What's for supper!: January 2010

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Диети

Диетата е предвидена за 7 дни. Некалоричните течности по време на диетата не са ограничени.
Дневно диетично меню
Закуска: 1чаша доматен сок,2 филийки ръжен хляб, намазани тънко с масло, или половин чаша нискомаслена извара с 1 чаша плодова салата.
Обяд: 1 чаша доматен сок, половин чаша сварен ориз с малко задушени зеленчуци, за десерт – сурова или печена ябълка, или 150 г нетлъста варена риба, салата от краставица, домат и маруля, подправена с 1 супена лъжица зехтин, за десерт – 100 г грозде.
Вечеря: 1 чаша доматен сок, 100 г телешка кайма с черен пипер и зелени подправки, запечена в тиган без мазнина или на скара, малко задушени гъби с лук и 2 дребни варени картофа, или 1 парче сварени пилешки гърди без кожата, малко варени зеленчуци и половин чаша сварен ориз

Pastry making

Food tip on pastry making

A blind baked pastry case means cooking the pastry case without a filling, so as not to end up with soggy pastry. This is achieved by:

Rolling the pastry (no more than 5mm thick) and lining the flan ring/tart mould

Docking the pastry: lightly piercing the base with a fork; this will stop any air bubbles from forming resulting in an uneven base

Cutting a sheet of greaseproof paper in a circle 4cm large than the flan ring/tart mould (to allow for the sides); this is called a cartouche

Place the cartouche in the pastry case and filling with baking beans; these can be of the commercial re-usable synthetic type, or any type of lentil or similar. It is obviously best to use something that you can keep afterwards and re-use. Rice can also be used but burns and must be discarded after a single use.

Allow to rest for at least an hour in the chiller before placing in the pre-heated oven (180ºC) and baking for 20 minutes

Remove from oven, remove the baking beans and cartouche and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes

Brush with a little egg beaten with some milk and place back in the oven for 5 minutes. This will act as a sealant and prevent the pastry absorbing any moisture from the filling used

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before using

Removing excess salt

Food tip on removing excess salt from stocks, sauces, soups and stews

If your stock, sauce, soup, stew etc is too salty; add a peeled potato or potatoes into it, depending on how salty it is and how much of the stock, sauce, soup or stew you have.

As the potato cooks it will absorb a lot of the salt. The cooked potato can then just be discarded (or used if really wished). Repeat if necessary

If it is only a little salty, a little sugar or honey can be added to counteract it

On a related issue, If you would like to know how to remove excess fat from stocks, sauces, soups and stew

Removing excess fat

Food tip on removing excess fat from stocks, sauces, soups and stews

I received an email from Yinghui somewhere in Asia, they had heard that lettuce leaves could be used for removing fat from stocks, sauces, soups and stews and wanted to know if this was true and why.

Well, yes this will work and works purely because the lettuce acts as a 'sponge' and soaks it up, you place the lettuce leaves on top of the ‘offending item’ and leave for a minute or so and then remove with tongs and discard. Other vegetables could be used also but lettuce being the lightest can just sit on the surface where the fat would be. It does seem a great waste of lettuce though, when a good size spoon or ladle will also do the trick, here are the two methods I always use:

As the rendered fat comes to the surface take a soup ladle or large spoon and make a small circular motion in the centre of the pot: this will (because of centrifugal) force the fat to the sides

Scoop the fat up and dispose

Repeat as necessary

If the stock, sauce, soup, stew etc is not needed until the next day, this is much easier:

Transfer the soup into a bowl or similar clean container

Place in the refrigerator over night

The fat will settle on the surface and turn solid, which is very easily removed by hand

What is marinating?

What is marinating?

It is flavour enhancement by absorption, by osmosis; it is a technique that was originally used when they had no refrigeration to keep foods fresh, it was done to preserve foods and it was also done to disguise the often putrid taste of the meats. Thankfully this is no longer the case, instead we use it to infuse certain flavours to enhance the full natural flavour of foods or to add to them. Sure, we can still use long marinating times and preserve the foods this way if we desire, but with a little advance knowledge and shorter marinating times we now can use it to just enhance the natural flavours of the foods.

Another result of marinating is that it helps break down the tough proteins of foods; what many commonly refer to as ‘gristle’, like the collagen and elastin in meats. There by making the meats more palatable, easier to chew and seeming more tender.

Types of marinades

Essentially there are two types of marinades; dry ones and wet ones. Which one to use depends on many factors:

the type of food

the toughness/tenderness

the desired effect

whether preserving is required or a factor

Dry marinades

Use the capillary action of salt to break down the proteins, it also helps to infuse the other flavours by drawing them in. Or they utilise the natural strong flavours of the marinating ingredients; such as garlic to in set the flavour.

Wet marinades

Wet ones by comparison utilise acids to break down the proteins; acids such as lemon juice or vinegar and again use the natural strong flavours of the marinating ingredients to add flavour.

What types of foods can be marinated?

Virtually anything from meats to fish to fruits and vegetables.

How long does one marinade?

That depends on the foods:

Large cuts of meats (over 2kg)

=
8 hours to overnight

Small cuts of meat

=
1/2 to 3 hours

Whole fish

=
3 hours to overnight

Fillets of fish (depending on size)

=
1 hour to overnight

Fruits and vegetables

=
1 to 3 hours

But why marinate/cure meats?

To add flavour and to preserve. Old-time butcher shops closed every weekend and ice the only refrigerant available, could not dependably hold fresh meat for two days. To keep unsold meat from going to waste, the butcher soaked the meat in a strong brine or covered it with coarse salt to trigger osmosis (the movement of water across a membrane from weak solutions toward strong solutions). The grains of salt were called "corn" in England, and the name "corned beef" stuck with the product.

What is curing?

It is the process of preserving the foods by a form of dehydration by the addition of a chemical. It is also used to add other flavours to the foods

What are the commonly used curing compounds?

Salt, sugar and sodium nitrate. Salt and sugar both cure meat by osmosis, in addition to drawing the water from the food, they dehydrate and kill the bacteria that make food spoil. Commercially though, the word "cure" refers to processing the meat with either sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate. Sodium nitrite is the basis for two commercially used products: Prague powders #1 and #2.

Prague powder #1

A mixture of 1 part sodium nitrite and 16 parts salt. The chemicals are combined and crystallised to assure even distribution. Even though diluted, only 100gm of Prague powder #1 is required to cure 45kg of meat. A more typical measurement for home use is 1 tsp per 2kg of meat.

Prague powder #2

A mixture of 1 ounce of sodium nitrite and 0.64 ounces sodium nitrate per pound of finished product. The remaining 14.36 ounces is sodium chloride (salt).

Recipes for

So know you know a little of the whys and wherefores, I hope you are now dying to give it a go? So all that is left to answer is the hows . . .

With the knowledge that a wet marinade needs a acid to help break down the proteins, it only remains to point out five factors:

Use an acid that suits the foods and flavour you desire.

for red meats I recommend red wine or a red wine vinegar (or a combination of)

for white meats white wine or a white wine vinegar (or a combination of)

for fish white wine, white wine vinegar or any citrus juice; lemon, lime, orange etc (or a combination of)

Never have the acid more than 1/3 (I recommend 1/4 as ideal) of your total marinade, or it will turn from breaking down the protein to actually ‘cooking’ it
A good quality oil can be added to the marinade, but only in small quantities (no more than 1/4 of the total marinate) if the food is low in fat, like wild meats
Make cuts in the foods to reduce marinating times and increasing flavour absorption; scoring meats and some fish (squid is great for this technique) in a neat criss-cross fashion, will give a spectacular effect when you cook them.
To this add flavours that suits your individual taste:

soy sauce

Worcester sauce

sweet chilli sauce

Asian vinegars

sesame oil

garlic

ginger

chilli

wasaabi

shallots

onions

spring onions

fresh herbs

spices

lemon grass

You are limited only by your imagination. Armed with the above information I suggest experimenting and finding what suits you best; what flavours, how long etc. Think about what suits the cooked food and build a marinate around it: orange for duck, red wine and juniper berries for venison, etc.

