Have you eaten anything interesting lately?

[Spy Car]

1 hour ago, RosemaryAndThyme said:

 

And then there's Promite....  😃

ETA

Well would you look at that. There are more "mites" than I knew existed. There are probably more. What I am really curious about is the note about adding it to soup or casserole for extra flavor. What would that look like, anyone know? What kind of soup or other cooked dish would taste good or better with the addition of a yeast spread?

The "mites" provide an umami-bomb. Somewhat like using a hint of soy sauce, fish sauce, or dark miso.

In my personal culinary lexicon, I call them "bass-notes."

Savory. 

Kashk--while not as intense--serves a similar role.

Bill 

[Spy Car]

18 hours ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

 

Do you just drink it?  Like pour yourself a glass?  Hot or cold?

I make it hot. Usually for my wife (who especially likes it). I use very little sweetener, just the bare amount necessary to balance the earthy taste of the turmeric (which I, evidently, use copiously).

I think of it as a good tasting medicine--as turmeric is shown to be anti-inflammitory and synergistic with NSAIDs.

Bill

 

[Andromeda]

27 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

The "mites" provide an umami-bomb. Somewhat like using a hint of soy sauce, fish sauce, or dark miso.

In my personal culinary lexicon, I call them "bass-notes."

Savory. 

Kashk--while not as intense--serves a similar role.

Bill 

 

Thank you! That is very helpful! *Off to Google some recipes.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I am thinking that I wouldn’t like the Golden Milk. I don’t like warm milk. As a child in Japan there was one neighbor on the way to the daily market would always offer warm milk. And even as a child we were taught to accept any food or drink offered. I used to hide behind a telephone pole when I came to that stretch of the road, peeking to see if she was around and would then sprint as fast as I could by her house. But nine times out of ten I would hear that dreaded “Yoo hoo!  Jeannie!”  (Or really it’s equivalent in Japanese.). And I would have to stop and bravely face the dreaded warm milk. 

[PeterPan]

Could I just quietly say I can't imagine kashk (which is whey, yes? fermented?) tasting as good as miso. I haven't had it in a while, but I used to keep multiple kinds of miso in my frig and eat them straight from the bags, yum. Does vegemite (or do the other mites) taste like miso? Or are you saying when you ferment the whey for kashk it tastes like miso?? But then, how is the reduction process that blog was using replicating the fermenting of the kashk?

Maybe I just need to buy some miso. 

[PeterPan]

1 minute ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

And even as a child we were taught to accept any food or drink offered.

Oh wow, can't imagine it being that way anymore.

[Andromeda]

21 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I am thinking that I wouldn’t like the Golden Milk. I don’t like warm milk. As a child in Japan there was one neighbor on the way to the daily market would always offer warm milk. And even as a child we were taught to accept any food or drink offered. I used to hide behind a telephone pole when I came to that stretch of the road, peeking to see if she was around and would then sprint as fast as I could by her house. But nine times out of ten I would hear that dreaded “Yoo hoo!  Jeannie!”  (Or really it’s equivalent in Japanese.). And I would have to stop and bravely face the dreaded warm milk. 

 

Much commiseration. I grew up in the hospitality culture where you would be offending a person by not accepting a gift of anything. Yet my grandmother forbade me from accepting anything food-related. So, here I was, a kid trying to politely say no repeatedly to an older neighbor who I'm sure was super offended but couldn't show it because I was a kid. Sigh. I wish I would have just taken the gift (usually dried fruit or nuts, yummy things I enjoyed) and not told my grandmother. Ah, live and learn.

ETA

Just to explain a little more. I wasn't allowed to eat anywhere, even my friends' homes. My grandmother's explanation was that if you accept a gift of food or eat elsewhere, it would broadcast to the world that your family could not afford to feed you. It was basically all about her.

 

Edited June 7, 2020 by RosemaryAndThyme

[Spy Car]

13 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Could I just quietly say I can't imagine kashk (which is whey, yes? fermented?) tasting as good as miso. I haven't had it in a while, but I used to keep multiple kinds of miso in my frig and eat them straight from the bags, yum. Does vegemite (or do the other mites) taste like miso? Or are you saying when you ferment the whey for kashk it tastes like miso?? But then, how is the reduction process that blog was using replicating the fermenting of the kashk?

Maybe I just need to buy some miso. 

All these items (Miso, Marmite/Vegemite has their own thing (as does Fish Sauce).

