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Food Thread: Labor Day And Sous Vide!

What is it about grilling that is so much damned fun and so pleasing? I can probably cook more food with less effort in my kitchen, but slinging hot dogs or burgers or chicken or steaks (or all at once!0 on a grill is a simple pleasure that rarely gets old.

I wish all of you a full grill, fine weather, cold beer, good bourbon, and a backyard or house or apartment or sewer drain filled with friends and family!

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Garlic? What the hell? $5/pound? And I noticed at my regular supermarket that the sign proudly noting that the garlic is from the USA is nowhere to be seen, and the bulbs are trimmed down completely, rather than left with a little tuft of root. I have been told that that is an indicator that the garlic is from China.

You know...the place that grows its food in human sewage, heavy metals, toxic fertilizer and probably discarded bodies from their organ harvesting facilities.

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Let's talk about lentils! No, not because they are a vegetarian go-to. I don't care about vegetarians, and I actively despise vegans, so that is right out!

But there are some lovely recipes that use lentils as a base, and I have had my share of delicious Indian food that used them. My favorite lentil recipe comes from the Balthazar Cookbook, but the owner is a slimy c*cksucking anti-Semite, so no links. But it's a pretty logical recipe. Lentils, bacon, onions, carrots, celery, thyme S&P, and either chicken stock or water.

You can splurge on a lentil variety from France called "Le Puy," but they are pricey, and while I think they may be better, I am unsure whether I could pick them in a blind taste test.

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It has been too long since my last discussion of the glory that is Sous Vide. And commenter "WeeKreekFarmGirl" has come through like the champ she is with a fascinating new (to me) use.

Caramelizing onions! I know...I know...it makes no sense, but I'm going to give it a shot as soon as the weather turns cool and I make a nice batch of onion soup. 185 degrees for up to 24 hours, and first you have to cook the onions for a few minutes to prevent too much gas from escaping and blowing up the neighborhood.

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"Here is a revolution in the best way to roast a small chicken" is a bit hyperbolic, but it is a solid and simple recipe, with the added bonus of a few seconds of cool video of the chicken cooking. Fast-roast Chicken with Lemon and Tarragon

When I was a wee lad (five and change) my parents bought a whole roast tarragon chicken from a stand on the beach in the Costa Brava in Catalonia. My dad claimed I ate the entire thing and they had to go get another one for the rest of the family.

I doubt it's true, but almost 24 years later it still makes me smile!

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We had a bunch of people over for dinner yesterday. I was unsure of the weather, so I risked it all and asked Bluebell for her recipe for oven-baked ribs. They were excellent, and pretty easy too! I also grilled a bunch of chicken thighs (that's quick, so the weather is less of an issue) that turned out well. Tomatoes and Mozzarella with fresh basil, some Mac & Cheese that one of my SiLs brought, and we had a good meal!

What's that? No Coleslaw?

Oh...I made Coleslaw! I just forgot it in the basement refrigerator!

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[Hat Tip: Bluebell]

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Good butter, and Flap Meat...whatever the hell that is...just send it, Broccolini that isn't $6/bunch, garlic...lots of garlic!, well-marbled hanger steaks and elk chops to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

Who are those poor deluded souls who shake their Manhattans? These are the same people who drink fine bourbon with coke, and probably shake red wine with ice too.

My and the world's patience has run out. Shaken Manhattans henceforth will be banished to the land of Long Island Ice Teas and Frozen Strawberry Margaritas.

And yes, I used to demand fancy bourbon, but let's face it, $1,200 for a bottle of bourbon is just stupid, insulting, and a ghastly affront to most people's palates and wallets. I think the sweet spot is $40-$60 for excellent and interesting bottles, and bumping that to $100 gets you an incremental improvement in quality, but nothing mind-blowing. More than that and I think you are paying for hype and rarity, which may look good in your liquor cabinet, but doesn't translate to more quality in the bottle.