the Old Granny thread

[Gulliver]

Coriander is the seed, cilantro is the plant/leaves.

Ah, thanks!

Ici, en Angleterre, I think we say "coriander seeds" for the seeds and "fresh coriander" for the leaves. Still, I used ground coriander seed and it tastes okay thus far (I've mixed the yoghurt and spices in advance to let them intermingle a bit). I'm going to add spinach to the recipe to add some green instead. I may even take pictures, such is my lack of better things to do.

[Wycoval]

Corriander and cilantro have quite different flavors. Corriander is pretty mild, but cilantro has a pungent, cuminy-lemony flavor.

[Gulliver]

I know the difference, I just couldn't be bothered to walk to the supermarket and buy some, so I made do with what I had.

In the end, I substituted chick peas instead of tofu, and added spinach, and got a very nice, aromatic dish. I used a mixture of ground cashews and vegetable broth instead of the coconut milk. (Cashew cream is one of the most versatile things in the universe, if you're avoiding milk or just want a change.)

Heartily recommended.

For those without souls or rational thought, chicken would probably overpower the subtle flavours of this dish (unless countered by something rich like the coconut milk, and perhaps some apricot), but turkey would probably be better. I mean, the turkey would be better running around all alive and such, but if you happen to find a turkey that had died of, say, happiness, then there are worse things you could do to its carcass.

[Radius Solis]

Well, it's not just strength either, there's a substantial qualitative difference between the flavors. At least I certainly hope so, as I have no other way to explain why coriander is fine but even a very little cilantro is enough to make almost anything unpalatable to me (with the bizarre single exception of salsa, in which I do not mind it).

[schwhatever]

Well, it's not just strength either, there's a substantial qualitative difference between the flavors. At least I certainly hope so, as I have no other way to explain why coriander is fine but even a very little cilantro is enough to make almost anything unpalatable to me (with the bizarre single exception of salsa, in which I do not mind it).

Don't some people have a genetically based aversion to cilantro, or am I mixing up different things?

[Radius Solis]

Wikipedia may be of assistance:

The leaves have a different taste from the seeds, with citrus overtones. Some perceive an unpleasant "soapy" taste or a rank smell and avoid the leaves. Belief that this is genetically determined may arise from the known genetic variation in taste perception of the synthetic chemical phenylthiocarbamide; however, no specific link has been established between coriander and a bitter taste perception gene.[4]

[Radius Solis]

So, it's "too many homegrown tomatoes sitting around" season again, and that means further tries at homemade spaghetti sauce. It has turned out very well indeed. Takes a little work, but it's sooooo worth it. Drawing on recipes earlier in this thread here and here plus this awesome sauce, I put together the following.

1. Chop up a sweet onion, stick 2/3 of it in a saucepan with generous olive oil, sweat the onions briefly on high-ish heat and then let them simmer verrry gently for an hour or so, using the lowest setting that keeps them still cooking, until translucent and a rich golden brown.

2. Put the rest of the chopped onion aside, along with half a red bell pepper, diced.

3. Chop up 2 pounds of tomatoes or so. In another saucepan, bring them to a boil and let them simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. When the fried onions are ready, add to them the set-aside onions and peppers, plus half a pound of sweet italian sausagemeat and a quarter pound of ground beef. Turn up the heat, and keep working the meat with a Cooking Implement until it is browned and in lots of little pieces.

5. Mix a tablespoon of flour into the meat, stirring well - this combines with the oil and grease to form what's basically a roux. Or at least the same principle.

6. Force the tomatoes through a sieve, right into the meat pan. Do it well enough and all the juices go into the pan so there's never any need to add water.

7. Get the tomatoes+meat simmering. Add a chicken bouillon cube, a teaspoon or more of italian seasoning blend, a couple tablespoons of sugar, a teaspoon of salt or garlic salt, and some dashes of anything else you happen to have handy that might be appropriate, such as basil. (To give a little extra aroma I added a very small dash each of powdered ginger, cumin, and ground clove.)

8. Simmer gently for at least an hour, stirring periodically to make sure things don't burn to the bottom of the pan. Start by simmering uncovered until the liquid reduces to the desired consistency, then cover it for the rest of the time.

9. 5-10 minutes before serving, remove cover and throw in a splash of wine. I used white wine, but suit yourself. Stir a crushed clove of garlic into the sauce. Maintain simmer until serving time.