Frozen fish versus fresh

Food tips on frozen fish versus fresh

My own personal thoughts on frozen fish versus fresh

Frozen fish fillets can be just as good as fresh as long as they have been snapped frozen professionally; in other words, while at sea on the fish processing trawlers. The rapid process used (10kg boxes in matter if seconds!) ensures the ice crystals within the flesh are minute; this allows for minimum water absorption and destruction of the flesh. If then transported home and stored correctly, when cooked (or defrosted) it should then be virtually indistinguishable from fresh fish fillets.

In fact frozen, in many cases can be better than so called ‘fresh’, unless you are getting it straight from the sea that is, and it is stored between - 1ºC to 1ºC of course, but how many times does that happen? Did you know:

If fresh fish is kept on ice from the time it is caught it has a ten to fourteen day shelf life?
Or that for every hour it is not kept on ice that it loses a day off its shelf life?

But normally by the time it reaches us in a supermarket, all nicely filleted, packed etc, you will be lucky to get three days before it starts to go sticky, smelly and ready for the rubbish bin!

As to home freezing fish; I have never had any luck with this. The process takes too long in a home freezer and the results are the opposite of the above: the ice crystals are too large, destroy the flesh structure and when cooked / defrosted one ends up with waterlogged, tasteless fillets.

Cooking frozen fish - well it is always best to follow the manufacturers instructions. Further to this:

If deep frying in batter - cook from frozen

If deep frying in breadcrumbs - cook from frozen (although the bread-crumbing is more successful if done with defrosted fish fillets)

If shallow frying - defrost first. This is mainly a safety issue: the water within the fillets will likely cause the fat / oil to spit or sometimes the fillet can explode in parts

If grilling - cook from frozen if thin fillets / steaks (maximum 3cm) or defrost if thick fillets / steaks

If baking - cook from frozen if thin fillets / steaks (maximum 3cm) or defrost if thick fillets / steaks

If baking in tinfoil - cook from frozen

If baking in a crust / pastry - defrost first or the water within will cause soggy pastry

If making a stew - cook from frozen if you can safely cut the fillet to size. Also allow for extra thickening of the sauce just prior to serving

All the above should be carried out at normal cooking temperatures (as per fresh fish).

Defrosting fish

This should always be achieved slowly in the refrigerator; this minimises any chances of bacterial contamination.

Defrosting under water is not recommended as all flavour will be lost. The flavour of fish is salt based, which will be washed away/dissolved in the water.

Defrosting in the microwave should be carried out if the fish is to be cooked straight away (within 10 minutes of defrosting). It should also be done if your microwave has a really good defrost cycle and the fish is no more than 3cm thick; otherwise one finds the fish partially cooks and dries out.

Garlic Cooking Tips

1.When purchasing garlic look for bulbs that have plump, firm cloves with the papery outer sheath intact. Avoid garlic that is soft, spongy or shrivelled

2.Keep the bulbs in a cool, dry place. Do not refrigerate. Garlic needs air circulation so don't store in a plastic bag, keep it on your shelves or window sill (out of the sun)

3.To separate the cloves from the bulb, place the bulb on a solid surface, place both hands on top and apply pressure. You will hear the crack as they start to separate.

4.To peel a large number of cloves, drop them into a pan of boiling water for 10 - 20 seconds (known as blanching), drain and plunge into iced water, (known as refreshing), drain and the skins should just easily slip off

5.To peel a small amount; place the blade of a large knife on top and smack the blade with your fist, the peel is then easily removed and you will have partly crushed the clove

6.The smaller the garlic pieces, the stronger the flavour that is imparted into the foods

if you want a nice mild flavour, lightly perfumed food, even a sweetness use whole, unbroken garlic cloves (they may even be left with the peel on)
if a slightly stronger nuance is required thinly slice it
for a fuller flavour, finely chop it (also known as minced garlic)
if it’s a full on, in your face, vampires wont come near taste you want then crush the bulbs to a pulp

7.To crush the garlic with a knife, first lightly chop it, sprinkle on a big pinch of salt (which releases the garlic juices) and then by rub the flat of your knife back and forth over it

8.The longer you cook garlic, the less astringent it becomes and the flavour will soften. When sautéing garlic, be careful not to burn it, burnt garlic has an unpleasant bitter taste

9.To remove garlic odour from your hands, rinse your hands with fresh lemon juice or scrub with a bit of salt, then rinse with cool water.

10.To freshen your breath after eating garlic, chew on a sprig of fresh parsley

I hope this demystifies and explains garlic use a little better for you? With this knowledge now in hand, lets hit the kitchen and cook up a storm with my all time favourite recipes that features garlic.

Cake making

Preparation of cake tins

Cake tins are made from many types of material, stainless steel, aluminium, silicon, non stick surfaces etc but if one is unsure of the non stick properties of a cake tin, it is best to line it with lightly greased, greaseproof paper. This is achieved by:

Cutting a greaseproof paper cartouche 2 cm wider than the cake tin
Cutting a collar 2cm longer than the circumference and 2 cm higher than the cake tin
Lightly grease both the cartouche and collar
Place the cartouche in the cake tin first and neatly crease the extra 2cm up the sides
Place the collar neatly around the inside of the cake tin: the 2cm sides of the cartouche should be outside the collar; to allow a neat finish to the finished cake
Many chefs will lightly grease both sides of the cartouche and collar, so they cling neatly to the cake tin

Testing for a cooked cake

Insert a slender bladed knife into the thickest part of the cake (normally the centre) and remove. The blade should come out clean. If it comes out with the batter clinging to it, the cake requires further cooking.

Common faults when cake baking

1.The oven door is opened too soon

this sudden rush of cold air into a warm/hot oven will result in the cake collapsing and coming out flat. The oven door should not be opened until ¾’s the way through allowed cooking time.

2.Cake over browned

Controlling its browning process is essential, this can be achieved by:

knowing the oven’s hot and cold spots
placing the cake tin on the middle shelf with a tray on the top shelf to deflect the falling
heat particles
lightly covering the cake tin with tin foil

3.The oven door being slammed shut

This sudden and violent action will shock the cake mixture, knock out or deflate all the trapped air bubbles and will result in the cake collapsing and coming out flat

4.Incorrectly weighed ingredients

Unlike many areas of the kitchen, cake making is more of an exact science, in most cases a slight variance in measurements can make all the difference.

5.Incorrect flour used

Cake making requires a ‘soft’ or high ration flour; it must be one that is low in gluten content. A medium to high gluten flour will result in a heavy textured, non risen cake.

6.Flour not sufficiently sieved

To increase the air in the mixture and to ensure what gluten content is there, the flour should be well sieved (2-3 times) and from a reasonable height from sieve to bowl.

7.Fruits sinking

Cakes with dried fruits or nuts added to them, will often turn out to have most of the dried fruits or nuts sunk to the bottom. This can be remedied by lightly tossing/coating them in flour before incorporating them into the mixture. This forms a kind of chemical bond with the batter and prevents them sinking.

