# The great Gordon Ramsay wannabe thread



## fonz (May 3, 2013)

The off-topic section didn't seem to have a cookery thread yet, so I created this one. Although anyone can use this thread for just about anything concerning food, I'd like to start with a question:

When I cook properly (as opposed to microwaving or deep-frying something) I tend to make rich, hearty dishes: chili (con carne), goulash, chicken curry, chicken palava, rich and spicy tomato soup, that sort of thing. However, I'm inclined to say that those are typical winter dishes. And since the weather is starting to improve here in the Netherlands, I could use some suggestions and/or recipes for lighter meals that are more appropriate for the summer.

Any thoughts, anyone?


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## DutchDaemon (May 3, 2013)

Lentils are great, still packing the punch, but much lighter to digest. And I'm talking about the dry kind, no pots or cans. They don't take long to cook, and with some bell peppers, garlic, onions, some wok sauce .. very nice, and ready quite quickly. Also suitable for soup. Other than that, I always have bell peppers, onions, garlic, and other 'stir-fryable' stuff around. You can always make a quick meal of that, whatever you add to it, and it goes with rice, pasta, potato, or just _sec_.

Further: Salads: just grab 100 grams of cut/assorted lettuce per person from the aisle, throw in a can of tuna, a couple of small tomatoes, an onion, a bit of vinegar and vinegar, pepper, and you're done. If it's too light, add some chicken or a couple of boiled eggs. // Fried potatoes (in a bit of olive oil only -- raw, do not  cook them first, just slice, wash, and dry!), a 'quick veggie' (haricots verts, bimi, broccoli, snaps ('peultjes') -- all cooked or stir-fried very shortly), and some chicken filet or veggie filet/burger (those have come a long way, especially the selection at a larger AH (Dutch supermarket chain) is quite OK). Very simple, all done in 15 minutes or so. // Wraps: same as above, the basic ingredients are the same, you only add some refried beans (just get black or kidney beans in a can, and boil them down to a puree) and/or guacamole, heat up the wrapper in a microwave, and pile your hot food in it, some spicy sauce over it, wrap up in a roll or a burrito (folded in), and munch.

As you can tell, I'm somewhat of a flexitarian. I do tend to stay away from all meat, except some chicken now and then. I've lost my taste for it for the most part. I may have some pork from a Surinamese _toko_ now and again, but that's about it.

I should give a short shout out to my wife of eight months, Gail, who has really got me back into an interest for food. I used to be quite 'easy' on the supper/dinner front. Not necessarily unhealthy, but just a tad too easy. I have lost 8 kilos since she joined me in The Netherlands in October. So, yeah. Thanks, baby.


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## SirDice (May 3, 2013)

I don't cook much, if at all. But I do like to make nasi. Spicy food seems to work well when it's hot. You feel a lot cooler afterwards :e


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## DutchDaemon (May 3, 2013)

Three Dutchmen discussing cooking. We must be emancipated.


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## Crivens (May 3, 2013)

DutchDaemon said:
			
		

> Three Dutchmen discussing cooking. We must be emancipated.



Or the rest is sitting at their terminals, shivering, waiting for the next culinary abomination. Oh wait, that was english cooking. 

Back to serious: usually I have little time for cooking. This is sad because I quite like it, but I prefer to make complete meals and do not like to be rushed with this.

One of my favorites, if it has to be fast, is cheese pancakes. You cut cheese into small dice, add it with some chive, garlic, peppers and/or diced onions to the pancake dough. bake pancakes about a cm thick. Serve with some chili sauce, fried mushrooms in cream and green salad. Possibly some soup before and dessert to follow make for a good meal.

These pancakes are also good when cold or reheated in a microwave, so good as a lunch@work.


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## kpa (May 3, 2013)

I do cook myself but for a special reason. I'm heavily allergetic to dairy products and I need to know what I'm putting into my mouth. Most of the ready to eat microwave garbage contains dairy products in one form or another.


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## SirDice (May 3, 2013)

DutchDaemon said:
			
		

> Lentils are great, still packing the punch, but much lighter to digest. And I'm talking about the dry kind, no pots or cans. They don't take long to cook, and with some bell peppers, garlic, onions, some wok sauce .. very nice, and ready quite quickly. Also suitable for soup.


Lentils... That seriously always reminds me of "The Young Ones" :e

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwXMt60tfXM (contains strong language!)


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## drhowarddrfine (May 3, 2013)

kpa said:
			
		

> Most of the ready to eat microwave garbage



You could have stopped right there for the rest of us.

I own some fast food restaurants so I can microwave and do "rip open package cooking" better than all of you. 

At home, I pretend to be a gourmet cook but I'm just good at following the recipes. I bake my own bread and buy everything from farmer's markets and vegetable/fruit stands but, if other things come up to knock me off my routine, I'll get out of the habit for months at a time. What's really sad is I forget my techniques and methods and feel like I'm starting to learn all over again.


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## break19 (May 3, 2013)

Boneless chicken breast, cut into strips, add salt pepper, garlic powder.. brown them in a frying pan, no oil, just cook them as is.

