On Cooking

[GrayLensman]

Cooking is one of the things I love best, so I thought I would share some of my favorite recipes.  I live in Nova Scotia, so my tastes tend toward traditional maritime fare.

The first dish is fish chowder.  Unfortunately, it is difficult for some people to obtain fresh seafood where they live.  I like to put haddock, scallops, shrimp, and lobster in my chowder.  However, if you can get frozen cod or haddock fillets, those work fine.

Fish Chowder

Ingredients

1 lb cod fish fillets (or whatever you want to put in)

2 tbsp. butter or vegetable oil

1 onion, sliced

1/2 c. celery, diced

2 c. potatoes, diced

1/2 c. carrots, sliced

2 c. boiling water

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper.

1 c. milk or blend cream

Procedure

1.  Cut cod fillets into bite sized pieces.

2.  Melt margarine in large saucepan.  Cook onion and celery until tender.  

3.  Add potatoes, carrots, water, salt, and pepper.  Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.

4.  Add fish and cook 10 minutes.

5.  Add milk.

6.  Reheat, but do not boil.

Serves 4

If you like thicker chowder, you can use some flour or corn starch to thicken it up, but be careful while doing this.

[yoshie]

even thow im nova scotian my self i must say i cant stand eating fish or shellfish but i dont mind making it. any ways do you know one that involves something other than fish or shell fish?

[GrayLensman]

OK, how about this recipe, which is very simple to make.  

Boston Baked Beans

Ingredients

1 lb   navy beans
1 onion, sliced
1/2 c. molasses
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 lb salt pork

Procedure

1.  Soak navy beans in water overnight.

2.  Parboil beans for 20 minutes and place into beanpot or dutch oven.

3.  Mix salt, pepper, molasses, dry mustard, brown sugar, and water in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, stirring.

4.  Place onions over beans and add liquid ingredients.

5.  Cover salt pork with boiling water and let sit for 2 minutes.

6.  Drain pork and add to beans.

8.  Cover beans and bake at 250 F for 6-8 hours, adding water as necessary.

I usually double this recipe.

The liquid should be just below the level of the beans at all times.  Add as much water as necessary.  I like to mix up the beans half way through, after the pork has become browned, and I usually take off the lid for the last hour of cooking, although this isn't necessary.

[ZeaLitY]

Ah, you are a man of culture. One of the reasons Vincent Price was so cool -- he was a connossieur of art, both visual and culinary.

[Burning Zeppelin]

Ah what a nice break to the tension of the General Boards! I still stand by my "buy Oporto" policy  

[Radical_Dreamer]

Ah, good good! Cooking is truly a wonderful skill to poses. I'll share a reciepe that I still use, that is fairly simple to make. Hopefully this thread will persist, and I'll be able to share more in the future.

Ingredients
1 portabella mushroom, cubed

1/4 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

Olive oil

Dry Sherry

Soy Sauce

Procedure
1. Wash the mushroom, and proceed to cut the vegitables/fungus

2. Heat olive oil in a wok or large pan*

3. Cook mushroom, onion, and garlic until mushroom is tender

4. Added sherry and soy sauce. Cook until alcohol is boiled off (won't take long)

5. Serve over rice

Serves one or two, depending. I usually finish it myself.

*Try throwing a piece of onion in to the oil. When it starts to sizzle, the oil is ready.

[Burning Zeppelin]

I love mushrooms! Any alternative to the alcohol RD?

[Lord J Esq]

I love to cook! I hate doing dishes, but fortunately I own a dishwasher. Here’s something I created serendipitously a few weeks ago and greatly enjoyed. I didn’t write it down, so the proportions will need to be tinkered with and I may have left out an ingredient or two. This is inexpensive, fast, and pretty tasty:

Stylish Imperial Tunapesto Pasta with Guinness

•   1 package (approx. 16 oz.) any hearty tubular pasta (e.g., mostaccioli)
•   ¾ cup of your favorite pesto (more or less as desired)
•   1 regular can tuna, not drained
•   2 tbsp. lemon juice (more or less as desired, but not too much)
•   1 ½ cups coarsely grated Italian cheeses mélange*
•   1 small can mushrooms
•   1 head garlic (if you do not love garlic, use 5-10 cloves)
•   Extra virgin olive oil
•   Black pepper, freshly cracked if possible
•   Salt
•   Rice vinegar
•   Guinness

* Note: Most groceries sell an "Italian blend" grated cheese. That'll work, or grate your own fresh cheeses.


Boil a quart of water in a medium saucepan; add rice vinegar to taste. In the meanwhile, peel and crush the cloves in the head of garlic and allow them to sit. (Letting crushed garlic sit in the open air for ten to fifteen minutes amplifies its intensity.)

Once the water is boiling vigorously, prepare the pasta al dente. Drain but do not rinse. Return to the saucepan and toss with olive oil to gloss.

Restore the heat to medium, and add the pesto, the entire can of tuna (including juice), the mushrooms (with juice), as well as the cheese, pepper, and salt. Go easy on the salt, because the tuna juice is already salty. Bring to an acceptably hot temperature and simmer away the excess water. Add the lemon juice during this process. Add additional olive oil as necessary to lubricate.

Add the garlic as late in the cooking process as you dare. Raw garlic is much stronger, but adding it late will cause it to coalesce less with the overall entrée.

Serve with a sweet red bell pepper (raw), and either raw spinach or lightly steamed asparagus.

Recommended beverage: Guinness
(as always)

Ten stars, easily. For dessert a berry sorbet or gelato is ideal; or fresh fruit and ice cream; or a chocolate service.

[Burning Zeppelin]

chowder

CHOWDA! CHOWDA! I'LL KILL YOU! ALL OF YOU! ESPECIALLY THOSE OF YOU IN THE JURY!

[Mystik3eb]

I hate cooking. I hate making a fricken' sandwich. Fast food, resturants and microwavable dinners/hot pockets for me. I don't care if I die. I hate cooking.

[Magus22]

This is a great idea to touch on!

Gray Lensman, I am going to try that Chowder recipe today since I am doing absolutely nothing. Got to buy some ingredients since I don't have some of the stuff, but I'll let you know how it turned out.

[Radical_Dreamer]

I love mushrooms! Any alternative to the alcohol RD?

More soy sauce? The alcohol cooks out, so you are just left with the flavor. If it's more about availibility, however, you can just leave it out.

[GrayLensman]

I love mushrooms! Any alternative to the alcohol RD?

More soy sauce? The alcohol cooks out, so you are just left with the flavor. If it's more about availibility, however, you can just leave it out.

I looked it up, and you can substitute orange or pineapple juice for sherry.  Only about 50-90% of the alcohol will actually vaporize, depending on how long it is heated.

Gray Lensman, I am going to try that Chowder recipe today since I am doing absolutely nothing. Got to buy some ingredients since I don't have some of the stuff, but I'll let you know how it turned out.

Let me know how it turns out.

[Magus22]

Gray, it was a rather interesting meal. Not saying it was bad!

If you like fish, then you'll love this. If it's ok, I am definately going to use this recipe for my mother (loves fish chowder) for her upcoming birthday. Thank you for sharing this!

[Radical_Dreamer]

I love mushrooms! Any alternative to the alcohol RD?

More soy sauce? The alcohol cooks out, so you are just left with the flavor. If it's more about availibility, however, you can just leave it out.

I looked it up, and you can substitute orange or pineapple juice for sherry.  Only about 50-90% of the alcohol will actually vaporize, depending on how long it is heated.

Is that so? Perhaps I'll give juice a try next time. I am always stocked with orange juice.