10. Serve over spaghetti. Makes enough for 2-3.

[dunomapuka]

Really kickass turkey chili I made today (with influence from some previous recipes in this thread):

-Half a white onion, coarsely chopped
-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
-about 20 oz. of ground turkey
-1 can of kidney beans (15.5 oz)
-1 can of tomato paste (6 oz)
-1 bay leaf
-hot peppers: some kind of dried red pepper, a tiny fresh red one, 1 fresh jalapeño (all chopped)
-chili powder (about 2 teaspoons), cumin (1/2 - 1 tsp), powdered ginger (1/2 tsp), black pepper (EDIT: also a teaspoon or so of turmeric)
-some lime juice
-some beer

Sautee the onion in some olive oil. When it starts to brown add the garlic. Give this a couple minutes to cook over medium heat, then add the meat, along with a splash of beer and some salt.

When the meat begins to brown add the chili peppers and then the dry spices and the bay leaf, stirring constantly, then the tomato paste. If it seems dry, add more beer as needed.

The beans are the final major addition. After adding these, I let the mixture simmer for a while, adding a little water, a few squirts of lime juice, and some more salt and black pepper.

Serve hot, topped with sour cream and grated cheddar cheese. And some biscuits (the American kind, I mean) on the side.

[prickly pear]

Here's a vegetarian recipe for mafé, a Senegalese dish that's essentially a spicy peanut curry. I eat this quite often, as it's easy and delicious.

For two people you will need:

- a medium pan

- 1/2 large onion (chopped; red preferable)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium tomato (chopped; preferably peeled, but I rarely bother)
- 1 large carrot (diced)
- 1 bell pepper (chopped)
- 1 habanero or scotch bonnet pepper (minced; or 2-3 cayenne or thai peppers chopped)

- 2.5 Tbs tomato paste (or 40mL)
- 2 Tbs soy sauce (or 30mL)
- 2 Tbs unsweetened peanut butter or ground roasted peanuts (or 30mL; you can try using tahini)

- 1 tsp cumin (or 5mL; ground)
- 1/4 tsp cloves (or 1mL; ground)
- 1/2 tsp curry powder (or 2.5mL)
- 3 dashes cinnamon
- salt & black pepper to taste

- 1.5 cups water (or 350mL)
- 3 Tbs canola, ghee, or vegetable oil (or 45mL, DO NOT use olive oil or butter)

Step 1 - Cut all your vegetables and heat the oil in the pan. Once you can smell the oil, add the onions, carrots, bell peppers, and garlic. Stir, lightly salt, and add spices. Fry until the onions take on a little color and the spices fragrant, stirring constantly.

Step 2 - Add the water, soy sauce, tomato paste, tomatoes, and chiles. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until about half the liquid is gone.

Step 3 - Add the peanut butter, stir till smooth. Simmer this until the carrots are done and the sauce thick.

Step 4 - Serve with white rice and a big glass of stout.

[prickly pear]

Here's another recipe: callaloo, which is a Carribean dish featuring greens and okra. As before, this is vegetarian and is enough to feed about 2 to 3 people. And trust me, it will fill you up good.

You'll need:

- a sauce pan with a lid
- a blender (or mortar & pestle if you're old school)

- 1 bunch hearty greens* (throughly washed and roughly chopped)
- 5 large okra pods (sliced into rings)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (diced; regular potatoes are okay too)
- 1/2 large onion (sliced; red preferable)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 green onions (minced; AKA scallions)
- 1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper (whole; DO NOT CHOP)

*I like using kale, but you can use collards, turnip, or mustard greens. Traditionally this is made with either taro or manioc greens. Remember to remove the stems!

- canola or vegetable oil (DO NOT use butter or olive oil)
- 1.5 cups coconut milk (or 350mL)
- 1.5 cups water (or 350mL)

- 1/2 tps coriander seeds (whole; or 2.5mL)
- 5 grains allspice (whole)
- 2 sprigs thyme (fresh; or 1 tsp/5mL dried)
- salt & black pepper to taste

Step 1 - Wash and cut your vegetables. Heat oil in the pan and add the greens. Add salt and sautee them until just tender.

Step 2 - Add the coconut milk, allspice, and sauteed greens to the blender. Blend into a puree.