But all are umami-bombs.

While Kashk is commonly called a fermented whey, it seems from my reading that that's on off repeated misnomer. It isn't whey-based.

Youghurt (and the buttermilk I used instead of water) are fermented. 

I deviated from the recipe in the food blog. Where they stopped in the process was about half way from my "reduction." I went to the point where the kashk was essentially dehyrdated and broke down into a course power (looked like couscous).

The homemade kashk did not have the umami explosion and right balance until I hit the end of my reduction. I went at least a half-hour beyond the stage where the blogger quit. Working the mix constantly with a stiff plastic spatula, using a heavy steel-lined copper pot on very low heat.

It took a lot of time, but I was in the mood to check-out/meditate/clear my mind, so mindlessly stirring/scraping the mix so it dehydrated w/o burning was a perfect activity.

It was delicious when reconstituted (I blended some of the "powder" with water) to make prepared kashk.

I will feel less bad when I spend $10 on a jar of prepared kashk in the future. 

Bil

 

 

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

15 minutes ago, RosemaryAndThyme said:

 

Much commiseration. I grew up in the hospitality culture where you would be offending a person by not accepting a gift of anything.

 

Yes!  Hospitality culture is a very good term for this.  I'm sure that it is present in many different cultures but was definitely part of my upbringing.  As an adult I still practice it, though I have had to fine-tune it to meet American culture as well.  When I first came to this country for college I would politely refuse the first offer of food or drink (as expected in Japan) and was so shocked when Americans took me at my word and didn't offer me anything a second time!  I went so hungry and thirsty at first!  I had to learn to say "yes" if I wanted anything.

Much later I was eating out with a Chinese co-worker and his family and they ordered bitter melon.  I absolutely hate bitter melon.  But reverting to Asian culture, of course I took some and ate a few bites.  They were so thrilled that an American would eat the bitter melon that they gave me another huge helping of it! 

[PeterPan]

11 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Youghurt (and the buttermilk I used instead of water) are fermented. 

That's weird. I wouldn't have thought of cultured and fermented as the same thing. Now off to google, lol.

[BlsdMama]

On 6/5/2020 at 12:44 PM, PeterPan said:

My dd got me these ginger chews for my b-day and they're very good! 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0779PY9KC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

What have you been eating lately that is different/novel?

About half way through quarantine, we decided we needed to be more creative.  We had kids take over meal nights - each one gets a night and then DH and I get two and that was fun, but for one of our nights we hit an Asian market and decided to make miso and serve some Asian food with a Japanese theme.  This led to the slippery slope of Sunday night "country" menus.

It has been a blast! We've done Japan, China, Mexico, Germany so far.  Tonight is England. Generally it is a main dish and then a soup and side or two sides, a drink, and a dessert.  
We'd never had Miso.  We've made Chinese and Mexican dishes a lot.  However, miso, mochi, tamarind, and cactus was all new to us.  German foods are common but we chose rouladen and kartoffelkloesse.  Matching drinks has been fun.  Tonight is England - bangers & mash, bubbles & squeak, yorkshire pudding, and a trifle with pimm's for the adults and ginger ale for the littles.  We've had company for most of the nights - DD's boyfriend who enjoys different foods.  Tonight DD and her family are joining us because she wants to try yorkshire pudding, lol.

I can't talk anyone into letting miso be on the menu on a regular basis.  Mochi, neither red bean paste nor sesame, was a hit. The rouladen was a huge hit.  I'd eat cactus again and didn't mind the tamarind.  I found I like everything, lol, whereas I'm very surprised that some of my adventurous family members are not game.  They're trying/eating most everything, but most are not going to be requested repeats. 😉 

It's also help us explore some little shops around town we didn't know existed.  Today we're off  to a sausage shop for cumberland sausages.  Who knew?

[KungFuPanda]

I’m trying this today. It’s in the oven now. I wanted to use some cabbage and kale from my garden and since I’m not growing the kind of cabbage that’s great for cabbage rolls (and I’m lazy) this seems like a good idea. 
 

https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/cabbage-roll-casserole/

[Spy Car]

2 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I am thinking that I wouldn’t like the Golden Milk. I don’t like warm milk. As a child in Japan there was one neighbor on the way to the daily market would always offer warm milk. And even as a child we were taught to accept any food or drink offered. I used to hide behind a telephone pole when I came to that stretch of the road, peeking to see if she was around and would then sprint as fast as I could by her house. But nine times out of ten I would hear that dreaded “Yoo hoo!  Jeannie!”  (Or really it’s equivalent in Japanese.). And I would have to stop and bravely face the dreaded warm milk. 

