the Old Granny thread

[Junes]

I've tried the mafé; it's really good!

Two comments though. One, it's a bit lacking in substance; I suggest adding cashew nuts and a boiled egg on the side. Two, I wouldn't add that much water only to simmer it away, you lose so much of the taste that way.

[prickly pear]

I've tried the mafé; it's really good!

Two comments though. One, it's a bit lacking in substance; I suggest adding cashew nuts and a boiled egg on the side. Two, I wouldn't add that much water only to simmer it away, you lose so much of the taste that way.

Thanks.

And duly noted on your recommendations. I guess, then less water should be used.

I use peanut butter that has crushed peanuts in it, gives it some crunch and a little more substance. Sometimes I also add shredded cabbage.

[TzirTzi]

I have a mango which I want to put in a curry this evening. Has anyone any experience with cooking with mango in savoury foods?

If not, then I'll just experiment and see what happens . (It's 5pm already here, so I'm probably asking this rather too late to be likely to get an answer in time!)

[TomHChappell]

.

[Gulliver]

The Seitan Thing That I just Made That Was Really Quite Nice

Uno Make seitan from 400g strong flour (which was all I had).
Dos Knead in a generous sprinkling of dry soya mince, lentils, nutritional yeast, bouillon powder, soy sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, curry powder and whatever else I put in. Oh, pepper.
Tres Knead some more. And I mean really knead, not mix.
Quatro Keep kneadin'.
Cinco Roll into a lump, trying to get the gluten strands lengthways.
Six-o Oil up a long bit of foil. 40cm or something. I used the leftover oil at the bottom of a jar of sundried tomatoes. Use as much as you want, it'll mostly run out in the cooking.
Seven-o Roll it in the foil, stretching it out as long as you can without loosing interest.
Oche Roll into a coil. A coil of foil.
Nine-o Steam for 45 minutes.
Ten I served this with sauté-ed asparagus, mushrooms and okra, and a tomato salad. Nom.


Chocolate Truffaux (vegan truffles)

3 heaped tablespoons riceflour
1 1/5 heaped tablespoons icing sugar
2 heaped tablespoons cocoa
1 heaped tablespoon dessicated coconut
pinch chilli (think depth of flavour, not hot-hot-hot)
2 tablespoons orange juice
3-5 tablespoons soy milk
more coconut to roll them in to make them look pretty

One Mix until it looks like you're mixing poo, adding more soy milk as needed.
Deux Microwave for about a minute, covered (I mix and cook it in a plastic takeaway container)
Trois If solid enough to do so, roll into little walnut sized balls, and roll in coconut.

Serve with icecream and raisins to provide fibre so you don't get constipated from the seitan.

NOM

[Radius Solis]

Of course any time an experiment goes well, I have to come here and report it, so...

Chocolate Mousse made easy

It's not a perfect rendition of chocolate mousse, but proper mousse is such a hassle to make that this more approachable recipe might find some use. It tastes just as good, it just doesn't have quite the same pudding-y quality of mousse. I've made it twice now and it worked great both times.

1. Put one cup of semisweet chocolate chips in a saucepan and melt. (Use the lowest burner setting and stir a lot. Remove from heat when half-melted and accomplish the rest by stirring, or the chocolate will get runny or even separate, which would be Bad.)

2. Pour one cup of heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl. Using an electric beater, whip the bloody hell out of it until the froth is stiff enough to hold its shape. This takes a few minutes.

3. Put a quarter cup of powdered sugar into the mixing bowl, and half* the melted chocolate, and beat until blended. Put the rest of the chocolate into the mixing bowl and repeat. (A spatula is helpful for getting it all out of the pan.)

4. Cover bowl (e.g. saran wrap) and refrigerate for a couple hours, or until it has set up to the desired degree.

5. Eat it.




*Ideally it should probably be added in thirds or quarters or even fifths, but who has that kind of patience?

[Radius Solis]

Oh, and while we're at it...