Save the juices, remove the chicken from the pan (temporarily), pour in 2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup, chopped onions (or onion powder) bay leaf, a single clove of garlic (garlic powder can be substituted.) wide egg noodles (Enough to stay covered in the liquids) bring to a slow boil, add the chicken back in, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes or so.

A nice variation is to add chopped broccoli.

Another nice variation is, instead of adding wide egg noodles, serve over rice.


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## break19 (May 3, 2013)

I actually made something quite similar to this, with other items (boiled cabbage, mac n cheese) the day I proposed to my now wife, about 11 years ago.. 

Then, I taught her how to do it, and she's been improving upon my old throw-together ever since. LOL


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## drhowarddrfine (May 3, 2013)

Your first recipe is similar to my wife's "chicken slop". For some reason I like sloppy food.


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## phoenix (May 3, 2013)

break19 said:
			
		

> boneless chicken breast, cut into strips, add salt pepper, garlic powder.. brown them in a frying pan, no oil, just cook them as is.
> 
> save the juices, remove the chicken from the pan (temporarily), pour in 2 cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup, chopped onions (or onion powder) bay leaf, a single clove of garlic (garlic powder can be substituted.) wide egg noodles (Enough to stay covered in the liquids) bring to a slow boil, add the chicken back in, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes or so.
> 
> ...



We do something similar using pork chops instead of chicken, always served over rice, sometimes with kernel corn and/or peas (my plate is jumbled mess of everything mixed together; the wife's plate has everything separated into it's own area).  

Very simple, very quick, but will fill you right up without being horribly unhealthy like most quick/simple (aka processed) meals.

Even our two year-olds (daughter and niece) will eat it and ask for seconds.

Never thought to try it with chicken, though.


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## phoenix (May 3, 2013)

The perfect steak (IMO, of course):

lightly spread some olive oil over each side
gently rub fresh-ground peper (and salt if must) into each side
get the BBQ nice and hot
slap on the steaks; wait 4.5 minutes (for medium) or 8.0 minutes (for well)
flip the steaks; wait 4.5 minutes (for medium) or 8.0 minutes (for well)
remove from BBQ
let sit 2 minutes
enjoy!

No need for BBQ sauce, marinade, etc.  Just enjoy the pure goodness of the steak's natural flavour.  Adjust times above depending on the thickness of the steak. The times above are for 1".

If married, be sure to complement the wife on all the work she put into the meal this accompanies, since all the husband did was "put meat on grill; wait; serve".    You'll get lots of brownie points if you don't try to take credit for the whole meal.


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## cpm@ (May 3, 2013)

Damn, that hungry! Red peppers of the mountain range, macaroni with cheese and olive oil 100% extra virgin, all kind of stews (lentils, chickpeas and so on), beef tenderloin with fried potatoes and 2 eggs... I don't like to cook but eat everything :e


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## fonz (May 4, 2013)

Thanks for the responses so far, everybody. And feel free to keep using this thread for sharing recipes or whatever.



			
				DutchDaemon said:
			
		

> Lentils are great, still packing the punch, but much lighter to digest.


I get the impression that lentils are often overlooked, I sure don't see them often. So I'll definitely give them a shot.



			
				DutchDaemon said:
			
		

> Other than that, I always have bell peppers, onions, garlic, and other 'stir-fryable' stuff around.


Same here. Bell peppers, mushrooms (champignons), spring onions (I love those!), cucumbers (which stir-fry nicely if you remove the seeds), garlic and bean sprouts (which in Rotterdam are dirt cheap at Asian grocery stores) are things that I almost always have lying around in the kitchen.

And in my opinion stir-frying is a great cooking technique: it's easy to learn, very quick, keeps most of the vitamins intact (as opposed to "just" boiling, as the Dutch tend to do) and vegetable/peanut/wok oil is a lot healthier than butter. What's more, if you put a little thought into it it's fairly easy to whip up dishes that are not only healthy and tasty but also visually appealing.



			
				DutchDaemon said:
			
		

> Further: Salads:


Have you been reading/watching Jamie Oliver again? 



			
				SirDice said:
			
		

> I don't cook much, if at all. But I do like to make nasi.


That's a good shout. Nasi (and bami) is easy to make, can be cheap if need be, can be varied endlessly and is good year-round. 

It also helped me remember that _paella_ is a great summer dish. If anyone has any specific recipes/pointers I'm all ears.



			
				DutchDaemon said:
			
		

> Three Dutchmen discussing cooking. We must be emancipated.


Actually, as far as I can tell professional kitchens are still largely dominated by men (which probably comes as no surprise to anyone who has read _Kitchen Confidential_). Also, I can name many more male celebrity chefs than female ones.



			
				Crivens said:
			
		

> Back to serious: usually I have little time for cooking. This is sad because I quite like it, but I prefer to make complete meals and do not like to be rushed with this.
> 
> One of my favorites, if it has to be fast, is cheese pancakes.


I agree with that. As much as I enjoy watching cooking shows on TV where the contestants are under time pressure (e.g. _Masterchef_ or _Ready, Steady, Cook_), I too do *not* like to be rushed.

And thanks for the cheese pancakes recipe. Like most Dutchies I like my pancakes thin, but I'm sure I can make it work somehow, so I'll try it out.



