What's Cooking (Take Three!)

[Jenise]

When in doubt: buttered saltines.

No saltines in this house, but we're never without matzoh--much better!

I ended up making a stir fry: green beans, par-boiled then into the wok with sesame oil, water chestnuts, slivered almonds, oyster sauce, Taiwanese ground fried onions in oil (an excellent seasoning) and Momofuku chili crunch. On rice of course.

[Jenise]

Strange thing is I've been cooking this chicken for years and never had anything like you describe. Almost sounds like the oven was set to convection, but I am sure you would know that if it were. Cannot fathom the shattering of bone, and the skin shattering. That has not happened with me. Some skins darken faster than others, I have noticed that.

That oven doesn't have a convection setting. I applied the word 'shattering' to the ethereal crispness of the skin; the bones--all cartilage dissolved in the long cook so nothing held the vertebrae etc together. None of this is really a surprise considering the length of cooking (in a clay dish). The only surprise is that your result and mine are so different. I'm wondering if the clay dish might have had something to do with it. Best way to cook a chicken AFAIC? Salt and dry for 24 hours in a refrigerator--UNCOVERED so the skin dries out. Then bake at 450. The result is tender, juicy, and full of thru-flavor. Can't be improved upon for my tastes. (It's also the method that made San Francisco's Zuni Cafe famous.)

Tonight: ravioli. Tomorrow I shall probably end up posting in the 'What I Learned' thread that there's no such thing as decent pre-made supermarket ravioli.

So yesterday I made Karen's five-hour chicken. Mixed results! 1) the skin was the best chicken skin I've ever had. Super-rendered and thin, shattered like glass. Bob loved the dark meat. I loved the wings which had that amazing skin to hold it together. But I did not love the breast meat--it was just plain overcooked. Powdery, dry. And where the dark meat leg-thigh easily separated from the bird in one piece for Bob's serving, the carcass that held the breast together essentially dissolved after the long cook--it wasn't one or two big bones it was a hundred little fragments so I basically ate with my fingers in order to avoid eating bones. Interesting experiment, but this method isn't for me.

Odd things happen in cooking such as cooking frozen peas overnight to make them tender.

The only difference I see is roaster vs clay vessel. Perhaps a clay vessel will promote too much evaporation over five hours as opposed to a sealed steel or ceramic roaster.

Like you, I'm a fan of matzoh crackers. Have a large supply.

No cooking just peeling, slicing and dicing.
After 5 days of dining out I’m home and ready for something fresh and light so I’ve just made a huge bowl of fresh fruit salad; pineapple, kiwis, peaches, orange, blueberries, strawberries,raspberries, blackberries just stirred up with a little orange juice. It looks beautiful
. If it needs anything I might have it with some homemade vanilla ice cream.
It looks enough to feed an army but I know from experience I can get through it pretty quickly, shh don’ t tell anyone but I’ll eat a spoonful if I’m passing the fridge.

Sounds wonderful. Do you ever spice up the OJ before stirring in? (I'm thinking about herbs or sweet spices but if you said kirsch....)

Clay doesn't conduct heat as well as metal. Perhaps there was a delay before the peas came up to temperature.

-Paul W.

Not a fan of saltines, but my favorite cracker, right now, is Townhouse light and buttery. I love it with a bit of goat cheese and Roasted Garlic Onion Jam. I have never seen Matzoh crackers. Looked them up and there are tons of brands. What is your favorite?

[Jenise]

No cooking just peeling, slicing and dicing.
After 5 days of dining out I’m home.

This may have had something to do with celebrating.... Happy birthday! And way to go making us northern hemisphereans jealous with all that fresh fruit. Sounds just perfect!

[Jenise]

Not a fan of saltines, but my favorite cracker, right now, is Townhouse light and buttery. I love it with a bit of goat cheese and Roasted Garlic Onion Jam. I have never seen Matzoh crackers. Looked them up and there are tons of brands. What is your favorite?

Our favorite is Yehuda, because of the way the edges get blackened in the baking process--better than Streitz or Manichewitz. But in general we only find Yehuda around Passover. On a daily basis, we just deal with one of the other two brands because that's all that's available. Bob will spread peanut butter over a whole sheet and eat it open face. We also break them into shards to enjoy with cheese or lox.

Paul's reply about a possible explanation for the pea problem made me remember one time that I left a steamer pan of uncooked broccoli on top of a burner next to an oven vent. It was a glass topped electric stove so both the bottom of the pan and therefore the water got very warm and the entire pan was too warm to touch but not steaming. I tried to steam the broccoli nevertheless and it never softened. Was in fact like wood. Same thing happened to my sister on another occasion with the same cooktop. Ever since I boil the water first and then add the steamer basket. Delay to cook temperature does have a significant effect on broccoli at least.

Clay doesn't conduct heat as well as metal. Perhaps there was a delay before the peas came up to temperature.-Paul W.

Who are you replying to?

Sounds wonderful. Do you ever spice up the OJ before stirring in? (I'm thinking about herbs or sweet spices but if you said kirsch....)

I haven’t used any spice (or sugar) and I probably wouldn’t but I might set aside a portion with a dash of ??. to try. I had thoughts about alcohol, and your mention of Kirsch resonates, so I might prepare a serving with some tonight. I wouldn’t spike the lot as I’m grazing on it throughout the day!