Problems that can occur when making sponge cakes

Close texture

: eggs and sugar overheated

: eggs and sugar under beaten

: too much flour

: flour not folded in

: oven too hot

Sunken

: too much sugar

: oven too hot

: tin removed during cooking

Heavy

: butter too hot

: butter not mixed in well

: flour over mixed

cake baking

Preparation of cake tins

Cutting a greaseproof paper cartouche 2 cm wider than the cake tin
Cutting a collar 2cm longer than the circumference and 2 cm higher than the cake tin
Lightly grease both the cartouche and collar
Place the cartouche in the cake tin first and neatly crease the extra 2cm up the sides
Place the collar neatly around the inside of the cake tin: the 2cm sides of the cartouche should be outside the collar; to allow a neat finish to the finished cake
Many chefs will lightly grease both sides of the cartouche and collar, so they cling neatly to the cake tin

Testing for a cooked cake

Turning a cake out

Once cooked, remove the greaseproof paper.

Common faults when cake baking

1.The oven door is opened too soon

This sudden rush of cold air into a warm/hot oven will result in the cake collapsing and coming out flat. The oven door should not be opened until ¾’s the way through allowed cooking time. Thus controlling its browning process is essential, this can be achieved by:

knowing the oven’s hot and cold spots

placing the cake tin on the middle shelf with a tray on the top shelf to deflect the falling heat particles

lightly covering the cake tin with tin foil before it is placed in the oven and removing later to brown if required

2.The oven door being slammed shut

This sudden and violent action will shock the cake mixture, knock out or deflate all the trapped air bubbles and will result in the cake collapsing and coming out flat

3.Incorrectly weighed ingredients

Unlike many areas of the kitchen, cake making is more of an exact science, in most cases a slight variance in measurements can make all the difference.

4.Incorrect flour used

Cake making requires a ‘soft’ or high ration flour; it must be one that is low in gluten content. A medium to high gluten flour will result in a heavy textured, non risen cake.

5.Flour not sufficiently sieved

To increase the air in the mixture and to ensure what gluten content is there, the flour should be well sieved (2-3 times) and from a reasonable height from sieve to bowl.

6.Fruits sinking

Cakes with dried fruits or nuts added to them, will often turn out to have most of the dried fruits or nuts sunk to the bottom. This can be remedied by lightly tossing/coating them in flour before incorporating them into the mixture. This forms a kind of chemical bond with the batter and prevents them sinking.

Eggs

Successfully whisking egg whites

When whisking egg whites for meringue etc what you are doing is incorporating air into them in the form of air bubbles. The protein strands in the egg white will wrap themselves around the air causing the bubbles, much the same way as the rubber in a balloon wraps itself around the air when it is inflated.

The method of incorporating air can change the texture of the 'foam' you produce and thus the texture of the recipe. Too much air incorporated too quickly, will stretch the molecular structure of the protein bands and these strands can actually break (resulting in whites that are over beaten and will be 'furry looking', grainy with no cohesion between the particles). This will eventually break down back into a liquid and cannot be restored. In terms of texture, too much air at the beginning will result in wide air holes rather than a firm texture (beer froth rather than snow), a slower initial speed is best, beat slowly and then increasing speed as you go.

The trick for a successful 'meringue' therefore is ensuring the mixture is as stable as possible, the protein strands are thoroughly wrapped around, but not over stretched so they do not burst and the mixture falls flat.

Egg quality
Using slightly thinner egg whites are best (farm fresh whites won't successfully whip due to the tight fresh whites)

Temperature
The whites are best brought up to room temperature before use

Speed
The method of incorporating air can change the texture of the 'foam' you produce and thus the texture of the recipe. That is, too much air incorporated too quickly will stretch the molecular structure of the protein bands and these strands can actually break (resulting in whites that are over beaten or 'furry looking', grainy with no cohesion between the particles).

In terms of texture, too much air at the beginning will result in wide air holes rather than a firm texture (beer froth rather than snow), a slower initial speed is best, beat slowly and then increasing speed as you go.

Of course this is easier to control and do if you are using an electric whisk, but must be judged more carefully if doing by hand

Start by whisking slowly to break the protein stands down
As the mixture starts to get foamy increase speed slightly for a few minutes
Increase speed
When whisking in sugar, do so at a high speed

Stages
When whipping egg white we talk about two stages: soft peaks and stiff peaks.

Soft peaks are when a successful foam is obtained and when your finger is placed in, removed and held up the peak will fold over slightly, forming a wave like shape. At this stage if the bowl is tipped upside down the 'meringue' will stick to the bowl and not come out. The soft peak stage is best for when it is to be folded into another mixture; mousses etc
Stiff peaks require further whipping and the peaks will stand vertical on the finger and the peaks will not fold over. This is stage required for meringues, Pavlova etc where other ingredients are incorporated into it

Fat
Any type of fat, oil or grease is the curse of successful egg white whipping. Even a small amount will inhibit the egg white from whipping to a successful foam. So care must be taken:

Thoroughly clean all equipment: bowls, whisks, containers etc that will come into contact with the egg white in hot soapy water and rinse clean. Either wipe with paper kitchen towels or allow to drip dry. Tea towels will often have some grease in them.
Stainless steel bowls or glass bowls are better for whisking as they can be thoroughly cleaned, plastic bowls can 'hide' a smear of fat within its walls, especially if they are in poor state of repair (grooves scarped into the sides)
When separating the yolk from the white use three containers: one for the yolk, one for white and one to transfer the white into each time. This way if the yolk breaks, you will only ruin one white and not the whole batch. Remember egg yolk is pretty much 99% fat
Some chefs will run a slice of lemon around the bowl and whisk; this breaks down any minute traces of fat and does not effect the flavour as lemon juice or vinegar is often included in meringue recipes

Other tips include:

Professional Chefs use a pure copper bowl for egg white whipping / meringue production, a chemical reaction occurs resulting in a far better foam
Use a large a bowl as possible this encourages the maximum amount of air incorporation
Some chefs advocate a little pinch of salt when whipping egg whites to stabilise the foam; some chefs put it in before commencing to whip, some at the end. My suggestion is to try it for yourself and see what you think.
Use only fresh eggs, but not too fresh and use at room temperature. So if you keep eggs in the refrigerator they will need to come out and sit at room temperature for a few hours before use.

How do you tell if eggs are fresh? <click here>

When folding aerated whites into a mixture, use a metal spoon - always preferred because wooden implements may retain grease.

Chocolate

Firstly one needs to understand the questions "how is chocolate made" and "what is chocolate". It is made from the cocao bean, that is dried, roasted and ground. The grinding produces cocoa liquor, from this two distinct items are extracted:

A fat that is called 'cocoa butter'
A solid that is called 'cocoa mass' and which is refined to make cocoa powder

Depending on what is then added to the cocoa mass the different varieties of chocolate are produced. Each has a different chemical make-up, the differences are not solely in the taste. Be sure, therefore, to use the kind the recipe calls for, as different varieties will react differently to heat and moisture

Cocoa
Chocolate liquor with much of the cocoa butter removed, creating a fine powder.

Alkalised cocoa powder (also known as Dutch processed cocoa), has been treated with an alkali during processing to produce a more mellow, less harsh-tasting, but darkly coloured cocoa.

It can pick up moisture and odours from other products, so store in a cool, dry place, in an airtight container. Depending on its production it may or may not have other ingredients added - sugar, etc.

Unsweetened Chocolate
Simply the cooled and hardened version of chocolate liquor. It is used primarily as an ingredient in recipes as by itself it does not taste very nice.

Bitter / Dark / Plain Chocolate
Cocoa mass, cocoa butter and sugar. Normally contains approximately 35% cocoa liquor

Semi-sweet Chocolate
It has approx. 15% chocolate liquor, with extra cocoa butter and sugar added. Sweet cooking chocolate is basically the same with more sugar for taste

Milk Chocolate
Cocoa mass, cocoa butter, milk or milk powder and sugar and vanilla added. Normally contains approximately 15 % cocoa liquor

White Chocolate
In reality (and, in many countries, legally) not really chocolate at all, as it contains no cocoa solids, which leaves it the smooth ivory or beige colour. White chocolate is primarily cocoa butter, sugar, milk and vanilla.

