Lunch at work yesterday:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...288347786a.png

Here is a picture of the awesome piece of salmon I had at a Spanish restaurant today. It looks even better when the mobile application picture uploader works.

Instant Pot - Cincinnati Skyline Chili
 

Grand kids were over for dinner for one of their favs...

This recipe is a little spicier than the typical Skyline you'd have in Cincinnati but otherwise pretty much a dead ringer. Usual eating is plenty of shredded mild cheddar, oyster crackers and hot sauce.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1 large onion, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dark cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups crushed tomatos (1 - 15oz can)
1 cup beef broth
1 cup additional beef broth (only add this if sauce seems too thick, otherwise stick with the 1 cup.)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 15oz can red kidney beans if desired (rinsed, drained, warmed).
8oz (1/2 package) Angel Hair pasta cooked per package directions.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...e01efb2354.jpg


Directions:

Plug in the IP with insert set in place.

Press SAUTE on the IP and add 2 tablespoons olive oil and onions; cooking until softened.

Add the ground meat to the pot. Saute and break up the meat.

Once the beef has browned and is broken up, add the garlic, followed by the spices - chili powder, cayenne, dried oregano, cocoa powder, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground black pepper and one teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.


Stir in the crushed tomatoes, broth, water, vinegar, sugar, and drained beans scraping the pan bottom to remove any browned bits.

Close the lid of the IP and ensure the valve is set to SEALING.
Press MANUAL and adjust the time to 20 minutes on HIGH pressure. If no beans, set time for 10 minutes.

When the IP beeps after pressure cooking, allow your IP to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes.

When the display reflects L10:00 (which is 10 minutes since the IP has beeped), turn the setting on top of your IP to VENTING. Doing so allows the IP to quickly release any remaining pressure.

Open up your IP when the pin has dropped.

To serve, plate up spaghetti and top with chili. Garnish with mild freshly grated cheddar cheese, onions and hot sauce if desired.

Looks worse than it is...

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...850d5fd177.jpg

I do not understand this. That is bad, weird spaghetti.

I'd consider it to be an acquired taste.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a8bed8418d.jpg
Fired up the grill today to make chicken tacos.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...0419965e1b.jpg
No pics of the tacos. Hands were too messy, plus I was too hungry to do anything but eat.

I was already tired of seeing people post instant pot recipes before it started here on the forum.

I mean, kudos for cooking, but not all of us on that specific appliance. Recipes ought to be accessible to the masses. For me, it's almost a source of pride to do as much as possible with as little equipment as I can.

That said, I lived in Cincinnati for 5 years. Skyline (and Gold Star) are definitely an acquired taste, but I miss them. Preferred the coneys w/ mustard & onion, but a good ole three way still sounds pretty tasty right now.

Meh, Instapot also replaces the crock pot and takes up less floor real estate.

If joe wants to spend his time cooking shit in 6 hours instead of 45 minutes, that's his business.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...82117a9e20.jpg
Made some chicken sandwiches today, with spring greens, roasted chicken from the grill yesterday, and salsa on them.
Not quite a torta, but still tasty non-the-less.

Agreed. For me the decision to buy one was part utilitarian, my house doesn't have a ton a kitchen cabinet/pantry space, so anything to get some more room back is helpful.

Spanish Asparagus Revuelto
 

Sorry, no Instant Pot this time... ;)

A take off on a NYT recipe

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil
3 tsp minced garlic
2 cups bread cubes, made with day-old bread, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (I used leftover Hawaiian rolls 'cause I had them)
Salt and pepper
6 ounces diced Spanish chorizo (I used Chicken hot italian sausage 'cause it's what I had)
1 bunch thin asparagus, about 1 1/2 pounds, cut in 1- to 2-inch lengths
8 large eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon smoked parika
2 tablespoons roughly chopped Italian parsley (I used chopped Cilantro because I like it more)

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b2a32c0249.jpg


PREPARATION
Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp minced garlic and sautee for 1 minute. Add bread cubes, season with salt and pepper, lower heat to medium and gently fry until lightly browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove bread and set aside to cool.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...dd9240ff25.jpg


Add chopped sausage and fry lightly. Add asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and stir-fry until cooked through but firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Cilantro + minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Season eggs with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Lower heat and pour into pan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, just until soft and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with the fried bread cubes.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3d84e847e4.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f53ee73f42.jpg
Recipe says 4-6 servings... I think 2-3 is more like it unless you're pairing it with something else.

This is basically a 15 minute dinner after the prep work.

NYT Recipe: Spanish Asparagus Revuelto

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Leeks and Blue Cheese
 

Another one with no Instant Pot :bigtu:

Pretty much the only pan you'll need is a rimmed sheet pan either lined with foil or unlined. Minimalist as it gets unless you're into tin foil on the manifold... This is a meal all by itself with a nice loaf of crusty bread and a good red wine.

