The Cookbook

[Mik]

Good recipe. Some things I do to make it easier:

Buy the mirepoix frozen.

But the pancetta diced. Voila! No food processor mess.

You could include some mushrooms if you like. A lot of recipes do.

Use a spatula or something to break up the meat very fine. This is tedious but a good idea.

The lower and longer you cook it the better it will be.

[George K]

Nothing says "August" like turkey, right?

Tonight, I made a turkey breast in the air fryer, using the rotisserie mode. Seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic and onion salt.

Into the rotisserie air fryer for 60 minutes.

When you're done, it looks like this.

I found a great recipe for oven-roasted potatoes that I used, and they were a perfect side.

Since it's summer, some corn on the cob.

Great meal.

[George K]

In case you're wondering.

Probably the best oven-roasted potatoes I've ever made. I used baby reds, unpeeled, and they were great. Others might prefer another type of spud.

Crispy Oven Roasted Potatoes

1 1/2 lb potatoes, Note 1, about 3-4 potatoes I prefer Yukon Gold/yellow potatoes
1/2 tsp baking soda (optional) Note 2
2 tbsp unsalted butter (if using salted butter, cut down on salt)
2 tbsp olive oil
cooking oil spray
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary or more (optional) or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary or thyme

HEAT OVEN TO 450F. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil. Spray well with cooking oil.

CUT AND BOIL POTATOES: Peel potatoes if desired (Note 3) and cut potatoes into 1.5 - 2 inch pieces (Note 4). Boil potatoes in a medium-large pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, for 6-8 minutes until tender, but not too soft. Drain well in a colander or sieve.

PREPARE POTATOES FOR ROASTING: Put potatoes back the pot on Medium and give them a good shake. This will dry out the potatoes and rough them up, allowing them to absorb the oil and butter better. Add butter and oil (use any combination of butter and oil as preferred to equal 5-6 tablespoons), rosemary (if using), salt and pepper. Stir gently to coat the potatoes well. Taste and add more salt if needed.

ROAST POTATOES: Transfer potatoes to the foil-lined pan, spreading them out in a single layer. Don't crowd the pan. Use two pans if needed. Roast for 20 minutes, turn them over, the roast for another 10-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately.

NOTES:

Which potatoes are best to use: Yukon Gold are my #1 choice. They have thin skins, creamy insides and they brown and crisp up beautifully. Russet are good too (more fluffy than creamy). They don't get quite as crispy. I often use creamy red potatoes too.

Baking Soda: Serious Eats chef Kenji Lopez-Alt adds a pinch of baking soda (in this case a 1 tsp) to the water used for boiling the potatoes. Apparently it creates a rougher surface to the potato to increase browning. I always forget and my potatoes come out brown and crisp anyways as you can see in the pictures. It might be worth a try though.

Peel potatoes or not? If I use Yukon gold (yellow potatoes) or red, I don't bother peeling them. The skins are thin and there is extra nutrition in the skins. I do, however, discard any skins that get separated from the potato chunks after boiling. These will just get burned. If you are using Russet potatoes, peel the potatoes first.

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I cooked them longer than the recipe suggests - they came out just crispy enough to make them special.

I also cut them a bit smaller (about ¾ inch) and after bringing a pot of water to a boil, I boiled them for 10-12 minutes before putting them in the oven.

Fan Tas Tik.

I'm probably going to try another type of potato next time, but the baby reds we wonderful - skin on, of course.

[Mik]

Never thought of baking soda to increase the crust. Yum.

[George K]

@Mik said in The Cookbook:

Never thought of baking soda to increase the crust. Yum.

I didn't do it tonight, but I cooked roasted the spuds a bit longer than recommended.

They were just fantastic.

[Mik]

I do them a lot. So easy, so delicious. But it’s corn season so….

Tonight was the first night this past week I was really hungry. We got Sonic burgers. Yum.

[George K]

@Mik said in The Cookbook:

I do them a lot. So easy, so delicious. But it’s corn season so….

Tonight was the first night this past week I was really hungry. We got Sonic burgers. Yum.

I've never had Sonic - nothing really near me.

And by "near" I mean, "Does Doordash deliver?"

[Mik]

You have places below you and across the street. No biggie.

I never do burgers from delivery. They never get there fast enough to be prime. Q

[George K]

@George-K said in The Cookbook:

I'm thinking of making a batch of this and using it for lasagna and spaghetti. Thoughts?

Made it today.

It's a yuge batch, and I'll get at least 1 lasagna and 1 spaghetti dinner out of it.

It needs more spices, so I added cilantro and Italian seasoning.

I also cooked it for about 4 hours, rather than what the recipe suggests.

Frozen, for future use.

[Mik]

Trying out the air fryer feature of my new range tonight on a French bistro classic - steak frites. Anyone have any suggestions? I'll pan cook the steak, and using Ore Ida frozen fries. Might coat them with some melted duck fat or olive oil.

We're pretty well over the covid, so nice to have some wine with dinner.

[George K]

Nothing says "August" like turkey, right?

Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast

¼ cup butter, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning blend (such as Mrs. Dash)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (3 pound) turkey breast with skin
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon butter
1 splash dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons half-and-half (Optional)

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2
Mix 1/4 cup butter, garlic, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic and herb seasoning, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Place turkey breast with skin side up into a roasting pan. Loosen skin with your fingers; brush half the butter mixture over the turkey breast and underneath the skin. Reserve remaining butter mixture. Tent turkey breast loosely with aluminum foil.

