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Quarantine Cooking: Recipes & Techniques to Stretch Your Food Budget (2 Viewers)

Making some turkey chili tonight with pinto beans and I throw a little spinach in at the end. It's not normal but I like eating it over white rice. After making a pot of rice and a pot of chili, you have a lot of meals for a fairly low cost. 

 
huthut said:
Cream cheese is the cheapest cheese per serving, so in college I ate a ton of cream cheese and turkey sandwiches. I actually prefer the taste in a sandwich over most other cheeses now, it has a strong enough taste to notice it. Not something that will significantly impact a budget, but sliced cheese is a total rip off!
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The only issue with this is it's easy to use a lot of cream cheese. I load it up when eating a bagel.

Also, when you buy sliced cheese, it's like it's portion controlled already.

Never thought to use the cream cheese on a sandwich though. Interesting. 

 
eoMMan said:
The only issue with this is it's easy to use a lot of cream cheese. I load it up when eating a bagel.

Also, when you buy sliced cheese, it's like it's portion controlled already.

Never thought to use the cream cheese on a sandwich though. Interesting. 
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I find it is the opposite, you often need 2 slices of real cheese to taste it over other ingredients, while a thin spread of cream cheese has a more pronounced taste and you barely use any. I don't put the half inch thick spread that some bagel places do though, seems like it would be a bit much. I find that half of one of those single serving tubes (I think they hold 1 oz, so a total of 0.5 oz) is enough for a sandwich.

If you have the ingredients available I would recommend trying it. 

 
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huthut said:
I find it is the opposite, you often need 2 slices of real cheese to taste it over other ingredients, while a thin spread of cream cheese has a more pronounced taste and you barely use any. I don't put the half inch thick spread that some bagel places do though, seems like it would be a bit much. I find that half of one of those single serving tubes (I think they hold 1 oz, so a total of 0.5 oz) is enough for a sandwich.

If you have the ingredients available I would recommend trying it. 
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wow ...I am the opposite.  Being a later life type II diabetic I sometimes get cravings that I simply choose to indulge.  

Not long before all of this corona stuff, I had a giant craving for Panera Bread Cinnamon Crunch bagels.  I got a half dozen, put'em in the freezer and had one every other day for the next couple of weeks.  I thawed, then toasted them ...pretty crunchy (cut in half for more toasty goodness).  

But I used a little over half an 8oz. block of cream cheese on each bagel (that includes both pieces though ... 🙂

I can see only using a little bit, but that isn't what I personally enjoy.  

 
Binky The Doormat said:
wow ...I am the opposite.  Being a later life type II diabetic I sometimes get cravings that I simply choose to indulge.  

Not long before all of this corona stuff, I had a giant craving for Panera Bread Cinnamon Crunch bagels.  I got a half dozen, put'em in the freezer and had one every other day for the next couple of weeks.  I thawed, then toasted them ...pretty crunchy (cut in half for more toasty goodness).  

But I used a little over half an 8oz. block of cream cheese on each bagel (that includes both pieces though ... 🙂

I can see only using a little bit, but that isn't what I personally enjoy.  
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Well, not like it is mandated by law, season to taste? A sandwich is not as bready as a bagel is as well, so what works on a bagel might be overkill on a piece of bread.

 
urbanhack said:
I'm not doing a good job of making my food go far, but i have made:

  • chicken, potato, cheddar, veggie, rice soup
  • 2.5 chuck roast made into barbacoa taco meat
  • grilled 2 lbs of chicken thighs - been using them for sandwiches and salads  
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I'd be interested in this recipe, GB. 

 
Chemical X said:
so, i used chorizo today, since rednecks have no idea what it is and don’t buy it;

in a pot, sauté a shallot in evoo.  add some garlic, powder or minced.  add large dashes of oregano and chili powder.  throw in chorizo.  if raw, cook and crumble.  in pot.  if cooked, slice into discs and add. to pot add 2tbsps of tomato paste and 2 cups chicken stock.  thicken for a couple of minutes. add 28 oz of canned and drained black beans.  in separate pot, cook 1lb cavatappi and add to pot.  wa la, lots of meals.
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I've done something similar and you're right, this is a lotta meals for not a lotta coin.  Recipe I used:  One Pot Wonder Spanish Rice with Chorizo.  :thumbup:

Agree on the chorizo.  Not easy to find the good stuff in Oregon.  My GB @strykerpks sent me some last year and I made the dish above with it.  

