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

iwantmydinner

Guacamole!

the beer revolu

Last night Mrs Beer cooked me grilled chicken thighs, black rice, broccoli and a sage chicken jus.

fussyonion

the beer revolu wrote: »

Last night Mrs Beer cooked me grilled chicken thighs, black rice, broccoli and a sage chicken jus.

Never knew you could grill chicken thighs. How long do they take?

Mellor

fussyonion wrote: »

Never knew you could grill chicken thighs. How long do they take?

Why wouldn't you be able to grill them?
You can grill any meat if you wanted to really.

Time will vary with the thickness of the meat. The temp of your grill, etc.
Just keep checking them until they are done. After that they'll start to dry out, more of an issue with breasts though.

Viper_JB

Was at the English Market on Saturday so ended up buying a massive pork Oyster joint 1.6 kg, as I wanted to try out slow cooking, so went to Argos, picked up a slow cooker and made some pulled pork on Sunday.

Seasoned and marinated the joint on Saturday night, wrapped in clingfilm and into the fridge. Then into the slow cooker on a bed of onions, garlic and chilies first thing Sunday morning. 8 hours of GTA 5 .

Took the pork out and started to shred it, just came apart so easily in my hands, was like butter, savage. Had some of that with home made wedges last night, mixed the pork I used with some home made BBQ sauce and asparagus served on a bed of fried red onion (for some greens).

Was really good, and have enough pulled pork to last an age, so half's been frozen and the rest will be used up in dinners and lunches this week. I'm a convert to the art of slow cooking now

B0jangles

^^^ I've a half a pork loin in the slow cooker since 11 this morning - mixed in with it are hoisin sauce, honey, garlic and ginger ^^^

Smells super tantalizing already!

Viper_JB

B0jangles wrote: »

^^^ I've a half a pork loin in the slow cooker since 11 this morning - mixed in with it are hoisin sauce, honey, garlic and ginger ^^^

Smells super tantalizing already!

Ya that was a problem yesterday, walking around the house with my mouth watering from the smell all day, like a dog .

MissFlitworth

Rice with peas & soy sauce & breaded chicken things (you know those sort of 'chicken' steak ones with the suspicious spongey texture) spread with a little peanut butter and pressed into wasabi sesame seeds.

Kovu

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Rice with peas & soy sauce with breaded chicken things (you know those sort of 'chicken' ones, suspicious spongey texture) spread with a little peanut butter and pressed into wasabi sesame seeds.

After starting a new job this morning I couldn't eat much (all expense paid hotel) so could just manage scrambled eggs. 9 hours later and I was ready to eat my handbag.

Having a good auld moan to the waitress about how the free dinner was off the early bird menu and it wasn't great.........told her I was up for business and would be missing the next two mornings free breakfast as I'll be leaving at 6.30 am.
Next thing I know, a free starter arrives! Chicken wings with a BBQ mayo dip and a salad with honey dijon dressing. And then, she asks how I would like a steak done!!
Good people do exist in this world!:D:D
AND as I was gathering up my things for leaving, she said she would be leaving a scone in the fridge for me for my brekky.

Needless to say, she got a fabulous tip.

VanillaLime

No pic but I made the Baked Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage from Smitten Kitchen - I used tenderstem broccoli from Tesco's (never seen broccoli rabe) and ordinary pork sausages. It was delicious, so yum!!! Definitely a treat recipe with all the cheese and bechamel though - would be a great one for a cold winter's day!

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/09/baked-pasta-with-broccoli-rabe-and-sausage/

Faith

We had a gorgeous prawn and garlic risotto tonight. It was crammed full of delicious badness!

Loire

Faith wrote: »

We had a gorgeous prawn and garlic risotto tonight. It was crammed full of delicious badness!

Hi Faith,

I have prawns in the freezer that I want to use. Would you mind posting your recipe for this and I'll give it a bash?

Thanks!
Loire.

Faith

Loire wrote: »

Hi Faith,

I have prawns in the freezer that I want to use. Would you mind posting your recipe for this and I'll give it a bash?

Thanks!
Loire.

I didn't really follow a recipe to be honest. I'll give an indication of what I did:

1 onion, finely chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
75ml white wine
650 ml chicken stock (you might need more though)
150g arborio rice
200-ish grams of raw king prawns, deveined
Some butter
Some parmesan
A dash of cream (optional)

First, I fried the onions and garlic in butter until translucent. While they were frying, I put my stock in another pot and got it simmering. After about 5 minutes, I added the rice and fried it for 2 minutes. Added the wine and stirred until it was absorbed. Then I added stock, one ladle at a time, only adding the next ladle when the previous one was absorbed, and stirring constantly but gently. With the last ladle of stock, I added the prawns and the parmesan. Just before serving, I swirled in a dash of cream, but it wasn't really necessary. Season to taste and serve .

