Cooking/Recipe Thread.

yup, I've definitely made some recipes that called for more than 1 tbsp. of mustard. (Part of my "more-is-more" flavoring aesthetic :biggrinbo.) usually when there's a lot of mustard, it calls for a mix of Dijon and grainy mustard. Although I agree that in a salad dressing, start with less mustard and add more to taste.
 
I've found that with potato and pasta salads you need a stronger dressing than you may think as once it has time to absorb into all that starch, the flavour can mellow considerably. I also find that once refrigerated and with time to absorb, the salad can also dry out so you need more than you might think when you first make it.
 
clairecloutier said:
yup, I've definitely made some recipes that called for more than 1 tbsp. of mustard. (Part of my "more-is-more" flavoring aesthetic :biggrinbo.) usually when there's a lot of mustard, it calls for a mix of Dijon and grainy mustard. Although I agree that in a salad dressing, start with less mustard and add more to taste.
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I share your flavoring aesthetic. Bring on the spice rack! (Especially with Indian food.)
 
This is amazing, if you grow your own tomatoes/basil, it'll be the best spaghetti sauce you've ever made:
https://youtu.be/NTpBBzAi9g0

I used cherry tomatoes and Roma, and tomato paste instead of the Tunisian chilli, and angel hair pasta, but it's still really good. Also very filling, and so much healthier than store-bought marinara. Who knew that Drew Barrymoore could make such a great homemade sauce for Ellen Degeneres?
 
This is probably my first post in this thread. ;) I am not much of a cook but I want to participate in a salsa making contest at work. I found a recipe for mango in allrecipes.com. I am thinking of making it the night before. The contest is next Thursday. Other recipes seemed like the standard salsa, and sometimes very hot. The mango salsa is quite sweet.
 
Vash01 said:
This is probably my first post in this thread. ;) I am not much of a cook but I want to participate in a salsa making contest at work. I found a recipe for mango in allrecipes.com. I am thinking of making it the night before. The contest is next Thursday. Other recipes seemed like the standard salsa, and sometimes very hot. The mango salsa is quite sweet.
Click to expand...

I love mango salsa!
 
So I had to make dinner for a couple we know who have unusual dietary restraints. One of them is a vegetarian; the other one eats meat & fish but does NOT eat wheat or dairy. I came up with the following menu & it seemed to go over pretty well, so I thought I'd share. (I like it a lot too, even though I'm not a vegetarian or vegan.)


Quinoa, Lentil, & Wild Rice Pilaf

1 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup wild rice, rinsed
1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
Salt
2.5 to 3 cups vegetable stock, boiling
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 yellow onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. grapeseed or other oil
2 tbsp butter (I used a coconut milk butter substitute)
1 tsp. turmeric
Black pepper
Plain yogurt (I also had coconut milk yogurt substitute for the non-dairy guest)

Cover raisins with hot water & let plump for at least a half hour. Drain and reserve.

Fill a pot halfway with water, bring to a boil. Add wild rice, lentils, and a pinch of salt. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour. Drain and reserve.

Put grapeseed oil and onion in pot. Saute over medium, to medium-high, heat until onions are lightly browned, about 15-20 min. Add garlic and raisins and cook for 2-3 min until heated through. Add quinoa and 1 tsp. salt; stir. Add boiling stock. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 20-30 min.

Add wild rice/lentil mix, turmeric, and black pepper. Stir. Then stir in butter (or butter substitute).

Pass plain yogurt (and/or yogurt substitute) as a topping for the pilaf.


Sauteed Cauliflower & Pecans

1 head cauliflower, cut into flowerets
1 cup pecans or walnuts
4 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
1/4 cup olive oil (or a bit more)

Roughly chop pecans/walnuts. Toast in 375-degree oven for about 5 min. (Stir once to prevent burning.)

Steam cauliflower until just slightly tender (not soft).

Put olive oil and garlic in large saute pan over medium heat. Saute garlic until it is light golden; don't let it burn. Remove garlic from pan (or you can leave in if you prefer). Add cauliflower and nuts to pan. Saute until lightly colored and to desired doneness. (You can turn up the heat to sear it just a bit if you want.)
 
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Red Red (African Stewed Black-eyed peas)
https://www.africanbites.com/red-redafrican-stewed-black-eyed-peas/ I made this tonight- I didn't have red oil so I used 1tbsp of canola and a little chicken broth to cook the onions - and this soup/stew is amazingly delicious. Super flavorful, smells so good even my picky husband had to come in a taste it. Because I'm low fat/low salt I made the beans without salt and used low sodium broth, and half a tbsp of bullion. All of those substitutions did not make it taste any less delicious.
 
annie720 said:
Thanks for the links! That shrimp dish looks pretty awesome. :)
Click to expand...

You're welcome. And yes, that shrimp dish is awesome!

I like making the sauce ahead of time and letting it sit for a bit before heating it up again to add the shrimp. That way, the tart/sour flavours of the kokum (the dried fruit rind the cook used in the video) become more pronounced.

