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Dinner Tonight: Cauliflower-Potato Curry (Aloo Gobhi)
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I figure if I just make enough different recipes, I'll find myself not needing them anymore. Which is definitely my goal here. Curry tonight it is.
Dinner Tonight: Cauliflower-Potato Curry (Aloo Gobhi)
Nick, that first paragraph could have been written by me. I have Julie Sanhi's Classic Indian cooking and that new 660 curries book, which are useful in their own way, but I still feel a little lost. Anyone have suggestions?
Things I Ate in Milwaukee
Oh, Apollo Cafe's tuna souvlaki is worth the stop. Open till 3 on weekends. And Beans and Barley for vegetarian goodness.
I'm done, I swear.
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My Week Without Corn
Fantastic idea. I'm on board starting Saturday - baseball tailgate tomorrow, and Pops is smoking some undoubtedly corn-fed pork shoulder that I've been looking forward to all week.
Dinner Tonight: Cauliflower-Potato Curry (Aloo Gobhi)
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I figure if I just make enough different recipes, I'll find myself not needing them anymore. Which is definitely my goal here. Curry tonight it is.
Dinner Tonight: Cauliflower-Potato Curry (Aloo Gobhi)
Nick, that first paragraph could have been written by me. I have Julie Sanhi's Classic Indian cooking and that new 660 curries book, which are useful in their own way, but I still feel a little lost. Anyone have suggestions?
Things I Ate in Milwaukee
Oh, Apollo Cafe's tuna souvlaki is worth the stop. Open till 3 on weekends. And Beans and Barley for vegetarian goodness.
I'm done, I swear.
Things I Ate in Milwaukee
Oh, where to start. Nice to see Milwaukee get some love, there are a ton of great places to eat, though I wish you would have visited under better circumstances.
Beer first. Forget the Miller tour, Lakefront is the way to go. Try any beer by them or New Glarus (of Spotted Cow fame). Milwaukee Ale House does good work. I'm meh on most Sprecher beers, but their Black Bavarian and root beer are both excellent. If you see a Bell's beer on tap, particularly Two Hearted Ale, try it (a Michigan brewery, but who's counting).
Mexican: South side is indeed the way to go. Conejitos has a nice cheap paper plate vibe, Cempuzachi is a good one too. I like Riviera Maya for more traditional Mexican, Botanas for well done Tex-Mex, and any El Rey location for my cheap and good fix. Avoid La Perla at all costs.
Someone mentioned Comet for breakfast, but their open faced meat loaf "sandwich" seems like it might be right up your alley. Cafe Lulu is always worth a soup and sandwich stop - the Mediterranean steak pita with chips or the roasted veg salad with a tuna steak on top are both money.
Pizza, as has been said, may well be avoided, but either DeMarini's location would be my suggestion. I prefer Mama's for the sit at the bar and eat vibe.
For upscale but surprisingly cheap, Coquette Cafe (coq au vin) and Meritage (any braised meat on the menu) are great.
As for curds, like you guessed, most good bars in the city, my place of employment included. The corner bar culture is alive and kicking here, it's really one of my favorite parts about this city. Conversations with interesting functional alcoholic strangers FTW.
Simma's cheesecake. Singha Thai's pad thai. Not much good Indian, but Anmol does excellent Pakistani. Coffee: Anodyne > Stone Creek >>>>>>> Alterra. Bloody Mary at any Diablo Rojo place (Cafe Hollander, Cafe Centraal, Trocadero), though I find their food mostly overpriced and underwhelming. Sobelman's for a burger (still) - though I haven't been to Solly's, I hear good things. Jake's for Jewish deli goodness. Good call on the National.
I'm out of gas, but that should get you started.
The 20 Dishes you need to know
What dbcurrie said. Once you go from "what recipe should I make today" to "what can I do with what's in the fridge that needs to be cooked today," you're on your way.
Dinner Tonight: Ziti with Skillet-Roasted Root Vegetables
Nice work as always, Nick. I like brothy pasta dishes, but always seem to forget about them.
