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The Recipe Thread! Part II: Electric Mixaroo

spork said:
I want to try to make gazpacho. Does any one have any recipes that they've tried and like?

No gazpacho for me because I am allergic to raw unprocessed tomatoes. But this recipe looks tasty and easy. Awesome suggestion for a summer recipe, Spork -- please enjoy a double portion for me :)

Gazpacho de Sevilla

Dave: watermelon gazpacho? Without tomatoes? I loooooove watermelon, I had not thought to follow a gazpacho recipe with watermelon. That may be my project for tomorrow. Summertime, ya know? :D

Jamshyd: I plan to test your recipe within the next few days, less the mushrooms (allergic to most mushrooms too) and a little less onion.

If anyone would like a grilled prime rib recipe for a summertime family BBQ dinner, I'll post it once another BLer and I perfect it on Tuesday. :)

Does anyone have a perfected or even preferred method for BBQ shrimp? I use Old Bay seasoning or creole Seafood Magic, but I would like to develop a summery BBQ lemon shrimp recipe. I use onions, zucchini, and whatever else is around in my kebabs but they are lacking in something. I think a lemon-white wine scampi sauce over al dente angel hair pasta would be delish... hmm :)
 
Jamshyd said:
Hehe thanks dave, I hope you enjoy :)
ebola: Sounds good! Baba Ghanouj (lit. "Mr. Promiscuous"), Tabouli, Bakdunsiee, Hummus, and at least ten other items are traditionally served in Lebanon as "Mezzi" (the mid-eastern equivalent of bar snacks - and in fact it is typical to eat these things while sipping Arak).
My favourite of all these is Kibbi Nayyi (Raw Kibbi), but I don't know how to make it. Apparently it involves grinding meat so fine with wheat so as to make a meaty dough... sounds grotesque (especially to a vegan, I imagine), but tastes heavenly... an acquired taste for sure...
YUM, YUM to them all! I also love kibbee Nyee! When I was growing up my uncle used to make it all the time but I never knew it was RAW meat until I was grown-LOL!:)
 
Mariposa-- Sure, why not? Traditional gazpacho required tomatoes, but a modern gazpacho (AFAIK) is basically a cold, usually raw vegetable soup thickened a bit with stale bread. Go nuts!
 
Request time again!

I just snagged the deep fryer from my dad this week; it's an electric one, medium capacity. I've had good results in the past with Louisiana Fish Fry (cornmeal based frying mix, good on chicken, fish, veggies, whatever) but now I'm looking for some tried and true beer batter or tempura type batter recipes.

Any suggestions?

I made a good Mexican bean, cheese, and rice based lasagna the other day. I will post it when I figure out the amounts of stuff I used.
 
righto.
well, i could probably dig up an appropriate tempura recipe.
the usual is cornstarch (lighter than wheat flour) and an egg yolk (mainly for color). some people put in something to aerate the batter, like club soda or baking soda (not both!).
 
^I would have asked you, but I wanted one from someone who has done this with more frequency so that I could make it a treat for you -- as always, your participation is welcome, but might I spoil you a bit? <3
 
For xeres vinegar or sherry vinegar do you think it would be OK just to substitute and use red wine vinegar?
 
I don't think I posted this recipe yet. If I did, sorry for the repeat. Though it's not the healthiest, it's super easy and yummy. :)

Artichoke Spinach Dip
1 can (14oz) artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
1 pkg (10oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mayo or miracle whip
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix all together and pour into a baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven.

I like serving it with slices of french bread or crackers. :)
 
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For all you people out there looking for a 'simple' simple syrup, you can just use agave syrup! Makes killer mohitos, margaritas, you name it. Highly recommended.
 
Cheap Dishes to Cook at Home?

