El Justo's Cookbook Thread

Anyone know of anything that can be made with only a microwave and fridge? I'm horribly tired of ramen noodles right now.
 
Hot pockets. There's probably a lot of stuff at the store in the freezer section (assuming you have a freezer compartment) that would be fridge/microwave friendly.
 
Moose'd Eggs

3 large eggs
1 slice of tomato (finely chopped)
1 slice of onion (finely chopped)
1 slice of Deep Fried Turkey (torn into tiny pieces)
Salt and Pepper
Garlic Pepper


Scramble together and enjoy. I will note that this type of meal has been keeping me losing weight for over a year now.
 
This bread is free from gluten, yeast, sugar, and dairy. It is virtually impossible to make decent bread without these things. Because my girlfriend is on a very restricted diet at the moment, I've been trying many recipes, without much success. I put this one together today and it's worked better than any others.

Note that this is only the best approximation to bread that you can get (as far as I know) without using the ingredients mentioned above. Be aware that it won't look all that much like bread, and the texture and taste will differ. However, it's remarkably nice, and tastes a lot better than it looks. It also tastes better than most shop-bought "free-from" bread.

Freedom Bread (also known as Obama Bread, because I made it while watching the inauguration!)

Ingredients

100g quinoa flour
100g potato flour
50g soya flour
3tsp xanthan gum
3tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
2tbsp seeds
6tbsp oil
200ml sparkling mineral water

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. Make sure they are mixed very thoroughly.

Add the oil. Mix into the dry ingredients with your hands, as thoroughly as possible. It will resemble breadcrumbs.

Add the water. Mix it all together as quickly as possible. As soon as it is well mixed and forms a dough of some kind, push it into a bread tin quickly, press it down, and throw it into the oven. Note that you may find that the mixture is too wet or too dry. If so, add a bit of extra flour or water as you knead it together.

Bake for 35-40 minutes at 200C. Note that baking times will vary depending on the size and shape of the baking tin.

Turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool. It will look like the bread equivalent of the Thing from Fantastic Four, but you should find that it's pretty good to eat.
 
i return :)

apologies for the extended absense. real life had prohibited me from taking part in my accustomed fashion in the kitchen; however, over the last few weeks, things have eased some and i even play Mr. Mom on wednesdays :cool: thus, dinner is part of the deal :D i took El Justito w/ me to the market and secured the evening's provisions:

Veal Parmigiana

now, this recipe is pretty standard and can conceivably be used for, say, Veal Cutlets or any other type of breaded-->fried dish (sans the gravy and cheese).

ingredients
2 lbs of thinnly sliced veal, i prefer the type cut for scalopini (ie thin)
3 eggs
cup of flour
3 cups bread crumbs
3 cloves of garlic
onion powder
cracked black pepper
vegatable oil
gravy (ie red tomato sauce)
8 oz. block of motzarella cheese

kitchen tools
cutting board
2 plates - paper ones are great if available
1 large mixing bowl
1 fork
1 sheet pan w/ a covering of aluminum foil
1 set of metal tongs or some type of metalic tool to retrieve the meat from the hot oil
meat tenderizering mallet w/ the little nubs
deep fryer or large iron skillet about 4 or 5 inches deep

i won't go into the gravy recipe - however, i am loathe to use stuff from a jar. i'll make excpetions from time to time. but i've been spoiled over the years as my Sicilian-American wife spins up the old family recipe for gravy and there's no way i can go back to jarred stuff!

arrange the cutting board on your counter along w/ the 2 plates and 1 bowl. now, i sort of work it like an assembly line where i tenderize the veal, scoop it up and plop it into the flour, then dunk it into the egg mix, and finally onto the plate w/ the bread crumbs. so - i set the cutting board up to the left and position the flour closest to it w/ the egg mix followed by the bread crumbs. this is probably b/c i have ample counter space to the immediate left of my range.

