Gourmet: The Good Food Thread

I can't tell the difference between Whizzo Butter and a dead crab.

Oh, all right. BE that way! [heavy sigh] You must at least appreciate good food when you get it, don't you? That dinner I had last night was amazing, and it wasn't just the wine talking. Good food is a powerful healer of the soul--at least, for me it is.

My mum's boyfriend does a great dinner.

It's chicken breast, stuffed with cheese filling or cheese and onion filling, with bacon wrapped around it, served with big mushrooms and melted cheese all over them.

I don't really like mushrooms much - but they're beautiful done this way!

Haute Cuisine of the South

Country Fried Cube Steak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn-QP_ytqoE

Country Southern Style Sauce
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muh0zVuJEKs

If the hurricanes don't kill you, the cooking will

I've been on a chicken kick lately, in part because it's been on sale a lot at the store, and I'm trying to eat less red meat.

Though I usually eat chicken breast, I much prefer the dark meat, and wouldn't you know, leg quarters were on sale, buy one package of 4, get another of the same or less weight free! Find two of the same weight and they're half-price! So I did, then wondered what the hell I was going to do with them.

I found this recipe in a cookbook, "Mediterranean: Food of the Sun" (published by Hermes House). Given that it was my first try, I think it came out really good, though it didn't look quite as beautiful as the picture in the book. I'd give it 4 stars out of 5 for flavor, 3 for presentation. Miss Thing didn't like the sweetness (there's honey in the sauce), and Mr. Thing didn't like that it was dark meat. It *was* rather greasy, and I think another time I might use a combination of breast meat and dark meat, and skin the dark meat. I also didn't have any sesame seeds--well, I had some, but they were rancid. Ew. Anyway, here's the recipe:

2T sunflower oil (I used canola)
2T butter
4 chicken quarters or one whole chicken, quartered
1 onion, grated or finely choppped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 generous pinch ginger (I used 1/2t, and couldn't taste it)
1t cinnamon
3+ pounds of tomatoes, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped (I used a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes)
2T honey
1/2C blanched almonds (I left the skins on)
1T sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Dry fry or toast the almonds and sesame seeds. (I put them on a cookie sheet in a 350 oven for 10-12 minutes.)

Heat the oil and butter in a large casserole. Add the chicken pieces and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until the chicken is lightly browned.

Add the onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and heat gently until the tomatoes begin to bubble.

Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour. Stir and turn the chicken occasionally so that it cooks completely.

Remove the chicken and set on a plate. Increase the heat and cook the tomato mixture, stirring frequently, until the sauce is reduced to a thick puree. (It took about 20 minutes for me.) Stir in the honey, cook for one minute, then return the chicken to the pot and cook for 2-3 more minutes to heat through.

Transfer the chicken and sauce to a warmed serving dish and sprinkle with almonds and sesame seeds. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

I love good food.Ive had plenty of humble pie in the past.But thats not
good.Italiano is a super fast way to my heart

Poor Pythonesque with the humble pie.

I'm also a fan of Italian food.

I'll read the recipes later and come up with a spanking new Spam dish for Niwiman.

Spam-dish? What does it contain? Spam-spam-spam-spam-egg-bacon-and-spam... No... that would be Spamish-dish only... Spam-dish should contain spam-only...

I love cooking and baking! I just try not to do it so often because last summer I gained 10 pounds when I started experimenting with making food that normally comes out of the freezer (or a can).

Remember, though, I like spicy food (the type that makes my acid reflux do backflips), so I don't think many people would be into it.

I love Italian, Chinese and Indian food the most.

Are eggs considered vegetarian? I went for two years once without chicken or meat. Eggs became a staple but now it just makes me think of Niwi's eggs, Spam and something dish on a Nausea thread once. I begged him not to eat it but you know how kids are, they just do not want to listen!!!

I personally love asian and mediterranean recipes.

Not all vegetarians eat eggs or dairy. Some are strict without being vegan. But yes, you can be an ovo-lacto-vegetarian.

"Veggie-rooted food"?

I believe vegans eat nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, fruits, and vegetables.

They sound nuts. Who has the time to do all that and where do you get your protien-iron burst? OOOOHHHH.

You take supplements. You can get iron from spinach and beets; protein comes in non-animal forms: nuts, legumes, grains. Most Americans eat too much protein anyway.

Yes, I do too. YUMMMMM! And we can get them fairly cheap around here, either in the store or in restaurants.

I made bread yesterday, ate a few chunks of raw dough, and was up all night with tummy rushes--waves of weird sensations, like when you're nervous. Yeast does that to me, especially if I have sugar too. Bloat up like a water balloon! But only raw dough--regular bread is fine.

It's very cool. Like a little miracle. You mix all this stuff together, it looks like a mess, you put it in the oven, and out comes yummy bread! It's very easy, really. The hardest part is the kneading. Getting it to a shape that will come out in a sliceable form and not split as it heats is a bit of work. But it's way fun! And it tastes better than anything I can get in the stores around here, even the "artisan" breads.

No, I do it by hand. I love kneading. It's therapeutic. Yes, regular oven. Bread machines make pretty good bread, but I just like doing it by hand. I'm not good at drawing or sculpting or needlework or any stuff like that, so it's nice to make something, especially something useful that isn't going to just collect dust or be in the way.

Whenever I feel like it. Never in summer, because it makes the house too hot and I don't have AC. I don't eat as much bread in the summer, anyway.

Are you, Hungary, Chrissy?

If so, Turkey is only a few countries away!

Is it a country or a Thanksgiving bird? Bird: yes. Country: Who knows. Have you ever been a war.

Advert:

ARE YOU HUNGARY? EAT TURKEY!

It is just a minor Asia so it shoud fit in an oven, or you could deep fat fry it. Fried Minor with Asian seasonings.

Mabe we could get a country named that!