Capitol Hill Blue Forums Misc. Topics Food, Drink and Cooking Wonder what the poor folks are eatin' tonight?

No spam? Just kidding, though that made me think of a favorite of the Hawaiian locals: Loco Moco is a beef patty on white rice with lots of brown gravy, topped with a fried egg.

That's something I can often whip together in a few minutes, since I usually have a supply of grilled beef patties in the freezer, my wife (from Maui) makes rice all the time, and I keep a supply of beef base in the fridge for quick gravy. I thicken with rice flour since she is avoiding wheat these days.

I've been cooking green beans with bacon and onions lately. I'll have to try that with brocolli, my other favorite green vegetable.

PIA--Check out a few osso buco or braised lambshank recipes for some nice braising liquids. Some cuts of meat are better suited for braising than others and, like slow roasting, a certain amount of internal fat is helpful. Very lean meat doesn't braise well. You'll also get better results in the oven.
Short ribs, beef shank, veal shank, lamb shank, pork shank if you can find it are probably the best choices for braising, but if you want to turn a fairly inexpensive cut into something special, a seven bone roast or other chuck roast would be perfect.
A braised brisket would be wonderful too but those are pretty pricey.
I'm thinking about braising corned beef next time I buy one.

I use a standard 6 inch deep half size steamtable pan for braising. The meat should be dredged in flour and browned in a heavy Dutch oven. Some of the flour should be stuck to the bottom when you are done. Deglaze the pan with wine, add a little olive oil and cook trinity or mirepoix (I prefer mirepoix) until tender, ad some tomato paste, stock, seasonings, bring it to a boil and pour it over the meat in the braising pan. Cover the braising pan first with parchment paper then seal it with foil. Put it in a 325 degree oven for two hours.

Carnitas, guac, pico de gallo, galic sauce and freshly cooked tortillas.

I never heard of that, I suppose since I have never taken any cooking classes or even read much about regional cuisine.

But when I looked it up I was amused: I season all sorts of things with celery salt, I am always chopping up onions to add to stuff, and I always have a container of powdered California, New Mexico, or Pasilla chili pepper on hand for adding some flavor to just about anything.

My wife is the big carrot fan: She buys 10 pound bags that fill up an entire crisper drawer in the fridge. I'll give the mirepoix (= celery, onions, and carrots) a try. Thanks for the info.

Tried my hand at chopped brocolli with pre-cooked potatoes, onion, bacon, garlic. Seasoned with ground rosemary, salt, and black pepper. Sauteed them in a little olive oil and then stirred in a bit of beef stock to coat everything when it was done.

OMG!

That sounds yummy!

I've got a soup simmering with mustard greens, napa cabbage, and green beans from the garden, carrots, onion, and portabello mushrooms from the fridge. When it's done I'll make a roux to thicken it and add some heavy cream to make it a glorified cream of mushroom soup.

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Oh, Greger, you are an inspiration to us all !!!!

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I am such a culinary barbarian, I didn't even know what a "roux" was :

· · · How To Make Roux

Like Molière's Bourgeois Gentleman, who was amazed that he had been speaking "prose" all his life without knowing it, I discovered that all my life, when I started to make gravy, I had been making this very classy French confection !! · ·

Oh dear! I didn't mean to make you Google! ^L^

What if you had to deglaze the pan before you made the sauce? O.O
I always use wine for that.