I'm Cooking Again...

By Aureliux
(1 votes) (report abuse)
Going to try one more topic that has to do with finding food that is not expensive that turns out good and explain how I do it.

I'm not used to keeping track of exact quantities and measurements. And almost everything I do is still all in my head. It's difficult to get it all translated into readable text and I may miss something important along the way.

Before you try out anything I write about, look it over real good. ASK me about it IF it doesn't look right. I've made mistakes before and I don't want to mess up by giving out bad or incomplete information.

So with that said, here I go!

A.
3 Big Whole Fryers byAureliux January 24, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Had 3, because that was the limit and I got them on sale this week at F Meyer for $0.79 per #.

Have a big stainless steel pot that'll hold at least 8qts and a 12" stainless steel frying pan with lid.

Going to put water in the pot until it's about half full. And about 3/8 - 1/2" of water in the frying pan. Can turn them on now, depends on how long it takes to cut the chickens up.

I cook everything but the livers and tails. You can keep them around if you want, but those don't stay with me. I have set them aside for pet food and I'll see if I can remember to include that in the end.

SO I get all three chickens lined up on their backs with the tail ends pointed away from me. Have a nice razor sharp fillet knife so I carefully bone out the two big white meat portions and set them aside off of each one. Those go in a glass bowl with plastic over it and into the fridge for later.

Next I take the wings off and I put those in the fridge for something else at another time.

Here is where the frying pan should be getting hot that has the little bit of water in it that I mentioned earlier.

What we are going to make, in the frying pan, is what I call chicken adobo. It is my own variation of a Philippine recipe.

SO before I put any chicken in the pan, I put in:

3 T fresh garlic
3 T dried onion flakes
1 T poultry seasoning
3 T soy sauce or tamari
1 T garlic chili paste (this is the hot Vietnamese variety)
1 t fine ground black pepper
either 2 t of the instant concentrated chicken broth OR
2 chicken soup cubes
3 T sesame oil (I use my own homemade fire oil) and is optional

So I get all that in and mixed around before I put in the chicken legs and thighs.

And I have my Johnnies Seasoning that I shake over it all once it's in the pan.

So I get this kind of bubbling around with the lid on, over medium heat for around 20 minutes or so then I turn it once.

THIS is when it can get sort of tricky, because it's going to go dry and finish cooking without any water and in it's own fat. At any time you can add more water. If it's sticking when you try to turn it, just add a bit more water and put the lid on for a minute then try again. It'll come right up for an easy turn.

Once it's turned and it starts running out of water in the pan, it's almost done. I let mine go so it gets a little crispy on one side. Some people will let it do that, then add a tiny bit more water, turn it, and let it crisp up on the other side. I don't do that because it gets so tender it can all fall off the bones real fast if it goes too long.

You know it's done when everything starts falling apart. One of the really nice things about this process is, it is SO tender it comes the rest of the way off the bones real easy, can be served that way, but be eaten with a fork.

You can save what is left in the pan and make some really good gravy if you want. Just throw out as much of the fat that you don't want, save enough to melt in with the flour, and add milk while you warm it up.

As soon as I have everything parted out, I put what is left in the big cook pot. Usually I cook the hearts and gizzards in the frying pan with the legs and thighs. But they can go in for soup stock, too. Depends on what you like. The way I have this set up, the six legs and six thighs fit just right in the pan that I have.

There are all kinds of things that I have put in with my stock. This time I put in:

2 T miso
2 T instant concentrated chicken soup
4 T minced fresh garlic
4 T dried onion flakes
1 t ground black pepper
1 T garlic chili paste (the same hot stuff I mentioned above)

Takes a couple hours to cook the soup stock down right. When it all comes apart and things aren't attached to the bones anymore, that part is finished.

I let it cool down enough to handle, get a really big bowl and strainer, and separate out the solids from the broth.

Then my least favorite chore of all begins. And it never works out right, ever. Hand picking out the bones from the strained meat. No matter how careful I am or how long I take, I can't ever get all the bones out of it. So I have to always tell everyone that eats my soup to be careful. Always takes too long, and I never look forward to doing it. But I can't just let it go, always enjoy making things with it later.

