Everyday Systems

Lots of talk about sweets and snacks and S-Day treats around the forum.
Great.

But, to me, real food, had daily, is also a feast.
And something tells me I'm not unique.

So, what's your favorite real food or dish?
Mind you, I'm talking your routine meal, not Christmas fare.
So, give us your daily bread (and butter).

Let me launch this shared potluck meal with:
* Sausage and raw veg (snap peas/lettuce/carrots)
* Raw meal: nuts, raw goat cheese, avocado/raw butter, apple and raw veg
* Slow cooker overnight-roasted beef
* Israeli salad (tomatoes/cukes/onion), eggs, bread with butter and comté.

Over to you, guys.

Lamb shank and barley broth
Thai green chicken curry (my husband makes a great one)
Moroccan chicken with olives and preserved lemon
Pasta with homemade roasted garlic pesto
Pumpkin and coconut milk soup with ginger

As it's winter here, I'm talking about warming winter food.

As I bake most of my own sweets from scratch I consider those "real food", they're just not "everyday food". For weight I guess it doesn't matter, but for me I draw a distinction between a packet of TimTams and a loaf I bake with bananas, hazelnut meal, eggs, my Dad's honey etc.

Ironchef, that's real cooking, not only real food.
Hats off.

I actually rarely cook whole recipes. I make and freeze plain grains, beans, and meats and add veggies and sauces later. Even the sauces aren't homemade! But I look for simple ingredients. A lot of Indian flavors. And spaghetti sauce or chile verde. Lately just herb mixes, salt, and a fat over the foods previously stated.

Though I do sometimes make an Iranian dish that is many greens stewed with lamb and flavored with dried lemons and turmeric.

Getting hungry thinking about all these!

simplicity was always to my taste in everyday eating:

-fried eggs esp. tamagoyaki style
-pasta pesto al genovese
-rice with tofu-coconut cream-curry-veggies sauce
-winter pumpkin soup wit coconut cream and curry
-baked beans, esp. macedonian style (gravce na tavce)
-gateau aux épinards
-wok scrap cooked meals

oolala53 wrote:I actually rarely cook whole recipes. I make and freeze plain grains, beans, and meats and add veggies,,, and a fat over...

Pretty much what I mean by "KISS cooking", Oolala.
No sauces added here, though.

The Iranian dish sounds smashing.

I cook a lot of different dishes, but when it comes down to it, the minute steak sandwiches with fried onions and cheese is everyone's favorite in my home. I make it 2X monthly.

Steak and salad
Grilled pork or beef on rice noodles

Over43 wrote:Steak and salad
Grilled pork or beef on rice noodles

Plain and, to me, enticing food.

jackn wrote:

Over43 wrote:Steak and salad
Grilled pork or beef on rice noodles

Plain and, to me, enticing food.

Bleu cheese on the salad, a little Heinz 57 on the steak, some peanut sauce and schiracha on the rice noodle dishes and I am good to go.

Thanks jackn, to be honest while some of those might sound impressive most of them are one pot or slow cooker meals where you throw everything in that morning. My cooking at the moment is usually guided by "things my kids will eat"

ironchef wrote:most of them are one pot or slow cooker meals... guided by "things my kids will eat"

Yea, iron, me, too - guided by what 'this kid' will eat.

Sounds even better.
Plain, doable, daily fair, no-sweat, yet would qualify for sumptuous.

And 'lamb shank' is next on my slow cooker waiting list. Butcher recommended I try since I always go for slow-cooking beef cuts. Also, I used to know a lady who would melt when she had lamb shank at a local diner.
Most of my experience and ambition has been with veg, what with years of vegetarianism and veganism.
Have been more utilitarian with meat in recent years, less exploratory.
Time to venture into new territory.
The little experience I've had with lamb didn't seem promising. Didn't like what struck me like excess of fat. I mean taste-wise, not figure, of course.
Perhaps slow roasting is a different story.
Will try.

Thanx, iron, for the input.

