I am always searching for good cooking/recipe blogs. The paupered chef comes to mind. 101 Cookbooks is ok (if you like quinoa). What I am looking for is some educational, in depth, ambitious sites or blogs that try new things and make great food. Does anyone have some good suggestions? Thanks
I might be jumping the gun here a bit, but the sun is out in Seattle for the second time all year. So what are some of the best spring/summer recipes?
I'm thinking bold flavors, simple, and of course delicious.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I try to make my own but that sometimes limits my greens intake when I am being lazy.
there's a good cast iron video on the cook's illustrated podcast available through itunes for free. Check it out
Arugula for basil. And walnuts for pinenuts. There are a bunch of recipes like this online. If you like arugula like I do, this is a winner bc the flavors aren't quite as strong as with your standard genovese.
I have the mario batali brand enameled pot. I swear im not secretly him trying to trump up sales. it was also rated in cooks illustrated and is a good specimen for the price. Check out amazon (im not jeffrey bezos either).
I own this book and also recently tried out a pasta recipe; the pasta with clams. This is one of the most simple and delicious clam/pasta recipes ever. Check it out if you own the book.
I scrubbed them with hot water and Kosher salt. Then I liberally applied shortening to them and put them in the oven at 250 for two hours. They have developed an even coat. It's my understanding that they will blacken with further use.
Can't add anything on seasoning but if you stack your pans to store them. Put a sheet of wax paper between pans. It helps prevents rusting. Both of my grandmothers practiced it.
Short of the self-cleaning cycle, you can also put your pan on your charcoal grill with a full bucket of hot coals underneath it, put on the lid, then walk away. It saves your house from smelling. I did this with a Griswold pan I inherited, and it turned out spanking clean and ready to season.
You can put soap in a iron pan, but only if you're willing to start seasoning from scratch. If your first attempt is uneven, then it can't get any worse to scrub it completely clean with soapy water, and start all over again.
I always run it through the self-cleaning cycle in my oven.
@1stmakearoux - you should submit that to Fine Cooking as a tip.
I've found that a pre-seasoning preparation helps considerably. Before you attempt to season your cast iron, it has to be very, very clean! Whenever I get a new or used (much better choice, esp. WagnerWare or Griswold), I always run it through the self-cleaning cycle in my oven. This removes all the wax and/or old seasoning, even minor rust. Then give it a good scrub to remove the dust that may be left. Now is the time to start seasoning it! I prefer top-of-the-stove on a low burner rather than in the oven, and I use mostly bacon grease. It's worked for me for nearly forty years.
One last thing: I always prefer a smooth finish in my cast iron rather than the rough finish in most newer cast iron, such as Lodge. I think that's only available in the older pieces. Try an antique shop, yard sale, or flea market.
I have some really nice French crepe pans and my first attempt at seasoning them when I first got them was a miserable failure - so much so that the seasoning layer started to chip off. I sanded the very bottom inside of the pans and did that part of the seasoning over.
I think the trick is really gentle heat for a really long time. And of course you remember the best way to "season" a pan is to use it frequently (per kitchen folklore of generations).
It's going to take a while to get the good seasoning you're thinking about. Bobcatsteph is right--scrub out any uneven spots with kosher salt. Don't use soap again. Give it another slow oven treatment or three. I like the upside-down advice. That will keep any lard deposits from hardening into lumps.
Once you get the lumps out, make a few batches of cornbread. Heat several glugs of oil in the skillet (the amount depends on how big the skillet is--you want a good bit of oil) before slowly pouring in the batter. Get the oil hot. You want the batter to start frying as soon as it hits the surface of the oil! Then bake it. Whether it's edible or not, you're seasoning the skillet each time you bake like this.
After you dump out the cornbread (hopefully all intact), just wipe it out with a paper towel. If there are any stuck crumbs, scrape them off with a little salt and hot water if needed. Oil again and wipe with a towel.
When you store your cast-iron skillets, make sure air can circulate all around them. I hang mine on a sturdy pegboard. Never stack them. Don't even put a lid on top; store it separately. You're going to love them -- food tastes so much better cooked in cast iron!
Arugula or rocket pesto is a traditional Italian pesto - you can even buy it in a jar (no cheese) in most grocery stores in Italy. People adore arugula there (and so do I!).
I have used pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews as well as arugula, basil, oregano and spinach for pestos. I don't use cheese because I'm allergic to dairy but raw cashews (soaked, first) make a nice cheesy texture.
Does anyone else freeze up their pesto in ice cube trays for later use? I just throw a few cubes into a pot with plain tomato sauce from a can for a delicious marinara (way cheaper than the pre-seasoned stuff).
Rocket pesto is definitely awesome. I used to work in a shop that sold basil pesto and rocket pesto and started to carry another kind right before I left. I know it had pistachios and some kind of chili in it, but that's all I can remember. And it was amazing, I'd love to know what else went into it.
Ramps and olive oil marinated feta and walnuts/almonds is one of my seasonal greenmarket favorites.
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