cooking thread...

[Old Ironmaker]

6 minutes ago, misfish said:

I looked this up. I am a big pasta guy when the fall and winter months come. Need those carbs when dragging that porty hut all winter ice season.  One ingredient caught my eye right away. Anchovies. I love them little salty fishes. Going to be trying this. Without the capers. Still on the fence about them.

In the old days trainers said you should eat a steak on game day. Then guys puked on the sidelines. Then it' was "carb up." Still is. 

[smitty55]

1 hour ago, misfish said:

I looked this up. I am a big pasta guy when the fall and winter months come. Need those carbs when dragging that porty hut all winter ice season.  One ingredient caught my eye right away. Anchovies. I love them little salty fishes. Going to be trying this. Without the capers. Still on the fence about them.

Brian here is the recipe I use. I developed it myself and it turned out so good I had no need to change anything. My wife finds it a bit too much for the amount of capers but I'm fine with it. Amazingly all those strong flavours blend together quite well without being overpowering. You need some capers for sure, but you could always cut back on it. I use half a jar. Fresh parm is a must, it makes a big difference. I tbsp of pepper flakes has a nice tingle, two is fairly hot but still ok for me. Manitoubass2 tried it and thought it was great.

Puttanesca.

1/3 cup evoo

4 cloves garlic coarsely chopped (1 small bulb in my case)

1-2 tbsp red pepper flakes

I can (50g) anchovie fillets, rinsed and finely chopped

3 tbs capers, rinsed

25 pitted kalamata olives, rinsed, medium chopped.

1 540ml can diced tomatoes

1 540 ml can crushed tomatoes

4 green onions, medium chop (or onion of choice)

2 more cloves of garlic, squashed and finely chopped. (just because I wanted to add some real fresh garlic flavor at the end)

3 Tbs basil flakes

Chopped mushrooms and red/green pepper (optional)

Fresh grated Parm for the plate

Fry anchovies, garlic and pepper flakes in oil until garlic is golden (medium heat)

Add tomatoes, olives and capers and heat to light simmer. Whisk to incorporate oil.

After 5-10 min add onions, basil, extra garlic and optional ingredients if using.

Simmer 5 -10 minutes more and serve with desired pasta and choice of meat if using. (shrimp, fish ,sausages, chicken etc)

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Why do you rince the anchovies Smitty. I pour the oil into the pan on top of the garlic. The recipe sounds great but you can't call it putanesca succo. Putanesca is fast, hot and easy just like the girls of the evening when they get off their feet, or backs. 

[smitty55]

15 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

Why do you rince the anchovies Smitty. I pour the oil into the pan on top of the garlic. The recipe sounds great but you can't call it putanesca succo. Putanesca is fast, hot and easy just like the girls of the evening when they get off their feet, or backs. 

I figure it's salty enough with the anchovies, capers and olives so I rinsed them all the first time I made it and have continued to do so. I guess with the few additions I made you could say it's not exactly a traditional puttanesca but I think it improves the dish. 30 minutes is still pretty fast and it is hot and easy for me. So it is still a Puttanesca with a little variance to me. You should try it OI and see how you like it, you may not want to go back. It gets pretty thick so I use a deep non stick wok type pan with a glass lid to keep the splatters down.

 

Cheers

[misfish]

When I have pizza,  I don't get a bite that dosent have a piece of anchovy or olive .

[Old Ironmaker]

1 hour ago, smitty55 said:

I figure it's salty enough with the anchovies, capers and olives so I rinsed them all the first time I made it and have continued to do so. I guess with the few additions I made you could say it's not exactly a traditional puttanesca but I think it improves the dish. 30 minutes is still pretty fast and it is hot and easy for me. So it is still a Puttanesca with a little variance to me. You should try it OI and see how you like it, you may not want to go back. It gets pretty thick so I use a deep non stick wok type pan with a glass lid to keep the splatters down.

 

Cheers

That's a good point about the saltiness of the ingredients. That's why I tell everyone no salt in the succo. It drives me bonkers when I serve someone food and the 1st thing they do without tasting it is reach for the salt and pepper. And I'm not shy to tell them it's disrespectful. No one listens to me anymore since I lost about 30 lbs of muscle. 

To be honest Smitty I have put black Kalamata olives in mine too. I guess over time I have forgotten to do it. Your putanessca succo sounds great. What time is dinner at Smitty's? 

Have you ever had or made Spaghetti l'alia ( sic) e olio? It's simply toasted garlic and EVO (extra virgin olive oil) cheese and bread crumbs. I add anchovies too, people don't even know they ate anchovies as they become liquified. Many southern Italian pasta dishes they add bread crumbs plus the cheese to help the sauces, non tomato, stick to the spaghetti, angel hair or spaghettini. My favorite pasta is angel hair, my wife despises it with a passion. 

