The Food thread

[cheebacheeba]

Been a while since we've talked food.

Rather than defaulting this only to what we've eaten last/recently...
I'm going to open the floor to any kind of food discussion.
Favourite foods.
Something you've always wanted to try but never have.
Food experiences.
Cooking wins/fails.
Places or foods you've seen recently that have intrigued you.
Ask for advice, there's some pretty solid cooks around the place.

Really anything. If it's food related throw it in.

So today I had some wholegrain bread with bacon (realised we hadn't had bacon in forever...), tomato sauce on the side, also a mixture of kewpie and some Bunsters "shit the bed", which is an AMAZING Australian made product - you guys can get it overseas, they're shipping now. Highly recommended.


Here's a couple of pictures of some good we've had recently.
Not sure what order they'll come up in...

One is some fish we had at this thai place...the hot/sour/sweet thing it had going on was excellent.
The only problem was, it was Barramundi, a very delicate fish...and it had that pour-over hot oil cook on it..which kind of fried it not just on the surface but into the flesh a bit too much. Made it chewy.
We've eaten here quite a few times now and it's one of our favourite places, Spal is actually having her birthday there this year.
They do a steamed fish that's much better, and an amazing prawn/green papaya salad which is just one of my favourite things right now.

The other picture is a shared meal we got at "TGIFs" for a friends birthday.
The steak was of quality and cooked very well...or, very rare as it were.
The onion rings were maybe one of my favourite examples.
The fries were garbage.
The ribs were cooked right, but not basted while cooking...after trying their sauces, I can see this was a wasted potential.
The prawns were ok, but needed some citrus going on.
We got a couple more side dishes, and my friend who made the mistake of telling them it was his birthday, had the staff present him with a free sundae, and all sing him a birthday song. Awkward.
All in all though - it's simple food, done well, but it could be better.

[Elvis_Christ]

Why do 90% of places fuck up fries?

[cheebacheeba]

I don't get it either.
Though one thing that always gets me is...why the fuck do places still buy frozen crap fries? It's so easy and not even very time consuming with the right equipment to make your own...especially within the confines of a commercial kitchen...and they end up far superior.

Only thing that shits me more is if you go out to a takeaway for a chicken burger and they give you one with a pre-cooked frozen/reheated store bought type thing on it.
Chicken thigh. Hammer the shit. Season the shit. Grill the shit. Easy, delicious burger material right there.

[ImmortalSlasher]

Food can be dangerous at expensive restaurants.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/22/europe/food-poisoning-valencia-scli-intl/index.html

[cheebacheeba]

Suspect #1 - Poor temperature monitoring throughout (most likely) the transport process. One would hope not the kitchen, it's slightly less likely.

#2 - Cross contamination. Seafood can be volatile.

Speaking of food poisoning...reheating some chicken as we speak ha

[hammerfan]

Bought an Instant Pot. Have yet to use it. ::big grin::

[Bloof]

Bought an Instant Pot. Have yet to use it. ::big grin::

Did you ever know that you're my hero? ::big grin::::love::

[hammerfan]

Did you ever know that you're my hero? ::big grin::::love::

Hahahaha! Love you, too, Bloof! I'll let you know when I actually use it!

[BudMan]

Made a pot roast yesterday. Actually came out quite nice. Seared the meat after seasoning and threw it in a 350 oven with carrots, celery,onions and red bliss potatoes for 3 hours. The wife was pretty impressed.

[Bloof]

Made a pot roast yesterday. Actually came out quite nice. Seared the meat after seasoning and threw it in a 350 oven with carrots, celery,onions and red bliss potatoes for 3 hours. The wife was pretty impressed.

Now would you have had a cover on that? Would you have taken it off towards the end? I never have any luck with pot roast.

[BudMan]

Now would you have had a cover on that? Would you have taken it off towards the end? I never have any luck with pot roast.

in a roasting pan covered in aluminum foil. It came out very good. I personally would have taken it out 15 minutes earlier or so but the wife prefers well done.

[Bloof]

I do love a nice pot roast but have always been a little kitchen-challenged, lol.

[hammerfan]

Now would you have had a cover on that? Would you have taken it off towards the end? I never have any luck with pot roast.

I make my pot roast in the crock pot and it always turns out perfect

[Bloof]

I really have to get one.

[BudMan]

I make my pot roast in the crock pot and it always turns out perfect

Agreed.....but when you only have 3 hours instead of 8.::wink::

[hammerfan]

Agreed.....but when you only have 3 hours instead of 8.::wink::

LOL - that's why I usually only use the crock pot on weeknights. That way, dinner is ready when I get home from work.

[Sculpt]

LOL - that's why I usually only use the crock pot on weeknights. That way, dinner is ready when I get home from work.
Never concerned the crock pot will malfunction, causing a fire? You take any precautions as far as where you put it or anything?

I never thought about it until a buddy told me he saw one of his sparking. But I don't recall if we had time to get into it as far as if it was old, used or whatever. I'm sure 99% of them are designed to be extremely safe and do what they're designed to do. And if they're treated well there's about zero chance of malfunction.

I think some folks were just raised to be hyper concerned about shutting any electrical item off when leaving the house alone, like double checking coffee makers and stuff. I mostly confined crock potting to weekends because of that. Although I may have done a weekday once.

How many of you are willing to leave a crock pot on 8 hours while the house is empty?

[BudMan]

Never concerned the crock pot will malfunction, causing a fire? You take any precautions as far as where you put it or anything?

I never thought about it until a buddy told me he saw one of his sparking. But I don't recall if we had time to get into it as far as if it was old, used or whatever. I'm sure 99% of them are designed to be extremely safe and do what they're designed to do. And if they're treated well there's about zero chance of malfunction.

I think some folks were just raised to be hyper concerned about shutting any electrical item off when leaving the house alone, like double checking coffee makers and stuff. I mostly confined crock potting to weekends because of that. Although I may have done a weekday once.

How many of you are willing to leave a crock pot on 8 hours while the house is empty?

I’ve done it many times. But now that you’ve put that thought in my head....

[Sculpt]

I’ve done it many times. But now that you’ve put that thought in my head....
I read a little more about it.