For me, finding kokum was easy as I live near an Indian store. But apparently there are very close relatives of the kokum that can be used instead like goraka (it's Sri Lankan cousin), asam kandis (it's Indonesian cousin), gamboge, etc.
 
Another cuisine I'm really into now is Thai Muslim or Thai Halal food. It's not available where I live via any restaurants but foodie vlogger Mark Wiens absolutely loves this cuisine and his enthusiasm for it has made me want to try it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8U6pFIgzSI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRJ1w-MFRBI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seByECDiyQo

I did manage to find one recipe on youtube of one of their most popular dishes (khao mok gai or chicken biryani). Maybe this type of cuisine will eventually catch on in North America as it's amazing.

Khao Mok Gai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOlubczy9x4
 
gk_891 said:
For me, finding kokum was easy as I live near an Indian store. But apparently there are very close relatives of the kokum that can be used instead like goraka (it's Sri Lankan cousin), asam kandis (it's Indonesian cousin), gamboge, etc.
Click to expand...

I was going to make do with tamarind, which I have, then I remembered that I forgot to get curry leaves so I stopped at the Indian market and got some kokum as well. I'm too lazy to make the sauce ahead. Plus, my favorite Hallmark xmas movie is on. :) I'll start once my glass of wine is empty.
 
I don't know why I didn't think about this before now. My brother works for Southern Tire Mart and goes to Zwolle, Louisiana every Friday to deliver tires and pick up old tires from his customers. About once a month, he'll bring me a dozen of the famous Zwolle Tamales, and he brought me a dozen today. He always brings me the mild because the medium Tamales will literally make your eyes water. I never have tried the hot because I don't have the guts to try them!

This past October was the 42nd Annual Zwolle Hot Tamale Fiesta/Festival, and of there were all the Tamales you could possibly eat and want - mild, medium and hot.

I'm adding a link to the recipe for the Zwolle Hot Tamales, and it's a really good recipe. I've made them before, but it's much easier for my brother just to buy them while he's in Zwolle which is 28 miles south from where I live. lol!

Zwolle Hot Tamale Recipe
 
annie720 said:
I was going to make do with tamarind, which I have, then I remembered that I forgot to get curry leaves so I stopped at the Indian market and got some kokum as well. I'm too lazy to make the sauce ahead. Plus, my favorite Hallmark xmas movie is on. :) I'll start once my glass of wine is empty.
Click to expand...

Enjoy! Tamarind is great but it's not really interchangable with kokum. It has its own unique flavour.

And if you want more uses for the kokum that you've bought, here's a recipe for karwar fish curry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwx-bZf7__Q

I make mine slightly differently though than the chef in the video above does. I add less coriander seeds and but I also add some cumin, black pepper, and fennel (for the cumin and fennel though, I use the powder form since they won't blend in the blender). And I add less red chili peppers (the ones that she use are not very hot while the ones that I use are hotter).
 
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Simone411 said:
I don't know why I didn't think about this before now. My brother works for Southern Tire Mart and goes to Zwolle, Louisiana every Friday to deliver tires and pick up old tires from his customers. About once a month, he'll bring me a dozen of the famous Zwolle Tamales, and he brought me a dozen today. He always brings me the mild because the medium Tamales will literally make your eyes water. I never have tried the hot because I don't have the guts to try them!

This past October was the 42nd Annual Zwolle Hot Tamale Fiesta/Festival, and of there were all the Tamales you could possibly eat and want - mild, medium and hot.

I'm adding a link to the recipe for the Zwolle Hot Tamales, and it's a really good recipe. I've made them before, but it's much easier for my brother just to buy them while he's in Zwolle which is 28 miles south from where I live. lol!

Zwolle Hot Tamale Recipe
Click to expand...

Yeah, tamales are awesome. I've tried both Mexican (cooked in corn husks) and Salvadorean (cooked in plantain leaves) and both were super-tasty.
 
One of my favourite treats growing up was curried mangoes but I never quite learned how to make it right. LOL Here is a good recipe I found.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lsZN-czU1p0

ETA:
You could also put a bit of garlic in this recipe and substitute amchar masala for the black pepper. Oh yeah and you could also boil the mango pieces for a couple minutes before cooking. That way you don't have to use as much sugar.
 
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I just found this recipe in my bookmarks, you know, those pages you marked years ago and never looked at again. It sounds too good to be true but I am trying it anyway. I am a sucker for limited-ingredient "easy" recipes. I rarely bake so it better be easy. It looks decadent. I am making it tomorrow for Christmas Eve and Christmas and I refuse to feel guilty about all that chocolate, butter and sugar. Anyway, if I do feel guilty, I will have plenty of opportunity to repent what with three masses in two days (Advent 4 and Christmas Eve are on the same day for the first time I can remember-- so strange). I am ringing musical handbells at both the Christmas masses so all my cooking will be easy (I hope!) and done tomorrow.
http://www.kevinandamanda.com/dark-chocolate-salted-caramel-oreo-pie/
 
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