Picture & Recipe courtesy NY Times
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b815405161.jpg

Pasta With Roasted Cauliflower and Blue Cheese

INGREDIENTS
1 head cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch florets
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large or 2 small leeks, halved and thinly sliced (I cut off the tops and the roots, slice lengthwise in half, fan the slices under running cold water to flush out any dirt then slice on the diagonal)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, more for serving
8 ounces short pasta such as campanelle, orecchiette, conchiglie, farfalle or fusilli (I used faralle)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
6 ounces Gorgonzola dolce, crumbled, at room temperature
Fresh lemon juice, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped chives, for serving

PREPARATION
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss cauliflower with olive oil, salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer, and bake for 20 minutes.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7ec2f42ddc.jpg


Add leeks, garlic and thyme to the cauliflower on the sheet pan, then roast another 20 minutes, tossing the vegetables halfway through, until they are very tender and deeply caramelized.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...01a26492b9.jpg

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until it is 1 minute shy of being al dente. (It will continue to cook in the residual heat of the pot.) Scoop out about 1 cup pasta water (a coffee mug is good for this), then drain pasta. Return the pasta to the empty pot, along with butter, Gorgonzola, remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 cup pasta water, stirring to melt cheese.

Put the roasted vegetables into a bowl then place the sauced pasta on top and mix lightly to coat the vegetables. Stir in lemon juice (I used 1 tbsp) and salt and pepper to taste. Add a little more pasta water if mixture looks dry (but don't let it get too watery and runny). Let the mixture sit in a mixing bowl for 5-6 minutes for the sauce to thicken on it's own a bit. To serve, spoon into bowls and top with chives and sprinkle of thyme leaves.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7fb6c416af.jpg

Sorry, forgot to take pic of finished dish so you'll have to do with the 1/2 eaten bowl....

Seriously, this dish was phenominal but I'm a glutten for good blue cheese. If you don't like the pungency of blue cheese maybe try it with a goat cheese, brie, feta or other softer crumbly cheese even a cream cheese. Make sure the cheese is at room temperature or the water won't get a chance to melt it. Maybe tossing a 1/4tsp of nutmeg if using another cheese.

Believe it or not, I don't actually eat a lot of meat. I just like to cook it, more so now for friends.

The left was more tender, had more fat, the right was lean so a bit stiff but not dry. Just different despite these both being (corned beef) brisket. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3fbcae5bf0.jpg

You had me at "Gorgonzola" on the last one. Both look delicious, and will be copied by me.

I've been in kind of a culinary funk lately. My last few dinners have been some variation on a sandwich, along with some variation on a potato dish. Did a lovely German potato salad last night, but that's hardly enough to crow about in this thread...

I ate pho for the first time in my life. I worked with a lot of Asians and they are teaching me the food of their people. Next week is Korean BBQ.

Id post a picture, but it seems they just blocked all PHOTO storage sites here.... wtf.

When I traveled a lot I'd come home and cook a particular dish I had during the trip from taste and memory. My family seemed to enjoy them. When I pared back on the traveling I found I actually enjoyed cooking and now do all the meals if I'm home. I do have a few recipes that're my concoctions but generally I will flesh out a recipe I come across and either do 'as is' or will bend them to my liking.

I sometimes wish I'd taken a few courses to get grounded in the basics but you learn as you go. I could've easily been happy being the grill cook at a breakfast/brunch dive... so long as I owned it.

It is with great sadness that I report the following:

Yesterday evening, after more than 20 years of good and faithful service, the cheaply-made and low quality toaster oven which I purchased for around $12 while in college, and which is described in excruciating detail in this thread, merged with the infinite.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c301f9920c.png


Since that thread was created, I have in fact learned to cook, and to cook well. None the less, this oven has remained a useful tool over lo these many years. I have oft felt a wry sense of pride in doing much with little, and while I have over the years amassed many tools which are of higher quality, few have achieved the same utility and value-for-money as this flimsy and much-stained device.


In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hingham Institute Study Group on Space Warfare in its honor.

Proof that you've become one of the elite... You have a maxi and mini chopper. Also, I'm still confused how someone can leave a perfectly good Miata in a apartment parking lot in CA to head East with a Ryder van [IIRC] only to have an appliance with a mere worth of $1 make it into the packed goods.

I was moving to NYC. Parking the Miata would have cost me $500 a month (thus exceeding the total value of the car in around 45 days), whereas parking the toaster oven cost me nothing.

I didn't need a car. I did need a toaster oven.

Besides, I got a really good story out of the deal. Apparently, the muffler fell off while the thief new owner was driving it home. That car really had lived a hard life.

And yes, I feel a tad guilty about having purchased a couple of good knives, a nice cutting board, a couple of good choppers, and various assorted items over the years. Makes me feel like the bourgeoisie... I'm now grappling with whether to spend $200 on a really nice convection oven, or $40 on a similarly cheap equivalent replacement. Fuck me in the goat-hole, inflation is a bitch.

Try the local Goodwill/Salvation Army type places. I picked up a perfectly good, nearly new looking toaster oven for $6. I use it to cure wood blanks for pen turning.