Jenise, you can get Yehuda crackers at Safeway and Amazon.

[Jenise]

Might not be all Safeways vs. those that have significant Jewish population nearby. Never thought to look on Amazon. Might have to buy a larger quantity than I want to!

[Jenise]

Went Asian shopping in B.C. yesterday. Brought home baby napa cabbages (about five inches long, two inches wide each), a bag of pea tips (not shoots, this is the mature plant), baby bok choys (3 inchers), Shanghai noodles, and a few other things. The noodles and pea tips might turn into a stir-fry tonight. Also bought whole-head Fioretti cauliflower which is absolutely the best stuff. I've never seen it in a typical western market, except tragically misnomered as "baby cauliflower" in bags at Trader Joe's.

Something I saw there that I've never seen before: white bitter melon. I've never even tasted bitter melon--an Asian friend who hates it insisted I wouldn't like it either. Not sure how to prepare it, though I have a recipe in a Charles Phan book (he of Slanted Door, San Francisco) for rings of it stuffed with something like a meat loaf stuffing, topped with marinara and baked. Really should try it.

Our favorite is Yehuda, because of the way the edges get blackened in the baking process--better than Streitz or Manichewitz. But in general we only find Yehuda around Passover. On a daily basis, we just deal with one of the other two brands because that's all that's available. Bob will spread peanut butter over a whole sheet and eat it open face. We also break them into shards to enjoy with cheese or lox.

I got the Yehuda, toasted onion flavor today. Quite good but very delicate. Safeway has them year round, and has different types of the same brand. The reviews on Amazon were good, but many said they arrive all broken, which I can understand after getting mine open. Had 1/2 a square with Tilapia, Mediterranean olives, a few spicy peppers, and fresh pineapple. Made a nice lunch.

Clay doesn't conduct heat as well as metal. Perhaps there was a delay before the peas came up to temperature.-Paul W.

Who are you replying to?

You, and your remark about cooking peas overnight and types of cooking vessels.

-Paul W.

Clay doesn't conduct heat as well as metal. Perhaps there was a delay before the peas came up to temperature.-Paul W.

Who are you replying to?

You, and your remark about cooking peas overnight and types of cooking vessels. -Paul W.

Oh, that. That was a sarcastic joke. I've always cooked frozen peas in a small copper-bottomed stainless steel skillet with boiling water to cover, on top of a gas range, never clay* or in an oven : But it was 35+ minutes and still al dente. mrgreen:

*I do have a clay roaster usually used to make 40 cloves-of-garlic chicken.

[Jenise]

Karen, I've never even seen toasted onion flavor. Only choices have ever been salted vs. unsalted--IF there were more than one. We actually prefer the unsalted--let the salt come from whatever we top them with.

I've had a nicely trimmed tri tip roast, seasoned well with Mitchell's Steak Seasoning and smoked paprika in the fridge since yesterday morning. I made slits all over the meat, and stuffed each with sliced garlic. Browning it this morning, then putting into the slow cooker along with beef stock, vermouth, Worcestershire, and red wine vinegar. A sauté of two beautiful bell peppers, one green, one orange, and one large onion, all of them sliced will go into the mix about half way into the cooking process. I am serving with my favorite cauliflower mash. Later, in the week, the meat will be shredded, mixed with the peppers and onions and served in Hoagie Roll. I found some decent, small green beans yesterday, (had to hand pick each one) and will combine them with leeks, garlic, 1 crispy bacon slice, fire roasted tomatoes, Beau Monde and Poultry Seasoning as my veggie choice. Don't know what is up with green beans in grocery these days, but seems to be coming in broken, damaged, and some with rotting parts. I am very fussy about my produce!

Aside from all that, I did see 1 dozen eggs there for $3.49 a dozen. The is less than the ones I buy from a chicken farmer down the road for $4 a dozen. I have paid that price for three years now. His eggs are very large!

Our Natural Grocer here just raised its egg price $1 on its cage-free brown eggs to $2.99/dozen. Still not too bad. Better than taking out a payday loan.

[Jenise]

I found some decent, small green beans yesterday, (had to hand pick each one)

Made me laugh. I'm very anal about green beans too. I don't just grab a handful, I select each one for size and straightness. Up here grocers are bagging them to avoid the pickers like me, but I dump them out and go over them by hand anyway.

Might have ravioli again tonight for dinner. The Kroger brand ones weren't bad at all. Of course, I'm fairly spoiled about ravioli. Growing up, we always had a few boxes of the best ravioli (veal, no less) I've ever had in our freezer from a local Italian restaurant. Almost nothing compares. These Kroger ones are the first conventionally made ones I'd ever buy again.

Yehuda Matzoh Style Toasted Onion cracker squares. These crackers spread with Jiff Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter are awesome. I've also spread them with goat cheese, and roasted onion garlic jam. Never knew about them until Jenise mentioned them. Ordered from Amazon as my market did not carry and I am not one to run all over town looking for one ingredient. Had a couple of shards for lunch today with the peanut butter, leftover roasted chicken, and asparagus. Very yummy. If you find them, give a try!

Tonight I'm making Shanghai-style red-cooked chicken (hongshao ji). In addition to the star anise I usually throw in, I'm going to add a bit of dried tangerine peel.

-Paul W.