Topic: Cooking With Chefist!

[(Sandman) Logan-5]

1. Buy some good scotch e.g. a nice single malt or high-end blend.
2. Pour scotch into glass over ice and/or mix with water/soda.
3. Realize you suck for ruining a good scotch like that.
4. Dump it out and start over.
5. Pour scotch into glass, neat.
6. Sip and enjoy.

+10

[chefist]

LOL - I substitute all white vinegar w/ cider in my recipes too, unless I'm doing a reduction.

I encourage people to experiment with different vinegars...

- Rice Wine
- Seasoned Rice Wine
- Unfiltered Cider
- Unfiltered Malt

[(Sandman) Logan-5]

You may be right about the lutefisk; there are enough Scandies around here that I can buy it already soaked, ready for the final, brief baking in butter.

Would love to try the raw herring!  The Dutch sure know what they're about.  I think the Swedes got the preparation for Matjes herring from them -- by far my favorite.

We get large runs of smelt here in the NW, also a fatty little fish, delivered super fresh.  I wonder if you can eat them in a similar fashion.

Smelt are delicious battered and deep fried. Due to dropping numbers from over-fishing the Great Lakes, prices have gone up considerably. But you can still grab the drop net when the annual run starts in the rivers.

[(Sandman) Logan-5]

I get my balsamic vinegars & olive oils from the oilerie The black currant and garlic O.O.'s are awesome.
You've never had good bacon unless you've sampled some Neuske's. This stuff is to die for. Hell, the convenience stores around here have a hard time keeping it in stock. Not cheap, but for a treat, I'd highly recommend it.
Edit: They also carry Applewood Smoked Landjaeger

[chefist]

I get my balsamic vinegars & olive oils from the oilerie The black currant and garlic O.O.'s are awesome.
You've never had good bacon unless you've sampled some Neuske's. This stuff is to die for. Hell, the convenience stores around here have a hard time keeping it in stock. Not cheap, but for a treat, I'd highly recommend it.

Thanks for the link, Logan...i'm working on pricing my bacon right now...would you like to try some? i can pack it in dry ice and send it to you...

[albrecht]

Pungent cheeses are one thing, but if anyone ever offers you Casu Marzu, get up, turn towards the door, and run like hell ! In fact, be very careful of eating any cheese when you are in Italy unless you know exactly what it is. 

Good Lord! "When disturbed, the larvae can launch themselves for distances up to 15 cm (6 in)." !!!

[wr250]

beef stew

1 lb stew meat
1/4 c flour
1 packet onion soup mix
1 small yellow onion (sliced into rings)
1 tbsp garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 beef bullion cubes  or 2 cans beef broth
2.5 c water (only one if using broth)
about 5 cups of cubed potatoes and sliced carrots (and/or any other veggie you want)
1 pkg brown gravy mix
put meat ,flour and onion mix into crock pot
stir to coat meat
add 1.5 c of water (or broth) and the bullion cubes (skip if using broth)
add the worcestershire sauce onions and  garlic.
turn crock onto low, let simmer 4 hours.
add veggies , let simmer 4-6 hours.
mix the gravy mix with the remaining water and add to crock. simmer till it thickens up some (~ 1 hour).
enjoy

[chefist]

beef stew

1 lb stew meat
1/4 c flour
1 packet onion soup mix
1 small yellow onion (sliced into rings)
1 tbsp garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 beef bullion cubes  or 2 cans beef broth
2.5 c water (only one if using broth)
about 5 cups of cubed potatoes and sliced carrots (and/or any other veggie you want)
1 pkg brown gravy mix
put meat ,flour and onion mix into crock pot
stir to coat meat
add 1.5 c of water (or broth) and the bullion cubes (skip if using broth)
add the worcestershire sauce onions and  garlic.
turn crock onto low, let simmer 4 hours.
add veggies , let simmer 4-6 hours.
mix the gravy mix with the remaining water and add to crock. simmer till it thickens up some (~ 1 hour).
enjoy

A good, savory recipe...I like it!..I would also recommend to change the 1.5 C of water to, 1 Cup of water and 0.5 cup of red wine, sprig of rosemary and 2 bay leaves...

[wr250]

A good, savory recipe...I like it!..I would also recommend to change the 1.5 C of water to, 1 Cup of water and 0.5 cup of red wine, sprig of rosemary and 2 bay leaves...

i dont do wine

[chefist]

i dont do wine

Oh that's just a recommendation...not needed...a tablespoon of balsamic at the very end will also give a similar character profile...

[wr250]

Oh that's just a recommendation...not needed...a tablespoon of balsamic at the very end will also give a similar character profile...

just be sure its real balsamic, dont get the cheep stuff

[chefist]

just be sure its real balsamic, dont get the cheep stuff

Yes, it needs to be the thick stuff in the small bottle...the cheap ones are too acidic and just plain blow...

