You cooks! Any suggestions?

[Mike]

my idea is much the same as kaan's.

your meat: pick up some tuna medallions, get your pan nice and hot, cover the tuna is some freshly cracked pepper, toss some olive oil in the pan, toss tuna in pan, flip when the "whiteness" is halfway up the outside, and remove from heat when the side is no longer showing any pink. you can also experiment with other marinades/seasonings. soy based works pretty well.

your salad: i've got two favorites... 1) spinach base, pecan halves, craisins, some gorgonzola cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. 2) whatever base you want, mandarin orange slices, dry chow mein noodles, and a soy ginger dressing.

other: get some fresh asparagus, remove one from the bunch, bend it in half until it breaks, and you have your "good cutting point." put it back with the rest, and cut the whole bunch where that one snapped. get a cookie sheet, cover it in olive oil, sea salt, and a little pepper. toss asparagus in roll it around, douse w/ olive oil on top. cooking time may vary... remove when the heads begin to brown... i think i cook at 375 for like 10 minutes?

some french bread and a bottle of wine would be nice on the side. no need to spend a lot on the wine... i'd recommend a schmitt and sohne riesling... blue bottle, you can't miss it. cheap, and everyone seems to like it.

yes, mikey likes to cook.

[WRXtranceformed]

my idea is much the same as kaan's.

your meat: pick up some tuna medallions, get your pan nice and hot, cover the tuna is some freshly cracked pepper, toss some olive oil in the pan, toss tuna in pan, flip when the "whiteness" is halfway up the outside, and remove from heat when the side is no longer showing any pink. you can also experiment with other marinades/seasonings. soy based works pretty well.

your salad: i've got two favorites... 1) spinach base, pecan halves, craisins, some gorgonzola cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. 2) whatever base you want, mandarin orange slices, dry chow mein noodles, and a soy ginger dressing.

This is money. I didn't even think of tuna medallions. That might actually make for an interesting combination with a simple stir fry. I know Julie liked the ginger dressing from Kobe's, so that would make a great side.

For the medallions, would you substitute the soy marinade for the olive oil? Or would you throw that in the pan after you cook the tuna with the olive oil?

[Mike]

i use the same soy ginger dressing for marinade as i do for the mandarin salad i mentioned... in that case, it has a little oil in it so it works. if you were making a soy marinade on your own? hrm... i'd probably toss a little oil.

i apply the marinade while i'm cooking. if you let it set in to the tuna it'll be verrry salty and if you begin cooking with it already applied the sugars will burn and cause smoke and sometimes a burnt taste. put a light amount on during cooking and it'll caramelize just a little bit on the fish, leaving it tasty and good.

[WRXtranceformed]

i use the same soy ginger dressing for marinade as i do for the mandarin salad i mentioned... in that case, it has a little oil in it so it works. if you were making a soy marinade on your own? hrm... i'd probably toss a little oil.

i apply the marinade while i'm cooking. if you let it set in to the tuna it'll be verrry salty and if you begin cooking with it already applied the sugars will burn and cause smoke and sometimes a burnt taste. put a light amount on during cooking and it'll caramelize just a little bit on the fish, leaving it tasty and good.

:thumbup: Thanks mike!

[REED]

tonight im making a soup

Sweet potato, eggplant and portabello mushrooms flavored with some curry. With some warm pita for dipping and scooping. This is my first time making a soup, but it doesn't take nearly as long as you would think and this one is vegeterian so it should meet most of your requirements

I dont know the recipe off hand but ill throw it up here if you are interested

[WRXtranceformed]

Yeah hit it up, I'd love some more ideas =)

[Nick325is]

Whatever you do don't cook the tuna past medium unless you absolutely can't stand undercooked fish. It won't be worth much if its well done.


Phyllo is just paper thin pastry sheets that come frozen in a box.
The idea is to thaw them and layer them alternately with a light coating of melted butter. Place the salmon filet in with the veggies and seasoning and then wrap up and bake until done.



-Nick

[Mike]

yeah, what he said. my guidelines for color will ensure the inside is nice and pink. if the thought of raw fish scares you, don't make that recipe. whatever you do, do not overcook as it'll just be "bleh" IMO.

