September 25, 2004

Epicurious George: Recipe Swap! What's the tastiest food item you have prepared in the past six months? Please feed the monkeys.

[Idea lifted from this thread.] Spackle's Enchiladas These enchiladas are versatile, easy to make, and taste even better as cold leftovers. 2 cups dry black beans 2 cups dry brown or white rice 2 pounds meat of your choice* 2 large sweet onions, chopped Minced fresh garlic to taste Chili powder to taste Salt to taste 1 large handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped 24 ounces enchilada sauce and/or canned diced tomatoes 10 soft flour tortillas, fajita size 2 cups shredded cheese Sour cream for topping Chopped cucumbers for topping Optional: shredded carrots, chopped greens (collards, kale, etc.), chopped mushrooms, diced chilies or hotter peppers. *I love to make this dish with ground turkey or leftover shredded chicken, but any kind of meat works. For a veggie/vegan version, just substitute red beans or faux-meat and omit the dairy products. 1. Cook beans and rice according to directions, set aside. 2. Fry meat at high heat. Add chili powder and garlic, sear well to enhance flavor; stir to prevent burning. Add onions and any optional ingredients, cook until tender. [Veggie version: Start by frying onions in olive oil, then add spices and other items.] 3. In large mixing bowl, combine rice, beans, meat/veggie mixture, and cilantro. Salt to taste. If desired, spice it up further at this point by adding tabasco sauce or pico de gallo. The filling can sit overnight in your fridge if you wish. 4. Cover the bottom of a large glass baking pan with enchilada sauce or tomatoes. 5. Hold a tortilla in one hand and "overstuff" it with a large spoonful of filling. Gently roll the fat tortilla into a simple tubular shape, place in pan with edges down. Repeat until pan is full. Pack 'em tight. 6. Spread leftover filling (if any) on top of tortillas. 7. Top with cheese and remaining sauce, cover with tinfoil. 8. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. You can remove tinfoil for the last 5 minutes to brown the cheese, but I always forget this step and it tastes just as good. 9. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and chopped cucumbers. 10. Eat to repletion! Okay, your turn...

posted by spackle 20 years ago
  • Smelly Fingers Salad I love this salad and it
  • squidranch's incredibly easy and tasty roast cornish game hens: Split the game hens in half, rinse under the tap and place in a large zip lock plastic bag. Peel 3 or 4 shallots and place them in a blender along with a half a cup of dry white wine, a teaspoon of kosher salt, a about a teaspoon of thyme (fresh if you got it) and a goodly amount of fresh ground pepper. Blend on high until you have a puree and then pour it over the split game hens in the bag. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 5 hours or so. When you are ready to eat, take out the marinated game hens and place them on your broiling rack. Put the rack on the middle shelf and turn your oven temperature to broil. Flip them once or twice until browned all over (about 25 minutes) while basting them with the reserved marinade from the ziplock bag. Serve with whatever vegetables are local and fresh. Yummy!
  • squidranch's wildly popular roast goat cheese, walnut and raspberry salad: Purchase a small log of plain chevre (goat cheese) a pound or so of mixed bitter greens (arugula, frisee, raddico, or in a pinch even watercress will do), a couple of handfulls of walnuts, some walnut salad oil (a good olive oil will do), a couple of containers of raspberry and some decent balsamic vinegar. First roast the walnuts to bring out the flavor by placing them on a cookie sheet covered with tin foil and cooking them at 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes. They overcook easily, so keep a close eye on them. Prepare your dressing of walnut oil and balsamic vinegar (3 parts oil to one part vinegar) and rinse your greens. Place the rinsed greens in a salad bowl and refrigerate. As soon as your walnuts are done, let them cool. Place the chevre on the same tin foil covered cookie sheet and put it under the broiler. The cheese will EASILY overcook if you don't keep a close watch on it. Roast until just brown and bubbly. For assembly, place some cool greens on your salad plate, scatter some roasted walnuts over the top along with some chilled, rinsed raspberries and then place a still hot dollop of roasted goat cheese in the center of the greens. Finish it with some of your prepared dressing and a bit of fresh ground pepper. The contrast between the earthy rich goat cheese, the tart of the raspberry along with the bitter greens and warmth of the roasted walnuts is out of this world.
