Food!

[Hylke Langhout]

I love food. I love to cook and bake, and I love to not only eat and make food, but also learn about it. So Escapists, here is you challenge: teach me about the food in your country! Give me recommendations, history, recipes, fun ideas ect. I'd love to hear them!

 

[Mafoobula]

Beef Stroganoff: Prep time - 20 to 30 minutes. Cook time, 2.5 to 3 hours. There is a variation that allows you to do the whole thing inside of a half-hour, but that method sucks a little.

Get some beef chuck (the shoulder of the beef animal) since it'll have the most flavor and cut it into bite-size chunks, roughly 1 inch cubed. Or just buy it like that. And note that 1 pound will feed about 3 people, 2 if you're hungry enough.
Get a lot of button mushrooms and slice them into more bite-sized pieces. Rinse off any crud like soil and stuff, but don't wash since you want the earthy flavor intact.
Dice up a whole onion. It's hard to overdo it on the onion.
Make sure you have at least a cup or so of flour. And a bunch of olive oil. You'll be making a roux (flour+fat, for the culinary-impaired) so make sure to have more flour than oil.
One tiny can of tomato paste should be plenty.
Beef broth base. The good stuff, a jar of the good stuff will last you a year, so no point in skimping on it.
Tabasco sauce, if you want, I rather like it. Other spices to taste.
Egg noodles (the cheap kind, it's mostly just something for the stroganoff to sit on)
Sour cream.

Begin preparing about a pint or two of the broth and put it on the back burner to simmer.
Throw some olive oil into a large skillet, followed by the beef. Add salt & pepper and simmer nice and slow.
Saute onion in a loooooot of oil over high heat IN A LARGE POT. It is imperative that everything aside from the beef and broth is prepared in a large pot, since everything will be combined in the pot for the cooking stage.
After the onion is tender and slightly caramelized (browned) reduce the heat and add the mushrooms, until the 'shrooms and onions are roughly equal in proportion.
Once the mushrooms have had a minute to soak some of the oil, add enough flour to absorb the rest of the oil plus some leftover. You have to make a stiff roux, and enough to thicken all the tomato paste and broth. Give the roux a minute to brown to it doesn't lighten the final product too much. Turn up the heat if you like, but stir faster.
Speaking of which, add the paste first, then the broth. Whisk all the things together. If the slurry (roux+liquid) seems too thin, add just a little more flour, whisking very quickly to avoid lumps. Or not, the product will be stewed in a hot oven for a long time.
Add the beef once it's thoroughly browned, but just shy of being burned. Throw a little water into the hot pan and scrape up the stuff left behind: That stuff that seems burned is actually called fond, and it's pure flavor and it's delicious. Pour into the pot and whisk everything together.
Add the Tabasco and spices and stuff. More salt & pepper, because that stuff is good. Bonus points if you have kosher salt ground up in a spice mill (coffee grinder, spice mill, same thing).
Cover the pot and place in oven pre-heated at 200-250 degrees. Stir once about a half-hour in, then let it go for the remaining 2.5-3 hours. 2 hours total minimum, really. The point of the long cooking time is to break down the beef, which would normally be tough and chewy after being pan-fried as thoroughly as it was, until it falls apart in your mouth.
Near the end of the cooking time, prepare the egg noodles.
Serve up roughly equal parts of stroganoff and noodles into a bowl, add a dollop or two of sour cream. Eat, and realize you've never known true comfort until that moment.

Oh sure, there are probably recipes and how-to guides all over the Interbutts - there's a particularly good guide on Youtube - but it's fun to play something like this by ear. This is the kind of dish that's hard to completely screw up, as long as you don't horrifically over-spice it or make it so thin that no amount of roux can fix it.

Next post: A universal special sauce, followed by the perfect cheeseburger.

 

[Mafoobula]

Universal special sauce: Prep time - 10-15 minutes. This is perfect for sammiches, burgers, chef salads, seafood, pasta... a lot of stuff, really. Make the sauce, then start throwing it into other stuff just to see what happens.

Ingredients:
Ketchup - a single medium-sized bottle should be plenty
Lite Mayonnaise - We want lite because a heavily fatty mayo is going to "mute" the other ingredients.
Tabasco sauce - The purpose of the Tabasco is because it has vinegar, which is acidic, and that acidity is going to make the special sauce "sparkle" on your tongue. When you find the right balance of ingredients, you'll see what I'm talking about.
Pickles - Kosher sandwich slices are best, since they're halfway prepared for us anyway.
Salt&Pepper - The Old Faithful of any chef, when in doubt, add more S&P. Again, bonus points if it's all freshly ground, because that makes that stuff industrial strength, ESPECIALLY when it's very finely ground in a spice mill.
Other spices - This is just a personal preference, but I really like Mrs. Dash brand "Table Blend" spice blend. It's kinda pungent and spicy, and it's colorful, which is nice when the sauce figures prominently into a dish.

