Cooking With HDC
 

Some of you may know, I'm quite an avid chef. I don't pretend to be an expert and I know some (looking at you, Cheebs) are far better than I, but hey ho. I know we've had a couple of food/recipe threads here in the past but I thought a clean slate might be good.

Basically, I always enjoy finding out new recipes/sharing my own, so please, share! And extra points for shamelessly instagrammed photos...I know I do it, even if I hate myself a little for it.

As it was my 2 year anniversary last week I made a celebratory dinner. Perhaps the main thing with my food is that I don't tend to use exact measurements, just play it by ear and what mood I'm in, so don't expect too much specificity.


This was pretty simple. Some pre-rolled puff pastry (I'll make shortcrust but fuck puff. Fuck it and it's layers). I just caramelised the onions with some brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and put it on top with some grated hard goat's cheese. Baked until brown.


The burger was just a combination of standard lamb mince, quite a lot of fresh mint, some chilli flakes and shallots. Smushed it all together and formed patties which I fried in a griddle pan. The onion rings were made from the rest of the red onions. Dunked in a beer batter (1 cup each of flour and Hobgoblin ale) and then breadcrumbs, then shallow fried until crispy. Served with some Oven wedges and salad.


The Boyfriend has a sweet tooth but is terrible at decisions. Fruit or chocolate? I decided...why decide?

Your pictures aren't showing

And, I want you to cook for me! :D

I clicked here anticipating something gruesome à la Hannibal Lecter :rolleyes:

Pictures not showing for me either, although that onion and goat's cheese thingy sounds rather yummy.

Good lord, first my essay and now this - I must get better at hyperlinks!

In this case I'll just send you my shared Evernote post for the meal. Next time it'll be embedded pictures :p

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s271/...dc1df18372c771

I haven't made anything fun yet this fall season... except for some home-made pumpkin pies (the smell of pie pumpkins baking before you scrape them out is fantastic). Your meal makes me want to get into the kitchen tomorrow... it looks fantastic!

Thanks, Despare :) I feel as though Pumpkin pie is one of those great all-American dishes that somehow eludes us here in the UK. I've only ever had it once, and that was at an American friend's Halloween party. For all the pumpkins we have here at this time of year seems a damn waste. I mean, I'm guessing the filling isn't too tough? Pumpkin, flour, sugar, cinnamon?

I'm with you, Despare. Fall and winter is when I do most of my cooking. I'll have to start sharing pictures now! :D

I love making chili and beef stew in the crockpot. I also have some new recipes that I'm looking forward to making.

I was working on a cook book just for my own use) at one stage but I kinda lost interest. Here are a few rough unfinished page mock ups:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...Book/HUMUS.png

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...Cookbook-1.jpg

That cookbook is unbelievably cool, Ferox! I love how each page has a different horror theme to it too, would have been too easy to stick with the same design for every recipe. Variations are also really useful.

Did a work trial at a local providore today so reaping the benefits of cheaper ingredients.

This was just a simple Goats Cheese and Salami Pasta, although the salami had fennel in it which was LOVELY. Very nice. Just mixed the pasta with a thick balsamic spread and some oregano to garnish.

https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/0/....1&disp=thd&zw

That's brilliant Ferox :D

Today i'm doing some cocking with roasted chicken thighs and ham joint, then shredding both and adding meat to a slow stew... yum.

Holy Mother of God! Now it's definitely the end of the world! :eek:

Shanksie! How the hell have you been?! Good to see you, dude! :D

Oh my dear dear lord yes please. Are we talking Barbecue style stew or more of a winter warmer?

I was so shocked at seeing Shanks I forgot to write what I really came to this thread to write! LOL!

I'll be cooking this weekend: chili, red beans and rice with turkey kielbasa, ham, mac and cheese, chicken breasts with salsa and cheddar cheese, and I'll cook up some refried beans with beans that my friend canned. Next weekend I'll probably make beef stew.

Oooh, that sounds really good, Margie! Loving the Mexicano theme. You have no idea how difficult it is to find Refried Beans in England! Thank God for diverse food in London! Be sure to take some photos!

Haven't cooked for a few days but defrosting some lamb mince now, probably gonna make an iddy biddy Shepherd's Pie.

A pie pumpkin, eggs, light brown sugar, flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and evaporated milk. It's like a custard...

I'll be right there, I LOVE Shepherd's Pie!

This thread is making me hungry :D

I don't know if I'm much of a cook myself... first of all I have lived on my own for all of my adult life, and don't feel that motivated to cook complicated or time consuming dishes just for myself.

And when I offer to cook for other people, they usually know that I'm a vegetarian, and fearing that I will feed them nothing but dry lettuce and sliced tomatoes, the reply is usually "uhh, no thanks, I'll order a burger" :D

I have had a few compliments from people who have been brave enough to try my cooking, though... such as "wow... this is actually real food!" :D

Ahh, the old vegetarian trouble! I do feel for you guys - people really do underestimate the vast array of great quality vegetarian food out there. Damn...really want some Falafel right now :P

Been a lazy weekend with very little cooking! Had too many opportunities to eat out. But, as I've come down with a cold I'll be making a nice hearty stew tomorrow to try and make a speedy recovery!

