The Food Thread

[knapplc]

On 7/24/2022 at 5:53 AM, MyBloodIsRed16 said:

If you can cook steak make yourself some beef Bulgogi.  It's one of my favorite non traditional dishes.  Also Paella.  Lots of prep but it's a crowd pleaser.    Beef Bourguignon is pretty easy and tasty and sounds fancy.  

 

I've made paella a couple of times. It is a crowd-pleaser - but the problem is, you really need a crowd or there's too much food. Do you make a giant batch of it or do you have a smaller, reasonably-sized recipe? 

 

I make mine in a 14-inch cast-iron pan, with shrimp, clams, chorizo and pork butt. 

[MyBloodIsRed16]

2 minutes ago, knapplc said:

 

I've made paella a couple of times. It is a crowd-pleaser - but the problem is, you really need a crowd or there's too much food. Do you make a giant batch of it or do you have a smaller, reasonably-sized recipe? 

 

I make mine in a 14-inch cast-iron pan, with shrimp, clams, chorizo and pork butt. 

yeah I make mine in a cast-iron pan but I think mine is 12".  My Girlfriend really likes it and I eat quite a bit.  I'll usually have two servings and she'll have one and then we both have leftovers for lunch the next day.  If you get a socarrat right (the burnt rice on the bottom) makes all the difference.  I've had a few times when it didn't brown up enough and the flavor wasn't quite there yet.  

[knapplc]

Here are the two Paella recipes I have. I've only made the "Paella of the Sea." I haven't gone looking for a rabbit to make "Paella of the Land."

 

Paella of the Sea

 

6 cups chicken stock

4 cups dry white wine

3 cups clam juice

1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds pork butt, cut into 1-inch cubes (or substitute pork loin)

1 pound cured chorizo in medium dice

2 cups small-dice onion, peels reserved

1/3 cup minced garlic

2 cups crushed tomatoes

4 pounds bomba rice (or substitute other short-grained rice)

48 littleneck clams

3 roasted red peppers, peeled and cut into strips, for garnish

 

Secret Flavor Weapon

1 cup dry sherry

3 tablespoons cumin seeds

3 tablespoons smoked paprika

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon saffron threads

 

Garlic Scape Relish

2 cups (about 20) garlic scapes (or substitute scallions)

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

 

Combine the chicken stock, white wine, clam juice, 1 cup water and shrimp shells in a large pot. Add any onion peelings or vegetable scraps left from preparation. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, then strain, return the liquid to pot and set aside.

 

While stock cooks, prepare the secret flavor weapon. Heat the sherry in a small pan until it is just beginning to simmer, then remove from the heat. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well and set aside.

 

Build a medium-hot fire in grill (when ready, you can hold your hand about 6 inches above the grill for only 2 or 3 seconds).

 

Prepare the relish. Rub the scapes with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill until just toasty, about 2 minutes a side. Remove from heat and chop roughly. Combine the scapes with the remaining olive oil, pine nuts and lemon zest, mix well, and set aside.

 

Put 1/2 cup olive oil in a paella pan or 20-inch camp skillet. Put over the fire and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the pork butt and sausage and brown lightly on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and half the stock mixture, bring to simmer, then add the rice and the Secret Flavor Weapon. Stir well to combine, then smooth it out to an even layer (you should have just a layer of liquid between 1/4 and 1/2 inch on top) and allow to come back to a slow simmer.

 

Push the shrimp and clams down into the simmering mixture so they are covered by the liquid, being careful not to stir the mixture. Move the pan just enough to the side of the fire so the liquid continues to simmer slowly. Add liquid as needed to maintain that very thin visible layer for 20 minutes, but do not move the rice around. After 20 minutes stop adding liquid and continue to cook until all visible liquid is absorbed and rice is tender but not mushy, from 5 to 15 minutes. Remove from fire, lay peppers on top, spoon on the Garlic Scape Relish and serve.

