The General Chat Thread

Faith

I've slowcooked some pork chops, but now I have no idea what to do with them! Serve with mash potatoes and some veg, maybe?

Dizzyblonde

It's way too late now but I'd have had them with mash and beans. I love beans with pork chop.

Faith

Oh beans would have been lovely!

I can confirm: Pork chops are still as boring (to me) as they were when I was a kid .

StripedBoxers

Picked up the Jalfrezi, Balti, Rogan Josh and Dopiaza sauces in Aldi. Excited to try them

the beer revolu

Faith wrote: »

Oh beans would have been lovely!

I can confirm: Pork chops are still as boring (to me) as they were when I was a kid .

Not of you get your hands on some good free range pork. The flavour off a plain good pork chop cooked right is awesome.

Faith

the beer revolu wrote: »

Not of you get your hands on some good free range pork. The flavour off a plain good pork chop cooked right is awesome.

That's where I went wrong then. These were from Aldi.

Ann Landers

Faith wrote: »

Oh beans would have been lovely!

I can confirm: Pork chops are still as boring (to me) as they were when I was a kid .

Have you tried frying them on high heat for around 3 to 3.5 minutes each side, no longer*?

I disliked pork chops for years and years, basically because I was overcooking them and they were tough and tasteless as a consequence. I also don't like them oven-baked. But the frying method I describe produces fabulously tasty chops, that have a nice bite but are not tough. And juices that come off them make a great gravy.

I even like them as much as lamb chops now. There's a sentence I never though I'd type! :eek: And I buy them from various places; butchers, Aldi, Spar, wherever!


*except if they're on the bone, they need a bit longer in that case.

Makood

StripedBoxers wrote: »

Picked up the Jalfrezi, Balti, Rogan Josh and Dopiaza sauces in Aldi. Excited to try them

Tesco have a lot of 1/2 price offers on curry sauces and pastes at the moment. Genuine 1/2 price from what I can see. I can't post the pics but if anyone is interested I will put up the photos I took.

StripedBoxers

Makood wrote: »

Tesco have a lot of 1/2 price offers on curry sauces and pastes at the moment. Genuine 1/2 price from what I can see. I can't post the pics but if anyone is interested I will put up the photos I took.

What are the sauces from Tesco like? I generally never buy jarred sauces, but I heard great things about those ones from Aldi so said I'd try them and see.

Makood

StripedBoxers wrote: »

What are the sauces from Tesco like? I generally never buy jarred sauces, but I heard great things about those ones from Aldi so said I'd try them and see.

I mostly make my own curry sauces but they are grand for a quick meal.

Dizzyblonde

Faith wrote: »

I can confirm: Pork chops are still as boring (to me) as they were when I was a kid .

I've given up on them. Our local supermarket sell 2 pork steaks for €6 and they're much nicer.

fiddlechic

The only way I cook pork chops now is this recipe in one of those little good food books -
Bake pork chops for 10-15 minutes depending on size, then spread a mixture of wholegrain mustard, creme fraiche or yogurt and cheddar cheese over them, then put back until all melty, bubbly and going a little brown at the edges.
Really nice.
I generally serve with whatever I have at home: veg, salad, potatoes, whatever's knocking around.

GalwayGuy2

A recipe says to joint a chicken into 16 pieces?

Is that a mistake, I thought the most you can joint a chicken is 8?

Mrs Fox

GalwayGuy2 wrote: »

A recipe says to joint a chicken into 16 pieces?

Is that a mistake, I thought the most you can joint a chicken is 8?

You're right, but recipe must've meant cut chicken into 16 pieces, including jointing.

GalwayGuy2

SO cut each breas into 4 fillets?

Animord

GalwayGuy2 wrote: »

SO cut each breas into 4 fillets?

Whats the recipe? You must have to cut the breast because I can't imagine any other way of doing it? I am guessing that each breast piece is probably to be cut into a similar size as the thigh and wing joints so everything cooks at the same speed.

Mrs Fox

GalwayGuy2 wrote: »

SO cut each breas into 4 fillets?

Work by halving the chicken first - cut the leg off, then joint the drumstick and thigh. Cut each of these in half. You have 4 pieces already.
Joint the wing from the breast, that's 5.
Chop breast into three, that's 8 now.
Repeat on other half and there you go, 16.

GalwayGuy2

It's boiling, then frying, then simmering.

So I have a meat thermometer so that shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks Mrs. Fox

The Hill Billy

I'm delighted to see in The Guardian that Fergus Henderson has been awarded a global lifetime achievement award. Coincidentally, I had only yesterday dug out some marrow bones from the freezer for dinner tonight. Just need to get a nice red to go with it this afternoon.

nialljf

Decided to attempt making baklava today, as baklava is a good thing and there seems to be nowhere in Cork to get any. I never had one before so I riffed on this recipe on BBC Food (I'm not usually one to follow recipes). It turned out to taste good, but there were issues: too dry, nuts should've been chopped smaller, pastry didn't hold together.

Any tips on making baklava?

Dizzyblonde

I've never made it but there's a recipe in the Cooking Club http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=81958212

Gloomtastic!

nialljf wrote: »

Any tips on making baklava?

Head out to Kavos on the island of Corfu. There's a bar there called Chaplins. If the dishwasher there is still Lukia, ask her how to make it.

Used to work there several lives ago. Every few weeks she'd bring some in. Absolute sticky, sweet, nutty, crunchy heaven.

MissFlitworth

Felt really, really, horribly sad and anti-Belgium watching the Congolese episode of Anthony Bourdain(phwoar)'s Part's Unknown but cheering myself up a (tiny) bit eating last nights best-ever chili with margaritas of various strengths and sweetnesses (experimenting with my agave nectar)

Merkin

I'm gutted I won't be around for this, I'd love to enter! I pride myself on making a nice loaf so it would be fun to see how it fares!

http://www.sheridanscheesemongers.com/sheridans-national-irish-brown-bread-competition/

Gloomtastic!

Merkin wrote: »

I'm gutted I won't be around for this, I'd love to enter! I pride myself on making a nice loaf so it would be fun to see how it fares!

http://www.sheridanscheesemongers.com/sheridans-national-irish-brown-bread-competition/

Can't be there either

My Dark 'Irish' Rye Bread would be a winner for sure. Tough judging panel. We went to Chapter One a couple of weeks ago and their bread was nigh on perfect.

Minder

nialljf wrote: »

Any tips on making baklava?

Add the syrup to the baklava straight out of the oven.

The Black Oil

Oh, I've passed that cheesemonger a few times, but not called in. Has anyone, or been to one before?

MissFlitworth

Sheridans? Yes, love them. They have an amazing selection and they are offer tasters! Also, once I was in there and they gave me a free pack of pizza bases because the date on them was short.

The only tiny thing is that I find them really expensive (I wish I had a magic tunnel to the English market and its reasonably priced cheese stalls) so I don't go in that often. Generally can't justify spending €8 on a single goats cheese.

dee_mc

Love Sheridan's, have to limit my visits! It's so great that they offer samples as I love the very most offensive blue cheeses so it's great to try a few before buying, avoids disappointment by underwhelming flavour

Merkin

The Black Oil wrote: »

Oh, I've passed that cheesemonger a few times, but not called in. Has anyone, or been to one before?

Probably one of my favourite shops in the world! They are so generous with allowing you to sample everything and really enthusiastic about what they do. I'm not sure where you are based but besides from the Dublin shop they also have shops in Meath, Galway and Waterford.