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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!
I made garlic bread with dinner tonight (using a Costco baguette).
Mixed up some butter, Parmesan cheese, and garlic with some parsley and basil from my balcony garden. Turned out pretty good.
Last week I also made some blackberry syrup that I tried in a cocktail and it turned out just okay. It didn’t have as punchy of a blackberry flavor that I wanted, but it was also my first time attempting to make a syrup.
If you can unlock that syrup, let everyone know. It's so hard to get a deep blackberry flavor, especially compared to off-the-shelf stuff. I've had some luck separating half the quantity off and reducing it down quite a bit but it does change the flavor.
I've found making a Korean cheong-like syrup can be better at getting delicate flavours out of syrup. I specifically like it a lot with strawberrys because I don't always like that jam flavour cooking them produces.
Its just equal parts (by weight) fruit to granulated white sugar, layered in a jar. I usually leave it on the countertop for a day and then refrigerate. Depending on how juicy the fruit is you sometimes need a bit of water to dissolve all the sugar as well, but not much.
Hah, so maybe blackberry was a bad one for a first syrup attempt then, got it.
I don't know if blackberry is necessarily any more difficult than other berries. I think that off-the-shelf syrups are just so strongly flavored that it's hard to match their intensity.
I plan on trying a mint one next weekend. I read that you have to blanch the mint first or it’ll turn brown.
Hmm, I'm almost certain that I’m remembering this wrong (especially because I’ve never made it myself), but I seem to remember someone saying something about adding whisky or some other spirit to improve berry flavored syrups. Probably not what you want to do when making it as a cocktail mixer though.
I got an Instant Pot to motivate myself to get back into cooking, but after a few month honeymoon period I'm back to eating out way too often.
But if you give me your favorite pressure cooker recipe, I promise I'll make it. Every single person's, and I'll post a picture in a reply.
This recipe alone is enough to justify the purchase of an instant pot: https://www.seriouseats.com/pressure-cooker-miso-risotto-recipe
One thing I do often is pressure cook waxy potatoes (think Yukon gold or fingerlings). You have to put them over a steamer rack so they don’t get boiled, but it’s the fastest way to get the creamiest whole potatoes you will ever have.
Pressure cookers are also supposed to be mandatory for Indian home chefs, and while I don’t have any specific recipes, now you have a place to start looking.
I love my Instant Pot!
Perfect rice every time. For a basmati or jasmine rice, 1:1 dry rice to water. High pressure, vent closed, 8 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes, let the rest of the pressure out, fluff and serve.
Japanese curry beef - Rough chop potatoes, carrots, and onions put in bottom of pot, put beef tips on top, crumble japanese curry cubes (I love Golden Curry hot!) on top, add a bit of water, doesn't need to cover everything with the liquid. Don't put on pressure cook, leave the vent open. You can do low or high slow cook, 4-8+ hours. I like it with rice, but double starches might be a bit much for some people.
Pulled chicken for tacos - I toss in a diced onion, some boneless skinless chicken (breasts or thighs!), a small amount of chicken stock or water, I usually dust the top with taco seasoning, and top with some salsa. Pressure cook on high for 15 min, natural release 10 minutes, let the rest of the pressure out, and I shred it directly in the container.
I didn't get overly specific on recipes, but they are easy to find out there if you want something a little more strict to follow.
I have two different recipes I recommend.
Breakfast Goo
Following Instant Pot and package ratios for water (roughly 2 cups water per cup of ingredients, plus extra for desired consistency):
1 cups (4 servings) of steel-cut, rolled or Scottish oats
4 scoops of protein powder (could be vegan, but we usually have whey protein around)
.5 cup (4 servings) chia seeds
.5 cup (4 servings) flaxseed meal
1/4 cup (4 servings) psyllium husk powder
.5 T cinnamon
Two pinches of salt
Stir together and cook in an Instant Pot on the "Rice" seeing. Makes 4 - 5 servings of goo.
Alternatively, mix and let sit overnight in the fridge
Keeps for more than a week
Glad to see spouse's Breakfast Goo recipe is getting some use!
