Ask the A2K cooks!

Made a potato cauliflower soup yesterday..

- battuto of sauteed chopped onion, chopped carrot, celery slices in olive oil;
- added chicken broth and several cups of water
- brought to boil and then to simmer, adding 4 peeled and grated red potatoes
- a teaspoon or so of an italian spice mix
- a couple of tablespoons of a mild local chile powder
- some ground pepper
- towards the end, when the potatoes were getting close to done, chopped greens from six scallions
- and the baggie of leftover roasted cauliflower florets that I had in the freezer.

Strong tastes, especially with the scallions, but delicious to me.

Sounds good. I'll give it a try next time I see cauliflower on sale.

But wait. I had afterthoughts. The cauliflower died, sort of, in the second cooking.

Really, my view of how to eat it best is fresh roasted with a tad of olive oil and your favorite spices. That was like popcorn, really delicious.

And the soup I went on about, not so much. Let's see, I had the soup twice. Good the first time, but not like the pan of just roasted cauliflower, and just soup the second time, tossing some bits of cauliflower out.

Freshly roasted cauliflower is amazing.



(especially with freshly grated horseradish in cream as a dip - swoooooon)

Yes, and I'll erase all my soup whopdedoo, and go back to that. ehBeth.

I probably feel the same about broccoli. Really like it roasted, thanks to whomever at a2k first told me about that (somewhere on this thread - or maybe another thread - but several months ago).

I guess I should reiterate that my first soup was good. I would do it again.


Just that I just loved the roasted cauliflower.


As one person, I can't eat all that...

thus, next time, I'll roast only a partial cauliflower,






and to make time for the oven, roast some other veggies for soup.

Ooh, wow, that roasted cauliflower idea sounds so good! Been trying to come up with new veggie ideas....

Speaking of which--would you guys mind giving me an opinion? I don't want to take things off topic, but I guess maybe it qualifies as "Asking the a2k cooks"!

Lately I get sick if I eat broccoli, and it was my favorite thing-- I've been nervous to try cauliflower again since I realized about the broccoli. Aren't they in the same family of vegetables? Would you guys guess that they're related closely enough that I'd get sick from cauliflower, too?

Yes, same family. Eh, I bet those weren't roasted broccoli..

Try it with a portion of a head of cauliflower, cut into flowerets, with a tad of salt. Roast other veggies too, so that you don't whooof off oven time.

I'm garlic and chile pepper queen, plus regular pepper and on and on, in a tad of olive oil. But I'm not you. Figure out what you like, and report back.

I'm contemplating making some sort of vegetarian or semi-vegetarian lasagne this weekend, for a bit of a change.
Any ideas, anyone?
My current favourite vego lasagne is a pumpkin & cream/feta cheese one, with toasted, slivered almonds on top.
But something a bit different (& not too complicated) might be good!

osso - details on the roasted cauliflower, please - temp, time, how much oil, covered? I've got baked beans in at 275 all day and only one oven, so it'll be a challenge. Can you bake potatoes on a barbecue? That's my other dilemma. I'll have to do steamed or mashed if not.

Thanks in advance.

Yes, wrap the potatoes in aluminum foil.

Baking: Baking potatoes on the grill is very easy and requires virtually nothing from you while they cook. Because of the intense heat of a grill and because you don't want to do a lot of turning and watching while you grill your baked potatoes it is best to wrap them individually in foil. If you simply wrap potatoes up and throw them on the grill they will be flavorless and dry. Start by taking a piece of foil large enough for your potato. Pour about a tablespoon of oil in the center. Season with salt, pepper, herbs, or whatever you like. Place the potato on the oil and wrap it up. The oil will move around the potato while it cooks, keep it moist and the seasonings will add flavor. Place them anywhere on your grill that isn't in the way. If you need your grill really hot it is best to place them away from the high heat, like an upper rack or off to the side. Your baked potatoes are done when a fork pierces to the center easily. Baked potatoes will take about 45 minutes to an hour to cook.

Slicing your Potato: When grilling potato slices you want something that is thin enough to cook quickly but thick and large enough that you won't have trouble keeping them from falling into the fire. Typically you can do this in two ways. Wedges are made by cutting the potato in half lengthwise, then cutting that half into 8 long thin wedges. These are easy to work with and won't fall into the fire if you keep them turned perpendicular to the cooking grate. Slices are perfect for packets. A good grilled potato slice should be about 1/4 inch thick (little over half a centimeter).

Wrapped up in pieces: By cutting up your potatoes into thin slices or wedges you can get them to cook much faster. It is best to keep the packets relatively small, so if you need a lot of servings you might want to wrap up the potato pieces in groups. Take your sliced potatoes and place them on a sheet of foil large enough to wrap them up. Top with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, herbs, seasonings, bacon pieces, chopped onions, bell peppers, or virtually anything that isn't going to burn up (like cheese will). Wrap tightly and throw on a medium hot grill. These packets will cook up in about 20 to 30 minutes. Check to make sure they are done before you pull them off the grill and be careful opening the packets because the steam inside can be around 500 degrees F (260 degrees C.).