[wr250]

Yes, it needs to be the thick stuff in the small bottle...the cheap ones are too acidic and just plain blow...

the cheep ones are just white vinigar "flavored" (and colored)  to sorta taste like balsamic . maybe.

[pate]

i dont do wine

Doan take my bitter chef pill wrong:\

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVOID53WCaU

Do this with home-made sayusage?!?

I sip my eau d'vie...

[b_dubb]

Well his stories of the "Duct Tape Girl" s epic flatulnce put me off Bologna sammiches. Thanks Mr Too Broke To Shave Or Trim Beard Growth

[nooryisawesome]

Hey chefist I listened to you when you were on Bella. Would you consider doing a podcast on cooking?? Deep talk is looking for shows I'm sure.

[Ciardelo]

just be sure its real balsamic, dont get the cheep stuff

I love to have real balsamic on top of real vanilla ice cream. Yum, yum!

[GuerrillaUnReal]

Not to be a dick, honest question for a man of your expertise. For arguably the ultimate classical Western nation, why is British cuisine so bad?

French food is awesome, Spanish food is awesome, Italian food is the best. Why is English food so distinctly not good.

[chefist]

Not to be a dick, honest question for a man of your expertise. For arguably the ultimate classical Western nation, why is British cuisine so bad?

French food is awesome, Spanish food is awesome, Italian food is the best. Why is English food so distinctly not good.

It is an interesting question. England has always had excellent trade and merchant history... Very close to France... Surrounded by excellent seafood...

The ultimate expression of culture is language... The second arguably is cuisine...

Perhaps their focus on other endeavors... Profit...science.. However England is known for their excellent gardens...WWII they dug up all the flower gardens and planted veggies...

It's a fantastic topic...

Perhaps some of the English folks can weigh in on this...

[chefist]

Even though we argue...a roast with Yorkshire pudding is very tasty! I love English breakfast too...

[GuerrillaUnReal]

Even though we argue...a roast with Yorkshire pudding is very tasty! I love English breakfast too...

Yeah I originally thought of that watching everyone troll each other in the politics thread and then turned into a real question in my mind. Just about everyone I know is on the same page Europe is amazing, all the countries are cool but Britain always rates as one of the worst to visit because the food is so terrible.

[albrecht]

Not to be a dick, honest question for a man of your expertise. For arguably the ultimate classical Western nation, why is British cuisine so bad?

French food is awesome, Spanish food is awesome, Italian food is the best. Why is English food so distinctly not good.

I totally disagree with you. I'll take British food over French or Belgian any day of the week. Bigger portions and tastier. And forget a "continental" breakfast. Full English beats that hands-down. But steak and kidney pie, black pudding, fish and chips, Yorkshire pudding and Sunday roast, bacon rolls, Cumberland sausages, mushy peas, etc what is not to like! Ok, jellied eel. But other than that?

[chefist]

I totally disagree with you. I'll take British food over French or Belgian any day of the week. Bigger portions and tastier. And forget a "continental" breakfast. Full English beats that hands-down. But steak and kidney pie, black pudding, fish and chips, Yorkshire pudding and Sunday roast, bacon rolls, Cumberland sausages, mushy peas, etc what is not to like! Ok, jellied eel. But other than that?

Maybe American cuisine was so close to it, people preferred the more exotic cuisines?

[albrecht]

Maybe American cuisine was so close to it, people preferred the more exotic cuisines?

Could be. For the more 'exotic' you can get great "Indian" food there in Britain (often actually Pakistani but, hey, they used to be part of India.) I don't know; price and portion size and, as you mention, maybe because closer to our food I like British food. And everyone thinks I'm crazy! Not to say, at all that others' foods aren't good. But, for whatever reason, I like the 'peasant' food versus fancy stuff, in almost every country (European- not Asian!) More substantial, savory, etc.

[Camazotz Automat]

"The mass of English men lead lives of quiet indigestion, and go to the grave with the wrong still in them."  - Henry D Thoreautomat.

[chefist]

"The mass of English men lead lives of quiet indigestion, and go to the grave with the wrong still in them."  - Henry D Thoreautomat.

Hehe

[ItsOver]

"The mass of English men lead lives of quiet indigestion, and go to the grave with the wrong still in them."  - Henry D Thoreautomat.

Well that explains their devotion to the Falkie thread.

[Camazotz Automat]

Hehe

Heh.  I couldn't resist.

[K_Dubb]

Maybe American cuisine was so close to it, people preferred the more exotic cuisines?

I think that British cuisine, to a greater extent than the rest of Europe, was infected by the same convenience-food blight that infected American food in the 20th century so that they forgot what real food tasted like.  Thanks to some good food tv they're coming out of it now.

I have a fondness for English baking this time of year.  Nothing says Christmas like good old mixed spice, fruitcake, plum pudding, mincemeat.  And they're, to my knowledge, the only other people to bake with saffron -- heaven in a bun.



This is the week to bake lussekatter.

[onan]

Has anyone here used Xanthan gum as a thickener?