Some potato dishes could easily be a meal in and of themselves. I'm sure I'm not alone in having been perfectly happy with a big bowl of mash and some tea for dinner on a cold winter night. These potatoes, however, probably wouldn't work so well for that. These seem to definitively be a side dish---which isn't a bad thing, mind; merely an observation (and one which you may, of course, choose to ignore at your leisure).
Additionally, this recipe leaves the potato skins on. Always an issue of hot debate, that---so let me come out here and now in saying that I tend to like skins left on in most applications; including in mashed potatoes. Extra creaminess isn't bad, necessarily---but I like the texture of the skins, as well as the distinct impression that no, I'm not eating baby food. (Baby food being well and good, of course; just generally not in my meal plan unless it's that lovely pudding that feels so nice when I've got a particularly nasty sore throat. :) )
There are loads of variants on this, but I like this combination, and the fact that it tosses together quite easily and quickly and once it's popped in the oven, you can forget about it and do something else. Make a main dish, f'rinstance.
TIME REQUIRED: mmm...i'd say 45 minutes-1 hour, about.
INGREDIENTS:
* Quite a bunch of smallish potatoes; your mileage will vary depending on the size you choose. Large ones would probably work okay, but I personally like smaller ones better. New potatoes work nicely; I like the kind with red skins.
* 1 c. freshly grated parmesan, plus more if you'd rather
* A bit of fresh parsley to taste (or the dried, flaked variety, if you'd like)
* 1 tbsp. coarse kosher salt, plus more if you'd prefer
* 2 tsp. paprika
* 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (other fairly neutral cooking oil would work too, but I like olive oil best in this application. Melted butter could also work if you'd rather. Experiment and see what you like!)
PREPARATION
Preheat your oven to 450 F before doing anything else.
Next, scrub your potatoes nice and clean under cold running water. Chop roughly, into manageable bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl and ignore.
If your parmesan is still in wedge form, grate into another bowl; if already grated, dump into smaller bowl. Add parsley, salt, and paprika. Mix together thoroughly with a fork or similar utensil.
Sprinkle 2 tbsp. (or thereabouts) of oil/butter over the potatoes. Mix them around in the oil with your hands, until the oil is evenly distributed. Sprinkle the parmesan mixture into the potatoes and mix thoroughly with your hands, until the potatoes are reasonably evenly coated.
Next, either use some aluminum foil and a cookie sheet or a glass baking dish big enough to handle a fairly thin layer of potatoes; apply a thin layer of nonstick cooking spray (or other greasing method of your choice). Spread potatoes out evenly on the surface.
Pop into oven for approximately 15 minutes; mix the potatoes around and replace in oven for 10-15 minutes more. They're done when you can stick a fork tine or toothpick in them and feel that they're tender.
Serve hot (but not too hot); enjoy! Leftovers should reheat quite well if you're patient. This recipe should provide around 4-6 servings.
(taken from this entry over at HSL.)
inspired by Sarah, i'll now post up our favourite soup to have in the winter. which we in fact have been eating almost this entire time---this is the one i mentioned a few days ago, that i think i could make in my sleep. but it's so good. particularly with Hawaiian bread, although i think it'd be great if i made some more of that Swedish wrist-breaking rye i made awhile ago, carved bowls out of it, and served the soup that way. ought to try it. num, rye.
anyway, before we begin, i'm not hardcore enough that i make my own broth on a regular basis. as a matter of fact, this is another thing i haven't yet done---not because i don't want to, but more because i just haven't had the requisite time. so. if you're against canned broths, you may want to substitute one of your own devising---it'll probably be even better that way. and the other beautiful thing about this is, it's easily made vegetarian---just make sure to use a vegetable broth and you're set!
right, then. this makes a gigantic pot of soup---enough to feed the two of us for about a week, give or take. you can freeze it, too. all measurements for cream and spices are approximate, as i never use measuring implements when making this soup. as always, tweak to your taste!
TIME REQUIRED: 1.5-2 hours, or longer if you'd like.
INGREDIENTS
* 1 49 oz. can of chicken or vegetable broth (we tend to use Swanson's Natural Goodness chicken broth; 100% fat free and a whole lot less sodium than most other commercially available broths)
* 5 lbs. of potatoes (small ones cook faster, but it doesn't matter too much)
* 16 oz. package of frozen broccoli
* 1/2 to 1 c. cream (can be heavy or light, depending on your taste)
* 8 oz. cheddar cheese (sharpness up to your delectation)
* 4-6 bay leaves (depending on size and your taste)
* coarse kosher salt, celery salt, and garlic salt to taste
* corn starch as needed
DIRECTIONS
In an 8 quart pot (with lid), place the potatoes and water enough to cover them. Bring to a boil and keep cooking for 45 minutes to an hour (or more, if you're doing other things while waiting---just make sure to turn the heat down if you choose to leave them cooking longer). Place the pot of water and potatoes in the sink and run cold water over them until the potatoes are cool enough for you to hold comfortably in your hands; drain. Peel the potatoes and chop roughly into smaller chunks; size of chunks does not matter.