Step 3 - Add some more oil into the pan. Put the coriander seeds in the oil and fry them, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Now turn down the heat and sweat the onions and garlic until the onions become translucent.

Step 4 - Pour the pureed greens and water over the onions and garlic, and add the sweet potatoes and okra. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Now add the green onions, thyme, and whole scotch bonnet pepper. Simmer covered until the sweet potatoes are done, stirring occasionally.

Step 5 - Remove the sprigs of thyme and whole scotch bonnet pepper--they have given their all. Serve with rice and a big glass of stout, as always.

[Junes]

Here's a vegetarian recipe for mafé, a Senegalese dish that's essentially a spicy peanut curry. I eat this quite often, as it's easy and delicious.

Sounds good! I will try it sometimes.

Now, something simple I've recently invented: Fennel with tomatoes and goat's cheese.

Florence fennel bulbs
Ripe tomatoes
Goat's cheese (chèvre)
Pesto

Cut the fennel in slices and boil in water for about 5 minutes or so, until they're slightly soft. Put them in an oven tray and cover with tomato slices, cheese and pesto. Put in the oven at 200C or so, for about 15 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Great with mashed potato, a salad and something like a veggie/chickpea burger. By the way, mashed potato should be made by yourself, it's just so much better. Get some potatoes that are good for mashing, boil them for about 20 minutes. Add a bit of butter and a splash of milk, pepper and lots of salt. You can mash them with a fork. For variety, add a few sliced sundried tomatoes!

[Radius Solis]

Need another dessert interlude? I finally present my long-standing cookie recipe, which is the basis for either of two things: chocolate chip cookies, or, wicked ginger cookies.


First: 1.5 cups dark brown sugar and 1 stick/cube butter, which should be room-temp soft, all the way through. (Or nuke it for a few seconds, but be wary of melting.) Cut butter into brown sugar, then keep going and stir it up with a fork until hand exhaustion is reached and the sugar has essentially dissolved into the butter to create a paste.

Into this paste, stir in:
- 1/4 cup oil - using this instead of more butter helps the cookies stay soft
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- IF you are making ginger cookies: 4 tablespoons powdered ginger, and half a teaspoon each of cinnamon and powdered clove

Whip with the fork until you have achieved a smooth, uniform, glistening brownish goop.

Add to the bowl: 2 and 1/4 cups flour, and 1 tsp each of baking soda and salt. Fold into the goop until a well-mixed dough is formed. Then stir in either 12oz. of chocolate chips, or with the ginger option, 3-4 oz. crystallized ginger that you've chopped into choc-chip-sized pieces.

Drop dough onto cookie sheets in spoonfuls, then bake at 350 F for 12-14 minutes. 12 minutes produces a nice soft cookie, 14 a somewhat harder one; but your oven and tastes may both vary, so the ideal time could end up anywhere between 10 and 16 minutes, sorry if that's not helpful, just keep an eye on the cookies and when the edges begin to get darker and slightly wrinkled they're probably done-ish.

[Dewrad]

I've just got back from work, where I've been making all sorts of fun edibles. I'd love to share with you my recipes for apple pie, bread and butter pudding, crêpes parisiennes, panna cotta and so forth, but I really cannot be bothered. Even more, it'd be great to share the recipe for fougasse, or for ciabatta with you, or even socca (although I've promised myself not to share a yeast-based recipe until it's requested).

However, our special for the past couple of days has been beef strogaonff, to my recipe. So, after ten hours of sweating in a kitchen making this shit, I feel it only appropriate to share it with you.

Ingredients

You will need:

about 150g beef steak per person. I use rump, because that's what I have on hand. Feel free to pick your own.
about five or so large button mushrooms
half a medium-sized onion
three cloves garlic
one stick of celery
250-odd g of veal stock
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
3 dessert spoons of mascarpone cheese
1 dessert spoon of french garlicky cheese (Boursin)
50 ml tomato purée.
dash mushroom ketchup
175-ish ml white wine
flour (seasoned)

First, chop your onion, garlic, mushrooms and celery finely, keeping the four apart. Slice your beef into slivers, about 0.5 cm thick. Heat some groudnut oil in a saucepan (NOT non-stick) until hot, but not smoking. Coat your beef slices in the seasoned four and brown in the oil, in batches. Place the browned beef on a plate and reserve.

