What's for Dinner?

[ibglowin]

Ha!

Should have used the counter top WOLF Mrs IB bought last Xmas. Can't fit a large pie in it though.




The $1300 LG (electric) oven we purchased 4 years ago is crap.

You need an Ooni.

 

[ceeaton]

Beer batch done and cooled. Brisket in the oven wrapped and hanging out till dinner. About to get a shower because I sprayed myself with a nice cold stout. Don't ask, it is too hard to explain. I think I smell pretty good right now, wifey not so sure, LOL.

 

[sour_grapes]

Unbidden, my mother-in-law gave us an electric pressure cooker that purports to cook food in an instant. Perhaps some of you have one of these?

Anyway, I gave it its maiden voyage tonight. I made Moroccan-spiced chicken thighs with ho-made preserved lemons and olives; cous-cous with cilantro; roasted artichokes with EVOO/lemon; and I burned the crap out of the broccoli that I was roasting, so I tossed that and subbed in some leftover Brussels sprouts from last night.

The Instapot was okay -- I only dirtied a few more dishes than I would have if I cooked everything on the stovetop, and it only took a little bit more time and trouble to make the meal than it otherwise would have...

I will say, however, that the the thighs were cooked perfectly. Just the right doneness and tenderness. And that is no credit to me, but to Mr. Instapot.

 

[Venatorscribe]

Sunday night ( Southern Hemisphere) - pizza night - I’m cooking tonight. A seafood pizza. The wine was a country fruit (Feijoa) wine using a Gerwurtztraminer style yeast

 

[Boatboy24]

Since we haven't had nearly enough whole, roasted poultry of late, I decided to roast a chicken in the Weber Outdoor Oven. Our typical (of late) roasted broccoli and "Drunken Potatoes" (recipe linked below). I just cooked the 'taters in a cast iron skillet with foil on top. The two hour roast on the bird gave us time to decorate the Christmas tree while dinner almost cooked itself.





https://www.campchef.com/recipes/drunken-potatoes/

 

[ibglowin]

We got one pretty much when they first came out and I was still working. Have used it only occasionally I have to admit. I have more time to cook now since I have been retired for (gasp) over two years.

I will say that we use it the most for cooking beans. At sea level you could cook a pot of pintos in a couple hours and they would be done. At altitude it literally takes all day and they are still hard.

With the Instapot it only takes ~45 mins........

I will say, however, that the the thighs were cooked perfectly. Just the right doneness and tenderness. And that is no credit to me, but to Mr. Instapot.

View attachment 69136View attachment 69137

 

[sour_grapes]

We got one pretty much when they first came out and I was still working. Have used it only occasionally I have to admit. I have more time to cook now since I have been retired for (gasp) over two years.

I will say that we use it the most for cooking beans. At sea level you could cook a pot of pintos in a couple hours and they would be done. At altitude it literally takes all day and they are still hard.

With the Instapot it only takes ~45 mins........

Right, I imagine that a pressure cooker would be almost necessary at 7000'. I eat a fair number of beans, but I am often caught out by not having thought to start soaking them the night before. This should help.

The thing is, I have a perfectly good (ordinary) pressure cooker. I am not sure I see how having it be electric-powered with a timer helps much... Oh well, that went off to the basement, and its spot is now taken by the Instapot.

 

[ibglowin]

LOL Me too. I used it to make many a pot of chicken and dumplings when the kids were growing up. Kinda miss that sound.

The thing is, I have a perfectly good (ordinary) pressure cooker. I am not sure I see how having it be electric-powered with a timer helps much... Oh well, that went off to the basement, and its spot is now taken by the Instapot.

 

[sour_grapes]

Tonight, we had seared Coho salmon; Napa cabbage with soy, lime, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger; leftover roasted artichokes; seafood risotto with parmigiano-reggiano and a last-minute addition of truffle oil (where really made that dish!).