While you're peeling the potatoes, microwave the frozen broccoli (make sure to add a little water before doing so). Place the chopped potatoes and the broccoli back in the 8 quart pot. Pour the entire 49 oz. can of broth into the pot. Add bay leaves and seasonings; return to stove. Bring to a boil once more and then moderate heat so that it remains fairly high, but does not cause your soup to boil over. Place lid on pot and ignore for 20 minutes.
Check on the soup occasionally to see how tender the broccoli and potatoes have gotten. Grab your potato masher and mash everything in the pot; once everything has mashed into a satisfying gooey (and slightly greenish, from all the broccoli) mass, you're ready for the next step.
Pour cream into the soup, stirring all the while. Observe changes in the soup; when it's reached the right amount of creaminess in colour, stop adding cream. (The 5 lbs. of potatoes should make it easy for you to use less cream, as they add a lovely creamy texture on their own once they're mashed into oblivion.) If using shredded cheese, sprinkle into the soup while continuing to stir. If using block cheese, cut the block into smaller pieces and place in the soup; lid and ignore for at least 5 minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
Once the cheese has melted enough, stir into the soup. Continue stirring until cheese has liquefied and has successfully integrated itself into the soup.
Observe consistency. If the soup is not thick and creamy enough, put a bit of corn starch into your sifter and slowly sift a little in at a time, stirring all the while to prevent lumps. Stop once it's reached your desired level of thickness.
Ladle into bowls and serve! Your favourite bread would be lovely to dip in this, too! Or serve in bread bowls!
(originally taken from this entry at HSL.)
most of the people i know who are reading this enjoy food, to some extent. and likewise, most of the people i know who are reading this know that i enjoy food a great deal; preparing it, enjoying the smell of it, serving it to others---and eating it, of course.
i also enjoy learning about it, and growing it, and in general finding out all i can about different aspects of it that interest me---in much the same way i end up doing exhaustive and obsessive research into most things i enjoy to any great degree. so, y'know, food geekery. ^^
it seems very likely to me that food is probably as reliable an arbiter of truth as one is likely to find. things political, artistic, spiritual, supernatural, scientific, social---everything can be told in fairly vivid detail through food. while various institutions and individuals may continuously alter various histories concerning people and places and things---it doesn't seem like much thought is ever given to altering mentions of food. food is overlooked as incidental and superfluous---and this is what protects it from such alteration. (i could of course be entirely wrong about this; need to do further research. ^^) but it seems that food, if not entirely truthful, will at the very least be able to tell more about more things with more accuracy than most other historical texts will. one might have an opinion of the food, but the food itself is impartial.
that being said rather awkwardly, probably one of my personal biggest comfort foods is pad-siew. my mom used to make it a lot when i was little, amongst the other things passed down in her family; my dad had taught her to cook it and a handful of other Thai dishes a few years before i was born.
of course, it had to be adapted in order to be made in an American kitchen, particularly at that time. there are of course a whole slew of more authentic options which are fairly widely available now, and thusly much less of a need to substitute ingredients. but still, the thing that's particularly interesting about the Thai approach to cooking is that the philosophy is very adaptable; it uses what's around. it takes other methods of cooking, pulls them into itself, and comes back with something entirely different, and uniquely its own. curry is an excellent example---of course, Thai curries are famous. but so are the Indian curries which made their way to Thailand, which Thai cooks learned from and adapted to their own ends, thusly creating something new, and something uniquely Thai in character.
so the question arises---when is something truly "bastardised"? i don't think adaptation is bastardisation; i think that it's necessary. authenticity is more about the spirit of a cuisine than it is about specific ingredients, barring certain exceptions that become obvious with each instance. a landlocked area is generally not going to be known for its great sea-life-based culinary creations. is it bastardisation if they observe techniques from an island town, adapt them to their needs, and dress their poultry/meat/tofu/vegetables/roots/etc. in it? i really don't think so. of course, this means it's different than what one would get if one travelled to that island town, but that's to be expected. civilisations throughout history haven't all been eating the same thing; there are certainly regional differences to take into account, and even within those, families. generations. individuals. it's not bastardisation; it's variation. according to constraints of ingredient availability, personal preference, and the palates of those who you're serving (and not to mention time and cooking for oneself vs. cooking for multiple people, i.e. CupNoodle vs. something requiring more effort XD).