Once all the beef is done, chuck the celery and onion into the pan and cook over a medium-ish heat for about five minutes, until the onion is softened but not brown. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for a further four-odd minutes. Throw in the mushroom ketchup and wine to deglaze the pan. Stir vigourously to incorporate all the flavoursome bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the beef, paprika, purée and stock and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes. At the same time you could add some thyme or marjoram.

Once most of the liquid has cooked off, stir in the mascarpone and cheese. Stir over a gentle heat until the mascarpone is incorporated. Serve with pasta- personally I tend to use garlic and basil-dressed tagliatelle when at home. However, at work I served this with home-made parmigiano taglione, so it entirely depends on how obsessive you're feeling. This goes well with a light rosé wine- personally I'd go so far as to recommend a grenache.

[Radius Solis]

Sorry, but no sour cream = not stroganoff. That's just a simple fact of life, so no complaints from the peanut gallery, please.

Good stroganoff requires no fancy ingredients, which only sully the simplistic beauty of the dish. Here is my renowned, and definitionally correct, recipe for it:

Tender beef, preferably a loin cut (tri-tip steak is beautiful for this). Slice it so thin the slivers fall apart while you're cutting. Dice half an onion and saute on medium heat, in just a little oil, until it begins to yellow. Crush a clove of garlic into the pan and stir around a bit. Then add beef to pan, plus salt and pepper to taste, and paprika to color. Continue sauteing until beef is done. Turn off heat, mix in enough sour cream to form as much sauce as you wish there to be, and serve over e.g. pasta or fried potatoes or whatever floats your boat.

[Dewrad]

Sorry, but no sour cream = not stroganoff. That's just a simple fact of life, so no complaints from the peanut gallery, please.

Good stroganoff requires no fancy ingredients, which only sully the simplistic beauty of the dish. Here is my renowned, and definitionally correct, recipe for it:

Tender beef, preferably a loin cut (tri-tip steak is beautiful for this). Slice it so thin the slivers fall apart while you're cutting. Dice half an onion and saute on medium heat, in just a little oil, until it begins to yellow. Crush a clove of garlic into the pan and stir around a bit. Then add beef to pan, plus salt and pepper to taste, and paprika to color. Continue sauteing until beef is done. Turn off heat, mix in enough sour cream to form as much sauce as you wish there to be, and serve over e.g. pasta or fried potatoes or whatever floats your boat.

And then try cooking that to order for 30 people in a sitting, charging £8-odd per person and lacking authentic ingredients!

However, home-style, if you can get good smetana, I agree with you. (For clarification, in a professional kitchen in the UK you simply can't just use sour cream, is it will split and go horrible after about ten minutes) Although I would insist on the braising in stock in order to get that melty mouthfeel- if you just flash-fry the beef, no matter how thinly you cut it, it will be too tough for a classic stronanoff.

EDIT: also, you have better beef in the US. No argument there at all.

[Radius Solis]

Well hmm. See, now, the sour cream on this side of the pond does not "split". It stays smooth and creamy in the fridge for weeks until used, and when used, continues to stay smooth and creamy.

Beef meanwhile - I didn't recommend flash-frying it. Medium heat, I said! It takes 3-5 minutes to gently cook through, and is so tender, when prepared like this, as to begin falling apart of its own accord.

edit: sorry for being such a pedant; I didn't realize that restaurants in Britain can't get real ingredients for cuisines other than French.

[dunomapuka]

Here's another recipe: callaloo, which is a Carribean dish featuring greens and okra. As before, this is vegetarian and is enough to feed about 2 to 3 people. And trust me, it will fill you up good.

I cooked this for me and my roommates tonight. Good stuff! My one fuckup was that I substituted a couple little garden-variety chili peppers for the scotch bonnet, and the result was not spicy enough.

Now a couple recipes:

Cheng's Egg Thing
My friend from Beijing showed me this super simple Chinese omelet.

-In a bowl, beat a couple eggs with half a cup of cold water.
-Microwave for... okay, I forget how long it needs. Maybe two minutes.
-What you should have now is a single, quavering egg mass. Douse liberally with equal amounts soy sauce and sesame oil.

Obviously the potential for variation here is enormous. This was just a minimal version he could make with cafeteria ingredients.

Pasta with Breadcrumb and Anchovies
This is a Sicilian dish. My dad picked it up from his family and now the baton has passed to me.

