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What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking?
What food and drinks have you been enjoying (or not enjoying) recently? Have you cooked or created anything interesting? Tell us about it!
What food and drinks have you been enjoying (or not enjoying) recently? Have you cooked or created anything interesting? Tell us about it!
Small thing, A friend told me she puts honey in her coffee and I've recently been trying it and it's pretty good! Would recommend.
I don't like sweet coffee, but café miel is an exception. Floral honey makes a perfect compliment to a bright, acidic light roast.
I'm envious of you people. I'm pretty sure I've got the luck to carry almost every gene that causes you to find various food components & chemicals anywhere from just bitter to super bitter. 🙃
I tried ramps for the first time. They're delicious, and the local co-op sells them so I'll be doing that again.
Suggestions for preparation?
I love ramps! (Though, I generally try and forage them myself, as I prefer the pricepoint of "free").
Ramps are a bit tricky. I found that when I was starting off with them, treating them a bit like green onions was helpful. The "whites" of the ramps are a little more garlicky and can be eaten raw or cooked. working them into a puree, with a base like turnips, is delightful. Raw, mixed into a salad, either with the base or as a topping can be really spectacular. I once did a burger that had incredibly finely minced ramps in the patty, a ramp aioli, and the ramp leaves in place of lettuce. It was intense but one of my favorite weird seasonal items I've created.
Ramps' flavor profile really lets them be used basically anywhere.
As a wheelchair user, I hate ramps. Although I guess I hate a lack of ramps even more.:)
Well, I can't find a good place to forage lifts, so we're stuck with ramps ;)
We have those ramps in our house already
Ohhh! Wild garlic, for the uninitiated:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_tricoccum
I like the name Ramps better now though.
Edit: reading that page, not only is Chicago named after Ramps, but an Appalachian newspaper put ramp juice in its ink as a joke (I want to know what stories ran on that day) and angered the postmaster general.
Legend.
Oh, I've never heard of those being called Ramps. Only wild garlic.
I've just discovered Black Forrager on YouTube and I'm really jealous of the rest of the country with their wild delicious plants everywhere. Being able to walk in the wood and come up with some garlicy goodness would be amazing.
My partner's family were big morel foragers but while I also follow Black forager, I'm not nearly so confident in my abilities. I really just want to plant walking onions. So hopefully I have onions forever.
Really curious now though if I can just plant wild garlic....
Thanks! We sauteed these in with leeks and mushrooms this time so the ideas are helpful
Pickle them! Thin-sliced quick pickled ramps make a great condiment for all kinds of things - I've used them with scrambled eggs, Pad Thai, on sandwiches... The combination of brine, acidity, and funky garlic-like flavor livens up otherwise humdrum dishes, and adds a special touch to spicy dishes.
Note of caution: Avoid eating ramps excessively - you will emit the infamous garlic sweat body odor.
If people don't want to smell garlic they can eat more garlic and we can all just be nose-blind to it.
If someone complains I'll eat a raw clove out of spite.
(But really I don't care and eat plenty of garlic, leeks, shallots, onions, etc already)
Oh but yes, thanks I'll try out a quick pickle!
I've recently gone vegan, and have been replacing animal proteins with similar plant ones (e.g., Impossible, Beyond, Gardein, etc.) I am trying to eat more traditional vegan meals, and recently tried this recipe recommended by u/Carrow which turned out amazing. I'm working into doing more meal prep and have noticed that I'm paying a lot more attention to what I eat than I was before.
I decided to simplify my cooking.
Tonight I made a kebab (marinated in lemon, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, olive oil, dijon) w/ a very basic pilaf (stock, bay leaf, turmeric, cumin, onion), tzatziki (normal), lemon potatoes (braised in chicken stock w/ lemon then roasted), and a very simple 'greek' salad with no feta.
https://i.imgur.com/YNO9fDH.jpg
Simplify your cooking -
erm this doesn't look simple to me at all it looks very fancy and very delicious.
If this dish is simple, what kind of dish do you usually make?
haha seemed simple. It was just really quick to make it all.
Oh god could you give me more details on how to make those lemon potatoes? I've loved greek-style lemon potatoes every time I've had them but the only recipe I've tried required you to also be roasting a chicken above them in the oven. Just amounts/times/recommendations for how to braise and roast them would be so useful.
