HI,

Highland Park Library's cookbook club meets this Tueday at 7:30 pm via Zoom. At my suggestion, they are featuring Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi available via Hoopla.

For dinner this evening, we had mushrooms and herb polenta. While I had all the herbs required, most were in dried form. Since they were applied more to the end with little time to rehydrate, they would not work very well. I used what I had available: parsley, green onion and tender interior leaves from celery. I also used Swiss cheese instead of Taleggio. For the polenta, I used Quaker yellow corn meal, because it was that or substitute grits.

The mushrooms are cooked first, seasoned with garlic and herbs, then set aside. I was not completely focused on the polenta when I dumped the cornmeal into the boiling water. It quickly formed into lumps, which I had to beat out of existence. Far easier to incorporate slowly while stirring vigorously than to give the unattended cornmeal time to clump.

Once the cornmeal was done, then cheese, butter and herbs were mixed in. This was spread on a lightly greased heavy metal Italian platter, thin slices of Swiss cheese were arranged on top, then the platter went under the broiler to melt and brown the cheese. The platter was removed, the mushrooms arranged on top of the polenta and back under the broiler to warm for two minutes.



I really like this style of a sauce over polenta. The first time I encountered this style was from a contestant at the Illinois State Fair.

Not pictured was pork breakfast sausages who simply needed cooking now. This recipe was for two servings, though it served three very generously.

This mushroom and polenta is definitely one going into my mushroom rotation, because it was just so wonderful.


Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2,

Is there a recipe for the polenta with mushrooms? I still have 2.5# of Louisiana corn meal to use.

The creminis from River Valley Ranch continue to be awesome. I like to process them as soon as possible after I acquire them, to avoid fridge time. The quality is better that way and I don't have to find room for them, as they are quite voluminous in their raw state . . .


Three Pounds Creminis


Three Pounds, One Kanehide PS60 Gyuto 210mm

All of these got sauteed. Some will go into a Spanakopita Casserole I'm making for dinner. The others will go into reserve for use later in the week.

=R=

A couple of breakfast shots . . .


Ham, Cheese, Onion Scramble
Julie made this for the boy. He loved it but couldn't finish it.


Not Bacon
Looks like bacon but this is actually the rendered out end of some homemade wagyu pastrami fat that I trimmed away and saved when I was making reubens for the family last week. Cooked it slowly, rendering out bunch of fat and basically resulting in pastrami cracklins. Yikes!

=R=

jlawrence01 wrote:Cathy2,

Is there a recipe for the polenta with mushrooms? I still have 2.5# of Louisiana corn meal to use.

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/mushro ... rb-polenta

It was linked in the original note, but I miss things sometimes, too.

This was a delicious meal!

Regards,
Cathy2

ronnie_suburban wrote:basically resulting in pastrami cracklins. Yikes!

Now I lay me down to sleep.
Visions of Ronnie's pastrami cracklins mine to keep.
If I die before I wake.
Dear Sweet Ghost of Carol Channing please do take.

HI,

My Dad likes to play refrigerator room monitor. "I'm thinking about making X, tomorrow." "What about the ham taking up room in the refrigerator?" It's not he's wrong, I am very aware of the ham, just not in the mood to deal with it. There are so many more interesting things to cook than that (damn) ham.

Yet, when I checked on the weather, it appears today's cooler temperatures suggested ham might not be a bad idea. I would make the ham, but not all the trimmings or at least not heavy trimmings.

First into the oven was our second rhubarb pie this year, because it needed time to cool and congeal. While this pie looks picture perfect, I over hydrated the crust making it really crisp and not tender crisp.


While the pie was baking, I had the cryovac sealed ham in hot tap water warming up. It was something I read years ago for reheating spiral cut hams. Raise the core temperature, then place in the oven to finish reheating and glazing. By the time, this seven-pound ham reached the oven, the core temperature was 85 degrees. It took 30 minutes to reach 100, then I began to glaze the ham.

Last night, I made potato salad plus egg salad. This morning, I made a cucumber salad as well as a kidney bean salad. I thought about making a pineapple gratin, but time got away.


