What's Cooking (Take Three!)

Tonight I made the ragout for a cassoulet to be assembled / baked tomorrow. I've also made cracklings from the confit duck legs skin, probably to crumble over the top. Beans are Great Northerns (soaking now) because I could not find any convenient place to buy Tarbais.

The unsettled part of the dish is which kind of sausage to put on top. I have a dozen or more choices and, so far, I haven't found one that I like in this dish: Dartagnan's garlic sausage has a gelatinous texture that does not appeal to me, fresh garlic sausages are not interesting enough, just say no to sweet Italian because I don't want spezzatino, duck sausages are bland, I tried frozen fresh Toulouse sausages but I don't remember them (and that's damning enough), best so far are lamb sausages (takes it in a Castelnaudary direction). I'm seriously considering boudin noir.

Today I am cooking two lamb shanks which will be seasoned with sea salt, and gr. pepper, then browned on all sides in the slow cooker stove stop insert. A sauce is made of sautéed onion, garlic, tomato paste, fresh thyme, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, bay leaf, pomegranate juice, honey, a red wine blend I love for cooking beef, chicken stock, and red wine vinegar. Whole carrots are added during the last portion of cooking. Dish is served with a garnish of fresh parsley leaves and pomegranate seeds. Each shank will be served over a bed of sliced cabbage, which has been sautéed in pistachio oil and butter, with diced red bell pepper, for color. Baby red bliss potatoes will be a side, roasted with brussels sprouts, red onion, and garlic. These will get a drizzle of my new pomegranate, quince balsamic, and lemon zest.

Yesterday I made gong bao chicken, but with cashews in place of the traditional peanuts. Fuchsia Dunlop is right--it comes out better with cashews. Tonight I'll be having leftover chicken and tasso jambalaya, but I'll be making a batch of Creole sauce to go over it.

-Paul W.

Karen, that sauce sounds wonderful! I like the idea of the sweet cinnamon and allspice balancing the pom bitterness.

Jeff, thanks, it is very yummy. A Williams Sonoma recipe I got from them years ago. Have made it many times, it never disappoints.

[Jenise]

Yesterday I made gong bao chicken, but with cashews in place of the traditional peanuts. Fuchsia Dunlop is right--it comes out better with cashews. Tonight I'll be having leftover chicken and tasso jambalaya, but I'll be making a batch of Creole sauce to go over it.

-Paul W.

I'm that odd person who actually likes peanuts better than cashews, period. But cashews are easier to grab with chopsticks! If you're a user, I presume you are?

Yes, I always use chopsticks when eating Chinese or Korean food. But I use a fork and spoon when eating Thai food. I've never seen chopsticks offered or in use at a Thai restaurant, so I assume they aren't part of Thai culture.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Good point re chopsticks and Thai culture. Had not thought of that.

I'm not very good with chopsticks. Can use them, but they make more sense for shovelling from a bowl direct into mouth the way Chinese eat than for picking food (and rice!) off a flat plate and I will take a fork if I can get one.

Some chopsticks are easier to use than others. Fancy-shmancy lacquered ones with round ends require effort to use safely, while square-tipped ones with less-slick coatings are more pleasurable.

Yes, I always use chopsticks when eating Chinese or Korean food. But I use a fork and spoon when eating Thai food. I've never seen chopsticks offered or in use at a Thai restaurant, so I assume they aren't part of Thai culture.

-Paul W.

I often wondered the same thing, but the Thai restaurants I go to always include chopsticks.

FWIW, I find it easier to use chopsticks than a fork when eating Chinese food.

[Jenise]

So I googled it and learned:

In Thailand, people eat with a spoon in the right hand and fork in the left. The spoon is the primary utensil; the fork is only used to manipulate food. Chopsticks are only used for standalone noodle dishes...never with rice dishes.

I knew there was something I liked about them!

I recently purchased a spiral-cut "uncured" ham with no nitrites or nitrates that was originally $40, marked down to $5, which is what we ate part of tonight.