Step 3
Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour; baste turkey breast with remaining butter mixture. Return to oven and roast until the juices run clear and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, not touching bone, reads 165 degrees F (65 degrees C), about 30 more minutes. Let turkey breast rest 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Step 4
While turkey is resting, transfer pan drippings to a skillet. Skim off excess grease, leaving about 1 tablespoon in skillet. Place skillet over low heat; cook and stir shallot in turkey grease until opaque, about 5 minutes.

Step 5
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet with shallot and whisk in white wine, scraping any browned bits of food from skillet. Whisk in chicken stock and flour until smooth. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened. For a creamier, lighter gravy, whisk in half-and-half.

Here's my result...

I didn't cover the turkey breast with aluminum foil - just put it in a baking dish and let it brown on its own. I used an indwelling thermometer and cooked until 165 degrees. I basted with the butter/herb mixture a couple of times.

If you're a lover of turkey white meat with a nice gravy do this.

[George K]

Scored Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes
2 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

With a sharp knife, cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Slice each half widthwise 6 times, but not all the way through; fan potatoes slightly.

Place in a shallow baking dish. Brush potatoes with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle with paprika, parsley, salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50 minutes or until tender.

Drizzle with remaining butter.

[George K]

@George-K said in The Cookbook:

We got some large breasts from Amazon fresh - got 3 breasts at 3 ½ lb.

I thought Mrs. George and I could do with 1 breast per meal, so I took a couple of breasts and made this meal using 2 breasts, planning to freeze the remainder.

As a side, I made some (gasp) canned new potatoes:

• 2 cans of new potatoes
• ¼ cup melted butter
• "herby" salt
• grade Parmesan

Melt the butter and pour over the drained spuds. Sprinkle with salt, park and herby salt - I used Mrs. Dash and added salt.

Bake at 350 until they look a bit crispy.

Came out good.

[Mik]

Perfect summer dinner tonight.

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Fresh white corn on the cob
Grilled Southern peaches

Luzianne decaf iced tea

https://therecipecritic.com/grilled-teriyaki-chicken/

[Mik]

Turned out fantastic. Here’s the teriyaki sauce I used.

For the peaches I soaked some fresh basil in olive oil and brushed the cut side with it and a little sea salt.

[Mik]

I loved eating at Legal Crossing in Boston. It was Legal Seafood's experimental kitchen. They had this great yellow gazpacho with a crabmeat tower on it. Fantastic stuff. This looks very similar and is Legal Seafood's recipe.

Made it this morning. Every bit as good as I remember. Dinner tomorrow after it chills with the topping and some crusty rolls.

https://recipegoldmine.com/ccl/legal-seafood-golden-gazpacho-shrimp.html

[Catseye3]

NATURAL COUGH & COLD SYRUP

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This tasty smoothie coats the throat to sooth and has anti-inflammatory properties. Pineapple has been shown to break down mucus with its enzyme bromelain and fight bacteria. Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin that acts as a pain relief and ginger that is good for anti-nausea. These are just a few of the many proven health benefits of the ingredients.

The recommended dose is half a cup three times a day but as it’s just fruit and spices you can have as much as you need (within limits of normal smoothies) without any side effects.

INGREDIENTS
1 medium Pineapple
1 Lemon
2" Ginger
½ tsp Turmeric
½ tsp Cayenne pepper
¼ tsp Black pepper
pinch of Salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Peel the pineapple and lemon.
Place all in a blender and blend until desired consistency is reached.
Enjoy straight away and store any remaining in the fridge.

Go here for the video:https://www.nestandglow.com/healthy-recipes/natural-cough-cold-syrup

[Catseye3]

I was visiting next door when a valued member of TNCR recommended signing up for the Bon Appetit mailing list. I did so immediately. This recipe was in my first mailing from them.

Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

2 lb. mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
Kosher salt
1 cup (packed) basil leaves, plus more for serving
3 Tbsp. grapeseed or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 8-oz. ball burrata or fresh mozzarella, torn into large pieces

Place 2 lb. mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges, in a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl (to catch tomato water); season liberally with kosher salt and toss to distribute. Let sit 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook 1 cup (packed) basil leaves in a small saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring, 30 seconds. Drain and gently press to remove excess water.

Transfer basil to a small food processor or blender, add 3 Tbsp. grapeseed or vegetable oil, and process until smooth. Pour basil oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl and press on solids to extract as much basil as possible; discard solids. Whisk in 1 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar and 2 Tbsp. tomato water to combine.

Transfer tomatoes to a medium bowl and drizzle half of dressing over; toss to combine. Transfer to a platter or shallow bowls, top with one 8-oz. ball burrata or fresh mozzarella, torn into large pieces, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Scatter more basil over; season with freshly ground black pepper.
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I luuv Bon Appetit. I should have figured they'd have a website.

[Jolly]

Mortgage- lifters or else!

[Catseye3]

Trader Vic's Bongo Bongo Soup

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INGREDIENTS

1 pt milk

1/2 cup half and half

1 (9 1/2 oz) can oyster puree or equivalent of puree of fresh oysters

1/4 cup pureed spinach

1 tsp MSG, optional

Dash garlic salt

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp A-1 sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Cornstarch and cold water

Whipped cream for garnish

PREPARATION

Heat milk and half and half. Add oyster puree and pureed spinach. Add MSG (optional), garlic salt, butter, A-1 sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to simmering point, but do not let boil. Thicken with cornstarch mixed with a little water.

To serve, top with whipped cream and slip bowl under the boiler to let glaze to a golden brown.