Welcome to the new Great Cooks Forum. Discuss your favorite foods, recipes, cooking tips, etc. Based on the weather here in Atlanta right now, I'm in the mood to talk about about favorite hot weather foods, but feel free to jump in and talk about whatever is on your mind.
15 comments:
Hi
This promises to be an interesting adventure. I'm not sure why the Times is shutting down. I only got onto it recently and thought it lots of fun.
Thanks for setting this up.
Talk soon.
Thanks for doing this, bparton! Really, I'm only a so-so cook -- hope that's okay.
bparton, I did not know you are in Atlanta. Sometime in May I'll probably be in Marietta - are there any food adventures in the Atlanta area I should not miss?
Thanks bparton! I've placed this on my bookmark bar. Ah, at last I can shed the "c".
harrie -
I live very close to Marietta. I don't know if you're visiting relatives or what, but let me know if you'd like me to give you the Grand Tour. I would be happy to show you around.
There aren't that many good restaurants in Marietts - there was a little place on Whitlock called Grazi that I'm not sure is still there, but it's pretty good. A very good restaurant near Marietta is Ray's By the River, also The River Room off of Cobb Parkway.
We had a great shrimp dinner last night, and so simple to cook (I was pressed for time.)
Olive oil and Chili oil
One half pound jumbo shrimp (peeled)
Lime, quartered
Add enough olive oil to wok to stir fry shrimp. When almost done, add Chili oil (start with 1 Tablespoon and add according to your preference for heat). When Shrimp is done, plate with lime quarters. Squirt the lime juice onto the shrimp according to taste.
(If you really like heat, you can also add red pepper flakes when you add the chili oil)
Serve with hot bread and your favorite salad. Very nice for a quick meal. Also nice with Gewurztraminer or Reisling.
That sounds really good, Laurie. It has been very hot here in Atlanta the past few days....I keep thinking "lemon meringue pie...no you can't have it."
Check, check, check. Test, test, test. Really old computer that doesn't work on all sites, so this really is a test.
Ooh, it looks like it'll work! Thanks for doing this, bparton.
The shrimp looks good, too. I usually do an olive-oil-and-garlic thing. Lots and lots of garlic.
-- Monica
Yum....you can't beat garlic on almost anything! Now about that lemon merangue pie...got a recipe?
May as well jump in with a recipe for authentic Andalusian gazpacho. This is the real deal, beside which chunky-faux-salsa gazpacho pales in comparison.
Glad you've set this up, bparton!
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2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled (seeded if you wish) and chopped
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
2 c. chopped bell pepper (may use any color)
2 c. chopped, peeled cucumber
1/3 c. good-quality extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. white wine or sherry vinegar
3 large cloves garlic, or more to taste
2 slices good-quality country bread, crusts removed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 c. water
- Serves @ 6 people, and may be doubled easily
If bread is a bit stale, soak in some water for a bit to soften, then squeeze dry; tear softened bread into large pieces. Mix all ingredients together well, using hands or a large rubber spatula. In two batches, puree the mix in blender, adding @ 1 c. of the water to each batch. Chill thoroughly, and serve VERY COLD!!
Traditional garnishes include finely chopped cucumber, onion, bell peppers, garlic croutons, and chopped hard-boiled egg. Serve as condiments alongside the gazpacho; a large dollop of sour cream or crème fraiche atop each bowl of soup is also nice.
NOTE: This delectable Spanish soup freezes beautifully, so make several batches in tomato season and freeze for consumption on cold, tomato-less winter days.
Wow! That sounds outstanding, spitzmaus. I'm going to have to try that. Thanks!
That gazpacho recipe sounds like a keeper. I've saved it for future reference since we're about 4 months away from a ripe tomato. It's still in the 40's here, but there are signs of spring: the first chickens from a local producer (fresh chickens need no brining) and darling little foals gamboling in the fields across the road.
All of you are invited to check out Meander Resurrected - we are so excited! Just check out MY PROFILE and you should see a link to it. We can talk about whatever over there - it's an interesting bunch. Several books chums.
bparton --
I'm sorry to not get back to you sooner. Had an operations issue, I think.
Anyway, we're still working out the details of the trip to GA, but primarily I'm taking care of my mother for a week; so right now it's kind of sketchy as far as time to play. But if it looks like we'll have some time (the hubby and I, not Mom and I), I'd love to meet the rebel of the NYT forums.
spitzmaus, your gazpacho sounds wonderful, and we'll be trying it in a few months as well. The tomatoes we have available now wouldn't begin to do it justice.
I bake a lot, and this weekend I made some banana bars that came out pretty well. Very basic, but pretty good.
1-1/2 C flour
1-1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 C butter
1 C brown sugar
2 good-sized bananas (mashed)
1 t vanilla
1/2 C walnut pieces (optional)
Streusel topping* -
6 T butter
1 C brown sugar
1 C oatmeal
1/2 C flour
pinch cinnamon
Heat oven to 350; grease bottom of 13x9 pan. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In good-size bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Mix in bananas and vanilla. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients. Fold in the walnuts, if using. Spread in pan. (Will be thin; if you want a cakier product, go with a 9x9 pan.) Sprinkle on the topping to your liking and bake about 30 minutes (longer if you use a 9x9 pan). Finished product should be semi-firm to touch; the toothpick test works too.
*1) Or use your own if you have a favorite streusel-y topping
2) This makes way too much topping for one batch of banana bars (IMO, anyway). Whatever you don't use will freeze very well in a ziploc bag for next use.
Me? A rebel? (innocent smile)
I'm going to try those banana bars - I have some bananas I need to do something with now, so thanks. One gets so sick of banana bread!
If you guys can get away, harrie, I'm flexible. You might enjoy taking a tour of CNN - I work nearby so could hook up with you guys there, or I can drive you around a little. Let me know.
A quick easy shrimp recipe which I depend on for a fast meal is Quick Fried Shrimp:
Marinate about a pound or so of
shrimp ( I use the 16-20 size; about 16 of them for the two of us) in 1/2 cp good quality olive oil, mixed with
1 tbs. lemon juice
3-4 cloves mashed or finely chopped garlic
a few flakes of red pepper if you like a little spice
for about 15-20 min.
Then roll sprimp in a mix of about 1cup bread crumbs and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Place shrimp in a single layer on a foil ( use the release foil )to make removal easy.covered baking sheet and place in a 500 (yes, 500) degree oven for 5 minutes
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