I find it's trial and error getting the right amount of stock. The recipe I initially followed called for 750ml, but that was too much IMO. 650ml left me with perfectly al dente risotto.

the beer revolu

fussyonion wrote: »

Never knew you could grill chicken thighs. How long do they take?

I actually fry and grill them. I use thighs on the bone and fry then in a dry cast iron pan, bone side down for about 10 minutes, then I baste the skin with the fat that has rendered out, pour in some wine or beer and put under the grill for about 15 minutes keeping an eye so the skin doesn't burn before they are done.
They come out quite different to roast thighs.

fussyonion

the beer revolu wrote: »

I actually fry and grill them. I use thighs on the bone and fry then in a dry cast iron pan, bone side down for about 10 minutes, then I baste the skin with the fat that has rendered out, pour in some wine or beer and put under the grill for about 15 minutes keeping an eye so the skin doesn't burn before they are done.
They come out quite different to roast thighs.

That's what I wanted to know.

I know people have said "Why can't you?" but worrying about whether chicken is cooked would be my issue if grilling.

I like this technique though, might try it at the weekend.
Thanks beer!

Toast4532

Tonight we had striploin steaks, chips and a whiskey and cream sauce. Delicious.

B0jangles

fussyonion wrote: »

That's what I wanted to know.

I know people have said "Why can't you?" but worrying about whether chicken is cooked would be my issue if grilling.

I like this technique though, might try it at the weekend.
Thanks beer!

MEEAAT THEERMOOOMETEER!

Seriously, I cannot recommed using one enough - I got one last year and I can't belive how much it simplifies the whole "Is is safe/ is it cooked?" problem.

Guess what I discovered? Roast pork is not actually supposed to taste like very tense shoe-leather - it has actual flavour, and JUICES! :pac:

fussyonion

B0jangles wrote: »

MEEAAT THEERMOOOMETEER!

Seriously, I cannot recommed using one enough - I got one last year and I can't belive how much it simplifies the whole "Is is safe/ is it cooked?" problem.

Guess what I discovered? Roast pork is not actually supposed to taste like very tense shoe-leather - it has actual flavour, and JUICES! :pac:

Right but what temperature is it meant to be?

B0jangles

fussyonion wrote: »

Right but what temperature is it meant to be?

Chicken thighs? 165 fahrenheit according to this chart:

http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html

Pork's 145.

And those are government guidelines so they'd be tend towards being super-safe.

fussyonion

B0jangles wrote: »

Chicken thighs? 165 fahrenheit according to this chart:

http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html

Pork's 145.

And those are government guidelines so they'd be tend towards being super-safe.

Great thanks..gonna get a thermometer this week.

Cork selfbuild

We got some fresh cod from the local fisherman guy, so decided to try something different...

Made a Corona Batter with some lime in it and shallow fryed it... Really light and extremely tasty, with some sweet potato chips and peas!

It's definitely going to go on the repeat list!

IvyTheTerrible

Herby beef meatballs in a homemade tomato and basil sauce with spaghetti, lovely!

oscarBravo

B0jangles wrote: »

MEEAAT THEERMOOOMETEER!

Seriously, I cannot recommed using one enough - I got one last year and I can't belive how much it simplifies the whole "Is is safe/ is it cooked?" problem.

A hugely useful piece of equipment, to be sure. That said, I can't recommend enough using it as a tool to fine-tune your own instincts. Practice guessing how well-done various meats are by prodding or squeezing them, and compare your guess to what the thermometer tells you. When you get to the point where you're always right, you don't need the thermometer any more, which is good news if you find yourself having to cook without one.

livinsane

Did whiting fillets pan fried in breadcrumbs, with some ginger mixed into the coating. Served with mash made from sweet potato, potato and celery. Obligatory cherry tomatoes and spring onion that I throw on nearly everything I eat.

Billy86

Right, hopefully in the right thread this time!

medium rare steak on top of mash (with red cheddar and grated carrot). Stuffed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and a small carrot/rocket/feta/asparagus salad.

the beer revolu

Not the prettiest but I loves me Irish stew, I do.

leahyl

Billy86 wrote: »

Right, hopefully in the right thread this time!

medium rare steak on top of mash (with red cheddar and grated carrot). Stuffed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and a small carrot/rocket/feta/asparagus salad.

That's a huge dinner!! :eek: Did you manage it all?!

the beer revolu

leahyl wrote: »

That's a huge dinner!! !

Not for two people.

MissFlitworth

fried potatoes, bacon, chicken & peas in a creamy cheese & mustard sauce. One pot wonder with 'sauce' created by throwing in cream cheese, dijon & cheddar at the end. Looks much more beige than it tastes!

Dr.MickKiller

Had cod steamed with rice wine, ginger, scallions and coriander and served it with a sauce made from garlic, chilli flakes, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar.