What's Cooking (Take Three!)

I'm considering making kung pao chicken because I have some raw chicken left over from last night's dinner. And I have a lot of dried cayenne peppers from my little chile plant.

Definitely off my game today.

I baked four loaves of bread today that require three timings. I forgot to set the timer not once, but twice. I had to wing it with the time and temperatures involved, but with my trusty instant thermometer I came out okay.

Then, I forgot to prepare peanuts for my kung pao chicken. Plus, forgot to use the mushrooms I was rehydrating. Came out well anyway.

At least the jar that smashed into pieces on the floor while I was cleaning up was empty.

Think I'll watch a movie tonight and hope I don't blow up my DVD player.

[It's Obama's fault.]

[Jenise]

Fun tale, Larry. Stay away from fire!

I'm doing pasta tonight. I got some gorgeous hedge hog mushrooms yesterday so I'll combine them over thin spaghetti with pesto. No meat needed.

Then, I forgot to prepare peanuts for my kung pao chicken. Plus, forgot to use the mushrooms I was rehydrating. Came out well anyway.

Kung pao chicken traditionally has only garlic, scallions, dried red chiles, Sichuan peppercorn, and peanuts, so leaving out the mushrooms is OK.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Tonight is Pork Verde Version No. 4. That is, I used a three pound pork butt to make a first batch two weeks ago. Version No. 2 had hominy added and got topped with shredded cabbage for a lunch posole a few days later. Recooking the lot each time to sterilize the leftovers, Version No. 3 became more of a stew with roasted cherry tomatoes and celery chunks. Tonight, Version No. 4 is turning into a couscous: a traditional 3 layer with an untraditional meat, but couscous topped with the pork mixture and topped with wok-charred cabbage and green and red bell pepper chunks. Don't know if I'll have enough leftover for a Version No. 5, but this is why:

I LOVE LEFTOVERS

Then, I forgot to prepare peanuts for my kung pao chicken. Plus, forgot to use the mushrooms I was rehydrating. Came out well anyway.

Kung pao chicken traditionally has only garlic, scallions, dried red chiles, Sichuan peppercorn, and peanuts, so leaving out the mushrooms is OK.

-Paul W.

Absolutely, but I'm a rebel and add things sometimes as a variation because I have them and it'll fill me up more.

I LOVE LEFTOVERS

You like layering flavors!

[regarding kung pao chicken]

[Absolutely, but I'm a rebel and add things sometimes as a variation because I have them and it'll fill me up more.

As do I. And as do most Chinese-American restaurants. The most important thing for kung pao chicken is the freshness of the dried chiles and Sichuan peppercorns. It sounds as though the dried chiles you used are about as fresh as can be. The aroma of the dish must have been wonderful.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I LOVE LEFTOVERS

You like layering flavors!

I do. And some of the most interesting food is only possible from the product of long-cooking, most of which is more interchangeable than a lot of people realize.

I LOVE LEFTOVERS

You like layering flavors!

I do. And some of the most interesting food is only possible from the product of long-cooking, most of which is more interchangeable than a lot of people realize.

Yeah, I wouldn't have a ham sandwich otherwise.

[Jenise]

Well, that too!

But I do mean it: stews are easily repurposed, even across culinary lines. One big pot can go on for weeks and never be the same meal twice.

But I do mean it: stews are easily repurposed, even across culinary lines. One big pot can go on for weeks and never be the same meal twice.

OK, so let's explore. Say I start with a pot of pot roast, or a schissel of 20 stewed chicken legs. Where do they go next?

[Jenise]

Both the pot roast and the chicken could end up in pies. Turn some of that pot roast into a meat pie by loading into a suitable small dish and topping with a single layer of puff pastry. Combine the rest with boiled potato, fresh jalapeno and garlic for a superb taco or burrito filling. Make a pie filling out of the leftover chicken, too. Consider adding chunks of leeks and peas. Then take the rest and combine with sauteed mushrooms and a more decisive seasoning, say tarragon, and use that as a crepe filling, or flesh it out with some of that ham you made. Or take the seasoning to Morocco and make a couscous layer out of it like I did with this pork. Leftover beef, combined with onions, capers, tomato slices and an anchovy or two also bake out in a complex sludge called a Miroton that is divine served scooped into hand-torn chunks of crusty bread for serving with a good aged Bordeaux. Very romantic too--a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, thou, you know the drill.

What in the world time do you get up? You ought to be a baker.

[Jenise]

I am going through one of those personal hell phases where I wake up at 2:00 no matter what time I go to bed and can't seem to go back to sleep. I give up around 3:00 and come in here for a few hours. I went back to bed at 5:30 and here I am again.

Both the pot roast and the chicken could end up in pies. Turn some of that pot roast into a meat pie by loading into a suitable small dish and topping with a single layer of puff pastry. Combine the rest with boiled potato, fresh jalapeno and garlic for a superb taco or burrito filling. Make a pie filling out of the leftover chicken, too. Consider adding chunks of leeks and peas.

I like that, and I can see doing that. And it's great bootstrapping: the pie doesn't take all day to make.

Then take the rest and combine with sauteed mushrooms and a more decisive seasoning, say tarragon, and use that as a crepe filling, or flesh it out with some of that ham you made. Or take the seasoning to Morocco and make a couscous layer out of it like I did with this pork.

