What's that you're eating?

[EMCEE]

I love that brand of smoked salmon and those snack packs look awesome. All its missing is a pouch of capers.

I’ve never had capers Willy but you’ve inspired me. They’re going on the grocery list.

 

[Grasshopperglock]

D.A.M.

We're out of jalapenos.

I'm slipping.

 

[oldmanwilly]

I’ve never had capers Willy but you’ve inspired me. They’re going on the grocery list.

Happy to expand a palate. Hint, they're very salty with a unique flavor. Once you decide to like them you should try making Chicken Picatta and Puttanesca. Both rely on capers.

 

[Boattale]

It looks like a fried smoked sausage sandwich with pimento cheese, candied garlic dill pickles and yellow mustard. With a delicious Arnold Palmer.

View attachment 2385354

 

[Boattale]

I’ve never had capers Willy but you’ve inspired me. They’re going on the grocery list.

I started stealing capers out of the jar from my mom's refrigerator when I was maybe 8. The lox and bagels plate was one of those never looked back things for me. That would have been in 1960.

 

[oldmanwilly]

If you people like capers then you'll surely like caper berries - matured fruit from the same plant (see below, on the left).

View attachment 2385406

You usually only find them on overpriced charcuterie boards, but they're absolutely delicious and addictive.

 

[NWFRS]

Took half the day off today and went to our favorite little Italian joint on the water. Ordered two wine flights and two orders of their seasonal butternut squash ravioli with sage cream sauce and hazelnuts. There were a few other people enjoying themselves near us and I didn’t feel like pulling the phone out, but we ordered a few entrees and tiramisu to go, and came home and made coffee and got into our pj’s.

 

[sgt1372]

How to turn a $6/# Salmon Fillet into $30/# Gravlax . . .

Getting ready to make some gravlax:

Apply sugar:kosher salt (3:2) rub to the fillet top & bottom:

Put a layer of dill on top & bottom of the fillet & press evenly under wt in the frig (I use qt jars filled w/soups & other stuff already in the frig placed on a sheet pan on top of the salmon) for 2 days:

Remove dill & wash off the rub:

Ready to slice & eat:

I serve the gravlax that I make w/a simple condiment made of honey, dijon mustard & chopped dill. Adjust the measurements to your own taste.

 

[sgt1372]

D.A.M.

We're out of jalapenos.

If you slice & pickle them, you'll always have some on hand. Pickled pepers last forever in the frig.

Here's proof of that. If you can read the labels on the caps you'll see these japalenos & habanaros were picked 6 yrs ago in in Sep/Oct 2017:

 

[Grasshopperglock]

If you slice & pickle them, you'll always have some on hand. Pickled pepers last forever in the frig.

We have those but I cook with fresh jalapeno. You can adjust the spicy level when fresh.

Core and seeds left in or taken out. Leaving some of the core on.

Out of 7 dinners a week. Jalapeno is put in at least 4. We can run through a dozen peppers in no time. I do use the pickled but not often.

 

[sgt1372]

We have those but I cook with fresh jalapeno. You can adjust the spicy level when fresh.

Core and seeds left in or taken out. Leaving some of the core on.

Out of 7 dinners a week. Jalapeno is put in at least 4. We can run through a dozen peppers in no time. I do use the pickled but not often.

I mainly use pickled peppers because I don't eat them quickly enough.

So, when I buy them fresh, I'll use what I need but if anything is left over I'll just pickle them. LIke the Thai chilis that I bought recently. Only a few of them left which I stored in a small 4oz jar using some of the pickling liquid from the jalapenos, but they're ready to use again if need be.

Pickling does not diminish their heat in the least; just rinse to take the taste of vinegar out, if it bothers you.

If you already have a jar of pickled peppers in the frig, you can add any left over fresh pepers to the jar to avoid throwing them away.

Waste not, want not.

 

[Ellis Wyatt]

A few weeks ago I made some chili flavored stew for the family. After a couple hours splitting wood on a cold and wet morning, I decided I would get around to making a batch of proper chili today.

Ingredients: Dried Chilis, Tri-Tip, beef stock, some spicy peppers including “death spiral”, Carolina reaper, and another I have already forgotten the name of. Pablano pepper.
View attachment 2387538

View attachment 2387540

First remove the stems and seeds from the chilis. Then roast them lightly in the oven.
View attachment 2387539

Once out of the oven, put them in some boiling water until they are soft.