I think that Golden Milk would be a very fine cold drink Jean. If you like a creamy iced-coffee, you'd likely enjoy cold golden milk. I'd probabally need more sweetinging for cold that for hot.

I'd try giving some a quick zap in a bullet/regular blender just to whip a little air into the texture of the drink. You could also sweeten with something like a fresh pineapple that's blended into a lassi/smoothie with a golden milk base. The flavors would compliment each other perfectly.

Bill

 

 

 

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, BlsdMama said:

This led to the slippery slope of Sunday night "country" menus.

It has been a blast!

That's awesome!!! Loved hearing about this. 

[Corraleno]

On 6/6/2020 at 10:24 AM, Matryoshka said:

Thanks!  Could you give me an idea of what you put in yours?  What kinds of beans, proportions roughly how much barley, what herbs/spices?  Doesn't have to be an official 'recipe'.  I'm always altering recipes, and I'm with you that I like my 'soup' really thick. I often add more beans and spices than original recipes call for.  My lentil soup is more like lentil paste if I get it the way I really like it.  I eat these kinds of things as full meals - maybe a piece of bread with it, but not always.  Soup as appetizer isn't a thing for me.  Too lazy to make than one course!

I had to ff through most of the video - I kind of hate videos rather than printed recipes. I know how to wash and cut herbs - that video took like 10 minutes to show that! 😜 I just wanna know what the ingredients are in rough proportions!  If I did use meat, what's the traditional kind?  Is that beef in the video??  I'm fine with vegetarian, but also fine with a bit of meat. I didn't see any garlic, or did I miss it in my ff'ing? (garlic is always good).  Do you always use dry beans like that?  I'll admit to more laziness and usually using canned/drained, except for lentils. One thing I like a lot is that it uses whole bunches of herbs - a pet peeve of mine is stuff that says to use some piddly amount, and then I end up with leftover herbs that go slimy in the fridge if I don't get to them soon enough - so I often just throw the whole bunch in anyway...  I think I agree with you on the bean/barley proportions - as I say, I always add more beans than recipes call for, it seems... do you also use bulghur or rice in addition to the barley (as in video)?

It looks reaaally good, and different enough from my other bean-paste-soup recipes to be added to the repertoire! 

If you go to the video on YouTube, it lists the following ingredients:

2 bunch of cilantro
2 bunch of parsley
2 bunch of chives (tara)
1 bunch of spinach
1/2 cup chick peas
1/2 cup pinto beans
1/2 cup lentil
1/2 cup wheat
1 cup barley
3 neck bone or 1 lb of any other desired meat
3 onion
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp dried mint
1/2 cup rice
kashk as desired

This looks SO delicious, I'm hoping to make it later this week. I think I have everything except barley and mint. I have several pounds of dried chickpeas and lentils, but only canned pintos, so I might double the chickpeas and leave out the pintos. 

@Spy Car What is the dark brown oil/sauce that appears to be drizzled on top of the kashk?

[Spy Car]

2 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Oh yes you do. I told you right ?  You cook and use stuff like my Indian grandmother in all the long lost ways which even my mom does not and I sure don't have the patience or even the will to do so. 🤣

That's the highest compelment.

Bill

[Rosie_0801]

6 hours ago, PeterPan said:

Could I just quietly say I can't imagine kashk (which is whey, yes? fermented?) tasting as good as miso. I haven't had it in a while, but I used to keep multiple kinds of miso in my frig and eat them straight from the bags, yum. Does vegemite (or do the other mites) taste like miso? Or are you saying when you ferment the whey for kashk it tastes like miso?? But then, how is the reduction process that blog was using replicating the fermenting of the kashk?

Maybe I just need to buy some miso. 

 

Vegemite tastes a lot like black miso.

[PeterPan]

3 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

 

Vegemite tastes a lot like black miso.

Are you for real? Then why are people saying americans don't/won't like it??? Ok, I'm not sure if I've eaten *black* miso, but I've eaten at least three kinds and liked them all. 

[Rosie_0801]

2 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Are you for real? Then why are people saying americans don't/won't like it??? Ok, I'm not sure if I've eaten *black* miso, but I've eaten at least three kinds and liked them all. 

