What's for Dinner #28 - 12/2017 - The Whatever Holiday Edition

Wow! Those pretzels are gorgeous!! I like soft pretzels more chubby than thin, so there’s the more chewy outer layer with the soft innards. And the mustard is so important! You use caraway seeds in the cabbage? I love braised cabbage, roasted cabbage, sauteed cabbage, you name it.

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This week devolved into beyond rediculousness…! This trip my coworker is going and next trip i will go- and i’m fine with that since in six days they are doing two countries and four cities while battling 15hr time diff jet lag. Although i do love eating in asia!
But until they leave next weekend it’s crazy crunch time and making my own meals has become sketchy at best!
Wed we ordered in from the fancy salads place since everyone else was still regretting Tday over indulgence. I HATE eating Sad Desk Dinners so i had my side slice of bread and brought the salad home to eat in peace. Spinach, wild rice, sesame tofu, vegan kimchi, and such.

Last night i had half a peanut butter clif builder bar at work so i didn’t tell my boss what i was thinking to his face in a hangry frustrated fit. Reheated some of the lentil taco stew and added fresh cilantro on top.

I hauled a$$ outta there tonight and proceeded directly towards Friday Wine. Picked up a splurge jj prum reisling. Came home, drank a glass with some pumpernickel pretzel sticks and… dozed off on the couch. Woke up to tummy grumbles and made the classic tofu triangles in peanut butter which i have apparently been making since 2009. The soy sauce amount is totally wrong, i use 1TB and omit the tamari, then add more soy sauce when eating if needed. Put the saucy hot tofu over a bowl of fresh baby spinach so it got wilty. Excited to sleep in and wake up putting this week behind me…!

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The pretzel formula that I used is located here. And the cabbage would be over there. I usually make this [and I can’t find the link], so below:

German Red Cabbage

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
1 Granny Smith apple, julienned
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon bacon fat or Olive Oil
1/4 Apple cider vinegar
3 tbl sugar
1 tsp caraway seeds
2 juniper berries
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water

Warm fat in a big pot. Add all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer, cover. I like to increase the amount of vinegar.

For the pretzels, I weighed the flour and used the baking soda boiling method. For both cabbage recipes, I decrease the amount of sugar. The caraway seeds are supposed to help neutralize the effects of cabbage on the digestive system.

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Rotkohl. Love it.

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me too. such a lovely way to eat my winter vegetables.

The pretzels are gorgeous. I made some a few months ago and they were also more bun than pretzel, but tasty. Did you use lye or baking soda? I used lye and they were quite dark. They were definitely too salty, though. And I’ll have to make a Karl’s run soon.

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@bear

I used baking soda and mine are also too salty. The salt stuck far more than when I make bagels or the par-baked ones I have bought in the past. Now I know.

My reading on lye has me a tad anxious. Doable in the home kitchen? What precautions, etc. do you take?

I was a bit nervous as well. I had ordered extra long gloves and onion goggles. It was actually easier than I had thought and I probably looked pretty funny in my safety gear. I did find that the lye dust tingled my nostrils so I would be careful next time not to breathe it in. That said, I wouldn’t hesitate to use it again now that I have some experience.

I read this article from the LA Times but I can’t remember which recipe I followed.

http://beta.latimes.com/food/la-fo-pretzels-20111020-story.html

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That would be a concern for me given the lack of nose hairs… so a medical mask would be required. Thanks for the encouragement. Maybe [or not] I will overcome my lye anxieties.

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I am not so ambitious to make my own pretzels, but my mom is an enthusiastic baker- i will pass this along, she makes a cinnamon bun pretzel around the holidays (not the same process, just pretzel shaped sweet bread)
I bought caraway seeds! The market i went to didnt have juniper berries so i may do without. I’ll probably make this tonight :))

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And then there’s always Harold McGee’s method of baking the baking soda to concentrate the alkalis.

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@bear. My hospital hands out medical masks like candy. No problem securing one. But thank you for reminding me about baking baking soda. I had forgotten that information.

We both agreed it was grilling weather and we wanted some fish. Our fishmonger warned us that the end of the swordfish season is imminent. The fish in the case looks beautiful so that was what we bought. We then had to decide. A Turkish dinner with the fish brushed with Ottoman Spice blend, saffron rice, and steamed green beans or straight ahead Northeast, grilled lightly seasoned fish, vinegar cole slaw and French fries. The latter won.

The fish gets its beauty shot:

cole slaw, which you have all seen before:

and, the French fries:

So much easier to make meals at the end of my “off” week. Planning savory tarts for dinner tomorrow.

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Tonight, scallops and salad, some wine and Cocktails. Headed back to Mount Shasta tomorrow morning. Have my car packed with all my kitchenware. Cheers

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Oh, good to know! I’m not sure I’ll light up the charcoal grill, but will get some to broil or saute this coming week. Few things are as delicious as in-season swordfish. Yours looks perfectly cooked.

As for me - Full day at work. It’s been a VERY long week. I knew the chicken thighs wouldn’t be defrosted, so a quick stop at Hannaford for some rolls, shaved steak and Swiss cheese.
Sauteed 'shrooms and caramelized onions with a bit of dried thyme, shaved beef, salt, pepper, and the cheeeeeese onto a lightly toasted sub roll for an oooey-gooey greasy dinner. Cheeps alongside.

And you can be damn straight there was wine. Probably some cheeeeesy movies on TV.

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@LindaWhit. I miss working SO DAMN MUCH, but you? Your work life is simply non-ending. Beautiful dinner. Hope the wine was wonderful.

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that is a beautiful meal, all the way around!

Re: lye vs baking soda

@smtucker, did the pretzels have a soda-y tinge to them? I always feel like I can taste the baking soda wash. Lye is difficult to manage in a busy kitchen. I’m always afraid someone will bump into me, or I’ll lose focus because another recipe needs attention and accidentally spill it. But I think it makes a difference in flavor. I am excited to try the baked soda method @bear posted. Hopefully it will be a happy medium for me.

@bmorecupcake. I didn’t taste a pronounced baking soda flavor even though the concentration of soda was higher than anything I have ever used before. What I didn’t taste is the lye flavor which seems to change both the texture and flavor of the “crust.”

I too plan to try the McGee/@bear method, but I am seriously considering my other option. My kitchen isn’t busy, as a general rule, so being bumped isn’t my concern. I just worry that something will slip out of my hand, or I might slosh too much, or who knows what stupid thing could happen.

Ohhhhhh, do I know that feeling, Ttrock. Boy, do I know it. The year-end crazies have started up, and it’s going to be a :::::::DEEP BREATH::::::: month for me. Hopefully it settles down for you.

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