What's for dinner?

[Mike GadgetGeek Stock]

We have a bunch of Thai restaurants in Beaufort, like 5 or 6 at least, but the Chinese places are pretty scary. If a restaurant has dirty windows that is a turn off for me. Anyway my wife and I have been craving some decent Chinese so last night with the help of Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook I made two entrees with rice. General Tso's Chicken and Peng's Home-Style Bean Curd. I started at 6:00 pm and we ate about 8:45 so it was a lot of prep and doing 2 dishes at the same time is always a challenge for me. The results were really good though and we both enjoyed a good Chinese meal.

Really looking good Andy.  Neither am I a "Chopped" cook/chef that can turn out multiple dishes against the clock but when we set our minds to it we can put delicious, pretty things on the table.

My pressure cooker stew was much more tasty than pretty last night but it was dinner and I was just practicing.   

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[Mike GadgetGeek Stock]

Last evening I prepped and set about doing a nice late dinner for Deanne and me.  I marinated some sirloin lamb chops from Shadybrook farm and Jennif Chandler.  I also did some halved redskin potatoes and a big sauté pan full of fresh baby spinach, we find that we will each eat a bag of that pre-washed spinach if it is barely wilted with some red onion, a dusting of nutmeg and a bit of either vinegar or lemon/lime juice. 


GG>-  All I have is process pictures, as it was late, and I was very hungry.


The lamb looked really nice, since there were chunky bones we each got two



I micro'd the spuds until almost done and then browned them hard (face down) in a cast iron skillet.



It is good to be able to snip off a chunk of rosemary when needed, I hope this bush lasts.



Hey, I know I can slice a clove of garlic very thin, but sometimes breaking out the gadget is part of the cure.



The sirloin chops with all of the marinade on them, right before grilling.




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[Mike GadgetGeek Stock]

In the life of a 2 kid household, (one of which goes to bed at like 6pm!?) i've really learned to love my pressure cooker.
Yesterday was caramelized pumpking risotto, cooked in 7 minutes. Never am i going back to the standard method. Every grain was perfect.
Also made a pork and poblano stew in 30 minutes in the cooker for tonights dinner.

Give us a bit of instruction on that pressure cooker risotto, it looks and sounds great..

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Very easy. Basics as follows:
Saute onion/shallot in oil per normal risotto.
Add risotto rice (weigh before adding)
Saute' rice
Add broth and some wine in a 2:1 weight ratio vs. the rice ( i used 200g rice, 350g broth, 50g wine).
Stir, bring to boil. Cover, bring to pressure (15psi)
Cook 6 minutes
Depressurize rapidly under cool running water.
Taste rice. YOu'll likely need about 3 more minutes of cooking and some more broth/water.

I'll probably pressure cook it 7 minutes instead of 6 next time.

I am making asparagus risotto for dinner to serve with some grill chix thighs that have been marinating for 2 days.  I will use the pressure cooker method and write down what I change or do differently. 

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[Mike GadgetGeek Stock]

In the life of a 2 kid household, (one of which goes to bed at like 6pm!?) i've really learned to love my pressure cooker.
Yesterday was caramelized pumpking risotto, cooked in 7 minutes. Never am i going back to the standard method. Every grain was perfect.
Also made a pork and poblano stew in 30 minutes in the cooker for tonights dinner.

Give us a bit of instruction on that pressure cooker risotto, it looks and sounds great..

.....

Very easy. Basics as follows:
Saute onion/shallot in oil per normal risotto.
Add risotto rice (weigh before adding)
Saute' rice
Add broth and some wine in a 2:1 weight ratio vs. the rice ( i used 200g rice, 350g broth, 50g wine).
Stir, bring to boil. Cover, bring to pressure (15psi)
Cook 6 minutes
Depressurize rapidly under cool running water.
Taste rice. YOu'll likely need about 3 more minutes of cooking and some more broth/water.

I'll probably pressure cook it 7 minutes instead of 6 next time.

I am making asparagus risotto for dinner to serve with some grill chix thighs that have been marinating for 2 days.  I will use the pressure cooker method and write down what I change or do differently.   

It doesn't often happen but I had a FAIL on the risotto in the pressure cooker.  At 6 minutes I quickly cooled the PC and opened it to find burned onions, and Orborio rice in the cooker.  I rescued the dinner by quickly making some rice, adding the asparagus spears, and a bit of grated cheese to the short grain rice when it finished and serving it.

The birds are picking though an ugly pile of risotto in the back yard today. It appeared to not have enough fluid to do it right?   