 

The bolded, I guess. I can't even remember where I found black miso. Ds used to eat it out of the packet. I thought he was the only one in the world willing to do that. 😛

[PeterPan]

6 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

 

The bolded, I guess. I can't even remember where I found black miso. Ds used to eat it out of the packet. I thought he was the only one in the world willing to do that. 😛

The brand I ate was Eden. Is Hacho what you're calling black? Some of them were blonde, so pale. I liked the dark one the best. It was really thick, scoopable, and I'd just eat straight out of the bag. Suddenly I really NEED this. LOL I'm not even sure why the nutritionist had me eating it...

[PeterPan]

Ok, so enlighten me. If I got the right kind of miso, I could make interesting soups? I'm a great lover of soup and I have some tofu lying around. Maybe I've been missing miso in my life. Just need to pick the right kind. Googlefu is saying machi miso (which I like to eat straight) is not the right kind for general cooking. https://www.justonecookbook.com/miso/  I'm looking through these. 

https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemade-miso-soup/  It says I need dashi. What's the idiot's way to get non-MSG dashi? I'm not SpyCar, lol. Would it be sacrilege to use something I already have? Or can I get it at Trader Joes?

Edited June 7, 2020 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

2 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

Aaaargh, you are making we want to try cooking with all these things that DS10 can't have.  What can I find with that umami taste that isn't fermented?  

That kaskh sounds amazing, but I am going to assume it's not for us. 

You could probably hit a japanese (or did you mean persian?) restaurant. We went to one a couple hours a way that was phenomenal. Like the real deal, where the japanese community really ate. No silverware to start with, haha. 

Edited June 7, 2020 by PeterPan

[Rosie_0801]

12 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

The brand I ate was Eden. Is Hacho what you're calling black? Some of them were blonde, so pale. I liked the dark one the best. It was really thick, scoopable, and I'd just eat straight out of the bag. Suddenly I really NEED this. LOL I'm not even sure why the nutritionist had me eating it...

No, I think Hatcho is red miso. The black might be long aged red miso, but I'm not sure, or it could be made from straight soybeans with no grain added. I've googled but can't find anything definitive.
 

You can make dashi from scratch.

[PeterPan]

2 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

I want something I can cook when I'm home.

Bacon. 

[Rosie_0801]

18 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

I'm just wondering about that specific flavor profile that people are talking about here, with miso, and kaskh, and vegemite/marmite.  DS10 can't have anything fermented or with yeast because of immunosuppression, unless it's really well cooked.  So, for example, I have a recipe for vegan spinach artichoke pizza that I make with nutritional yeast that I let him have.  

 

I'm pretty sure Vegemite is as dead as can be. I mean, the stuff looks like axle grease. 

[Rosie_0801]

3 minutes ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

Generally, when you're trying to convince someone they should serve something to someone who is immunocompromised, telling them it "looks like axle grease" isn't as reassuring as it might seem.  I believe that axle grease is also on the forbidden list.  

I never even entertained the idea of a career in marketing. 

[Rosie_0801]

3 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Well, if you ask me for a flavor profile for vegemite/marmite I would say yeasty.

 

Really? I could see how Marmite could be considered yeasty tasting, but not Vegemite.
Where is @Laura Corin when I need her?

[Terabith]

Laura Corin is really British.  (Although her husband grew up in Texas, I think.)  

[Spy Car]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

Ok, so enlighten me. If I got the right kind of miso, I could make interesting soups? I'm a great lover of soup and I have some tofu lying around. Maybe I've been missing miso in my life. Just need to pick the right kind. Googlefu is saying machi miso (which I like to eat straight) is not the right kind for general cooking. https://www.justonecookbook.com/miso/  I'm looking through these. 

https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemade-miso-soup/  It says I need dashi. What's the idiot's way to get non-MSG dashi? I'm not SpyCar, lol. Would it be sacrilege to use something I already have? Or can I get it at Trader Joes?

You can make a nice miso soup without dashi. You could substitute a stock made from vegitables, meat, chicken, or fish--the latter being most "dashi" like. And you can use plain water.

It is nice to have a variety of seaweeds. But--again--optional.

There are so many kinds of miso. From light gorden smooth mild pastes to dark chucky strong black misos, with a range in between. If you can, branch out and try with some new vagities. You can trust how they appear to give a clue to how they taste. Light/Mild, Dark/Strong, Red/In between.

To make quick a Japanese-style dasho it is nice to have a big bag of Dry Shaved Bonito Flakes around.

If you have worcestershire sauce, you could try a dash.

Even plain miso and hot water tastes good. So any flavors you build on top of that are a plus.

Bill

 

 

 

 

[LMD]

I'm pretty sure you can get an umami flavour by cooking down tomatoes. I saw it in a documentary. *wracks brain and searches YouTube*

I think it was in the Michael Moseley documentary - The Secrets of Your Food. Highly recommended!

[Jean in Newcastle]

My biggest problem eating different foods from any locale is making sure that it is gluten free. Tamari or gluten free soy sauce is an easy tweak for stir fries etc but other dishes aren’t so easy. I still haven’t figured out a good gluten free lumpia that actually tastes good. And the gluten free empanada I made were very labor intensive for something that just tasted meh. 

[Laura Corin]

8 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Really? I could see how Marmite could be considered yeasty tasting, but not Vegemite.

Where is @Laura Corin when I need her?

Marmite is made from the residue from beer making - spent yeast. So definitely the consequence of fermentation. Not sure about Vegemite. ETA: I'm assuming that spent means dead. ETA

https://www.unilever.co.uk/brands/food-and-drink/marmite.html

I don't think of it as tasting yeasty - just intensely umami.

Non-fermented umami flavours that I use regularly are caramelised onions (the Maillard reaction produces the flavour) and quickly-sauted mushrooms. Smoked fish is another option for intense umami.

ETA, yes, @CuriousMomof3, I'm English, living in Scotland, with a Texan (naturalised British) husband.

Edited June 8, 2020 by Laura Corin

[Rosie_0801]

6 hours ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

You're really Australian right?  I did get one person right? 

 

Fair dinkum, too right, and all that. 🇦🇺

[Rosie_0801]

33 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

Marmite is made from the residue from beer making - dead yeast. So definitely the consequence of fermentation. Not sure about Vegemite.

Vegemite is the same, with some secret herbs and spices. 

[Laura Corin]

10 hours ago, PeterPan said:

Are you for real? Then why are people saying americans don't/won't like it??? Ok, I'm not sure if I've eaten *black* miso, but I've eaten at least three kinds and liked them all. 

American husband doesn't like Marmite, whilst liking soy sauce, miso, etc.  We talked about this recently and it seems that, for him, it's a time-and-place issue.  Those intense umami tastes belong in main, savoury dishes.  Not on toast with butter.  And because the venue mismatch strikes him (subconsciously) as wrong, he shies away from other Marmite-flavoured options.  The toasted-cheese sandwich, which I think of as umami, is apparently a different thing...

As a comparison: I didn't grow up with peanut butter and jelly.  I'm not that keen on peanut butter anyway (texture issues) but the combination is particularly unappealing. Maybe it's because I'm not used to sweet/savoury in that particular situation (on bread/in a sandwich).  I did however grow up with apple sauce on pork, or orange on duck as a main course.  Even now, I tend not to buy 'festive' sandwiches that have turkey and cranberry sauce, whilst I don't mind turkey with cranberry sauce as a dish.

Palate is not always the only aspect to these things.

[Melissa in Australia]

not as exciting or as exotic as some of the things that people have been eating

 I made a Rhubarb tart. the recipe called for lightly simmering the rhubarb in a few drops of water then adding sugar and flour.

 

I made

 

Rhubarb glue .....or .......  maybe Rhubarb play-dough

 it had a very interesting consistency,  I tasted it and it was very sweet, so I put  it into the pastry crust in the tart dish and cooked it.

 everyone ate it and I had a silent chuckle to myself over my cooking failure.

[Scarlett]

On 6/5/2020 at 1:03 PM, marbel said:

Well this isn't really new or novel but it's a summertime thing for me, so I was excited to make some for the first time in month: feta cheese, crumbled and mixed with diced tomatoes, green onions, olive oil, and Italian seasoning. 

Here is the actual recipe, though this is one of the few things I don't measure at all, just put everything together to taste. The recipe also calls for a specific Greek seasoning which I don't have so I just use an Italian seasoning blend. 

https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/wprm_print/17396

I made this last night for an appetizer.  Dh and loved it so much it turned in to our dinner.  Absolutely delicious!