"Uncured" always makes me laugh. By law, ham, bacon, and similar meats have to be cured. Uncured manufacturers generally use celery seeds to cure meats, but are allowed to say uncured.

[Jenise]

What an amazing deal, Larry. I love ham, it's one of my favorite things in the world, I wouldn't have been able to resist that. I even loved canned hams back in the day.

Freezer raid chili. I hate wasting end of season garden produce and usually have lots of green tomatoes which I broil/roast with or without onions and garlic then freeze. The green tomatoes are a tomatillo substitute and the mix makes a great add in for a quick chili. I can take it in many directions with added caramelized tomato paste and toasted, rehydrated chiles. The only problem is that now I am without any until next fall.

[Jenise]

Somehow I didn't get the chili gene. It's one of those things that sound good but I'm never enamored with what I make (or order in a restaurant). When I'm hungry for beans (I realize chili doesn't have to include beans) I want a lighter bean soup.

Tonight we're hosting Booze Group and the topic is sherry. I'm doing a two-stage meal wherein in manzanilla and fino will be served like aperitifs for: almonds, olives, lomo, iberico chorizo, a third sausage called something like salchicon, two hard Spanish cheese, marinated octopus and garlic shrimp. For the olorosos, palo cortados and amontillados, I'm making tortilla, grilled steak with mushroom/sherry/butter sauce, oranges with green olives and tarragon, carrots and sherry-soaked golden raisins, Spanish cabbage rolls with chorizo, and for dessert a Torta de Santiago (almond tart). The Picky People are two of our guests so I can't be very adventurous in my food choices--they won't touch the tortilla if it has onion in it, and it SHOULD have onion. They can't stand other important Spanish ingredients like peppers, olives, tomatoes and mushrooms (basically, all vegetables except corn and cucumbers). I'm sure neither will try the octopus. Unfortunately, my favorite guest and my brother (who loves sherry!) probably came down with Covid yesterday so the person I most wanted to impress won't even be here.

Shakshouka was for breakfast this morning, OMG, do delicious. There was left over marinara sauce in the fridge, which sautéed onion, fresh garlic, jalapeño pepper , and canned cherry tomatoes dressed up, along with Italian Herbs. I used Black and Red pepper mix for more heat. Two small eggs from a friends hens were poached on top. Served over toast, sprinkled with Romano cheese and a garnish of cilantro. Served with fresh mandarin orange sections.

Jenise, I admire your patience with the Picky People. Unless it is allergy related, I have zero tolerance. I grew up in an era when folks ate what was presented to them. I do not recall at any family gatherings, someone saying, "I can't eat that." It was also thought to be bad manners to say so. I don't know how folks cook for large groups anymore. I had a hard enough time when my 8 year old granddaughter announced she would not eat anything with a face. As she grew up it became products from that critter with a face, things like jello, broth or stock, and so on. This applied only to critters who were killed to eat. She also will not eat any red sauce on pasta, has to be butter and cheese only. I always made sure we had plenty of bread, salad and an array of veggies. Coming from a Danish parent and a Portuguese parent, we had many family gatherings and people simply ate.
In early married years, we had a couple we hung around with, and when I found out they would not eat onions, I could not believe it. How was I going to cook the foods I loved to give to guests without onions!

Karma came back at me when my baby girl was allergic to nuts, dog saliva, and avocados. Yes, dog saliva...we had to train our big, beautiful German Shepherd not to kiss the baby....broke his heart.

[Jenise]

Jenise, I admire your patience with the Picky People. Unless it is allergy related, I have zero tolerance.