get the deep fryer or iron skillet onto the burner along w/ about 3 cups or so of vegatable oil. put the heat on med-high (not full high). you don't want the oil to be too hot. i'm not sure of the exact temp to use...although i use an old wive's trick by tossing a pinchof flour into the oil and watch how it burns off. if it sizzles and crackles real quick then it's too hot; if it burns off more slowly, in say, 5 seconds +/-, then this is ideal. and i've found that that on my gas range, this is roughly med-high :)

i very much prefer vegatable oil since its flavor is superior imho. of course, it's fattening as all hell. but i won't get into that :D olive oil is a no-no. it does not react well to high heats. canola oil is alright to use though.

i personally like the iron skillet b/c it retains the heat better than regular skillets or sauce pans. of course, deep fryers and bangin' :) so if you have one of them, by all means, hook it up. if no iron skillet or deep fryer, use a large pot w/ high sides. the last thing you want is a grease fire!

arrange the flour-egg-bread crumb trio next to your cutting board.

bust out the 3 eggs into a large mixing bowl; grind c. 1 TSP of cracked balck pepper into the bowl. dice up the 3 garlic cloves and deposit in bowl as well. add in c. 1 TSP of onion powder, too. whisk thoroughly.

pour the cup of flour onto one of the plates.

pour c. 1.5 cups of bread crumbs onto the last plate. set aside the remaining cup-and-a-half.

tenderize the veal - this is perhaps the most important step of the whole recipe - there's nothing worse in this world than tough veal or veal that hasn't been prepared properly. use the tenderizing mallet w/ the small nubs and not the larger ones as the veal may tear if the larger ones are used. and don't be afraid to use a little elbow grease to whack down the cutlets :) just be mindful that you don't tear it!

meat tenderizing mallet (foreground)
tn_hammer.jpg


once i tenderize a piece of veal, i send it down the assembly line :) so this means to coat it in flour entirely, then dunk it into the egg mix. be sure to cover it entirely, too, w/ the egg mix. once completely covered, i drop it onto the bead of bread crumbs and coat it liberally. be sure to use a fork when moving the piece of meat from one station to the next. i say this b/c it can get messy if you do it w/ your hands. the flour-egg-bread crumb mix can get pasty. so use a fork :p

preheat your oven to 400 F and spread the foil over the sheet pan.

once that first piece is fully breaded, check the heat of oil w/ the flour test. if it's ready, plop in that first piece. let is cook for about 30-45 seconds per side and flip it over in the oil so that it cooks evenly. in total, each piece of meat will cook for about 1-2 minutes, tops. do not overcook it! the scalopini veal cutlets are very thin and cook quickly! the breading will turn a golden brown when finished. so keep a close eye on it as it cooks. once finished, put each piece on a plate w/ a paper towel or napkin so as to soak up excess oil.

while that first piece fries away, i start tenderizing the second piece of veal and repeat the whole process. i am mindful though of the pieces that are cooking. but a person can do more than one thing at a time :) repeat this process until all of the pieces are fried and ready to be put into the over w/ gravy and cheese.

place each fried piece of veal onto the foiled sheet pan. slice off preferred amount of motzarella from the 8 oz block and set it to the side. spoon onto each piece of veal the preferred amount of gravy. once finished, place the sliced cheese on top of the gravy. put the whole sheet pan into the over for about 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.

Parmpasta.jpg


best if served w/ pasta, fresh italian or french bread, a salad, and a nice glass of red :) last night i served it w/ cheese stuffed gnocchi. most restaurants garnish it w/ parsley but i do not. the gravy is normally juiced up. so i don't mess w/ the superficial garnish known as parsley.

enjoy!!
 
Anyone know of anything that can be made with only a microwave and fridge? I'm horribly tired of ramen noodles right now.

believe it or not, you can safely cook chicken parts in the microwave. You just have to get the cooking time just right, including the stand time. I used to baste some breasts and other parts in olive oil, then zap in the microwave.
 
i don't recommend cooking anything in a microwave. reheating is fine but no cooking. imho it ruins the texture and does not cook meats and fish evenly enough for my taste (convection ovens and broiling is far more effective and flavorful imo). to each their own though...
 
If you're going to cook raw in the microwave, lower power is better. This allows the heat to distribute a bit more evenly.

