The Recipe Repository

[AE5150]

It seems that a lot of the recipes that are posted here and at the old OI have been lost to the ages, so from here on out, I'm going to start posting some of them in this particular thread. Hopefully we can find someone to add them to the Totsepedia/text archives as we go along.

Selection process is somewhat subjective, since I think many skill levels should be represented here. Ultimately, though, I'm just a bookkeeper regarding this thread. If a recipe has good discussion in it's initial thread, then it'll likely get posted here with a link to the original thread and a credit to the poster who contributed it. I'm also encouraging posters to mention/nominate recipes being moved here in threads devoted to recipes. If there's a reasonable consensus that it should be added, I'll make sure it happens. This way, it's the community's repository, not just the moderation's repository.

Deletion of recipes hopefully won't be an issue on any kind of regular basis, but if someone wants to discuss removing a recipe, please send me a private message and we'll discuss it. Ultimately, that decision will likely be discussed by the community, and again, if a reasonable consensus is reached regarding deletion, we'll remove it.

This thread will remain closed for the moment, and we'll keep the discussion of the recipes in the original posted threads. That'll keep this particular thread easy to navigate and without clutter.

Keep in mind, all, this is a work in progress, and as such, we'll need to hammer out the details of how we'll go about this as we go along. If anyone has suggestions regarding it, feel free to bump the old thread regarding this or send me a private message.

[AE5150]

To get us started...

Bolognese Sauce

Original thread at http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=14564

Originally Posted by frinkmakesyouthink

Ingredients
50g butter
olive oil
A large onion
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
6 cloves garlic
6 rashers bacon
1kg minced beef
10x plum tomatoes, or 2x tins plum tomatoes
250g mushrooms
250ml (just under half a pint) beef stock
2x glasses of wine (about a pint, I used cheap red)
handful bay leaves
basil, oregano, thyme
balsamic vinegar
double cream
salt, pepper
approx 750g dry spaghetti

Method
1. Plonk a bit of butter and a splash of olive oil into a pan. If you look at the picture, you get the idea of the amount, and also the size of the pan (mine was almost too small). It doesn't need to be a fancy Le Creuset pan (like mine ) but any thick-bottomed pan will do. Put it on the lowest heat you can. Yes, I know my hob is filthy.


2. A lot of Italian sauces make use of a 'soffritto' which means something like 'under-fried'. Basically it is a mix of aromatic vegetables which are gently fried in olive oil or butter before adding the bulk of your sauce or recipe. Our soffito is made up of a diced large onion, 2 diced carrots, 6 diced cloves of garlic, 2 stalks of celery (diced!), and 6 rashers of (preferably unsmoked) bacon, diced. No tomatoes yet, because it's a meat based sauce.

Don't worry if you're not very good at dicing things, because the sauce cooks for such a long time all the flavours diffuse and it doesn't really matter that much. If you hear your butter/oil combo starting to crackle and spit, take it off the heat until you are nearly finished dicing, then put it back on.

If you don't have some stock, now is a good time to prepare some using a stock cube.

When the lot is done, turn up the pan to a medium heat and add to the pan, stirring for about five minutes (until the veg is slightly soft and translucent).

3. It's now time to add the minced beef. Keep the heat at medium and add the 1kg of minced beef (I used lean minced steak, but normal mince will do if you are looking to cut down the price a bit), as well as your 250ml stock and 2 glasses of wine (about a pint, I used good french red (no, really, look at the label) but some people like to use white wine for a more acidic flavour). The stock and the wine will combine to make a really nasty purple colour, but don't worry, it won't stay this way. Note the lack of tomatoes at this stage, as it is a meat based sauce.

Boil gently (or simmer furiously) for about 20 minutes, until the meat has shrunk and the liquids have reduced down by about a third. Stir it every few minutes to keep things even.

4. Now is finally the time to add your tomatoes (did I mention that it was a meat based sauce?). If I have living tomato plants, I like to use them, but seeing as our cold winter killed them off, I'm using tinned (Napolina are the best IMO). 2x 400g tins (or about 1 3/4 14oz tins in the US) is enough. Add a couple of handfuls of mushrooms (sliced, quartered, however you want) and a few bay leaves. Then add some (when I say 'some' I mean about a tablespoon) basil, oregano and thyme (preferably fresh, but again, the winter killed mine off), as well as some salt and black pepper. Add a fair slug (maybe 2 tablespoons) of balsamic vinegar, just to keep things slightly sharp and sweet.

Stick the lid on the pot, turn it down to the lowest heat, then go into the garage and find your old bike. Go ride around for a couple of hours, because there's not much else to do in terms of the sauce. If you find that your sauce is sticking to the bottom of the pan (which means your hob won't go low enough, or you've got a nasty pan) then stir every fifteen minutes or so, or stick it in the oven on a low heat (120 degrees Celcius is about right). Either way, keep it cooking for at least two hours (a good guide is when your entire house smells delicious).

5. When you're about ready to eat, start boiling some water for the spaghetti (about 750g is a generous amount for six people) and take the sauce off the heat to let it rest for a bit. I like to add another slosh of balsamic vinegar at this stage, as well as a tablespoon of double cream, to make a really rich meaty sauce.

I'm not a person for dolloping the sauce into the middle of the plain pasta, so I mix half with the pasta and then spoon the other half on top. Serve it up with some grated parmesan and a twist of black pepper, and some salad on the side.

If you don't use all the sauce, it'll be alright in the fridge for a couple of days (I actually think it tastes better the next day) or in the freezer for a few weeks.

[AE5150]

Skittle Vodka Infusion
Original thread at http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=9459

Originally Posted by Euda

You'll need:

* 1.75 liter bottle of vodka (Stolichnaya, Finlandia, or Skyy work out well)
* five 8.5 ounce flasks or bottles (plastic water bottles work)
* a one pound bag of Skittles
* five empty plastic water bottles with lids
* a funnel
* five containers, or you can use piles, to separate the Skittles
* a measuring cup
* coffee filters

The basic recipe requires 10 skittles per ounce of vodka.

You want to have sixty of each colour Skittle separated and ready:


Fill each empty plastic water bottle with six ounces of vodka using your funnel.

Add each variety of Skittle to its respective bottle:


Put the lids on tightly and shake each bottle, allowing the colour coating to wear off into the vodka:


You can set the bottles aside for a night, shaking as you see fit; shaking the bottles at least twice is advisable.

This is what they should look like the next day:


The next step is filtering out the leftover Skittle goo:

Be aware that you may have to filter each bottle twice, or more if you prefer.

After filtering, you're ready to bottle your Skittle vodka:


Chill, serve, and enjoy:

As you can imagine, Skittle Vodka is already sweetened. It's best served on the rocks or with Sprite.

[AE5150]

Savoy Chicken
Original thread at http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=12753

Originally Posted by Killallthewhiteman420

1kg of chicken pieces (nibbles, thighs, wings, drumsticks).
30ml Olive oil
300ml chicken stock (chicken biullion is just as good or even just water)
50ml Balsamic vinegar
50g parmasean cheese
Salt and pepper
As much oregano as you like
Garlic Powder - Protip use garlic powder on meats it tastes better.
Optional- Chilli powder

Oven at 200 degrees C
Chicken in the pan
Stock +oil ontop
Sprinkle garlic powder ontop
Sprinkle salt pepper oregano

Cook for about an hour.