Other ideal Instant Pot recipes:
Ministry of Curry has a long list of Instant Pot recipes that are on my "try this out" list.
Their Ethiopian lentil stew is an easy and delicious household favorite. [I have a source for good pre-made Berbere seasoning if you don't feel like making it yourself.] It's vegan if made with oil instead of ghee.
It's got meat in it, but if you need to make a week's meals or cook for a crowd, this Pork Chile Verde is very good. I've also made it with soaked black beans instead of meat, and it was still tasty, if ugly-colored.
Other people may find it a bit gross, but I love gooey foods. I love stodgy porridge with bits, that somehow other people hate. I can't wait to try this breakfast goo. And my partner will be delighted that I've come across a nice (hopefully, ha!) veggie stew recipe. And I've only read the top handful of comments!
I made chicken piccata with charred asparagus. It was delightful! I've done piccata sauce before. However, I've never 'flattened' and dreged chicken before, so I wasn't too confident, but it turned out very tender.
I also made a lemony barley risotto to use up a bunch of garden greens nearing maturity. I don't think I've ever done barley risotto before, and was very pleased with the result.
Interestingly, my garden arugula has bolted, but the leaves just taste extra pungent rather than bitter, so I've been able to continue using them more sparingly in dishes like an herb.
I've made some chicken karaage that I quite like. I think next time I might hybridize it with katsu so the rest of the family will like it more (they're all pretty picky, fml)
Expand on this, if you don't mind. Do you plan on essentially adding some panko or do you have a different plan?
Sorry about the picky-ness, I know the pain: even after continuous offers, my parents won't let me, a former professional chef, take over holiday meals because I make "too rich" food (read: I actually use salt).
Basically just replace the 1:1 starch/flour breading with panko. Nothing fancy, but the fam likes the extra crispiness of the panko
I have a sesame sauce recipe that can be adapted to seemingly anything depending on the ratios. It’s roughly one part soy sauce (I prefer tamari in most applications), one part sweetener (date paste is lovely, but use whatever. Liquid is better than granules), 2-3 parts tahini, and water enough to reach your desired consistency. Make it thin for a salad dressing. Make it thick if you want it to stick to things, like marinades or dipping sauces for finger foods. If you want it saltier or sweeter adjust the soy sauce or sweetener appropriately.
I've never been a big cook but I've recently turned 30 so I've been trying to get more adventurous in the kitchen.
My struggle this week has been stovetop rice. I'm trying to get sticky jasmine white rice but I'm having trouble with getting the stickiness without it getting mushy. My best batch so far has been 1:1.5 rice to water, rince, soak for ~8hr, cook 15 min, let set for ~7min before fluffing. Came out super sticky but a little too soft, not quite mushy but close. Would I be better reducing the water to 1:1.25, or to reduce the time to around 12-10 min? Or should I really just bite the bullet and get a rice cooker?
Over the last few months I have been dialing in a spicy dry rub recipe that I have finally got to where I'm really happy and is changed enough I'm okay calling it my own. I've been putting it on chicken cubes to combine with the rice for faux asian.
Otherwise, I have been playing around with a granola recipe I got from someone on here. Granola has been getting so expensive in the stores but its so cheap to make, plus its nice to be able to mix it up. My last batch was green pumpkin seeds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, and ground flaxseed, with coconut oil and honey, then I mix in dried fruit when I get it out to eat. Good for lazy breakfasts or a snack for my walking bag.
Speaking of breakfast, I have been trying to actually eat something in the morning, and its mostly granola or toast with honey, but I have been trying to make time to do actual breakfast and cook egg in the hole. I'm not a big egg person and usually like them scrambled, but when done in toast I like it with cooked whites but runny yolk. I'm starting to get it pretty consistently, cooking 90 sec and flipping for 60.
