Steve, The in-laws and I went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant. Nana asked what a Marinara sauce was and my SIL and I commented that it is usually made with wine and NOT chunky, thin may not be the right word but it is not a "thick" sauce. The waiter said no, it IS chunky.
So, Whats the story on Marinara?
Matt O 2006 Skyline Nomad 27' travel trailer. Previously owned 1986 Coleman Columbia / 1992 Coleman Senecca / 1989 Born Free Class C RV.
My gosh... crockpot soups. That's what I call "walk-in specials". You walk into the kitchen and see what's special.
With the exception of rice and creams, you can crockpot just about anything you want. You CAN crockpot rice and cream, but you do that at the end so the rice doesn't swell and suck up all your liquid and the cream doesn't curdle or break down.
Just about any meat with collagen (fatty tissue) in it is a great candidate for crockpot cooking. Not only does the collagen break down leaving a tender piece of muscle - that's what meat is, it also aids in flavor. Fat=flavor.
So, with that being said, "stew beef", chuck or shoulder, pork shoulder or butt, etc, hearty vegetables: carrots, celery, turnips, potatoes (if put in towards the end of cooking - otherwise it breaks down unless it's whole and small), any liquid used in steaming or cooking vegetables (I freeze it in ice cube trays), broth, etc., etc. You see where this is going.
If I've made some kind of meat in the crock for something else, I'll remove my meat, cool the liquid, skim the fat and save the liquid just for this purpose.
If you want to thicken your soup, potatoes cooked down, a roux (equal parts fat [butter or oil] and flour), cornstarch slurry, or arrowroot will do the trick.
I didn't really give you recipes there, just ideas on how to go about it. We all know what soup looks and tastes like. This is where you tweak and tune to your flavors and tastes.
Ciao,
Dear Steve,
Recently my family has started making Stromboli instead of pizza....I was looking up new recipes online and a picture of a long sub sandwich appeared on one site....now it had lots of tomatoes but what exactly does Stromboli mean? We have been using pizza dough and putting pizza sauce and toppings down the middle and then flipping the edges over the toppings so you end up with loaf like pizza...I saw it on a betty crocker site......just curious......
Thanks in advance....SCmomma
great....thanks for getting back to me on that.....i thought the sub thing was wrong being called stromboli.....we actually get more "pizza" out of 2 strombolis than we did out of a frozen pizza( we each got 2 slices if we were lucky)....i buy those packages of pizza crust that you just add water to and then make the loaves of stromboli and serve it with a salad and corn.... i have always loved a thick crust pizza so anybody that is interested should try stromboli ( go to howdini website....they have an easy video on how to do it).....SCmomma
[quote author=Steve A link=topic=393.msg2043#msg2043 date=1294805192]
Tip: When buying a crockpot, get one with a removable crock. You'll thank yourself when it comes time to was up.
Keep in mind the capacity of your crock when cooking. If using a 4qt crock for a 2.5qt recipe it will cook hotter than in a 2.5qt crock.
We use Reynolds slow cooker liners to speed up the cleanup process.
[quote author=SCmomma link=topic=393.msg2759#msg2759 date=1295925305]....I was looking up new recipes online and a picture of a long sub sandwich appeared on one site....
I have noticed that here in Indiana a couple of times since moving here, and even fell victim to it right after I moved here. I ordered a Strom from a pizza joint, figuring they would make good ones, since I really like their pizza's, and when I got home and opened it, BAM, sub sandwich. Talk about let down. I have since found that not all good pizza places make good stromboli.
And as a note, just to add to what Steve mentioned.
A Stromboli is generally made with mozzarella. And are some times confused with Calzones, which are made with mostly riccota and some mozzarella.
Generally Calzones are a little smaller, where as Stromboli are meant to feed multiple people.
[quote author=WOP31 link=topic=393.msg3140#msg3140 date=1296579912]
I have noticed that here in Indiana a couple of times since moving here, and even fell victim to it right after I moved here. I ordered a Strom from a pizza joint, figuring they would make good ones, since I really like their pizza's, and when I got home and opened it, BAM, sub sandwich. Talk about let down. I have since found that not all good pizza places make good stromboli.
