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What's everyone cooking this week?

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Sakkarin » Thu Dec 19, 2019 4:07 pm

Thanks! It was even better second time around just now, using leftover cheese sauce. Those two slices were from the centre of the cauli, and stayed together.

For the second batch, although the cauli sliced OK, the florets fell apart in the pan. In a way it was even better, as it meant there were more blackened bits. I snuck some garlic powder in the rub too.

I costed it, and it worked out 65p a portion, and there's still some cauli left.

Cauliflower, 29p
Infusion celery/carrot/onion, 15p
Butter 21g, 13p
Flour 21g, 1p
Milk 275ml, 38p (expensive from milkman)
Parmesan 15g, 14p (half price from sell-off bin)
Cheddar 25g, 11p
Parsley, 1/5th of 35p, 7p

Total £1.28 for 2 hefty portions.

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Amyw » Thu Dec 19, 2019 6:45 pm

Apologies as already started munching but to my surprise , had a roasted veg pizza at Wetherspoons today and it was actually OK. Alright base , lots of mozzarella and plenty of veg . Had to add a lot of seasoning to it , but then it’s Wetherspoon. For what I paid , pretty good

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And this is my second ever batch of fudge made in the slow cooker , white chocolate and honeycomb . Crazily easy

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Gillthepainter » Fri Dec 20, 2019 2:57 pm

good looking cauliflower dish, Sakkers. One of my favourite veggies too.

Amy, glad you enjoyed the pizza. They're getting something right, our local is always full of people eating.
Nice fudge too.
I've never thought to make it. How did you do it, please?

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Amyw » Fri Dec 20, 2019 4:21 pm

I tin of condensed milk , either 600g or 500g milk , 1tsp butter and any flavourings you want eg vanilla extract , almond etc , in the slow cooker on high with the lid off . Melt it all , then leave for about an hour , stirring every 15 minutes vigorously . After about an hour , a kind of crust or skin should form . Beat that back into the mix then when the second skin has formed you’re ready to pour it out and chill .

I added crushed crunchie bar to mine and did another batch with terrys chocolate orange segments on top and added orange zest to the actual mix

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Sakkarin » Sat Dec 21, 2019 12:40 am

With the last of my cauli, I made a cauliflower and sweetcorn dish from Cyrus Todiwaller's Cafe Spice Namaste book. Not bad, but doesn't look "creamy", as the recipe suggests it should look, doesn't really look pleasant at all. Prefer the roast cauli with cheese sauce!

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat Dec 21, 2019 1:20 am

I made a sort of pad Thai tonight. Well, I did make one, but I didn’t have any bean sprouts so I used shredded mange tout and red sweet peppers. I don’t think the author of Baan would approve, but I did otherwise follow her recipe, which is a bit different from others I’ve used and worked well.

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Sakkarin » Sat Dec 21, 2019 3:55 pm

I hope you had peanuts in your Pad Thai - according to my Pad Thai comparison chart, the only universally accepted ingredients in the Baan recipe ingredient list in my favourite 12 or so Thai cookbooks are the beansprouts and peanuts!

It's very strange, given that the story is that Pad Thai was created specifically to be the Thai national dish by a Mr. Phibunsongkhram, over 70 years ago. You'd have thought given its importance, there'd be an original recipe somewhere which would override any argument.

Based on the Baan recipe (pinched from "Eat Your Books")

Beansprouts - In ALL recipes
Peanuts - In ALL recipes

Garlic - NONE in the Blue Elephant Cookbook recipe.
Egg - NONE in Pat Chapman's Thai Restaurant Cookbook recipe.
Lime - NONE in Vatch's Taste of Thailand recipe (uses lemon).
Rice Noodles - NONE in Pat Chapman's Thai Restaurant Cookbook recipe (uses egg noodles).
Palm sugar - NONE in Pat Chapman's Thai Restaurant Cookbook recipe.
Dried prawns - NONE in John Torode's Thai Trek recipe.
Fresh prawns - NONE in Keith Floyd's Hot & Spicy Floyd recipe.
Tamarind paste - NONE in Nancy McDermott's Real Thai recipe.
Fish sauce - NONE in Kurt Kahrs' Thai Cooking recipe.
Tofu - NONE in Food of Thailand recipe.
Chives - NONE in Hilaire Walden's Thai Cooking recipe.
Coriander - NONE in Thailand The Beautiful recipe.

Cucumber - ONLY in BAAN recipe (is it a garnish?).

By far the silliest recipe is Pat Chapman's recipe, although to be fair, he does say in the blurb that accompanies it that he was given his Pad Thai recipe by a KOREAN.

My favourite Pad Thai article (Part 1 of 3):
https://highheelgourmet.com/2012/07/17/ ... whats-not/

And of course Felicity's been there.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... t-pad-thai

My earliest Thai cookbook, "Siamese Cookery" (1965) doesn't even include the dish :-(

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat Dec 21, 2019 5:33 pm

Crikey, think I’ll be avoiding Pat Chapman’s version; didn’t Madhur Jaffrey criticise one of his Indian recipes?