But yea, El J is right. Microwaves are better for reheating than cooking.
 
i should probably say that food designed specifically for the mocrowave is fine like popcorn, ramen noodles...even soup. but to cook meats or breads in the 'wave is certainly against my culinary instincts :king:

btw -- anyone ever get a load of that Gordon Ramsey dude - he and his Kitchen Nightmares show? awesome stuff :lol: i absolutely love his bluntness :lol:
 
btw -- anyone ever get a load of that Gordon Ramsey dude - he and his Kitchen Nightmares show? awesome stuff :lol: i absolutely love his bluntness :lol:

I like it! I remember seeing him recount how he became such a perfectionist. Apparently he moved to Paris and somehow landed a job at Robuchon's restaurant there (for those of you who don't know, Robuchon is the most decorated chef in the world). He worked his way up to being in charge of the fish station, which was a pretty high up spot on the hierarchy. One day, he sent out a ravioli that he knew was overcooked. Robouchon found it, literally threw it at him, and the next day he was cooking for staff. :lol:
 
i don't recommend cooking anything in a microwave. reheating is fine but no cooking. imho it ruins the texture and does not cook meats and fish evenly enough for my taste (convection ovens and broiling is far more effective and flavorful imo). to each their own though...

True, but for some folks (say people living in a military barracks or a school dorm) a stove is a bit of a luxury, or at least a rarity. Microwave or eat out is sometimes the choice.
 
True, but for some folks (say people living in a military barracks or a school dorm) a stove is a bit of a luxury, or at least a rarity. Microwave or eat out is sometimes the choice.

Or, like me, working 3rd shift for ten years. In the two places I've worked 3rd shift, neither of them had a stove or oven. So it was a microwave or hope you can find some 24 hour restaurant out there.

I got pretty good at heating stuff up in a nuker.
 
:bump:

Sick of hearing about how healthy kale is for you, but hating the taste!?

Fiftys Fabulous Walnut and Kale pasta!

Bare minimum:
-A lot of kale (a dinner portion of this for myself I include about 4 cups of kale), roughly chopped
-Walnuts
-Pinch of nutmeg
-Pasta of your choice (rotini works very well, as would farfalle or fusilli)
-Pecorino-Romano (better choice for this than parmesean) to taste
-Ex Virgin Olive Oil
-3 or 4 cloves of garlic (less if you arent a big garlic fiend) minced
-Salt

Optional additions:
-Bacon
-Some variety of fall squash


Boil water, heat olive oil, cook pasta (add salt to water if you want).

With about 3 mins left add garlic to olive oil. With about 20 secs left (beore pasta is done) add kale.. the idea is to cook the kale for just a few secods, basically just coat the kale in the hot oil is enough. This cooks it enough to make it tastier, but not enough to make it slimy or to lose its benefits. Toss kale/garlic/olive oil mixture with drained pasta, add chopped walnuts and a pinch of nutmeg. plate, top with romano and consume!

You can get a massive dose of ultra healthy kale this way, and it is DELICIOUS.

If you were doing the bacon, just add the cooked bacon pieces at the same time as the walnuts. If you did the squash you'd want to cook them before you added the garlic, since it takes a bit to get them nice and caramelized.
 
Tried to make an ersatz beef glace with some short ribs I had lying around after making dinner for my wedding anniversary. Making stock is no problem. Throw your good bones into a pot with water, onion, carrots, celery, and spices (bay leaf, pepper, a few other things) and simmer for hours. Skim off the fat and scum as it cooks. Then strain out all the solids through a cheesecloth and strainer as many times as you can bear to (three or four times for me). No problem.

The next part didn't go so well and I should have stopped with the perfectly good beef stock. The idea, as I understand it, is to cook a bunch of chopped shallots in about a bottle's worth of red wine until half the wine boils off, then add your stock and simmer again until it cooks down into a nice, somewhat thick glaze. Didn't happen that way for me. It cooked down, alright, but it never seemed to thicken at all until there was nothing left in the pot except a black, congealed mass of shallots stuck to the bottom. So I lost all my nice stock, three shallots, and a bottle of pinot noir. :sad:

This weekend I'll be having some lamb shanks, so I'll at least be able to get some nice stock out of it.
 
Huh, wow, never seen this thread before I actually started paying to El Justo's sig :lol:

I'm neither professionally trained, but I have worked in the restauranting-industry on-and-off for several years now, and like El Justo I'm the default cook in any social situation.

