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Home-style cooking with OnkelC, Vol. 1

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Hi, I always wanted to post something in this thread, but I was too lazy to take pics. One day, I finally got over myself to do it.

I won't actually present a meal to cook, but to bake. It's Pizza, home-made pizza.
Some people think it's difficult to bake pizza, it's not difficult. Even my first attempts tasted eatable and none of it got disposed. It's easy to bake OK-Pizza, and it's a fun challenge to get better and better at it. There's much to try out and yeah... The only problem is, that it takes a bit of time, especially if you bake as much as I do. You will see that you can quickly surpass some of the pizza deliverance services.

These are the ingredients, of course you can feel free to chose other ones...
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You can see concentrated tomato puree, pizza cheese (edamer and tilsiter), Butter, Majoran, Herbs de Provence, a Pizzasauce, salt, barm/yeast, olive oil, flour, onions, you also need water and that special paper you bake with.

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Put the barm/yeast cube into a cup of warm water and let it dissintegrate, by that way it'll get mixed better into the dough.

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Then put like 1500 gr flour into a big bowl, put the stuff in the cups into the bowl and put some water into the bowl. Mix and knead/pound the dough until it gets nice more solid consistence. Always put in some water or some flour if that's needed.

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Add salt and olive oil for the taste. After some kneading/pounding (the more the better), cover the bowl and let the dough rest. If you don't have sicilian temperatures, just put it into the oven with 40°C. Then wait an hour.

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Read some GAF while waiting.

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Or read some comics... You can wait as long as you want, 1-3 hours, but I'm too impatient so I stop waiting after an hour. After you put the dough out, put on the max temperature on your oven. Usually you need 400-500°C, but my oven can't do this. So just use the max temperature which will be 250-300°C.

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Get an oven plate, but that paper on it and smear olive oil over the paper (I do it with my hands, but there were better methods mentioned in this thread). Also get a plate for the flour, so have it steady.

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Then beflour your hands, so the dough won't be gooey. To form the pizza, don't be afraid to use flour. It took me long to make round pizzas... Try quadrat pizzas if you can't make it.

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Then I put the pizza sauce on the dough. It's by Hengstenberg and I can really recommend it. One lasts for two round pizzas and costs 99 cent. If you can't acquire it, read the latter instructions.

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Obviously you put the cheese on it afterwards.

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And it was ready. Tasty. Unfortunately it disappeared quickly.

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After the next pizza I didn't have that sauce anymore, so I had to make some on my own.
Actually you just have to make a good italian pasta tomate sauce. Usually I use "Passierte Tomaten", passata di pomodoro. You can also use real tomatos. You could use Onkel C's recipe mentioned earlier. I do it like this : Put butter in a pot, then lots of herbs, lots of onions and then the tomato puree. After this some water and yeah. But I guess you should know a recipe by yourself for that. It just has to be really tasty, so use much herbs.

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This was the pizza with the home-made sauce. If you use as much dough as I use, the produced pizzas will smite your hunger and you have some left for the following days. In the following days you can breakfast pizza, lunch pizza, aso. You can also use the dough to bake bread.
 
Hotarubi said:
Your Tandoori chicken looks very good, ChryZ. :) I might have to do a few batches of that to bring for lunches at work soon.
Thanks. It's actually my weakest version of tandoori chicken, but for weekdays it's okay ... quick'n'easy and the flavours are there. Tandoori chicken drumsticks with skin, slowly BBQ'd over coal, that's where it's getting reaaaally interesting. Yeah, tandoori leftovers are great too.
 
Jacobi said:
Hi, I always wanted to post something in this thread, but I was too lazy to take pics. One day, I finally got over myself to do it.

*Homemade Pizza*

Well done, fellow cook! Thanks for the WORTHY CONTRIBUTION. Grab yourself a badge and wear it with pride.

