The Recipe Thread

[Chefguy]

This thread seems to be on life support, which is unfortunate. Here's another favorite of mine, from one of the better seafood cooks out there.

Popcorn Shrimp
Edward Brown

Light and airy appetizers that are easy to make. A deep fryer or thermometer is required equipment for any deep frying or you can end up with a greasy end product or problems with preparation.

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp baking powder
Salt
1 TBSP sugar
3-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
One 12 ounce bottle of beer
1 large egg white, whipped until frothy
4 cups vegetable oil, for frying (I prefer peanut, but canola works as well)
1 pound large shrimp (21 to 30 count), peeled

In a medium bowl, combine all but 1 cup of the flour with the paprika, baking powder, 1 tsp salt, sugar, and 1-1/2 tsp of the cayenne. Add the beer, mixing it in with a fork, then stir in the egg white. Set aside. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.

Heat the oil in a deep, heavy skillet or deep fryer to 365F, using a thermometer or the heat gauge on a deep fryer.

On a plate, mix the remaining flour with 2 tsp salt and remaining cayenne. Add the shrimp to the plate and dredge in the seasoned flour. Shake off all excess. Add the shrimp to the bowl of batter.

When the oil is ready, remove shrimp from batter and shake off any excess batter, placing shrimp in the fryer basket or directly into the oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan; fry in batches, if necessary. Allow the oil to come back up to temperature after each batch and should bubble vigorously when the shrimp is introduced to it. Use a utensil to push the shrimp under the surface of the oil so they brown and cook evenly. Fry until golden, or about three minutes.

Remove shrimp to paper towels to drain and salt immediately, while hot.

[sistercoyote]

Take:

1/2 to 1 lb ground meat of your choice, browned in olive oil (I never bother draining it; with spices if you want)
1 packet Enchilada seasoning mix
2 cans tomato sauce (or 1 can tomato sauce and 1 can diced tomatoes, with liquid)

Simmer these together for about five minutes, making sure to break up the meat thoroughly as it's cooking (I use a spud masher for this. Don't judge me.)

Add 1 can black beans with liquid, simmer another five minutes or so until warmed through.

In an ungreased 9" x 4" x 4" casserole (or whatever you have; the size doesn't really matter), put

1 layer tortilla chips
1/2 meat & beam mixture
~1 cup co-jack or spicy-jack cheese (I probably use closer to two, but that's me) or the cheese of your preference
1/2 can sliced olives
(I add spinach, too, but that's me as well)

then repeat these layers once more.

Bake in an ~325 - 350 degree oven for ~20-25 minutes.

[silenus]

Spinach? That's just sick.

[sistercoyote]

Spinach? That's just sick.

I'm weird. I really like my spinach. I sometimes even blend it up with blueberries and make chocolate pancakes using it.

[Chefguy]

Spinach? That's just sick.

I'm weird. I really like my spinach. I sometimes even blend it up with blueberries and make chocolate pancakes using it.

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

[Julie]

Spinach? That's just sick.

I'm weird. I really like my spinach. I sometimes even blend it up with blueberries and make chocolate pancakes using it.

I like spinach, but dayum. You want to MARRY it.

[sistercoyote]

Spinach? That's just sick.

I'm weird. I really like my spinach. I sometimes even blend it up with blueberries and make chocolate pancakes using it.

I like spinach, but dayum. You want to MARRY it.

Eh, not so much.

Boiled, blended with blueberries, and thrown into chocolate-based batter, the spinach is really not all that noticeable. (The idea came from the Sneaky Chef, and this is how I started eating spinach in the first place. Haven't done it in a long while, though.)

[Santo Rugger]

Looking to feed 60+ people? I just made this one up from a glance at a recipe, it came out AWESOME last Saturday. If you shop at Sam's Club or Costco, you can buy the big versions. If not, just adjust. I like recipes where the exact ratio doesn't matter.

Bag of Onions.
10 lbs potatoes
10 lbs Ground beef
2 cans pasole (aka hominy)
1 can pinto beans
1 can tomatoes
2 bags cornbread mix
1 bag cheese

Cut onions. Start sauteing them while you cube the potatoes. Bake the cubed potatoes at 400. Brown the meat with the onions. Mix the pasole, beans, and tomatoes. By this time the potatoes should be done. Mix them in (you're going to need a big pot!). It should take 4 pans if you used the big recipe. Drizzle the cornbread over the top. Bake at about 400 for an hour or two (depends on how big your oven is compared to the pans). Add cheese when the cornbread is done, and then cook until melted. Pure awesomeness.

[Chefguy]

Cold Brewed Coffee

Forget about your French press, your drip maker, your shiny espresso machine. This method makes the very best tasting coffee, without the bitterness produced by percolating or the loss of flavor that results from pouring boiling water over the grinds. Cold-brewed coffee takes some forethought and possibly more coffee beans than with hot-brewed coffee, but the result is worth it. We prefer it iced, but it's great heated as well. The great thing about it is that it will keep on your counter or in the fridge without turning bitter. You'll need a fine-meshed sieve to strain the grinds.

Coffee beans, approximately 1 TBSP per 4 oz of water used (more, if you prefer)
Cold water

Method:

Grind the coffee fairly coarsely, such as a French press grind. Dump the grinds into a suitable container (I use an 8 cup measuring pitcher and 16 TBSP beans). Add cold water to the grinds and stir to make sure they are all exposed to the water. Let sit on your counter overnight, stirring occasionally, if it pleases you. In the morning, strain the coffee through a fine sieve and discard the grinds. I would not recommend pressing the grinds in order to get more liquid out of them, as that forces "muck" through the sieve and into your coffee. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to allow any remaining fines to settle out, then use normally.

[vison]

I guess I thought making coffee using heat extracted some flavours and other goodies from the coffee beans that you won't get doing it cold?

I might give it a try some day. But if I heat the cold-fusion coffee? No beans in the brew - will it affect the taste, etc?

Not sure it's wise to mess with Ancient Rituals. Might bring the wrath of The Coffee God down on your head.

[Chefguy]

I guess I thought making coffee using heat extracted some flavours and other goodies from the coffee beans that you won't get doing it cold?

I might give it a try some day. But if I heat the cold-fusion coffee? No beans in the brew - will it affect the taste, etc?

Not sure it's wise to mess with Ancient Rituals. Might bring the wrath of The Coffee God down on your head.

Mumbo jumbo aside, it's probably the best coffee you'll drink.

[Chefguy]

Salmon Cakes

I came up with this recipe on the spur of the moment after we filleted about 20 red salmon and were left with a large amount of raw salmon bits. This is not the same as a salmon burger, which uses raw fish. This is light and flaky and freezes very well.

8 Cups Cooked, flaked red (coho) salmon, sauteed in butter
8 Eggs, beaten
2 Cups Crushed saltine crackers
1 tsp Hot paprika
2-3 Tbsp Dried thyme leaves
2 Bunches green onions, chopped
2 tsp Salt

Mix all ingredients together by hand until well blended. Form into patties by hand or…Spread out on a large cutting board to a depth of about one inch. Cut patties with a biscuit cutter or round cookie cutter. Place in vacuum freezer bags, seal and freeze. These will keep an extraordinarily long time if vacuum sealed. I've opened them after two years and they've been edible.

Fry fresh cakes in a little butter until nicely browned and heated through. If frozen, thaw until still partially frozen, dip in an egg wash, then in Panko crumbs. Repeat. Saute in a bit of olive oil and butter until browned and heated through.