Culinary Discussion, We could call it our House of Earthly Delights... Options

[Thomas Kaira]

...but that would be naughty, now, wouldn't it?

This is a thread for any food-related discussion. Found a nice recipe? Please share it! Is there any particular cultural cuisine you wish to discuss? Perhaps you need some help with us pesky Yanks still not adopting the metric system?

I thought our forums were missing something in the way of real down-to-earth discussion and sharing of our culinary experiences. Sure, we see them a lot in Fan-fics, but we never really get to dig into them (bad pun intended) in the same way as actually discussing this world-within-our-world can. I am seeing more and more food segments in the fan-fics that I read, so I think the time has come for us to have an honest-to-goodness culinary discussion thread.

To kick things off, I would like to share a recipe of my own concoction... Veal Osso Bucco, a Northern Italian classic.

Veal Osso Bucco & Sauce Accompaniment

Yield: 4 Portions

Ingredients
Veal Shank w/ marrow bone: 1lb
AP Flour: As Needed
Olive Oil: 2Tbsp
Butter, Clarified: 2Tbsp
Mirepoix, Standard Ratio: 1Lb
Garlic Clove: 2Ea
Red Wine: 1/2Cup
Tomatoes: 12oz
Veal Stock: 1qt
Lemon Zest: 1Tbsp
S&P: TT
Marjoram: 1tsp
*Gremolata: 1oz
-Gremolata
-Parsley: 3tsp
-Lemon Zest: 1tsp
-Garlic Clove: 1Ea

Mise en Place
-Clean, Sanitize workspace
-Gather utensils, pots, pans
-Gather ingredients
-Small Dice Mirepoix, Tomatoes
-Zest Lemons
-Mince Garlic
-Fine-Chop Parsley

Method
1. Preheat Oven 350*, add Oil, Butter to heated pot.
2. Season, brown Veal.
3. Remove Veal, add Mirepoix, Garlic, sweat.
4. Deglaze pot, Red Wine.
5. Add Tomatoes, Veal Stock, bring to simmer.
6. Return Beef to pot, add Lemon Zest, place in oven.
7. Braise, 3 to 4 hours, or until tender.
8. Remove Veal, degrease sauce
9. Reduce Sauce; thicken as needed, strain.
10. Rub Veal w/ Gremolata, return to sauce to reheat.
11. Finish w/ fresh Marjoram.
12. Garnish with Gremolata on the marrow bone.

Believe me, don't skip the marrow bone, it's really that important to this dish.

This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Feb 13 2011, 07:43 PM

[Acadian]

The late Mrs Acadian always cooked her turkeys upside down so all the dark greasy moist parts basted down into the dry white bits. It doesn't make for a pretty table presentation, but my goodness, it certainly is moist and tender!

(The current Mrs Acadian won't touch a turkey because it looks too much like a bird. Lol)

[Lady Syl]

The late Mrs Acadian always cooked her turkeys upside down so all the dark greasy moist parts basted down into the dry white bits. It doesn't make for a pretty table presentation, but my goodness, it certainly is moist and tender!

(The current Mrs Acadian won't touch a turkey because it looks too much like a bird. Lol)

lol. I'll admit, I'm not fond of cooking a whole bird, and my husband will do that one for me!

I like the tip about cooking the bird upside down for moisture--that sounds excellent. I will try to remember that the next time we cook a full bird in our house. Sounds tasty! (And who cares about presentation, right? As long as the food's good! )

[mALX]

The late Mrs Acadian always cooked her turkeys upside down so all the dark greasy moist parts basted down into the dry white bits. It doesn't make for a pretty table presentation, but my goodness, it certainly is moist and tender!

(The current Mrs Acadian won't touch a turkey because it looks too much like a bird. Lol)

lol. I'll admit, I'm not fond of cooking a whole bird, and my husband will do that one for me!

I like the tip about cooking the bird upside down for moisture--that sounds excellent. I will try to remember that the next time we cook a full bird in our house. Sounds tasty! (And who cares about presentation, right? As long as the food's good! )

Better way to keep moisture in your bird:

** Pats of real butter slid under the skin, then stuff under the skin and in the body cavity. If you aren't stuffing the bird at all and want it moist:

Slide bits of real butter under the skin. Sprinkle the body cavity with Parsley and place one whole peeled onion in the body cavity. (you can use one whole grapefruit or lemon cut up as well for a more tart meat) Season the skin of the breast as usual.

Bake on a rack over a pan that has 3/4" to 1" of liquid in it. That liquid can be water, but any flavoring you add to it will smoke the meat: Beer, seasoned broth, etc.

I use 3/4 part beer and 1/4 part seasoned broth.

Make a seperate baste for the bird to baste it the last hour of cooking. (parsley butter, etc.)


** Another thing I like to do - if you have a syringe for cooking only: Buy a flavorful wine, fill the syringe with it. Inject the chicken meat before cooking, and in the last hour inject it periodically with the wine. You can also use it to baste if you heat the wine with butter and seasonings.




** Another chicken tip to keep a parted chicken moist:

The night before cooking the chicken, soak the pieces overnight (IN THE REFRIDGERATOR!) in a large ziplock bag, flipping it periodically (If you have a marinating pan from tupperware or something it works just as good) and using the below marinade:

1. French salad dressing OR
2. Italian Salad dressing OR
3. Terriyaki seasoning in beer OR
4. Worstershire sauce in beer OR
5. Beer seasoned with your fave seasonings

The next day cook as you want: grill; or dredge in egg/milk/flour and deep fry, etc.


This post has been edited by mALX: Apr 22 2011, 09:24 PM