From one person with iron stomach to the other: How many people do you feed with pizzas from 1,5 kilos of flour? if I assume that 200-250 grams are sufficient per person, that amount would be good for seven persons. Did you have a party or something like that?:)

Pics are uploading, please stand by.
 
So, let's cook.

After the meat fest yesterday, I settled for a way lighter dish today. So it was a wednesday eggstravaganza.:lol

Scrambled eggs ("Rührei" in German) is mostly known as a breakfast dish, but since the temperatures are up again outside the kitchen, it makes for a good diner after a day without much movement. I called it "with a twist", because I added some herbs and smooth cheese for a different taste.

No special utensils are needed.

I used five eggs, as we were only two tonight. Put them in a bowl, add some salt, pepper and a hint of milk. The milk makes for a silky smooth texture of the eggs when fried:
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Stir them with a fork until the egg mass is homogenous:
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Add herbs of choice. I chose dill, chives and parsley, some fresh and subtle herbs, but spicier stuff like marjorie or thyme would work out as well, giving the eggs a more hearty and barbecueish direction. Mix again:
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Next, add a small pan on the COLD stove, add some butter and about two tablespoons of soft cheese and pour the eggs over it. Turn on the stove to medium to high heat:
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Finish Line:
Move the egg mass constantly in the heating pan until serving. It helps to place the butter under your spoon or spatula, so it melts first and prevents sticking. The soft cheese will dissolve by itself. Depending on your stove, it will take about 4 to 5 minutes until the eggs are ready:
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DONE!
Serve them with bread or buns of choice. I had some Spreewald pickles and a small piece of manchego as side dishes:
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Guten Appetit from Bonn.

Comments and feedback are, as always, welcome. Keep'em coming!
 
Well I made chili. It was OK, but it wasn't anything to write home about, so I'm not going to bother posting the recipe.



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I'll keep trying to make you proud, Onkel.
 
Felt like cooking tonight, so:

Hungarian style cube steaks with noodles

This is a very easy recipe, and is quick to prepare and cook. Perfect for after a long day at work.

Everything you need: (forgot to put the onion in the group shot, doh!)

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Boil 2 cups or so of egg noodles until done. You can do this while preparing and cooking your other things.

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Cook the steaks in a bit of olive oil in the skillet.

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Remove the steaks when they're done and put on a plate. Add some more oil and put in your chopped onion and some fresh garlic. Cook until translucent, and then add 2 tbsp paprika. Cook for another minute or so.

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Add a 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of water, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp caraway seeds. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes or so.

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Stir in noodles and simmer together for a a few minutes.

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Stir in 1/4 cup of sour cream (If you want to be a bit healthier, I used light sour cream, and couldn't tell the difference) and add your steak. Simmer it all together for a few minutes, making sure everything is cooked through.

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Mix in some chopped parsley, and serve on a plate with a bit of parsley on top. Done!

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This can all be done in about 30 minutes or so, even with the preparation. It's very easy and won't cost you an arm and a leg.
 
@heavy liquid:
Looks tasty, thanks for that. Have you tried the traditional preparation of the "Gulasch" (Pörkölt in Hungary), too? one word of advice, though: I personally would steer clear of garlic presses, because they mess up the taste of the garlic imho. Better cut it to small cubes for preparation. Afterbreath is waay decreased when doing so, too.:lol

@temp:
I like your efforts. Keep'em coming. That's a mighty fine big pot you have there. Was it inherited/handed down to you?
 
OnkelC said:
@temp:
I like your efforts. Keep'em coming. That's a mighty fine big pot you have there. Was it inherited/handed down to you?
I still live with my parents. (19 going to community college)
 
temp said:
I still live with my parents. (19 going to community college)
Your voice sounds twice of that, respect.:lol If you plan to move out, take that pot with you by all means!

I have no clue what to cook tonight, so I welcome suggestions. Otherwise it may be a fast chicken ragout/stew with rice.
 