The chives (I used the alternative of a spring onion) and coriander are just used to finish the dish and are really optional, and the cucumber slices are also used for the final presentation.

She fries the dried shrimp until crisp then crushes them with the peanuts, works well she also mixes the liquid ingredients and sugar to make a sauce before starting to cook. Both good tips

Don’t think the tofu is necessary. Will be making more of her recipes now I have tracked down the coriander root I pictured before and her favourite “Chinese keys” aka lesser galangal aka finger root)

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Sakkarin » Sun Dec 22, 2019 3:04 pm

Fuchsia Firestone's Kung Fu Chicken last night ;-)

(Dunlop/Po)

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby dennispc » Sun Dec 22, 2019 5:45 pm

As I've nothing to do on Wednesday, yesterday did my Christmas favourite - Brussels and bacon in a frying pan. And did proper gravy, starting with a mirepoix to go with plain double lamb chops.

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun Dec 22, 2019 5:56 pm

Looks good Sakkarin

I do wish BB forums supported a “Like” button

Brussels sound good Pampy

I went to Ally Pally farmer’s market and I have a brace of pheasant, some wild roe venison and some guanciale, so tonight’s dinner will be Giorgio Locatelli’s version of spaghetti carbonara. Suppose I should go out and get pecorino romano, as I’ve only Parmesan. But it’s decent Parmesan so I don’t think I’ll bother just for one dish of pasta. :oops:

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Sakkarin » Wed Dec 25, 2019 5:25 pm

Delia Christmas Cake, Delia Christmas Pud, Delia Mincemeat in the fridge for tomorrow.

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Wic » Wed Dec 25, 2019 7:08 pm

:chrissytree1 Merry Christmas, everyone. :chrissytree1

I have just tidied up after lunch. We had a barbecued turkey crown, (fantastic, as usual), plus roasties, roast parsnips, carrots, peas and sprouts. And, wonder of wonders, I remembered the bread sauce. I know it’s not for everyone, but I love it, however, year after year I can make it and forget it. As usual, though, after all that, we couldn’t manage the Christmas pudding, so that’s gone back into the cupboard.

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Pampy » Thu Dec 26, 2019 2:38 pm

I bought a Christmas pudding in 2012 and it comes out of the cupboard every year, then gets put back unopened!

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Gillthepainter » Thu Dec 26, 2019 3:53 pm

Ha ha ha. I can take or leave it, Pampy.
Excellent cooking Sakkers and Wic. & yes, I do love the bread sauce.

Drastic change of plan, as I'd only just been able to eat food. I went for it as I was feeling chipper again, coq au vin. Deep, rich, with sprouts and boiled ratte potatoes.
It's something we never have at home, so I'm happy to make for Christmas. (the plan was to have chateaubriand and frites, but I couldn't manage it).

Yip
Today is pickles.
I don't partake, I've never been a fan. But for Tony it's the best meal of the year. I've cooked a turkey crown to slice, plus ham.
I'll have boiled eggs, and boiled cold potatoes.

Mince pie for afters - Tony will have the other half of his Christmas pudding. With cream.

It's a bit miserable outside. We're just staying in and reading ...........................

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby oat » Thu Dec 26, 2019 5:09 pm

Sakkarin the christmas cake looks fabulous. We had a christmas pudding yesterday but I left most of mine, I think it had more nuts then fruit in it, I like nuts but it was more a nut pudding. :lol:

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby karadekoolaid » Thu Dec 26, 2019 5:13 pm

Christmas pud and Christmas cake just don´t cut the mustard over here. Waaaaayy too heavy, and the addition of candied peel seems to be alien to tropical tastebuds. We had a lemon meringue pie and a raspberry cheesecake!

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Dec 26, 2019 5:17 pm

Cake looks excellent Sakkarin
I made a version of pheasant normande on Christmas Eve, my version requires the pheasant to be pot roasted with cider
Very good
I was out eating beef yesterday, so leftovers tonight
Might have a mince pie

Will need to think of something else for tomorrow

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Wic » Thu Dec 26, 2019 7:10 pm

What a lot of lovely food!

Pampy, your Christmas pud is even more mature than ours. We got ours after Christmas at a Tesco somewhere. It is a Tesco Finest, with Courvoisier brandy, which was reduced to 5p, (Really! The price sticker is still on it), and apparently and is Best Before 2013.

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Re: What's everyone cooking this week?

Postby Sakkarin » Thu Dec 26, 2019 7:38 pm

karadekoolaid wrote:Christmas pud and Christmas cake...alien...

All the more for me KK - I am ashamed to say I've finished the cake already :-(

The pud was absolutely as heavy as you could possibly imagine, but moist and incredibly fruity. After it's second steaming it looked much better than that piccy (the piccy is after it had been cooked the day before, it then had another 2 hrs steaming before serving). Will have some more for supper with a disgraceful amount of whipped cream

Duck: Not complaining, it was plenty for me, just saying...

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