[ScottyB]

whatever you do, do not overcook as it'll just be "bleh" IMO.

the best tuna i EVER had was charred but still a little chilly in the middle but then again i like sushi too.

[Mike]

right, it was seared. by heating the pan before placing the tuna in, that is what you do

[WRXtranceformed]

Ok here's what I got:
1 french bagette
1 bottle of Cab Sav / Shiraz mix
1 large filet of wild caught sockeye salmon
1 bottle of ginger/soy marinade/glaze
1 bottle of teriyaki stir fry sauce
1 bottle of ginger salad dressing
Salad stuff
I also made up real quick some avocado and tequila lime salsa dip so we can munch whilst the food cooks.

With this filet, should I remove the skin and throw it in the pan... waiting to baste it with the sauce until it's almost done? Or broil it in the oven? I'm going to look online fast, but figured you guys might have some hints.

[Mike]

i think that's up to you, i usually remove the skin, but i've never actually done what you're doing so you're on your own

be careful with those marinades, salmon is a stronger flavor than tuna. more risk in making something not so tasty.

the way i make salmon is to slice up a couple oranges, limes, and lemons, wrap the salmon in those slices, cover it all in tinfoil and toss it in the oven. very juicy (like maeng's mom), and very fresh (unline maeng's mom).

[CaptainHenreh]

Make sure there's no spinal tissue in the filet. It's more of an issue with salmon steaks than filets, but sometime it is an issue. Spinal cord stuff from salmon tastes like ass. Very fishy.

[WRXtranceformed]

Looked in a few cookbooks and talked to the momdukes. Seems like baking it skin side down at 350 for about 20 minutes should do the trick, and I'll hold off on the glaze until the last few minutes, just to help it sink in. I'll let you know how it turns out!! Thanks guys!!

[Mike]

momdukes ftw!

[WRXtranceformed]

Dinner went great!

Cooked the salmon in the oven for 20 minutes, put the glaze on with about 4 minutes to go so that it wouldn't crystallize. It maybe could have stood another couple of minutes in the oven, but it tasted perfect. The veggies were easy, stir-frying only takes a few minutes. The only downside was the salad dressing I chose, it tasted okay but it wasn't as sweet as the ginger dressing they use at Kobe's. It kind of offset the whole meal, but Julie didn't mind and was very happy with the meal overall =D

Thanks again for the tips guys. I even have some leftovers for work tomorrow ^_^

[Maengelito]

the way i make salmon is to slice up a couple oranges, limes, and lemons, wrap the salmon in those slices, cover it all in tinfoil and toss it in the oven. very juicy (like maeng's mom), and very fresh (unline maeng's mom).

your shit is weak. next time i bang your mom i'm gonna throw a salt shaker in a river at the same time thus causing the earth to explode

[Mike]

you know that was good, back off it. slipping your mom randomly in to a cooking thread?

Money in the Bank

[WRXtranceformed]

So I made some spicy vegetarian chili this weekend that was delicious!! It was my first attempt at chili and I decided to try making it to give me something to do while I was getting drunk. Here's the recipe I took from Emeril Lagasse himself!

Emeril's Vegetarian Chili!



2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced, depending upon taste
1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespooon ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable stock, or water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Cooked brown rice, accompaniment
Sour cream or strained plain yogurt, garnish
Diced avocado, garnish
Essence, recipe follows, garnish
Chopped green onions, garnish

In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and serrano peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, corn, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the beans, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.

To serve, place 1/4 cup of brown rice in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the chili into the bowls over the rice. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and spoonful of avocado. Sprinkle with Essence and green onions and serve.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Yield: 2/3 cup


I didn't make the garnishes or anything like that, I just poured it over some white rice Scooter made. I made it with 2 fewer large portobella caps because I felt that 5 would have been mushroom overkill, but in hindsight I'd probably add one more because the mushrooms are really really good once they absorb all of the spice and vegetable juices. The chili was not insanely spicy (I love really spicy stuff) but it had enough kick to clean my nose out. I think it cost me maybe $30 to get all the ingredients together, mostly because I didn't have a lot of that stuff. I highly recommend it !!

[HAULN-SS]

nice - i may have to try this out, even though it looks like a steaming pile in that picture you posted