A few days of ham, ham, ham are in my future. Ham salad, ham hash, soup and something new for me: ham croquettes. Ever since I learned to make a cream sauce in Home Ec, I have wanted to make croquettes. What the heck! Live dangerously!

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:A few days of ham, ham, ham are in my future. Ham salad, ham hash, soup and something new for me: ham croquettes. Ever since I learned to make a cream sauce in Home Ec, I have wanted to make croquettes. What the heck! Live dangerously!

C2,

As you note, the biggest problem with ham is that, generally speaking, they are sizable and because of that, last a while. The better ones aren't easy to find in small quantities -- less than half a ham -- so getting a good one often leads to just too much. So, for a small family, a ham can be tough to work through. On the other hand, they're delicious, fairly versatile and durable. But a little goes a long way. The croquette idea sounds good.

Also, Mushrooms and Polenta is one of my favorites. Right now, I have a great, steady supply of both, so I'll aim to give that shot soon. Thanks, for the idea.

=R=

Chicken bread w/crunchy salad. Low rent version of Zuni Cafe roast chicken & bread salad. #homecooking


Chicken Bread, count me a Fan!

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:A few days of ham, ham, ham are in my future. Ham salad, ham hash, soup and something new for me: ham croquettes. Ever since I learned to make a cream sauce in Home Ec, I have wanted to make croquettes. What the heck! Live dangerously!

Also, Mushrooms and Polenta is one of my favorites. Right now, I have a great, steady supply of both, so I'll aim to give that shot soon. Thanks, for the idea.

=R=

This was just sublime, we will be making this again soon.

Thanks!

Cathy2 wrote:I had the cryovac sealed ham in hot tap water warming up. It was something I read years ago for reheating spiral cut hams. Raise the core temperature, then place in the oven to finish reheating and glazing. By the time, this seven-pound ham reached the oven, the core temperature was 85 degrees. It took 30 minutes to reach 100, then I began to glaze the ham.

I read about this trick too and tried it one year, leaving the ham in the sink in very hot water while I took the dog for a walk. Came back and found the ham on the countertop and the sink drained. My wannabe-helpful holiday houseguests told me they took the ham out of the water because it was thawed.

ronnie_suburban wrote:C2,

As you note, the biggest problem with ham is that, generally speaking, they are sizable and because of that, last a while. The better ones aren't easy to find in small quantities -- less than half a ham -- so getting a good one often leads to just too much. So, for a small family, a ham can be tough to work through. On the other hand, they're delicious, fairly versatile and durable. But a little goes a long way. The croquette idea sounds good.

Also, Mushrooms and Polenta is one of my favorites. Right now, I have a great, steady supply of both, so I'll aim to give that shot soon. Thanks, for the idea.

=R=

Twice a year, I find the Private Selection (Krogers) hams spiral cut for $0.49-0.99/ lb after the winter holidays or after Easter. When I see them at that price, I usually buy 5-6 of them for friends and myself. For the ones we keep, I cut the meat off of the bone which is simple as it is already sliced, I usually get 8-10 1# packages of slice ham which is frozen. I also get 2# of ham chunks for soups and beans. And I get the ham bone. My one friend with bake one of the hams and send me 2# of the baked ham slices. My other neighbors usually send me the bone back because they don't make soup and I do.

I know that some people don't like to freeze ham as there is some slight deterioration. However, pay $1 for sliced ham beats paying the deli prices. Also, the baked ham that I get from frinds tastes a lot different from the ham thatI eat without baking.

Katsu (RIP) would shudder at my maki rolling, when he deigned to actually make maki, but was tasty. Made my own pickles, omelette etc. Spam musubi looked a train wreck, tasted good. I don't seem any Itamae offers in my near future. #homecooking






Nori, count me a Fan!

I'm just gonna start out by admitting that I'm flat-out ashamed of myself. I not only served my family -- but also ate -- foil-wrapped, par-baked, grill-finished baby back ribs tonight. Not my proudest culinary moment.

