-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
IronGAF Cookoff (hosted by OnkelC)
- Thread starter OnkelC
- Start date
- Status
I like how GAF actually gets off it's ass and does stuff, rather than bitching all the time.
Foldathon, Contribute to society charity drive, cooking contests, group play games together threads, writing assignments.
I applaud GAF's proactiveness. Too bad I don't participate in anything.
Foldathon, Contribute to society charity drive, cooking contests, group play games together threads, writing assignments.
I applaud GAF's proactiveness. Too bad I don't participate in anything.
slidewinder
Banned
Rice and seasonings combined in zip-loc, chicken left in its bag.
Boil water equal to rice volume (should've been ~1.5 cups here). Combine rice/seasoning mix, chicken from envelope, and boiling water in plastic container.
Wait a few minutes.
That was supposed to be chicken and rice, not chicken soup, but I went too heavy on the water, and it didn't help that it was pretty cold out; between the chilled chicken and the thin walls of the plastic container, I don't think the instant rice got a chance to really work its magic, even after I dumped in some rapidly boiling water. Next time I'm going to bring a wide-mouthed insulated mug of some sort instead of Tupperware for the "cooking"/serving dish.
All that aside, it still tasted pretty damn good! Definitely more enjoyable than the jerky-n-Clifbar dinners I have been eating on overnight backpacks. I'd be interested in any good and simple "just add boiling water" recipes any of you might have.
Boil water equal to rice volume (should've been ~1.5 cups here). Combine rice/seasoning mix, chicken from envelope, and boiling water in plastic container.
Wait a few minutes.
That was supposed to be chicken and rice, not chicken soup, but I went too heavy on the water, and it didn't help that it was pretty cold out; between the chilled chicken and the thin walls of the plastic container, I don't think the instant rice got a chance to really work its magic, even after I dumped in some rapidly boiling water. Next time I'm going to bring a wide-mouthed insulated mug of some sort instead of Tupperware for the "cooking"/serving dish.
All that aside, it still tasted pretty damn good! Definitely more enjoyable than the jerky-n-Clifbar dinners I have been eating on overnight backpacks. I'd be interested in any good and simple "just add boiling water" recipes any of you might have.
jarosh said:
they sell that here. I thought it was japanese :lol
that camping cooking looks awesome! I love camping cooking
They often make curry when they go camping in Japan. Just bring the roux and some root vegetables with whatever meat is safe to bring, and cook it in a pot. I don't really like j-curry though so I don't really eat it.
I was at the okinawa specialty store the other day and they had these cool beans called uzura mame, lit. quail beans. They look kind of like quail eggs, hence the name.
I added them to my regular pumpkin soup, and they were really good! They're very plump beans.
edit: apparently these beans are called 'borlotti' in italian.
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
you guys ever eat greek yogurt? it's so thick and creamy, it reminds me quite a bit of cream cheese. i made some tzatziki recently to snack on with pita chips, and it was fantastic.
beelzebozo said:
yeah! I had the Fage yogurt when I was in the states last time. So good. Who knew honey went so well with yogurt? (the greeks do apparently)
Ever tried Caspian Sea yogurt? It's really popular here. It's really runny, so I bet it might be better for making tzatziki. Yogurt in general is much runnier here than the gelatin-y stuff in the US. Took me some time to get used to it, but I like it now.
http://www.thekefirshop.co.uk/matsoni_caspian_sea_yogurt.htm
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
the greeks know many glorious things about food. bless them for baklava.
my mum still makes this upon my request. even though it's one of the most tedious desserts to make, all that brushing and layers of phyllo dough are totally worth it
no, i haven't. actually, the yogurt i typically have to use is straight up plain flavored fat free yogurt that i drain in a cheese cloth for a few hours, which gives me a reasonable facsimile of the greek variety. but from what i understand tzatziki is supposed to be thick thick thick. the name alone though--"caspian sea yogurt"--plays to that food snob in me that loves sprinkling sea salt on everything from cucumbers to ice cream.
