Foodies Unite!

[mjk73]

uhhh why do I not have this. As in why do I not have this right now?

[ALady]

Seriously. 

Kinda want to make it this weekend.

[Ruckus]

Seriously. 

Kinda want to make it this weekend.

So we're all gonna make it this weekend?!  The second I start making polenta, I'm gonna pile on a bunch of braised meat and sauce and eat it and forget that I was making a crust.

[mjk73]

Seriously. 

Kinda want to make it this weekend.

So we're all gonna make it this weekend?!  The second I start making polenta, I'm gonna pile on a bunch of braised meat and sauce and eat it and forget that I was making a crust.

uhhh why do I not have this. As in why do I not have this right now?

[lucylew]

I'd never seen or heard of a polenta crust before but I must say - it is crazy genius!  Had this for dinner tonight (I mean, what I didn't eat last night) along with a kale salad and some sauteed mushrooms and my husband didn't even realize I didn't serve any meat. 

[Fully]

Now I think I'm going to make it this weekend too. Let's see if the kiddo's will eat it. They have the palates of cretins. Which will mean more for me!!!

[Fully]

I just need to share that one of my hispanic students brought me some habanero salsa that his mother made. My face is on fire and I feel so good. Looking for the heartburn to hit around midnight. Does anyone else find that a good capsacin rush is similar to good dunk in the bathtub?

[ALady]

I think the traveling bathtub is my favorite so far.   ;D

[Ruckus]

I just need to share that one of my hispanic students brought me some habanero salsa that his mother made. My face is on fire and I feel so good. Looking for the heartburn to hit around midnight. Does anyone else find that a good capsacin rush is similar to good dunk in the bathtub?

I'm with you Fully.  I have a hopeless addiction to capsaicin.  I know it's supposed to dull your taste buds and all that but I grew up on spicy food and I crave unnecessary heat.  I've definitely done the "sign a waiver before you eat 911 wings that scorch each section of your digestive tract from the inside for 4-7 days" challenges.  Just stupid. 

So to answer your question, the only thing better is a good dunk in the bathtub immediately after consuming a large amount of habanero salsa with your bare hands.

[Hawkeye]

I'm not finding polenta to buy.  Found some recipes for it but not sure if I then add all the other crust ingredients you mentioned!?

[ALady]

It's just coarsely ground cornmeal - look for it near the flour and stuff.  It might say "corn grits" or something like that on the bag.

I always thought it was the stuff you added that made it polenta, but my bag says polenta so...yeah  ;D

[lucylew]

My bag says polenta, but I didn't have the full 1 1/4 cups required in the bag - so I used the rest of my polenta and rounded it out with some stone ground grits.  I would have used my cornmeal if I had to - I think they are all pretty closely related except for the size of the grind.  I couldn't tell a difference in the crust.

I used a pretty strong veggie stock - you want a really good tasting polenta base.

[mjk73]

I just need to share that one of my hispanic students brought me some habanero salsa that his mother made. My face is on fire and I feel so good. Looking for the heartburn to hit around midnight. Does anyone else find that a good capsacin rush is similar to good dunk in the bathtub?

I'm with you Fully.  I have a hopeless addiction to capsaicin.  I know it's supposed to dull your taste buds and all that but I grew up on spicy food and I crave unnecessary heat.  I've definitely done the "sign a waiver before you eat 911 wings that scorch each section of your digestive tract from the inside for 4-7 days" challenges.  Just stupid. 

So to answer your question, the only thing better is a good dunk in the bathtub immediately after consuming a large amount of habanero salsa with your bare hands.

I'll have to remember your love of unnecessary heat and mail you some of the habaneros and other capsicums I grow this year. Trying to get my hands on reliable ghost pepper seeds.

[Fully]

And since I didn't look it up, I now know how to spell "capsaicin". Also, I've been following @ASDAcurrysauce on twitter and I get an imaginary rush every time I read on of their tweets. Alas, I'll never be able to try the stuff because it is only available in Great Britain. It could be crap for all I know. OMG, I'm getting warm-faced just thinking about it.

