That’s what our Food Goddess, TaMara, titled the email with tonight’s post:
Tonight is a bit hodgepodge. While I was away, faithful contributor, Joshua D (Yutsano) sent me two tasty recipes to share. I was grateful, because lately I feel like I’m walking on ice and cannot get my feet under me long enough to cook, much less blog about cooking. I’m sitting on a folder full of great vacation pictures and some fun food stories that I can’t seem to find the time to blog about. I struggled with tonight’s featured recipe, finally settling on lamb, but not sure where I wanted to go from there and then I remembered that JeffreyW has been working for quite a while on perfecting his gyros.
And there it was, I knew what I’d feature tonight. What’s on your menu this weekend? Anything new and fun cooking in your kitchen? Be kind and share your inspiration, so I can find mine.
Moving on to tonight’s recipes, starting with Joshua D and Cilantro Lime Hummus, recipe here.
From Ruemara, thoughtfully shared by Joshua D, Cauliflower and Broccoli Cheese Soup, recipe here.
And if making a gyro loaf seems a bit too labor intensive, this Spicy Lamb Burger (click here) would work as well with pita and Tzatziki sauce.
Now the featured recipe, inspired by JeffreyW (pictured above):
Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 pounds ground lamb
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp dried marjoram
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Food processor, loaf pan, baking dishOk, these are the general directions, but JeffreyW has been playing with perfecting the preparation, so click here and here for lots of step-by-step photos and his tweaks to make the perfect loaf.
In a large bowl, combine ingredients until well mixed and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. Remove to food processor and process until a fine paste. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Place meat mixture into a loaf pan, pressing down on all sides. Place the loaf pan in the baking dish and add water to the baking dish to create a water bath. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove and rest covered with foil for 30 minutes. Slice and serve
Serve with:
Tzatziki Sauce (recipe below)
4 to 6 pieces soft pita (not pocket pita)
Chopped fresh tomato
Finely sliced onion
Cubed peeled seeded cucumber
Mint sprigsTzatziki Sauce
16 ounces plain Greek yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
salt to taste
2 to 3 tsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
5 to 6 mint leaves, finely mincedCan I just say, thank goodness for Men Who Cook here at What’s 4 Dinner Solutions, I don’t know what I’d do without you – TaMara
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
Yum! Thanks to all.
Mnemosyne
For some reason, I’ve decided I want corn chowder this weekend. I downloaded a couple of recipes to try — I’ll let people know how it turns out.
p.a.
Had pureed red lentil soup with cilantro at an Indian restaurant yesterday. Just happen to have a bag of red lentils and 2 QTS. veggie broth frozen; tomorrow might multi-culturize my imitation with dried NewMex chili, maybe some pureed roast acorn squash.
TaMara (BHF)
@Mnemosyne: I have one from America’s Test Kitchen tucked away if you want me to email it to you.
jl
‘ “Men Who Cook” (Gyros) ‘
Sounds pretty hip to me. Why are you oppressing defenseless reactionaries?
But, it also looks pretty good. I been meaning to get a Tzatziki recipe, so thanks for that.
I am not gyros fan, but the post says they are general directions,so I guess the herbs and spices can be generalized to other meats. For chicken, probably want to add some lemon.
Anyway, thanks. This kind of meat cooking is a little above me skill, but I been thinking would be nice to have a little Greek stuff on demand, so I will try something soon.
NotMax
Women prepare; men assemble.
@Mnemosyne
Verbatim from a 1936 cookbook sitting on the shelf.
Corn Chowder
3 slices salt pork
1 large onion, sliced
4 large potatoes, sliced
2 cups water
6 large soda crackers, soaked in 1 cup milk
2 cups corn
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. paprika
Cut salt pork into cubes and brown.
Add onion and cook until browned.
Add potatoes and water and cook until potatoes are soft.
When potatoes are cooked, stir in the soaked crackers, corn, salt and paprika.
