Cooking thread

Here's the idea:

8 strips of Tampiqueña marinated for 1-2 hours in a mix of lime, Worcestershire, pepper and a pinch of salt, then grilled on a skillet to about medium rare. Next in the same skillet sauté mushrooms, bell peppers and onions chopped very small.

Place the strips of beef on a baking dish and brush with pizza/spaghetti sauce (it can be done with a rubber spatula, or even the back of a spoon). Sprinkle a mix of mozzarella and parmesan on each, and top with the mushroom/pepper/onion mix and a couple of slices of pepperoni. Bake in the oven until the cheese melts.

I'll try making some kind of potato side. I'm thinking diced small, tossed in olive oil and minced or pressed garlic, and sprinkled with paprika, then baked until done.

Quote: Nareed

Here's the idea:

8 strips of Tampiqueña marinated for 1-2 hours in a mix of lime, Worcestershire, pepper and a pinch of salt, then grilled on a skillet to about medium rare. Next in the same skillet sauté mushrooms, bell peppers and onions chopped very small.

Place the strips of beef on a baking dish and brush with pizza/spaghetti sauce (it can be done with a rubber spatula, or even the back of a spoon). Sprinkle a mix of mozzarella and parmesan on each, and top with the mushroom/pepper/onion mix and a couple of slices of pepperoni. Bake in the oven until the cheese melts.

I completely forgot about the mushrooms, and I thought I had parmesan but it turned out I didn't. Otherwise, the dish went off as planned and it was delicious. In fact, the beef just off the skillet was very good. Oh, I also let it marinade for 4 hours rather than 2.

BTW Marinating works best using a large freezer bag, rather than letting the meat sit on a bowl. it helps if you turn the bag over and shake things up a bit from time to time.

Quote:

I'll try making some kind of potato side. I'm thinking diced small, tossed in olive oil and minced or pressed garlic, and sprinkled with paprika, then baked until done.

Actually it was pressed garlic, fine herbs (crushed) and oil. Stuck in the oven at 200 C for 50 minutes. It also helps to soak the potatoes, sliced, in cold water for 2 hours.

The only problem is I don't have enough food for the week. But I had some sauce left over, and plenty of pasta at home. I'll make some over the week to tie me over.

I was given a can of 3 kilos of pineapple in, seriously, apple juice (rather than syrup). It's close to 1.9 kilos drained. I like the idea of pineapple without the added sugar usually found in the canned variety.

I just don't know what to do with it.

I can use some in a sweet and sour dish, but what about the rest?

Any ideas?

Yesterday I planned to make vegetarian chili, but got frustrated due to a lack of textured soy. In lieu of going to the market to get something else, or to the office to "steal" a bag of leftover soy, I decided to play "What's in the fridge and pantry?"

I experimented a bit, too. I didn't write down anything, but I did notice a couple of things:

1) Peanut butter is a great addition to any tomato-based sauce for chili or stew type dishes.

2) Cinnamon is a the spice to add if you want to complement a sweetish flavor in the sauce. I'll try it the next time I make sweet and sour something.

3) the time to check the pantry is before going to the market.

Quote: Nareed

The original recipe called for Rice Krispies and Graham cracker crumbs. Kellogg's has, for some reason, stopped selling Rice Krispies in Mexico.

I found a temporary substitute for Rice Krispies!

Why temporary? Well, we sent some samples of "puffed rice cereal" (loosely translated) for a proposal recently. Alas, we didn't win it, therefore we won't be getting more. But I got to keep the leftover samples.

Here's what I'm thinking:

3/4 stick of butter (or about 67 grams)
Additional butter for greasing
1 bag of marshmallows (about 300 grams)
6 cups ersatz rice krispies.
3/4 cups cinnamon cookie crumbs
1 small jar of Strawberry marmalade (no added sugar)
Chocolate (I'm guessing it was about half a cup based on my last attempt).