White 'chocolate' is the most fragile form of all the chocolates. Pay close attention to it while heating or melting it. It must be achieved slowly or it will burn and seize very easily.

Couverture
Couverture is a special kind of 'cooking' chocolate used by professional chefs. A couverture is simply a chocolate with a relatively higher cocoa butter content (a minimum of 32%, often as much as 39%). This high cocoa butter content contributes fluidity, smoothness, strength and ease of handling. In most cases, these chocolates also contain a high cocoa solid content which heightens the flavour

The formula on couverture packaging may look like this: 70/30/38. This means that there is 70% cocoa solids, 30% sugar, and 38% total fat content.

70/30/38 : describes and extra bitter couverture and indicates 70 percent cocoa
solids and only 30 percent sugar

60/40/38 : describes a bitter couverture, which is the most frequently used

50/50/38 : describes semi-sweet

36/42/38 : describes milk chocolate couverture

There are two other main types: tempered and un-tempered.

Decorator's Chocolate or Confectioner's Chocolate
This is not really chocolate at all, but a sort of chocolate flavoured candy used for things such as covering strawberries. It was created to melt easily and harden quickly, but it is not really chocolate. If you want quick and easy, use decorator's chocolate . . . if you want the real thing, use real chocolate and patience

Working with Chocolate

Storing

Chocolate does not like moisture or too low a temperatures, it should be stored in a cool dark place and NEVER in a refrigerator
Cooking chocolate stored in the refrigerator is likely to seize (see below) when melted
Eating chocolate stored in the refrigerator is likely to form 'sugar bloom'. This is the white powdery residue one sometimes sees on the surface - this basically means the chocolate has sweated. Moisture has been 'squeezed' out of the chocolate due to the low temperature and then as it comes back up to room temperature it solidifies. It will do you no harm, but does affect the flavour

Eating

Chocolate is always best eaten at, at least room temperature; this is because the taste molecules require this temperature to develop
If a bar of chocolate or chocolate product is refrigerated and eaten the chocolate flavour will be severely diminished and only when allowed to linger in the mouth will the full flavour be experienced.
Try this . . .
- Place some chocolate in the refrigerator overnight and leave some out
- Eat a piece of the chilled chocolate first, bite it, chew and swallow
- Now try another piece, but gently suck on it and allow it to slowly melt in the mouth
- Now try the un-refrigerator piece
- You should or will notice a remarkable difference in flavours

Utensils

Ensure all utensils being used are free from any grease and moisture. It is always best to thoroughly rinse them off under hot running water and then wipe them with a paper kitchen towel or a fresh tea towel.
Chocolate has a very strange peculiarity to it; unlike most things that dilute when you add a liquid, a drop of water in melted / melting chocolate will cause it to 'cease', meaning it will revert back to a solid. When this happens it is totally useless for cooking (perfectly okay to give to the kids to eat while they are watching the Teletubbies though!)
Use only metal bowls, spoons etc when melting, etc. Plastic and wood can retain fat and moisture (see above)

Melting

Chocolate can be successfully melted in a microwave if GREAT care is taken. As there are so many variables with this method I do not recommend trying it.

Besides working with chocolate should be a labour of love, it should be achieved slowly, it should be done so one can see what is happening, smell the beautiful aromas as it melts and be able to taste it, allowing it to slowly linger on the palate!

Place just a couple of centimetres of water into a saucepan; the chocolate will melt via the heat from the steam that is caused
Do not allow the water to boil, if boiling water is allowed to come into contact with the base of the bowl, the delicate chocolate will burn and seize (see above)
Having insured that the bowl, etc is clean (as above) place the bowl over the saucepan. This should have a tight a fit as possible so as not to allow steam to escape that could condense back into the chocolate and seize it
Place the chocolate into the bowl (with clean, dry hands) and allow to melt as slowly as possible, stirring often to ensure the un-melted chocolate combines with the melted to form a smooth and even melt
Once fully melted, remove the pan from the heat and use as required. If you are not ready to use it straight away, the heat from the water will keep it nicely melted for at least 20 minutes. If it solidifies slightly in this time, place the pan back over a low heat, DO NOT be tempted to try and heat it back up quickly

Tempering

Because cocoa butter exhibits what is called polymorphous or unstable crystal formation the mass must be 'tempered' to produce the desired properties: smoothness, gloss and melts only when it is eaten and not handled.

Chocolate is normally in temper when it leaves the manufacturer, but may go out of temper if improperly stored - manifested by the appearance of chocolate bloom and will require re-tempering
Chocolate as far as I am aware, contains five types of crystals, which all melt at different temperatures. Tempering basically heats the chocolate above the first which melts at approximately 18°C, cools it to 27°C and then re-heats it to the next crystal level, with a melting temperature of approximately 37°C. (body temperature) thus 'destroying' the lower level crystals.

So, if you have ever melted and used chocolate to cover sweets / candies or to make decorations and found the final result to be dull and lacking sheen, it is because of a lack of tempering. To temper follow the following procedure:

Place just a couple of centimetres of water into a saucepan - the chocolate will melt via the heat from the steam that is caused
Do not allow the water to boil, if boiling water is allowed to come into contact with the base of the bowl, the delicate chocolate will burn and seize (see above)
Having insured that the bowl, etc is clean (as above) place the bowl over the saucepan. This should have a tight a fit as possible so as not to allow steam to escape that could condense back into the chocolate and seize it
Place two-thirds of the required chocolate into the bowl (with clean, dry hands) and allow to melt as slowly as possible, stirring often to ensure the un-melted chocolate combines with the melted to form a smooth and even melt. Heat to 40°C
Add the remaining chocolate, stir in to melt and cool to 27°C
Re-heat to 32°C for dark, 30°C for milk and 28°C for white
Keep at this temperature by removing and re-placing the bowl from the heat as required

Baklava

Ingredients for Baklava

1pkt filo pastry
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 pc oranges

How to make Baklava

Lightly butter a deep sided tray
Layer with two sheets of pastry and brush with melted butter
Sprinkle with the various chopped nuts
Add two more sheets of pastry and continue layering with the nuts and melted butter until the tray is full
Brush the final layer of pastry with melted butter
Carefully cut into portions
Place into a pre-heated oven - 180ºC on the middle shelf until a light golden brown
While it is baking remove some of the orange zest and finely chop, set aside
Juice the oranges and place in a thick bottom saucepan with the sugar and water
Simmer gently until a light syrup consistency is achieved
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes
Stir in the chopped orange zest
When the baklava is cooked, remove from the oven and place the tray on a cooling rack
Brush generously with the orange syrup until all the syrup has been used, or alternatively gently pour it all over and allow to sit at room temperature to steep for at least two hours
As this dessert is so rich and sweet, I always like to serve it with either a thick natural yoghurt, marscapone cheese or some creme fraiche . . . a few tart berries never go amiss either!

Chef's Tip for Baklava:

In place of the orange syrup try making the Baklava with lime juice or some rose water.
The nuts I have given may be replaced with your own favourites: pecans, hazelnuts, cashews, macadamias, etc.
For something a little different try rolling the pastry sheets up like a cigar and cutting it into fine shreds; called chiffonade. Layer and use these the same way as above.
Filo or phyllo pastry will dry out very quickly when exposed to the air. When using it one should have all other mise en place (preparation) ready and at hand. If the temperature of your kitchen is really hot, place a clean, damp tea towel over the pastry when not in use.

