Whatcha Cooking today?

[worth1]

No idea but I have a 10 inch cast iron skillet heating up.

[karstopography]

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Stumbled upon the fact that Magnolia petals are edible. Dug a little more to see that they can be used in a variety of ways. One is to infuse Vodka and another is to make a syrup. The syrup is delicious. Very exotic and interesting. Star anise, ginger, cloves. Yumm. Who knew, will be making more. One Grandiflora flower yields around 250ml of syrup.

https://tinandthyme.uk/2020/03/magnolia-syrup/

[Amateurinawe]

[mention]karstopography[/mention] but telling me now is too late

It'll be straight vodka for me then....

[worth1]

Even the young leaves are used in food..
[mention]karstopography[/mention]

[pepperhead212]

I made some curry today - something I started by taking an old rutabaga out of the fridge, which was actually growing sprouts! I got almost 1 1/2 lbs diced flesh from it, and I have been having a craving for some curry, after seeing some photos a couple of nights ago.

Almost a one dish meal in the Instant Pot - I also had to make the tarka in that small saucepan. I started with some chopped onion in some ghee on sauté mode, and after about 10 min, added a lot of garlic, plus some tomato paste, a little over a tb of sambar masala, and cooked another 2 minutes, then added some water, to deglaze, and added the remainder of 6 c water. Then I added 3/4 c each channa dal and moong dal (the split, but not dehulled type, so the skin is still on them), and about a cup of steel cut oats; not traditional, but wanted to use up the little bit from the new package that wouldn't fit in the quart jar. I cooked these for 1 1/2 hours on med-slow cook, then added the diced rutabaga, and cooked another hour. Then I added a lb of diced, boneless chicken thighs, and a tb of the garam masala I just made, and about 1 1/2 c yogurt, which I blended with 3/4 tsp xanthan gum - this kept it from curdling, while cooking. After this, the rutabaga was just right. I added another tsp of the new garam masala, and about 1/2 c chopped cilantro, and cooked about 5 minutes, while making the tarka.

The tarka was 2 tsp mustard seed, popped in 2 tb oil, then 2 tsp cumin seed and 8 dried chiles, cooked until peppers brown, then 1/2 tsp asafoetida and about 20 curry leaves, cooked briefly, cooked briefly, then dumped in the curry. This tempering takes under a minute, start to finish.
Rutabaga/chicken curry, being made in the Instant Pot. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Ingredients for the tarka, for the rutabaga curry. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished tarka, ready to stir into the rutabaga curry, to cook about 5 minutes more. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished rutabaga/chicken curry. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[karstopography]

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Brats, Dogs, Shishitos.

[worth1]

Not cooking but mixing.
Just what the doctor ordered after working in the heat of Austin.
Ingredients are.
Shot of Amsterdam Gin.
Shot of maraschino cherry juice with cherries.
Lemon lime soda.
Freshly squeezed lime.

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[worth1]

Made a pretty good rendition of a cucumber dip a most beautiful Persian woman with green eyes showed me a few years ago.
Mine contains
Cucumber
Greek yogurt.
Black pepper.
Lime juice.
Dill seeds
Fresh garlic.
Dehydrated onion flakes
Cumin
Cilantro.
Salt.
Put it all in the food processor to make this most wonderful dip.
All ingredients that went in could be found in the middle east before the Columbian exchange.
Just what the doctor ordered in this horrific heat.
Texans need to eat more middle eastern food.

[MissS]

[mention]worth1[/mention] A wonderful Persian woman gave you a great recipe for a delicious Greek Tzatziki dip

[worth1]

@worth1 A wonderful Persian woman gave you a great recipe for a delicious Greek Tzatziki dip

I worked with her husband an engineer.
We were always discussing food and the finer merits of making proper tea.
He was shocked I used the same lose leaf tea from India and the use of an open kettle.
And how strong it was.
Nothing like the watered down tea most Americans call tea.

[MissS]

[mention]worth1[/mention] I know what you mean. I worked with a sweet Hindi woman and of course we would talk about cooking. She was so surprised that I had bought coriander when we went shopping together one day. She asked what I used it for and I told her that I enjoyed making curries. Then the recipes really began to be shared.

[pepperhead212]

I made a Haitian dish yesterday, to take to a friend's house - based on a Haitian slaw from Milk Street, with 2 scotch bonnets in a small amount (2 c) of cabbage! I changed it, for more cabbage and carrots, and rice vinegar, to give that better flavor, and I used chocolate habaneros aji dulce peppers - better flavor, plus the aji dulce has almost no heat, with that incredible habanero flavor. It is still very hot!