Straight off the Grill: You can grill potato slices or wedges quickly and easily on the grill if you are willing to keep a close eye on them. Your best bet is to cut the potatoes into long thin wedges. This will let them cook faster. You can peel them or leave the skins on. Once you have the potatoes chopped up toss them with a good oil and seasoning mixture. Italian dressing works great for this. Place them straight on the grill or in a grill basket over a medium heat and cook until they get soft. This will take about 20 minutes. You can baste them while they cook. You will need to flip your potato wedges periodically to prevent burning.

Short Cut Potatoes; The fastest way to grill your potatoes is to parboil them first. This is done by taken your sliced potatoes and throwing them in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain and place on a medium hot grill and they will be cooked in another 5 to 10 minutes. When you take the potatoes out of the hot water it is best to drain them well and then coat with whatever seasonings sound good to you.

On roasting veggies, I set the oven at 350 or 375, put the cut veggies in a glass dish or pan with some dribbles of olive oil, and check them after a half hour, tossing them a bit if they aren't done, and checking again later.

Hard to say how much olive oil. Certainly not a puddle..

I often roast more than one vegetable, say, carrots, red potatoes, onions (watch for burning), garlic .. well, just about anything. Times will differ. Aside from different vegetables taking different times, I like some done more than others, cauliflower being one I like not toooo done, still with some crunch, as opposed to potatoes, which I like more done. The taste test...

On the burning, I like a little burning sometimes, with onions, carrots, potatoes. Again, a matter of taste opinion.

With a 275 degree oven, longer times; being me I'd still check after a half hour, but they might not be done for another 15-30 minutes after that.

I finally tried the roasted cauli! Mm-mmmm, very tasty...didn't make me barf like broccoli, either, that's always a plus.

Evening all

We tried polenta this evening (us being peasants & all) - followed the directions on the packet (polenta, water, oil >> cook for 25 mins, stirring constantly for first 10 mins) - result was OK.

We added bacon cooked with garlic, & shaved Parmesan cheese - still only an average meal.

I thought that it would go well cooked in chicken stock.

Is there a polenta expert out there who has some useful suggestions?

No polenta experts among A2k it seems.

Here are some websites to help you out with the polenta. My favorite way to make it is to follow whatever recipe and then mold it in a loaf pan overnight. Slice and grill it and apply whatever sweet or savory sauces and toppings you like.

As a general rule, treat polenta much like you would rice or tofu. The liquid it is cooked in is what gives it additional flavor. The ratio of flavorful liquids to water will give your finished dish much more flavor. Many people use a combination of chicken stock, milk and water. Also, the stronger the cheese flavor, the more tasty the polenta.

Leftover polenta makes an excellent breakfast item the next day when fried and topped with some maple syrup or applesauce; or with your favorite tomato sauce for lunch.

These two sites have step by step instructions and photos:

http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2007/10/polenta_power.html

http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2006/01/the_polenta_pos.html

And this is the recipe they refer to in the comments on those websites:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/-rosemary-polenta-recipe/index.html


This recipe I can personally vouch for. I put my alterations in red.

http://www.applesforhealth.com/HealthySideDishes/crgrpol4.html

Creamy Grape Polenta

Ingredients:
4 cups water
14 1/2 oz. can chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
Salt, to taste
1 cup diced sweet red peppers (I only used a quarter cup since I don't like a lot of peppers.)
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
2 tsp. olive oil
2 cups seedless grapes (I used red grapes and sliced them in half)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt (I used two cloves of fresh garlic and additional salt as needed)
1/8 tsp. dried ground sage
1/8 tsp. pepper

(Sometimes I add slices of a spicy dinner sausage)

Instructions:
Mix water, broth, cornmeal, butter and salt in a heavy 4-quart saucepan.

Cook and stir over high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour; stir frequently.

Saute peppers, onion and celery in oil until crisp-tender. Add grapes, garlic salt, sage and pepper; heat thoroughly. Serve grape mixture over each serving of polenta. Garnish with sage sprigs, if desired. Serve with meats in place of cooked pasta, potatoes or rice. Makes 4 servings.

(Rather than serve it over the polenta as a sauce, I mixed it in with the polenta for the last few minutes of cooking.)

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts:
Amount Per Serving: Calories 244
Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 8 mg,
Sodium 674 mg,

I like polenta and will weigh in on it later today..

Here, a sometime polenta fan.

Alas, I've already had two rums and chocolate milks. On the other hand, that's it. Maybe I'll fly right.

I'll start on some thoughts from years of polenta stirring, and all of my thoughts will be shat at from various blogs - which I'm interested in too.

I'll start with Marcella, which will take some typing oomph.

On Marcella Hazan, major woman in the cookbook world, and I'm a fan. But.. there are thousands, well, millions she had the gumption to write a book about.. She, like others, is a compiler.


Back later, snuffling in my cookbook closet.