What did you cook today?

[Bob Z]

Of course, I rarely get to eat them....I'm only allowed to peel them for my wife and kids.

Wow they look great! Would love to go down south and try some authentic ones cause I sure wont find that in N Ca.

[ronnie_suburban]

Of course, I rarely get to eat them....I'm only allowed to peel them for my wife and kids.

Beautiful! Reminds me of my days long ago in NOLA. Looks like quite an undertaking. How big was your boil? How do you season it?

[Kerneldrop]

In total 8lbs cooked to order. I just stood by the boiling pot.
But as long as you have the equipment it's not bad. Couple ice chests and big stock pots and you're ready.
For the season I use Zatarin's liquid crab boil and lemons.
There's just as many folks that boil in plain water and lemons then soak them in seasoned water after the boil.
I like to add mushrooms, carrots and lil smoky sausages.
You cook the potatoes, corn, onion, mushrooms, lil smoky sausages, carrots first because they take a while to absorb the flavor.

For dipping sauce I use garlic, butter and old bay seasoning, or an other type of dipping sauce is just ketchup mixed with mayo.

Most of the crawfish seasoning will come from the seasoning you put on them after you cook them.
The main thing is just don't overcook them.

[ronnie_suburban]

In total 8lbs cooked to order. I just stood by the boiling pot.
But as long as you have the equipment it's not bad. Couple ice chests and big stock pots and you're ready.
For the season I use Zatarin's liquid crab boil and lemons.
There's just as many folks that boil in plain water and lemons then soak then in seasoned water after the boil.
I like to add mushrooms, carrots and lil smoky sausages.
You cook the potatoes, corn, onion, mushrooms, lil smoky sausages, carrots first because they take a while to absorb the flavor.

For dipping sauce I use garlic, butter and old bay seasoning, or an other type of dipping sauce is just ketchup mixed with mayo.

Most of the crawfish seasoning will come from the seasoning you put on them after you cook them.
The main thing is just don't overcook them.

Awesome! You make it sound a lot easier than it really is. That pic looks so effing perfect!

[ronnie_suburban]

Was the in the mood for meatballs and red sauce, neither of which I'd made in a while . . .


Meatball Mise En Place & Nakagawa Hamono Ginsan Gyuto, 240mm
Panko, eggs, microplaned garlic, 50/50 ground pork & beef, salt (1% by weight), whole milk, black pepper, parmigiano reggiano and parsley. This is my very close adaptation of Lidia Bastianich's recipe. My only material change is adding the milk and making a panade to create the meatballs.

Once formed into ~100g balls, I convection-roasted them for about 20 minutes at 400F (turn halfway). Once they were set and slightly browned, I set them aside for cooking later in the sauce. Normally, I just crack open a jar of Rao's but for whatever reason, I was in the mood to make sauce today . . .


Sauce Mise En Place & Nakagawa Hamono Ginsan Gyuto, 240mm
Yellow onion, microplaned, garlic, tomato paste, evoo, red wine, tomato sauce, dried oregano/rosemary/basil, crushed tomatoes x 2, salt & black pepper. Largely just clearing out the pantry here but the sauce ended up being really nice, so I was happy I spent the time on it.


Plated Up
Spaghetti & Meatballs with some hot Italian sausage from the local market that I browned and cooked with the sauce. Side car of blanched/chilled broccoli salad with garlic-dijon vinaigrette.

[Bob Z]

Here is my best Ronnie (so far):
This is beef stew made from tri tip steaks (cause they are about the right thickness and much easier than hacking up a chuck roast)
I omitted the can of campbells cream of mushroom soup because I got screwed up and got a 4pk of chicken noodle instead, so used cream of celery. It also has about a 3rd bottle of sherry in it.


Knife is Myojin Riki 180 sg2

about two hours into cooking

and done with maybe a bit of pepper!

[ronnie_suburban]

Here is my best Ronnie (so far):

Haha -- looks good! I'm honored . . . and I love that knife. I remember when you bought it. What do you think of it?

[Bob Z]

I would buy it again! Its well finished, laser-like and I love the bright handle on it.

[ronnie_suburban]

A nice quickie on the grill . . .


Hangers & Kielbasa
Not quite enough steak to go around, so tossed in a bit of sausage, too.


Asparagus
When the meats were done and resting, it was time to put the asparagus on. Lightly oiled, salted and then ~8 minutes covered/indirect/tips away.


Plated Up
With some pickled ramps (2023 stock) and a slice of toasted Jalapeno-Cheddar bread from Loaf Lounge.

[aporigine]

Of course, I rarely get to eat them....I'm only allowed to peel them for my wife and kids.

Wow they look great! Would love to go down south and try some authentic ones cause I sure wont find that in N Ca.

https://www.theisletoncrawdadfestival.com/

Now that I no longer live close, I sorta wish I’d gone at least once.

