To Serve Man - It's a Cookbook!

[Alienmorph]

Nothing against the guy personally, but I wouldn't pay a truckload of money for his interpretation of a recipe that my mother can do better at home for 10 bucks or so. That is all.

Also what's with british cousine putting peas or cream into almost everything?

[TheodoricFriede]

Nothing against the guy personally, but I wouldn't pay a truckload of money for his interpretation of a recipe that my mother can do better at home for 10 bucks or so. That is all.

Also what's with british cousine putting peas or cream into almost everything?

I think whats going on is that he always adds cream in eggs because it does, legitimately, make scrambled eggs or omelettes fluffy. And it really is just as simple as "well its good in one egg dish, so obviously its good in every egg dish."

Also, he is an English man who learned French cooking trying to make Italian food. I love french food. I love Italian food. I even love english food. They could not be more different.

Also I just hate Gordon Ramsey because he is obviously a competent enough chef to maintain his image, but is also a mass market corporate product who could spread horse-shit on a bagel and people would call it a 5 star dinner. That, and he talks to people in such a vile, horrible, disrespectful way that if my own mother said those words to me I'd punch her in the mouth.


Anyway, I may try ladies carbonara recipe later. It seemed nice. I liked the simplicity.

[SciFlyBoy]

Gordon does a good Christmas Goose recipe which I have tried to duplicate.

My go to authority for Italian food is Fabio Viviani. And I've actually eaten his food, so he's my guy.

[TheodoricFriede]

Gordon does a good Christmas Goose recipe which I have tried to duplicate.

Its not that he cant cook, he obviously can. i use his hamburger recipe (or aspects of it) and its great.

But his persona is absolutely miserable, and people act like he is some flawless, master chef. I think that ultimately hes more a showman than anything.

[TheodoricFriede]

ALFREDO SAUCE ISN'T ITALIAN?!?

[Mazder]

Wait, did Gordon say that because he's a dumbfuck if he thinks that!

I mean it came from ROME made by AN ITALIAN GUY. How more Italian do you want it to be?!

[Alienmorph]

Alfredo sauce is basically just a parmeasan and butter sauce, originally used for a dish named fettuccine all'Alfredo. I guess it could be something an italian-american came up with, or popularized in other countries, but I'm pretty sure it's from around here

[Vol]

butter sauce

French cuisine confirmed.

Sine, you best own up to this.

[TheodoricFriede]

Alfredo sauce is basically just a parmeasan and butter sauce, originally used for a dish named fettuccine all'Alfredo. I guess it could be something an italian-american came up with, or popularized in other countries, but I'm pretty sure it's from around here

Lady from your video made it seem like in Italy you dont actually use it.

I was very confused.

[Alienmorph]

Lady from your video made it seem like in Italy you dont actually use it.

I was very confused.

I just never heard it called "Alfredo Sauce", but we definately do. Also, you have to remember that despite how little our country is compared to, say, the US we are one heck of a hodgepodge, so you may ask 5 different italians the same question and get 5 different answers.

[TheodoricFriede]

I just never heard it called "Alfredo Sauce", but we definately do. Also, you have to remember that despite how little our country is compared to, say, the US we are one heck of a hodgepodge, so you may ask 5 different italians the same question and get 5 different answers.

Well now I dont know what to believe....

Anyway, whats a good gnocchi sauce? You're Italian, you probably know.

[Alienmorph]

Well now I dont know what to believe....

Anyway, whats a good gnocchi sauce? You're Italian, you probably know.

xD sorry if I confused you more. Anyway, gnocchi I usually eat with bolognese or with 4-cheese sauce, but they go well with a lot of sauces including pesto and tomato+veggies sauce.

[TheodoricFriede]

Oh neat, thats nice and simple.

[Alienmorph]

Yup, I can look up some stranger/more elaborate sauces if you're curious, but to be honest often less is more with pasta. Get/make a nice sauce, don't overcook the pasta itself, and you're pretty much set.

This goes double with gnocchi... they're VERY easy to overcook. As soon as you see a bunch floating ontop of the water, take them out.

[SciFlyBoy]

I made an onion sauce (genovese?) that I heard was the popular sauce before tomatoes were introduced to Italy.

I have trouble getting my Gnochhi small enough. I try for the size of my thumb from the last joint to the tip, but they always end up HUGE when they're all cooked.

@Alien, how big do you prefer/make your gnocchi?

[Alienmorph]

I have trouble getting my Gnochhi small enough. I try for the size of my thumb from the last joint to the tip, but they always end up HUGE when they're all cooked.

Yeah, thumb size is usually the classic, but they do absorb quite a bit of water, so you want to make them smaller and keep that in mind. There's a variant of gnocchi called chicche that are much smaller. You make and cook them the exact same way, but you make them by cutting very thing snakes of dough, and then you can work them into tiny balls if you want, or just keep them as tiny bits of dough and drop them in the pan. The smaller the gnocchi the more quickier and more evenly they'll look, and tiny ones can be good if you want to taste more the sauce than the pasta. Just a matter of personal tastes, really.

