Food & Recipes

[ST1Doppelganger]

I actually modified the cheese puffs with sharp cheddar cheese on my second try because the original churasco im used to makes them that way and you can pretty much use any cheese.

The kale soup I added some celery and replaced the chorizo with liguinza (typo most likely) Portuguese smoked sausage.

 

[Carol]

Thank you so much! Bet the soup would be good with either type of sausage. I work down in Mass. where it is easy to find both, strong community of folks of Portuguese as well as Brazilian heritage.

I'm about to go away for a couple weeks so I was going through my fridge to make sure I can cook all the perishables I can. I had a bunch of greens I had picked up from the Asian market in the fridge so I focused the meal around them.

I cooked up a couple strips of bacon until crisp, then set them on paper towels to drain. I then diced up three dried Japanese chilis (they are hot...LOL) and cooked them in the bacon fat for about a minute while I diced a small white onion. Added the onion and sauteed. While they were carmelizing I chopped some red amaranth leaves and rice paddy greens, and mixed up some mochi (rice cake) in the microwave. After about 5 minutes or so, I added the chopped greens and sauteed until wilted. I then put the greens on the plate, crumbled the bacon over the top and served with the mochi.

Overall I liked how it tasted. I'd like to try this again using shallots instead of a white onion, and using something like linguica instead of bacon. Amaranth is astringent. The bacon balanced that out somewhat, but I think a smoked sausage would balance it out even more.

 

[ST1Doppelganger]

Thank you so much! Bet the soup would be good with either type of sausage. I work down in Mass. where it is easy to find both, strong community of folks of Portuguese as well as Brazilian heritage.

I'm about to go away for a couple weeks so I was going through my fridge to make sure I can cook all the perishables I can. I had a bunch of greens I had picked up from the Asian market in the fridge so I focused the meal around them.

I cooked up a couple strips of bacon until crisp, then set them on paper towels to drain. I then diced up three dried Japanese chilis (they are hot...LOL) and cooked them in the bacon fat for about a minute while I diced a small white onion. Added the onion and sauteed. While they were carmelizing I chopped some red amaranth leaves and rice paddy greens, and mixed up some mochi (rice cake) in the microwave. After about 5 minutes or so, I added the chopped greens and sauteed until wilted. I then put the greens on the plate, crumbled the bacon over the top and served with the mochi.

Overall I liked how it tasted. I'd like to try this again using shallots instead of a white onion, and using something like linguica instead of bacon. Amaranth is astringent. The bacon balanced that out somewhat, but I think a smoked sausage would balance it out even more.

YW & Sounds good I've never tried cooking with amaranth I might have to try it some time.

I also prefer shallots in non soup items over onions and love to add spice so chillies & peppers are used often in my cuisine.

 

[jezr74]

Slow cooked Mediterranean Lamb Shanks, and mash. Topped off with a glass of South Australian middle of the range cab sav.

 

[ST1Doppelganger]

Slow cooked Mediterranean Lamb Shanks, and mash. Topped off with a glass of South Australian middle of the range cab sav.

It does look good even though lamb isn't one of the meats I've grown to enjoy but then again I've only had it off the bbq, rotisserie or broiled so I might have not had it prepped correctly.

 

[Carol]

I haven't grown to enjoy lamb either. Had a lamb shank most recently at a business dinner. Nice restaurant, but neither me nor the person next to me finished it. We just didn't care for it.

I tried something new this morning: baked eggs. They were really good! I did it with amaranth instead -- still trying to use up all the amaranth in my fridge before I go away. I skipped the cream in the recipe, I didn't have any around and didn't want to buy some just for this, but I did mix in an extra egg white with the vegetables to keep it all together. I really like how it turned out and would make it without the cream again...especially on a day before a hike when I want a solid breakfast but not a heavy breakfast.

Keep a close eye on this dish after 5 minutes. Most of the terrific flavor from baked eggs IMO comes from timing it so the whites are cooked firm but the yokes are warm and runny. 30 seconds can make a big difference.

Couple of things I learned, presentation-wise:
Many of the prepackaged greens at the grocery store are washed very well and can go right in to a dish. However, if you buy greens at a farmers market or Asian market, they are likely not washed, and need to be washed thoroughly. I washed the amaranth in a colander and gently squeezed the water out, but that wasn't really enough. I should have dried the greens on a paper towel. The oven didn't evaporate away the excess moisture so once baked, the vegetables appeared to have a little too much liquid about them. The taste and texture were still fine. Also, amaranth tastes very good when prepared like this -- the baking mellows out the astringent flavor. However, if you use red amaranth like I do...everything may have a pink twinge once it comes out of the oven. I will also substitute shallots for the onions next time.
.
Also this recipe seems very flexible. The eggs baked on the greens is the core of it, other ingredients could easily be added or subtracted. I'm seeing a lot of possibilities for variations. Kale, onions and mushrooms, spinach and feta, chard and tomatoes....

Baked Eggs with Spinach and Mushrooms Recipe | Epicurious.com

 

[jezr74]

If the meat is too young it is not as tasty, and can be bland if not prepared right. Good seasoning and salt never go astray.

I'm a big fan of eggs so might give that a go, and have put yams on the list to re-visit. I've only had yams (non-purple) in foil, thrown in the embers when camping. And recall loving them, but I would eat the crutch of a low flying duck by dinner time out in the bush.