What's Cooking in the Mid Atlantic forum: What's brewing on your stove?
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| I rarely have ever made a stir fry. Lots of years ago, I bought a Wok and would try them from time to time, but I never really made any that turned out really exceptional. I did enjoy making fajitas though and still would. I'd just go very light on the sour cream and guacamole and skip the tortilla. I have a small purple cabbage in the fridge. I keep trying to think of something interesting to do with it. I wasn't interested in any sweet & sour dishes. The last time I made red cabbage, I made a braised version that had roasted chestnuts in it. Anyone have any ideas? |
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| One of the southern ladies on the other site shared a nice recipe for cabbage called "Smothered cabbage". You slice up the cabbage with onions, slow cook in either bacon fat or some oil. Add some type of pork - bacon e.g. and when the cabbage/onion mixture are very soft, add a little tomato sauce, spices and some Parmesan cheese, turn into a casserole dish and bake for a bit. (I skip the baking part 'cause I'm too impatient.) I'll see if I can find the actual recipe later and post it. |
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Thanks, Tammy.  Sounds interesting. |
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| Here's what she said (Bonnie aka Greersfolly): ... smothered cabbage is a popular way cabbage is prepared in the homes of those native to New Orleans and the surrounding Parishes. You saute lots of onion until golden, then add finely diced ham and let that fry down in the onions for about 10 minutes. Then you add the roughly chopped or shredded cabbage (large chop or shred - not like coleslaw) and a little tomato sauce. Turn the heat down to medium, then low and cover the pan..."smother". Then you cook it and cook it and cook it a long time, stirring frequently, until the cabbage is very soft and takes on a brown color. You can also substitute link sausage for the ham or use a combination of both meats. Adjust the quantities of seasonings, meat and cabbage so as not to skimp on any one item. She didn't mention the parm cheese so maybe that was my own invention. :-) |
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| Thanks, Tammy. Sounds like a good winter meal for a snowy night. Did you happen to remember what types of seasoning she used? |
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| I'll ask. |
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| I like a summer skillet veg medley of tomatoes okra corn peppers onions-what have you! I'd like to improve my stir fry skills. So much veg prep though. I'd also love to make good stir fried rice at home. "If you bring joy and enthusiasm to everything you do, people will think you're crazy" W. Haelfeli, New Yorker cartoon |
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| I like those too, Sally. Seems mine always have yellow squash & zucchini in them. I haven't ever cooked much Okra. I should try some. Veg prep is very time consuming and veggies are expensive, so you hate to have them go to waste if no one eats them. It's more of a waste if you buy and cook them and no one eats them.  This was the year of the grain for me. I tried all kinds of recipes for Quinoa and Spelt and other grains. Basically, they all were combo grain veggie stir frys. Some were good, others weren't. I did see a neat recipe for peppers stuffed with Quinoa that looked good. One thing that I haven't been able to make really well is the Jewish dish of Kashi & Bowties. Kashi is buckwheat. I've tried a few different recipes, but they never come out as good as the one I get at the Jewish Deli. |
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| I've been wanting to try Quinoa for a while and just found some. My regular grocery stores haven't carried it (or I couldn't find it there anyway). Could you share a recipe or two that you liked Stormy? I find that a little coconut milk in my stir fries adds a really nice flavor. And cashews are terrific too. The last stir fry I made included fresh herbs from my garden and the lemon thyme was especially nice. But yeah - in general, the stir fries are a way for me to eat lots and lots of vegetables & a little meat for very few calories. My DSO mixes in mayonnaise before eating them. (He's very slim.) I also like ratatouille for the same reason - great way to get lots of veggies. I got some pre-made meatballs at the farmers market and had one with a cup of ratatouille and that made a really good meal too. Tam |
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| Tammy, I use soups the same way you use stir frys. Seems like I make a pot of soup a week from fall through spring. Usually, I immediately freeze three or 4 servings and eat the rest for lunch or dinner over 2 or 3 days. I always keep small pieces of meat on hand for adding to soups. A lot of meat selections come packed in threes. So if we each have a pork chop, then I'll keep the third chop for use in a soup. I'm also always adding beans and grains to soup for protein and fiber. I keep a bag of mixed dried beans and a bag of mixed grains on hand and mix a bit of each into most soups. That's a neat idea about adding coconut milk to stir frys. I try to add garden herbs to just about everything I cook, or eat raw.  Mayo in Stir Frys is a new one for me. I'm always surprised to hear how many ways people use mayo, especially in the midwest and the west.Ratatouille and Campanada are good items for using fresh veggies. It's hard though to make them small enough so that most of it gets eaten before they start to sour. I have that same problem with stir frys. Sally and I joked earlier in the year that with cooking for a family, their appetites seem to adjust in direct proportion to the size of the meal she prepares.  |
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| Tammy, I find that you have to look in 3 or 4 spots in the markets for grains like Quinoa. Start with the grain section, move on to the health food or organic section,. mosey on over to the gourmet section, and then ask the manager if they have a gluten free section. Sometimes they are even mixed in with the baking items. I'll go look for the recipes and post some later today. |
