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Healthy & Delicious: Spinach and Cannellini Bean Dip
this is delicious. one smalll change I made on the second batch was to swap out the balsamic and used white balsamic vinegar instead. molto fabuloso!
Serious Salsa: (Not Exactly) My Uncle's Salsa
the recipe above is a pretty good basic salsa to jump off into variations from. one of mine is similar but use canned crushed tomatoes, double the onion and garlic and serranos (don't bother with jalapenos). skip the chile powder and add a pinch of sea salt. and definitely skip the sugar. also, try it with and without the lime juice - both ways are good. add a couple extra serranos to "hot" it up some if that's your taste (I usually use 7 or 8). I also like to add about 1/2 of a poblano chile for it's rich flavour. I much prefer the food processor over the blender tho' both will work well.
Deep Dish Pizza
the classic "Chicago" deep dish is a beautiful thing to behold and even better to eat.. Use your favourite standard crust recipe and just knead in a bit of cornmeal and extra EVOO at the kneading stage. put it in the fridge covered in an oiled bowlfor a couple hours then let it rise to doubled in size or so. (The traditional yellow color of the crust does not come from cornmeal but from annato or yellow food coloring). Preheat your oven to about 475 degrees well before assembly. dust your pan with a bit of cornmeal after greasing well with olive oil then stretch out the ball of dough in the pan. dough should be consistent thickness of 1/4 inch or less - take care forming good "walls" tucking their corners well to maintain the same thickness. Poke with a fork several times and prebake about 7 minutes then remove. Use sliced (not grated) scamorza and smoked provolone to make a full layer then add other toppings and then your sauce (crushed tomatoes, evoo, oregano, garlic, pinch of sea salt & black pepper) and finish baking about 25 minutes more. Let cool about 5 minutes or so before cutting into wedges. lift slices out with a pie server, pour a big bicchiere of chianti, then take your seat at heaven's table.
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
The Food Lab: Animal Fat Mayonnaise
I gotta admit, I'm a longtime vegetarian AND a "process-nerd" so the science-buff in me still had me fascinated with this post... Playing recipe-detective and mad-scientist/chemist was apparently too compelling to resist my initial urge to not read this. I guess it must appeal to my geek-muscle (Or something deep inside me anyway).
Healthy & Delicious: Spinach and Cannellini Bean Dip
this is delicious. one smalll change I made on the second batch was to swap out the balsamic and used white balsamic vinegar instead. molto fabuloso!
Serious Salsa: (Not Exactly) My Uncle's Salsa
the recipe above is a pretty good basic salsa to jump off into variations from. one of mine is similar but use canned crushed tomatoes, double the onion and garlic and serranos (don't bother with jalapenos). skip the chile powder and add a pinch of sea salt. and definitely skip the sugar. also, try it with and without the lime juice - both ways are good. add a couple extra serranos to "hot" it up some if that's your taste (I usually use 7 or 8). I also like to add about 1/2 of a poblano chile for it's rich flavour. I much prefer the food processor over the blender tho' both will work well.
Deep Dish Pizza
the classic "Chicago" deep dish is a beautiful thing to behold and even better to eat.. Use your favourite standard crust recipe and just knead in a bit of cornmeal and extra EVOO at the kneading stage. put it in the fridge covered in an oiled bowlfor a couple hours then let it rise to doubled in size or so. (The traditional yellow color of the crust does not come from cornmeal but from annato or yellow food coloring). Preheat your oven to about 475 degrees well before assembly. dust your pan with a bit of cornmeal after greasing well with olive oil then stretch out the ball of dough in the pan. dough should be consistent thickness of 1/4 inch or less - take care forming good "walls" tucking their corners well to maintain the same thickness. Poke with a fork several times and prebake about 7 minutes then remove. Use sliced (not grated) scamorza and smoked provolone to make a full layer then add other toppings and then your sauce (crushed tomatoes, evoo, oregano, garlic, pinch of sea salt & black pepper) and finish baking about 25 minutes more. Let cool about 5 minutes or so before cutting into wedges. lift slices out with a pie server, pour a big bicchiere of chianti, then take your seat at heaven's table.
jazzing up white rice
while there are tons of good suggestions here, truly the best way to "jazz up" your rice is to forget white rice in the first place. There are so many interesting varieties of "non-white" rice.... I can't see any reason to ever make white rice. It has zero flavour, and more importantly, zero nutrition or fiber. There are so many varieties of whole rice (basmati brown, short and long-grain brown, red rice, black rice, Texmati etc), and they all are subtle flavourwise and delicious all by themselves. And if you do choose to "enhance" them with any of the above suggestions, a little will go a long way; it's best to let whole/brown rice's flavour be what it is. Plain or lightly "jazzed", it's a wonderful and delicate foil to the more savory or strongly flavoured foods it accompanies not to mention how much healthier it will make your meal without those naughty white-rice "empty" calories. Whole rice can be the basis for many complete meals too such as pilafs, risotto's, etc.
