Bear Down Wildcats

In a moment of stunning divine inspiration, I ask:

What would happen if you made a tortilla di patate in a cast iron pan under the broiler, first frying the potatoes in the same pan and then cooking the egg, potato, and onion mixture from both sides under a hot broiler?

I'm going for it. It could be a disaster.

Longhorned wrote:In a moment of stunning divine inspiration, I ask:

What would happen if you made a tortilla di patate in a cast iron pan under the broiler, first frying the potatoes in the same pan and then cooking the egg, potato, and onion mixture from both sides under a hot broiler?

I'm going for it. It could be a disaster.

Brilliant. Beautiful. Didn't even have to flip it. Just slid onto the plate.

Tonight we had Merkin's family favorite chicken teriyaki skewers over charcoal with the pineapple and cherry tomatoes. Not Merkin's personal favorite, but I don't understand why. Outstanding. Made the teriyaki baste with equal parts soy sauce, sake, and mirin with a touch of sugar. Had it over steamed rice. One of the best meals we've had in a while.

I also made a salad from a bag of shredded broccoli and carrot and cabbage from the supermarket. Dressed it with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.

Friday I grilled chicken breast but did a new recipe I'd never tried before. Mixed greek yogurt with oil, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, coriander, and a touch of cloves and turmeric. Slathered that over the chicken and let it sit for 30 mins. Then grilled to perfection. Topped with a little more yogurt and a small dressing of mint, oil, shallot and lemon. Amazing

scumdevils86 wrote:Friday I grilled chicken breast but did a new recipe I'd never tried before. Mixed greek yogurt with oil, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, coriander, and a touch of cloves and turmeric. Slathered that over the chicken and let it sit for 30 mins. Then grilled to perfection. Topped with a little more yogurt and a small dressing of mint, oil, shallot and lemon. Amazing

Wow. Sounds Persian.

tasted persian. definitely going into the rotation.

Bocadillos tonight. Spanish tortilla and jamon de serrano. With salad.

scumdevils86 wrote:Friday I grilled chicken breast but did a new recipe I'd never tried before. Mixed greek yogurt with oil, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, coriander, and a touch of cloves and turmeric. Slathered that over the chicken and let it sit for 30 mins. Then grilled to perfection. Topped with a little more yogurt and a small dressing of mint, oil, shallot and lemon. Amazing

Sounds similar to my dads old chicken recipe. He used to use leg quarters and marinade over night or more. It was part of our usual rotation when we went camping. I've got to make it again sometime. Just the smell from the grill of that recipe brings back such great memories!

Going to try my hand at grilled octopus tonight again.

I'm experimenting until I figure out how La Maroma in Culiacan does it. Has bigtime flop potential.

Gato Salvaje wrote:Going to try my hand at grilled octopus tonight again.

I'm experimenting until I figure out how La Maroma in Culiacan does it. Has bigtime flop potential.

When you get there, please pass it on. I once spent an entire month in Rome cooking and eating nothing but the three classic Roman pastas (cacio e pepe, alla gricia, alla carbonara) until I understood them fully and simply enough to describe.

Longhorned wrote:spaghetti alla carbonara.

You've inspired me to make this on Sunday. Will report back.

catgrad97 wrote: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.

Love that place. Also enjoy Via De Los Santos, El Bravo, and Timo's. Also heard North Mountain Brewing is really good.

Longhorned wrote:

Longhorned wrote:In a moment of stunning divine inspiration, I ask:

What would happen if you made a tortilla di patate in a cast iron pan under the broiler, first frying the potatoes in the same pan and then cooking the egg, potato, and onion mixture from both sides under a hot broiler?

I'm going for it. It could be a disaster.

Brilliant. Beautiful. Didn't even have to flip it. Just slid onto the plate.

Awesome. Tortillas are usually so time-consuming, so this seems like a great hack.