@Alien, how big do you prefer/make your gnocchi?

I usually like the bigger version with the meat sauce and the smaller ones with the cheese sauce. But I like gnocchi in general quite a bit, so I'll just happily eat them regardless of the size.

[TheodoricFriede]

They were good with a simple tomato sauce.

I ate mine with sausage, which probably isn't traditional, but it tasted good to me.

[Alienmorph]

They were good with a simple tomato sauce.

I ate mine with sausage, which probably isn't traditional, but it tasted good to me.

Yeah, tomato sauce, olive oil and a bit of grated cheese works just fine too. And what you mean with sausage? You added some sausage bits to it, or had a big chunk of it on the side? Because there are variants with bolognese done mostly with sausage as the meat, so either way you might have gotten closer to the "proper" recipe than you think xD

[TheodoricFriede]

Yeah, tomato sauce, olive oil and a bit of grated cheese works just fine too. And what you mean with sausage? You added some sausage bits to it, or had a big chunk of it on the side? Because there are variants with bolognese done mostly with sausage as the meat, so either way you might have gotten closer to the "proper" recipe than you think xD

More like I had a bratwurst that i grilled, and then sliced up and added to my sauce. Also some mushrooms.

[Alienmorph]

More like I had a bratwurst that i grilled, and then sliced up and added to my sauce. Also some mushrooms.

Sounds like a decent enough variant. Still few but good ingredients.

[TheodoricFriede]

The relative simplicity of Italian cooking is interesting to me.

[Alienmorph]

There's complicated stuff too, of course. But since most of it derives from poor peasants making the best of what they had, a lot of our cousine is about taking few ingredients and making the most of them. Where it gets funky most of the times is with all the regional variations, but that also means you've got bigger chances to find something you'll like.

And just to be clear, I'm not trying to bash other countries' ways of cooking here. If I knew a bit more than just the basis I know there's stuff I'd enjoy to make. I had been seeying a couple recipes for english meat pies for example that really tickled my fancy, to say the first thing that comes to mind. We don't really do alot of non-sweet pies around here.

[SciFlyBoy]

Best meat pie I made was Australian. They have a layer of cheese right underneath the pie top crust.

I like my gnocchi and sausage the same size, and cooked up the way Theo did.

Do you prefer your sausage/meatballs cooked before they're added to the sauce, or cooked in the sauce?

I made a meatball sandwich not too long ago and I found the meatballs cooked in the sauce were flavorful and really soft. Where if I want texture I'd cook them separately.

[Alienmorph]

Best meat pie I made was Australian. They have a layer of cheese right underneath the pie top crust.

That does sound pretty delicious.

I like my gnocchi and sausage the same size, and cooked up the way Theo did.

Do you prefer your sausage/meatballs cooked before they're added to the sauce, or cooked in the sauce?

I made a meatball sandwich not too long ago and I found the meatballs cooked in the sauce were flavorful and really soft. Where if I want texture I'd cook them separately.

Meatballs in pasta is more an italian-american thing, we don't really do it here. I've literally never had the stereotypical spaghetti with meatballs in my entire life. I do love meatballs cooked in sauce tho, and had once or twice a very yummy big sandwich with them too. Unfortunately the joint I went in for them doesn't make them anymore... but it's something I should be able to conjure up myself, if I ever feel like trying. As for softeness, it depends by the meat you use. If you want very soft and easy to chew meatballs, you can make them with boiled meat, and they're gonna be very nice and soft even without slow cooking them in tomato juice, if you want something more firm and a bit more tasty use a mix of minced beef and sausage filling instead, they're still gonna be softer than just frying them in a pan on their own, but you're definately gonna feel them more when you bite at them.

[SciFlyBoy]

The meatballs I've been making lately have been comprised of meat (whatever you have) egg, ricotta cheese, hard italian cheese, crumbs and herbs. Then either pan fried, oven cooked or straight into the sauce, (which I think are the only three ways to cook them?) The pan fried and in the oven gives them a crust that makes them feel durable, like if it rolled off the plate it would keep it's shape. The sauce cooked ones are so delicate. It's a texture that was foreign to me that I feel I'm more attached to now.

I never heard about meatballs and pasta not being traditionally Italian. I fact the stories I've heard where that in Italy, spaghetti noodles are't used with red sauce at all and that when tourists would ask for spaghetti with sauce the waiters would give them a plate of spaghetti with a bowl of sauce.

