#kitchen macgyver

[clatterbane]

Currently in slow roasting wrapped in foil, for supper. I think that small a piece (close enough to 600g, or about 1⅓ lb.) should only take a couple of hours at 125C/260F. Tried to give it plenty of time leeway, and there is a thermometer probe in it to tell me when it should be to a tender temperature inside.

I picked up this preseasoned chunk of "grill" pork shoulder on sale, and stuck it in the freezer. Decided this was a reasonable opportunity to pull it back out yesterday, with Mr. C home again.

Not planning to use the grill at all. He really doesn't like the texture of just, like, slices of shoulder even cooked super tender. It's too much noticeable different muscle bundles and connective tissue for him. (Same issue with some other meats.) But, turn it into smaller chunks of meat and he's right on it.

So yeah, the plan is to roughly pull or chop this to where it's acceptable, adjust the seasoning as required, and then probably throw that back into the oven uncovered at a higher temperature to hopefully get some browned bits while tonight's other concoction bakes.

My galaxy brain plan here: throw together something roughly inspired by Curry Doria, but using this package of chilled au gratin potatoes (which are actually pretty good topped with other cheese) instead of the rice and separate creamy sauce components. Plus what's left of that Japanese vegetable curry. May try for a layer of curry in the middle of the potato stuff.

The potatoes also need used up, but at least in my brain? That combo should work OK. Bake just about any leftovers with cheese and some halfway-suitable sauce as needed to moisten things up and pull them together? It's usually going to go over fairly well around here. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As a foil on the side, just planning to have some simple vinegar cucumber-and-onion salad.

We'll see how any of this works out.

[pariahfox]

The "what have we got on hand?" noodle bar is back in business tonight.

Right now that involves some odds and ends of vegetables (including cabbage, and the tail end of an overgrown zucchini), plus a few eggs quickly scrambled up (starting in too cool a pan again!) and roughly half a pack of firm tofu that needed used up. I marinated that in a soy sauce concoction for maybe an hour, then pan fried it too. Since I am sometimes overly frugal, the remaining few tablespoons of marinade goodness are also going in the noodles.

(We're low on suitable bowls, much less clean ones. So, pots and pans will have to do to hold things like cut up vegetables waiting.)

Complete with awesome chipped mug pressed into service.

I did decide that some vaguely Chinese-style curry powder might help tie everything together, so we're getting something roughly along this kind of theme:

A Very Veggie Chow Mei Fun

Chow mei fun is economical, versatile, and endlessly adaptative. This is a vegetarian spin on curry-laden Singapore Chow Mei Fun.

Though we've got thewider Thai rice noodles tonight. Mr. C actually just brought in pretty big bags of bean thread and sweet potato vermicellis yesterday, but I was more in the mood for some kind of rice noodles tonight. And that's what we had.

How will this batch turn out? It will have to be a surprise. Though, the ingredients going in are fairly promising.

[clatterbane]

Another of those meals that tastes a lot better than it looks: a stew I threw together out of one boneless chicken thigh from the freezer, one of the Swedish chorizo (ditto), chunky cut onion and yellow sweet pepper, canned tomatoes, one fairly big zucchini that needed used up ASAP, and what pinto beans were left after making those baked beans the other day.

Seasonings: plenty of garlic, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, black pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, and a little of the obligatory Vegeta. (Seriously, I use the stuff--or copycats from other brands--in just about any savory dish these days. That's some good shit.)

This was vaguely inspired by something my mom used to make with black beans, yellow squash and often zucchini too, and usually hot breakfast sausage. As much as I miss yellow squash--and want to grow some again if I ever get the outdoor space--this turned out almost as good.

My original thought was rice, but I decided to go full Three Sisters and make some mush/polenta instead with a vegetable broth cube. Cooking for myself again, so may as well go all in with things that my partner isn't as crazy about. Corn products are annoyingly SO MUCH rougher on my blood sugar than basmati, but I really wanted it. And I do have the technology. Bring on the insulin!

Even trying to keep the batch size down, looks like I've got at least two more meals' worth left. I'm OK with this. And I kinda forsee some kind of fried mush in my near future.

[clatterbane]

Clatterbane's Half-Assed Noodle Bar is gearing up for business yet again tonight, on request after Mr. C picked up those noodles.

The plan is another batch of wide rice noodles in this basic seasoning style:

Kaitlin's Special Noodles (Ground Pork Lo Mein)

This special noodles recipe is Kaitlin’s invention, whipped up on a rainy afternoon in Beijing from a few ingredients that we had on hand. K

Made with what we've got on hand. Which in this case involves wide rice noodles (now soaking), a little leftover taco meat that needed used up (which should hopefully work fine with vaguely Sichuan flavors), a couple of eggs to bulk out the protein content, some more frozen "wok mix" with the green beans sorted out to the side, a handful of extra frozen green beans, and the ass end of a head of cabbage that also needed out of the fridge. Just micro-steamed the cabbage and beans a few minutes to streamline the noodle frying a tad.

That is a frozen-together lump of chopped garlic in the little takeout sauce cup with the ginger. It'll thaw out before I get to it.