Flours

Cornflour / cornstarch
A finely ground corn/maize product that is gluten free. Mostly found bleached white, but also available with a yellowish tinge to it. Mainly used as a thickening or binding agent, but can be used in a limited way for baking also.

Mix two parts water to one part cornflour to make a slurry or slake, this can be stirred or whisked into liquids for thickening.

Rice flour
Rice flour is primarily made from polished broken rice and is therefore usually whiter than wheat or rye flour, it is usually ground more finely also.

There are essentially two sorts of rice flour: one is made from the type of rice most often cooked at home and one from glutinous rice. The glutinous rice flour has a swelling property that results in a slightly rubbery texture to doughs and therefore ideal for the Asian pork dumplings etc. They freeze well because unlike other starches / flours, it does not separate and lose moisture when thawing.

It cannot however be used in baking; although rice flour contains a high starch content, it does not have the protein called 'gluten' of wheat flours.

Millet flour
Made from a small round grain resembling mustard seed, (often used for bird seed) it has a slight nutty flavour

Oat flour
Oat flour is a fine flour ground from dried oats, has a characteristic nutlike flavour. Due to its lack of gluten it is best used in combination with wheat flour.

Wheatmeal flour
Made by blending in a certain amount of the brown skins of the bran with white flour.

Wholemeal flour
Made from the whole of the wheat berry: the endosperm, the bran and the embryo

Plain white flour
Milled from the endosperm of the wheat berry only; it has the bran, embryo and germ removed. It is graded as to its strength depending on its gluten content: weak, medium and strong.

Weak flour (also known as soft flour or hi-ratio flour) has a low gluten content of approx. 8% and is therefore ideal for delicate cake and sponge production
Medium flour (also known as all purpose flour) is produced so that it is suitable for products that have to be chemically aerated. It is weak enough to stop toughening but strong enough to stand the pressures of the gases resulting from the use of baking powders etc. It is also a good all round flour for bread-crumbing, batters, scones etc
Strong flour has a high gluten content, that makes it ideal for yeast products, breads and puff pastry
Durum wheat flour (also known as Durum flour and semolina flour) this is specially produced for the production of pastas.

The strength of a flour maybe tested by squeezing the flour in the hand;

a weak flour will cling together when the hand is open
a strong flour will crumble to flour again

Self raising flour
This is simply a convenience product; a medium strength flour with the addition of baking powder: 500 gm flour to 10 gm baking powder. This flour has a short shelf life due to the addition of the baking powder, it becomes less effective as the baking powder breaks down.

Baking powder
As an addition note, baking powder should be bought in as small a quantities as possible, it has a short shelf life and it becomes less effective as the baking powder components breaks down. It is simply made up of two common culinary chemicals: baking soda (bicarbonate of soda and tartaric acid), stable when apart but break down and cancel each other out over time once mixed.

Fresh baking soda can be made by sifting together one part baking soda to two parts tartaric acid.

Potato chips & Mashed potatoes

Tried making your own? Had them come out either with soggy middles or burnt? You are probably 99.9% correct if you thought it has more to do with the potato than your cooking. The problem you are having is almost certainly because of the type of potato you are using. I have always found that most white fleshed potatoes when used for potato chips:

either are left with white soggy patches and dark brown edges
or brown too much by the time they are crisp

This is due in part to the way the starch and sugars are distributed within the potato. It is the natural sugar in food that allows it to brown, either through dextrinisation (applying dry heat for making toast) or caramelising (applying moist heat). For my part as a professional chef, I am a dedicated user of Agria potatoes. A yellow fleshed variety that is a great all rounder, it has enough starch to be a wonderful masher, sugars for boiling, holds together well for roasting, etc and the flesh colour gives truly amazing result for deep frying! As to the latter, for French fries and potato chips, etc the colour holds and fries to a superb even golden brown, while being crisp as crisp can be.

I do then strongly suggest looking around and finding a store that sells either yellow flesh potatoes like Golden Wonder or Agria . . . trust me, you will never go back to the 'whatever is available / cheapest' again.

As for other hints for potato chips . . . if you are not too bothered about salt, in place of normal salt for seasoning, try one of the many flavoured salts now available: garlic, onion, etc or maybe a nice flaked sea salt. Better still . . . take some garlic cloves, lightly pierce the skin with a sharp knife, place them in an airtight container of salt, leave for a week or to make your own flavoured salt!

Making great mashed potatoes - Duchesse potato mix
The key here is to have a dry a mash as possible at the end, so one can then add items like cream, butter, etc without ending up with a squelchy mess!

I find potatoes mash the best when they are cooked still in their skin, this is because the skin helps prevent water absorption. However, the down side to this is one must have even sized potatoes, so they all cook at the same rate. One can of course always bake them first or microwave them (see my notes later for microwaving potatoes).
If you must cut the potatoes for boiling, cut them as even sized as you can and approximately 5cm (2 inches) in size. Any smaller and they absorb too much water as they cook, any larger and either the inside does not cook fully (meaning lumps!) or by the time it has fully cooked the outer potato has over cooked and becomes water logged.
Do not cut too far ahead of time. If you leave them sitting in water, they will absorb the water and give you a soggy mash
Ensure the potatoes are only just covered in water (the longer it takes too come to the boil the more likely they are to absorb the water)
Ensure the potatoes are kept fully covered as they boil, any potato left sticking out of the water will not fully cook and can cause your mash to be lumpy
Drain the potatoes as soon as they are cooked, do not leave them sitting in the water. A large colander is best for this, as the greater surface area allows steam (moisture) to escape, thus giving you drier potatoes. Allow them to sit like this for five minutes before mashing.
The potatoes can also be placed back into a large dry saucepan then:
- placed back onto the heat and with a lid
- shake them for a few seconds and remove the lid, this will allow any steam to escape
- repeat as necessary until little or no steam is left

One can now season and flavour as required. The following suggestions I hope will spark many other ideas within you . . . hmmm, how about I add this or that, what about . . .

freshly ground sea salt, white pepper and nutmeg
egg yolks
cream, crème fraiche or plain yoghurt
butter or margarine
for a lower cholesterol level. in place of butter try a good olive oil (virgin or extra virgin)
diced capsicum, spring onion and ham
caramelised sliced onions
chargrilled capsicum - diced or puréed
roasted garlic
sundried tomatoes and diced olives
your favourite grated cheese, crumbled fetta or chopped brie / camembert
fresh cranberries or redcurrants
lightly toasted sliced almonds or other nuts
your favourite fresh chopped herb - basil, mint, coriander etc
chopped tinned beetroot (drain and rinse first) - the juice should be retained, simmered until reduced by three-quarters and served as a sauce
Tahiti, pesto or your favourite potato chip/crisps dip

Phylo / Filo Pastry

When working with phylo pastry care must be taken, as it has a tendency to dry out very quickly and become fragile.

Open and remove the pastry from the packaging carefully and retain
Do not work in direct sunlight
Do not remove from the packet until just before required and ensure you have all your other ingredients, your pastry brush etc ready
Place a damp tea towel over the bulk of it as you work
Any remainder you have, is best chilled and used up as soon as you can; place back in the original packaging and also wrap in clingfilm to keep out the air, (which can and will dry it out) and store in the chiller
It can be frozen but does not yield the best results once defrosted
To use up the excess, use it as you would most other pastries - due to the pastry's required short cooking time, ensure you put in ingredients that quickly heat up or cook.
It can be used for the likes of:

Fish and other seafoods

FAQs on cooking fish and shellfish

Should fish be fully cooked?

