Ooh ooh

Tell me what proportions you should have in Soffritto and the Holy Trinity! Equal? Or does it matter?

You just became my personal hero. I absolutely love, love, LOVE cooking (and eating), but I don't have the endurance to be in the business. I just want to learn to cook like I am.

What particular corner of the culinary universe do you feel you specialize in or favor? I'm all for learning more about any cuisine at all, since I've yet to find one that has no appeal.

You mention you had an Italian coworker (a discerning one, no less, or are they just all inclined to being snobs ), so how did he make his tomato sauce? I've met people that put a little cream in, some put sugar in, some say that's all lazy and you can cook the acidity out. I've also heard of potato chunks being thrown in. My mother's always gone with the sugar, but I honestly couldn't say whether or not the profeessionals would burn her at the stake for it.

Also thank you for the soffritto. I've heard that term way, way too many times and always felt too stupid to ask.

Giovanna wrote:

What particular corner of the culinary universe do you feel you specialize in or favor? I'm all for learning more about any cuisine at all, since I've yet to find one that has no appeal.

I'm more of a French culinarian type of style, although I'm starting to learn Italian cuisine as well.

Giovanna wrote:

You mention you had an Italian coworker (a discerning one, no less, or are they just all inclined to being snobs ), so how did he make his tomato sauce? I've met people that put a little cream in, some put sugar in, some say that's all lazy and you can cook the acidity out. I've also heard of potato chunks being thrown in. My mother's always gone with the sugar, but I honestly couldn't say whether or not the profeessionals would burn her at the stake for it.

Putting cream in is the classical way of the sauce. Sugar is unheard of (At least to me), and cooking the acidity out is the purpose of cooking the sauce down to an almost "liquid" consistency. I assume the potatoes are thrown in for the sake of thickening the sauce due to its high starch content, but I myself haven't seen potatoes thrown into this at all.

Yasha wrote:

I have more questions! What is the best technique for chopping quickly? And... this is gonna seem strange... my mother gave me a jar of pickled cuttlefish, peppers, shrimp, squid, octopus, and mussels preserved in oil, and I'm not sure what to do with it. I made a lemon pepper and cream sauce to go with it and put it on pasta-- it helped to disguise the vinegar taste, but I'm not terribly satisfied. Can you think of anything else you would use that for? I've exhausted my ideas already.

The best way to chop quickly is holding the knife by the handle and doing a slicing motion on the board like...uh.. an mechanized chopper? I'm not the best at explaining this due to the fact that its better to show you in actuality XD As for holding the food in your other hand, keep your fingers (all of them) tucked in.... like uh....... cat scratching something? X_X Sorry thats not much of a good description there xD I'll see if I can find something that best fits my explanation.

As for the ingredients, let me ponder for a little bit

Last edited by .deep.blue. (10-19-2006 01:18:25 PM)

.deep.blue. wrote:

I'm more of a French culinarian type of style, although I'm starting to learn Italian cuisine as well.

Oh my.

I need to learn me some French cooking. I haven't dared anything past french onion soup; most of my endeavors have been into Asian cuisine. In recent months I've been on an absolutely obscene cheese kick, though. I really need to actually learn to cook with it instead of just sit there slapping it on bread.

.deep.blue. wrote:

Putting cream in is the classical way of the sauce. Sugar is unheard of (At least to me), and cooking the acidity out is the purpose of cooking the sauce down to an almost "liquid" consistency. I assume the potatoes are thrown in for the sake of thickening the sauce due to its high starch content, but I myself haven't seen potatoes thrown into this at all.

Having had both cream and sugar, I must admit the cream one makes more sense to me. I just can't say it out loud since you're never supposed to talk ill of a mother's cooking, not that it's bad. At all. Apparently the sugar is a Sicilian thing. That's what she says anyway. She gets rather carried away with sugar.

Yasha wrote:

I've heard that some people use vodka for this because it's tasteless. Has anyone here ever done this?

...Vodka? I've heard of putting red wine in tomato sauce. but not vodka. Then again does vodka ever hurt?

And...what kind of peppers are in this magical mystery seafood jar?

Yasha wrote:

I've heard that some people use vodka for this because it's tasteless. Has anyone here ever done this?

Sounds way out there O_O But recipes variate person to person.

Yasha wrote:

I have more questions! What is the best technique for chopping quickly? And... this is gonna seem strange... my mother gave me a jar of pickled cuttlefish, peppers, shrimp, squid, octopus, and mussels preserved in oil, and I'm not sure what to do with it. I made a lemon pepper and cream sauce to go with it and put it on pasta-- it helped to disguise the vinegar taste, but I'm not terribly satisfied. Can you think of anything else you would use that for? I've exhausted my ideas already.

