Text 2788, 301 rader
Skriven 2006-07-04 01:08:06 av BURTON FORD (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av HAP NEWSOM
Ärende: Re: Coca-Cola Blak
==========================
-> -> -> checked in on our local meat place with the 'kosher' butcher and
got a 
-> few 
-> -> -> sliced bits of beef and some marrow bones.
-> -> -> 
-> -> -> Our little shopping cart came back stuffed to the gills with all
sorts of
-> 
-> -> -> oddiments.  Some more 'odd' than 'normal' for the rest of you
perhaps, 
-> but 
-> -> -> suitable for us here.  It was about 75% fresh veggies and fruits, 
-> -> hn> 10% 'other' 
-> -> -> and 15% meat products.
-> -> -> 
-> -> hn> Our break down is pretty much about the same.
-> -> 
-> -> Should be the same for us all, but I grant USA folks eat way too much 
-> meat and 
-> -> I do too at times.  At home though, I am very simple and sane.  On
the 
-> ship, I 
-> -> have limited options.
-> -> 
-> -> -> The marrow bones will be made up with some of the 'soup shrimp'
into a 
-> -> hn> hearty 
-> -> -> stock that will grace many meals.
-> -> 
-> -> hn> Hearty stock meaning thick? or just full of different flavors?
How do
-> -> hn> it, by adding other things to it or by putting it over something
else?
-> -> 
-> -> Both in this case.  The marrow bones will make it an almost
gelatinous 
-> stock 
-> -> (consomme?) and i'll use simple but deeply flavorful seasonings. 
Thats 
-> -> something i learned in Japan to do.  It's amazing how you can make
'spicy' 
-> -> without any real spices.
-> -> 
-> -> When Michael Loo and Jim Weller talk about fancy cooks, they both say 
-> that the 
-> -> basic stock is the key to any dish going from 'acceptable' to
'sublime'.  A 
-> -> side effect of so many years of crockpot habits, is i know how to
make a 
-> simple
-> -> 
-> -> and inexpensive 'stock' that is so much better than anything you can
get 
-> at a 
-> -> store, there is no comparison.  You can see in my recipes, I imagine?  
-> They 
-> -> wont say 'a can of chicken stock' but instead, a cup or something
like that.
-> -> 
-> -> Oh I cheat sometimes with bullion for beef or chicken, but normally
only 
-> when I
-> -> 
-> -> just got home and Don/Charlotte ate up all I had left them while I
was 
-> gone.  I
-> -> 
-> -> can definately tell the difference in the dish when I have to do
that.
-> -> 
-> -> On making a good stock, for this type (marrow bones and shrimp), I
need 
-> little 
-> -> other than water, bones cut down to 1 inch thick, and the dried
shrimps 
-> which 
-> -> are already spiced.  I will add in whole (unchopped but washed)
kangkoon 
-> as i 
-> -> have that handy but spinach or possibly 'kale' would do as well. 
About 
-> what 
-> -> would be 1 cup if dry and smushed down into a cup?  I leave it whole
as I 
-> may 
-> -> want to take it out after I decant the stock.  I normally store the
broth 
-> with 
-> -> it still in there then remove it on defrosting if it isnt wanted in
the next
-> 
-> -> dish.
-> -> 
-> -> I store the stock in many containers of various sizes. I use masking
tape 
-> -> labels so I can tell what is in each one.  The most useful size for
us is 
-> about
-> -> 
-> -> 3/4 cup in a ziplock baggie but I also use icecube trays when I make
up a 
-> -> bigger batch as thats a really easy way to get just a small amount
for 
-> -> flavoring a vegetable boiling water.  If you see all the recipes that
call
-> for 
-> -> a tablespoon or so of stock, thats how you can most easily do that.
-> -> 
-> Ok, I got it now, and yeah, I used to do a lot of that when we had the 
-> freezer room to keep it and use it as we went! I seldom went out of my
way 
-> for marrow bones however as it added much more fat than I was
comfortable 
-> with...the way you use it, it is a good addition to many dishes! I am
surprised
-> 
-> however that you didn't mention onions in the stock or celery...both of
those 
-> go into almost every stock I make regardless of the other ingredients.
-> 
-> -> What will I do with it?  Since this one is a marrow-bone stock, thick 
-> looking 
-> -> and meaty, I will use it in some hundred or more ways.  Often as a
fat 
-> transfer
-> -> 
-> -> flavor enhancer to a dish that otherwise would be 'vegetarian'.  In 
-> southern 
-> -> USA recipes that call for 'salt pork' I will be using this thick
'consomme'
-> and
-> -> 
-> -> in recipes that just need 'beef broth' I will water it down, add a
touch of 
-> -> MSG, and perhaps a little scraped beef bit such as you would get if
you 
-> -> dehydrate some meat then pulverized it.
-> -> 
-> -> As each stock is somewhat different, this one from the marrow bones
is 
-> not 
-> -> suitable for anything requiring a clear non-fatty broth.  It's also
not one
-> of 
-> -> the ones you try to 'defat' but just accept as is.
