Good morning GUSbravepeoples! Yesterday our beloved silkie (my secret boyfriend along with my other secret boyfriend ericlewis0 and my other secret boyfriend Phil S 33) posted a remarkable diary. She speaks for me is a powerful testament to courage and beauty. Watch the whole 12 plus minutes. You will be reminded why we love and encourage each other for more reasons than our smoking addictions. We just love each other enough to want to reach out and hold hands.
Ok, not going to go all maudlin since I'm freezing to death like everyone else in this frigging polar vortex from freezing hell. We are all part of a life struggle -- many of us more than one. I love the fact that we are so safe here -- safe to be our lovely selves.
Quitting anything that is harmful needs strength and support. Reaching out to hold a hand requires the same. Such a horrible week. I am grateful for this group of loving, funny, generous people. Blessings.
GUS (Gave Up Smoking) is a community support diary for Kossacks in the midst of quitting smoking. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are quitting or thinking of quitting, please -- join us! We kindly ask that politics be left out.
You can also click the GUS tag to view all diary posts, or access the GUS Library at dKosopedia for a great list of stop-smoking links. Check it out! GUS library.
A message to ALL quitters. You don't have to avoid GUS if you have a failed quit. We won't give you a bad time and we consider the failed quits as "practice" for the real quit.
Quit Keeper widget which is an outstanding aid for those beginning the difficult path to quitting. It lets you know how long you haven't smoked, how many cigs you haven't smoked, how much money you've saved.
Quit Smoking Counter h/tGDbot. For those of you who have had a problem with Quit Keeper or want a different counter!
Ok, so I made the cheese stuffed peppers and here's my thoughts: It seems that Poblanos are not a perfect substitute for Romano Peppers -- whatever the heck they are. I roasted the poblanos but if I tried to remove the skins, there was nothing left so I left them on. Fine. I put too much cheese (the recommended amount) in the peppers and they seemed too rich. I have to fiddle with that recipe some more but the concept is great.
I made a pork boneless center cut something -- it was delicious. Added a nice mushroom thingy and guacamole.
My opera buddy gave me a gorgeous cookbook I had on my wish list: Daniel -- Daniel Boulud. Gorgeous in the sense that it is lovely but precious few recipes any normal person would make. Also, the frigging things have architectural constructions out of veggies. Soooo, we laughed == found 4 doable recipes and I'll put it somewhere.
I made a gorgeous fritatta from Yotam Ottolenghi's "Plenty" cookbook. Frittatas are so easy and take most veggies and melty cheeses. I wouldn't use wetish veggies like tomatoes, however.
Oh, and laughing about Rushoxy's hyperventilating about a Black James Bond. I am not a James Bond fan but I'd sacrifice my left leg for a dinner with Idris Alba. I'm a fan of the Brit show, Luther. I think he is the sexiest man alive -- except for silkie and ericlewis0 and Phil S 33 of course.
Here's some things I haven't tried yet (obviously not sex):
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
from Cook's Illustrated
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We kept the focus on the wild rice and mushrooms by selecting ingredients that amplified the nutty, earthy, umami-rich flavor profile we were after. Simmering the wild rice with baking soda decreased the cook time and brought out more robust flavor. We used the excess simmering liquid as a bouillon, infusing the entire soup with wild rice flavor. Fresh cremini mushrooms and ground dried shiitakes provided a winning combination of meaty texture and flavor. A final addition of cornstarch helped suspend the dense rice and gave our soup a velvety texture.
White mushrooms can be substituted for the cremini mushrooms. We use a spice grinder to process the dried shiitake mushrooms, but a blender also works.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed
4 1/4 cups water
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, peeled, plus 4 cloves, minced
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup wild rice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2/3 cup dry sherry
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grind shiitake mushrooms in spice grinder until finely ground (you should have about 3 tablespoons).
2. Bring 4 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, garlic clove, ¾ teaspoon salt, and baking soda to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Add rice and return to boil. Cover saucepan, transfer to oven, and bake until rice is tender, 35 to 50 minutes. Strain rice through fine-mesh strainer set in 4-cup liquid measuring cup; discard thyme, bay leaf, and garlic. Add enough water to reserved cooking liquid to measure 3 cups.
3. Melt butter in Dutch oven over high heat. Add cremini mushrooms, onion, minced garlic, tomato paste, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned and dark fond develops on bottom of pot, 15 minutes. Add sherry, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until reduced and pot is almost dry, about 2 minutes. Add ground shiitake mushrooms, reserved rice cooking liquid, broth, and soy sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until onion and mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Whisk cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup water in small bowl. Stir cornstarch slurry into soup, return to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in cooked rice, cream, chives, and lemon zest. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
MAKING WILD RICE ACT LIKE STEAK
We brown meat, baked goods, and many other foods as a matter of course, since the deeper color is an indication of the Maillard reaction, the process triggered by heat that causes a food’s proteins and sugars to recombine into hundreds of new flavor compounds that boost complexity.