Remove from oven, sprinkle 50ml balsamic or so on chicken and then put parmasean ontop.

Cook about 5-10 minutes longer.

So fucking nice man; i just need to think of a vegeterian version.

This is italian btw.

[AE5150]

Tuna Steaks & Crushed Potatoes with Avocado Salsa
Original thread at http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=12755

Originally Posted by Toothlessjoe

You can add your own twists on this but this is a basic recipe I like using when I'm trying to eat well. Adjust the amounts for the salsa to your own tastes, they're not entirely intergral. I prefer mine with more tomato and avocado and slightly chunky.

Ingredients:

Tuna Steak.

Tomatoes, chopped.
Avocado, chopped.
Red onion, finely chopped.
Chilli, deseeded and finely chopped.
Lime, 1/2 juiced, 1/2 wedges.
Olive oil.
Rocket.

New potatoes.
Chopped fresh mint

Method:

Turn a griddle pan on high and sear the tuna for 2-3 minutes each side.

Mix the tomato, avocado, red onion and chilli together and mix in the lime. Fold through the rocket and dress in olive oil.

Cook the new potatoes with the skins on and when done lightly crush them with a fork. Season with mint.

Serve.

[AE5150]

Apple and Beet Soup
Original thread at http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=6937

Originally Posted by Euda

Ingredients:

1 medium size onion, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and diced
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 medium beets, cooked and diced
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil
4 cups of water
salt
pepper
garlic
lemon juice


1.) Take a large saucepan and melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of good olive oil over medium heat and add the onion, cooking covered for about 5 minutes or until tender.

2.) Add the potato and apples, stirring, lower the heat, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

3.) Uncover, add the beets, 4 cups of water, and bringing it all to a good boil.

4.) Bring it back down to a medium heat and cook covered for 10 to 15 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.

5.) Remove from heat, carefully pour the hot soup into a blender or food processor and puree. If the soup is too thick for your tastes, you can add a little water and puree again.

6.) Now you return it to the saucepan, squeeze in a little lemon juice, a pinch of ground garlic, a pinch of salt and a few cranks on the pepper mill. Stir in these additions and keep things warm until serving.

On occasion, people add horseradish to the soup upon consumption. At the moment, it's one of my favourite soups.

[AE5150]

Chili Recipe (likely the first of many)
Original thread at http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=20480

Originally Posted by Toothlessjoe

Chilli is awesome and everyone has their own way of making it and their own stance on whether beans go in or on the side. I prefer beans on the side, so you won't find any in this recipe . I like to make it in bulk, but adjust the amounts accordingly. Anyway, here's what I made this morning/afternoon:

What you'll need:

1.5lbs ground beef.
3 pieces of bacon.
0.5lbs sausage (my butcher sells "breakfast sausage". It's pork, it's seasoned, it's ready to be made into patties, and it's tasty).
2 shallots (finely chopped).
1 onion (finely chopped).
1 clove garlic, minced.
1-2 cups strong coffee.
1 bottle beer (I used an ale because that's all I had on hand, but a lager would be just as good)... an extra bottle or two for the chef is good.
1 chipotle pepper in abodo sauce, chopped fine.
2 tsp cocoa powder.
2-3 tsp honey.
2 dried ancho chile peppers, deseeded and chopped fine.
2 dried california chile peppers, deseeded and chopped fine.
1 tsp liquid smoke.
1-2 tsp chili powder.
3-5 tsp cumin.
7 oz tomato paste.
8 oz salsa.


Method:

Grind bacon (I used a food processor). Season all meat with chilli powder and salt & pepper. Brown all meat in a large pot - a large pot mans you can get all the meat in there in one layer, meaning it will cook evenly. Remove meat from pot and sweat (not saute) onions, garlic and chilli peppers over med-low heat until onions are soft. Add everything else, stir well, slap the lid on and let it sit on a low flame for for 3-4 hours, stirring every 30-40 minutes.

Serve with rice, tortilla chips or whatever you like.



It's chilli, it's manly and it's not this foo-foo turkey chilli and kidney bean stuff. It seems like a big list, but mostly it's a concoction of shit you have around your kitchen (salsa, chilli powder, peppers, tomato paste, honey, coco powder, beer, coffee, onions, cumin and shallots were all things I had just sitting around. You can do well with a lot less). In fact, Chilli is all about the peppers I find, the sooner you recognize that the better off you'll be. So if you like making chilli, buy/order in a nice range of peppers. As long as you have beef, cumin and chlli peppers you're on your way to making some chilli. What happens from there to the plate is up to you!

It should also be slow cooked to allow it to thicken and gain a nice, smooth texture and to allow the flavours to develop. Sometimes storing it overnight and reheating it the next day is the best way to let things really take hold, but I like to eat once I've made some.

[AE5150]

Red Lentil Soup
Original thread at http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=35300 (reply #4)

Red Lentil soup - cheap and filling.

1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2 handfuls of red lentils. No need to pre-soak, but wash it first
2 cubed potatoes
2 cubed parsnips
4 sausages, sliced and lightly browned
1 large onion
Carrots
Quartered mushrooms
About 1 1/2 tins full of stock
Worcester sauce
Tomato puree
Mixed herbs (yes, I'm cheap)
Couple tablespoons of cornflour mixed with milk if you like it thick
Salt to taste

Put everything except for the parsnips, potato and sausages into a pot and simmer for 15 mins. Then add those three things and simmer for another 20 mins. If it's reduced too much for your taste, throw in some more stock. And if you want it thick, add the cornflour/milk mixture and simmer for another few minutes.

Feeds two people.

[AE5150]

15 Minute Fish
Original thread at http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=70780

Eating healthy in today's society is kind of tough, considering food has gotten so GOD DAMNED expensive. I find myself stopping to eat fast food more times each week than I care to admit. Mostly because of the price, but also because it's convenient. Well..that shitty fast food has taken a toll on my health skyrocketing my cholesterol. So... now I need to start eating less bad cholesterol and intake a little more Omega IIIs. Hence: My fish recipe.

This recipe is a combination of a bunch of other fish recipes I have accumulated in the past. It's one I went to the store blindly to prepare. I stopped at the ethnic (mostly polish) grocery store and started to pick up the ingredients...And without further adue, I give you..

