The lockdown cooking thread

[nuffsaid]

Made and old favourite yesterday, ox tongue.
Also brown onion sauce (with a dash of red wine) for the rice as well as pumpkin fritters with cinnamon sugar.

Not eaten ox tongue for years. Used to love it with old-school Colmans mustard.

[bimboman]

Made and old favourite yesterday, ox tongue.
Also brown onion sauce (with a dash of red wine) for the rice as well as pumpkin fritters with cinnamon sugar.

Not eaten ox tongue for years. Used to love it with old-school Colmans mustard.

My Nan used to prepare a whole Ox tongue for Xmas every year, cooked / pickled and then pressed in a tin with weight. Was a highlight for me.

Tonight’s efforts. ,

Mexican chicken breasts , whole grain rice fried off with courgette, peppers, onion all served with a BBQ sauce made with the left over gravy from yesterday.

It was bloody awesome.

[julian]

So far I made croissants twice, pain au chocolat, sourdough bread, milk loaf bread, empanadas (meat), cottage pie (twice), baguettes, lentils stew, omelette, tortilla de papas, sautee spinach with garlick and beans.

And I started the Body Project on Youtube to compensate.

[sorCrer]

Made and old favourite yesterday, ox tongue.
Also brown onion sauce (with a dash of red wine) for the rice as well as pumpkin fritters with cinnamon sugar.

Not eaten ox tongue for years. Used to love it with old-school Colmans mustard.

My Nan used to prepare a whole Ox tongue for Xmas every year, cooked / pickled and then pressed in a tin with weight. Was a highlight for me.

Tonight’s efforts. ,

Mexican chicken breasts , whole grain rice fried off with courgette, peppers, onion all served with a BBQ sauce made with the left over gravy from yesterday.

It was bloody awesome.

Nowt wrong with ox tongue!

Made a plain old chicken casserole this evening. Can't really go wrong with that.

[happyhooker]

Ah, tongue sandwiches.

Loved them at school and also had a friend who hated them but his mum didn't care. Double lunch

[pjm1]

I'd like some advice from the pizza cooking experts here. I've decided to get into the sourdough game and got a starter on the go in the kitchen. I've been looking at pizza recipes and all recommend a baking stone. To be a bit more versatile I was looking at getting the Le Creuset pizza tray... would that be as good as a pizza stone?

Spoiler: show

No. You don't want holes - it really doesn't help cook it well.

I make sourdough pizza once a week for Friday night pizza nights. I have just taken my starter out of the fridge this morning and fed it. Will repeat this evening before bed and then I have active starter ready for making dough tomorrow morning. Working from home really rocks when it comes to sourdough baking. I keep my sourdough in the fridge during the week, taking it out a day before if I want to make a boule or a loaf etc. I also keep it 100% rye to add more interest to white loaves (inc pizza).

I make my dough about 70% hydration for pizzas and general loaves and typically use about 1/5 of the weight of flour as starter. In my kitchen it proves (first, bulk ferment) in about 5-6 or so hours, give or take. I then shape & leave for a second rise until I'm ready to cook.

[handyman]

Want to make Chilli Con Carne over the weekend.

[Azlan Roar]

Want to make Chilli Con Carne over the weekend.

make it today or tomorrow and it'll taste a whole lot better when the weekend comes around.

[Monk Zombie]

problem is your domestic oven doesn't get hot enough for pizzas

we eventually settled on this and it is just perfect

[pjm1]

I'd like some advice from the pizza cooking experts here. I've decided to get into the sourdough game and got a starter on the go in the kitchen. I've been looking at pizza recipes and all recommend a baking stone. To be a bit more versatile I was looking at getting the Le Creuset pizza tray... would that be as good as a pizza stone?

No. You don't want holes - it really doesn't help cook it well.

I make sourdough pizza once a week for Friday night pizza nights. I have just taken my starter out of the fridge this morning and fed it. Will repeat this evening before bed and then I have active starter ready for making dough tomorrow morning. Working from home really rocks when it comes to sourdough baking. I keep my sourdough in the fridge during the week, taking it out a day before if I want to make a boule or a loaf etc. I also keep it 100% rye to add more interest to white loaves (inc pizza).