Have plenty of clean tasting spoons handy, since I've never been able to pin down how much of each ingredient it takes to achieve the right flavor balance. I hope you have a discerning tongue. However, I'll tell you right away that we're aiming for a flavor that makes your whole mouth tingle. The best barometer I can come up with is as follows: You know that corner of your mouth, kinda under and off to the side of the tongue? If you can make that "feel" the flavor, that's a very good thing.

Empty all the mayo into a 2-quart mixing bowl. Keep the jar, it makes for handy storage when finished. Whisk in some ketchup until it the mixture becomes a light pink and the ketchup's tanginess becomes obvious next to the creaminess and "warmth" of the mayo.
Dice up stacks of the pickle slices and whisk in thoroughly to the mixture. We want pieces no smaller than a half-inch squared, but as long as the pickle isn't reduced to relish consistency, we're good. And the sauce should have a pickle density (I'd wager that's the first time you read that phrase in your life) where you should get at least one or two pieces in every spoonful.
Add Tabasco, at least a tablespoon or so. Bonus points if you can affect the color of the sauce as a whole, I know when I make it, there's just a hint of change to the shade of pink.
Add the S&P and other spices until you're satisfied you have a powerful mixture going. The special sauce is most certainly not a mild one, that's for sure.

 

[ShasOMiKael]

Hete Bliksem - Hot Lightning
Prep. time: 45 mins


Ingredients
1,5 kilo potatos
500 gr. sour apples
400 gr. sweet apples or pears
4 porkchops
1 onion
2 tablespoons of honey
vinegar
salt
pepper




Preparation
Peel the potatos and the apples/pears. Wash the potatos and cut them to pieces. Cook the poatatos with some salt for about 10 mins. Cut the apples/pears in four pieces and remove the cores. Cut 1/3rd of the apples/pears in smaller pieces and cut the remaining pieces into rough pieces. Add the rough pieces of apple when the potatos have been cooking for about 10 mins. Let this cook for another 10 mins. Drain the resulting liquid. Flavour the applemix with vinegar, pepper and salt. Bake the porkchops and take them out of the pan. Peel the onion, cut it into rings and bake the onoin in the grease untill they become glassy. Take the onoin out of the pan and bake the smaller pieces of apple together with the honey in the remaining grease. Put all of this in the pot with the potato-applemix and mash it. Divide the Hot Lightning over four plates and serve with the porkchops.


Note
You can also make gravy from the grease by melting some butter in it, adding some water and letting it cook for a bit.

Next post: Appelflappen (Applefolds) followed by Bitterballen (bitterballs).


Enjoy

 

[The Gatherer]

I'm Welsh so i've got nothing to contribute except leek stew and some killer #-cakes witch is a shame since im exactly the same as you. Gonna keep an eye on this thread tho incase sum good uns turn up. cheers fo makin this an adding sumthin different to these forums.

 

[Mafoobula]

The perfect cheeseburger: Prep time - A while. Cook time for the burgers - Another while, depending on your resources.

Ground beef. Chuck, if you can manage it.
American cheese. The good stuff, of course.
Cheddar cheese. The good stuff, and sharp cheddar is best because we want that flavor to stand out.
Universal Special Sauce (see previous post)
Salt&Pepper.
Red onion
Iceberg lettuce. Romaine, if you're feeling fancy, but I think iceberg is a little easier to work with.
Sesame seed hamburger buns. No sesame seeds, no deal.

Slice the red onion into rings. The middle third will be more than enough for burgers for the whole family.
After coring and thoroughly rinsing the lettuce, roll up the leaves and slice across. Basically, we want shredded.
If you want, you can toast the buns, but it isn't absolutely necessary. I don't.