Hopefully this will turn out not too bad, taco meat and all. The impromptu noodles usually do.

[clatterbane]

Oh my. I may be working on my own very literal r/ididnthaveeggs moment here, though I'm not about to start blaming anybody else if the results absolutely suck.

My phone calendar just reminded me again that Mr. C's birthday is, indeed, tomorrow. And I do want to surprise him with a cake again.

Of course, this time I did not plan for that, so it's not going to be even a lazy version of a Swedish berries-and-whipped cream concoction like last year. The best we could do in that department would involve slightly freezerburnt frozen strawberries, and possibly some pudding mix that's been lurking in the cupboard since we moved into this place. I could probably invent something edible with those components, but nah. We kinda need a grocery run or order anyway right now.

Anyway, I thought of this fortuitously timed option, with a rum glaze. Sounds pretty good, and like something he should enjoy well enough.

Only baked as a single small cake, because we don't have cute mini Bundt pans. Also using kefir instead of the smidgen of yogurt, and Scandinavian dark syrup standing in for molasses as usual these days. Both of which should work fine.

Oh yeah, we are also fresh out of eggs. 🤣

I do have some experience with vegan baking. What I do not have much experience with is gluten free eggless baking, and what egg substitutes might work best with the flours I'll be using. Because it does tend to matter.

So yeah, I guess it's some applesauce (which we do have, and should normally work well in a moist spice cake), a little extra butter and baking powder, and some secular version of a prayer. One reason for going for this type of cake is that it should be pretty flexible. At least denser wheaty cakes like this do take well to the applesauce solution, and the added apple flavor could only be good.

Will the texture turn out bizarre? We just don't know! Should taste decent, regardless. At least it shows some effort.

[clatterbane]

Currently throwing together my own mashup of these two recipes:

Fish and Rice (Simple, Yet Heavenly) - Chef Tariq | Food Blog

Fish and rice are two ingredients that compliment one another really well, with all the subtleties of their flavors. A delicious combination

Fish Pulao Recipe by Rahul Narang

Fish Pulao Recipe - A creamy pulao with the freshness of fish! Simple and satisfying, great for a one pot meal.

(Where the second method sounds more like a fish biryiani to me, but hey. I am also sitting in Scandinavia.)

I liked the idea of baking everything like a simple chicken and rice fish, but also liked the idea of more spices today.

We had a 500g bag of frozen Pangassius catfish filets that I wanted to eat, and I didn't feel like frying them. I was also in the mood for rice. Figured something like this should cover multiple bases. It even gave me a good opportunity to repurpose some leftover just spiced raita (no vegetable bits or anything) for the fish marinade.

Seasoned rice and peas are currently prebaking before the fish goes on top. Guess we'll see how this little experiment turns out. Tempted to try taking some baked chicken and rice in a more South Asian pulao direction too at some point, now that I am reminded.

[clatterbane]

Well, for "relatively low carb", read "still involving some leftover fries".

But, that's the non-salad remnants of one mixed kebab plate (because I can never finish the whole thing) in a whole skillet full of eggs and stuff. Yep, one of my newer go-to meals, and a great way to use up kebab remnants: leftovers frittata!

French Fry Frittata-The Most Delicious Way to Use Up Sad, Leftover Fries

Have leftover fries? They’ll never return to their former crispy glory, but that’s no reason to toss them. Instead, turn them in

It doesn't have to be fries, but that is my favorite thing to do with them these days.

Today's version is also getting a fried sliced onion, the little bit of broccoli that was left in the freezer chopped up some and lightly nuked mostly to thaw it out, and a little grated household cheese. Sprinkle of "Greek" herb seasoning on the top.

On the side, planning bagged salad topped with some leftover cucumber salad and more creamy dressing concocted from the leftover garlic-yogurt kebab sauce, and I'll probably also fry up some slices of halloumi from a block we had.

I was actually originally thinking of just having halloumi and eggs, maybe cooked this way, and some salad. But, then I had to go complicating things.

[clatterbane]

Especially after reluctantly resisting the urge to descend on X Falafel while I was out, my own take on something vaguely Middle Eastern and probably involving legumes sounded good for supper.

So, I'm planning to throw together some Swedabilly version of mujaddara, also going less vegetarian than usual to use up the rest of that chicken broth while I'm at it. It should be good.

Mujadara (Lentils, Rice & Crispy Onions) - Chef Tariq

Mujadara is a delicious warming dish of lentils, rice and crispy onions popular in the Middle East. I really do love this dish. It’s easy...

Will that oat "rice" work out OK in there? I don't see why not, but guess we'll find out! I do like to use brown rice a lot of the time anyway, and this is very much in the same space. But, we've got more of the oat stuff on hand right now, and it's even easier on my blood sugar if I am intending to chow down on beans and rice.

May go wild and slice up a couple of spicy sausages to fry up with the onion to cook in there jambalaya style while I'm at it, because why not. We've got a big pack open, and the seasonings should work well enough together.

I am also intending to use commercial crispy fried onions and garlic on top. May not be as good as fresh, but it's good enough and easy.