Fantastic 15-minute fish in foil:

You'll need:
Tin Foil
Baking sheet or pizza pan
3 medium size filets of Orange Roughy
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 red onion (green onions are good too)
1/4 clove of Garlic (fresh)
1 tomato
1 lemon
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 tbspn Basil
1/2 tbspn oregano
1/2 tbspn Parsley
Salt
Pepper
(whatever you see fit. Different people like different amounts of salt and peper)

First, Preheat your oven to 450 degrees then, chop your green pepper, red pepper, onion, and tomato up as shown in the following picture. Crush the garlic and chop it and put all the ingredients aside:


Now, lay out a large sheet of tinfoil and on it you'll spread out your veggies and pour olive oil atop. Save about half of the garlic and put aside:


Now go ahead and place your fish atop the veggies and cover in the remaining garlic. Sprinkle Oregano, Basil, Parsley, Salt and Pepper across the top of the fish:


FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE HERE: But...slice your lemon up. You'll need about 6 lemon slices to place atop the fish filets. (squeeze remaning lemon juice over the entire uncooked dish)

Last step...(my picture here didn't come out properly and I was on a time restraint so I didn't realize)
Fold the tinfoil around the entire dish like a pocket. Once long ways and roll the ends up. Use two pieces of foil if need be. Now put on baking sheet or pizza pan and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until fish is soft and flakey.

That's it. You're done!
Your finished dish should look something like this:


So there you have it. I hope those of you who like fish find this to be tastey. I apologize for the crappy pictures, but I only had my cell to take them with. Feel free to go with different variations of the recipe...make it your own! and Contact me with any questions. Thanks for looking!

[AE5150]

Black Bean Chicken Wings
Original thread at http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=71431

25 chicken wings
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp black bean sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic-crushed
1 tsp pepper

Marinade wings in sauce for several hours or over night. Line a baking sheet with foil. Bake @ 300 for about 2 1/2 hours. They get more 'sticky' and flavorful the longer they bake. Every half hour I base with the sauce in the pan and turn the wings.

[AE5150]

A Good Stew
Original thread at http://www.zoklet.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=71245

Originally Posted by whocares123

I love a good stew to warm my cold bones, especially this time of year as it gets cold. While the stew is brewing, I like to go sit out in the garage or on the porch and just get cold so when I come in anything hot will taste delicious.

This stew recipe goes back to my great grandfather:

3 cans corn
1 can peas
1 apple (medium sized)
1 pear (medium)
1 lb beef stew meat
3 tbsps brown sugar
5 tbsps basil
6 cups piping hot water, brought to a boil beforehand
3 tsps pepper
12 tsps kosher salt
1/3 onion chopped finely

leave meat out on countertop for at least 6 hours to bring full flavor to the surface before cooking. combine all above ingredients in a large cauldron pot and cook on a low heat for about 35 minutes. best stew my bones have ever had.

note: my grand father used to use epsom salt in place of kosher salt, but i don't care for that.

[AE5150]

I've been busier than all hell as of late, so if I've missed recipes that you all think should be in here, toss me a private message and I'll get it added.

[AE5150]

I'm gonna go ahead and just open this thread. Feel free to contribute. I'll weed out the goofy stuff, but generally, you guys in G&G keep things sane.

It seems a lot simpler than me trying to weed through posts at this point. All recipes are welcome!

[JustAnotherAsshole]

-French bread (Good bread, brought from Fairway which brings it in from a very good bakery in the city. Link: http://www.balthazarbakery.com/whole...27?ingredients )

-Butter (Butter)

-Pecorino Romano cheese.

-Potato peeler thing.

-Bread knife.

-Butter knife.

Cut yourself a few slices of your French bread with your bread knife. Apply butter as desired with butter knife. Apply cheese as desired with peeler.

Eat and enjoy tasty new snack.

[DECI4]

Dried Cherry Gastrique

2 Cups sugar
2 Cups vinegar (for this I reccomend a premium white vinegar like Banyuls.)
2 cups dried cherrys


Method:

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Taste for balance. Adjust sweetness or sourness accordingly. Puree and strain.

[DECI4]

Ginger Sake Mignonette

3 cups sake
2 cups rice vin
1/2 cup mirin
1 cup shallots (minced)
1/8th cup pepper
1 1/2 cups simple syrup
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 qt H20
1/2 cup fresh minced ginger.

Serve w/ fresh oysters!

Just realized this makes way more than you would ever use or need. I think half of this recipe would be more than enough for a small party so I guess break it down as needed. Sorry I'm lazy.

[DECI4]

Ever make your own mayonaise? The time is now. I recommend using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. You can acheive good mayo by hand but it is ALOT of whisking, and its nearly impossible to achieve the thickness of a store bought mayo without the machine.

You will need:

9 egg yolks
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tblspoon dijon mustard
4 cups of canola oil
1 cup olive oil
Tablespoon white wine or champagne vinegar

Method:

In mixing bowl or or electric mixer combine the yolks annd lemon juice and mustard and vinegar and using a whisk or whisk attachment whisk the ingredients together vigorously. You really want to whip some air into the mixture. Continue whisking until frothy and thickened.

Mix the two oils.

Slowly drizzle your oil into the mixture while continuously whisking hard. Start with 1-2 drops at a time until your emulsification really get going. As the mayo gets thicker you can add more oil at a time but never just dump the oil in. Continue whipping until all the oil is incorporated.

Season to taste with salt and you can always thin the mayo out with a little water if your emulsification is too thick.

[Satyr]

I'm not sure if you're supposed to just post your recipes in here, but I'm just going to do it anyway.

Sabayon:



Sabayon is a dessert made from egg-yolks, sugar and alcohol. Traditionally, you measure the ingredients by using a half egg-shell from the eggs you break. It's got a consistency like a very light mousse, has a very sweet taste and a quite strong taste of alcohol. Of course, the alcohol you use heavily influence the taste.

Ingredients for 3 persons:

-4 egg-yolks
-4 half egg-shells of sugar (OR for Europeans: 3 half egg-shells of sugar, and one half egg-shel of vanilla sugar)
-4 half egg-shells of white wine or champagne

Seperate the egg-yolks from eggwhite and put the yolks in a pan. Add the sugar and wine and stir it. You should notice that as soon as you start to stir, the mixture will start to get thicker. Once everything is mixed, put it on the stove at half power. Constantly whip it using a whisk. Keep going, making sure you reach all over the bottom of the pan.

A foam will start to form. This is good, keep whipping it. After a while, the mixture will get thicker and thicker. To know if it's right, stop whipping it for a second. If you can see bubbles appearing on the surface, it's almost ready. If you move your whisk through the mixture, and it's thick enough to see the lines of where the whisk moved through, take it off the stove. You're done. You can eat it warm, or you can let it cool down first.

Couple of notes:

-You have to add alcohol. You cannot make this without it, it won't thicken. Which alcohol you use doesn't matter though. Most people use white wine or champagne, but strong beer will work just as well (as you can see in the picture, where they used Duvel). The alcohol-percentage has to be under 19% though.

-In a restaurant, this is often one of the most expensive desserts on the menu. Why? Because it requires constant attention. While making this, you can't do anything else. You have to watch it very closely and you have to stir and whip it constantly.

-This recipe is all about timing. Stop whipping too early, and it'll be too thin. Stop whipping too late, and it'll.. I don't know the right word in English . Getting it off the stove too early will result in it not being cooked enough, and being too thin. Keep it on the stove too long, and you'll just have scrambled eggs in wine. Again: timing is the key. It's not too difficult, but like I said it requires constant attention.

And it's totally worth it. In my opinion, this is one of the best desserts ever.

