I've got a lot of hmmmmmm let's call them interesting things in the fridge. The current items of concern (like i HAVE to use them soon) are a cauliflower and a package of ground meat (hmmmmmm about 300 gm). There's EVOO, cheese, beer, champagne, lots of mustard and salsa and some sort of pickle in the fridge. Oh yeah, some carrot juice, o.j., more mustard and some horse radish sauces, about 8 types of salad dressing and fruit vinaigrettes. No bread, or milk or butter. There's a lot of frozen spinach in the freezer, if that helps. Oh yeah, a package of pre-fab Matar Paneer, and one of Palak Paneer. hmmmm and there's always brandy, vermouth, gin and vodka around. and tea.
So : Cauliflower and ground meat. That is your challenge, should you choose to accept it.
errrr i just found a tin of fat free evaporated milk in the cupboard, and some lemon pepper pasta. and about 80 tea towels (not kidding).
Oy, ehBeth is in trouble...let me give it some thought, and I will be right back....
THIS
IS
SO
COOL!!!!!!!!
E.G. and the sozlet are out at Trader Joe's stocking up right now, so I've got it made in the shade for a while, but I have many many open-up-the-fridge-and-stand-there-glassy-eyed moments, so I'll be back... (And meanwhile will marvel at the alchemy.)
cavfancier - that was NOT encouraging! I have since discovered a can of President's Choice Tomato Soup with Parmesan and Basil, and a king-size container of grated parmesan (hiding behind a bottle of water and that stack of tea towels).
I'm off to a Tafelmusik pre-concert lecture shortly. I'm cautiously optimistic that cavfancier will be able to save me from the fate of a can of soup, and discarding the cauliflower (I really could just roast it and eat it with Vidalia Onion Vinaigraitte - but I'd like to do something a bit more interesting).
Heh heh, sorry eBeth, no insult intended...my first thought would be a sort of a pseudo Indian-style dish, incorporating the cauliflower, spinach and the ground meat...I don't know know what sorts of vinaigrettes you have, or horseradish sauces, but if there is one with some curry in one or the other, you might try:
Saute the cauliflower florets on high heat to brown a little. Remove and reserve. Brown the ground meat (at this point you could add some mustard, and/or deglaze with a bit of vermouth and brandy, and reduce), add the browned caulifower, some spinach, and an interesting vinaigrette or horseradish sauce. Cover and cook about 4-5 minutes. Top with one of the Paneer products....I know Paneer, but not familiar with the 2 you mentioned...what kind of pickle is it? You could serve that on the side.
ehBeth- You could just do a quick blanch on the cauliflower, then put it in a small casserole with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, top with a little parmesan then brown it in the broiler,..yumm.
I'm thinking that you could also thaw and chop the spinach. Add it to the Palek Paneer. (you could probably add the beef to this, or freeze the beef for another day). You could also serve this over the pasta, in lieu of rice or bread.
Hi cav, we both posted at the same time!
Hmm....tomorrow it is also cauliflower for me, and some potatoes, so I think it is Aloo Gobi night....
Hiya Jerry
Nice to see you on the thread!
Heh heh, Jerry, listened to Canada song...sounds like my folks' argument last night, out for dinner, regarding our position in the war....mom yelling about how we come off as wimps, dad defending our choice, lol....thank god the food was good
Unfortunately, way too little alkyhol flowing...
Heeheehee,..glad you laughed!
(Nothing against Canada,..just think the songs tres funny!!)
This is a fun thread.
My fridge is stuffed with nonsense, the fruits of shopping while hungry and without a list.
Good thinking, guys. I was thinking last night that the cauliflower would go well with either of the paneers - they are veggie dishes with homemade Indian cottage cheese - one is with peas and a bit spicy, the other is spinach and quite mild. Jerry's idea with the cauliflower is quite a bit like my regular approach - I can roast/broil it and serve one of the paneers ( i think the one with peas ) over/beside it. I think I'll make some tiny meatballs with some cheese mixed in - saute them and throw them on the side. hmmmmm, it's almost atkins-diet-like. Don't tell my doctor.
Fun thread.
I end up doing this calculation nearly every time I cook, as I have shops just across the road from my flat, open into the evening, so I don't store too much fresh produce.
Any ideas for an excess of oranges which are becoming a bit old, apart from juicing them?
KP
kitchenpete, marmalade comes to mind
Yum yum....made up the Aloo Gobi...this recipe was called "Punjabi Aloo Gobi", and now I know what this means....Punjab is a Northern region in India, and most of the Indian cuisine we get here in Toronto is Southern style, or Bangladeshi....the Northern style Aloo Gobi was much more subtly spiced, and not as goopy and hot as what I a am familiar with in the restaurants here, however tasty. All in all, a fun and enlightening experiment!
After the success of the paneer and cauliflower and meatball meal, I went back and got more pre-fab Indian food - Dal Makhani (said, by the package, to be the essence of every North Indian meal), Matar Paneer (a delicious medium hot dish created to sustain the cold winds of North India), Palak Paneer ( a favourite delicacy from the serene, lush green pastures of Northern India), and Navratan Korma ( a traditional North Indian dish). Are we getting a bit of a pattern here. cavfancier - I'm over between the Danny and Little India - there are some nice North Indian restaurants to be found. I took some friends from Goa, whose children asked why they never had good food like that at home! LOL
Heh heh, ehBeth, my dad does a fair bit of work in India these days, so he has acquired a taste for the cuisine, especially the Northern style...as a chef, I have been familiar with Indian seasonings and food for a long time, nice though to be able to cook it up for the family now, when I see 'em.
cavfancier - were your ears burning earlier tonight? Algis Kemezys (often found in the arts forums here) invited me to a book launch for Byron Ayanoglu's Crete on the Half Shell. Do you recall Byron's restaurant reviews of about a decade ago? I was quite amazed to find myself at a book launch for a restaurant reviewer I recalled so well, all because of a mutual friendship with an A2K'er. Algis and I were wishing there was a way we could have quickly reached you to try and get you over to the Alvi on the Danforth. There was some seriously seriously good food talk happening! I definitely could NOT mention my cauliflower/ground meat crisis.