  • 1. Alsatian quiche (gruyere/nutmeg/bacon/cream) 2. Key Lime pie with fresh rasberries and nicely browned meringue(FUCKING YUM) 3. Perfect toast (perfect!) 4. See my post on being hungover and the resultant meal/cure 5. Try the above recipe with some really good pears too, that's the classic idea (like an italian waldorf salad). 6. Vichysoisse (potato leek soup!) with pepper and nutmeg and so forth, with cod poached in it!! Like a really classy chowder! With good bread!! OMG I'm off to the shittiest diner in providence for corn beef hash! YAY GOD I LOVE FOOD AND FUCKING
  • Also squidranch, try your recipe with lemon juice instead of balsamic. The balsamic tastes nice but I think it might crowd out the rasberries/cheese a bit. Just a suggestion.
  • Also, idest, your salad is delicious (I make something similar....parmesian + amazing salad = delicious, I use fresh tomatoes too though!)
  • FreddytheFish's Butternut Squash Soup: 2 medium sized butternut squash 1 medium onion 5 cloves garlic 1/3 to 1/2 pound butter (depends how tasty you want it :-) 2 tablespoons Curry Powder 1/2 cup whipping cream salt 1. Chop Squash in half and place flat side down in a cookie tray. Add a cup of water to the tray to keep the squash from burning. 2. Roast at 350 degrees for 45 min or until the sqash is tender through. 3. Chop onions and garlic and fry them along with the curry in the butter until tender. 4. When the squash is ready scoop the flesh out and add it with the onions/garlic/butter into a stock pot. 5. Puree the mixture adding water to reach the desired consistancy and add salt to taste. 6. Add cream. 7. Serve with pepper and dill.
  • My roommate made lasagna with eggplant instead of noodles. It was delicious.
  • David's Addiction: One Bolo Roll Fresh Basil One Tomato One Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinaigrette Fresh Mozzarella 1. Cut the bolo roll horizontally. 2. Slice the mozzarella into about four centimeter-thick slices. 3. Slice the tomato into millimeter-thick slices. 4. Very lightly spread the vinaigrette across one half of the bolo roll. 5. Put all together 6. Grill (I use a George Foreman) until the mozzarella is melted and the roll is nice and crispy. 7. Enjoy (Blatantly stolen from the Kate's Addiction at Misto)
  • Beer Bread A quick and simple method to obtain a loaf of hot, fresh, fragrant bread while drinking beer. Especially good when enjoyed outdoors. 3 cups of self-rising flour 1 tsp. salt 2 tbs. sugar 1 can o' beer (anything you like except really dark stuff such as Guinness) Optional ingredients: raisins, nuts, herbs, fresh berries, grated cheese etc. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl Add 1 can of beer and stir thoroughly Turn out on to a floured board Knead into a round loaf and place in a Dutch oven, surround with coals and bake for about 30 minutes. Or Place in an oiled cast iron frying pan over a low fire and cook about 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Or Place in an oiled loaf pan and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Have a beer while waiting. Serve with great lashings of butter, jam, maple syrup or cheese. Great with stews and chowders.
  • buraniya - middle eastern stew 2 onions - chopped 2 or 3 cloves of garlic - chopped 1.5 pounds lamb or beef - cubed 3 tomatoes - skinned* salt/pepper juice of 1/2 a lemon 1 tsp of cinnamon 1/2 tsp allspice 3 medium eggplants 3 TSB parsley - optional (I know some who like parsley but I can't stand the taste of it) Fry the onions,til soft. Add the garlic and meat, brown well. Add the tomatoes and seasonings, cover with water then bring to a boil. Let it simmer for about 1.5 hours, until the meat is really tender (add water to keep it covered if required). Cut the eggplants into 1/2 thick slices (no need to remove the skin it will soften in the stew) Cook them under a broiler until lightly coloured. Cut them in half and add them to the stew, simmer for about 1/2 hour. *Found the easiest way to skin tomatoes is to plunge them into boiling water for about 30 seconds then put them in iced water, skin should peel right off. *In Turkey they add roasted bell peppers to the stew. Serve with rice, or bulgar or bread.
  • Actually Actuallysettle, I have made the salad with lemon juice as well as balsamic vinegar and several times with raspberry vinega. The raspberry vinegar wins hands down but it is too expensive for the good French stuff and not easy to find. In a perfect version of the salad I would use walnut oil and raspberry vinegar.
  • credit where credit is due- here are 2 recipes that I adore, but that i got from the internet, so i will link to them rather than post them. Wild Mushroom Lasagna- suggestion: add as many mushrooms as you like, not the puny amount they suggest. I am spoiled living near the Berkeley bowl- at least 2 dozen different kinds of fresh mushrooms to choose from... Leek and potato soup- how can you not love a recipe that starts with 20 cloves of garlic and a fistful of bacon? Great for cold winter days.