Also, here's a nifty tip that I got from a friend from India who was a wonderful cook... lightly toast the grains in a hot, dry skillet before adding to their cooking liquid. Toast a couple minutes while stirring them around the whole time - toast just enough till you can detect a nice nutty aroma. then add very slowly to their hot or boiling cooking liquid - it can boil over fast with the grains so hot - be careful... The light toasting really brings out the delicate flavour and seals the grains from getting sticky too.
Taste Test: Milks Not From a Cow
Imagine that - A variety of opinions here. Okay, so here's one more. I don't like dairy milk much, sometimes it's tolerable on cereal. I do prefer soy milk nut milk and even really like good hemp milk. On the other hand, I don't like the sweet ones or the vanilla or obviously flavored ones. I also don't cook with milk so, pretty much my primary use is on cereal and alternatives of many forms are always (for me) preferable to cowjuice.
But much of the polemic here is hilarious so keep it up folks; such virulence over liquid substances!! Howbout we try this, let's forget about the "substitution" concept and just let people enjoy what they enjoy. I don't want a substitute - I want an alternative; cow's milk is nasty and generally unhealthy anyway. Why not just take things on their own terms?
Egg in Toast: What Do You Call It?
This too was a fave of my childhood and I still make them for guests sometimes. Around our 'hood, they were always referred to as "nest eggs". (However, the crazy old witch-lady who lived down the street would call them "nyeshtala svbogra"). She'd serve them to us kids when we'd help her weed her garden or rake her leaves. After she'd cook them in the pan, she'd start melting a thick slice of some kind of salty cheese in another pan and then press the nest egg onto/into the grilling cheese slab to fuse them together. Yummy as heck but then, while we ate, she'd always do her crazy St. Vitus kinda dance and singing these strange words we didn't understand. In truth, she kinda scared the hell out of us but we did love her nyeshtala svbogra!
Serious Heat: What to Make with Bhut Jolokia, the World's Hottest Chile
We're getting some seeds to grow so we can more fully explore their flavour possibilities. We have a lot of discerning fans who love extreme heat when (and only when) made into something that's utterly delicious as well. Simply "competing" over who can handle the most heat is childish fratboy macho bullshit and has naught to do with good food.
On the other hand, some of the most satisfying and delicious creations we've ever made are described by many who've tasted them as insanely hot but, by the true chile-heads, as having achieved that delicate balance of exquisite flavour AND hot enough to insure the desirable heavy capsaicin rush us "junkies of the Scoville crave".
Having said that, I'm curious to see what Jalokia can (literally) bring to the table in achieving said balance. Since we've only been able to try the dried version so far, we don't yet know whether they're worth the fuss or not. Up til now, nothing's been able to surpass what we've achieved with Habanero (and its closest cousins) because of their wonderful fruity/smoky flavour and heavy-duty capsaicin content. I guess we'll see soon enough. I'll be glad to report in once we do if anyone's interested in our results.
Serious Heat: What to Make with Bhut Jolokia, the World's Hottest Chile
I cooked half of one in a mixed vegetable dish and it added serious heat.
I use habaneros in chili, in hot Mexican cheese dip (which is a big holiday pot luck winner, half the folks at most parties love it the other half won't taste it) and in omelets. I will use the Bhut peppers in those . I got a few from a friend who grew them I am going to dry them out and try to plant the seeds next spring to grow my own.
Hot pepper does stimulate stomach acid so if you have an ulcer it can make it worse but it doesn't actually burn the skin, just stimulates the pain and heat receptors in the nerves to fool the body into thinking it is being burnt. The heat and pain receptors use the same nerve fibers so both are stimulated at the same time. Blistering from hot peppers is a result of the body being fooled so it is not really common. No flesh is actually being harmed by the hot pepper you just think it is. It is very true (from bitter experience) that the peppers do pass through into the stool and eliminating them can be VERY painful.
The Food Lab: Animal Fat Mayonnaise
You know they already sell Baconaise in the stores but it isn't made with real Bacon. It tastes really good though. I am going to make your version as I have some rendered bacon fat in my refrigerator. Never thought of making it myself. I can just imagine what that lamb mayo tastes like! Yikes. Lamb is such a highly flavored fat as it is.
The Food Lab: Animal Fat Mayonnaise
Who knows if they really use bacon fat to make theirs, but there is a bacon flavored mayonnaise on the market called Baconnaise. It's been the butt of a running joke on the Daily Show.
The Food Lab: Animal Fat Mayonnaise
You have done humanity a wonderful service!
The Food Lab: Animal Fat Mayonnaise
This is awesome. I'm wondering about chicken fat, since I often have a good bit of that around.
I'm also thinking about mayo-based sauces, where the flavor would be cut by other ingredients. Would Thousand Island dressing made with beef-fat mayo be an ingredient in the world's best reuben? Maybe...