Feta Meze

There aren't very many recipes for feta dip online, as I found when I went looking some months back. But I did manage to find one that someone had posted to a bulletin board somewhere, and I've since adapted it. So here it is.

1. Into a blender, put:
- 1/3 cup milk
- a tablespoon of olive oil
- a tablespoon of either lemon juice or balsamic vinegar

Blend until blended.

2. Add 8 ounces crumbled feta, and blend. If it's too thick to blend well, add a little milk and try again.

3. Crush a clove of garlic into the blender, and herbs/spices. Such as black pepper, paprika, or basil. Or all of the above. Toss in a teaspoon of flour, it adds stability.

4. Blend on highest setting until it is completely smooth - it should have a thick but pourable consistency, comparable to creamy salad dressings. Pour it into some sort of bowl that can be covered tightly.

Viola!


HOW TO EAT IT:
It's dip. For the most authentic experience, the vehicle should be warmed pita, cut into wedges. Or just use crackers, or rabbit food, or anything else you might want a dip with. It can also serve as a salad dressing.

It keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days, but may separate a bit. If that happens, just stir it back together.

[Salmoneus]

The best chocolate mousse has three key features:

- it isn't sweet - at least, not very sweet. It's mostly bitter - this lets the chocolate taste show through.
- it's served with sweetened cream. This counterbalances the bitterness, making it edible. The contrast creates an interesting frisson.
- it contains cointreau (sp?) or equivalent. Not enough to make it 'Orange Chocolate', but just enough to add a fruity tone, a little sweetness, and an alcoholic bite.

[the duke of nuke]

My parents got divorced a year and a half ago and since then I've laearned how to cook.
Here's my contribution to the lesson.

NOT REALLY A SATAY

Ingredients:
Chicken breast meat (at least 300g)
Onions (at least one)
Vegetables (carrots and baby sweetcorn are best, and mange tout peas are good, but most vegetables will do)
Peanut butter (usually smooth; half a jar is plenty)
Light soy sauce
Oil
Spices
Brown sugar (about 2 tbsp)

1. Chop the vegetables and onions.
2. Put a little oil into a frying pan or wok and put it on high heat. Add the onions and put a couple of tablespoons full on top. Fry until caramelised.
3. Add the chicken to the pan and turn the head down a little. Break it up into bite-sized pieces. Cook until golden brown.
4. Turn down to a medium heat and add the vegetables and some soy sauce. Put the lid on and leave to simmer.
5. When the vegetables are cooked reasonably well, add a generous dollop of peanut butter, and season to taste with any spices you have to hand. Stir.
6. Once the peanut butter is melted, serve it up!

I'm going to be making this on Sunday as part of an ongoing cook-off with my college fiancée, and one of the victims will be her Singaporean friend Lynn. We can only hope that it's deemed acceptable.

[Dewrad]

OK, by request, here's a recipe for green tea, white chocolate and pomegranate mousse. It's taken directly from my notebook and is designed to make about 25 or so servings: you might want to scale it down a bit.

You will need:

20 eggs, separated.
1 kilo good-quality white chocolate.
250 g caster sugar
1200 ml double cream
60 g gelatine (about twelve or so sheets?)
4 ripe pomegranates
3 green tea bags.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
about 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
500 ml water

The end result of this is a dessert with three layers, and as such needs three separate mousses to be made. In the description that follows, I've consolidated the making of all three, to cut down on repetition. However, you should make the chocolate one first, then the green tea one and finally the pomegranate one.

Take 600 ml of the double cream and scald it (bring it just to the boil and then take it off the heat), and then drop in your green tea bags. Leave to cool and infuse for about an hour. Infuse the remaining green tea bag in about 300 ml of boiling water, and leave to cool.

Take your green tea infused cream and whip it until it forms soft peaks. Take the uninfused cream and do likewise, gently folding in the flesh and seeds of two of the pomegranates.

Add half the seeds/flesh of another pomegranate and 50g sugar to 200ml hot water.

Soak three of the gelatine sheets in cold water for about five minutes, and then squeeze them out. Do the same with the other three, but keep them separate.