Crock-Pot the brand/company says you can leave it unattended, but read the instructions, on any crockpot you have. General rules for leaving unattended are: Keep in on a flat hard non flammable surface. Only leave on low setting. Make sure sufficient water, and lid on. Keep it a fair distance from the wall and any overhang. Make sure cord is not touching crockpot. Inspect the cord for fraying, and the crockpot for defect, scorching, leaking, etc. And a fire chief from the NY FD says don't do it, cause there's no guarantees, a fair thing to say. = )

[Bloof]

I dont have one but i dont think leaving it on all day in an empty house would bother me. Having said that, i always worried about whether or not it was safe to prepare food that way. If there was any bacteria that wasnt being killed off at such low heat or multiplying etc. I know they are used world-wide, day in/day out without any kind of issue.

[Sculpt]

I dont have one but i dont think leaving it on all day in an empty house would bother me. Having said that, i always worried about whether or not it was safe to prepare food that way. If there was any bacteria that wasnt being killed off at such low heat or multiplying etc. I know they are used world-wide, day in/day out without any kind of issue.

Just a quick google search reads crock-pot low setting is 200', and traditionally chicken should have internal temp of 165' to be safe. Virtually all bacteria die at 148' within 14 secs. Some food science cooks say 160' unfolds proteins causing dryness, and is over cooking. But anyway, slow cooking in a crock kills it all.

[cheebacheeba]

No issues from slow cooking, and I can confirm that there's no accumulative "frog in hot water" type effect. Yes, you are taking meats etc temporarily into the danger zone, but once past that, extinction occurs and you're safe again.
There's only problems if you stay on/serve/store at those temperatures.
Is there anything in particular you're planning on cooking?

[cheebacheeba]

Just had this a little before.
One of my go-to light meals at a local cafe.
Soy and linseed toast.
The white bit is goats cheese.
I never use the butter. They always bring it though.
Didn't really need the crispy bacon (and oh was it crispy) but, I was a little tender after ripping my bumper off earlier today.
Could have used more avocado. I can never get enough of it.

[Bloof]

Just had this a little before.
One of my go-to light meals at a local cafe.
Soy and linseed toast.
The white bit is goats cheese.
I never use the butter. They always bring it though.
Didn't really need the crispy bacon (and oh was it crispy) but, I was a little tender after ripping my bumper off earlier today.
Could have used more avocado. I can never get enough of it.

Looks lovely. Do you have to ask for the dab of goats cheese or is it served with?
I would like to break down and get a crockpot. People seem well pleased with them. Probably for beef stews or pot roast etc. Not chicken.

[Sculpt]

By the way i referenced chicken temp 165' because it's the highest temp of the meat to be safe. pork, beef require lesser temps.

[Bloof]

By the way i referenced chicken temp 165' because it's the highest temp of the meat to be safe. pork, beef require lesser temps.

I figured that but im so paranoid especially about chicken! Beef is probably the only thing i would cook in a crockpot. One year, i did a turkey for thanksgiving and about 4 relatives got quite ill after. Ive been roasting turkeys for over 30 years. I wash down my sinks and countertops with bleach and water after preparing it for the oven and swap out all my dishcloths. And it was cooked properly. I felt mortified after even though everyone said it probably wasnt even the turkey!

[cheebacheeba]

The turkey thing might not have even been you. Improper storage/temps on the part of the transport companies and stores is a more likely offender.

You definitely wanna give lamb a go in the crockpot too.

[Sculpt]

I figured that but im so paranoid especially about chicken! Beef is probably the only thing i would cook in a crockpot. One year, i did a turkey for thanksgiving and about 4 relatives got quite ill after. Ive been roasting turkeys for over 30 years. I wash down my sinks and countertops with bleach and water after preparing it for the oven and swap out all my dishcloths. And it was cooked properly. I felt mortified after even though everyone said it probably wasnt even the turkey!
More likely it was the veggie produce, lettuce, spinach, sprouts and tomatoes have been problems.

One bacteria issue I heard about with turkeys is putting the stuffing in the bird. Cheeb can correct me here... but I think it was that it's difficult to get the heat high enough on the turkey juice-contaminated stuffing inside the turkey cavity. If you do put stuffing in the bird, re-bake the stuffing separately to 165' internal temp.

Not many folks crock-pot chicken anyway. Not like there's poor cuts of chicken to soften in a crock-pot, like you do with beef.


The turkey thing might not have even been you. Improper storage/temps on the part of the transport companies and stores is a more likely offender.

You definitely wanna give lamb a go in the crockpot too.
Are there best ways to cook lamb? I may have had it once. ::big grin::

[Bloof]

I never put stuffing in the turkey though my mom did. Seems gross to me but i do put in raw onion and celery and lemon which i just toss out after.

[cheebacheeba]

Are there best ways to cook lamb? I may have had it once

Depends on how you like it, though generally...

If it's a steak or fillet - high heat/grilling, sear on the outside, render the fat, leave the meat rare/pink.

If it's a roast, say a leg of lamb?
I'd roast on the bone - aiming to have the middle pink, exterior towars brown so you get the cook all the way through and a slice will have kind of a pink end and a more well done end with (ideally) a crispy skin.
I like stabbing down to the bone and shoving garlic slices and rosemary through it, make a rub with say salt, pepper, cumin, corriander seeds and oregano.
I love having a crispy surface and might finish off with a squeeze of lemon juice.
It's amazing hot, and fine cold for sandwiches.

Shanks and other smaller/tougher joints do amazingly well in the slow cooker, browned first, and immersed in say a curry or stock/wine/tomato based sauce, cooked 6-8 hours...in these cases I want it past pink, I want it "well done" and gliding off the bones. The gelatinous connective tissue breaks down and partially renders into the meat just does...something beautiful to the texture...

But yeah you can also dice it, kebab it, and bbq the hell out of it...a lot of people like it pink, and while I won't have it well done, medium is also just fine.

For all the "rare" purists there are, it's a versatile meat that can be served numerous ways and lengths of cooking.

[ImmortalSlasher]

I have a cold. I don't want to eat. I've lost 3 and 1/2 pounds so far.

