We devised this recipe for shelled raw peanuts as follows: first, place 2 cups raw shelled red-skinned peanuts in the bottom of a small (8-quart) pressure cooker, add 4 cups water, 1 small cinnamon stick, 1 whole star anise, ¼ tsp fennel seeds, 1/8 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, 1/16 tsp cloves (we used ground cloves), and… Continue reading Chinese five-spice peanuts, pressure cooker style
Tag: method
Breadcrumbs made from crackers.
We made instant breadcrumbs from leftover Trader Joe’s wheat entertainer crackers (similar in texture to Ritz). Using a Braun electric handheld mixer, we quickly pulverized about a dozen crackers to make 1 cup of breadcrumbs for a Salisbury steak recipe. We loosely followed instructions here: https://www.finecooking.com/article/crush-crackers-to-replace-breadcrumbs (Jan. 2019)
Method for boiling eggs
The Kitchn has great instructions for making hard, medium, and soft-boiled eggs. Details here: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-boil-eggs-perfectly-every-time-video-202415 (Sept. 2018)
Quick method for making bread stale
We needed sliced stale bread for a recipe, but we had only fresh bread. We prepared as follows: line a baking sheet with foil, then place a baking rack on the foil. Place a variety of sliced artisanal bread (we used 3 types of Whole Foods bread: pain de campagne, olive, and pumpernickel, each presliced… Continue reading Quick method for making bread stale
Fire-roasted tomatoes, broiler version
We tried this method for a recipe that called for 28 oz canned fire-roasted tomatoes: https://www.thekitchn.com/quick-tip-roasting-tomatoes-un-59853 We lined our rimmed baking sheet with foil. To maximize exposure to the flames in our gas oven broiler, we cut our Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise. For 28 oz canned, we substituted with 1 ½ lb Roma tomatoes… Continue reading Fire-roasted tomatoes, broiler version
Homecooked chickpeas
This is not a recipe as much as a post about method. Instead of using 14.5 oz canned chickpeas, we soaked ¾ cup dried chickpeas in room temperature water (enough to cover the beans by two inches) and ¼ tsp salt, which we soaked overnight in the fridge. We generally followed tips from this post… Continue reading Homecooked chickpeas
Oven-roasted trimmed artichokes
We trimmed large artichokes for a NYT recipe that we posted here: http://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/175450786271/bulgar-and-chick-pea-salad-with-oven-roasted This post pertains to method. We generally followed this Gourmet video on how to trim artichokes: https://youtu.be/5o6AaCs4sAw Our modifications: first, we used a large mixing bowl filled with water and the juice of 1 ½ large fresh lemons. Second, we found the… Continue reading Oven-roasted trimmed artichokes
Japanese mixed mushroom yaki in foil pockets
We tried this recipe: https://www.saveur.com/mushroom-foil-yaki-recipe We used a mix of fresh bonapi, enoki, and shiitake mushrooms (totaling approx. 12 oz). To reduce sodium, we did not adjust the amount of seasonings for triple the mushrooms; we used only 2 Tbsp each soy and sake and 1 Tbsp white miso. We increased the butter to 2… Continue reading Japanese mixed mushroom yaki in foil pockets
How to boil frozen pierogies
This is not a recipe, but a method we learned from the owner of the Polish Market in Vienna, VA: bring a large pot of water to boil. Place the frozen pierogies gently into the pot, one at a time, making sure the water continues to boil vigorously. (Avoid adding so many pierogies that the… Continue reading How to boil frozen pierogies
Oven-broiled sausages
This is not a recipe per se, but a post memorializing a technique for grilling sausages, hot dogs, etc. in your oven. We have a gas stove. First, preheat oven broiler to high setting. Place the top oven rack one level down, so that the rack will be about 8 inches below the open flame.… Continue reading Oven-broiled sausages
Cooking Adventures 