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What did you have for dinner? -Part dois

Andalublue said:
I've heard references in American TV shows to Chef Salad, but I have no idea what one is. What's in a Chef salad and why's it called that?
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Chef salad - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chef salad (or chef's salad) is a salad consisting of hard-boiled eggs; one or more meats such as ham, turkey, chicken, or roast beef; tomatoes; cucumbers; and cheese; all placed upon a bed of tossed lettuce or other leaf vegetables. Several early recipes also include anchovies. A variety of dressings are used with this salad.

Food historians do not agree on the history and composition of chef salad much less who assembled the first one. Some trace this salad's roots to Salmagundi, a popular meat and salad dish originating in 17th century England and popular in colonial America. Others contend chef's salad is a product of early twentieth century, originating in either New York or California. The person most often connected with the history of this salad is Louis Diat, chef of the Ritz-Carlton in New York City during the 1940s. While food historians acknowledge his recipe they do not appear to be convinced he originated the dish, which is more popularly attributed to either chef Victor Seydoux at the Hotel Buffalo, a Statler Hotel in Buffalo, New York or chef Jacques Roser at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. Roser worked in various culinary positions in Paris before being invited to become head chef at the prestigious 1920s Hotel Pennsylvania, where he worked for over fifteen years.[citation needed] Seydoux first learned his craft in Montreux, Switzerland, and continued his studies in France and England before coming to work in the United States.[citation needed]
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Pan seared crappie fillets with lemon/butter sauce, spanish brown rice and stir fried veggies...DAMN GOOD!
 
Got a Coq au Vin on the stove as I write. Cue Spud, Gardener or some such with the inevitable.....
 
Whole wheat chapatti (fried bread), greens (several types of leaves), beans, potatoes and arrow root.

<belch> Smell it?
 
MaggieD said:
We had steaks tonight, with a mushroom dish, baked Yukon's and a salad.

I saute the canned mushrooms in butter 'til slightly browned, salt and pepper...add some beef stock and chopped green onions...cook it down a bit and put them in ramkins...add mozzerella on top and melt in the oven. Used a garlic-flavored olive oil on the potatoes and added salt. Made a salad of spring greens, green onions, sliced tomatoes and feta cheese. I use Champagne dressing...Tom likes good old Ranch. Yum.
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Lobster bisque, crab cakes, salad, green beans and key lime creme cake. Absolutely delish.
 
Parsnip & carrot curry with quinoa. God, I love quinoa! Anyone have any recipes?
 
Last night BBQ squirrel hind quarters, summer squash/tomato/onion ragu and leftover spanish rice BUT tonight is red gravy from homegrown tomato, italian sausage and angel hair noodles
 
sangha said:
What does squirrel taste like? Chicken?
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Kinda smokey pork flavored chicken...not as 'wild' as venison but much more flavor than chicken or rabbit. And if you ever try it I hope it is cooked by someone who KNOWS how to cook it. It is increadibly hard to get tender unless you know how.
 
Dickieboy said:
Kinda smokey pork flavored chicken...not as 'wild' as venison but much more flavor than chicken or rabbit. And if you ever try it I hope it is cooked by someone who KNOWS how to cook it. It is increadibly hard to get tender unless you know how.
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Thanks

I'm guessing that since it's wild meat, it's pretty lean, so it probably best cooked either med-rare (at most, if roasted) or braised/stewed.
 
sangha said:
Thanks

I'm guessing that since it's wild meat, it's pretty lean, so it probably best cooked either med-rare (at most, if roasted) or braised/stewed.
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FORGET med-rare, WAY TOO TOUGH, I really can't overenphasis this, imagine chewing on a ball glove. I use two ways:

1. Favorite/quicker - Pressure cook for 30 mins then prepare like anything else. batter and fry, bbq sauce in oven/grill, saute w/veggies, stew, dumplings, etc.
2. Braise/stew like you said. Country style-Flour and fry to get coating, cover in wine/broth, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1.5hrs or so (oven works good too)
 
Dickieboy said:
Last night BBQ squirrel hind quarters, summer squash/tomato/onion ragu and leftover spanish rice BUT tonight is red gravy from homegrown tomato, italian sausage and angel hair noodles
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Could never eat tree rats. Tonight, marinated pork chop, apples, broccoli, sourdough bread.
 
Home made Hot Tamales.

I made it this time using the the masa Harina tamale dough this time. I made the meat filling one day and the assembled and steamed the day after and froze them. I have made this recipe multiple times using the regular Cornmeal Tamale dough and the Masa harina Tamale dough. I enjoy both versions.But if you want left overs, or want to make a batch ahead of time to reheat later I suggest the Masa Harina Tamale dough. The regular corn meal dough tamales gets crumbly and a little dry when you reheat them,Although that dry crumbly texture of a the reheated regular corn meal tamales might be good with some chili and cheese on top.

Hot Tamales Recipe : Alton Brown : Food Network
Code: 
Directions

For the meat filling:
Ingredients

    1/4 cup chili powder
    2 tablespoons kosher salt
    1 tablespoon paprika
    1 tablespoon smoked paprika
    1 tablespoon garlic powder
    1 tablespoon onion powder
    2 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
    2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
    1 teaspoon freshly toasted and ground cumin seed
    2 pounds Boston butt meat, untrimmed
    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    1 large onion, finely chopped
    4 cloves garlic, minced
    1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

For the wrappers:

    4 to 5 dozen dried corn husks

For the cornmeal dough:

    2 pounds yellow cornmeal, approximately 6 cups
    1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
    1 tablespoon baking powder
    7 1/2 ounces lard, approximately 1 cup
    3 to 4 cups reserved cooking liquid

For the meat filling:

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, kosher salt, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and cumin. Divide the mixture in half and reserve 1 half for later use.

Cut the Boston butt into 6 even pieces and place into a 6 to 8-quart saucepan. Add half of the spice mixture and enough water, 3 to 3 1/2 quarts, to completely cover the meat. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meat is very tender and falling apart, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the meat from the cooking liquid to a cutting board. Leave the cooking liquid in the pot. Both meat and liquid need to cool slightly before making dough and handling. Remove any large pieces of fat and shred the meat into small pieces, pulling apart with your hands or using 2 forks.

Place a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Once shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are semi-translucent, approximately 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and remaining half of the spice mixture and continue to cook for another minute. Add the meat and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

For the wrappers:

While the meat is cooking, place the husks in a large bowl or container and submerge completely in hot water. Soak the husks until they are soft and pliable, at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours.

For the dough:

Place the cornmeal, salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and combine. Add the lard and using your hands, knead together until the lard is well incorporated into the dry mixture. Gradually add enough of the reserved cooking liquid, 3 to 4 cups to create a dough that is like thick mashed potatoes. The dough should be moist but not wet. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside until ready to use.

To assemble the tamales:

Remove a corn husks from the water and pat dry to remove excess water. Working in batches of 6, lay the husks on a towel and spread about 2 tablespoons of the dough in an even layer across the wide end of the husk to within 1/2-inch of the edges. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture in a line down the center of the dough. Roll the husk so the dough surrounds the meat, then fold the bottom under to finish creating the tamale. Repeat until all husks, dough and filling are used. Tie the tamales, around the center, individually or in groups of 3, with kitchen twine.

To cook the tamales:

Stand the tamales upright on their folded ends, tightly packed together, in the same saucepan used to cook the meat. Add the reserved broth from making the dough and any additional water so the liquid comes to 1-inch below the tops of the tamales. Try not to pour the broth directly into the tops of the tamales. Cover, place over high heat and bring to a boil, approximately 12 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the heat to low, to maintain a low simmer, and cook until the dough is firm and pulls away easily from the husk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Serve the tamales warm. For a 'wet' hot tamale, serve with additional simmering liquid. Store leftover tamales, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in the freezer, for up to a month. To reheat, remove the plastic wrap and steam until heated through.
 
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Kosher salt? What's that all about? Is it different from goyish salt? And where does one get corn husks? Are those just the hard bits from the middle of corn cobs?And finally, Boston butt meat? What's that exactly? Pork? Beef? I'd like to have a go at these, so any help gratefully received. I've never had a tamale in my life, so looking forward to it.
 
