(tiny's) Official What R U Cooking from Scratch today? thread.- Page 2

[Alan Henry]

Posted: 8/13/14 at 4:41pm

Thanks Tiny. I'm going to try your soup today. ... and after they day I've had, I'm going to need that Vodka.

[Alan Henry]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 1:11am

Tiny - I didn't get to your soup today after all. A project for another day.

I was so hungry today and not in the mood for anything so I took a pass at recreating one of those Chipotle bowls I love so much.

I made lime cilantro rice by just cooking some rice, adding some olive oil, lime, and cilantro after it's cooled to keep it from wilting.

Took some chicken, seasoned it on the pan with oregano, paprika, bit of ground cumin, and when the meat was cooked through in some diced tomato and onion.

Edit: Forgot I squirted lime juice on the chicken while it was cooking.

Put some of the rice in a plate, put the meat and veggies on top, then through in some diced up corn.

The finished product (before I mixed it all together):


The cooking meat and veggies:


Updated On: 8/14/14 at 01:11 AM

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 1:39am

late nite cooking...
Pesto!

Fresh Basil
Pignoli
garlic
EVOO
S and P
Grated fresh Parmesan Reggiano.

(Freeze in the ice cube tray) for later/

[Alan Henry]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 1:42am

Tiny, I love late night cooking. I'm just finishing up my bowl now. I went the whole day without realizing I wasn't eating!

What do you put your pesto on? Does it freeze well?

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 2:46am

I love late nite cooking/prep/for the next day, since I get home late from work.

I mean, you can put pesto on anything, really, besides pasta. Sometimes I'll drizzle on a fish thing, or you can liven up a soup base, veggie dish, whatever. I picked up the ice cube trick yrs ago from some cooking show. I don't blend in the cheese though, if I'm freezing. Just the pesto. Then, when I defrost and use it I add in the cheese. Your burrito bowl thing sounds delish. I like those flavors too, and it's sooo much better than fast food.

[Alan Henry]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 2:53am

@Tiiny- the borrito bowl is a recent discovery for me!

We've had the Chipotle chain here in Toronto for a while but I never went because I didn't think it would be my kind of thing. I was in NYC the last weekend of July and it was right across from my hotel so I went in and tried the chicken bowl. I was really surprised at how delicious it was and even though it was quick - I wouldn't call it fast food at all.

There's this great place near me here in TO called Borrito Boyz, and they're very similar to Chipotle only they only have a couple of locations and they also have a great seafood selection on the menu. I think I'll use the leftover lime rice and do the same thing with shrimp for lunch tomorrow.

I was really surprised that the entire bowl (including the rice) was cooked in about 20 minutes from scratch - so it's a good option for an in-a-hurry home cooked meal.

Tomorrow for dinner I can do your gazpacho and after some googling I think I'll try throwing some pesto on Tilapia. I'll post back with results!

[Alan Henry]

Posted: 8/14/14 at 2:56am

Just had a funny thought. We could all form one team for a season of Hell's Kitchen. BWW Vs. All-That-Chat.

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/15/14 at 5:40am

all that chat - feh!

[Alan Henry]

Posted: 8/15/14 at 4:51pm

Well - we'd win of course!

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 8/15/14 at 5:44pm

tiny, I hope your walls are pretty well sound proofed. I can only imagine what I would do if one of my neighbors started using their food processor to make pesto late at night.

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/15/14 at 8:14pm

@Kevvy: What temp do you cook the chicken and for how long? I'm making it right now, but I'm using skinless breasts. 375? Thanks, smells delish so far, but I forgot to the the tomatoes after 20 minutes, so I just added them in.

[Plum]

Posted: 8/16/14 at 7:07pm

Made a recipe from Jerusalem last week - chicken and fennel with orange sauce. If I find quality shrimp tomorrow I'm making the recent David Tanis recipe for shrimp with feta and tomatoes. I figure it'll go well with buttery rice and some vegetables.

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/16/14 at 7:52pm

chicken/fennel recipe, pls.