I make my dough about 70% hydration for pizzas and general loaves and typically use about 1/5 of the weight of flour as starter. In my kitchen it proves (first, bulk ferment) in about 5-6 or so hours, give or take. I then shape & leave for a second rise until I'm ready to cook.

Thanks. So.... should I get a baking stone? What do you cook with? Your pizza looks tasty.

Also, I only had plain flour in my pantry so that's what I made it with, is it possible to feed rye flour to the starter when I've got some?

It's good if you can do - it will cook the bottom of the pizza better. I do have one which I use with my weber (and a pizza oven ring) but, honestly, I don't use it very often. I use a regular oven tray turned upside down. It's slight trial and error to get it to work just right. My current method would disgust purists but it makes a lovely pizza texture with just the right amount of "bend" when you hold a slice of pizza in your hand. I slide the raw and untopped pizza base (on parchment paper) into the oven on the upturned tray. It is set to 250C with the try fairly near the top of the oven, using the top element. I cook it for 3-4 minutes and take it out - it is puffed up (almost like a pitta) and the crust around the circumference is really starting to get big. I let it cool on a rack and put the next base in, in the same way. Once all four bases are cooked I then start topping them (or the kids/wife do for theirs). We then slam each one back in again for another 3-4 minutes to finish cooking the base and totally cook the topping.

I'll be honest, it's far more reliable than using my weber, where depending on how hot the coals have got and how long the stone has been in, I can end up with a burned bottom (oo-er) or an undercooked bottom from one pizza to the next.

edited to add: the flour actually matters less than you think. Sometimes I use wholewheat bread flour, sometimes plain (non-strong) white flour, sometimes bread flour. For bread it has more of an impact - as it's 100% dough - but for pizza it doesn't make as much difference, in my experience, although it does change the puffiness and texture of the crust slightly.

[Monk Zombie]

problem is your domestic oven doesn't get hot enough for pizzas

we eventually settled on this and it is just perfect

I'm not getting one of those. Got enough stuff clogging up the kitchen already! Most recipes seem to say 240c should be sufficient.

they would be wrong - check it out. you need at least 370c for pizzas

[pjm1]

problem is your domestic oven doesn't get hot enough for pizzas

we eventually settled on this and it is just perfect

I'm not getting one of those. Got enough stuff clogging up the kitchen already! Most recipes seem to say 240c should be sufficient.

they would be wrong - check it out. you need at least 370c for pizzas

Need vs want.

There are ways of fudging it (as I've described, by double-cooking the dough) which get around the oven problem. I have also done frying pan pizzas before which again make the most of an inferior system/heat level. I reckon I can get pretty damn close with just a conventional oven, but it's also possible to make something pretty ghastly and soggy if you can't manage the lower heat levels and longer timings required.

[handyman]

Want to make Chilli Con Carne over the weekend.

make it today or tomorrow and it'll taste a whole lot better when the weekend comes around.

[Monk Zombie]

we make a lot of pizza and at the end of the day getting your dough right is the first BIG hurdle

Mrs Z took a while before settling on a recipe - i know it involves adding semolina to the flour which gives it that lovely elastic quality

I'll ask her and get back to you on that

[pjm1]

we make a lot of pizza and at the end of the day getting your dough right is the first BIG hurdle

Mrs Z took a while before settling on a recipe - i know it involves adding semolina to the flour which gives it that lovely elastic quality

I'll ask her and get back to you on that

Spot on. Once you have enough experience of working with dough, you instinctively make adjustments for the wetness, strength of gluten etc. in each batch. It's really hard to explain but there are very good bread-making youtube tutorials out there (many of which focus on sourdough which is best if that's what your making because of the long ferment times).

I've been meaning to get my hands on some Caputo 00 pizza flour for ages but haven't yet - would love to try that as a comparison... for a beginner it'll make limited difference IMO as the first battle is really just a lot of trial and error, as you suggest. The other thing you really need to learn is how to shape the pizza by hand, without tearing and getting that proper thicker crust. Definitely no rolling pins!

If you want to make good pizza, also try to make good bread alongside it (e.g. at other points during the week). You'll learn skills and gain experience from one to apply to the other and, best of all, you get to eat both

[julian]

problem is your domestic oven doesn't get hot enough for pizzas

we eventually settled on this and it is just perfect

I'm not getting one of those. Got enough stuff clogging up the kitchen already! Most recipes seem to say 240c should be sufficient.

they would be wrong - check it out. you need at least 370c for pizzas

You can perfectly do outstanding pizzas without the 370c oven.

