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Dean 
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Joined: May 13 2007
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 Posted: May 20 2016 at 15:26 |
When I was growing up salad was a depressing plate of limp lettuce, cucumber and tomato smothered in Heinz salad cream. The only salad I ever looked forward to was fruit salad, which Mum served as a main course (i.e. not in a sugar syrup and served with cream) with bread and butter and if we were very good, a scoop of ice-cream.
I rather like root vegetables in my salad but I've never been a fan of sweet dressings because there are enough sugars in vegetables as it is (especially root veg), though I will add a small amount of fruit occasionally (halved grapes, tangerine segments... that kind of thing)... [not that I've anything against sugar].
I like the idea of just using one or two types of veg in a salad (rather than the throw in everything from the veg-box approach). One of my favourites is from Vivek Singh (of The Cinnamon Club restaurant in Westminster) which is simply thinly sliced fennel and apple dressed in a yoghurt raita, which basically yoghurt and lemon with a mix of spices (cumin, coriander, chilli, ginger... whatever appeals really) - topped with the roasted chilli cashews I mentioned several pages back this eats well with fish fresh off the BBQ grill.
Other favourites -
Grilled onions with shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese: trim the top & bottom of each onion then cut them in half, brush with oil and sit them on the grill - when edges start to brown flip them over. Once they are cooked through remove and allow to cool. Separate the rings and arrange them on a serving dish with shavings of parmesan (I use a potato peeler) - a sprinkle of lemon - a drizzle of EVOO - and a smattering of salt'n'pepper to taste.
Celeriac and apple remoulade ... match-sticks of celeriac and apple in a mayonnaise flavoured with vinegar, mustard, chopped shallots, capers and tarragon.
I also like to add edible flower petals to my salads ... they don't add much to the taste but they make it look pretty - violas, roses, dandelions (pluck the petals from the flower heads), chives, marigolds, nasturtiums and borage are all edible.
...I had my first Caesar's Salad the other day - what a disappointment that was, life must have been really dull before that sorry excuse for a salad was invented. 
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Finnforest
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Joined: February 03 2007
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Posted: May 20 2016 at 13:28 |
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It's very good but the trick is to play with the dressing until it suits you. The veggies will hold their own no matter what.
I've been playing with it. First, while not as visually "pretty", I got rid of the carrots and going all Parsnip. I love the parsnips. I deleted the oil, which I never really like on my salads. I love dark brown sugar and the combination of that molasses-ey sweetness with some heat from horseradish, or just hot, mustard...is the winner for me. The splash of vinegar and lemon keep things fresh.
Then you can decide how much dressing is best...too much and you overpower any personality of the parsnip, which is a veggie that I love the taste and aroma of.
Definitely, just mess with it and try anything. I just planted some mild white radish in the garden....and can't wait to try some slices of that in this salad.
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emigre80
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Posted: May 09 2016 at 15:10 |
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excellent idea, I will have to give that a try.
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Finnforest
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Posted: May 09 2016 at 14:45 |
A simple carrot and parsnip salad, delicious and fresh. The thin slices make it very easy to chew and you can go whatever direction you wish with the dressing. I just grabbed a bit of vinegar, lemon, oil, dijon mustard, brown sugar, salt. The photo is not mine....looks like they threw in some green herbs too. 
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Finnforest
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Posted: May 06 2016 at 21:18 |
^^ on the contrary my good man....it was a vegetable soup with a bit of cream and good grated Parmesan for some richness due to the lack of any meat. Not much cheese really, I could have called it a creamy vegetable soup instead. Certainly nothing like Beercheese or anything approaching it. And I've always loved chopped nuts in a vegetarian soup although I realize that isn't for everyone. We made a similar soup again since but threw in some leftover pulled rotisserie chicken. Yeah....way better with some bird 
Edited by Finnforest - May 06 2016 at 22:56
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emigre80
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Joined: January 25 2015
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Points: 2223
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Posted: May 06 2016 at 18:45 |
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Sounds amazing. I grew up with tinned corned beef hash (like your mother, mine had to feed a lot on a very tiny budget) and can't stand the sight of it. Yours I would eat happily, in fact I would have turned up for the beans alone.
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Dean
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Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
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Points: 37575
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Posted: May 06 2016 at 18:29 |
...not sure of that one Jim, they look like three ingredients that should never meet, then I tend to look upon any vegetable served with cheese with a degree of suspicion.
When I was a kid corned beef hash was a meal we ate often because it was cheap and Mum could feed a family of four using an onion, few potatoes and a small tin of Fray Bentos Corned Beef. It was also a regular item on the school dinner menu though somehow was never as good as home-made.
So normally for me this one of those last minute meals that gets thrown together using tinned corn beef and left-over mashed spuds. Tonight I made Corned Beef Hash, though not a traditional one. To be precise I actually started making it last Monday when I went to the supermarket looking for brisket and came home with ox cheek. I cured this by rubbing it in a blend of salt, sugar and coarsely ground peppercorns before wrapping it tightly in cling-film and storing it in a Tupperware™ container in the 'fridge for 4 days. After the cure there are two paths to take - the first is to smoke it and then steam it (pastrami) or simply boil it for several hours (corn beef) - I chose a third option, which was to pressure cooked it for 60 minutes in a broth of water, carrot and onion, two bay leaves and a few juniper berries and then hot-smoke it today for an hour or so over mesquite wood chips.