I'm in a bit of financial straits at the moment and need to cut corners wherever possible, money-wise.... I've done this plenty of times in the past, but am getting tired of cooking the same 4-5 dishes I rotate around whenever I'm poor. :|

Anyone have any favorite meals they make at home for dirt-cheap? I've done pasta with meat sauce to death, baked potatoes out the wazoo, and I'm even getting burned out on the lentil chili and rice that has been a lifesaver for so long. About $8 will feed me for a week with that one, but if I see another lentil I'm gonna jump out the window. ;)

Share your favorite slum-cuisine recipe!
 
I'm going to merge this with SO's recipe thread.

Your lentil chili and rice recipe intrigues me. Do you mind sharing? :)
 
Thanks! That not only sounds yummy and cheap but looks super easy to make too. Must go grocery shopping soon!
 
Jamshyd's Mediterranean Ointment "dip"

This is insanely yummy and ridiculously healthy for you! It is as good prophylaxis as can be. Vegan friendly, you now have no excuse not to try it! I don't know if there is an English word for this kind of food item, but it belongs to a pretty common side-dish in Mediterranean cultures where one dips a piece of bread into olive oil infused with herbs.

So here I go again with my vague, "To Taste" recipes:
- The best olive oil you can find! Generally, a good way to figure out a good olive oil is to swirl it in the bottle - good olive oil is more "thick" and viscous than most other oils.
- The best balsamic vinegar you can find
- The white wine of your choice (optional)
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Marjoram
- Whole cloves
- A suitable vessel in which to place all this - a nice, sealable glass vial, for example.

You want a fair mix of olive oil and vinegar - I am actually still trying to figure out just what the best proportion is, but it seems to be around 2 parts vinegar to 1 part oil - but then again I love sour (I sometimes drink shots of balsamic for health) and don't mind the sting. Wine is added very conservatively, if at all.

The herbs should be around: 3 parts rosemary (or more) to 3 parts thyme (or more) to 1 part marjoram (or less). Cloves should be used VERY spuriously, like 1 or 2 individual cloves.

Put all this in your vessel, shake once, and let sit for weeks, months, or years.

Enjoy daily as a piece of bread dipped in a tablespoon of this - the health benefits are countless. It can also be used by adding to a salad dressing or pasta sauce.
 
Sounds tasty Jam; I've just mixed up a batch. Not bad right away, but I bet that it will be so much better by next weekend. Personally I don't find balsamic to be acidic at all, so I added a splash of white wine vinegar instead of wine for a bit more bite.

Keeping with the dip theme, here's a recipe for Muhammara. It is a Syrian variant on hummus (much heavier fat load though-- all good fat mind you), and a welcome addition to a dip-and-bread platter.

Muhammara

1 12-oz jar of roasted red peppers (or 2 medium roasted peppers)
2 cloves of garlic (recommended, I prefer more garlic myself)
1 cup walnuts (roasted or not, I prefer roasted)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (the recipe calls for Panko, but I couldn't imagine that it's an ideal use for it)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (roughly)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice (& some zest while you're at it)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne

Blend everything together in a food processor until a fairly smooth puree forms. Tweak the seasoning. I find that it does need some salt and a fair bit more cayenne, but it shouldn't be super hot. Also, play with the consistency until it is how you like it-- add more oil or breadcrumbs to loosen/firm up the puree. It will be a bit grainy at first, but after it sits in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) it will soften the breadcrumbs and walnuts, leaving a delicious paste.
 
Ugh, I need to not look at this thread on an empty stomach. I'm practically drooling over here!
 
^ lol :D

Dave: Awesome! Let me know how it goes down next weekend :). Good call on the extra vinegar!

Funny, I have never tried M'hammara even though I've known of its existence all my life. What I do like (more than any other of levantine mezze dishes) is M'sabbaha, which is Hummus mixed with Fuul (fava-bean paste). They complement each other amazingly.

It definitely does not call for Panko!! The bread crumbs I've seen used for this and other similar dishes in Syria were made out of fried-then-roasted bits of Pita.

One thing worth adding to this (and hummus, and other similar dishes) is Pine Nuts. They give a whole new dimension to Mediterranean food in general.

P.S. "M'hammara" literally means "She who has been reddened," hehe.
 
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