The hardest part is learning to hand-patty the beef. Start with a big wad of beef. Not so large that it's larger than you can hold, but you don't want a dinky little puny burger patty, do you? I thought not, you magnificent carnivore.
ANYWAY.
Yeah, big wad of beef. Work it back and forth between your hands until you get it into a good ball shape. Pinch the middle to start the rough shape of a patty, and place the beef on a ceramic plate. Ceramic is best because we need a hard, flat surface that can be spun.
Keep one hand pressing in on the side of the beef, and at the same time, use your other hand to press the top down. Using this method, work your way around and around the beef until the patty shape is well-formed. You have a flat surface, and a nice, smooth side, perfect for cooking. If you're wondering how large the finished patty should be, if you estimate that it'd hang about a quarter-inch over the side of the bun, that's pretty ideal.
It's hard to describe the technique precisely in text, but I think you can guess how it's supposed to work quickly enough.

Have a hot, slightly oiled pan ready. The beef probably has more than enough fat and juices to make the oil pointless, but hey, better safe than burnt.
Sprinkle some S&P on the patty and drop the seasoned side on the pan. Cook for a minute or two. Sprinkle more on top, and turn. I don't really know how long it takes for the burger to be thoroughly cooked, but as long as it's heated all the way through and the juices stop running, you're probably alright.
Side-note: If the burger is still a little raw in the middle, you're still fine as long as you got your beef from a trustworthy source. I'm not encouraging you to eat raw ground beef on your way home from the store, but you probably could without any problems.

Assembly:
Bottom half of the bun, slathered in special sauce. Add shredded lettuce, then a few rings of red onion. It's all about getting some crunch in every bite. On top of that is a hot burger, topped with 2 slices American and 1 slice of Cheddar. Or whatever amount of cheese you like. I'm from Wisconsin, so it's only logical that I like a little more. Anyway, top that with a little more shredded lettuce, and finally, the other half of the bun, also slathered in special sauce.

 

[ShasOMiKael]

Appelflappen - Applefolds
Prep. time: A while

Ingredients
1 kilo apples
1 bag of currants
1 bag of raisins
3 tablespoons cinnamonpowder
2 tablespoons sugar
lemon juice
20 slices of pastry dough (in holland we sell prepackeged slices of this, use those.)



Preparations
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees celcius.
Peel the apples, remove the cores and cut them into little pieces. Put the apple pieces in a bowl and mix it with the currants, raisins, lemon juice, cinnamonpowder and the sugar. Place some of the applemix in a slice of pastry dough and fold it closed diagonaly so it makes a triangle. Push the edges closed with a fork and sprinkle some sugar over it. Bake the applefold for 25 mins at 225 degrees celcius untill they have a nice brown colour.

Note
This recepy is for 20 applefolds.

Next post: Bitterballen (Bitterballs).

Enjoy

 

[mikey7339]

Lemon Parmesan Swordfish Steaks!

Ingredients:
Swordfish steaks, however many you want to cook, about a half pound each and just under an inch thick
Olive oil
Lemon Juice
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Paprika
Shredded Parmesan
Chopped Asparagus (an amount proportional to the number of steaks you are making)

Prep:
Preheat oven to 350 F

Rub the swordfish steaks with olive oil, just enough to lightly cover the entire surface.

Place each steak in its own foil pouch.

Squirt each steak with 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice.

Lightly sprinkle steaks with lemon pepper, sprinkle a little more liberally with the paprika.

Cover each steak with just enough parmesan to cover the tops when it melts.

Put the asparagus around each steak (enough to make a good side of vegetables for each steak) and close the foil pouches.

Cook time: 25 minutes at 350, or until the steaks are cooked thru and the parmesan has melted.

I love fish and this is about the best fish I have ever tasted. Goes really well with Miso soup and hot Sake!

 

[Daeric]

Toad in the Hole.

Get X number of sausages and put them in a high sided baking try and cook (Around 180 degrees) for a short while to grease up the pan (You can use oil or lard if you want to)

While this is happening get a mixing bowl and add flour (I generally just wing the proportions depending on how many I'm cooking for) and an egg, plus any seasoning that you may want.

Beat them together and then add some milk, continue mixing and add some more milk over time. I also generally add some water to help bulk it up. Continue mixing until all lumps are gone.

Once the sausages are brown on one side, remove them from the oven and turn them. Then add the mixture.

Put back in the oven and cook for about 30-40 minutes. Its important that you don't open the oven until its finished as it will cause it to fall.

Enjoy!

 

[ShasOMiKael]

Bitterballen - Bitterballs or Kalfskroketten - Calfcroquettes
Prep. time: 180 mins.