And as a note, just to add to what Steve mentioned.
A Stromboli is generally made with mozzarella. And are some times confused with Calzones, which are made with mostly riccota and some mozzarella.
Generally Calzones are a little smaller, where as Stromboli are meant to feed multiple people.
i am glad to know that....i thought maybe it was a mistaken image or that somehow it got in the listings for stromboli.....sounds like i need to doublecheck before ordering....i bet you were let down when you opened that stupid sub sandwich!!.....food disappointments are especially hard to take.....Kind of like when you go to a restaurant and order something that is lame and you still have to pay >:(.....what a bummer! I try not to order something new unless I am not really hungry for the same reason.....because you never know if you are gonna like it or not.....thanks for the tips on what makes stromboli NOT a sub sandwich!.....haha
[quote author=SCmomma]
food disappointments are especially hard to take.....Kind of like when you go to a restaurant and order something that is lame and you still have to pay
Going off topic here a bit to answer this part specifically. Professionally speaking, if the menu doesn't properly describe the food to your expectations BEFORE you order, ask your server. Then put a caveat of: "I've never had that before but I'd like to try it. Is there a small portion available to try?" Often if it's a sauce thing the server can talk to the kitchen and get you an ounce or so of the sauce to help you make up your mind.
When in doubt, though, ask your server to explain it and the ingredients. If they can't they probably shouldn't be there in the first place.
Hope that helps.
(FYI - Ole WOP went to the same culinary school as did I - right about the same time as well.)
[quote author=Steve A link=topic=393.msg3152#msg3152 date=1296593425]
Going off topic here a bit to answer this part specifically. Professionally speaking, if the menu doesn't properly describe the food to your expectations BEFORE you order, ask your server. Then put a caveat of: "I've never had that before but I'd like to try it. Is there a small portion available to try?" Often if it's a sauce thing the server can talk to the kitchen and get you an ounce or so of the sauce to help you make up your mind.
When in doubt, though, ask your server to explain it and the ingredients. If they can't they probably shouldn't be there in the first place.
Hope that helps.
(FYI - Ole WOP went to the same culinary school as did I - right about the same time as well.)
Thanks for the suggestion Steve....didn't realize kitchens would be that accomodating but it is worth a shot right? They want to keep the customers happy as much as any other business I would imagine! :chef:
PS...not to keep steering the car in the wrong direction but i think i got shellshocked once years ago when I asked a server to ask the kitchen if the beef stew had potatoes with the rice and the cook himself came out and argued with me about you either having potatoes or rice but NOT both( we always had both growing up)....he was quite a jerk about it and of course, we didn't go back! So I'll try my hand at it but if anything happens, you'll be hearing about it 😉
OMG!!
You gotta be kidd'in? Right??
I started in the food service delivering glass bottles in " 72".
Chef's degree obtained in "78".
Bin` cook'in ever since.
If you can't make the 5 simple "Mother Sauces", then may I suggest ordering out??
If you think you can do better..game on...bring it!!
The best made meals are usually at home.
Steve,
So i did up a meatloaf the other night, complete with peppers, onions, garlic.....
One thing I have always strugled with is getting my ratios right, so I get that perfect balance between tender/juicy & firm/held together.
The majority of the time I am on the too soft side and the meatloaf ends up being a little too moist and doesn't hold together well. This last time I used ~2lbs of beef (85/15 I think, Hadn't really planned ahead so I used what I had on hand), 1 egg, 1.5c bread crumbs. And through in there 1 onion, 1 sm/med red & green bell pepper. And used some Worcestershire, & a little local honey BBQ. and of course various spices and herbs.
What are your thoughts on meatloaf? Any specific ratios you use? The last one I made would have benefited from some more bread crumbs, but when I go more on the bread crumbs I usually end up with a dense log of drier than I like beef. Perhaps one more egg would make a difference?
Great, thanks for the tips!
I do mine on a cookie sheet, but never thought about making a drip tray for it, that is a stellar idea. Will have to give that a shot next time.
The grilled meatloaf sounds great, was it served with a sauce of any kind?
I too am a fan of green chille sauce, never thought about going southwest on my meatloafs though.
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