			
				SirDice said:
			
		

> Lentils... That seriously always reminds me of "The Young Ones" :e


[lame]Me too![/lame] I still dig out the DVDs from time to time, great show.



			
				drhowarddrfine said:
			
		

> I own some fast food restaurants so I can microwave and do "rip open package cooking" better than all of you.


You are just full of surprises, aren't you  Care to disclose what sort of food your restaurants serve? Are they burger joints, Tex-Mex or perhaps something else entirely?

@@break19: Thanks for sharing the recipe. I love chicken and think it's very versatile, so that's good. New ways of cooking chicken are always welcome 



			
				phoenix said:
			
		

> The perfect steak (IMO, of course):
> [snip]
> No need for BBQ sauce, marinade, etc. Just enjoy the pure goodness of the steak's natural flavour.


I couldn't agree more. Steak really shouldn't be messed with too much. Season, fry, serve. That's it.

For what it's worth: I'm also going to look into gazpacho and other cold soups. I love soups anyway and I just remembered that (cold) cucumber soup with dill and smoked salmon makes a great starter on a warm day (I can post the recipe if anyone wants it).


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## cpm@ (May 4, 2013)

Recommended typical southern Spanish dish for summer: salmorejo.


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## fonz (May 4, 2013)

cpu82 said:
			
		

> Recommended typical southern spanish dish for summer: salmorejo.


Looks interesting, thanks.


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## _martin (May 4, 2013)

Now this is once again interesting off-topic  

I for one _love soups. But our (Slovak/Czech) traditional ones. I don't like much cream soups but rather "broths". I did put it in quotes as I had to use Webster dictionary to find the translation (hopefully the correct one). 

If I want meat, I like chicken soup, beef broth. If I want something lite, I go with vegetables (mix of carrots, parsley, celery, spices, salt, spicy paprika. Or soup made out of pulses (sour bean soup, lentil soup, garbanzo soup). Or a broccoli soup (this one is actually a cream).  

During summer I like also main dish to be lite - either some sort of salad, boiled chicken, rarely beef. And always vegetables aside. Or a risotto (chicken, mushrooms).  Recently I found the recipe for the following salad: 1x salad cucumber, 3 x tomatoes, 1/2 of lemon , 1x avocado, olive oil. Slice 'n dice everything except lemon, put in a bowl. Pour oil, salt to taste, pepper to taste. Squeeze 1/2 of the lemon, mix and enjoy. I was surprised I was not hungry when I had this for lunch (as I'm in the office from 9 to 5).

Lot of good stuff can be made out of cauliflower too (soups, main dish).


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## sossego (May 4, 2013)

........


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## gkontos (May 4, 2013)

phoenix said:
			
		

> The perfect steak (IMO, of course):
> 
> lightly spread some olive oil over each side
> gently rub fresh-ground peper (and salt if must) into each side
> ...



Now, that's a guy who knows how to cook and eat 

A few more tips. If the beef is very fresh it will not be very tender.


Take a kiwi and rub the steaks. 
Leave them for 1/2 hour in the fridge.
Wash out the the kiwi and marinate.

PS. Don't leave them more than 1/2 hour in kiwi, they will melt!


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## sossego (May 5, 2013)

......


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## phoenix (May 6, 2013)

fonz said:
			
		

> For what it's worth: I'm also going to look into gazpacho and other cold soups. I love soups anyway and I just remembered that (cold) cucumber soup with dill and smoked salmon makes a great starter on a warm day (I can post the recipe if anyone wants it).



I can never remember the name for it, but my Baba always made a wonderful cold soup with egg, oatmeal, and milk. As with most Doukhebor cooking, describing it makes it sound nasty, but cooking it it and tasting it makes you realise how wonderful it is.

There's also a cucumber variation of the same soup.

Both are wonderful on a hot summer's day.


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## Dies_Irae (May 6, 2013)

When I saw this thread I was amazed: a cookery thread in the FreeBSD forum?
Cooking is my second passion - besides computer - so this is like a dream...

I am italian, so I *love* cooking! Just a few days ago I realized that in my library I have more cookery books than computer ones :e (and this is strange, since like most of us I work in the IT sector)
When I am at home, I spend great part of my spare time in the kitchen, but I am not even remotely comparable to a chef.

Besides the technical aspects of Ramsay's cooking (hats off to him), one of the gratest advice he gives in his books is to use fresh ingredients, and this is extremely true! The flavors are completely different - not to mention the economic aspect.

When possible, I use only ingredients made/grown by me or my parents (they live in the countryside): basil, thyme, sage, rosemary and many other vegetables (not-so-OT: last month I sowed Habanero chili, and they are growing very well!)
When I have enough time I also made fresh pasta by myself - hey, I repeat: I'm italian... I cannot live without pasta 

And pizza of course... I make it at least once a week.

The only thing that I regret is that I don't have enough time to dedicate to cookery.

Anyone knows if FreeBSD has a kernel module to control the oven? It would be useful...


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## Crivens (May 6, 2013)

Dies_Irae said:
			
		

> Anyone knows if FreeBSD has a kernel module to control the oven? It would be useful...