Vegitarian-ism EPIC FAIL
Wow, a rational conversation about vegetarianism on a message board. Never thought I'd see the day :)
Agree with just about everything here. Once I started buying meat locally, I found myself treating it better - always stretching it out over several meals, making stock, etc. My cooking got way better, and so did my diet, taste and health-wise. One of the best decisions I've ever made.
And someone call Webster's on the "opportunivore" thing, it's golden.
Dinner Tonight: Caramelized Tofu with Brussels Sprouts
Hated tofu myself, until I found that it must be pressed, and then marinated, before baking/pan-frying/whatever. Now it's in the regular rotation (and I'm quite the Midwestern carnivore).
Christmas Eve or Day Hanukkah Menus/What you cooking?
No cooking for me, but I can't wait to head to my uncle's for the annual uber-German Christmas meal. He basically stages a raid on the Usinger's outlet and gets a zillion varieties of i-forget-what-wurst. Hated it when I was a kid, but now, some blood sausage, ham hocks, spinach with warm bacon dressing, silts and herring all sound pretty good. And yes I will be going for a run on Christmas day.
Y'all have inspired me to try some latkes this weekend. Easy but time-consuming is the general consensus, right?
What is your favorite cook's treat?
"...drippings and bits that are used for gravy, before the gravy period starts. I sneaked up to my boyfriend and shoved some in his mouth and his expressions of joy were obscene."
I'm not alone! Awesome.
The juices on the bottom of the plate after meat has rested? Yeah, those are getting drunk. Shameless carnivore.
I can make ___ but I almost always buy it.
Hummus. I can make a decent one, but there's just something about the stuff the co-op by my house makes. I shamefully conceded victory some time ago.
Where Does the Bobby Flay Hate Come From?
Guessing I might be in the minority of males here, but I'm a fan of his stuff. I tend to like so-called celebrity chefs based on how well their cooking/books/ideas can help me at home - selfish, I know, but hey. If I can steal from them, they can do a striptease while shaking babies for all I care. And Food Network would probably air it.
Anyway, my dad is a solid griller who wanted some new ideas, and I got him a Flay cookbook and a bunch of dried chiles for his birthday. The recipes always work, his food is better for it, and I'm happy. Whatever gimmicks he pulls with his producer-cultivated persona are incidental to me.
What's the deal with sherry vinegar?
As far as I know, good sherry vinegar has a relatively high acidity - around 8%. It's strong stuff, and can be overpowering, so I use it in strongly flavored dishes to round out the flavors. I dump some in a quick saute of bitter greens, use it in cabbage slaws when I want them to cut through and really contrast heavy meats. Toss a sherry vinagrette with roasted or grilled potatoes while they're still warm for an odd little potato salad. Great for deglazing and making reduction sauces. Used it once when I had no red wine in an old school beef stew. In other words, I like it a lot.
Dinner Tonight: Bucatini alla Lipari (Bucatini With Raw Nut Pesto and Tomato Sauce)
Did half walnuts, cashews, bit of almond to top it. No fresh herbs. This one's going in the regular rotation.
And yeah, 1 lb = 2 people over here, but I don't mind leftover pasta at all. Eaten cold, in fact.
What do you put on pasta?
Put me in the olive oil, garlic, and anchovy camp. Lotsa pepper. If I'm slightly less lazy, bacon, canned tomato, and onion. Maybe some balsamic or capers.
Dinner Tonight: Bucatini alla Lipari (Bucatini With Raw Nut Pesto and Tomato Sauce)
Looks great, will be trying this tonight. Nick, what nuts did you use? I'm thinking heavy on the walnuts myself.
Cook the Book: 'Fat'
Agreed on the bacon fat - I almost never make a skillet bean dish without one, among other things. The girlfriend was skeptical when she first saw me saving it, but was quickly converted.
Okay now that Fall is around the corner....
Same as most of you, I guess - stash the grill, and fire up the oven. It's braise and roast time.