If you have an electric oven you put on max (generally 250°C) just the down element and you put the pizza with the baking tray directly on the floor of the oven until you browned the dough.

Then turned on on max the high element and put the pizza directly under it to cook the superior part and have a nice crust.

[Monk Zombie]

You can perfectly do outstanding pizzas without the 370c oven.

If you have an electric oven you put on max (generally 250°C) just the down element and you put the pizza with the baking tray directly on the floor of the oven until you browned the dough.

Then turned on on max the high element and put the pizza directly under it to cook the superior part and have a nice crust.

i hear you julian

i am about to build a wood-burning pizza oven

[earl the beaver]

Want to make Chilli Con Carne over the weekend.

make it today or tomorrow and it'll taste a whole lot better when the weekend comes around.

Look to cook it slow, get some stewing beef and chorizo in there too.

[Monk Zombie]

i saw in Naples the wood-burning pizza ovens don't have faggots burning away in the corner like you see all over

they simply have dry twigs that flash burn for minutes - that instant intense heat is what makes a pizza

[julian]

You can perfectly do outstanding pizzas without the 370c oven.

If you have an electric oven you put on max (generally 250°C) just the down element and you put the pizza with the baking tray directly on the floor of the oven until you browned the dough.

Then turned on on max the high element and put the pizza directly under it to cook the superior part and have a nice crust.

i hear you julian

i am about to build a wood-burning pizza oven

Outstanding!, see the traditionals clay ovens, won't be wrong with those.

[earl the beaver]

I had Leek, Sweet Potato and Parsley soup for lunch, the soup maker is getting more use during lockdown than since I bought it.

Tonight is Fajitas for comfort food (with chorizo), tomorrow night pizza (but fúck having time for sourdough or getting involved in the whole need for wanky appliances shite), some dough in the breadmaker, topped with tomato, basil and oregano blend then mozarella, shredded ham, peppers, mushrooms and pepperoni on top, place on hot tray and in at a high heat for about 10 mins.

[Monk Zombie]

what is a soup maker?

edit: i have googled it.

why would one buy that?

buy a good pot if you must

[sorCrer]

Cold in Joeys so made Butternut with Mayonnaise Dinner Rolls

[Monk Zombie]

You can perfectly do outstanding pizzas without the 370c oven.

If you have an electric oven you put on max (generally 250°C) just the down element and you put the pizza with the baking tray directly on the floor of the oven until you browned the dough.

Then turned on on max the high element and put the pizza directly under it to cook the superior part and have a nice crust.

i hear you julian

i am about to build a wood-burning pizza oven

If I had any outdoor space at all I'd build one of those,.

they are good for all kinds of oven cooking

[happyhooker]

i saw in Naples the wood-burning pizza ovens don't have faggots burning away in the corner like you see all over

they simply have dry twigs that flash burn for minutes - that instant intense heat is what makes a pizza

really? the ones i saw didn't, certainly pizzeria da michele which is the daddy of them all

and i've fitted out two restaurants which shipped their ovens over from naples and they had faggots burning in there

[handyman]

Want to make Chilli Con Carne over the weekend.

make it today or tomorrow and it'll taste a whole lot better when the weekend comes around.

Look to cook it slow, get some stewing beef and chorizo in there too.

Thanks lads.

[Pat the Ex Mat]

Want to make Chilli Con Carne over the weekend.

make it today or tomorrow and it'll taste a whole lot better when the weekend comes around.

I'm doing the same tomorrow

[julian]

Want to make Chilli Con Carne over the weekend.

make it today or tomorrow and it'll taste a whole lot better when the weekend comes around.

Look to cook it slow, get some stewing beef and chorizo in there too.

Thanks lads.

My humble recomendation, check youtube's Binging with Babish Chili's recipe, meat or veggie option.

Same channel has lots of outstanding recipes that mostly came out from movies or tv shows.

[message #2527204]

Made Cornish pasties. I couldn't get any flour, so had to to use ready made pastry, but they were bloody delicious.