One of these, by chance?


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## Dies_Irae (May 6, 2013)

Crivens said:
			
		

> One of these, by chance?



Great find, my friend! :e

But I have found a very cheap alternative: my home PC has an Nvidia card that burns like hell, I could use it to cook a perfect steak! I only have to find a way to drain excess fat :\


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## Crivens (May 6, 2013)

Dies_Irae said:
			
		

> Great find, my friend!! :e
> 
> But I have found a very cheap alternative: my home pc has an nvidia card that burns like hell, I could use it to cook a perfect steak! I only have to find a way to drain excess fat :\



And after 4 minutes of gaming you are going to wimp out and tell your raid-comrades that dinner is ready?

Maybe we should also try to include finger food in this thread. You are either doing the complete meal, taking your time, or you are going to do something you can eat at the keyboard. Hopefully not turning it into a pizza dump. Any suggestions?


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## drhowarddrfine (May 6, 2013)

> You are just full of surprises, aren't you  Care to disclose what sort of food your restaurants serve? Are they burger joints, Tex-Mex or perhaps something else entirely?


I opened the fifth Subway in the whole state of Missouri. That's how long I've been doing that. I owned as many as five at one time but now I'm down to two. There are five within a few miles of my home now.


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## Dies_Irae (May 6, 2013)

Crivens said:
			
		

> And after 4 minutes of gameing you are going to wimp out and tell your raid-comrades that dinner is ready?



No, the Nvidia board is large, but not enough to cook for more than one person - myself. :e



			
				Crivens said:
			
		

> or you are going to do something you can eat at the keyboard. Hopefully not turning it into a pizza dump.



I don't like to eat over the keyboard. I prefer a glass of red wine (writing code while drinking wine is very relaxing)


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## fonz (May 15, 2013)

Dies_Irae said:
			
		

> I don't like to eat over the keyboard. I prefer a glass of red wine (writing code while drinking wine is very relaxing)


Come to think of it, I don't usually eat at the keyboard either, except soup. I do like a beer when I'm coding, though :beer



			
				drhowarddrfine said:
			
		

> I opened the fifth Subway in the whole state of Missouri.


Ah, Subway. We have those here in the Netherlands, just not that many. I like the food and for a fast-food chain it actually appears to be relatively healthy.


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## Crivens (May 15, 2013)

Dies_Irae said:
			
		

> I don't like to eat over the keyboard. I prefer a glass of red wine (writing code while drinking wine is very relaxing)



While I agree with this, I somehow feel a disturbance in the force when I consider to bring this improvement in workplace efficiency up to the management. There will be doubts!

What is good to eat at the keyboard is sandwich, which was meant to be good to eat when playing cards. One of my favorites is scrambled eggs, cheese and some hot sauce on/between slightly toasted rye bread.


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## phoenix (May 15, 2013)

Subway killed all the good submarine sandwich shops.  The ones that made hot sandwiches with gooey melted cheese and melt-in-your-mouth bread!  God I miss those places.  Subway has nothing that compares, especially since they've changed their bread dough recipe.  

The closest thing to a real submarine sandwich now is the pre-packaged crap that 7-11 sells.  But at least it can be nuked to relive that melt-in-your-mouth goodness.  The way a sub was meant to be!


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## drhowarddrfine (May 15, 2013)

Those shops are still around but Subway made me lots of money, which I promptly lost in the stock market. So now I have to make lots more.


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## cpm@ (Jul 18, 2013)

@fonz and dear diners, _bon appetit_! How to Prepare Your Input by Andrew S. Tanenbaum.


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## fonz (Jul 18, 2013)

Great stuff! And thanks for keeping the thread alive


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## Dies_Irae (Jul 18, 2013)

Crivens said:
			
		

> While I agree with this, I somehow feel a disturbance in the force when I consider to bring this improvement in workplace efficiency up to the management. There will be doubts!



Well, I have to admit that when the alcohol level in my blood reaches an _interesting_ value my brain starts to produce very clever ideas. However, they can't say how productive is a team of drunk developers as long as they don't try. :beergrin

Oh, just to stay on topic: this weekend I'm going to make a cheesecake with berries.

Note: I'm not an alcoholic, a bottle of wine lasts me about two weeks. But sometimes...


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## mix_room (Jul 19, 2013)

phoenix said:
			
		

> The perfect steak (IMO, of course):
> 
> ...
> gently rub fresh-ground peper (and salt if must) into each side
> ...



Just two small comments.

Putting pepper in a hot pan may cause it to burn, this can give off a weird taste. 
Flipping the steak more often will give an evener cooking. The heat spreads out more evenly, and you don't have one side of the steak being cold whilst the other is hot.

Oh and of course - get a thermometer. There is nothing quite as nice as not having to guess when food is done or not. 

Personally I love the oven. I prepare the food, then stick it in the oven, clean up, do dishes and set the table, all while the food is cooking.


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## _martin (Jul 20, 2013)

cpu82 said:
			
		

> @fonz and dear diners, _bon appetit_! How to Prepare Your Input by Andrew S. Tanenbaum.



Muffins from scratch ? Yay!