Longhorned wrote:

scumdevils86 wrote:Friday I grilled chicken breast but did a new recipe I'd never tried before. Mixed greek yogurt with oil, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, coriander, and a touch of cloves and turmeric. Slathered that over the chicken and let it sit for 30 mins. Then grilled to perfection. Topped with a little more yogurt and a small dressing of mint, oil, shallot and lemon. Amazing

Wow. Sounds Persian.

Would probably be better with yoghurt ...

Tonight: Salmon poached in soy sauce, sake, ginger, garlic, and a touch of sugar. Over rice.

It was just okay.

Honey, soy and ginger glazed grilled pork chips with corn on the cob tonight. 3 straight grilled meals

Ham, macaroni & cheese, peas, beer.

I'm so American I could throw up...

Chicat wrote:Ham, macaroni & cheese, peas, beer.

I'm so American I could throw up...

That meal could be fully English. So maybe you could hurl your biscuits instead.*

* A completely invented example of British slang, much like my claim that the British supposedly refer to mowing the lawn as "trimming the glade." For more B.S., visit any post by Longhorned.

Longhorned wrote:

Chicat wrote:Ham, macaroni & cheese, peas, beer.

I'm so American I could throw up...

That meal could be fully English. So maybe you could hurl your biscuits instead.*

* A completely invented example of British slang, much like my claim that the British supposedly refer to mowing the lawn as "trimming the glade." For more B.S., visit any post by Longhorned.

In certain areas of Wales and on the Isle of Man, they call that particular form of malarkey, "Ass Chalk".

Chicat wrote:

Longhorned wrote:

Chicat wrote:Ham, macaroni & cheese, peas, beer.

I'm so American I could throw up...

That meal could be fully English. So maybe you could hurl your biscuits instead.*

* A completely invented example of British slang, much like my claim that the British supposedly refer to mowing the lawn as "trimming the glade." For more B.S., visit any post by Longhorned.

In certain areas of Wales and on the Isle of Man, they call that particular form of malarkey, "Ass Chalk".

Damn good meal regardless. Ham, meet mac & cheese. Well, don't mind if I do....

Longhorned wrote:

Gato Salvaje wrote:Going to try my hand at grilled octopus tonight again.

I'm experimenting until I figure out how La Maroma in Culiacan does it. Has bigtime flop potential.

When you get there, please pass it on. I once spent an entire month in Rome cooking and eating nothing but the three classic Roman pastas (cacio e pepe, alla gricia, alla carbonara) until I understood them fully and simply enough to describe.

The kids ate it all up and told me I had to start grilling 2 octopuseseses (Octopi?) from now on. So I'm on the right track at the very least!

I boiled the Octopus (for an hour) in Vegetable broth, red wine, bay leaf, water, Sea Salt, and two cloves of garlic.

Marinated over night in olive oil and a carne asada marinade I pick up at the local carniceria.

**great up to this point, but my next step here will be to add honey to the marinade to add a little yin to the yang.

For the grilling part:
I stilled grilled on the piastra, but this time I left the octopus in tact only cutting off the head part. I have a separate burner on the side of my gas grill so I used the old Alton brown Grilled cheese sandwich trick to get an even char. (I set the burner on high and heated up my heavy cast iron pan on it. When it was sufficiently hot, I pancaked the octopus evenly under the heavy pan and it flattened out nicely.)

Great result all the way around.

Sounds awesome. So now are you at a point where you taste it and say that it's not quite like it is at that place in Culiacan, and your family just shrugs and laps it all up and really doesn't care what you think?

I just put in an order for a 2-pound whole octopus. I'm going to see what happens if I poach it in soy sauce, sake, mirin, garlic, and ginger.

Longhorned wrote:Sounds awesome. So now are you at a point where you taste it and say that it's not quite like it is at that place in Culiacan, and your family just shrugs and laps it all up and really doesn't care what you think?

