patrick.net

Tacos. Mainly because I can season to taste, use the best meat and choose my own fresh toppings.

With my wife, we grill the most greasy, grass-fed burgers augmented with pastured pork lard, bread crumbs, and (I know) soy sauce. On top of that, it's two slices of cheddar cheese and two slices of applewood smoked bacon. Toasted Kaiser roll with mayo and Stubb's barbecue sauce, topped with pickles, red onions, and lots of green leaf lettuce.The squirt of fat juices on the first bite is a bit of primal gustatory pleasure.

That being said - we don't get many repeat dinner guests. I don't think they realize - it's all GOOD fat.

Fudge and frostings.

American Chinese takeout.
Not to toot my own horn, but I'm becoming quite the Hopsing.

Chicken enchiladas Verdes. I make my own sauce by roasting tomatillos, poblanos, Anaheim and Serrano chilies, onion and garlic. Pull them all apart and chop in blender with cilantro, spinach and cumin. Chiles are cheap and wonderful to work with. Cook chicken breast in a pan in water and shred it. Mix with half the sauce and grated cheese, fill corn tortillas, layer in a pan and pour rest of sauce and more cheese over it and bake. Make it "suiza" by adding cream to the sauce if you want

Clams and oysters "gratinee" or something like it.
Clams marinara or something like it.
I had access to good raw materials at the time.
Bay scallops that I collected came out better than the usual restaurant dish.

Spaghetti with meatballs, Italian whore soup, gnocchi in shallots sauce, salmon, honey garlic chicken. Banana pancakes.

Did some green beans the other week my daughter said she liked, and at her age, don't get many compliments. The secret, butter, garlic salt, and fresh and organic. That last part is why our food tastes good. Has shit to do with our cooking, because culinary wizards, we are not.
I've never had steak as good as the ones I make at home, or fried chicken. I had some black roomates in college, credit goes to them for the chicken recipe. I've made some decent beef stew before(Bourdain's recipe).

Caesar Salad. I grew up where it was invented and have the recipe that replaced the original one by Caesar Cardini, when imported ingredients were too expensive because of the war.

Flour tortillas and pintos with home smoked pork neckbones

I can make a better burger than I can buy, but I don't think that's much.

I don't know why. It's not hard to make a burger at all, but man, anything you buy, it's pretty easy to beat that. The buns they sell have sugar in them, the toppings are low quality, even the condiments are awful.

I think anybody can make a better burger than they can buy honestly.

NuttBoxer says

Did some green beans the other week

Green beans are far superior when picked fresh from your own garden. For some reason, the ones I grew had much more flavor than any I have ever bought.

HeadSet says

NuttBoxer says

Did some green beans the other week

Green beans are far superior when picked fresh from your own garden. For some reason, the ones I grew had much more flavor than any I have ever bought.

I think this is because fruits and vegetables are picked before they are ripe and they ripen enroute which is not as good as vine ripened.

Any poached egg fans? I accidently came up with a new way to cook a soft poached egg that looks like a sunnyside up fried egg. Start with a small non stick saute pan...heat pan to med low. Crack egg into it and cook on low heat till the white starts to set. Once the white is starting to set, carefully add hot water to the pan along the edge..(.don't pour directly on the egg) until the water level covers the white but NOT the yolk...simmer a couple minutes until the egg white is completely set. Do not cover the pan with a lid. The yolk will still be a bright yellow color and the white will be completely cooked. Remove the egg using a slotted spatula so the water drains off. DONE
BTW, this is not a basted egg that is steamed with a lid on top.

I regularly shell, clean, cut, pound out, and cook my own ABOLONE. Nothing like it. I cant describe the flavor. My brain cannot replicate it. The taste only comes back the next time I eat it; and I say OMG there it is.....

casandra says

Nothing like it. I cant describe the flavor. My brain cannot replicate it.

I feel the same way about OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER

komputodo says

Once the white is starting to set, carefully add hot water to the pan along the edge..(.don't pour directly on the egg)

I have been doing that for years. Since I like sunny side up eggs, not over easy as much. But they say be careful not eat egg whites, that at least the outer egg whites aren't set.

Was it someone here that posted how to properly make poached eggs?
It was suggested that you first put the cracked egg in a wire strainer until the water egg whites drain off. Then you're left with the thicker more uniform egg white that wont create those long stringing white tendrils when you drop the egg in the pan. Another thing I do is add a half a sliced red onion just before I drop the egg. The egg comes out and goes in a quick room temp water bath. Then then drained and put on a plate then the red onions are placed on top of the egg. The vinegar seasoned red onion really goes along way, in elevating the egg on a nice buttery toast or bagel.