Once I think the bones are gone, it goes back into the pot. Depending on what I think I'm going to make, I may add more water and concentrated soup stock. This time around I ended up with the pot about 2/3 full so I just kept what I had after I poured myself a nice hot cup of broth to enjoy along the way.

Then I added:

1 T regular mild dark chili powder
1 T paprika
1 T mashed potato flakes (any instant mashed potato flakes or buds will do)
1/4 c TVP
1/4 c red lentils

This makes it red and interesting without tomatoes. You can add those too. In fact I add all kinds of things all the time. This just kind of makes the basic soup stock that I can use for just about everything.

I have strained out 2 c of pure broth and made rice with it. Turns out really, really good.

For breakfast I have used this strained broth to re-hydrate dried hashbrown potatoes. THAT is REALLY good. Only place I know of to get those is at Cash 'n Carry.

SO I have the nice big white meat halves and the wings left.

I get the big frying pan hot but not smoking, with about 1/4" of good cooking oil in the bottom. There's a couple of different ways to flatten out the white meat portions so they cook better. I get some flour on a plate that has some garlic salt, black pepper, and Johnnies Seasoning in it, push each piece down in that, and flatten it around with another plate. Turn it over so it gets flour ect. on both sides, then it goes in the oil. About 3-4 minutes to the side depending on how thick it is. If you take one out of the pan and cut it in half through the thickest part and it's still red or uncooked inside, it has to go back in and get done. I leave the skin on mine, but you don't have to.

Almost all of this is going in either the fridge or the freezer as it's done and cooled off.

Last, we have wings to cook. Or freeze until the next batch of chickens is being done. Depends on what you want to do, if you think it's worth cooking up 6 wings this time or waiting until you do 3 more chickens another time, and then have 12 wings to cook which will almost fill up the 12" pan.

I cook the wings almost the same way I did the legs and thighs. Except for what else I put in the pan. I just use the water but don't add a lot of the other things. Then JUST as the water disappears, I pour on the teryaki sauce, set the stove on real low temp, and turn it once after it cooks in a while on one side.

This can also be done with just about any kind of barbecue sauce you like AND as much chili pepper that you want to make those really hot wings. Can dust them with cayenne pepper just before they are done, too. That is too hot for me but I know some people like it that way.

SO if you decided to save absolutely everything else including ALL the bones and want to know how I used to make my own dog and cat food? I kept a coffee can in the freezer for what I called the non-human edible spare parts. Chicken bones, livers, and tails would be saved in there. And I'd even save some of the extra left over fat from either off the soup or the frying pan.

When I got enough, it'd all go in the big pressure cooker with plenty of water for it to cook around in. I'd go for the full 15# of pressure for at least an hour. I'd let the pressure down easy and make sure the bones were all cooked through and crumbly. Can't be any sharp pieces left and it should all mush between your fingers when you pinch it AFTER it cools down. Will be REALLY hot for a while so don't burn yourself.

So if I was sure the bones cooked up right and weren't sharp anymore, I'd add some things to it while it was cold. Dogs didn't much care what else was in it, they loved this stuff.

But I'd have about a gallon or so on the stove, and would stir in a couple tablespoons of flour and corn meal, some instant milk powder, some instant potato flakes or buds, might put in some rice or whole wheat berries, some cottage cheese if I had any that was past pull date. Then I'd let it cook slow until it was all done, I'd stir it up, let it cool down enough, and I'd have home made dog food. Cats would really like it better with a bit of fish in it so I'd get those cans of really cheap imported tuna and throw a can of that in if I was just cooking for cats.

My pets thrived on this stuff. Never had any problems with it or them but I'm sure if they could have had more, they would have eaten too much which wouldn't have been good at all.

There were times when I even cooked in potato and carrot peelings.

Always had regular dog and cat food for them and they got a varied diet and looked to be in great shape, and lived a good long time, too!

SO there you go, the story of what I can do with 3 chickens with the possibility of nothing going to waste.