I just put in an order for a 2-pound whole octopus. I'm going to see what happens if I poach it in soy sauce, sake, mirin, garlic, and ginger.

That happens to me a few times. I make something that tries to replicate something I've had elsewhere and although my gf or anyone else around says it is amazing...i always feel like it just isn't right.

Wow, you've got to try Mark Bittman's recipe for chicken sitr-fried with ketchup. Download the free ap (How to Cook Everything). I read his enthusiastic description 6 years ago but I never believed it. Finally I gave in and made it tonight. I almost cried when it was over, but then I decided to have seconds. Soooooo good.

Have it with steamed rice.

I've begun to cook my 2.2 pound octopus. I wanted you all to know that. I don't know why.

Longhorned wrote:I've begun to cook my 2.2 pound octopus. I wanted you all to know that. I don't know why.

Is that a euphemism for something?

scumdevils86 wrote:i always feel like it just isn't right.

I think food is never as good for the one doing the cooking. As the cook/chef it is more enjoyable to live thru everyone else as they hopefully enjoy the meal. Plus the cook/chef is usually all jacked-up and strung out from cooking and timing the meal. I always felt bad for my mom for this reason and would plead with her to sit down and relax and enjoy. The dinner can still be good for sure, but not as good as sitting back watching tv, beer in hand possibly, faint aroma from the kitchen entering the nose each breath...then walking to the table and being fed with no concept of the chopping, skinning, mashing, boiling, that went into it all. Especially with meats. I prefer to not see what goes into the preparation.

pokinmik wrote:

scumdevils86 wrote:i always feel like it just isn't right.

I think food is never as good for the one doing the cooking. As the cook/chef it is more enjoyable to live thru everyone else as they hopefully enjoy the meal. Plus the cook/chef is usually all jacked-up and strung out from cooking and timing the meal. I always felt bad for my mom for this reason and would plead with her to sit down and relax and enjoy. The dinner can still be good for sure, but not as good as sitting back watching tv, beer in hand possibly, faint aroma from the kitchen entering the nose each breath...then walking to the table and being fed with no concept of the chopping, skinning, mashing, boiling, that went into it all. Especially with meats. I prefer to not see what goes into the preparation.

Very true. I seldom REALLY enjoy eating anything I make.

Others enjoying your food is a definate perk. I cook pretty healthy, and getting my kids to enjoy what I make is my own special challenge I thoroughly enjoy. My 8 year old asking me to start grilling 2 octopus instead of 1 because between the siblings there wasn't enough was a big win for me.

The down side now is that my kids feel the need to critique each meal like they are panelists on cutthroat kitchen. That they are miniature food snobs goes without saying.
The mere mention of school lunch is likened to the culinary equivalent of feeding them canned dog food that's been in the fridge uncovered for a week, and children's menu's at the restaurant are returned as fast as they are set down in favor of an adult menu. It all was cute at first.

I felt guilty last night, grilled a beautifully marinaded london broil and it turned out pretty good even by my standards. Then my gf put a little salt on it (she salts a lot of stuff...wisconsin habits die hard) and I snapped at her. I felt personally offended that she had to add seasoning to a thing I thought turned out beautifully. then I felt like a turd.

Sloppy Joe's made with ground turkey.

Gato Salvaje wrote:

pokinmik wrote:

scumdevils86 wrote:i always feel like it just isn't right.

I think food is never as good for the one doing the cooking. As the cook/chef it is more enjoyable to live thru everyone else as they hopefully enjoy the meal. Plus the cook/chef is usually all jacked-up and strung out from cooking and timing the meal. I always felt bad for my mom for this reason and would plead with her to sit down and relax and enjoy. The dinner can still be good for sure, but not as good as sitting back watching tv, beer in hand possibly, faint aroma from the kitchen entering the nose each breath...then walking to the table and being fed with no concept of the chopping, skinning, mashing, boiling, that went into it all. Especially with meats. I prefer to not see what goes into the preparation.

