Prog Chefs Unite!!!

Finnforest wrote: I've been really getting into the olive bar, especially the fragrant kalamatas.....hard to stop once you start.  Anyone here an olive lover?   Suggestions?

Buy a can of large black olives.

Eat them.

That's my favorite. 

Used to put them on my fingers as a kid. 

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.

Finnforest wrote: I've been really getting into the olive bar, especially the fragrant kalamatas.....hard to stop once you start.  Anyone here an olive lover?   Suggestions?

Oh yes, absolutely!

Kalamatas are hard to top, though.
Do you enjoy tapenade Jim?
If you haven't tried it, I suggest some of that, a nice Italian wine and some crackers and you're good to go!

Better, make your own - it's easy as hell.

Angelo wrote: Right now, I've got a nice piece of pork belly roasting in the oven, on top of some vegetables. The veggies and fat will be the base for a nice gravy, and the lot will be served with fries and a salad. Simple, cheap and scaringly good.

I'm making my first tamale pie.  I first ate it at my friend's late mother.  It was amazing.

Beef, tomatoes, red, orange, and yellow peppers, onions, corn, and cheddar cheese all baked in a cornmeal crust.


Edited by Epignosis - March 10 2012 at 19:05

I do declare, my eggplant Parmesan has to be in the top five dishes I make.

It's not a quick fix, but boy, is it incredible.

I still can barely find any recipes that don't make me buy a bunch of equipment or ingredients I'll never use again. Wish I could find some

I'll probably finally get around to buying a box grater soon so I can make some potato recipes. Cheaper than the other things I was considering(food processor, stick blender) so that's a plus

Kyma's (Atlanta Greek restaurant) Slow-Cooked Eggplant Stew With Sweet Onions and Tomatoes
Ellie Krieger's Smoky Kale Chips