A.
RE: 3 Big Whole Fryers byAngel Girl January 29, 2009 (1 votes) (report abuse)
I hope to fix this recipe soon A sounds yummy!!!!
RE: 3 Big Whole Fryers byAngel Girl January 29, 2009 (1 votes) (report abuse)
Hey Aureliux, what is TVP ???
Keeping Track of the Costs Involved: byAureliux January 25, 2009 (1 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Think I said something about how I was going to keep track of the costs? The chickens I purchased on sale ran between $4.10 and $4.50 each. I always try to pick out the biggest heaviest onces that I can find.

Everything else was pretty much off the shelf spice and stored in the pantry material.

May be hard to find miso around here. I love the stuff and put it in all kinds of things. I get the dark type made from soy beans. Supposed to be super concentrated B vitamins from a good source. I'll even cook my rice in it which to me, really gives it a boost.

So I figure for less than $16.00 I have created enough food to last me for more than a week.

The big white meat pieces, once cooked, can become part of all kinds of good things. Will probably make some chicken enchiladas. Will be some sandwiches, too.

I used to brine them up for 24 hours in the fridge, then smoke them HARD over apple wood. Then I'd run it through my power slicer super thin, bag it and freeze it for sandwiches. Called it my chicken pastrami. Could do all kinds of things with that fine product.

I once boned out some thighs and did the same thing. Not too easy to get just right and it was real work, but I brined and smoked those and they turned out really good.

When things get way too busy and I'm really tight for time and the chickens are on sale and I want some? I get out the big oval turkey roaster, lay them in there whole, put whatever I want on and around them, and roast them until they are done. Then I can either freeze what is left that I don't eat right away, or pick out ALL the bones, keep what is left in the bottom of the pan, and make some awesome chicken stew. OR bag up and freeze most of the meat and put everything else in a pot to boil down for a while so I can have soup again.

Chicken is good, and it's usually very economical to have around.

A.
RE: Keeping Track of the Costs Involved: byAureliux January 25, 2009 (2 votes) (report abuse)
Now that the 3rd cup of coffee of the day is soaking in and a few more brain cells have fired up! I thought of something else along the useful chicken line.

We used to save up all the fat off the top of the stock pot. Would put it in another pan, one that was tall instead of short or square. Used to have this special stainless steel one with a lid that was perfect. It's packed away somewhere...

Anyway, would let it boil through and MADE SURE it never ran out of water beneath the fat. After a half hour or so of the slow boil, I'd cool it down enough for the fat to harden, and I'd dump the water and do it all over again.

Would keep this up until the water under the fat would come out clean and clear.

Then I'd put the fat in something like a low wide plastic container that would freeze good, and I'd keep it in the freezer.

And you know what I had then? Perfectly good shortening, home made and salt free. And natural. Works a lot like butter only it won't scorch. Not too good to fry with but it will make incredible pastry and baking powder biscuits.

If you've ever been around a city that has a Hebrew bakery and wonder why their pastries are SO good and different? Well, they sure as heck don't use pork fat in anything. Butter won't work in a lot of baked goods, so here you go. Big secret let out of how that is done.

But it is temperature intolerant for handling and when I use it, a real shortening cutter is mandatory. Along with using water as cold as it can get, and keeping the flour in the freezer until the last minute.

I never cut the shortening/fat down to less than the size of a whole green pea. Mix it in REAL CAREFUL so it won't blend, then roll it out on a board that I have kept in the freezer.

The real super deal with this is to have a marble rolling surface that was kept in the freezer, along with a marble rolling pin which was also frozen.

I'll sift all the dry ingredients to perfection then keep them in the freezer for a while in a stainless steel mixing bowl.

I have seen good materials for this use totally ruined in the kitchen by warm hands, and handling it too much.

Fresh hot light fluffy baking powder biscuits are a great side to almost any meal, and go real good alongside any chicken creation I've ever made.

Have even split up the recipe for them and done a 50/50 blend of white flour with my fresh ground whole wheat. THAT is quite perfect with real butter and sorghum for breakfast! And my kids had no problem at all fixing them up for sandwiches in their own home made school lunches.

Even tried grinding up some 7 grain, and rye another time for these. Seemed like no matter what I did, it worked.

A.
RE: Keeping Track of the Costs Involved: byMC January 25, 2009 (2 votes) (report abuse)
Chicken fat/ chicken skins all goes to the dogs around here. :) Can't just dump a whole load on out of the blue or else they can get pancreatitis (and it can kill them), but a bit of skin frozen in a baggie make for a good dog treat when it's cold out and they're burning a lot of energy and eating meat regularly anyway.