Dissolve half the gelatine into the cold green tea, and half into the pomegranate-water mix. Leave for about half an hour to thicken.

Gently fold the tea-infused whipped cream into the green tea and gelatine mix, and the whipped cream with pomegranates into the pomegranate and gelatine mix. Don't add it all at once, start with just a couple of tablespoons. Beat eight egg whites until very stiff peaks are formed. Gently fold half into each mixture, again starting with just a couple of tablespoons.

Take your chocolate, break it into small chunks and melt it in a bain marie (or a microwave, works just as well). Wait for it to cool a bit, so it doesn't cook the eggs that we're going to add in a second. To this add twelve egg yolks, a dash of vanilla extract, the sugar and the melted butter. Mix together gently. Beat the remaining 12 egg whites until stiff peaks are formed and then fold this gently into the chocolate mix.

Now, assuming you've followed the instructions to the letter up to this point, you're going to hate me. Go back and read the first paragraph.

Take about 26 coupes (large wineglasses work excellently for this), and fill each one about a third full with the chocolate mousse. Chill for about 2 hours while you make the green tea mousse. Then pour the green tea mousse over your set chocolate mousse, so the glass is about 2/3 full. Chill again for 2 hours or so. Make the pomegranate mousse, use it to fill the glasses, and chill the whole lot for a further two hours.

At service, spoon a little of the remaining pomegranate seeds on top and decorate with a dark chocolate cigarette, or a few curls of white and dark chocolates.

[Dewrad]

For those looking for something a little less industrial in scope, below is what I've done myself for dinner tonight:

Leek, cabagge and mushroom galette with smoked pancetta

This is largely inspired by this recipe from SmittenKitchen.com (it's a great site. If you're into food, check it out.), although only in outline. Her method for making pastry is rather too fussy for my taste, with freezing the flour and so on, so I've just used a modified version of my standard pâte brisée recipe.

You will need (makes two servings):

For the pastry:

200g plain flour (spelt flour makes an interesting substitution here)
200g butter, straight from the refrigerator
100 ml cold water
100 ml crème fraîche (or sour cream)
pinch of salt
teaspoon lime juice

Mix together the dry ingredients in a cold bowl- don't bother sieving the flour unless it's obscenely lumpy. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the flour. Rub the butter into the flour until the whole mass looks like fairly large breadcumbs. If you have a pastry cutter or a food processor, for god's sake use that: I don't and I forget how much of a bitch cold butter is to work into flour without mechanical aids.

Mix the remaining wet ingredients together in a jug. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add half the water-crème fraîche mixture and mix in with the flour. Add the rest and mix until the dough forms a ball. Do not over-work the dough, otherwise your finished product will be tough and chewy. Leave to rest in the fridge while you make the filling.

For the filling, you will need:

1/4 of a head of green cabbage
1 leek
about 100g chestnut mushrooms
1 shallot
1 clove garlic

Slice the leek and cabbage roughly. Slice the mushrooms finely and dice the shallot. Crush the garlic. Fry the garlic, mushrooms and shallot over a medium heat in olive oil until the shallot is softened. Add the leek and cabbage and cook over a low heat until softened. Take off the heat and allow to cool.

To assemble the galette, you will need:

4 rashers thinly-sliced smoked pancetta
a generous amount of grated parmesan

Preheat your overn to 200C, or equivalent.

Take a nine inch flan tin and grease it with butter. On a floured surface, roll out your pastry dough into a large circle, about three or four inches wider than your tin. Gently ease the big disk into the tin, leaving the edges hanging over the sides. Spread the filling over the pastry. Arrange your pancetta rashers over the top of this and then sprinkle over your parmesan. Fold the loose ends of the pastry over the filling: you should have a gap in the middle. Your finished product should look something like this.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden.

I'm currently waiting for this to cook, and when it's finished, I'm going to serve it with a pea and edamme salad, for which you will need:

100g green peas
100g edamme (green soy beans)
a few shredded mint leaves
a handful of rocket leaves

Boil the peas and edamme until tender and then leave to cool. Drain and toss through the rocket and mint leaves.