To achieve richer browned flavor in ordinary rice, we often toast the raw grains in the pan before adding liquid. But toasting doesn’t work as well with wild rice, since it is technically a grass with a hard pectin-rich coating that must break down before the proteins and sugars on the inside can brown.
However, we stumbled upon another way to achieve browning: adding baking soda to the cooking water. Baking soda not only breaks down the pectin seed coat to speed cooking (our original goal) but also lowers the temperature necessary for browning to occur—from at least 300 degrees to below water’s boiling point of 212. Another factor in our favor: Wild rice is high in the amino acids lysine and glycine, proteins that are particularly sensitive to browning. Baking soda added to the pot led to nuttier-tasting wild rice and a savory, deep-brown stock that enriched the soup.
Cider Glazed Root Vegetables
from Cook's Country
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
For a seasonal vegetable recipe that would produce vegetables with a lightly sweetened glaze, we started by cutting the carrots slightly smaller than the other vegetables for even cooking. Then by caramelizing the vegetables in butter and deglazing with hard cider, we created a glaze that tasted bright and flavorful. A final addition of ruby red pomegranate seeds and chopped fresh cilantro completed the flavor profile.
If you prefer to use an equal amount of nonalcoholic sparkling or regular cider, reduce the sugar to 1 tablespoon. The apple should be left unpeeled.
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
12 ounces parsnips, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
12 ounces turnips, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
3 shallots, peeled and halved
2 1/2 cups hard cider
3 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper
1 Granny Smith apple, cored, halved, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, parsnips, turnips, and shallots and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add cider, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and remaining 3 tablespoons butter and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until vegetables are just tender, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Uncover, increase heat to medium, and cook until vegetables are fully tender, about 13 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in apple and continue to cook until cider is syrupy and apple is just tender, about 2 minutes longer. Off heat, stir in pomegranate seeds, cilantro, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving dish and pour any remaining glaze over vegetables. Serve.
Crunchy Oven Fried Fish
from America's Test Kitchen
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
The golden brown coating and moist, flaky flesh of batter-fried fish come at a price: the oil. Cooks have turned to the oven to avoid the bother of deep-fat frying, but oven-frying often falls short. The coating never gets very crisp and the fish usually ends up overcooked. We aimed to put the crunch back into oven-frying. We used thick fillets so that the fish and coating would finish cooking at the same time. Flaky cod and haddock provided the best contrast to the crunchy exterior we envisioned. A conventional bound breading—flour, egg, and fresh bread crumbs—wasn’t as crisp as we wanted, so we toasted the bread crumbs with a little butter. (Precooking the crumbs also ensured we wouldn’t have to overcook the fish to get really crunchy crumbs.) Placing the coated fish on a wire rack while baking allowed air to circulate all around the fish, crisping all sides. We boosted flavor in two ways, adding shallots and parsley to the breading and horseradish, cayenne, and paprika to the egg wash. As a final touch, we whipped up a creamy tartar sauce with mayonnaise, capers, and sweet relish.
To prevent overcooking, buy fish fillets at least 1 inch thick. The bread crumbs can be made up to 3 days in advance, cooled, and stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Serve with Sweet and Tangy Tartar Sauce (see related recipe) or lemon wedges.
INGREDIENTS
4 large slices white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup plus 5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish (optional)
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/4 pounds skinless cod fillet, or haddock fillet, or other thick white fish fillet (1 to 1 1/2 inches thick), cut into 4 pieces (see note)
Lemon wedges
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse bread, melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in food processor until bread is coarsely ground, eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. Cool crumbs to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Transfer crumbs to pie plate; toss with parsley and shallot. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.
2. Place 1/4 cup flour in second pie plate. In third pie plate, whisk eggs, horseradish (if using), mayonnaise, paprika, cayenne pepper (if using), and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until combined; whisk in remaining 5 tablespoons flour until smooth.
3. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Dry fish thoroughly with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dredge 1 fillet in flour; shake off excess. Using hands, coat with egg mixture. Coat all sides of fillet with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to fish. Transfer breaded fish to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 fillets.
4. Bake fish until instant-read thermometer inserted into centers of fillets registers 140 degrees, 18 to 25 minutes. Using thin spatula, transfer fillets to individual plates and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
TECHNIQUE
KEYS TO A CRISP CRUST
Soft, moist fish needs an extra-thick coating of bread crumbs to add flavor and crunch. Here’s how we lay it on thick:
1. PULSE: Processing fresh crumbs very coarsely maximizes crunch.
2. TOAST: Prebaking buttered crumbs ensures that they are brown and crisp when fish is done.
3. DIP: Thickening batter with flour and mayonnaise prevents toasted crumbs from turning soggy and glues them firmly to fish.
4. COAT: Pressing down gently on crumbs helps to pack thick layer on fish.
5. ELEVATE: Baking fish on a wire rack set inside baking sheet allows air to circulate underneath.
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