tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76766484132616210442024-03-14T08:38:19.350-07:00THE FOODENATORSDr Nikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13627680767245275328noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-65291217629882338742020-08-15T19:05:00.002-07:002020-10-14T20:21:41.933-07:00Baguettes Mark II<p>So been fine-tuning my baguettes, and found this video (<a href="https://youtu.be/n0U8RdRdFDU">https://youtu.be/n0U8RdRdFDU</a>) particularly helpful. The video is really good for seeing the texture of his dough (which I haven't managed to replicate yet, but at least I know what I'm going for...) Written recipe <a href="https://www.ilovecooking.ie/food-tv/baguettes-masterclass-with-patrick-ryan/">here</a>, but I'm going to copy it down here so it doesn't disappear on me, and I can make notes. I'm particularly liking how this method makes it easy to have fresh bread 3 days in a row, and nearly-fresh for a few days after.<br /></p><p>Basically he spreads the bread-making over three days. Which sounds ridiculous, but the first two days are like 10-minutes of work and pop it in the fridge. So if anything it's less restrictive than my older version, where I'm supposed to do something every hour or so.</p><p>Day1:</p><p>450g strong white flour. (~3 5/8 cups is what the internet told me. This was _hugely_ wrong; ended up being about 575g, when I finally got a scale. ~2 3/4 cups was closer, but obviously the scale is better. Thought the dough seemed a bit dry...) </p><p>290ml water.</p><p>2.5g / generous pinch / ~3/4 tsp dried yeast. <br /></p><p>7g (~1 - 1 1/4 tsp) salt.</p><p>Playing with an autolyse step here, which he doesn't call for. For that, reserve a small amount of the water to dissolve the yeast, combine the rest with the flour, and let sit an hour before adding the yeast to the remaining water, and then to the dough, along with the salt. Work it for 1-2 mins just to get it mixed through, then put in a covered oiled bowl in the fridge for 24 hours. (Without the autolyse step, its just combine it all, work 1-2 mins, rest in fridge.)</p><p>Day 2:</p><p>500g (~3-ish cups) strong white flour.</p><p>300ml water.</p><p>5g (~1 3/4 tsp) dried yeast.</p><p>10g (~1 3/4 tsp) salt.</p><p>Autolyse again if you like. Otherwise combine with yesterdays pre-fermented dough, cut into smaller pieces to mix in better. Knead 8-10 minutes until it passes the windowpane test. Should be a bit wet and sticky. Put in a covered oiled bowl in the fridge for 12-36 hours. (You can take some of this dough and bake it now, to spread your loaves over more days...)</p><p>Day 3+:</p><p>You can keep this in the fridge for up to ~36 hours, so you can have fresh bread for a few days. When you get to the end on that window, bake the rest and freeze a few loaves as soon as its cool enough. When you pull the frozen loaves out, spray them with water and heat in the oven 5 mins and they're nearly as good as fresh.</p><p>Divide the dough into ~250g portions (6ish). Shape into a ball and let rest 5 mins. Grab two sides of the ball and shake it out until you're holding two tendrils; fold them back into the middle (see the video.) This helps make neater ends. You'll end up with a rough rectangle maybe 6 inches square. Roll it up from one side, crimping 2-3 times, to make a 6-inch sausage roll. Let it rest about 5 minutes (or however long it takes to do the others, if you're doing all 6 at once.) Then roll them, from the middle outwards, tapering to points. Rest them, seam-side-up, in floured cloth, pulling up a little wave of cloth between each 2 loaves (which should otherwise touch, to encourage them to rise up instead of out.) Prove 50-60 mins, until slightly underproven.</p><p>Pre-heat oven to 240C fan-forced, and put a heavy pan on the bottom shelf. Roll the loaves out of the cloth and arrange in pan. Slash with a razor. Put them in with a cup of hot water in the heavy pan, for steam. Spray loaves and oven walls at 1 and 3 mins. Cook for 20-25 mins total, until done.</p><p>Note: I still have trouble getting my loaf bottoms to cook well enough - probably our shit oven's fault. So I'll roll the loaves over for the last few mins to get them brown and crispy.<br /></p><p><br /></p>anti obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853494819364588013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-20656241342653610992020-01-26T17:13:00.003-08:002020-01-26T17:14:26.054-08:00Turkish PideLove me a good Turkish pide. This (<a href="https://ozlemsturkishtable.com/2014/07/kiymali-pide-turkish-flat-bread-with-ground-meat-and-vegetables/">https://ozlemsturkishtable.com/2014/07/kiymali-pide-turkish-flat-bread-with-ground-meat-and-vegetables/</a>) one I tried at home and was good (though we really only did the bread his style, and mixed our own fillings.) Copying his recipe in case his blog goes away, but if anyone else reads this, go check out his stuff; he has some tasty-looking things.<br />
<br />
<div class="ERSIngredients">
<div class="ERSIngredientsHeader ERSHeading">
Ingredients</div>
<ul>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">For the dough:</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">300 gr/ 10½ oz. / + 2 tbsp. all-purpose plain flour</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">5ml/1 tsp. salt</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">14 gr/4 tsp. dried yeast (2 packs of 7gr dried yeast)</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">8 fl. oz. /1 cup warm water</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">45ml/3 tbsp. olive oil</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">For the topping:</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">1 medium onion, finely chopped</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">400 gr/14 oz. ground beef or ground lamb or mixture</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">½ green bell pepper or 1 green pointy pepper, finely diced</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">2 medium tomatoes, deseeded and diced</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">15 ml/ 1 tbsp. lemon juice</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">15 ml/ 1 tbsp. olive oil</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">Salt (5 ml/1 tsp. salt is recommended) and freshly ground black pepper to taste</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients">1 egg + 15 ml/ 1 tbsp. olive oil to brush the pide</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="ERSInstructionsHeader ERSHeading">
Instructions</div>
<ol>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Stir
in the dried yeast in a small bowl and pour in ½ cup warm water.