Very true. I seldom REALLY enjoy eating anything I make.

Others enjoying your food is a definate perk. I cook pretty healthy, and getting my kids to enjoy what I make is my own special challenge I thoroughly enjoy. My 8 year old asking me to start grilling 2 octopus instead of 1 because between the siblings there wasn't enough was a big win for me.

The down side now is that my kids feel the need to critique each meal like they are panelists on cutthroat kitchen. That they are miniature food snobs goes without saying.
The mere mention of school lunch is likened to the culinary equivalent of feeding them canned dog food that's been in the fridge uncovered for a week, and children's menu's at the restaurant are returned as fast as they are set down in favor of an adult menu. It all was cute at first.

Three great posts, quoted for truth.

For this problem about the cook not getting to enjoy the meal, there's actually a solution. I read about how it works, and I've done it and can say that it really does work.

The problem is caused by too much time too close up while smelling the food cook at various stages of the process, so that by the time it all comes together, we're immune from the integrated experience of flavor that your companions get to enjoy.

The solution to this problem is: Once you've done your final tasting for seasoning, and plated it out, open up that bag or canister of coffee you have in your kitchen, and take a big, long whiff of them coffee beans. It completely wipes out everything and resets you to zero. Then you sit down and enjoy the meal as if somebody else made it.

scumdevils86 wrote:I felt guilty last night, grilled a beautifully marinaded london broil and it turned out pretty good even by my standards. Then my gf put a little salt on it (she salts a lot of stuff...wisconsin habits die hard) and I snapped at her. I felt personally offended that she had to add seasoning to a thing I thought turned out beautifully. then I felt like a turd.

My ex is from Iowa, and she would salt everything before tasting. Her whole family did the same. I thought that one should taste the food first, because it's an insult to the cook.

Don't sweat it, you'll have bigger issues than that if you get married!

Bahn Mi from Dao's at first and Limberlost.

The London broil in question

Tidy boyo!!

That's byooful.

wyo-cat wrote:Bahn Mi from Dao's at first and Limberlost.

I had the "The Porky" Bahn Mi from Saigon Sisters in the French Market in Chicago for lunch. Holy fucking delicious.

scumdevils86 wrote:The London broil in question

Those grill marks are aces. I do a mean London Broil myself. About 7-9 minutes a side followed by a nice rest gets me a juicy medium rare. Always a crowd pleaser. May do one tonight. The salt and pepper thing is tricky. I like a little pinch of sea salt and lots and lots of fresh cracked pepper. I usually just take the pepper grinder from the server at the restaurant. Maybe that's why I find most other folks' food under-seasoned.

Speaking of salt, was at a restaurant last night that offered three varieties of salt on the table. Regular sea salt, a pink Himalayan and then a very course shiny black salt. The black salt was really good, very salty and crunchy. A little went a long way. Forgot to ask what it was because I was so annoyed by the rest of the experience.

Which brings me to dinner last night. A restaurant in Boise called Barbacoa. It was my daughter's 15th birthday dinner and her request. It has a cool atmosphere, very stylized, lots of cool lighting and heavy woodwork, sculptures and art, cocktails, etc. The owner's up on a bunch of cocaine charges. Hard to explain the cuisine. It tries to be some sort of high end Mexicany South of the border type deal. Table side guacamole prep, steaks served sizzling on hot rock slabs, giant over-sized plates - with a spicy kick! Entrees are all $27-$30, fifteen a la carte sides at $6 a pop. Like it's a Ruth's Chris or Morton's. This is Boise fucking Idaho mind you. Most folks here still hold their forks and steak knives with their fists.