 

 

 

Paella of the Land

 

12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 medium-size rabbit, quartered

Salt and pepper to taste

4 links fresh chorizo or good-quality dried chorizo, like Palacios

8 cups chicken broth

3/4 bottle (about 2 3/4 cups) dry white wine

1 ounce (about 2 teaspoons) saffron threads, preferably Iranian

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 pound jamón serrano, roughly chopped

1 1-kilogram bag short-grained Spanish rice, preferably bomba or Calasparra

4 medium-size ripe tomatoes, grated, skin discarded

 

Build a medium-hot fire in your grill (when ready, you can hold your hand about 6 inches above the grill for only 2 or 3 seconds).

 

Season the chicken thighs and rabbit liberally with salt and pepper. Put the thighs, then the rabbit, then the chorizo (if using fresh) on the grill and sear well without cooking through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side for each. (If using dried chorizo, simply slice into chunks and add in step 5.) As each is seared, remove from the grill and set aside. As soon as the chorizo is cool enough, slice it diagonally into bite-size chunks.

 

Meanwhile, combine the chicken broth, wine and saffron in a medium saucepan, bring just to a simmer, then set on the side of the grill to keep warm.

 

Place a large paella pan on the grill, add the olive oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes, adjusting the pan on the heat as needed to prevent burning. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add the jamón and cook, stirring, until it is just heated through, about 3 or 4 minutes.

 

Add the rice and stir until well coated, then add the tomatoes and smooth out the rice to an even thickness. Slowly and without stirring, add enough of the broth mixture to leave just a thin layer of broth above the rice, then tuck the chicken, rabbit and chorizo pieces into the rice. Simmer slowly, moving the pan around on the fire as needed to keep the simmer going; avoid boiling. Gently add small amounts of liquid as needed so it’s not totally dry. When the rice is creamy and just al dente and the chicken, rabbit and chorizo are cooked through (should take 20 to 35 minutes), remove pan from heat and stir in the peas, if using. If using pimento strips, place on top.

 

 

[MyBloodIsRed16]

18 minutes ago, knapplc said:

Here are the two Paella recipes I have. I've only made the "Paella of the Sea." I haven't gone looking for a rabbit to make "Paella of the Land."

 

Paella of the Sea

 

6 cups chicken stock

4 cups dry white wine

3 cups clam juice

1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds pork butt, cut into 1-inch cubes (or substitute pork loin)

1 pound cured chorizo in medium dice

2 cups small-dice onion, peels reserved

1/3 cup minced garlic

2 cups crushed tomatoes

4 pounds bomba rice (or substitute other short-grained rice)

48 littleneck clams

3 roasted red peppers, peeled and cut into strips, for garnish

 

Secret Flavor Weapon

1 cup dry sherry

3 tablespoons cumin seeds

3 tablespoons smoked paprika

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon saffron threads

 

Garlic Scape Relish

2 cups (about 20) garlic scapes (or substitute scallions)

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

 

Combine the chicken stock, white wine, clam juice, 1 cup water and shrimp shells in a large pot. Add any onion peelings or vegetable scraps left from preparation. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, then strain, return the liquid to pot and set aside.

 

While stock cooks, prepare the secret flavor weapon. Heat the sherry in a small pan until it is just beginning to simmer, then remove from the heat. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well and set aside.

 

Build a medium-hot fire in grill (when ready, you can hold your hand about 6 inches above the grill for only 2 or 3 seconds).

 

Prepare the relish. Rub the scapes with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill until just toasty, about 2 minutes a side. Remove from heat and chop roughly. Combine the scapes with the remaining olive oil, pine nuts and lemon zest, mix well, and set aside.

 

Put 1/2 cup olive oil in a paella pan or 20-inch camp skillet. Put over the fire and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the pork butt and sausage and brown lightly on both sides, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and half the stock mixture, bring to simmer, then add the rice and the Secret Flavor Weapon. Stir well to combine, then smooth it out to an even layer (you should have just a layer of liquid between 1/4 and 1/2 inch on top) and allow to come back to a slow simmer.

