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THAT is Kitty COMA inducing Nomz, right there ~! ♡ =3!
Ephinea Cooking Thread
- Thread starter Yunaelith
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Talisien
RAcast with a comedically filthy mind
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Dinners in my house have been really simple lately. The Wife had to go in for emergency surgery to have her gall bladder removed last month; that made a big change to our menu. If you didn't know, one of the key things your gall bladder does is process fat and grease from animal sources... Basically, it's a significant part of how your body handles digesting any kind of meat. Since The Wife had to have hers removed, that entailed some substantial changes to our diets.
We've done a lot of fish, for one thing... The most popular one with The Wife is thick fillets of tilapia marinated in a mix of olive oil, honey, and gochujang; dusted with a mix of salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic; grilled; and served with a quick squeeze of fresh lemon juice on a bed of rice and steamed veggies. We do grilled prawns fairly often, too- no need to get fancy with good prawns, just a pinch of salt and squeeze of lemon (at most!) and you're good to go.
We also do a lot of chicken... Breast for some things, but thighs for most because they offer so much more flavor. My favourite here is a marinade of tzatziki (basically a dip made of yogurt with diced mint, basil, garlic, cucumber, and onion) on chicken thighs, then tossing them on the grill, chopping them up, and serving them in a pita or naan with a mix of grilled veggies and cabbage slaw.
The top winner, though, is without a doubt the chance I got recently at some A-4 Wagyu steak. I sliced it hella thin and served it raw along side a from-scratch udon noodles in a really good ox tail-based dashi, with bok choi, a drizzle of uzu, and slices of fried pork cracklin. Hands down, The Wife has never been so happy with anything I've ever cooked.
***EDIT: I feel like I should add, for those who might not already know, that the steak is served raw with some types of Japanese noodles (like udon) because it is cut so thinly that simply dipping it in the dashi (the broth the noodles are in) cooks the meat to a medium-rare level in a matter of a dozen seconds or less.
We've done a lot of fish, for one thing... The most popular one with The Wife is thick fillets of tilapia marinated in a mix of olive oil, honey, and gochujang; dusted with a mix of salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic; grilled; and served with a quick squeeze of fresh lemon juice on a bed of rice and steamed veggies. We do grilled prawns fairly often, too- no need to get fancy with good prawns, just a pinch of salt and squeeze of lemon (at most!) and you're good to go.
We also do a lot of chicken... Breast for some things, but thighs for most because they offer so much more flavor. My favourite here is a marinade of tzatziki (basically a dip made of yogurt with diced mint, basil, garlic, cucumber, and onion) on chicken thighs, then tossing them on the grill, chopping them up, and serving them in a pita or naan with a mix of grilled veggies and cabbage slaw.
The top winner, though, is without a doubt the chance I got recently at some A-4 Wagyu steak. I sliced it hella thin and served it raw along side a from-scratch udon noodles in a really good ox tail-based dashi, with bok choi, a drizzle of uzu, and slices of fried pork cracklin. Hands down, The Wife has never been so happy with anything I've ever cooked.
***EDIT: I feel like I should add, for those who might not already know, that the steak is served raw with some types of Japanese noodles (like udon) because it is cut so thinly that simply dipping it in the dashi (the broth the noodles are in) cooks the meat to a medium-rare level in a matter of a dozen seconds or less.
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Waaaaagyuuuuuuuuu~!!!
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Talisien
RAcast with a comedically filthy mind
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Got a pork tenderloin simmering in the slow cooker for dinner tonight. Yesterday I made a bunch of tiny incisions in it, packed them with herbs, and left it in the fridge overnight to impart some extra flavor. For the herbs I used lemon zest, rosemary, gochu-garu (a Korean red pepper, about as spicy as a common red chili but with a slightly different flavor), and salt.
When it went in the slow cooker, I added:
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup white moscato (a sweet dessert wine)
1/4 cup mirin (a sweet Japanese vinegar)
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup grated pears
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon light soy sauce (doc says I gotta watch the sodium intake, lol)
About an hour before dinner time I'll cut up a couple of potatoes and toss them in; and about half an hour before dinner, I'll chop up a couple carrots to throw in, too.
