What are we all having for dinner?

You all seem to be such proficient chefs. Well here is a place to share some of that cooking knowledge. Or do you have a cooking problem? Ask away. Jams and chutneys go here too.
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Berti
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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 222970Post Berti »

tonight, steamed mussels in their shells, in beer/mustard/garlic, with french stick bread.
glass wine along.
thats it :)

tomorrow: organic steak with potatoes dauphinois.

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Odsox
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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 222992Post Odsox »

Millymollymandy wrote:Leek, mushroom and bacon risotto - but why does it always need more liquid than the recipes say and always takes 3 times longer?!!! Was lovely but 2 1/4 hours to cook dinner is a bit much!
This has inspired me to copy you and have this as well tonight, with a bottle of Beaujolais.

Can't for the life of me see why it takes you 2 1/4 hours though, all my risottos take just on 25 minutes from the time you start adding the stock and use just over 1.5 pints of stock for 2 servings (6 oz rice). I shall steam the leeks separately and add them towards the end otherwise they probably wouldn't be tender enough.
Never followed a recipe in my life. :iconbiggrin:
Tony

Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.

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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 222993Post Green Aura »

Taramasalata (made with home smoked roes), hummus and tzatziki with greek salad and pittas.

Guess who's feeling the need for summer!
Maggie

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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223004Post zaxdog »

My lovely Tobias is in the kitchen cooking some sort of rice dish for dinner.

And I have been promised pancakes with bacon and eggs tomorrow for brunch after the local kids deliver the Sunday paper. Talk about enterprising....they go to the mainland to fill their paper order then all the way back and round the island to delver them :cheers:

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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223009Post Milims »

Chinese takeaway :oops:
Let us be lovely
And let us be kind
Let us be silly and free
It won't make us famous
It won't make us rich
But damn it how happy we'll be!
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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223011Post yvette »

We're having Sunday roast, even though its Saturday - got a cheap chicken which needed eating fast, and no room to freeze it. Lots of chicken left for cold chicken to morrow and chicken and veg soup on Monday.

Nothing wrong with the odd takeaway Milims!

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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223016Post Green Aura »

Dinner was delayed by the second two hour power cut in two days!

But it was delicious when it happened. Accompanied by a bottle of Retsina. Yummy.

The smoked roes were fantastic! :cheers:
Maggie

Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin

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Millymollymandy
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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223033Post Millymollymandy »

Odsox wrote:
Millymollymandy wrote:Leek, mushroom and bacon risotto - but why does it always need more liquid than the recipes say and always takes 3 times longer?!!! Was lovely but 2 1/4 hours to cook dinner is a bit much!
This has inspired me to copy you and have this as well tonight, with a bottle of Beaujolais.

Can't for the life of me see why it takes you 2 1/4 hours though, all my risottos take just on 25 minutes from the time you start adding the stock and use just over 1.5 pints of stock for 2 servings (6 oz rice). I shall steam the leeks separately and add them towards the end otherwise they probably wouldn't be tender enough.
Never followed a recipe in my life. :iconbiggrin:
That's total time with all the chopping and preparing and browing lardons and veggies etc but it took ages for the rice to cook (arborio). I have come to the conclusion that adding a ladleful of stock one at a time doesn't allow the rice to cook as 90% of it is above the liquid, so in future I'm just going to bung all the liquid in at once then it comes into contact with with rice and it might bloody cook! Between us we have tried 3 different recipes and all have the same problem of not enough liquid and takes miles longer.

The recipe actually said to bung all the stock in at once but I thought I'd do it 'properly'. :roll: :iconbiggrin:
boboff wrote:Oh and just for MMM, :hugish: (thanks)
http://chateaumoorhen.blogspot.com/

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Millymollymandy
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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223034Post Millymollymandy »

Was this one, amounts doubled. I added lardons. I can't translate your old money measurements into metric so this shows the ratio, that's the only reason I needed a recipe as I don't have a clue how much stock to do with risotto rice as I only cooked my first risotto a few years ago - a baked leek one that Shirley posted on this site in response to my cry for help with using up leeks! That too takes over 2 hours and needs several ladles of extra water added!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/leeka ... isot_84317
boboff wrote:Oh and just for MMM, :hugish: (thanks)
http://chateaumoorhen.blogspot.com/

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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223040Post Odsox »

