Foodies Unite!

[bluesky]

made gnocchi with onion and blue cheese sauce tonight (very roman) perfect for another snowy night

Indulging in what I've been craving all week....a nice roquefort with dried cranberries and, what the hell, garlic bagel chips....and some kind of lager to be determined after a brief jaunt to the local liquor distributor.

[woodnymph]

I'm on some crazy diet-amending rif-raf lately or I'd be all over these awesome delish pics!! But for now I must say..... wakame seaweed fares much finer in miso soup than does kelp.  ???  It would've been a fine addition to the miso soup I had tonight, if it were in a much smaller portion. No bay leaves this time at least   :P

I grew up eating homemade miso soup quite frequently and I spent a summer making it for guests among other things at a bed and breakfast in Japan.  The only type of seaweed my mother and mother's cousin ever showed me to use in miso soup was wakame.  When I make it now, I rarely have wakame lying around but that is what I would use for sure as the seaweed element.

Wow shewt!! A bed & breakfast in Japan!! That had to be AWESOME! So how homemade are ya talkin? I just made some with miso paste, wakame, and a bit of chopped green onion (though the recipe called for scallions, which I do not have....) How do youuuuu make it??

[Ruckus]

I'm on some crazy diet-amending rif-raf lately or I'd be all over these awesome delish pics!! But for now I must say..... wakame seaweed fares much finer in miso soup than does kelp.  ???  It would've been a fine addition to the miso soup I had tonight, if it were in a much smaller portion. No bay leaves this time at least   :P

I grew up eating homemade miso soup quite frequently and I spent a summer making it for guests among other things at a bed and breakfast in Japan.  The only type of seaweed my mother and mother's cousin ever showed me to use in miso soup was wakame.  When I make it now, I rarely have wakame lying around but that is what I would use for sure as the seaweed element.

Wow shewt!! A bed & breakfast in Japan!! That had to be AWESOME! So how homemade are ya talkin? I just made some with miso paste, wakame, and a bit of chopped green onion (though the recipe called for scallions, which I do not have....) How do youuuuu make it??

I wouldn't worry about green onions vs. scallions.  Hell, most supermarkets don't differentiate the two and keep the same label no matter what they get in.  Then again you probably either grow 'em or get them at some specialty store.

As for the soup, I always use dashi but if you're going vegetarian, clearly that isn't an option.  Also, I use the powdered kind that contains MSG so....

[darkglow]

need chip dip recipe ideas for superbowl sunday.

i'm thinkin some sort of 7 layer whopper should do the trick

[tdb810]

need chip dip recipe ideas for superbowl sunday.

i'm thinkin some sort of 7 layer whopper should do the trick

I'm not sure this would be considered good enough for the foodies thread, but thought i would share anyway!
I do this dip a lot....started off doing it around Halloween, as it's called goblin dip.......but it's super yummy anytime of year.....it's a warm dip, so that's a challenge sometimes, I have a warming bowl that I keep it in. Enjoy!
 
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000258723

[br00ke]

last sunday i had brussels sprouts with sriracha, honey & lime. they were amaze-balls !!! i'm gonna recreate them and i think you should too  i'll post a recipe if they are as amazing as the restaurants

[jones]

Sounds great, br00ke!  Sriracha is the heat!

[jones]

last sunday i had brussels sprouts with sriracha, honey & lime. they were amaze-balls !!! i'm gonna recreate them and i think you should too  i'll post a recipe if they are as amazing as the restaurants

How were they cooked?  Were they baked?

[br00ke]

i went out tonight so i didn't make 'em yet but to answer your question ... yes!!

[wolof7]

My culinary skills are amateur at best. I am hoping to start increasing my skill set with seafood(nothing too daunting), specifically fish dishes for one. Any suggestions regarding recipes, rubs, cooking directions, when to buy what, storage, what to look for at the markets? I love all seafood so any ideas would be welcomed. Thanks.

[subinai]

last sunday i had brussels sprouts with sriracha, honey & lime. they were amaze-balls !!!

was this at the vanderbilt in bk?

[subinai]

My culinary skills are amateur at best. I am hoping to start increasing my skill set with seafood(nothing too daunting), specifically fish dishes for one. Any suggestions regarding recipes, rubs, cooking directions, when to buy what, storage, what to look for at the markets? I love all seafood so any ideas would be welcomed. Thanks.

what kind of fish/shellfish do you enjoy? baking fish in parchment/foil is super easy and can be done in a bunch of variations:

http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2009/03/cod-baked-in-foil-with-leeks-and-carrots.html
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/baking-fish-en-papillote-in-parchment

blackened tilapia is quick and easy too. good for fish tacos, i think. purists might argue though.