Dissolve the yeast in water, mixing with your fingers. Set aside for the
yeast mixture to get frothy for 5 minutes.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Make a well in the middle and pour in 2 tbsp. olive oil and the yeast mixture.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Pour
in the remaining ½ warm water to the flour mixture. Using your hands,
draw in the flour from the sides and work the mixture into a dough.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Knead
for 3 -5 minutes, until you reach a soft, smooth dough. The dough gets
sticky as you knead, so pour the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil and stir in
additional 2 tbsp. flour to help shape into a soft dough.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Place the dough in large bowl and cover with a cling film. Leave it in a warm place for 1 hour; it will be doubled in size.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">In the meantime, prepare your filling. Heat 15ml/1tbsp. olive oil in a wide heavy pan and stir in the onions and peppers.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Sauté
the onions and peppers for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, until they
start to soften. Stir in the tomatoes and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Pour in the lemon juice and season with salt and ground black pepper.
Turn the heat off.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Place the ground meat in a bowl and combine the cooked vegetables with the ground meat, mix well. The topping is ready.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Once
the dough is risen, place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead
the dough for a minute then divide the dough into two pieces and roll
into two balls.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">On
a lightly floured surface, roll the dough balls into 2 oval shapes of
20 cm x 40 cm (about 8”x16”), with ½ cm (0.2”) thickness.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Line a large baking tray with baking paper and place the 2 oval flat bread dough on the tray.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Spread
the filling evenly over the 2 flat breads, leaving 2 cm at the edges as
a border with no filling (it is easier to spread the filling while the
oval flat bread is in the tray).</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Fold in the sides to act as border to keep the filling intact. Squeeze the oval dough at each end to make it pointy.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Beat an egg in a small bowl and mix it with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Brush the edges of dough with this mixture.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the pides are golden brown and crispy at the edges.</li>
<li class="instruction" itemprop="recipeInstructions">Once cool, cut into slices and serve.</li>
</ol>
anti obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853494819364588013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-86395584942669633302019-10-18T21:01:00.002-07:002020-01-26T17:05:18.225-08:00Satay<strike>Don't know how this came out yet; documenting so I can tweak. Anyone else may want to wait and see what I have to say about outcome...</strike><br />
Done this twice now. Is good.<strike> </strike><br />
<br />
Starting from: <a href="https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-chicken-satay/">https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-chicken-satay/</a> (Original recipe in parens, if different from what I used instead.)<br />
<br />
Marinade - let sit for at least overnight.<br />
<br />
3 tablespoons oil<br />
2 stalks lemongrass - whites only<br />
4 cloves garlic (2 cloves)<br />
2 small red onions (6 shallots)<br />
2 teaspoons tumeric<br />
1 teaspoon coriander poweder<br />
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder + 1 dried chipotle, diced (1 teaspoon chili powder)<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
2 raw sugar cubes (2 teaspoons sugar)<br />
~1 cup water (a little water)<br />
<br />
Recipe calls for it to be run through a food processor. We don't own one. So I diced or grated everything, ran it through a mortar and pestle, and used more water than called for to get it a bit more liquid. I'm marinading ~1kg diced chicken thigh.<br />
<br />
Peanut sauce from the same site: <a href="https://rasamalaysia.com/malaysian-sataynow-with-peanut-sauce/">https://rasamalaysia.com/malaysian-sataynow-with-peanut-sauce/</a><br />
Haven't done this bit yet - will come back and modify with what I actually do... <br />
<div class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-group">
<ul class="rm-wprm-recipe-ingredients">
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">1 1/2</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit">cup</span>
unsweetened crunchy peanut butter <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">(dry roasted peanuts, unsalted)</span>
</li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">1</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit">cup</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">water</span>
</li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">1</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit">tablespoon</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">soy sauce (</span><span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">sweet)</span>
</li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">4 raw sugar cubes (1 1/2</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit">tablespoon</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">sugar, palm sugar preferred)</span>
</li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">1/8</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit">teaspoon</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">salt</span>
</li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">1/4</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit">cup</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">oil</span>
</li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">1</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit"> tablespoon</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">tamarind pulp, soaked in 1/4 cup water for 15 minutes, squeeze the tamarind pulp for juice and discard the pulp</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-group">
<h4 class="wprm-recipe-group-name wprm-recipe-ingredient-group-name">
Spice Paste:</h4>
<ul class="rm-wprm-recipe-ingredients">
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient"> <span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">4 dried chipotles (6-8</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">dried red chilies) seeded and soaked in warm water</span>
</li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">6 (3)</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit">cloves</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">garlic</span>
</li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">1 red onion (3</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">shallots)</span>
</li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">2</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">lemon grass, white parts only</span>
</li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">1</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit">inch</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">ginger (galangal preferred)</span>
</li>
<li class="wprm-recipe-ingredient" itemprop="recipeIngredient">
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-amount">1</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-unit">tablespoon</span>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">coriander powder, (optional)</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="wprm-recipe-ingredient-name">Chop the spice paste ingredients and mortar and pestle (blend) until fine. Heat oil and fry
the spice paste until aromatic and smell spicy. Add the peanuts,
tamarind juice, water, sugar, sweet soy sauce and stir thoroughly.