my mum still makes this upon my request. even though it's one of the most tedious desserts to make, all that brushing and layers of phyllo dough are totally worth it
tnw said:yeah! I had the Fage yogurt when I was in the states last time. So good. Who knew honey went so well with yogurt? (the greeks do apparently)
Ever tried Caspian Sea yogurt? It's really popular here. It's really runny, so I bet it might be better for making tzatziki. Yogurt in general is much runnier here than the gelatin-y stuff in the US. Took me some time to get used to it, but I like it now.
http://www.thekefirshop.co.uk/matsoni_caspian_sea_yogurt.htm
no, i haven't. actually, the yogurt i typically have to use is straight up plain flavored fat free yogurt that i drain in a cheese cloth for a few hours, which gives me a reasonable facsimile of the greek variety. but from what i understand tzatziki is supposed to be thick thick thick. the name alone though--"caspian sea yogurt"--plays to that food snob in me that loves sprinkling sea salt on everything from cucumbers to ice cream.
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
feta flavored pringles sounds really interesting and great. it was only recently i discovered that not every feta in the world is dry, crumbly, and chalky. it was like a whole new world opened up to me when i found this soft, moist, almost goat-cheese-like feta with that briny flavor. really elevates gyros when you've got a great cheese to go with them.
beelzebozo said:
yeah, they sound great, but it's mostly just chips with salt with some acid to simulate feta. they were okay though.
that feta sounds awesome.
here's an interesting anecdote. my old japanese roommate went on a business trip to london,and on the way back his boss's family met them both in greece. Greece, the land of unimaginably awesome food, right? The family brought a rice cooker and japanese curry with them along with furikake to 'tide them over'. ?_?
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
:lol
classic.
you know, if you really really really want some baklava, you should make some, buster. it's time to take some initiative!
classic.
you know, if you really really really want some baklava, you should make some, buster. it's time to take some initiative!
Don't let some Turks hear that. :lolbeelzebozo said:
Seriously though, Baklava needs to be eaten when the weather is hot, together with a nice ada çay, sitting in the shade after a scrumptious meal.
I spent much of my youth next to a house full of turkish immigrants, turkish food is awesome.
Although, given the ingredients, turkish sweets are more of a meal in and of themselves, what with the high calorie content.
For turkish food experiments I recommend Imam bayildi. It's not for everyone, but it's one of the few ways of preparation that I can stand eggplant. Plus it's vegetarian. Some recipies are, at least. I distinctively remember a version with ground meat (Karnıyarık).
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
oh, absolutely--baklava and just about any dessert really is definitely more of a "once in a while" thing. daily sweets dull your appreciation of these things anyway, as far as i'm concerned.
it's millefeuille filled with chopped walnuts, almonds, pistaches and the like. The killer is that they are dipped in a thick syrup before serving. SOOOOOO GOOOOOD!:lolMidas said:Those baklavas... I ate like ten of them, my stomach did not like that. It consist of what? Flour, fat and sugar?
beelzebozo said:
yeah, japanese houses don't have ovens, just two burners and a fish grill
I could buy a microwave that has a oven feature, but I can't really do that at the moment.
I also don't know where I would find the dough.
I do miss baking though. s'kay tho. there are plenty of very awesome japanese sweets that I like.
you could use the spring roll dough sheets as a substitute for the filo dough sheets. Or buy frozen millefeuille plates.tnw said:yeah, japanese houses don't have ovens, just two burners and a fish grill
I could buy a microwave that has a oven feature, but I can't really do that at the moment.
I also don't know where I would find the dough.
I do miss baking though. s'kay tho. there are plenty of very awesome japanese sweets that I like.
Tonights dish, a plain pork fillet stew. i cut two tenderloins in about inch-thick slices, roasted them with slat, pepper and paprika powder. Took them out of the pan, roasted onion cubes and mushrooms in the remaining oil, a pint of beef stock, a cup of cream, meat back in , let reduce, add a bit of grated lemon peel, handful of chive before serving and...