  • Kerala shrimp curry 6 cloves garlic 2 in. ginger (lots) 3 hot green chiles add tsp water blend to paste (hot...will burn eyes) --------- 1 lb shrimp (de-veined) 1 large tomato 1 - 1-1/2 cup yogurt 1 can coconut milk oil salt/pepper chili powder (optional) cloves black peppercorn cilantro skillet--heat veg. oil add 2 tbsp paste (above) fry & stir (high heat) add diced tomato once tomato begins to puree, add yogurt ** stir constantly to keep yogurt from curdling until paste. all liquid will evaporate from yogurt add cocunut milk add chili powder (optional) salt cloves 5-6 black peppercorns 5-6 bring to boil...simmer add shrimp cook until done garnish w/cilantro serve with rice.
  • Here's a webring...foodbloggers Also, monkeys were kind enough to share before.
  • Great thread! I've learned that the Internet is full of bad recipes, untested creations, and random dishes from anonymous recipe collections. Thus finding recipes that are not only good but carry a strong personal endorsement makes my day.
  • As far as my own contribution -- I haven't really made any outstanding dishes. But I've come upon some good techniques. Because of the BSE scare and distrust for factory meat packing, I haven't had fast food in a year and now eat organic, humane-slaughter meat. But sometimes a decadent cheeseburger hits the spot, and so we find ourselves improvising at home to avoid the infamous Eddie Murphy 'Houseburger' rut. The tricks I've learned to make a good one at home: (1) potato buns, preferably fresh-made from a deli, (2) definitely cook medium-rare to medium if you dare, (3) a well-maintained iron skillet, (4) careful attention to condiments like diced onions, and (5) forming thin patties and marinating them in advance, then packing them in wax paper and freezing, then when ready to cook, putting those on the skillet frozen. It seems to seal the flavor in and keeps the burger from shrinking into hockey pucks. I've also found (accidentally) that leftover burgers in the fridge on quality rolls develop a "melded" flavor that is promising.
  • Another recipe or two here on a previous MoFi thread.
  • Oooh, I can't wait to try that curry. Thanks, rxreed.
  • And here's one from me: Foggia Beef Roll The meatloaf part: 2 lbs. gound chuck 3/4 cup plain bread crumbs (packaged is fine.) 1/2 cup grated parmesan 2 eggs, whisked 1 tsp. dried basil Salt & pepper to taste The stuffing: 2 to three sweet Italian sausages, fried till done, reserving the fat in the frying pan. 3 hardboiled eggs, shelled and sliced A cup or more grated Jack or mozzarella cheese The topping: 16 oz can tomato sauce 1/2 tsp. dried oregano Small sprinkling of sugar Mix meatloaf ingredients lightly but thoroughly to moisten breadcrumbs. Using a piece of plastic wrap about 24 inches long, oiled with olive oil, press the meatloaf into a rectangle about 10 inches tall by 18 inches or so long - should be about 1/2 inch thick. Scatter the cheese in 3 inch strip in the middle of the rectangle, leaving an inch or so on each end for tucking in later. Scatter the egg slices over the cheese. Place the sausages in a line on top of the egg - you might need to cut the third sausage off to fit, still leaving the tucking-in spots uncovered. Using the plastic wrap as a carrier, fold one side of the 10 inch meatloaf side over the stuffing. Fold the second side over to overlap the first side by about an inch. Press the edges together to seal. Tuck and press the rolled ends together to seal. Using the plastic wrap as a carrier, turn the roll over into a long pan (I use the bottom of the broiler pan lightly oiled.) Check the roll for weak spots - you don't want all the cheese to leak out - and rearrange the meatloaf layer to make it even. Heat the frying pan with the reserved fat and add the tomato sauce. Simmer till the sauce thickens a bit. Spoon the sauce over the beef roll and sprinkle the oregano and sugar over the top. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes, then turn heat down to 325 and bake for an hour, checking occassionally for sauce that needs to be spooned back onto the roll. Let it sit outside the oven for ten minutes before slicing. You could probably do this with ground turkey and turkey sausage, but you'd probably have to add some non-threatening oil in a step or two. The tomato sauce has to thicken, which it won't do without fat. I do a lot of other good dishes, but this is the one that's gotten the most requests for repeats from all sorts of folks with strange food fears. i even served at Christmas once, to raves.
