The other day, I made pasta — bow ties — and for sauce, sea salt and EVOO sweated diced sweet onions and garlic, added diced Eryngii mushrooms, added ground turkey until heated through, then added reserved chicken drippinga and fat from previously cooked roasted chicken legs. For veg, I added frozen sweet corn and my own frozen sweet red and yellow peppers, a big bunch of fresh parsley and Asian greens from my winter indoor garden, my own dried sweet marjoram, and then ground mace and cumin. Tossed the cooked pasta with a bit of cooking water with this mixture. I had 2 servings, second serving with kefir. DH also used kefir. Older DD said there were too many mushrooms and gave me hers, but 2nd DD said the abundance of the mushrooms made this particularly good.... and I agree!
Tonight I made a creole style dish, like jambalaya, without the shrimp, but some okra added. I had 2 sort of old bell peppers I had to use, about 2 cups of crushed canned tomatoes left from another dish, and a ham steak. I was going to use a pint of frozen okra plus some rehydrated eggplant, but instead, I used 2 pints of okra - something I have a good amount of to use up! I used half parboiled basmati, and half whole oats, instead of all rice, and added a little white wine - something in my favorite jambalaya recipe. Onions, peppers, and garlic, to start the dish. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I tried a new/old recipe today. I started a Paleo/keto diet for about 6 days now.
I saw a Paleo recipe for Thai coconut chicken curry. After reading the recipe it was an American version of Thai chicken curry without the basil. To me, Thai food usually has chile, lemon grass, fish sauce, kaffir lime, and basil in pretty much every recipe. The Thai taste is sweet, salty, bitter, and hot. The blend of the flavors makes it unique.
Thai Chicken Curry
4 servings
4 tsp of Red curry paste I used half 2 tsp because it was too much salt for my diet
and I added a chopped fresh super chile to boost the
heat. Next time I will add two, it was a little too tame.
1 1/2 cups coconut milk I ended up using 2 cups to finish the can, I added 1 cup
water . I thought I did not
have enough liquid. Next time I will add another cup
of coconut milk instead. It was a little too thin.
500 grams of chicken (approx 4 cups chopped rotisserie chicken) I cut the chicken to 236 grams (approx 2 cups) because
I would have gone over my protein limit for the day
1 1/2 Tablespoons fish sauce I only used 1 tablespoon. It was too much salt for me.
2-3 tablespoons palm sugar light brown sugar can be a substitute for palm sugar
I used truvia instead, but I used too much next time I
will cut it in half and use 2 packets instead of 4.
1 cup chicken stock I used water instead to cut the salt.
1 lb kabocha pumpkin cut into chunks butternut squash can also be used.
1 cup Thai basil Sweet or Thai basil works. I used Ajaka. I only had
1/4 cup but it was better than nothing.
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips I used 10 oz of mung bean sprouts and 120 gms
of Komatsuna. Komatsuna is in my garden and it
gives the curry color.
Original directions
Over medium heat, dissolve red curry paste in 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Simmer, until the coconut breaks and the oil separates.
Add in the remaining coconut milk and kabocha chunks. Simmer for about 8-10 minutes until kabocha is tender. Add in cooked chicken, stock, sugar, peppers, and fish sauce (adjust fish sauce to your taste). Simmer for about 5 minutes. Peppers should be crisp tender. Make final adjustments for taste. Turn off the heat, stir in the basil. Serve hot over rice or cauliflower rice (Keto).
My changes.
Saute curry paste, minced hot chili pepper with seeds, in 1 tablespoon avocado oil until it bubbles (this is the usual way to start curries. I chose avocado oil for keto). Add in 1/2 cup coconut milk and simmer over medium heat until the curry paste is dissolved and the coconut milk is reduced and breaks (the oil separates). Add in the remaining coconut milk and kabocha chunks. Add in 1 cup of chicken stock ( I used water to reduce the salt), sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 8 minutes or unitil the kabocha are tender (not mushy). (I should not have solanaceous fruits on my diet like bell peppers) so I used 10 oz if washed and rinsed mung bean spouts, 120 gm (about 2 cups) of chopped komatsuna (for color). Simmer another 5 minutes until vegetables are wilted. Taste and adjust seasoning. Turn off the heat and stir in the basil.
