Recipe thread!

[lapietra]

Originally Posted by trisherina

Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic
-------------------------------

I meant to tell you this earlier, Trish, but somehow keep getting sidetracked - I made this for Amanda's birthday with some multicolored gnocchi and sauteed green & yellow summer squash - definitely one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. How can something so easy be so freakin' good?

[trisherina]

Originally Posted by lapietra

How can something so easy be so freakin' good?

My heart sinks that you call this an "easy" recipe (to me it was a whirlwind of frenzied activity!), but hey, I'm glad you liked it.

[lapietra]

Originally Posted by trisherina

My heart sinks that you call this an "easy" recipe (to me it was a whirlwind of frenzied activity!)

Try making something from scratch from an Indian cookbook sometime It's worth the effort, but the grinding and cutting and draining and waiting overnight... jeez. No wonder you see so many slender Indians... the waiting for the food to be done!

[trisherina]

Okay, since we're sort of on the topic, I have a couple of questions for you people who actually cook.

1. Now, regarding the chicken with forty cloves of garlic. When you guys peel the garlic, do you use the thwacking with the flat of the cleaver method that I've read about to get the sweet little clove to come out of its jacket with less fuss? In other words, does this actually work, and is there a trick to it? I painstakingly nipped the end off each clove with a paring knife and peeled it by hand, which was not exactly backbreaking labour, but not exactly fun either.

2. I ran out of pepper and accidentally bought a glass container of black peppercorns (it looked so much like the ground black pepper that I usually buy). Now, without buying a mortar and pestle (which, sorry, I simply won't do), is there any conceivable way I can use these babies for my day to day pepper needs? And, if so, how many corns will equal how much pepper?

The cooking challenged among us appreciate your assistance.

[melissa]

Yes, to the garlic question.

[dinzdale]

Answer to question 2

1 plastic bag full of peppercorns + 1 hammer + 1 man to help you = 1 bag full of pepper.

[trisherina]

^^^I was kinda looking for a fresher, smaller quantity option.

[madasacutsnake]

2. Buy a pepper mill. Fresh pepper every time. Yum.

[Gatsby]

Originally Posted by trisherina

Do you use the thwacking with the flat of the cleaver method that I've read about to get the sweet little clove to come out of its jacket with less fuss?

It absolutely works. You don't need a cleaver, just any knife with a broad blade - I use a big chopping knife, and it works marvelously. Actually, you could use anything flat - even the bottom of a cup.

Just lay a single clove of garlic down on a cutting board, lay the knife flat on top of it, and give it a could of decent smacks with the heel of your hand. It'll smash the clove, and you can slip it out of the peel with far more ease than peeling it whole. And you don't have to mess with snipping off the ends. I used to do that, but over the years have found it to be a waste of time.

Originally Posted by trisherina

Is there any conceivable way I can use these babies for my day to day pepper needs?

Exactly what Snake said. You can get a decent pepper grinder for under $10 at Target or Wal-Mart. Nicer versions will let you adjust for the coarseness/fineness of the grind, but really any old one will do.

Load it up with the peppercorns, and the twisting action of the grinder will yield pepper flakes the same size and consistency of the pre-ground kind that you buy, except with much more flavor. (Note that more flavor doesn't necessarily equal more spiciness - you can still use the same amount of grounds that you always have, no measurement adjustments necessary.)

[trisherina]

Thanks for the swell answers! Didn't think of buying a pepper grinder, yeesh.

[Gatsby]

Here's something I like to do with plain old chicken breasts.

1 can chopped pineapple
4T brown sugar
1T dijon or honey-dijon mustard
1t paprika
chicken breasts (however many)

Drain the liquid from the pineapple into a saucepan. Add the brown sugar, mustard, and paprika. Simmer until the sauce starts to cook down and get gooey.

Meanwhile, season the chicken breasts with a little salt & pepper and throw them in the oven to start baking.

When the chicken breasts are about 1/2 done, and the sauce is getting gooey, baste the chicken breast tops with some of the sauce. (But be careful to not cross-contaminate your sauce.)

Finish baking the breasts. With about 5 minutes left, throw the pineapple chunks into the remaining pinapple/mustard sauce and heat.

Pour the sauce over the breasts. Garnish with a dash of paprika.

Mmmmmm.

[Gatsby]

Trish's query about peppercorns made me start thinking about this dish that I used to be able to get at this little Italian restaurant that I love. Unfortunately, they took it off the menu. I was able to get it for a while after that by special ordering it when they had the ingredients available, but then the chef left and it's gone, gone, gone.

If anyone's heard of something like this, I would LOVE the recipe. I usually don't eat meat, but I would make an exception for this.

It had huge shrimp served with figs in a cognac cream sauce with green peppercorns and tarragon.

[taramosalata]

Morello Cherry Tart

Ingredients :
Base :
6 eggs, separated
100g sugar
80g ground almonds
60g biscuits (Digestives work very well)
40g butter
Vanilla
Cinnamon

Filling :
1 glass milk
1 egg
20g flour
240g icing sugar
200g butter

Topping :
1 bar eating chocolate
Cherry jam

Recipe :
Base :
Beat 50g sugar and 4 egg yolks until the mixture has a mousse consistency.
Grill the ground almonds under a low heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon.
Beat the 6 egg whites until stiff and white, add the rest of the sugar and mix well.
Crush the bicuits.
Add half of the beaten egg white, the almonds, biscuits, vanilla and cinnamon to the egg yolk mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the egg white and 30g melted butter little by little, stirring carefully.
Grease a flan dish and line with greaseproof paper.
Pour in mixture.
Cook at a medium heat for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling.
Sieve the flour into a saucepan and add the egg yolk and 1 or 2 teablespoons of milk. Stir well and add the rest of the milk.
Bring to the boil, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and leave to cool.
Stir butter until creamy and sieve in jam, then add icing sugar.
Spoon in cooled mixture and mix carefully.

Remove base from oven.
Fill with filling.
Add cherry jam or cream to top and chocolate shavings.

[madasacutsnake]

Any-one who posts a recipe for their first post is so in like Flynn.

[lapietra]

Originally Posted by trisherina

... regarding the chicken with forty cloves of garlic.

Christopher Farms pre-peeled. I mean, come on... life's too short.

Originally Posted by trisherina

2. I ran out of pepper and accidentally bought a glass container of black peppercorns ... is there any conceivable way I can use these babies for my day to day pepper needs? And, if so, how many corns will equal how much pepper?

Get yourself a Turkish coffee grinder. They're kind of expensive, but you will NEVER need to buy another peppermill... What's cool is, they have a reservoir at the bottom, ostensibly to catch coffee grounds, but what it's really great for is grinding mass quantities of fresh pepper.
I can't tell you how many corns... depends on what kind of pepper it is, I guess.