For you jackn:
Lamb shank and barley broth (my grandmother's recipe)

A couple of trimmed lamb shanks (or any cheap lamb on the bone)
Two handfuls of pearl barley, soaked in water overnight
2 or 3 peeled chopped carrots
2 or 3 peeled chopped potatoes
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
a good amount of pumpkin, chopped (I like lots, but up to you)
1 tin diced tomatoes
chicken stock
bay leaf

Fry the onion and celery in a little oil or butter. Add the carrots and potatoes and fry for a minute or two. Add lamb, barley (with soaking water), stock, tinned tomatoes and bay leaf. Add water to cover everything.

Bring to the boil, then cover and turn down to a simmer. Simmer for a long time, I usually do about 2 hours, but more is fine. Basically you want the veg very tender and the meat falling off the bone. Keep an eye on the water level, and top up as needed, as the barley means the soup will thicken up over time.

Salt and pepper to taste. Can serve with toast, but doesn't need it as very hearty.

For those who don't like it fatty, or don't like the muttony taste of sheep fat, you can cool the soup and put it in the fridge. The fat will solidify on top making it very easy to sweep off with a spoon.

How kind, ironchef.

I appreciate it.

Will take time till I get around to it, but might report then.

My meals have to be fast. I'm always scrambling to get one teen or the other somewhere, and my husband is always working so it's down to me. I'm rarely organized enough to assemble a crock pot meal in the morning before work so I stick with my version of "fast food" LOL. Family favorites that generally take 20 minutes or even less:

Make your own tacos (chicken or ground beef and all the toppings set out to assemble yourself)
Marinated salmon, broiled, with a steamed veg and rice (cooks in 5, so does the veg, rice takes 20 min in the cooker)
Teriyaki chicken thighs, same as the salmon cooks up in 5 min per side under the broiler
Make your own pizza: you might be surprised how fast and easy it is to make your own pizza dough. Give everyone a hunk to shape and top and throw them in the oven on 450˚ for 12 minutes.

Hey, knita, how kind.

You took the time to share.

I'm sure it's much worse than anything I've experienced with my only son growing up. But I feel I can relate a little in that, once the nest got empty, it was, as they say, as if my life was given back to me....

Things would look better if Fast Food places practiced you kind of fast food, it seems.

I have several recipes that I go back to over and over

Moroccan Sweet Potato Stew
Thai Curried Rice
Homemade Pho soup with miso broth
Spaghetti with veggie marinara sauce
Oatmeal with the works (berries, banana, cinnamon, brown sugar, walnuts, and cocoa powder. Yum!)

Quesadilla style (made with refried beans on corn tortillas, and griddle cooked like a quesadilla, but no cheese)
Mexican Medley (a southwestern rice and bean recipe)
Mashed potatoes with mixed vegs, smothered in vegan brown gravy

fun thread!

bunsofaluminum wrote:I have several recipes that I go back to over and over

Moroccan Sweet Potato Stew
Thai Curried Rice
Homemade Pho soup with miso broth
Spaghetti with veggie marinara sauce
Oatmeal with the works (berries, banana, cinnamon, brown sugar, walnuts, and cocoa powder. Yum!)

Quesadilla style (made with refried beans on corn tortillas, and griddle cooked like a quesadilla, but no cheese)
Mexican Medley (a southwestern rice and bean recipe)
Mashed potatoes with mixed vegs, smothered in vegan brown gravy

fun thread!

Thanx a bunch, bunsofalu.

If it's not too much sweat (for you), and it's relatively KISS, would you give an idea of how you go about the Moroccan Sweet Potato Stew?

I sometimes go for the oatmeal thing, with the pinhead steel-cut variety.
I've been looking for a successful savory variety for some time, though, to no avail.

jackn wrote: Thanx a bunch, bunsofalu.

If it's not too much sweat (for you), and it's relatively KISS, would you give an idea of how you go about the Moroccan Sweet Potato Stew?

I sometimes go for the oatmeal thing, with the pinhead steel-cut variety.
I've been looking for a successful savory variety for some time, though, to no avail.

