Voodoolily's Snacktastic Recipe Thread!!

[Sky]

I am SO MAKING THAT for the library's xmas party 

[voodoolily]

http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2009/10/27/meat-hand/

MEAT HAND

This is incredible. And edible.

[apocrypha]

Oh that rocks. Should so have had that for tea after watching Drag Me To Hell the other day 

[FatuousTwat]

I have a question voodoo... What do you use for "filler" in your meatloaf? I use crushed crackers, it's what I have always prefered, but lately, I'm thinking that the final product is a little too dense.

[voodoolily]

I have a question voodoo... What do you use for "filler" in your meatloaf? I use crushed crackers, it's what I have always prefered, but lately, I'm thinking that the final product is a little too dense.

I'd think it'd be too salty, too. I use either panko or homemade breadcrumbs (toasted stale bread heels whizzed in the Cuisinart), an egg and minced onion. I use a combo of ground pork and chuck for the meat.

[Sky]

Heavily Italian area, our butcher stocks a meatloaf mix of pork and beef. Since I don't have a wheeze'n'fart, I just use bread crumbs from a local bakery.

[Signe]

I use a mix of pork, beef and (eek!) veal.  I'm sorry!  Fresh breadcrumbs.  I'm definitely going to try the panko, though.  An egg, minced onion and finely chopped red pepper, fresh herbs, a wee bit of milk or cream, and freshly ground spices.  I mush it up really well, especially for meatballs.  I swear I can taste the difference enormously if I grind my spices just before I fry my meatballs or bake my meatloaf.  I pretty much use the same ingredients for both, but I roll the meatballs in finely ground breadcrumbs before I fry.

[NowhereMan]

So I really want to try Chicago style pizza but I don't think I've ever seen it sold in the UK since deep pan over here just means a really thick crust. I've decided that the only way I'm going to get to try it anytime soon is to make it myself and was wondering if anyone here has any good recipes? I can just look online but I've really got no idea how this is going to turn out and figured I trust F13 people on the internet more than random people who put recipes on Youtube.

[voodoolily]

I think the internet is a fine place to get recipes. I use Epicurious.com when I need inspirado or to fine-tune. They're like a database of all of the cookery magazines' recipes.

Now I can't stop thinking about deep-dish pizza. Damn you!

[Evildrider]

I just went to Lou Malnati's in Chicago the other day.  Mmmmm!  I love deep dish pizza.   

[Samwise]

We had deep dish pizza at our wedding.  

I went to this place over the weekend and they have pretty awesome (as in international award-winning) pizza, although deep dish isn't on the menu.  The owner runs a pizza cooking school and has a cookbook that should include some deep dish recipes.  

I think I might have a copy of it, now that I think of it.  If I can find it tonight I'll post something.

[Trippy]

So I really want to try Chicago style pizza but I don't think I've ever seen it sold in the UK since deep pan over here just means a really thick crust. I've decided that the only way I'm going to get to try it anytime soon is to make it myself and was wondering if anyone here has any good recipes? I can just look online but I've really got no idea how this is going to turn out and figured I trust F13 people on the internet more than random people who put recipes on Youtube.

My Throwndown with Bobby Flay Deep Dish Pizza YouTube video clip with Mark Malnati (son of the above mentioned Lou Malnati):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH_ymnmarRU

[NowhereMan]

That video would be way more useful if there was a dough or sauce recipe. Sticking toppings on is the one bit I'm confident I can do.

That place looks awesome Samwise and reminds me that I haven't had a really good pizza for quite a while. Manchester seems to lack really good restaurants, some nice ones but not many really great ones. Also thanks for pointing me at epicurious VDL, there's some good looking recipes there I figure I'll give one of them a go. My only problem now is I figure it'll take me a few goes to get it right and I don't think my body will be able to take more than one every couple of weeks. Might take me a while to figure it out.

[Khaldun]

I think with deep dish, the sauce has got to be truly spectacular. In a thin-crust pizza, toppings rule the day; a deep dish can't be saved by great toppings. I'd spend a long time making a great sauce and then storing it overnight if I wanted to make zee awesome deep dish.

[Signe]

Deep dish or Chicago pizza is just too much dough for me.  I don't enjoy it.  I like the really thin crust pizzas, like NY style.  I do like Sicilian now and then, but that's different.  There's not all that puffy rising type dough that just fills you up. 

[Samwise]

I found my pizza cookbook, but the dough recipe is like 5 pages long and I'm not typing all that out.     I think if you're serious about crafting pizza it'd be worth picking up a book on the subject, though.

[NowhereMan]

Nah not that serious really. I'm going to try and avoid having 2" thick crust or anything, just see how it turns out. I'm also curious about the sauce thing since recipes seem split on whether you should take time to cook and properly prepare a sauce beforehand or whether you should stick everything together and let it cook in the oven. I'm going to go with oven cook this time and see if it's a bit bland.