The only decent (ie it won't solidify) chocolate I have is Ethel M's mint dark chocolate. For me that's great, as I love mint chocolate and it should go well with the strawberry marmalade. But many people don't like mint.

Good thing I cook for myself.

Quote: Nareed

Good thing I cook for myself.

So for the filling I first spread the melted mint dark chocolate, then peanut butter, then strawberry marmalade.

It was really good.

Cleaning the pan is still a major pain. I think melted marshmallows are the universal glue. But it's easy, relatively speaking, to dissolve the sticky goo. First I put a liter of water to boil in the electric teapot and pour it on the pan, then I add hot water from the faucet to cover most of the goo. All this without ever removing the pan from the stove. Next turn on the heat to minimum and let the water warm up and dissolve the marshmallow crust.

Let the water cool a bit, then carefully pour it out on the sink (be very careful, you can get third degree burns from hot water). Next rinse with cold water, then apply soap and a soft brush. Then wash the pan.

I think I make it sound like more trouble than it is. After all, the whole thing, from gathering the ingredients to finishing washing the pan, lasted little more than 90 minutes. I think I'm just horrified when I see the cooling mix of marshmallow, cookie crumbs and cereal form an impervious crust on the pan.

I'll make it again as soon as I figure out what chocolate to use. My stash of Ethel M's is gone.

I've been thinking what else I can make with marshmallows, but truly there isn't much else.

See, when they melt, they produce a delicious-looking, sweetly aromatic, thick, airy fluff which, I can't help but think, would fit amazingly well as a topping for cheesecake, and a variety of cakes and pies. But as soon as you turn the heat off, the delightful liquid fluff quickly turns into thick, sticky goo. It works very well if you mix it with cereal before taking it off the heat. Otherwise, not.

I wonder if marshmallow fluff, which contains zero actual marshmallows, could be a substitute... I have a recipe for it in one cookbook or another.

I made this yesterday:

About 450 gr. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized bits.
1 medium onion cut in rings
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped,
1 1/2 -2 carrots cut into little, thin sticks
1 cup or so of pineapple bits. I got a can of pineapple rings in low sugar syrup and cut them up. Say about six slices.
Ground ginger to taste.

1 cup chicken broth mixed with:
3 tsp. rice vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 tsp. ground cumin
1/3 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. corn starch

Stir fry the veggies with sesame seed oil, then set aside. Add more oil, any kind, and cook the chicken about half-way. Put the vegetables back in, sprinkle some ginger and stir. Reduce heat to minimum, add the "sauce" (is chicken broth mixed with other things sauce??), stir, ad some more ginger, stir again. Stir on occasion and let the "sauce" bubble. remove from heat and serve.

It was sooooooo good, in particular paired with coconut rice (rice boiled in coconut milk rather than water, same proportions, mixed with some shredded coconut).

Okay, I gave the cats the last of the milk, now I have a package of shredded wheat but no milk and none of that ersatz stuff (almond milk) left either? Can anything be used as a substitute? Or should I eat it dry the way the Battle Creek nutcase thought it should be eaten in order to prevent 'masturbation and lustful thinking'.

Also, anyone here have experience in making cherry wine or cherry beer?

I had some canned pineapple left, and no idea what to do with it. I had a notion of vanilla ice cream pop into my head, but nothing came off it. Finally I figured something out. I liquefied it in the blender with unsweetened coconut cream and some shredded coconut I had also left over. This produced almost one liter of milky white, sweetish fluid. Separately I mixed a packet of sugar-free lime gelatin in one cup of boiling water. I mixed all this up in a pot and let it warm up, stirring constantly. Then I poured it into an oven dish and let it cool. When it reached room temperature, I placed it on the fridge and let it gel overnight.

That's desert for today. I'll let you know how it came out.

At least I found something to do with the pineapple.

I also made burgers with mustard, covered in tomato sauce, second iteration. It's a recipe I work on from time to time.