The 'Here's what I had for dinner last night' thread - Part I

leahyl

trackguy wrote: »

Had Mexican scrambled eggs last night from a Thomasina Miers recipe. Fry chorizo, onion, garlic and chilli before adding the eggs, parmesan and coriander.

That looks absolutely beautiful!! Do you have Thomasina Miers book? Is it any good?

Mike Litoris

gjc wrote: »

+1 for the rib roast any time I've cooked housekeepers it has always been drier and dare I say tougher than rib. But does anyone know a way of making the most of this cut other than roasting which might tenderise and moisten the housekeepers would it be strange say to boil and braze this meat or is there any ingredient that could be added which would help I only ask because I ave given up buying this cut as I am always disappointed with it ( shoe leather!!!)and in general it would not be a cheap piece of meat . I also think that meat nowadays is not aged as well as perhaps years ago I remember my mother cooking hkeepers and it was always devine

Other than some sort of a slow roasting method I've no idea. It's a terrible cut imo. I used a big lump for diced (stew) and julienne (stir fry) before and it was as you say, like shoe leather. Like most round roasts, people buy it because it is lean and a ton of gravy can hide the dryness.

trackguy

leahyl wrote: »

That looks absolutely beautiful!! Do you have Thomasina Miers book? Is it any good?

I have both her books - Mexican Food made Simple and Wahaca

I'd highly recommend both of them. I have a new found respect for Mexican food since I started cooking form those books.

leahyl

trackguy wrote: »

I have both her books - Mexican Food made Simple and Wahaca

I'd highly recommend both of them. I have a new found respect for Mexican food since I started cooking form those books.

Thanks! Not sure I can buy ANOTHER cookery book.....oh ok you've twisted my arm :pac:

gjc

Mike Litoris wrote: »

Other than some sort of a slow roasting method I've no idea. It's a terrible cut imo. I used a big lump for diced (stew) and julienne (stir fry) before and it was as you say, like shoe leather. Like most round roasts, people buy it because it is lean and a ton of gravy can hide the dryness.

Thanks Mike..the hkeepers got me thinking and i googled it...found out you can do it in a slow cooker(dont have one) and also a pressure cooker (i have one of these) . Now in my humble opinion i recken the housekeepers would fall assunder in press.cooker and would become a gorified stew if done this way and also i would have to forgo the "roast" being crispy...i may try it one day but perhaps not soon, moral is I'm going to keep on buying rib.

Last night we had spagetti bolognaise, did not take pic as sauce came out of a jar, usually i cook from scratch, im using up all my store cupboard stuff atm

oscarBravo

I had these little beauties dropped round to me yesterday, fresh from the Atlantic:



A bit of knifework later, five of them are in the freezer (in fillet form), and the sixth graced this evening's dinner plate, along with some spuds, home-grown broccoli and hollandaise sauce (which is much harder to make for one than for four).

Merkin

I'm amazed that mackerel were caught this time of year!! Where did they say they were caught?

oscarBravo

Merkin wrote: »

I'm amazed that mackerel were caught this time of year!! Where did they say they were caught?

Um, I think he said off Killybegs? I was just happy to get them!

Merkin

oscarBravo wrote: »

Um, I think he said off Killybegs? I was just happy to get them!

I bet, I love mackerel too and always catch my own.I asked because mack season doesn't really start until May or thereabouts so I'm just shocked at seeing them!! I've a lovely smoked mack pate recipe if you want it.Also, you probably know this already but don't keep them in the freezer too long as they lose their goodness, a month at the very max.Enjoy, am jealous!!

oscarBravo

Merkin wrote: »

I've a lovely smoked mack pate recipe if you want it.

Ooh, yes please

awec

Ah mate, the sight of fish scares the hell out of me. I scrolled down this thread and nearly dropped the laptop off my knee.

I've never eaten mackerel, what's the taste like? Intense? I imagine they're quite oily?

oscarBravo

awec wrote: »

Ah mate, the sight of fish scares the hell out of me. I scrolled down this thread and nearly dropped the laptop off my knee.

