What's your favorite kitchen.......... (page 4)

OUTLAW

The kitchen?..I cook a lot,kid`s,family,friends,and I have a great time..A dishwasher capable of sterilizing anything I put in it..A good Chef`s Knife,and plenty of fresh ingredients,herbs and spices..A large refridgerater would be nice..I`ve got everything but the big fridge..I like this thread..LOL...OUTLAW

WildHorses

I cook Mexican food a lot, so I'd have to say my blender is a must. After all, many Mexican dishes involve sauces.

BTW, since this is a thread about kitchens, and you live in MN. I'm sure, your being a Minnesotian. You would know of a recipe for tomatoe jam? Or what about Watermellon rind preserves? Well, I think the later is a southern recipe, but If you have a good one I would appreciate it.

Shari

Edited by - Lilacs on 19 August 2002 1:16:15

Xandria

My Motar and blender.. I love to cook. An Mexican / Spanish food is my speciality b/c it is my heritage.

You can use a food processor, but only with great care not to over process as you will get watery results. You will need that all purpose machine, a blender. In times past, the molcajete, Mexico's mortar, was used and it remains a wonderful tool but only when you know how to use it and have more time than a blender takes. A useful item for making refried beans is a wooden bean masher, found at many supermarkets or at a public market. Lacking one, I have sometimes used the bottom end of an empty soda bottle and it works fine.

And, finally, a set of large clay pots, available for a small investment at almost any public market, makes a very attractive table setting. You should look for ones with an even glaze and that are not chipped, but you do not have to fear lead poisoning as you will not be cooking in them, although you certainly can if you want to. (Lead buildup comes from prolonged contact of acid foods with the lead in poorly glazed pots).
This is what I like to do with those Kitchen Gagets:

Cochinita pibil
(This is a modification of this famous dish from the Yucatan. The authentic version is cooked in banana leaves.)

Marinade:

1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
4 tablespoons achiote paste (it comes packaged, ready to use)
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
teaspoon salt
5 pounds pork butt

Put all the marinade ingredients in a blender and blend thoroughly. Put the pork in a large glass bowl and rub the marinade into the pork, turning to make sure all the meat is covered. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).

Line a large baking pan with tin foil and place the meat and marinade on top. Cover well with foil and bake for about 3 hours, or until the meat is very tender. Remove from the oven and with two forks shred the meat. Pour the sauce into a serving dish and add the meat.

Take the tomato and score the flesh over the flames ( 3 min total). Depending on how many people are eating this depends on the amount of tomato(s) you are going to need. I like roma tomatoes personally.

Dont hestitate to roast (and peel) fresh chiles a day or two ahead; they keep well in the refrigerator. Lots of cooks, especially in the Southwest where large chiles are grown, like to roast a lot of chiles at once and freeze them; the practice in vogue seems to be freezing the roasted chiles with the skins on; peeling them when defrosted seems to preserve flavor and texture.

The best chiles to use for this salsa is :
(depending on how hot you can take it )

6 medium dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into flat pieces. If you use fresh. IF you use dried ancho chiles rehydrate them before using on grill.

3 tamatillo peeled cooked and cooled.

1 medium onion chopped fine.

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 seeded and minced jalapenos, plus 2 roasted, skinned and chopped jalapenos

1/2 red onion, fine chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lime, juiced
Chili powder, salt, and pepper, to taste
Fresh scallions, cilantro or parsley, to taste
In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Place in refrigerator for up to 12 hours for flavor infusion.

Serve with tortilla chips .

Easy salsa ( to do in a flash when you get a unexpected guest.)

4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, minced
8 cilantro springs, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together. Toss thoroughly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving

Makes 4 generous drinks

1 cup tequila, preferably a young silver or reposado 100% agave tequilalook for widely distributed ones like El Tesoro, Cuervo Tradicional, and Herradura, or search out the distinctive small production tequilas like Chamucos or Suave Patria

1/2 cup Cointreau or other orange liqueur

1/3 cup fresh lime juice, plus a little extra for moistening the rim of the glasses

A little sugar if necessary

About 1/3 cup coarse (Kosher) salt for crusting the rim of the glasses

About 3 cups medium ice cubes

In a small pitcher, combine the tequila, orange liqueur and lime. Taste and decide if you think the mixture needs to be a little sweeter or a little tangier (keep in mind that it will taste a little tangier once its been shaken). Add a bit more lime or a touch of sugar, if necessary.

Spread out the salt onto a small plate. Moisten the rim of four 6-ounce martini glasses with a little lime juice (if you have a cut lime, even an already-squeezed one, moisten the rims by running it around them). One by one, turn the glasses over and dip them lightly in the salt, creating a thin, even crust all around the rim.

Pour half of the margarita mixture into a cocktail shaker, add half of the ice cubes. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds (this is important to achieve the perfect strengthsome of the ice needs to melt into the margaritaand the right degree of frostiness). Strain into the prepared glasses, then repeat with the remaining margarita mixture. Relax and enjoy.

Enjoy

Great Recipes for any ApOsToFesT

Xandria

Edited by - xandria on 19 August 2002 3:12:31

LyinEyes

My favorite kitchen accessory or tool would have to be............ MOTIVATION.

Without that one vital ingredient, I can not use the can opener; turn on the stove;operate the microwave; or even buy food to put in the fridge.

When I cook , I usually love to cook, but there are times I dont want to see the kitchen. We have a family of five so the kitchen is the hub of activity.

I don't have a diswasher, and never have liked the idea of them very much. Usually I enjoy doing things the old fashioned way, the never ending sink full of dishes waiting to be washed is such a challenge to me. Some days I actually am master over my kitchen, most of the time it controls itself.

zenpunk

A huge Wok and a rice cooker. You can throw together something fabulous in a half hour that's actually good for you.

Latte

My hand held Latte wisk .....of course!

Latte

Room 215

Hi Scootergirl,

I must admit that I'm a sucker for kitchen gadgets. My one favorite object would be the 5.5 quart Le Crueset Dutch Oven.. heavy but indispensible for so many foods.

Dismembered

high temperature rubber spatulas they never melt, and they don't break when I slap someone with them.

Edited by - Dismembered on 19 August 2002 9:24:15

scootergirl

Wow..........thanks for all the responses peeps! I have lots of ideas now!

Lilacs, I will take a look thru my books for you......I think I may have a recipe or two that you are looking for!

Scully

The best investment I ever made was to buy Tupperware storage containers. They help keep me organized because I can open my cupboards and know at a glance what I need to buy. They also saved me a lot of money having to replace food when we had an ant colony invade the kitchen a couple of months ago (they even got into my dishwasher, but couldn't get into any of my Tupperware containers).

I love all my Tupperware stuff. My favorites are my big mixing bowl for making big batches of stuff, my silicone spatulas, my measured batter bowl and of course the "Quick Shake" which is great for making scrambled eggs, salad dressings, frothy drinks and so much more.

I also enjoy their microwave cookware. I've even made a "bundt" style chocolate Turtle cake for special occasions. It takes 12 minutes in the microwave and is absolutely delicious. My family BEGS me to make it regularly.

I do have a few things on my "wish list" like a cappucino machine and a Mixmaster, but I wouldn't trade my Tupperware for them.

Love, Scully

What's your favorite kitchen..........

Share this