Cooks and their ingredients. Questions.

by compound complex 58 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  compound complex

  Hey there, cooks or chefs [OUTLAW]:

  I love to cook! Though alone, I decided long ago that I would not go the fast or packaged food route. Scratch. Always.

  Does the best tasting dish necessarily demand the most expensive products from the toniest market? [I think I know the answer to this one]

  What naturally growing flora do you gather and eat, say, like dock, miner's lettuce, etc.

  Is fresh everything always the key to a tasty meal?

  If fresh isn't available, what's preferable: canned or frozen?

  Does it really matter that my Extra Virgin Olive Oil is from Tunisia or Spain?

  How do you dress up mac and cheese? [all right, somebody gave me these here boxes of gluey elbows]

  Any good recipes a la cheap?

  Buon appetito!

  Chow

  CoCo Cooks With Gas [figuratively - ALK]
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  nelly136

  i think if youre a reasonably competant cook (dont under or overcook to death) and you get enjoyment out of cooking it can make most things taste good, whether you are limited on means or materials or not.

  if someone else does the washing up it tastes even better.

  my friends mum was a 'great' cook but you could always taste the difference when she was in a foul mood, she'd over season and you'd end up chewing on salt.

  it could be cordon bleu but if the eating atmosphere is crap it may as well be sawdust.
• 

  LouBelle

  I prefer fresh in season vegetables as they taste a hellofa lot better than frozen. The only frozen veg I will use is either peas or corn (canned will do too)

  It's a combination of fresh produce, spices/seasoning and certain combinations that work for me.

  Dressing up mac & cheese. Add some fried onions, garlic, tomotoe & peppers (mushrooms work) or add a bit of bacon bits to the top. For a richer mac & cheese use cream instead of milk.

  I enjoy lentils - the little black ones. They are cheap and sooooooooooo easy. Simply boil 'em up with a clove of garlic and some salt. As they are getting soft throw in some bay leaves, dhana (cillantro - the leaves) a couple of fresh or dried chillies and curry powder (not a lot, just to taste) You can serve this with rice if you want or eat it on it's own.

  Salads.......these do have a tendency to be boring IF you don't dress it up. Start with your base of leaves, crack a bit of salt & pepper over. Then layer some onions, cherry tomatoes, julian carrots, cucumber, pop some olives around it, avo if you have, crumble some feta and a swirl of olive oil. You could also drop some nuts over or if you want a more fulling salad, some fillit chicken or strips of beef will do the trick. Too delish

  ( I love cooking just by the way )

  Roasted veggies: All your favorite veggies in a dish, chop some baby onions, garlic, olive oil, let them roast a way and serve with a meat of your choice.

  Steamed veggies: can be super delish. Add a pepper sauce (easy to make: Flour, water, crack lotsa black pepper, a dash of salt, a knob of butter, make sure it's smooth otherwise just mush out the lumps)

  I have a delicious real tomatoe soup receipe with dribbled homemade basil pesto (yum yum yum yum) with toasted bagette rubbed with garlic. Can't remember it all off hand, but lotsa jam tomatoes....

  Butternut soup: boil your butternut, skin. Put that aside and lightly fry some onions & garlic. Add that to your butternut, add a can of creamed corn, salt, pepper, half a spoon of curry powder (blend all together adding a bit of milk to thin out)

  Anything else??
• 

  compound complex

  Thanks, Nelly and LouBelle, for your great suggestions and recipes! Thanks, too, for answering those questions.

  I really do wonder about that olive oil question. Does good oil come ONLY from Italy? That's what I infer from what I've read.

  LouBelle: You did, after all, ask if there was anything else!

  CoCo Cooks
• 

  deep-blue-sea

  Hi Compound Complex,

  I feel concerned by your request....I'm a chef.... (between other occupations)...I'm getting ready for the cooking lesson of this evening, I will have to teach a complete italian meal to 16 adult pupils....see you tomorrow on this screen!