We like boiling chicken pieces before throwing them on the BBQ since it's hard to get them cooked through otherwise without charring the outside. That 'chicken water' is either dumped over dog kibble straight, or frozen in ice cube trays for warm weather dog treats.

Ultimately I'd like to have some chickens so we could recycle more food scraps and have fresh eggs available and occasionally turn them out to beat up on the grasshoppers (here's hoping we don't have a bumper crop like last year!). If we had to butcher out some birds, the dogs could get the meaty bits that people don't normally eat- besides taking care of any eggs we couldn't find a home for of course. Cost effective? Probably not, but at least I'd have a clear conscience about how those birds lived... and fresh eggs are wonderful, and I just kind of miss having chickens around.
Home Grown Chicken, Eggs, and Being Cost Effective byAureliux January 25, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I always thought that the home grown chicken business was real cost effective. Once a year down at Farm 'n Home they do that dozen each give-a-way. If you do a lot of good home scratch cooking there is ALWAYS good little scraps that chickens can eat.

If you have a garden there are tons of things to grow that can supplement their diet that aren't difficult and can be pretty cold tolerant.

The best grasshopper hunter/killer birds I EVER had were my pet pheasants. Tore into them like feathered barracuda. When those bugs were in season, it took very little grain to keep the poultry fat and happy. Did have to watch for hungry hawks, bald eagles, coyotes, and stray dogs. Did not have any grasshoppers within 50 yards of the chicken coop.

And if you have ground that you don't particularly care about, and can keep it watered through the dry spells, till it up a bit and watch the busy egg factories get into finding bugs and grubs that are too small for us to see.

One other thing that will disappear around the household with the chickens being loose around the property are horse and deer flies. Chickens will scratch the larvae out of the grass and brush and eat each and every one of them.

We had this near plague of something called a tarnish bug. The two years that I had chickens out and around, all those ended up missing in action and weren't a problem anymore.

And if there are mosquitoes around that hide in the damp grass during the heat of the day? Chickens will make short work of all those, too.

Fixing up a full grown fattened Rhode Island Red rooster for the table was a real treat. Always slow roasted them and it was ALWAYS the best. Nothing like any store bought chicken you'll ever find.

Would like to be able to order a couple dozen Rock Cornish roaster chicks this spring to raise just for the freezer. No idea if I can pull it off, but it doesn't hurt to dream.

And I'd like to have another dozen Buff Orpingtons, and some of those great Aracuana chickens.

If you want I can get the link to the mail order hatchery that I used to use if you want to get them direct when you want them and not have to wait for one of these few stores around here to get them in.

A.
RE: Home Grown Chicken, Eggs, and Being Cost Effective byMC January 25, 2009 (2 votes) (report abuse)
I know exactly what you mean about the chickens eating bugs! On the farm I worked on growing up I'll never forget cleaning some pretty icky deep litter (straw) out of a calf pen and watching a hen attack what I was pulling out with her chicks. Mama would scratch backwards in the pile I was building up, and the chicks would all leap in front of her to snap up the grubs she'd uncovered.

Chickens would also come running whenever a horse pooped. Horses don't digest whole seeds very well, and especially if we'd given them some grain there was always 'leftovers' for the chickens in it. Within a minute the pile would be scratched to shreds. It sounds horrible to someone not familiar with farm life, but we were always glad to see it... feed was expensive to waste, and those chickens were also quite effectively short-circuiting any parasites from making their full life cycle back into our stock.

And I actually saw those chickens chase down and swallow mice whole. Not to mention eating every bit of edible garbage we had. And for all that, we got great eggs and meat... it was a pretty good deal.

I don't think we're quite ready for chickens yet, but maybe in another year. I'd like to get some golden penciled Wyandottes, as they are multi-purpose old fashioned birds and somewhat rare... looks like McMurry hatchery carries them among some others. I really like the idea of preserving some genetic diversity while we're at it since we wouldn't be production fixated anyway.
RE: Home Grown Chicken, Eggs, and Being Cost Effective byAngel Girl January 25, 2009 (2 votes) (report abuse)
Rhode Island Red Roosters are very mean!!!