In my opinion, the shrimp would go great with the lemon pepper cream sauce & pasta dish. As for the mussels, they're cooked right? I haven't worked with preserved mussels before to be quite honest. I usually worked with fresh ingredients on a consistent basis.

As for cuttlefish, they're like squid, but bigger and has a more milkier flavour. They cook like squid too. Just remember to clean it well.

Here's a simple cuttlefish recipe that I used to cook when I was in this last restaurant that I worked at. There might be variations, but this in my interpretation. You can also use squid or octopus as a substitute.

Cuttlefish with Greens.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 - 2 pounds (700 g) fresh or frozen cuttlefish (or squid/octopus) (the latter should be thawed)
2 pounds (1 k) fresh spinach or 2 packed cups thawed frozen spinach
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons minced parsley
A few leaves of minced basil, if you like it and it's in season
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 dried red peppers, seeded (optional)
1 cup (250 ml) canned tomato pulp or canned plum tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste


Method:

- Clean cuttlefish well and chop them into bitesized pieces.
- Wash spinach and coarsly chop them (if you're using fresh spinach).
- Mince onion, parsely and basil. Set aside.

- Get a pot big enough to hold the spinach and onion. Add oil.
- Cook the onion until it becomes translucent.
- Add parsely and basil and cook for one minute longer.

- Add in spinach. If its fresh, turn heat up to high until the spinach wilts down, stirring every minute or so. If its frozen, just heat it through.
- Add cuttlefish when its able to fit into pot along with tomatoes and peppers stirring together. Add salt and pepper to taste, but go easy because the sauce will be reduced.
- Simmer stirring every now and then until the cuttlefish is cooked. Cook for 40 minutes.
- Check seasoning and cook for 5 minutes more.

I don't like you


Actually, I think that it is better to have more cooks about, generally making the kitchen smell nice.

The description you gave of the cutting technique is fine, as long as the person learning has someone around to show them how a mechanical slicer runs.  Or you know, they could pay attention at the Deli, or the Food network. 

I also note that Giovanna didn't immediately call you down for an Iron Chef of the FORUMS challenge.  Fuck you Gio. 

So where were you trained? How long have you been cooking? What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen Sparrow?

oh oh i know a recipe..that you can get down and dirty with

CHEESE CAKE!

what you need:
16oz of philadelphia cream cheese
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 preemade crust pan (6oz)

ok now i dont use blenders but my bare hands for mixing  XD and its fun spreading it on someones skin and licking it...*cough* or general playing with your food

anyways preheat your oven to 325 F
then get a big mixing bowl and put your cream cheese in there and mix it till its nice a goooy
add sugar and blend
then the vanilla extract
then the eggs...when the eggs come in it will become like a liquid....and mixing by hand you can feel the lumps and can break them apart thus giving you a nice smooth texture (its body heat love)

k optional part right here you can add anything you like into the mix...i perfer fruits like cherrys or strawberrys hehe besure to have plenty left over for hand feeding *wink wink*

then poor it into the already made crust pan

bake for 40 mins in your pre heated oven
then cool in the fridge for 3 hours or so and wa la...delicious cheesecake for after hour treats hehehehe

i believe they do have it but not sure...lol one time i made my own crust...lets say it didnt work out tooooo well...why i advoid it

Giovanna wrote:

(Damn now I want truffle cake...)

Heheheheheh. Totally corrupted you. You know you want my evil inside you.

And by evil, I mean 'chocolate truffle cake whose recipe I will not divulge'.

KissingT.Kiryuu wrote:

heres something no one can mess up...


Shaved Ice!

1 cup ice

and flavored syrup to taste!

~ grind up the ice in an ice shaver and put in bowl with flavoring! voi-la!

*take note* i dont think sawing a giant block of ice will be as effective as the ice machine..but what do i know...

i have a snow penguin ice shaver! it is actually shaped like a penguin!

You can use two kinds of syrup and mix the flavors.

Tamago wrote:

Elvis Gravy

1 cup of hot black coffee (no sugar)
Fistful of Flour
A dollop of animal fat

Oh good lord.

Tonight I'm not making anything too fancy I think; got leeks, got stock, got taters.

Yep. Leek and tater soup. Not exactly rocket science or worth making a thread over, but then I don't know what I'm going to do with my chicken breasts...

Giovanna wrote:

Tamago wrote:

Elvis Gravy

1 cup of hot black coffee (no sugar)
Fistful of Flour
A dollop of animal fat

Oh good lord.

Tonight I'm not making anything too fancy I think; got leeks, got stock, got taters.

Yep. Leek and tater soup. Not exactly rocket science or worth making a thread over, but then I don't know what I'm going to do with my chicken breasts...

Well you can go two ways with the leeks, potatoes and stock.

Go hot with Leek and Potato soup.

or

Go cold a la Vichycoise (Cold leak and potato soup )

Last edited by .deep.blue. (10-22-2006 08:40:15 AM)