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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2010 19:56:31 GMT
Actually, my deceased Pakistani friend (no, the rice did not kill him) always fried rice in extremely hot oil (with cardamom pods and other spices) until it was dark brown before adding other liquids.
I have tried that a few times, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing.
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Post by hwinpp on Jul 24, 2010 4:41:03 GMT
We should talk about risotto. A friend recently asked me where he could get it in Siem Reap and I was ashamed to have to tell him you couldn't...
So, anybody got a favourite risotto recipe?
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 24, 2010 5:21:58 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 24, 2010 5:22:55 GMT
Lots of recipes call for chicken stock in it, but I think -- not sure -- the original recipe called for beef stock.
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Post by hwinpp on Jul 24, 2010 6:59:12 GMT
I've only ever had risotto with these mushrooms and I liked it: They're called 'Steinpilze' in German, I think 'cepes' in French. Don't know their name in English. The problem I'd have is the stirring.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 24, 2010 7:59:18 GMT
Well, you're not stirring continuously. You put in the hot liquid, stir, then wait for it to be absorbed, then repeat the process. Or get someone to do it for you.
I don't know those mushrooms. They look good.
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Post by auntieannie on Jul 25, 2010 9:49:58 GMT
funghi porcini...porcini mushrooms, bixa!
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Post by fumobici on Jul 25, 2010 15:28:20 GMT
They can sometimes be found fresh in North American markets as boletus, but here they are mostly left to the wild pickers. In Italy they generally grow under the fallen oak leaves on the forest floor and are thus usually difficult to find even where plentiful.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 25, 2010 17:46:45 GMT
Huh! I thought porcini were those huge caps found in supermarkets sometime. They always look so good, but generally don't have taste to match their rich brown color. Thanks, Annie & Fumobici!
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Post by fumobici on Jul 25, 2010 18:41:03 GMT
Huh! I thought porcini were those huge caps found in supermarkets sometime. They always look so good, but generally don't have taste to match their rich brown color. Thanks, Annie & Fumobici! I think you are thinking of portobellos which are just creminis grown up and are really taxonomically the same as common or button mushroom- all Agaricus bisporus. All these taste interchangeable to me. Porcini are Boletus edulis- and delicious.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 25, 2010 19:08:13 GMT
That's it -- portobellos!
I've had the delicious porcini, but only in the dried form. I'm dying to try them fresh. I need to go to the Etla market (a long ride away from where I live). They used to always have really interesting wild mushrooms in the rainy season.
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Post by cristina on Jul 26, 2010 2:02:12 GMT
I am making risotto as I type, even if a boring variety. Since the young Miss does not like mushrooms, but I do (and I had a lot that needed to have something done with them), I sautéed them with shallots and lots of garlic in butter. Once cooked, I put most in a container to freeze but reserved some for my dinner. In the same pan, I added the rice and stirred to coat with butter (and a bit of olive oil) then added a glass of wine. Stirred once, then cut up some tomatoes to grill. Then added a cup of broth, stirred once, then folded some laundry. Added another cup of broth, stirred once, and am now writing to all of you. There is yet another dose of broth to be added, and then at that point I will put the steak and tomatoes on the grill. A final grating of cheese (tonight, some leftover fontina, supplemented by parmesan) and that's it. I wish I had some peas to add to it though... I rarely screw up risotto. I always screw up boiled rice. OK Bixa, so should a Spanish regional food thread go in here or in recipes Did this thread ever get started? I was hunting for it today...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2010 9:46:30 GMT
I don't remember seeing one, Cristina.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2013 16:21:58 GMT
Wondering if we have said everything there is to say about rice....
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2013 19:22:30 GMT
That rule about rinsing rice until the water is clear before making steamed rice is clearly a despicable invention by the water company, because the water is never clear. I rinse it about 4 times which is certainly more than enough, and the rice comes out perfect.
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Post by lagatta on May 4, 2013 0:26:23 GMT
I do rinse rice, but certainly not until the water comes clean.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 4, 2013 1:11:21 GMT
Too strange ~~ I posted an answer to post #70, but it's not here. Oh well.
Anyway, it was to say that I never rinse rise for plain steamed rice, and it turns out perfectly.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 13, 2015 2:44:28 GMT
I have two packages of "seafood mix" (or medley) mélange de fruits de mer. The stuff in the packages looks nice, not freezer burnt or mucked up. Just octopus, squid, shrimp and (cooked) mussels, no surimi.