 
E-Z Glider said:
In the spirit of the thread, I have combined my 2 favorite minimalist meals into one timeline. To make this meal, you will only need 6 things... 

  1. A dutch oven
  2. one whole chicken
  3. flour 
  4. yeast
  5. salt
  6. oil
This is a 24-hour project. You can start it tonight and eat it tomorrow for dinner. It's such a simple meal, but when you dunk a piece of bread and chicken into a bowl of this schmaltz, I promise your eyes will roll back into your head.

Today

6:00pm - In a large bowl, combine 3C flour, 1/4 tsp yeast, 1 and 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 and 5/8 C water. Mix well until shaggy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

8:00pm - In a large pan or bucket, mix a brine of 2 quarts of water with 1/3 C of salt and submerge chicken.

Tomorrow

1:00pm - Sprinkle flour generously on surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle flour generously on top of dough. Fold it over itself twice. Loosely cover with plastic.

1:30pm - Generously coat a cotton towel with flour. Gently and quickly gather the dough into a ball. Place the dough seam-side down. Generously coat the top of dough with flour and cover with another towel.

3:30pm - Place dutch w/ lid oven into the oven and heat to 450.

3:50pm - Remove dutch oven, slide one hand under towel and turn dough over into dutch oven, seam-side up. Put lid on top and back into oven.

4:00pm - Remove chicken from brine and dry with towels.

4:20pm - Remove lid from bread but leave it in oven.

4:35pm - Remove bread from oven and place on cooling rack. Turn oven up to 550 and put dutch oven back into oven.

4:50pm - Rub chicken with oil.

5:00pm - Put chicken in dutch oven with lid on.

5:15pm - Remove lid, baste chicken. Leave lid off.

5:30pm - Remove dutch oven from oven and place on stove top with lid back on.

5:40pm - Remove lid.

5:50pm - Stick a wooden spoon in the chicken cavity and tilt it to drain all juices (schmaltz) into the dutch oven.

6:00pm - Place the whole chicken on cutting board. Pour schmaltz into 2 bowls. Tear a hunk of bread and piece of chicken and dip into schmaltz.
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Excellent!  I have had a good Dutch Oven on my wish list for quite some time, but this is now going to be an expedited purchase. 

 
Seriously?  I've been making a lot of ramen lately.  Yup.  The $0.10 Oodles of Noodles packets like we had in college.

I don't use the seasoning packet and use regular chicken stock on hand (homemade when available).  Add in some soy sauce, sesame oil and chili oil.

From there?  It's a dump of anything in the fridge that fits:

Shredded chicken, pork or beef.
Shredded cabbage
Sliced radish and jalapeno
Thinly sliced mushrooms

It's lunch for probably under a dollar.

 
Deepster said:
Seriously?  I've been making a lot of ramen lately.  Yup.  The $0.10 Oodles of Noodles packets like we had in college.

I don't use the seasoning packet and use regular chicken stock on hand (homemade when available).  Add in some soy sauce, sesame oil and chili oil.

From there?  It's a dump of anything in the fridge that fits:

Shredded chicken, pork or beef.
Shredded cabbage
Sliced radish and jalapeno
Thinly sliced mushrooms

It's lunch for probably under a dollar.
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I imagine using chicken stock instead of the season packets cuts down on the sodium content?  Those things are loaded with sodium.  My sons love ramen and probably like that it's something they can make, but I warn them about the sodium in there.  

 
Deepster said:
Seriously?  I've been making a lot of ramen lately.  Yup.  The $0.10 Oodles of Noodles packets like we had in college.

I don't use the seasoning packet and use regular chicken stock on hand (homemade when available).  Add in some soy sauce, sesame oil and chili oil.

From there?  It's a dump of anything in the fridge that fits:

Shredded chicken, pork or beef.
Shredded cabbage
Sliced radish and jalapeno
Thinly sliced mushrooms

It's lunch for probably under a dollar.
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:thumbup:   Sounds great. Someone here on FBG turned me onto NongShim Shin Cup Noodles (available on Amazon) many years back and its changed my instant ramen game forever. They cost a little more than the cheap grocery store stuff, but so worth it.