  • Peach Salsa: 1 peach 1 nectarine 1 anaheim pepper 1 avacado 1 red or yellow bell pepper 1 small red onion 2 tablespoons olive oil juice of one lemon cilantro (or Italian parsley) salt and pepper
  • I'm addicted to Cincinnati-style chili. A friend from Ohio cooked it for me once, and I badgered her until she gave me her grandma's recipe for it. If I let myself, I could eat this every week and not get tired of it. This is not a thick chili, like Texas-style chili is. When cooked, it should have about the same consistency of a good Bolognese or other Italian meat sauce. It is also very mild, and the only chili I've seen that uses chocolate for sweetening. In Ohio, it's usually served in a style called Five-Way. This refers to the way the chili is layered in a bowl with the accompaniments. It's also great for Coney Island-style chili dogs. Cincinnati Chili 4 cups water 2 lbs. ground beef, crumbled 2 medium yellow onions, chopped 2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 tbsp. distilled white vinegar 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate 5 whole allspice 1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper 1 tsp. ground cumin 4 tbsp. chili powder 1 large bay leaf 5 whole cloves 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon Accompaniments for traditional Five-Way Chili spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente canned red kidney beans, heated finely shredded cheddar cheese chopped red onion oyster crackers (optional) Tabasco (optional) Accompaniments for Coneys hot dog buns mustard chopped red onion hot dogs, cooked using your preferred method (I recommend grilling, but steaming or boiling works too) finely shredded cheddar cheese Tabasco (optional) In a large pot, combine the water and ground beef. Boil for thirty minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours. Cover and simmer for one additional hour. Traditional Cincinnati Five-Way Chili Put a bed of spaghetti in a bowl, and layer chili on top of it. Next, add some kidney beans, then chopped red onion, and top all of it with lots of grated cheddar. Add optional Tobasco if you prefer a hotter chili. For extra crunch (and I do recommend it highly) sprinkle oyster crackers on top of everything else. Coneys Heat the hot dog buns. Spread mustard on the buns, and sprinkle with chopped red onion. Add cooked hot dogs. Top with a layer of chili, a layer of cheddar, more red onion, and optional Tabasco.
  • My nephew made me this burger when I first moved here, and I think I could eat one every day. Vegan Cashew Kidney Bean Burger 1 cup rice (uncooked, sticky variety please) 1 1/2 handfulls dry kidney beans (cook them up a day in advance), or about 1 can if you prefer 5 stalks celery, chopped finely 1 medium onion, chopped finely 4 medium dill pickles, chopped finely 1/2 cup unsalted cashew pieces, roughly chopped bread crumbs, salt and pepper, fresh sage, tarragon and basil Mash the kidney beans with a fork, then add the cooked rice, cashews, and all the wet ingredients. Start adding the bread crumbs until a consistency is reached whereby you can form patties that will hold up to a bbq. Grill, top how you like, and eat. Makes 8 burgers. We sometimes add a little scotch bonnet pepper, depends on whether you want some heat or not. And, a good relish for them: Four Pepper Relish 1 large sweet green pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped 1 large sweet red pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped 1 large sweet yellow pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped however much of a fresh hot pepper you feel like adding 1 small onion, finely chopped 1/4 cup white vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 tsp. celery seed, ground Throw everything in a saucepan and mix well. Set over medium heat until vinegar boils. Stir, reduce heat to low; cover pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Put in a glass jar, then into the refrigerator for the next day's cashew burger fest. Makes about 4 cups.
  • Mmmmm, mmmmmm, I LOVES it! Keep 'em coming. I'm a uninspired cook, but I can eat plenty good. I like that people are posting meatless dishes. on preview, what Settle said *blushes
  • I'm not skilled in the kitchen area, however, i do LOVE to eat. I'm going to make a misguided attempt at cooking these dishes in the near future. If I had any recipes of my own i would gladly share them.
  • i'll see what i can scrounge up
  • This post is headed right smack into my favorites! I have a ton of fantastic recipes to add, but I'm too busy writing some of these down! Keep 'em coming!
  • here's a couple more darshon: North African Lemon Dressing grated peel of two lemons 1/4 Cup lemon juice salt to taste 1/8 tsp red pepper or tabasco 2 cloves of garlic - minced 2/3 to 3/4 olive oil 1/2 tsp coriander, cumin and dry mustard 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp paprika combine all the ingrdients. use on fruit salad or a salad made of bell pepper, sweet onions, cucumbers and tomatoes. *I use whole spices and throw it all into a blender. do'a or dukkah 1 cup seasame seeds 1 3/4 cup coriander seeds 2/3 cups blanched hazelnuts 1/2 cup cumin seeds 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper (optional) put each variety of spices onto separate trays and roast at 350 degrees for about 10 to 20 minutes. once cooled put into a food processor (or use a mortar and pestle) and grind until crushed not pulverized. it's eaten with pita bread dipped in olive oil. I went on a cooking kick a number of years ago (saw a show on making tandoori) and haven't stopped. Food from India, Turkey, Morocco, heck the whole middle east - I could eat nothing but that ... contains the urge to drool.
