The Round Table cookbook

[vaskidmark]

Skwirl tastes good..  Braised in carrots, onions and tomatoes.

"Braise" - a cooking term meaning to not quite boil something in not enough water to come up to the waterline, in a pot too big for what you got in it, and too thin to hold the heat.  Apply this process until the underwater parts begin to separate from the above-water parts, then poke with a spoon until the above-water parts go underwater.  Almost boil those parts until they start falling apart.

Scoop out of the pot before it all gets burned, and serve over something that soaks up what little juice is still left in the pot.

Some cooks use wine or other alcoholic stuff instead of water, claiming that almost boiling it gets rid of the alcohol.  Why they would want to get rid of the alcohol remains a mystery, as does why they do not just drink the alcohol while they are waiting for the stuff in the pot to be almost boiled.

stay safe.

skidmark

[Scout26]

Remove food from Fridge/Freezer
Place on stove/in oven
Put on plate
Eat.


 

[crt360]

You can say, "I'm having barbecued (beef, chicken, whatever).", but if you say, "I'm having barbecue", you're eating pork.

I've heard that, but I've only been in Georgia once and I don't think I stopped to eat.

If you're in Texas, "I'm having barbecue" means you're eating beef.  It's very common though, to order sausage, chicken, and/or pork ribs along with your barbecue.  Tater salad, slaw and beans are the customary vegetable sides and usually there is an unlimited supply of sliced bread, sliced onions, and sliced dill pickles to experiment with.  Each joint has it's own sauce.

[Leatherneck]

1. Kill cow.
2. Eat it.
3. Burp.
4. Sleep.
5. Repeat as needed.

TC

[Kwelz]

The Ultimate Spaghetti sauce
1 can of tomato paste (12oz.)
1 1/2 cans of water
1/2 finely chopped onion
1/2 Finely shopped Green pepper
1tsp. Oregano
1tsp. Parsley Flakes
1tsp. Minced garlic
1tsp. Garlic Salt
1tbsp. Sugar (optional)
Stir well and let simmer for at least 1 hour.
Cook 1 Lb. Ground Beef
Mix in the ground beef
Now Mix in 1.25 Lbs of Velveeta cheese.  (Yes that is One and a quarter pounds of Velveeta cheese)
Stir until the cheese is completely melted and then serve with the pasta of your choice..

Ir helps to cut the cheese up into 1x1 or 2x2 inch blocks first.  

[S. Williamson]

Dionysusigma's Damn Tasty Chi'k'n'n'pasta

Ingredients:
2 boneless unbreaded chicken breasts, cut into long pieces ~2 x 3/4 x 3/8"
2 cups dry pasta
1/2 a tomato
1/2 an onion
3/4 cup raw baby spinach
Olive oil
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup shredded (preferably not powdered) Parmesan cheese
Some water

Spices:
Oregano, basil, garlic (dry or minced), ground pepper, salt

Tools:
Saucepan (7"dia x 6"ht preferred) with lid
Suitable means for grilling, whether cast-iron skillet or outdoor grill
Colander
Large, unserrated, extremely sharp knife
Serving spoon
Tongs
Fork

Using the large, sharp knife, slice onion-half into pieces about 1/2"^2.
Using the large, sharp knife, slice tomato-half into pieces about 1/2"^2.
Using the large, sharp knife, chop baby spinach as desired. (Recommended: 1/4" strips)
Using the large, sharp knife, cut chicken breasts into long pieces ~2 x 3/4 x 3/8".

Fire up grilling means, using a small amount of butter to prevent sticking if needed.
Apply chicken to grill using large, sharp knife.
Discontinue using the large, sharp knife.

Put 1/2"^3 of salt in the saucepan, and fill to 5/8 capacity with water.
Apply high heat and fully apply lid, bringing water to steady boil.
Slowly stir in the pasta, and reduce heat to 1/2.
Apply lid off-center, allowing an adequate gap for venting without boil-over.

Ensure chicken bits are cooking thoroughly--if not, flip as needed using tongs.  Taste one or two for suitable grilled overtones.

Remove lid from saucepan, using fork to fish out a piece of pasta.  Taste for preferred level of done-ness.

Ensure chicken has not overcooked.  When satisfactorily cooked, remove from heat and set aside.  Turn off grilling mechanism.

When pasta is satisfactorily cooked, remove from heat.  Turn off stove.
Place colander in kitchen sink, and pour entire contents of saucepan into the colander.
When stream of water exiting colander has slowed to dripping, pour entire contents of colander back into the saucepan.

Add chicken, onion, tomato, Parmesan cheese, and spinach to the saucepan.
Add a satisfactory amount of butter and olive oil to the saucepan. (Recommended: 1/2 stick butter, 1/8 cup olive oil)
Using serving spoon, mix thoroughly.
Continuing to mix thoroughly, add oregano, basil, garlic, ground pepper, salt to saucepan in 1/4 teaspoon increments, adjusting to taste.

Serves one really large person or two larger-than-normal people.

