409 replies to this topic

[Mrs. B]

Crock pot experiment. Trinity + 1 diced carrot, 4 bay leaves, dried thyme, garlic, 1 lb Salavdorean red beans 1.5-2 lbs smoked pork necks, water to cover. Cooked 4 hours yesterday, slowly reheating on low now.
If this works I will be pretty pleased. Smells good, no muss, no fuss and 1st time putting crock pot to the task for which it was created.
I will also get to use the fuzzy logic rice cooker that Santa was kind enough to leave under the tree. What a lovely piece of work that is!

[Al Dente]

That seems a tad bit excessive. Is there a reason that you strain it so much?

I thought he was suggesting that he strains the soup through his pants. A novel idea, but I'd only eat that soup if it was Giada's or Padma's.

[DanCole42]

I thought he was suggesting that he strains the soup through his pants. A novel idea, but I'd only eat that soup if it was Giada's or Padma's.

An idea is forming in my head... do you know a good bottling company?

[mdt]

Top restaurants will strain upwards of twenty times. I also skim constantly.

Stocks shouldn't be cloudy or have visible particles in them!

Twenty times, really? I will need re-read my texts. Clear stocks are really only needed when making consomme and then they use a raft to clarify. Seems to be a waste of time and effort if you are going to use if for a braise or stew.

[DanCole42]

Twenty times, really? I will need re-read my texts. Clear stocks are really only needed when making consomme and then they use a raft to clarify. Seems to be a waste of time and effort if you are going to use if for a braise or stew.

I just do what Thomas Keller tells me to do.

[jparrott]

Really? You have 3 or 4 commis working in your kitchen? Cool!

[DanCole42]

Really? You have 3 or 4 commis working in your kitchen? Cool!

I don't need this kind of treatment. I have gelatin in my knickers.

[mdt]

I just do what Thomas Keller tells me to do.

I should have figured it was a Keller technique. Way too fussy for normal home cooking. Hell way too fussy for most restaurants too.

[Anna Blume]

Wild Boar in Red Wine.

Whence, pray tell?

[Anna Blume]

Rob Weland (Poste) made an excellent sunchoke velouté at the Penn Quarter farmers market some time earlier in the fall, garnished w pickled sunchokes, and canned separately, wild mushrooms. Flecked w chervil from his restaurant's garden.

While I think a history and analysis of the current trend of serving soups as moats surrounding bits of this and that deserves its own thread, I loved how the vinegary bite and texture of the mushrooms, especially, played off the richness of the soup.

Well, finally, sunchokes are in season locally, available at Dupont Circle again, probably, on January 18, and before then, at WFM. I bought a ton and began by making the soup.

The chef calls for 1 cup of diced shallots, some garlic, 1.75 lbs. of scrubbed, peeled, sliced sunchokes, to be cooked w 4 T butter, and around 3.25 cups stock; 2.25 cups heavy cream go in at the end, most into the pot before blending, the rest, whipped and whisked into the finished purée. S & P. No mirepoix. No herbs. Strained.

Went with a couple of leeks instead of shallots to make life easier, and about 1/4 the amount of cream. The freezer held stock prepared w Eco-Friendly chicken feet and a turken. After months of relying on canned broth, it was great. Soup is wonderful on its own, especially strained through a pair of pants Dan lent me.

I have sunchokes left over and I am tempted to start the pickles tonight since, apparently, they are a traditional Southern thing. FYI, sunchokes are native to North America, if prized more by Italians than by many of us.

[Poivrot Farci]

Coufidou à la Nivernaise
Simmered beef neck with a disciplined garnish of carrot, turnip, onion, potato and mushroom.

[Pat]

potato soup

[lperry]

Chestnut, white bean, and kale soup. Corn stick pans are heating in the oven.

[agm]

Stock, with the carcass of a duck I smoked this weekend, also onion, carrot, celery, leek, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and black peppercorns. It's probably the base for a butternut squash and chestnut soup.

[Poivrot Farci]

Garbure.
Navy beans, cabbage, my espelette and rosemary sausage, smoked ham hock, salted pork belly, pork shoulder, parsley root, turnips, carrots and pearl onions ladled over toasted slices of Heller’s not very good rye bread or directly into Garth Brooks' and Stevie Wonder’s mouths.

[Pat]

Molly Stevens' Red Cabbage Braised with Maple & Ginger

I've made this numerous times, and I always forget that I need to start early.