[sorCrer]

For quick and easy bread rolls:

2 cups of self raising flour
1 cup of milk
3 heaped tablespoons of mayonnaise
Pinch of salt

Put 1/2 a teaspoon of oil all in each tray. Mix together quickly by hand and then spoon into a muffin tray.

Oven at 190c for 12-15 minutes

[Monk Zombie]

i saw in Naples the wood-burning pizza ovens don't have faggots burning away in the corner like you see all over

they simply have dry twigs that flash burn for minutes - that instant intense heat is what makes a pizza

really? the ones i saw didn't, certainly pizzeria da michele which is the daddy of them all

and i've fitted out two restaurants which shipped their ovens over from naples and they had faggots burning in there

apols - you understood that not as i intended

i saw it in a program on Neapolitan cooking - think it was Antonio Carluccio

[SaintK]

Made Cornish pasties. I couldn't get any flour, so had to to use ready made pastry, but they were bloody delicious.

Lucky bugger! Not had any in my local supermarket for a couple of weeks................or flour either!!!

[message #2527204]

Made Cornish pasties. I couldn't get any flour, so had to to use ready made pastry, but they were bloody delicious.

Lucky bugger! Not had any in my local supermarket for a couple of weeks................or flour either!!!

I found out in a local co-op. nothing in the supermarkets.

[Boobs not Moobs]

Starting to raid freezer, had some frozen butternut squash and sweet potato so made a risotto topped with honey roast gammon. Turns out the dog loves Gammon.

[Wallah]

Made some Banana Bread and it was pretty simple, tasted good and here's the recipe;

BOWL 1: MIX ALL THESE
1 + 3/4 cups self raising flour
1/4 cup plain flour (aka all purpose)
2/3 cup brown sugar

BOWL 2: MIX ALL THESE
1/2 cup low fat milk
2 eggs lightly whisked
50g of melted cooled salted butter or substitute olive oil 1tbsp
2-3 over ripe mashed bananas
finely chopped walnuts

MIX BOWL 1 WITH BOWL 2:
then pour ALL into baking dish lined with baking paper.
set oven to 350 degrees and cook for approx 60 mins (preheat oven first)
finally let it to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

[Keith]

Caramelised red onion and mozzarella tart tonight with ready-made puff pastry

[TB63]

Corned beef rissoles, triple cooked chips and baked beans... Food of my yoof, mum gave me best complement ever.. they're better than mine, how do you make them.. yessss, result...

Tbh, I'm now acting as a carer for my 90+ year old parents, both active but wouldn't be able to cope with the queueing involved in supermarkets, so, down to me to shop and cook, so far..

Pork loin Wellington.
King Prawn Thai curry.
Beef n Ale pie (tomorrow ).
Chicken Tandoori ( hung in oven to air cook)
Home made sausages
Spatchcock chicken with garlic

And a lot more, just try to be inventive day to day..

[YOYO]

Any of you use an Air Fyer?

I bought a Delonghi one recently. I find it great especially during lockdown. It’s great for cooking roast potatoes amongst many other things. Cover the naked diced spuds in some oil, garlic powder or other assorted spices. 15 minutes later, yum yum.

[Botha Boy]

Corned beef rissoles, triple cooked chips and baked beans... Food of my yoof, mum gave me best complement ever.. they're better than mine, how do you make them.. yessss, result...

Tbh, I'm now acting as a carer for my 90+ year old parents, both active but wouldn't be able to cope with the queueing involved in supermarkets, so, down to me to shop and cook, so far..

Pork loin Wellington.
King Prawn Thai curry.
Beef n Ale pie (tomorrow ).
Chicken Tandoori ( hung in oven to air cook)
Home made sausages
Spatchcock chicken with garlic

And a lot more, just try to be inventive day to day..

Basteard, I have to get some food in me now ... but nice foods being served, well done !

[Wallah]

Any of you use an Air Fyer?

I bought a Delonghi one recently. I find it great especially during lockdown. It’s great for cooking roast potatoes amongst many other things. Cover the naked diced spuds in some oil, garlic powder or other assorted spices. 15 minutes later, yum yum.

Yep, we use our air fryer a fair bit. It's hands down the healthiest way of "frying".

We use it to cook things like chicken, salmon, sausage rolls, fries, bacon, even some desserts.