OnkelC said:
one word of advice, though: I personally would steer clear of garlic presses, because they mess up the taste of the garlic imho. Better cut it to small cubes for preparation. Afterbreath is waay decreased when doing so, too.:lol
Mess up the taste? I've never gave it much thought, but I guess pressing/mashing garlic is breaking more cell walls and thereby releasing more flavour. Another angle, if garlic is fried too hard then it will turn bitter ... mashed garlic got more surface (smaller particles) and will burn faster than minced garlic. Mashing and mincing got both their uses, minced for pan/wok frying and mashed for food with volume (chili, soup, stews, pasta sauces, etc), where the garlic isn't going to burn that easily. Just my 0.02€.
 
ChryZ said:
Mess up the taste? I've never gave it much thought, but I guess pressing/mashing garlic is breaking more cell walls and thereby releasing more flavour. Another angle, if garlic is fried too hard then it will turn bitter ... mashed garlic got more surface (smaller particles) and will burn faster than minced garlic. Mashing and mincing got both their uses, minced for pan/wok frying and mashed for food with volume (chili, soup, stews, pasta sauces, etc), where the garlic isn't going to burn that easily. Just my 0.02€.

I heavily counsel against the slime-creating horror that is the garlic press.
The process of releasing oils from garlic (and spices in general for that matter) is a complex one, and a garlic press simply creates water and mush IMHO.
By chopping it with a sharp knife (I did not try out the razor blade variant from "Goodfellas", but it would make sense), one enlarges the surface enough while keeping the majority of the cells intact for an optimal arome release.
 
OnkelC said:
Your voice sounds twice of that, respect.:lol If you plan to move out, take that pot with you by all means!

I have no clue what to cook tonight, so I welcome suggestions. Otherwise it may be a fast chicken ragout/stew with rice.
Choose six meals from this thread and roll a dice !
 
OnkelC said:
I heavily counsel against the slime-creating horror that is the garlic press.
The process of releasing oils from garlic (and spices in general for that matter) is a complex one, and a garlic press simply creates water and mush IMHO.
By chopping it with a sharp knife (I did not try out the razor blade variant from "Goodfellas", but it would make sense), one enlarges the surface enough while keeping the majority of the cells intact for an optimal arome release.
Delicious mush and water yeah, that melts right into the food.
I just spend some time doing research on the net:

Garlic flavor is due to the formation of organosulfur compounds when the
main odorless precursor alliin is converted by the enzyme alliinase to
allicin and other flavor compounds. This occurs at low rates unless the
garlic cloves are crushed or damaged.
The more damage, the stronger the flavor. Slicing, mincing, or chopping
causes less of the organosulfur compounds to form and therefore the flavor
is milder. There is nothing wrong with using a garlic press, but it does
result in a hotter, more pungent flavor that might overwhelm some foods.
So, it's pretty much coming down to how much garlic flavour you want.
 
Jacobi said:
Hi, I always wanted to post something in this thread, but I was too lazy to take pics. One day, I finally got over myself to do it.

*pizza recipe*
Thanks! I'm going to be using this weekend for my g/f and I.
 
AlanHemberger said:
Thanks! I'm going to be using this weekend for my g/f and I.
OK. But : I made an error, it's not gouda, it's tilsiter and edamer I use.

I wish you much luck and that you'll suceed. Maybe there's somewhere a pre-made tomato sauce ? Then you won't have that much work. Also be sure to check the dough bowl while it rests, the dough could "climb" over the top and outside.
 
I haven't read the whole thread but I imagine it wasn't attempted yet -- how about a tutorial on how to make beef jerky? It seems pretty difficult. It's also an excellent low calorie snack. I'd rather learn how to make it than buy store bought packages all the time, which are VERY expensive.

