Bear Down Wildcats

What's with the sandwich dinner theme tonight? Can we do this every night?

I often say F the salad at the last minute.

Paprika chicken at my house tomorrow. Get on my wavelength.

I meant can we all just have sandwiches every night.

I'm sure we can all use our brain and stomach power to come up with a list of 7 top sandwich recipes that we can just use all week.

Longhorned wrote:I meant can we all just have sandwiches every night.

Kinda boring eh?

Longhorned wrote:I meant can we all just have sandwiches every night.

Uh . . . I'll think about it.

Why boring? Couldn't every dish I love be converted to a sandwich? It would be even better.

Love sandwiches as much as anything. Egg salad sandwiches for us tonight.

BearDown89 wrote:Love sandwiches as much as anything. Egg salad sandwiches for us tonight.

Egg salad sandwiches are underrated.

Egg salad sandwiches are amazing. Especially on untoasted white bread. Your teeth slice effortlessly into the soft bread, and then seamlessly into the cold, unctuous filling replete with smooth texture, viscous emulsion, and vaguely sharp notes from the yokes and mustard. The experience is liminal -- somewhere between sleepiness and relaxed engagement, with the pure comfort and hopefulness of waking up without having to get out of bed and a promised nap later.

Chicat wrote:I made grilled ham and Swiss paninis on brioche with onion rings. I was supposed to make a salad too but said fuck it at the last minute so there was no veggie.

How did you make the onion rings? I love fried onion rings, but trying to cut down on fried foods.

Looking at oilless fryers, which do a mean turkey or chicken breast, but french fries and onion rings don't seem to turn out very good.

Longhorned wrote:Egg salad sandwiches are amazing. Especially on untoasted white bread. Your teeth slice effortlessly into the soft bread, and then seamlessly into the cold, unctuous filling replete with smooth texture, viscous emulsion, and vaguely sharp notes from the yokes and mustard. The experience is liminal -- somewhere between sleepiness and relaxed engagement, with the pure comfort and hopefulness of waking up without having to get out of bed and a promised nap later.

perfect description. been on a hardboiled egg kick lately. deviled eggs, plain, egg salad.

Dirty rice and mixed veggies. not on a sammich.

Baked Chinese restaurant style lemon chicken

Went home to have some of the left over egg salad for lunch - albeit on cheap soft squishy wheat bread and sans mustard (damn Canadians). It was all gone when I got home (fucking Canadians)! She was no where to be found, but she copped to it in a text. Tried to placate me with compliments of its deliciousness. Indeed, I was excited for the overnight melding of flavors and the hard chill of the fridge.

Settled for turkey, salami and swiss instead.

LH, AZgreg, and beardown 89, and all lover of sandwiches...come join the battle royal that I am going to setup in another thread.

Attempting to recreate Pei Wei's chicken lettuce wraps

I was in Fronteras Sonora yesterday (Birthplace of Juan Bautista De Anza)
Its In the middle of nowhere on the way to nowhere mexico. Nice quiet little town.

Ate Carne con Chile verde, and Carne con Chile Colorado burritos from a restaurant that was part of the local hardware store/ bakery/ candy store.
Handmade flower tortillas made in front of you, local beef, and chilies grown a few hundred feet away.
All incredibly local and fresh.

Like my boy Longhorned has said again and again. It's all about the ingredients. It can make the simplest food a culinary masterpice.

3 of us. 9 Burritos and 4 Fantas. Paid like 12.00

Gato Salvaje wrote:I was in Fronteras Sonora yesterday (Birthplace of Juan Bautista De Anza)
Its In the middle of nowhere on the way to nowhere mexico. Nice quiet little town.

Ate Carne con Chile verde, and Carne con Chile Colorado burritos from a restaurant that was part of the local hardware store/ bakery/ candy store.
Handmade flower tortillas made in front of you, local beef, and chilies grown a few hundred feet away.
All incredibly local and fresh.

Like my boy Longhorned has said again and again. It's all about the ingredients. It can make the simplest food a culinary masterpice.

3 of us. 9 Burritos and 4 Fantas. Paid like 12.00

Sandwich: prosciutto crudo (La Quercia Tamworth), gruyere, and claytonia dressed with olive oil and sherry vinegar on buttered baguette

Breakfast tonight.

Brinner?

Why would anybody ever eat anything besides breakfast foods?

