Cooking thread

October 27th, 2014 at 8:42:01 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
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A) That's not a recipe, but rather a procedure.

Quote: terapined
Get on the bicycle, ride up to Carraba's, pick up lasagna, bring home and eat :-)


B) What's so lazy about riding a bicycle?
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
October 27th, 2014 at 8:45:02 AM permalink
terapined
Member since: Aug 6, 2014
Threads: 73
Posts: 11786
Quote: Nareed
A) That's not a recipe, but rather a procedure.



B) What's so lazy about riding a bicycle?


Only a 2 block ride. I cant justify pulling my car out of the garage for 2 blocks :-)
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own - Grateful Dead "Eyes of the World"
October 27th, 2014 at 8:53:40 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
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Quote: terapined
Only a 2 block ride. I cant justify pulling my car out of the garage for 2 blocks :-)


"Lazy" would imply a car, or getting the lasagna delivered ;)

PS Just to clarify, I call my recipe "Lazy Lasagna" because I don't bother with the large pasta squares usually employed in making proper lasagna(*).

of course, mine falls apart even while you're serving it. But as I like to say: "once it reaches the mouth, it tastes just as well." And once it reaches the stomach, it's indistinguishable from the non-lazy versions.

(*) The squares are a pain to cook. They require a lot of attention to keep them from sticking to each other or to the pot. More than the occasional stirring most other types of pasta require to behave.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
October 27th, 2014 at 11:42:23 AM permalink
Mosca
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 22
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I made something very similar to this yesterday! I actually wrote it up, so I'll copy and paste. The main difference is that my version is all about the cheese. It works with either the sausage or ground beef. If I were to change anything, I'd add a chopped green pepper.

1 lb ziti or penne rigate
1.5 lbs Italian sausage, crumbled
1 lb fresh mozzarella
1 lb ricotta
1 8 oz container pecorino Romano (about 1/3 lb)
1 medium onion (normal size, not huge), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
salt to taste
olive oil
(optional: finely chopped fresh basil, a few splashes red wine)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook the pasta about halfway, maybe 8 minutes. set aside.

Sauce: Brown the sausage. When it is close to done, add the onion. After about 2 minutes, add the garlic. Saute for about a minute, then add the tomatoes (and the wine, if you are using it). Chop up the tomatoes real good, and reduce heat to simmer.

Cheese: Mix the ricotta and about half the pecorino. Stir it together really well (add the basil to it if you are using it) and salt it to taste. You won't need much salt, but a little will make a difference. Slice the mozzarella into slices, about 24 1/4" slices.

Assembly: Using a large bowl or pot, dump the cheese mixture into the pasta and stir it up real good. In a casserole dish or deep baking pan, splash a small amount of the liquid from the sauce, enough to cover the bottom of the vessel. Then, layer: first a thick layer of the cheese/pasta, then a layer of the meat sauce, then a layer of the mozzarella slices. (The slices don't have to overlap or even touch, they'll melt and spread in the oven.) Continue, ending with a layer of mozzarella. Sprinkle the remaining pecorino over the tray, drizzle some olive oil over the whole thing, and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until browned on top.
October 28th, 2014 at 7:43:10 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
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Quote: Mosca
I made something very similar to this yesterday!


Great minds think alike and all that ;)

Quote:
The main difference is that my version is all about the cheese.


I noticed.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
October 31st, 2014 at 7:56:08 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
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I'd planned on a complicated, time-consuming cooking session, but as I'll be making full time use of the laptop for Win10, I may lack the time. So this weekend I'll be making enchiladas using canned salsa. Of course I'll season the stuff to make it taste right. Rice on the side.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
November 3rd, 2014 at 8:30:44 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
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I did something different with the enchiladas. Rather than stuffing them with cottage cheese, I made a mix of cottage cheese, onions and turkey chorizo. I also added some chorizo to lentil soup, which I made instead of rice. Oh, and I soaked the tortillas in salsa before stuffing and rolling them, too. Next time I'll wear gloves when I do that.

The whole thing, including washing everything afterwards, took under 2 hours. There's that to be said for canned salsa.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
November 18th, 2014 at 2:49:30 PM permalink
Nareed
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I've been looking in vain for Rice Krispies now for weeks. Apparently they're no longer popular in this country. There is a chocolate-flavored version, but as the idea is to add my own chocolate flavoring, these won't do.

But I had another ides. I have a big bag of unflavored, roasted amaranth I thought I'd mix with cold cereal for breakfast. It hasn't worked well. I thought, though, it would do well enough mixed with melted marshmallows for what I have in mind. There's a candy here made of amaranth with syrup, which hardens into a soft, crumbly bar. this can be flavored with other things, chocolate being a popular one. I'll do it next week.

This week I made cottage cheesecake. I wanted to try melting some Mexican chocolate tablets for a topping, but the thing won't melt. it's made for dissolving in milk or water (who'd make chocolate with water, I've no idea), but it doesn't melt. <sigh>. Next time I may incorporate it, pulverized, in the topping...
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
December 17th, 2014 at 3:48:46 PM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
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Today I was given a huge (about 10 lbs) piece of leg of pork in lieu of a turkey (pork leg is about as traditional for Xmas dinner as turkey down here).

I haven't ever cooked pork. I've no objections to it, but growing up we rarely had any (we had lamb even more rarely, FWIW). Also I've never cooked a big piece of meat in the oven.

So, any ideas?

Thus far I'm thinking some kind of sweet and sour sauce, like with pineapple marmalade and vinegar, perhaps, or Mosca's BBQ sauce and Italian dressing mix with bits of pineapple. After looking online for methods for cooking this monstrosity.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
December 18th, 2014 at 8:05:05 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Long story short, I got a rare Xmas gift from a supplier: a bottle of rather good tequila, and a lovely wooden board for serving bread, along with a small ceramic tub for butter and a couple of buttering knives (very nice).

So now naturally I'm looking up recipes using tequila. It's frustrating, as most are for cocktails.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER