Quarantine cooking thread

[Jay59]

One of the guys that works for me gave a demo today of baked mostaccioli. And now I must have pasta.

My wife grew up on mostaccioli, whereas I had barely even heard of it. It's great for baking.

Of course, I prefer my wife bakes lasagna, which is her idea of easy clean-out-the-fridge food. It's how she proved to me that yogurt is a cheese.

 

[OldFatGuy]

Chicken Marsala

Brown Mushrooms, sliced
Prosciutto (optional)
Thinly sliced chicken breast (can also dice it up in good sized chunks. The key is everything the same thickness)
Butter
SPG
Marsala

In a skillet, melt the butter and start to saute the mushrooms and prosciutto. Once the mushrooms start to soften a little bit toss in the chicken, season with SPG, add enough marsala to that everything looks like it's in the kiddie pool. Add more butter, like half a stick or so. As soon as the chicken is cooked it's all done.

Serve on its own with a little salad and maybe a side of linguini with garlic and oil sauce.

One pan, very little cleanup, HUGE taste.

Marsala means "with wine." More wine or whine. Pound that pollo or veal paper thin, and sauté in wine and garlic, then add the steamed mushroom slices, herbs and spices, northern style, pasta on the side, southern style over the pasta.

 

[Jay59]

Marsala means "with wine." More wine or whine. Pound that pollo or veal paper thin, and sauté in wine and garlic, then add the steamed mushroom slices, herbs and spices, northern style, pasta on the side, southern style over the pasta.

As the truckers say, hammer down.

Napolean did the world of French cooking an enormous favor by hiring Italian chefs. Blue Ribbon Chicken (Cordon Bleu) is a French recipe inspired by Italian cooking. This one is baked for simplicity.

CC Bleu

Chicken
4 chicken breasts
8 slices Swiss cheese
8 slices deli ham
1 cup flour
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cup panko bread crumbs
4 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp dried oregano
S&P

Sauce
1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cup milk
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan, grated

Chicken
Hammer chicken breast to an even ¼ inch.
Top chicken with 2 slices of cheese, then 2 slices of ham.
Roll tightly and secure with toothpicks.
Place flour, eggs, and panko in three shallow bowls. Season flour with S&P.
Add melted butter and oregano to panko and mix.
Working with one at a time, roll chicken first in flour, then eggs, then panko mixture, pressing to coat.
Place on parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake at 400° until golden and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Sauce
Make a golden roux, about 2 minutes.
Slowly whisk in milk, then mustard.
Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add Cheese and stir until melted.
Season with S&P.

 

[Jay59]

In the vein of CC Bleu, quesadillas. Stack thus

Tortilla
Dijon mustard
Deli Swiss cheese
Deli ham
Cooked chicken
Ham
Cheese
Tortilla

Cook like a grilled cheese sandwich

At our grocery, they have a ton of turkeys.

Dutch Oven Turkey Breast

1 bone-in, skin-on turkey breast
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp no-salt chili powder
1 tsp liquid smoke or 1 Tbsp adobo sauce from chipotle pepper
2-5 cloves garlic to taste, minced
S&P
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp honey or molasses
1/4 cup soy sauce

Place a rack or spacer in the Dutch Oven.
Allow the turkey breast to reach room temperature while covered.
Whisk together brown sugar, chili powder, liquid smoke or adobo sauce, and garlic. Pour into dutch oven.
Pat breast dry, season with S&P, cover with brown sugar, pressing firmly.
Cook on low heat until meat is 165°, 2-3 hours
Remove meat to baking sheet.
Bake at 450° 3-4 minutes to crisp skin.​

Place the breast skin side up. This can be done in a slow cooker on low heat. For a spacer, metal trivets can work, but wash well and spray with oil. Alternatively, you can roll up foil and bend into a spiral. Use enough foil that it keeps about 1/2 inch with the weight of the meat.

 

[OldFatGuy]

As the truckers say, hammer down.

Napolean did the world of French cooking an enormous favor by hiring Italian chefs. Blue Ribbon Chicken (Cordon Bleu) is a French recipe inspired by Italian cooking. This one is baked for simplicity.

Not that there is anything wrong with your recipe, Cordon Bleu was Swiss cuisine, not Italian. Veal or pork, wrapped with ham and cheese, breaded, baked or fried. Not likely Napoleon ever tasted Cordon Bleu, he had a life long aversion to eating pork, except in sausages, having sickened as child from dining on pork. Plus there was no deli ham during his lifetime. Many of the European cuisines included breaded cutlets of pork, veal and beef, fish and poultry, combined with other ingredients. Schnitzle from Austrian cuisine, Pollo Ville La Roy from Spain (chicken cutlet in a cream sauce then breaded and fried or baked and so forth. The Chicken Cordon Bleu of your recipe, an American adaption many claim credit for inventing, became popular in the 1920's as recipes appeared in Sunday newspaper magazines. Again in the 1950's as diner cuisine expanded their menus and wedding caterers needed an inexpensive replacement for dried out roasted chicken mainstays.

 

[Jay59]

Not that there is anything wrong with your recipe, Cordon Bleu was Swiss cuisine, not Italian. Veal or pork, wrapped with ham and cheese, breaded, baked or fried. Not likely Napoleon ever tasted Cordon Bleu, he had a life long aversion to eating pork, except in sausages, having sickened as child from dining on pork. Plus there was no deli ham during his lifetime. Many of the European cuisines included breaded cutlets of pork, veal and beef, fish and poultry, combined with other ingredients. Schnitzle from Austrian cuisine, Pollo Ville La Roy from Spain (chicken cutlet in a cream sauce then breaded and fried or baked and so forth. The Chicken Cordon Bleu of your recipe, an American adaption many claim credit for inventing, became popular in the 1920's as recipes appeared in Sunday newspaper magazines. Again in the 1950's as diner cuisine expanded their menus and wedding caterers needed an inexpensive replacement for dried out roasted chicken mainstays.

That is why I called it CC Bleu, because it is a fairly wide remove from the version I first learned. This version is a lot easier and works for those avoiding fried food. The panko gives it a bit of crunch.

There are a lot of frozen versions of classic breaded chicken dishes available--Chicken Cordon Bleu, Chicken Kiev, etc. I find they make great sandwiches. Bake in advance. place on a cut roll, top with marinara or other sauce, shredded cheese and the rest of the roll. When the time comes, warm in a microwave. Easy peasy and the time gives the sauce a chance to soak into the breading. When I used to work for DoD, it was one of my staple take aways at the D-Fac.

 

[OldFatGuy]

That is why I called it CC Bleu, because it is a fairly wide remove from the version I first learned. This version is a lot easier and works for those avoiding fried food. The panko gives it a bit of crunch.

There are a lot of frozen versions of classic breaded chicken dishes available--Chicken Cordon Bleu, Chicken Kiev, etc. I find they make great sandwiches. Bake in advance. place on a cut roll, top with marinara or other sauce, shredded cheese and the rest of the roll. When the time comes, warm in a microwave. Easy peasy and the time gives the sauce a chance to soak into the breading. When I used to work for DoD, it was one of my staple take aways at the D-Fac.

It is whatever makes you happy.

 

[Mach]

I come from an Italian family that use to cook spaghetti sauce for 6 hours every other Sunday so i know fast sauce is kind of blasphemy. But out of half a dozen easier recipes, this one is the one we now use all the time. I make 3x and freeze the rest. It's so fast and so few ingredients, easy to scale and freeze, I wish I had this in my twenties

America's Test Kitchen 10 minute tomato sauce

1/4 cup grated onion (the large cheese grater)
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh basil chopped (or 1 Tbsp dry)

Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Saute onions for 2 minutes.
Add oregano and salt. Cook 3 more minutes until onion begins to brown.
Add crushed garlic, cook 30 seconds..
Add Crushed tomato and sugar. Tu.rn up to high heat and get it simmering, then back down to med-low and simmer for 10 minutes
Remove from heat. Add olive oil and basil, stir. Salt/pepper to taste.

Best fast sauce I've ever had. Fresh basil really makes a difference. Cooking longer may reduce tartness, up to you.

We eat pasta all the time, so just a reminder of some variations to keep it different:

a warm boiled egg, cut in half, served on the pasta. Eat a bite WITH SAUCE...it's surprisingly delicious.
Meat sauce (we never do this, daughter thinks its dog food)
over any fresh tortellini or ravioli in the refrig section
Layer it with ziti, ricotta, and top with mozzarella
Italian sausage cut up or on the side
fresh mushrooms sauteed with butter/garlic mixed in
black olive slices and broc crowns and other veg of choice

Yes, I was stupid enough to put 3 hard boiled eggs in the microwave to warm them up, because I really like that warm hard boiled egg in the sauce.
Pro-tip, the inside steams and explodes the egg all over you microwave in tiny pieces. And because it's your fault, you give the remaining eggs to the family and go without as penance.

 

[Hari Seldon]

I'm making Chili today in our instapot:

1 can diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can roman beans
1 can dark kidney beans
6 browned sausage links (removed the casings) browned before adding to the pot,
Ground beef (about half a pound, wife made burgers with the rest)
1 large chopped Vidalia onion. Some I cooked with the beef, some I put directly in the pot
1 green pepper, chopped and cooked a bit before adding
1 red pepper, chopped and cooked a bit before adding
Ketchup, a couple of squirts
Barbecue sauce
Soy sauce (1 packet)
Some hot chilli sauce
Chili seasoning packet (salt, garlic powder, paprika, other spices)
Dry mustard
Cumin

I try and use up what I have. Finished a jar of barbecue sauce. I let it cook in the instapot for a couple of hours. To keep the texture of the beans I add 2 can late in the cooking time, about the last hour. Great on rice, pasta, chips or mixed with vegetables. Lasts a few days to a week in my house depending on who is home.

 

[Risky Thicket]

If you are working a budget, ramen goes a long way.

Drain all the water after cooking, throw in a pat of butter and cream cheese...stir...then add fresh veggies and chopped turkey, ham, beef (all deli cuts), or whatever you like.

Cook ramen, dont drain, add in garlic, frozen corn, carrots, peas, then meat, cook and top with bean sprouts, sliced raw onions, sliced mushrooms, sriracha.

Sounds good to me. For whatever reason, I've always liked ramen.

 

[Lisa]

I made gumbo last night, and it came out amazing. So I'll post the recipe.

Start by browning a pound of chicken breasts (whole) and a pound of andoullie sausage (sliced) in a dutch oven with a tbsp of vegetable oil. Do this in batches as to not crowd the pan. Remove from pan, and drain on paper towels.

In the same pan, make a dark roux, with about a 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup flour. If you have bacon fat lying around, use that instead of butter - but not many people have a half-cup of bacon grease lying around. This will take up to an hour at low heat, on a range. Stir constantly, otherwise it'll burn and you'll have to start again.

Once your roux is the color of milk chocolate, add your holy trinity - a medium onion, 5 stalks of celery and a large green pepper, all diced.

Sautee for about ten minutes, then add 6 cloves of garlic, also diced, half a bunch of parsley, roughly chopped, 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp creole or cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's), and 3 bay leaves. If you have it, a sprig of thyme will help as well.

Continue to sautee on low-medium heat for another 5 minutes. Return the sausage and chicken to the pan, add one 16-oz can of beer, and 4 cups of water or broth. I generally use water, and add a few bullion cubes.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. At the 45 minute mark, add a can of diced tomatoes. (If you want. Tomatoes are the pineapples on pizza of gumbo - some hate it, some love it). Simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour.

Just before serving, add 1-2lbs of peeled, deveined and tailless shrimp (let them cook for no more than 5 minutes).

File powder to taste, serve with rice or toasted bread.

I love gumbo and usually make chicken and andouille gumbo on Fat Tuesday.

 

[VanceMack]

Sounds good to me. For whatever reason, I've always liked ramen.

I bought a bottle of "The Last Dab XXX" from Hot Ones a few months ago...its about 2 million scoville. I learned yesterday it IS possible to put too much hot sauce in your ramen...

 

[TheDoctorWasIn]

I bought a bottle of "The Last Dab XXX" from Hot Ones a few months ago...its about 2 million scoville. I learned yesterday it IS possible to put too much hot sauce in your ramen...

My wife turned me on to that show, it's a lot of fun.

I've been meaning to buy a bottle of the The Last Dab.

 

[Risky Thicket]

I bought a bottle of "The Last Dab XXX" from Hot Ones a few months ago...its about 2 million scoville. I learned yesterday it IS possible to put too much hot sauce in your ramen...

LOL Yeah, but your sinuses have to be as clear as they've ever been.

 

[Paradoxical]

Kudos to Helix for the thread idea here:



Great activity to learn or master together and benefit. Any other ideas or recipes to try out?

One thing I've been wanting to try and master - biscuits. Anyone got any good recipes or tricks to share?

Before this fabricated crisis, I made bread in my Zojuruishi bread maker and when I went to get more flour, it was GONE!!! Like hoards of TP thieves, people stole all the flour whereas before this, it sat on the shelves with dust on it. ARGGGHHH!

 

[Superfly]

I’ve been cooking more.

This is Zuppa Tuscana (Olive Garden soup with kale and Italian sausage). It was delicious. I omitted the sliced potatoes.



Same dinner, I made homemade peach cobbler.




Day before yesterday was stir fry.

 

[Lisa]

LOL Yeah, but your sinuses have to be as clear as they've ever been.

I make hot sauce with the excess chilis that I didn't use fresh and the sauce that I have now clears my sinuses like a tunnel boring machine. Any more than about 5-6 drops and I am gasping for breath. Thinking back to 2016 it was made with cayenne, tabasco, jalapeno, serranos, and far too many red Savina chili pods.

 

[GDViking]

Before this fabricated crisis, I made bread in my Zojuruishi bread maker and when I went to get more flour, it was GONE!!! Like hoards of TP thieves, people stole all the flour whereas before this, it sat on the shelves with dust on it. ARGGGHHH!

Same problem with yeast.

I also buy frozen bread dough, it can be formed into hot dog/hamburger buns or just bread when I don't feel like baking from scratch.

I am going to start another sour dough starter, had one for years but it finally died...

 

[Risky Thicket]

I make hot sauce with the excess chilis that I didn't use fresh and the sauce that I have now clears my sinuses like a tunnel boring machine. Any more than about 5-6 drops and I am gasping for breath. Thinking back to 2016 it was made with cayenne, tabasco, jalapeno, serranos, and far too many red Savina chili pods.

Trump may recommend that mix next. It sounds as if it might work.

 

[VanceMack]

My wife turned me on to that show, it's a lot of fun.

I've been meaning to buy a bottle of the The Last Dab.

Amazingly good interview show...and the hot sauce is seriously no joke. I bought their trio pack with the Classic, Los Calientes, TLD. the Classic and Los Calientes arent that hot to me but they have REALLY good flavor. TLD is painful....but...I like really hot and spicy in my soups. I think it intensifies all the flavors. If you examine the properties of peppers it makes sense. But it cant just be hot for the sake of hot.

I also bought some African Akabanga chili oil. That is VERY good stuff.

 

[TheDoctorWasIn]

Amazingly good interview show...and the hot sauce is seriously no joke. I bought their trio pack with the Classic, Los Calientes, TLD. the Classic and Los Calientes arent that hot to me but they have REALLY good flavor. TLD is painful....but...I like really hot and spicy in my soups. I think it intensifies all the flavors. If you examine the properties of peppers it makes sense. But it cant just be hot for the sake of hot.

I also bought some African Akabanga chili oil. That is VERY good stuff.

I agree about the show - and I love heat in my cooking. So does my wife. We've been talking about getting all the sauces and doing our own "episode" at home.

 

[VanceMack]

LOL Yeah, but your sinuses have to be as clear as they've ever been.

I made some special chili for a cookoff back in December using a ghost pepper extract, a Carolina Reaper, and some of The Last Dab which has Pepper X in it. There were 8 judges...3 refused to even try it. It was amazingly painful...BUT...we let people sample all the chili on chilidogs, and thats the one everyone wanted to try. I usually dont make my chili that hot and the flavor of the 'regular' chili has won awards...and before the extra madness its pretty darn spicy. And yes...your sinuses are cleaned out for more than a minute. The heat doesnt really go away for a good solid hour.

True story...there was about an inch or so left in the One pot and after the event was over and several of us were just sitting around BSing, someone turned it back on to heat it up...and the fumes were so strong it cleared the room like pepper spray.

 

[VanceMack]

I agree about the show - and I love heat in my cooking. So does my wife. We've been talking about getting all the sauces and doing our own "episode" at home.

One of my nephews and his college buddies did that. A few were able to run the gauntlet and he said that everything you see about "Da Bomb" is real, and then some. Its super hot but its just...nasty.

 

[Paradoxical]

Same problem with yeast.

I also buy frozen bread dough, it can be formed into hot dog/hamburger buns or just bread when I don't feel like baking from scratch.

I am going to start another sour dough starter, had one for years but it finally died...

I have not yet made sourdough bread but am going to make the starter mix. The bread machine I have I got for $15.00 at a yard sale. Seems when the lock down first happened, people decided they would start baking again at home instead of fast food or store bought bread. That's a good thing. We have become an obese nation and obesity is a huge factor in deaths from Corona virus.

 

[Jay59]

Same problem with yeast. I also buy frozen bread dough, it can be formed into hot dog/hamburger buns or just bread when I don't feel like baking from scratch. I am going to start another sour dough starter, had one for years but it finally died...

Mother used to make a great pull apart cinommon bread (some call it monkey bread) using frozen rolls. I wish I had the recipe.

My wife finally found yeast. It was a whole pound and cost $22.

We had a chili reference a while back. My soup primer was well received, the is a chili primer from a Texan.

• Brown the meat in small batches. The point is to brown and not braise. Meat contains water, which will boil given half a chance. Spread the meat ot to avoid this.
• Toast your seasonings, especially if using whole dried peppers. Toast whole peppers til crunchy, pour out the seeds, and then crush in a blender or coffee grinder. Cumin should also be toasted a shade darker
• Put your dried peppers, cumin, herbs and other dry seasonings in a Pyrex bowl or measuring cup, and pour over a cup of boiling water. This is a technique common in making curry. The resulting slurry will release the flavors into the chili more quickly.
• Water works as well as anything for liquid. Adding beer just before serving is nice, but using it for the long cooking is unnecessary.
• Consider baking in a covered dish, such as a dutch oven. Brown meat and cook with water and peppers for a while. Add the rest of the seasonings and bake at 300 for 2-3 hours. A bit of masa (a paste of equal parts boiling water and cornmeal) can be added to thicken the batch. Add just before baking.
• Tomatoes are permitted. A spoon of paste gives a nice body. Add midway.
• Onions and garlic should also be added midway. Dry peppers and cumin early on. Green peppers late. Beer and beans just before serving.
• Chili that is not spicy enough to require a fire extinguisher is spaghetti sauce. All right in its place, but not the genuine article.