[Hawkeye]

My bag says polenta, but I didn't have the full 1 1/4 cups required in the bag - so I used the rest of my polenta and rounded it out with some stone ground grits.  I would have used my cornmeal if I had to - I think they are all pretty closely related except for the size of the grind.  I couldn't tell a difference in the crust.

I used a pretty strong veggie stock - you want a really good tasting polenta base.

Thanks, ladies, on the polenta advice.  I ended up just buying cornmeal.  Here's the thing that confused me:

Your crust recipe:
1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cups polenta
1/2 cup (about 2.5 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

The polenta recipe I found:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups boiling water
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

So my course of action should be?:
1)  Make polenta as stated in the recipe I found and then,
2)  Use the polenta in the recipe you listed for your crust?

I just want to be sure that I'm interpreting that correctly, e.g. using 5 1/4 cups water, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, 1 1/2 tsp salt, etc...basically adding everything from both recipes.  Forgive my ignorance, I'm new at this!  Going to give it a try tonight after this Kansas/Mizzou game!

[lucylew]

I used a mix of polenta/grits (since it is what I had on hand) and followed the posted recipe.  You may have to add more veggie stock to the cornmeal (since the recipe on the packaging calls for more liquid) but I'd just add as/if needed whilst you are cooking it.   And you definitely want the room temp egg in it.

[Hawkeye]

I used a mix of polenta/grits (since it is what I had on hand) and followed the posted recipe.  You may have to add more veggie stock to the cornmeal (since the recipe on the packaging calls for more liquid) but I'd just add as/if needed whilst you are cooking it.   And you definitely want the room temp egg in it.

Thanks!  Can't wait to try this later tonight or tomorrow.

[jones]

We spent Friday night in StL, so here's the rundown:

Friday night
- Schlafly Tap Room: steamed Penn Cove mussels (chile verde style: roasted green chilis, tomatillos, garlic) with grilled vegetables, several beers (see beer thread for that)
- Bailey's Chocolate Bar: dark ganache truffle (wife), 2 Ketel One dirty martinis (me; I'm not a dessert person)

Saturday morning
- Rooster: marinated spicy chicken #2 omelette (fontina and baby arugula) with a healthy shot of Sriracha, spicy creamy coleslaw

Saturday afternoon
- Pho Grand (Vietnamese): Goi Cuon (spring rolls: steamed rice paper filled with vegetables, vermicelli noodles, shrimp, and pork), Hao Xao Xa Ot (scallops sauteed with hot chiles and lemongrass), Vietnamese beer

I'm not much for colorful culinary commentary (Alton Brown I am not), but I will say that everything that we ate on our trip was excellent.  I have to give the nod to Pho Grand since I had never eaten Vietnmese, though.  I asked for "extra spicy" when ordering my entree after the server said that this was a "medium heat" dish.  My mouth was hot, my nose got runny, but I had a new reaction: watery eyes.  I take in a good bit of heat with my food, but the watering eyes were a new one for me.  It wasn't an excessive or uncomfortable heat and didn't take away from the taste for me, it was just different.  I think that it may have been set off by the paste that was an on-table condiment that I used for the spring rolls... 

We also spent a good hour at Whole Foods buying organic base goods that we can't get at home.  Surprisingly, it was the cheapest dollar per minute trip to Whole Foods that we have ever made.

Thank you for all of the excellent suggestions mjk!!!

[mjk73]

Yeah, that spicy as all fucking get out out chili paste is great. I carpool with a Vietnamese woman who makes this for me every summer. It pretty much destroys any bad things. You picked some great places and glad you guys got to experience them.

[jones]

There were two condiment sauces on the table and the paste (without visible seed) I believe, is the one that got me. I was putting it on my spring roll before our meal came out.  I already kicked myself this morning for not asking to purchase some to take home.  Would've been great on my eggs this AM.  I was afraid that I made a mistake asking for extra spicy as a first timer, but it was all good.  What would you call the paste/s (if you know both)?  Also, the service was lightning fast, which I loved because I'm somewhat (read: extremely) impatient.

I would like to thank you again for the recommendations.  We always end up going to Louisville or Nashville for weekend trips, but St. Louis is literally the same distance for us.  I'll keep your list and we'll hit the others up one by one.  I believe that we've decided to head west instead of east or south every once in a while, too.