The stew is super simple. I'll post a link to the original when I can find it, but meanwhile from memory:
1 large onion, cut in large chunks
seasonings (I rarely measure, so this is "to taste")
Cinnamon
ground cumin (I use a lot)
turmeric (only needs a little)
red pepper flakes (a little bit goes a LONG way)

Four medium yams or sweet potatoes, or both, cut in large chunks.
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced in 1/2" chunks
1 red pepper, cut in large chunks
1 can diced tomatoes


sauté the onion in 1/4 c. of water (use oil if added fat isn't a concern)
until translucent. Add seasonings and stir to mingle. Add all other ingredients. Add a can of water if needed, to bring the fluid level up to "just floating" the ingredients. Bring to boil, then reduce and simmer.

Done in 30 minutes. This is LUSCIOUS with cous cous. Or quinoa, rice, over baked potatoes. Throw a handful of torn spinach into your bowl before dishing the stew over it. YUM!

as for savory steel cut oats! I used to fix Cheezy Steel Cut Oats with Spinach almost every morning. Darned if I can find it right now, but the basics were

1 c. steel cut oats to 4 c water. Soak for at least 20 minutes, or overnight is even better.

Ingredients to put in:

savory seasoning. I had a delicious bbq rub from Kirkland that I used until it was all used up

nutritional yeast (gives it that "cheezy feet" flavor...sorry. Nooch yeast DOES smell like feet, but so does cheese, so...)

sun dried tomatoes

mushrooms

you cook all of it together, and that takes at least 20 minutes. Longer if you didn't soak the oats. Stir fresh chopped spinach in a few minutes before serving. I also always put berries in mine. Oh, what a yummy meal. Steel cut oats have such a wonderful texture. They have to be well cooked, or they can cause stomach issues. I get downright grumbly if they are undercooked.

Ooh! tomorrow is grocery shopping day. I'm gonna get me some steel cut oats. Make this dish again.

Steel cut oats would also be good added to soup recipes, like barley.

That stew sounds great! I'm putting that aside for a nice fall or winter meal. Thanks bunso!

This is so very kind, buns.
Thank you.

I'm intrigued by Moroccan cuisine, though I know little about it.
I'm mainly attracted to their using dried fruit in meat stews...

Yes, I recall you're vegetarian, buns....

jackn wrote:This is so very kind, buns.
Thank you.

I'm intrigued by Moroccan cuisine, though I know little about it.
I'm mainly attracted to their using dried fruit in meat stews...

Yes, I recall you're vegetarian, buns....

that's okay Jackn...Moroccan (and Middle Eastern) cuisines also use dried fruits in grain dishes. I might cook up something with rice and raisins or figs.

Uova in purgatorio
Smoked pulled pork with vinegar sauce and coleslaw
Creamy chicken and noodles
Maple mustard chicken thighs with mashed potatoes and lemony green beans
Reverse-seared tenderloin steaks with all kinds of sides
Cobb salad
Chili with fried egg

So many excellent dishes full of real food.

Hi, Nontahala, you're saving this thread from oblivion.

This looks like real cooking, way over my head.
Cudos to you.

So I got curious about the lead item: Uova in purgatorio.

Indeed, intriguing.
Here's what one site says about it, accounting for why it's called 'eggs in purgatory': "...the eggs play the role of souls seeking purification, the sauce, that of the flames of purgatory...".

Images help: https://www.google.fr/search?tbm=isch&q ... sAGL75WwDQ.

Studying the recipe, it's basically tomato sauce to which eggs are added, made akin to how you'd make sunny side up eggs...: http://www.napoliunplugged.com/uova-in-purgatorio.html.

Shakshuka, a middle-eastern and North-African dish commonly partaken in Israel, is very similar.
It seems to go for more spice, though: http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/ ... shakshuka/.

Learnt something.
Thanx.

Jackn, I love Shakshuka too! I want to eat some of it now, of course.

Uova in purgatorio is perfect for me because I love meat sauce on pasta but my husband has grain allergies so this gives us something to enjoy together. (Plus I can make a big batch of the purgatorio sauce and it freezes beautifully).

Thanks for this, Nantahala and jackn! I now know what to do with my surplus tomatoes from the garden.