Simmer in low heat while continue stirring for about 3 minutes until the
peanut sauce turns smooth. Serve at room temperature with the satay. </span>
</div>
anti obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853494819364588013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-54202857985563543052015-03-28T02:16:00.003-07:002015-03-28T02:16:31.578-07:00Anzac Biscuits<div class="ii gt m13252b0189699671 adP adO" id=":17y">
<div class="a3s" id=":17x" style="overflow: hidden;">
Since you mention Anzac Biscuit, Ob, here is the recipe I use, to compare with your sisters cookie recipe (which I will be trying out soon - but after festival.... or maybe before if I have walnuts in the cupboard.... soon anyway)<br />
<br />
1 cup plain flour<br />
1 cup rolled oats<br />
3/4 cup cocomut<br />
3/4 cup raw sugar<br />
140g butter<br />
3 teaspoons golden syrup<br />
3 tablespoons boiling water<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
<br />
Put dry ingredients into a bowl.<br />
Melt butter, golden syrup and water in a saucepan. Add soda and stir<br />
vigorously. While foaming, pour into dry ingredients and mix.<br />
<br />
Form into balls (possibly with extra flour to help) and place on<br />
greased trays.<br />
<br />
Bake in moderate (180C) oven until done (which is anything from golden to<br />
almost burnt). (10-15 minuntes) Allow to cool on trays.</div>
</div>
<table class="cf FVrZGe" role="presentation"><tbody>
<tr><td class="amq"><br /></td><td class="amr"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mousicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08063945349373603132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-69492677337499966202015-03-26T18:02:00.001-07:002015-03-26T18:02:39.881-07:00Laur's Oatmeal CookiesThat's bikkies to you antipodeans, but it's her recipe so she gets to call them what she likes.<br />
<br />
About once a year I ask my sister for her oatmeal cookie recipe and then lose it; about 50% of the time I manage to make a batch before it disappears. This time, I'm whacking it on the cloud. They're kind of similar to Anzac bikkies (though to be honest, everyone seems to disagree about what exactly makes an Anzac Anzac, so I may be lying.)<br />
<br />
Tuned to 7,000 feet, so tweak as necessary lowlanders.<br />
<br />
1 cup butter (substitue 1/2 for applesauce if you want to make your doctor happy)<br />
2 1/2 cups brown sugar<br />
4 eggs<br />
2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
2 cups all-purpose flour (substitute 1/2 with whole wheat, but use a little extra)<br />
1 cup whole wheat flour<br />
2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 1/2 cups raisins<br />
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips<br />
1 cup coconut<br />
1 cup chopped walnuts<br />
7 1/2 cups oats (lose the half if not at altitude.)<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375F. Mix ingredients in order listed. Scoop into balls on a baking sheet. Bake until golden.<br />
<br />anti obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853494819364588013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-80559126523029700322012-12-17T01:06:00.000-08:002012-12-17T01:15:15.790-08:00Ham curing mark 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Hi Everyone,<br />
<br />
I just wanted to firstly say, great forum. Its a wealth of knowledge i've been looking for a while.<br />
<br />
So I also wanted to beg for help. This is my second time ive done ham and things went a bit worse than the first time. The problem is similar to [url=http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?p=90115#90115]my breciola[/url] that was done at the same time and seems to not have poisoned me, despite the mold.<br />
<br />
So the process was coat the exposed areas of the pork with a mix of pepper, ground juniper, salt and the curing salt (I dont have the exact ratios here). We then put it in a tub of salt with pressure for a month and then air dried in a garage for 3-6 months. Conditions were Australian winter...so maybe 15C and 40-50% humidity. Sub optimal but OK.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzn5KHDo7m4E_rrTyu1Gh5ce8b5C-hW7_2I0bLXNGpgktF-mwqryr1uCkgKob-iWVfpql0qSeYGT-KNjPGufkuwcVI2zgBdXL9XOLkVm3HhWnCWylJzZipQMqxEPiSH-PceZaRxDfm8ao/s1600/P1080707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzn5KHDo7m4E_rrTyu1Gh5ce8b5C-hW7_2I0bLXNGpgktF-mwqryr1uCkgKob-iWVfpql0qSeYGT-KNjPGufkuwcVI2zgBdXL9XOLkVm3HhWnCWylJzZipQMqxEPiSH-PceZaRxDfm8ao/s320/P1080707.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
The ham came out quite moldy but cutting into the surface was OK. So we washed it with vinegar and put it on to dry some more. In the end we were skeptical so carved one appart entirely from the bone. The inside didnt smell bad, just fermenting. In a similar way to italian fermented wet salamis (salumi?). We lost our nerve and it went into the bin. (The above photo is after the first vinegar wash and a sliced section can be seen)<br />
<br />
However the second one I vinegar washed again and carved about 1cm off all faces and it came out like below: Taste of the outer sections was good, slightly creamy but like prochuto (as was the aim).Smell, slightly musty but not too bad. I have eaten a bit of it a couple of times and not been sick.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0JntmmYUnHoteAHtrUmmYc5WRn9g_RNctzUbQqB4rOGMpsvNu1exza8Gwze0MPzPeZHDR0IlgSGdY48Qb74pUjSdSDJKWmYUJAMxvY-FFKQEMTVKOJbs2LdMn1ybnDNmDVT5_6d_FIQ/s1600/IMAG2522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbwaZCnbuFP35RX6pJNmGu0dOTtd_SUTB1ANrniip5B-c7L0QJTyRyYt7s9WzZEyBMNZw_vR0MlY1Vu_beVBU8OVj_oa_SHkwZiXgk5WgFVTaqrOBdTnVZ3aJI7K-EV2UEM-aP-f-8fQ/s1600/P1080716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbwaZCnbuFP35RX6pJNmGu0dOTtd_SUTB1ANrniip5B-c7L0QJTyRyYt7s9WzZEyBMNZw_vR0MlY1Vu_beVBU8OVj_oa_SHkwZiXgk5WgFVTaqrOBdTnVZ3aJI7K-EV2UEM-aP-f-8fQ/s1600/P1080716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbwaZCnbuFP35RX6pJNmGu0dOTtd_SUTB1ANrniip5B-c7L0QJTyRyYt7s9WzZEyBMNZw_vR0MlY1Vu_beVBU8OVj_oa_SHkwZiXgk5WgFVTaqrOBdTnVZ3aJI7K-EV2UEM-aP-f-8fQ/s320/P1080716.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<br />
