Recipe Thread

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Hey, I'm pretty bored, as I guess my Girlfriend will be, of cooking/being able to cook the same old thing week in and week out - namely Lasagna. So, if any wants to share one of their favorite dishes to cook with the recipe, please post it up and I'll give it a go! Thanks, guys!

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Here's an easy one to try that doesn't require any special ingredients of any kind:

 

Cheap Ass Salmon Cakes

 

1 big can of salmon

Ritz crackers

1 egg

2 green onions

Salt

Old Bay seasoning

olive oil

 

Mash the fuck out of the crackers and chop your onions as finely as possible.

In a large bowl, use your hands and squish together the salmon, crackers, egg, and green onion. Put in a fat pinch of salt and however much Old Bay you like.

Try to keep it dry and clumpy. It's easier to moisten the mixture than it is to dry it out with more crackers. Get it so it holds form when squished into patties.

 

Get your olive oil hot as fuck, and put the patties in gently. It'll splatter like hell, so get a screen ready. Cook until lightly browned and turn. Don't turn them a bunch of times or play with them. Remove and drain on paper towels. Eat while hot.

 

Substitute crab if you like. Substitute panko if you like. Add other shit. Easy. Go nuts.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Cheers Tzar, I'll try those out this weekend!

[Lord of The Curry 0]

I don't care for salmon all that much. Tzar- Have you done that recipie with tuna?

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Never have. I'm not sure how well canned tuna cooks, tuna melt sandwiches aside. Crab works great, though.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Anyone have a nice Curry dish they'd wish to share? As part of my attempt to stimulate myself until I find a new job, I've decided to try and cook a bit more. This should hopefully help my girlfriend feel like I'm not doing anything all day and leave me. I said, I'd cook up some curry dish, but I can only really do the one thing, with fresh chicken covered in store bought sauce.

 

 

[Turbo Lion 0]

"BETTER THAN" SPaghetti

 

Fry a pound of ground turkey.

Season with:

Chili Powder

 

Combine meat with:

 

A Can of Tomato Sauce (insert lament here that we can only take back three containers of Spanish tomato sauce when we fly back tomorrow)

Shredded Cheese to your liking (I really cheese the hell out of it, personally)

Oregano

Garlic Salt

Crushed Red Pepper

 

I don't think they're available in the states, but we have a friend who has a mix of ethiopian spices. If somehow you have that, USE IT.

 

I have no measurements because my wife and I don't use them here. We just go at it until we like it. It's a nice little easy to make spicy spaghetti. Named not because we think we're awesome but because a friend had it and said, "This is... better than spaghetti!" and I thought it was funny.

 

Enjoy.

[foleyfanforever88 0]

Anyone have a nice Curry dish they'd wish to share? As part of my attempt to stimulate myself until I find a new job, I've decided to try and cook a bit more. This should hopefully help my girlfriend feel like I'm not doing anything all day and leave me. I said, I'd cook up some curry dish, but I can only really do the one thing, with fresh chicken covered in store bought sauce.

 

You mean keep her from feeling that?

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Anyone have a nice Curry dish they'd wish to share? As part of my attempt to stimulate myself until I find a new job, I've decided to try and cook a bit more. This should hopefully help my girlfriend feel like I'm not doing anything all day and leave me. I said, I'd cook up some curry dish, but I can only really do the one thing, with fresh chicken covered in store bought sauce.

 

You mean keep her from feeling that?

 

Nice catch, that could have been seen as a Freudian slip. Which she'll pick up on since she's a damn Psychology Graduate.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

How well-stocked is your spice rack? Do you want to try your hand at making your own curry blend, because the possibilities are literally endless with that. What kind of curry? Indian? Thai? That's a really broad question.

 

Common curry spices you can score at the grocery store:

 

Cumin

Chili Powder

Cinnamon

Chinese Five Spice

Cardamom

Coriander

Tumeric

 

There are dozens and dozens more, but those are cheap and easy to find. There are also some decent blends out there if you don't feel like being an alchemist with a mortar and pestle and all that. It's fun if you have the time and the inclination, though.

 

I like doing really simple south indian curries, because they literally take a minute or two to make. I just throw fresh peeled/de-veined shrimp in a screaming hot wok with a little oil. When the shrimp (seasoned) just start to turn color (almost immediately), I toss some chopped garlic and onion and a teaspoon (or so) of a mixture of chili powder, coriander, cumin, and a little cinnamon. Flip it a couple of times and pour the whole mess over rice. That's it.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Thanks AoO, will definatly try to find and stock up on those herb/spices next time I'm out and about and ready to make a curry. Bit late to try it today, since I'll have to start cooking it in a few hours. The missus isn't a huge spicy food fan, but I'll try and see how far I can push her taste buds without causing her to stop eating the food.

[Guest Vitamin X]

If you can find thai chili oil at your local market, I'd get it but use it VERY sparingly- There's nothing hotter on this earth than what Southeast Asians think of as spicy. I can handle pretty much anything latin- habaneros, serranos, etc. but for some reason drying out those szechuan peppers and making oil from them AND putting the seeds there.. yikes.

 

I concur with Agent on the curry stuff. Bonus points to turmeric for being a spice that's actually extremely good for you, while not adding a whole lot of flavor (just kind of a overtone to the flavor, if that makes sense; it doesn't feel like it affects the direct taste of it) but changing the color. If you want to get creative with it, try coconut milk with a curry powder blend and then pour little bits of that over rice as you eat. Really enjoyable. And I hate coconut normally too, but coco-milk is quality stuff.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Thanks AoO, will definatly try to find and stock up on those herb/spices next time I'm out and about and ready to make a curry. Bit late to try it today, since I'll have to start cooking it in a few hours. The missus isn't a huge spicy food fan, but I'll try and see how far I can push her taste buds without causing her to stop eating the food.