[Tunicate]

In response to the other chili recipe. I have a tasty, big batch
Chorizo Chili recipe

fresh chorizo (about a pound and a half)
2 tablespoons oil (i like garlic olive oil)
bay leaves (i use about a teaspoon of dried, but it calls for 2 whole. your call)
1 small onion
1 green or red bell pepper to taste (red is sweeter, green is traditional)
1 can (400g) of white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (400g ea.) of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon paprika (smoked if you have it)
1 tablespoon chili powder
green onions, chopped (really however much you want to sprinkle on top)
salt and pepper to taste

(the original recipe called for a single potato. I felt that neither the cooking time, medium, nor amount did it justice. Either that or I suck. It never came out right with the potato.)

Cooking instructions: Heat the oil in a large pot and add the bay leaves, onion, green pepper and chorizo.
-Saute for 2-3 minutes over a medium-high heat, then add the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, and spices.
-Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down very low and let simmer covered for 20 minutes.
-Stir the stew, then leave partially covered for another 20 minutes or until the stew is as you like it.

(I find that it doesn't need this much cooking time; again, without the potato. 30 minutes is just fine, and it's almost no work once everything is chopped and in the pot.) We sometimes put cheddar cheese on top of ours, but I've been told it's very good without. It's a little tangy, but not spicy unless you add something. ENJOY!

[sheff]

Vegetarian Borscht.

Not the sort of thing you'll find on a lot of recipe sites, but a fairly authentic reproduction of my original хозяйка's борщ. Forget the Madeleines in A La Recherche du Temps Perdus, this recipe transports me straight back to a grotty little Krushchev-era flat which I really enjoyed living in, and looking out at the Gulf of Finland in the middle of a snowstorm, warmed by this soup.

Damn tasty, filling, and best enjoyed with a wine-glass of decent straight-out-of-the-freezer vodka.



Righto, get yourself (roughly; I tend to do it by eye),
Olive/Vegetable oil.
A large onion.
A couple of fair-sized carrots.
4-6 Beetroot (I use the pre-cooked ones, just because they're easier to locate)
About half a large white cabbage. (Savoy doesn't really work.)
Red wine vinegar.
Lemon Juice.

Dice the carrots, onions, and beetroot to roughly 1cm cubes, apart from the carrot and cabbage, which ought to be into thick strips about 3-5cm long.

Whack everything (apart from the cabbage) into a frying pan with plenty of olive oil, and let it soften the vegetables for about ten-fifteen minutes.
That almost done, bring the kettle to the boil, put a couple of stock cubes in the bottom of a soup pan, and add roughly a litre of water, (Though obviously you can add more later) medium heat on the hob, and whack the cabbage in there for five-ten minutes.

That done, add the veg from the frying pan, two tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and nearly half a lemon's juice, put a lid on, and leave it for half an hour or more on a simmer, adding more water if the vegetables are noticeably protruding from the top. This is a fairly watery soup, and if you add too much, take the lid off and let a bit boil off.

In terms of serving, garnish with dill (compulsory) to taste and sour cream, (optional) similarly. But more than a heaped tablespoon is overdoing it a bit. A bit of proper black bread, or if you can't get that, toasted wholemeal, on the side.

This'll sort out about four portions. To bulk it out, just use the remaining cabbage. I've noticed that it improves slightly as leftovers, but perhaps that's just me linking the pleasure and thriftiness centres of my brain.

What was I saying? Oh yes.

Enjoy.

[ratfrink]

^ that made me smile buddy.

Pastasciutta like Nonno makes it

Pastasciutta is a common term in Neapolitan dialect, basically meaning dried pasta which is boiled and served with a sauce. It's also what most people think of when people say 'pasta with sauce'. In this case, the sauce is tomato (it's Neapolitan, what else would it be?). It's a simple recipe, which makes me wonder why so many people get it so wrong so often.

Serves 2:

Get two pork chops and cut the bones out. Slice up a couple of garlic cloves and some fresh parsley and roll it inside the chops, and stick a few cocktail sticks in them keep them together.

Get a small but deep cast iron pan with tight-fitting lid. Into that pan put some olive oil (not bright green fancy extra virgin stuff, because it has too strong a taste and too low a smoke point) and some butter, and put it on a medium heat.

Add a sliced shallot and a few sliced cloves of garlic. Put in the pork chops and the remaining bones, too. If you've got some salami, add a big chunk of that as well. Anchovies are good, too. Stir them around until they're golden. Reduce the heat.

Add some peeled and roughly chopped plum tomatoes. They need blisteringly hot sunshine to ripen properly, so if you don't live in southern Italy, Spain, or the southern United States, don't use home-grown ones. My granddad simply gave up trying to grow tomatoes in the UK. Use tinned ones instead - two tins gives you enough sauce for two dinners plus two smaller servings for lunch tomorrow (I think it tastes better cold, actually). Napolina are my (and his) preferred brand. Get the ones with whole tomatoes - the ones with blended tomatoes always taste a bit odd - presumably this is because they have a higher concentration of the more woody/less fleshy parts of the tomato.

Wash out the tins with water or red wine and put that in the pot too. Add some more fresh parsley, some fresh basil, a pinch of sea salt (so much tastier than normal table salt) and some freshly ground pepper. Add a glug of red wine vinegar and a few capers if you have any. If you've got some parmesan or other hard cheese, cut off the rind and throw that into the pot - it'll add flavour and be a tasty chewy treat later. Then stick a lid on it on the lowest heat you can (use a heat-diffuser pad if your hob won't go low enough) and leave it, for a very long time. For as long as you can, really. Stir and rotate the pork chops every now and then. Something amazing happens to tomatoes when you cook them for hours and hours. Best to start cooking this in the morning so it'll be ready for dinner in the evening. If it gets too dry, add some water - it'll reduce off again.

When your entire house (or even your entire street) smells delicious, it's time to cook your pasta. Fish out the pork bones first. Whenever I watch people trying to cook dry pasta, I facepalm. Here's how to do it correctly:
1. Boil an enormous pan of water. It has to be at least big enough to fit your head inside. Add a lot of salt.
2. When it is boiling ferociously, put in your pasta and boil it. Don't fucking simmer it. Give it a stir to stop it sticking together. When it's cooked but firm, it's ready. Don't boil it until it's falling apart or even the slightest bit mushy. Also, don't serve it while it's still chalky in the middle, which is what restaurants seem to be doing these days.
3. Drain your pasta well. Put it back in the pan. Put the sauce on top. Stir it. Put it in a bowl. Don't put watery pasta on a bowl and put a cow-pat of sauce on the top.
4. Put cheese on it. Don't use cheddar, use parmesan or pecorino. Don't pour an oil slick of that green shit all over it either, which is another thing restaurants seem to be doing these days.

The recipe makes enough sauce for tomorrow as well. Cook enough pasta for both - it tastes better when the pasta and sauce have made sweet love in the fridge overnight.



------------


Custard Crepes, from Simon Hopkinson's absolutely amazing 'Roast Chicken and Other Stories' (actually it's from More Roast Chicken, but it's the same series, and I'd implore you to get both).