Here are some recipes if you're not familar with it:

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/misc/jerky.html
 
OnkelC said:
@heavy liquid:
Looks tasty, thanks for that. Have you tried the traditional preparation of the "Gulasch" (Pörkölt in Hungary), too? one word of advice, though: I personally would steer clear of garlic presses, because they mess up the taste of the garlic imho. Better cut it to small cubes for preparation. Afterbreath is waay decreased when doing so, too.:lol


ChryZ said:
Delicious mush and water yeah, that melts right into the food.
I just spend some time doing research on the net:

Garlic flavor is due to the formation of organosulfur compounds when the
main odorless precursor alliin is converted by the enzyme alliinase to
allicin and other flavor compounds. This occurs at low rates unless the
garlic cloves are crushed or damaged.
The more damage, the stronger the flavor. Slicing, mincing, or chopping
causes less of the organosulfur compounds to form and therefore the flavor
is milder. There is nothing wrong with using a garlic press, but it does
result in a hotter, more pungent flavor that might overwhelm some foods.

So, it's pretty much coming down to how much garlic flavour you want.

Hmm, I don't always use a garlic press, although I should have diced the garlic in this case here since I put it in the skillet with the onions. I usually use the press in sauces. Like ChryZ mentioned, I usually enjoy the stronger garlic taste that the garlic press produces.

I've eaten, but never made traditional goulash. One of these days I'll have to. :)
 
Admittedly, the use or non-use of garlic presses is a bit of theological discussion, but I wouldn't put chives or onions(same botanic familiy as garlic, both contain alliin elements as main flavor source) through a press to achieve the maximum taste, too.

It is more about mushing ingredients as little as possible for me.

VALIS said:
I haven't read the whole thread but I imagine it wasn't attempted yet -- how about a tutorial on how to make beef jerky? It seems pretty difficult. It's also an excellent low calorie snack. I'd rather learn how to make it than buy store bought packages all the time, which are VERY expensive.

Here are some recipes if you're not familar with it:

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/misc/jerky.html

Thanks for that.

Edit:
I am still open for all suggestions concerning tonights' dinner.
 
ChryZ said:
:lol :lol :lol
Most of those take too long to prepare, apart from the Zwiebelkuchen and Maultaschen, from which the former I am too much of a lazy ass to prepare a dough tonight, and the latter are disapproved by the wife.

Keep'em coming!

Edit:
I just read the (good) wiki ChryZ posted above, which leads me to the following translation issue:
I used the term "Bun" for the german "Brötchen", which the wiki refers to as "Bread Rolls". Which term is more common?
 
OnkelC said:
Edit:
I just read the (good) wiki ChryZ posted above, which leads me to the following translation issue:
I used the term "Bun" for the german "Brötchen", which the wiki refers to as "Bread Rolls". Which term is more common?

Either one is perfectly fine, but I think "bread roll" is more common. I'm looking forward to your "mystery dish" tonight. :lol

Wild Sockeye salmon is on sale again, so I think I'm going to poach it tonight. I'll take pics. :)
 
heavy liquid said:
Either one is perfectly fine, but I think "bread roll" is more common. I'm looking forward to your "mystery dish" tonight. :lol

Wild Sockeye salmon is on sale again, so I think I'm going to poach it tonight. I'll take pics. :)
Oh the envy...:lol
Have a feast!

Edit as of 6:22PM
Strange coincidence - the wife returned with this:
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So it will be fish of some kind for us, too. Deep fried "Seelachs im Backteig" (best compared to "fish" as in "fish and chips" with instant mashed potatoes and a salad.
 
So, let's eat.
The ingredients the wife bought were nothing special to prepare, call it a "childhood-remembrance" dish.
The "iglo" brand for frozen fish and seafood is best known over here for their "Fischstäbchen" (Fish fingers), which was/is a standard kids food. The brand character, "Käpt'n iglo" (captain birdseye) may be familiar to some of the other GAFfers, too:
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As sad as it sounds, frozen fish is by far the most common source of fish over here. At least the quality is decent.

The stuff used for tonight are some bigger pieces in a batter.