When I was a child we raised them (as well as hens) and they had bad attitudes!!! It was my job to collect the eggs each morning and the roosters backed me into a corner of the chicken coop quite frequently and on one occasion, one had me climbing the fence backward to escape his spurs.

I have nothing but bad memories of them!!!!
RE: Home Grown Chicken, Eggs, and Being Cost Effective byAureliux January 25, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse)
How incredibly interesting! I have used THAT hatchery quite a few times in the past:

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html

Is THE place to get birds. It's mandatory that I wander in there quite often and think about what else I'd like to raise. Pheasants are really my #1 plan "someday" but I love looking at the rest of the choices, too.

Never had a problem with any of my Rhode Island Red roosters. I always hand raised mine and I guess they always thought of me as their daddy or something so we never had issues. Did have one huge Bar Rock monster that we thought was OK, never bothered me or my Mom. One day it sliced my oldest sister so bad from her hip to her ankle that she took over 60 stitches to get back together. That was a mess.

My dear mother fixed things immediately with a big knife, and we had some really good roast chicken the next day.

A.
RE: Home Grown Chicken, Eggs, and Being Cost Effective byMC January 25, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse)
Holy cow- how old was your sister when that bird got her?

I loved the little random bantam/red/rock et al mutts wandering around the farm. They were almost like wildlife- the hens raised their own chicks from piles of eggs they'd hidden too well from us to collect, fought off the cats, and otherwise cared for their chicks jealously. They tended to perch overnight in a tree by the driveway if they weren't sitting on eggs. The owner once said he always knew when the resident Peregrine flew over because suddenly every bird on the place was peeking out from under boards, bushes, fences, etc.

The worst chicken experience was some big white meat chickens that the owner picked up for free from the feed store one year as chicks... they were too stupid to even come in out of the rain so many were lost even as adults to weather, and they were so heavy they actually had a lot of physical problems. It's sad to see what is sometimes done to animals in the name of production.

One of the better chicken stories was from all the fruit boxes piled against the house, balanced on top of fire wood and other assorted "I-may-need-that-someday" random stuff that had been there for at least a decade. Some of the chickens- especially the surviving "white mutants" as we called them- liked sticking as close to the house as possible on cold mornings (it's insulative properties were dotty obviously), so they would hang out in the fruit boxes with newspaper/magazines/junk mail in the bottom right under the kitchen window and beside the door. In fact, usually at least 3 snoozed the night away jammed against the bottom of the door. Kind of like a live feathered version of putting a rolled up towel down there to stop drafts, only with a lot more 'leavings'....

One morning one of the owners was making breakfast in her bathrobe and ran out of eggs for whatever she was doing. As she opened up the back door, she prattled "It's SO hillbilly, but it really IS handy to be able to get eggs right outside the door and not have to put your shoes on!" She reached out around the door jam and sure enough, her hand came back holding two or three eggs she'd snagged out of a fruit box.

I don't think I'm going to repeat the experiment since they leave the porch somewhat less than inviting, but it was definately a scene worth remembering. :)
RE: Home Grown Chicken, Eggs, and Being Cost Effective byAngel Girl January 26, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse)
My mother also sprung into action... she was so concerned the rooster would spur me she grabbed him and rung his neck!!!!

I being foolish, walked past what I believed to be a dead rooster and went "nanny nanny bo bo" only to have him jumt up after me again!!! Mamma grabbed him again and took care of business...we had rooster and dumplings for dinner.
Sister was about 30 or so, byAureliux January 26, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse)
She'd come in through the back gate to drop off the kids on her way out on a Friday night.

A.
RE: Home Grown Chicken, Eggs, and Being Cost Effective byMC January 26, 2009 (2 votes) (report abuse)
Wow Aureliux! I figured you were going to say your sister was 9 years old or something on that order... I've never met a rooster that mean! Maybe they all had gotten the memo I'd go after them with the axe with very little provocation?