For the dressing mix together:

75ml sour cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
50g parmesan, grated
20ml cider vinegar
teaspoon lime juice

And pour it all over the salad.

[prickly pear]

Curry Rarebit

Last Friday, after a long week of work and school, my buddy and I were blessing some trees when we got mad munchies. So, in my altered state, I searched through the fridge and pantry and came up with recipe for curry rarebit.

Ingredients

* Saucepan 1
* Toaster 1

*Toasted bread 2 slices, cubed

* Butter 1 Tbs
* Olive oil 1 Tbs
* Flour 2 Tbs
* Milk 1 cup
* Ale 1/2 cup
(Use something malty with low bitterness, because dry and bitter flavors concentrate when cooking. May I suggest Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale, though I used Sam Adam's, which is a lager, because it was on hand)
* Cheese 4 oz or approx 4~5 slices, cubed
(I used muenster because it's what I had, but you can use cheddar, jack, colby, or provolone)

* Onion 1/4 of whole, minced
* Garlic 1 clove, minced

* Prepared mustard 1 tps
* Worcestershire sauce to taste
* Tumeric 1/4 tps
* Curry 1/2 tps
* Black pepper 1/4 tps
* Chili powder or cayenne pepper to taste
* Salt to taste

Step 1: Heat the pan and add butter. Once all the butter has melted, add the olive oil. Then add the minced onion and garlic, a pinch of salt over them, and sweat them until the onions are translucent.

Step 2: Add the flour and stir until it has completely integrated into the fat. Now add the milk and bring to a simmer.

Step 3: Add the cheese, a little at a time. Once it has fully melted, add the mustard, wocestershire, and spices.

Step 4: Let this reduce and thicken until it reaches nappe. Do not reduce any more or the cheese will start to clump up.

Step 5: Pour over toast cubes. You want to stir this a bit, so it almost becomes a cheese pudding.

Serve.

[Radius Solis]

FWIW, tonight I made this:

(picture is a link)

And it was fantastic. The three-hour prep time was rather hefty, but then it's bread, after all. And so, so worth it.

[Io]

For the crust:
300g flour
150g butter
2 eggs
pinch of salt

This is pretty straightforward, just mix everything together and knead the dough, I didn't melt the butter and I beat up the eggs with 2 spoons of water before adding them.

Heat up the oven to about 250°C, put it in the pan and puncture the dough on many plces in order not to rise up (too much, I should add, mine rose up despite the punctures). Bake it until it becomes light brown.

Then you add the filling which is:

400g spinach
1 average zucchini
200g leek
200g white cheese (feta)
3 eggs
100 ml cream
nutmeg and salt

I had a bit of trouble after I put the filling because it became too watery (I had to literally scoop out the liquid eventually), I would advise after you chop up the spinach to stir fry it a bit in a teflon pan but without oil in order for the water to evaporate from it, you can also choose some different cheese, our white cheese is a bit watery, I don't know what's on the market where you are.

Maybe you should also scale down on the leek or omit it altogether if you don't like it that much.

When the filling became ready too I grated some Bulgarian yellow cheese on top of it, use whatever cheese melts nicely and becomes golden brown like that.

Later when I was eating I thought fresh spearmint would have been nice, I think it goes well with leek, just an idea.

[Gulliver]

Chocolate Orgasmo-cake

Serves 4-8 (we all had seconds, but you could easily get 8 slices out of this, it's very rich).

(When I say cups, I mean I grabbed a glass and just went for it. The American standard cup measurement is fairly meaningless to me)

2-3 cups plain flour
1 cup coconut milk
1 table spoon marmalade
3 tablespoons cocoa
1-1.5 cups sugar (I tend to use agave syrup or fructose, not sugar so use your brain and common sense)
1 tablespoon Camp coffee (coffee and chicory essence stuff - sub with a shot of espresso)
1/4 teaspoon ground chilli (not chilli powder mix, you don't want the garlic and cumin and stuff)
1 tablespoon psyllium husks (or 1 mashed banana, or 1 egg if you're a heathen)
1/5 cup oil

MIX!