When I toast garlic to a golden brown it's the only time I use a cold pan, cold oil then add the thin slices of garlic, not crushed and then put the heat to it. I will then remove the toasted garlic depending what I'm cooking in the pan so it doesn't keep cooking and then burn. For puttanesca I leave it in. No meat to brown. If you don't toast garlic try doing it. 

edit: as far as traditional dishes, there really isn't any. You may find in 1 household the Nona makes it different than the Momma and the daughter, or son may make it differently. Of course that are all right. I've seen arguments between "cooks" that I was sure fists were going to fly. And that's just the women fighting. My Mom saw my wife put a raw egg in her mashed potatoes years ago and told her make it over again. 

Edited September 4, 2019 by Old Ironmaker

[misfish]

I did say I make a cream cheese roll. I was thinking to add bacon bits to my next one due to the hickory, but thinking about it today at work, I thought I would go a different way. First stop after work,  bulk barn. Grab some dried cranberries.

Home and got busy.

While I was chopping, I had to try the fish candy. Man, I am getting my texture I like. Jerky candy.

Enough of that now. If I kept eating,there would be no fish for the cheese roll.

Slice and dice and chop. Add a bit to the mix, and enough to caot the roll. Roll and wrapped in the fridge to set. My fellow co-workers will enjoy I am sure. I had one fella this morning say I might of made my best smoked jerky fish. He is of aboriginal decent. Hope I said that right. His comment made me proud of my works.

I have seen the  commercial price of  this type of thing. I made for pennies compared.

 

 

 

[misfish]

Mama Mia

 

 

[ketchenany]

31 minutes ago, misfish said:

Mama Mia

 

 

Maybe this weekend!

 

[Toronto_Angler]

5 hours ago, misfish said:

Mama Mia

 

 

Italian Grandma is my favorite youtube series!

[smitty55]

I've been keeping a close eye on a Dolgo crab apple tree waiting for them to get fully ripe. This tree is so loaded some branches are almost touching the ground. Went with the wife the other day and in just over a half hour got around 1 1/2 grocery bins full, about 40lbs. It's a long process as each apple then needs to  to have the stems and blossom end removed and then cut in half. First batch was 8 quarts of apples in the stock pot and then water just to the top of the apples. After mashing and boiling for 15 minutes the mash went into two jelly bags and two strainers lined with cheesecloth to drain. We got 12 cups of juice from that which will required 9 cups of sugar to be added and boiled to the jelly stage at 220°.  The filled jars will then be processed for 10 minutes. I figure we'll get around 16 half pint jars out of this batch which is on for this afternoon. Plus there is still at least two more batches worth of apples left so we'll have a ton of jelly to share with friends and relatives and enough to last us for years. Pics to come later.

 

Cheers

[Old Ironmaker]

On 9/5/2019 at 5:48 PM, ketchenany said:

Maybe this weekend!

 

Man that Cantina looks so familiar. When I was a kid my Father would take the 3 of us boys to Simcoe On. in his 59 Chevy Station wagon and fill the entire rear with bushels of Tomatoes and the 4 of us would drive back in the front seat. Guess what we did the next day? A return trip and the entire floor of the garage was full. Then because I was the oldest I helped do the tomatoes. I swore then I would never do Tomatoes when I grew up and only did a few jars once. I will buy an entire case of Passata when it's on sale at Food Basics. I know it's not the same but for me close enough. 

[smitty55]

On 9/12/2019 at 1:57 PM, smitty55 said:

I've been keeping a close eye on a Dolgo crab apple tree waiting for them to get fully ripe. This tree is so loaded some branches are almost touching the ground. Went with the wife the other day and in just over a half hour got around 1 1/2 grocery bins full, about 40lbs. It's a long process as each apple then needs to  to have the stems and blossom end removed and then cut in half. First batch was 8 quarts of apples in the stock pot and then water just to the top of the apples. After mashing and boiling for 15 minutes the mash went into two jelly bags and two strainers lined with cheesecloth to drain. We got 12 cups of juice from that which will required 9 cups of sugar to be added and boiled to the jelly stage at 220°.  The filled jars will then be processed for 10 minutes. I figure we'll get around 16 half pint jars out of this batch which is on for this afternoon. Plus there is still at least two more batches worth of apples left so we'll have a ton of jelly to share with friends and relatives and enough to last us for years. Pics to come later.