Sketchy Store Deli Fried Chicken rescue

If you're like me, I love Publix fried chicken. Well any decent fried chicken from any store that is known to make good fried chicken. But there's a caveat, I only like it if it just came out of the deep fryer, or I trust the Deli worker if they tell me it came out in the hour. But preferably the last 20 minutes. I like it still pipping hot when you rip into it.

But more often than not, the Publix deli will only have fried chicken that has been cooked to long ago for my liking. I found the perfect way to make that chicken just perfect.

The other day I got a hankering for some Smothered Chicken, Fried Chicken in gravy. But I didn't want to make the mess of breading and frying, and I didn't really have the time, as this was later in the evening, and I was hungry now. So I went to Publix to buy some fried chicken, and since it was going to stew down in some gravy for 15 to 20 minutes. I was no concerned on how hot the chicken still was, I didn't want it dried out and the meat translucent. Which to be honest I have never gotten that at Pubix, but Winn Dixie on the other hand, it's more likely that old than not.

I started with browning some yellow onion half and sliced thin, and about 6 ounces of sliced mushrooms. Browned them until most of the liquid was gone and it was nice and caramelized.
Took them out, add 3 tbl spns of Butter and equal amount of plain flour. Stirring constantly on med low, until it turned a nice shade of brown, lighter or about the shade of a brown paper bag.
Then to that I added 2 cups of chicken stock, stirred in slowly. Stirred it until it was thick and creamy then add 1 tspn dark soy sauce(Which is all boutique gravy browner is) , than added the Publix 8 piece. Then put it on low and covered and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

Oh my it was just like mama used to make it. Though she called it Maryland Chicken, but the internet says Maryland Chicken is served dry and you pour a milk gravy, like the biscuit gray over when served. Not stewed in gravy for a bit.I don't know which is which, but THIS is way better!

Tenpoundbass says

Was it someone here that posted how to properly make poached eggs?

why make them that old way when this new way makes a beautiful normal looking sunnyside up egg with a bright yellow yolk instead of an egg ball with an opaque colored yolk?

Tenpoundbass says

The other day I got a hankering for some Smothered Chicken, Fried Chicken in gravy.

I can honestly say that never in my life have I had a hankerin' for fried chicken with gravy or for that matter, chicken fried steak with gravy or even biscuits and gravy...just sayin'

That's a shame, get your gravy on. I have gotten to where I like old school American comfort food from time to time.
I don't think it's any worse than any Chinse takeout sauced up offerings.

komputodo says

why make them that old way

It's the tanginess of the vinegar, the salt and the added red onion that does it for me.
It's not the only way I like them, again it's a hankering thing.
I always thought of poached eggs as punishment food. Served to fat people who's been bad. So they have to eat an egg cooked in the most bland way and made to eat it with a piece of unbuttered whole wheat toast. My way is not like that.

Also the water in the pan trick is what I consider a sunny side up egg, not a poached egg. As the butter in the pan also splatters on top of the egg when the hydration gets going. I only put about a teaspoon of water in it, just enough to create some heat and steam under the lid, and will evaporate by time the top sets good.

Tenpoundbass says

So they have to eat an egg cooked in the most bland way and made to eat it with a piece of unbuttered whole wheat toast. My way is not like that.

I'm sure you could add vinegar to the water if that is what you like and even a red onion...Those are just personal details...I'm talking about technique. BTW, you just described my daily breakfast and I don't think of myself as fat.. 5'10 180lbs...Btw, if you ever order sunnyside up egg at any restaurant, I'd bet they aren't going to be cooked in water. To me, a poached egg is an egg cooked in water without the shell.

Tenpoundbass says

I only put about a teaspoon of water in it, just enough to create some heat and steam under the lid, and will evaporate by time the top sets good.

That is known as a basted egg online and leaves you with an opaque yolk....it looks like an over easy egg....like the sun on an overcast day...if you read correctly, my technique does not use a lid because I dont want to steam the yolk.

Did you edit your post, to clarify the blasted egg?

I must have read it as do not remove the lid and pour the water on lid and let it trickle down into the pan. Which is what I do.
I'll give your way a go. I'm always looking for new ways to cook an egg.

And no I don't get opaque yolks but I do get what ever egg whites were still on top setting.

Tenpoundbass says

Did you edit your post, to clarify the blasted egg?

I must have read it as do not remove the lid and pour the water on lid and let it trickle down into the pan. Which is what I do.
I'll give your way a go. I'm always looking for new ways to cook an egg.

And no I don't get opaque yolks but I do get what ever egg whites were still on top setting.

My original post says do not use a lid....2 times it says that.....and definitely nothing about pouring water on the lid and letting it trickle down..LOL