Make crepe batter as usual (melted butter, milk, eggs) and add grated orange zest and a few drops of almond essence. Make all your crepes and keep them warm in a low oven.

Make a good custard:
heat a pan of milk with a cinnamon stick, a vanilla pod, and some grated orange zest. When it starts to simmer, turn it off and cover it. Leave until cool and then sieve out the bits. Then put back on a low heat again.

Mix two egg yolks with a teaspoon of flour and a dessert spoon of icing sugar. Pour in the hot milk and whisk. Put over a very low heat and keep stirring until it thickens up nicely.

Then take a crepe, lay it out flat, put in a small blob of custard, then fold the crepe in half and then in half again (so that it makes a quarter-circle). Do this to all your crepes, laying them out in an ovenproof dish in an attractive pattern.

Sprinkle over some brown sugar and put into a very hot oven. Meanwhile, pour a big glug of Cointreau into a small pan and start heating it up. Take the pancakes out when they're starting to singe on their thin edges (should only take a few minutes).

Sprinkle on a handful of roughly chopped mint leaves, then pour over the Cointreau, set it alight, and take it to the table whilst being careful not to burn your eyebrows. Swirl it around so it mingles with the custard and makes a nice sauce. Serve when the flames die down.



--------------



Mm-hmm! I do love the taste of a good burger. But me, I can't usually get 'em 'cus my girlfriend's vegetarian, which pretty much makes me a vegetarian. I don't like shop-bought veggie-burgers (both the taste and the cost) so I decided to make my own recipe, which makes four good-sized burgers:

1. Boil some water. Put half a cup (that's a small teacup, not the american measurement; I don't know the exact quantity) of lentils in there, boil for ten minutes, then turn the heat down and keep cooking.

2. Get a 400g can of kidney beans. Drain them really well. Put them in a bowl and mash them up with a wooden spoon until you get a pretty homogeneous pinky-brown paste (this takes a long time).

3. Meanwhile, chop up an onion and a few cloves of garlic as finely as you can. You could use a mouli-legumes if you wanted to. Put that in with the beans.

4. Turn two slices of bread into very coarse breadcrumbs. This is easiest if the bread is stale. You can do this by hand (crunch them up... takes a while) or in a blender, if you have one. Put this in with the beans too.

5. Your lentils should be more than cooked now. Drain them very very well, and mix it in.

6. Now add some rolled oats. This'll give some good texture to your burgers. About half a teacup.

7. Add a tablespoon of flour. Then add some meaty flavourings: salt, pepper, thyme, vegetable stock cubes. Paprika, maybe, or soy sauce, or grated parmesan, or even ceps (porcini mushrooms). Maybe MSG if you're that way inclined.

8. Add an egg, or two eggs if it looks a little dry. Form into burgers (a.k.a. patties) and flour on both sides. You can cook them straight away (shallow-fry them for about 15 minutes per side) or leave them in the fridge to firm up a bit.

Next time I will add some grated potato to give them a rougher texture. They're nice. They're not a good approximation of meat, but they're certainly very tasty and savoury and have a meaty texture, and they're a whole lot better than shop-bought ones.




-------------




A good leek-and-potato soup recipe, which I have adapted from a couple of other recipes. It's a little more robust and thicker than French vichyssoise, as well as being best served warm (not hot) rather than cold.

Serves 2-3

Melt some butter on a very low heat in a heavy pan that has a good lid.

Chop up two leeks. Don't use the tough outer leaves, but the green bits are fine and add flavour. Slice them in half down the middle, then chop reasonably finely. Do the same to a couple of medium size onions. Peel 2-3 large potatoes and cube them. Stick the whole lot in the pan, put in a couple of bay leaves, and put the lid on to keep all the moisture in. Stir every 10 minutes or so to make sure nothing sticks. Leave them for about an hour, making sure the potatoes are very well cooked.

Then add some milk and some very strong stock. Chicken or vegetable stock works well, and stock cubes are fine (it's a cheap everyday meal after all). Just add a little bit of both. Remove the bay leaves, and then get a hand-blender and whizz up the whole lot very thoroughly. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Add more milk if you prefer a thinner soup. Whole milk is best IMO - I don't like to use cream as it makes it too heavy. Serve it lukewarm and topped with some chives or parsley.


If you want to make a vichyssoise, which is lighter and served cold, then only use the white parts of the leek, omit the milk and use water instead, and fold in a bit of cream just before serving. To make the texture classically smooth, strain the soup through a very very fine seive after blending it. Top with chives.




--------





A Very English Onion Soup

Sometimes you come across a simple recipe that absolutely knocks you for six - this is one of them. None of that French shit here sonny! Recipe is from the cookbook of Porter's English restaurant in London.

1. Finely slice six large white onions, place in a heavy pan (cast iron is ideal) with a little oil on the lowest heat possible. Add a bouquet garni. Leave for a long time. Porters recommend 40 minutes with the lid on, 20 with the lid off. I leave mine as long as possible - the soup I'm eating now has been cooking for six hours with a lid on - either way, the onions should be soft, slippery and brown.

2. Add a teaspoon of sugar, turn the heat up, and stir to start caramelizing things. Add a little bit of butter, some flour, and stir for a few minutes.

3. Add half a bottle of very malty, fruity dark ale. Old Peculier is absolutely perfect. Bishop's Finger would probably also work. Guinness might be good, but it's not very fruity at all. If you can't get the beer, add a glass of red wine. If you can't get either, don't add a hoppy ale, a bitter or any form of lager (yellow beer) - I have tried making this soup with a hoppy light ale and it was disgusting. If in doubt, leave it out! When the soup is starting to boil, turn it down to a simmer.

4. Add two cloves, and about 1/2 pint of good stock, salt and pepper to taste. Add a teaspoon of strong English mustard (the kind that makes your nose run by just smelling it, Colman's is good). You can add a little extra sugar at this point if you want it to be sweeter. Leave to simmer for half an hour with the lid off - stir occasionally. It'll thicken up a bit.

5. Get a good chunk of mature cheddar, grate it and stir into the soup until it's completely melted. Remove the two cloves. Season to taste, and serve in a deep bowl with some croutons and more grated cheddar on top.

[Dr. Awkward]

Chocolate Filled Citrus Rolls


Modified from - http://www.thepastryaffair.com/blog/...lled-buns.html

Yields 12 rolls

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup barely warm milk
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted + 1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cardamon
1 egg
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon grapefruit juice
2-3 ounces semisweet baker's chocolate, finely chopped

1. Heat milk in microwave ~30 seconds until just warm to the touch. Add yeast to the milk in a large bowl.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter, mix in to the milk along with sugar, salt, cinnamon, cardamon, egg, orange and lime zest, and orange and grapefruit juice.

3. Mix three cups of flour, one at a time, in to the milk mixture until a dough is formed.

4. Place dough on a floured surface, need dough while adding more flour until the dough is still just barely sticky to the touch. Return to an oiled bowl,
cover, and let rise until doubled in size. The acidity of the dough means it will take a little longer than basic yeast dough normally would.