[Nebu]

Anyone have an idea how I can grill indoors?

I have a grill pan that I often use for fish, but the thing is a pain to clean and it's difficult to cook delicate fish without it requiring a lot of oil to hold the filets together. 

Maybe I just need to buy a gas grill and brave the elements. 

[Sky]

Cooking fish without destroying it is a skill that still eludes me. I just put the gas grill up for the year, bleh. I love my grill. I've only tried salmon on it once and the skin stuck to the grill and blackened and oh god it was a mess and let's just not talk about that anymore. Tasted great, but sheesh.

We had a crazy link about pizza dough here a while back, didn't we? I just make a pretty basic dough and it's good enough for our palates. I made my first deep dish by mistake, I had too much dough and stuffed it into a pan, but it was so good.

[voodoolily]

Rub a raw potato on the grill before throwing the fish on there and it won't stick (an old Martha Stewart trick - dunno if it works on grill pans or just grills). It's also imperative that you get the pan ripping hot before you put any meat on it, and to not fuck with it until it's ready to be turned. Oh, also, make sure your fillets are patted dry before you put them on the hot pan. When the skin is wet, it's sticky.

[Nebu]

Rub a raw potato on the grill before throwing the fish on there and it won't stick (an old Martha Stewart trick - dunno if it works on grill pans or just grills). It's also imperative that you get the pan ripping hot before you put any meat on it, and to not fuck with it until it's ready to be turned. Oh, also, make sure your fillets are patted dry before you put them on the hot pan. When the skin is wet, it's sticky.

Good advice.  I do use a hot pan and was taught to just use a sparingly small amount of oil, but drying the fish will help.  I wonder if the potato trick is just a way to incorporate a starch to dry the area in case the fish is damp?

I've found a couple of stove top grills that I may try.  Cleaning is my only real complaint. 

[voodoolily]

Yeah, I think it provides a little starchy barrier between the meat and the pan. I should have noted that you're to rub the cut side of a cut potato (not just a whole potato), in case it's unclear.

[Nebu]

I bet a little corn starch would do the same thing.  It's a wonderful dessicant. 

I've been cooking a lot of tilapia, mahi mahi, and halibut lately.  They are wonderfully light and flakey fish, but require a delicate hand and a good no stick surface. 

[voodoolily]

I like to cook tilapia with miso glaze. A few good blobs of miso (white or red), soy sauce or tamari, a drib of sesame oil, a splash of mirin and rice vinegar (or a little honey if you don't have mirin), lots of grated ginger and a little garlic, and some wasabi if you're feeling randy. Just mix well and pour over the fish, then bake in an open dish until the fish is flaky. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with steamed rice and raw spinach (I put the rice and fish on top of the greens to wilt them). Leftovers can be flaked and used inside onigiri (rice balls).

[NowhereMan]

Ok so I went for the traditional hodge-podge of different recipes and have put together something that looks vaguely like a deep pan pizza. It's just gone into the oven for until it looks like it's done (I guess between 25-25 minutes). I've got a feeling the crust is too thick, not really worked with dough before except when making quick breads and this stuff was quite different, I think it's gonna be pretty uneven. Oh well.

[Nebu]

This may sound crazy, but when I use a thicker crust I like to brush it with olive oil and precook it before adding toppings.  Most conventional home ovens don't get hot enough to cook pizza well (many chefs prefer to cook pizza at 600-800 degrees), so I like to firm up the crust to avoid it absorbing too much liquid from the sauce. 

[NowhereMan]

Welp too late for that It's a good idea but instead I've already pre-cooked everything slightly so I think I've actually gotten rid of a lot of the moisture I'd be dealing with otherwise. Also it seems none of the recipes for Deep pan pizza require the heat of thin crust, probably because they all seem designed for longer cooking times?

Hmm... seems the recipe I used was actually for a slightly large pan (stupid imperial/metric conversions in my head) so it's somewhat more pie than pizza. Little soggy too and crust was a bit uneven. The sides came out gorgeously crisp, the base is a bit soggy and the corner was just a bit too thick to cook as much as I like. It does however taste like really nice pizza so I think getting a bigger pan/smaller recipe and practising with the dough might net me an awesome chicago style pizza.

[Bunk]

Cooking fish without destroying it is a skill that still eludes me. I just put the gas grill up for the year, bleh. I love my grill. I've only tried salmon on it once and the skin stuck to the grill and blackened and oh god it was a mess and let's just not talk about that anymore. Tasted great, but sheesh.

Up here, if you are doing Salmon fillets on the grill, traditionally you want the skin blackened. If you control the heat and timing right, the skin will blacken and stick to the grill, and you litteraly lift the fish off of the skin with a spatula. The skin comes off easy enough once it cools, usually in one big chunk.

