Real men can cook (recipes) (Page 5) Corwin: I bought a 25 lb bushel of Romas last week for $7. I chopped most of them up and bagged them into the deep-freeze. Way better than using canned. Corwin: I used to grow tomatoes outside, but we live in an area surrounded by farms and greenhouses... some really good produce can be purchased at the local market... less work. But we still grow lots of herbs like chives and parsley... they grow like weeds, and it's always on hand. Corwin: The only exception for me is oregano... for some reason I like the dried stuff better... probably because for so many years it was all I knew... just used to the taste I guess. But fresh parsley is just awesome... that's one herb that just can't be dried... all the flavour disappears. Corwin: Oh, and I think a pasta-rolling machine is such a great asset. If more people knew how awesome fresh home-made pasta was, everybody would have one. Even the fresh noodles you buy at the supermarket are no comparison. And I use free-run eggs always... such a rich flavor and bright yellow colour. ShawnXx: There is a wonderful taste from fresh basil and oregano especially in David's sauce oh and lot's of garlic. Azathoth: True, oregano seems to release well when dried. Though, we still use the fresh...which is good tossed into fresh pastas that are still hot. Like a split cherry tomato, garlic, and olive oil vermacelli dish...simple but great. Seems to me that when a lot of herbs turn dark from heat, in dishes, they have an altered taste. (Edited by Azathoth) Corwin: Hey, I do that exact thing... split cherry tomato with olive oil and garlic and herbs on pasta. lol Azathoth: Basil, thyme, mint, chives, and parsley are really doing well at our place. Our fruits: Muscadines, concord grapes, pears, and blueberries have had a great year. We are making muscadine wine and grape wines this year, and have canned some pears. There's still the option to make pear wine...which is friggin nice. Corwin: I've had some amazing pear wine. That's one thing I like about the Niagara region... it's one of only two areas in Canada that are suitable for fruit production. When I was a child out on the prairies, fruit was all imported and terribly expensive. When we moved to Ontario and had a small orchard of our own, it blew my mind.... fruit just growing on the trees all around you. lol Azathoth: Sounds awesome. I'd love to visit lots of Canada. Love the people I've met online from there, and I've seen plenty on the terrain and landscapes. Appealing nation, no doubt. My brother, while living in Australia, used to be around avocado trees and tomato farms where he'd stop and pick to his liking. That's gotta be nice to be at basic arm's length of such nice ingredients. Here, it's all about the apples. Corwin: Oh, and I've got a great Alfredo recipe that would be right up your alley. You mix a raw egg with some olive oil, cream, garlic, some salt and a little dash of sugar, a handful of parmesan cheese, and mix it up cold. You mix it into the hot pasta as soon as it's drained, and the heat of the pasta cooks the raw egg just enough to thicken it, but leaves all the other ingredients like fresh herbs and garlic uncooked. Very flavorful and fresh tasting. Azathoth: Now, that sounds nice. I have found that the fresh grated Parm is much better than the dried out stuff from a bottle. Also, I often use a combo of butter and olive oil-even in Alfredo sauce. Is that wrong, or have you also experimented in that? Corwin: Oh of course... butter and olive oil combined is definitely a great way to increase the creamy flavor. Corwin: We always have half-in-half on hand because we have it in our coffee.... but every now and then I'll be decadent and buy some 35% whipping cream to cook with. Corwin: Oh, and I've only recently been experimenting using buttermilk in some of my recipes... it adds a cheesy flavor to things and is only 1% fat. Azathoth: Buttermilk is a Southern/Soul food staple. Can use it in a ton of recipes. Versatile stuff, indeed. Corwin: You do smashed potatoes too?? I've just learned how to do that this past year. There will never be margarine in my kitchen. I like the flavour, but that stuff will kill you. | Off Topic Chat Room Similar Conversations |