Text 14103, 123 rader
Skriven 2011-07-30 23:38:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: food expenses 631
=========================
-=> Quoting Michael Loo to Jim Weller <=-

 JW> lamb is more expensive than beef rather than cheaper
 JW> as it ought to be, considering the quality of pasture and amount of
 JW> winter hay they require.

 ML> Properly, lamb shouldn't require pasture or winter hay
 ML> at all, but then it would be very costly indeed.

I was thinking of rough hilly pasturage that doesn't support
cropping or even cattle grazing. With their mild short winters, NZ
and Spanish lamb don't need hay but British ones do and Alberta ones
need hay for several months.

 JW> I just bought a 500 gram chub of frozen minced lamb for $8.88 when a
 JW> whole kilo of fresh ground beef was $4.44! So lamb is a rare treat
 JW> here.

 ML> At those prices, I'd never eat the stuff.

I still do a couple of times a year. A pound of lamb chops at home
is still cheaper than a large steak at a restaurant and I don't eat
out often so I can justify it. Hey, for the price of a Pizza Hut
pizza and salad I can have lobster tails!

 ML> But the pronounced
 ML> flavor of ovine packs more punch than that of bovine, so that
 ML> could be an offset of sorts.

I plan to mix the lamb 50/50 with beef; the resulting patties will
still taste quite lamby.

 ML> Here one can get frozen ones in the shell - they cost
 ML> as much as frozen ones out of the shell, though, making
 ML> them less cost-effective.

Then I am not missing anything!

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Lutefisk
 Categories: Scandinavia, Fish
      Yield: 12 servings
 
      4 lb Lutefisk
      2 qt Water
    1/3 c  Salt
 
  Boiling in water (the traditional way): Slice fish into 2 inch broad
  pieces. Bring water to a boil. Add salt and bring to a boil again. Add
  fish, bring to boil and skim off foam and other junk from surface.
  Cover with a lid. Take your pot away from the heat and let the fish
  "draw" (i.e. just sit in the water) for 5 to 10 min.
  
  NOTE: Lutefisk must be served immediately after cooking, if larger
  portions or more servings are required, repeat cooking process.
  
  Boiling without water. (I have never seen this done). 4 lbs lutefisk 3
  tsp salt. (Particularly suited if the fish has been heavily cured in
  lye). Slice in 2 inch broad pieces. Place in a cold pot and sprinkle
  with salt (max two layers of fish). Place over low heat and cover
  with a lid. Let "draw" for 5-10 minutes.
  
  Baked in oven (probably the easiest). Heat your oven to 375 - 400 F
  (200-225C). Line your baking pan with aluminum foil and place the
  fish, cut into suitably large pieces, on the foil. You can also cover
  the fish with foil. Cook for about 10-15 min. For all of these
  procedures; DO NOT OVERCOOK. The end result depends a lot on the
  quality of the fish.
  
  Now for the personal notes: Where I grew up (Bergen), lutefisk was at
  the absolute bottom of the list of things to eat for kids. Grown-ups
  love it for some reason. To this day I have a hard time with the
  stuff, but I am basically able to eat it with no ill effects when
  socially required. My theory is that the fish tastes at best nothing,
  and that it is the stuff that goes with it that is the main
  attraction. Again, this differs from area to area. In Western Norway,
  it is served with boiled potatoes, boiled green or yellow peas
  (boiled to a mush) and bacon cut into small cubes and fried - the
  bacon cubes are served with the grease, hot. In other parts you will
  find other combinations, the strangest being served with syrup
  (molasses) and rolled in "lefse" which is a special kind of bread/
  cake, serving much the same function as the tortilla. I have never
  tried this, but I have a good and unbelievably sane friend who swears
  by this.
  
  Like I said, personally I think the fish does not taste like much,
  mustard usually helps a little. Also, I should add that beer and
  freezer-cold aquavite are compulsory with it. Believe me, you need
  it. Sorry if I sound a little bit negative, but I blame it on harsh
  childhood memories -- in those days there was no such thing as not
  eating what was served. You did not have to eat a lot, but you should
  eat some. Why do kids get off so much easier these days? The
  procedure for making the stuff from scratch basically involves
  starting with a dried cod, soaking it for 8 days while changing the
  soaking water at least twice a day. Then skin and debone the fish and
  soak in lye (lye in English = lut in Norw.) for about 2 days. Then
  when it has the right consistency, rinse it in cold water for two
  days. I can provide quantitative instructions if you want them, but
  only the real aficionados will make this themselves.
  
  A story to round it off: My friend quoted above is one of those who
  makes his own, and he had company and served it to his guests. One of
  them was taken with the stuff and went home with the recipe all set
  on making it himself. Everything went fine till he got to the
  soaking-in-lye stage, where he had the idea that he could speed up
  things by using twice the concentration of lye. You guessed it --
  next time he looked there was no more fish.
  
  From: Knut Fgri
 
MMMMM

Cheers

YK Jim


... Hang the expense!  Give the canary another seed!

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