[ferment everything]

Braised oxtail. Real simple: browned in the oven for a half-hour then submerged in a bottle of pinot noir, a 1/4 cup sherry vin, and 3 c chicken stock. 1 tsp each dry thyme and oregano. Smells amazing in here right now.

[jparrott]

That sounds yummyriffic.

Watching the Bourdain Azores episode right now. He mentions Cozido a Portuguesa, a pork/sausage/cabbage/potato/collard stew that is built in the pot (i.e. no browning/deglazing), moistened and baked forever.

I'm interested, what are your favorite stew/casseroles done in this way? I do love making Lancashire hotpot (a wonderful vehicle for the bony, stewy bits of really good lamb), but do people have others?

[Anna Blume]

This time sunchokes played minor role along w parsnip as leftover roasted vegetables, if again, in making soup.

Roasted Zora's favorite winter squash cut side down, w slick, oiled garlic cloves (skins on) inside cavities.

Meanwhile, made quick vegetable stock w scrapings from squash, etc., which ultimately had to be supplemented w a can of Swanson's chicken broth to transform something sludgy into a pretty good soup on a bitter cold day.

MIrepoix w excess onions sautéed before adding Le Puy lentils and stock. When lentils mostly softened, dumped in all the roasted vegetables (skins off cloves & squash). Lots of parsley later.

Puréed a bit more than a pint of results, adding it back into the pot for texture's sake. Finished seasoning. Dab of thickened yogurt in bowl. Whole wheat toast w mashed avocado, olive oil and fleur de sel on side.

[Anna Blume]

Zora: Consult Post 60 above for the sunchoke velouté (recipe by Chef Rob Weland, Poste) I recommended yesterday.

As for the remaining sunchokes in the fridge, I may either adapt that recipe for a combined parsnip-sunchoke soup, or prepare two batches, one of each, to serve side by side in the same bowl.

Since sunchokes and potatoes complement one another so well (gratin, for example), they would be worth combining in a more rustic soup with bacon and leeks. Same with turnips, sautéed with fresh thyme leaves.

(Chicken stock answers the title's question.)

[monavano]

Slowly simmering in the crockpot-pork shanks from Babes in the Wood for a ragu to go over rigattoni. This was inspired by the pork ragu at Rustico (BITW supplies Rustico each Sat. after the Old Town market). The seasoning, browning and braising builds and deepens simple, fresh flavors. I'm hoping that the taste of the pork comes through just as it did at Rustico. I'll let you know on Wednesday or Thursday .

[bookluvingbabe]

I don't really want to believe we are getting a bunch of snow tomorrow.

But since I have Smith Meadow pork shanks defrosting, I think I'm going to embrace the possibility of cold, wet weather and do some sort of braised pork stew.

Suggestions welcome-- I won't be cooking until tonight.

Thanks!

[Heather]

Pot roast with beef stock, pearl onions, rosemary, and red wine.

[Al Dente]

So I was browning some meat for a beef braise when I came across this little guy. Hey, he looks familiar. Finally I figured it out, it's Cecil the Turtle from Bugs Bunny!

Attached Thumbnails

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[Anna Blume]

Brodo. One of those ^ and two packs of turkey wings.

Half will go towards a chickpea & pasta soup. Rest gets frozen.

[LauraB]

Barley stew with mushrooms, leeks and kale -- hearty, but still light. Need a break from all of the heavy Christmas food and oncoming New Years meals!

[porcupine]

Hungarian goulash, to be served over spaetzle.

[MMM]

Beef, Leek and Barley Soup from Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking. Never tried it before, but sounds good!

[Pat]

I'm making some kind of soup from leftover roasted potatoes and shallots.

[KMango]

Spicy Makanek, browned in a skillet, then added to a slow cooker with chopped fennel, Muir Glen fire roasted diced tomatoes & green chiles, leeks sauteed in the pan juices left behind from the sausage, and a couple of bay leaves.

Not sure how power-popping seasoned the sausage may be (a Lebanese Butcher creation). So, in six hours or so, I will taste the brew to see what's missing.

Plan to serve it over turmeric rice and something green on the side.

Updated to include pic. In a word: outstanding!

Edited by KMango, 03 January 2010 - 10:58 AM.