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| Here's what Bonnie said RE seasonings for the smothered cabbage: The only other seasonings I would use would be salt and black pepper. In the dialog below, "seasonings" refers to onions, salt & pepper. If you find the cabbage dish is too juicy, you can add a little Italian seasoned bread crumbs or you can leave it juicy and do as many Cajuns do and eat it over white rice. |
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| Thanks, Tammy Here's one of the Quinoa Recipes. This one was interesting because the Quinoa is served hot, but the veggies are uncooked. It is crunchy. This was inspired by a similar one that I read at allrecipes.com. You can really alternate whatever veggies you have on hand, just as long as they are wet enough. Crunchy Lemon Quinoa 1/4 cup Toasted Pine Nuts 1 cup Quinoa 2 cups Water 2 TBSP Lemon juice 2 TBSP Olive Oil 1/2 cup Red Onion 2 Celery Stalks chopped 1/2 Red Bell Pepper chopped 1/2 Green Bell Pepper chopped 3 Cloves garlic minced 1 Bunch Fresh Parsley, chopped 1/4 Tsp Red Cayenne Pepper 1/4 Tsp Coriander --- Kosher Salt to taste __ Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste !. Toast the Pine Nuts. This can be done either in a dry skillet on the stove or in a small pan in the oven. Stir frequently and don't let them burn. They toast faster than most other nuts. 2. In a saucepan, bring the water, Quinoa and salt to a boil.Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and Quinoa is soft, about 15 minutes. Fluff with fork. Cool slightly 3. Transfer Quinoa to a serving bowl and stir in all of the other ingredients. |
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| That sounds good. I like crunchy. :-) Bonnie sent more info on her cabbage dish: Yes, I think we do add the cheese. This is not my favorite way to prepare cabbage so until I actually get into the preparation, I tend to forget some of the little extras that we add. I would remember the cheese as I taste tested the dish and found it "needed something". This is my mother's favorite way to eat cabbage Myself - I like it shredded in big pieces and coked in the microwave until just a little softer than al dente then served wth salt, pepper and butter. I also like it cooked with the onions and a little ham, but only until until soft. I believe the smothered cabbage is a little too rich for me. Also, if you want to serve the smothered cabbage as a casserole - after it is cooked you can put it into a 9 x 13 (larger or smaller) baking dish, sprinkle the Italian breadcrumbs over the top, dot the breadcrumbs with a little butter, and bake for about 30 minutes until heated through. This is an especially good way to serve it for company because you can prepare the stinky cabbage one or two days ahead and reheat on the day of the dinner. |
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| Thanks, Tammy. I agree with Bonnie, that casserole cooks the cabbage way more than I like too, but a less cooked version of it can be very nice for a winter meal. I will try it in cooler weather. Tonight I'll be taking it easy in the kitchen.DSO loves his BLT's. I'm going to make them on toasted multigrain sourdough bread, with Applewood Smoked Bacon, Arugula, tomatoes from the garden, whole basil leaves and crushed fresh oregano. Earlier today I made a cold bean salad using frozen black eyed peas. There are lots of fresh finely chopped veggies in it, along with a minted vinagrette. We'll have cole slaw and a cucumber salad with it. It's too hot today to cook, either in or out, and it's starting to rain, so I don't feel like grilling. For dessert I will mix some coco powder into vanilla greek yogurt and serve mango slices and cherries on top of it. |
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| A friend just dropped by with some treasures from her garden. She gave me some Okra. I've never really cooked Okra, but know that I wouldn't enjoy it if it was over cooked. Anyone have any favorite ways to prepare it? |
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| MIL makes fried okra by slicing, rolling / tossing with cornmeal then fry in oil, turnign as they cook. You could 'oven bake fry ' it too. I don't grow big batches of okra so I usually use mine by slicing a few-several then adding to a skillet with cut corn, tomatos, onion, green beans, Good way to add to small leftovers and freshen them up. Okra is mucilaginous (SP?) and a small amount in the skillet adds a sauciness. I also add to soup for the same reason, adds a little body. Thye cook easily, like most veggies, don't require a whole lot. If you feel 'woodiness' while slicing, that one is too hard, toss it. I add a couple TB of quinoa to my rice and call it pilaf. "If you bring joy and enthusiasm to everything you do, people will think you're crazy" W. Haelfeli, New Yorker cartoon |
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| Thanks, Sally. If you don't want the Okra to get too mushy, how many minutes would you saute it for? Yellow Summer Squash is one that I find will get mushy really quickly. How is Okra compared to that? |
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| Thought about it and, you probably put some beaten egg or some buttermilk or milk on the okra slices to help the cornmeal stick. How long? Not sure. I think it holds up better than squash, but would cook faster than green beans. It ends up kind of crunchy on the breading and soft inside anyway though--not that I'm a pro. I made shredded zucchini 'pancakes' once--liked those, and didn't have the same issues with breading falling off and slices melting. I mixed the shredded Z with pancake batter. Proably have to watch out for those gettting thin though, the wet Z getting into the batter, maybe even just mix the shredded zucchini with dry pancake batter mix or bisquick. "If you bring joy and enthusiasm to everything you do, people will think you're crazy" W. Haelfeli, New Yorker cartoon |
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| Thanks, Sally. I wasn't going to coat and fry it, just saute it. Wouldn't it be good just sauted by itself? I know what you mean about the Zucchini being too wet. I have to drain Eggplant a long time if I want to coat & fry it. These days I rarely bread and fry it, or anything else. I always loved Bisquick & Jiffy Mix on anything. |
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