Does anyone have any suggestions here? or advice?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Dr Nikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13627680767245275328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-20781423638178030672012-11-24T21:26:00.000-08:002012-11-24T21:26:31.980-08:00Olives<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hmmm so I took my olives out of the shed today (I know, shed is not the best place for preserving) and washed them. They smell fine and taste OK. In the end I did two methods:<br />
* Washed water method<br />
* Brine cure method<br />
<br />
A couple of comments. The washed water method worked fine but the olives are mushy and a bit crap. Taste fine but not so awesome.Might come out OK if I put them into a post brine pickle (vinegar and brine with some herbs?) never done a post cure.They had developed some mushrooms during the wash phase because I didnt change the water every day...so this method is not tollerant of my life style<br />
<br />
The salt brined ones are better, crisp and nice. Good flavour and a little saltier. They had mushrooms growing on them when I took them out because I had a waterbag to hold them down which is a perfect place for mold to grow. Taste fine. No bad smells.<br />
<br />
Anyway best description I have found is here:<br />
http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8267.pdf</div>
Dr Nikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13627680767245275328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-72443950845088065792012-11-24T19:25:00.001-08:002012-11-24T19:25:18.420-08:00Bresciola<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
From a sausage making forum I posted too and need somewhere to store my photos<br />
Hi Guys,<br />
<br />
I'm new to this forum and joined to ask some questions about...exactly this topic.<br />
<br />
We recently did a bresciola cured with salt, pepper, curing salt and juniper (I think some oregano too but I dont have the recipe on hand). We fridge cured it in plastic bags for 10 days with a salt change half way through. We then removed, rinsed and fridge dried it for 3 days uncovered and then wrapped it in musslin cloth and let it air dry open in the fridge.<br />
<br />
When removed the muslin had some what looked like blood stain and a fair bit of mold (green and white molds which I understand are penicillin and some other mold which isn't bad...we hope). The meat didnt smell much.<br />
<br />
Being a bit concerned about the amount of mold I washed it in cold water with a scrubbing brush and then 2 lots of vinegar washes followed by another cold water rinse.<br />
<br />
My question is, what can I do about the mold. We have had significant mold infestation in our hams too. They are cured in a mixed garage environment and fridge. I dont know the humidity but the temperature should be around 15C<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7IMZtfmObouNaNrWrh5i1ZTgZMmXnne6oYw2J_KtrcYitMFKMDkoa08Gus7vsim0kvd69mDnY1amqakevHwAskA2O_x1TsfJ-5iQaHhSzFrrfEmKYwrdOYges790Uo3VOmZyPn1JP3A/s1600/P1080694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7IMZtfmObouNaNrWrh5i1ZTgZMmXnne6oYw2J_KtrcYitMFKMDkoa08Gus7vsim0kvd69mDnY1amqakevHwAskA2O_x1TsfJ-5iQaHhSzFrrfEmKYwrdOYges790Uo3VOmZyPn1JP3A/s320/P1080694.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwD35lRdveghTY5Y_6HgSBO29BohdGkrXLOVcGDQ5J4QZk2xeIQ8tUor01Zb_RUH_vBFZQGgCKBSSmyutR2pEdKTxUoaEDnWeVO35NIMzzcnLmCRIXCPesDb7631v_ezW1kny0gVP0Cs/s1600/P1080703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwD35lRdveghTY5Y_6HgSBO29BohdGkrXLOVcGDQ5J4QZk2xeIQ8tUor01Zb_RUH_vBFZQGgCKBSSmyutR2pEdKTxUoaEDnWeVO35NIMzzcnLmCRIXCPesDb7631v_ezW1kny0gVP0Cs/s320/P1080703.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
Dr Nikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13627680767245275328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-1264835428741592502011-07-05T20:51:00.000-07:002020-01-26T17:07:28.296-08:00Shanna's Easy Pizza DoughShanna Holden's quick pizza dough recipe that even works at 7000 feet. Makes 2 medium or 1 large pie.<br />
Mix in large bowl:<br />
1.25 C warm water (~120 F)<br />
2 t honey<br />
1 T oil<br />
2.5 t yeast (1pkg)<br />
Let sit in bowl 5 min then slowly mix in:<br />
3 C flour (whole wheat is fine)<br />
3 T of gluten<br />
1 t salt<br />
Knead 5 min<br />
Cover with damp towel and let rise ~15min in oiled bowl.<br />
Roll dough, layer with your favorite ingredients and bake at 500F for 10 - 15min.Tall Weedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242908951418582194noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-81129199150913384862011-07-05T18:28:00.000-07:002018-11-03T22:02:20.692-07:00Baguettes at 7,000 FeetSo I've been trying to make a proper baguette since we went to France, and made some rather-nice-bread-that-wasn't-a-baguette for awhile before I worked out that the recipe needs tweaking for the altitude and the dry air here in Flag, and the salt isn't optional. Its still not _quite_ right, but its getting close, and the bit of paper with my scribbled notes is getting nigh-unreadable, so its time to put this down somewhere that I can find it again...<br />
<br />
Baguettes at 7,000 feet.<br />
<br />
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast. (Yes the amount seems to matter; don't just dump a whole packet in.)<br />
1/4 cup very warm water.<br />
<br />
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour<br />
1 cup cake flour<br />
OR<br />
4 cups unbleached high-gluten bread flour<br />
<br />
2 1/4 teaspoons salt. (Don't skimp, especially at altitude, no matter how little you usually cook with salt. The salt retards the yeast growth so it doesn't go too nuts too fast in the low pressure at altitude.)<br />
1 1/2 cups cool water. (1 1/4 cups in the original recipe - the extra helps adjust for the altitude.)<br />
<br />
White of one egg, mixed with ~1 tbsp water.<br />
---<br />
<br />
1) Combine yeast and warm water and mix well to dissolve the yeast.<br />
NOTE: steps 2-7 are taken care of nicely by my bread machine on the large, white, dough setting, which takes an hour fifty and ends with a quick knead cycle.<br />
2) Mix everything except the eggwhite in a large bowl, adding the liquids last. Mix to form a shaggy mass.<br />
3) Knead for 4 minutes on a floured surface.<br />