[Alienmorph]

The meatballs I've been making lately have been comprised of meat (whatever you have) egg, ricotta cheese, hard italian cheese, crumbs and herbs. Then either pan fried, oven cooked or straight into the sauce, (which I think are the only three ways to cook them?) The pan fried and in the oven gives them a crust that makes them feel durable, like if it rolled off the plate it would keep it's shape. The sauce cooked ones are so delicate. It's a texture that was foreign to me that I feel I'm more attached to now.

I never heard about meatballs and pasta not being traditionally Italian. I fact the stories I've heard where that in Italy, spaghetti noodles are't used with red sauce at all and that when tourists would ask for spaghetti with sauce the waiters would give them a plate of spaghetti with a bowl of sauce.

Only now saw this reply... my bad xD

Anyway, not really, the one time I was given tomato sauce on his own in my meal was when I went to Germany. Ohboy, their cousine REALLY didn't agree with me...

And like I said spaghetti and meatballs is more italian-american than italian. Most people that emigrated to the US came from the southern poorer regions of out country, where the dish originated from, but it became less and less common overtime. And we do use red sauce with spaghetti, or spaghetti-like pasta, depends what you're ordering and in what part of the country you are. Like I said... regional variants... there's a shitton of them xD

Oh, and sounds like you got a pretty good recipe for meatballs on your hands. Here we use bread, egg, parmeasan and a mix of sausage stuffing and minced beef, plus odors and such. Or alternatively just use leftover meat from whatever we cooked another time. Usually, a good quality sausage/sausage filling (aka the kind made mostly or entirely of actual meat, not the english stuff that is, like, half-made of bready filler) gives you a bit more firmness and flavor even if you slow cook them in sauce. For maximum softness, make them with with boiled meat AND slow-cook them, thei're gonna be so fluffy they'll almost melt in your mouth.

[SciFlyBoy]

I've heard you mention 'odors' twice now. Is that what you call aromatic herbs?

[Alienmorph]

Yeah, just a blanket term.

[Mazder]

Time to trigger the Italians again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxvBcE-VwIA

Puttanesca with Udon noodles and no pasta.

HA!

[Alienmorph]

That actually looks alright. We do have a few kinds of "thicc spaghetti" that look not too far off from udon noodles. The main difference is the kind of flour thei're made with, from what I know.

And it's not like they used the noodles and pretend it was the same as using spaghetti either lol

[Mazder]

That actually looks alright. We do have a few kinds of "thicc spaghetti" that look not too far off from udon noodles. The main difference is the kind of flour thei're made with, from what I know.

And it's not like they used the noodles and pretend it was the same as using spaghetti either lol

Lol, I know I was just kidding.

But it does look nice.

I gotta expand my palette one of these days.

[TheodoricFriede]

In order to finish this bowl, you must have Understanding of your limits, Knowledge to control your pace...

Courage to face this unrelenting tide of beef, and the Diligence to persevere against this colossal challenge.

IMG_20200802_195449.jpg

All these traits are necessary to master the Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl Challenge!

I feel like these days, the highest Praise I can give a game is trying to make the food that appears in it.

This is the (significantly scaled back) Persona 4 Rainy Day Mega Beef Bowl. Its a much easier task than the LeBlanc Curry, but also quite delicious.

[SciFlyBoy]

That's something I never thought about. Game food.

Though what I made last night might have tasted like Protein Paste #5 from Tali's collection.

[SciFlyBoy]

This is the (significantly scaled back) Persona 4 Rainy Day Mega Beef Bowl. Its a much easier task than the LeBlanc Curry, but also quite delicious.

That is a mighty looking bowl.

[Alienmorph]

So I see a lot of meat and a very well cooked egg. What else is in it? Haven't played P4 yet.

[TheodoricFriede]

So I see a lot of meat and a very well cooked egg. What else is in it? Haven't played P4 yet.

Its a very simple recipe.

Thinly sliced meat pan fried with some onion and ginger. When its about half done, add some teriyaki sauce. Mine was from scratch, a mix of soy sauce, sake, rice vinegar, mirin, and sugar.

Then just cook until everything is cooked through. Remove the meat, reduce the sauce so its less watery, add the meat back in to get a good glaze, remove the meat again and place on a bed of rice.

In Japan the egg tends to be raw, but I cant quite handle that, so I just fried an egg real quick and placed it on top. Then drizzled my remaining sauce in the pan over the whole thing.

I got the recipe off of a youtube video. Only I reduced the portions, because while I loves me some meat, I dont think I can eat a 6 pound beef bowl.

[Alienmorph]

Yeah, I'm very much a meat eater first and foremost, but 6 pounds of beef plus everything else sounds a bit too much for a single meal. That aside, sounds like a neat recipe, for sure.

Btw, ever tried to make some "Ghibli food"? You seem like you might enjoy the challenge.

[TheodoricFriede]

Btw, ever tried to make some "Ghibli food"? You seem like you might enjoy the challenge.