-> -> 
-> -> Now for chicken stock, my technique is rather different depending on
the 
-> phase 
-> -> of the moon and my own desires (g).  That will normally be defatted,
with 
-> some 
-> -> of the fat saved for other uses but mostly tossed out.  My cholestrol 
-> control 
-> -> habits have me generate far more chicken fat than is healthy for us
to 
-> eat.  
-> -> Granted the beef marrow broth isnt low on that, but we use it as a
special 
-> item
-> -> 
-> -> and a little goes a long way there.
-> -> 
-> -> 
-> -> hn>   It has to wait though for the baby-crock to 
-> -> -> be empty.  The baby crock is now going with a batch of 'cooking 
-> apples' 
-> -> hn> (little
-> -> -> 
-> -> -> tart bits of heaven, with honey and sugar for now, and later will
add 
-> -> hn> nutmeg 
-> -> -> and cinnimon).  The apples will need to cook down overnight to 
-> be 'right' 
-> -> hn> and 
-> -> -> the resulting slurry will be a lumpy sort of apple filling for
eati
-> -> -> cream or rice.  I've enough to make a nice noshe for a decent
sized 
-> flock 
-> -> -> tomorrow and the word is quietly spreading already...
-> -> -> 
-> -> -> You can hear the flock whispering.. Chicken soup and appled rice..  
-> yumm, 
-> -> hn> lets 
-> -> -> go there tomorrow after the base tour with our parents..  You can
hear 
-> -> hn> one of 
-> -> -> them whispering back 'appled rice?  Gross!' and another giggling
an
-> -> -> 'more for the rest of us then'...
-> -> -> 
-> -> hn> Sounds like something we used to make and yep, we added raisens 
-> too! A
-> -> hn> sometimes even cranberries!
-> -> 
-> -> That would be a good optional addition!
-> -> 
-> -> Meantime, I just added more honey to it.  The slurry developed
perfectly 
-> but 
-> -> was slightly dryer than I like so a bit of honey and a 1/4 cup water
fixed 
-> that
-> -> 
-> -> up.  We are about to take off for the base festival (started
officially 
-> already
-> -> 
-> -> but lasts til 10pm).  Had to hit up a neighbor for some rice as hadnt 
-> realized 
-> -> we were out already.  Asked for a 'couple of cups' and got back about
10 
-> cups 
-> -> of calrose so we dont need to shop for that for another week.
-> -> 
-> -> A little baggie of dried cherries, probably 1/4 cup, showed up as
well but 
-> I'd 
-> -> already added too much nutmeg to match that flavor.  Next batch 
-> perhaps?
-> -> 
-> -> -> Jack's boy Mike has the sweets for Charlotte so he's taking part
in the 
-> -> hn> group 
-> -> -> just to keep his hoodlum in bounds (grin, not to worry, Mike is a 
-> sweetie 
-> -> hn> and 
-> -> -> Charlotte is silently quite happy to have an admirer).
-> -> -> 
-> -> ->                                        xxcarol
-> -> hn> Oh my does THAT bring back memories! 
-> -> 
-> -> Me too!  Oh yes.  Mike's a sweety for sure.  The only fly in the
ointment 
-> (isnt
-> -> 
-> -> there always one?) is his Mom.  She's a bit prejudiced and Charlotte
is a 
-> -> little too 'white' for her tastes.  Product of her times (black lady
with
-> blue 
-> -> eyes and probably suffered a bit of teasing as a kid over it).  She's 
-> otherwise
-> -> 
-> -> cool people, just a bit disgruntled when it's her 'own kid' but she
shows 
-> -> healthy signs of getting over it.
-> -> 
-> Well that's good, growing up all over the world as I did on military
bases it 
-> was hard to survive if you were prejudiced...there were simply too many
"mix 
-> and match" families in the military and you had all sorts of
combinations of 
-> kids in school with you....and it's unreasonable to expect kids to not
play
-> with 
-> kids! When we came back to the US in the mid 60's, I had a hard time 
-> understanding the civil rights movement....cause overseas it was a non
issue 
-> for military kids, we all went to school together, dances together,
sports 
-> together, trips together etc etc......totally integrated and very very
few 
-> problems at all....when I got back to CONUS I was surprised that it
wasn't 
-> that way everywhere...happily it WAS that way here in Washington and I
just 
-> slipped back into American Culture.
-> 
-> -> Me?  I wish I had had a boyfriend with Mike's deep blue eyes! He's
also as 
-> well
-> -> 
-> -> behaved as any mom with a 12 yearold daughter could wish.  (hush, 
-> Charlotte is 
-> -> still primping!  Changed shirts 3 times already looking for just that
right 
-> -> 'look' so she can safely ignore poor Mike while driving him batty at
the 
-> same 
-> -> time).
-> ->                                        xxcarol
-> -> 
-> Poor kid don't know what he's in for (grin) Poor Don too! I remember
what it 
-> was like to have all those rascals coming up to the door! Tell him to
get a 
-> Samurai sword and practice sharpening it when they come around! 
-> Chat with you soon!
-> hap 
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---
'Til we read again. Burt               /~~.
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