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## phoenix (Jul 23, 2013)

mix_room said:
			
		

> Just two small comments.
> 
> Putting pepper in a hot pan may cause it to burn, this can give off a weird taste.
> Flipping the steak more often will give an evener cooking. The heat spreads out more evenly, and you don't have one side of the steak being cold whilst the other is hot.



I used to flip my steaks more than once ... and found it took much longer to cook (20+ mins for a 3/4" steak).  Now, flipping once turns out the perfect steak everytime in under 15 minutes.

And we don't use pans to cook steaks, only BBQs.    If it's not kissed by flames, it's not worth eating.  



> Oh and of course - get a thermometer. There is nothing quite as nice as not having to guess when food is done or not.



We got one last year or the year before.  Don't know how I lived without it!  We only use it on poultry, but it's a godsend.



> Personally I love the oven. I prepare the food, then stick it in the oven, clean up, do dishes and set the table, all while the food is cooking.



It's too hot up here to use the oven during the spring/summer/fall.  Everything is cooked on the BBQ for 8-ish months of the year.    Sometimes, we'll even BBQ in the middle of the winter.  The oven is generally only used for fish sticks, chicken fingers, french fries, and lasagne.


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## drhowarddrfine (Jul 23, 2013)

You can do pizza on the barbee, too.


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## Crivens (Jul 24, 2013)

Could we agree that there is a fine red line (not yellow) which should not be crossed in this thread? Apart from that, I once saw a cook book which was meant for travelers, giving the way to cook something not as "oven, 200Â°C" but in terms of how many layers of aluminium foil need to be used and how to wrap your steak to the exhaust pipe of your motorbike so the it is fine when you reach that place with a view you meant to eat at. I always wantet to try something like that, but since I do not ride a motor bike, and also I am vegetarian, I need to experiment on my own.

Regarding spices, you usually add them when you are mostly finished. Salt, for example, should be added to lentils or peas as late as possible because they take a lot longer to cook when salted from the beginning.


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## sossego (Jul 24, 2013)

.....


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## mix_room (Aug 7, 2013)

phoenix said:
			
		

> (20+ mins for a 3/4" steak).


Just of the top of my head that sound like a very long time. Very long. 



> If it's not kissed by flames, it's not worth eating.


One the same note: "If it doesn't go 'moo' when you cut it, it's too well done!"



> We got one last year or the year before.  Don't know how I lived without it!  We only use it on poultry, but it's a godsend.


I use mine for everything. From getting pork just enough done, with poultry that is only just done. Fish which is medium, etc etc. It really is THE best tool in the kitchen. 



> Sometimes, we'll even BBQ in the middle of the winter.


Nothing quite beats a BBQ in the snow.


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## drhowarddrfine (Aug 7, 2013)

Some restaurants will cook steaks in a pan for longer than 20 minutes. At home, one technique I use takes me 40 minutes for an inch and a half steak but that's on medium heat.


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## Goobie (Aug 16, 2013)

There is something about mixing every food on your plate that makes everything seem so much better. I generally like all of the flavors mixed together anyway, but we have some family members that don't even want their foods on the same plate! So weird...


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## Captain_HM_Murdock (Aug 19, 2013)

*Grilled Chicken*

My family and I really enjoy grilled chicken.

I use chicken thighs and legs. Heat up the grill first. Place the chicken, skin down, on a platter. Season with sea salt (regular salt works too) and ground black pepper corns. Place on grill, seasoned side down. Season skin side in the same manner. 10-15 minutes on each side. Our grill is a piece of junk and it burns the chicken if it doesn't get turned several times, however with a good grill, on medium low, this shouldn't happen (watch the chicken just in case). Enjoy.



			
				phoenix said:
			
		

> If it's not kissed by flames, it's not worth eating.



Amen.


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## Goobie (Aug 23, 2013)

Captain_HM_Murdock said:
			
		

> My family and I really enjoy grilled chicken.
> 
> I use chicken thighs and legs. Heat up the grill first. Place the chicken, skin down, on a platter. Season with sea salt (regular salt works too) and ground black pepper corns. Place on grill, seasoned side down. Season skin side in the same manner. 10-15 minutes on each side. Our grill is a piece of junk and it burns the chicken if it doesn't get turned several times, however with a good grill, on medium low, this shouldn't happen (watch the chicken just in case). Enjoy.
> 
> Amen.



Sounds delicious. We're trying to eat a bit healthier around here, so we're doing a lot of grilled foods. But hey, I love a little charring on my food so the grill wouldn't bother me. Although, they're trying to say charring causes cancer now? Still taste good to me.


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## Captain_HM_Murdock (Aug 24, 2013)

Goobie said:
			
		

> Sounds delicious. We're trying to eat a bit healthier around here, so we're doing a lot of grilled foods. But hey, I love a little charring on my food so the grill wouldn't bother me. Although, they're trying to say charring causes cancer now? Still taste good to me.



Yeah, I've heard about the charring before, who knows if it's true or not. We always try to eat healthy, which isn't always easy for a family of six, because healthier is usually more expensive. Speaking of grilling, we also grill our hamburgers. I brush them lightly with peanut oil to keep them from burning and help them stay juicy.