 
General Malaise said:
I've done something similar and you're right, this is a lotta meals for not a lotta coin.  Recipe I used:  One Pot Wonder Spanish Rice with Chorizo.  :thumbup:

Agree on the chorizo.  Not easy to find the good stuff in Oregon.  My GB @strykerpks sent me some last year and I made the dish above with it.  
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@General Malaise Make your own!  I've been working out a good recipe for years. Here's the latest iteration:

Ron's El Chorizo (Which chorizo? Ellllll.....)

5.5#’s of course ground (double grind) pork butt 

5.5 tablespoons powdered cumin

5.5 teaspoons powdered coriander

30 cloves (ground)

1 tablespoon powdered Bay Leaves

1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2.5 teaspoons Mexican Oregano

2.5 Teaspoons Thyme

5.5 Tablespoons granulated Garlic

5.5 teaspoons kosher salt

2.5 teaspoons ground black pepper

12 tablespoons chili powder

7.5 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix it up, let it site for a overnight and package it up into how you'e going to use it.  It freezes great.  I don't bother casing this stuff since we always use it in bulk anyway.

 
Ron Swanson said:
@General Malaise Make your own!  I've been working out a good recipe for years. Here's the latest iteration:

Ron's El Chorizo (Which chorizo? Ellllll.....)

5.5#’s of course ground (double grind) pork butt 

5.5 tablespoons powdered cumin

5.5 teaspoons powdered coriander

30 cloves (ground)

1 tablespoon powdered Bay Leaves

1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2.5 teaspoons Mexican Oregano

2.5 Teaspoons Thyme

5.5 Tablespoons granulated Garlic

5.5 teaspoons kosher salt

2.5 teaspoons ground black pepper

12 tablespoons chili powder

7.5 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix it up, let it site for a overnight and package it up into how you'e going to use it.  It freezes great.  I don't bother casing this stuff since we always use it in bulk anyway.
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F'n A!  That sounds terrific!  I might have to do this over the weekend.  

Also, I need to buy more cumin.  

 
General Malaise said:
I'd be interested in this recipe, GB. 
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i winged it but it was something like:

  • 2.5 lbs chuck roast
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 5 to 6 cloves garlic
  • Salt/Pepper
  • Cumin
  • Chipotle peppers
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 2 cups chicken, beef or veggie stock
Saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno for a few min and then sear each side of the chuck roast. I put in a shot of tequila to deglaze the pan and then added the stock and chipotles. Turn up the heat to quick boil and then simmer for 10 min.  Pre-heat oven to 225 (or slow for crockpot) and let cook for at least 4 to 5 hours...more if you want.  Should be super forkable and falling apart when ready.

Corn tortillas. Fresh chopped white onion, cilantro, fresh lime wedges and the salsa of your choosing.  Heat tortillas on pan before serving for optimal enjoyment.

 
General Malaise said:
F'n A!  That sounds terrific!  I might have to do this over the weekend.  

Also, I need to buy more cumin.  
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I should mention the chili powder can be a variable. I like to dry out and powder guajillos, anchos, and arbol peppers.  It's different than store bought in that it doesn't contain other ingredients.  So adjust accordingly if you use store bought chili powder.

 
Deepster said:
Seriously?  I've been making a lot of ramen lately.  Yup.  The $0.10 Oodles of Noodles packets like we had in college.

I don't use the seasoning packet and use regular chicken stock on hand (homemade when available).  Add in some soy sauce, sesame oil and chili oil.

From there?  It's a dump of anything in the fridge that fits:

Shredded chicken, pork or beef.
Shredded cabbage
Sliced radish and jalapeno
Thinly sliced mushrooms

It's lunch for probably under a dollar.
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Baked Ramen radiators

 
eoMMan said:
Making some turkey chili tonight with pinto beans and I throw a little spinach in at the end. It's not normal but I like eating it over white rice. After making a pot of rice and a pot of chili, you have a lot of meals for a fairly low cost. 
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I sub hyper lean turkey for ground beef almost all the time in chili, no one really notices.

 
as an fyi, I am trying to figure what you might be sold out of and can cook in bulk.