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
i'm making braised beef tacos and mexican black beans today. my photography skills are shit, though, which is why i rarely post pictures.
it's interesting how much garlic goes into one pot of mexican black beans. 6 minced cloves for the stewing beans, 8 cloves for the sofrito that gets added afterward? that's almost two full heads. YOW
it's interesting how much garlic goes into one pot of mexican black beans. 6 minced cloves for the stewing beans, 8 cloves for the sofrito that gets added afterward? that's almost two full heads. YOW
smirkrevenge
Member
beef short ribs braised in red wine + gorgonzola polenta
OnkelC said:
I did yes - as you can imagine the vegetarian mrs bovo greatly enjoyed two days of boiling chicken bones sat on the cooker! I rarely roast a whole chicken though, so it was too good an opportunity to miss...
I thought photographic evidence would be one step too far :lol
(Note for those that haven't made stock before: The chicken bones weren't boiled non-stop for two days... Just about 1 hour per day)
electricpirate
Member
Tonight is game night, so we are making home-made pizzas, I'll try and get some shots to document it.
Right now the dough is chilling in the fridge after potent rise last night, and we have all the necessary toppings.
Right now the dough is chilling in the fridge after potent rise last night, and we have all the necessary toppings.
I made homemade pizza dough for this first time this weekend. I'm new to this cooking thing, so I was expecting a much more complicated task. But it really wasn't so bad. I used it to make a couple of calzones. The only problem was, The dough cooked a little harder than I would have liked. Any tips from you GAF Chefs out there?
And sorry for no pictures, couldn't find my camera.
And sorry for no pictures, couldn't find my camera.
electricpirate
Member
Cereal said:
Since you've got a braves avy, I'll add some advice
.IMO the secret to great pizza is
1) heat
2) heat
3) heat
After you've got a dough you like (I use a no knead recipe, recipes work just as well, just make sure it has a bit of Oilve oil in the recipe for texture). After you roll and stetch it really thin, cover it in your toppings (I like Fresh Mozzeralla Sun Dried Tomatoe and Basil, spalsh of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt).
Get your Oven RIPPING hot, 400-500 degrees. I also use a pizza stone to keep the heat coming (I just always keep it in the oven, it helps reduce the cycling of the oven). Slide your pizza in, and give it about 12 minutes.
Lower heat takes longer to brown and dries out the dough, giving that "Hard" interior.
nakedsushi
Member
Dinner a few nights ago was stir-fried string beans topped with miso-braised tofu.
electricpirate
Member
Doing what shouldn't be done, and opening the oven, letting that precious heat escape. We were a bit behind schedule so I was doing some pies on the stone, and one on pie on a pizza pan.
Final product! Margherita pizza
Fiancees photo skills, most definately not my shot.
My shitty shot, but you can see all three pizzas, veggie, Pepperoni and Scallion and the final slice of Margherita pizza in the back.
The Margherita pizza came out fantastic, the pepperoni was good, but it needed a bit more pizzaz, I used mediocre Pepperoni. I was too full from the first two pies to try the veggie pizza. The Margherita pizza was also made on the stone, it makes a huge difference in terms of the quality of the crust on the bottom. Pizzas on the stone were crispy and chewy, the pizza on the pan was light and poofy. Still good but not orgasmic.
Final product! Margherita pizza
Fiancees photo skills, most definately not my shot.
My shitty shot, but you can see all three pizzas, veggie, Pepperoni and Scallion and the final slice of Margherita pizza in the back.
The Margherita pizza came out fantastic, the pepperoni was good, but it needed a bit more pizzaz, I used mediocre Pepperoni. I was too full from the first two pies to try the veggie pizza. The Margherita pizza was also made on the stone, it makes a huge difference in terms of the quality of the crust on the bottom. Pizzas on the stone were crispy and chewy, the pizza on the pan was light and poofy. Still good but not orgasmic.