The same goes for many vegetarians, honestly! And that seems to be the most common reason why people quit... especially if they get sick from malnutrition... and you WILL be if you think you can live on carrots. You'll be very bored too! :D

I myself started out with the classic mistake of replacing meat with cheese... and didn't understand why I gained weight :rolleyes:

That does sound good. Love the slow stews, especially with a variety of hearty flavored beans. And I like mixing chicken with other meats too. Almost no one ever does that.

That is so true. I remember trying out going to a veggie diet. I started eating only salads for lunch (and not from a particularly large selection of items), and I got burned out, bored, really fast. Wasn't until I discovered the vast array of beans, vegetables, legumes, whole gains, nuts, seeds, pastas, even throw in eggs, fish, yogurts, cheeses and creams, and how to spice and cook all these things, that I started eating a healthier diet.

I eat meat, but after trying a vegetarian diet (and listening/researching), I started eating a healthy diet.

Let me soapbox-it a minute -- people need fiber, and I sincerely suspect a vast array of micronutrients from uncooked veggies/fruit, to keep healthy and disease free. So eat a salad everyday. Especially if you need to lose some body fat, drink water, and almost never (if ever) soda (we're not humming birds, & you get used to water quickly). Only eat whole grains, and cut way down on carbohydrates, sugars, (candy, ice cream, cake, pasta) and all manner of overly processed foods, preservatives and fast food. Eat slowly (takes 30 mins for full stomach to register in brain), smaller bites/fork amounts, taste your food, chew thoroughly, and drink plenty of water with meal. The Atkins Diet works. OK I'm done. :)

:D I'm good thanks hammerfan, how have you been?.. hope you are well. Good to see you too :)


I roasted the meat in the oven and whilst that was cooking i prepared the veggies and stock with lots of fresh herbs then put everything together in a cast iron pot and cooked in the oven for 2hrs.

me too, I like making stews when the weather gets colder. Cooking different meats slowly together brings out the flavours better. :)

Shanks, you and ferret need to come cook for me! :D

Sure :) later today i'm getting the ingredients for a beef chilli. fresh minced chunks of beef with some chicken livers mixed in for flavour
the other main ingredients will be garlic, red kidney and borlotti beans and cumin, corriander and chilli flakes to season :D

and some sour cream and rice to go with it

I made chili last week. Used black beans instead of kidney, and used ground beef instead of chunks. Um, yeah, you'll never catch me eating chicken liver! *gag*

I put the meat through a mincer, I do that so I know what sort of quality the meat is. Chicken livers are very nice, alternatively i use anchove essence to add some stronger flavour.

You should try my chicken liver and marsala pasta it's delicious :)

If you don't tell me what it is, I would try it. Tell me after. :D

My next trip to England, I'm visiting you and ferret! :eek:

lol i could put all kinds of weird foods in it and still make it taste ok to eat :D

Holy Long Lost Missing Member, Batman!

Nice to see you're still alive and well, Shanksie :D

Oh my God, Margie, PLEASE do! :D I'm in London, nice and easy to reach :)

On the note of offal, this is an old one of mine, but last year I developed a taste for Lamb's Hearts. Slow baked in a parcel of tomato gravy with vegetables and thyme. Daaaaym.

It made me giggle, I showed some of the kids I was teaching in China this and unlike my English friends who gag and wince, they were just like "yeah...and?" We really don't utilise as much of the animal as we should here in the west.

http://i1317.photobucket.com/albums/...psf508351c.jpg

I'd try lamb hearts in a second. It's muscle, so it's meat. Just like I look forward to trying cow tongue (muscle/meat) at some point. I just haven't come across it yet.

I do like braunschweiger/liverwurst (which is pork/beef liver), but last time I tried chicken liver (baked, no seasoning), I didn't like it. It sort of tasted like burnt condensed chicken grease... the bad flavor type.

Shanks - what does chicken livers taste like to you? How do you prepare them for the chilli -- anything one needs to keep in mind to about cooking chicken livers?

Ferret - What does lamb heart meat taste like?

Anyone know what cow tongue tastes like?

Hearts are delicious...they're so muscle-centric, that they taste almost like...more meat than meat, if that makes sense.
Personally I like to butcher mine just a little, clear out some of the ventricular matter, which is a bit chewy, and also makes it appear less "organ" like.

I remember making some stuffed beef hearts...can't recall the recipe, but red wine was involved. Served on some simple cabbage.
Really nice.

I know that wasn't a question for me, but I'll throw in anyways.
You've had livers of some kind before I take it?
The texture is not really like meat as such, it's quite a bit softer...you can practically paste liver it's so malleable.
The taste, like all livers, is reminiscent of the beast they come from, so for me, they taste like chicken, but a little more concentrated with an ever so slightly metallic edge - not in a bad way, in a "liver" way.