Hm. Rather than couscous, I can imagine a bric or bsteeya of some kind - essentially, a Moroccan lasagna.

Leftover beef, combined with onions, capers, tomato slices and an anchovy or two also bake out in a complex sludge called a Miroton that is divine served scooped into hand-torn chunks of crusty bread for serving with a good aged Bordeaux. Very romantic too--a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, thou, you know the drill.

I had to look that up. I'd have to swap the onion gravy but the dish sounds like a good use of leftovers.

Thanks for writing down your ideas.

[Jenise]

The way I make a miroton, based on Judy Rodgers' Zuni Cafe Cookbook, there isn't a 'gravy' per se. It's just layers of tomatoes, onion and beef that cooks down, and maybe that's what you meant but I what goes in and what it turns into I wouldn't call a gravy no way no how. It becomes a spread.

The way I make a miroton, based on Judy Rodgers' Zuni Cafe Cookbook, there isn't a 'gravy' per se. It's just layers of tomatoes, onion and beef that cooks down, and maybe that's what you meant but I what goes in and what it turns into I wouldn't call a gravy no way no how. It becomes a spread.

Curious. I just googled up a few and they were basically a hot open roast beef sandwich without the bread. Now I'm curious about the Zuni version.

ETA: OK, I found it. Guess who posted it hereabouts with an incredibly apt thread title!!!
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10891
...about a third of the way down...

[Jenise]

Ha! Yes, I love the dish. I believe Judy's version calls for anchovies where I add capers, and I like more meat than her recipe calls for, but yeah, it's a GREAT dish. Funny that I buried my recco that other time in another treatise about leftovers, isn't it. For anyone else looking on, here's what I said: Tuesday dinner: the leftover beef, about a pound, was divided and shredded. Half became two layers in one of my favorite meals in all the world, a French Miroton a la Zuni Cafe Cookbook, in which a ceramic souffle dish is layered with fresh sliced tomatoes and sauteed sliced onions, seasoned with thyme, and topped with bread crumbs drizzled with olive oil. It's baked until the ingredients melt together and the top carmelizes and starts burning on the sides of the dish, about two hours, and served with spoons that you use to spread the goo on crusty whole grain bread. The aroma wafted out to the street and drug neighbors to the door, dying to know what was for dinner--so, totally impromptu, dinner for four again. Fabulous beyond reason with a garlicky green salad and a little Bordeaux Superiore.

Would go really well on a hot baked potato, too, for those so inclined to top their potatoes (I'm a purist, just give me butter for the potato and bread for the Miroton.)

Tuesday dinner: the leftover beef, about a pound, was divided and shredded. Half became two layers in one of my favorite meals in all the world, a French Miroton a la Zuni Cafe Cookbook, in which a ceramic souffle dish is layered with fresh sliced tomatoes and sauteed sliced onions, seasoned with thyme, and topped with bread crumbs drizzled with olive oil. It's baked until the ingredients melt together and the top carmelizes and starts burning on the sides of the dish, about two hours, and served with spoons that you use to spread the goo on crusty whole grain bread.

Oh, I see now. It's Sloppy Joseph.

Would go really well on a hot baked potato, too, for those so inclined to top their potatoes (I'm a purist, just give me butter for the potato and bread for the Miroton.)

I am pretty much a purist, too, but I have a dark secret: I was raised to put butter on a baked potato because sour cream is for goyim. But now, I use sour cream all. the. time.

[Jenise]

Tonight: pork chops. Picked up at WFM yesterday, small 3" tournedo-like rounds about 2" thick, and the eye piece which includes the dark decal and an almost white loin with plenty of marbling. Cut like this a rare find, irresistable. They're bathing in a brine of water, bay leaf, salt, maple syrup, vinegar and red chiles. Not sure what I'll serve them with.

BLTs with wonderful garden-grown tomatoes, sliced tomatoes, and cream of celery soup.

I watched Age of Innocence for the third time a couple of nights ago. Many beautiful shots of food served at hoity-toity parties. And no well-done steaks with ketchup or buckets of KFC in sight.

In honor of our sudden Fall-ish weather I made a pot of braised beef short ribs.

Well, actually, about 2/3 of the pot was short ribs. The supermarket didn't have enough so I had to fill in with a lamb shank and a handful of pork ribs. New name: Mixed Braise. The sauce is not as dark as I wanted but Pumpkin really likes tomato-y things so still a success.

But a recipe quirk did come up: I believe my short rib recipe is based on one in the original Silver Palate cookbook. My notes say to look at that and then make changes x, y, z. So, this afternoon I open up my Silver Palate and the short rib recipe does not have the hallmarks that I mention in the note. ((For example, I wrote that I was reducing the amount of Worcestershire but the printed recipe has no Worcestershire in it. Another example, I wrote to mix the sauce ingredients in the pot, not a bowl, but that isn't possible because the recipe says to load the pot in layers.)) I guess I must have the referent wrong but there is no other short rib recipe in the Silver Palate book nor its successor.

I'm going to hunt to find the one I really meant but has this ever happened to you?

[Jenise]

It has maybe happened to me. At least, a recipe I thought was in one place turned out not to be, which is generally a big surprise because my memory is so accurate that failures are rare and when they occur--well, that's a dead end. No point looking elsewhere, once the circuit wires get crossed they don't uncross.