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[Jmolinari]

In the life of a 2 kid household, (one of which goes to bed at like 6pm!?) i've really learned to love my pressure cooker.
Yesterday was caramelized pumpking risotto, cooked in 7 minutes. Never am i going back to the standard method. Every grain was perfect.
Also made a pork and poblano stew in 30 minutes in the cooker for tonights dinner.

Give us a bit of instruction on that pressure cooker risotto, it looks and sounds great..

.....

Very easy. Basics as follows:
Saute onion/shallot in oil per normal risotto.
Add risotto rice (weigh before adding)
Saute' rice
Add broth and some wine in a 2:1 weight ratio vs. the rice ( i used 200g rice, 350g broth, 50g wine).
Stir, bring to boil. Cover, bring to pressure (15psi)
Cook 6 minutes
Depressurize rapidly under cool running water.
Taste rice. YOu'll likely need about 3 more minutes of cooking and some more broth/water.

I'll probably pressure cook it 7 minutes instead of 6 next time.

I am making asparagus risotto for dinner to serve with some grill chix thighs that have been marinating for 2 days.  I will use the pressure cooker method and write down what I change or do differently.   

It doesn't often happen but I had a FAIL on the risotto in the pressure cooker.  At 6 minutes I quickly cooled the PC and opened it to find burned onions, and Orborio rice in the cooker.  I rescued the dinner by quickly making some rice, adding the asparagus spears, and a bit of grated cheese to the short grain rice when it finished and serving it.

The birds are picking though an ugly pile of risotto in the back yard today. It appeared to not have enough fluid to do it right?   


.......

That's odd. Sounds like you were way short on liquid. 2:1 by weight should be been fine. You definitely weighed the rice and liquids?
You didn't have your pressure cooker on high heat and going off like Old Faithful did you?

[Mike GadgetGeek Stock]

In the life of a 2 kid household, (one of which goes to bed at like 6pm!?) i've really learned to love my pressure cooker.
Yesterday was caramelized pumpking risotto, cooked in 7 minutes. Never am i going back to the standard method. Every grain was perfect.
Also made a pork and poblano stew in 30 minutes in the cooker for tonights dinner.

Give us a bit of instruction on that pressure cooker risotto, it looks and sounds great..

.....

Very easy. Basics as follows:
Saute onion/shallot in oil per normal risotto.
Add risotto rice (weigh before adding)
Saute' rice
Add broth and some wine in a 2:1 weight ratio vs. the rice ( i used 200g rice, 350g broth, 50g wine).
Stir, bring to boil. Cover, bring to pressure (15psi)
Cook 6 minutes
Depressurize rapidly under cool running water.
Taste rice. YOu'll likely need about 3 more minutes of cooking and some more broth/water.

I'll probably pressure cook it 7 minutes instead of 6 next time.

I am making asparagus risotto for dinner to serve with some grill chix thighs that have been marinating for 2 days.  I will use the pressure cooker method and write down what I change or do differently.   

It doesn't often happen but I had a FAIL on the risotto in the pressure cooker.  At 6 minutes I quickly cooled the PC and opened it to find burned onions, and Orborio rice in the cooker.  I rescued the dinner by quickly making some rice, adding the asparagus spears, and a bit of grated cheese to the short grain rice when it finished and serving it.

The birds are picking though an ugly pile of risotto in the back yard today. It appeared to not have enough fluid to do it right?   


.......

That's odd. Sounds like you were way short on liquid. 2:1 by weight should be been fine. You definitely weighed the rice and liquids?
You didn't have your pressure cooker on high heat and going off like Old Faithful did you?

I did weigh it, I got that part right, the Fagor 6qt PC I was using doesn't have different "rocker" on top, but on medium heat (it seemed like it took forever) once it was barely "spitting" I set the timer.
 I might try it again in the PC, but I have the time and I make really good risotto the regular way, I even have a particular wooden spoon I only use for risotto.

I did have it on the induction burner but that shouldn't have mattered should it?

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[Jmolinari]

In the life of a 2 kid household, (one of which goes to bed at like 6pm!?) i've really learned to love my pressure cooker.
Yesterday was caramelized pumpking risotto, cooked in 7 minutes. Never am i going back to the standard method. Every grain was perfect.
Also made a pork and poblano stew in 30 minutes in the cooker for tonights dinner.

Give us a bit of instruction on that pressure cooker risotto, it looks and sounds great..

.....

Very easy. Basics as follows:
Saute onion/shallot in oil per normal risotto.
Add risotto rice (weigh before adding)
Saute' rice
Add broth and some wine in a 2:1 weight ratio vs. the rice ( i used 200g rice, 350g broth, 50g wine).
Stir, bring to boil. Cover, bring to pressure (15psi)
Cook 6 minutes
Depressurize rapidly under cool running water.
Taste rice. YOu'll likely need about 3 more minutes of cooking and some more broth/water.