We still have a little bit of ham left from Easter so I'm dicing it up and throwing it into an omelet with a few other things.

azgreg wrote:We still have a little bit of ham left from Easter so I'm dicing it up and throwing it into an omelet with a few other things.

I did that last week with, believe it or not, left over Christmas ham.

Chickpea and spinach curry over jasmine rice. Cost me $4 to make a huge 10 serving pot of it

scumdevils86 wrote:Chickpea and spinach curry over jasmine rice. Cost me $4 to make a huge 10 serving pot of it

Lucky you can afford that with your job at the Dairy Queen!!

Ha ha!

(Trips backward over the coffee table and hits head on the bannister and dies.)

And so it was that a mentally and socially challenged message board fool came to his sudden and final demise.

The End.

Greek Style grilled Octopus on the piastra!

Love octopus. And squid. But Fortune Fish in Chicago can only get the squid cut up. They sell me the whole 2 pound octopus with just the brain and innards removed. He looks ready to swim away.

Longhorned wrote:Love octopus. And squid. But Fortune Fish in Chicago can only get the squid cut up. They sell me the whole 2 pound octopus with just the brain and innards removed. He looks ready to swim away.

One of the best dishes I've ever eaten is this dish in a restaurant in Sinaloa:
https://instagram.com/p/wpDpYpFWwN/


My dream is to somehow duplicate this recipe. It was incredible. I'm sure all the ice cold Altatas (local craft beer) helped.

The Pulpo Mongol tacos (Mongolian Octopus tacos) off the secret menu at La Cabanna down the street are pretty incredible too. I never miss either of these dishes when I'm down in culiacan on business.

Beef stew and biscuits last night.

Under inspiration of Gato, I had to get me some octopus last night at Vera in the west loop, Chicago. Grilled octopus. It was just okay. But their bacalao croquettes were for realz. Some nice shrimp a la plancha. Lots of cold, white, old school Rioja.

Gato Salvaje wrote:

Longhorned wrote:Love octopus. And squid. But Fortune Fish in Chicago can only get the squid cut up. They sell me the whole 2 pound octopus with just the brain and innards removed. He looks ready to swim away.

One of the best dishes I've ever eaten is this dish in a restaurant in Sinaloa:
https://instagram.com/p/wpDpYpFWwN/


My dream is to somehow duplicate this recipe. It was incredible. I'm sure all the ice cold Altatas (local craft beer) helped.

The Pulpo Mongol tacos (Mongolian Octopus tacos) off the secret menu at La Cabanna down the street are pretty incredible too. I never miss either of these dishes when I'm down in culiacan on business.

Is it crispy? I mean, did they deep fry it? If so, I've never had anything like it. I'd guess we'd have to tenderize it first by cooking. The usual 20 minutes boiling in salted water with vinegar. And the color makes me think of octopus braised in red wine, like the Greek way. I don't know.

hawaiian bbq grilled chicken quarters tomorrow night. corn on the cob. baked beans. chips. lot o' beer.

Longhorned wrote:

Gato Salvaje wrote:

Longhorned wrote:Love octopus. And squid. But Fortune Fish in Chicago can only get the squid cut up. They sell me the whole 2 pound octopus with just the brain and innards removed. He looks ready to swim away.

One of the best dishes I've ever eaten is this dish in a restaurant in Sinaloa:
https://instagram.com/p/wpDpYpFWwN/


My dream is to somehow duplicate this recipe. It was incredible. I'm sure all the ice cold Altatas (local craft beer) helped.

The Pulpo Mongol tacos (Mongolian Octopus tacos) off the secret menu at La Cabanna down the street are pretty incredible too. I never miss either of these dishes when I'm down in culiacan on business.

Is it crispy? I mean, did they deep fry it? If so, I've never had anything like it. I'd guess we'd have to tenderize it first by cooking. The usual 20 minutes boiling in salted water with vinegar. And the color makes me think of octopus braised in red wine, like the Greek way. I don't know.

It's grilled. I think its some kind of marinade that makes it red. little spicy like adobo. I'm sure they had to boil it before hand though.

One of my childhood favorites tonight. Pork chops baked beans and apple sauce.

Graze premium burger in Tucson now. Double with grass fed hormone free beef, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle, nitrate free bacon, and the standard condiments. Amazing fries too. Love this place. They have a great selection of dipping sauces too and great all natural, organic sodas too.

Machaca burros tonight.

