Cooking for fun!

[rocketgirl]

It's been at least 6 months since we tried something new!  What is super-delicious and fun to cook?

If you're nice I'll go, find the 2 hour onion tart.  We were starving and more than a little tipsy before it was all done, but it was AMAZING.  We need to do something fun in the kitchen again soon.  (We have also learned to eat a salad early into a 2 hour plus recipe.)

Right now all we've got is that we recently had fried brussels sprouts in a restaurant with a kalamata mayo that was really good that we want to try to recreate.

[glwestcott]

Osso buco over polenta with some of our local area wines. 

[caribougrrl]

glewestcott - how do you do your polenta?  I am on a polenta kick lately so am curious about everyone's technique.

[caribougrrl]

the Ottelenghi black pepper tofu recipe is some of the best food I've ever made (warning: high in butter, but worth every calorie)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/black-pepper-tofu-365129

[witchypoo]

we made abbacchio with fried potatoes and sauteed silverbeet last weekend. It was so incredibly delicious.

[Sir Real]

the Ottelenghi black pepper tofu recipe is some of the best food I've ever made (warning: high in butter, but worth every calorie)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/black-pepper-tofu-365129

That picture looks similar to the braised short ribs we did recently.

[glwestcott]

glewestcott - how do you do your polenta?  I am on a polenta kick lately so am curious about everyone's technique.

I use Cooks.com microwave polenta technique. Usually use chicken broth instead of water and stir in Parmesan Reggiano and butter at the end. Often stir in fresh chopped basil at the end too or some other herb that accents main dish. We love our polenta and find the microwave technique actually works well and is very convenient.

[caribougrrl]

I use Cooks.com microwave polenta technique. Usually use chicken broth instead of water and stir in Parmesan Reggiano and butter at the end. Often stir in fresh chopped basil at the end too or some other herb that accents main dish. We love our polenta and find the microwave technique actually works well and is very convenient.

interesting... I would never have thought of using a microwave because I would worry about the overflow issue like happens with porridge.

I am a big fan of stock instead of water.  Also a big fan of butter...

[glwestcott]

Basically the technique is to put polenta in large bowl, add stock (3 times amount of polenta by volume), pat of butter, bit of salt and stir. Partially cover and microwave on high for two minutes. Stir. Microwave on high for two minutes. Stir. Repeat this pattern for 8 to 10 minutes all total. Add the cheese and more butter and herbs and stir. Serve. How runny or thick it is can be determined by how long in total you cook it. It never overflows because you stop and stir each two minutes. I don't cook it any other way anymore. Try it, you'll like it

[merigayle]

I had always made polenta on the stove top, not sure what more there is to it? LOL

I cannot get past the butter content in that recipe. A few friends have made it and raved about it but i cannot fathom it.

[caribougrrl]

I had always made polenta on the stove top, not sure what more there is to it? LOL

some people use stock, some water, some boil water then add polenta, heat them up together from cold, some people stir in cream or butter or cheese or a combination of those things at the end, some don't believe in dairy in polenta... some cook it for HOURS, some for only a few minutes... some use cornmeal, some use semolina... there's a whisk vs. wooden spoon debate

and now, microwave vs stovetop!


g - I would be tempted to try your method, but I don't have a microwave... maybe next time we have a potluck at work I will wow my coworkers with a polenta dish...

[rocketgirl]

I found it!  Buried in the perpetual what are you cooking thread.  But apparently I didn't write down what mistakes I made anywhere.

I might have been drinking and looking at two different recipes on the iPad when making the onion tart.  I will have to post which recipe from home, how I intended to adapt it, etc.  I may try some shortcuts next time too (like maybe pre-cooked bacon because that took a LONG time and you need leftover bacon grease for the onions which also took a long time and pre-made pie crust that comes already in a pie tin so that we can skip the pre-baking thing.)  I dunno.

The final product was really really good though.  Good enough that even though it was a total pain in the ass, that we'd do it again.  Also I have a shit ton of leftover onions because the recipe assumes that onions are significantly smaller than what they sell at Target, so we used less than half of what we sliced.

There wasn't actually any egg in the recipe, but because of mistakes I made that couldn't be undone, I ended up adding an egg because I had too much liquid.  Which both things increased cooking time, which meant that the cheese formed a crust vs just being kind of melty.  I was happy with the Gruyere we bought though.  It was really tasty.  And I used thyme fresh from my garden.  The onion part involved wine, bacon grease, and honey - basically carmelizing them in the oven, so I am ok with sweet.  I do think that the premade crust that does not come in a tin is more flaky and less sweet than the one that comes in a tin.   I do find it hard to deal with two things that are supposed to be done in the oven when they are not done at the same temp. I only have one oven!

And really, I was hanging out with the guy and we were drinking wine and sharing the cooking duties (which is basically that he cut everything and I cooked everything unless I was doing two things at once and needed help).  We did have toasted french bread with habanero peach goat cheese, and some cheddar and crackers as a snack before we started cooking, so we didn't die of starvation or anything.  However, the time spent on the onion tart meant that we didn't much feel like making a salad too.  And painting pictures got moved to Saturday night.

This recipe is the basis of what we did.  I did not use puff pastry because I hadn't worked with it before.  I forgot the nutmeg.  I used thyme sprigs.  I added Gruyere on top.  I used more bacon.  I substituted a mix of sour cream and heavy whipping creme for creme fraiche (plus other stuff that went in that by accident and necessitating adding an egg). I was absolutely delicious though.   http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/honey-roasted-onion-tart

I really really want to do this again.  But we'll have to plan an evening for it.

Before going in the oven:


After coming out:
 

[glwestcott]

Rocketgirl that looks incredible!  I'm gonna have to try that.

[radial]

Nice job, rg!  I think your version looks more scrumptious than the official recipe version. 

[merigayle]

some people use stock, some water, some boil water then add polenta, heat them up together from cold, some people stir in cream or butter or cheese or a combination of those things at the end, some don't believe in dairy in polenta... some cook it for HOURS, some for only a few minutes... some use cornmeal, some use semolina... there's a whisk vs. wooden spoon debate

and now, microwave vs stovetop!


g - I would be tempted to try your method, but I don't have a microwave... maybe next time we have a potluck at work I will wow my coworkers with a polenta dish...

I used to do just water + polenta (fine ground cornmeal) and salt. Sometimes grated parm cheese stirred in at the end. Cook until thick then put in a greased pan to firm up and cool down. Always a whisk, a VERY long one as once in college some bubbled up, landed on my hand and it burned bad. I did not blister, the skin was burnt and then fell off

[rocketgirl]

I bought beautiful yellow squash and dinner is happening!

currently roasting onion and red bell pepper in the oven.  I think I'm going to do some sort of cream sauce thing and some basil and Italian cheese.  Although i might also throw in some cayenne or red pepper flakes.  Definitely some spinach and cherry tomato.

And, I should have skipped with tomato.  And it NEEDED mushrooms.  But still pretty tasty.

Untitled by rocket-girl, on Flickr

Also, I left my shredded Italian cheese blend at the boyfriend's house, so I had to use the Parmesan from the can.