so complaints regarding bastardisation baffle me---unless it's the spirit of the thing which has been violated. the art of cooking is not one of ingredients; it's of spirit, it's of willingness to adventure into territories unknown. cooking isn't boring at all if you do it right.
all my babbling aside, here's a couple of interesting things i've run across in cursory fits of Googling; haven't gone too far into either, but they do look quite interesting:
and finally, getting back to Thai food---i also found this book, which i desperately need. if it's half the things it describes, i'm quite happily sold. o.o;;;
in conclusion, i'll offer a quick & easy recipe for super-ghetto Thai-style curry. if you've got a few ingredients around, you can pull this together in about as much time as it takes to do a stovetop packet of instant ramen (and i specify stovetop because it's quite obvious that you could microwave it much faster, smartass XD). quick and good, and you can make it as hot or not as you'd like.
TIME REQUIRED: 20-30 minutes, give or take.
INGREDIENTS:
* bit of neutral cooking oil for your skillet
* 1 breast of chicken per person you're cooking for (or shredded beef, or shrimp, or tofu---whatever you'd like)
* variety of frozen veggies. i like bell peppers, peas, corn, squash, okra, onions, mushrooms---most vegetables taste wonderful in curry. broccoli, cauliflower---really, it's up to you! mmm, pea pods!
* curry paste (store-bought or homemade; colour and degree of spicyness up to your delectation---the store-bought ones aren't bad. just make sure to refrigerate them. ^^)
* 1 can of coconut milk (hrrm, can't recall the ounceage on this. a small can, definitely. more if you're doing this for more than just yourself, though. in a pinch, you can substitute cream of coconut mixed with regular cow's milk if necessary. or just use regular cow's milk, although obviously the coconutty elements will be missing.)
* dash of fish sauce (store-bought or homemade; again, your choice---although really, if you're making your own curry paste and your own fish sauce, you probably have no need to read this recipe. XD)
* minced garlic (optional)
* fresh basil (optional)
* the rice of your choice to serve this over (leftover rice makes this even faster, but fresh is always good!)
PREPARATION:
I adore frozen boxes of chicken breasts. They're insanely handy. This is where having a microwave comes in handy---defrosting. One can throw together a meal involving chicken in a matter of moments, and the frozen box lasts for ages; you can use the chicken as you need it, not waste any, and have some always at hand. Frozen shrimp is good this way too---in fact, most familiar protein-laced centerpieces of meals freeze fairly well. Anyrate, if your chicken/meat/tofu is frozen, defrost it before beginning this recipe. Also, if you don't happen to have leftover rice sitting around, you might want to start cooking it before you do anything else. (and if you've got a rice cooker, so much the better!)
Heat a large skillet on med-high heat. If you're using chicken, beef, or tofu that needs cutting into smaller bits, cut it while you're waiting for the pan to heat. Once it's hot, add only enough cooking oil that it puts a nice, thin coating across the bottom of the pan (or less, if using nonstick cookware). Add garlic if you're using it. Add chicken/beef/shrimp. and lid skillet for a few minutes; stir occasionally until browned (or pinked, in the case of the shrimp). If you're using tofu, ignore all that and skip to the next step.
Add coconut milk (or cream of coconut/milk mixture) and curry paste to taste. (start out with a very little bit of curry paste if you're not familiar with it; you can always add more, but you can't really remove it if you've added too much!) Stir until curry/milk mixture is uniform in colour and all paste chunks have been dissolved. Add frozen vegetables. Lid again; allow to simmer for awhile. Turn down heat if necessary; in any case, stir occasionally. If using tofu, add it in and lid the skillet again.
Add just a splash of fish sauce towards the end of cooking; if you're using the fresh basil (and here, it must be fresh---dried basil doesn't do much for it and so i wouldn't even bother if that's all i had here, really), shred it by hand into the skillet and mix in just before you dish the curry onto your rice. If you're using leftover rice, throw that into the skillet with the curry for the last few minutes to heat up. Otherwise, dish the curry onto your rice and enjoy!
(originally taken from this entry at HSL.)
Seriously, this is yet another time where I find it difficult to believe prepackaged mixes for these things exist---this is hands down one of the easiest, quickest things I've made outside of standard chocolate chip cookies. The odds are that they'll turn out brilliantly the very first time you make them, and you'll thusly have the recipe permanently embedded in your brain after having experienced such a rush (ahem). And then you'll want to share with all your friends, etc, etc.