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## ShelLuser (Aug 29, 2013)

I should have known there would be more to this...

I'm not a fan of Mr. Ramsay, not at all. In my opinion he's hardly as professional as he claims to be, but does manage to sell his persona quite well. Either way; when I think of this individual I see a group in a restaurant who had pizza delivered to them because they had to wait way too long for their food (some episode of Hell's Kitchen IIRC). Now that was funny, but it seems this individual doesn't have a good sense of humour either. ALAS; offtopic.

Either way; I totally missed the purpose of the thread 

I like cooking, though when I'm really busy at work it's also something I sometimes like to cut short a bit. On a day to day routine I always make sure to get some vegetables, potatoes and a nice piece of meat every now and then on the table. I'm trying to specialize a bit on pastas because I really like those, lasagna in particular. I've always considered it a bit fascinating that the real work is basically making the sauce, and not so much the rest around it.

When making lasagna I can easily spend up to three hours in the kitchen to make a good sauce. In general my sauces are based on milk, though I've recently also experimented with a tomato based sauce.

Take...


1 leek
150 - 200 g pork ("ham"!)
1 l milk
Approx. 20 g of flour
Approx. 50 g of butter
'Italian herbs' (herb mixture which is commonly available in Dutch supermarkets).
Collection of raw vegetables ("rauwkost")
Cheese
lasagna sheets / ribbons / leaves (take your pick)
Optional: anchovies
Optional: lemon juice
Optional: sambal
Optional: ketjap
Dish to put the lasagna in
Wherever I say "Approx." I mean as much, use as you see fit. I kinda lost track of the original recipe years ago and these days only focus on the main ingredients, more than often changing amounts if appropriate (for example; am I eating alone or will my girlfriend be joining me).

It's really simple, but good nonetheless. Chop up the pork into parts, do the same with the leek and start baking this. When you're done add extra butter (the approx. 50 g) and after the butter has melted add the flour.

In case you didn't know: if you simply add flour to something in order to try and thicken it up a little you'll more than often risk clumps. If you first mix the flour with butter and then add that mixture to the original you have a much better chance of avoiding lumps altogether. There might be more tricks like these, but this is the one I usually go by.

Now start adding milk and keep stirring until you got a nice sauce. The combination of butter, flour and milk can be used as a basis for a lot of sauces by the way. Either way, make sure you got the amounts right; otherwise you might risk cooking up something which tastes like flour, not the best idea.

Once your basic sauce is done its time to spice it up a little. The Italian herbs should give it a good taste, but these days I also often add anchovies and other optional herbs (coriander or nutmeg for example).

After that I always add a handful of those raw vegetables ("rauwkost") and optional some slices of cheese.

Then it's time to get your hands dirty (though washing them up front and continuing to do so is adviced). Butter up the dish and add the first layer of lasagna ribbons. Then add the sauce and on top of that add some of the raw vegetables. Then it's time for another layer of lasagna ribbons, sauce, vegetables, and so on.

I like adding cheese to the sauce as well as separate on top, but that's also something to vary on. Either way; I also like to add some cheese on top of the lasagna. For both taste as well as looks.

Then you need to put this into the oven, I usually let it go for 40 - 50 minutes or so ***. After which you should have a good, basic, lasagna dish.

*Edit:* At 180 degrees celcius, can't believe I missed that.

So far the basics. As mentioned above I also like adding anchovies these days, works quite well. I also tend to spend way too much time on adding herbs and the likes. I like my food spicy, but only if it still retains its taste. I don't, for example, like a lasagna sauce with a pepper taste, especially if the spicy bit solely comes from the pepper.

In that case it's a failure for me because you added pepper to spice it up, but in doing so also ruined the sauce (because it should not taste like pepper alone).

But of course you can add pepper and other herbs which, when done right, can "mask" the pepper taste (though I wouldn't recommend on trying this if you're not somewhat familiar with the approach already. practice makes perfect, sure, but you might risk a peppered up dish).

Alas.. optional stuff.  I often like to add a little ketjap when the pork and leek are almost done. That gives a somewhat "dark" taste to the meat (as I like to call it, hard to describe taste). I also like to add some lemon juice to the sauce which can add somewhat of a fresh taste (and vitamin C ).

Same applies to the nutmeg (careful with that) and pepper.

And that's basically it.

Hope non-Dutch people can make some sense of this, if not then don't hesitate to demand more info 

And bon appetit!


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## fonz (Aug 29, 2013)

Thanks for the recipe, I'll give it a try some time! It sounds like an Italian classic with an oriental twist.

A few notes:



			
				ShelLuser said:
			
		

> I'm not a fan of Mr. Ramsay, not at all.


Granted, he's not my favourite celebrity chef either (that would be Anthony Bourdain!) but I do find him entertaining and he's certainly one of the best-globally-known chefs, hence the title of this thread 



			
				ShelLuser said:
			
		

> 150 - 200g beef ("ham"?)


Ham is not beef, it's pork. Since we're talking lasagna, perhaps you meant ground beef (Dutch: gehakt)?



			
				ShelLuser said:
			
		

> lasagna ribbons (?)


Sheets, I presume?