[cheebacheeba]

I've lost 3 and 1/2 pounds so far.
what's that, about a couple of bucks?

[cheebacheeba]

So....anniversary breakfast...I feel like a lazy fuck because all I did was, add some milk to tea. Thank you, woman.

[cheebacheeba]

As I said I'm about to steal this bit from the random thread

"Today we're going for Brazlian style BBQ ~churrasco~ to celebrate both myself and Spals b'day.
(mine was back in January, hers is actually today, March 23)
Never been before, but I love the style of cooking, and some of the menu items just look delicious. All you can eat, so I'm just going to try to load up on meat.
They have grilled skewers of chicken hearts...I've had those before, but not like this. Looking forward to it heaps"

Of course, Spal will just need to take video and pictures of the food...so we'll update when it's all done, or yknow, whevever it all settles.

Hanging out right now.
I've had a piece of toast (wholegrain, canola spread, vegemite) and having a cup of tea now, but I'm going to try not to eat much, or anything, until this dinner experience.
Here's hoping it's not super crowded, but being saturday night...but hey...I'll be popping an edible to help cope and with the appetite.

Anyone been to one of these Brazilian churrasco/bbq joints?
How'd it go?

What, has everyone else been eating today?
Give me your meals.

- B.

[cheebacheeba]

I've been suffering from an annoying cold...which, when you've had bronchitis before...tends to trigger it again.

While throughout the day, it's somewhat fine...at night I get the barking coughs, and in the morning hack up some truly awful shit...so last night, I had my first nights sleep in 5 days that I hadn't been woken up by a coughing fit every 10-15 minutes.

The reason I was "ok" last night, was likely a combination of the new medicine
(cold and flu tablets, and some expectorant that helps break up congested stuff in your lungs)
...and something I made myself.

While I'm not in full time work, I do delivery work a few nights a week at a pizzeria.
Now, I don't handle the food so I'm ok to be there.

Anyways, last night I took in a whole habanero, and a ghost pepper.
Cut those up and put them on a pizza along with the standard amount of sauce, a little less cheese, and I went with pineapple to balance the spice, and some chicken for protein.
Wow.
So fucking hot.
My dog ate some, somehow...
I got through about 3 pieces, started sweating, felt quite hot for an hour...had a couple small coughing fits...then went and sat in my bathroom while I ran the hot shower just breathing in the steam.

...and I slept last night, not "fine" but, a lot better.
Never underestimate chilli being an assistant in burning the bad stuff away.
I feel SO much better today.

This morning, I had some grilled vegemite toast, and a cup of english breakfast/earl grey tea.

[DeadbeatAtDawn]

Has anyone watched Almazan Kitchen on YouTube? It has the most amazing food and atmosphere. Videos are no more that 10 or so minutes long and the outdoors is their kitchen. ::love::



vzv5Ri3aewE

[Bloof]

Has anyone watched Almazan Kitchen on YouTube? It has the most amazing food and atmosphere. Videos are no more that 10 or so minutes long and the outdoors is their kitchen. ::love::



vzv5Ri3aewE

I have. They are beautiful. My nephew-in-law is addicted to them.

[cheebacheeba]

By the way...does anyone here have an air roaster?

Spal tried a new method of making crackling. Not attached to meat, just, the crackling itself.

You can buy just the pork skin at a lot of butchers and supermarkets, right?
So cut that into "strips" which are about 3-4 inches in length, maybe 0.5 cm wide.
Salt it, mix it in well, let it sit for a bit.

We've been experimenting with temperatures and times, and landed on the one that we find gets the best results:

So there's this rotating cage in this air roaster right?
Put the strips in there above a drip tray.
160c (320f) for 40 minutes
then
180c (356f) for a further 12 minutes.

The come out beautiful. Brittle but not so brittle that they have no resistance, with most of the oil rendered out of the "fat" portion, to leave behind the kind of "shell" on the underside of the crackling.

Perfect snack.
I'd say shaking them through some chilli powder/garlic salt, or any other preferred spices post-cooking would also get some pretty damn good results.

Of course, I'm sure there's other ways to replicate this with other devices, timing and temperatures, but this one worked very well for us after a few less desirable attempts.

Anyways, just thought I'd share.

[hammerfan]

I've been contemplating getting an air fryer. However, my kitchen is full and I have no room for more kitchen gadgets.

[cheebacheeba]

True. It's something of a space killer...great product though.

[cheebacheeba]

English breakfast/Earl Grey tea.
Toast.
Scrambled eggs w/spicy soy.

The End.

[Morningriser]

I have an interesting ramen noodle concoction I make. After I drain the water and put the seasoning in, I also put in a little bit of mayonnaise for a little extra creamy texture and some sriracha sauce. It makes for some really good spicy noodles.

[cheebacheeba]

When I make spicy noodles like the ones pictured...
(they're quite hot, there's even people on youtube "challenging" them)
...I'll cook them and only retain about 1/3 of the water suggested in the cooking instructions, as I like them more coated than soupy.

While I can eat them as is, if I've had a lot of acidic food that day or don't quite want the horse kick to the stomach they can give you sometimes, I'll usually add some cream which lessens the hit. Still great though.

Sometimes I'll just chuck a bit of whatever is around in. Chicken. Onion. Green herbs. Even a few frozen vegetables. Noodles are an easy base "meal" to make a lot better with a few additions.

[Morningriser]

I'm not sure if this is a thing in Australia or not, but have you ever tried chili mac? It's basically spaghetti noodles with chili and topped with shredded cheese. It's really good and If you make the chili yourself you can obviously put whatever you want in it. I personally think chopped-up onions goes really well in it and Worcestershire sauce gives the chili a nice kick.

[cheebacheeba]

I mean I don't recognise it by name, but I've made things similar by definition.
So like noodles, cheese, and a mixture of minced beef and spices? Like what you guys call chili?
Sounds alright. If it came all together I'm not sure I'd buy it though.

[Morningriser]

You guys don't have chili over there? It's a mix of beef, beans, spices and tomato juice. I'm sure there's versions of it all over the world that vary in ingredients, but it's still some good shit.