Serve over rice or cauliflower rice (keto). A squirt of fresh lime juice will brighten the flavor.
Other things you can add, straw mushrooms, bamboo shoots, spinach, julienne daikon, and beans.
Per 1 cup serving: calories 220 , 17 gm protein, 14 gm fat, 5gm carb, potassium 468, sodium 743 mg, chol 45 mg
Omitting the chicken and adding more vegetables and a kaffir lime leaf will make it more like Evil Jungle Prince.
This was definitely one of those random dishes, using things I had around. It was a one dish (well, almost) meal today, starting with a small butternut. I was going to make an Indian dish, but I had a bunch of basil I trimmed, that I wanted to use up, so I made it Italian. I started with making a tomato sauce, sautéing a large chopped onion in olive oil, then adding a bunch of minced garlic, and a can of tomatoes, and a generous half cup of chopped basil. This cooked in slow cooker mode of the IP, while getting the butternut, mushrooms, and sausage ready. I added the butternut, 1 c of brown lentils, 1/2 c of whole oats, and 4 1/2 c water, using fish sauce as the salt source - something I use a lot in Italian dishes. After about 2 1/2 hours cooking (and adding a little more water), I added the cooked sweet Italian sausage and mushrooms, cooked another half hour, then turned it off, and added another half cup of chopped basil, and served it, with some grated Locatelli. Diced butternut, added to the Italian style gruel. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I had a bunch of frozen corn left over from dinner last night, and I’m the only one who eats leftovers! So I made some quick corn fritters.
Left over corn, some diced red pepper, a diced jalapeño, chopped cilantro leaves and lots of stems, onion powder, garlic powder, pinch of salt and pepper, baking soda, baking powder, cumin, and cayenne. Added milk slowly to get the right consistency, then I pan fried them in extra light olive oil. So yummy! Served them with guacamole!
I finally got around to cooking again, not just thawing and heating up leftovers (though I have to do this, since I have to make room in the freezer, for the harvest). I got my seeds in, and all the pots filled, which is what I've been doing the last week, along with stuff in the workshop.
I made a vindaloo curry, with cremini mushrooms, kohlrabi, potato, and edamame. The original recipe called for mushrooms, potato, cauliflower, and peas, so I substituted for the cauliflower and peas, and added some Thai peppers, for more heat. And I baked some WW pav - some yeast rolls often served with Goan dishes. Toasted spices, for vindaloo sauce. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Tonight, I made up a dish using some dried tomatoes and eggplants - approximately 3 lbs worth of tomatoes, and 2 lbs worth of eggplants. I toasted the tomatoes briefly in a dry skillet, then soaked in hot water until soft; the eggplants were soaked in hot water until I finished all of the preps, and it was still sort of hard, but it was to be pressure cooked, so no problem. The tomatoes were blended to just 5 cups, so it was thick. I cooked some onions, garlic, and bell peppers, and set them aside, then added some spelt, barley, thyme, and chopped parsley and basil, plus the eggplant and some more water, and set the IP to 15 min to pressure cook. When done, I released the pressure, stirred in about 1/2 c toor dal, and re-set it to pressure cook 10 more minutes. When the pressure was released naturally, I stirred the onions, garlic, and peppers back into it, along with the second half of the basil, and that was it! Cooked peppers, onions, and garlic, added after the pressure cooking. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
apple, I actually have some eggplant from 2018, and that's what these were! They last forever, in my experience. And last season I only had 4 plants - in 2018 had 6! And this season I have 8 plants, though I might only have room for 7. However, with the pandemic, I might figure out somewhere to plant everything! The more the better.
We have about a liter of juice left from home made bread & butter pickles. I'd hate to throw it away, so what are your suggestions for using it? Other than just drinking it, that is . I'm thinking it could become a sort of Asian dipping sauce, with some ginger added - and pickled ginger slices as a by-product. Maybe could be included in a marinade, or used as the base flavouring for some adventurous dish.
What suggestions do you come up with?
I just might try it instead of water in my (cheapest!) Scotch.
We have about a liter of juice left from home made bread & butter pickles. I'd hate to throw it away, so what are your suggestions for using it? Other than just drinking it, that is . I'm thinking it could become a sort of Asian dipping sauce, with some ginger added - and pickled ginger slices as a by-product. Maybe could be included in a marinade, or used as the base flavouring for some adventurous dish.
What suggestions do you come up with?
I just might try it instead of water in my (cheapest!) Scotch.
We use bread & butter pickle juice in, coleslaw, potato salad, chicken salad, ham salad, bean salad, all summer. Some times other salads with mixed vegetables. Also good in macaroni salad & tomato salad. I use it in quart jars of pickled vegetables with, broccoli, carrots, onions, green beans, or any vegetables we like. Also good in Chinese stir fry and marinade. Add a little to BBQ sauce it is good on chicken & pork chops cooked on the BBQ grill in summer. Summer we eat lots of cold food and cook outside on BBQ grill.
We use bread & butter pickle juice in, coleslaw, potato salad, chicken salad, ham salad, bean salad, all summer. Some times other salads with mixed vegetables. Also good in macaroni salad & tomato salad. I use it in quart jars of pickled vegetables with, broccoli, carrots, onions, green beans, or any vegetables we like. Also good in Chinese stir fry and marinade. Add a little to BBQ sauce it is good on chicken & pork chops cooked on the BBQ grill in summer. Summer we eat lots of cold food and cook outside on BBQ grill.
We chopped our latest Asparagus spears and put them in the pickle juice for a few days - delicious. The juice soaks right into the Asparagus stems.
(Edit) Stopping the Asparagus harvesting now, beginning of June, and will let the feathery tops open out.
BAKED BEANS. This is a very old recipe I have been making it for 50 years it is the best Bake Bean recipe I have found. Wife likes to buy factory bake beans it is easy, microwave 1 minutes ready to eat. I told her, stop buying those horrible factory beans I am going to start making my recipe again it only takes 3 or 4 minutes minutes.
Put 1/4 cup hot water in a measuring cup then add Dark brown sugar until volume increases to 1/2 cup stir well.
Next add BBQ sauce until volume comes up to 3/4 cup mix well.
Then add diced onions until you have 1 cup stir well.
Mix with one 15 oz can of SHOEBOAT pork & beans.
Add 3/4 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper.
Optional add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed Red Pepper for a tiny bit of spicy flavor.
Bring to a boil in a pan for 2 minutes then turn off the heat. Leave pan of beans on stove to cool slow naturally. You can eat beans now but tomorrow flavor is 2 times better plus color turns dark red tomorrow.
You can also bake these beans in a pan in the oven 350 degrees F about 30 minutes.
If you substitute I guarantee it will not taste like it should. For some reason this combination of items tastes best. If you try different beans it tastes different. If you try, light brown sugar, white sugar, honey, it will taste weird. If you try a different brand BBQ sauce it spoils the whole flavor.
I'm slowly modifying my standard 'wholewheat potato bread' recipe to include seeds & grains. My first batch had about 1/3c grains added to the original recipe (for 2 loaves.) I used equal amounts of sesame seeds, chia seeds and steel-cut "Scotch' oats; all toasted before adding, but they went in right at the start with the rest of the ingredients. The result is good with a subtle new flavor. I'll increase the seed/grain amount next time.
I use a bread machine to make the dough, then I roll out the bubbles, roll up 2 loaves and put them in bread pans to rise & bake. the machine is supposed to do one 3-cup loaf but easily makes a double quantity of dough (it's often pushing the lid open by the time I take it out.)