Something called Villari Brothers Never Ever Pork Baby Back Ribs showed up in our Imperfect Produce box. As produce goes, they're awesome. There were also some Framani Salt & Pepper Sausages (do these grow on bushes or trees?) and some Florida corn on the cob. Best move seemed to be just get it all cooked because once in the freezer, these items might never be seen again. But it was late in the day. The ribs were still partially frozen. I was busy with work and just did not have the time or the energy to get my smoker going.

So, I compromised in a major way. After a 1-hour thaw in the sink (they were cryovacked), I seasoned up the ribs with my bbq rub, double-wrapped them tightly in foil and put them in the oven at 275 F for a couple of hours. When they came out, they weren't quite FOB but they were dangerously close. From there, a bit more rub and onto the indirect side of the grill, along with the sausages . . .


Sausages and Bastardized Ribs


"Happy" Family

There was also a sidecar of cole slaw. None of it tasted bad but the ribs just felt like a wasted opportunity. And I barely needed my teeth to get them down, either.

Okay, moving on now . . .

=R=

Cathy2 wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:A few days of ham, ham, ham are in my future. Ham salad, ham hash, soup and something new for me: ham croquettes. Ever since I learned to make a cream sauce in Home Ec, I have wanted to make croquettes. What the heck! Live dangerously!

Also, Mushrooms and Polenta is one of my favorites. Right now, I have a great, steady supply of both, so I'll aim to give that shot soon. Thanks, for the idea.

=R=

This was just sublime, we will be making this again soon.

Thanks!

Hopping on the polenta bandwagon.....tonight’s dinner included scallion and herb polenta. Quite tasty if I might say.

HI,

Since my primary focus is dealing with ham, today's lunch felt more like window dressing than meal preparation.

As part of the shelter-at-home process, there has been a concerted effort to use up outlier ingredients. I get a little dazzled when I see something new or knew about and never saw before. Grocery and specialty food shops are my Achilles heal, because I want everything! I get home, put it away and forget about it. Or use it right away, love/hate it and wish I bought more or what a waste of money. It is a roller coaster of feelings when it comes to my experiments.

Today's off the shelf and onto the plate were:
- Red Lobster biscuit mix, which works well with ham, right?
- Slawsa, a condiment I once saw on Shark Tank. I thought they won financing, but they did not.
- Margaret Holmes 'Since 1838' Peanut Patch: Cajun Green Boiled Peanuts


I knew from past experience, my family would likely to enjoy Slawsa and they did. The area of uncertainty was the boiled peanuts. I have had gas station boiled peanuts I really liked and ones that were forgettable. My Dad was unaware of them, inquired if he should eat the shell, then peeled and ate. He liked them. I then learned one of his brothers eats peanuts shell and all.

Tomorrow is another day and another meal.

Regards,
Cathy2

For breakfast:

Country ham biscuits with red-eye gravy

Quite excellent even though I used Great Value frozen biscuit dough which was pretty decent and a major upgrade to Bridgeford biscuits.

The ham was from Suncrest Farms in Wilkesboro, NC.

ronnie_suburban wrote:but also ate -- foil-wrapped, par-baked, grill-finished baby back ribs tonight. Not my proudest culinary moment.

I take back every nice thing I've ever said about you. [ripping my collar]

behold! after more than a decade of using this site, i have learned to do images! (would you believe i have designed multiple websites, but got hung up on the days we used to use flickr and never checked back?)
not the best image of all time, but here is last nights ginger pork noodles, quick pickles, and slaw with carrot-miso dressing. that used only 1/8 of a *giant* red cabbage from our latest Imperfect Produce box, so hit me with red cabbage ideas.

annak wrote:not the best image of all time, but here is last nights ginger pork noodles, quick pickles, and slaw with carrot-miso dressing. that used only 1/8 of a *giant* red cabbage from our latest Imperfect Produce box, so hit me with red cabbage ideas.

It all looks great! Those boxes from Imperfect can be challenging, especially because with all the variability, they're hard to plan for.