TIME REQUIRED: Approximately 25 minutes. You could very easily throw these together at a moment's notice, provided you've got the ingredients in your house.
INGREDIENTS
* 2 c. all-purpose or cake flour (cake flour will make them lighter and fluffier, but all-purpose works well, too)
* 1 tsp. baking soda
* 3 tsp. baking powder
* 4 tbsp. butter (you can use more or less as you like, but this is a pretty optimal amount)
* just under 1 c. buttermilk (you can easily find powdered buttermilk in the baking goods aisle of your local supermarket; this stuff is brilliant because you can keep it for nigh on forever in your fridge and mix up exactly the amount of buttermilk you need, whenever you need it!)
PREPARATION
Preheat your oven to 450ºF. Next, mix together all dry ingredients thoroughly. Cut butter into small pieces and add to dry ingredients; use your hands to work flour and butter in together until butter is thoroughly incorporated into flour mixture (this is similar to making a pie crust, actually).
Add buttermilk to mixture, stirring just until everything is mixed together pretty thoroughly. Form into a rough ball; the dough should be slightly sticky, but if it's too much so, add a tiny bit more flour. If it's too dry (which it won't be), add a tiny bit of water.
Plop that dough ball down on your chosen lightly-floured work surface (countertop, pastry board, etc.) and mush it down into a flat, semi-rectangular shape; do not handle more than is absolutely necessary so that biscuits will be light and fluffy. Stop when the dough reaches a thickness of approximately 3/4-1".
Use a biscuit cutter or handy drinking glass (or cookie cutter, if you'd like star-shapes, etc.) and cut out biscuits. Once you've gotten as many biscuits out of the dough as you can in its present shape, mush the remaining dough back together and continue cutting biscuits until there's no more dough left. Place biscuits on ungreased cookie sheet(s); there should be at least 10 of them, unless you've chosen to make them in a particularly gigantic shape.
Bake for 7-10 minutes (depending on your oven) , or until they've browned quite nicely. Serve and eat as soon as possible after baking for best taste; if you must store leftovers, I wouldn't advise refrigerating as they'll get quite hard.
(originally taken from an entry over at HSL)
last night, i finished off making this week's giant pot o' soup. i'd started it the night before, quite optimistic that i'd get it done in one night (and especially since i'd gotten home early!), but alas, it was not to be. this one takes awhile, but most of it's time you can pretty much ignore it and do something else for, so it's really not so bad. it's a very simple recipe, and it's also quite healthy and very cheap---what could be better?
TIME REQUIRED: Either 1.5 hours or overnight for soaking the peas; your choice. The soup itself will take probably a good 2-3 hours to get to the nice creamy consistency you want, but again---you can ignore it while it simmers away peacefully; it only needs stirring once in awhile. Also, this recipe isn't kidding when it claims to be a giant pot of soup---it'll last the two of us a week, or thereabouts. Divide or multiply to obtain the amount you'd like.
INGREDIENTS
* 2 1 lb. bags of yellow (or green) split peas
* 1 large onion (sweet works well here)
* 3 or so stalks of celery
* as many carrots as you feel necessary
* 58 oz. (or thereabouts) of broth of your choice; for the one i made last night, i used beef broth. of the Swanson's 99% fat free/low sodium kind.)
* coarse kosher salt to taste
* a few bay leaves
* sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
PREPARATION
If you've never worked with dried peas (or beans) before, don't worry---it's really not very difficult.
DEALING WITH THE PEAS
The first thing you want to do is sort through the peas, removing any small stones or anything else that doesn't look like it belongs.
Next, you've got two options for soaking the peas. Option one: Place them in a big pot, add a whole bunch of water (I'd say it's not possible to use too much, really; just make sure there's quite a bit more than is necessary to cover the peas), and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit undisturbed for an hour. Drain; sort again (if you'd like), rinse, place once more in pot for the actual soup-making.
Option two: Throw the sorted peas into a big pot of water and let soak overnight (or at least 3-4 hours). Drain; sort again (if you'd like), rince, and place once more in pot for the actual soup-making.
Chop the carrots, celery, and onion into smallish chunks and add to pot of peas. Add broth, kosher salt, and bay leaves; turn stove on to moderately high heat; lid pot. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it reaches a boil, turn heat down just enough so that danger of boiling over is averted; allow to simmer (still lidded), stirring occasionally, until the peas have softened and begun to disintegrate into proper pea-soupiness. If soup is not thick enough, sift in some corn starch and stir vigorously. This will probably take 2 to 3 hours.
Serve hot; enjoy! this goes well with these buttermilk biscuits, too!