The Food Lab: Animal Fat Mayonnaise
I never ever throw out my bacon drippings. What good southerner would? Sacrilege! And now you've got me thinking about duck fat. *drools* I'm inspired to make at least one dish for the holidays incorporating duck fat. The aforementioned duckandaise sounds like an interesting substitute for the traditional turkey gravy over mashed potatoes.
The Food Lab: Animal Fat Mayonnaise
Great post. The other thing you didn't really mention was the temperature of the oil/fat. I can recall in a culinary class when the chef liked to do various things to trip us up to teach us. One time he used warm oil--I don't know, maybe 125-150F. It would break the emulsion every time.
I wonder if the rendered fat was too hot and that's what prevented the emulsion?
Healthy & Delicious: Spinach and Cannellini Bean Dip
I just made this - and almost ate the entire bowl myself. Wow. Delicious. For me, Kristin never disappoints. I ate it in a warmed whole wheat pita pocket with parmesan cheese. Great.
Healthy & Delicious: Spinach and Cannellini Bean Dip
Sorry, it's looks too green and healthy for me. I rather my own invention while a young wife and mother whose friends had weekly parties. Philadelphia Brand Cream cheese, tons and tons of fresh diced garlic with a smidge of milk to make it "dippable".
Egg in Toast: What Do You Call It?
A Hole in One!!!! My grandfather used to make these for me when I was a very little girl, visiting him in Lancaster, PA. He was not a golfer. He was first-generation American of Swedish descent, who had grown up in Salt Lake City, Utah.
jazzing up white rice
I like to cook rice in chicken broth with slivers of onions, a can of drained mushroom pieces and some caraway seed. I have done this for years and it has always gone over well with my family. Some folks might not like the taste of caraway, but it is well liked here in my house in recipes featuring sauerkraut and apples, rye bread and in white rice. Try it, you'll like it.
jazzing up white rice
My favorite way to jazz up white rice is to fold in onion tarka and minced green onions at the end. For the liquid I use either stock or coconut milk...it is delicious!
Here is a recipe if you like - http://rouxbe.com/recipes/64-pilau-rice/text
jazzing up white rice
@sugartoast, Its called Tahdig and you get the crusty rice at the bottom by adding oil before the cooked rice, then heating it slowly and very carefully so it doesn't burn.
jazzing up white rice
I love the Lundberg dark rices, but I am in the minority in our house. So we usually eat their basmati white (the smell is inscrutable!). It is perfect as is (I only salt it at the end, not during the cooking). Occasionally I'll add a little toasted sesame oil at the end for a smoky nutty thing. I've also cooked it with a very small amount of dried herbes de provence to give it a delicate floral nose. I've found that with good basmati, less jazzy is more.
jazzing up white rice
As kids, we always ate our hot white rice with butter and sugar. Still yummy to this day.
jazzing up white rice
Lots of wonderful suggestions!
My brother in law lives with us, and he hates white rice, but I love it.
So, what I do is break an egg into a frying pan with some butter.
Stir it madly around.
Add some chopped onion.
Add some frozen peas.
Set them all aside in a bowl.
Fry the rice in a bit of oil and then add the egg, onion, and peas.
Voilà, and he eats it!
Cindy H
Pots Boiling Over?
jazzing up white rice
I have tried many ways to jazz plain white rice. here are a few of my families favorites. butter, garlic powder, salt & pepper and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. The next one is cook rice and heat and stir in diced tomatoes and green chiles salt and pepper.
jazzing up white rice
Replace the water with apple juice (unsweetened is best), add a tart. firm apple chopped up, and cinnamon to taste.
Obvious choice is as a side for pork, but could be used as a dessert.
jazzing up white rice
Since I only like white rice, I like to sautee finely chopped onion, bell pepper, garlic and parsley in a quarter stick butter and then add chicken stock and stir well. Bringing it to a boil and then I place it in an ovenproof casserole dish and bake it in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until done. You may want to cover it the last 10 minutes so it doesn't brown too much. It's my version of rice pilaf. Any rice can be used but I like unhealthy foods more than healthy ones.
jazzing up white rice
try adding 2 or 3 star anise to your boiling water and remove before serving. quite delicious!
Egg in Toast: What Do You Call It?
Some great names here - I love Egyptian Eyes especially! But wow: over 200 comments, and apparently no one else calls them "top hats". (And yes, I always thought my mother invented them, too. :) )
Egg in Toast: What Do You Call It?
My hubby made these for me for me all the time when we were in college - we call them Eggs in a Basket.
Egg in Toast: What Do You Call It?
@Ed Levine - My mom called them "Egyptian eggs" as well. I think me, you and Embackus's friend were the only one. It seems to be the least known name for them.
Egg in Toast: What Do You Call It?
Eggy in a basket, from V for Vendetta.
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I gotta admit, I'm a longtime vegetarian AND a "process-nerd" so the science-buff in me still had me fascinated with this post... Playing recipe-detective and mad-scientist/chemist was apparently too compelling to resist my initial urge to not read this. I guess it must appeal to my geek-muscle (Or something deep inside me anyway).