 

Push the shrimp and clams down into the simmering mixture so they are covered by the liquid, being careful not to stir the mixture. Move the pan just enough to the side of the fire so the liquid continues to simmer slowly. Add liquid as needed to maintain that very thin visible layer for 20 minutes, but do not move the rice around. After 20 minutes stop adding liquid and continue to cook until all visible liquid is absorbed and rice is tender but not mushy, from 5 to 15 minutes. Remove from fire, lay peppers on top, spoon on the Garlic Scape Relish and serve.

 

 

 

Paella of the Land

 

12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1 medium-size rabbit, quartered

Salt and pepper to taste

4 links fresh chorizo or good-quality dried chorizo, like Palacios

8 cups chicken broth

3/4 bottle (about 2 3/4 cups) dry white wine

1 ounce (about 2 teaspoons) saffron threads, preferably Iranian

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 pound jamón serrano, roughly chopped

1 1-kilogram bag short-grained Spanish rice, preferably bomba or Calasparra

4 medium-size ripe tomatoes, grated, skin discarded

 

Build a medium-hot fire in your grill (when ready, you can hold your hand about 6 inches above the grill for only 2 or 3 seconds).

 

Season the chicken thighs and rabbit liberally with salt and pepper. Put the thighs, then the rabbit, then the chorizo (if using fresh) on the grill and sear well without cooking through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side for each. (If using dried chorizo, simply slice into chunks and add in step 5.) As each is seared, remove from the grill and set aside. As soon as the chorizo is cool enough, slice it diagonally into bite-size chunks.

 

Meanwhile, combine the chicken broth, wine and saffron in a medium saucepan, bring just to a simmer, then set on the side of the grill to keep warm.

 

Place a large paella pan on the grill, add the olive oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes, adjusting the pan on the heat as needed to prevent burning. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add the jamón and cook, stirring, until it is just heated through, about 3 or 4 minutes.

 

Add the rice and stir until well coated, then add the tomatoes and smooth out the rice to an even thickness. Slowly and without stirring, add enough of the broth mixture to leave just a thin layer of broth above the rice, then tuck the chicken, rabbit and chorizo pieces into the rice. Simmer slowly, moving the pan around on the fire as needed to keep the simmer going; avoid boiling. Gently add small amounts of liquid as needed so it’s not totally dry. When the rice is creamy and just al dente and the chicken, rabbit and chorizo are cooked through (should take 20 to 35 minutes), remove pan from heat and stir in the peas, if using. If using pimento strips, place on top.

 

 

I was going to try the Rabbit one as I have a butcher here that sells frozen rabbits but haven't done it yet.  I bought a rabbit and grilled it and it wasn't bad.  So I think it would taste pretty good in the paella.  I always thought of paella as seafood but I guess the rabbit one is more traditional.  

[JJ Husker]

On 7/22/2022 at 1:43 PM, JJ Husker said:

Going to try something new this weekend. Bought some flanken style beef short ribs (beef short rib cut about 5/8” thick across the bones). They are heavily marbled. Think I’ll grill them about 3 minutes per side and baste with some bbq sauce with gochujang paste added for a Korean bbq kick. At least it sounds good now….

 

I really want to make an authentic korean bbq sauce but am going to cheat for now. Didn’t feel like rounding up all the oddball ingredients today.

 

On 7/24/2022 at 7:10 PM, JJ Husker said:

The beef short ribs were money. I wouldn’t say they were very “Korean” but the bbq sauce was really good. Used mostly KC Masterpiece with about 25% Sweet Baby Rays (because I didn’t have enough KC ) and then added about 3-4 TBS of gochujang and some orange peel. I usually add orange peel to my bbq sauce because it’s awesome but the spicy from the gochujang really kicked it up a notch.