[Plum]

Posted: 8/16/14 at 10:54pm

Saffron Chicken & Herb Salad, by Sami Tamimi and Yotam Ottolenghi

Ingredients:
1 orange
2.5 tbsp honey (50g)
1/2 tsp saffron threads (I used turmeric to save money)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1.25 cups water

2.25 lb/1kg boneless skinless chicken breast
4 tbsp olive oil

2 small fennel bulbs, sliced thin
1 cup cilantro leaves
2/3 cup basil leaves, torn
15 mint leaves, torn
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 red chile, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, crushed

salt and pepper

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut 1 cm off the top and bottom of the orange and cut it into 12 wedges, keeping the skin on. Remove any seeds.

2. Place the wedges in a small saucepan with honey, saffron/turmeric, vinegar, and just enough water to cover the orange. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about an hour, adding water during cooking if liquid level gets too low. Let cool, then pour the resulting syrup and the softened orange slices into a food processor and process them into a paste. Add water if it's too thick.
2a. The book doesn't mention this, but I ran the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve before using it.

3. While the sauce is cooking, mix the chicken breast with half the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the breasts on a very hot griddle pan and sear for about 2 minutes on each side, then transfer to a roasting pan and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until just cooked.
3a. (I skipped the griddle part because I have no griddle pan and the recipe came out fine. Just be REALLY careful not to overcook the breasts, because it can happen in no time.)

4. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, tear it into large pieces. Place chicken in mixing bowl and pour in half the orange sauce, and stir well. Add the fennel, herbs, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and chile to the bowl and mix well. Season with salt, pepper, and additional olive oil and lemon juice if desired.
4a. The book suggests using the rest of the orange sauce as "an addition to herb salsa to serve with oily fish such as mackerel or salmon." TBH mine is still in the fridge, so I guess if you like you can just halve the orange sauce part of the recipe and eat the other half of the fruit.


Tiny, if you want a chicken and fennel recipe that's amaaazing in the winter, get a copy of Jerusalem from the library and try out the "Roasted chicken with clementines and arak."

Updated On: 8/17/14 at 10:54 PM

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/16/14 at 11:39pm

this sounds freakin' delicious. Thanks, PLUM
Gonna make tomorrow.
I actually have saffron threads in the pantry (cheap! from Trader JOes!

edit: Is this it? I'm gonna buy it for my cookbook collection. Looks fantastic!

http://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-A-Cookbook-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/1607743949/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408247035&sr=8-1&keywords=jerusalem+cookbook Updated On: 8/16/14 at 11:39 PM

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 8/17/14 at 9:56am

I needed a fast dessert recipe that didn't require a trip to the market, so I settled on a Texas Sheet Cake. I used Pioneer Woman's recipe. It was super easy, fast and tastes great, but man is it sweet! It's a good "take to a cookout" recipe.

[Marianne2]

Posted: 8/17/14 at 5:08pm

I am making pizza for dinner. I have a bread maker, so making the dough is really easy.

[artscallion]

Posted: 8/17/14 at 7:41pm

I have blackberry bushes in my yard and some leftover cinnamon raisin bread I made last weekend, So I made blackberry bread pudding for dessert tonight. Warm with real whipped cream...out of this world!

[Plum]

Posted: 8/17/14 at 7:49pm

Yes, that's the cookbook, tiny! The recipes are often a little more than I'm willing to do on a workday, but they're really very good, even if the flavor combinations look weird on paper. And Trader Joe's sells saffron? For real? I'll have to check that out.

ETA - And as it turns out, I'm too exhausted and lazy to follow through on my previous cooking plans, so instead I'm digging into the pantry and making spaghetti puttanesca, blueberry muffins, and possibly frittata. Updated On: 8/17/14 at 07:49 PM

Posted: 8/18/14 at 9:42am

I usually cook the chicken at 350 for an hour or so- a lot depends on the size of your breasts. If they are really large, usually you can get someone to take you OUT to dinner.

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/18/14 at 3:17pm

@Kevvy: Yes, how did you know? Ha ha!
Anyway people, attempt PLUM's recipe - it absolutely sensational and not difficult. Yum!

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 8/18/14 at 3:22pm

I made homemade breakfast sausage tonight with sage, red pepper and marjoram. Tomorrow I will be doing eggs, sausage, hash browns, biscuits and gravy. We're doing a big southern breakfast for my mother-in-law.

[~~tiny3~~]

Posted: 8/18/14 at 6:30pm

from scratch sausage? IMPRESSIVE!!!!