When everything is cooked I'll pull it out and arrange it all on a plate, then I'll take just the juices from the slow cooker and make a pan sauce. I do that by simmering the juices in a wide pan (more surface area means it doesn't take as long) on medium-high until they reduce down by about half, then add a tablespoon or so of unsalted butter and whisk that in. Once it's all a nice, smooth texture, it goes in a little serving dish and dinner is served.
I might also swing by the store and get some dinner rolls to go with dinner. The local grocery joint has a pretty solid bakery, some warm, buttery dinner rolls could be a tasty addition... It's mostly a question of if I want to go out or not. I've been building and painting new terrain for my D&D campaign all day, I'd have to clean myself up a lot more to be publicly presentable than I would for casual dinner with The Wife. (She's terribly forgiving of my bad habits... Thankfully, lol!)
When it went in the slow cooker, I added:
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup white moscato (a sweet dessert wine)
1/4 cup mirin (a sweet Japanese vinegar)
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup grated pears
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon light soy sauce (doc says I gotta watch the sodium intake, lol)
About an hour before dinner time I'll cut up a couple of potatoes and toss them in; and about half an hour before dinner, I'll chop up a couple carrots to throw in, too.
When everything is cooked I'll pull it out and arrange it all on a plate, then I'll take just the juices from the slow cooker and make a pan sauce. I do that by simmering the juices in a wide pan (more surface area means it doesn't take as long) on medium-high until they reduce down by about half, then add a tablespoon or so of unsalted butter and whisk that in. Once it's all a nice, smooth texture, it goes in a little serving dish and dinner is served.
I might also swing by the store and get some dinner rolls to go with dinner. The local grocery joint has a pretty solid bakery, some warm, buttery dinner rolls could be a tasty addition... It's mostly a question of if I want to go out or not. I've been building and painting new terrain for my D&D campaign all day, I'd have to clean myself up a lot more to be publicly presentable than I would for casual dinner with The Wife. (She's terribly forgiving of my bad habits... Thankfully, lol!)
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"... It's mostly a question of if I want to go out or not. " The Struggle is REAL~! lol. Can't tell you HOW many times mew'll be laying in bed and some exotic craving will hit...."Oooooo Japanese steakhouse onion soup sounds Soooooo good right now..." *Suddenly formulates the time of day, waiting period, traffic, increased prices, gas, Going out requires 'Clothes'.......*sighs and wanders to kitchen to make blueberry Waffles!*. Also, Mirin is required to make authentic Teriyaki sauce~! =3!
Talisien
RAcast with a comedically filthy mind
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My favourite Kitteh tells a true story.
If I felt like going out to pick it up, we'd have food from restaurants a LOT more often. I'm too cheap for services like Uber Eats or DoorDash, so if I'm not willing to go out I *CERTAINLY* am not paying someone else to bring it to be, either, lol!
That said...
Tonight's dinner was an "old family recipe"... Which is, generally speaking, something we say in our family when you're making #$%@ up as you go, lol. In this case, it actually WAS an old family recipe, though, dating back to the early 1960's; the recipe is called, "Roast Duck."
There's nothing roast in the recipe, nor is there any duck.
The family legend goes thus:
Our family moved to the USA in 1872. They lived first in New York City, New York, until 1896; then they moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and stayed there until 1952. In 1952, my grandparents moved out of Cleveland to the extreme boondocks of rural Ohio. After moving to the boonies, money was tight; to provide enough food all of the guys in the family had to hunt and fish, and the girls helped to raised chickens and maintained the gardens and orchards.
My grandfather had been shooting and hunting since my great grandfather bought the family's first gun in 1916 (a 1909 Winchester .22 rifle with an octagonal barrel, and a ten round under-barrel magazine tube). He thought himself a fair hunter and a good shot. In most cases, this was true; grandpa had no problem filling the freezer with squirrel, rabbit, turkey, quail, venison (deer)...
The one place he had no luck was in duck hunting.
Year after year, he would go out for hours every morning before work during duck season, hoping to bag some birds for the freezer in order to save the family some money.
Year after year, grandpa would go hunting in the morning, and bring home a package of brown paper, tied shut with butcher's twine. Inside each such package was meat; pink, freshly minced, and ready to cook.
It wasn't duck.
Grandpa didn't bring home duck.
Grandpa shot exactly ONE duck, from the time he moved to the boonies in 1952 until the time he died in 1980.
Instead, grandpa brought home the cheapest ground beef the local butcher shop could supply.