Sorry

I've never eaten mackerel, what's the taste like? Intense? I imagine they're quite oily?

I wouldn't describe it as intense, but it's certainly got a stronger, more distinctive flavour than your average white fish. They're oily but not greasy. I think they're quite delicious - they belong to the same general family as Tuna.

Seaneh

Had a loin pork chip pan fried with some onions, home made oven chips and a sauce made with a little mayo, ketchup and sriracha for dipping said chippies.

Was yummy.

gjc

awec wrote: »

Ah mate, the sight of fish scares the hell out of me. I scrolled down this thread and nearly dropped the laptop off my knee.

I've never eaten mackerel, what's the taste like? Intense? I imagine they're quite oily?

I wouldnt be a big fish lover, but last year hubbie caught fresh mackerel and insisted I taste some....I actually thought they were delicious...we just had them grilled...everything is worth a try after that, as far as i know the oil that is in them is extremely good for you,

the beer revolu

Merkin wrote: »

.Also, you probably know this already btut don't keep them in the freezer too long as they lose their goodness, a month at the very max.Enjoy, am jealous!!

A bit late now but my father who always cooked mackerel filleted, maintained that they should be frozen whole, un gutted for best results.

the beer revolu

Martyn1989 wrote: »

How would I go about recreating this dish?

limnam wrote: »

Gorgeous looking plate of food. Can you go over your tweaks from the original?

Sure thing.

Trim excess fat from 5 chicken thighs (bone, in skin on).
Put thighs, skin side up in a dry frying pan and put on a fairly high heat.

Meanwhile, slice up about 100 - 150g of chorizo and put in another frying pan.
Cook for a few minutes on a high heat to release some fat and crisp up a bit.
Remove chorizo from pan and add a chopped medium sized onion and a finely chopped stick of celery.

Lower the heat.

Add a large crushed clove of garlic, about a teaspoon of ground allspice and two cups of rice (I used Thai Fragrant rice - white long grain would be fine too)

Cook on medium heat for about five minutes - if you need more fat, just pour off some that will have rendered out of the thighs - keep an eye on these so they don't burn. You want the underneaths to brown nicely for flavour and get the thighs to start cooking.

Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a scant tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves to the rice along with a chicken stock pot. Stir to combine well and simmer for a few minutes adding a bit of water if it's too dry to simmer.

Remove thighs from pan and place on top of rice. With a brush, baste the thigh skins with some fat from the pan. Drain off any fat in the pan and add a cup of water to deglaze the pan of tasty browned chickeney goodness and add to the rice pan. Add water to the pan to come just shy of the top of the rice.

Put pan under a hot grill and cook for about 15 minutes by which time the chicken should be nicely browned and crispy and cooked through. Rice should be cooked too.

Add some frozen peas to the pan (easiest to remove the chicken first) and mix through. Replace chicken. Serve.

I wish I could write shorter recipes!
It is really easy, though.
What I like about it is you get a chicken rice stew flavour but with crisp grilled chicken skin.

oscarBravo

the beer revolu wrote: »

A bit late now but my father who always cooked mackerel filleted, maintained that they should be frozen whole, un gutted for best results.

Huh. Her Indoors told me to make sure to gut them before freezing, otherwise I probably would have just lobbed them in the freezer.

trackguy

Lamb Rogan Josh

awec

gjc wrote: »

I wouldnt be a big fish lover, but last year hubbie caught fresh mackerel and insisted I taste some....I actually thought they were delicious...we just had them grilled...everything is worth a try after that, as far as i know the oil that is in them is extremely good for you,

I'd try them, but the problem with the home caught ones is that you get a whole fish.

Hell will freeze over before I touch a fish like that. I would never gut the thing, I could never look at the head, tail or fins. The feel of a fish gives me the creeps!