[cheebacheeba]

Yeah I know, I've made it from scratch before.
I mean there's a couple of brands that have "chili" but it's not really a thing over here from what I can tell.

There's "chilli con carne" which is *kind of* similar but usually just ground beef, dried chillies (as in hot peppers) cumin & garlic, oregano and onion cooked down.
Beans can be added, as can capsicum (bell peppers), and there's usually tomatoes added during cooking. It's kinda got a basic mexican spice/flavour profile, though I believe it's a very "UK" recipe.
Popular dish over here is to have it on a baked potato with sour cream.

[Morningriser]

I'm curious, what's some of the most exotic meats you have over there? I'm not sure about places like New York or other port cities here in the States, but in Vegas, the most exotic meat I have came across so far has been squid and octopus. They are both practically the same and are both served in slices, think of onion rings. It's the tentacles that are edible and they taste like a cross between shrimp and crab, or even a bit like lobster with a chewy scallop like texture. I have also had mussels and duck. I would imagine in some of the more hole in the wall meat markets over in Chinatown or perhaps some of the places ran by Indians, not Native Americans, might have more exotic land creature meat. The food of new culture intrigues me. Although it's not really considered exotic in America anymore, I did try red curry as well, and it was better than I thought it would be, but still will take a little getting used to.

[cheebacheeba]

Squid and Octopus aren't considered exotic here at all really...squid is more common though I'd say.

Even kids eat squid, as fast food, crumbed and fried with chips (er, thicker fries).

A very popular cafe/bar dish here is
salt & pepper squid
in which the outside of the squid is scored and tossed in a seasoned flour, and flash fried so it cooks just right (which is fuck all) and the outside gets crispy. Usually served in quite an uninspiring way atop a bed of roquette (arugula) under a light dressing.

We have a large asian population here, and they're big with the seafood...so I see a lot of it, and it's quite often in stirfry.

Octopus I actually love. Love. love. LOVE.
It's nowdays often served at places that have grilled/fried fish etc.
Usually baby octopus. Whole thing fits in your hand.
I love it grilled, and lends itself really well to thai seasoning, goes great on its own or in salad.
Often served on sticks at a bbq with nothing but a lemon squeeze.

Big Octopus can be rolled, tentacles out, tied into a ball, trussed and immersed in a seasoned liquid (water, white wine, peppercorn, bay leaf, lemon...that kinda thing), boiled until tender, refrigerated whereby the galatinous content adheres it all together, at which point you can untie it, and slice along the entire thing...it makes a cool white coloured slice with purple channels through it.
You can eat that on a salad, on its own, even on top of a soup or laksa.

Mussels and Duck are pretty commonplace too, usually used in italian and Chinese/malaysian cuisine respectively.

Exotic?
So we're not talking beef and chicken, or turkey right?

Well, here you can get Lamb a lot which I understand is not super-available in a
lot of parts in the world.

Pretty much all seafood you can think of, we can get.

What else...these are commonplace:
Goat.
Camel.
Crocodile.
Moreton Bay Bugs (this is a shellfish here)
Kangaroo.
Eel.
Venison.
Of course there's a whole bunch of smaller birds that we can access to eat here too, cornish hen, pheasant, pigeon, quail. Ones like that.

Little less common:
Snake
Emu
Wild Boar
Goose
Razor Clams.
Asian restaurants serve jellyfish, and bullfrog.

...and you may have heard of our Aboriginal people and their "bush tucker", which includes the witchetty grub, which is like a large hairless caterpillar type thing that lives in, and feeds on the insides of trees.
They're served various ways, some are eaten raw.
A popular way seems to just be to cook the things on fire/roast them...They get crispy, and from what I've heard the inside (mainly processed wood I guess) is similar to eating potato.
I have not myself tried these, and I'm not entirely sure if there's any farms or suppliers, or if it's a "harvest yourself" type thing.

That's all I can really think of.

You should try a thai green curry next time.

[Morningriser]

I forgot about alligator jerky. I had that when I went to Florida once. The muscles I had at a Thai restaurant here. As for the squid and red curry with duck, I got that one night and then I got the octopus another night. I'm trying new things when I can. The only new food I have found so far that I would not be willing to try is turkey head cheese. There's just something about it that makes me feel uncomfortable, and it has nothing to do with the scene from Texas Chainsaw Massacre either ::big grin::

Back when I was a small fry and lived in St Louis, Missouri, there was a bar my way Mom and Dad and a bunch of their buddies frequent it often after local baseball games. My father played in a local minor league, being as how baseball is Church in St Louis, and they served food at this bar, really damn good food from what I can remember actually, and I remember one time they had written on their chalkboard menu, "yes we have cow brains". That freaks me the fuck out! I mean I understood a lot about animal Anatomy for someone my age because my father, grandfather and Uncle were all hardcore Hunters. I don't know how many times I watched my father's skin animals and butcher them. Even with all of that I had seen and experienced though, something about that just creeped me the fuck out.

I remember there was a phase in elementary school where a bunch of us boys for some reason became obsessed with sardines and all of us started bringing them to school everyday in our lunch and grossed the hell out of all the girls. I thought they were all right but overall they were kind of nasty and once The Fad was over, I don't recall anyone actually ever saying they like sardines again haha. With that said, the first time I ever got drunk in my life I was about 12 or 13 years old with my best friend and we were out fishing with my mother and her boyfriend at the time who were with some of their friends and all drunk and fucked up to death which is how my friend and I got away with getting drunk as well. My friend dared me to eat a live minnow, and being a weird kid as is but fueled by a Michelob tall boy, I ate it. My friend, also drunk and not knowing how to properly skin a fish before cooking it, cooked the whole thing and ate it.

[Sculpt]

Squid and Octopus aren't considered exotic here at all really...squid is more common though I'd say.

Even kids eat squid, as fast food, crumbed and fried with chips (er, thicker fries).

A very popular cafe/bar dish here is
salt & pepper squid
in which the outside of the squid is scored and tossed in a seasoned flour, and flash fried so it cooks just right (which is fuck all) and the outside gets crispy. Usually served in quite an uninspiring way atop a bed of roquette (arugula) under a light dressing.