As this forum's (possibly only) token Greek, I can say this recipe is pretty close to what my grandma and dad would make, but you'll need to use an online translator: https://www.argiro.gr/recipe/patates-fournou/
But, something my dad (who's a great cook) does is to boil the already-cut potatoes for around 10 minutes before putting them in the oven.
You don't need any animal fat/stew unless this is what you're actually going for. If anything, it's one of the most common things I was eating when I was younger, during days when my family would do religious lent (roughly 1/3 of the year in total).
ooh bless thanks for the link! I think my translator covers enough for me to try this one out.
You're welcome!
If you don't end up liking Argiro's recipe that much, there's also a significantly different one from Akis Petritzikis: https://akispetretzikis.com/en/recipe/3158/patates-pshtes-ston-foyrno
It's not exactly the same as traditional Greek lemon potatoes, but it definitely is heavily inspired by them. I'd remove the semolina altogether, for example.
Plus, Akis's recipes are generally well known to work regardless of how good or bad of a cook you are, whereas Argiro's sometimes can be a little "hit or miss".
I'm honestly just a ho for lemon and a fan of potatoes, so I'm happy for any options! And the permission to not try to find semolina lol
I think I did them the wrong way. I boiled them like normal but then decided that I should braise them in the stock (1C) with lemon (juice of one) along with garlic (3 cloves) and oregano. I did that until the stock was reduced down a bit then transferred it all to a pan and finished it in the oven for fifteen or so.
Doing it again, I'd just do them in the stock to begin with, which would reduce it the whole way. I dont know if there's stock in the proper ones --- but it was on a whim. :)
I'm gonna try with just water (and lemon ofc) and then maybe try again with chicken stock to compare... I can't buy less than like 2 kg of potatoes at once here in Germany, so I'll need to use them up anyway!
you should also look into fondant potatoes -- which are the best.
Did you make the tzatziki yourself? I recently learned how to make greek yoghurt based aioli and then I realized the basic recipe for tzatziki is almost the same, so I've been alternating between the two for months now. Such a fresh taste.
yup! I did a little cumin in there like you'd do with raita. Its so nice on so many things.
I tend to eat a lot of Japanese food these days, it's nutritious and fairly simple without that many ingredients. Compared to Chinese food, which, while incredibly delicious, requires a dozen ingredients and tons of prep work for most staple meals, Japanese home cooking normally involves frying or simmering a handful of things, throwing in soy sauce/sake/mirin, sitting it on rice and that's it.
Some dishes I really like:
Oyakodon and gyudon. Two super delicious dishes that essentially use the same blueprint: Put some soy/sake/mirin in a pan with some dashi (you can just buy powdered dashi it's fine), simmer some onions and scallions in it, throw in some sliced meat and cook until done. Add a beaten egg into the mix, let it solidify a bit, serve over rice. Oyakodon uses chicken and gyudon uses beef but it's basically the same dish otherwise, can be thrown together in 10 minutes. With some veg on the side it's a super healthy and easy dish.
Miso salmon. Mix 2 parts miso with one part of soy, sake, and mirin, put it in a bowl with a salmon fillet, let it marinate for an hour or so. Then stick it in the oven or under the grill/broiler (I prefer the broiler), cook until done in the centre with decent colour.
Miso soup. Miso is my favourite food, and miso soup is stupid easy. Make or prepare a dashi (I do prefer making it for this dish, just soak kombu in water, then get it up to a boil, once at a boil take off the heat and add some kastuobushi, let steep for 5ish minutes, drain into a clean pot), add miso, if you want you can add tofu or sliced scallions or seaweed. And eat. I don't make miso soup very often because I have very little fridge space and katsuobushi is real expensive where I am, but it's always a treat.
Gyoza. Every now and then I'll spend a few hours on a Saturday making a stupid number of dumplings. I essentially use Kenji's recipe, which is basically just cabbage, scallions, aromatics, pork mince, and seasonings, all diced up and wrapped in dumpling wrappers. 90% of the work is just wrapping the fuckers. Fun to do while listening to a podcast or something. They freeze super well and can be cooked straight from the freezer so I normally make like 80 at once and eat them over a few months.