The original recipe to make 2 loaves:
Wholewheat flour: 4 cups
White flour: 1 cup
Boiled & mashed potato: 1 cup
Butter: 2 Tablespoons
Sugar : 2 Tablespoons
Salt : 2 teaspoons
Water : 1-1/3 cups (preferably from boiling the potato.)
Yeast : 2-1/4 teaspoons
The only ingredients I actually measure are the 5 cups of flour and the rest is eyeballed. The real amount of potato depends solely on the size of the spuds in the pantry. I usually mash the butter, salt & sugar in with the potato. The water I play 'by inspection' to get a fairly soft dough. In my case the 1-1/3 cups is generally not enough and I add, gradually, during the kneading cycles. If there's not enough potato water the tap supplies the rest. If the dough was becoming too wet/soft I guess I would add flour but I don't recall ever having to.
The machine takes 1.5 hours to do the dough. I let it rise in the pans for another hour or so, then bake 30-35 min at 350. So far I've never put a dish of water in the oven along with it. I may try that to see what it does for the crust; but I'm happy with this bread as it is.
I made a delicious dish tonight, based on a Milk Street's July/August issue - Ethiopian Stewed Collard Greens. However, I used 4 different greens from the garden in my dish - Kohlrabi, Senposai, Red Bor kale, and some Kohlrabi greens. I also added some ground beef, which the article says is frequently in the dish, and I had to use up some from the freezer. I doubled the recipe, because I had so many greens to use, and made it in the CI wok - something it all fit in, once it wilted.
I also made a dish of millet and browned rice in the Instant pot, to eat it with, to soak up some of that liquid, since I didn't have any bread. I often mix millet with jasmine rice, as well, as it much more nutritious than white rice, and lets the flavor of the jasmine rice shine through.
I have always liked boiled peanuts, and when I was a child, and we would travel down south in the summer, to visit relatives, was the only time I could get them - no raw peanuts up here, back then. They had the shells on them, which I still can't find here, but they are still good.
I made another delicious version of boiled peanuts yesterday. I've made Mexican, Thai, Indian, and Chinese flavored versions before, and yesterday, I got an idea for a new Chinese type, when I saw the Lapsang Souchong tea in my cupboard - something that I rarely use, except when I make tea eggs. So I made a batch of strong tea, using enough water to cover the peanuts by about an inch in the Instant Pot, strained it into the IP, then added some dark soy sauce, palm sugar, cassia sticks, star anise, and a few whole cloves. This time, I cooked it in the high heat slow cooker mode, for about 5 hours (sometimes I pressure cook them for 30 min., then finish on slow cook; 40 min on pressure cook is a little too long), then cooled for an hour, and chilled. Tea cooked boiled peanuts. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I made something with that first eggplant - a simple sambar, with a bell pepper, onion, and some garlic. I added some millet, along with the toor dal, and cooked that in the Instant Pot, cooking those vegetables in a sauté pan, on my induction burner. I added the sambar masala to the pan the last minute, with the garlic. This was added to the dal, along with the tamarind, and a little jaggery, and simmered briefly, while preparing the tarka. That only takes about 30 sec., which is added, and mixed in, along with a couple of tb of chopped cilantro. Eggplant and bell pepper sambar by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I used a lot of things from the garden today.
I made some Szechwan eggplant tonight - the first thing I do every season when I get 2 lbs of eggplant. I also used garlic and scallion from the garden, and the first 6 okras - not traditional, but I didn't have enough to do anything with, so I added them to this.