We have a large asian population here, and they're big with the seafood...so I see a lot of it, and it's quite often in stirfry.

Octopus I actually love. Love. love. LOVE.
It's nowdays often served at places that have grilled/fried fish etc.
Usually baby octopus. Whole thing fits in your hand.
I love it grilled, and lends itself really well to thai seasoning, goes great on its own or in salad.
Often served on sticks at a bbq with nothing but a lemon squeeze.

Big Octopus can be rolled, tentacles out, tied into a ball, trussed and immersed in a seasoned liquid (water, white wine, peppercorn, bay leaf, lemon...that kinda thing), boiled until tender, refrigerated whereby the galatinous content adheres it all together, at which point you can untie it, and slice along the entire thing...it makes a cool white coloured slice with purple channels through it.
You can eat that on a salad, on its own, even on top of a soup or laksa.

Mussels and Duck are pretty commonplace too, usually used in italian and Chinese/malaysian cuisine respectively.

Exotic?
So we're not talking beef and chicken, or turkey right?

Well, here you can get Lamb a lot which I understand is not super-available in a
lot of parts in the world.

Pretty much all seafood you can think of, we can get.

What else...these are commonplace:
Goat.
Camel.
Crocodile.
Moreton Bay Bugs (this is a shellfish here)
Kangaroo.
Eel.
Venison.
Of course there's a whole bunch of smaller birds that we can access to eat here too, cornish hen, pheasant, pigeon, quail. Ones like that.

Little less common:
Snake
Emu
Wild Boar
Goose
Razor Clams.
Asian restaurants serve jellyfish, and bullfrog.

...and you may have heard of our Aboriginal people and their "bush tucker", which includes the witchetty grub, which is like a large hairless caterpillar type thing that lives in, and feeds on the insides of trees.
They're served various ways, some are eaten raw.
A popular way seems to just be to cook the things on fire/roast them...They get crispy, and from what I've heard the inside (mainly processed wood I guess) is similar to eating potato.
I have not myself tried these, and I'm not entirely sure if there's any farms or suppliers, or if it's a "harvest yourself" type thing.

That's all I can really think of.

You should try a thai green curry next time.
Where do you live again? NZ or AS? I love calamari too. Especially deep fried, butter and lemon. I'm pretty sure I've never had octopus, it's all squid here in the midwest US, but I don't know if they taste any different, do they?

[cheebacheeba]

Cow brains eh?
Well, I've had sheep/lamb brains.
Texturally it's quite like firm silken tofu. It kind of has a very slightly liver-like texture, though a lot softer. Like all organs, it tends to taste like the flesh of the animal but it's less pronounced.
I'd get the brain, ziploc/vac seal it with some seasoning, then freeze it.
This makes it easier to slice without it falling apart/getting everywhere.
Take it out when it's half way to frozen, cut it into 1cm slices.

Then flour/bread it in a seasoned mixture. I'd recommend the inclusion of some lemon zest and chilli powder, similar to a schnitzel mix.

Pan/shallow fry until golden/brownish. Drain. Serve.
If you get it right...and the semi-freeze helps with this also...it'll be crunchy on the outside, and quite soft inside, it may remind you of a slightly more solid bone marrow.

I'd put a bit of lemon juice or a vinaigrette/glaze drizzled over the top - just not enough so that it becomes wet and becomes compromised in texture.

The texture contrast is really needed with brains in my opinion...it's very soft, and some people would liken it to pudding in texture, which to me, doesn't really work for this kind of thing.
Same as tofu when it isn't part of a soup - Really needs the crunch.

Nothing to be afraid of, but you'd want it fresh from a butcher. Right now it's not really an "in" cut, at least not here anyway, so it's pretty much super cheap.

Where do you live again? NZ or AS? I love calamari too. Especially deep fried, butter and lemon. I'm pretty sure I've never had octopus, it's all squid here in the midwest US, but I don't know if they taste any different, do they?

Australia yeah, I'm in Sydney. The place with the bridge and that funny spiky building down by the water.

It's kind of like the difference between two types of fish. It's there but it's not super pronounced. Usually with the squid the more desired part is the head, which is long and almost conical - that's what they cut the rings from.
With Octopus, the more desired part is the tentacles - which are a lot thicker ratio wise than the squid tentacles.
I find Octopus has more of a resistance/bounce to the texture, squid is "softer" when cooked. They are similar, I can taste the difference but I'm not entirely sure how to articulate it...I think Octopus has a more pronounced flavour or like higher concentration of flavour.

[cheebacheeba]

Humph. I wish Vodstok and Austin were here.

[Sculpt]

Hey Cheeb, ever have cow, or other animal, tongue? I haven't, but would think that would be more appetizing than any organ, being tongue is actually meat. I was thinking of trying it.

What's it taste like? And what would be the best way to prepare it?

Thanks!

[Morningriser]

I'd be willing the cock slap an old lady for some homemade biscuits and gravy right now.

[cheebacheeba]

Hey Cheeb, ever have cow, or other animal, tongue? I haven't, but would think that would be more appetizing than any organ, being tongue is actually meat. I was thinking of trying it.

What's it taste like? And what would be the best way to prepare it?

Thanks!

Yeah I've had cow tongue.
Absolute peasant cut...and in this case, it kind of shows.
It's almost zero fat so it's quite dry. It tasted ever so slightly metallic?
I'd probably braise it, after skinning it (you don't want tongue texture...).
Serve it finely sliced, maybe under a compound butter?
I don't really know any recipes for it.
I believe some people use it for soups?

[Sculpt]

Yeah I've had cow tongue.
Absolute peasant cut...and in this case, it kind of shows.
It's almost zero fat so it's quite dry. It tasted ever so slightly metallic?
I'd probably braise it, after skinning it (you don't want tongue texture...).
Serve it finely sliced, maybe under a compound butter?
I don't really know any recipes for it.
I believe some people use it for soups?
So skin, braise, and probably crock pot it? I'd like to say a stupid joke like, how do you know it's not tasting you?