This is the first year I tried gardening and I have a handful of pepper plants growing, and I'm a bit worried I'll have more than I can eat so I am already looking into things to do with them, and I'm pretty excited to try making pepper flakes, and I'm probably going to try and pickle some too, does anybody have a pickling recipe to suggest, I have never done it before
I don't know if this is a hot take or not, but I personally just don't like pre-soaking rice. I find I'm so much more likely to overcook it. Only exception is when I bother to properly steam sticky rice over (not in) a pot, because that steaming style takes ages anyway and you can just keep testing until done. So, my personal inclination would be to try not presoaking. You can also try starting with a little less water and add a bit more near the end if it's a bit too hard. That said, jasmine rice isn't a proper sticky rice. It'll come out a tiny bit clingy, but not on par with a glutinous rice, so mind you're not comparing apples to oranges in your expectations.
I feel like the hot take would be to soak non-glutinous rice. I know jasmine is not a sticky rice, but I'm not trying to make sushi level sticky rice, just a sticky jasmine. I've gotten it close twice, and both times have been when I have experimented with soaking it. Last night the stickiness was perfect, it was just a bit too soft. Next time I will use a 1:1.25 ratio and hopefully it will be right where I want it.
Fingers crossed!
Interestingly, my perspective came from the Persian way of cooking basmati, which involves: soak, boil to al dente, rinse well, final steam. But, I can never get it quite right when I include the soak step, so I've taken to skipping it.
Like I said I'm pretty new to cooking, how much does the rince and steam change things? I would imagine that it gives it the stickiness but I'm not experienced enough to do more than guess.
Do you have any experence with rice cookers and how they compare to all of this. I like the conveince of being able to set-and-forget and the consistancy, but it seems like you have more control when making it yourself.
I'm not a big pasta person so I have never heard that term, but it's perfect and exactly what I was trying to say.
The opposite, actually! When done well (and I'll admit, I haven't reached a level of getting it 100% perfect every time), the resulting rice from this style of cooking is extremely 'flakey' and fluffy, zero stickiness. I think it's because partially boiling the rice gives time for starches to release into the water. Then, dumping that water and rinsing the rice discards all the extra starch that would contribute to any stickiness. It yields really lovely basmati but it's more time-consuming!
Rice cookers are great! But, I haven't owned one in a long time (I can't quite personally justify one in my kitchen vs. how often I'd use it), so I can't give a detailed comparison of the end result for you. I just remember being happy with the end result.
I don’t suppose that granola person was me? I think I might have also linked to the Internet Shaquille video I got it from when I mentioned it.
It probably was but I didnt save the comment, just the recipe, so I'm not sure. If it was thank you, it's really good and way cheaper than buying granola. I had to half the recipe, but I'm making a batch about once a week and have been eating it for breakfast most days or as a night snack for when I'm not really hungry, but want something to munch on.
Original Ingredients
My last batch
Mine was a heck of a lot simpler so it probably wasn’t me. This was the video and my recommendation was something like 4 parts oats, 1 part nut butter, 1-1/2 parts liquid sweetener and add enhancements as you please.
But if you like what you are doing no need to change things up.
It was definitely someone else, it was all written out and no video. I just watched the video and while I appreciate the simplicity and speeded up cook time, I feel like I need the texture difference of all the different nuts for it to really feel like granola, that seems more like a nut butter bar with oats. I admit I like to experiment with different things, so mine's definitely not the simplest way of doing things. I may try using some nut butter next time, but I'm still going to use a lot of seeds too.
Oh yeah, the texture variety is a definite improvement. The three ingredients I named are just the base; you can add whatever to it and it should turn out pretty good.
We're thoroughly burnt out with cooking for our family.
We've got one child who is only just emerging from eating only beige food and one who gets upset if she has a meal she can remember having before.
This week we've done "Tray-bake Week" where we've scoured Instagram for single-tray, different meals for the sake of our own sanity.
We've had
It's been a relief in terms of effort, a relief in that they both ate and enjoyed all the meals, and a relief that 5 new meals worked at all.
Warning: if you're going to dive in, either all of these oven times are substantially understated or we need a new oven. ¿Por qué no ambos?
I made the "viral" onion-Parmesan crisps (All Recipes link). It's been popular on TikTok.
Pretty yummy, but it's mostly cheese with onion slices. The onion on the cheese doesn't crisp totally, at least not in my oven, but you know, if you want to eat a seasoned parm and onion crisp... give it a shot :D