How many of you guys here really, really enjoy cooking and planning meals?

[DFB]

Okay cooked my very last batch of garden tomatoes today for sauce and made EGGPLANT PARM...mangia!

 

[IslandTractor]

Okay cooked my very last batch of garden tomatoes today for sauce and made EGGPLANT PARM...mangia! <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/rural-living/416151-how-many-you-guys-here-parm-jpg"/> <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/rural-living/416152-how-many-you-guys-here-parm-eggplant-jpg"/>

My favorite Italian dish. Ever tried baking the eggplant rather than frying it? Just spray with olive oil and bake 375 for about 25 min. No turning. Works well. Less grease and way faster. I don't use bread crumbs but I would imagine you could if you turned them.

 

[DFB]

My favorite Italian dish. Ever tried baking the eggplant rather than frying it? Just spray with olive oil and bake 375 for about 25 min. No turning. Works well. Less grease and way faster. I don't use bread crumbs but I would imagine you could if you turned them.

Yea my ex did it that way often. It is a very good way to do it, less grease as you say. I highly recommend it too.

I egg wash, wheat flour and bread crumb mine. That's what I like.

And I do make it in a pan on the stove top often really quick and easy for me I have it down good! I do go very light on the oil and when I'm finished I can just wipe the pan out with a paper towel and I'm done...there is no grease to drain

I only use olive oil to cook with. Never any vegetable derived oils ever.

Also never use any margarine either only real butter. I gave up eating any margarine products years ago and have never had any heartburn from eating any the foods I cook since then either. That is some bad stuff. When I make crisp or my mac n cheese the recipes call for butter but I have been known to sub the olive oil for in place of the butter sometimes. Gives it a bit different flavor though.

You must be able to go out for some pretty good Italian food in that Boston area I bet...my alltime favorite Italian Restaurant is up on Rt 1 in Scarborough ME.

 

[DFB]

Or Greek food too I bet...I like Moussaka but I much rather have someone else make it!

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I love fried eggplant! Only problem is I don't get it very often, since der frau doesn't care for it...fried squash is her thing. I even like fried green tomatoes!

 

[downsizingnow48]

My wife is out of town and so I revert to one-pan (or one-pot) meals. Sacramento has some great Mexican grocery stores. This is Guatemalan red beans, pork feet, dried chiles, onion, garlic, Mexican oregano.

 

[IslandTractor]

My wife is out of town and so I revert to one-pan (or one-pot) meals. Sacramento has some great Mexican grocery stores. This is Guatemalan red beans, pork feet, dried chiles, onion, garlic, Mexican oregano.

Looks delicious. How about a recipe?

 

[downsizingnow48]

One of our daughters already asked so I have a recipe worked up:

1 lb red beans (I used Guatemalan but the usual grocery store red bean would work).
1 lb pork feet (not smoked or pickled, just plain).
4 dried California chiles (no stems or seeds). These are mild.
2 dried Arbol chiles (also no stems or seeds). These are hot.
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (different from the usual Mediterranean oregano).
1 small yellow onion.
1 small red onion.
4 garlic cloves.
salt and pepper as you like.

After an hour or so take out the pork feet, remove bones, skin, gristle. Put the meat back in.
Also remove the chile skins.
Cook uncovered throughout, add water as needed.

Takes about 3-4 hours depending on the beans you have.

 

[TomSeller]

My wife is out of town and so I revert to one-pan (or one-pot) meals. Sacramento has some great Mexican grocery stores. This is Guatemalan red beans, pork feet, dried chiles, onion, garlic, Mexican oregano.

Another nice cast iron pan. With a bail handle even. I am not familiar with Mexican oregano, it it spicier?

 

[downsizingnow48]

We've had that Dutch oven for 40 years, scary to think. Use it for everything.

Mediterranean or Italian oregano is an Old World plant related to mint. Savory, Marjoram, Basil, all pretty closely related to Oregano.

Mexican oregano is a New World plant, verbena family. Tastes lemony and licorice-like compared to the Old World spices.

 

[RobertN]

I'm only 20 minutes away and you did not invite me over to taste test this!

My wife is out of town and so I revert to one-pan (or one-pot) meals. Sacramento has some great Mexican grocery stores. This is Guatemalan red beans, pork feet, dried chiles, onion, garlic, Mexican oregano.

 

[OldMcDonald]

Wow you really are a McDonald

OldMcDonald do you have any squash favorites now considering your current location...some of my most favorite squashes I like to grow have deep Mediterranean roots!

