Ingredient cooking challenge, Final week: fresh basil and/or pumpkin
We are going to do an ingredient cooking challenge, starting after the blog recipe cooking challenge is completed. This will be a great opportunity to try some new ingredients, new dishes with ingredients, and just to have fun with cooking, and talking about food. There are 13 weeks/13 ingredients, and the last week will be a surprise challenging ingredient. Try to make dishes that have the ingredient as the star, or one of the main ingredients. Get recipes from books, blogs, wherever! Come back, and talk about them.
Feel free to discuss where you've found your ingredients. Some things might be harder to find in certain areas.
1. okra (Jan.25-31) (look in fresh produce, frozen)
2. quinoa (Feb. 1-7) (look with grains, bulk bins, "health" food)
3. kale (Feb. 8-14) (look in fresh produce)
4. plantains (Feb. 15-21) (look in fresh produce, ethnic markets)
5. avocado (Feb. 22-28) (look in fresh produce)
6. edamame (Mar. 1-7) (look in frozen)
7. jackfruit (Mar. 8-14) (look in ethnic aisles, markets)
8. barley (Mar. 15-21) (look in grains, bulk bins)
9. wild mushrooms (Mar. 22-28) (look in fresh produce, spices (or wherever dried mushrooms can be found)
10. collard greens (Mar. 29-Apr. 4) (look in fresh produce)
11. tarragon (Apr. 5-11) (look in fresh produce, spice aisle, bulk bins)
12. nuts and seeds (Apr 12-18)
13. basil and/or pumpkin (Apr. 19-26)
Ahhh. . . I love plantains! By the way, the correct pronunciation is, 'PLANT'n' not "planTANE". I usually have restaurant servers "correct" me when I use the proper pronunciation.
Here is the classic plantain recipe. . .
Use BLACK fruit. Don't use green or yellow. Let it ripen. Black=ripe. Peel and slice the fruit into 1/2 inch thick medallions. Soak the slices in brine for 30 minutes, drain and rinse.
Oil a fry pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Fry the slices until golden, turning as necessary. Do this slowly so they are cooked all the way through and soft. Remove the slices and drain on a paper towel. Now smash each slice flat with the back of a spatula. Bring the pan up to a high heat and add the smashed slices back. Fry until brown and crispy, turning as needed. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel. Serve HOT and dip in a simple ti-malice sauce.
Simple ti-malice sauce for dipping:
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup of finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup of oil
2 tbsp finely chopped hot pepper
1 crushed or finely chopped clove of garlic.
You can cook the shallots and garlic in the oil to make it more sweet and mild or just mix all together cold for bit more bite.
Yum!
What are you all doing with avocado? I'm going to look in some cookbooks, because I'll just be tempted to use them like I always do. These days..that's in sandwiches. Hmmm.
Best ingredient ever, though.
I love avocados, and I'm usually kind of boring with them, sliced into tortilla soup, onto sandwiches, and cubed up for the dog (he devours them!). However, I have a friend that just recently e-mailed me about an avocado/coconut milk dessert mousse, and I must find out more about this concoction! I think it would be awesome. Anyone else have a recipe along these lines?
Also, a few years ago I remember Alton Brown (Good Eats, Food Network) making cake icing out of avocado.
I'm still waiting for my avocado to ripen so I can make quesadillas, with chopped tomato, salsa and Daiya cheese, with it.
I usually just eat avocados with tortilla chips or on a sandwich. I'm thinking of making some type of dessert this week with bananas, avocado, and chocolate.
i wanna try some kind of avocado salad dressing
Yup, you want them almost totally black for maximum yumminess. like this:
http://abigailblake.com/sugarapple/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/ripe-plantain-2.jpg
When they're yellow or even green, they can be thinly sliced and made into chips. But IMHO, chips <<< fried (black) plantains
wait, that's a plantain? I don't know what I was thinking of, but not that! Those just look like bananas!
I was away on holiday last week but would like to play with avocados if I can only find some that aren't freaking expensive. Fingers crossed, because I love avocado : )
I will share my current favorite sandwich, in case someone wants to try it:
essentials-a good roll (hoagie type), avocado, sriracha
great to have-vegenaise, spinach
good addition-chikn patty
Split roll, spread some vegenaise on one half of roll, and sriracha on other (I like to squirt a ton, mmmmm), add spinach, and 2 halves of chikn patty if using, then scoop avocado in, and smoosh into the roll (I usually use a whole, small avocado..but you can use 1/2 or whatever). Toast whole thing in toaster oven (I usually do the dark setting..however long that is). Or, you could do a couple minutes in the oven. SO GOOD.
Yum,love the avo sams.
I made an avo/grilled "cheese" sandwich And guac for my daughter...I make these all the time so they maybe didn't live up to a challege. Its just smashed avo,veganaise, and a cheese-like paste,(decrease the liquids in your fav. cheese sauce) everything mixed together and cooked like a grilled cheese would be. I added sauted mushrooms, but its just as good with out them.
easy and good
It's so hard to do different things with avocado! I just want to enjoy them as is. I had some guac last night.
what about one of those chocolate avocado pies? I think there are two posted on here.
I've always wanted to try them, but I'm... I'm scared.
Ive done a chocolate avocado thing before. It was yum. I was a tad scared at first but really, it was good. I imagine it was pretty much pie filling without the crust and I ate it with a spoon. Mmm.
I had one to do something cool with, but I just ate it with some olive oil/salt.
Yeah, I'm sure it'd be good, I just like to taste the avocado.
I have some recipes, but most of the are avocado soup with curry or tomatos.. ive never tried them.. anyone interested? I could post them...
Avocado dressings could be interesting, i only ever use avocado, tahini, lemon juice and oil...
I always eat them on bread with tahini or in burtios.
Maybe stuffed peppers with avocado, rice and spices or herbs? But use alot fo avocado, i used to do that alot when i could get hem cheap. I didnt put the avocado mixture in the oven just the pepper YUM
fb! i can't believe you'd be scared of that! ive tried it (many times) and it's awesome.. like a rich chocolate truffle and you dont taste the avocado at all.. it's just makes it creamy.
you dont taste the avocado at all..
Blasphemy.
I think you taste the avocado! In a slight, really good kind of way? Maybe thats just what I made? I don't even know what it was I made.
Mmm. Now I want to try it again.
Must get avocados.
you dont taste the avocado at all..
Blasphemy.
i like plain avocados too im just trying to convince fb to not be afraid of a weird sounding combo..
I did make this pie about a month ago and thought it was good. There is just half an avocado and you can not taste it.
you dont taste the avocado at all..
Blasphemy.
i like plain avocados too im just trying to convince fb to not be afraid of a weird sounding combo..
so does it taste like avocado or not?
i bought some avocados. they're not ripe yet, though.
Pages