Food Thread: Awful Meals, And The People Who Ate Them [CBD]

I'm not talking about the typical and expected awful meal in the hospital when you were admitted for that "problem" with Valu-Rite and a donkey. Or the repulsive crap that schools across the country pawn off on our kids as food fit for human consumption. And I'm not even referring to the overpriced fast food we all have eaten at those interstate rest stops.

No....I want to hear about the meal you had that was vile beyond compare, when you had a reasonable expectation that it was going to be good. Bad service may play a part in the sad saga, but the slop that masqueraded as sustenance must be the leading player.

Bonus points if your wife (or husband) cooked it and she knows you are describing it here.

A few weeks ago I linked to a recipe in the dreaded NY Times. Yes, yes, I know. They are the anti-Christ, and in most things, including many of their food articles, you would be correct. But one of their writers is pretty solid, without much of the pomposity that mars much of their food writing and recipes. So a tip of the hat to Melissa Clark and her fantastic Chicken With Artichokes And Olives recipe. I made it, and it was great.

• 3/4 cup rice vinegar
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red chili pepper flakes
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1 large clove garlic, minced

• 1 cup flour
  
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
  
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 2 cups of corn kernels, (see steps for cutting corn from a cob) cut from 3 large cobs (or frozen corn, defrost and drain first)
  
• 4 large scallions or green onions, finely sliced (about half a cup)
  
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  
• Grapeseed, canola, or peanut oil (a high smoke point oil) for frying

Method

Make the dipping sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium high, let boil for 5-10 minutes or so, until the mixture becomes somewhat syrupy. Remove from heat and let cool. The sauce should continue to thicken as it cools. If it becomes too thick, you can add a little water to it to thin it out a bit.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, ground coriander, and ground cumin in a medium bowl. Add egg, lemon juice and water. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the corn, onions, and cilantro. Stir until just combined.

Heat a large frying pan on medium high heat. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. When oil is hot (shimmering not smoking), spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons worth of fritter batter into the pan to form one fritter, patting it down with the back of the spoon as soon as it is in the pan. Work in batches. Leave about 1/2 inch between the fritters in the pan. Let cook about 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping the fritters when they are nicely browned on one side. When browned on the other side, remove the fritters to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat.
Add oil as needed to keep the bottom of the pan well coated. Note that the fritters will likely splatter a bit as you are cooking. So, either use a screen splatter guard, or wear long sleeved clothes while you cook.

Makes approximately 16 fritters. Serve immediately with the sweet chili dipping sauce.

posted by Open Blogger at 04:00 PM

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