 

Cheers

Well we ended up with 6 batches of pure juice all told, most of them providing over 8 cups of juice each. Takes me 90 min to prepare the apples each time. So far 3 batches have been canned and 3 bags of juice are in the freezer. So I went back to the tree and they're even more ripe now, all deep red. Picked 30 lbs in about 40 min so enough for almost 5 more batches.  Still tons left on the tree, I haven't even climbed it yet. If I do go back I'll put a tarp on the ground, climb the tree and shake the hell out of it.

 

[misfish]

Silly question. What do you use it for ? I know you say juice. Drink it, or for flavoring ?

 

[smitty55]

4 minutes ago, misfish said:

Silly question. What do you use it for ? I know you say juice. Drink it, or for flavoring ?

 

The juice is for making jelly. Already have over 20 jars including some pints. I'm probably going to try and sell some for the first time, some as singles jars and hopefully some full batch orders. I've seen folks looking for apples and jelly on local buy/sell sites so we will see.

 

Cheers

[misfish]

Nice

 

Good luck with your adventure.

[Old Ironmaker]

I didn't have to cook yesterday but had the best meal of 2019. We went to our nieces wedding in St. Kitts yesterday. Servers came around with everything from Spring rolls to Perogy's. They set up about 8 different stations of foods, my wife said Tappas, little bites. I hung around the Seafood table. Huge 10-15 shrimp, deep fried and cold. Oysters on the 1/2 shell, fresh, fresh. Smoked Salmon and Trout. Shamishi, (sic), raw fish and Japanese dips. No thanks. Sushi and California rolls with cooked shrimp and crab inside, Crab legs, and, and, and. Apparently there was a roast beef and roast pork and tatters table. That I can have here. I ate too much. I liked it better than the 12 course Italian or Portuguese wedding feasts. The sweets tables were ridiculous. Club Roma St. Kitts On. 

[misfish]

8 minutes ago, Old Ironmaker said:

12 course Italian or Portuguese wedding feasts.

Been to a few of these. I will take this, and the open bar. Back then of course.  Do they still offer open bars ? LOL

[ketchenany]

at Italian weddings YES! or NO guests!

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I stuck enough $$ in my pocket for a few Beers. Open bar yesterday? Yep. Not top shelf but 2nd shelf. I found out today my wife's sister paid for all the food. She is a successful author and motivational speaker, she can afford it. The father is a lout and hasn't been around for almost all those 49 years. It  is her daughters 1st marriage at 49 years young. She looked not a minute over 30. Good genes. 

I love those ridiculous 15 course meals don't get me wrong but I am always full by the time the Surf and Turf comes to the table. We once went to an East Indian wedding. 3 days of food and festivities, I tapped out after day 2. I can't tell you what I ate and drank but can tell you it was good whatever it was. Except 1 dish that tasted and smelled like Turpentine, I swear. 

The 1st time I was ever on a commercial Jet, around 75', actually any airplane other than the one you got Mom to put a dime in was to a mob wedding in a Boston Mass. suburb. The front of the venue looked like an abandoned warehouse with 2 foot weeds growing out of the cracks in the pavement. whad da? From the rear it looked like Caesars Palace in Vegas and the interior matched too. Us Hamiltonians sat at a table of 10 I think. The waitress  took our order and when she returned asked for 50 something bucks, USD!!! We sipped on those drinks all through dinner, including the wine we bought. None of us ever heard of such a thing, ever, and I think I had 10 bucks after 2 nights of Disco dancing to get back to TO. After dinner my buddy and myself was asked by the Father of the groom, buddy's Uncle, to keep an eye on the bartenders ringing in the orders. The MC announced Mr. M has  opened the bar. You never saw so many Italians run to get their orders in before he changed his mind. What an eye opener. 1st time I ever knew there were Weddings on a Sunday. A big World out there datsa fo shoe. 

Edited September 24, 2019 by Old Ironmaker

[smitty55]

So we are now slowing down on the preserving. Crabapple juice is getting frozen, 3 more batches to do. I have a line on some real nice Concord grapes at an old Portuguese gent's place that I found a few years back. Real nice fresh eating and they make a fantastic grape jelly. A month ago they  were still green so they should be getting close by now. Plus I have a pile of pole beans in the garden that I might do up a batch of dilly beans as I found some late dill. 

So far we've made Million Dollar pickles, Million Dollar relish, Mustard relish, Dilled carrots, and Crabapple jelly. Grape jelly for sure is coming yet.

My storage in the basement needs to be straightened out yet. Still some jars from 2011 in there so I'll go over it before bringing all these down.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

A jar of jam or jelly lasts us over a year. That would be more than a lifetime of jam for me. It isn't on the list of good foods for Diabetes. Unless you want to get Diabetes. 

[Manitoubass3]

Glad to see ya fellas kept er going!!!!

 

 

[Manitoubass3]

[smitty55]

7 minutes ago, Manitoubass3 said:

Rick is that you?