In the past, I tended to optimize my oatmeal for convenience (I ate it at lunch work and wanted to be able to prepare it quickly and without much mess).

These days because I work so close to home I can actually come home for lunch (and have far more options than oatmeal). So when I do hanker for the stuff (which is not infrequently!) it's now more about taste.

And for taste, I've discovered, the secret is cook it in whole milk instead of water. Makes it almost like a custard. Bit of salt, bit of cinnamon, bit of vanilla, bit of sweetener. Then optional raisins, cranberries, and/or chopped nuts thrown in. Extra splash of milk at the end. Diced fresh pineapple is surprisingly good thrown in and brightens up the character of the meal.

This cooking in milk technique works both for rolled oats and steel cut oats (but you must hover carefully!). I've only tried the overnight soak method with the steel cut oats, but it was utterly delicious. I just use the normal recipes on the box but substituting 1-1 whole milk for water.

Reinhard

reinhard wrote:In the past, I tended to optimize my oatmeal for convenience (I ate it at lunch work and wanted to be able to prepare it quickly and without much mess).

These days because I work so close to home I can actually come home for lunch (and have far more options than oatmeal). So when I do hanker for the stuff (which is not infrequently!) it's now more about taste.

And for taste, I've discovered, the secret is cook it in whole milk instead of water. Makes it almost like a custard. Bit of salt, bit of cinnamon, bit of vanilla, bit of sweetener. Then optional raisins, cranberries, and/or chopped nuts thrown in. Extra splash of milk at the end. Diced fresh pineapple is surprisingly good thrown in and brightens up the character of the meal.

This cooking in milk technique works both for rolled oats and steel cut oats (but you must hover carefully!). I've only tried the overnight soak method with the steel cut oats, but it was utterly delicious. I just use the normal recipes on the box but substituting 1-1 whole milk for water.

Reinhard

Reinhard, I agree with on using whole milk. For an almost decadent taste , try making oatmeal in half-n-half. I tried that accidentally a few months ago when we were low on milk, and my first taste was like WOW! I know from my days on Atkins that he often said to use heavy cream in coffee, or on other things where you might use milk. The extra fat helps to fight off hunger later on. It's not like we're chugging pint containers of half-n-half for a meal replacement.

Thanks for the half-and-half tip! Sounds so good I'm almost afraid to try it

Reinhard, forgive me if need be for saying this, but I think it is so cute that you can go home for lunch and you still eat oatmeal- cooked up nattier. Yes, yes, I'm sure that's not the only thing you eat, but it's still cute.

You have to admit you have a pretty unusual situation and have for quite awhile, it seems, unless I missed something. Have you ever lived far enough from work that you simply had to commute by vehicle on a regular basis?

Sorry if this hijacks the thread.

reinhard wrote:In the past, I tended to optimize my oatmeal for convenience (I ate it at lunch work and wanted to be able to prepare it quickly and without much mess).

These days because I work so close to home I can actually come home for lunch (and have far more options than oatmeal). So when I do hanker for the stuff (which is not infrequently!) it's now more about taste.

And for taste, I've discovered, the secret is cook it in whole milk instead of water. Makes it almost like a custard. Bit of salt, bit of cinnamon, bit of vanilla, bit of sweetener. Then optional raisins, cranberries, and/or chopped nuts thrown in. Extra splash of milk at the end. Diced fresh pineapple is surprisingly good thrown in and brightens up the character of the meal.

This cooking in milk technique works both for rolled oats and steel cut oats (but you must hover carefully!). I've only tried the overnight soak method with the steel cut oats, but it was utterly delicious. I just use the normal recipes on the box but substituting 1-1 whole milk for water.

Reinhard

How about full fat coconut milk?

With the pineapple, it would be pina colada oatmeal.

For me, I put in fresh mangoes.

Frozen mangoes will also do if fresh is unavailable.

Gilnaur wrote: How about full fat coconut milk?

With the pineapple, it would be pina colada oatmeal.

That sounds so good.

I have put carrot, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, maple syrup and crushed up cookies in porridge before today.