Haitian Coleslaw

1 c white rice vinegar
1/4 c lime juice
1/4 c sugar
2 medium or 1 large clove garlic
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
4 scotch bonnets, or 2 habaneros + 2 aji dulce
1/8 tsp xanthan gum (option)
1 large or 2 medium shallots, halved and sliced thinly
2 large carrots, shredded
6 c cabbage, shredded

Combine the vinegar, sugar, garlic, thyme, salt, and peppers in a blender, and blend on high until almost totally smooth. Slowly add the xantham gum while blending, and let it blend another 30 seconds (this will help the dressing cling to the veggies better). Pour it in a large bowl on the shallots, with the lime juice, and let sit, while preparing the carrots and cabbage (this will take the raw edge off the shallots). Mix together, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, before serving.

[worth1]

I don't always boil shrimp but when I do.
One thing I had around the house was some Zatarains seafood boil.
The powder type.
I added several squeezed limes and a chopped jalapeño.
My fermented habanero sauce.
Chipotle powder.
Chili powder.
Garlic powder.
Lots of it.
Pot looks like muddy water.
Nothing like that horrible bland stuff they ruined shrimp with in Prudhoe Bay Alaska.
It was just water with seafood dumped in.
I mean you gotta really spice up the boil to get it right in my opinion.

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[worth1]

Next the red potatoes go in because they take the longest.

[worth1]

Next the potatoes were removed and the shrimp put in.
Let cook for about 2 minutes no more pulled out.
Let cool in colander.
Had a cup of rice on standby with Mexican oregano fresh garlic butter and dehydrated onion.
Put two cups of the boil from the kettle into to rice and brought to boil and turned down the heat.
Put potatoes back in the remaining boil, burner off to keep warm.
More or less a dirty rice
Cajun food is about using what you have on hand not running off to the store for ingredients to some recipe.
The shrimp I cut down the back to make them easy peel.

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[worth1]

Well any who i think y'all get the picture.
Just in case you didn't here it is.

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[worth1]

Wow what a meal.
It was extremely spicy and hot and my nose is running.
I took the leftover boil and poured it over the shrimp in a colander.
But I managed to plow through it.
The bonus is the other half is ready for tomorrows supper or maybe lunch

[karstopography]

Made egg salad for lunch. Free range Matagorda county medium sized eggs, mayonnaise, both a little kewpie and more blue plate, heinz yellow mustard, lots of sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a dash of celery salt. Wife said it was the best she ever had. Oh, a sliced pineapple tomatoes.

Dinner, a rather large axis tenderloin, split with the grain lengthwise, each halves wrapped in bacon and seasoned with a Savory Spice Creole spice blend. Also did a pork one the same way, but left it whole. The axis was the favorite, pulled that off the BGE for medium rare, pork was medium. Sliced both into 1/2” coins and served. Did some jalapeño and shishito pepper poppers with a mix or cream and an Aldi mexican shredded cheese blend. Wife boiled fresh shucked corn on the cob in water, milk, butter, seasoning and cut serrano peppers.

Dinner was a celebration, (aren’t they all) this time for not being crush by a falling large water oak. Jumped on the riding mower after sharing the egg salad sandwich lunch. Told my wife “I’ll try not to get crushed by a falling tree” why would I say that? I never do. Pretty day, gentle afternoon sea breeze. Mowed the right side of the driveway with nothing more eventful than taking a few spider webs in the face, circled around to then mow the left side, WHAT IS THIS, nothing but a huge water oak crashed to the ground just where I mowed. Would have certainly been a game over for moi. Living and fully leaved out Oak fell to the south, whatever minimal breeze we had was from the south. Interesting forces at work.

[worth1]

Wow.
Our governor had a tree fall on him.

[karstopography]

[mention]worth1[/mention] True, while jogging along a street in Houston or West U wasn’t it? There was a substantial payday for him on account of the incident, but I’d still much rather have retained the ability to walk than any compensation for the disability.

Going to fire up the big chain saw this morning and tackle my tree. In reality, the sawing will potentially be far more risky than having the terribly unlucky timing of being under a tree when it decides to fall. Maybe I need to make a lumberjack dinner since I’m cutting up the tree, I have to chop it all up and haul away soon since it blocks our driveway. What do lumberjacks eat?

https://recollectionwisconsin.org/lumber-camp-life

Looks like flapjacks were a treat. Salt pork, beans, staples.