Those are a few recipe-based things I make, but a lot of my meals are just equally as tasty simple stir fries. I heat up my wok, add some peanut oil, add garlic and ginger, then my protein of choice (tofu is the shit, you don't have to be vegan to like it), then a metric fuck ton of diced veg (I cannot stand broccoli most of the time but if I chop it real small my dumb brain doesn't realise I'm eating it), then the classic soy/sake/mirin and whatever other flavour liquid I have lying around, and serve over rice or noodles or whatever the hell you want. Wrap it in a tortilla for all I care. It's good.
I don't tend to follow recipes too strictly these days now that I'm somewhat familiar with the style, but for most things my starting-off point is Just One Cookbook, absolutely the GoAT for Japanese recipes. I'll often just browse the site just looking for nice-looking food. J. Kenji López-Alt is also great.
I can't drink alcohol much these days because of health issues but I bought this Japanese spirit called shochu, it's like halfway between sake and vodka. I don't like drinking either of those things but I really like this stuff for some reason. It's nice to have on the rocks with some salmon and rice.
Next cooking adventure is going to be to try and make kimchi (not Japanese I know). Once I figure out a way to make and ferment it without distressing my entire household and neighbours, I'll give it a go. Gotta get those probiotics.
Part of why I love Japanese food is that it all seems so straightforward. If you want to make a fancy version of traditional foods, you basically just need to get good quality ingredients and work hard on your skills.
Kimchi doesn't look like it's hard at all to make. The only real thing that's stopped me from making it myself is that everyone recommends making it in a crock, and I couldn't even begin to wonder where I'd find one without finding a boutique pottery shop to make one custom - and I'm just too damn cheap to do that.
I haven't had much Japanese food since I gave up animal products. It was hard enough to adapt to a whole food lifestyle at the same time, so trying to match up with Japanese flavors where fish-based dashi is in everything was too much of an ask. But recently Miyoko Schinner posted a video of her version of oyakodon I'd like to try out one of these days.
You can make kimchi in any old jar as long as you have a venting lid to prevent pressure buildup. A crock is traditional but unnecessary.
I know it is, but where will I find a jar big enough to fit an entire Napa cabbage in? 😩
Yes, I know I could just use multiple jars but I want a crock, dang it!
I've made kimchi this way, in mason jars with the lid set on loosely. I checked every so often that it was venting properly and it turned out great.
I recently tried out the Wandering Bear cold brew. I found it very decidedly "just ok" of the many store-bought cold brews I've tried. Perhaps it's the roast? I might prefer La Colombe's Medium or Extra Bold Dark over it. For a daily coffee, I typically make espresso with something from a local roastery but I haven't quite figured out a great method of cold brewing at home.
Unrelated, what makes a good plate of nachos? I wouldn't order them at a restaurant but I tried my hand at making a light "dinner" for my parents and put some together. Cheese, pickled jalapeño, white corn, black beans, beef, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, guacamole, salsa. They were fine but not incredible and I'm not quite sure what they were missing. Does making your own chips produce a significant change in quality?
What spices did you put on the nachos? A dusting of paprika and cumin can make a big difference. Similarly seasoning the beans/beef is important. Also adding a drizzle of lime juice on top afterwards I find helps. If you wanted more crunch you can pre bake the chips and it will help keep them drier.
In addition to adding spices and having good tasting ingredients (those are key) I also think it's important to not put the salsa directly on the nachos, because that tends to make them pretty soggy.
Also, the layering of the nachos is important. I usually do this order:
Then the protein / veggies / chips will all be "contained" with the cheese. You can also double that up for thicker stacks of nachos if you like.
When I made nachos, I usually kept the chips completely separate and just combined the toppings into a single bowl - not mixed, but touching so that you can get a good mix of things with just the chip. That way the chips were always crunchy and I didn't have to feel like I needed to rush through eating it.
In my experience 7 layer dip is superior to nachos for the home experience, though it does lack rhe melty cheese.
I guess what I made is seven layer dip, deconstructed and less layers. :P
Cheese sauce is rather trivial to make, though, and there's a lot of different ways depending on the exact taste you want. If you want to do it the ghetto way (let's be real, it was always the ghetto way when I made it), then you could just melt something like Velveeta. Maybe zhuzh it up by melting it with chopped peppers or something.