5. Punch the dough down and divide in to 12 pieces. Make an indent in the dough and place 1 to 2 teasopons ofthe chopped baker's chocolate. Pinch the dough
around the chocolate, turn the ball over, and place on an oiled baking sheet. Let rise while heating the over to 400 F.

6. Right before baking, brush the rolls with the remaining tablespoon of melted butter. Bake for 8-10 minutes, let cool, and enjoy.

Pictures:

Spoiler: Click to toggle

[Dr. Awkward]

Crispy Seasoned Parmesan Potatoes

Oven @ 425 F

-4-5 medium red potatoes
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1/3 cuo fresh grated parmesan cheese
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
-1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary
-1/4 teaspoon powdered chipotle pepper
-1 tsp paprika

1. Wash the potatoes, cut out any growth spots. Slice them in half length wise, then slice each of
those halves down the middle again. Finally, slice each quarter crosswise in to pieces about half
an inch thick (see photos). Potatoes generally cook/fry much crispier the less water they have in
them. Dry them out by spreading the pieces on a paper towel and pressing down on them with another
paper towel. This may take a few towels to get through all of them.

2. Mix together the parmesan, minced garlic, sea salt, rosemary, paprika, and cayenne. If you have
coarse sea salt, grind it up a little with a mortar and pestle to distribute it a little better. If
the rosemary is dried, grind that up too.

3. Put the olive oil in a bowl with the potatoes and mix until coated. I used two tablespoons of
olive oil and one tablespoon basil flavored olive oil, it's a nic touch but don't run out and buy
some if you don't already have it, it's really not necessary. Mix the seasonings in with the oiled
potatoes until evenly covered.

4. Spread the poatoes on a lightly oiled cooking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes on one side, remove,
and turn over all the pieces. Put back in the oven and bake for another 8-10 minutes. This will cook
them nicely, I like my food more on the charred side so I cook mine a little longer.

5. Serve hot!

Pictures:

Spoiler: Click to toggle

[Dr. Awkward]

Cilantro Lemonade


Another recipe of my own crafting. I was eating at Chipotle and enjoying their cilantro lime rice. Figured cilantro lemonade might be good as well.

serves two

-2 cups water
-1/2 cup lemon juice
-lemon zest
-1/2 teaspoon fennel
-3/4 cup fresh cilantro
-2 tablespoons sugar
-2 tablespoons plain unsweetened yogurt

1. Fresh lemon juice is best, but bottled will work just fine. If using fresh lemons, zest
them first. Rinse off the cilantro. Toast fennel seeds briefly and grind in a coffee grinder.

2. Add all ingredients to a blender, blend for about a minute or two until it has a fairly
uniform appearnce with little flecks of cilantro.

3. Serve over ice.

Pictures:

Spoiler: Click to toggle

[ratfrink]

Dear restaurants of Britain. Carbonara isn't a hard dish to make. Why is it that every time I order it, I end up with a bowl of tasteless cream, some spaghetti, and a few mean pieces of bacon floating about in it?

This is how my granddad makes it. It's the best tasting carbonara I've ever had, and he's also Italian. Coincidence?

1. Get a massive pan of salty water on the boil.
2. Chop up your bacon/pancetta/guanciale. The best carbonara I ever made was made using Polish slaninou - I can only presume this is because it's incredibly fatty.
3. Chop up a shallot. Restaurants will tell you not to do this, but they can't make carbonara, so don't listen to them.
4. Chop up garlic. Use loads. I do two-three cloves per person.
4.a) you can also add mushrooms if you like, but they're very optional

5. Put your chopped stuff in a hot pan with some oil and butter, and fry it
6. By now your water should be boiling, so add your pasta.
7. Whisk one egg per person in a bowl. If you're the kind of person that refrigerates their eggs (i.e. you are American), remove them from the fridge earlier so that they are at room temperature
8. Grate up cheese. Parmesan's okay, as is cheddar if you have to use it. Parmesan and cheddar mixed together is great. Pecorino is my favourite. Put the cheese in the eggs.

9. Your pasta should be cooked by now. Drain it but reserve some of the cooking water (a mouthful or so) and plop it in with the eggs, and whisk again. Don't worry about draining your pasta that well - it has to be very hot and still a bit wet for it to work.
10. Put it into the bacon frying pan, and turn off the heat. Add the eggs. Add loads of freshly ground black pepper. Stir everything really quickly - the eggs shouldn't cook fully or you'll end up with scrambled-egg-pasta (which is disgusting). What you're aiming for is, basically, a delicious moist coating of egg, cheese and bacon grease on your pasta.

11. Put it into a bowl and put some chopped parsley on top. If you want to do it in true busy Italian style, eat it standing up in the kitchen, leaning surlily against the counter and gesticulating a lot.

[ratfrink]

How to roast:

Here's how to make a good roast:
1. Get your meat. If beef, roll in oil sage, thyme and salt. If pork, roll in garlic, rosemary, sage, cumin and salt. If lamb, oil and salt, then make some incisions into the meat into which stuff a sliver of garlic, a small piece of anchovy, and a bit of rosemary. If chicken, halve a lemon, squeeze the juice into the cavity, and then insert the halves into the cavity with some sage and thyme, and butter/oil/salt the outside.

Roasting in butter gives a rich flavour which suits chicken, adding a little oil prevents the butter from burning. You can roast your veg in your preferred fat - oil, oil/butter combo, goose fat, or my own personal favourite - either beef dripping or stock fat, which give a very flavoursome result.

2. King Edwards make good roasting potatoes. Peel and dice, and put into a pan of COLD stock. Put a lid on and put on a high heat. When the water starts boiling, drain the potatoes. Reserve the stock.

3. Cut a few carrots, parsnips and onions in half. Season your roasting dish (fat/salt/pepper) and lay these vegetables in a square in the middle. Place your meat on top, upside down if it's a chicken.

4. Fat/salt/pepper/rosemary your potatoes and arrange around the veg/meat trivet.

5. Put into a very hot oven and immediately turn it down. If chicken, turn down to 200 and roast for 45 minutes. Beef takes about 1hr30 at 180. Pork and lamb taste great when roasted really slowly at a low temp e.g. 130 (if cooking for more than three hours it's best to start roasting the meat separately from the veg, as it can become a little too dry).

6. Every half an hour or so, tip the tray so that the fat collects in one corner. Spoon it out and drizzle all over the roast - this'll ensure that everything is cooked evenly and not burnt or charred on top. Turn the veg and meat halfway (or more frequently if you're roasting for 2 hours or more). Check for seasoning whilst you're turning - add more salt if necessary.

About 20 minutes (or longer for low heats) before your roast is due to be finished, smash half a dozen garlic cloves, rub in a little oil, and hide them under the potatoes. Garlic burns very quickly and tastes awful when it does, so putting it in right at the end ensures this doesn't happen.

7. When your roast is cooked, remove everything from the tray and put into a large ceramic bowl or oven-proof container, and put back in the oven. Turn off the oven and leave the door very slightly ajar. This serves two purposes - it allows the meat to rest and so become more tender, and it keeps everything warm while you make the gravy.