Pour into a greased cake tin and cook on 180 for about 25 mins, or until a knife comes out clean.

Pop out and serve hot or cold.

The marmalade adds a fruitiness and a tartness, as well as keeping it really moist. The coffee and chilli add texture to the taste.

My friends reviewed this as "awesome".

(I am partly posting this so this thread doesn't get lost, but this cake will make you jizz).

EDIT: I kept typing capital I instead of 1 because I am a halfwit.

[Ink]

Parsley cornbread pancakes w/ tomato relish and cream cheese:

This recipe is somewhat lacking in sophistication compared to the things others have posted, but it was quick, simple, and the result was quite tasty.

1/3 cup Bisquick
2/3 cup Jiffy corn muffin mix
1/2 cup milk, or however much you need to get a desirable batter consistency
1 egg
1 green onion, minced
3 tbsp parsley, minced
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1 medium-sized tomato
1-2 tsp lemon juice
plain cream cheese (sour cream might also work well, though I haven't tried it myself)

1. Combine Bisquick and muffin mix in a bowl. Beat the egg and the milk together, then slowly combine it with the dry ingredients. Presto! Basic pancake batter.

2. Add the green onion, 2 tbsp of the parsley, and the garlic. Grease a frying pan with no-stick spray and make pancakes.

3. While you cook the pancakes, seed and dice the tomato. Toss it with the lemon juice and remaining parsley.

4. When the pancakes are done, spread a very thin layer of cream cheese on each one and top with a spoonful of the tomato relish.

5. Serve and enjoy.

Notes:
-The measurements are estimates; I threw this dish together on the fly and pretty much just eyeballed everything.
-I found that a little cream cheese goes a long way - the flavor is fairly strong compared to the pancakes.
-You can slice the pancakes into pieces and top each one individually for some rather nice-looking appetizers.

[Gulliver]

Raspberry and Mango Cheeseless Cheesecake

Ingredienti:
- 2 small apples, cored and peeled
- half a giant mango, or a whole normal mango
- two cups of frozen raspberries
- juice of one lime
- half a cup of porridge oats
- a cup of almond flour
- a cup of almonds
- a cup of melted coconut oil
- a teaspoon of cinnamon
- a hefty squirt of maple syrup

In a blender, blend 1 apple, the cashews and the rest of the fruit, and half the melted coconut oil.

In a bowl, mix the oats, the almond flour, the syrup, cinnamon and the other apple (finely chopped or pulverized), oh and the rest of the oil. This is the base.

In a greased up cake tin, make the base. Now, plonk the fruity goodness on-top. Refrigerate overnight.

This cake is like 500 calories a slice, and the flavour will make you see why.

If you are really worried about the calorie content, you can probably sub out the oil for a tiny amount of xantham gum or something. I am relatively healthy and free of sat-fats in my daily life, so I can understand why you might want to avoid the coconut fat. Either way, try it, love it.

[Dewrad]

1/3 cup Bisquick
2/3 cup Jiffy corn muffin mix

BANG!

That was the sound of me snapping and losing all faith in the goodness of mankind. Excuse me while I shave my head, climb a tower and start shooting at passers by.

[Ink]

1/3 cup Bisquick
2/3 cup Jiffy corn muffin mix

BANG!

That was the sound of me snapping and losing all faith in the goodness of mankind. Excuse me while I shave my head, climb a tower and start shooting at passers by.

Aw, c'mon, a college student's got a limited stock of supplies to work with. Believe me, I'd be as much of a snob about cooking as you are if I had the pocketbook to back it.

[Dewrad]

1/3 cup Bisquick
2/3 cup Jiffy corn muffin mix

BANG!

That was the sound of me snapping and losing all faith in the goodness of mankind. Excuse me while I shave my head, climb a tower and start shooting at passers by.

Aw, c'mon, a college student's got a limited stock of supplies to work with. Believe me, I'd be as much of a snob about cooking as you are if I had the pocketbook to back it.

