In the kitchen

[Cowboy Up]

Anybody have a recipe for homemade tortillas?  Be interested in trying those.

[happycamper]

On 6/21/2024 at 12:52 PM, mysfit said:

I'm curious how difficult is it to make your own pasta?

Not real difficult, just makes dinner take a bit longer. call it half an hour of hands on cooking time and a half hour of rest that you can use to do other stuff, ends up taking about an hour and fifteen minutes to get spaghetti plated. 

I use 2 cups all purpose flour and make a volcano out of it. crack 3 eggs, a teaspoon of salt, and a tablespoon of olive oil into the "caldera". mix it gently with a fork, trying not to bust the volcano walls - it's ok if you do. after a while just start mixing it together with your hand. knead it for 10-15 minutes until it's nice and smooth and elastic. put it in a bag/airtight container and let it rest for 30 minutes - that gives you time to get the sauce done and water going. salt the bejesus out of your water.  when it's done resting, flour both sides of it and roll out the dough to the thickness you want. the dough expands when it boils so probably a little thinner than you expect, the first time I did it I was aiming for fettuccini and more or less made dumplings. when it's rolled out, and flour both sides so it doesn'ts tick to itself and fold it over itself like a flat scroll. Then just cut it into strips - again, thinner than you'd expect. once it's cut store the noodles on a plate or something and try to spin them, if you leave the "kinks" in the folds, then it gets thicker there and the noodles are a little weird. boil for about half as long as similar dried noodles and... there you go. 

from what I hear other flour like 00 or durum needs a little water with the egg and maybe a little more cooking time. if I end up buying some I'll let you know how it turns out. 

[utenation]

My Shredded Chicken Street Tacos: 

This isn’t super fancy or hard, just a little time consuming. But a crowd favorite in my crew. 

3 chicken breasts(good sized). Boil in water for about 30 mins( just when the meat is falling apart). Take the chicken out. Give a quick ice bath to cool. Shred by hand. Meat shredder tools speed it up. 
 

1/2 yellow onion, 1 red bell pepper. Cut in 1 inch strips.  When your chicken is almost done, start sautéing the veggies in oilve oil.  Cook until the pepper is pretty soft and the onions are starting to caramelize. Turn to low heat. Get a decent char on the onions. 
 

Add chicken and spice. Cook at medium to get everything moving together. I pop it with a garlic/pepper/salt blend. I also add red pepper flakes for heat. I wouldn’t get heavy on the spices here. 

Once everything is mixed well, add in Lawry’s herb and garlic marinade. Half bottle. Heat on medium high until the liquid is completely reduced.  You can also use the Lawry’s Lemon pepper or jerk marinades instead.  This covers all the acid you will need. So I don’t squeeze lime on the finished product. 

Crumbled or shredded Cojita and minced cilantro as a garnish. 
 

Tortilla shells are optional. You can get fancy here if you want. I just go with normal sized white flour tortillas because I’m a pig. Small corn and hard shell work well.  Depending on what presentation you want. 
 

I finally pop it with some Tapatio for the final heat. 

[Chile_Ute]

On 6/21/2024 at 11:15 AM, utenation said:

I’ve known you how long? Not one invite EVER!!

You’re almost dead to me now. 

BTW, 4 things that will tell you if a chef runs that home kitchen. 

1. Quality of knives

2. Amount and quality of pots and pans and other kitchen tools.

3. Amount and uniqueness of spices including liquids(wine, booze, oils etc). 

4.  Range/oven quality. I’m a gas man only. 

 

On 6/21/2024 at 11:26 AM, Cowboy Up said:

I don’t even know Chile_Ute and he’s dead to me also for no invite! 😜

LOL…easy gents.  There is always a place set for a visitor.

[Chile_Ute]

On 6/21/2024 at 11:10 AM, SharkTanked said:

Never tried making carne asada marinade, but always wanted too. When I get it from the Mexican meat market, it is always very red. I am guessing that is from the chili powder?

We have a blood orange tree that looks like it might put out a fair amount if they don't all get burnt up in the hellfires of this year's record summer. May have to try it after harvest.

Yeah, typically guajillo paste or other mild-medium chile.  I actually don’t use much for my asada (or the peeps in my area either)  Marinade similar to Cowboy up…I’m heavy on citrus with less soy sauce/fish sauce.  Then when searing on grill finish with fresh squeezed lime or grapefruit (sour oranges if I can find them).  Caramelizes nice and then fresh pico.  No cheese…unless cotija.

[Cowboy Up]

On 6/21/2024 at 3:25 PM, Chile_Ute said:

Yeah, typically guajillo paste or other mild-medium chile.  I actually don’t use much for my asada (or the peeps in my area either)  Marinade similar to Cowboy up…I’m heavy on citrus with less soy sauce/fish sauce.  Then when searing on grill finish with fresh squeezed lime or grapefruit (sour oranges if I can find them).  Caramelizes nice and then fresh pico.  No cheese…unless cotija.

Definitely cotija!  Citrus tenderizes the meat and adds to the flavor!  So frickin good!

[Chile_Ute]

On 6/21/2024 at 3:54 PM, Cowboy Up said:

Definitely cotija!  Citrus tenderizes the meat and adds to the flavor!  So frickin good!