Someone mentioned an ad in the paper for a free rooster the other day. I chirped up "Oh I'd give him a home". Of course it was then pointed out that they *probably* had something other than a stew pot or a roasting bag in mind.
The Chicken Attacked Sister... byAureliux January 26, 2009 (2 votes) (report abuse)
No, she was around 30, never got along good with any animals and my Bar Rock rooster was the tamest mildest thing going. He never dropped his wing and came at anyone at any time, ever, before that incident.

He didn't even have the whatever it takes energy to crow much in the morning. He'd follow me around the yard with the rest of his crew and watch what I did, always particularly interested in weeding because that produced bugs. Was just like a mother hen the way he'd cluck around, scratch, and stand back to let the hens eat. And he was never mean to the hens, either.

If I had to guess, I'd say he went over 10# when he lost his head. We never wrung necks, mother always used a big sharp knife. I had to have a chopping block and either a hatchet or a machete when I had to do the task.

Had to go look at McMurray Hatchery again, and think about those fine Rock Cornish Roasters. Supplement their feed with some ground carrots and greens and I'd have some real fine old fashioned roasting chicken that would be the best in the world!

A.
Did the Wings byAureliux January 25, 2009 (2 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
So I had 6 chicken wings off the 3 fryers I parted out. Cut the tips off and threw them away, and separated the wings further into their individual sections so we have the beginnings of great little winglets. Or drummettes. No idea who thought of calling these things buffalo wings, but that works too.

Used a smaller sized teflon pan this time. Didn't want anything to stick. Don't like the winglets to come apart while I'm rolling them around in the pan.

Put about 1/4" of water in the pan, got it hot, threw in the chicken wing portions, shook some garlic salt and Johnnies on it with a little shake of black pepper and let it roll.

I watch it close, just about the time that first bit of water is gone I turn it and add about the same amount of water again.

Once that is gone and they start to fry around a bit in their own grease, I add a bit more water and turn them again.

SO I do that 4 times, so they cook all the way through twice.

When that 4th bit of water is gone and they just start to crisp up on one side, I turn it again and put the teryaki sauce on it. Just enough to cover the top. And I turn the heat down so the sauce won't scorch.

Once that bubbles around real nice I'll turn it one more time and add a bit more sauce. Might turn the stove down even more, might even turn it off at that point and let things rest, so the flavor soaks in more.

Then I ate them all. And they were SO good.

This system that I use will work with any flavored sauce that I know of. At least I can't think of any that won't work. There's no added fat, no oil required, and they can come out and sit on a rack to drain a little bit before serving.

I've tried all kinds of heat and serve wings from the store. Nothing can compare to the kind made at home and it's not that hard to get them to turn out.

A.
Hi Aureliux byAngel Girl February 01, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Cooked my chicken today and can I tell you it was good!!!!

How are you doing?
RE: Hi Aureliux byAureliux February 02, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse)
Hello, Thank you very much for the good report on my chicken routine.

How am I doing? Stepping up to bat, finding an abundance of opportunities to exercise my faith in God, being faced with more challenges than I would have chosen.

Let me know if there's anything in particular that you would want to change in my cooking instructions, OK?

A.
RE: Hi Aureliux byAngel Girl February 03, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse)
Facing Your Giants can be hard my friend.... when this happens to me(which is daily) I think of my Bible Hero "JOB" and it helps me!!!

Nope, I wouldn't change an ingrediant in your recipe!!!! "THANKS"

Have a Blessed Day my mystery friend,

AG
Corned Beef Season byAureliux March 07, 2009 (3 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Noticed at the FM grocery that point cut corned beef was on sale. SO I bought a couple.

I don't exactly cook mine in a traditional manner. First off, I won't put vegetables in with it. Every time I've seen that done they get over cooked.

But I do use the little spice packet that comes with them. AND I don't give it a rinse before it goes in the pot.

To kick the flavor up to decent sandwich later intensity? Once it's in the pot and covered with boiling water I add a few extra things.

2 Tablespoons of chili powder (I usually use the mild, dark variety)
2 T paprika
1 T onion salt
4 T fresh crushed or diced garlic (or maybe more...)
2 T powdered HOT red pepper (or less, but it will make a difference)
1 teaspoon of the salt substitute potassium chloride (just because I like it)
1 T fresh finely ground black pepper (have used more and it's good)

SO I get all this in a pot, meat covered, boiling away nice and slow with a lid on it. Check it about every 20 - 30 minutes to see that it isn't going dry or boiling too hard.