[Laura Corin]

19 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Hmmmm...Why is it I love caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms and smoked fish, even smoked cheese and meat but not Marmite ?? Interesting. I still say yeasty with my terrible palate though 😂, like too intense something while the others are more delicate to me, even the onions. 

Smoked meat is not umami ?  It is one of the greatest things in life and. TX BBQ is umami to me.😊. So is Chinese Duck BBQ for me. 

Yes, another description of umami is 'meatiness'.  I don't eat much red meat though, so my mind didn't go there.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami

[PeterPan]

Well while I'm waiting for the dashi-miso stuff to appear, I'm trying campfire recipes.   https://www.dirtygourmet.com/campfire-breakfast-potatoes/

I figure they might give me some cozy vibes, even if I'm making them at home, haha. This site had all kinds of things, including a pea pesto and various types of granolas. And if I practice them at home, they might be lower stress when actually camping. If my ds can get over his hot dogs and baked beans thing, haha. 

Edited June 8, 2020 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

On 6/6/2020 at 4:59 PM, prairiewindmomma said:

I am on a shaksuka kick lately. Frittatas are hitting the menu a lot too to use up tidbits in my fridge. (Eggs are easy to find right now at the store.) My shaksuka for brunch today included chorizo and was topped with cotija and cilantro. Heavenly. I don’t normally eat pork, but this was a good exception.

That's my next recipe! Found an "eggs in purgatory" campfire recipe that seems to be essentially the same thing. I wouldn't have tried it if you hadn't suggested, so thanks. But really, I've sort of been doing the same thing, because I slather my omelets with hot bbq sauce or salsa, depending on my mood. So hey why not cook eggs in sauce, lol. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

22 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

This question is about something interesting  I would love to eat. Chestnuts.

I've always sung the Christmas song "Chestnuts roasting in an open fire" so one of the first things I looked for when I landed here were chestnuts. I found something already packed as roasted and peeled. Well, the texture was slimy and I threw it away. In all my years in America, I've eaten every nut available here  except chestnuts. So tell me...

How is the texture of the roasted nut supposed to be ? I'd rather get an raw chestnut and roast it myself. But I wonder how does one roast it other than "in an open fire" ??So let me know please. 

You can cook them in the oven. 
Score them with a knife (just make an x). Soak in hot water for one minute. Bake in 425 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes. 
 

Chestnuts are also used in Japan. They have a sweet but mealy taste and texture. 

[Halftime Hope]

Sorta tortellini primavera, with all the vegs and herbs fresh from my garden, but I also added chicken.  Son who lives with us loves alfredo sauce, and I had told him I was not going to buy jars when I stocked the pantry, since I could make it from scratch.  He was suitably impressed.   :-)   

[Laura Corin]

11 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

 

Chestnuts are also used in Japan. They have a sweet but mealy taste and texture. 

Yes, I've never been able to get past the texture.  They used to be sold on the street in China, dry-cooked in enormous woks.  They always smelled great but the texture was uninspiring - just thick and dry in my mouth.

I think of the 'joy' of winter chestnuts as being a legacy from the time before refrigeration: what can you eat affordably in the middle of winter in a cool climate?  Dried or smoked meats or fish, lard, stored grains, apples and root vegetables, some dried fruit .... oh and nuts.  Christmas pudding, for example, is basically most of those things steamed with alcohol.

Edited June 9, 2020 by Laura Corin

[Jean in Newcastle]

20 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

You and @Jean in Newcastle describe a texture that is not crunchy which is not what I have encountered with any nut especially roasted both in the US and my native country.   Am I correct in assuming that ?  The texture I remember is more slimy and mushy. I love roasted pecans for instance which I have only encountered in the US. . Are chestnuts a nut ? In India luckily the nuts sold on streets dry cooked in enormous woks are peanuts and the smell and taste are divine. 

Christmas pudding, fruit cake and caraway seeds called cake seeds in India  are a legacy of British food in India that people love. I do not like them at all. That and tutti fruity.  Especially fruit cakes that can live years on end. There are British legacy foods I love, but not those. Never thought a lot about why that was, makes total sense. 

The chestnuts that I have had (which are prepared similar to what Laura describes), are not slimy but are dry.  But they are mushy / mealy in texture.  They are in a different category of nut than tree nuts or even something like peanuts (which are a legume). 

