Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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KitchenKatalog: Blog 271
Monday, January 13, 2014, 09:57 AM
I am still working through leftover moussakka, but today, I also roasted a kabocha squash. I followed the same as I did last time(sliced into crescents, 30 minutes at 400, flipped half way). I used pam, salt and pepper. The squash again came out really, really good. I thoroughly enjoyed eating it this way. I did east some of the skin but not all of it like last time. I wonder if it was a bit more roasted last time making the skin more edible (though the meat was fully cooked).
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7138, 2014-01-13_095717
Sunday, January 12, 2014, 09:21 AM
I started out making buffalo cauliflower. I made the batter with some ranch powder too (I've done this before but I only just added it to the recipe). Anyway, I made the batter too wet causing a lot to fall off and just cook the batter on the pan. It also didn't go very far so instead of making a second batch, I decided to play.
I steamed the remaining cauliflower and used the immersion blender and potato masher to mostly mash it with some chunks. I added the rest of the ranch powder, an egg, some flour, and other seasonings. I tried to make it like a pancake on the non-stick but it was just not really cooking and didn't flip well (Back left of the right picture). So I decided to pan-fry (more oil than sauté but not as much as really frying) it (back right of the right picture). This worked a little bit better but not much. It did have more flavor from the oil. Finally, I put the rest of the batter in the pan and I cooked it while moving it making a strange cooked cauliflower mush (bowl in right photo). Actually, that was pretty good. The ranch powder really helped with the flavor.
So, it was a strange meal but actually pretty good. Lots of food.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7133, 2014-01-12_092115
Saturday, January 11, 2014, 04:15 PM
I made lentil moussaka using the regular recipe with the lentils. I went a bit heavier on the seasonings too.
This was my first time doing it into an aluminum lasagna pan and it was a tight fit. I thought I had made too much eggplant and potatoes and it ended up being pretty close. When I do it again into a pan like this, I may up the recipe a bit, especially the béchamel where it was really, really close.
I had made this and cooked it for 25 minutes. I then let it cool and took it to my friends where did another 20-25 minutes. I thought it was less flavorful than usual but it may just be that I was eating a lot of other stuff then too.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7128, 2014-01-11_161534
Saturday, January 11, 2014, 11:11 AM
I have always enjoyed popcorn and I had been using the air popper for a while but it always tastes a bit stale. And I had to spray it with pam to get any seasonings to stick. Plus, I had some stove-top popcorn at friends house. So I decided to try it.
I used the basic method outlines by this America's Test Kitchen video which I also outlined below:
I followed this with small test batches. As I said above, I used heat 7/10 but I think I would bring it to 5 or 6. I also put a layer of parchment under the pot so I could shake without scratching (can only do that on induction).
On my first test, I used canola oil and I liked it a lot. The popcorn had a bit of the oil flavor and was a good texture. Enough oil stayed on the kernels that I could just season without pam. The next batch, I tried extra virgin olive oil. This seemed to smoke a little bit and a few kernels had a smokey taste but not too bad. While it is a healthier oil, I didn't like that it was smoking. And canola isn't really too bad anyway.
In the future, I may try to use regular (ie non extra virgin) olive oil. Also, Meredith found this post also by America's Test Kitchen and they use water. Not sure if I am willing to try that.
I also need to test with different pans. I did small amounts here (1/4 cup) which is half of what I normally pop. There was more room in the pan but probably not twice as much (though I could test with the pan dry and see). But if I go any bigger, I need a lot more oil to coat the pan. I'll play and see what I can figure out.
Also, I want to investigate adding seasonings right to the oil while popping. Maybe some garlic and pepper in the oil then other seasonings on top.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7120, 2014-01-11_111144
Thursday, January 09, 2014, 10:19 AM
I made spaghetti squash in homemade tomato sauce with shrimp. Nothing really new with the squash. I did it in the microwave as usual. I made the sauce from sautéd onions, then 28 oz petite diced tomatoes. I added a tiny bit of olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, some oregano and then some "italian seasonings" (Emril). I defrosted about 2/3 lbs of frozen shrimp (for two servings, 264 cal total) and sautéd/steamed them (they had a lot of water making it more like steaming).
Everything was very good. Again, nothing too special but I liked it with shrimp. It was certainly easy to do!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7116, 2014-01-09_101935
Wednesday, January 08, 2014, 03:57 PM
I again made Patatas Bravas using rutabaga like I did before. I followed the same basic idea for rutabaga with a bit of chipotle powder on them as well. On that note, I also used some chipotle powder in the sauce. I really adjusted the sauce spices as I see fit.
I then topped it with poached eggs. I let them cook too long so they were a bit over done. I also tried the trick again where you strain the egg. I am not sure if that made a difference or how fresh these eggs really were. Either way, it was a nice protein boost for the meal. Also, the whole thing was pretty easy and healthy.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7112, 2014-01-08_155718
Tuesday, January 07, 2014, 09:06 AM
I intended to make my regular Taco Stew with lentils. I followed the basic recipe except that I forgot to add the can of tomatoes. I think that is why the color is so off. I also used extra squash.
Despite forgetting the tomatoes, the stew was really good. I think I like the lentil version more than the beef one. Not only is the lentil one easier, but I think it tastes better (and my be healthier too)
(BTW, the beer is my Brown Ale)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7092, 2014-01-07_090602
Sunday, January 05, 2014, 09:44 PM
I made dinner for me, Meredith and Emily. First, I made seared salmon using roughly my usual technique. I didn't have cast-iron so I used a stainless steel pan and I added a bit of coconut oil. I took them out of the oven a bit too soon making it slightly undercooked but still very good. Also, the skin came off a bit in the pan as you can see (they are a bit broken). I then took the skins and fried them in the leftover coconut oil and they came out really crispy and good. I could have probably done with less coconut oil (or none).
And I made a Kabocha squash. I followed the instructions from NomNomPaleo, but really, all I did is as follows. I cut the squash into wedges with the skin on. Then pam the squash and the tray and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. I cooked it for 30 minutes at around 400 flipped at the 15 mark. However, the temperature was probably not exact since the oven isn't exact and I upped it at the end for the salmon.
On Emily's suggestion, I ate the whole thing, skin and all! It was so good. The squash had an amazing flavor and the skin was even really good! I would do this again. It was also so simple!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7062, 2014-01-05_214405