Never overcook fish!
You should remove it from the oven pan etc when it is just under cooked done and still opaque in the middle; the internal heat, the heat from the plate and any sauce will finish off the cooking by the time it gets to the table. In this way you will never serve dried up fish again, it will always be moist and succulent
Tuna and salmon are best served while still rare in the centre.
In fact fresh tuna is even better when it is just seared on the outside and eaten like a very rare steak!
Try crushing cashew nuts and pressing the tuna steaks into it to cover the tuna all over and then pan fry it, or replace the crushed cashews with cracked peppercorns. Cut each steak into 1cm thick slices and arrange, slightly fanned on the plate

Does the same apply to shellfish?

Most definitely!

But what about food poisoning?

If the fish / shellfish is cooked as above, it will be thoroughly cooked by the time it is served to your guests, family or friends. It will also have reached the temperature required to kill most bacteria (65°C).
As for the tuna . . . have you ever eaten raw oysters, sashimi or sushi?
However, the less cooked you intend to serve your fish or shellfish, the fresher the product should be and the more careful you should be about personal and kitchen hygiene

Are different types of fish suited to particular methods of cookery?

The answer is yes, however you can cook most fish most ways. But the oilier fish with stronger flavours lend themselves better to grilling or barbecuing, while those with a medium flavour are more suited to pan-frying, while the delicate flavoured ones are best poached or steamed. Here are suggestions some of the more available species:

Baking

Bream, snapper, rainbow trout, ocean trout, sea bass, flounder, trevally, leatherjacket.

Grilling and barbecuing

Swordfish, tuna, blue-eye cod, trout, salmon, mackerel, blue warehou, kingfish, kahawai, flathead, mullet, herring, sardines or any firm-fleshed fish.
Crayfish, lobster, prawns and mussels
Marinate or baste lean fish to prevent it drying out during cooking

Stewing and casseroling

Trevally, kingfish, herring, mackerel, coley, whiting, red mullet, firm-fleshed bream and sea bass
Crayfish, lobster, prawns, mussels, squid
Avoid combining any strongly flavored, oily fish in one dish

Deep-frying

Whitebait, cod, groper, lemon-fish, sardines, orange roughy, any of the dory family and any flat fish fillets
Prawns, mussels, squid, scallops
Thicker, larger fish and fillets tend to dry out and overcook on the outside before cooking through.

Pan-frying

Most fish can be pan-fried

Most shellfish can be pan-fried

Stir-frying

Any firm-fleshed fish such as tuna and mullet
Prawns, squid, cuttlefish, mussels, scallops

Steaming or poaching

Bream, snapper, blue-eye, flathead, blue warehou, trout, sea bass, salmon, kingfish
Crayfish, lobster, prawns, mussels, squid, scallops
Always poach in either a seasoned court bouillon, fish stock or wine; this will either increase flavor and/or prevent any flavor loss form the fish/shellfish

Мусака с мляно месо и картофи

Продукти:
700-800гр. мляно месо
1кг картофи
1ч.ч. нарязани на кубчета моркови
1к.ч. лук/нарязан/
1ч.ч домати консерва или 2бр.пресни домати/настъргани/
растителна мазнина
150гр кашкавал
чер пипер
магданоз
сол
за бешамела:
3 с.л.брашно
100мл растителна мазнина
2 бр.жълтък
600 мл. прясно мляко
1/3 ч.л. сол
Приготвяне:
Задушаваме нарязания лук.Прибавяме каймата,настърганите домати и оставяме около 20мин. да се задуши.Поръсваме с червен пипер.Слагаме картофите и морковите.Поръсваме с подправките и разбъркваме добре.Изсипваме във тава,подравняваме,заливаме с гореща вода до равнището на сместа и слагаме да печем в гореща фурна.
През това време правим заливката.Разбиваме яйцата и добавяме прясното мляко.Запържваме брашното и при непрекъснато бъркане прибавяме млечната смес.Сместа се добавя на части,не наведнъж за да може по леко да се усвои.Трябва да се получи гладка кремообразна маса.Посоляваме.
Когато сместа във тавичката е готова,заливаме със бешамелов сос.Печем докато се получи лека розова коричка.Поръсваме със нарязан магданоз и кашкавал и запичаме отново.
Това е вариант,в който картофите не се запържват отделно от мляното месо

царевична питка със сирене

1 чаша брашно,
1 чаша царевичен грис,
1 чаша олио,
1 чаша к.мляко
1 чл бакпулвер,
1чл ванилия,
250 гр сирене

СЛАДКА ЦАРЕВИЧНА ПИТКА
Замесва се тесто от
3 ч. ч. царевично брашно,
1 ч. ч. кисело мляко с
1 ч. л. сода за хляб,
2-3 с. л. олио,
2-3 с. л. счукани орехи,
сока от 1 лимон.
Пече се в умерена фурна

Deep Frying

Tips on Deep Frying

Choose the quality and the shape of cut carefully
Cut vegetables into shapes and sizes that will suit your final presentation; using the natural shape of the vegetable as much as possible is best, and or using exaggerated oblique cuts (long and 45° angled) gives the best results
Deep frying battered vegetables is traditionally a Japanese techniques (tempura), the vegetables are cooked from raw so that they retain a natural crispness, as such the way they are cut and their thickness needs to be carefully considered
Marinating vegetables prior to deep frying will ensure an added depth to its final flavour (not recommended if a flavoured / spiced batter is used)
The blanching and refreshing of tubers like potatoes / kumara (in well salted water) prior to deep frying will encourage a definitive crispness to the final product
Ensure all foods are as dry as possible prior to cooking to avoid 'spitting' of oil and to prevent the oil from degrading too quickly
Prior to battering all foods must be floured first to ensure the batter clings to the food (cornflour is an excellent flour for this and adds a crispness)
Always ensure the fat is as clean and fresh as possible to avoid taste contamination
Battered foods are never cooked in a basket, as the foods will sink to the bottom of the basket and the liquid batter will wrap itself around the holes in the basket, cook and therefore 'stick' to the basket
Battered foods should be placed directly into the friture and removed with a spider
Panéed foods may successfully be cooked in a basket
Never over fill a basket, better to cook small amounts more often, overloading the basket will encourage the foods to stick together
When placing foods into the friture:

ALWAYS place foods into the friture in a safe manner

ALWAYS place foods into the friture in an away motion from the body to avoid any splashes

NEVER drop it from a height
Remove foods to a drainage tray (tray with paper towels) and place in a warmed oven (at 75°C for a maximum of 5 minutes)
All foods must be piping hot when served (if you can handle them without tongs, they are not hot enough!) and the coating still crisp

Tips on Fresh Fish

Tips on Fresh Fish

The term 'fresh' fish will mean different things to different people and different cultures.

1.To many people fresh simply means not frozen.

2.To others it means 'at its peak'

3.To the Japanese it means less than a day old, as in less than 24 hours after it was caught. This is often referred to as being 'sashimi quality' . However for it to be truly of sashimi quality it must have been caught, killed, gutted and stored in a certain way before sale

4.To a professional chef it will usually (and hopefully) mean being served within three days of being caught

Fresh? There are so many factors that determine fresh when it comes to fish.

1.Fish should always be gutted and gilled as soon as it is caught, so any bacteria held in these areas cannot permeate into the flesh as it breaks down (it also ensures a better flavour and aroma)

2.A fish may be only two days old but if it is has not been stored correctly it might as well be two weeks! Experts agree, that for every hour a freshly caught fish is not stored on ice, it loses one day of shelf life. So a fish not chilled for four hours is equivalent in quality to a five day old fish that has been kept on ice

If a fish is stored correctly, (kept on ice) from the time it is caught, it has a useable life of up to ten days. However this is rarely the case and one should use the fish of course as soon as possible. Besides the fact it tastes so much better, one must also remember the health benefits and staying safe from food poisoning.