4) Rest, covered with plastic wrap or a towel for 20 minutes.<br />
5) Knead for 6-8 minutes.<br />
6) Place in a lightly-oiled bowl and cover. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in volume.<br />
7) Gently deflate the dough and fold it over itself in the bowl. Re-shape into a ball and re-cover.<br />
8) Let rise for 1 1/4 hours, or until nearly doubled in volume.<br />
(Original recipe calls for another punch-down and rise here; I've been skipping it.)<br />
9) Deflate and re-form, then break the dough into 3 equal-sized pieces. Gently stretch and/or flatten one into a rough rectangle without tearing it - it will try to shrink back, but you can let it stick to the surface a bit to hold the shape. Then roll the rectangle up from one edge. Pinch sealed the seam and the ends. Set aside and repeat with the other two thirds.<br />
10) Going back to your first "loaf", elongate it by gently stretching and/or rolling the loaf, until its about the length you want your final loaf to be (length of my baking tray, in my case...) Place it on a baking tray scattered with a bit of corn meal. Repeat with the other 2.<br />
11) Cover the tray, and let rise for 30-40 minutes, until not quite doubled in volume.<br />
12) While waiting for the last rise, pre-heat your oven to 500 F (260 C). Put a large metal baking dish (really; don't use glass!) empty in the bottom of the oven while it heats. I use our paella pan for this and its perfect. Get a plant mister and load it with tap water. Boil the kettle, and turn it back off.<br />
13) Un-cover the bread tray and paint the loaves with a mixture of the white of one egg and about a tablespoon of water. Using a very sharp knife held at about 45 degrees to horizontal, cut a long shallow cut from one end of each loaf to the other.<br />
14) Put the tray in the oven. Take a cup of the hot water from the kettle and dump it in the metal tray in the bottom of the oven. Shut the door quick!<br />
15) Wait a minute, open the door, use the plant mister to spray the loaves and each side of the oven 6-8 times (and shut it again quick!)<br />
16) Wait two minutes, open the door, use the plant mister to spray the loaves and each side of the oven 6-8 times (and shut it again quick!)<br />
17) Wait 12 minutes, turn the oven down to 400 F (205 C), then open it for half a minute to drop the temperature, and spray the loaves and sides once more.<br />
18) Bake for 20 minutes (original recipe called for 25-30, but 20 seems pretty consistently right for me.)<br />
<br />
That makes it sound all very complicated, but for me it amounts to: dump ingredients in bread machine; come back in 3 hours. Fold over once; come back in an hour. Form loaves, wait a bit, and cook.<br />
<br />
EDIT: Without the breadmaker, and in Wellington (sea level and humid) this came up much more like a real baguette - crisp crunchy top but light and fluffy inside. So the recipe is good, but the high-altitude adjustments not quite there yet. anti obhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853494819364588013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-21851521927171225282011-01-27T10:09:00.001-08:002011-01-27T10:09:50.197-08:00Two new nummiesHey,<br /><br />So I came home cold and hungry and lazy and all I had was some eggs and zuccini...Persian Omblet<br /><br />http://checkitoutavesta.blogspot.com/2008/10/middle-eastern-omelet.html<br /><br />It turned out amazing, all fluffy and yum. The sugary tumaric gives it a really interesting taste.Dr Nikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13627680767245275328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-15324978090010345032011-01-27T10:08:00.000-08:002011-01-27T10:09:08.209-08:00Emptying the shit out of the fridge - PheasantsSo my fridge was infested with pheasants that needed to be eaten...I again didnt have too many ingredients so I modified this one...<br /><br />http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/emerils-favorite-roast-pheasant-recipe/index.html<br /><br />Ingredients<br /><br />1 pheasants<br />Salt<br />Freshly ground black pepper<br />1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped<br />1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped<br />1 manderine<br />1 tbl sp thyme dried<br />bacon pieces<br />1/4 cup Madeira<br />1 cup rich chicken stock<br />2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter<br /><br />Directions<br /><br />Preheat the oven to 260C degrees. (I cant remember if I used this temp or reduced it,...use brains)<br /><br />Season the cavities and the outside of each pheasant liberally with salt and pepper. Stuff carrot, onion, manderine pieces (cut in half), thyme (snap its spine if the stupid birds are too small)<br /><br />Arrange the pheasants in a large roasting pan, breast sides up. Thow bacon pieces over the pheasant (its supposed to be rashes but I didt have any so I basted lots) Roast for 15 minutes, then remove the bacon strips and continue roasting for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear. (It is important to not overcook the pheasants, as they are very lean birds.) Remove the pheasants from the oven and transfer to a serving platter, loosely tented, while you make the sauce.<br /><br />Using a spoon, carefully remove as much extra fat from the pan as possible. Place the roasting pan over high heat and, when hot, deglaze with the orange juice and Madeira, using a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. When the orange juice and Madeira have reduced by half, add the chicken stock and continue to cook until sauce has reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 to 4 minutes. Swirl in the butter and remove from the heat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.<br /><br />Remove the back bone from each pheasant, then cut along the breast bone to divide the birds into two halves. Serve 1/2 pheasant per person, napped with some of the sauce.