At the moment, I am heavily craving two fall things - roasted and pureed winter squash as a pasta sauce with pine nuts, and brown rice and lentils cooked with some apple cider and allspice with caramelized onions on top.
Good Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe
Just bookmarked this page. Well done, y'all - you can definitely stuff a pepper with just about anything.
ham, would you be using a gas grill, charcoal, or a smoker? Because I've done stuffed peppers on a Weber, indirect heat for about 20 or 30 minutes, but never the old school ground meat and rice type - once with cheese and veggies I sauteed for a bit, once with mostly cooked brown rice and lentils. Wouldn't trust the meat to cook through before the outside of the peppers get too blackened. If you were smoking some meat, though, and threw them in for an hour or so, I could see this working. Worst case scenario, you finish them in the oven.
Essentials: Feeding Your Friends (With Migas)
"...since I was chatting instead of paying attention to seasoning the results were not up to snuff."
I feel your pain. For a while back there, I couldn't seem to make a group meal without all four burners and the oven going, trying to have everything finish at about the same time (I learned to cook in a short order environment, so it was what I knew, I suppose). Works fine for 3 or 4, but any more people than that and I would inevitably screw up something, even if I'd made it a dozen times before, even if I made a point of not leaving the kitchen until the food was done. Frustrating and stressful experience to know it could have been better.
I guess I don't have a "go to dish" per se, but I do have a new unofficial rule: only have one or two things to focus on, and rely on dishes where a) the bulk of the work is done the day/morning before that b) are almost impossible to screw up and c) can be flavored in many different directions, depending on crowd and mood. Some things that come to mind - braising meat the day before, so all you have to do that day is turn the braising liquid into a sauce and toss the meat on the grill/broiler for a few minutes before serving. Works with ribs, chicken, most pig parts. No worries about when it's going to be done ("sorry guys, maybe one more hour on the roast while the pilaf dries into a brick..."), plus the resulting sauce can really power the other side dishes.
Cold salads - slaws, grains in vinaigrette, shredded beets or carrots - stuff like that works wonders. My new personal favorite - thanks to Bittman - twice-baked potatoes. Make them ahead, twenty minutes of reheating that day, and you can put almost anything you want in there. My last two have been leftover lentil dal with yogurt and cilantro, topped with vinegar pickled onions, and miso, ginger, and walnuts with a bit of milk. Really versatile, worry free.
Dinner Tonight: Honey-Glazed Turnips Wedges
still, if you give this a shot, let me know how it turns out. I'd bet the cooking time would be a bit shorter, but it sounds good - worse case scenario, you have the base for a great puree. Kohlrabi pasta sauce, anyone?
Dinner Tonight: Lamb Burgers
Toss a couple anchovies in there, and you've got yourself a deal.
How do you make a good black bean burger?
Oh, and citrus is always a good idea, as per bcamero. As are fresh herbs.
The 20 Dishes you need to know
My personal Top 20:
1. Bacon and Potato Omelette (I'm from germany and can't live without my "Bauernfrüstück")
2. Pasta with a garlic sauce
3. Spaghetti with meatballs
4. Roasted Chicken
5. Kao Pad (I'm also half Thai, and grew up with this dish)
6. Pancakes
7. Steak
8. Pizza
9. Potato Soup
10. A good Sandwich
11. Satay Sticks
12. Mashed Potaoes
13. Meatloaf
14. Gravy
15. Thai Sausages
16. Green Cabbage and Smoked Pork Chop
17. Spareribs
18. Quesadillas
19. Burger with some Fries and Fried Onions
20. Double Mud Chocolate Cake
My Week Without Corn
I've been corn-free for 4 years. I'm very allergic, and all I can say is 'thank god I moved to northern california." The abundance of multi-cultural food and speciality markets makes it much easier to avoid corn. It still sucks a LOT though.
My Week Without Corn
I've been corn free for almost 2 yrs now because my daughter is allergic. I think you missed a few things. The Luna &KIND bars have citric acid in them, the ice cream had vanilla which usually has corn in it, vitamin water is very corny, and as someone else mentioned the salt. It's definitely an entire lifestyle change and it's not an easy one! You did much better your first week than I did during mine!