Dude, seriously. Next time you're at a supermarket, look up the weight-for-weight cost of Bisquick against regular flour and baking powder. I'm also a university student, and also dirt poor: I know that you can't pull the "I can't afford the real deal" line with baking mixes: it is always cheaper to buy the ingredients, make it yourself and feel good about being a decent human being. All you're doing is paying a premium for not knowing basic kitchen skills.

[Ink]

1/3 cup Bisquick
2/3 cup Jiffy corn muffin mix

BANG!

That was the sound of me snapping and losing all faith in the goodness of mankind. Excuse me while I shave my head, climb a tower and start shooting at passers by.

Aw, c'mon, a college student's got a limited stock of supplies to work with. Believe me, I'd be as much of a snob about cooking as you are if I had the pocketbook to back it.

Dude, seriously. Next time you're at a supermarket, look up the weight-for-weight cost of Bisquick against regular flour and baking powder. I'm also a university student, and also dirt poor: I know that you can't pull the "I can't afford the real deal" line with baking mixes: it is always cheaper to buy the ingredients, make it yourself and feel good about being a decent human being. All you're doing is paying a premium for not knowing basic kitchen skills.

Fair point. I guess I've just gotten used the the convenience of mixes. But shave not thy head, for I shall attempt to correct my evil ways.

[Radius Solis]

Bisquick, yeah, not great. But Jiffy? I will not tolerate its honor being impugned, good sir! Jiffy corn muffin mix is irreplaceable. You cannot replicate its flavor with any combination of more basic ingredients.

[Radius Solis]

Lemon Cheesecake

Having neglected to get my mother anything else for Mother's Day, I adapted the following from a SmittenKitchen recipe, and it turned out wonderful. Cheesecake sounds like something hard to do, but it really isn't.

First, do the crust:
1. Get a 9-inch pie pan (or a springform pan if you happen to have such a luxury item).
2. Mix 3 tablespoons sugar into 1 1/4 cups fine graham cracker crumbs (5 oz.).
3. Melt half a stick of butter; pour it into crumbs and mix until they're evenly moistened.
4. Press crumbs into bottom of pan, firmly and evenly, going up the sides just a bit.
5. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 F and allow to cool.

Now for the filling. Beat the following together in a large mixing bowl until completely smooth:

16 oz. room-temperature cream cheese
1 cup sugar

Beat in the remaining ingredients, in the listed order, each until just incorporated:

1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (plus any yellow food coloring, if desired)
2 tablespoons flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, all at once

Pour into pan and bake at 325 F for 60-70 minutes, until the center has risen and set (i.e. not sloshy); some cracking and gentle browning of the top is a good sign, but don't overdo it. It will finish setting up as it cools. Allow to cool completely (several hours) before eating.

[the duke of nuke]

I made these yesterday while passing the time I should have spent revising.

Ingredients:
200g or so of chocolate (any kind, cheap is goood)
Coco Pops to taste
Raisins to taste

- Melt the chocolate in the microwave. It will take about 2 1/2 minutes.
- Mix everything else in.
- Put dollops on a tray and place in fridge.
- Eat.

Crazy delicious. My college wife and her boyfriend strongly approved.

[vampireshark]

This pie has gotten rave reviews from some the people that I've made it for. So, I must be doing something right...

Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie
If you're in the UK or northern Europe, you can get good-quality fresh rhubarb this time of year, which makes this pie even more worthwhile. Likewise in the northern parts of North America, but I'm not entirely certain where.

Also, good strawberries are a must.

4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced (about 454g, or 1 pound)
3 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced (about 400g)
1 tlb. fresh lemon juice (about 10g)
1 tlb. fresh lemon peel (about 15 ml)
5 tlb. tapioca (about 70g)
1½ cups sugar (about 350g)
double pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Mix together the first six ingredients and let sit for fifteen minutes. Pour over bottom layer of pie crust in a 23-26cm pie plate. Cover with the top layer of pie crust, seal/crimp edges, and cut a vent in the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.