Prog Chefs Unite!!!

What is Lodge? I don't think I've seen anything called like that around here...

I'm still waiting for my shipment from Italy (got held at Customs in NYC - just a routine check, but a waste of time nonetheless), and there I have a few pots and pans made of stainless steel, including my prized pasta pot with a built-in colander. That said, I find nonstick pans excellent for things like risottos, which have a tendency to stick to the pan big time, and of course pancakes.

Thanks, Eric! I'll definitely look into that, though with the arrival of my stuff from Italy we might even not need to get anything else in the way of cooking supplies.

This morning for breakfast I made cornmeal pancakes, adding a couple of spoons of the cranberry-tart cherry relish I made for Thanksgiving... I am pleased to say they were a real big hit!

Found the recipe on the Better Homes and Gardens website, and adapted it slightly, as I usually do (skipped the fat in the batter completely, for instance, and added the relish instead of using fresh or dried fruit). Just take 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup of yellow cornmeal, 2 tablespoons sugar (I used organic cane, or turbinado), 1/2 teaspoon each baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon, and a pinch of salt, and mix it all together in a bowl. In another bowl beat 1 egg with 1 cup of plain yogurt thinned with water, then beat it into the dry ingredients (without overmixing). Add the fruit at the end, if you want to, and cook in the usual manner. I sprayed the pan with cooking spray at the beginning, so the pancakes have a very low fat content.

Raff wrote: I should definitely get those panko breadcrumbs, which I've never used, though I've heard they are way better than ordinary breadcrumbs. As David mentioned bacon, I should add that for lunch I made a decent imitation of the famous Italian amatriciana sauce - that is, a sauce of tomatoes, pancetta (Italian-style bacon), onion, garlic and red pepper flakes, served over pasta with grated Romano cheese (found at Trader's Joe). Obviously it didn't taste exactly like its Italian counterpart, but it was much lighter, and Micky loved it.

I love this sauce, though I don't usually put in garlic and I sometimes add diced carrot 

^ and that other  bottle of white that was in the fridge for me... though.. I best stop... so I got some Diet Coke 

it was delicious wasn't it   I was inspired...

By the way, sounds like you had a terrific birthday Raff.  

That's a recipe I'll definitely try very soon... I love chicken, and when I get my wok from Italy I'll make all sorts of nice things!

Anybody ever cook with Quinoa? It's like a high protein/low carb grain and very good for you. Second time I've made it. Added it to a dish to make a sort of beef goulash tonight. Very tasty.

E

I'm doing Alton Brown's "Christmas Soup" this weekend

1 pound kielbasa, sliced 1/4-inch thick on bias
Vegetable oil, as needed
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound red kidney beans, soaked at least 4 hours and up to overnight
2 quarts chicken broth
1 pound red bliss potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 ounces fresh kale, approximately 4 handfuls
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

Place the kielbasa into a 7-quart Dutch oven and set over medium-low heat. Cook until the kielbasa has browned well and rendered its fat, approximately 15 minutes. If you do not have at least 2 teaspoons of fat, add enough vegetable oil to make 2 teaspoons. Remove the kielbasa from the pan and set aside.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the beans and the chicken broth and cook, covered, for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, add the potatoes, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Wash, rinse and trim the kale and tear into bite size pieces. Add the kale to the pot, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes or just until it is tender, but not mushy.

Add the red wine vinegar and black pepper and stir to combine. Evenly distribute the kielbasa between 8 soup bowls. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Atavachron wrote:  ^ good one, sounds a little like the borscht I make

yeah, my father-in-law just brought over 5 lbs. of kielbasa from this Polish butcher in the city - absolutely heavenly