The original recipe for this called for 8 scallions and 8 cloves of garlic, and as usual, I doubled it! Yet all it took was a huge scallion, that looked like a leek, to chop up into over 4 cups! A very large scallion! by pepperhead212, on Flickr
This is the best pizza crust I ever had, I never knew how to make it until now. Mix up the dough recipe, the Left side makes 2 large pizzas, right side is 1 large crust. Mix just enough to mix in all the dry flour then roll it out flat and thin. Place on greased pizza pan then poke 100s of holes in the crust with a fork this prevents crust from bubbling up like a balloon. Bake crust 425 degrees about 7 minutes until crust is crispy/crunchy like a cracker. Put pizza sauce on the crust then cheese, then all the toppings. Bake 425 degrees 13 minutes.
At the last minute we left off the thin sliced tomatoes so I ate them. I made a mistake and put cheese on last but pizza was still good. I put garden onion diced on the pizza and jalapeno pepper slices. I made homemade pizza sauce with 2 tomatoes sliced with seeds & jelly stuff removed, puree in blender with 1 garden basil leaf & oregano. It turned out good.
Another cheap dish, with some more eggplants from the garden, some dried tomatoes from last season, and only a small amount of 99¢/lb beef from the freezer, made into chorizo, with some garlic, chiles, coriander, cumin, cloves, a pinch of canela, and some vinegar. Usually I make up a lot of pork chorizo, to freeze, but lately, I've been trying to empty out my freezer! When cooking chirizo, and most sausages, for that matter, I try too cook them up into chunks, instead of a fine, homogenized ground meat mix.
I made a favorite recipe tonight - Thai curry. A red one, this time, with some things from the garden - kohlrabi, okra, eggplant, and some Thai basil and kaffir lime leaves - plus some chicken.
I used the method ATK used for drying out eggplant to make ratatouille, to keep it from turning mushy. I don't cook them down as much as they do, but I do it about 8-9 min., to cook them down to about half weight. First of two plates of eggplants, to dry out in the microwave. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Made another double batch of Szechwan eggplant, with 7 eggplants, scallions, and a bunch of garlic from the garden. This time I tossed it with pasta. Szechwan eggplant, tossed with pasta. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I made cheap dish today, with a lot of ingredients from the garden. It was sort of a gumbo, which I made in the Instant Pot, to use up 1½ qts of okra, that I'm getting mostly from the 12 Little Lucy plants, but have finally started getting them from the 6 Emerald plants. I started with some bacon - the only smoky meat I had in stock - then added some onion, celery, bell and jalapeño peppers, spices and herbs, and garlic, to cook about 10 min., adding some tomato paste towards the end. I then added the puréed tomatoes, okra, and some pearled barley, and cooked in the slow cooker high mode for 2½ hours. It seemed to need more water, so I added more, and cooked on the medium slow cooker mode for 1½ hours, and it was done just right. Okra, cut up for the gumbo. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I made a delicious bean soup today - more of a cold weather dish, but I used some things from the garden, plus I used up a jar of old (I considered 2016 old) beans from my pantry! Those, and the olive oil, were the only two things not from the garden. The original recipe calls for canned tomatoes, but I used a bunch of those ripe green tiger tomatoes, blended to a purée, plus onions and garlic, and cooked down - looked like a tomatillo sauce, but it's definitely tomatoes! And the original recipe called for some fennel seeds, but instead, I added some Thai basil, for the anise flavor, a little blended with the tomato, and some chopped with the regular basil added at the end. Just the regular basil was used for the topping. Cooked down tomato sauce for bean soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I made a sambar in my Instant Pot, with some toor dal and some whole oats, for bulk. I cooked some onions in some oil, then added a paste I made with peanuts, sesame seeds, and garlic, followed by the sambar masala, curry leaves, and tamarind. Then all of the water, dal, oats, and some okra. I put it in slow cook mode, and let it cook while I was in the garden for 2 hours. Then I added 2 eggplants, which I had cut up and dried out in the microwave for 8 min. I added that to the pot after the 2 hours, went back out, and cooked about 90 more minutes. Then I made a tarka, to temper the sambar. Served with a chutney on the side. Sambar, with toor dal and whole oats, plus okra, tomatoes, and eggplant, for the veggies. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I made an okra dish tonight - sort of a vindaloo okra, with a side dish I often make, when I don't have a one dish meal. The vindaloo is made with a paste of cashews, garlic, onion, ginger, and a little coconut vinegar (more comes later). The paste is cooked down, to intensify the flavors, then diluted again, like when making some Mexican sauces. The pre-cooked okra goes back in, and simmers 7 or 8 minutes, adding a chopped tomato and cilantro toward the end. Vindaloo paste by pepperhead212, on Flickr
The side dish - ven pongal - is a traditional Indian breakfast food, but I often make a version of it to serve as a side, when I make one of these dishes that isn't a one dish meal. I often make it with brown basmati, like I did here, along with the moong dal. I flavored it up with a tarka, of ghee, crushed black peppercorns, cumin seeds, minced ginger, chopped cilantro, and curry leaves. Starting tarka, for ven Pongal, with crushed peppercorns and cumin in ghee. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Not sure that the coconut vinegar makes a difference in this, with all those other flavors. But, I had some, and that's what's traditional in Goan, so that's what I used.