You will need:
-1 lb spaghetti
-Olive oil
-About a cup of Italian breadcrumbs. Recipes are calling for double this amount, but it just seems like too much...
-Between 5 and 10 anchovy filets, coarsely chopped. Just gotta go with your taste preference here.
-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-1 dried chili pepper (chopped) or something similar. Maybe 1/2 tsp pepper flakes?
-Some parsley

Start heating your pasta water now - the sauce won't take too long to make.

Heat some olive oil (1 or 2 tbsp) in a pan on medium-low heat. Add breadcrumbs and continually stir to toast them. They should acquire a rich dark brown color (not black). They really absorb the olive oil, so I added some more as I went along. This will take about 5-8 minutes.

Set aside the toasted breadcrumbs. Now put some more oil in the pan and sautee your garlic. When this is about halfway done add the anchovies, stirring constantly. These will gradually dissolve into the oil. Now add the chili pepper.

The chili pepper, by the way, is not really an essential ingredient, but gives the dish a pleasant kick. If you don't like spicy then leave it out by all means.

When the garlic is sufficiently sauteed toss the whole mixture (with all the oil in the pan - since it has absorbed the anchovies) into the pasta together with the breadcrumb and parsley. Probably add a couple tablespoons of olive oil too, as the consistency can be a bit dry.

(Or you can try tossing the pasta with a little bit of the water that it cooked in - a technique used in some dishes)

Serve with grated cheese of choice.

[TzirTzi]

So here's a rather successful recipe I've come up with for using up bananas that are about to go off.

Tzirtzi's Banana Curry

Serves: 1 relatively hungry person. Multiply everything by the number of people you want to feed.

Ingredients:

• * Peanut oil
  * Two cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  * A stem of water bamboo, coarsely chopped
  * Four french beans, sliced
  * Two beef tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  * Two bananas on the point of turning brown, sliced
  * Half a handful of raisins/sultanas
  * Rice

Seasonings in order of quantity (largest to smallest):

• *Coriander
  *Tumeric
  *Salt
  *Chilli (fresh or ground tis up to you)
  *Pepper

Heat the oil in the bottom of a deepish frying pan or similar and put the rice on to cook. Fry the garlic for a couple of minutes to flavour the oil and then add the bamboo. This should cook until it's starting to go brown - move it around a lot, because if you're impatient like me and always cook on the highest temperature, it will burn quite easily. Once it's browning, add the French beans and fry them for about a minute.

Now add the tomatoes, the banana and the raisins. At this point you might also want to add a tiny bit of water, just to encourage things not to burn while the bananas are liquifying. I also add all of the seasonings at this point. You could add them earlier if you want, but this way there's no risk of burning them while it's still in the frying stage.

Cook for maybe only five-ten minutes more, stirring gently every now and again, and it should be ready . Serve on a bed of rice.

Options:

• * Obviously, if you don't like or are allergic to peanut oil, use a different type. I just happened to be using peanut oil atm. Don't use plain "vegetable oil", though, use something with a good taste to it.
  * If you don't like sweet curries then you might want to consider using less banana, more tomato, or less ripe bananas. When they're just about to go brown they're at their sweetest.
  * If you're a meat-eater and wanted to add some meat, I imagine you could - I've never cooked meat so I can't really advise, but I'd guess the best way would be to cook it in advance then add it a little while after the bananas so that can stew in the sauce for a little while before serving.

[Daistallia]

Here're a few of mine:

Texas Yankee Killer Chili
Ingredients:
1 lb. of flank steak, roast, or stewing beef
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 Onions, chopped coasrse
15 oz can (medium sized) of crushed tomatoes
2 small cans tomoto paste
1 handful of dried chiles: chipotle, ancho, or
passilla
1 handful of mixed fresh chiles: jalapenos, habaneros,
and scotch bonnets chopped.
8 cloves of garilc, diced and crushed
2 cans flat beer
1/2 can Dr. Pepper
Jack Daniels
1 cup beef stock

Spices: cumin, oregano, ground ancho chile, crushed
red pepper, ground chilpotle chile, salt, black
pepper, Tabasco sauce, Habanero Tabasco sauce; all to
taste.