Not yet. I'm not even really sure what exactly that is in reference to, aside from the obvious Studio Ghibli.

Japanese food intimidates the hell out of me, which is why I've only ever learned a couple things. It always seems like 90% prep work, vs 10% cook time.

[Alienmorph]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbjxgq8Fv5g

Yep, that's what I meant. I was just wondering since you seem to be the one here who's the most into trying recipes, there's a bunch of them both in text and video format, and not all of them look like too complicated.

[TheodoricFriede]

I made Daifukumochi.

IMG_20200821_025024.jpg

It's basically anko (sweet red bean paste) wrapped in mochi.

It seems more impressive than it is. I made my own Anko, but that just takes enough patience to boil beans for a couple hours, mash them up, and then stir in sugar for about 10 minutes.

The mochi is made with Mochiko rice flour. That takes about 10 minutes.

The hardest part is making sure you dust the hell out of your hands and work surface with corn starch. Otherwise you will obliterate your mochi with one touch.

Tastes good though!

[SciFlyBoy]

Wow, good work. Bean paste is beans with sugar? Thought it would be more complex.

[TheodoricFriede]

Wow, good work. Bean paste is beans with sugar? Thought it would be more complex.

It's a specific type of bean. Adzuki.

But beyond that it is really just that simple.

[SciFlyBoy]

It's too hot right now for me to cook. I have fans, but the kitchen gets too hot with the oven or stove on in the afternoons and evenings this time of year.

Do you guys know of any 'cool' food you like to make? Something that doesn't involve too much cooking, or even the microwave?

Tuna salad comes to mind...

[Alienmorph]

Rice salad?



Boil some rice, then cool it down with some cold water, mix it with finely chopped veggies, a bit of cubes of meat and/or cheese if you want them (ham and hot dog recomended, no bacon or other too smokey/salty stuff) and add a bit of olive oil to prevent it from being too dry.

[TheodoricFriede]

Little aside on those Mochi I made.

The recipe i read said to microwave the flour mixture before spreading it out. My instinct was to go "Microwave? There's no way that can be right. Ill just do it in a pot." And it worked. More or less. The texture seemed a bit off, but I just assumed that was because it was home made.

I tried again today with the microwave.

And I'll be damned in the microwave isn't ACTUALLY the way to do it. I even looked up a bunch of other recipes, including ones on suuper pretentious websites. You just use the microwave to make mochi. The only time you dont is if you are doing it the traditional way and beating the fuck out of the rice with a hammer yourself.

[TheodoricFriede]

The clarity of this one leaves a little to be desired, but this is my 'Blood Magic' mead.

IMG_20201016_204025.jpg

Orange blossom honey mixed with black cherry juice, blood orange, and cloves.

It finished a little while ago, but has aged a little over a month now. I was initially unimpressed, but now that it has aged, its pretty good. A few more months and I think this will be one of my best.

I haven't made another batch in a while. Honey is just so damned expensive. I have a couple of ideas. I want to do a large batch of a simple, traditional Orange Blossom. I'm thinking of trying an earl grey tea based mead.

And I might experiment with a very light Clover of alfalfa honey, mixed with Dragon fruit and cucumber. I'm hoping to come up with something that has a very light, pleasant flavor. If its successful, id name it 'Dragons Tears'.

[Mazder]

Omg that is so dark!

The dark one in the picture should be called "Midnight Lagoon".

[TheodoricFriede]

Omg that is so dark!

The dark one in the picture should be called "Midnight Lagoon".

Its got blood orange in it, its called Blood Magic!

I would be willing to settle for 'Black Blood', but only if it also means an official sponsorship from CD Projekt Red.

[SciFlyBoy]

Wow! What a unique hobby to venture into the mystical magic of mead making. That really is cool.

Quick question; since you mentioned giving it more time to mature, does mead go bad over time? I bought some English mead at an abbey in 2013 and...I've only had about 1/2 since. I assume it's still good, but I'm not into alcohol enough to tell if it's still enjoyable or not.

[TheodoricFriede]

Wow! What a unique hobby to venture into the mystical magic of mead making. That really is cool.

Quick question; since you mentioned giving it more time to mature, does mead go bad over time? I bought some English mead at an abbey in 2013 and...I've only had about 1/2 since. I assume it's still good, but I'm not into alcohol enough to tell if it's still enjoyable or not.

Well, the problem is you opened it, and it was exposed to oxygen. So while mead never really goes bad, it is possible that it has become a bit acrid, or lost its honey flavor.

It certainly wouldn't hurt you to try some. At worst it might be a bit bitter. At best the oxidization didn't make a difference and it continued to age in the bottle, and is better now then it was when you bought it. Either is equally likely.

Mead is often called 'honey wine' but that is technically inaccurate. It behaves more like a liquor in a lot of ways. I dont think it ever turns to vinegar as an example.