=R=

Yesterday, I was resting on my Laurels. Today, I got a nice workout.

Whenever I come near any Ottelenghi book, I feel the need to make a batch of yogurt. A heavy dose of yogurt comes with the territory, so I make a batch before I have even contemplated a recipe.

Today, I made grape leaf, herb and yogurt pie. I was surprised to notice this was my last jar after buying several at a good price two years ago. While this recipe called for 25 leaves, I surely used a lot less to line a pie pan as well as cover. The filling was Greek (drained) yogurt with shallots, herbs and pine nuts (well, in this case walnuts). Once seasoned, a half cup of rice flour was added to thicken. Pour this into a grape leaf lined pie tin, fold any overhanging leaves onto the filling, and add more leaves on top to close. A dusting of bread crumbs and olive oil, before baking for 40 minutes.


This had the texture of a savory cheesecake wrapped in grape leaves. It can be an appetizer or main course.

I also made cucumber salad with smashed garlic and ginger. The recipe called for cilantro, with none available I used parsley, instead. My family are fans of cucumber salad in any form, so this worked out just fine.

After too many years to count, I finally made ham croquettes. In seventh grade Home Ec, there was a filmstrip on how to make a cream sauce. The basic recipe was 1-4 tablespoons of butter and flour to one-cup milk. Each level of thickening sauce came with a typical use in cooking. Four tablespoons of butter and flour was a very thick sauce suitable for croquettes.

How influential was that film strip class? For weeks, I made cream sauces over vegetables until one my parents suggested I had mastered this skill. Effectively, the message was move on to something else.

Today's ham croquettes were seasoned with curry powder, colored by yellow mustard and had some grated onion. The recipe I referenced suggested a cheese sauce that I ignored. They also wanted a pyramid shape, but I went for classic tapas rod shapes. My Dad is a crunchy texture fan really dug the croquettes.


Always fun to try something new and have the effort pay off.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:After too many years to count, I finally made ham croquettes. In seventh grade Home Ec, there was a filmstrip on how to make a cream sauce. The basic recipe was 1-4 tablespoons of butter and flour to one-cup milk. Each level of thickening sauce came with a typical use in cooking. Four tablespoons of butter and flour was a very thick sauce suitable for croquettes.

Regards,
Cathy2

I have not seen a ham croquette since completing my culinary training with Marriott in 1982. The ham croquettes that I remember looked like the ones that you made. They were filled with ham and swiss cheese.

I have never understood why the ham ones are one shape and the chicken croquettes are generally made in the shape of a pyramid.

That was certainly a recipe from the past!

One great thing about getting a big ole' ham is that you can share it. Over the weekend, I gave a portion of mine, along with part of the bone, to my friend RAB and earlier today, it came back to us in the form of an outstanding soup . . .


RAB's Ham & Great Northern Bean Soup

Not sure what all was in there besides the ham and the beans but I had a visual on carrots, onions and orzo . . . and I'm guessing there was more. I'll find out later. In any case, the soup was delicious, especially the silky, lip-smacking broth.

=R=

jlawrence01 wrote:I have not seen a ham croquette since completing my culinary training with Marriott in 1982. The ham croquettes that I remember looked like the ones that you made. They were filled with ham and swiss cheese.

I have never understood why the ham ones are one shape and the chicken croquettes are generally made in the shape of a pyramid.

That was certainly a recipe from the past!

I will suggest the two distinct shapes help you identify what is under the brown crust. I did not like the pyramid idea, because it seemed to be more effort to cook.

I used a deep saucepan today to fry these. I have a mini-fryer which uses two cups oil. I think I got away with a lot less using this saucepan. Of course, I watched it like a hawk. I once had oil spill over and ignite. Nobody noticed the commotion in the kitchen as I threw on some baking powder.

There are so many skills I still use to this day learned in Home Ec. I really valued the experience.

Regards,
Cathy2

Rotini, lots of browned cremini, parmesean, chives, shallots, cream, mild italian sausage and seasonings. Topped with panko bread crumbs and finished under the broiler. Much prettier in the pan than on the plate, but very tasty on the plate.