4.How to tell how fresh fish is? With filleted fish it can be very difficult, one must rely on our senses of smell and touch.

When lightly pressed the flesh of 'fresh' fish should be quite resilient and bounce back, the older it gets the more likely it is that the indent will remain or slowly bounce back
It should of course smell fresh, the more it smells like 'fish' the older it is. The fresher it is the less unpleasant aroma there will be
Always presuming one can be allowed to smell and touch prior to purchase, or one must rely on the supplier and maybe the use by date if packaged

5.For whole fish look for

a pleasant aroma (someone once wrote that, fish should smell of the sea, be briny in aroma . . . by the time it smells of fish it is too late! )
flesh that is resilient
plentiful scales that are not dried up
the body being covered in sea slime
bright, bulging eyes
the gills should be bright and / or red and free from any yeasty aroma and slime (slime in the gills is usually a bacterial slime - not good!)

The older the fish, the lower the quality, the less the above will apply. For example all other signs might be present but

Baking powder

Baking powder is a combination of:

one part baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) to two parts cream of tartare (tartaric acid)

As the baking soda is a alkaline, when combined with the tartaric acid and a liquid it begins to ferment, forms CO2, and thus allows products to aerate.

But the very thing that makes baking powder work also makes it unstable and gives it a short shelf life, as eventually the two chemicals cancel each other out. When this happens the baking powder is dead and any scones, etc made from it will not rise.

Purchasing the two chemicals separately and making your own baking powder will greatly increase the shelf life and always ensure you have a good, workable baking powder. Alternatively, purchase baking powder in small amounts and use frequently.

Baking soda can also be used as a raising agent (as for Irish soda bread), in this case buttermilk is normally used (or milk with a small amount of vinegar added). This acidity activates the alkaline of the baking soda to produce CO2

Food tip on yeast

Surebake yeast

A brand name for a mixture of active dry yeast and bread improvers (dough conditioner and nutrients), these stimulate the yeast activity. Because of its make up it is able to be blended directly into the dry ingredients during bread making. If the recipe calls for dried yeast, substitute double the amount of Surebake.

Dried/active yeast

This has a limited shelf life and is best used only for products that either require an extensive preparation or very slow proving. If the recipe calls for Surebake, substitute half the amount of dried/active yeast.

Fresh yeast : storage and quality points

Should be wrapped and stored in a cool place

Use as quickly as possible after purchasing

It should be fresh and moist, have a pleasant smell and crumble easily

Points to remember when using

Bowls and flour used for making doughs should be warmed

Yeast requires sugar to ferment

Use at room temperature

Proving temperature is best between at 21º - 32°C, depending on recipe

Liquids used in the making of doughs should be 36º - 37ºC

Yeast doughs require kneading, to form an elastic dough and to ensure the yeast is well distributed

Prove the doughs covered in a warm place, free from draughts to double the original size, knock back to original size then re-prove, before lightly kneading, moulding to shape and proving a third time

Salt retards its properties and can destroy it

Temperatures above 52ºC destroy yeast (but it can start to die above 40ºC)

Yeast can withstand low temperatures without damage

Never over prove, double the original size is the maximum or the dough will spoil.

Reasons for possible faults using yeast doughs

Texture too close/ dense
:
too hot oven
too little water
insufficient yeast
insufficient proving
insufficient kneading

Texture uneven
:
insufficient kneading
over proving
too cool an oven

Wrinkled crust
:
over proved

Sour tasting dough
:
over proved
stale / dead yeast

Broken crust
:
2nd proving was insufficient

Mekitzi

Many thanks to Lubka БГ версия

That is one very Bulgarian breakfast. No need to say - one of my favorite. Reminds me home and I almost can feel again the wonderful smell of hot sunflower oil, fried dough, wood stove and mom.

Ingredients

2 eggs 1 tsp yeast 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp sugar 1 cup warm milk 2 1/2 flower
*My cup is 250ml

Preparation

Mix everything and leave aside sprinkled with flower and covered with cloth to prove.
The dough is very soft and sticky.
Before you use it, you need to stir it and add a little bit more flower until the moment the dough does not stick anymore to the sides of the bowl .
Take pieces size of a golf ball and make a flat shapes as you desire. To work easier with this sticky dough you can dip your fingers and the dough in a bowl of oil or water.
Fry them in oil in medium high heat, as much, as you desire. They come very soft with neutral taste. You can serve them sprinkled with powder sugar, maple syrup, jam, preserve, and/or sprinkled with feta crumbs.

Мекици

благодарение на Любка EN version

Продукти

2 яица
1 чл мая
1/4 чл сол
1/2 чл захар
1 вч топло мляко
2 1/2 вч брашно

Приготвяне

Забърках всичко и оставих да втаса поръсено с малко брашнои покрито с кърпа. Тестото става доста меко и лепкаво.
Преди да го изполвам добавям малко брашно докато започне да се отлепя от съда.
Оформят се кръгчета или ли други форми. Пържат се в горещо олио. За да рабти по лесно, ръцете се намазват с мазнина.
Поднасят се напръскани с пудра захар

Thursday, January 28, 2010

ПИЛЕ С ОРИЗ

благодарение на http://forum.bgkulinar.net/viewtopic.1394.html

Продукти:

1 пиле,
1 ч.чаша ориз,
1 глава лук,
1 каф.чашка олио,
1 пилешко бульонче,
1/2 вр. магданоз,
черен пипер и сол на вкус.

Пилето се размразява, измива се добре, нарязва се на порции, подсушава се и се осолява леко.
В тенджерка се изсипва 1 каф. чашка олио, загрява се добре и се изпържва месото до леко зачервяване.
Месото се изважда и в мазнината се слага 1 глава лук, нарязан наситно, посолява се.
Когато лукът леко поомекне се изсипва оризът, който предварително трябва да е промит в няколко води и добре отцеден и, по възможност, подсушен.
Оризът се пържи докато лукът започне да става златист.
Изсипват се 3 ч.чаши вода и се добавя едно пилешко бульонче.
Оставя се да заври. Когато заври, огънят се намалява до слаб и така се вари 5 мин.
Пилешкото месо се подрежда в тавичка, поръсва се с черен пипер и около него се изсипва оризът.
Пече се при температура 180°С, по средата на фурната, с нагряване отгоре и отдолу.
Пече се докато оризът попие водата.
След изваждане от фурната се наръсва с половин връзка пресен магданоз.
Така се прави пиле с бял ориз.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Here's a table of suggested food storage options from Good Eats

Thanks to Nick Holcomb for collecting this information.