Finish Line:
Preparation is non-existant, just prepare the stuff like advised on the packaging:
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The red spot on the bottom right says something like "low-fat preparation in the oven".
PAH!
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:lol OLD SKOOL!

Put the done fish pieces on some kitchen tissues, so they won't be that greasy.
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DONE.
Serve on a platter with the salad and some readymade dressing:
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Cheers from Bonn.
Do it better.
 
OnkelC, thanks to you, I've just come up with a recipie on the spot.

If you have a sandwich press... here's an excellent sandwich:

1 fish fillet, 1 slice of cheese, some ham, 1 hash brown, 1 slice of lavash bread (very flat, yeast free, large square bread).

toast the fillet and hash brown in the sandwich maker (should be non stick).

Take the lavash bread, cut in half, put the fish, hashbrown, cheese, ham in the center, fold lavash bread over so that both ends contact... put in in the sandwich maker, open seam down; toast it...

The seam should have sealed when you've come back, and you'll have a crispy wrap for some basic but tasty items.
 
Looks good, OnkelC! It's refreshing to see that even you eat some quick box dinners every now and then! :lol

I missed out on the wild sockeye salmon sale, but they had coho salmon ("silver salmon") on sale, so I picked up a filet for tonight. I have two more hours at work, so I won't have pics up for about another four or so.
 
Okay, tonight's dinner!

poached wild Coho salmon filet with veloute sauce

I was planning on wild Sockeye salmon, but I missed out on the sale. I guess it ended yesterday. So Coho salmon it is! Coho salmon is also a very good salmon, and sometimes referred to as "silver salmon". I got 1.31 lbs. and it cost me $15.71 for the fish. Not bad, and cheaper than eating out. I probably could've got less, but I was hungry when I went shopping. :)

It's sounds much more complicated than it is. This is acutally a very easy recipe to cook. It's very nice, with many complex and light flavors.

Everything you need:

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First you have to prepare your broth to poach your salmon in. Your broth should be 2/3 water and 1/3 dry white wine. Put it in a large pot and add in a sliced medium white onion, some bay leaves, and some fresh lemon juice to the pot.

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Bring this to a boil, and then lower it to a simmer. You're now going to put your fish in the pot. The rule of thumb is 10 min. of cooking time for each inch of thickness, measured from the thickest part of the fish. Usually 15-20 is good for a Sockeye fillet. A timer is very helpful.

Gently lower your fish into the pot, and cover. Simmer gently, making sure it doesn't boil.

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While this was going on, I prepared my side dish. Steamed baby carrots with butter and salt. Very simple, but a nice compliment to the fish.

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It's almost done.

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Be careful lifting your fish out of the pot, as it can easily break apart. I have a big spatula that I used. Place your fish on a plate.

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Now you want to prepare your veloute sauce. Veloute sauce is a simple classic French "white sauce" from which many other sauces can be made.

Melt 3 tbs of butter.

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Whisk in 3 tbs of flour.

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Over heat, whisk in 2 cups of the broth that you cooked your fish in.

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It should start to look something like this. Keep whisking while it thickens.

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Add salt and pepper to taste. You can add some spices to give it more flavor. Nutmeg, tarragon, curry, don't be afraid. I added some nutmeg, and some finely chopped parsley and cilantro.

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Spoon over your fish. I garinshed my fish with slices from a lemon leftover from my poaching liquid.

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Done! I had a glass of white wine with my meal that was also left over from the poaching liquid. Enjoy!

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Jacobi said:
OK. But : I made an error, it's not gouda, it's tilsiter and edamer I use.

I wish you much luck and that you'll suceed. Maybe there's somewhere a pre-made tomato sauce ? Then you won't have that much work. Also be sure to check the dough bowl while it rests, the dough could "climb" over the top and outside.
Cool Thanks for the tips :D Me and my g/f both suck at cooking, so we'll need all the help we can get. :p
 
Zaptruder said:
Nice Heavy... looks like a really expensive and classy meal

Thanks! The beauty of it is that you can make this (depending on what you have in your kitchen) for pretty cheap. It makes for a great dinner that is sure to impress. :)
 
heavy liquid, that is again a great dish and great photos!:)
The "simple" (as in not overly artsy-fartsy) preparations of high quality ingredients is key to a great food experience IMHO.