I have to say this is very weird, there's you saying it takes at least 2 hours and the BBC man saying it takes 12 minutes.
I see he says to use a saucepan and it struck me that you probably do as well with your 90% of the rice out of the stock.
I use a large shallow pan (like a paella pan) that is 29 cm in diameter and the arboreo rice for two makes a shallow layer less that a centimetre deep, so it is always covered in boiling stock.
It invariably takes 25 minutes to cook from the time you add the first ladle of stock, so with preparation time like last night it took about 35 - 40 minutes start to on the table.
Anyway, it was very nice ... chopped up smoked bacon from a pack of Lidls offcuts, fresh leek out of the garden, lovely, so thanks for the idea. :salute:
Tony

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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223044Post scrap »

We had a chinese cabbage casserole.
Minced beef,garlic and onions,spiced with a little thyme,black pepper and oregano.
A few fenugreek seeds went well with the cabbagy flavour.
A layer of mash on top.(from a packet...)
When the mash started to brown I aded a firm layer of cheese,topped with crushed white mustard seeds.

Pretty simple,but it was a feast.
''I'm riding a pig and trashing things,I dunno what else I'm supposed to do here.''
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Millymollymandy
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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223045Post Millymollymandy »

Odsox wrote:I have to say this is very weird, there's you saying it takes at least 2 hours and the BBC man saying it takes 12 minutes.
I see he says to use a saucepan and it struck me that you probably do as well with your 90% of the rice out of the stock.
I use a large shallow pan (like a paella pan) that is 29 cm in diameter and the arboreo rice for two makes a shallow layer less that a centimetre deep, so it is always covered in boiling stock.
It invariably takes 25 minutes to cook from the time you add the first ladle of stock, so with preparation time like last night it took about 35 - 40 minutes start to on the table.
Anyway, it was very nice ... chopped up smoked bacon from a pack of Lidls offcuts, fresh leek out of the garden, lovely, so thanks for the idea. :salute:
The BBC man put all the liquid in at once so that's what I will do in future. I've watched risotto being made on telly and they always say you must do it ladle by ladle and stir continuously and that it does take a long time - but sod that! :iconbiggrin:

The 2 hours plus was TOTAL prep and cooking time!!! His recipe says 40-60 mins total. We've discussed this before (well I mean not you and me but others) - these TV chefs who give prep times for x amount of minutes don't have to get things out of cupboards and fridges and cellars and wash, peel, chop, measure, weigh etc - it's all done for them and then they just bung it in a pan. :roll: The reality of washing my own leeks for example compared to supermarket ones which don't contain grit adds time too. :lol:

I did it in my new pan which is frying pan size but with slightly higher straight sides and is wonderful as you don't inadvertently slop bits over the side like with a shallow frying pan. :thumbright: However that means the liquid is more spread out, so yes most of it was out of the liquid as a ladle of liquid didn't even cover the base of the pan.

Anyway shan't worry about it any more - now I've made risotto a few times and know what to expect I will do it a faster way.

And I didn't use dolcelatte cheese by the way as it's only available in the UK and nobody in Italy has ever heard of it cos it's not an Italian cheese. :lol:
boboff wrote:Oh and just for MMM, :hugish: (thanks)
http://chateaumoorhen.blogspot.com/

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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223250Post zaxdog »

Tonight is veggie chilli for the OH. Made enough for tonight and three extra portions for the freezer.

I'm on fish pie topped with a three root mash (made from cupboard and freezer salvaged bits n' bobs)!!! Made an extra for OH to heat up for tomorrow's lunch when I am on the mainland!

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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223254Post greenorelse »

Green Aura wrote:I love Engevita! :cheers:
GA: have you tried this?

Fry finely-chopped onion and garlic. Grind equal amounts of cashews and water then add to the onion and garlic with a good dollop of yeast flakes (to thicken) and a tablespoon of lemon juice. It becomes a thick sauce and is delicious.

The grind of the nuts can be adjusted to your preference as can the amount of nutritional yeast.

Serve on baked potatoes, or something like steamed brussels sprouts or leave till cold and have it as a dip. Sprinkle paprika over it. Delish.
There is no question. Cap and Share or TEQs is the answer. Even Cap and Dividend!

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Re: What are we all having for dinner?

Post: # 223255Post Green Aura »

I do a very similar recipe (without the engevita, so might try that in future) served over kale - absolutely fantastic.
Maggie

Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin

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