Instructions:
First toast the dried chiles in a dry pan over medium
heat. Then, simmer in 1 can of beer for an hour. Puree
the chiles with some garlic and some of the chile/beer
broth tio make a chile paste.

Simmer Dr. Pepper until reduced by half.

Cut the the flank steak, roast, or stewing beef into
1/4 to 1/2 inch
peices. Saute in bacon grease w/ a bit of salt
and pepper. Set aside.

Saute 2 onions until transparent. Add the ground beef.
When it starts to brown, add spices, chile paste,
fresh chiles, garlic, and chopped beef from above.
Stir.

Add the tomatoes (crushed and paste), beef stock, and
remaining flat beer.

Bring to a boil, the drop the temp. to a simmer.

Let it simmer about 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes
or so.

Add a healthy dose of Jack Daniels and the Dr.
Pepper..
If need be add more beer or beef stock.

Continue simmering 2-4 more hours, stirring every 15
minutes or so.

Shut off the stove and let it "rest" for a at least an
hour. Overnight in the fridge is better.

Bring the temprature back up slowly then shut of the
stove.

Serve topped with crumbled or coarsely grated
ceddar or monterey jack cheese. Have saltines, sour
cream, extra cheese, chopped onion, and extra
jalepenos on the side.

Like anythying with such a colorful name, there's a story behind that one. A number of years ago a friend from NYC decided to "throw down" a chili cook off between the two of us. Yankee Killer won, but one of Mr. NYC's friends put the right name on it. Mr. Friend was being obnoxious all day long. He tried one bite, asked if I was trying to kill him, and walked away.

A while back, as a rainy day request yesterday for a Canadian friend, I did a modified version of this suited to what was on hand.

For chopped beef, subber what had been on hand for the cookout that got rained out - beef, chicken, and pork roast.

No Dr. Pepper.

Peppers and spices toned back to a couple habaneros and 4-5 thai chilis, plus a short handful of dried Chinese chili peppers.

1 Yankee, 1 Polack, myself, and Canada Pete.

I was fine, the Yankee and Polack were OK. But Canada Pete was suffered....

The toned down version's now officially called "kills Canadians"...

East Texas Gumbo

Stock:
4 quarts cold water
4 pounds chicken parts (backs, necks, etc.) and bones, or a whole chicken, cut up and skillet-browned
Shrimp shells and heads, reserved from the shrimp below
1 onion,
a couple celery stalks with tops, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 heads garlic, cut in half horizontally

"Sachet d'épices": wrap in some cheesecloth:
10-12 black peppercorns, cracked
some parsley stems
1 bayleaf
thyme, tarragon, oregano, and basil to taste (1/2 teaspoon each or so)

skin the chicken and chop, make sure the bones exposed

brown chicken and add to stockpot with the water and bring slowly to a simmer. Skim the scum
After an hour or so, add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Place the sachet d'epices into the stock
After anoth hour, add the shrimp shells and heads. Simmer an additional 30 minutes to an hour

Strain the stock.

Cajun Napalm (AKA Roux)
1 cup flour
1 cup oil

Use a cast iron skillet. Add the flour and oil in equal parts on medium-high heat. STIR CONSTANTLY!!!! Do NOT splatter. (It's called Cajun Napalm for a reason - it *will* burn you bad.) Cook about half an hour, or until chocolate brown.

If you get black specks in it, it's burnt - start again!

The Rest
1-1.5 pounds chicken, on the bone, cut up
1-1.5 pounds andouille (or hot creole or, in a pinch, smoked Italian) sausage
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
2-3 crabs (pref. Blues), cleaned, broken in half and claws pulled off
1.5 pounds okra, sliced
2 onions
5-6 ribs celery
2-4 cloves garlic
3 bay leaves
1 handful fresh parsley
black, white and cayenne peppers, to taste
Salt to taste
Tabasco to taste
Long-grain rice

brown the sausage and chicken with the pepper, pouring off the fat

saute the onions and celery quickly and add to the stock
put in the chicken, sausage, and herbs and spices
bring to a boil, the reduce heat to a simmer

simmer about an hour

put in the okra

simmer another hour

put in the parsley and crab

after 15 minutes, add the shrimp

simmer until the shrimp turn pink

serve over half a cup or so of the steamed rice - claws, shells, bones and all

[TomHChappell]

.

