Prog Chefs Unite!!!

Epignosis wrote: Shrimp Newburg on rice tonight. After making a roux, I'm adding Worcestershire sauce, paprika, Old Bay seasoning, and heavy whipping cream.  Looking forward to it!

Local shrimp?

Edited by Slartibartfast - December 10 2012 at 17:16

Atavachron wrote: Dean wrote: Atavachron wrote: Dean wrote: This evening I attempted puerco pibil, the pork dish that Agent Sands obsessed over in Robert Rodriguez's Once Upon A Time In Mexico. I should qualify "attempted" here as annatto seeds (that give the dish its colour and contribute to the flavour) are pretty hard to come by in deepest darkest Hampshire - but being a resourceful cook, I substituted pimentón and a pinch of nutmeg and hoped for the best, (I should also add that the traditional banana leaves that the meat is wrapped in during cooking are also unavailable in the average British town - here substituting aluminium foil didn't seem too much of a gamble). could you substitute a little saffron or saffron oil for the annatto?   can't think of a good banana leaf sub but I suppose any large, mildly flavored green leaves might work. Annatto is used as a cheaper substitute for saffron so it is possible, however, I think saffron in sufficient quantity for a pork shoulder could possibly be overpowering in flavour, it would also be massively expensive. I suspect the main flavour of the dish comes from the oranges and the colour of what I made was a pretty good match to pictures I've seen of the real thing. Annatto is used in Indian cooking, so I probably could find it if I looked harder and in the right towns. perhaps;  if it were me I'd infuse a small amount of saffron into a large amount of hot oil, say a pinch of threads to 8 or 10 ounces of mild olive oil or enough to cover and work into the shoulder, heated slowly.  Of course that's only if you can't find annatto.

Tonight I will be attempting this recipe using annato seeds  

My Dad used to tell me about this great bread my Grandma used to make from scratch back in the old days.....I found her recipe at Moms and decided to learn to make it.....and OMG it is good.   I will now be baking all of our bread....I can't eat the store stuff after eating this.

Though again, it doesn't look so hot.  Presentation is not my thing....I just care about taste. 

Gram's vintage white bread

Dissolve one packet dry active yeast in 1/4 cup warm (115 degrees) water and 1/2 tsp sugar, let it sit till activated.  Use non-chlorinated (spring) water so you don't kill yeast.  If water is too hot it will kill the yeast, if too cold it won't activate.  Your wife probably knows how to do it I'm sure.

In large bowl, combine 5 cups white flour, 1/2 cup sugar, one tsp salt.
When yeast is ready add to flour bowl with
2 cups warm water (not too hot)
1/2 cup lard (at least room temp)

Mix well.  Flour your board and knead well for 10-15 minutes, adding sprinkles of flour as needed to keep from sticking too much.  You should finish with a soft pliable ball of dough.  

Cover with towel and let it rise for an hour in a warm place.  Punch out the air and form into two nice loaves.  I used Pyrex glass pans.  Mine went 35-40 mins at 350 but got by look, you want a nice brown but not burned outside.   

The flavor secret is the lard.  Get the best stuff you can find.  Don't use Crisco or vegetable oils. 

I'm doing everything with this bread short of sleeping with it.  Tomorrow I'll be toasting it and whipping up some eggs to throw on top. 

oh yeah baby

Cheeseball (a really damn good one)


1- 8oz Philly cream cheese, original, bar form
1- Kraft Old English cheese
1- Kraft Roka Blue cheese
Garlic Salt - to taste, I don't add much
Lemon Juice to taste
Worcester Sauce to taste (start with one tsp and check)

Mix everything very well.
Chill, then roll into ball and roll in finely chopped nuts.

Consume large quantities with highballs!

Refrigerate leftovers. 


Note: The two Kraft cheeses come in little jars and are seasonal, sold only around Xmas I'm told.  Get them while you can. 

It's def not low fat, but it is just an amazing companion to drinks......try it sometime, your guests will love it.  

Jim, already planning to add some chia seeds soon!

Finnforest wrote: Jim, already planning to add some chia seeds soon! What does the breadmaker do?  I mean basically you throw the stuff together and knead it....pretty easy.  What function does a bread machine do.....does it make the bread a better consistancy than by hand?

It takes every action away from you - you put all the ingredients into the machine at the same time in a certain order & the machine mixes it, kneads it, allows it to prove, re-kneads it then bakes it. All the benefits, none of the work & to my mind the consistency is just as good as doing it by hand


Edited by Jim Garten - January 02 2013 at 06:54

Making bread by hand is something I'd only do at weekends or on a day-off because of the proving time. I always make foccacia by hand and things like Beglian or Chelsea bus that require messing around with after you've made the dough.