My Week Without Corn
I agree with "inothernews" ... corn itself is not the enemy. Heck, corn isn't even close to an enemy ... as Pollan has suggested in his works, corn might be the single greatest boon to our civilization ever! It provides cheap, renewable sustenance, it can be dried and stored, it has a high yield, and it can be processed into fuel.
"Everything in moderation" is a good rule to live by ... Corn syrup or HFCS are not threats in themselves, as they do provide that extra "something" that some foods lack. Its when they are added in large or unnatural quantities that they pose a health risk.
Read labels when you buy foods ... make sure that what you are eating is nutritious and healthy as a foremost priority. If it suits that bill, who cares if it contains corn?
My Week Without Corn
I just had to add a comment since I am allergic to corn. One of the ingredients you haven't looked into deeply enough is good ole iodized table salt. Morton's Iodized Salt adds a corn derivative. Since almost all processed ingredients use salt, one must assume that they are not okay until proven innocent. There are a few items that list salt but really are just NaCl w/o any additives but you have to go to the manufacturer to find out. Luckily kosher salt, and sea salt are okay.
My Week Without Corn
good job it is difficult. my 10yr old son is allergic to corn, soy and dairy, along with a couple others and i know its not easy
My Week Without Corn
Like a lot of you, I try to avoid processed food. But lets face it, sometimes you want a soda. Sometimes, when I want processed food without the guilt of eating corn products, I stop by the Mexican store and buy their sodas and candies that are all sweetened with real sugar.
My Week Without Corn
do you know what i don't understand? the core of the problem. why is the government subsidizing corn and soy farms? what's in it for them? wouldn't a large part of this problem be solved if farmers were encouraged to have diversified yields instead of these mono-crops?
My Week Without Corn
HM I re-read again more carefully. I realize that the paragraph that starts with "don't get me wrong" addresses what I am saying.
My Week Without Corn
When we talk about going corn-free and the dangers of corn, aren't we really talking about processed corn, made of sub-food grade corn? Like, I feel that sweet corn is NOT bad for you, or polenta or cornmeal. HFCS or Malodextrin or anything like that is bad--or corn-fed animals, because they are also fed subgrade corn.
It seems going "corn-free" is like using a jackhammer to dig a hole for a tree. or some better metaphor to say its too extreme.
Maybe I am missing the point--that to learn to cut out processed corn, we have to cut out ALL corn, and slowly add back good corn? Yes?
My Week Without Corn
As a Southerner married to a Midwesterner, I have to say that going corn free when the sweet corn is coming in locally by the bushel (now) would be one of the worst forms of culinary self-torture I can imagine! As bad as going tomato free! We have corn at least once a day, sometimes twice, while it lasts, which is a short season. Shuck it on the way in the door and boil it immediately, or even eat it raw in the field. If you are allergic, or you want to lose weight, avoid it by all means. Otherwise, for those of us in the middle of the country, it would be like an Asian avoiding rice (or soy).
BTW, those "worms" are Corn Borers or ear worms (caterpillars), not human parasites, and are an indication that the corn has not been sprayed with noxious substances, or genetically engineered to produce toxins. They're actually a GOOD sign if you are concerned about pesticides or GMOs. Just break off the upper part of the ear and enjoy the rest.
My Week Without Corn
I didn't realize my yogurt was full of corn. Crazy!
I don't think you'll have too much trouble skipping the corn-fed creatures: you can get protein from beans/legumes (all corn-free, if you buy them plain).
And at least you found bread.
My Week Without Corn
From an allergic standpoint the use of corn exceeds its use as an ingredient, as it is used to dust many dry packages. Can't lick stamps or envelopes, either. Did you check your toothpaste and medicines? I once bought an artisanal bread that didn't list corn as an ingredient, but had clearly been cooked on a bed of cornmeal (as I cook my own breads). A call to the company confirmed they did this and it hadn't occurred to them to list it as an ingredient. I'm pretty sure our local hospital uses biodegradable corn-based "plastic" utensils.