I tried this in Phoenix today.

[youtube]www.youtube.com/embed/WifiwOMSr1g[/youtube]

Sautéed shrimp with asparagus risotto.

Besides that Los Drowned sandwich I ate at Little Goat on Friday, I haven't eaten anything of note recently. Tonight I'll eat at a mediocre restaurant in Champaign.

Don't miss the Los Drowned sandwich at Little Goat when you're in the west loop in Chicago.

Catintheheat wrote:I tried this in Phoenix today.

[youtube]www.youtube.com/embed/WifiwOMSr1g[/youtube]

Hmm looks good. A bit of a gut bomb, but Probably tastes like heaven after hitting the bars at 2AM!

As a rule though, I don't mix meat in a sandwich. Unless its bacon (In the words of Gaffigan: the fairy dust of meats).

Tortas are incredible though. And none better than the tortas ahogadas made in Guadalajara. It's another food where the ingredients are simple but make all the difference in the world. The meat is Carnitas, and the key ingredients (chile de arbol for the salsa) and the avacados are all fresh and local to the region. Of course the fresh baked pan bolio is the star of the show.

worth the trip to Guadalajara for this sandwich alone.

Gato, I got a torta ahogada recently and a taqueria I otherwise trust fully and who otherwise make brilliant tortas. I decided I'd never get another torta ahogada again for the rest of my life. It was a torta submerged in a bowl of broth. Immersed in liquid, the bread turned into glue. It was irretrievable, let alone inedible. Even a spoon was useless. It was literally impossible for a human to enjoy. I tried to explain to them what earthlings think of in reference to "sandwich", and this wasn't it.

Longhorned wrote:Gato, I got a torta ahogada recently and a taqueria I otherwise trust fully and who otherwise make brilliant tortas. I decided I'd never get another torta ahogada again for the rest of my life. It was a torta submerged in a bowl of broth. Immersed in liquid, the bread turned into glue. It was irretrievable, let alone inedible. Even a spoon was useless. It was literally impossible for a human to enjoy. I tried to explain to them what earthlings think of in reference to "sandwich", and this wasn't it.

I've never had a good torta ahogada in Sonora Territory, and I've never had a good taco in Jalisco.
Sure someone might make a serviceable version, but it always ends up being a disappointment in the end.


Sonora= Tacos/carne asada/sonora dogs/carne seca(obregon)
Sinaloa= Mariscos (seafood)
Jalisco= Tortas ahogadas
chihuahua= queso menonita
oaxaca=Mole
Mexico City = Endless versions of deliciousness

The end

I enjoyed the frijoles negras in Guadalajara, thought everywhere I went did a mean birria, a good bacon-wrapped filet, and what I would call tacos ahogados (same idea, but tacos, just don't go pee right after). Also, arroz con leche, and the best micheladas I've ever had. I never was into their versions of pozole though.

Chihuahua, you forgot cabrito, cabron.

Chicken Parmesan with zucchini noodles.

Homemade mac and cheese made from a mornay sauce with gruyere.

Smoked salmon made in the flower pot. Heat to 225, leave it in for 1 hr. So easy. So good.

Yesterday a friend gave us some fresh chicken eggs from her backyard coop. I don't know why they're better than - and look so different from - the local farm eggs. So last night I wanted to show them off by cooking them very soft: spaghetti alla carbonara.

It's almost impossible to get a good carbonara outside of Rome, and there's all this intrigue about the secret to making it come out right instead of overcooked. The internet is filled with stories of failure, and this idea that you can't do it.

It's actually the easiest pasta you can make. Like, if this were your first time in the kitchen cooking anything at all, you'd have wild success, and with no challenges along the way. And it's the fastest pasta you'll ever make. Which is awesome because it's also one of the most amazing things you'll ever eat. Pure satisfaction and comfort.

One thing you should do is to make it with fresh grated parmigiano reggiano, which is a sacrilege in Rome. The reason why is because you're unlikely to get the right pecorino romano even if you try. And even if you did, you won't get the right Roman guanciale (pork jowel) that works with that pecorino. Just forget it. Be northern Italian about the whole thing and use imported pancetta, as long as it isn't sliced because you have to cube it.