Now I know this will not make a true paella - I've spent hours making those. But I do want to make a decent fish and rice (and vegetables) dish. I do have saffron. I assume mild onions such as spanish onions go into the mix.
Any hints and ideas?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2015 14:27:07 GMT
How about a seafood chowder? I do one that starts with frying some bacon in a dutch oven, remove the bacon and then saute some onions in the drippings. (sometimes I use leeks). Add stock or water and some potatoes to this, then some coconut milk, curry powder or the saffron if you prefer. Season with salt and pepper, perhaps a smidgen of paprika. Add seafood. Garnish with the bacon bits.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 13, 2015 14:33:57 GMT
Yes, that's a good idea too! Will definitely make one (I also make fish chowders, and while fresh fish is obviously best, there are frozen mixes of fish from a Portuguese company that are surprisingly good - and cheap. Obviously they are offcuts of fish, but good fishmongers also keep those for fish chowder or stew - unfortunately, none close to me to that.
I'm always astonished by people who don't like fish (not referring to allergies, obviously). Perhaps traumatized by horrible overcooked fish in childhood, but that has been done to meat and poultry as well.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2015 14:44:44 GMT
My mother had a slight aversion to some types of fish due to having to take daily doses of cod liver oil as a child.(I want to say it was for anemia but am not really sure). She avoided the real "fishy" tasting ones but was ok with mild tasting types.
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Post by bjd on Dec 13, 2015 15:32:49 GMT
When I was a kid in northern England we had to take cod liver oil too. It was not for anemia but to provide Vitamin D, given the lack of sunshine. It depends where your mother grew up. It seems to me we also had some occasionally in Toronto as well but wouldn't swear to it.
The cod liver oil was awful but I like fish.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2015 14:58:31 GMT
I have bought those packages of mixed seafood before and never been satisfied with whatever I tried. First of all, defrost the stuff and dry it as much as possible with paper towels (or a clean kitchen towel if you want to save trees). There will be half as much seafood as you thought there was, and even that is going to shrink by another 50% when you cook it.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 15, 2015 1:00:08 GMT
Oh, I agree. This particular kind (no surimi) is supposed to be better than most, but I'll still do as you say. I do have squares from an old (stained) cotton tablecloth that I use for rolling and drying salad and such. I have two packets of the stuff, and planned to use twice as much as the recipe called for. Here is one: www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/412624/spanish-seafood-rice
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Post by chexbres on Dec 15, 2015 21:08:18 GMT
One good rule - taste it before you add anything else. This applies to the water that you've boiled it in, as well as the individual ingredients themselves. Most of the pre-packaged stuff - if you boil it - will give you a halfway decent stock, but it is usually over-salted. But I wouldn't count on it for a main meal, unless you really had nothing else to eat.
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Post by lagatta on Dec 15, 2015 23:40:31 GMT
chexbres, I've already had the brand I bought. Unlike some others, they are fine. No more problem with them than any other frozen seafood.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2016 1:39:21 GMT
I debated about posting this in the Food Abominations thread. What am I talking about? Really, 15 minutes is too long to spend cooking rice? AND you need a microwave? I'll never understand people.
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Post by lagatta on Mar 3, 2016 1:47:22 GMT
That is just strange, but believe it or not, I have a friend who was saying he didn't want to waste time cooking "dry rice". I had no idea what he was talking about (obviously all the dishes that involve browning or pre-treating rice take a lot longer) and he was saying he was out of that Gawd-orful packaged pre-cooked rice (think it is marketed by Uncle Ben's, for people without basic skills or the "patience" to wait 15 minutes).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2016 2:20:29 GMT
Minute Rice. My mother never cooked anything else. It is absolutely awful, like shredded bits of cardboard.
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Post by lagatta on Mar 3, 2016 3:07:42 GMT
This stuff isn't Minute Rice, it is more sophisticated and expensive. It is Uncle Ben's, half cooked with spiced and other gunk. It is called something like Bistro Express.
We never had stuff like Minute Rice, but I sort of envied the kids in "modern" families who ate crap like that. I mean as a small child. My family had that old-fashioned European pantry. They were also very hard up, though educated...
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