Next up, how about a soy free week? That might be even harder, as soy is used in more plastic products and even some fabrics
My Week Without Corn
Fascinating!
Next up, how about a plastic free week?
My Week Without Corn
What about sushi/sashimi??
And whatever is wrong with pure sugar or sugar in the raw, I ask you?!
My Week Without Corn
Thank you for attempting the challenge and writing about it!
My partner has a severe corn allergy, and yes, it IS in everything -- and in a lot of places you wouldn't suspect. The vitamin C in most vitamin pills is derived from corn. Emergen-C powder? Corn. Regular non-gelcap pills? Usually held together with corn (we use a compounding pharmacy that will make pills with gelatin, rice starch, or another alternative). Gatorade and non-Glaceau vitamin waters? Corn corn corn.
If you look in your local kosher supermarket, you can find all sorts of usually-off-limits stuff during Passover and just after: chocolate syrup, bottled salad dressing, boxed pudding, confectioner's sugar, boxed cake mix, frosting, gummi bears, and candy sprinkles, to name a few. (You'd be surprised at the nostalgic significance of those little chocolate buttons with the candy sprinkles on top.)
My Week Without Corn
WOW! Great going. I did this once after I read the Omnivore's dilemna a couple of years ago, and as you did, I found that I was magically eating freasher, healthier, and better! I've kept a lot of those principles in my eating today, with the exception that I can eat whole corn now. Actual, whole kernel/on the cob/chopped up corn. Or on-prupose as KarynMC said--as long as the point is to eat corn, then I eat it. And it is way better now.
My Week Without Corn
So are you pretending to me in Medieval Europe? Or are you just turning into a Vegetarian with a corn allergy... an anti-cornitarian if you will.
My Week Without Corn
I think I go through most days corn-free, but that's largely because I eat mostly whole food products like fruits, veggies, grains and beans. Most of my corn is on-purpose – polenta or corn kernels, or pb puffins when I want cold cereal. I don't think it's too hard if you're willing to cook and like vegetables! I do remember going through HFCS and gelatin shock, though, when I first gave them up.
My Week Without Corn
You don't have to eat those little packages of instant oatmeal. Make a large batch (1 cup oats, 4 cups water, dash salt) of steel cut oats and keep them in the fridge. Takes twenty minutes, and you can heat individual portions for breakfast over the next few days.
It's much tastier, cheaper and healthier.
My Week Without Corn
My friend, Munch at www.meetandeatonline.com did a similar challenge. Corn is in everything -- she only got 18 days through the challenge. Read from the beginning of her journey here:
http://www.meetandeatonline.com/2009/02/last-supper-and-lunch.html
My Week Without Corn
Don't be so sure about the soft serve. Industrial carrageenan is often standardized for strength, usually with dextrose or maltodextrin. It is rarely labeled on finished products as it is a manufacturing aid for the ingredient and not a functional part of the finished product.
My Week Without Corn
I really enjoyed reading this article as well.
May I suggest Bibimbap as a corn-free meal, maybe without the gochujang(not sure if there's corn in there - probably)? Unless of course, there is corn in sesame oil.
My Week Without Corn
Another dimension to the corn factor is ethanol "enhanced" gasoline. All the pumps these days inform me that my gasoline is 10% ethanol. Just how far are you taking your challenge?
My Week Without Corn
I'm already on board with the no-corn diet most of the time without even thinking about it. Corn syrup is something I've generally avoided for years. As for you confectioners out there, honey works just as well and adds an additional flavor to the mix if you're trying to keep refined sugar from crystalizing.
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Cook the Book: Sweet and Sour Vietnamese Wings
Posted by Michele Humes, January 19, 2009 at 2:40 PM
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Fantastic idea. I'm on board starting Saturday - baseball tailgate tomorrow, and Pops is smoking some undoubtedly corn-fed pork shoulder that I've been looking forward to all week.