 

Edit: Sorry if it reads like a tech manual--I've been reading those all day. 

[bedlamite]

The best recipes always start with: marinate the chef

[French G.]

Guys...

If any of the ingredients come from a CAN, it's not a real recipe. Not even if the can is cream of mushroom soup (especially if it's this). Eeewww.

jb

Never tried Lawdog's chicken soup I see. Save for the chicken, cheese, and the onion all of it comes out of can and packet, all of which can be found at the Dollar store. My wife made fun of me for getting recipes off of gun boards. Now she asks me to make it pretty regularly. Cream of mushroom and chicken broth are two canned staples I cannot work without.

[Uncle Bubba]

I've heard that, but I've only been in Georgia once and I don't think I stopped to eat.

If you're in Texas, "I'm having barbecue" means you're eating beef.  It's very common though, to order sausage, chicken, and/or pork ribs along with your barbecue.  Tater salad, slaw and beans are the customary vegetable sides and usually there is an unlimited supply of sliced bread, sliced onions, and sliced dill pickles to experiment with.  Each joint has it's own sauce.

I know, I just couldn't resist the dig. What else would "barbecue" be in Texas, right?

It's funny to see someone from outside the Deep South come here and order "barbecue", then get offended when they get pork. It's not as funny when they say, "Where I come from 'barbecue' means (beef or chicken or whatever)!" News Flash: You're not where you come from.

[LadySmith]

I'm not much of a cook, but am willing to contribute what little I know...

MEAT

Rinse and place in roasting pan.
Season to taste.
Cover pan and place in oven.
Set oven temp to 250 degrees.
Take a nap.
Wake up and eat.

[Uncle Bubba]

When I was single I used to like to go to the nearby Outback Steakhouse once in a while. On a whim one night I had a bowl of their house soup. They called it "Walkabout Soup" and the description - "creamy cheese and onions" - sounded good. It was delicious. I would get a cup as an appetizer now and then and sometimes a full bowl with a couple loaves of their bread. Marvelous stuff. One night I ordered a bowl and they brought this slimy-looking dark mess to my table. When I asked where my soup was the waitress said the recipe'd been changed and the "new" Walkabout Soup was French Onion-based "with our own stylings". I loathe French Onion soup.

I did without for several years and one day after I was married was reminiscing about the soup I used to get at Outback. My wife said I ought to look it up on the Web, that lots of famous recipes have been deciphered and the soup might be on it. So I did, and found several.

The first one we tried sucked out loud, not to put too fine a point on it. Miss Priss (my wife) holds an Associate's degree in Culinary Arts and was an honors student when she got it. She knows what she's doing in the kitchen IOW, so we knew it was the recipe.

We tried another, and my tastebuds thanked me when I tasted it. Rich, creamy, smooth...delightful. A couple of weeks later I wanted some and she was at work, so I made a batch. Tweaked the recipe a little and when she tasted it MP said, "You did a better job than I did. From now on you can make the soup.", a very high compliment from her because normally her attitude toward me being in the kitchen is, "Get the hell outta my way."

I'll post the recipe in its original form and put my tweaks afterward.

.............

Walkabout Soup

INGREDIENTS:

8 cups water
8 beef bouillon cubes
3 medium white onions
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1-1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

PREPARATION:

Heat the water to boiling in a large pan. Add the bouillon cubes and dissolve.
Cut the onions into thin slices, then quarter the slices. Add to the broth.

Add salt & pepper.

Bring the mixture back to boiling, then turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.

While stirring briskly with a whisk, sift the flour into the soup a little at a time to prevent as much clumping as possible. Use the whisk to break up any large lumps of flour if they develop. As the soup continues to cook, any small lumps should dissolve.

After 30 minutes of additional simmering, add the cream (slowly and while stirring briskly with a spoon) and 1 cup cheddar cheese.

Continue to simmer the soup for 5 to 10 minutes.

Sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded Monterey Jack cheese on each bowl of soup just before serving.
Serves: 4

.............

This makes a half-gallon. I usually make a triple batch (and have a special extra-large stock pot I make it in) because I invite my parents to eat with us whenever I make it. My mother says "It's so good it's a sin to eat it." Plus if anyone I know finds out I've made it they want some, and I like to have some over the next couple of days. It's way too rich and heavy to eat in warm/hot weather so we do without for a few months and look forward to Fall weather so I can brew up a batch.

I substitute Tony Chachere's Creole Spice one-for-one for the salt and use coarse-ground black pepper for it's taste and look.

I've used mild and medium cheddar, Colby/Monterey Jack, and Kraft Fiesta Blend cheeses at various times. Of them all I like the Colby/Jack version the best.

I can't remember the brand but there's a paste beef stock for making soup that I get at Wally World that I sometimes use in place of bouillon cubes. When I use it I have to cut back on the Tony's a little because the paste is way saltier than cubes.

Be sure to add the cream slowly and stir all the while. I ruined a batch once by pouring it in too fast. Had a houseful of disappointed people that night.