I’ll also cheat and put a couple thin slices of avocado on there.  I don’t know if that’s truly authentic but it’s fucking delicious.

[utenation]

On 6/21/2024 at 3:54 PM, Cowboy Up said:

Definitely cotija!  Citrus tenderizes the meat and adds to the flavor!  So frickin good!

Have you had cojita on corn on the cob? 

[Chile_Ute]

On 6/21/2024 at 5:25 PM, utenation said:

Have you had cojita on corn on the cob? 

I brush with oil, grill it then a light brush of mayo with red chile, fresh oregano lime zest mixed in, crumbled cotija, and squeeze lime over before eating.

[Joe from Wyo]

Making finadene sauce and searing a steak on the stovetop tonight. pretty thrilled. I may use @Cowboy Up's carne asada recipe to season it. we'll see. i'll post pics later assuming I don't burn the house down or something

[Cowboy Up]

On 6/21/2024 at 5:38 PM, Joe from Wyo said:

Making finadene sauce and searing a steak on the stovetop tonight. pretty thrilled. I may use @Cowboy Up's carne asada recipe to season it. we'll see. i'll post pics later assuming I don't burn the house down or something

Post a pic of the final product!

[Cowboy Up]

On 6/21/2024 at 5:25 PM, utenation said:

Have you had cojita on corn on the cob? 

Yup… love it

[Chile_Ute]

What does mini won ton stir fry have to do with the Stanley Cup?  Not a fucking thing!  Just like Florida having a hockey team.

[Joe from Wyo]

On 6/21/2024 at 10:44 AM, Cowboy Up said:

Anybody have a recipe for homemade tortillas?  Be interested in trying those.

I can get one for you.

[azgreg]

On 6/20/2024 at 12:28 PM, bornontheblue said:

I've been doing the Keto diet since tax season got over.

I'm a Keto guy as well except I've modified it a bit to include potatoes, rice, pasta, sauces, soda, beer, and pastries. Other than that I'm a pretty strict Keto guy.

 

 

[retrofade]

On 6/21/2024 at 10:44 AM, Cowboy Up said:

Anybody have a recipe for homemade tortillas?  Be interested in trying those.

It's literally just masa harina, water, and some salt for corn tortillas. You can get a tortilla press or use ziploc bags and some pans. I make them all the time. Once you get them shaped, you cook them a about a minute or two on each side in a non-stick pan. You can use oil if you want, but I don't. 

[retrofade]

On 6/20/2024 at 12:28 PM, bornontheblue said:

I've been doing the Keto diet since tax season got over. I'm down 25 pounds. Been eating lots of meat, fish, vegetables etc. 

I have perfected the Keto Grilled Pork taco. 

 

Keto helped me lose a ton of weight back in 2017, just have to make sure you're getting all of your nutrients. 

I can't do keto again due to my liver damage from my autoimmune condition. I've put a bunch of stress weight on in the last 6-7 months, so I'm just having to watch my macros and eat healthier now. 

[SWspartan]

On 6/21/2024 at 9:38 PM, retrofade said:

Keto helped me lose a ton of weight back in 2017, just have to make sure you're getting all of your nutrients. 

I can't do keto again due to my liver damage from my autoimmune condition. I've put a bunch of stress weight on in the last 6-7 months, so I'm just having to watch my macros and eat healthier now. 

I lost a lot of weight too (62 lbs.), by distance running. It's become my therapy, especially running the hills. I wish I could cook, but I've never had a knack for it. But I have been eating healthier, fruits and vegetables everyday. If you're not already, I suggest a regular exercise routine to help you beat the stress. 👊 Good luck. 

[Chile_Ute]

When no one is helpful deciding on dinner….white trash charcuterie 

[mysfit]

On 6/21/2024 at 11:55 AM, happycamper said:

Not real difficult, just makes dinner take a bit longer. call it half an hour of hands on cooking time and a half hour of rest that you can use to do other stuff, ends up taking about an hour and fifteen minutes to get spaghetti plated. 

I use 2 cups all purpose flour and make a volcano out of it. crack 3 eggs, a teaspoon of salt, and a tablespoon of olive oil into the "caldera". mix it gently with a fork, trying not to bust the volcano walls - it's ok if you do. after a while just start mixing it together with your hand. knead it for 10-15 minutes until it's nice and smooth and elastic. put it in a bag/airtight container and let it rest for 30 minutes - that gives you time to get the sauce done and water going. salt the bejesus out of your water.  when it's done resting, flour both sides of it and roll out the dough to the thickness you want. the dough expands when it boils so probably a little thinner than you expect, the first time I did it I was aiming for fettuccini and more or less made dumplings. when it's rolled out, and flour both sides so it doesn'ts tick to itself and fold it over itself like a flat scroll. Then just cut it into strips - again, thinner than you'd expect. once it's cut store the noodles on a plate or something and try to spin them, if you leave the "kinks" in the folds, then it gets thicker there and the noodles are a little weird. boil for about half as long as similar dried noodles and... there you go. 

from what I hear other flour like 00 or durum needs a little water with the egg and maybe a little more cooking time. if I end up buying some I'll let you know how it turns out. 

Thank you! That sounds like something very doable. I happen to have the 00 flour. After I get the process down that you've written I'll give it a go and report back.