The Front Porch Swing

[vehve]

Quote: Her suggestion! She's not very manateelike at 51 kg though.

 

[dpenning]

LOL~ Hey, whatever works for you both. My beloved calls me Pedro....among other things.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: Cumin I should have. How about dried coriander? I don't have chipotle, but I threw in some cayenne pepper and cajun seasoning, along with black pepper and salt. Oh, and paprika too.

What do you guys eat chili with usually? I was thinking of boiling up some rice, and either make a nice herb butter baguette, or eat it in tortillas.

I eat chili in a bowl like a thick soup or stew. As a main course We eat Chili with Saltine Crackers spread with butter. Just to chill out the heat.

Then the chili gets topped at the table with diced onions and shredded sharp cheddar. That way each person can put as much as they want.... Oh and sour cream to dollop on the top.

Instead of crackers I have used:

Sourdough bread spread with butter.

Or my personal favorite is Hoe Cake thats what Grandma Dixon called it. So Ridiculously easy to make Boil water mix with cornmeal (sorry cant find the measurements) the Cornmeal absorbs the hot water and swells and tuns into this ball of dough. Portion it out how ever you want and roll into balls. The smash em about a quarter inch to half inch flat and fry them in Bacon grease... Or corn oil... what ever you have... You can eat Hoe Cakes for any meal or snack.... savory or sweet....

Here is the closest recipe I can find online
http://www.cookingwithk.net/2011/07/old-fashioned-hot-water-cornbread.html

My preferences for chili are sauteed cubed beef or chicken or turkey but in cubes so you can identify the meat.... chili seasonings and pinto beans and a little masa for thickening... there is an all in one package of seasonings and masa you can buy all you have to add is meat and water... I have only just learned an appreciation of tomatoes in chili....

Here is the seasoning package I get in the store.


deb
I try to avoid anything premade, I like knowing what's in my food usually. Yesterday I went with boiled basmati rice, and some garlic-thyme-basil-butter bread. Today I heated some of the chili in the microwave, put it in tortillas, and added some aged emmental, parmesan, creme fraiche and rockets. A bit of a non traditional fajita. Might go with the same stuff tomorrow. I'm too lazy to cook different things every day just for myself when the old lady is gone.
The bag of chili is pretty much Masa, and spices. there is a list on the back. Nothing premade or preassembled. ITs just all pre measured. Not expensive either.




deb

 

[vehve]

Quote: Cumin I should have. How about dried coriander? I don't have chipotle, but I threw in some cayenne pepper and cajun seasoning, along with black pepper and salt. Oh, and paprika too.

What do you guys eat chili with usually? I was thinking of boiling up some rice, and either make a nice herb butter baguette, or eat it in tortillas.

I eat chili in a bowl like a thick soup or stew. As a main course We eat Chili with Saltine Crackers spread with butter. Just to chill out the heat.

Then the chili gets topped at the table with diced onions and shredded sharp cheddar. That way each person can put as much as they want.... Oh and sour cream to dollop on the top.

Instead of crackers I have used:

Sourdough bread spread with butter.

Or my personal favorite is Hoe Cake thats what Grandma Dixon called it. So Ridiculously easy to make Boil water mix with cornmeal (sorry cant find the measurements) the Cornmeal absorbs the hot water and swells and tuns into this ball of dough. Portion it out how ever you want and roll into balls. The smash em about a quarter inch to half inch flat and fry them in Bacon grease... Or corn oil... what ever you have... You can eat Hoe Cakes for any meal or snack.... savory or sweet....

Here is the closest recipe I can find online
http://www.cookingwithk.net/2011/07/old-fashioned-hot-water-cornbread.html

My preferences for chili are sauteed cubed beef or chicken or turkey but in cubes so you can identify the meat.... chili seasonings and pinto beans and a little masa for thickening... there is an all in one package of seasonings and masa you can buy all you have to add is meat and water... I have only just learned an appreciation of tomatoes in chili....

Here is the seasoning package I get in the store.


deb
I try to avoid anything premade, I like knowing what's in my food usually. Yesterday I went with boiled basmati rice, and some garlic-thyme-basil-butter bread. Today I heated some of the chili in the microwave, put it in tortillas, and added some aged emmental, parmesan, creme fraiche and rockets. A bit of a non traditional fajita. Might go with the same stuff tomorrow. I'm too lazy to cook different things every day just for myself when the old lady is gone.
The bag of chili is pretty much Masa, and spices. there is a list on the back. Nothing premade or preassembled. ITs just all pre measured. Not expensive either.



deb
What is masa?

 

[perchie.girl]

What is masa?

Masa or Masa Harina is the corn flour Mexicans use for Tortillas or Corn dough. Used as a thickener in chili. Or for Tamale Pie...OH yumm. And other things.

The flour is made from Hominy which is made from Maize.... or corn.

here is the process from Wikipedia. Masa can be bought dry or wet. My neighbor Maria used to buy her Masa Harina dry and store it with bay leaves mixed in. Keeps the bugs out and gives it an unique flavor... she said.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masa

Being raised in a south living family I grew up on Hominy served as a side dish cooked on the stove with just a bit of water and a tablespoon of bacon grease... and salt and pepper to taste. Or Hominy Grits which is dried Hominy that is ground to about the size of the head of a pin. Hominy grits can be served for breakfast like oat meal and seasoned how ever you would prefer... I like brown sugar and butter and a splash of milk to cool mine down. Or they can be cooked for dinner with chunks of fried bacon and Canned diced tomatoes in it... Or diced fresh. Or even whole stewed tomatoes.... Salt and pepper to taste. Once cooked up they solidify when cooled like polenta does.... Another way to eat it is to take those cooled leftovers and form them into patties and fried in bacon grease.... Breakfast or dinner.

BTW that alkline solution is a form of lye. It can be made from potash. It makes the corn more nutritionally available.... ANd it preserves it. Dry Hominy kernals have a much longer shelf life than dried corn.

deb

 

[vehve]

Quote: Looks like I'll have to check the exotics isle ext time I'm in the supermarket.

 

[topdycke]

What is masa?

I use the Wick Fowlers package to make my Chili too and I add some other things such as corn and jalapeño and diced roasted chills to give it more color and texture. I use sirloin cubed instead of ground beef. We did a chili cook off at work at it was well received. I measured out the ingredients that are included in the bag too but it is just easier to purchase the 'kit'

 

[lazy gardener]

Chili without tomatoes.... Inconceivable!!!!!

 

[Tomtommom]

Looks like I'll have to check the exotics isle ext time I'm in the supermarket.

Grits is very similar to polenta, polenta is just made from whole yellow corn. I actually use grits to replicate semolina pudding like eaten in the Netherlands. It's all pretty close to one another. Semolina is just the wheat version of grits and polenta.

 

[vehve]

Quote: I think corn is grown on a total area of about 400 hectares in Finland at the moment (about 1000 acres), so we don't really use all that much corn. It's not used in livestock feeding at all, and pretty much the only widespread uses are corn porridge for babies, and whole cobs of corn (that are usually sold precooked) grilled in the summer. Most of the stuff used for that is imported, as the corn fields are mostly in experimental stages still. Barley is the most grown crop around here (we make a lot of beer

).