"Simmer" means simmer. If you get it too hot after adding the flour it'll cook onto the bottom of the pot. When you scrape up the inadvertent dumplings it'll release the heat and splorp hot soup on you. I have a scar on my belly from cooking it too hot while not wearing a shirt.

A crusty loaf of bread tops it all off. Wally World's bakery makes a few different types of French bread that we all like. We've talked about making bread bowls but haven't done it yet. Maybe this Winter...

If you try it I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

[Gewehr98]

Cooking naked?

That's what it's all about, folks.

Cooking naked.   

(I will try the soup recipe, albeit fully clothed.)

[Physics]

Cooking naked?

That's what it's all about, folks.

Cooking naked.   

(I will try the soup recipe, albeit fully clothed.)

Lol you must never have worked as a fry cook.  OUCH!  Skin melting is no fun, especially when you're naked. 

And did someone mention Ritalin?    (that crap is the devil BTW)


Only thing I have is Raspberry Salmon.  Take a salmon fillet and bake it with butter.  While it's baking, reduce some heavy cream with some raspberries.  Put sugar in to taste, and then pour the sauce on the salmon, and finish baking.  IIRC, 350 was the temp.

[Gewehr98]

Oh, I'm sure I could be persuaded to cook in the buff, or pretty close to it.

Just takes the right incentive (Elisabeth Shue), that's all...

[Uncle Bubba]

Cooking naked?

That's what it's all about, folks.

Cooking naked.   

(I will try the soup recipe, albeit fully clothed.)

No, I was a grunt but ain't totally brainless. Just wasn't wearing a shirt. Betcher ass I've worn one every damn time I've made soup since then, though. Even grunts can learn (usually the hard way).

[RocketMan]

My favorite, however, was Rudy's in Texas.

I've got one of their plastic drink cups on my desk at work.  Brought a bunch of them back from Texas, only got the one left.
I look at it and sigh.  Their brisket and smoked turkey, ah, man!

[De Selby]

My favorite, however, was Rudy's in Texas.  That dry-rub, oak-fire beef brisket was amazing, so I'll wager that's what they define as Texas BBQ?

Yes they do, and that's the best brisket there is, bar none.  BBQ and cream corn at Rudy's has no equal...

It's a gas station with a convenience store most locations I've seen (only seen two or three), but anyone who skips it on that basis is missin' out bigtime

[charby]

Cooking naked?

That's what it's all about, folks.

Cooking naked.   

(I will try the soup recipe, albeit fully clothed.)

Try it sans pants. :)

[AJ Dual]

Oatmeal onion bread using dried soup mix
(bread machine recipe for 2 lb loaf)

1 package dried onion soup mix
1-2/3 c water
1/4 c dried onion flakes
Combine and set aside for 20-30 minutes so the onions can reconstitute

1 c minute oatmeal
3 c bread flour
2 t salt
4 T sugar
2 t yeast (one packet)

Use the White Bread / Light Crust settings.

Okay. I kicked this off almost as soon as I got home. Took the bread machine almost three hours. It was very good. We've made some nice things in the bread machine in the past, but they've always had that "bread machine taste" if you know what I mean. This didn't.

Cut it up while still hot, slathered it with butter. What I was surprised by was that except for a sprinkling of oats on the crust, they weren't very noticable inside the loaf. I also think they absorbed a lot of the moisture and improved the texture too.

The one downside, dehydrated onion, even after it's reconstituted, can cause rather interesting gastrointestinal effects. This morning I found out I had not made my own loaf of onion-oat bread, I had only er... rented it.

Worth it though.   

[Brad Johnson]

Try the canned soup version.  Less onion-ey, but still very good.

Brad

[Scout26]

Never tried Lawdog's chicken soup I see. Save for the chicken, cheese, and the onion all of it comes out of can and packet, all of which can be found at the Dollar store. My wife made fun of me for getting recipes off of gun boards. Now she asks me to make it pretty regularly. Cream of mushroom and chicken broth are two canned staples I cannot work without.

Lawdog's Chicken soup is my son's absolute favorite meal.  I could serve it 365 days a year and he'd never complain. 

[Uncle Bubba]

Lawdog's Chicken soup is my son's absolute favorite meal.  I could serve it 365 days a year and he'd never complain. 

It's a hit at my house, too.

[Ex-MA Hole]

1.  Turn on water
2.  Fill trays with water
3.  Place gently in freezer
4.  Wait until solidified

[French G.]

5. Add rum!

Can't believe you forgot the most important step!

[Uncle Bubba]

I'm not much of a cook, but am willing to contribute what little I know...

MEAT

Rinse and place in roasting pan.
Season to taste.
Cover pan and place in oven.
Set oven temp to 250 degrees.
Take a nap.
Wake up and eat.

The simple recipes are the best. 

.............

And this one reminded me...

My favorite way to cook a ham is to score it and pour a 12 oz. can of Coca-Cola over it before putting it in the oven. Baste periodically while it's cooking to glaze it slightly and have the Coke seep into the meat.