[cheebacheeba]

Ghost cow is tasting you

[Morningriser]

Ghost cow sounds like some sort of beef and ghost pepper dish. I'm a sucker for hot peppers in case you guys haven't noticed. I forgot to mention when we were talking about spicy noodles the other day Cheeba, but I can make a damn good such one beef stir fry. It's definitely not for the weak of heart on the spicy Factor either.

[Bloof]

I don't mind chicken hearts and livers at all. Squid, octupus etc. But thats about as adventurous as I get.

[cheebacheeba]

oH CHICKEN HEARTS are one of my faaaavourite things.
Delicious little nuggets. I could eat like 50...

[Bloof]

oH CHICKEN HEARTS are one of my faaaavourite things.
Delicious little nuggets. I could eat like 50...

Right? Delightful.

[Morningriser]

I don't think I've ever had chicken hearts, but chicken liver is pretty good if they are fried correctly and served with grilled onions and some mustard. Fuck yeah!

Did you guys know it's illegal to eat even your own flesh?

[Bloof]

I don't think I've ever had chicken hearts, but chicken liver is pretty good if they are fried correctly and served with grilled onions and some mustard. Fuck yeah!

Did you guys know it's illegal to eat even your own flesh?

Chicken hearts will do a little pop when you bite into them. We fry them and the livers in garlic butter and then sprinkly lightly with fresh chopped parsley and scoop them up with Lebanese bread.

[MrTorch]

I've been contemplating getting an air fryer. However, my kitchen is full and I have no room for more kitchen gadgets.

An air fryer is a thing. I have one which I use mostly for vegetables, but I'm still planning to test a few recipes like donuts or fried chicken.
I also have a portable pizza oven which I use very often. It was the smallest oven mentioned here (https://pizzaovenradar.com/p/portable-pizza-oven-which-one-suits-your-needs/) because I don't have room for kitchen gadgets as well.

[isabellamor]

With some cold beer and the movie "The Last House on the Left."

[hammerfan]

With some cold beer and the movie "The Last House on the Left."

Yum!

[Bloof]

Yum!

A gal after our own hearts, Hammer?

[hammerfan]

A gal after our own hearts, Hammer?

Absolutely!

[Sculpt]

oH CHICKEN HEARTS are one of my faaaavourite things.
Delicious little nuggets. I could eat like 50...
I've never had heart or tongue, but I'll jump at the chance. They are both meat. I guess I just have to ask my butcher.

What do chicken hearts taste like? And what's the best way to cook them? I'd be thinking frypan them butter, salt, pepper?

[Bloof]

Oatmeal with a dollop of peanut butter, brown sugar and banana slices. A cup of maxwell house coffee.

[hammerfan]

Oatmeal with a dollop of peanut butter, brown sugar and banana slices. A cup of maxwell house coffee.

That sounds pretty good! I'll have to try that some time.

[ImmortalSlasher]

With some cold beer and the movie "The Last House on the Left."

It's winter and nachos is a summer thing for me. I still haven't made Stuntman Mike's version without meat. Nor figured out the perfect version. I'm always trying different cheese mixtures.

They had good nachos at the old movie theaters that closed down. I haven't had close to that yet. I would get nachos and hot dogs. But I don't eat normal hot dogs anymore so I have to find some veggie ones that are hopefully just as good.

Oatmeal with a dollop of peanut butter, brown sugar and banana slices. A cup of maxwell house coffee.

Peanut butter and oatmeal?! I think I saw someone have that once for the protein. But I would just have the oatmeal and bananas. Leave the peanut butter to peanut butter sandwiches.

And crunchy peanut butter. I heard a saying don't trust people who like smooth peanut butter. But I don't know why. I also heard a saying don't trust people who don't drink.

[Bloof]

Yep, the peanut butter is for protein and supposed to fill you up more. So i dont reach for so much junk food. I saw a bodybuilder on 90 day fiance do it. Surprisingly, its not horrible and i like oatmeal anyway.

[ImmortalSlasher]

I like oatmeal but crunchy peanut butter oatmeal doesn't sound like it would be that good for me.

[cheebacheeba]

Leftovers x 2.
Had a mixed bowl of some orecchiette (little ear shaped pasta) with cherry tomatoes, minced beef, garlic, onion. The lady melted some cheese over that.
My brother brought over some lamb ragout he made. Nice. Had that as my other half of my bowl.

Ate it with a buttered bread roll.

[Bloof]

Oatmeal with chopped walnuts, brown sugar and banana slices. Cup of Maxwell House. I can honestly say the oatmeal does nothing to stabilize my blood sugar hence my cravings so its definitely a mind thing. Was at the park with the grandkids ( school strike) and walking through the snow about killed me! My legs felt so heavy and i was out of breath. Have got to get my weight under control....

[ImmortalSlasher]

Oatmeal with chopped walnuts, brown sugar and banana slices. Cup of Maxwell House. I can honestly say the oatmeal does nothing to stabilize my blood sugar hence my cravings so its definitely a mind thing. Was at the park with the grandkids ( school strike) and walking through the snow about killed me! My legs felt so heavy and i was out of breath. Have got to get my weight under control....

I think more than half of Americans need to get their weight under control. I got mine back under control when I realized that I wore a size 31 pants and was considering getting 36.

[Bloof]

Bacon and egg, 2 slices of buttered toast . Cup of tea

[Bloof]

I think more than half of Americans need to get their weight under control. I got mine back under control when I realized that I wore a size 31 pants and was considering getting 36.

Was it willpower or that keto diet a lot of people do?

[cheebacheeba]

This morning I don't really feel like eating.
Having a strong english breakfast tea with some earl grey thrown in.

[ImmortalSlasher]

Was it willpower or that keto diet a lot of people do?

Neither really. I was more athletic than the average American when I was young. So it was just a matter of figuring out what I was doing wrong to gain the weight and restarting things just for a different age.

[cheebacheeba]

Grilled cheese and cherry tomato sandwich with a little chilli infused salt, kibbled black pepper, little bit of fresh thyme.
Pinch of oregano on the outside.

SO good.

[hammerfan]

I always forget about this thread.

On Sunday, I made angel hair pasta with homemade meatballs. Only my second time making the meatballs - not using a recipe - and they turned out pretty tasty.