Yes I am, there are quite a lot of us. Before coming to PortugaL I was on the Black Isle in northern Scotland and owned Hazza Farm.

For the kitchen any of the butternuts. For stock feed Queensland Blue, because they store a long time and I have problems growing swedes here - summers too hot. I grow a few bigger summer squashes too for stock.

2LaneCruzer " Interpretation please?" Jack o' Lantern and (as previously posted) one of the words used for swede. Bagie was the most common where I was brought up, snaggie less so, and swede if you were being polite.

RobertN "Pumpkins, like tomatoes, were a New World fruit/veggie". Yes, but it is not THAT long ago that I was in my 20s!!!!

 

[downsizingnow48]

I'm only 20 minutes away and you did not invite me over to taste test this!

now that would be good!

:drink:

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Yes I am, there are quite a lot of us. Before coming to PortugaL I was on the Black Isle in northern Scotland and owned Hazza Farm.

For the kitchen any of the butternuts. For stock feed Queensland Blue, because they store a long time and I have problems growing swedes here - summers too hot. I grow a few bigger summer squashes too for stock.

2LaneCruzer " Interpretation please?" Jack o' Lantern and (as previously posted) one of the words used for swede. Bagie was the most common where I was brought up, snaggie less so, and swede if you were being polite.

RobertN "Pumpkins, like tomatoes, were a New World fruit/veggie". Yes, but it is not THAT long ago that I was in my 20s!!!!

Are you saying that since pumpkins weren't available, you made Jack o' Lanterns out of a similar vegetable called by various names...baggie, snaggie and Swede?

 

[DFB]

Are you saying that since pumpkins weren't available, you made Jack o' Lanterns out of a similar vegetable called by various names...baggie, snaggie and Swede?

2LaneCruzer check out that Wiki link I attached in post #173

 

[OldMcDonald]

Are you saying that since pumpkins weren't available, you made Jack o' Lanterns out of a similar vegetable called by various names...baggie, snaggie and Swede?

Yes, except they are not similar to pumpkins. As 2Lane says, the link he gave is quite good (not perfect, but quite good) and shows a Jack Shine the Miggy towards the end. It also gives a suggestion that we called them bagies because of the "baga" bit on the end of the Swedish word. I note it also says pumpkins became readily available in the 1980s. That is probably right, but I was farming in Australia then, and I noticed when I returned to the UK in 1992 that pumpkins were in the shops and Hallow'een had become yet another excuse for shops to sell tat. Hallow'een was not celebrated before I left for Australia in 1979. I think it may have been in the south of England and parts of Scotland, but it seems universal now.

 

[DFB]

the link he gave is quite good (not perfect, but quite good) and shows a Jack Shine the Miggy towards the end. It also gives a suggestion that we called them bagies because of the "baga" bit on the end of the Swedish word. I note it also says pumpkins became readily available in the 1980s. That is probably right, but I was farming in Australia then, and I noticed when I returned to the UK in 1992 that pumpkins were in the shops and Hallow'een had become yet another excuse for shops to sell tat. Hallow'een was not celebrated before I left for Australia in 1979. I think it may have been in the south of England and parts of Scotland, but it seems universal now.

McDonald you do know you can add to or edit a Wiki article. Share your own experiences and especially if there is something you see that may need correction.

 

[tcreeley]

Pumpkin carving, jack o lanterns, and halloween were always a part of New England! -Even tales of the headless horseman!
-- jelly beans- don't know where those came from! But witches... we had witches!
Only thing worse than cleaning out a pumpkin...is having to do two - 1 for each kid!

 

[downsizingnow48]

1 for each kid!

Oh yes. Well I remember "Let's carve pumpkins, yay!" My wife says, "oh that will be so much fun". OK as soon as knife touches pumpkin everyone looks to me. One year we had to have about a dozen small ones on the front porch all with different faces.

 

[DFB]

I love fried eggplant! Only problem is I don't get it very often, since der frau doesn't care for it...fried squash is her thing. I even like fried green tomatoes!

Hey one my friends has Zucchini Fritter recipe (a prior recorded podcast) on her webpage.

Listen to Radio Show

And another does some awesome Mediterranean food recipes. She recently took a trip to Portugal too geez she could have visited OldMcDonald

http://www.mediterraneanliving.com/recipe-items/greek-potato-salad-patata-salata/