Did I mention that I envy you for being able to buy such great fresh fish? And not to mention the gas powered stove...:lol

One question: what discerns "kosher salt" from ordinary salt? From my limited knowledge of kosher rules I cannot see any critical points concerning "kosherness" of salt in general, since the Meat/milk thing would not apply in terms of nature of the salt.

There will be no dish from me tonight, as we are dining out with the parents.

Keep yours coming!
 
OnkelC said:
heavy liquid, that is again a great dish and great photos!:)
The "simple" (as in not overly artsy-fartsy) preparations of high quality ingredients is key to a great food experience IMHO.

Did I mention that I envy you for being able to buy such great fresh fish? And not to mention the gas powered stove...:lol

One question: what discerns "kosher salt" from ordinary salt? From my limited knowledge of kosher rules I cannot see any critical points concerning "kosherness" of salt in general, since the Meat/milk thing would not apply in terms of nature of the salt.

There will be no dish from me tonight, as we are dining out with the parents.

Keep yours coming!

Thanks! Yes, I love the gas stove, and would rather cook on gas stoves any day over electric.




Wikipedia describes Kosher salt well:

Wikipedia said:
Kosher salt, unlike common table salt, typically contains no additives (for example, iodine). Kosher salt has a much larger grain size than regular table salt, and a more open granular structure.

Kosher salt can be used in nearly all applications, but it is not generally recommended for baking with recipes that use small amounts of liquid (wet ingredients). If there is not enough liquid, the kosher salt will not dissolve sufficiently, and this can result in small bits of salt in the resulting product. In certain applications this is undesirable. In recipes where there is enough liquid to dissolve all the salt, a volume of table salt can be replaced by approximately twice as much kosher salt (by volume). Conversely, to replace kosher salt with table salt in a recipe, the required quantity of salt should be reduced by half.

Chefs often prefer kosher salt because its texture allows the chef to pinch a larger quantity of salt and evenly sprinkle the flakes on food.
 
Some impressions from tonights dinner out, Salmon carpaccio, Paesana salad and a Calzone:
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I showed you mine, now show me yours!:lol

Keep'em coming!
 
Oooooh, Salmon Carpaccio looks good. I really like Beef Carpaccio, but never thought it would work well with something other than that.
 
8bit said:
Oooooh, Salmon Carpaccio looks good. I really like Beef Carpaccio, but never thought it would work well with something other than that.

If you like beef carpaccio, you should definitely give the tartare a try, too. Their tastes are from the same side of the street.:lol

I was following a cat through our flat tonight, so here you have a panoramic view of the humble kitchen of ours:
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Saw this thread a couple days ago and was intrigued by the Wiener Shnitzel recipe. A good weiener schnitzel is just about my favorite food ever, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Could you go into a bit more detail on how to make it? First of all, is it usually made with pork or veal? You recommended pork but I could swear the WS I've had has been made with veal.

Also, how exactly do you make that Panade stuff, and how do you bread the meat with it? Do you just use reglar bread and crumb it up? And how long do you cook it for?

I'm a total cooking newb.
 
demon said:
Saw this thread a couple days ago and was intrigued by the Wiener Shnitzel recipe. A good weiener schnitzel is just about my favorite food ever, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Could you go into a bit more detail on how to make it? First of all, is it usually made with pork or veal? You recommended pork but I could swear the WS I've had has been made with veal.

Also, how exactly do you make that Panade stuff, and how do you bread the meat with it? Do you just use reglar bread and crumb it up? And how long do you cook it for?

I'm a total cooking newb.

Hi demon and welcome to this humble thread!