The reason why it's so easy is because there's nothing to screw up. The rendered fat from the pan-fried pancetta, which infuses with the olive oil, is the magic carpet that the flavor rides on. But people worry about how much fat to use. Forget about it. It's a self-filtering process. The spaghetti itself does that for you. The other, bigger worry that everyone claims is the major screw up that only master Italian cooks can achieve is how much to cook the eggs. Don't listen to anybody about this. Don't follow any techniques or rules. Don't worry about it at all, because the spaghetti does it for you.

You do have to salt the pasta correctly, and this is the thing most people screw up with any pasta. It's the reason why pasta tastes better in restaurants than it does when you make it. Recipes never tell you how to do it right, and what they do say is misleading. Doing it the right way is much, much easier than how you've been doing it. Use sea salt, preferably coarse, but regular is fine. The thing to keep in mind is that you're salting the water, not the pasta. You fill up a big pot of water like a stock pot about half way or more (pasta needs lots of water to get the starching right), and after it's boiling, you put a giant, heaping hand full of salt in. Look to make sure all the granules fully break down into the water. Then taste the water. What you're going for is the taste of the sea. If it's not as salty as the sea, add more salt. If you made it too salty, add more water. When it tastes like when you accidentally get water in your mouth while you're in the ocean, you're there.

Never ever follow the cooking time suggestion on a package of pasta. It varies too much based on elevation. You have to retrieve the pieces of pasta from the pot and taste them until they're ready -- even slightly before it's ready because it's going to keep cooking after you drain it.

Make sure you have a pair of kitchen tongs on hand. If you don't, splurge $4 and pick up a pair at the supermarket.

To separate egg yolks from whites, you just crack open an egg, and then pass the yolk back and forth over the sink from one half of the shell to the other until the white is gone and just the yolk is left in the shell.

For 4 people (just half this for 2 people):

1 pound package spaghetti (494 grams or whatever it is)
2 thick slices of pancetta, each 1" to 1 1/4" thick
10 eggs
olive oil, like around 1/4 cup
parmigianno regiano

Put the olive oil in a pan on the stove so it's ready for you. Then start by cubing up the pancetta. Put it on a plate and wash the cutting board and knife and put them away. You're not going to want to mess with any dirty dishes after a hot, steamy bowl of pasta has you all relaxed. Then separate the egg yolks from the whites, and put the yolks in a bowl large enough to accommodate the full pound of cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over them, just enough like if you were going to eat them like that. Now start heating the pasta water.

While the water heats, turn the burner under pan with the olive oil on medium heat until the oil is hot. Dump in the cubed pancetta. Brown it until it looks delicious. Not completely crisp like you'd do bacon, but like something you'd want to eat in a taco, for example. Then turn off the heat and just let it sit there with the hot melted fat and the cooked pancetta in it.

Grate a bunch of parmigianno. Beat the egg yolks in the bowl and mix around 3/4 cups of the grated parm into them, making sure you have enough grated parm left over to cover each dish of pasta generously. Add enough parm to the egg yolks to form a kind of gloop, so that you could imagine gluing something together with it.

After the water boils and you've salted it right, dump in the spaghetti. Announce to everyone that they have to be at the or on the sofa waiting because this stuff has to be eaten immediately upon being ready. If anybody starts answering their phone or whatever, kick them out of the house.

After the spaghetti cooks perfectly and you drain it, immediately dump the cooked spaghetti into the fatty pancetta pan. Take a pair of tongs and toss with the fatty pancetta. Then, with the tongs lift out the spaghetti, shaking off the excess fat from the pasta, and dump it into the bowl with the egg yolks and parm mixture. Pick up all those pieces of pancetta and get them into the bowl, too. The spaghetti will take exactly enough fat with it, and the hot pasta and the hot fat will cook the egg yolk mixture perfectly as is. Toss it all in the bowl, dish it out, and cover each dish with a bunch of parm. Eat right now.

Catintheheat wrote:I tried this in Phoenix today.

[youtube]www.youtube.com/embed/WifiwOMSr1g[/youtube]

Los Reyes is the bomb. Man v. Food went there, and its combination plates are almost as good. Right up the street from where my grandpa lived until the day of his passing on El Caminito in Sunnyslope.

Which is good, because unless you're going to save a rescue animal up the street at the Humane Society on Hatcher, restaurants are the only reason to be in that part of Phoenix. Greektown is just a couple miles south on 7th St. and Dunlap...if you can get by the Carlos O'Brien's on 12th St. and Northern.

Yes, I am familiar with that neighborhood.