Item	Place to Store	Container	Max Duration	Show
Apples	Refrigerator	Plastic Bag	???	Apple Family Values
Bacon	Freezer	Freezer Paper	1 Year	Scrap Iron Chef
Beef, Ground	Refrigerator	Wax Paper	2 Days	A Grind Is A Terrible Things To Waste
Beurre Blanc	Thermos	Thermos	???	The Case for Butter
Butter	Freezer	Original Packaging	4 Months	The Case for Butter
Butter, Compound	Freezer	Foil Wrapped and in a Plastic Bag	2 Months	The Case for Butter
Cabbage, Cut	Refrigerator Crisper	Plastic Bag	2 Days	Head Games
Cabbage, Whole	Refrigerator Crisper	Plastic Bag	6 Weeks	Head Games
Caesar Dressing	Refrigerator	Sealed	2 Weeks	Tofuworld
Caraway Seeds	Pantry	Plastic Bag	6 Months	Head Games
Cheese	Refrigerator	Wax Paper Separate Box	???	For Whom the Cheese Melts
Cheesecake	Freezer	Plastic Wrapped then Foil Wrapped	1 Month	The Trouble with Cheesecake
Item	Place to Store	Container	Max Duration	Show
Chicken	Refrigerator	Sealed	Until use by date	A Bird in the Pan
Chilis, Dried	Pantry	Plastic Bag	Just about Forever	Chile's Angels
Clams	Refrigerator Bottom Shelf	Open Container	2 Days	Send in the Clams
Clams	Freezer	Plastic Bag	1 Month	Send in the Clams
Cocoa Mixes	Pantry	Sealed	2 years	Art of Darkness 2
Cocoa Powder	Pantry	Sealed	2 years	Art of Darkness 2
Coffee Beans	Pantry	Sealed with Valve	3 Months	True Brew Coffee
Corn, Mickeyed	Refrigerator	Plastic Bag	2 Weeks	Ear Apparent
Corn, Straight	Refrigerator	Plastic Wrap	2 Days	Ear Apparent
Cornmeal	Freezer	Plastic Bag	???	Ear Apparent
Crepe Batter	Refrigerator	Blender	24 hours	Crepe Expectations
Item	Place to Store	Container	Max Duration	Show
Crepes, Warmed	Oven, Lowest Setting)	Pan	30 minutes	Crepe Expectations
Crepes, Short Term	Refrigerator	Sealed (wax paper between each)	1 Week	Crepe Expectations
Crepes, Long Term	Freezer	Sealed (wax paper between each)	1 Month	Crepe Expectations
Doodads	Counter	Sealed	24 hours	Citizen Cane
Eggplant, Prepared	Refrigerator	Plastic Bag	1 Week	Deep Purple
Eggplant, Prepared	Freezer	Plastic Bag	3 Months	Deep Purple
Eggplant, Whole	Counter	None	2 Days	Deep Purple
Eggplant, Whole	Refrigerator, Top Shelf	Plastic Wrap	14 Days	Deep Purple
Item	Place to Store	Container	Max Duration	Show
Eggs	Refrigerator, Not on the door	Own Container	???	Egg Files
Eggs, Poached	Refrigerator	Ice Water Bath	8 Hours	Misson Poachable
Fish, Raw	Refrigerator	Sealed with ice	???	Hook Line and Dinner
Fries	200deg Oven	Pan	30 minutes	Fry Hard
Fries, Raw	Refrigerator	Water Bath	10 Hours	Fry Hard
Fruitcake	Pantry	Sealed (with breathing room)	???	It's a Wonderful Cake
Fruitcake Liquid	Refrigerator	Pot	3 Days	It's a Wonderful Cake
Garlic, Peeled	Refrigerator	Plastic Wrap	???	Pressure
Garlic, Unpeeled	Pantry	Itself (make sure it is cool and dry)	???	The Bulb of the Night
Ice Cream	Freezer	Small with coating on ice cream	???	Churn Baby Churn
Jam, Preserved	Pantry	Jar	1Year (maybe a little more)	Urban Preservation 1: Spiced Blueberry Jamming
Jam, Unpreserved	Refrigerator	Jar	3 Weeks	Urban Preservation 1: Spiced Blueberry Jamming
Item	Place to Store	Container	Max Duration	Show
Kuri, Red	Pantry	Itself (make sure it is cool and dry)	1 Month	Squash Court
Lemon Curd	Refrigerator	Bowl with Plastic Wrap pushed on top	1 Month	Egg Files
Lettuce Leaves	Refrigerator	Paper Towel Wrapped and in a Plastic Bag	???	Salad Days
Mayo, Homemade	Refrigerator	Jar	2 Weeks	Mayo Clinic
Mushrooms	Refrigerator	Paper Bag	3 Days	The Fungal Gourmet
Mussels	Refrigerator	Open Container (ice on top of moist paper towels)	1 Week	Mussel Bound
Mustard, Homemade	Pantry	Sealed	6 Months	Mayo Clinic
Mustard, Homemade	Refrigerator	Sealed	Just about Forever	Mayo Clinic
Item	Place to Store	Container	Max Duration	Show
Nuts, Shelled	Freezer	Sealed	4 Months	It's a Wonderful Cake
Olive Oil	Pantry	Can	???	Pantry Raid 1: Use Your Noodle
Onions, Fresh	Cool/Dry/Well Ventilated	Pantyhose	???	A Bowl of Onion
Pancake Mix	Pantry	Sealed	3 Months	Flap Jack Do It Again
Pancakes	200deg Oven	Pan and separated by a towel	30 minutes	Flap Jack Do It Again
Pancakes	Freezer	Plastic Bag	???	Flap Jack Do It Again
Pasta	Pantry	Sealed	Just about Forever	Pantry Raid 1: Use Your Noodle
Pecans, Unshelled	Freezer	Sealed	1 Year	It's a Wonderful Cake
Pickles	Refrigerator	Jar	3 Months	American Pickle
Pizza Dough	Refrigerator	Plastic Bag	6 Days	Flat is Beautiful
Pork Ribs	Refrigerator	Own Container	4 Weeks	Pork Fiction
Item	Place to Store	Container	Max Duration	Show
Potato Roesti	Oven, Lowest Setting	On a Rack	20 Minutes	This Spuds for You Too
Potatoes	Pantry	Itself (make sure it is cool and dry)	20 Days	This Spuds for You
Prepared Tarts	Refrigerator	Covered	1 Day	Puff the Magic Pastry
Rib Roast, 10 lb.	Refrigerator	Perforated	4 Days	Celebrity Roast
Rice, Brown	Freezer	Plastic Bag in a Sealed Container	2 years	Power to the Pilaf
Rice, Brown	Pantry	Sealed	6 Months	Power to the Pilaf
Rice, Converted	Pantry	Sealed	Years	Power to the Pilaf
Rice, White	Pantry	Sealed	Years	Power to the Pilaf
Salmon, Smoked	Refrigerator	Sealed	3 Days	Where There's Smoke There's Fish
Salmon, Smoked	Freezer	Sealed	1 Month	Where There's Smoke There's Fish
Simple Syrup	Refrigerator	Sealed	1 Month	True Brew 2: Tea
Simple Syrup	Freezer	Sealed	1 Year	True Brew 2: Tea
Item	Place to Store	Container	Max Duration	Show
Spices, Unground	Pantry	Sealed glass jar	Just about Forever	It's a Wonderful Cake
Spices, Unground	Freezer	Plastic Bag	1 Year	It's a Wonderful Cake
Squash Dumplings, Parcooked	Refrigerator	Sealed	3 Days	Squash Court
Squash Dumplings, Uncooked	Freezer	Plastic Bag	Just about Forever	Squash Court
Squid	Refrigerator	Sealed	3 Days	Squid Pro Quo
Squid	Cooler	Sealed	4 Days	Squid Pro Quo
Tart, Baked	Pantry	Plastic Bag	???	Puff the Magic Pastry
Tea Bags	Pantry	Original Packaging	5 Months	True Brew 2: Tea
Tea, Whole	Pantry	Tin	2 years	True Brew 2: Tea
Tofu, Open	Refrigerator	Sealed (change water)	5 Days	Tofuworld
Tofu, Packaged	Freezer	Original Packaging	3 Months	Tofuworld
Turkey, Leftover	Freezer	Foil Wrapped and in a Plastic Bag	3 Months	Romancing the Bird
Vanilla Bean	Pantry	Sealed	6 Months	Churn Baby Churn
Walnuts, Unshelled	Freezer	Sealed	1 Year	It's a Wonderful Cake
Yeast, Instant	Freezer	Plastic Bag	2 years	Flat is Beautiful

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Saturday, January 30, 2010

Ingredients

Preparation

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Приготвяне

Thursday, January 28, 2010

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Sunday, January 24, 2010

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