I have found, if you hit the weird area of the frozen section where they keep the meatless type stuff, you can find frozen meatless (made to look like ground beef) soy crumbles.  sometimes seasoned, sometimes not.

you can use these for tacos and especially lasagna.  bulk meals that go along way.  use you own recipe cholo.

 
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Made this the other night. Easy to make, cheap.

Mexican Rice Skillet

This Mexican Rice Skillet is a delicious and easy weeknight meal all in one pan, featuring baked rice, ground beef, cheese, and Mexican flavors.

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small sweet onion , diced
15 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
10 ounce can Rotel, undrained
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
fresh chopped cilantro (or parsley)

Instructions

  1. In a large ovenproof saute pan (with a lid), cook beef and onion over medium-high, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon, until browned and no pink remains, about 3-5 minutes.
  2. Stir in the diced tomatoes, Rotel, chicken broth, rice, brown sugar, salt, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Bring to a boil; stir once, then cover tightly. Reduce heat to low and let cook for 30 minutes undisturbed.
  3. In the meantime, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  4. Uncover pan and give the mixture a stir; sprinkle with the cheese. Transfer to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted.
  5. Sprinkle cilantro over the top and serve!
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Made egg roll in a bowl last night.   Was not expecting more than a healthy meal that was filler.    It turned out one of the best one pot meals I have ever had.

 
Mr. Ham said:
Thought it was in this thread, but I bookmarked this recipe for French bread using a homemade sourdough starter. Made mine over 5 days and baked this in a Dutch oven yesterday. Was amazing, and highly recommend. 

Thanks to whomever posted, wherever it was.

https://www.pardonyourfrench.com/classic-french-boule-bread/
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watched an episode of Bon Appetit test kitchen last night where they did this, will give it a go. You have a pic of your finished product?

 
17 year old son and I are making crab pad Thai on Friday.  We have most everything already, but I'll need to hit the Asian grocer for tamarind sauce, bean sprouts and crab.  We can get dungeness crab out here pretty cheap right now.  Gonna use my cast iron skillet instead of our wok as I think it'll work better in this (my cast iron skillet is perhaps my most prized possession; that and my Weber grill) and will post the recipe when we're done.  

Made 3 different types of soup from the homemade chicken stock/roasted chicken.  Had some chicken breasts in the freezer that I grilled up and used the leftovers in two of the soups.  The chicken noodle was very basic and for the kids benefit, the other two were just for me and sustained me for about a week.  Those other two were my own creations and I like to add a little more heat than the little kids will like.  The first one I made I called "Forresto's Kickin' Chicken Bisque" which was much better the day after I made it and the other I'm calling "Quarantine Chicken Rice & Bean Invention".  Outstanding.  

Staying busy and enjoying the time spent in the kitchen. :thumbup:

 
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General Malaise said:
17 year old son and I are making crab pad Thai on Friday.  We have most everything already, but I'll need to hit the Asian grocer for tamarind sauce, bean sprouts and crab.  We can get dungeness crab out here pretty cheap right now.  Gonna use my cast iron skillet instead of our wok as I think it'll work better in this (my cast iron skillet is perhaps my most prized possession; that and my Weber grill) and will post the recipe when we're done.  

Made 3 different types of soup from the homemade chicken stock/roasted chicken.  Had some chicken breasts in the freezer that I grilled up and used the leftovers in two of the soups.  The chicken noodle was very basic and for the kids benefit, the other two were just for me and sustained me for about a week.  Those other two were my own creations and I like to add a little more heat than the little kids will like.  The first one I made I called "Forresto's Kickin' Chicken Bisque" which was much better the day after I made it and the other I'm calling "Quarantine Chicken Rice & Bean Invention".  Outstanding.  

Staying busy and enjoying the time spent in the kitchen. :thumbup:
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Niiice.  Can I get a carry out order?

Now that I’m on furlough I can see the first half of my day involving complete kitchen cleaning and food prep for the day’s meals.  

 
urbanhack said:
Niiice.  Can I get a carry out order?

Now that I’m on furlough I can see the first half of my day involving complete kitchen cleaning and food prep for the day’s meals.  
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Sure wish this weather were nicer.  Was going to tune up my bike and start riding it to the office (we're still coming in; only 3 of us, no customers) but not in this crap.  Cold, windy, wet.....blah.