[aporigine]

Sunday breakfast on a Friday afternoon (presented a day later)

Savory (no sugar; just eggs, heavy cream, salt and tarragon) mini-croissant French toast medallions ssllooww-fried in butter, and
shrimp salad (big shrimp sous vide with 1 clove garlic sliced thin, 40 minutes at 135°, then shelled and sliced) in Béarnaise sauce.

Kuwabara white 1 tall petty

[billk1002]

A quick Saturday night stir fry...

The chicken was rubbed down with a blackening mango chile lime rub.
The veggie sauce - soy, chili garlic sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, gochugaru, fresh garlic & ginger root.
The rice was steamed in chicken stock & gochugaru.

Nigara VG10 240 Kiritsuke

Lots of veggies

Some boneless thighs blackened

[mauichef]

Pan fried Red Snapper in Lemon Butter Sauce with Pepper Sofrito, Spicy Black Beans and Coconut Rice.

Konosuke Fujiyama 240mm Blue #2 circa 2015

[Jeff B]

A quick Saturday night stir fry...

The chicken was rubbed down with a blackening mango chile lime rub.
The veggie sauce - soy, chili garlic sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, gochugaru, fresh garlic & ginger root.
The rice was steamed in chicken stock & gochugaru.

Cast iron Bob strikes again, love it!

[ronnie_suburban]

Both weekend mornings included more emptying of the fridge into some breakfast sandwiches . . .


Griddle Style- Saturday
This one, with eggs/mortadella (again)/alliums/cheese, started out as a scramble but once the cooking started, I decided to convert it into a sandwich in the style of an NY-style chopped cheese.

Next day, basically more of the same . . .


Omelet Style - Sunday
Just made a square cheese omelet, topped it with fried bologna (mortadella finally gone, yay!) more cheese, and served it on some buttered milk bread toast.

Sunday dinner inspired by my chum aporigine's recent post, I decided to make some lengua, which I'd never made before. But first, some accompaniments . . .


Tomatillo Salsa Mise En Place & Yu Kurosaki Kurouchi AS Gyuto, 210mm
Roasted/skinned poblanos, shallots, tomatillos, garlic cloves, jalapenos & serranos, spring onions and cilantro.

Long-simmered it all -- sans the cilantro and poblanos -- in a splash of water until soft. After that, dumped it all -- along with the roasted poblanos and cilantro -- into the vitamix and blended it until smooth. Tasted it, added some salt and ended up with a very nice salsa.

Of course, I'm long on beans, so why not make some?


Rancho Gordo Pinto Beans
From a recent Bean Club delivery.


Pinto Bean Mise En Place & Yu Kurosaki Kurouchi AS Gyuto, 210mm
Evoo, yellow onion, slitted jalapenos & serranos, overnight-soaked pinto beans, black pepper, smashed garlic & bay leaves and salt.

Sweat the alliums in evoo, add the beans, add the water, add the bay leaves and bring to a hard boil for ~12 minutes. Reduce to a simmer, add the salt, add the peppers and then simmer low & slow until the beans are tender and the pot liquor is reduced.

While those were going, I prepped the lengua . . .


Lengua Mise En Place & Yu Kurosaki Kurouchi AS Gyuto, 210mm
Garlic, salt, beef tongue, onions and spice plate (thyme, marjoram, Mexican oregano, bay leaves and allspice berries)

Boil some water, add everything and simmer until the tongue is tender (~2.5 hours). Once it is, remove from the pot, peel off the outer skin and let it rest.


Cooked & Peeled Tongue
While the peeled tongue rests, continue to reduce the simmering liquid. Once it's reduced a bit, add back the whole, peeled tongue and keep on lowest heat until ready to trim and slice. From here, it's time to build some tacos, or maybe a quick sear in a skillet to crisp it up before that. Either way, we did both . . .


Plated Up
With some of the consomé, some Mexican restaurant-style rice and some store-bought corn tortillas. After enjoying this at countless taquerias, I'm so glad I finally made it at home. Lengua delivers an intense amount of unctuous flavor in exchange for very little work. Thanks again for the inspiration, aporigine!

[aporigine]

Both weekend mornings included more emptying of the fridge into some breakfast sandwiches . . .


Griddle Style- Saturday
This one, with eggs/mortadella (again)/alliums/cheese, started out as a scramble but once the cooking started, I decided to convert it into a sandwich in the style of an NY-style chopped cheese.

Next day, basically more of the same . . .


Omelet Style - Sunday
Just made a square cheese omelet, topped it with fried bologna (mortadella finally gone, yay!) more cheese, and served it on some buttered milk bread toast.

Sunday dinner inspired by my chum aporigine's recent post, I decided to make some lengua, which I'd never made before. But first, some accompaniments . . .


Tomatillo Salsa Mise En Place & Yu Kurosaki Kurouchi AS Gyuto, 210mm
Roasted/skinned poblanos, shallots, tomatillos, garlic cloves, jalapenos & serranos, spring onions and cilantro.

Long-simmered it all -- sans the cilantro and poblanos -- in a splash of water until soft. After that, dumped it all -- along with the roasted poblanos and cilantro -- into the vitamix and blended it until smooth. Tasted it, added some salt and ended up with a very nice salsa.