			
				ShelLuser said:
			
		

> Optional: sambal


I'm not sure how common the term sambal is in anglophone countries, but just in case: it's essentially a chili paste, see here. Note: sambal is typically oriental, so if you want to put it into an Italian dish like lasagna (I do, too) you'll probably want a variant that adds heat but doesn't introduce too many (often overly dominant) new flavours. Sambal oelek would be a good choice. It's not the hottest kind of sambal, but it can spice things up without influencing the overall flavour too much and it has a nice vibrant red colour.



			
				ShelLuser said:
			
		

> (coriander or nutmeg for example)


Note to anglophones: coriander is also known in some parts of the world (particularly the U.S. it seems) as cilantro.


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## ShelLuser (Aug 30, 2013)

fonz said:
			
		

> Thanks for the recipe, I'll give it a try some time! It sounds like an Italian classic with an oriental twist.


Well, that's easily explained because my girlfriend has an Asian origin. Then you'll automatically pick up certain traits and approaches. Some of them are good, others a bit too specific, but when it comes to the ingredients I mentioned above I noticed that they can easily go through almost everything.

But the original recipe is without the optional stuff. But the nice thing about it is because it's somewhat general it allows for a lot of tweaking if you're up for it (like the anchovies; thanks for the edit by the way! (I'm assuming that was you )).



			
				fonz said:
			
		

> Granted, he's not my favourite celebrity chef either (that would be Anthony Bourdain!) but I do find him entertaining and he's certainly one of the best-globally-known chefs, hence the title of this thread


Oh, I fully agree with that. Problem is that I dislike him enough to mention my somewhat disdain 



			
				fonz said:
			
		

> Ham is not beef, it's pork. Since we're talking lasagna, perhaps you meant ground beef (Dutch: gehakt)?


No, no, no; thanks!  That is exactly what I meant. It is also perfectly doable with ground beef (I already tried that approach too) but the main recipe is with pork.

I changed the stuff up there, sorry about the jesting (couldn't resist), but because I somewhat fell into this thread unprepared I simply started writing. I couldn't find any reference to 'pork' as such ended up with beef.

No; it's a slice of pork meat which you need to chop up into smaller parts.



			
				fonz said:
			
		

> Sheets, I presume?


I honestly have no idea. I looked it up on Google and they started with ribbons, leaves and all sorts of things. Alas; I added the whole lot, hopefully it makes some more sense this way.

I was >< close to make an off topic comment about Office ribbons but figured I'd better not 



			
				fonz said:
			
		

> I'm not sure how common the term sambal is in anglophone countries, but just in case: it's essentially a chili paste, see here. Note: sambal is typically oriental, so if you want to put it into an Italian dish like lasagna (I do, too) you'll probably want a variant that adds heat but doesn't introduce too many (often overly dominant) new flavours. Sambal oelek would be a good choice.


Thanks Fonz, much appreciated.

Absolutely, same here. Oelek is a good pick for this. In fact; it's the only Sambal I use because you can add 'spice' without adding too much "overhead" (as I like to call it).

Some time ago my girlfriend introduced me to 'wasabi'. Man, that stuff can kill you when used improperly! (I think so anyway, she had some original home-made sauce which was out of the ordinary for my taste). Even so; it is another Asian herb / sauce which can also add spice without adding too much overhead (though I prefer Sambal). When I first tasted wasabi (pure) I actually had to gasp for breath for a brief moment, that stuff really can be that strong... Amazing stuff.

But yeah, Sambal is the safer approach here.


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## saxon3049 (Nov 22, 2013)

*So Who cooks?*

OK I know as IT pros we normally have the cooking skills of reach for the take-away menu and dial the number, but I know for a fact that some of us like cooking! And I thought we should get together sharing our recipes.

Last week I hit upon this wonder:

*Chili, Garlic, Mushrooms!*

You will need;

Mushrooms (enough to your personal taste).
3 Large cloves of garlic (can adjust to taste).
1 Scotch bonnet chilli per person, this is essential.
1 Tablespoon of oil, 
50g of butter per person.
Some sea salt and a little black pepper.
Really good bread to toast and serve on (optional).

Method.

Take a decent portion of mushrooms and slice thinly.
Take a bunch of garlic cloves and sprinkle with salt and then chop or mince as fine as you can (if you use a blender or coffee grinder add a table spoon of water).
Chop the Scotch bonnet as fine as you can, use one bonnet per person (the butter removes the pain and leaves the flavour).
Add the oil and butter to a frying pan on a medium heat, and melt the butter.
Once the butter is melted, add the garlic, chilli and mushrooms to the pan and raise the heat to as high as you can.
Fry for a about 2 - 5 minutes; this is really subjective, when you consider the mushrooms cooked, it's done.

Serve in either a small bowl, or on really nice toasted bread with some salad, it makes a perfect starter or a beautiful make me up breakfast.


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## fonz (Nov 23, 2013)

Thanks for sharing. It sounds easy enough and I love the ingredients, so I'll be sure to try it. I do have one question though: since the chillies are meant for flavour rather than heat, are there any other peppers you'd recommend in their place? Scotch bonnets are rather hard to come by in my neck of the woods.


