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What Are You Simmering Right Now? A Place for Mid-Stew Musings


jparrott

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Red rice and farro done and dressed. Black quinoa (I plan not to buy the grain anymore, but couldn't resist) and Beluga lentils next. I am on a grain salad kick, tossing them w roasted orange vegetables (sweet potato cubes in oven; butternut squash last week), garlicky greens, etc. and find them very filling for lunch. Storing each prepared ingredient separately in the fridge to combine at whim.

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Just got done making turkey gravy. I don't know why making the gravy ahead of time just dawned on me, but this year it was on my radar. One thing I can check off. A little something I'd like to share for anyone who might be interested is that I finish off the gravy with the juice of about half a lemon. It just brightens the herbs and aromatics. That, and fresh tarragon adds a hint of anise that makes you go "hmm?".

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I made my batch of turkey stock. I simmered the carcass, wings and a thigh bone with carrots, celery, onion, garlic, fresh parsley, thyme and tarragon, and a piece of crystalized ginger. Let it simmer for 3 hours and then cooled it down and stuck the whole shebang in the fridge overnight. Drained and chinoised the next day.

Tarragon is amazing with a hint of anise. I made wedding soup to kick things off. Turkey stock, turkey meatballs, acini de pepe and mustard greens (in lieu of escarole).

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I made SO much turkey stock, my freezer is stuffed. I did one batch for pho, w/ star anise, shallots, & ginger. When I hit the commissary right after T'giving, the bean sprouts were less than fresh. I took the cheaters' way out, I was feeling lazy last night, & had had enough of eating holiday snacky leftovers (bean dip, broccoli squares), so we picked up chicken & beef pho from a recently opened place, that's a convenience store that serves Latin & Vietnamese food?! (5 Ten Foodmart)-the bad- broth was the same for both pho, the good- huge amounts of rare beef & cooked chicken, Thai basil, green onions, culantro, rice noodles, lime, hoisin & sriracha, & it was cheap, $7.49 .

I think my broth is better than theirs, but it was worth the price to get all the fix ins' in one place, we will be eating pho for the rest of the week, quite happily...I am still kicking myself for not bringing in the Thai basil before the first frost....

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I took the cheaters' way out, I was feeling lazy last night, & had had enough of eating holiday snacky leftovers (bean dip, broccoli squares), so we picked up chicken & beef pho from a recently opened place, that's a convenience store that serves Latin & Vietnamese food?! (5 Ten Foodmart)-the bad- broth was the same for both pho, the good- huge amounts of rare beef & cooked chicken, Thai basil, green onions, culantro, rice noodles, lime, hoisin & sriracha, & it was cheap, $7.49 .

Hee, smart!

Making lentil soup now, and am impatient for it to be ready.

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Haluski. I made golabki (stuffed cabbage rolls) the other day and the leftover parboiled Savoy cabbage was chopped up and set aside for haluski. I sauteed up some chopped bacon*, diced onion and then the cabbage. Added butter, chicken stock and fresh thyme and let it simmer while the wide egg noodles cooked. Tossed together and it awaits dinner.

*On Alex's Day Off, I saw this method for cooking diced bacon, particularly pre-sliced bacon that tends to adhere and is hard to separate once it hits the heat: Heat pan, add diced bacon, add water and let it cook. The bacon separates with a spatula, the water evaporates and then the bacon cooks until crisp in its own grease. It's been foolproof.

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This sounds like a really good tip for the bacon-why doesn't this cooking method, which is recommended for frozen dumplings work for me? They always tell you to start in a hot, barely oiled pan, then add 1/4" of water, cover & steam-mine just come out slimy & floppy, & I try to pan-fry them after, then they're too chewy & tough-what am I doing wrong?

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Simmering proto-gumbo, thickened with leftover Thanksgiving gravy (which is just roux and stock and yummy meat bits anyway) and okra. Proto-gumbo, in that it'll get frozen off in its non-seafooded form (there's pork belly, veal, chicken, andouille, and tasso in it now, plus the usual starting materials), to be seafooded just before service...which'll probably be around New Years.

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thistle, I wonder why any oil would be added to the pan with water when the dumplings are steaming? What I do for frozen pierogie is steam them on one of those collapsing steamer thingies. Then remove, dry pan, add oil, fry. For fresh, I'd go the usual dumpling way of browning in a bit of oil and then steaming closed. Been a while since I've had fresh.

jparrott, brilliant prepping. You're dish is going to score big time with very little effort right at the end. Best dishes to serve when entertaining so you don't get bogged down in the kitchen. Great use of leftover turkey gravy.

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posole verde, made with a boneless pork roast from eco friendly

yesteray, I had posole rojo, made with lots of chile guajillo at oyamel, on my lunch break from jury duty. while I enjoyed it, I really prefer my version with tomatillos and roasted fresh poblanos.

Method, please. OK to use canned hominy?