Of course, I'm long on beans, so why not make some?


Rancho Gordo Pinto Beans
From a recent Bean Club delivery.


Pinto Bean Mise En Place & Yu Kurosaki Kurouchi AS Gyuto, 210mm
Evoo, yellow onion, slitted jalapenos & serranos, overnight-soaked pinto beans, black pepper, smashed garlic & bay leaves and salt.

Sweat the alliums in evoo, add the beans, add the water, add the bay leaves and bring to a hard boil for ~12 minutes. Reduce to a simmer, add the salt, add the peppers and then simmer low & slow until the beans are tender and the pot liquor is reduced.

While those were going, I prepped the lengua . . .


Lengua Mise En Place & Yu Kurosaki Kurouchi AS Gyuto, 210mm
Garlic, salt, beef tongue, onions and spice plate (thyme, marjoram, Mexican oregano, bay leaves and allspice berries)

Boil some water, add everything and simmer until the tongue is tender (~2.5 hours). Once it is, remove from the pot, peel off the outer skin and let it rest.


Cooked & Peeled Tongue
While the peeled tongue rests, continue to reduce the simmering liquid. Once it's reduced a bit, add back the whole, peeled tongue and keep on lowest heat until ready to trim and slice. From here, it's time to build some tacos, or maybe a quick sear in a skillet to crisp it up before that. Either way, we did both . . .


Plated Up
With some of the consomé, some Mexican restaurant-style rice and some store-bought corn tortillas. After enjoying this at countless taquerias, I'm so glad I finally made it at home. Lengua delivers an intense amount of unctuous flavor in exchange for very little work. Thanks again for the inspiration, aporigine!

A tour de force! I can almost smell the awesome through the screen.

Lengua has this creamy texture and a faint organ-meat funk to it. I’m thinking it could make a very nice pâté maison.

[ronnie_suburban]

A tour de force! I can almost smell the awesome through the screen.

Lengua has this creamy texture and a faint organ-meat funk to it. I’m thinking it could make a very nice pâté maison.

I could definitely see using chunks of tender, cooked tongue as a garnish in a pate. Absolutely!

Thanks again for the nudge on this one. It always feels good to (successfully) cook something I've never cooked before. At least with this prep, I didn't get much funk but that spongy/creamy texture is truly unique. If you're not into it, I can see how it could be off-putting. Mostly, it reminded me of a braised brisket point. Not nearly as dense or fatty but similarly rich and unctuous.

I ended up buying mine frozen/vacuum-sealed at Wild Fork and the one I bought was in great condition (bright red, tightly sealed and no signs of freezer burn). It's not a store that I frequent but this seemed like a perfect fit for a stop there and it was. ~$7.50/pound is probably double what I would have paid at my local Mexican market but this was right on my way to the office, so it couldn't have been more convenient.

[Kerneldrop]

Marinated the chicken in greek yogurt plus dry spices and garlic paste. I cut the yogurt down with lemon/lime juice and rice vinegar.
Cooked the chicken and veggies over charcoal.
The stuff on top is just cucumber, tomato, jalapeno, sweet pepper, green onion, avocado, rice vinegar.
Daovua Tank and Nishida nakiri handled most of it.

[billk1002]

Sunday night Crab Cakes...

The crab cakes - jumbo lump with a packet of Old Bay crab cake mix, mayo and 1 egg. The whole idea here is NOT to breakup the crab while mixing it.
The tomatoes - EVO, garlic powder & salt, allowed to cook and caramelize until they explode.
The veggies - tossed in the wok with EVO to get some color, water and a lid added to steam them, drain all of the liquid from the wok, then an Asian sauce is poured on them so it would stick to the veggies. (Soy, Mirin, Oyster souse, fish sauce, hot chili garlic sauce, fresh ginger root and garlic)
The little red potatoes - EVO, salt, thyme & margarine, in the oven on 400 for 30 minutes.

Shigeki Tanaka B2 240 Kiritsuke

The Wok hard at work

[aporigine]

A tour de force! I can almost smell the awesome through the screen.

Lengua has this creamy texture and a faint organ-meat funk to it. I’m thinking it could make a very nice pâté maison.

I could definitely see using chunks of tender, cooked tongue as a garnish in a pate. Absolutely!

Thanks again for the nudge on this one. It always feels good to (successfully) cook something I've never cooked before. At least with this prep, I didn't get much funk but that spongy/creamy texture is truly unique. If you're not into it, I can see how it could be off-putting. Mostly, it reminded me of a braised brisket point. Not nearly as dense or fatty but similarly rich and unctuous.

I ended up buying mine frozen/vacuum-sealed at Wild Fork and the one I bought was in great condition (bright red, tightly sealed and no signs of freezer burn). It's not a store that I frequent but this seemed like a perfect fit for a stop there and it was. ~$7.50/pound is probably double what I would have paid at my local Mexican market but this was right on my way to the office, so it couldn't have been more convenient.

You paid less than me! $8.xx at the local (uhm, least distant) Mal-Wart.