If someone handed me a fillet, with the skin and all gone I'd give it a go! :pac:

Martyn1989

awec wrote: »

I'd try them, but the problem with the home caught ones is that you get a whole fish.

Hell will freeze over before I touch a fish like that. I would never gut the thing, I could never look at the head, tail or fins. The feel of a fish gives me the creeps!

If someone handed me a fillet, with the skin and all gone I'd give it a go! :pac:

You havn't even mentioned the worst part, scaling him.

awec

Martyn1989 wrote: »

You havn't even mentioned the worst part, scaling him.

That just give me the shivers. :pac:

oscarBravo

awec wrote: »

I'd try them, but the problem with the home caught ones is that you get a whole fish.

Hell will freeze over before I touch a fish like that. I would never gut the thing, I could never look at the head, tail or fins. The feel of a fish gives me the creeps!

I used to be like that, but last year (I think) I got such a bargain on whole sea trout that I couldn't pass it up, so I gritted my teeth and got on with it. And it really wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

If you just can't do it, you just can't - but sometimes you surprise yourself when you try to do things you think you can't. And if you can overcome the resistance to dealing with whole fish, you've got so many delicious possibilities opened up for you.

Mackerel are quite easy, because with a bit of practice you can just slice the fillets off the whole fish without gutting it first.

Martyn1989

oscarBravo wrote: »

I used to be like that, but last year (I think) I got such a bargain on whole sea trout that I couldn't pass it up, so I gritted my teeth and got on with it. And it really wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

If you just can't do it, you just can't - but sometimes you surprise yourself when you try to do things you think you can't. And if you can overcome the resistance to dealing with whole fish, you've got so many delicious possibilities opened up for you.

Mackerel are quite easy, because with a bit of practice you can just slice the fillets off the whole fish without gutting it first.

This is very true aswell, I had to learn to do it as part of a cooking module I did in DIT (only for 1 class a week for 3 months, and yes that is where I get my excellant presentation skill :P), its not that bad, I'm not keen on the scaling bit but everything else is fine.

Pigwidgeon

Martyn1989 wrote: »

You havn't even mentioned the worst part, scaling him.

I'm fine with most fish, but for some reason mackerel really gets to me. I think it's the smell of them, it could also be that one of my first hungover days in work I had to gut 30 of them, the smell still haunts me! Thankfully if I'm ordering whole fish I do it through work and they come in scaled (and much cheaper)!

I had surgery on my jaw last week and it's finely feeling fine so after a month of eating pretty much soft foods I'm off out for dinner tonight. I can't wait!

mickgotsick

Chicken karahi

awec

oscarBravo wrote: »

I used to be like that, but last year (I think) I got such a bargain on whole sea trout that I couldn't pass it up, so I gritted my teeth and got on with it. And it really wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

If you just can't do it, you just can't - but sometimes you surprise yourself when you try to do things you think you can't. And if you can overcome the resistance to dealing with whole fish, you've got so many delicious possibilities opened up for you.

Mackerel are quite easy, because with a bit of practice you can just slice the fillets off the whole fish without gutting it first.

I've not been able to deal with fish my entire life. It ain't ever happening! :pac:

I wish I could, cause I imagine I'm missing out on some awesome stuff.

Mrs Fox

Chicken and Mushroom Pie that went a bit soupy... tasty none the less...

fussyonion

mickgotsick wrote: »

Chicken karahi


Oh PLEASE can I have the recipe for this?
I recently had a Chicken Karahi from my local Indian takeaway and it was delicious and yours looks the same.
Please please!

mickgotsick

fussyonion wrote: »

Oh PLEASE can I have the recipe for this?
I recently had a Chicken Karahi from my local Indian takeaway and it was delicious and yours looks the same.
Please please!

Yeah sure. I followed this guys recipe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XfnF7sIJMo

tmc86

Last night I had a simple dinner of a chicken, onion, mushroom and cheese omelette with rocket and baby tomatoes and a guava dipping sauce on the side.