 

It doesn't have to be that spicy. In fact, I think some of the more interesting curries I've tried have been centered around the "cookie" spices. Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Mace..whatever else is in Chinese Five Spice.

 

Tumeric is really a poor man's Saffron, in a way. I use it to change the color of rice. Really mild flavor.

 

 

Coconut milk can be disastrous in the wrong hands, and you end up with Willy Wonka Prawns or something. If you want a creamier curry, try plain yogurt. I only use it with red meat, since I don't mix seafood and dairy, and don't really care about chicken. For a beginner, I'd stick with simpler indian curries. The southeast asian stuff can be moltenlavahot, or else tricky. Plus there are some tougher-to-find ingredients, like kaffir lime leaves.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Dairy? Coconut milk is about as dairy as soy milk is. It's made from processing the meat of a mature coconut with some water, making it either thick or thin. But you're probably right on that- the result can be disastrous if not handled with care.

 

Southeast Asia has maybe one of the most interesting culinary selections in the world... It's a shame a lot of people around the States generally just think of Asian food as the Americanized Chinese food or basic thai stuff with peanut sauce and noodle, but there's so much more to be discovered there. I've got to take a trip out to Singapore one of these days.

[BruiserKC 0]

I'm a sucker for a nice sirloin or ribeye. I throw it on the grill, season it with salt, black pepper and red pepper. Then, I top it with gorgonzola or blue cheese and have Worcestershire sauce with it.

 

Or, if you're feeling adventurous, you could try steak de Burgo. For that you're best to use a tenderloin or filet, but you could get by with other cuts. I mix in a saucepan butter, olive oil, and garlic (you can do either the garlic powder or cloves if you really want to get fancy). Cook the steak medium to medium-rare, then cover with the sauce and then sprinkle basil and oregano to finish.

[Guest Vitamin X]

My mom used to make this for dinner for me all the time, especially when we were broke. It was a simple pan-fried cube steak (any thin cheap cut of steak will do for this), all you had to do was get the pan a little hot with some olive oil and then throw in the steak which, when I make it, I just coat on both sides with this stuff:

My ex used to call it "Cuban seasoning" because well, it's in damn near everything you put in Cuban food. Even if it's a bit heavy on the sodium, this thing is amazing if you can find it- it's composed of a few things, namely onion and garlic powder, and it's brilliant with this. Just cook both sides, serve with some steamed rice, and there you go. Serve with some stir-fried or steamed veggies as well if you like.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Dairy? Coconut milk is about as dairy as soy milk is

 

I was referring to my yogurt suggestion.

[Moots 0]

For the guy who metioned making steak de burgo

 

Garlic powder in any kind of pan sauce is a no no. Garlic Powder needs to to re-hydrate, so unless you plan on simmering that sauce for a while you are going to come up short on flavour.

 

Pan sauces, I'd recommend fresh garlic (Jarred packed in oil in a pinch works) and remember the smaller you chop garlic the more intense the flavour will be.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Really? I've always seasoned a steak pretty darn well on both sides with that seasoning up there and it's always come out great.. Haven't had steak de Burgo though, so you may have a point about the lack of flavor.

 

I like to crush my garlic with the back of a knife, personally. I remember it was only about a year ago or so that I got pissed at how long it took me to peel fresh cloves of garlic, now I think I can probably get a whole bulb in under 10 minutes or so, maybe even half that.

 

Slicing the cloves works really nice too, I've found. Dicing garlic is a pain if you like a lot of it.

[Moots 0]

Really? I've always seasoned a steak pretty darn well on both sides with that seasoning up there and it's always come out great.. Haven't had steak de Burgo though, so you may have a point about the lack of flavor.

 

I like to crush my garlic with the back of a knife, personally. I remember it was only about a year ago or so that I got pissed at how long it took me to peel fresh cloves of garlic, now I think I can probably get a whole bulb in under 10 minutes or so, maybe even half that.

 

Slicing the cloves works really nice too, I've found. Dicing garlic is a pain if you like a lot of it.

 

If you dont like mincing garlic, use the back of the knife method, but sprinkle a little salt on the clove, and then just keep pressing the clove with the back of the knife and then dragging the blade a bit.

 

and if peeling garlic is a pain, and you need whole cloves, you can get little rubber tubes you put the garlic in and rol it around, or if you have a silicone jar opener (The flat square kind) just put it between that folded in half and rub and you get the same effect.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I crush it with the side of the knife and then chop it up. I adore garlic and use lots of it.

 

I find it interesting how garlic is used in nearly every ethnic cuisine I can think of, despite the separate evolutions and all.

[Moots 0]

I crush it with the side of the knife and then chop it up. I adore garlic and use lots of it.

 

I find it interesting how garlic is used in nearly every ethnic cuisine I can think of, despite the separate evolutions and all.

 

 

Hell yeah, its especially interesting how it gives different flavours and effects whether you are frying, roasting, littly cooking, or using it nearly raw, the vast different of the sweetness of roasted garlic, and the heat of raw garlic is amazing.

 

For any garlic lover, I highly suggest Chicken and 40 cloves.

 

Youtube Good eats bulb of the night for the recipe, its amazing.