[Mis-]Adventures in Cookery
Nov. 14th, 2006 11:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yrmencynOh, what a day it's been, food-wise. It all started with homemade chicken salad made with homemade tzatziki, which is scrumdiddliumptious. Garlicky like all hell though; I thought it seemed like a tetch much of the stuff when I was making it, but hey, the recipe came from a reputable source! Ignore your culinary instincts! Oh well, just needed a little dilution.
Course, then as I was cleaning the massive pile-up of dishes in the kitchen (seriously.), I realized I may have inadvertently ruined my big non-stick skillet, which is annoying. Last night I made some stir-fry, and after I was done I left the pan on the stove. I, of course, turned the burner off... or did I??? It appears I had a brain fart and turned the knob the wrong way, which would be LOW, not OFF. So from approximately 11pm last night until about 2pm this afternoon, my pan just sat there, slowly encrusting its spicy glaze onto itself. I got the burnt-in sauce off with repeated soakings and the stiff [nylon] brush I usually use for the cast iron, but I really wonder how non-stick that thing will be now. Teflon really isn't supposed to be dry-heated at all, certainly not for 15 hours. At least I don't have any pet birds, they'd almost assuredly have died (Teflon emits fumes when heated improperly, and birds are extremely sensitive to them).
Redeemed myself, though. I've tried twice before to make seitan here at home, once with the wrong flour (dense, slimy mess), and once with a slightly incorrect recipe (looked like it had Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy). Today, I finally had the right ingredients and the right technique in the same room, and it came out the way it's supposed too. I altered the spicing to make it more beef-like (emphasizing smoky flavors, basically), and since I am a Texan, and what's more Texan than beef, I decided to make the most classic of Texan dishes: Chicken FriedSteakSeitan. I used an amalgam of AB's recipe here and David Bulla's recipe here over at the Texas Cooking website.
Went to class, too. Gave a presentation. Wandered around naked a lot at home, the roommate being out of town. Discovered that though I last sang it, what, two years ago, I still know my part to "Fair Phyllis" quite well. Also discovered that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
talyr makes delicious cookies and truffles. Completely slacked on reading the Althusser and the Jameson for tomorrow; I'll remedy that in the morning.
Else the Puck a liar call. And so good night unto you all.
Course, then as I was cleaning the massive pile-up of dishes in the kitchen (seriously.), I realized I may have inadvertently ruined my big non-stick skillet, which is annoying. Last night I made some stir-fry, and after I was done I left the pan on the stove. I, of course, turned the burner off... or did I??? It appears I had a brain fart and turned the knob the wrong way, which would be LOW, not OFF. So from approximately 11pm last night until about 2pm this afternoon, my pan just sat there, slowly encrusting its spicy glaze onto itself. I got the burnt-in sauce off with repeated soakings and the stiff [nylon] brush I usually use for the cast iron, but I really wonder how non-stick that thing will be now. Teflon really isn't supposed to be dry-heated at all, certainly not for 15 hours. At least I don't have any pet birds, they'd almost assuredly have died (Teflon emits fumes when heated improperly, and birds are extremely sensitive to them).
Redeemed myself, though. I've tried twice before to make seitan here at home, once with the wrong flour (dense, slimy mess), and once with a slightly incorrect recipe (looked like it had Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy). Today, I finally had the right ingredients and the right technique in the same room, and it came out the way it's supposed too. I altered the spicing to make it more beef-like (emphasizing smoky flavors, basically), and since I am a Texan, and what's more Texan than beef, I decided to make the most classic of Texan dishes: Chicken Fried
Texas Cooking, by the way, is an amazing resource. The recipes are always spot-on, and there are a number of articulate, well-written and -researched articles, obviously written by people who not only know their stuff, but have a passion for helping people enjoy the foods they love so well. The range of recipes is also much broader than you might imagine; we have a lot of different people down in the Lone Star State, and they each have contributed to what we think of as Texas cookery.Twice-dredged seitan, tangy mashed potatoes (you have to try yogurt in your mashed potatoes, by the way, it's life-altering. That, and sour cream.), and that fabulous traditional chicken-fried-steak gravy over it all, a flour-thickened mix of chicken stock and milk, full up with coarse black pepper. Mmmmm.
Went to class, too. Gave a presentation. Wandered around naked a lot at home, the roommate being out of town. Discovered that though I last sang it, what, two years ago, I still know my part to "Fair Phyllis" quite well. Also discovered that
talyr makes delicious cookies and truffles. Completely slacked on reading the Althusser and the Jameson for tomorrow; I'll remedy that in the morning.Else the Puck a liar call. And so good night unto you all.
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-15 04:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-15 05:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-15 01:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-15 06:17 am (UTC)(I miss you!)
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Date: 2006-11-15 01:19 pm (UTC)That being said, you could sub in veg stock with satisfactory results, I'm sure :)
Miss you, too.
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Date: 2006-11-15 07:58 pm (UTC)