Heat thoroughly and serve.
schrodinger's cat
@p.a.: I have a recipe of my version of dal wit red lentils.
rikyrah
you always bring good recipes.
schrodinger's cat
@Mnemosyne: Traditional chowder recipes have a lot of heavy cream, delicious but hard on the waist line. Weight Watcher cat no likey. I am thinking of putting him on my fridge.
TaMara (BHF)
I am sipping my first cup of french press Crio Bru. I wish I could remember who here recommended it, but thanks, it’s delish.
MomSense
@Mnemosyne:
When I make corn chowder, I boil the corn on the cob and reserve the water. I let the corn cool and then cut the kernels off of the cobs. There is a lot of starch and flavor in the corn water that thickens the chowder.
I cut bacon (5 or so strips-thick bacon is better) into small pieces and cook it until crisp. Then remove the crisp bacon bits and save them for garnish.
To the bacon grease I add some butter and saute the onion gently. Then add potatoes (I use whatever I have on hand but my kids like red potatoes with the skins on best) and corn water to cover. Cook the potatoes until soft and then add evaporated milk, milk ( i use the evaporated corn can for the milk) the corn, S & P and a little paprika. I garnish the bowls of chowder with the crisp bacon bits.
Ferdzy
We had dinner at my mother’s house tonight. She made a fish chowder, and while we ate it she told us about some milk she had bought at the local grocery store, from a small local dairy (really a single farm), from Jersey cows. Came in a glass bottle and everything. She had been amazed when she opened up how rich and creamy it was, so, since I am on a low-fat diet, she only put a very little in the chowder.
After dinner she showed it to me, and I read the cap. “Mum! it’s whipping cream!”
Steeplejack
@schrodinger’s cat:
Linky no work. You fix.
the Conster
No pork in corn chowder!!! Give the piggies a break. kthxbai.
Mike in NC
Hell’s Kitchen returns next Thursday.
schrodinger's cat
@Steeplejack: It worked a little bit earlier, anyway I found another
link to the same LOL
NotMax
@MomSense
Heh. Was going to suggest gently simmering the cobs (after corn removed) for about 45 minutes and using that water, but didn’t want to add or subtract anything from the vintage recipe copied over.
lectric lady
LOVE gyros. I have filed this recipe away for later because we are fortunate to have an excellent gyros place locally (Superior, WI for Dogs sake. Nothing like the Parthenon in Madison, but, then, that is the gold standard). When I discover a place like this it is bound to close within the year. My curse! But now I have a fall-back recipe! Many thanks!
MomSense
I make my tzatziki pretty close to Jeffrey’s recipe. We like a little more garlic so I use probably 2 or so large cloves.
Two cups greek yogurt
2 large cucumbers seeded, coursely grated and drained!!
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 or 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh dill
Tzatziki is always served at Easter and fresh dill is used in the spanakopita and in the salad which is probably why we also use it in the tzatziki.
MomSense
@NotMax:
I make chowder the way my grandma taught me so it very well could have been the same recipe!!
Fish chowder is pretty much the same except we used to ask the fish monger for the heads and use them to make a nice fish broth.
Mason
I posted this a few weeks ago when John was asking for recipes, but I just made it tonight for my kids so here it is again…
Macadamia nut encrusted salmon:
* Salmon fillet
* Macadamia nuts
* Limes
* Cilantro
* Butter / Olive Oil
– Chop 1/2 cup (give or take) of macadamia nuts
– Sautee nuts on lowish heat with butter or oil until they just start to turn brown
– Spread over salmon
– Bake at 425 for 10 mins (more or less to your done-ness preferences – this will be a good medium rare for a nice thick piece)
– Top with chopped cilantro
– Squeeze fresh lime juice over the serving
Capt. Seaweed
Pens get outshot by about a million then win in a shootout. 2 points is two points but that ain’t gonna cut it in the playoffs. Over and out in the first round.
Laura
|’ve never had gyros but everyone says that unless they are from Germany they aren’t good! I’ll have to try these they look delicious! I’m gonna have to check out that broccolli cauliflower cheese soup as well. Sounds so good!