Since the smoker was fired-up for the beef I quickly quartered a few small potatoes and microwaved them on a plate for 90 seconds before putting them in the smoker alongside the beef.
To make the hash itself I fried off some thinly sliced onion in butter then tossed in some diced raw potato and a crushed garlic clove. Once everything was starting to colour I poured over enough beef stock to cover the spuds and brought it to a gentle simmer until the potatoes were cooked through (topping up the stock frequently to prevent it drying out). The smoked beef was then sliced (I say slice, the meat took one look at the knife and fell to pieces, so I hacked at it) and the smoked potatoes roughly chopped, then both were added to the pan of potato and onion and the heat turned up so the stock could evaporate off and the mix of potato and salt beef starts to catch on the bottom of the pan. It was finished off by placing it under a hot grill for 5 minutes to crisp-up the top.
Often when making the quick version I add mustard and Worcestershire sauce as it cooks (and sometimes even Tabasco™) but this time decided not too. I put both condiments on the table but everyone agreed that the hash didn't need them.
I served this with steamed broccoli and some home-made baked beans (bacon lardons fried 'till crispy with thinly sliced onion, then add a tin of cannelloni beans, half a jar of passata, two table spoons of brown sugar, a glug of red-wine vinegar and some water - simmer until the sauce is thickened, tasting the sauce half way through cooking and adjusting the ratio of sugar and vinegar to get the balance of sweet and sour that matches your preference).
As we were sitting down to eat daughter remarked that she had been looking forward to this all day - happily she wasn't disappointed.
Edited by Dean - May 06 2016 at 18:36
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Finnforest
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Joined: February 03 2007
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Posted: April 20 2016 at 17:30 |
Vegetable Cheese Almond soup..... Damn that was good. No recipe though. I just "wing it" with what I have on hand. 
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emigre80
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Joined: January 25 2015
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 22:34 |
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amazing. I usually make traditional tiramisu but I will definitely give that a try. Also it would give my husband a non-crème brulee excuse to get out the blowtorch....
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Finnforest
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 22:06 |
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yeah baby!
Nice....
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
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Points: 37575
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 22:01 |
 Finnforest wrote:
Dean, those sea bass photos are amazing.
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Tasted pretty good too.
Today we made a coffee meringue gâteau ...
The filling was made by beating together 2 parts mascarpone cheese to 1 part fresh cream and sandwiching it between four layers of sponge that had been liberally brushed with espresso coffee. The whole thing was then smothered in coffee flavoured French meringue and attacked with a gas blow torch before being dusted with coco powder and decorated with "mushrooms" made by perching small meringue kisses atop marshmallow stalks.... So essentially there is a tiramisu dessert hiding beneath all that frosting.
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Atavachron
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Joined: September 30 2006
Location: Pearland
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Points: 65244
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 21:58 |
The crabapples in Vermont are pretty small, though I'm sure bigger varieties grow. The ones I remember are about the size of large marbles -
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"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." -- John F. Kennedy
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Finnforest
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Joined: February 03 2007
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 21:52 |
Chestnut Crab
An excellent pollinator for other
apples. This annual bearer, developed at the University of Minnesota in
1946, produces 2" pale yellow crabapples with streaky red blushes and
some russeting. Creamy white flesh is fine-grained and crisp, with a
sweet, nut-like flavor that is great for fresh eating, cooking or making
jams. Tree is vigorous and hardy and adapts well to different soil
types. Cold-hardy. Ripens in early September. Self-pollinating.
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Finnforest
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 21:49 |
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Well don't forget the brown sugar!
But yes, this variety is larger and also much less sour than what you'd expect from a crabapple. You can eat it right from your hand without hardly a grimace.
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Dean
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout
Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
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Points: 37575
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 21:36 |
I guess the crab apples we have over here are different to what you're cooking (the chunks in the photographs look a lot bigger than anything we have growing in the UK). Even with only ¼ cup of sugar for 12-15 tiny English crab apples the sauce would be so soar your face would turn inside out on tasting the first spoonful. 
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Finnforest
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 21:29 |
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Dean, those sea bass photos are amazing.
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Finnforest
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 21:23 |
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^ I believe it, that looked amazing.
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emigre80
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Joined: January 25 2015
Location: kentucky
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 20:40 |
Looks wonderful, I will try it the next time I make apple pie, it would make a brilliant sauce. The pie I made was a big hit this evening, people ate seconds and would have gone for thirds if there had been any left after the seconds.
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Finnforest
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Joined: February 03 2007
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 18:35 |
And I think its good for you too! Isn't it often the skin area that has the densest nutrients and fiber? 
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Raff
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Posted: October 03 2015 at 18:16 |
Sounds and looks wonderful! I also like to leave the skin on, not only because of the texture, but also because I'm lazy .
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