What's Cooking (Take Three!)

[Jenise]

About to go in the oven: chicken enchilada pie, a creamy green sauce, not red. Lots of cilantro and green chiles. White cheeses. Taking it to a Cinco de Mayo themed party to welcome a Canadian couple back to the U.S. I know, it's only Quatro de Mayo, but I didn't make the rules.

For yucks, I looked up Egri Bikaver in our local Albuquerque Total Wine. They didn't have any in stock, but suggested Lewisville, TX, a mere 625 miles away. Edie, I'll be right back! (In a couple of days.)

We had huevos rancheros tonight with colorado sauce, refried beans, and a tossed salad with a pear gorgonzola dressing.

I spent my weekly allowance of 75 cents today at Smith's for 2 dozen large eggs and a quart of chocolate milk for Edie.

Hungarian paprika is never smoked

I used sweet unsmoked Paprika - but never?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hungarian-Paprika-Premium-Quality-Smoked/dp/B01M09YFTX/

Oh, you can amuse your wife by calling the wine Eager Beaver, my husband's nickname for it.

The term 'eager beaver' is used here, usually somewhat derogatory, to describe someone who leaps in or puts themselves forward, but if you're referring to the USA adult slang meaning of the second word, that hasn't made its way over here.

Pictureof food is here

[Jenise]

The term 'eager beaver' is used here, usually somewhat derogatory, to describe someone who leaps in or puts themselves forward, but if you're referring to the USA adult slang meaning of the second word, that hasn't made its way over here.

Actually, my husband's use of the word was a self-deprecating reference to his very poor ability with foreign words. His familiarity with the word is strictly the former. He does not, never ever, even when just around 'the guys', resort to adult slang of the type you mention. That this thought occurs to some in an eye-of-the-beholder king of way can't be helped. Good looking dish! Glad you went with the caraway seeds--wouldn't be goulash without them, for my tastes.

[Jenise]

My giant chicken enchilada pie (about 10" x 20" and three inches deep) was a hit. We showed up close to an hour late by which time people had gorged on all the unhealthy snacks and were excited to see 'real food' hot out of the oven arrive--great timing (not an accident). Wasn't a drop left.

Today I'm going to cook some locally made Weisswurst but I haven't decided how yet. Might just grill them or go to a quick choucroute garni approach with sauerkraut. Hmmm...how about I take it Asian? I have Chinese sausage too...snow peas...fresh cabbage... I like it.

Sounds like you're channeling Ming !

Hong shao ji (red-cooked chicken) tonight. I'll also start the overnight marination for tomorrow's Thai grilled drunken chicken wings.

-Paul W.

How much liquor does it take to get a chicken drunk all the way out to its wings?

[Jenise]

Sounds like you're channeling Ming !

I can be guilty of that, but actually the Chinese-slanted choucroute is my own idea and something I've done for years. Don't recall the exact circumstances but it's likely I just had Chinese sausage on hand, a hankering for pinot noir and went "hmmmm!" (The way most good ideas happen.)

[Jenise]

Tonight will be our first dinner at home in several days. For tonight I've got pork chops marinating in maple syrup, vinegar, and Asian chile/garlic sauce. Will probably serve those on plain rice with grilled spring onions.

[Jenise]

I used sweet unsmoked Paprika - but never?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hungarian-Paprika-Premium-Quality-Smoked/dp/B01M09YFTX/

Yup, pretty much. There appears to be one exception but most of the smoked brands on the Amazon list are both Spanish, not Hungarian. When I visited Hungary back in '89, smoked was never an option. Sweet or hot only.

FWIW, New Mexico is a significant world supplier of paprika:

Red Chile and Paprika Production in New Mexico
Guide H-257
Revised by Stephanie J. Walker
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University

New Mexico is the leading state in chile acreage (non-bell pepper, Capsicum annuum), and red chile and paprika represent approximately 40% of the state’s overall production. Red chile is derived from New Mexican-type chile varieties that are harvested when fruit have turned red or when they have reached physiological maturity. Paprika is a type of red chile and is the designation used for low (or no) heat, red Capsicum annuum varieties (Wall, 1994). Paprika varieties are also distinguished by their high levels of red pigments (capsanthin and capsorubin) in the pericarp (walls) of the fruit. The majority of the red chile and paprika crop is dehydrated and crushed into flakes or powder for use in a wide variety of products. Approximately 15% of the paprika crop is further processed into oleoresin paprika, a natural red food colorant (Walker, 2007).

I have noticed that some of Penzey's mixes are containing oleoresins of spices. I don't generally buy mixes but I have a Penzey's nearby and got a freebie with my order. I didn't know that it had an oleoresin until I looked at the ingredient list after tasting a definite petrochemical off flavor. Reading labels on mixes more carefully but looking for small batch recipe using whole spices rather than buying a mix.
Working on a hot furikake mix which I love on rice, fish, salads.

[Jenise]

I rarely buy mixes myself. So the oleoresins would be what makes an otherwise 'dry' mixture turn clumpy after awhile?

I thought of Jenise when I made bucatini with a mushroom tomato sauce for Edie tonight. Plus tossed salad and a slice of homemade bread.

I was looking into oleoresins a bit. I think they are for color, not flavor.

The Thai grilled drunken chicken wings I made the other day were tasty, but I still prefer Jamaican jerk chicken, so the remainder of the package of wings will be grilled that way tonight.

-Paul W.

I was looking into oleoresins a bit. I think they are for color, not flavor.

And some are natural and others are synthetic.

Very curious about oleoresins. The offending freebie sample was Penzey's Forward Seasonings which I discarded after one use on scrambled eggs. The online abel reads "spice extractives (including oleoresin of celery, rosemary, black pepper, thyme, basil and paprika)". Can't be just for color.
When I tried it, my first thought was that my olive oil was bad so I made a second egg without the spice and no offending taste.

Oleoresins are a naturally occurring aromatic chemical compounds that contribute to the aroma and flavor of spices and herbs. They resemble essential oils, but they are less volatile and thus can't be obtained by steam distillation. Instead they are extracted using a solvent, which is then evaporated off.

It's well known that vanilla extract is not quite the same as ground vanilla beans. I think you're seeing the same phenomenon here. Or perhaps some of the solvent used to extract the oleoresins is still there and contributing an off-taste.

-Paul W.

Maybe the off-flavor was the combo of herbs and spices that didn't agree with Christina's taste buds.

Larry, I'm willing to admit that possibility but my first inclination was that a solvent used in the extraction process was incompletely stripped off. Each one of the components alone and in combination in my own cooking does not elicit the same off taste.
When Penzey's opens again for in store shopping I will do a sniff test, although I can't recall if I thought smell was similarly affected.
I have steered clear of products with oleoresin of x,y,z on any label since that experience. Perhaps the quality of the spice extractives has improved since then but not willing to retry.

Let us know if you try/smell it again.

Ricotta gnocchi with leek and asparagus sauce. I often make ricotta gnocchi and inspired by a recent recipe in the Washington Post I switched out peas for asparagus as they are now plentiful in the garden. I must say that I did not follow their recommendations for the gnocchi as less than half of what they suggest for flour is sufficient to make an easily handled dough using a ricotta that is made without any thickeners or stabilizers.
The lemon zest in the gnocchi was a good idea and zest in the sauce was more than enough even without the suggested lemon juice. Glad I sampled the sauce before adding lemon juice.
I find that simple sauces pair best with these pillowy gems.