I had some work done at the orthodontist today, so I made something soft - a sambar, made with okra, eggplant, and some tomatoes, from the garden. I used some tamarind powder as a shortcut, instead of the usual paste, so the hardest part of it was cutting up the vegetables. I did this in the instant pot - sautéed some onion in a little oil, adding the garlic, curry leaves, and sambar masala, and cooking about a minute, then I added the tomatoes, eggplant, and okra, plus 4 cups water, and 3/4 c moong dal. Salted it to taste, and added the tamarind powder (started with 2 tb, but ended with about 3 tb) then I slow cooked it 2 1/2 hrs, added 1/2 c brown basmati, and cooked another 1 1/2 hrs. Had to cool it to lukewarm to eat, but it was still delicious...and very soft to eat! About 12 ounces of tomatoes, chopped up for the sambar. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I have a question. I keep hearing about instant pot, but I don't know what the advantage is. It looks like a crock pot, but it seems to be a pressure cooker. For me it is too expensive and small to use as a pressure cooker. What are the attributes and limitations of an instant pot. Does it have other functions, like can you use it as a steamer? If you are using it for something like soup, how much can you make at a time?
I have a question. I keep hearing about instant pot, but I don't know what the advantage is. It looks like a crock pot, but it seems to be a pressure cooker. For me it is too expensive and small to use as a pressure cooker. What are the attributes and limitations of an instant pot. Does it have other functions, like can you use it as a steamer? If you are using it for something like soup, how much can you make at a time?
Instant pot is an electric pressure cooker made of plastic & aluminum. We go to instant pot dinner at the old vintage camper rallies 75 people, 2 people had their instant pot explode and put them in the hospital with burns. Craig was lucky he was not in the kitchen when plastic handle broke and pot exploded. Craig gave me what was left of his aluminum pot with no handle.
Last week I bought a Korean Kimchi dinner just add water & microwave 4 minutes. It was very good. Then I went to Korean Market they have several types of Kimchi dinners, cabbage, onion, mushroom, noodle, shrimp, more. I went to the grocery store in rich part of town it was the only place to find a Savoy cabbage. I used Savoy cabbage on tacos then I found a Kimchi recipe and made cabbage noodle Kimchi today. Kimchi turned out very good. You can eat Kimchi right away & keep it in the refrigerator to eat for 3 weeks. Cabbage contains a natural preservative so it will not spoil for about 4 weeks.
If you want to make a quick 10 minute batch of Kimchi and eat is NOW there is no need to do the 3 hour salt water bath. Salt bath removed water from cabbage so as it sets in refrigerator for 3 weeks it will not turn into soup. I am making quick 10 min Kimchi I learn from the 1st one to add more, soy sauce, more onion, more chili powder to suit my taste. Korean Lady said, substitute soy sauce for fish sauce if you want. I already have a quart bottle if soy sauce. I also add extras like graded carrots.
