Hi GUSwe'vehaditwithwinterpeeps. This winter is already way, way too long and I swear it is going to last into the end of April. Nothing but bitter cold and snow and ice and drought on the wrong coast. At least it is getting somewhat lighter out.
Hopefully paulitics will appear after he shoves out of his upstairs window.
Roger the Cat only leaves his afghan cave to eat and use the litter box.
And even
It hasn't become this bad
YET.
Well, this is GUS not WHINE, so here we are
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It is winter and we need some real fat, delicious comfort food.
Beer-Battered Fish Taco
1 1⁄2 cups shredded green
cabbage
2 limes (1 cut into wedges)
1 1⁄2 tbsp. kosher salt,
plus more to taste
2 cups flour
1⁄2 cup cornstarch
1 12-oz. bottle dark beer
1 egg
Canola oil, for frying
1 lb. boneless, skinless red snapper,
cut into 1 1⁄2" strips I use Cod - less expensive and it is the fish of fish and chips.
2 tsp. chili powder
16 corn tortillas
1⁄4 red onion, thinly sliced
4 sprigs cilantro, chopped
1 tomato, cored and chopped
Sour cream or crema
Mexican hot sauce
1. In a bowl, combine cabbage and juice of 1 lime; season with salt, to taste; chill. In another bowl, whisk together 1 1⁄2 tbsp. salt, 1 1⁄2 cups flour, cornstarch, beer, and egg to make a batter.
2. Pour oil into a 5-qt. Dutch oven to a depth of 2"; heat until a thermometer reads 375˚. Sprinkle fish with chili powder and salt. Put remaining flour on a plate. Dredge fish in flour; shake off excess. Working in batches, dip fish in batter and fry until crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a rack set inside a sheet pan; keep warm in 200˚ oven.
3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add tortillas; cook, flipping, until warmed. To serve, layer 2 tortillas together, fill with some of the fish and cabbage, squeeze with a lime wedge, and garnish with onion, cilantro, tomato, sour cream, and hot sauce. Repeat.
SERVES 4
The Perfect French Fry
I learned this technique years ago when I was in Belgium, famous for their pommes frites. Twice frying and two different temperatures is the trick -- and the fact that you can do the first fry ahead of time and even refrigerate and then the second fry to save time.
Directions:
Peel the potatoes and soak overnight in cold water. The next day, cut the potatoes into thin fries with cross sections about one-quarter inch square and soak them again overnight.
Add two cups of oil per potato to a deep, heavy pot or fryer.
The oil should fill the pot at least one third of the way, or if using an electric fryer, add oil according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Heat the oil to 250 degrees F. Fry the potatoes in the oil in batches for five to eight minutes. (Until they are soft but still very pale in color.) Remove with a slotted spoon, cool on paper towels. The fries can be prepared up to this stage several hours in advance and refrigerated.
Just before serving, raise the temperature of the oil to 400 degrees F. and return the fries to the oil in batches. Fry for two to three minutes until golden and crisp. Transfer into a mixing bowl and sprinkle liberally with the coarse salt. Toss and serve immediately.
Mulligatawny
From Madhur Jaffrey: The Indian antecedent to my favorite soup, mulligatawny, likely was a thin, spicy lentil broth. The British thickened it, added meat, but, thankfully, kept the glorious Indian spices.
INGREDIENTS
9 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. Aleppo pepper (optional)
½ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. coriander seeds
½ tsp. black mustard seeds
2 dried chiles de arbol
1 plum tomato, minced
3 tbsp. minced ginger
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, minced
½ jalapeño, minced
¼ cup flour
1 tbsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
1½ tsp. ground turmeric
9 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
1¾ cups red lentils
3 tbsp. minced cilantro
1 cup canned coconut milk
¼ fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Plain yogurt, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook 5 tbsp. butter, Aleppo, cumin, coriander, mustard, chiles, and tomato in an 8" skillet over high heat until fragrant; set sauce aside. Heat remaining butter in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, onion, and jalapeño; cook until browned, 15 minutes. Add flour, coriander, cumin, and turmeric; cook until smooth, 2 minutes. Add stock and lentils; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until tender, 45 minutes. Add cilantro; purée. Add coconut milk, juice, salt, and pepper; divide among bowls. Garnish with sauce and yogurt. Serves 4–6.
And the latest updated Buddy List by Mr. Amazing, anodnhajo!!!! (2/16/14)
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