[cheebacheeba]

I always forget about this thread.


Everyone does...though everyone eats...
I like to come in and just refresh it once in a while, used to be a somewhat popular topic in one incarnation or another, and I find reading/talking about food is something I'm able to do without too much effort.

Last night we shared a GIANT pizza for my kids birthday.
I mean, it's just Dominos...but yes, interesting to see something that was too big to be cooked all in one pan...the slices were like a foot long each.

[hammerfan]

I love the picture that Anna posted on Facebook with River holding the slice! Slice was bigger than she was! ::big grin::

[cheebacheeba]

Yup, she got a few good b'day pics eh...

Nothing yet this morning, just some tea.

[Bloof]

Pan fried Salmon, green beans, gravy and mashed potatoes.

[cheebacheeba]

Grilled toast sandwich, with a few pieces of crispy bacon, a slice of cheese, some mixed green crunchy salad with kale, some kewpie mayo and this amazing Aust made chilli sauce with habanero, green papaya and pimento.
Nice breakfast.

Some english/earl grey tea.

Last night I made a stoner sandwich...basically a grilled cheese with both regular "pizza mix" type melty cheese, and some marinated soft goats cheese. I put some spanish salami on the inside, and grilled some prosciutto and cheese onto the outside of them, press grilled goodness.

I have recently acquired some fresh duck eggs, something I've sought out but never really found before (you always get the cooked/salted kind), so I'll be checking those out before too long.
I think I'd just like a once-turned but otherwise sunny side up fried egg to kind of get an idea of the flavour/structure differences.
I understand they're amazing in baking so might throw one into a cake mix as well.

[Angra]

Have you ever tried the Dave’s Gourmet Insanity Sauce?

That shit really is insanely hot.

[cheebacheeba]

Not yet. I've seen it through a lot of online retailers though.

[ferretchucker]

A recent creation of mine - Buffalo Chicken Risotto. One of my many controversial risotto-fusion dishes...I really must open a pop-up in Camden some day. The Cheeseburger Risotto and Full English Breakfast Risotto also stir up some debate.

I'll be uploading the recipe to the blog soon enough.

[Bloof]

A recent creation of mine - Buffalo Chicken Risotto. One of my many controversial risotto-fusion dishes...I really must open a pop-up in Camden some day. The Cheeseburger Risotto and Full English Breakfast Risotto also stir up some debate.

I'll be uploading the recipe to the blog soon enough.

You had me at "Full English Breakfast"......

[Bloof]

A handful of walnuts and a blueberry muffin.

[Sculpt]

A handful of walnuts and a blueberry muffin.
You are a healthy gurl! Did you pop a walnut before each bite of muffin?

[Bloof]

You are a healthy gurl! Did you pop a walnut before each bite of muffin?

Not really healthy. The muffin was from Walmart..full of lard and sugar, lol.

[ImmortalSlasher]

Not really healthy. The muffin was from Walmart..full of lard and sugar, lol.

Funny. This made me remember that I would love having a blueberry muffin in the morning when I was in school. They had good muffins with big blueberries. And the muffin wasn't a cake type sweet muffin. I'm guessing it was some kind of bran muffin.

And for some reason, I would cut the muffin almost in half and put in butter. Then microwave it for a while. It was great. But I never did that on any other muffin because they just weren't as good. Now I have to find or attempt to make a similar muffin.

[Sculpt]

Fried zucchini. Oil, butter, egg, flour, salt, pepper, curry. Pretty good. Hadnt made it in years. Cooked on the grill last week, burned a lot of them. I think they tasted better on the grill, but it's tricky cooking it enough without burning it.

[cheebacheeba]

Yesterday we had some of this pork belly lechon (phillipino style, cooked over coals) delivered from a relatively local facebook marketplace business.
I have to say I'm quite impressed by some of the talent on there, and I guess since covid has been fucking around a lot of people have had to consider other options...me, I'm soaking it up.
Anyways, it's basically roasted marinated pork belly with a super crispy skin, served with spicy, tangy dipping sauce.
It was amazing - Check out your locals, seriously.

Right now I am having some english breakfast/earl grey tea.

Lebanese bread folded and grilled with some spicy chorizo bought from a local weekly market, vegetarian (not vegan) cheese, slices swiss brown and button mushrooms, fresh basil, salt, pepper, and a little bit of kewpie.

[ferretchucker]

Decided to go for an Indian theme this week and had some friends over so went large. It's a pretty eclectic mix from all corners of the subcontinent - Bengali, Gujarati etc.

Pav Bhaji, matar paneer, keema matar, tarka dhaal, saag gosht, Gujarati mix, aloo jeera and some homemade chapattis.

[ferretchucker]

Made a thali to enjoy in the sun.

[hammerfan]

Looks delish, FC!

[Bloof]

Looks delish, FC!

It certainly does!

[ferretchucker]

Thanks guys 😁 barely touched the sides it went down so fast 😅

[ImmortalSlasher]

Made a thali to enjoy in the sun.

I had to wiki thali. What is all that? I only remember enjoying Tandoori Chicken a lot.

[ferretchucker]

I had to wiki thali. What is all that? I only remember enjoying Tandoori Chicken a lot.

While I adore Indian cuisine and have learned plenty since being in London, I'm no expert so take this with a pinch of salt - it's such a diverse and sprawling cuisine my interpretations of what I've made may not be totally accurate, and I expect I've merged all manner of clashing regional dishes.

Clockwise from the top - Tikka chicken thigh, roti, mixed pickle, chilli paneer (indian cottage cheese reminiscent of halloumi in spicy sauce) , corn and bean methi (fenugreek based), tarka daal (spiced, garlicy lentils), saag (spinach), coconut rice and some mint yoghurt in the middle. It was FILLLIIING.

[cheebacheeba]

I do enjoy a good thali set...sometimes we'll go grab one...I'm not sure about how often they actually prepare them, just that in the places around Sydney it seems to be once a month or some such. Usually a Sunday.

Hm, it's been a while.