@imafan The Instant Pot is the best known brand of the multi-cookers, which have gotten very popular in recent years. When I got mine I got rid of my crock pot, and the rice cooker, which are two things that this does, in addition to the pressure cook mode. Milk Street put out a book, as well as one of those "free classes" on using the Instant Pot, many of the recipes having a way of using the pressure cooking mode, as well as a way to use the slow cooker mode. The IP has a SS insert, with an aluminum disk in the bottom - most brands have aluminum, with non-stick coating. But all have similar modes, to set them in. The IP has a sauté mode - to cook onions, brown meats, and things like that, that would normally be done in a stovetop pan, for using a slow cooker.
I use it a lot in the summer, to cook beans or grains for salads - it puts out a lot less heat than a gas burner! It's great for
There are other things you can do in the IP, one of which is making yogurt (or fermented glutinous rice, which it uses a slightly lower temperature), which works great. You can also use it as a steamer, using the "high sauté" mode, which boils the water rapidly. And it makes the best hard boiled eggs of any method I have tried! It made no sense, until I saw it scientifically explained, telling how the higher pressure cooking helps the shell come off easier.
The IP I have is 6 qt, which is plenty large for most of the things I make in it, though there are larger models. The 6 qt is ok for 1 cup or more, as far as cooking rice or grains; the larger ones would need more, in the pots. There is a low pressure mode, which is better to use for most grains, to prevent blowout of the grains.
I don't make a lot of things using the slow cooker mode, but sometimes in the summer I put some chana dal in it, and cook just under 2 hours, checking after 90 minutes, and stopping when they are just al dente, then rinse and drain. Hard to get it just right using the pressure cooker. I often add one of the grains, sometimes starting at the same time, some a little later than the dal, as they need less cooking.
After a while, you get used to these things, as with all types of cooking!
Definitely a soup day today! I made a mushroom, barley, black chickpea, and masoor dal soup, starting last night. I soaked 1 lb of kala chana - black chick peas - overnight, then pressure cooked them in the Instant Pot for 1 hr, and then it slow cooked another 5 hours, along with all of the other ingredients, but those chickpeas are not falling apart at all!
I rinsed those cooked chickpeas, and put about 1/3 of them in the fridge for a later salad, and then set the IP on high sauté mode, and cooked a large chopped onion in olive oil, until starting to brown, then turned off, and cooked 2 minced garlic cloves and 2 tb tomato paste, in the heat left in the pot. Then I added 3/4 c pearl barley, 1/2 c masoor dal, 1 oz dried boletus, soaked and minced, 6 c chicken broth, and 2 of the boletus soaking water, 1 tb chopped fresh rosemary, 2 fresh bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste. I also added a chunk of parmesan rind from the freezer. This was put on slow cooker mode for 4 hours.
Meanwhile, using the ATK method to cook the mushrooms, I washed and quartered them, then steamed them briefly, then cooked the water off. Then I added 2 tsp oil, and cooked 7 or 8 min, until browning. I put these in the soup for the last half hour - this way, they don't lose all of their flavor into the soup. Last, I stirred in a quarter cup of chopped parsley, and served it with some grated parmesan. Mushroom, barley, black chickpea, and red lentil soup. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I am not a big breakfast eater & don't enjoy cooking as much as I once did. After being out of bed 2 hours I cooked a, 1 egg omelet with chives & sharp cheddar cheese, Cajun sausage, tater tots, toasted English muffin with butter & blackberry jam. I usually make home made hash brown potatoes with garden potatoes but today I cheated. If you add 2 teaspoons of water to an egg it is very hard to burn the eggs basic science water boils at 212°F and egg burns at 400°.
. I'm thinking it could become a sort of Asian dipping sauce, with some ginger added - and pickled ginger slices as a by-product. Maybe could be included in a marinade, or used as the base flavouring for some adventurous dish.