8. To make the gravy, put your roasting tray on the hob on a low heat (if you have a diffuser pad or hotplate, now is a time to use it). Tipping the tray again, and with a large spoon, skim off the vast majority of the fat (which is clear) but try not to remove any tasty fluids (which are usually brown and cloudy). Add about half a pint of the reserved stock, and for beef/lamb, a little red wine if you have some. Get a stout wooden spatula and scrape around in the bottom of the pan, dislodging and removing all the tasty cooked-on bits of meat and vegetables.

Meanwhile, get a tablespoon of butter and put into a cup, and either leave it somewhere warm (oven) or microwave it briefly, to melt it. Add a tablespoon of plain flour and mix into a smooth paste. Add this to the fluid in the pan and, on a low heat, stir with either a fork or a balloon whisk. After about 5 minutes, it'll start to thicken up. Keep stirring on the heat for another 5 minutes until it has fully thickened and any hint of a floury taste has disappeared. You can strain the bits out of your gravy if you want - I leave them in.


To serve, carve the meat in which ever way you prefer, and arrange attractively on heated plates (warm oven, again). Hand the gravy in a separate container.

I like to serve roasts with french tinned peas, simmered in strong stock with a pinch of sugar, and thoroughly drained. If your peas have A l'etuvee written on the can, this is a good sign.


When you are done with your roast, reserve any bones and uneaten parts to make a stock. To make stock, break the bones in half or smash 'em up, and along with any bits of skin/flesh/cartilage, and some spare root veg (carrots, onions, parsnips), and a bouquet garni, add to a large pan of COLD water. Put a lid on this pan, and put on a low heat for many, many hours. Boiling the water will 'seal in' the flavours of the meat, so keeping it just below a simmer will result in the best tasting stock.

When you've cooked it for as long as you can, drain, and then you can reduce it by further simmering. You can reduce it to a thick brown liquid and freeze in an ice-cube tray to use instead of shop-bought stock cubes, but beware that over time, unwanted flavours will creep their way into it - seal it very very well. Skim the fat off the top and use this to roast your potatoes next week (fermentation, no?).

[Kwinnie Bogan]

Delicious pork loin chops as created by my girl:

Rub them down with plenty of decent beef dripping, chilli, and garlic salt. Have them sit this way in your frige for over a day because they were marinating for Tuesday but you forogt to cook them and made them late Wednesday night. Rip em straight out the sotrage and throw them into a pan to sizzle them in medium heat until cooked to your happiness and peace of mind. Ta-daaaa.

Pork loin chops as made by Kwinnie's girl.

[abigailwalker28]

I appreciate your time and effort in posting your idea in this site. To be more appealing, try to add some pictures and videos to standout. I would like also to post my idea, try to glance at www.gourmetrecipe.com, there you can find different array of cuisine that you can choose from. I assure you, you and your family will surely enjoy the recipe that you cooked. Go try it!

[Kwinnie Bogan]

I have been wanting to compile a cook-book like thing to hand down to my kids and their kids of the way a VANDERGHAST gets shit done. Maybe this is a good place to start posting and compiling and culling. Soon enough, just need net access.

But first, totse cookbook anyone? 100 recipes of totse/zoklet?

[Irukanji]

Originally Posted by Kwinnie Bogan

But first, totse cookbook anyone? 100 recipes of totse/zoklet?

Good idea. Just need 100 recipes lol

Anyway, here is what I just made(found the recipe on the interwebs, then adjusted as I saw fit...so most of it)

CHICKPEA AND POTATO CURRY

2 tins cooked chickpeas(2x 440g tins)
2 large potatos, peeled, diced and cooked
2 onions, chopped
1 tin tomato
60g ghee
1.5 tsp turmeric
1.5 tsp ginger
1/3tsp cayenne/chilli powder
1 tsp nutmeg(ideally fresh)
1 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 bay leaves

Cook onions in a frying pan with a little oil and salt, add ginger, turmeric, chilli and corriander. Saute until onion is tender. When the spices begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, add the tinned tomato. If the onion isn't cooked, just keep stirring with the tomatos added until they are. Add the potatos and bay leaves.

Now, add the chickpeas, garam masala and lemon juice. Stir in and remove from heat. Let it cool down until you want to eat it. When its time to eat, reheat it and check the seasoning, then fish out the bay leaves and OM NOM NOM with some rice on the side.

---------------

EDIT: First observation is that the cayenne pepper specified is too much for a vegetarian dish. I didn't have any ghee, so I used oil which is probably where I messed up. A good curry has fat in it to adsorb the chilli so it spreads over your mouth, as opposed to burning your throat. I had no ground coriander because I forgot to add it to the shopping list, but I don't think that would have affected the flavour too much. Cooked the potatos in the microwave, drained and washed the chickpeas, then cooked the onions, added the tomatos, and then all that was required was to pour in the chickpeas and potatos, give it a stir with the other stuff and that's it.

You might want to get some fresh coriander to stir in at the end, one of those large red chillis(about 20cm long and 1.5cm wide at the top) and finely slice it to also add at the end for some colour.

I'd imagine if you made it thick, you could serve it with some yoghurt and naan/chapati bread(there is a difference, but both would work) and skip the need for ghee.

[Irukanji]

Fennel and Onion Relish

1 Fennel bulb
2 large onions
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp pepper corns
salt
1/4 cup oil

Add the oil to the pan, add the fennel seeds and heat until fragrant. Crush the peppercorns and salt in a mortar and pestle(however you want). Add to oil. Add sliced fennel and onions and cook on high for 30 minutes stirring often. Reduce heat and let it cook for another hour or so until thick and tasty.

--------------------

I made a whole pile of it 3 days ago, already finished it off lol. I've noticed it goes good with chicken and cheese, probably roast pork belly too. You could replace the onions with shallots(the garlicky-onion onions), and replace the black pepper with white pepper if you want. It is kind of a savoury sweetness. Another though is to roast the fennel seeds dry in the pan before adding the oil to help intensify the flavours along with 1/2-1 tsp of cumin seeds.

[ratfrink]

Sounds lovely. Thanks for posting; perhaps I will serve this with some lamb chops (rather than my usual garlic/anchovy/rosemary roll-it-up-and-roast-it combo)

Braised pork with fennel is lovely, by the way.

[Irukanji]

2 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Hoi Sin Sauce
1 tbsp Garlic
3/4 tbsp Ginger
1-2 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 sliced Thin Red Chilli
Few drops Sesame Oil
~1kg Pork belly
1/2 onion finely sliced
Celery sticks
Chicken stock

Mix all the liquids except sesame oil and chicken stock. Add sliced chilli, finely diced garlic and ginger and combine. Place celery sticks into your over pan of choice, place pork over the top, spoon/baste the marinade mix on top. Add enough chicken stock to half cover the pork.

Cook at 160C covered for 40 minutes, then uncover and cook for another 40 minutes. Add a few drops of sesame oil over the top to serve.