I think chicken livers are great - I won't cook up a chicken carcass gravy without throwing some in, they concentrate the flavour.
Though, I quite enjoy them panfried...simply sliced in half, tossed a little vegetable/canola oil through and cook on a high heat...sear them...salt, pepper, and I find that "spicy" really works, so if you have some hot paprika or finely chopped chilli flakes, theyre great.
I'd serve them slightly pink, on some toasted bread.
Few drops of lemon on top.

Some folks have them as is.

Chicken liver pate is also, the shit.



So I've gone a bit boring today.
Well, we ate some KFC....thank you pregnant craving...and right now I'm having some extra strong tea at home, and eating some dehydrated pineapple.
Noe, if you've evern purchased "dried" or dehydrated pineapple, I don't know what the hell they do to it to make it like that, they must add truckloads of sugar...with mine, I simply dry it...enough of the flavour concentrates, and it can become crispy which is a treat.
I always do some plain, which will put the flavour of any pineapple candy to shame...but I have a special mix I make with dried kaffir lime leaves, salt, and chilli. A little confusing on the palate, but incredible.

That's me.

Yeah, I wasn't totally thrilled by some of the gristly tubes within. I also totally agree that removing the organ appearance is a good idea - especially for introducing it to new people. For me, I quite enjoyed the look of it mainly for novelty factor of having had it for the first time.

Rustled some of these up a while ago - Vegetarian Scotch Eggs. Can't recall where I found the recipe but I was VERY impressed. As I said, I'm not a vegetarian, but I was going on a picnic with one, so found this. The coating was made from a mix of onion, grated carrot, breadcrumb and korma paste, then coated with chopped walnuts. Somehow it achieved the sausage flavour extraordinarily well!

https://www.evernote.com/shard/s271/...mall&width=638

They have a much smoother texture than lamb or pig livers, and the smell and taste is milder, which i prefer. if i'm adding them to a slow stew i'll chop them small and add them raw because it's their flavour i want. They melt to nothing in a slow cooked stew and add a richness to the gravy or sauce.

If i'm using them as a main ingredient i'll slice them and fry in unsalted butter for a few minutes and marinade with red wine or masala and then stir into pasta.

That looks delicious, some buttery mash would go perfect with it.

Good to see you too newb :D hope you've been keeping the beers on ice :D

Going to be buying two whole ducks for an end of year celebration.
Going to have just myself, the lady and one friend of ours that actually appreciates good food and will wait for things to be prepared rather than whine about it, and actually kick in in the kitchen with help and suggestions.

So.
Two ducks.
Four ways.

We'll be roasting one European style - we haven't actually tried duck like this, but very simple - salt, pepper, a little smoked paprika.
Just to see how it would be with the flavour of the meat carrying things, no marinade, just like we'd normally roast a simple chicken.
Though we may actually end up smoking it.

One will be in a thai red curry.
Probably have some bamboo shoots happening, some baby carrots, snow peas, water chestnuts.

The lady wants to do something like a peking duck from what I can gather.
Small wrap type things, lots of fresh salad in with them, nice sauces.

I'm letting my friend decide on the other one...though if he fails I'm going to recommend a citrus marinated bird in a wombok salad with some nuts and pomegranites, and a little mango.


...thought that would make a semi interesting entry to the thread.

So as I said, first time ever celebrating Thanksgiving and I'd say, if nothing else, the food won me over to doing it more often!

I was in charge of the Turkeys, Potatoes and Gravy.

Turned out to be more economically viable to buy 4 x 625g joints rather than one whole big bird. The other benefit of this was that I could cook them in different ways. Ended up cooking one with bacon, mushrooms and onions in a slow cooker. Another 2 I roasted with two different types of stuffing - lemon and coriander, apple and sage. Served all three in the slow cooker to keep warm, separated by walls of their respective stuffings.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...69506027_n.jpg

The fourth and final turkey I covered in a Peruvian inspired glaze/wetrub and roasted completely uncovered. This was the most popular. The cumin heavy crust gave it a nice curried flavour and was AMAZING at keeping the juices in the famously dry bird (although I maintain dryness comes from poor cooking).

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/...42818272_n.jpg

Our desserts selection was also lovely - whilst some came prepackaged, we did have homemade Apple Strudel, Key Lime Pie and Baked Raspberry Cheesecake.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...23481201_n.jpg


One thing I'm still not sure of is this supposedly famous "Sweet Potato Casserole". I'm always weary of having a sweet dish with savoury - not so much sweet in the sense of chili, apples etc. but the inclusion of marshmallow and cinnamon made this a little too desserty for me. Still, I tried it with an open mind. I still dunno. Seemed a bit of a dud if I'm honest. A weird mush of sticky meh.

All in all, though, a great excuse for decadence.

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/...45517983_n.jpg

If you want, I have a recipe for sweet potato casserole that doesn't involve marshmallows. Your feast looks like it was very yummy! I didn't have to cook this year, I just brought 3 bottles of wine. AND I got to take home leftovers! Yay!