 
General Malaise said:
Sure wish this weather were nicer.  Was going to tune up my bike and start riding it to the office (we're still coming in; only 3 of us, no customers) but not in this crap.  Cold, windy, wet.....blah.
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Looks like it will start to break for the better next week.   :thumbup:

 
Spaetzle (homemade German egg pasta/dumplings)

Pasta/noodles are cheap but this is super easy and taste amazing.  It takes about a total of 10 minutes to make and you end up with homemade pasta.  Also really easy as you only need five ingredients that you probably already have and it is a good use of flour as it doesn't need yeast which is impossible to find right now.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

2 eggs

Some salt

Some milk

Water

Boil water in a pot and salt water as you would any pasta.

Mix flour and pinch of salt.  Then lightly beat the eggs and mix with flour (ratio is really 1/2 cup flour to 1 egg).  You want the batter to be a little thicker then pancake batter and you add milk to batter to get right consistency as eggs and flour alone will be too thick.  

Take a colander (or flat cheese grater with larger holes) and push the batter through the holes above the boiling water.  If batter goes through without pushing it needs to be thicker so just add a little flour.  The batter will fall into the water as clumps and then sink to the bottom.  Once it floats to the top it is done and you remove from water.  

Mix with whatever seasoning you want but best is just to sauté in browned butter.  Great as a side for something else cheap like sausage.   

Also, video showing how to make (whole thing done in like six minutes and you don't need the fancy thing he has just use a colander or back side of cheese grater):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntwZfErKJEg

 
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Wuhan Spicy Bat Wings

This savory appetizer will drive your guests absolutely batty. Coat roasted bat wings in a combination of honey mustard and hot sauce for a fiery bite.

3 pounds bat wings (about 16 pieces), rinsed and patted dry
Honey Mustard Sauce
Hot Sauce for Bat Wings

Step 1
Preheat broiler. Lay wings on a rimmed baking sheet, wingtips down. Place under broiler, 5 1/2 to 6 inches from heat source. Broil until golden brown and cooked through, rotating pan as necessary, 35 to 40 minutes.

Step 2
Using tongs, remove wings to a large bowl. Drain fat from baking sheet into heat resistant bowl, and discard.

Step 3
Toss wings with sauce. Return to baking sheet, wingtips down. Reserve bowl with remaining sauce. Place wings under broiler, and cook until sauce has glazed, 2 to 3 minutes, rotating pan once.

Step 4
Return wings to bowl, and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

 
My wife does the cooking during the week. On the weekends I usually make a large batch of something and eat the leftovers all week for lunch. I'm also on a coronavirus diet and have been eating smaller portions, it's amazing how much longer leftovers stay in fridge now. Last week I made chicken and dumplings, this week it's been beef roast with potatoes and carrots. I haven't thought about next week yet but there's a lot of hamburger meat in the freezer.

 
I'm the resident chef at my house, a short order cook for breakfast and lunch, and then a legit dinner most nights. I love to do it, and this stretch of time at home has given me the chance to break some very wasteful food habits in my house, I'm talking sinful-level habits. Don't want to get into blame-pie portions but since I mentioned it, mine is a sliver, and anything more would belong in the Corona Divorce thread. So I've now got a stranglehold of all aspects foodservice operations: inventory control, shopping, menu, cooking. I have do a cleaning crew, albeit a subpar one.

I think most of what I've made fits in with the theme, pretty easy and not done with expensive cuts of meat, and often some repurposed leftovers. Try to make healthy, square meals but don't get carried away on that front. Here's some pics from past three weeks (is that all it's been?? ####!!!!)...

Last night's Hot Cherry-Pepper Pork Chops - Pork is cheap, only thing you may not have on hand is a jar of hot cherry peppers in vinegar. Very easy, may be too hot for some. Dang good.

Buttermilk-brined Roasted Chicken - ingredients: whole chicken, buttermilk, s&p. I do usually do two chickens at a time which creates all kind of leftover options. And I need to give a shoutout to Middle East brand rice pilaf, been a staple in our house for years. I usually only use half the spice pack and replace half the water with chicken broth to backfill the flavor/make a little healthier.

Beef Stir Fry - partially thawed a couple of steaks I had in the freezer, sliced thin, used veggies I had on hand. It looked nicer when it wasn't in the leftover container.