[monavano]

Two, count'em two pots of chicken soup consisting of necks, body and gizzards. Also, split onions with skin, whole garlic cloves, chopped carrots and celery (with hearts), fresh dill, bay and....the last of my fresh ginger from Next Step.
This is the first time that I'm using gizzards for stock. When I had gizzards for the first time in December (Koo Zee Doo), I noted that they were intensly chicken-flavored. So, I'm giving them a try.
Will report back!

[Pat]

Turkey chili to be started presently.

[Anna Blume]

Beef stock from roasted bones and trimmings (Smith Meadows Farm). How long do you all simmer beef stock? It's been 2 hours and I don't have time for 5 or more.

[Pat]

Turkey chili to be started presently.

Ha! The meat had been in the refrigerator for 24 hours and still wasn't thawed, so the dish became chicken chili.

The turkey is going to go into this tonight. I'm very excited that the Times has put so many of its old recipes online now. For years, I credited this to an unknown newspaper clipping that I thought was the Times, but I wasn't sure. A recent google for all the key terms brought up the recipe on the NYT site . I love this recipe.

[monavano]

Ha! The meat had been in the refrigerator for 24 hours and still wasn't thawed, so the dish became chicken chili.

The turkey is going to go into this tonight. I'm very excited that the Times has put so many of its old recipes online now. For years, I credited this to an unknown newspaper clipping that I thought was the Times, but I wasn't sure. A recent google for all the key terms brought up the recipe on the NYT site . I love this recipe.

This reminds me of Country Captain, which I love! I use manzanilla olives vs. black olives.

[jparrott]

Beef stock from roasted bones and trimmings (Smith Meadows Farm). How long do you all simmer beef stock? It's been 2 hours and I don't have time for 5 or more.

Most beef or veal stock methods I've read/worked with call for a 6-8 hour simmer.

[Pat]

This reminds me of Country Captain, which I love! I use manzanilla olives vs. black olives.

That would be good in this. I usually use kalamata olives, but I've used other kinds.

A note if anyone makes this: It takes considerably longer than the 10 minutes she specifies for the bulgur in this to cook.

[zoramargolis]

Fabada Asturiana. I brought back some dried fabes Asturianas from Spain, a highly prized very large white kidney-shaped bean that I've seen at A&H Seafood selling for $35 a pound. They were 16 euros a kilo in Seville (I bought a quarter kilo). I figure they've got to be pretty special, if Spanish people are willing to pay such high prices for them--they were about 4-5 times more expensive than other dried beans in the same store in Seville. I soaked them overnight, and they are currently in a pot with a hunk of slab bacon, chorizo, and Jamie Stachowki's smoked duck sausage, saffron and bay leaves. The recipe, from Janet Mendel's My Kitchen in Spain, called for Asturian morcilla (smoked blood sausage), which I didn't have--morcilla isn't my favorite sausage anyway--so I added clove, cinnamon, pimenton and pepper, the spices that the morcilla would have contributed to the pot.

[monavano]

Fabada Asturiana. I brought back some dried fabes Asturianas from Spain, a highly prized very large white kidney-shaped bean that I've seen at A&H Seafood selling for $35 a pound. They were 16 euros a kilo in Seville (I bought a quarter kilo). I figure they've got to be pretty special, if Spanish people are willing to pay such high prices for them--they were about 4-5 times more expensive than other dried beans in the same store in Seville. I soaked them overnight, and they are currently in a pot with a hunk of slab bacon, chorizo, and Jamie Stachowki's smoked duck sausage, saffron and bay leaves. The recipe, from Janet Mendel's My Kitchen in Spain, called for Asturian morcilla (smoked blood sausage), which I didn't have--morcilla isn't my favorite sausage anyway--so I added clove, cinnamon, pimenton and pepper, the spices that the morcilla would have contributed to the pot.

I bought Jamie's smoked duck sausage at Falls Church. It's delicious.
I'm going to grill it and make a bean dish too. Good ideas for flavors in your post above.

[zoramargolis]

Fabada Asturiana. I brought back some dried fabes Asturianas from Spain, a highly prized very large white kidney-shaped bean that I've seen at A&H Seafood selling for $35 a pound. They were 16 euros a kilo in Seville (I bought a quarter kilo). I figure they've got to be pretty special, if Spanish people are willing to pay such high prices for them--they were about 4-5 times more expensive than other dried beans in the same store in Seville. I soaked them overnight, and they are currently in a pot with a hunk of slab bacon, chorizo, and Jamie Stachowki's smoked duck sausage, saffron and bay leaves. The recipe, from Janet Mendel's My Kitchen in Spain, called for Asturian morcilla (smoked blood sausage), which I didn't have--morcilla isn't my favorite sausage anyway--so I added clove, cinnamon, pimenton and pepper, the spices that the morcilla would have contributed to the pot.