<br /><br />Id do this again anyday, the thyme and orange were great. It would probably work for other little birds like geese, swans, emus, or pterodactyls too.Dr Nikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13627680767245275328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-3775452808178873722011-01-22T23:27:00.000-08:002011-01-22T23:35:21.484-08:00Marinated beef ribs in dark ale and mustard4 beef spare ribs, about 2kg in total<br />125ml dark ale (1/2 cup)<br />2 tbsp brown sugar<br />3 tbsp cider vinegar<br />2 small red chillies, seeded and finely chopped<br />2 tbsp ground cumin<br />1 tbsp whole grain mustard<br />20g unsalted butter<br /><br /><br />Place ribs in a single layer in a large non-metallic dish. Put the ale, sugar, vinegar, chilli, cumin and mustard in an bowl, stir well to dissolve the sugar, then pour over the ribs. Toss to coat, then cover and marinate in the fridge for 1-2 hours.<br />Preheat kettle or covered BBQ to medium indirect heat. Transfer the ribs and the marinade to a large shallow roasting tin and place in the middle of the BBQ. Lower the lid and cook the ribs for 50 minutes, or until the meat is tender and about 1/2 cup of marinade is left in the pan. Transfer the ribs to a warm serving plate while you finish making the sauce - leave the pan on the BBQ to keep warm.<br />Using a whisk, beat butter into the reduced marinade in the roasting tin and season with salt/pepper.<br />Drizzle ribs with sauce.<br /><br /><br /><br />From Leanne Kitchen's <span style="font-style: italic;">The Butcher</span>.<br />I use dark Kozel for preference, and have used tabasco in place of the chilli but it's not as good.Mz. B.Trousershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03898835224931232843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-12627985880227344392010-11-23T21:29:00.001-08:002010-11-23T21:29:51.064-08:00Summer Hill 'corner store' has corn syrup.<br /><br />Just sayin'.Mz. B.Trousershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03898835224931232843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-44385108020372452712010-09-26T23:48:00.001-07:002010-09-26T23:48:57.672-07:00Summer Hill Butcher has liquid smoke.<br />Just sayin'.Mz. B.Trousershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03898835224931232843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-53458810177035825632010-06-27T11:52:00.000-07:002010-06-27T11:56:25.770-07:00Vietnamese summer saladDoes anyone have a better salad than this? its still pretty damned good but not perfect. I added fish sause and about a handful of mint.<br /><br />much better...it also needs more chilli....lots of chilli<br /><br />http://yummies.wordpress.com/2008/01/28/vietnamese-cold-beef-salad/<br /><br /><p>Ingredients<br />¼ cup light soy sauce<br />¼ cup lime juice<br />¼ cup water<br />2 tbs sugar<br />1 tbs minced garlic<br />1 tsp red chili sauce/paste/oil<br />1 ½ tsp minced ginger<br />½ pound flank steak<br />1 cup fresh basil leaves (I didnt have this)<br />1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (or this)<br />1 cup fresh mint leaves (this I had...it was good)<br />½ red onion, sliced finely (used shallots instead)<br />½ seeded English cucumber, halved and sliced finely<br />2 cups julienned carrots<br />½ cup dry roasted peanuts</p> <p>*Optional* cooked rice, prepared as you like</p> <p>Directions<br />Combine light soy sauce, lime juice, water, sugar, garlic, and chili sauce/paste/oil and ginger in medium bowl. Whisk or stir to blend. Pour approximately 5 tablespoons into a resealable plastic bag or large container. Cover and refrigerate the remaining dressing. Add steak to bag/container, seal, and turn to coat. Chill 30 minutes or overnight (for a more stronger flavor) to marinate.</p> <p>Heat broiler to 400 degrees F. Broil steak 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, or until medium-rare. Let rest 5 minutes and slice thinly at an angle, across the grain.</p> <p>Place basil, cilantro, mint, onion, cucumbers, and carrots in large bowl and toss. Top with sliced steak, drizzle with reserved dressing, and sprinkle with peanuts.</p> <p>Can be eaten with a bowl of cooked rice or alone for a healthy low carb alternative. Let the ingredients mingle overnight for a more intense flavor. If you choose to do this then keep the basil, mint and cilantro out of the dish till you are ready to eat to keep them from getting droopy in the dish.</p>Dr Nikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13627680767245275328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-12125969690257241122010-06-09T04:35:00.001-07:002010-06-09T04:35:47.421-07:00Roman CheesecakeIt's been a while since I cooked it for Yule Feast and Cold Wars. I have a cunning plan to put it in many places so it can't be lost.<br /><br /><br />Savillum (Cato 84)<br />(Cato - 180 BC<br />Cato. Liber de agricultura)<br /><br />Savillum hoc modo facito: Farinae selibram, casei P. II S una<br />commisceto quasi libum, addito mellis P. - et ovum unum. Catinum<br />fictile oleo unguito. Ubi omnia bene commiscueris, in catinum indito,<br />catinum testo operito. Videto ut bene percocas medio, ubi altissimum<br />est. Ubi coctum erit, catinum eximito, melle unguito, papver<br />infriato, sub testum subde paulipser, postea eximito. Ita pone cum<br />catillo et lingula.<br /><br />Make a savillum this: Mix 1/2 libra flour and 2 1/2 libra cheese, as<br />is done for libum. Add 1/4 libra honey and 1 egg. Grease an<br />earthenware bowl with oil. When you have mixed the ingredients well,<br />pour into the bowl and cover the bowl with an earthenware testo. See<br />that you cook it well in the middle, where it is highest. When it is<br />cooked, remove the bowl, spread with honey, sprinkle with poppy, put<br />it back beneath the testo for a moment, and then remove. Serve it<br />thus with a plate and spoon.<br /><br />Serves 4<br />750g ricotta<br />1 cup flour<br />6 Tbs honey<br />1 egg<br />2 Tbs poppy seeds<br /><br />Blend cheese flour, 4 Tbs honey and egg. Grease baking pan with oil.<br />Pour in mixture and bake in hot hot (400F) for 20-30 minutes. Cover<br />with foil for first 10-15 mins. Remove from oven drizzle with honey<br />and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Replace in oven for 5 minutes and<br />serve.<br /><br />The above recipe, translation and redaction comes from Giacosa, Ilaria<br />Gozzini, (1994), A Taste of Ancient Rome, The University of Chicago<br />Press, Chicago.<br /><br />And here is the recipe we actually used at the feasts.... not quite<br />the same, but I didn't re-read the recipe at Cold War, and the result<br />was so well received, we just did the same again for Yule.