  Claudia
• 

  compound complex

  Thank you, dear Chef Claudia. Waiting with bated [or garlic] breath. After all, I am a Mediterranean!

  Grazie tante.

  Ciao chow! Bienvenuto!

  CoCo della cuchina vecchia
• 

  OUTLAW

  Good Morning again Coco!..

  A thread about food!..

  How can I resist?..LOL!!

  Does the best tasting dish necessarily demand the most expensive products from the toniest market? [I think I know the answer to this one]..

  No..

  Of course you want the best tasting meal possible..

  More expensive products do not make a "More" tasty meal..

  Flavour combinations,Fresh products and cooking methods will always win out..

  Less expensive meats can be more flavorful if cooked properly..And..Properly seasoned..

  Go to the markets,with the best prices..

  I want fresh food,at a decent price..

  I don`t care how the market floor,is tiled..LOL!!

  What naturally growing flora do you gather and eat, say, like dock, miner's lettuce, etc..

  I`m trained in French Cuisine..

  A good Chef always use`s whats in Season and whats At Hand..

  Is fresh everything always the key to a tasty meal?

  Without doubt,"Fresh" is preferred..

  If fresh isn't available, what's preferable: canned or frozen?..

  #1:Frozen

  #2:Canned

  As I live in the Wilderness and can be snowed in for peroids of time..

  I often resort to frozen and or canned..

  Find what works for you..

  Does it really matter that my Extra Virgin Olive Oil is from Tunisia or Spain?..

  No..

  If you want a good Olive Oil..

  Look for:..Extra Vigin Olive Oil..Cold Pressed..First Pressing..

  Once you heat Olive Oil..

  It`s the same as any other vegetable oil..With the exception of flavour..

  If you want to fry something,in less expensive oil..

  Try safflower oil..

  Stay Away from Cannola Oil!!

  At the moment it`s "All" tanted with Blackfoot Fugus..

  Regardless of which country you buy it from..

  How do you dress up mac and cheese? [all right, somebody gave me these here boxes of gluey elbows]

  Any good recipes a la cheap?

  In Canada we love our "Kraft Dinner"!! (Mac & Cheese)..

  I`ll teach you how to Dress Up,this Delectable Dish..

  Prepare the Mac & cheese as directed on the box..

  Saute (Lightly Fried)

  .. 1/4 cup of diced Red Pepper..1/4 in dice..

  ..1/4 cup of Broccli sliced floretts..(Thinley slice the broccli flower)..

  ..1/4 cup of diced onion..1/4 in dice..

  Fry

  ..1/2 lb of ground beef

  Add..

  All of this to your Mac and Cheese in a Mixing bowl..

  Spice with garlic and black pepper to taste..

  Completely mix all ingredients..

  Fill serving bowls (You can Bake in) with your Mac/Cheese..ect..

  Sprinkle shredded chedder cheese on top..

  Pe-Heat oven to 400F..

  Bake Mac and Cheese for 25 Minutes..

  You will now have a restaurant quality meal..

  Right in your own home..

  And..

  You have just turned 1 box of Mac and Cheese into 2-3 meals..

  Bake 1..

  Freeze the rest..

  For a Quick meal,anytime you want..

  .......................OUTLAW
• 

  snowbird

  Stay Away from Cannola Oil!!

  At the moment it`s "All" tanted with Blackfoot Fugus..

  Regardless of which country you buy it from..

  Outlaw, are you serious?

  Sylvia
• 

  Goshawk

  When outlaw is serious about a topic it is usually a scandal.
• 

  OUTLAW

  Good morning Sylvia!..

  Yes I`m serious..

  Canada is a big producer of Cannola..

  All our crops have Blackfoot Fugus..

  China has refused to take our cannola oil now..(China`s cannola also suffers from Blackfoot)..

  Our Inspectors say BlackFoot does not affect the seed,therefore not the oil..

  I don`t accept that explanation..

  .......................OUTLAW