I'll probably pressure cook it 7 minutes instead of 6 next time.

I am making asparagus risotto for dinner to serve with some grill chix thighs that have been marinating for 2 days.  I will use the pressure cooker method and write down what I change or do differently.   

It doesn't often happen but I had a FAIL on the risotto in the pressure cooker.  At 6 minutes I quickly cooled the PC and opened it to find burned onions, and Orborio rice in the cooker.  I rescued the dinner by quickly making some rice, adding the asparagus spears, and a bit of grated cheese to the short grain rice when it finished and serving it.

The birds are picking though an ugly pile of risotto in the back yard today. It appeared to not have enough fluid to do it right?   


.......

That's odd. Sounds like you were way short on liquid. 2:1 by weight should be been fine. You definitely weighed the rice and liquids?
You didn't have your pressure cooker on high heat and going off like Old Faithful did you?

I did weigh it, I got that part right, the Fagor 6qt PC I was using doesn't have different "rocker" on top, but on medium heat (it seemed like it took forever) once it was barely "spitting" I set the timer.
 I might try it again in the PC, but I have the time and I make really good risotto the regular way, I even have a particular wooden spoon I only use for risotto.

I did have it on the induction burner but that shouldn't have mattered should it?

......

Nope, shouldnt ahve mattered...really strange...sorry, no idea what happened!
I've made it twice. No issues.

[Mike GadgetGeek Stock]

Here are a couple catch-up photos and then some shots of the lamb stew

Some prep work



Here is a simple chix thigh and the rescued asparagus (mock risotto)



Burgers on the Big Green Egg.  Burgers made with ground chuck, finely chopped Coppa and some good spices.  Cooked perfectly with a short rest time on the half-indirect grill.



Two views of some of the nice lamb shanks from Shadybrook farms lamb



One of the other shanks



Here is my big green cast iron kettle full of the vegetable load that went into the stew.  I pressure cooked the shanks for a bit in some good rick chicken stock with some herbage and then deboned the shanks, added them to the veggies and gave 'em a couple minutes to marry.



finished stew, it was way yummy...






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[Mike GadgetGeek Stock]

Doing an experimental shrimp dish tonight...   I'm going in..............

An Asian based squash and sweet pepper concoction with barely cooked shrimp and bow tie pasta.  Hey, I'm digging in my pantry to see what I can squeeze out.  I'd do it again, but I didn't write any of it down it sortof grew as I found things.

It really was good though, not thickened very much, with a bunch of Asian flavors and fish sauce with Thai chiles.   It was good on a cool evening.


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[Mike GadgetGeek Stock]

a nice Porterhouse, a few potatoes baked in our "little" oven, and my Chinese green beans tonight.  I am doing the nice 7/8" Porterhouse on the small Weber, and doing the other things inside.  It is cold outside..

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[Mike GadgetGeek Stock]

The steak just going on a Vhot fire




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[AndyBoy]

We had Indian food last night. Basmati rice, naan and a cauliflower, potato, green pea dish. Also chicken korma finished with yogurt and cream. It was a cool night down here and some spicy food was just what we needed. Both dishes from Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni. This cookbook is falling apart from being used so many times over the years and is one of my favorites.

[Mike GadgetGeek Stock]

 

A not too quick dinner with an elaborate meat loaf cooked on the Big Green Egg, some sauce (to top the meatloaf) is prepared on an inside burner, some pearl onion and some fresh peas will be the vegetable side with some old-time and venerable mashed potatoes also as a side dish to the meat loaf.

free-form Meat Loaf on the Big Green Egg doing fine.



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[Larkemon]

We've been the mood for a lot of soup lately.  From scratch French Onion soup a couple weeks ago.  It took forever and a day to caramelize the onions, but what a difference!  Big pot of pho this past weekend.  Messed it up by oversleeping and letting it over reduce on too high a heat.  Broth ended up darker than I would have liked, but it was still darn tasty.  Last tonight I attempted my family recipe for Vietnamese Pork Rib soup (Canh Suon) with some mushrooms and carrots.  Served it over some left over pho noodles.  First time I made it, I ended up throwing out the entire pot.  This time was so much better, but still seems to be missing something.  That said, it's still very good and my 1st grade daughter even asked that I pack it in her lunch box today.  She's gonna have some double takes when she opens it at school, but that's okay.  It's gonna make a really tasty lunch

[Mike GadgetGeek Stock]

Tonight the chile comes out of the fridge to eat along with some jalapeno cornbread. 

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