What did I cook this weekend.....

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I also made some soft pretzels for my up coming brew club meeting this week.



Dan6310

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Melana said:
Nice! Have you tried apples this way?
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Not yet, but that is also on the list for a great dessert. I saw that idea along side the onion ring idea. I figure I'd top those with ice cream and cover with a brown sugar/butter/cinnamon/nutmeg sauce. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
passedpawn said:
And OF COURSE I need to make bacon. And always the last thing ChefRex posted.
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I'll take that as high praise!
I did this today but started by rendering some panchetta and used a hot pepper beer I wanted to use up for the liquid. Cooked a lot longer then suggested but it was really good! I wasn't going to post because it was "only" beans so no pictures.
Tasty, cheap meal it you like this type on things.


A New Pot of Beans, with Kale
By Marian Bull • February 5, 2014 • 12 Comments

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If you're like us, you look to the seasons for what to cook. Get to the market, and we'll show you what to do with your haul.

Today: Meet the creamiest, most flavorful pot of beans you've ever made, tangled up with kale.



If you have read the back of a bag of beans, you know how to cook beans. It requires little more than liquid, salt, and time. You'll throw in half of an onion, a few cloves of garlic, maybe some bay leaves -- the aromatic equivalent of a Hail Mary, added to the pot at the last minute in hopes that they'll do something productive.

You'll get a good solid result: fully cooked beans sitting in their own broth, the building block of many a virtuous meal. You'll remove that sea creature of an onion and discard it; maybe you'll forget about the garlic and hope that whoever finds it has a serious head cold, which is likely, what with it being February and all.

But lying within that same combination of ingredients is a better way to do things, and all it takes is a rethinking of your process, a rejiggering of your steps.



Remember all those times you made risotto? You sautéed your alliums, made sure they were well seasoned and softened before you added rice, then swirled everything around to let all the flavors interface before any liquid ever entered the scene. Start thinking about your beans in the same way.

Once you do, you'll wind up with a rich pot of beans that's bordering on stew, singing from its belly, each ingredient having given you its all. When all of the beans are cooked, low and slow, and their starches have seeped into the cooking liquid and thickened up their surroundings, you'd be smart to tear up a whole head of kale and submerge it until its leaves wilt and you begin to consider going at this thing with a fork.

Just like baby Jesus, this recipe was born on Christmas day. I knew there would be a mound of mashed potatoes on our table, and needed something substantive to pile atop them, with a sauce that could double as gravy, perhaps with a bit of green thrown in for fun. And here you have it.



Use any aromatics you like; I favor onions, garlic, celery seed, and thyme. Sauté, salt well, then add your soaked beans. (I like cranberry, but any creamy bean will do; think more white bean, less chickpea.) Once they've had time to soak some stuff up, then you can add your liquid, all at once. Add a whole carrot, snapped in half, and some bay leaves. Boil. Simmer for an hour or so. Remove the carrot before serving, or mash it up and let a few irregular hunks wade through your beans and kale.

Good vegetable stock, as always, will make a big difference here, but of course you can use the stuff from a box, or just slum it with tap water; you'll still be happy with the results. Add a glug of wine or vermouth at the end, if you feel your pot needs a pick-me-up; or just let the beans be beans, earthy and salty and steadfast in their deep baritone flavors.

Stewed Cranberry Beans with Kale

Serves 6 to 8

2 cups dried beans
Water for soaking

1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 heaping teaspoon celery seed
1 large pinch of dried thyme
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
5 cups of liquid (I like a mix of homemade vegetable stock and water)
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 carrot, peeled and snapped in half
One large head of kale, washed and chopped (about 2 heaping cups)
Splash of wine or vermouth (optional)

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here
.http://food52.com/blog/9681-a-new-pot-of-beans-with-kale
 
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Tacos de carne asada. I made salsa mexicana con aguacate to go with it. Homemade refied black beans with queso fresco and Mexican rice. My wife is Mexican and I have grown to love the culture and food of Mexico, she doesnt cook the food of her people though so I have learned from her mom and other sources.


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adiochiro3 said:
I had some leftover sourdough waffle batter from this morning. I feel exactly the same way about my sourdough "pets" as I do my yeast "pets." I hate to ever see them go to waste. What to do? I got this inspiration online: Onion Rings!

I literally used the waffle batter as-is. I cut the onion rings, dredged in a mixture of flour, pepper and powdered garlic, and then covered them in batter. Into the skillet of oil & fry until golden brown and delicious. Flip. Repeat. EAT!

20140209_154524.jpg


The batter was very light and stuck to the onion beautifully. What a great midday snack to go with my 1 year old Wee Heavy. This will make an awesome tempura batter and would probably make phenomenal funnel cakes. So many possibilities....

I was concerned about adding beer to the sourdough wondering whether it would contrast too much; however, I now know that beer would be a great addition to this batter.
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Pure awesomeness! I've speculated on using waffle batter on fried chicken as a new take on the chicken & waffles thing; your onion rings have made this a must try. Thanks for a nudge in the right direction!
Regards, GF. :mug:
 
Last night was my first Jambalaya. Turned out ok. I had a bowl and found the rice was under cooked slightly. Needed more water and more simmering than the recipe called for.