The genuine "Wiener Schnitzel" is made from veal. The pork variant works out great, but technically is called "Schnitzel Wiener style". You can choose the meat you want. I personally prefer pork meat because I like its texture better.
Apart from choice of the meat, it is important to tenderize the meat as thin as possible. about half a centimeter would be optimal (check pictures on page 1).
The easiest panade consists of three components:
1. wheat flour
2. whisked egg which is spiced with some salt and pepper,
3. bread crumbs made from dried, at least day-old bread rolls or white bread.

I happened to have an old bread roll lying around, so here the preparation of bread crumbs in detail:

You will need a fine grater and a real dry bread roll:
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grate the bread on the fine side of the grater:
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DONE!
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I stopped after a few strokes, but one bread roll should be sufficient for the amount of meat pictured on the first page.


Next, prepare a setup of three large plates with the ingredients in above order. Panade the Schnitzels with some flour (put them on it, press lightly, pick up, shake excess flour off, put other side on the flour, press, pick up, again shake off flour), then pull the meat through the whisked eggs, let the excess egg drip off for a few seconds (one to two seconds should suffice), then place the meat in the bread crumbs (same actions as with the flour). Let the Schnitzels rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes so the Panade gets some time to stick to the meat better, resulting in a crispier frying result.

Edit:
For a panade fit for kings and queens, you can replace the bread crumbs with some fresh toast, sandwich or white bread which you chop finely with a big knife or put them in a electric chopper for a few seconds. In this case, put them in the hot pan immediately after finishing the panade.

Since the Schnitzels are/should be really thin, they take only two to three minutes frying time until they are done. pre-heat the pan to medium/ 2/3 of max heat, add a good amout of oil and a piece of butter to help browning of the panade, place the Schnitzels in the hot oil and turn them over two to three times over the frying time until they are golden brown.

I hope I was of assistance. If you have further questions, feel free to post them. That goes for all the silent readers. Keep them coming! :D
 
Oooo salmon carpaccio. I had this cured salmon with pickled shallots, chives, and creme fraiche at a restaurant once. The bee's knees.
 
The "dish" for tonight will be a three-course Italian menu: Mixed Antipasti, Spaghetti Carbonara and Panna Cotta with some fruit puree as dessert.
The following ingredients are needed for four persons:
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For the Antipasti:
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some Salami,
some filled vine leaves in oil,
some grilled and pickled small onions,
some olives,
some butter (not pictured) and
a bread of choice (instead of the usual ciabatta, we chose a baguette-like shaped bread made from pretzel dough.

For the Carbonara:
smallCIMG1587.jpg

roughly 800 grams of spaghetti,
10 egg yolks,
one to two cups of double cream,
150-200 grams of quality smoked or dried bacon (I chose some air-dried and herbalized Tyrolean bacon),
200-250 grams of grated Italian hard cheese of choice (Grana padano used here),
fresh ground black pepper and some salt.

For the Panna Cotta:
smallCIMG1588.jpg

Three to four cups of double cream,
two whole fresh vanilla pods(sp?),
two leaves of white gelatine or the equivalent of ground gelatine,
some sugar (not pictured),
fruits for the puree (we are still undecided wheter to use some marinated Amarena cherries or frozen raspberries ATM).

Cooking already started with the preparation of the Panna Cotta.
When cooking a multi-course dish, one usually starts with preparation of the dessert because it takes the longest time to be prepared and/or cool down.

Panna Cotta is a mighty fine tasting Italian dessert. Unlike the similar French dessert Creme Brulée, it consist solely of cream, gelatin, vanilla and sugar, while the french variant relies on eggs or egg yolk for the binding.

Preparation (coutesy of the wife) is easy and no special utensils are needed.

First, put the gelatin leaves or -grains in some cold water and let it soak until needed:
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Cut the vanilla pods open and scrape out the seeds:
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Set a pot on the stove, put the cream in it (in difference to the ingredients pic, she used only three cups of cream), then add the vanilla pods and seeds:
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Add about the shown amount of sugar, heat it until it boils while stirring constantly:
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Reduce the heat and let the cream simmer for 5-10 minutes. Keep stirring constantly so the cream will not scorch. The cream is ready when the vanilla smell in the kitchen turns irresistible (no joke).