<br /><br />3kg ricotta<br />750g honey<br />200g poppy seeds<br />4 cups flour<br />5 eggs<br />makes about 12 cakes<br /><br />Mix every thing together. Shove into buttered foil pie tins. Bake in<br />oven about 200C-ish until starting to brown. Allow to cool a little<br />before attempting to stick in head.Mousicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08063945349373603132noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-3560349639923702582010-06-04T23:52:00.000-07:002010-06-05T00:03:23.727-07:00Le parfait d'armangnac aux pruneaux<span style="font-style: italic;">Frozen prune mousse with armangnac</span> (with commentary)<br /><br />450g best quality presoaked dried prunes, stoned (I got a packet from the shops, that were soggy in their bag already, stoned, and they seemed to work fine. Perhaps Oz has better access to prunes?)<br />a few strips of lemon zest (I could have gone a little heavier on this I think)<br />4 tbsp armagnac (I used brandy. Couldn't get armangnac)<br />500ml thick double cream<br />whites of two large eggs<br />2 tbsp caster sugar<br />a pinch of salt<br /><br /><br />Soak the prunes with the lemon zest and armangnac for an hour or so. Remove lemon zest and whizz prunes and armangnac in food processor until a puree.<br />Whisk egg whites with salt until stiff, then add sugar. (And then whisk some more? The recipe says nothing. I whisked, and don't think it did any harm.)<br />Whisk the cream until it has a floopy consistency. (Why? Surely thick double cream has been beaten enough already? I had to be careful not to make butter)<br />Carefully fold the prune puree into the cream and then, with a wooden spoon, fold in the stiffened egg whites. (I think all the egg whites are doing is cutting the thickness of the cream. I may be wrong)<br />Spoon into individual serving pots and place in the freezer for no more than 2 hours. (it says 6-8 serves - I filled 10 espresso mugs, and then a small pyrex dish, and had plenty of bowl to lick. No idea how big their pots are!)Mz. B.Trousershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03898835224931232843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-45318546185928687702010-03-31T14:54:00.000-07:002010-03-31T14:55:49.414-07:00Goat in Goat with Goat<pre wrap=""><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://chrisbadenoch.com/2010/03/22/goat-in-goat-with-goat/">http://chrisbadenoch.com/2010/03/22/goat-in-goat-with-goat/</a><br /><br />I cant claim credit for this. It come from liam but .... COOOL :-)<br /></pre>Dr Nikhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13627680767245275328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-47360351035382111352010-03-23T04:42:00.001-07:002010-03-23T04:42:47.605-07:00Fruitcake for BaggyTMade from stewed fruit that was over-spiced. Recipe adapted from Ye Olde "Day to Day Cookery Book" which is the standard text HomeEc cookbook in Queensland.<br /><br />3 cups cold spicey stewed fruit (BaggyT's special mix of a besquillion secret fruits and spices but had in there - apples, cinnamon sticks, half a lemon, ground cloves, honey, brown sugar. Fish out lemon and cinnamon sticks before making cake)<br />2 eggs<br />1 cup self-raising flour<br />1 1/4 plain flour<br />1 teaspoon baking soda<br /><br />Mix fruit and eggs. Fold in sifted flours and baking soda. Stick in two loaf tins lined with baking paper. Cook in 150C oven for 1 hour or until skewer is clean. The end.<br /><br />It's very good with icecream. Be sure the fruit really is cold before you put the eggs in. I was never a patient cook, but eggs poached in fruit is not a good lookMousicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08063945349373603132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-6477322139150722262010-03-14T03:47:00.001-07:002010-03-14T03:48:41.217-07:00Mmm bunnyJust in case you missed it elsewhere...<br /><br />About 300gm pork belly, fried off, and as it caught on the bottom of the pan, deglased with red wine. Removed.<br />Rabbit, halved to fit in the pot, browned in the pork juices and more olive oil. Removed.<br />Two onions, lotsa garlic, into the rabbit/pork juices. Thyme, rosemary chucked in, then sliced fresh tomatoes. Add the meat back in when everything's a little softer, top-up with vegeta stock. (I didn't put enough liquid in I think. The resulting rabbit was a little dry, and could have been moister. He cooked for the whole time not wholely covered. Next time, enough liquid to cover.)<br />Stuck in the oven for close to 2 hours.<br />At about the 40 minute mark, I had a smell, and while it was good it needed...something...sweet? I threw in a good slug of orange flower balsamic vinegar. I love this vinegar - more please if you're heading to tassie! It seemed to be a good idea. <br />About 30 minutes before I wanted to eat it I threw in a large cup of 'french' lentils. I need to remember that while it takes about 30 minutes to cook a cup of lentils on the stove, it takes a little longer in the oven, and they suck liquid like a bastard. So next time, the lentils go in about 45 minutes before the eating, maybe even an hour, and a splash more liquid.<br />Fz stripped the carcass and stirred the meat back into the lentils. Cunning way to make the meat accessible to all. Could be left in the juices for a while too, to soften up some more.<br /><br />It was tasty. Not pork, not duck, not chicken...but very enjoyable. The last bunny I ate was well musky, and I didn't like it. This is only my second tasting attempt. I'm not sure I'll make it a thing, but it could be a fun party trick. The bunny cost $14, and the whole meal was about 20 bucks, and would have fed 6 people happily. I have 2 small serves left now in the freezer, and with either bread or potato we will have a tasty second dinner sometime. <br />I served it with steamed potatoes and a salad of bitey rocket and tomatoes, with a tiny drizzle of orange balsamic. And a bottle of Italian red.