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## saxon3049 (Nov 24, 2013)

Hi @fonz,

Yep you sure can, I would recommend though that you use the hottest chilies you can find as the butter knocks all the heat out of them.


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## sossego (Nov 24, 2013)

.......


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## fonz (Feb 1, 2014)

Does anyone know of a good alternative for olives? There's this dish I wish to try, but it has (black) olives in it. And I'm not particularly fond of olives.


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## nanotek (Feb 1, 2014)

You must not be European; olives are great, specially black ones. I can't really think of an apt substitute, but obviously something salty. What's the dish? Might help with suggestions.


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## fonz (Feb 1, 2014)

nanotek said:
			
		

> You must not be European


I'm Dutch, that counts as European.   The funny thing is that while I like most food items, there are a few very strange ones I don't like. For example, I must be the only person in the world who does _not_ like chocolate  :r 


			
				nanotek said:
			
		

> What's the dish? Might help with suggestions.


It's sort of a meatloaf thing (Italian style, not American). In a nutshell, it's mince, onion, breadcrumbs, herbs and spices, sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and olives wrapped in prosciutto. Sounds pretty good, except for the olives.


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## Crivens (Feb 1, 2014)

Maybe you could substitute lentils for those. Just an idea.


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## fonz (Feb 1, 2014)

Crivens said:
			
		

> Maybe you could substitute lentils for those. Just an idea.


Thanks for the suggestion. The girl in the store recommended capers, so I went with those. They're salty, so it makes sense I suppose.

Anyway, I'll be making it tomorrow. If it turns out to be any good, I can post the recipe if anyone wants it.


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## nanotek (Feb 2, 2014)

fonz said:
			
		

> nanotek said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That is strange -- especially being Dutch.

Capers actually were a very good suggestion. I didn't think of that. In fact, I couldn't really think of a suitable substitute. How was the meatloaf?


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## sossego (Feb 2, 2014)

......


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## fonz (Feb 2, 2014)

nanotek said:
			
		

> How was the meatloaf?


Richer than I anticipated (so I'll probably finish it tomorrow at lunch), but quite good actually. I'll post the recipe later tonight (or tomorrow).


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## nanotek (Feb 3, 2014)

I would appreciate that; it looks like something I would enjoy. I'll use olives, though.


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## fonz (Feb 3, 2014)

*STUFFED MEATLOAF, ITALIAN STYLE*

As part of a meal I'd say it serves two to three adults with average appetite (or one modestly hungry adult male Scot).

*Ingredients:*

500 g minced meat
1 egg
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 large onion
~ 1 tsp paprika
~ 1 tsp nutmeg
(sea)salt and black pepper
100 g black olives (without the stones)
100 g sun-dried tomatoes (on oil)
250 g mozzarella
2 cloves of garlic
100 g parma ham (prosciutto crudo), thin slices

*Preparation:*


Finely chop the onion and keep apart.
Finely chop the olives, tomatoes, mozzarella and garlic. Can be kept together.
Preheat the oven at 180 °C.
Put the mince into a bowl. Add the egg, onion, breadcrumbs, paprika and nutmeg. Season with pepper and salt and kneed into a solid dough.
Cover a chopping board with a layer of cling film (the purpose of which will become obvious soon enough).
Spread the mince mixture over the cling film, approximately 1 cm thick, more or less square.
Thoroughly mix the other chopped ingredients and spread over the mince, but be sure to leave about 2 cm free around the edges.
Carefully _roll_ the whole thing into a cylindrical loaf. This is where the cling film comes in (remove after use). Press the ends together well.
Wrap the prosciutto all around the loaf.
Lightly smear an oven tray with olive oil and bake the loaf for 30 to 40 minutes.

*Variations:*


Add some finely chopped garden herbs, e.g. parsley or basil.
To make a complete meal, I'd suggest serving it with potato wedges (put some herbs on and chuck into the oven with the loaf) or ciabatta. And possibly some green veggies, e.g. broccoli or green beans.






The result shown in the picture is somewhat sloppy, but not bad for a first attempt


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## nanotek (Feb 3, 2014)

That looks _delicious_! Thanks, @fonz!


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## phoenix (Feb 3, 2014)

fonz said:
			
		

> nanotek said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Sooooo... just don't add the olives.


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## wblock@ (Feb 20, 2014)

This started out as Spanish rice, not sure what it is now.  Easy to cook, most time just spent in chopping things up, and frozen pre-chopped stuff works fine.

1 or 2 bell peppers, chopped
4-6 stalks of celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped (can be sauteed first, but it doesn't really add anything)
.25 cup white rice (yes, only a quarter cup)
1 14.5-oz can of diced tomatoes (purists can use fresh tomatoes, may need to add salt)
1 to 1.5 cups water (adjust depending on rice)
.5 package (.675 oz) of taco seasoning mix
one or two teaspoons of sugar (or the equivalent amount of stevia)
1 teaspoon dried basil (or more)

Throw it all in a pan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to minimum and cover.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes or until rice is done.

Add a little grated parmesan cheese.  Serve with the warning that this stuff somehow retains heat and will be approximately the temperature of lava for the first few minutes.


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