Ingredients
500 gr. calfmeat or veal
1 onion
1 branch of parsly
1 branch of celery
thyme
salt
pepper
70 gr. butter
80 gr. flour
1 dl. whipped cream
3 eggs
breadcrumbs
water


Preparation


Cut 500 grams of calfmeat/veal in slices, cook this in 750 ml. water together with 1/4th small onion, 1 branch of parsly, 1 branch of celery, a little bit of thyme, salt and pepper. After cooking the meat for about 2 hours on a low pitch, remove the meat from the pot and chop it into very small pieces, filter the broth. Make a velouté sauce with 70 grams of butter, 80 grams of flour and 500 ml. of the broth, mix in 1 dl. whipped cream and let it cook on a low pitch for 5 mins. Whip one egg yolk with one tablespoon of sauce, and stir this away from the fire, through the sauce, mix in the meat and one tablespoon of finely chopped parsly, spread this calfragout on a flat plate and let it cool and harden. Form the calfragout into 16 equal rolls of about 6 cm. for the croquettes, or 32 equal balls with a cross-cut of about 3 cm. for the bitterballs. Sprinkle flour in a deep plate or bowl, whip two eggs in another plate or bowl together with two tablespoons of cold water and sprinkle breadcrumbs in a third plate or bowl. Roll the croquettes/bitterballs through the flour, then through the egg and finally through the breadcrumbs, they have to be covered completely. Deep fry the croquettes/bitterballs in frying oil or fat that's about 180 degrees celcius, resepctively not more then 4 or 8 at the same time, for 4 mins goldbrown, let them leak on some paper towel and keep them warm.


Enjoy

 

[Timotei]

Recipe for Caesar Salad

Prep time: 30 minutes w/ several hours of marinading
Note: If you plan on making this for a party or dinner, prepare this several hours in advance

Spoiler: You will need

[HEADING=3]You will need:[/HEADING]

• 
  -Small pot with accompanying lid
  -Small stirring bowl
  -Large mixing bowl
  -Several small bowls
  -Cutting board
  -Wire whisk
  -Fruit press
  -Egg ladle
  -Small cutting knife
  -Fruit knife
  -Butter knife
  -Spinning cheese grater
  -Several spoons & forks (for sampling)
  -Measuring cups and spoons
  -Small jar or container (with lid)

Spoiler: Ingredients

[HEADING=3]
Ingredients:[/HEADING]

• -Olive Oil
  -Worcestershire sauce
  -Parmesan cheese (best in bricks for grating later)
  -1x Egg (coddled)
  -2x Garlic cloves
  -1x Can of anchovies
  -2x Lemons
  -Salt
  -Pepper
  -Dry mustard
  -Preferred amount of lettuce
  -Croutons

Spoiler: How to coddle an egg

[HEADING=3]How to coddle an egg:[/HEADING]
Fill your small pot 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil. Place your egg carefully into the boiling water and let it sit for 30-35 seconds before removing egg and pouring out water. Place pot under faucet of cold running water, place egg back in pot (it is imperative to make the egg's transition from hot to cold water as quickly as possible, less than 10 seconds is ideal) and let sit in running water for 1 minute.

Get out one of your small bowl, butter knife and a spoon. Using the knife and a light chopping motion try to break the shell of the egg down the center. Split open egg and pour contents into small bowl. Take your spoon and scoop out the insides of the two egg halves, empty into bowl, discard egg halves. Mix contents in bowl until slightly uniform.

[HEADING=3]Preparation[/HEADING]

• 
  -Bring out mixing bowl
  -Add prepared egg
  -Dice one garlic clove, add
  -Open can of anchovies, pour oil into bowl, cut up anchovies fillets into very fine chunks, add
  -Add 1/2 cup Olive oil
  -Stir thoroughly with whicks
  -Add 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  -Add 1/2 tsp Salt
  -Add 1 tsp Pepper
  -Add 1/4 tsp Dry mustard
  -Slice 1 lemon into halves, use fruit press to squeeze juice out of lemon
  -Stir thoroughly with whisk
  -1/4 cup Finely grated Parmesan cheese
  -Stir thoroughly for 1 until uniform
  -Pour contents into small jar or other suitable container
  -Store in fridge

Let your dressing sit in fridge for a while. The ideal time is 3-4 hours. The idea is to let the garlic marinade the dressing as long as possible, the longer the better. When it comes time to serve, add the second garlic clove, one more lemon half, and 1 more tea spoon of Worcestershire sauce. Stir well and serve with lettuce and croutons. Additional Parmesan is encouraged.

Serves: 2-3
For larger servings, increase numbers proportionally.