Last one I did cooked for two hours. I think it turned out perfect. I TOSS all the red sauce this makes and just save the meat.

Then I slice and serve it with some varieties of gourmet mustard and horseradish!

The best side for this I've ever found was my own homemade sauerkraut. However! Another real good side recipe comes from Poland. Which is actually a LOT like a set of grill fried Mongolian style vegetables...

A big frying pan, like the one I can do a lot of fried chicken in.

A stick of butter or whatever works. Can use your favorite oil, too.

1 cabbage (and the color really doesn't matter and I've used them all)

1 onion (BIG, sweet, or whatever your is your favorite. Or use two! It's all good)

SOME garlic. Or a lot. I like a lot. At least one clove, diced or crushed up nice and fine.

A bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Get the butter or whatever in a big frying pan hot but not smoking.

Core the cabbage after it's quartered, then slice it about 1/4" thick.

Peel, quarter, and slice the onion(s)

Get the cabbage in the pan with the onion and garlic and watch it cook. Have to keep it stirred up without mashing it. JUST about the time the cabbage goes totally limp without turning brown, it's done.

I've seen this done with added fried carrots and parsnips and that is REALLY good. Big white sliced and fried oyster mushrooms can be a very nice addition, too. JUST be careful because things don't all get done at the same time and you don't want to over cook the good tender parts.

To complete the setting, some good boiled potatoes with butter and parsley are nice. And I would add some fresh baked rye bread and swiss cheese.

So how does that sound?
RE: Corned Beef Season byMaxtodon March 07, 2009 (2 votes) (report abuse)
sounds really good right now wonder if its still on sale at the store.
RE: Corned Beef Season byAngel Girl March 08, 2009 (2 votes) (report abuse)
You have talked me into running to the market and picking up a corned beef!!!! YUM!!!!
RE: Corned Beef Season byAureliux March 08, 2009 (2 votes) (report abuse)
Great! I had two, 1st one cooked is all gone. Stewed down 6# of lamb neck bones today and that turned out real nice. Kind of did a combo French/Italian method that works out really good.

Let me know how yours turns out? I'm going to jump up the quantity of powdered hot red pepper in my next batch. Just can't quite get enough of that kind of flavor into the meat so it's got a nice hot spike in it when the sandwiches are made.

May get the next one cooking tomorrow, we'll see how it goes.

A.
Fried Carrots? byAureliux March 07, 2009 (4 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I like those. Parsnips are good that way, too. So to get this done, I use a BIG frying pan. Again, like the one that I'd do a lot of fried chicken in.

Combinations and additions to this will never end. Quantity of each will have to do with what is available, what might be in season, and either how many you want to feed or what you want for leftovers to warm up later.

SO this time let us say we are going to cook:

4 big orange carrots
2 white parsnips
1 onion
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (usually use the white oyster variety from the store)
1 clove garlic or more...
seasonings to taste

It can be done with minimal added fat/oil if you use a good teflon frying pan with a lid. You just have to put in a couple tablespoons of water, watch the heat, keep the lid on, and add more water if things dry out too fast while it's cooking. Secret is to get things done to perfection at the same time all the water is gone. Not always easy to get it just right.

AND I've used my homemade chicken stock instead of water for this routine, too. Seems to give everything a really nice overall flavor.

But this time, I use some oil. Don't usually use butter for this because it cooks longer than the cabbage dish. And butter, if cooked too long, starts to smell bad.

I get the pan hot but not smoking. Everything is already peeled and sliced thin. In it goes, keeping it turned and stirred enough so it won't get too dark on one side or burn.

The onions and mushrooms are going to create some moisture. I use a lid until things start to get tender, which is close to being done. Then I take the lid off, let it go dry, and then allow it to get just a little bit of a browning consistency.

Can shake a bit of Johnny's Seasoning on this and it works great. Regular salt and pepper will work, too.

I have also added, it times past, small cubes of zucchini and/or eggplant. THOSE contain more water and it will change the way it cooks.

A.
..Hello Aureliux byAngel Girl March 15, 2009 (1 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Good to see you are back with us.... we missed you!!!!
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