Foodie Thread

[Potoooooooo]

I thought we could use a thread for posting pics of yummy food, restaurant reviews and recipes.

Let me start

 

[rousseau]

I'm a 'prime' member of Urbanspoon, have been reviewing on the platform for a little over two years now, and have one of the highest number of reviews of any members based out of Ontario. Would definitely consider myself a foodie to some degree, and have tried the large majority of good restaurants in my city at this point. A few things I've learned:

- There are two ways for a restaurant to be 'good': the first is to have high quality food for a reasonable price given the quality, the second is to have lesser quality food but for low prices. The type of restaurant you get into trouble with are the ones that market themselves as high quality, but are actually shit and over-charge. It's worth it paying high prices only if the food is actually interesting. One thing that I've noticed is a sure-fire way of identifying an over-priced restaurant is to look at their dessert menu, if the items are generic but over-priced given the average in your city, you've got yourself a shitty restaurant

- Lots of restaurants that open are more profit than customer oriented. I can't begin to count the number of restaurants in my city with flashy names, modern exteriors, and business models that give you the notion you're getting quality, when in reality you're getting generic crap for scientific pricing

- Most 'high scale' restaurants are just as generic as cheaper restaurants. They attract high flying, rich clientelle who would freak out ordering anything other than a steak or chicken breast, but it makes them feel good about themselves that they're paying a 150 dollar bill at the end of the night. If you get the urge to go to a place like this, just go to the grocery store and cook the meal yourself and save yourself 100 dollars. I have had good high scale food, but there are many of these places in my city that I just can't justify biting the bullet on for how uninteresting the dishes are

- Great restaurants will be those who are making an honest effort to provide quality and original food to their customers at reasonable prices. Their customers will know it and be loyal as hell.

If you want to take a look at what I consider the best restaurant in my city, check this out:

http://www.thechurchkey.ca/

 

[doubtingt]

I love meat pies, but I want them warm and without the added gelatin. They add gelatin to harden the gravy and juices, so the pies can be eaten in hand as a cold pie. But cold pies are so inferior to the same pie warmed up to release the aromatics and lighten the crust. I was at the world's largest Real Ale (beer served from casks without CO2) festival in London, and they had a stand with about 30 kinds of meat pies including wild game. It was both awesome and sad though because they just served them cold, and thus the meat and the crust were far inferior in texture and flavor than they would have been if they served them warm.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Why gelatin? Flour or corn starch would tackle that problem.

I have independently invented Lasagna cupcakes (actual lasagna, just in a cupcake form) and chocolate lasagna (an actual desert using chocolate noodles, still in perfection phase). The later doesn't photograph well at all, probably needs berries to color it up well.

Not as much recipe ideas, I discovered bananas belong in green leafy salads and that apples go well with Mexican grilled vegetable tortillas. Cinnamon or nutmeg are the perfect spice for pan cooked veggies.

 

[Potoooooooo]

 

[TV and credit cards]

Not for Chips Salsa

I call this salsa because it looks like restaurant salsa. It's for a main dish over rice.

2 pint containers of grape tomatoes (at least quartered)
1 bell pepper (I like orange or yellow for appearance)
1 medium red onion
2 jalapenos
1/3 bunch cilantro (chop the tops, toss the stems)
sea salt
1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Remove some of the seeds or flesh of the jalapenos if you don't care for the heat. It's pretty straight forward beyond that. Chop it up, mix it well with the vinegar and a bit of salt if you like and store it in some canning jars in the frig. It keeps for a couple weeks. Uncooked fresh veggies with your meal. Just what the doctor ordered. Great with plain salmon and rice or bake some chicken drumettes uncovered in about 4oz of low sodium soy sauce and about 2oz of water at 375F for 40 min for scrawny drumettes, 45 min for fatties. Do not over bake or the meat texture starts to breakdown. Turn them once after about 25 min and I highly recommend the skin.

*Rinse your fingertips in very hot water for about a minute after chopping the jalapenos.

 

[gmbteach]

Why gelatin? Flour or corn starch would tackle that problem.

I have independently invented Lasagna cupcakes (actual lasagna, just in a cupcake form) and chocolate lasagna (an actual desert using chocolate noodles, still in perfection phase). The later doesn't photograph well at all, probably needs berries to color it up well.

The chocolate lasagna could become a black forest lasagna which chocolate and cherries.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Why gelatin? Flour or corn starch would tackle that problem.

I have independently invented Lasagna cupcakes (actual lasagna, just in a cupcake form) and chocolate lasagna (an actual desert using chocolate noodles, still in perfection phase). The later doesn't photograph well at all, probably needs berries to color it up well.

The chocolate lasagna could become a black forest lasagna which chocolate and cherries.

Very good point! A berry sauce would probably almost be a prerequisite to this recipe. The problem the recipe has right now is the tempering of flavors. The sweetened ricotta, the white chocolate are all pinging sweet. The noodles are more chocolate in essence than sweet, to counterbalance the sweetness of the other two main players. A sweet/tart berry sauce may be what pulls the whole thing together.

 

[gmbteach]

The chocolate lasagna could become a black forest lasagna which chocolate and cherries.

Very good point! A berry sauce would probably almost be a prerequisite to this recipe. The problem the recipe has right now is the tempering of flavors. The sweetened ricotta, the white chocolate are all pinging sweet. The noodles are more chocolate in essence than sweet, to counterbalance the sweetness of the other two main players. A sweet/tart berry sauce may be what pulls the whole thing together.

Once you have perfected the recipe, can you please post it here? I would love to try it (once I have my kitchen finished).

 

[Under the Rose]

I harvested the first tomatoes from my indoor garden today. The outdoor garden has been running late but greens are finally ready. Fresh garden salad pending to go with the meat loaves that I made to keep hubby supplied for a time. Meat loaf is his favorite food. Pictured below are the fruits of my labor.

 

[gmbteach]

I harvested the first tomatoes from my indoor garden today. The outdoor garden has been running late but greens are finally ready. Fresh garden salad pending to go with the meat loaves that I made to keep hubby supplied for a time. Meat loaf is his favorite food. Pictured below are the fruits of my labor.

The meatloaves look yummy.

 

[spikepipsqueak]

In 57 years I have never managed to make a good meatloaf. They are always dry, and crumble. I can't bring myself to put in as much fat as they seem to need.

Willing to share your recipe? (I realise these can be sacred, and don't want to push.)

 

[gmbteach]

In 57 years I have never managed to make a good meatloaf. They are always dry, and crumble. I can't bring myself to put in as much fat as they seem to need.

Willing to share your recipe? (I realise these can be sacred, and don't want to push.)

I always put in a couple of eggs and make sure the mixture is a bit 'sloppy'. I also pour bbq sauce on the top (much like UTR has put a tomato glaze). Apart from that, I don't use a recipe, just chuck in what I can find.

 

[Under the Rose]

In 57 years I have never managed to make a good meatloaf. They are always dry, and crumble. I can't bring myself to put in as much fat as they seem to need.

Willing to share your recipe? (I realise these can be sacred, and don't want to push.)

There is nothing sacred in my recipe box and I am always delighted to share good recipes. This one is a gem as it is always consistent.

Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf

Pre-heat oven to 375 F

Combine and let stand while preparing other ingredients:
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
1 egg, lightly beaten

In a large bowl place the following:
1 lb ground lean beef
1 lb ground pork
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, color of your choice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Add the first lot of ingredients to the second and mush all together. Clean hands are the most effective instrument to use, particularly if you double or triple the recipe.

Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper and pack in your loaf. Trim off any protruding parchment paper in excess of one inch.

Topping:
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

Spoon the topping over your meatloaf and pop into the oven.

Bake for 1 hour. Remove pan and tip one corner gently to drain off the fat and accumulated liquids. Back into the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, drain any extra liquid and let stand for a few minutes before serving as this helps the loaf retain it's shape. Easy to serve as you just lift it out of the pan with the parchment paper.

