ribs. Can I braise them? I thought I would put them in the crock pot with wine and vegetables and let them stew all day. Will they be tender and delicious and falling off the bone, or not?
Thanks!
Real Mexican Food- Sarapes in Enfield, CT
We finally made it to Sarapes this past Thursday. It was delicious. I ate many times at El Sarape in Hartford when I worked down there, but hadn't been in years. I was thrilled to go into Sarapes and see the exact same menu, beef lips and all! Everything was as delicious as I remembered from the Hartford restaurant. There were three of us and we ordered two combos (tamal, taco, and burrito) and a carne asada burrito, and left totally stuffed. The three dinners and a beer were about $43 before tip. We'll be back...I forgot to try the taco al pastor!
What, if anything, do you buy at Whole Foods?
I'm lucky to have lots of options for natural foods around here (western MA) so the only thing I really buy at WF is butter--hormone-free butter that's cheaper than anywhere else. And that's only if I happen to be nearby.
Quick Cilantro Tasting Question - what percentage taste soap?
Cilantro doesn't taste like soap to me, although the first time I really came into contact with it, my friend had me chop up a whole bunch to use in salsa, and I couldn't get the smell off my hands and hated it...it took me a long time to recover from that, but now I love it. Green tic tacs, however (the dark green ones, not the light green) taste like soap. And lemony pastries and desserts usually make me think of dish detergent.
El Sarape, Hartford: little bit of Mexican Heaven in CT
Ooh, fascinating. I used to work in Hartford and went to El Sarape frequently. I would regularly order 2 tacos and 2 tamales for lunch because I couldn't decide. I love it there! I only recently heard about Sarapes in Enfield and it's definitely on my list--cool that they are owned by the same family.
New Noodle place in Northampton.
Yeah, I hope it'll be good, and that they won't try to do baked ziti, pad thai, lo mein and udon all in the same restaurant!
Ever thought 'am I the first person EVER to experience this combination?'
A few weeks ago I had leftover rice and beans, along with kale and broccoli sauteed in oil and garlic. everything sprinkled with sriracha and soy sauce and topped with a whole avocado cut into big chunks. It was seriously amazing.
recipe for dried plums (not prunes)
The organization formerly known as the California Prune Board (http://www.californiadriedplums.org) claims that in the U.S. they are referred to as "dried plums" but the "rest of the world" calls them prunes. Yeah right.
Rendezvous, Turners Falls MA?
We just went for the first time tonight. Their menu is online now (I think that's very recent) at rendezvoustfma.com.
I had sides instead of a meal: roasted potatoes (oven fries--$3) were really good, with garlic aioli. Green beans with garlic and...I think ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil? ($3) were delicious. I also got a curried carrot salad with raisins and nuts ($3) that was kinda heavy on the mayo--it was OK. My boyfriend got a chicken, pesto & mushroom pizza ($9) that was very good. The panini all looked good and are $6 and up. The beer list is indeed humongous. All in all it was great and I'll definitely be back.
How do you use roasted red peppers?
My favorite salad: romaine lettuce, strips of rrp, balsamic vinaigrette, and parmesan.
Incidentally--When I started roasting peppers I did so on the burners of my gas stove. Then I moved to a place with an electric stove, so I began slicing the peppers into chunks and broiling them. I have had a gas stove for the past 6 years and have never gone back to roasting them on a burner. The peel comes off in one piece when you use the broiler. I always found that when using the burner, the skin flakes into a thousand pieces, and you end up havng to rinse the pepper to get off all that (carcinogenic?) black skin (rinsing away some flavor in the process). I know some people like the bits left on, but I don't. I put a piece of foil on a baking sheet, broil slices of peppers, and when blackened I just wrap them in the foil to steam. Then the peel comes right off.
Using this method, you can also control the degree to which the pepper flesh (under the skin) is cooked. On salads they're great when they are just barely cooked, but in other preparations I like them to be cooked a bit more so they don't have as much texture.
