Posts by Andrew Stevenson
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
Up Front: Well, Read Women, in reply to Jeremy Andrew,
Julian May, Elizabeth Bear, Martha Wells, Connie Willis, Tanya Huff, Elizabeth Moon...
All good writers and storytellers.
P.S. if you haven't go back over Emma's post and read the tool tips when you hover over the links. -
Let's see, for throw together as opposed to a made ahead freezer meal...
Steak au steak, as Emma put it, preferably rump or something with flavour (not eye fillet). Cooked on a smoking hot grill/pan only just so long that a good vet could get it back on its feet. While that's resting, throw a large mushroom or two on the grill and follow with thinly sliced zucchini. Deglaze with wine and pour over the steak. Maybe couscous or good bread for a starch/soaker for the juices. (Pandoro used to do a beef on five grain sandwich that was the original inspiration for this).
Thinly sliced meat (perhaps a quick marinade) and veges done in the wok, add hoisen, soy, chilli, stock etc as required for taste/amounts required to make sauce or soup as required - instant brown rice for starch/bulk out the next day lunch.
In a pan fry off a clove or three of thinly sliced garlic in olive oil, option to add bacon/ham at this point, add some cream and bring to the boil until it just starts to caramelise. Season with pepper and mix with just cooked fresh pasta noodles -
But last night's effort left me feeling a bt queasy.
It was really reaching, and not getting there.
More pieces like that and they'd lose me. -
Hard News: Narcissists and bullies, in reply to JacksonP,
Well said. Done.
-
Done. Great job Russell.
-
Hard News: Tooled Up for Food, in reply to Carol Stewart,
a strange device that I don't even know the name of - it's similar to a mezzaluna but has just one handle in the middle. It's really good for slicing pizza and chopping up baked slices and sundry small tasks.
Sounds like an ulu, an Inuit utility knife - see here
-
I have been making a spicy tomato bean sausage stew often of late
Sounds kind of like a cassoulet - add in some chicken thighs (bone in) rather than duck confit, bacon and/or bacon hock, perhaps use rehydrated dried beans instead of canned and slow cook.
Dress it up with breadcrumb topping and you're there.Is my reasoning wrong there?
Not wrong, but perhaps misguided - use a pressure cooker and you get another 103 kPa, increased cooking temperature and reduced cooking time. I can make chicken stock in half an hour.
-
My solution to this problem has given rise to a third dilemma: how to distinguish between cubes of frozen chicken stock and frozen white wine.
Don't bother, combine and reduce for use as a demi-glace.
We have left a Sharpie pen on the top of the fridge for labelling after the unfortunate incident with the soy milk. -
Roast vege lasagne
A riff on the hack above - chop the veges small (2cm square), oil and roast (perhaps using the tips for roasting veges upthread).
Maybe throw in some garlic cloves and onions (and olives and mushrooms and...)
Takes about 30-35 minutes, when done make a dressing or apply some other seasoning (spice mix, pesto, what have you).
Serve hot, warm or cold, good for lunch the next day
Great addition and leaves you free to cook other components of the meal. -
Demi-glace frozen in ice cube trays (or small pottles) just the thing to add heaps of flavour and body to a dish. Made by reducing a mix of stock (should be homemade, but who's going to know), red wine, shallots and a bit of thyme until syrupy.
After a few interations of doing the yoghurt hack (using powdered milk), mine tends to go feral and no one in the house will risk it... Best to start again (after making yoghurt cheese of course).
The best thing I learned about cooking was that a recipe is just a series of suggestions, not a straight jacket. 'Omit and substitute' became my mantra (my wife will say that it should be 'less is more'). Record what changes you make (scribble in recipe books) so you can recreate the dish (or avoid it) the next time.
Practice, learn the hacks, have what you need to hand, get to know how your oven/pots/hob cook. Throwing a Ramsey is not the way to go when cooking a meal for family and friends.