FSU Chefs Unite (Recipes Thread Part II)

[mkats]

Asparagus was $1.38/lb today and I bought two more bunches...cooked the old one for dinner tonight.

4skating, that fettucine recipe looks absolutely divine!!! (Thanks to everyone else for sharing their recipes too, I'm going to have to figure out some ways to get creative!)

[BigB08822]

I got some bunches of asparagus last week for $ .99 a bunch. I think a bunch=1 lb. I could not believe it. I grabbed 3 even though I had no idea what I would use them for. I figured even if 1 went bad I still paid what I normally pay for 1 bunch and got 3.

[mkats]

Brian, did you ever get that asparagus soup to work out?

[BigB08822]

Brian, did you ever get that asparagus soup to work out?

Yes, I did. I made it the first time with some awful awful crab meat and I remade it soon after with no crab meat. It was pretty good but I have never had the desire to make it again. I prefer my asparagus whole.

[Jenny]

*Jealous* - I was at the grocery store yesterday and there was a ton of asparagus alright - all from Mexico!!! It's usually not local here until May, sigh.

Here's one in the mean time though - made these again yesterday, and they have been a huge hit in the past:

Easy Spring Rolls

Shred equal quantities carrot and daikon (you could get fancy with it and slice into matchsticks, but shredding is just fine) and mix with fresh cilantro. No salt, pepper or anything else. Wrap in rice paper rolls you've soaked for a few seconds, and lay on a plate of lettuce, then cover with a damp tea towel until ready to eat (which you may have done the rolling on - it can get sticky pretty fast). Choose your favourite Asian dipping sauce (peanut or chili work well), bottled or homemade, voila. Also nice with a stick of cucumber or a slice of avocado rolled in.

[Rex]

Oh I read that a lot too and many people eat it I am sure but I have only ever heard and seen it on tv. LOL. My spelling as usual is a bit off but here you go, a dhal recipe.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/bengali-dhal/

That's right - Trinidad is half Indian in population. I've never tried dhal before.

[Aimless]

On the eggplant. I'm intrigued to hear that you don't salt them either. I always see in recipes that salting eggplant is a must, but I never do it and have never had a problem, and nobody I know does it. What gives?

My biggest problem with eggplant is that it soaks up oil so quickly! I've heard that soaking pieces in ice cold water immediately after slicing will help with this, but I never remember this until my eggplant is already in the pot (and probably sticking to the bottom )

Glad to hear that others skip the salting routine. I'm thinking that the problems I've had with eggplant being tough and dry (or greasy even) have been a result of thinking I had to salt/drain. I didn't have a problem with the eggplant sticking in this recipe. For eggplant parmigiana, one technique to control the oil absorption is to make thin slices, brush them with oil, then broil.

[Artemis@BC]

Re: broccoli slaw, I've tried making it myself, figuring it would be a great way to use up stems when I have a recipe that calls for just the florets. Not a success. I tried it by hand, and using the food processor, but neither was anywhere near as good as the bagged broccoli slaw. Not really sure why ... but there you go.

Broccoli slaw is my fast food. It's great with just about any dressing (tho my favourites are sesame-soy or szechuan peanut), throw in some seeds or nuts, maybe some raisins or craisins ... and voila.

[Jenny]

a great way to use up stems when I have a recipe that calls for just the florets.

I actually quite like the stems

One of hubby's go-to weeknight meals, especially if he's on his own, is broccoli spaghetti. He puts frozen broccoli into the boiling water part way through the cooking of the pasta, then tosses the whole thing in olive oil, garlic and chili flakes that he's heated in a fry pan. Tops it with shredded old cheddar. He can eat buckets of it.

I like broccoli soup, and it's a good way to use up the parts of the broccoli you don't like or have too much of. I *finally* got an immersion blender recommended so highly by FSU foodies on a previous thread, and it's

I got a Breville, and it comes with a sort of food processor attachment that is SO handy and easier to clean/deal with than the regular food processor. Thank you FSU!

[Habs]

One of hubby's go-to weeknight meals, especially if he's on his own, is broccoli spaghetti. He puts frozen broccoli into the boiling water part way through the cooking of the pasta, then tosses the whole thing in olive oil, garlic and chili flakes that he's heated in a fry pan. Tops it with shredded old cheddar. He can eat buckets of it.

I remember you posting this way back in the day... and it's been one of my go-to meals ever since.

[Artemis@BC]

I actually quite like the stems

I do too for most recipes. There's just the odd one where florets only looks nicer (salads in particular).

Broccoli soup is a winter-time staple for me too -- and I can't imaging making it without an immersion blender. Also great for root vegetable soups -- carrot, yam, and/or squash.

[Kruss]

It's almost asparagus season - what are y'all's favorite ways of cooking asparagus?

I love this recipe. The only thing I changed is that I don't make the tarragon dressing, it's too strong of a flavor. Instead, I shake some mixed spices into the dish towards the end of the cooking process, and I also dash about a teaspoon of white vinegar into it.

[Jenny]

I remember you posting this way back in the day... and it's been one of my go-to meals ever since.

my post count is approaching 14,000, so I guess I've started repeating myself.

Broccoli soup is a winter-time staple for me too -- and I can't imaging making it without an immersion blender. Also great for root vegetable soups -- carrot, yam, and/or squash.

Hubby tried it on spaghetti sauce the other day and it was a revelation. In the past he's used the food processor, which is so clunky to get out of the cupboard, often leaks, and creates a pile of dishes that I'm the one to wash.

Seriously, this thing is AWESOME.

Instead, I shake some mixed spices into the dish towards the end of the cooking process, and I also dash about a teaspoon of white vinegar into it.

Speaking of mixed spices (and I've definitely mentioned this before, Habs ), Kruss I think you live in Chicago - you must go to this place: The Spice House.

I have sadly never been, but I mail order from them all the time - the quality is outstanding (I have never had cayenne pepper or garlic powder that packed so much punch), and they have some really great house blends that we always seem to be finding new uses for. Because of the cross border shipping, I end up paying pretty much double for everything, but IMO it's entirely worth it.

[mkats]

I bought a big block of mozzarella intending to make the salad I linked earlier, but instead I just sat there surfing FSU and ate the whole thing bite by bite

[sk8pics]

My immersion blender ranks right up there with my snowblower as one of the best purchases of my life. I will be using it to make curried sweet potato butternut squash soup tomorrow night. Two weeks ago I used it to make red potato cheese soup.

[Kruss]

Speaking of mixed spices (and I've definitely mentioned this before, Habs ), Kruss I think you live in Chicago - you must go to this place: The Spice House.

I have sadly never been, but I mail order from them all the time - the quality is outstanding (I have never had cayenne pepper or garlic powder that packed so much punch), and they have some really great house blends that we always seem to be finding new uses for. Because of the cross border shipping, I end up paying pretty much double for everything, but IMO it's entirely worth it.

Oooo, I've never heard of this place! I'll have to check it out. Thank you!

[Habs]

my post count is approaching 14,000, so I guess I've started repeating myself.

Obviously it was worth remembering.

Speaking of mixed spices (and I've definitely mentioned this before, Habs).

[Artemis@BC]

My immersion blender ranks right up there with my snowblower as one of the best purchases of my life. ...

LOL, I read that and immediately thought "Hmm, if one broke down, could you use the other for both jobs?"

[Jenny]

LOL, I read that and immediately thought "Hmm, if one broke down, could you use the other for both jobs?"

but not that far off - we use our regular blender so much that we actually do have a backup in case it breaks down at an inopportune time.

[sk8pics]

LOL, I read that and immediately thought "Hmm, if one broke down, could you use the other for both jobs?"