 

[Under the Rose]

In 57 years I have never managed to make a good meatloaf. They are always dry, and crumble. I can't bring myself to put in as much fat as they seem to need.

Willing to share your recipe? (I realise these can be sacred, and don't want to push.)

I always put in a couple of eggs and make sure the mixture is a bit 'sloppy'. I also pour bbq sauce on the top (much like UTR has put a tomato glaze). Apart from that, I don't use a recipe, just chuck in what I can find.

As long as one keeps certain proportions within reasonable constraints, meatloaf is very forgiving, for sure. One time I found that we had run out of ketchup and I faked it with a combination of plum sauce and chicken & rib BBQ sauce. Hubby wolfed it down as always.

 

[Potoooooooo]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46125-2004Jul13.html

The Pig in My Chinese Box
How I Roasted a 60-Pound Porker in Less Than Four Hours

 

[Dutch_labrat]

Let me share some goulash

Ingredients:
*300g beef. Cheap nasty, stringy fatty beef. Cut up in small pieces, no no not that small, yes that is perfect.
*1-2 onions cut up fine
*3.4 cloves of garlic, chopped.
*Some shallots cut in chunks
*5 bell peppers cut up small
*Some beef stock (from powder or tablet)
*3 Tomatoes, skinned and chopped.
*0.8 Shitload spicy paprika
*Some corn starch
*Half a bottle cheap red wine
*Generic kitchen sundries

Cover the beef with black pepper and flour. Put cooking oil in pan, heat, fry meat till brown. Add onions and garlic, fry till browned. (DO NOT! add the shallots). Add the tomatoes and fry for a while till they disintegrate.

Add the wine, stock, bell peppers, shallots, and paprika. Stew for 2-3 hours.

After stewing most of the bell peppers and onions should have been disintegrated so you have a brown liquid with chunks of meat and some remaining bits of the shallots. In my considerable opinion the shallot bits are the best part.

Taste. At this point check for salt, add when necessary. Bind the remaining liquid with corn starch till gloopy.

Serve with rice, macaroni or potatoes.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Old-Fashioned Meat Loaf

Pre-heat oven to 375 F

Combine and let stand while preparing other ingredients:
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
8 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
1 egg, lightly beaten

I used to make something very similar to this except I used a half cup of ketchup in lieu of the diced tomatoes. Spike, you can fine tune the moisture level with the oats.

I noticed you didn't mention the mashed potatoes. An oversight, I'm sure. You can make a good tomato gravy simply from a can of tomato soup with a little deli mustard and steak sauce. Just keep stirring and tasting until it has the appropriate zip to it.

I miss the old days.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

Here's a vegan cookie dough recipe if you don't want to feel as guilty about eating cookie dough.

Show

Not used for baking.

 

[Under the Rose]

I have pretty much mastered the art of oven roasting whole bell peppers after a few attempts and boy, is that the easy way to cook those puppies. I washed and dried six of them today, 3 red, 2 yellow and 1 orange. I pre-heated my propane oven to 425F while I prepared a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and trimming the stems flush so that each pepper had it's former blossom end pointed upward. I misted them with olive oil with a pump atomizer and sprinkled lightly with garlic powder and into the hot oven.

After 10 minutes, I turned the pan. After another 10 minutes, I laid each pepper on it's side for seven minutes, then turned them over to do the second side for a final seven minutes. They were nicely blistered and lightly blackened. After they had cooled about 10 minutes, I split each one, removed the seeds and remaining stem and peeled the skins off. I had to sample them of course, along with some battered cod and homemade tartar sauce.

Deee-lightful!!!

The rest of the peeled peppers are in the fridge and some will go into a hummus and others will be gobbled down on buttered toast of home-made light rye bread. So simple and so yummiferous. The following picture is just grabbed from the web but it gives you at least a tantalizing hint of the possibilities.