Wow... that looks awesome. I'm going to pick up a baking stone before this weekend for more pizza making experimentation. And a quality mixer too, I'm thinking. Once again, I'm going to seek the advice of Cooking-age, anything I should look for in a mixer? I guess my price range is somewhere in the $100 ballpark, but I'm not looking to do any industrial cooking or anything like that. Just here and there around the house. So if I can get by with less, that's fine too.
electricpirate
Member
tri_willy said:
Why thank you
Look a few posts up, I posted some hints. But because I like to hear myself talk,
1. Thin crust
2. Lots of Heat
3. Something in the oven to store and transfer the heat right into the pie, pizza stone if you want to spend money, or you can go cheap and turn the bowl of a heavy clay planter upside down in the oven, or line bricks up (a pain)
sportzhead
Member
What's up OnkelC?
I made this quick dinner a few days ago. It's just beef hot dogs cut up into pieces pan fried with home made french fries. It was so damn good.
Also, electricpirate that pizza looks awesome.
I made this quick dinner a few days ago. It's just beef hot dogs cut up into pieces pan fried with home made french fries. It was so damn good.
Also, electricpirate that pizza looks awesome.
thanks to you all for the fabulous dishes!
electricpirate, you put my humble pizza effort to shame...
sportzhead, long time no see! Looking forward to seeing more session cooking from you.
I had a big bad Zeus platter tonight (stock pic, beef kebabs, bifteki, pork steaks, gyros, tsatsiki, steamed spinach and fries!):
Enjoy!
No clue what to cook for the weekend by now, any ideas?
electricpirate, you put my humble pizza effort to shame...
sportzhead, long time no see! Looking forward to seeing more session cooking from you.
I had a big bad Zeus platter tonight (stock pic, beef kebabs, bifteki, pork steaks, gyros, tsatsiki, steamed spinach and fries!):
Enjoy!
No clue what to cook for the weekend by now, any ideas?
electricpirate
Member
That looks amazing, holy wow!
What's in season in Germany now? Asparagus, Leeks, Leafy greens?
What's in season in Germany now? Asparagus, Leeks, Leafy greens?
electricpirate
Member
OnkelC said:
I lived in Prague for 3 months, I figured the climates are probably pretty similar. See if you can get your Wife into Chard with this recipe,
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/241110
Garbanzo Beans:
2 15.5-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained (about 3 cups)
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 large shallots
3 small bay leaves, preferably fresh
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Chard:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
3 small bay leaves, preferably fresh
2 shallots, sliced
2 bunches Swiss chard, center stems cut out, leaves coarsely torn
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
Preparation
Garbanzo beans:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour oil over; cover dish with foil. Roast until garlic is tender, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and chill.
Chard:
Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, bay leaves, and shallots. Cover; cook until shallots are tender, about 2 minutes. Uncover; add half of chard. Toss until chard wilts and volume is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add remaining chard. Toss until chard wilts, about 2 minutes. Add broth. Cover and cook until chard is tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season chard with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large sieve set over bowl and drain. DO AHEAD: Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
Drain garbanzos and reserve oil; discard bay leaves. Combine garbanzos and chard in large skillet. Add 2 tablespoons oil reserved from garbanzos. Toss over medium heat until warmed through, moistening with more oil by tablespoonfuls if needed, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Serve over rice or some toasted bread for great justice, and a new appreciation of chard
. Plus, the leftover oil is amazing.
I'm not feeling well tonight, so I'm cheating: Takeaway food. Sorry. I'm not trusting myself with anything that can catch fire, cut flesh, or explode in my face at the moment.
I chose something hot to burn out the sickness that has been pestering me throughout March: Murgh Vindalu. Spicy chicken with potatos.
The camera of my phone doesn't really do the dish justice. The rice is a mixture between white and yellow grains, which is a nice idea I'm keeping in mind for future endeavours. So simple, yet effective. I've always kept colored and uncolored rice separate, but it looks just as nice mixed.
Pretty yummy, and thankfully pretty spicy too. Take that, stupid germs.
I chose something hot to burn out the sickness that has been pestering me throughout March: Murgh Vindalu. Spicy chicken with potatos.
The camera of my phone doesn't really do the dish justice. The rice is a mixture between white and yellow grains, which is a nice idea I'm keeping in mind for future endeavours. So simple, yet effective. I've always kept colored and uncolored rice separate, but it looks just as nice mixed.
Pretty yummy, and thankfully pretty spicy too. Take that, stupid germs.
- Status