Here’s some photos of the Hanukkah party. The pastrami was awesome. I cure and smoke the pastrami and a friend does the Reuben making. Looks like my friend’s camera lens needs to be cleaned. Sorry for the blur.
And the burnt ends are always on point:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PpvdUJx3aciy2Lax7
Pretty good turnout, but less than last year. We had about 40 to 50 folks including kids. Last year it was closer to 70 to 80.
Today we cleanup :(.
wtf how have I just seen this thread for the first time?
There’s certainly room for one more.
A New Year’s goal of mine is to work some curry dishes into my repertoire. Had to use powdered spices for my garam masala because I couldn’t find cardamom/cumin seeds, but I thought saag shrimp turned out very tasty on a first try and it’s a simple/quick way to get more spinach into my diet. I’m not so good at taking appetizing photos, but here goes:
I might stop my local Indian market to see if they have paneer and proper spices. Next time I might process the spinach more and use more cream so it’s more curry-like like you get in a restaurant.
Looking at pictures on the internet, it seems like there’s a broad range of saag from coarsely-chopped spinach to an almost soupy consistency. idk what I should be shooting for.
The bottom, soupy saag is what I always end to with regardless of what Indian restaurant I order it from.
Blending it or using chopped frozen spinach gets you the most flavor per square inch. Cumin seeds have a very different flavor from the powder but I wouldn’t worry too much about the cardamom. Fry the spices in oil to start your dish. If you can’t find paneer it’s one of the easier ingredients to make yourself (and I’m not one of those jerks that just says that).
Dislike.
There’s a huge difference between freshly ground cardamon and the pre-ground stuff. Although I do have both because I am moderately lazy.
shrug white boy isn’t gonna notice a tiny bit of floral notes missing from his saag. People usually toss in like 3 pods they forget to crack open anyway so…
I’d focus on learning the process (oil, dry spices, protein, cheese, sauce, simmer, garnish, serve) and then worry about picking up exactly the right spices.
I always keep a bag of frozen shrimp on hand. Super quick to thaw and cook them and you can add them to most anything for a bit of protein.
Anyway, I tried saag again, it turned out more like a paste because I think I need more cream and also the lighting for the picture wasn’t great. Kind of tough to get the proportions right, but it’s tasty anyway so whatever. I think I’m on the right track.
Xpost from LC thread, but I’m crushed that Costco no longer sells the prime boneless ribeye caps. They were a primary reason I bought a membership after being away for two years. Fuck.
Nothing fancy, but made some Parmesan hamburger buns today.
Going to have burgers from beef I ground myself from trimmings of a whole prime tenderloin, (which I cut into steaks and shaved steak for stir fry), a top round, and a sirloin steak. Also made my own mustard.
From the LC thread: if you grew up in the south or traveled through and stopped at a mom and pop gas station and gotten one of their chili dogs you know how tasty they are. I live in central FL and even I have trouble locating a good one, so when I want a good one now I make it myself.
Southern Hot Dog Chili Recipe
-(1) lb. lean hamburger meat (chuck or sirloin…I have not tried this with ground turkey so I can’t vouch for it but if Turkey is your thing give it a shot and let me know how it goes!)
-(1) heaping teaspoon chili powder
-(1) heaping teaspoon garlic powder
-(1) level teaspoon black pepper
-(2) teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
-(1) small can Castleberry’s or Winn Dixie store brand chili meat sauce (this is my preferred ingredient but if you’re anti beef you can also substitute 3/4 cup of ketchup or, alternatively, catsup)
-(1) tablespoon mustard
-(1) cup water, maybe a little more, test for consistency
Mix all ingredients right into a saucepan right on the stove, I like to mash it all together with a fork. Bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and cook for about 20 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Steam your buns in microwave inside the bag. Simmer wieners in water but never boil them as they will burst. Dip chili onto your dog along with minced onions, shredded cheddar cheese and Louisiana hot sauce and enjoy
Looks a great recipe, though a pic would be nice.
Now, how do you say Worcestershire? 
This is what the finished product should look like. Careful with the water
I tried my hand at a curry with from-scratch curry powder. It was good, but honestly I think I get better results using Patek’s curry paste. Anyway, I had fun and it tasted okay.
Curries from raw ingredients aren’t difficult. Oil, chopped onions, garlic, ginger, chopped chillis, turmeric, meat.