Grandma, being loyal to her husband and not willing to make an issue of the type of meat so long as it fed her family, made certain to cook and spice the meat in such a way that it couldn't be easily told what kind of meat was used. She made a dish of elbow macaroni, tomato sauce, spices, vegetables, cheese, and minced beef that today might be called Hamburger Helper. It was made as a casserole, baked in the oven to provide a crispy crust, and done in such quantity to serve two parents, ten kids, and two to five guests.
In plain terms, the dish is a cooked pasta of your choice served under a layer of red sauce and cheese.
Over a period of 3-5 hours, slow-cook a tomato sauce with plenty of diced onion, minced garlic, fine-chopped fresh basil, and a healthy dose of oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt, and black pepper.
20 minutes before service, cook pasta of your choice with plenty of nooks and crannies to carry sauce and cheese- bowtie, elbow, or rotini are excellent choices. Cook to JUST slightly short of fully cooked.
Five minutes before service, add 2 tablespoons of butter, one teaspoon of lemon juice, and one teaspoon of balsamic vinegar to the sauce. Stir until butter is melted and all three ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Then, grate in 1/8 cup sharp Italian cheese (Asiago, Parmesan, etc.) into the sauce. Once thoroughly melted, serve over pasta. Goes well along side a loaf of Italian or French bread, brushed with garlic oil, sprinkled with cheese, and toasted.
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Mew sat in her bed RIVETED to the story...and Ain't gonna lie....she was FIGHTING the mental image early in the story of your Gandpa in the city saying "I'm going out for Duck!" Shouldering a baseball bat! *Suddenly imagines how inner city parks duck/geese population fluctuate during the year and you see happy homeless ppl giggling with full bellies and homemade goose down pillows! X'D!!
And what is it with grandparents being MASTERS of PASTA Dishes?? ♡♡♡
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NeonSauce
Member
Baked Tortellini Alfredo With Mushrooms (Cast Iron Skillet recommended)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cremini mushrooms, sliced (4 cups sliced)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tsp.)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (about 2 cups), divided
- 2 (8-oz.) pkg. refrigerated three-cheese tortellini (such as Buitoni), cooked according to pkg. directions
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions
- Preheat oven to broil with rack 8 inches from heat. Melt butter in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium. Add mushrooms in even layer, and cook, undisturbed, 4 minutes. Stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in cream and milk; bring to a simmer over medium, stirring occasionally. Cook, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg, and 1 ¾ cups of the Parmesan until smooth.
- Stir in cooked tortellini until coated. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan. Broil in preheated oven until sauce is bubbly and cheese is light golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
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CAST IRON just about 'Anything' just makes the cooking experience all the more satisfying! The sight....the Sounds....the Smell....right in your face... salivating at the finished product....
NeonSauce
Member
100% - if I'm not using my Instant Pot, I'm using cast iron. Maybe except on eggs since cleaning egg off is kind of a chore lol.
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Mew uses fancy ceramic non stick pans for scrambled egg stuff and grilled cheese, etc. For some reason....mews hyper active brain FEELS the HEFT of a cast iron pan and grins thinking....SO THIS is why they use this as a WEAPON in movies and cartoons?.....Noiiiiiice~!
SirLagsAlot
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This thread is seriously lacking in pictures of your food.
CMON STEP IT UP (Sanic)
CMON STEP IT UP (Sanic)
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Mew has posted quite a few pics~! <3!
NeonSauce
Member
Okay here you go:
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Mew was left unsupervised in the kitchen again...and being in a 'Snackish' mood, she decided to be playful and made these chibi piggies~! Turned out great! Mew was able to rescue at least Half of them before the house came sniffing into the kitchen like....."Oooo what's that!?". XD!
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Talisien
RAcast with a comedically filthy mind
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Dinner tonight is chicken breasts done in the slow cooker. They're coated in a layer of Italian dressing, topped with pepperoni. Before hitting the plate, they will get mozzarella grated over the top and spend just long enough under the broiler to make said cheese nicely golden-brown, with a few crispy bits along the edges. It will be served on a bed of brown rice and steamed broccoli florets, with wedges of fresh tomato on the side.
If I remember by then, I'll try to snap a few pictures to post later.
If I remember by then, I'll try to snap a few pictures to post later.
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Why does Mozzarella make just about anything it touches....magical? =3