 

[Venatorscribe]

Tonight, we had seared Coho salmon; Napa cabbage with soy, lime, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger; leftover roasted artichokes; seafood risotto with parmigiano-reggiano and a last-minute addition of truffle oil (where really made that dish!).

View attachment 69156View attachment 69157

that looks excellent. I must try this dish. Salut

 

[heatherd]

Wonderful! I'm really getting into corn growing now. This is the Jerry Peterson organic blue corn. I will try planting some of my own saved seeds this year and see how it goes. The green variety I grow is the Oaxacan green corn. I don't remember the yellow dent corn variety. I would love to get my hands on some of the white corn they grow widely in Mexico. They have a large wide flat kernel and is used for most of their tortillas and for posole (hominy). Both are nixtamalized. I do also grind some of this into corn meal for making grits or polenta. But I do like unlocking the flavor and vitamins that nixtamalization provides. The process also destroys any toxins from mold in case your corn was not dried properly.

The other thing on my wish list is a proper metate. I simply cannot find one in the US to order. A metal hand grinder can only get the masa so fine but it really needs to be ground finer for a real proper tortilla.

View attachment 69071

@GreginND , I saw this one on Ebay that's pretty reasonable in price: SMALL MEXICAN PRE COLUMBIAN MAYA NATIVE STYLE METATE & MANO GRINDING STONE AZTEC | eBay

 

[heatherd]

Right, I imagine that a pressure cooker would be almost necessary at 7000'. I eat a fair number of beans, but I am often caught out by not having thought to start soaking them the night before. This should help.

The thing is, I have a perfectly good (ordinary) pressure cooker. I am not sure I see how having it be electric-powered with a timer helps much... Oh well, that went off to the basement, and its spot is now taken by the Instapot.

We use ours for pulled chicken and pork, rice, beans, and stews. The nice thing about the Instant Pot is that you can sear meats in it too.

 

[mainshipfred]

My first truly successful smoke, Ribeye roast. Forget what the potatoes are called but I think Paul may have posted one and it looked neat. The cauliflower was smoked in foil with butter, salt and pepper.

 

[sour_grapes]

My first truly successful smoke, Ribeye roast. Forget what the potatoes are called but I think Paul may have posted one and it looked neat. The cauliflower was smoked in foil with butter, salt and pepper. View attachment 69161

Dinner looks great!

They are referred to as Hasselback potatoes. The google machine tells me that they were named after a Swedish restaurant.

 

[Boatboy24]

My first truly successful smoke, Ribeye roast. Forget what the potatoes are called but I think Paul may have posted one and it looked neat. The cauliflower was smoked in foil with butter, salt and pepper. View attachment 69161

Looks outstanding, Fred! Did you get a new toy!

 

[mainshipfred]

Looks outstanding, Fred! Did you get a new toy!

Yep, a Kamado Joe Big Joe. In the process of building the stand now

 

[geek]

For my bday yesterday

 

[ibglowin]

Happy Birthday Varis!

For my bday yesterday

View attachment 69171View attachment 69171View attachment 69172View attachment 69173

 

[GreginND]

More on the Mexican kick - this time with home grown yellow corn masa.

You may have heard about the El Salvadorean dish called Pupusas. They are corn masa cakes stuffed with various things like chicharrones, chorizo or frijoles. But there are many variations of this stuffed masa cake found all over Mexico and they have various names depending on the shape and how they are made. These all derive from the prehispanic foods of the indigenous populations. Pupusas are generally round. I'm going to make some later this week using my green corn. But this past week I made these.

Tetelas - corn masa cakes stuffed with refried beans. These are made by pressing the masa into a tortilla, spreading a layer of the beans, and then folding it up into a triangle.












Tlayocos - this is a variation of this dish but formed by patting the masa between your palms with the stuffing to make an oblong shape. I served these with freshly made green tomatillo and a red sauce.

 

[ceeaton]

For my bday yesterday

So did you hit 45 yet?