[wolof7]

My culinary skills are amateur at best. I am hoping to start increasing my skill set with seafood(nothing too daunting), specifically fish dishes for one. Any suggestions regarding recipes, rubs, cooking directions, when to buy what, storage, what to look for at the markets? I love all seafood so any ideas would be welcomed. Thanks.

what kind of fish/shellfish do you enjoy? baking fish in parchment/foil is super easy and can be done in a bunch of variations:

http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2009/03/cod-baked-in-foil-with-leeks-and-carrots.html
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/baking-fish-en-papillote-in-parchment

blackened tilapia is quick and easy too. good for fish tacos, i think. purists might argue though.

Thanks for the links!

Regarding shellfish it's mostly clams, shrimp and mussels and to a lesser extent crabs/lobsters.
Regarding fish I love pretty much anything favorites being salmon, swordfish, scrod, mahi mahi and tilapia.
I have a fish market and factory on my street I have some access to quality seafood of all kinds within close proximity.  So I can my paws on pretty much anything.

[bluesky]

One of the easiest, flakiest and least smelly ways to cook any of white fish is to poach it. You can do this in a citrus juice or milk. Have to say in milk is actually really good. Cook it in a cast iron together over lowish heat. After just add some salt, pepper and fresh squeezed lemon.

My culinary skills are amateur at best. I am hoping to start increasing my skill set with seafood(nothing too daunting), specifically fish dishes for one. Any suggestions regarding recipes, rubs, cooking directions, when to buy what, storage, what to look for at the markets? I love all seafood so any ideas would be welcomed. Thanks.

[Ruckus]

My culinary skills are amateur at best. I am hoping to start increasing my skill set with seafood(nothing too daunting), specifically fish dishes for one. Any suggestions regarding recipes, rubs, cooking directions, when to buy what, storage, what to look for at the markets? I love all seafood so any ideas would be welcomed. Thanks.

Rule #1 - If it's slimy or smells fishy, don't buy it.  Fish shouldn't smell fishy.

I love the list of fish you listed. ;D  They couldn't be more all over the map.  I agree with Subinai that tilapia is a good fish taco fish or sandwich fish.  Blackened on a sub roll with lettuce, tomato, a little red onion and tartar is a great simple sub.

Tuna is easy as hell to cook because all you really want to do is sear it and cook it to rare or mid rare.  Salmon is somewhat forgiving because it has a lot of fat but swordfish is a bitch for me.  It's damn steaky and is a little tougher to cook perfectly in my mind.

A standard beurre blanc is a good starting point for a sauce and you can find a billion recipes and techniques for making one.  All you really need is white wine, vinegar (or white wine vinegar to cheat), shallots and butter and maybe some whole peppercorns and lemon.  Simple and quick to make and a little fresh chopped herb on top and you're good to go.

Steamed mussels are the easiest, best tasting stuff to make as well.  Again, white wine, butter, parsley, shallots and some seasoning and you're good to go.

I'd just eat it all raw though

[subinai]

Steamed mussels are the easiest, best tasting stuff to make as well.  Again, white wine, butter, parsley, shallots and some seasoning and you're good to go.

completely agree. here is a recipe i like:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spicy-Thai-Steamed-Mussels-101999

[wolof7]

Awesome! thanks everyone for the tips. Super-helpful. I'll let everyone know what i concoct! 

[Ruckus]

No spoilers here!  The finale to Top Chef All-Stars was solid last night.  Really enjoyed this season.

[ALady]

Here's something the foodies might appreciate: a little takeout place opening in my hood tomorrow:

http://realkitchenchicago.com/

Check out the "About Us" section.   :o :o :o

This is literally in a strip mall two blocks from my house, sandwiched between a 7-11 and Dunkin Donuts. 

I love Chicago.   ;D

[Ruckus]

Here's something the foodies might appreciate: a little takeout place opening in my hood tomorrow:

http://realkitchenchicago.com/

Check out the "About Us" section.   :o :o :o

This is literally in a strip mall two blocks from my house, sandwiched between a 7-11 and Dunkin Donuts. 

I love Chicago.   ;D

Sounds neato.  Quite an ambitious project and pretty typical these days too.  It seems like the chef cycle you see a lot now.  Because chef competition for high end dining has gotten so ridiculous lately with fleeting success for so many restaurants, I know many chefs leaving former culinary institutions in this city for more stripped down, comfort food done well joints.  It's a trend I welcome with real good food available at much more affordable prices.  Look forward to hearing how it is! :)

I love Chicago, miss Chicago and am jealous of you for living there.