<br /><br />I plan to pull this new knowledge out for Festy Feast, with added porks and lentils to feed the masses.Mz. B.Trousershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03898835224931232843noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-21676187991016184522010-02-21T01:59:00.001-08:002010-02-21T01:59:34.164-08:00Onion JamBasic premise<br /><br />1 brown onion<br />1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar<br />1 tablespoon brown sugar<br /><br />Cook everything together.<br /><br />What I actually did was 4 times the above quantities with 1/2 clove of garlic and about a punnet of home grown cherry tomatoes.<br /><br />It's completely yummy on toast with a slice of cheese. I just need to cut the onion up a little more next batch.Mousicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08063945349373603132noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-82421894863641177752010-01-23T14:11:00.000-08:002010-01-23T14:15:27.492-08:00Epic BBQ vs Summer HeatI so wasn't in the mood for making something hot, or meaty. And I'm glad I didn't - there was so much meat already. So I made mojito iceblocks, in little plastic shot glasses. There was 58 of them, and they kept us cool and minty! And I made sure I followed <a href="http://erincooks.com/mojito-pops/">a recipe</a>, 'cause then I knew that the alcohol amount would be enough to ensure freezing.<br />Win!<br />I'm interested in some of the other recipes, if they're available - jerk marinade, for starters!Mz. B.Trousershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03898835224931232843noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-52290285450499598652010-01-18T20:08:00.000-08:002010-01-18T20:39:29.991-08:00General Bottling*queue Hey Hey It's Saturday cheesy memories*<br /><br />Hello! General Bottling here!<br /><br />Okay, enough of that.<br /><br />Over at BT's we've been talking about bottling stuff, and I though I'd copy down my notes on bottling stuff, the basic methods you can apply to anything you want to bottle, like jams, sauces, pickles, stewed fruit etc. I still find it disconcerting that it's called canning on the US. Bottles, people. Bottles.<br /><br />In general, to bottle something:<br /><br />1) the liquid must be boiling hot. If you've let something cool down, bring it back up to a boil for a few minutes.<br /><br />2) the jars and lids must also be hot, to avoid explodifications. Hot liquid + cool jar can sometimes = bang. You can be mildly cheaty and do this straight out of the dishwasher. Or if they're already clean, microwave them (except the lids, put them in a bowl of boiling water). I tend to stick jars and lids on a tray in the oven on about 100C until you say OUCH when you touch them.<br /><br />3) put your hot bottles onto a teatowel on the kitchen bench to help avoid other explodifications. Hot bottle + hard or cool surface may = bang.<br /><br />4) leave about 1 - 1.5 cm for expanding/contracting at the top. Where the bottle becomes the neck is often a good guide.<br /><br />5) ideally, wait until the liquid is no longer steaming, then put lids on. Too hot can mean too much condensation. If it's too cool, you may not get a good seal.<br /><br />6) once filled, you can do one of three things:<br /><br />A: Seal lids about quarter turn too loose (ie, not completely tight) and boil in a saucepan of water, making sure the water doesn't come right up to the neck. The boiling expands the bottle, causing a tight seal. You still need to check this seal and make sure it's tight. It usually is.<br /><br />B: Seal lids completely (as tightly as you can by hand) and turn upside down to cool. Turning upside down helps to create a vacuum against the lid as it cools, thus making the seal tight.<br /><br />C: Be a slack tart and just seal tightly. I like to think this isn't completely slack, because if I turn jam upside down it would set like that and then be messy-looking when I turn it back upright. I do it for sloppy things though.<br /><br />7) Rest the bottles on a teatowel until room temperature (see explodifications, bottles thereof).<br /><br />8) In theory, pop-tops should pop down. If they haven't, and they pop down when you press them, it's worked. I usually have a few which go SNAP and it's very satisfying ;-) If they don't, it's still probably worked but you might like to store them in the fridge just in case. So far I haven't had any problems.<br /><br />9) I've used some jars with plastic screw lids (like the Vegemite jars) for things that either aren't going to be kept for very long, or are going to be kept in the fridge. So far, so good.<br /><br />Got any other tips to add?<br /><br /><br />Note: As exciting as it sounds, I haven't had any exploderating bottles experiences, nor do I want to. I'll leave that to Dr Nik to explore ;-)worldpeace and a speedboathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00735857941964784431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676648413261621044.post-75856842786424329442010-01-10T01:13:00.000-08:002010-01-10T01:23:55.534-08:00Sweet Tomato Chutney8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped<br />5 inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped<br />2x400g tins chopped tomatoes, or 800g peeled fresh<br />300 clear vinegar<br />350gm jaggery or brown sugar<br />2 tablespoons sultanas<br />2 teasp salt<br />3/4 teasp cayenne pepper<br />chili powder (optional)<br /><br />Combine garlic, ginger and half the toms in a blender and blend till smooth.<br />Put the rest of the tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, sultanas and salt in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil and and add the garlic and ginger mixture. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 90-120 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick enough to tall off a spoon in sheets. Make sure the mixture doesn't catch / burn.<br />Add the cayenne. For a hotter chutney, add the chili. Leave to cool, then pour into steralized jars. Store in a cool place, or in the fridge.<br />Makes 2 cups.<br /><br />I find that the cayenne is enough to give this quite a nice warmness, without being evil. I always add a little more garlic, of course. And I was mad enough to take the skins off the cherry tomatoes before I made it, and I think it was worth it.<br /><br />From <span style="font-style: italic;">The Food Of The World</span>Mz. B.Trousershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03898835224931232843noreply@blogger.com0