Follow-up report on the beans. They have a wonderfully smooth, creamy texture and a mellow flavor, enhanced no doubt by the smoked meats and spices that made up the stew. I will definitely make this again, although I'm not sure that these specific beans, at $35 a pound, are necessary. The beans' texture reminded me a lot of Greek gigante beans, and while these are a challenge to find (dried, that is--the canned ones are easy to find) and are relatively expensive, I know where to get them--I even have some in my pantry.

[monavano]

Two, count'em two pots of chicken soup consisting of necks, body and gizzards. Also, split onions with skin, whole garlic cloves, chopped carrots and celery (with hearts), fresh dill, bay and....the last of my fresh ginger from Next Step.
This is the first time that I'm using gizzards for stock. When I had gizzards for the first time in December (Koo Zee Doo), I noted that they were intensly chicken-flavored. So, I'm giving them a try.
Will report back!

Reporting back to say that I got 8 quarts of stock and 6 quarts of chicken soup (stock with meat and vegs) from the ingredients. The ginger is really nice and fragrant and curiously, marries really well with grated nutty parmesan that I added to a batch I'm eating now. I don't get the dill so much, so perhaps that's something I'll skip during the simmering process, and save for the end.

[zoramargolis]

A hearty soup sort of day. The impulse is irrisistable, as is the aroma. It was like this many of the days we were in Spain, but I had no way to cook.

Currently on the stove: barley, white bean and wild mushroom (lobster, porcini, and black trumpets that we gathered in the Catskills last summer) soup with Eco-Friendly smoked pork belly and Jamie Stachowki's smoked duck sausage, lots of aromatic veg and herbs.

[mdt]

Spicy Black-eyed pea and kale soup.

[bookluvingbabe]

Split pea soup. I planned it before I knew we were in for more snow but it seems just about perfect for the anticipated weather.

[marketfan]

Chicken stock. Don't know what I am doing with it yet, but I know it will be useful this weekend....

[qwertyy]

Nothing! I am simmering nothing right now! But I fully endorse the simmering:

I got back today from a very long month in a hotel room in Ethiopia--eating every meal out, except for the meals I ordered in--to find a fridge that contains two bottles of champagne, a jar of pickles, seven kinds of mustard, and a rind of parmesan. This is depressing when you consider that jetlag is decidedly incompatible with pre-snow storm grocery shopping.

But am I depressed? No! Because I simmered the heck out of December, and have a freezer bursting with chili and soup--cream of broccoli, carrot and wheat berry, chunky tomato and bacon, turkey stock.

Simmer away, friends! Even if you don't eat it this weekend, one day, not too long from now, you'll be happy you did.

[kirite]

Nothing! I am simmering nothing right now! But I fully endorse the simmering:

I got back today from a very long month in a hotel room in Ethiopia--eating every meal out, except for the meals I ordered in--to find a fridge that contains two bottles of champagne, a jar of pickles, seven kinds of mustard, and a rind of parmesan. This is depressing when you consider that jetlag is decidedly incompatible with pre-snow storm grocery shopping.

But am I depressed? No! Because I simmered the heck out of December, and have a freezer bursting with chili and soup--cream of broccoli, carrot and wheat berry, chunky tomato and bacon, turkey stock.

Simmer away, friends! Even if you don't eat it this weekend, one day, not too long from now, you'll be happy you did.

Shrimp Scampi in garlic, scallions, white wine, and parsley.

[goodeats]

Chicken stock. Don't know what I am doing with it yet, but I know it will be useful this weekend....

Sounds like pho or noodle soup time! That's what I did with mine - made Chinese noodle soup with leftover chicken meat and some fish balls. This weekend's plan is to simmer some chili and creamed corn soup....

[DanCole42]

I'm doing the exact opposite of simmering... temperature-wise at least. Time-wise, it's about the same.

Just-made banana ice cream is hardening in the freezer. Added a little shot of bourbon to go with the cold.

[bettyjoan]

Simmered some marinara sauce while watching the Superbowl last night. Turned out really tasty. The not-so-secret ingredients? Fennel seeds and balsamic vinegar.