Andalublue said:
Kosher salt? What's that all about? Is it different from goyish salt?
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It is merely a courser grind of table salt.
And where does one get corn husks? Are those just the hard bits from the middle of corn cobs?
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Some groceries carry them in the Latino section.
And finally, Boston butt meat? What's that exactly? Pork? Beef?
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Pork shoulder meat.
I'd like to have a go at these, so any help gratefully received. I've never had a tamale in my life, so looking forward to it.
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They do sell them in a can if you just want to try but IMO they are nasty compared to freshly made ones.
 
Andalublue said:
Kosher salt? What's that all about? Is it different from goyish salt? And where does one get corn husks? Are those just the hard bits from the middle of corn cobs?And finally, Boston butt meat? What's that exactly? Pork? Beef? I'd like to have a go at these, so any help gratefully received. I've never had a tamale in my life, so looking forward to it.
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i LOVE tamales. corn husks are the outside of the cob.........you wrap the tamale in the corn husk.
 
Dickieboy said:
They do sell them in a can if you just want to try but IMO they are nasty compared to freshly made ones.
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The Tamales in the freezer section taste like homemade. But they can get a little costly if you have a lot of hungry people in your family who love tamales. I do like the canned tamales,they are a far cry from the freshly made and freezer tamales. I grew up eating those,my mom would buy a can of refried beans, some cheese and a couple large cans of tamales and that was dinner.
 
Andalublue said:
Kosher salt? What's that all about? Is it different from goyish salt? And where does one get corn husks? Are those just the hard bits from the middle of corn cobs?And finally, Boston butt meat? What's that exactly? Pork? Beef? I'd like to have a go at these, so any help gratefully received. I've never had a tamale in my life, so looking forward to it.
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Everything that DickieBoy said is correct.You can buy tamales from the freezer section which taste like homemade tamales.The canned are a far fry from the fresh made and freezer brand tamales

But if you plan on using the Masa Harina dough instead of the plain corn meal dough you will need to steam them.I use something similar to this-

stainless-steel-steamer-pot-725.webp
 
Dickieboy said:
It is merely a courser grind of table salt.

Some groceries carry them in the Latino section.

Pork shoulder meat.

They do sell them in a can if you just want to try but IMO they are nasty compared to freshly made ones.
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It also lacks the additive Iodine. Big difference, there is fine and coarse ground kosher salt. I prefer sea salt. There is a ph difference.



Boston butt the cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the shoulder and is better when it contains the blade bone. also note when slow smoking a butt, the "money muscle" (the best part) is on the opposite end of this bone. :prof
 
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Also "Boston Butt" got it's name from the way they backed the meat into casks or barrells that in boston were called "butts" where they packed lesser cuts that were not "high on the hog" for shipment. this was pre-revolutionary times.
 
Dickieboy said:
Kinda smokey pork flavored chicken...not as 'wild' as venison but much more flavor than chicken or rabbit. And if you ever try it I hope it is cooked by someone who KNOWS how to cook it. It is increadibly hard to get tender unless you know how.
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mmmm squirrel. I have not had any in ages. There are a ton in the trees around my house that I would LOVE to eradicate, but they are suburbia squirrels, so probably not good eating - and I doubt me going out there to shoot a few would go over well.. even if it were just a pellet gun.

I will never forget the first time I had squirrel.. I was probably about 8 or 10 yrs old, and visiting my dad's side of the family for thanksgiving.. they live deep in the hills of West Virginia, which was a very far cry from my normal city dwelling world. Anyhow, dinner was served and part of it was a whole squirrel plopped on a plate in front of me. I was always eager to try new foods and new meats, so I sawed off its head and pushed it to the side of my plate, and proceeded to tear of a leg to eat. It was extremely tasty.

A few bites later my dad looked over to me and said "Are you going to want that head?". I was quite puzzled by the question... why in the hell would I want the head? So I passed it over his way, and as I hand it to him he says "This is the best part". I did not know what to make of it, nor could I figure out how that tiny head could be the best part, and then I watched in shock as he opened up the head and scooped out the brain meat with a spoon and savored the delicacy.

I have had squirrel on multiple occasions, and it is exquisite meat, but I will pass on the head thank you very much (it probably is delicious).
 
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