Turn off the heat, pick the peels of the vanilla pods out of the cream, remove the gelatine leaves from the water, squeeze them a little bit to remove excess water and add them to the cream:
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Stir the gelatine in and keep stirring until it has completely dissolved. Pour the cream in some dessert cups:
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A lot of the vanilla seeds will stay on the bottom of the pot, so scrape them together and disperse them evenly to the dessert cups:
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Let it rest for five minutes, then put the dessert cups in the fridge until serving.

EDIT as of 5:20PM:
The wife just prepared one of the fruit purees that will accompany the Panna Cotta. Actually, we decided that we will do cherries as well as raspberries. Since the cherries are already marinated in syrup, here the preparation of the raspberries:
You will need some fresh or frozen raspberries and voluntarily some licquor (something like Cointreau or Grand Marnier would be the obvious choices, we tried out a sweet spanish licquor called "quarenta y tres":
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Put the raspberries in the bowl you will serve them in later, add some sugar and one to two tablespoons of licquor:
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and you are done. Let it marinate until further use.

The guests will arrive around 7pm Berlin time. The further preparation will commence while the guests are here, so pictures will be up late this night or tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned and keep your comments, critics and contributions coming!:lol
 
I got a package from Germany in the mail today, but I assumed it was a bomb and tried to flush it down the toilet. It was too big to fit, though, so I opened it:

onkel_yummies.jpg


OH MY GOD IT WAS A BOMB AFTERALL -- A CHOCOLATE BOMB![/laughtrack]

Danke für das Beitragen zu meinem grossen Bauch, Onkel! :D
 
Hotarubi said:
I got a package from Germany in the mail today, but I assumed it was a bomb and tried to flush it down the toilet. It was too big to fit, though, so I opened it:

onkel_yummies.jpg


OH MY GOD IT WAS A BOMB AFTERALL -- A CHOCOLATE BOMB![/laughtrack]

Danke für das Beitragen zu meinem grossen Bauch, Onkel! :D
:lol :lol :lol
"Kall ze Homeland Security, Onkel does attack wiz ze kolesterol!!!1"

Thanks again to you for the gorgeous Avatar. And consider yourself "ze Deutschmeister".
 
I'm not sure what level of quality those chocolates are considered in Deutschland, but shit, they are quiiiite excellent. I'll have trouble going back to Hersheys junk after these.
 
Hotarubi said:
I'm not sure what level of quality those chocolates are considered in Deutschland, but shit, they are quiiiite excellent. I'll have trouble going back to Hersheys junk after these.
You did not really expect me to send you shitty stuff, did you?:lol
the Milka and Ritter Sport brands are considered premium brand chocolates, the flavors I sent you are the flagships of the varieties. The "Kinder" chocolate is also a well-recognized brand and I have yet to meet a person that would deny taking a bar of it if offered.
 
damn.. i've never seen that kinder-chocolate other than in "kinder eggs".. i wish you could buy that kinder bar here too ;(
 
ItsInMyVeins said:
damn.. i've never seen that kinder-chocolate other than in "kinder eggs".. i wish you could buy that kinder bar here too ;(

I'm pretty sure you can, I've seen the bars at ICA on several occasions.

But Kinder chocolate is so damn sweet. Fazer Thin Dark FTW! Best chocolate ever!
 
Nander said:
I'm pretty sure you can, I've seen the bars at ICA on several occasions.

But Kinder chocolate is so damn sweet. Fazer Thin Dark FTW! Best chocolate ever!

I'm not a fan of dark chocolate :/

But tomorrow, the search for kinder-chocolate starts! It's strange though, that I ain't ever seen them if they actually are common here :(
 
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