I normally don't order steaks out (see, SD86's photo above) unless it's actually one of those steak-type places. Before heading out I'd watched one of those "Food Paradise" shows featuring Mexican cuisine. They hit El Charro and El Indio in San Diego so my jones for some rice and beans was on. So I decide on the "Grilled Lamb and Goat Cheese Enchilada" Sophisticated pro career-waiter dude assures me it's a good choice, but that "Chef" doesn't use a lot of sauce. Just a decorative schmear under the enchilada. Better bring me a side of enchilada sauce. So the giant plate comes out with a side of green (cilantro/lime?) rice and a stone bowl of ranch-style beans to accompany a rolled industrial food-service grade dry flour tortilla filled with flavorless grilled lamb. There were some strips of the lamb and avocado slices draped atop the burrito and a mere three dainty dollops of generic goat cheese as well. You could barely taste that the lamb was actually lamb and not just generic meat. Odd given that we've a fairly sizable sheep ranching industry in these parts. All "kicked up" with an extra side bowl of "Chef's" enchilada sauce, a flavorless red slurry. $28 fucking dollars for a shitty burrito. Thank God for the crunchy black salt.

The ladies all had some form of serviceable saucy pasta. Deserts were not-actually-deep-fried ice cream balls rolled in a chewy coconut-based not-actually-breading (because not-actually-deep fried) on long sticks served in an elaborate candelabra-type sculpted thingamajig. $250 later I was ready to shoot myself. The kid seemed happy though and liked her presents. So there's that.

Dropped everyone at home and made it to my buddy's house just in time to have missed the fight in its entirety.

Yesterday. . . Pollo a la Diabla with a Luna Azul Margarita.

scumdevils86 wrote:Friday I grilled chicken breast but did a new recipe I'd never tried before. Mixed greek yogurt with oil, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne, coriander, and a touch of cloves and turmeric. Slathered that over the chicken and let it sit for 30 mins. Then grilled to perfection. Topped with a little more yogurt and a small dressing of mint, oil, shallot and lemon. Amazing

I am going to try this Scum. Love yardbird, kind of,like Wade Boggs in that I could eat it everyday. Just need some recipes to make it different.

Please bring on your best recipe men

BearDown89, that pisses me off because it disrespects dinner. And that's unholy.

Pork belly fried rice, stir-fried baby bok choy.

Longhorned wrote:

Fried egg pizza?

Spaghetti and meatballs all from scratch. Using the simplest of recipes and I'm sure it'll turn out better.

Merkin wrote:

Longhorned wrote:

Fried egg pizza?

Not really fried egg, but cooked by the oven heat along with the rest of the pizza. It was just okay.

The better one had gruyere and potato. Both were from a local baker turned pizza dude.

conference food.

Slop on a plate.

CalStateTempe wrote:conference food.

Slop on a plate.

What? No rubber chicken?

Longhorned wrote:

Love the cracked egg on a pizza. There's a place in Chicago you and Chi must know about that cracks an egg on their pizza. That knucklehead, Guy Fieri, went there on Triple D. Pizza looked great. Don't remember the name, but I do remember Fieri being squeamish about the egg. I've done it on doctored-up frozen pizzas and it's delicious.

Well raw eggs are disgusting....

Never been to that place in Chicago, but I've been eating cracked egg on pizza for decades. I love a classic northern Italian prosciutto crudo and egg pizza. The one I had this week in Champaign wasn't great, though.

ASUHATER! wrote:Well raw eggs are disgusting....

Um, they're not raw. They cook in the oven just like everything else on the pizza.

ASUHATER! wrote:Well raw eggs are disgusting....

I love raw eggs. I do that Japanese breakfast with the raw egg mixed with rice.

I'm a big fan of raw meats as well. I used to think it was sophisticated of me, but I read recently that it's some kind of defect. As a child, I'd urge my mom to please not cook my steak or my burger. When I had my first steak tartare, I was in heaven. Same with sashimi.

Salmon eggs send me to a different realm. In fact, that's what I'll make for dinner tomorrow night: salmon sashimi and salmon roe rice bowls.

Sashimi or steak tartare sound great to me. But runny raw eggs are vomit inducing.