I also finally baked that date cake and made the sauce for it, but it was late by the time it was done, and I was not feeling very good, so I will have to wait until tonight to see how it turned out. It smelled awesome though!
 
Saturday night I made rosemary chix with an orange wine maple glaze. Different, not bad.

Last night I made pasta carbonara. Now that came out awesome!! Pasta, eggs, pancetta, cheese, what's not to love?
 
Yesterday,I made hot dog chili,having no other meat around. I used 2 cans crushed tomatos,one can paste,sweet onions,crimini & button mushrooms, sweet peppers,3 cans chili beans with 6C of water. Cooked it with 5tsp red pepper. When done,I added the usual chilie powder,cumin,sea salt,black pepper,etc. If I'd have had som masa flour,it would've tasted similar to Shelby chili mix.
 
That's another one on my list. Gotta wait for spring to catch some yellow pearch & white bass in Lake Erie first! Geez,Is it spring yet?
 
Spring? Get out on the ice...best ice conditions in the past several years, or so I'm told.

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Just got a pot of beef barley soup started for tonight's dinner. Lightly sauteed mirepoix, chopped up some left-over beef tenderloin roast from Saturday night and covered with broth and spices. That will simmer all day and then I'll throw the barley in just before dinner. With another cold day in store, that should make for a great dinner.
 
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Bacon cheeseburger soup. One of the unhealthiest things I ever made. Even worse than the bacon bombs. Butter, bacon grease, bacon, lots of cheese, 80% lean beef, and a good bit of heavy cream, but hey it also had carrots, peppers, and potatoes. Soooo not all bad :)
 
finsfan said:
Anybody have advice if I should get this or not, please hurry!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cuisinart-C...all_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item48604f6aa2
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No idea on that particular model. But if you haven't used a bread maker before, they are great. You can make some very good bread in them, with very little effort. One of the nicest features is the ability to set them to start at a particular time so that the bread comes out hot at dinner time.

That is a very good price.
 
passedpawn said:
No idea on that particular model. But if you haven't used a bread maker before, they are great. You can make some very good bread in them, with very little effort. One of the nicest features is the ability to set them to start at a particular time so that the bread comes out hot at dinner time.

That is a very good price.
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Thanks, it is refurbished by the manufacturer, but has a 90 day warranty. I may have to pull the trigger soon.
 
Melana said:
I'm not a fan of cleaning appliances when I can make awesome bread with one bowl. Just my opinion
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Clean up isn't as long as the bread doesn't overflow, the pan and the paddle, which reminds me of something I didn't like, having the paddle baked into the bottom of the loaf, the bottom slices end up with a whole on them.
 
Once the bread has been kneaded, you can take the blade out before it rises. I dont think I will care enough to do that though. :D
 
finsfan said:
Anybody have advice if I should get this or not, please hurry!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cuisinart-C...all_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item48604f6aa2
Click to expand...

I use our bread machine fairly often (Well, it tends to get used in streaks) and I like it. There isn't much cleanup to it, since I just pour ingredients into it and turn it on. The clean-up is *maybe* wiping the non-stick pan with a paper towel every few loaves.

The bread is very different from the homemade ones I've made in the dutch oven. To be honest, a bread machine's bread is best eaten right away. For some reason the texture seems to degrade quickly in my opinion. Bread made in the dutch oven, Artisan style, seems to keep a better texture for longer.

I guess what I say is that the two loaves are not really comparable, but it's awesome to be able to come home at lunch, throw a few things in the machine, and press a button and then when you get home have hot fresh bread waiting. Same thing for mixing it up right after work and it's ready for dinner.

I've seen a TON of bread machines at yard sales over the past several years. Cuisinart is a high priced brand, and as far as I know should be well built.
 
Homercidal said:
I use our bread machine fairly often (Well, it tends to get used in streaks) and I like it. There isn't much cleanup to it, since I just pour ingredients into it and turn it on. The clean-up is *maybe* wiping the non-stick pan with a paper towel every few loaves.

The bread is very different from the homemade ones I've made in the dutch oven. To be honest, a bread machine's bread is best eaten right away. For some reason the texture seems to degrade quickly in my opinion. Bread made in the dutch oven, Artisan style, seems to keep a better texture for longer.

I guess what I say is that the two loaves are not really comparable, but it's awesome to be able to come home at lunch, throw a few things in the machine, and press a button and then when you get home have hot fresh bread waiting. Same thing for mixing it up right after work and it's ready for dinner.

I've seen a TON of bread machines at yard sales over the past several years. Cuisinart is a high priced brand, and as far as I know should be well built.
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Thanks for the great info! I did pull the trigger on this after another member said he had the same one and loved it. I should have it next week and we will see how it goes! I am very new to bread making, so this may be a gateway product to artisan breads. :cross:
 
Melana said:
I'm not a fan of cleaning appliances when I can make awesome bread with one bowl. Just my opinion
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There is almost NO cleanup with one of these.

Because the outside of the loaf isn't getting dried out by air, you can't really make a nice crispy crust with a breadmaker. Otherwise, the bread comes out excellent.

Here's a recipe I use for a very tasty rosemary bread. Comes out great every time.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jos-rosemary-bread/
 

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