[Sky]

Rub a raw potato on the grill before throwing the fish on there and it won't stick (an old Martha Stewart trick - dunno if it works on grill pans or just grills). It's also imperative that you get the pan ripping hot before you put any meat on it, and to not fuck with it until it's ready to be turned. Oh, also, make sure your fillets are patted dry before you put them on the hot pan. When the skin is wet, it's sticky.

I'll have to give that a try next season. Ripping hot, check, I probably spend more on propane to heat the grill than cooking :) Not fucking with the meat: check, one flip is all she gets. Pat meat dry: check.

The stuff I was reading (won't mention where, for you liketh them not) said to use veg oil, which I did. I only have a little bit of an issue with the sugariest of glazes, and usually that's just the little burnt end bits. The salmon totally flummoxed me. But it was so tasty I know I'll be back for more.

On pizza: the bit about rubbing with olive oil and pre-cooking. Great idea. Another thing I've seen recommended is using the oven's self-cleaning cycle to achieve higher temps. I always rub my normal pizza (not thin, not deep, just Joe Pizza) with olive oil around the edges and add some herbs or seasoned salt or something to give the crust a little extra something. It's good just rubbed with the olive oil, though, I love me some fresh airy light crust, just crisp outside and all hot and billowy inside.

[voodoolily]

This may sound crazy, but when I use a thicker crust I like to brush it with olive oil and precook it before adding toppings.  Most conventional home ovens don't get hot enough to cook pizza well (many chefs prefer to cook pizza at 600-800 degrees), so I like to firm up the crust to avoid it absorbing too much liquid from the sauce. 

Not crazy, I was gonna suggest a blind-bake as well. The dough in the middle/bottom may never cook otherwise.

[Sky]

Post-turkey meal report. Actually I had two thanksgiving meals this year, one with my dad and one with my mom, with friday hanging out between them. So we decided that BEEF was a good idea, and the butcher had a deal for $1.99/lb on massive top round slabs.

I used the oddball method I talked about however many pages ago, where you low cook it in a 275º oven and then sear the shit out of the crust. About a 3" thick cut, wall-to-wall pink with a nice crusty brown exterior, maybe a mm of grey. And then I threw all that out the window by dicing it thick and tossing with lightly steamed broccoli and rice with some generic stir-fry sauce. My stir-fu is hampered by my fiancee's dislike of teh hot, but it was still damned good.

Then we had roast beef slices last night, they were so pink and tender.

My best purchase this year: finally got a steel to hone my blade, Wusthof. Why oh why did I wait so long?

I was gonna suggest a blind-bake

Cordially yours, Sky.

[Samwise]

My experiments with vodka pie crust this Thanksgiving were successful.  Here's the recipe (source):

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water

Procedure
1. Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

The extra liquid makes the dough much stickier than most recipes, so be careful when rolling it out, and don't be shy with the flour.  Rolling each dough ball in a pile of flour and then rolling it out between sheets of wax paper worked well for me.

Also, more time in the fridge is better, as I learned last night when I used some leftover dough.  Next time I do pie for Thanksgiving I'm making the dough on Monday.

[Sir Fodder]

Mughal Garam Masala from Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni:

1/3 c. (about 200) green cardamom pods- remove seeds and discard chaff
2 cinnamon sticks, about 3" long
1 tbsp. whole cloves
1 tbsp. black peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

Grind spices in a spice/coffee grinder to a fine powder and store in tightly sealed jar, the fresher the better.

Use as dessert spice for cookies/cake/rice pudding etc..


Spice Cocoa:

~1 tsp. Mughal Garam Masala
~2 tbsp. shaved bittersweet chocolate (scrape block of cool temperature chocolate with knife), I like Callebaut
~2 c. milk
~touch of sugar to taste

Heat ingredients in pan over high heat (or steam from espresso machine), stirring constantly with wooden or silicone scraper, chocolate should melt completely once it begins to foam, don't let it burn or stick to pan. I usually don't grind the spices too fine so strain it through a fine food strainer or cheesecloth. The whole spices can also be boiled in water and then strained but they go a lot farther if ground. Chai tea spices can also be used. I'm always surprised how good this drink makes me feel.

I want to find out what spices the Maya/Aztecs/etc.. used in their cocoa drinks and try to reproduce that.

[Ookii]

Seems like a bunch of work for a cup of cocoa, but then again it sounds delicous  .

I believe the Aztecs or the Mayans used chilis in their cocoa, I also remember hearing it wasn't that sweet and maybe was fermented.

A simple google search could reveal the answer, but it's more fun guessing!

[Yegolev]

Rolling each dough ball in a pile of flour and then rolling it out between sheets of wax paper worked well for me.

Also, more time in the fridge is better, as I learned last night when I used some leftover dough.  Next time I do pie for Thanksgiving I'm making the dough on Monday.

I'm new to the pie-crust scene and these are good ideas.  I had not thought of refrigeration.