[Daistallia]

Texas Yankee Killer Chili

"If General Lee had had that recipe we'd have won the War!"
(What do you mean, "Which war?"? You know, the War!)

High praise indeed.
And damned straight about the War of Northern Aggression!

[prickly pear]

Here's another recipe: callaloo, which is a Carribean dish featuring greens and okra. As before, this is vegetarian and is enough to feed about 2 to 3 people. And trust me, it will fill you up good.

I cooked this for me and my roommates tonight. Good stuff! My one fuckup was that I substituted a couple little garden-variety chili peppers for the scotch bonnet, and the result was not spicy enough.

Glad to hear you liked it.

Here's a new recipe I just tried on my guinea pigs (friends & family). It's called <i>red-red</i>, and it's basically a chilli/bean-stew from Ghana served with plantains. It gets its name from the use of red palm oil and tomatoes in the dish.

My recipes tend to all be African and Indian-inspired, by the virtue that meat in those cuisines usually plays a minor role and is easily substituted with something that isn't tofu. Nothing against tofu, but it just doesn't bring a lot of flavor to the party. Now onto the recipe!

You'll need:

- a frying pan
- a pot

- 2 medium tomatoes (diced)
- 1 large onion (minced)
- 2 cups of black-eyed peas (preferably dry, but you can use canned,if you must)
- 5 Thai chiles (minced; I use red and green mixed)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 large green plantains (diced)
- 1 lemon (juiced)

- 1 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 Tbs soy sauce
- 1.5 cups water
- 6 Tbs red palm oil (you can use canola or vegetable oil if you can't get palm oil in your area)

- 1/4 tps cloves (ground)
- 1/4 tps cinnamon (ground)
- 1/4 tps cayenne pepper (ground)
- 1 tps ginger (fresh grated)
- 1/2 tps fenugreek seeds (ground; if you don't have this on hand, use curry powder)
- salt & black pepper to taste

Step 1 - (a) If you're using dry black-eyed peas, soak them hot water for at least 3 hours. Then rub them between your palms to remove the skins--its okay if you don't get all the skins off, but you want at least 2/3s removed. Simply pour off the water, and the lighter skins should also pour off without losing too many peas. (b) Mix the cloves, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and ginger with the lemon juice and a bit of salt. Pour this over plantains and place in the refrigerator, covered, for the same amount of time you soak the beans.

Step 2 - In a pot, add just enough water to submerge all the peas. Add a little oil and salt to the water. Bring it up to a boil. Then skim off the nastiness that foams up (if using dried-and-soaked beans). Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 30-45 minutes, or until the peas are tender.

Step 3 - In a frying pan, add 3 Tbs oil and fry the onion, garlic, and chiles together until the onions take on some color. Then add the tomatoes, add salt, and fry until they give up some of the their moisture.

Step 4 - All the water should have cooked off of your peas. If not, pour it off. Add the fried onions, garlic, chiles, and tomatoes to pot along with the water, soy sauce, fenugreek, and tomato paste. Bring this to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook this uncovered, and stir often in order to mash the peas into a paste. Simmer until most of the moisture has cooked off and you are left with a thick stew.

Step 5 - [EDIT]Pat the plantain dry, unless you want oil to spatter all over you[/EDIT]. Now add the remaining 3 Tbs oil to the frying pan and fry your marinaded plantains, stirring often, until golden brown. Drain the excess oil on a paper towel.

Step 6 - Plate by scooping the stew in a bowl and adding a healthy serving of plantains over it. Grab a beer, preferably a lighter one (I like Kostritzer), since this is a heavy dish.

[Tarasoriku]

* Obviously, if you don't like or are allergic to peanut oil, use a different type. I just happened to be using peanut oil atm. Don't use plain "vegetable oil", though, use something with a good taste to it.

Actually most commercial peanut oils are perfectly safe for ingestion even by those with peanut-related allergies. Generally the cheaper it is the quicker the processing time, and the greater the likelihood it is unsafe, but the stuff is generally pricer than vegetable oils anyway, so if you're gonna go for it, might as well spring for a highly processed one anyway.

Both curries on this page look good

[prickly pear]

If you notice, my red-red and mafé recipes are roughly the same, just involving different legumes (black-eyed peas vs peanuts), this is due to the all-purpose tomato sauce I make. Which is based on a basic ratio:

1 fried onion : 2 tomatoes

Then simmering with tomato paste, soy sauce, garlic, curry powder, and hot chile--to taste.