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Posole verde

2-3 poblano chiles, blackened and peeled

6-8 tomatillos

Medium white onion

3-4 cloves garlic

2-3 pounds pork shoulder bone-in or boneless

Cumin

Mexican oregano

Pinch allspice

Bay leaves

Carrot-celery leaves-thyme-parsley

Salt/black pepper

Large can hominy (cupboard mouse devoured my dried hominy)

Bottle of non-bitter lager

Chicken stock and/or water

Brown meat (in one piece)

Chop and sauté veg/bloom spices

Add remaining ingredients

Low and slow in the oven until meat is tender

Remove meat and shred or cut in chunks

Remove bouquet garnie return meat to pot skim fat if needed

Serve with cilantro or trad topping of shredded cabbage and radishes and hot sauce if desired

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I'm thinking of doing lasagne alla bolognese for Christmas lunch, based largely on Marcella's recipes. What are you planning to do with your ragu?

Lasagne alla bolognese for Christmas dinner. I made it the last time Azami and I were at home for Christmas, and it was the perfect thing to have.
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I'm thinking of doing lasagne alla bolognese for Christmas lunch, based largely on Marcella's recipes. What are you planning to do with your ragu?

T.H., you know I love Marcella, too, right? Nonetheless, I wonder if you've ever tried preparing any more complex, nuanced recipes for ragu in Lynne Rossetto Kasper's The Splendid Table. They range from rustic to refined and are wonderful for lasagne.

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Leftover carcass from a roasted chicken is in the freezer along w necks from Eco-Friendly, a raw carcass from Evensong and feet from both farms. Stock!

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T.H., you know I love Marcella, too, right? Nonetheless, I wonder if you've ever tried preparing any more complex, nuanced recipes for ragu in Lynne Rossetto Kasper's The Splendid Table. They range from rustic to refined and are wonderful for lasagne.

A.B.: Thanks for your excellent suggestion. I bought a copy of LRK's Splendid Table a few months ago (I have to add, largely because you praised it), and have unaccountably and no doubt foolishly neglected it. I've just been looking through the ragu chapter (for those unfamiliar with the book: yes, ragu has its own chapter) and I see what you mean. I'm glad I still have a couple of weeks to decide what to do. Maybe I'll also follow Xochitl10's lead and do this for Christmas dinner rather than lunch. A well-made dish of lasagne is certainly opulent enough for any special-occasion meal.

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porcupine is of the opinion, and I entirely agree, that this is one of those dishes that is usually better when made with canned hominy. It's certainly more consistent that way.

Largely because the only dried hominys I ever tried were always so dry that they never rehydrated - like, not even after 48 hours. But I really do think canned is fine so long as it's well-rinsed. Has anyone ever used frozen hominy?

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^Apropos of post #278 and some of the preceding: While I practice what I preach, I had an opened bottle of white wine in fridge and just the right amount of thickly ground beef, so modified version of Marcella's ragu will finish simmering around 3 PM. Minced pancetta, dried porcini and its soaking water and rind of Parmesan added. Slow-roasted yellow plum tomatoes from freezer combined w a little frozen yellow tomato-butter sauce vs. canned tomatoes.

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Applesauce just finished simmering for the sake of cultural tourism. (There's sour cream in fridge, too. And cranberries!)

About to simmer and purée a sunchoke soup. Has to be dairy-free, so I am using stock, leek, celery root and a Gold Ball turnip to temper what can be an overwhelming flavor.

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Grits, bought from the Portland (OR) farmers market. Simmering in pork/chicken ("ramen") stock, then will hit with a bit of grated cheddar. All that to serve alongside the Kenji pork-belly porchetta from last month.

If you have it, may I recommend more of a parmesan-like cheese? (Real, white cheddar, yes; but I don't see the sharp orange stuff, or even the mild Colby-like version working).

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Last night was the Beef Rendang recipe from Molly Stevens' All About Braising. It was tasty, smelled great, and felt exotic. It did take about an hour longer than the recipe said it would to braise, though.

This is a reverse braise, where you cook the beef and spice paste in coconut milk before browning it, let it cook down so all the coconut milk evaporates, leaving only the coconut oil, and then fry the beef in the remaining oil.

I was frustrated that I couldn't find the galangal and kaffir lime leaves anywhere in DC. No whole foods, no Bestway. :(

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Last night was the Beef Rendang recipe from Molly Stevens' All About Braising....

I was frustrated that I couldn't find the galangal and kaffir lime leaves anywhere in DC.

I love that book and the temperatures almost seem to be dipping down to a semblance of braising weather!

FWIW I remember that a Thai grocery store in Silver Spring (close to the Metro stop) carried these things (but I haven't been in years).

That Thai store doesn't have much fresh stuff; the kaffir leaves are frozen. If convenient, you might call the Rockville WFM and see if they carry them since the store is meant to be the regional ne plus ultra. Zora has reminded DR community to consult Julia Watson's eatwashington.com for hard-to-find ingredients.

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