You know what, I didn't think to season the chips but now that you've said it I think that would be a big improvement! The beef was some birria that I shredded over top and the beans had the broth from the birria. I'll also have to try the drizzle of lime because I forgot those during my trip to the store. Thank you so much!
When discussing spices, it's also important to remember that a source of salt is a good thing (if the chips and ingredients are salted already, this may be covered). But also, MSG makes everything better..
I can say confidently that if you grab the msg jar instead of the salt jar to season a fried egg you will be sad. MSG is good, but the appropriate quantities are very different.
Awww, yes, for sure. I aways use salt and msg. Together, they are magic. lol
Ohh, this is my jam. Nut milk bag and a pitcher that can take the acidity of coffee. Done and done. I live by this cold brew method and have passed it onto others over the years. Also- I learned it from an IRL personal hero and amazing writer Cory Doctorow. Also- I know this is how at least a couple of trendy restaurants do it.
Here’s where I learned it:
https://boingboing.net/2013/07/20/cheap-easy-no-mess-cold-brew.html
One caveat- an old roommate used to stir it up before pouring it because they wanted the strongest possible glass, but I found depending on the grind this can put a bunch of grit in your glass. I wouldn’t recommend doing that, but to each their own.
If anybody has a better method, by all means, change my mind.
Would you mind clarifying for me - the directions mention "15 Aeropress scoops' (570 ml)" of coffee for their 2 liter container. What does that mean? :')
Honestly, I don’t measure the coffee. That said, I use a lot because the worst case is it’s too strong and I can just use it like a concentrate and water it down. Because it’s cold brew there’s no ticking-clock-of-increasingly-acidic on it. The perks and downside is I can get loosy-goosey with just adding water and coffee until it turns into a heinous sludge. Then it’s really time to jettison and start again.
Maybe use the method but not my implementation?
I've got a weird one. I just got back from japan, and during the stay there we accidentally stumbled upon a beginners cooking TV show. Now being back with jetlag and all I've been wanting to cook simple and quick meals so I've picking recipes from that TV show: https://www.kyounoryouri.jp/contents/beginners
It's been wonderfully easy and nice way to keep the eastern tastes on the table even after the trip. I like to add a small shiruwan-ful of simple miso soup and pickled vegetables as a side to add even more variety.
Which specific things have you tried making, and what would you recommend to others?
That potato bacon rice sounds really good, but it doesn't exactly scream "Asian" to me. 😀
I tried:
I definitely recommend trying an oyakodon and any format of japanese curry, these will at least be an experience if not become part of your favorites. The others are nice if you need a quick meal, but they are not as interesting.
Recently, I've been cooking a lot of lamb dishes again, as stores had very nice lamb legs on sale around easter.
Lamb soup with lots of vegetables, a japanese dish called Genghis Khan, as well as homemade udon with lamb and miso paste based, nice thick sauces.
Today I had a fresh salad with homemade greek yoghurt based honey mustard dressing and chicken that I pulled off some chicken legs we cooked in the oven.
It's asparagus season! I made a big pan of this asparagus mushroom pasta recipe and was quite pleased with how it turned out. I did double the quantities of garlic and red chilli pepper flakes, tossed in a couple of teaspoons of Italian seasoning, and still thought it needed more spice, though. I also threw in a bag of frozen edamame beans to increase the protein, and didn't regret it. It's lower in fat than a standard mac 'n' cheese recipe. It could probably be made vegan with appropriate cheese, milk, and oil substitutions.
I started to make more meals that require long cooking times, mainly stews, last week I made bean stew similar to my home region (I could not get all ingredients).
At first, I thought the long cooking time would be annoying, but it does not require much attention, basically 12 hours for the beans to soak in water the day before, 10 minutes of real cooking, and some check each hour for the 3 hours it took.
Just for the homely smell it's worth it, it brought me back to my childhood and my parents cooking.
Best part is that from a pot I got around 5 meals.
Stews and such can also be easily scaled up and then frozen in portions. A couple of minutes in the microwave, and you have a homemade meal ready to eat.
I've recently been obsessed with shakshouka! Saw someone mention it online a few days ago and thought it looked good so I decided to try it out, and ended up making it quite a few times since then. I've had it with naan, pita, and toast, but have heard some serve it over rice too which I need to try. I really enjoy fried onions and bell peppers together (if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!) so this was a great find.