You can use this to make anything. Sometimes I puree sauteed greens and bell pepper with nuts and stir them into the sauce--also very delicious.

[Tarasoriku]

Chile Pepper Snack

I hesitate to call this a recipe (it's more of a technique), but it's a snack of goodly fun best served at BBQ's right before the meats get thrown on.

-1-2 dozen fresh, washed Anaheim chiles, about 3 per person (not all from the same stock/plant, you want to pick em out of a big foodstore bin to ensure variety in levels of hotness. Why? Cause it's a surprise, that's why) If you're growing them, likewise don't take them all from the same plant - if one chile on the plant is hot, all the chiles on the plant are hot, etc. These are Anaheim chiles, they are long and green, 6-8 inches in length, but size isn't everything Accept no substitutes.
-An open outdoor grill (see below for indoor alternative), whatever you're comfortable with as long as there's an open flame and a grate
-Brown paper lunch bags
-A stapler

Dipping sauce:
1 head of garlic, whole
4 oz salted butter
A broiler pan or otherwise ovensafe dish large enough for the garlic head

Steps:

Sauce
1 - Have the dipping sauce prepared and kept somewhere warm when you begin the chile steps. You're roasting the garlic head, which means keeping it in a greased vessel OR you can make a bowl out of aluminum foil for it, cover the head, and keep the foil slightly open at the top. If you use foil, do not grease it. Either method though, do spread some olive oil over the top of the head, if in a ceramic vessel, you can do this liberally. 20-30 mins 350 degrees F.
2 - Remove the encapsulated garlic from its oiled crystalline prison. This will take some pushing out and they can be slippery. You only need 4-5 cloves, but its hard to roast only part of a head.
3 - Heat the butter in a sauce pan until melted, add the garlic and mash it up with a spoon. Add a bit of kosher salt and set aside/keep warm. Add more garlic/butter if you're adding more chiles, of course. Adding lemon juice to the sauce isn't too odd a variation.

Chiles
1 - Fire up the grill. Throw the chiles on, evenly spaced out, you might need to cook them in a couple batches. Use long metal tongs to keep them turned all around once the bottoms get blackened. Too black, and they burn, so check frequently, it should take about 4-6 mins to blacken a whole chile all the way over. When you pull the skin away later, the finished chile will not be charred (it'll be 95% green, if you did it right).
(NB: In the event you can't use a grill, you can hold them one at a time over the open flame of your stovetop and blacken that way. Or, arrange them on a baking sheet and stick them under the broiler turning them every minute so all sides get blackened.)
2 - When roasted through, and without cutting into them, retire the chiles to a brown paper bag, fold over the top and staple shut (4-5 to a bag). Here they will steam for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how much of a hurry you're in. The bag itself should be steaming and look like...well I'm sure you've seen your share of steaming paper bags in your time, only this one's got delicious chiles inside! But the point is do not use plastic, or they will taste like Crayola.
3 - Open the bags and remove the steamed chiles one at a time. You can very gently remove the outer skin with one brave finger and a scraping implement (butter knife or dessert fork), or you can roll the chile in between a few layers of paper towels and then just pick off any skin that might remain (preferred). Do not cut, unless you don't trust your guests to know not to eat the stem (but you need the stem to hold onto them as you eat them).
4 - Plate with a bit of the dipping sauce either spread over the chiles or leave it in small containers for your guests to use at their leisure. One in three Anaheims is typically quite quite hot, while the others will be significantly sweeter. Make fun of people when they get the hot chile! Unless they like them. I like them...

Begin the protein when everybody else is eating the chiles. You can substitute the Anaheims only for specific specialty chiles you happen to already be familiar with and that are roughly the same shape size and temp as the Anaheim - small chiles are too small (and too hot), Long Hot's are never going to be sweet, and well those Italian frying peppers just aren't as tasty. Most of the capsaicin (the hot-inducing chemical) in chile peppers is located in the membrane, and this is typically removed when they get chopped up (unless you're doing it wrong), however when you roast something, it's whole, and you're eating all of the chile innards here, so you can't use very very hot chiles or the results will not be very nice. The membrane and seeds are also present in whole dried chiles, which is why powders will be quite potent (at least if you powder them yourself, the stores dilute with paprika).