View attachment 2387542

While the chilis are cooking, cut up your meat and brown it. Set aside.

View attachment 2387541

After meat is browned and chilis are soft, drain off the chili water and put the chilis in a blender with some beef stock to puree them. Add the meat and chili paste to a pot and let it simmer for a few hours.
View attachment 2387543

Season as needed with black pepper, salt, cumin and chili powder.

 

[Grasshopperglock]

If you slice & pickle them, you'll always have some on hand. Pickled pepers last forever in the frig.

Here's proof of that. If you can read the labels on the caps you'll see these japalenos & habanaros were picked 6 yrs ago in in Sep/Oct 2017:

Cook that in some chocolate cake. Regular recipe for plain old chocolate cake. Adding pickled jalapeno to the batter before baking.

Dry the pepper slices off with paper towels before adding them. You don't have to rinse them, unless you want. But dry them.

 

[3fifty7]

A few weeks ago I made some chili flavored stew for the family. After a couple hours splitting wood on a cold and wet morning, I decided I would get around to making a batch of proper chili today.

Ingredients: Dried Chilis, Tri-Tip, beef stock, some spicy peppers including “death spiral”, Carolina reaper, and another I have already forgotten the name of. Pablano pepper.
View attachment 2387538

View attachment 2387540

First remove the stems and seeds from the chilis. Then roast them lightly in the oven.
View attachment 2387539

Once out of the oven, put them in some boiling water until they are soft.

View attachment 2387542

While the chilis are cooking, cut up your meat and brown it. Set aside.

View attachment 2387541

After meat is browned and chilis are soft, drain off the chili water and put the chilis in a blender with some beef stock to puree them. Add the meat and chili paste to a pot and let it simmer for a few hours.
View attachment 2387543

Season as needed with black pepper, salt, cumin and chili powder.

Where are the beans?

 

[Cap’n Smudge]

Found the remnants of a ham in the back of the freezer. Threw it in the slow cooker earlier today with some water, carrots, celery, navy beans, parsley flakes, salt, pepper…

 

[Ellis Wyatt]

Where are the beans?

View attachment 2387955

I put 30# of dry beans away in food storage earlier today. Love beans. But they don’t belong in chili.

Picture of the final product after cooking down:
View attachment 2387937


Turned out great. I was a little nervous to start because the peppers I added for heat turned out much hotter than expected. Somehow they mellowed out some after cooking down with everything else. End result was the best batch of chili I have made to date. The tri tip ended up being very tender, and the flavors of the chilis hit my flavor profile perfectly. Served over a baked potato for dinner.

 

[mqqn]

Hambone beans!! Yum!!

I did wings on the pellet smokers today, and tried a new method that a friend recommended, from meat church I think.

I marinate whole wings overnight in teriyaki marinade.
Next day, dry them off and toss in a mix of baking powder and dry rub. I used Dirty South original, but use what you have.
I did them shake and bake style in a bag to coat them.

Note, use baking powder without aluminum; we found Rumford brand at Walmart.

Put on smoker cold and set to 400 degrees.
When smoker reaches temp, turn wings and cook 30 minutes.

That's all. Worked great and the coating was a nice add.

 

[jlauffer]

Dinner last night

View attachment 2388413

 

[NWFRS]

White bean stew for dinner tonight.




Browned a shallot with some pork in the Dutch oven deglazing with white wine several times. Topped-up with water and three types of white beans. Seasoned with Consumé chicken bullion, herbs Provence, lemon pepper, garlic salt, Johnny’s salt, lemon juice, olive oil, and bay leaves.

 

[sgt1372]

It's that time of year when they sell turkeys for pennies on the $ and when I buy a full sized turkey to roast, even though I don't celebrate TG with anyone anymore but the turkeys are cheap, so, of course, I had to buy an 18#er.

Had to spend $25 min to get a turkey for 39 cents/# (down from $1.99/#). Already bought 2 salmon fillets for about $6/# but they weren't on sale anymore. However, I haven't bbq'd beef ribs myself for awhile, so I bought a roughly 5# rib plate for about $8/# which cost about $39.

I'm not sure It was really worth it but I know I'll enjoy cooking & eating them. LOL!

Going to roast the turkey 1st. It's defrosting in the cooler now & will be ready tomorrow morning. It will yield a lot of meat & I'll use the trimmings to make at least a gallon of turkey broth, at least part of which I'll use to make jook with the remaining meat remnants.