EDIT: I just cooked it and I think the size of the pan was too big. Also, omit the chicken stock unless you plan to cook it for a few hours on a low heat(120-130C). Maybe removing the pork and cooking the sauce down in the pan then re-adding the pork before serving will do.

EDIT 2: I'd recommend marinading the pork in the hoi sin overnight, then adding the other ingredients just before cooking. Remove the pork and keep warm(wrap it up if you can), reduce the liquid by half, give it a taste, strain it, then add the pork to the liquid and toss to coat then serve on your rice or whatever you have chosen.

[Irukanji]

Gnocchi;

800g potatos
300g rock salt
2 egg yolks
oil
75g flour + extra

Cook the potatos on top of the salt in the oven(180C) until a skewer goes in cleanly. Remove. When cool enough to handle(practically right away), scoop out the flesh of the potato and discard the skin. You can keep the salt for making gnocchi again, if you choose.

Pass through a potato ricer/mouli (or in my case, a sieve...takes longer but the end result is the same). Add egg yolks and flour and combine gently. Flour a board and a knife, and turn the potato mix out, cut into 4 sections. Roll as thick or as thin as you like. Cook in a pot of boiling water until they float, then chill in ice water. Drain, then toss in oil. Store in a single layer on some greaseproof paper until service.

-----------------

Meatballs;

1kg mince
onion, fine dice
2 eggs
thyme
salt
pepper
breadcrumbs

Cook onion and thyme until translucent. Remove from heat. Add breadcrumbs and mix. Allow to cool. Add whisked eggs and combine with your fingers. Add breadcrumb mix and continue to mix until well combined. Roll into balls and place on a tray with greaseproof paper(makes clean up easier). Cook in the oven(180C) for 15-20 minutes before adding to your sauce. Alternatively, brown in a pan before adding the sauce.

[ratfrink]

Made this for dinner yesterday. Delicious. No time for fancy descriptions here.

1. Get a large, shallow cast-iron casserole with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Slice a couple of large onions and fry gently in butter, with a slosh of oil added to stop the butter burning.
3. While the onions are frying, get your pork (I used shoulder because a 4kg piece was reduced to £2.12 at the supermarket; belly would be great) and with a long, thin, sharp knife make a series of deep holes right into the centre of the meat, spaced about 1" apart from each other, in a grid pattern over the entire piece.
4. Into each of these holes stuff half a clove of garlic, a small pinch of toasted fennel seeds, and a small sprig of rosemary.
5. Slice through the skin in a diamond pattern to make good crackling later.
6. Put the pork skin-side-down into the casserole with the onions and fry for a few more minutes, until the onions are soft, brown and starting to singe at the edges.
7. Remove the pork and (slowly!) pour in about half a pint of good sweet cider (that's 'hard' cider, for you Americans). Deglaze the pan with it.
8. Put the pork back in, skin-side-up, and season lightly. Add a bouquet garni into the casserole, if you have one; a few bay leaves, rosemary and parsley will do.
9. Put a lid on the dish and put into an oven at 120 degrees, and cook for four-six hours. The slow, gentle cooking is essential to make the pork as tender as possible; the cider will keep it moist and sweet. Open it up every couple of hours to see how it's doing.
10. When it's done, very carefully remove the pork (it will be so tender that the skin may simply slide off) and place onto a baking tray and allow it to rest in a warm place (the oven with the door open is a good place). Put the casserole onto the hob on a gentle heat, skim off the fat, add some pre-prepared roux and make a gravy from it.
11. To make the crackling, either place the pork under the grill (broiler) on its highest setting, or use a blow-torch. The blow-torch is hotter and will crackle the skin faster, and it's more fun.

I served this with a light salad of courgette ribbons and green beans. It's absolutely delicious - incredibly moist tender pork that can be eaten with a spoon, aromatic flavours from the garlic fennel and rosemary, and sweetness from the onion cider gravy, and finally a nice crunch from the crackling. Serve with cider.

[Grand Central Nigger]

My version of Česnečka.

Prague is one of my favorite cities in Europe, and this soup is something that I had to try and replicate. It's starting to cool down and get rainy here, so I made up a batch of this to keep me warm tonight.

Keep in mind I'm a single guy living in a tiny apartment, so this is for a relatively small batch. Enough for a couple days, or to share with anyone who happens to be over.

Ingredients:
-32 oz chicken broth (or beef)
-6 cloves garlic
-1 small white onion
-pinch of salt
-2 tbsp butter
-3 roasted chicken thighs with skin(this is up to you, I just happen to live near a guy who roasts some damn good chicken. Sausage is good choice of meat too, or you can use no meat at all.)
-1tsp marjoram, basil, oregano, and black pepper
-1 large baking potato
-1 small roll either stale or fresh
-cheese of your choice

1. Dice the onion and garlic while heating a medium size saucepan over medium-high heat.

2. I use the water test to determine if the pan is hot enough. Splash a little water and it should sizzle off in a second or two. Add the tablespoon of butter and brush it around the pan using your spatula. Place in the diced onion, and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat with the butter.

3. Dice the potato into small cubes while the onion cooks. I prefer to leave the skin on, but it's up to you.

4. Once the onion is translucent, add the garlic and stir. Don't cook the garlic too long, as it tends to get bitter. Cook while stirring to soften up the garlic, then add your broth.

5. Add the marjoram, basil, oregano, and black pepper to the broth and bring to a simmer.

6. Shave the chicken away from the bone and cut into cubes. Add to the pot.

7. Bring back to a simmer and add the potatoes. Cook about 8-10 minutes or until a fork is easily passed through the potato cubes.

Now onto serving. I usually have a stale roll sitting around for purposes just like this. I slice it and fry it in a saucepan with about a tablespoon of butter until browned on both sides. Place in a bowl with some cheese and serve the soup over it. Alternatively you can use croutons.

A simple soup to make, and very tasty. Maybe not the most traditional, but I don't think there are too many angry Czechs running around this forum that are going to correct me.

[Kwinnie Bogan]

I had come to thinking cheese in soups was a disgusting American pig dog kinda thing.

[Fanglekai]

Originally Posted by Kwinnie Bogan

I had come to thinking cheese in soups was a disgusting American pig dog kinda thing.

It's not just Americans

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cheese_soups

Germany, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Mexico.....

[Kaiju]

Easy Greek Salad (variation #1):

Ingredients:

4 roma tomatoes, finely diced
2 cucumbers, peeled and finely diced
1 bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 c onions, finely diced
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 T fresh oregano, finely chopped
1/4 c Kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half
1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions:

Combine ingredients in a bowl and gently toss until all pieces are well coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for several hours to allow the flavors to blend.


Easy Greek Salad (variation #2):

Ingredients:

6-8 roma tomatoes, finely diced
3 cucumbers, peeled and finely diced
1 bell pepper, finely diced
1 c onions, finely diced
1/2 c Kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half
1 c feta cheese, crumbled
3/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 T lemon or lime juice
1 T dried oregano
1 T fresh minced garlic
1 t dried basil
2-3 T red wine vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 t sugar

Instructions:

Combine ingredients in a bowl and gently toss until all pieces are well coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for several hours to allow the flavors to blend.