I guess if I were a restaurant, I would have plated everything but the panko, topped with the panko and put each plate under the broiler.

Yoghurt turmeric marinated chicken, Instant Pot chana masala, mixed veg. curry and brown bastmati rice.

Last night I made chicken chow mein. I was missing egg noodles so i substituted in Chitarra instead. It made for a good substitute with its big mouth feel and stood up well to the chicken, veggies, and sauce. Sorry, no pictures. I was going to take some with the leftovers today but discovered my kids had eaten everything in some type of midnight feast apparently.

Cathy2 wrote:Cauliflower Kuku

Cathy-

Thanks for posting this recipe. We found ourselves with an abundance of cauliflower so we made it last night. I'll try to take a photo when we reheat the leftovers. We used regular flour and added chopped pea shoots because we had them. Quite delicous!

bw77 - Looks terrific!

buttercream wrote:Last night I made chicken chow mein. I was missing egg noodles so i substituted in Chitarra instead.

Smart substitutions!

buttercream wrote:Sorry, no pictures. I was going to take some with the leftovers today but discovered my kids had eaten everything in some type of midnight feast apparently.

Are you sure my Dad isn't hanging out over there? I have to put notes on stuff, if I want to see it in the morning.

TheGP - Glad I could be of help!

***

A few weeks ago when I was stir frying Shanghai noodles, I considered making Japchae with them. CrazyC suggested I should wait until I had Sweet Potato noodles, which are also called Korean Chap-Chae noodle. I bought some when I left home to buy lobsters for Mother's Day.

Flipping through different Korean recipe websites, I found there are a number of approaches to making these. I borrowed the vegetable selection and chopping methods from one and cooking method from another. What I wished to avoid was the heavy dark sauce seen here.

Japchae spelling as well cooking styles vary. It may be the pizza, bbq and hot dog of the Korean world. Whatever you grew up enjoying is the best. Since I did not, I went with a style I could appreciate.

The cooking method I used cooked and sauced components individually. As they finished, they went into the bowl of prepared noodles.

While the sweet potato noodles boiled, I made a one-egg flat omelet that was cut into slivers after cooling. Once the noodles were cooked and drained, cut with scissors and into a large frying pan. Ladle on some of the sauce, cooking the noodles further until they absorbed the sauce, then into a serving bowl kept warm in the oven.

I cooked the mushrooms with ham adding sauce to flavor until the mushrooms were cooked, then added to the bowl. I am programmed to start onions first, though the recipe suggested cooking the daikon radish first. I began with the onion for a few minutes, then added the daikon for minute or so, then sweet potatoes, added some sauce and toward the end green onions cut into one-inch pieces. This went into the bowl, where it was tossed with slivered egg omelet and sesame seeds.


Making conversation while eating, my Dad inquired, "Have you ever made anything from Mongolia." "I've made Pelmeni, which may have had its origins in Mongolia. Is this a challenge?" "Just wondering from where on the globe our next meal may come from."

Meanwhile, the ham bone is simmering. I am inclined to make a chowder to finish it off.

Regards,
Cathy2

More cleaning out the pantry ...

I made split pea soup with some of the yellow peas that a neighbor gave me. I could taste no difference from the green variety.

I pulled out a lot of the muffin and bread mixes out of the pantry with the home that Mrs. jlawrence01 would eventually use them up in the coming weeks. She had different ideas. She used all five in one day and froze most of it. Great for the pantry but it leaves little room for any more meat purchases.

Tonight's dinner is Jungle Curry, a simmer sauce that is "Thai inspired" sold under the Private Selection name. Honestly, the product looks pretty good and it will use up two left over lamb shanks and some of the Asian vegetables that one of the snowbirds dropped off at the house.

I found about a pound of dried chick peas and I will try turning them into crispy, spicy chick peas later this week. I am going to use the Chef John's Food Wishes recipe for the standard oven but I am not going to use as much oil as that recipe calls for. The end result in his video looked far oilier than I want my final product to be.