Did these again today at work for lunch for the guys. Still cheated on the sauce. Used half KC Masterpiece and half Gochujang paste. It was much closer to the flavor profile I am after but next time it’s going to about 2/3 Gochujang. It’s an easy cheat and the sauce is money. You can get a 1.1 Lb. tub of O’Food Gochujang paste from Amazon for like $8 or $9. O’Food is the American distributor of Chung Jung One which supposedly is the #1 supplier in Korea.

[JJ Husker]

Best time of the year for food (produce) is right around the corner.

Rocky Ford Cantaloupe.

Palisade Peaches.

Sweet Corn. (had some today)

Fresh roasted Hatch Chiles.

Zucchini, english cucumbers….

Need I go on?

[BigRedBuster]

I've been on a mission of eating healthier and losing weight.  Doing so, I've been concentrating on more of a Mediterranean diet.  I've been mostly doing greek/southern Italy/Spanish cuisines.  The other night I made Shrimp Saganaki.  It was dang good.

 

https://basilandbubbly.com/greek-shrimp-with-feta-and-tomatoes-prawn-saganaki/

 

PS...I'm down 33 lbs.

[knapplc]

4 hours ago, BigRedBuster said:

I've been on a mission of eating healthier and losing weight.  Doing so, I've been concentrating on more of a Mediterranean diet.  I've been mostly doing greek/southern Italy/Spanish cuisines.  The other night I made Shrimp Saganaki.  It was dang good.

 

https://basilandbubbly.com/greek-shrimp-with-feta-and-tomatoes-prawn-saganaki/

 

PS...I'm down 33 lbs.

 

 

Thanks for the recipe. I'm going to try this.

 

Do you use shrimp or prawns when you make this?

[BigRedBuster]

2 minutes ago, knapplc said:

 

 

Thanks for the recipe. I'm going to try this.

 

Do you use shrimp or prawns when you make this?

I used the largest shrimp I could find and peeled them.

[knapplc]

9 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

I used the largest shrimp I could find and peeled them.

 

That's probably what I'll do. I think I could get prawns in Lincoln, but large shrimp will do just as well.

 

My palate isn't so refined I need prawns over shrimp.

[BigRedBuster]

5 minutes ago, knapplc said:

 

That's probably what I'll do. I think I could get prawns in Lincoln, but large shrimp will do just as well.

 

My palate isn't so refined I need prawns over shrimp.

Yep...I also always take the tails off.  It's a pet peeve of mine to order a dish like this in a restaurant with the shrimp mixed into a dish.....only to still have to peel the shrimp or take the tails off.  I know, they claim the shells add flavor to the dish.  I think that's BS just like claiming grilling a steak that's bone in imparts more flavor.  Not true.

[knapplc]

11 minutes ago, BigRedBuster said:

Yep...I also always take the tails off.  It's a pet peeve of mine to order a dish like this in a restaurant with the shrimp mixed into a dish.....only to still have to peel the shrimp or take the tails off.  I know, they claim the shells add flavor to the dish.  I think that's BS just like claiming grilling a steak that's bone in imparts more flavor.  Not true.

 

I think the shells add flavor, but I remove them before cooking, too. I usually add them to the oil and saute for a bit, and then discard them and start cooking.

[BigRedBuster]

Just now, knapplc said:

 

I think the shells add flavor, but I remove them before cooking, too. I usually add them to the oil and saute for a bit, and then discard them and start cooking.

I like your recipe that said to peel the shrimp, then take them and any vegetable scraps and make a stock to use in the dish.

[teachercd]

Man that looks good.

[GSG]

17 hours ago, JJ Husker said:

Best time of the year for food (produce) is right around the corner.

Rocky Ford Cantaloupe.

Palisade Peaches.

Sweet Corn. (had some today)

Fresh roasted Hatch Chiles.

Zucchini, english cucumbers….

Need I go on?

 

We've found some good peaches at the farmer's market in town already