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

[Ahrenil]

Both of those recipes sound delicious! And they've got me to thinking about changing up my usual weekly meals. Especially next year when I have my own place where people won't steal my things. Firstly though i'd like to ask those more experienced cooks among us, now that i'll have a proper kitchen to work in is there any "Must Have" cooking equipment I should look to getting?

What I have at the moment:
3 Saucepans of increasing size
1 Frying Pan+Wooden Stirrer
Knives: 1 Large, 1 Small, 1 Serated/All Rounder
Roasting Tray
Cheese Grater
Spatula
Chopping Board

I think thats it, or atleast that's what I use often enough to remember.

Also...Does anyone have a good ommelette recipe? I only recently discovered I can actually eat eggs and no one in family does, so I have no oppurtunites to learn.

[mALX]

Both of those recipes sound delicious! And they've got me to thinking about changing up my usual weekly meals. Especially next year when I have my own place where people won't steal my things. Firstly though i'd like to ask those more experienced cooks among us, now that i'll have a proper kitchen to work in is there any "Must Have" cooking equipment I should look to getting?

What I have at the moment:
3 Saucepans of increasing size
1 Frying Pan+Wooden Stirrer
Knives: 1 Large, 1 Small, 1 Serated/All Rounder
Roasting Tray
Cheese Grater
Spatula
Chopping Board

I think thats it, or atleast that's what I use often enough to remember.

Also...Does anyone have a good ommelette recipe? I only recently discovered I can actually eat eggs and no one in family does, so I have no oppurtunites to learn.

Needed:

Colandar/strainer - absolutely needed at all times

1 set of metal tongs for turning ( - I am still using a pair that came in a baby bottle sterilizer kit someone gave me at a baby shower for my first child - they never wear out!) (turning potatoes/carrots/etc. in a roast; turning meatballs or sausages in a frying pan; turning stuff in a toaster oven etc)

A baster is a good idea, but you can use a ladle if you don't have a baster.



Optional:

Extra spatulas, both metal and the hard plastic alloys - and extra spoons (wooden or hard plastic alloy).

1 good hand mixer for mashing potatoes/squash/yams/pumpkin/etc.

1 blender for sauces.

Whisks. You can use a good long fork, but it doesn't do as good a job.

A wok - even if you don't make chinese food with it, they are really a good thing to use for a quick meal.

It is always good to have two paring knives for cutting fruits and vegetables - one will work, but on some meals you will have to wash it in the middle of prepping a meal to keep from cross-contamination, which may set off your timing slightly.

Another frying pan of less than 10" is always needed for something.

I keep a breadmaker for special occasion dinners, but if you live in the south a good biscuit recipe is just as good.

A Dutch Oven is a godsend if you are making dumplings on your stews or soups. If it is cast iron you can even make them over an open campfire.

I like to keep one syringe just for cooking (to inject flavorful broth, seasoned butter, wine, etc. directly into the meat)

I like to keep two cooking thermometers (one for meat - make sure the center of roasts/turkey/etc. has reached the proper temp before removing from oven) and one for liquids - this one may be called a candy thermometer).

You can make-shift your own double-boiler or steamer if you really get into cooking.


*

An omelet is kind of a free-for-all of your favorite tastes. My favorite omelet has minced onion & green peppers, sliced mushrooms, and grated chedder over the top after it is folded.

My husband likes the same thing, but wants diced ham added to his.

You can give it a Mexican flavor by using just onions and cheese and spooning Salsa over the top after it is folded.

You can make it Italian by dicing (pre-cooked) meatballs or Italian sausage with a touch of marinara and lightly grating fresh Italian cheeses inside, then a sprinkling more of the fresh grated cheeses on top.

My children's favorite omelet: Hashed browned potatoes, whip up the omelet and pour over the top after they are fully cooked. Sprinkle hot sauce (Texas Pete or Louisiana). After folded grate fresh cheddar cheese over the top.

Omelets are wonderful places to experiment with flavors.



*

This post has been edited by mALX: May 9 2011, 05:23 PM

[Lady Syl]

An omelet is kind of a free-for-all of your favorite tastes. My favorite omelet has minced onion & green peppers, sliced mushrooms, and grated chedder over the top after it is folded.

My husband likes the same thing, but wants diced ham added to his.

You can give it a Mexican flavor by using just onions and cheese and spooning Salsa over the top after it is folded.

You can make it Italian by dicing (pre-cooked) meatballs or Italian sausage with a touch of marinara and lightly grating fresh Italian cheeses inside, then a sprinkling more of the fresh grated cheeses on top.

My children's favorite omelet: Hashed browned potatoes, whip up the omelet and pour over the top after they are fully cooked. Sprinkle hot sauce (Texas Pete or Louisiana). After folded grate fresh cheddar cheese over the top.

Omelets are wonderful places to experiment with flavors.

I loooove omelets! (My husband cooks them better than I do most of the time, though...) All of those sound excellent. My favorite is much like your husbands, with the Mexican flavor addition. I love Mexican style food, especially if it's spicy!

And speaking of Louisiana hot sauce (I used to take small swigs of it straight from the bottle. I know, weird...), I have a specific favorite way of using it that I'd like to share, and which I strongly recommend to anyone who likes spicy food even a little bit. I like to put hot sauce and sour cream in my mashed potatoes. It makes them a weird pinkish/orange color, but it tastes incredible! I almost won't eat my mashed potatoes any other way. Seriously, unless you don't like hot food, you must try it at least once! and tell me what you thought of it!