Mississippi Pot Roast - some of you InstaPot guys may have done this before, I made it in a Dutch oven. Just a cheap-### chuck roast, jar of pepperoncini, butter and dry packaged au jus and ranch dressing seasonings, served over egg noodles. Pretty ghetto, not all that healthy, and so damn good. Active cook time 15 min, then forget about it for 3 hrs while you finish up work for the day.

Fried Chicken - Kind of messy, time-consuming and a pain in the ###, but the ultimate comfort food for my money and my family demands it. And not expensive. And awesome for leftovers. Checks all boxes. The trick is having the foresight to get it soaking in buttermilk the night before, and then temp control on the oil is key when cooking. Need to get the thermometer in there (I prefer stovetop over my deep fryer).

Mashed Potato Pancakes - left over from fried chicken night, served w/ eggs next day. Nothing fancy, point is if you're gonna make mashed might as well make a crapload.

Spicy Pork Noodles - Chris Morocco made this on an episode of Bon Appetit we watched last week. Kids loved it. Ground pork, noodles and other common ingredients if you cook Asian food somewhat regularly. I used sambal oelek as the chili sauce for this, and many other things. Highly recommend to have on hand.

Chicken Noodle Soup - mentioned by others, start by making your own broth and then put in whatever stuff you like in your chicken soup. Make enough broth to freeze half, I do so in large ice cube molds, then put them in a ziplock freezer bag. Easy to pull out next time you need a cup for a sauce.

Stuffed Peppers - I'd made these a month ago, and while at it made double the stuffing I needed and froze the rest. Pulled it out last week for a quick and easy. Made with 2:1 ground beef to pork ratio, served topped with a little marinara. A solid meal on its own with nice some bread and a salad on the side.

Smoked Pork Shoulder - had a ton so made a bunch of care packages for some friends around town, also made a pulled pork hash later in the week.

No pics but my wife does contribute sometimes. Last weekend she made 6 dozen each of homemade raviolis with cheese and meat fillings. They're outstanding. Have them in freezer bags, drop a handful in boiling water for 4 min and done. Small portion sized packs of marinara also frozen, kids can fire up a quick bowl for lunch on their own. Cheap if you have the equipment, definitely not easy though - not my idea of fun. She also makes a killer pizza dough 48 hours before pizza nights, which happens every two weeks or so.

 
@NigelThat all looks awesome!  I do a version of that spicy pork but I use green beans as the base, stir fried with mushrooms and sweet onions. The sauce is sambal oelek with oyster sauce, soy souce, and roasted sesame oil. Double grinding the pork with a course plate gives a wonderful texture.

Would you mind posting your fried chicken recipe?  

 
Ron Swanson said:
@NigelThat all looks awesome!  I do a version of that spicy pork but I use green beans as the base, stir fried with mushrooms and sweet onions. The sauce is sambal oelek with oyster sauce, soy souce, and roasted sesame oil. Double grinding the pork with a course plate gives a wonderful texture.

Would you mind posting your fried chicken recipe?  
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Buttermilk Fried Chicken 

Hopefully you can access the link, its the NY Times Cooking site (Sam Sifton's recipe) for which I pay a pretty small annual fee. Well-worth it to me. 

He says 5 - 15 min per side...no way I'm going 15 min., maybe 15 total. Also covered for first half seems weird but I do it and it comes out great. Like recipe says fry until the color is right. Then I have a 250 oven on, do larger pieces first and hold in oven on wire rack as other batches cook. Finally don't sweat oil not holding at 350, under is fine when you add chicken and it cools but over is too hot.

INGREDIENTS

1 chicken, approximately 3 to 3 1/2 pounds, cut into 10 pieces (or use a mix of thighs and drumsticks)

3 to 4 cups buttermilk

3 tablespoons kosher salt, more as needed

2 teaspoons ground black pepper, more as needed

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

3 cups peanut oil, lard or a neutral oil like canola, more as needed

PREPARATION

Place chicken pieces in a bowl and toss them with buttermilk, 2 tablespoons salt and a healthy grind of black pepper. Cover and marinate for at least an hour and up to a day.

Combine flour, 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper in a large bowl or, ideally, a paper bag large enough to accommodate the flour and the pieces of chicken.

Pour oil into a large, heavy-bottomed cast-iron skillet with high sides and a lid, to a depth of a few inches. Heat oil over medium-high heat to 350 degrees.