Edited June 9, 2020 by Jean in Newcastle

[Matryoshka]

23 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

The chestnuts that I have had (which are prepared similar to what Laura describes), are not slimy but are dry.  But they are mushy / mealy in texture.  They are in a different category of nut than tree nuts or even something like peanuts (which are a legume). 

But... chestnuts *are* tree nuts.  They literally grow on chestnut trees...  do you mean water chestnuts?  Those are a whole 'nother thing...

12 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Peanuts are a legume ????? 😲.. I always associated dhals with legumes, not anything called a nut even in my native language.  Very interesting. The things you learn on a homeschool board as a middle aged woman 😄

LOL, yes, peanuts are legumes, not really nuts at all..  the 'pea' part of the name is the one that is accurate...

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

2 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

But... chestnuts *are* tree nuts.  They literally grow on chestnut trees...  do you mean water chestnuts?  Those are a whole 'nother thing...

LOL, yes, peanuts are legumes, not really nuts at all..  the 'pea' part of the name is the one that is accurate...

 

 

Yes, they grow on trees.  But they are in a different botanical category than OTHER MORE COMMON treenuts.

[Matryoshka]

1 hour ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Yes, they grow on trees.  But they are in a different botanical category than OTHER MORE COMMON treenuts.

No... not really.

Most common nut trees share the same classification down to the level above Order (Rosids).  Chestnuts share the same botanical classification as walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts down to the Order (Fagales),  Walnuts and pecans are only one degree closer to each other and share the same Family.  All other common nuts are farther away from those three; Almonds are in a different Order (Rosales), Pistachios and Cashews are in yet another Order (Sapindales) and share a Family (Anacardiaceae).  Brazil nuts are the biggest outlier, being the only common tree nut among these not in the Clade Rosids.

Chesnuts are also botanically true nuts, as are hazelnuts (and beech nuts and acorns), but yeah, the other tree 'nuts' aren't nuts botanically but rather seeds, so I'm thinking that's probably what you mean...  but in general parlance, it's a tree nut. If we're going to split hairs, I'd think the poor chestnut shouldn't be the one not called a tree nut, when it's one of the few where both of those things are actually true... 🙂  

Edited June 9, 2020 by Matryoshka

[Matryoshka]

26 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Brazil nuts ?? What are they ??? Never heard of them.

 While I am asking about nuts, always wondered about this. What is a pine nut ? I have seen references to it on recipes for pesto. Never used them as they are so expensive. Substituted almonds and cashews instead. Are they really from a pine tree or is it some name like Brazil nut I have no clue about. I thought pine trees were common, so why is it so expensive ?

Pine nuts come from the piña, a really weird looking pine that looks like something from Dr. Seuss!  I first saw them in Spain a couple of years ago and had to take many pics - I'd never seen a tree like that!  They are, in fact, the seeds from inside the pine cones of this tree.  These pics are groves where the pine nuts are harvested.

 

Brazil nuts are, as the name would suggest, from the tropical rainforest and look like this:

They are hard as heck to crack open.  They are often included, shelled, in mixed nuts.

Edited June 9, 2020 by Matryoshka

[Laura Corin]

15 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

Pine nuts come from the piña, a really weird looking pine that looks like something from Dr. Seuss!  I first saw them in Spain a couple of years ago and had to take many pics - I'd never seen a tree like that!  They are, in fact, the seeds from inside the pine cones of this tree.  These pics are groves where the pine nuts are harvested.

 

Brazil nuts are, as the name would suggest, from the tropical rainforest and look like this:

They are hard as heck to crack open.  They are often included, shelled, in mixed nuts.

I read a while back that Brazil nuts were an environmentally-friendly choice, because the trees don't grow well in groves - they thrive in the forest which supports the pollinators that they need.  So by buying the nuts, you offer a reason for local people to preserve the forest, so long as they can keep control away from big companies that might clear it.

[Spy Car]

1 hour ago, CuriousMomof3 said:

Paneer paratha sounds like pipusa which is another food that I love but miss because I don’t know how to make it.  When there isn’t a pandemic it’s easy to get here. I am sure the flavors are different.

 

Raita sounds delicious with it.  We will put that on our list to try after the Veg Hakka noodles with chili paneer which DS10 has selected.

 

Paneer is a super simple fresh cheese to make. All you do is heat milk and then pour in a little lemon joice or vinegar. The milk will curdle. Let set. The pour through a piece of muslin to seperate curds. Press it. Refridgerate it and you have paneer. Super simple.

Bill