It's tough. These two would be happy eating hamburgers, hot dogs, cheese, baked potatoes, french fries, corn on the cob and steak every day of their lives. They are truly meant for each other. But I can be forgiving because I have my own phobia (the creamy cold white stuff). I cannot help the nausea I feel just looking at things like that, let alone eating it. I did not choose to be this way and wish I weren't. What irritates me about them, though, is that half of their problem is just plain ignorance. They don't know what they don't know: they just assume if they don't already like it (because it's in one of the food groups mentioned above) then they won't like it. She won't help herself to the rice just in case those green flecks are rosemary which she's terrified of--you have to tell her "no, that's parsley". She doesn't even know what rosemary looks like. The male half legitimately dislikes onion, I've tried to sneak some in to things and he always finds it. I think she decided not to like it just because he didn't (a favorite dish of hers growing up was liver and onions).

Jenise, I admire your patience with the Picky People. Unless it is allergy related, I have zero tolerance.

It's tough. These two would be happy eating hamburgers, hot dogs, cheese, baked potatoes, french fries, corn on the cob and steak every day of their lives. They are truly meant for each other. But I can be forgiving because I have my own phobia (the creamy cold white stuff). I cannot help the nausea I feel just looking at things like that, let alone eating it. I did not choose to be this way and wish I weren't. What irritates me about them, though, is that half of their problem is just plain ignorance. They don't know what they don't know: they just assume if they don't already like it (because it's in one of the food groups mentioned above) then they won't like it. She won't help herself to the rice just in case those green flecks are rosemary which she's terrified of--you have to tell her "no, that's parsley". She doesn't even know what rosemary looks like. The male half legitimately dislikes onion, I've tried to sneak some in to things and he always finds it. I think she decided not to like it just because he didn't (a favorite dish of hers growing up was liver and onions).

My brother loves veges, but just corn and french fries. I don't understand the onion stuff unless it's a true allergy. Most prepared meals have onions in some shape or form. I gave a picky eater some of my French onion soup. She spit out the onions and told me the broth was okay.

I have a friend who liked raisins, and he liked bread. But if they were combined, he couldn't eat the combo. Over a few years, he ate a number of loaves of my bread that included raisins, but I told him they were currants. Eventually, he got over it.

I can eat liver and onions if I had to, but I would never order it. Too many olfactory memories, dried shoe leather taste and texture, plus it's an organ that strains out bacteria, drugs and other impurities. My mother had a -4 stars Michelin rating.

It was also thought to be bad manners to say so.

I was taught that, too. If somebody serves you something you can't stand, you just eat a polite portion and have a bigger breakfast tomorrow.

That said, I'll listen to the request: if it's easy enough then I'll do it, otherwise "this is not Le Cirque!"

I don't understand the onion stuff unless it's a true allergy.

I do. I feel that way concerning visible eggs in a dish. I don't like the appearance, smell, or texture. The closest I'll go by choice to eggs in a dish is oriental fried rice and soups such as egg drop or hot and sour. I'm fine with mayo and eggs as an ingredient, as long as the eggs aren't there intact in the final result. When I ate at the French Laundry I vowed to eat everything on the tasting menu and there was a quail's egg dish. Under similar circumstances I ate eggs Benedict once. I did enjoy both dishes.

There are some who won't touch onions, garlic, or other aliums for religious reasons. Buddhists and some Hindus avoid them because they believe they inflame base passions.

-Paul W.

I had a bit of the yummy sauce left over from Tuscan chicken with porcini. I decided to do a chicken breast schnitzel to go with it. I used the seasoning mix from Paul Prudhomme's chicken sauce piquant as a dry rub. I didn't have any eggs to bind the breading, so instead I used the batter from Cantonese lemon chicken. It came out delicious.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

It was also thought to be bad manners to say so.

I was taught that, too. If somebody serves you something you can't stand, you just eat a polite portion and have a bigger breakfast tomorrow.

That said, I'll listen to the request: if it's easy enough then I'll do it, otherwise "this is not Le Cirque!"

While I appreciate your stand on that, for some, eating ANY of something is a no-go. It's not a matter of won't, it's can't. Or, "Can't unless you want me to throw up on your table". Which I once did with a mouthful of butterscotch pudding that wouldn't go down. I'm fine eating things I merely don't like. But with a few, thankfully a very few, things it's just not possible.

[Jenise]

Tonight I'm going to make ravioli!