  • MONKEY PIZZA! "...this country is infested with monkeys! Wild monkeys, stray monkeys, feral monkeys emerging nightly from sewers and terrorizing the children..." /derail
  • we've done this before!! It's in my favourites and I still haven't cooked anything from it ... doh! This will join it ... maybe we should do a monkeyfilter cookbook for charidee?
  • OOOK OOOK OOOK Ecomuseboy! You've given me new favorite: Monkeyfilter: feral monkeys emerging nightly from sewers and terrorizing the children Dickdotcom: We gotta new member named chairdee? And she can't cook, either. /not so funny Anyway, I think it's a grand idea. I'd hit buy it!
  • maybe we should do a monkeyfilter cookbook for charidee? Excellent idea.
  • 1467 recipes for Monkey Bread!
  • Can you do books through cafepress?
  • Yup!
  • A Monkeyfilter cookbook is a fabulous idea!!!
  • Multi-cheese stuffed rouladen. Sprinkle rouladen with fresh ground pepper, salt, coumaden and a dusting of cayenne. (or whatever) Stuff with mixture of feta, mozarella, provolone, romano and parmesan with (preferably) fresh chives and parsley. Roll up and tie with string. They can be put on the BBQ or the frying pan. Or saute and cook in oven. Served with fettucine. / That's what I put together for supper tonight. My cooking ingredients tend to be spontaneous, based on what's there in the fridge and garden.
  • Amen dxlifer. We've been drowning in tomatoes and peppers lately. I spent the day chopping tomatoes and basil from the garden. Add a splash of olive oil, some black pepper and garlic. This goes in the freezer for mid-January when it seems winter will never end. For supper tonight we had roasted turkey with a relish made from grilled garden peppers, sweet corn, parsley and garlic tossed with olive oil and lemon juice. Serve with a bottle of your favorite white wine, cold and not too dry. And I've got lovely minneola tangerines chilling in the back of the fridge for dessert. Wish you Monkeys could join us for dinner.
  • OK it's not really cooking but this one, in my opinion, is a winner for those Sunday afternoons down by the water. Get yourself 1 dozen Sydney Rock Oysters (or similar). Add some thin slices of smoked salmon. Next a couple of baby capers. Drizzle with some fresh lemon juice and a drop or two or worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle wish freshly ground black pepper. Done. A nice modern alternative to Mornay or Kilpatrick.
  • These are incredibly easy to make, take no time at all, and are disturbingly delicious. One of the few recipes my gourmand of a mother was stunned I could make mwahaha Soft-centered Chocolate Puddings from Ainsley Harriott's Gourmet Express 185g butter 185g dark chocolate 3 eggs, +3 egg yolks 6 Tbsp caster sugar 3 tsp flour 1. Preheat oven to 220degC. Melt butter and chocolate in a pan. 2. Whisk eggs, yolks, and sugar until thickened. 3. Whisk melted chocolate mix into egg mix. 4. Gently fold in flour. 5. Spoon into individual pudding cups (I use a muffin tin). 6. Bake for ~8 minutes, until slightly squidgy but nice and puffy. 7. Serve. May need to be 'cut' with cream, due to excessive richness :>
  • Mmmm! Anything that needs to be cut with cream to be less rich is on my menu. Now, if I can just find a conversion table...
  • Ok, you monkeys, I've had some recipes from these old treads bookmarked in my mind for a long time, but hadn't gotten around to trying them. Christophine did rxreed's Kerala Shrimp Curry recipe a day or so ago, and I have to tell you that you that it's spectacular! No, really, you owe it to yourself to try it,if you haven't. Creamy, spicy and full of flavor, and the flavor develops as it sits. The first serving was great, the second was orgasmic. Christophine got rid of the chile seeds, thinking that 3 large jalapenos might add too much heat, but they're pretty mild during cold weather, so the seeds would add a nice burn. I'd be more cautious in July. rxreed rulz, even if he doesn't grace is with his wisdom these days. We have plans to try other Monkey recipes, but right now I have to go get another spoonfull of the Kerbala sauce that I saved.