I'll just post a few of the things we've made together, few Anna has made for home and for family outings, some things from a few facebook marketplace cooks (2020 really brought some great ones out of the woodwork), bit of new years and birthday stuff we've knocked together and some of the food we've got from local places we've enjoyed.

Heeeere ya go...

[cheebacheeba]

and some more...

[cheebacheeba]

more...

[cheebacheeba]

another...

[cheebacheeba]

One more...

[cheebacheeba]

Ok...last one for now...

[Angra]

Ok...last one for now...

The second last pic looks like a roast pork, but the top looks very rubbery.

[cheebacheeba]

The second last pic looks like a roast pork, but the top looks very rubbery.

Yeah, that one wasn't as good as the one above it...though surprisingly, it was hard crackling...it was just like "too hard"...not sure what happened with the cook there.

The other one, seen on top and in the sliced form was God-Like. Perfection.

The dish is called Lechon and is from the Philippines, but is likely a derivative from the Spanish population who passed through, passed down into the culture.
Crispy, marinated, rolled and roasted pork belly around aromatic herbs, spices and vegetables served with a warm/acidic/spicy sauce.

Since trying this through one of the facebook marketplace people, it's become one of my favourite dishes.
I'll likely try my hand and knocking one together in my own style at some point.

[ferretchucker]

Ooh, what was that bright green sauce with the beef in the third post?

[hammerfan]

I'm in a food coma just looking at those pictures!

[Bloof]

My gosh, you guys eat like Kings! In the school lunches are those dehydrated apple slices. Do you have a dehydrator?

[cheebacheeba]

Now would you have had a cover on that? Would you have taken it off towards the end? I never have any luck with pot roast.

Ha, we just prefer going out for food and making nice food over like, going out and whatever habits and vices there are out there.

Dehydrator?
I had one a while back, meant to be getting another.
These are from a local organic markets that rolls into my town once a week.

[cheebacheeba]

Ooh, what was that bright green sauce with the beef in the third post?

They didn't say, and they wouldn't tell.
It was their "house" sauce over at this French restaurant, same place that served us the escargot - we went there for our last (22nd) anniversary.
I recall a hint of cumin and warm spices in the sauce, but yeah one of those things they don't really give away. Tasty though.

[Sculpt]

What's the green rolled up looking things inside the center of the ham (I think it's a ham)?

[cheebacheeba]

What's the green rolled up looking things inside the center of the ham (I think it's a ham)?

It's a type of roasted pork.
I believe the bits you're looking at would be full lemongrass stalks.
They're an aromatic...and they taste...would you believe...lemon-y.
They're unpalatable and taste like shit if you try to bite into one...but the flavour they impart into foods is amazing.

[cheebacheeba]

So today is mothers day here.
I kind of...prepped the kitchen and set the table for this and threw in here and there with bits of the construction.

VURRY full right now. It was nice.

[TaeKwonZombie]

now im hungry.....for human brains

[Angra]

So today is mothers day here.
I kind of...prepped the kitchen and set the table for this and threw in here and there with bits of the construction.

VURRY full right now. It was nice.

Quite the morning table. What did you have for lunch?

And how much have you gained in weight over the last 16 years?

[cheebacheeba]

Quite the morning table. What did you have for lunch?

Nothing. It was a late breakfast/lunch thing I suppose.

And how much have you gained in weight over the last 16 years?
Ha, you know we don't eat like this on the regular right? These pics were a few years worth of the good stuff.
Honestly...I don't know...it's been pretty static for longer than that.
I mean I'm not skinny. I'm a tank.

[Angra]

Nothing. It was a late breakfast/lunch thing I suppose.


Ha, you know we don't eat like this on the regular right? These pics were a few years worth of the good stuff.
Honestly...I don't know...it's been pretty static for longer than that.
I mean I'm not skinny. I'm a tank.

Ah, okay. All the pics gave me the impression that was a standard dinner at your place.

A tank. Like Dwayne Johnson?

[cheebacheeba]

LOL more like Tank Abbott unfortunately...there's work to be done.
Strong, heavyset, but tubs.

[Angra]

LOL more like Tank Abbott unfortunately...there's work to be done.
Strong, heavyset, but tubs.



Haha

In other words you look like a dad.

[cheebacheeba]

A bit. The girl took all my pretty.

[ferretchucker]

Had some friends over for the first time in FOREVER and decided to take my cheeseboard skills up to 11. Pretty proud of this.

[cheebacheeba]

Had some friends over for the first time in FOREVER and decided to take my cheeseboard skills up to 11. Pretty proud of this.

We both strongly approve.
I see you have some kind of chutney (perhaps?) there...love the combination of the kind of sweet/tart/spicy/tangy with this kind of layout.

Have you ever tried a spicy balsamic glaze to pair with your soft cheeses?


Spal made this the other day and it was ridiculously good...here is the recipe she wrote up if anyone's inclined:

Here's that garlic prawn pasta I made last night.
Pappardelle Pasta
Sauce - alot of garlic, olive oil, butter, smokey paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, cream, tomberries, corn.
Fried the garlic up a little in oil, then turned the heat down, added the remaining ingredients, cream last and simmered it altogether .
Prawns - salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, high heat fry pan.
Once these were fried I added the pasta and sauce, high heat to thicken and added more parsley to it at the end.
Adult sauce had some Truff added for spice, Rivers not ready for that haha.


This was literally perfection for a cold night...

[ferretchucker]

We both strongly approve.
I see you have some kind of chutney (perhaps?) there...love the combination of the kind of sweet/tart/spicy/tangy with this kind of layout.

Have you ever tried a spicy balsamic glaze to pair with your soft cheeses?


Spal made this the other day and it was ridiculously good...here is the recipe she wrote up if anyone's inclined:



Yeah, had tomato chutney and Victorian chutney, often include some piccalilli (not sure if that's eaten much outside of the UK) and caramelised onion chutney. Tend to have a little bottle of balsamic glaze but not tried that spicy, but sounds great. I'll have to give it a go next time.

That pasta looks incredible. My fiancé adores anything that combines garlic and prawn so I'll be adding this to our repertoire. Do send my thanks to Spalalalalala (can't remember how many las were customary).