Text 2463, 147 rader
Skriven 2008-02-14 20:51:37 av Ruth Haffly (1:396/45.28)
     Kommentar till en text av Janis Kracht
Ärende: Grass-Fed beef                                           [1]
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Hi Janis,

>> 5 hours is a long time for a pot of marinara sauce though.. Normally,
>> when I make plain marinara I cook it on the stove top for 15 minutes,

 JK> > Steve's mom always did (does) her sauce for a long time so he grew
 JK> up on > that flavor.  There is a definate taste differece between a
 JK> shorter
 JK> > cooked one and the longer cooked; he likes the longer cooked so

 JK> Hmm.. yes, but I think it's the type of tomatoes used, really.  The
 JK> whole tomatoes that are pre-smashed (g) in the blender will cook down
 JK> really well. the paste gives it body... I usually use 1 can of paste
 JK> and 1  "paste can" of water to 1 can of tomatoes, unless I want less
 JK> body, then I just use a few tablespoons of paste and no water. Then,
 JK> it's the seasonings and the cooking that does it, true :)  But as you
 JK> know, it's all a matter of taste (g).

Yes, and what one person likes, another may not. The original recipe
from Stve's mom had about 3 to 3 1/2 cans of water to paste; I've cut
the water down to 2, 2 1/2 or 3, depending on how long I'm cooking it
and how much attention I know I can give it.  From her original
reccommendation of a teaspoon each of parsley, basil, oregano, salt and
garlic powder & half a teaspoon of black pepper, I'll do a good healthy
sized pinch (somewhwere around a teaspoon and a half). I'm buying the
green herbs in bags & keep them in the fridge.  The garlic powder (if
I'm not using fresh garlic) is dumped until it looks/smells good, the
black pepper is several twists of the grinder full of mixed peppercorns
and the salt is eliminated.  I do have grinders full of sea salt and
Hawaiian ONO seasoning (salt and several spices) but don't use any for
my sauce.


 JK> I get inundated with them haha.. my own fault though as I generally
 JK> plant a whole bed of them... I know the kids are going to swipe as
 JK> many as they can when they come to visit :)

 JK> the > years she can't, she has enough carry over to go thru the second
 JK> winter, > provided my youngest sister doesn't raid the stock too

 JK> Yep, that happens here as well (g). I don't usually mind as I have so
 JK> many.

At some point in the future I may have that again. When we did grow
them, in order to have enough to make a batch of salsa, I'd skin and cut
up the ripe ones, then freeze them until I had the amount I needed.
Saved a step later on too. (G)


>> dumping the entire contents immediately in the blender, process for a
>> minute or two (could be longer because the tomatoes are already
>> "small"ish)... and then add it to the olive oil and garlic in the pan.
>> That might take care of the problem.. If you miss the "chunkyness"

 JK> > That might work but I'd probably give it a minute, max, as these are
 JK> > small enough chunks already. I might hold back some to give the
 JK> sauce a > bit of chunkyness.  Maybe cook them down a bit before adding

 JK> Yep, that sounds like a plan :)  I love to make chicken and sausage
 JK> sauce.. so I cook down the tomatoes first so that they were really
 JK> cooked down well (in my microwave), then proceed.. because the chicken
 JK> and sausage don't take that awfully long to cook.. the results are

I'd rather stove top cook the tomatoes; I'm in there stirring them every
few minutes anyway. (G)

 JK> >As long as I've known her, I think my
 JK> > MIL has just used canned tomato sauce, paste and puree or crushed.
 JK> I've > been the maverick as I think all of my sisters in law do the
 JK> same kind > of sauce as my MIL. (G)

 JK> Lol, isn't that a trip :)  Well, just so you don't feel alone in your
 JK> maverickness (g), most of my Aunt's normally were not all as good
 JK> cooks as my Mom, and used to use bottled tomato sauce.. I still
 JK> remember teasing my aunt Mimi about RAGU!! (laugh).  That was some bad
 JK> stuff :)  When they'd come to our house, the exclamations were always
 JK> incredible.

We've resorted to the jarred sauce a few times but yes, it is not the
same taste. Even doctoring it up will not disguise the underlying taste.
But, when you've got all your regular stuff on a boat between here
& there, it (sort of) works. Steve, when he's been on his own (military
assignments), has used it a few times but is always glad to come back to
my home made.


>>> Italian green peppers are funny shaped :)  Rather than the bell shape

>> > I think I've seen them from time to time but more often not. They're

>> Sounds good.  They're very good with sausage :)

 JK> > We're having sausage, pepper and onions for supper tonight. (G)

 JK> Hope you enjoy it :)  I'm waiting to hear from a farmer here about

We did; I also added mushrooms and garlic.


 JK> buying a half a pig, and a half of a cow.. I'm not sure if we'll get
 JK> that much of each, but he's supposed to let me know the cost.  He's
 JK> selling them for like
 JK> $1.25 a pound for pig and 2.10 a lb. for the beef.  I have no idea
 JK> what the totals will be like so I'm anxiously waiting.  I've made
 JK> sausage before, and it was really good, so I'm hoping to do that

We bought a whole pig in 1980 (a few weeks before Deborah was born), had
it cut up but we did all the wrapping for the freezer.  It lasted a good
long while and we had lots of good eating.  The best pie crusts I ever
made were from the lard we got. Steve also made scrapple.


 JK> > Was yours the James Beard on how to do about everything? I don't

 JK> Boy, I can't remember either.. I've looked for it, but haven't seen
 JK> it, but to me I don't remember it being that all inclusive of a
 JK> cookbook in the way that the JOC is..

It's a simple title--The James Beard Cook Book"--mine has an original
text copyright of 1959, new illustrations copyright 1961.  It's not all
comprehensive as JOC in that he doesn't deal with canning and such like
but he does do a good job of basic learn by doing cooking. In his
foreward he starts by saying "This is a basic cookbook. It is intended
to help two sorts of people: first, those who are just beginning to cook
and......can't boil water, and second, those who have been trying to
cook for a while..........wondering why.....don't taste like mother's
cooking or the food in a good restaurant."


>>> Sure, know what you mean. I generally stayed away from Betty's

>> > It's good for some things but not a lot. Do not use its directions
>> for > cooking shrimp!


>> CONTINUED IN NEXT MESSAGE <<

---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly@earthlink.net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


... Not all questions worth asking have answers...

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