Seeing as how the Xmas season is upon us, I figured a good breakfast meal that can work for large groups of people might be something that this thread needs (and a lil :bump: of course).

Swedish Pancakes
  • 1 & 1/4 Cup Flour
  • 2-3 Eggs (up to your discretion, depending on how many people you plan on feeding)
  • 2 Cups Milk
  • 3 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

If you've ever made pancakes before, then you know how to make these. Mix up the ingredients, then pour a thin layer into a medium to large skillet over medium-to-high heat. Cook until its all formed together into one piece (ie, not super-runny) and flip. What you'll want to end up with is a very thin layer of pancake, almost like a crêpe.

Serve, and eat by rolling up (again, almost like a crêpe). Syrup can either be poured inside (ie, before rolling up) or outside (or both :lol:)
 
Turner's Most Excellent Microwaveable Peanut Brittle
Warning: Addictive!

Required:
Microwave
1 cup granulated sugar
.5 cup Light Corn Syrup
Peanuts. Amount of your choosing. I find between 1 and 1.5 cups works well.
1 tsp butter
1.5 tsp Vanilla Extract
1.5ish tsp Baking Soda
Optional: Oven preheated to 200°F/100°C
Oven mitts/heating pads, unless you like 1st degree burns on your hands.

If you're using the oven too, this is to preheat the pan/dish you're spooning the brittle into. Get the dish up to temp before starting the brittle. A hotter dish gives you more time to spread out the brittle.

In a microwave safe dish, combine the first two ingredients. Microwave on High for 3 minutes. Stir well. Microwave again for two minutes. Stir in the peanuts. Needless to say, by this time the dish is pretty hot, so be careful adding the ingredients from this point onward.

Now you're going to want to microwave it again, but you'll need to monitor the brittle. Cook it too long and you'll burn it. I find that two minutes is usually sufficient, however your time may vary depending on the wattage of your microwave.

Stir in the Vanilla and Butter. Stir it until the butter has melted.

Return to microwave and heat on high for 1 more minute. When this is complete, add baking soda to the mix and stir will. The more baking soda you add, the fizzier it's going to be. 1 to 1.5 tsp works well.

Now, if you've preheated your dish in the oven, remove it now. Pour the brittle mixture onto the pan, and spread out to desired thickness. Cool, and break into pieces.
 
template for an awesome/cheap/quick dessert:

1) Sautee some fruit in butter
2) Add some form of sugar
2.5) (optional) add some vanilla extract
3) Add alcohol
4) Light on fire
5) Pour over vanilla ice cream
5.5) (optional) sprinkle some chopped nuts on top


Obviously you could deliberately combine some fruits with some alcohols to make this disgusting if you wanted to, but there is a huge range of stuff for which this is delicious.
 
Made some really nice fajitas tonight with a homemade salsa. First time in ages I decided to put effort into a meal.

You will need:

Fajita Filling -
Chicken Fillets
1 Red Pepper
1 tspn smoked paprika
a pinch of cumin
1 - 1.5 limes
olive oil
sea salt + ground black pepper
sour cream/yogurt ( I prefer sour cream, but yogurt is nice for a change)
Guacamole
Cheese

Salsa-
At least 1 red chilli pepper
10 - 15 cherry tomatoes
some coriander
again, sea salt + ground black pepper
1 lime
olive oil

To make the fajita filling chop up the onion, chicken and pepper into strips. Put it in a bowl and add the cumin, paprika, salt + pepper, along with some oil. Squeeze in half a lime. Mix that all up and set aside.

To make the salsa, finely chop the chilli and roughly chop the cherry tomatoes. Again, throw in some salt and pepper along with some olive oil and add some chopped coriander (stalks too, don't waste!). Squeeze in a lime's worth of juice. Mix that up.

Put a frying pan on high heat and cook your fajita filling constantly turning the contents so that everything is evenly cooked. Add some extra olive oil if things are drying up.

And thats pretty much it. Put the filling along with the salsa, sour cream and guacamole into a heated wrap and enjoy. Some cheese too if you fancy it. Really easy and freaking delicious. I would reccommend a Jones soda or maybe a good Weissbier along with it for the ultimate in quick and easy dining.
 
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