Set a rack on a baking sheet or tray. Place the chicken pieces in the paper bag filled with the flour mixture and shake well to coat, or toss them in the bowl with the flour mixture to achieve a similar result.

Shake off excess flour and fry the pieces of chicken skin-side down, in batches so as not to crowd the pan, for about 5 to 15 minutes, covered by the lid. Remove the lid, turn over the chicken pieces, and cook for about 5 to 15 minutes more, uncovered, until they are cooked through and a deep golden brown. Color is as or more important than time: Watch your chicken and get it out when it's golden brown.

Remove chicken to the rack to drain and rest, sprinkle with salt and serve warm or at room temperature.

 
E-Z Glider said:
Looks like Sunday's have become pizza night at our house. Tried a sourdough starter last week, but it failed miserably, so ended up whipping up a batch of quick-dough instead. Threw some of the sourdough in too just for taste. Really had no idea what I was doing, if Im being honest. Not perfect, but turned out pretty decent.

BBQ chicken, red onions, black olives / chicken, bacon, ranch / feta, arugula, sun-dried tomatoes

Traditional / buffalo chicken
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those look awesome :thumbup:

 
General Malaise said:
17 year old son and I are making crab pad Thai on Friday.  We have most everything already, but I'll need to hit the Asian grocer for tamarind sauce, bean sprouts and crab.  We can get dungeness crab out here pretty cheap right now.  Gonna use my cast iron skillet instead of our wok as I think it'll work better in this (my cast iron skillet is perhaps my most prized possession; that and my Weber grill) and will post the recipe when we're done.  

Made 3 different types of soup from the homemade chicken stock/roasted chicken.  Had some chicken breasts in the freezer that I grilled up and used the leftovers in two of the soups.  The chicken noodle was very basic and for the kids benefit, the other two were just for me and sustained me for about a week.  Those other two were my own creations and I like to add a little more heat than the little kids will like.  The first one I made I called "Forresto's Kickin' Chicken Bisque" which was much better the day after I made it and the other I'm calling "Quarantine Chicken Rice & Bean Invention".  Outstanding.  

Staying busy and enjoying the time spent in the kitchen. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
Binky The Doormat said:
recipe please.  
Click to expand...
Here's what we did for crab pad Thai:  Recipe and tried to follow a video with Poo.

Now, it could have been the 13 beers I had before cooking this up, but I insisted on using a cast iron skillet on the first batch.  My wife and son said 'why not use a wok' and I stubbornly said I was doing it my way.  Well, the eggs were too runny, the rice noodles were pulverized and I made a pretty tasty Crab Pad Mush.  

Then I took the kids up for a bath and my son and wife took the same recipe, used the wok and cooked the eggs separately.  Their version turned out amazing and looked like it came straight from your favorite Thai restaurant.  

Moral of the story is, GM is a pig headed moron who married well and has a tolerant child who is patient with his dad.

 
General Malaise said:
Here's what we did for crab pad Thai:  Recipe and tried to follow a video with Poo.

Now, it could have been the 13 beers I had before cooking this up, but I insisted on using a cast iron skillet on the first batch.  My wife and son said 'why not use a wok' and I stubbornly said I was doing it my way.  Well, the eggs were too runny, the rice noodles were pulverized and I made a pretty tasty Crab Pad Mush.  

Then I took the kids up for a bath and my son and wife took the same recipe, used the wok and cooked the eggs separately.  Their version turned out amazing and looked like it came straight from your favorite Thai restaurant.  

Moral of the story is, GM is a pig headed moron who married well and has a tolerant child who is patient with his dad.
Click to expand...
thanks gm!  how much tamarind do you use (can't tell since it looks like you are customizing the recipe)

 
Binky The Doormat said:
thanks gm!  how much tamarind do you use (can't tell since it looks like you are customizing the recipe)
Click to expand...
Two tablespoons - I never tasted this on its own before and it wasn't all that easy to find at the Asian grocer, but when it mixed up with everything else?  Damn good!  Fish sauce on its own isn't heavenly either, but combined with everything else for the sauce, it is really good.  I could use this sauce on anything, honestly.

Will be more careful with rice noodles going forward.  Very easy to mess those up.  

 
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