Culinary Conversations

[karstopography]

I don’t guess I’ve ever had boiled lime rinds. Aldi here has a little better deal on limes than HEB. No Jalisco market close by. I’m picky about the limes I select, can’t be rock hard, with thick rinds and juiceless like some are. Limes get squeezed into sparkling water, Sol or Pacifico beer, Moscow mules, Cuba libres, accompany any kind of taco or fajita. I probably buy 10 or 15 a week.

[worth1]

I got the wild idea of experimenting again.
This time is was a sauce/salsa to put on my surf and turf tacos.
It was mayonnaise.
Herdes Avocado salsa mild.
Sriracha sauce.
A wee bit of polar soy sauce.
And an even smaller amount of my homemade fermented lime ghost pepper sauce.
The amounts are in order of how they are listed here decreasing as you go down.
I tried it with the top two and worked my way down to the ghost pepper sauce tasting as I went adding as I went.
There wasn't enough heat in it so that is the reason I added the ghost pepper sauce.
Not much just enough to give it that ghost pepper flavor and a little heat.
That is the beauty of the super hots.
You dont have to be an idiot and make it so hot you cant eat it.
With the sauce at about 1/2 cup I maybe put 1/8 teaspoon of the hot sauce in it.

The soy sauce did make it an off color but no big deal.
It was only about 1/2 teaspoon.
This stuff came out fantastic big time.
So the next time you get bored with the same old sauce give something like this a try.
If I would have had a fresh avocado I would have added some mashed up too.

[karstopography]

F3D18F2C-D037-453C-8D77-1DAABB447DD1.jpeg

I’m on a hot sauce kick. Today it was Crystal on my pulled pork leftovers tacos. Vinegar and some good yummy heat. Perfect for these throw together something lunch tacos.

[worth1]

I wish we could get the giant corn tortillas like they have in Mexico.
I like the Chrystal hot sauce but since I make my own fermented sauces with lime afterwards I stoped buying just about any of it.
The only one I still buy is the sriracha sauce.
I just looked and I'm down to a little more than 1/2 gallon of ghost pepper sauce.
Maybe three quarts.

[karstopography]

I plan on making hot sauce of my own this season. Something fermented. Not sure what all peppers I’ll end up with. I’ve got several varieties planted. Hottest is a red habanero. Crystal is pretty tame, but I like it. I like most of them. The hottest one I’ve got in the fridge now is Tapatio.

I’m having a hard time knowing what I want in the sauce besides peppers. Lime sounds good.

[worth1]

I use lime juice from the bottle, citric acid and enough sugar to make it as sweet or not as I want it.
This is simmered then the fermented peppers and some of ferment juice is added to the mixture it is blended and xanthan gum is added.
Just a pinch while the blender is running.
My ferments go on for months.

[Sue_CT]

My next box of fruits and veggies from my misfit market suscription is supposed to include a large jicama. I have never had jicama before, much less cooked with it. Any ideas on best use especially for first time trying it? I believe it can be eaten raw, can't it? Like in a slaw? Depending on how large it is, could I maybe get two uses out of it? Does it keep well or should I plan to have to use it within a day or two?

[worth1]

My next box of fruits and veggies from my misfit market suscription is supposed to include a large jicama. I have never had jicama before, much less cooked with it. Any ideas on best use especially for first time trying it? I believe it can be eaten raw, can't it? Like in a slaw? Depending on how large it is, could I maybe get two uses out of it? Does it keep well or should I plan to have to use it within a day or two?

You would think since I walk by them every time I go to the store I would have eaten one.
I have never had one in my life.
Along with many of the other things they have.

[Growing Coastal]

I have only eaten Jicama raw with dip. It is mild, juicy, crunchy, sweet and contains lots of fiber. Peel what you are going to use. It keeps best in my fridge if I put it in without wrapping it. If I wrap, it molds. I cut the dry part off when I use it again. Not something I have often but nice for a change.

[karstopography]

One way to serve it is cut into 1/3” x 1.5” sticks and sprinkle chili powder and squeeze a little fresh lime on the sticks.

[worth1]

I started out to make a hamburger yesterday.
Even toasted the buns.
In the middle of this I got the wild idea of making something else.
Spaghetti with Alfredo sauce and ground chuck with a twist.
The twist was a goodly dollop of the Herdez mild guacamole salsa in the Alfredo sauce along with the cooked ground meat and roasted sweet red piquillo peppers.
Yet another winner.
The toasted bun is still sticking out of the toaster.

[worth1]

Why doesn't Popeye's have fried okra?

[worth1]

I had a huge package of split chicken breasts I got for free from a guy in the freezer.
No the guy wasn't in the freezer the breasts were.
What to do with these things they are all frozen.
I decided to thaw them all out and put them in a container with some insta cure #1 and a little salt with brown sugar.
You could do this by the dry salt method also but rest assured it would be too salty if let sit for very long.
I always taste test the brine to see if it is right for my taste.
After sitting for just a wee bit I cut off a chunk flipped it in flour and fried it in a pinch of oil in the skillet..
Not much just to heat it up but still very juicy.
WOW what a flavor, it was amazing.
I have always wanted to do this but never tried until now.
I'm only going to let these things brine for maybe 2-3 hours or so not very long, not trying to make hams.

[karstopography]

Why doesn't Popeye's have fried okra?

10-4, we have Chicken Express in town and they have fried okra AND gizzards and livers. The wife and I just went by a few days ago and got all of the above, mighty delicious. She’s more about the livers and I’d just soon have the gizzards.

I like Popeye’s spicy chicken, but not having fried okra is an unhappy omission.

[worth1]

I decided to let the breasts soak over night.
Not gonna hurt anything.
Maybe.

My only problem with chicken express is it is spiceless.
To get around that if I go there I bring garlic powder with me.
I honestly couldn't care less about chicken fried with red pepper powder and other spices on it, I would rather it be put on after the fry.

[worth1]

Just had the other half of the chicken breast this morning after being in the brine over night.
It was perfection big time.
Had it with two eggs and the breast was cooked with a little black pepper on it on an oiled skillet nothing else.

[worth1]

I will ask this question here If I dont get an answer Ill ask someplace else because it is important to me I get an answer.
The Lodge cast iron grill pan skillet things with the ridges on them.
Are they any good, do you like them or are the a waste of money?
The ones like this.

[MissS]

I like mine. It's serviceable, but if you get one strip the whole thing down and re-cure the pan. It comes cured but what they did is somehow all wrong and leaves a horrid black film on everything.

[Sue_CT]

I have looked at them but not sure why I would need one. Cooked a steak in a cast iron skilet two days ago, heated up left over steak in a skillet yesterday. Seems to work just as well. If I really need grill marks I will use the outdoor grill. I really don't get the reason to get one unless you really love the look of grill marks. But then again, that is why I don't have one. I am interested to hear why some people have one and when they feel they need to use it over a cast iron skillet. I got such nice all over searing with the skillet, I would have missed that with the grill pan.

[worth1]

More info or opinions please, dont be afraid to reply.
Thanks for the replies folks.