What did you cook?

Nice! Looks delish.

I don't normally do Thanksgiving turkey, but was given one this year... I spatchcocked it, documented the process for a spatchcock-skeptic-friend, and it turned out great. Only thing I would have done differently is to give it a 5-minute blast at 450F at the end to give a bit more color on the skin. I only spatchcock chicken these days, cook at 375-400F in the oven or pellet grill, and it almost universally gives a perfect 140-145F in the breast as the thigh hits 165-170F. In way less time as well.

And yeah, most people *massively* overcook turkey and chicken. An absolute sin.

Spoiler: Spatchcock!

 

It’s the season!

 

I didn‘t cook nothing but I like these:

 

I didn't really cook this, but we have lots of leftovers from New Year's Day when my wife made maki sushi (amongst other things). Rather then let them go to waste, I threw them together:

Tofu (firm)
Takuan
add: spiced tuba vinegar and calamansi soy sauce (shoyu) to taste

I washed it down with a cold N/A beer (since I'm recovering from an ailment, and alcohol would set me back).

 

Nothing I enjoy more than a good batch of Pollution-free fruit!

 

haha! Literally did not notice that but it’s funny.

 

ha! Just cooked with those exact same pecans from H‑E‑B tonight. Pecan crusted tilapia with a salad that has pecans in it too.

 

that pomelo was really good btw. Best I’ve had in the US.

 

We called that "jabong" where I grew up. I love that stuff. I can pretty much eat the whole thing on my own! Worth the work peeling it, for sure.

 

you mean the pomelo? I really didn’t start eating it until I lived in China where “yòuzi” is a winter time staple. Where did you grow up?

 

We are having a bad storm roll through here in the Bay Area so I had to hunker down with a big pot of pho for the week:

 

Due to my French heritage and growing up in east Texas, I had a lot of exposure to Cajun/Creole food. Truly one of the great cultural treasures of the USA

A bit surprising that there’s a lack of those restaurants in France. I do see a lot of creole but it’s more Caribbean islands or Reunion. Still very good, but not quite the same. This means if I want gumbo, jambalaya or etouffee; I have to do it myself. Decided to make this okra and chicken gumbo



Only used chicken thighs for this one. I started off skin side down to render as much fat as I could. Once the thighs were done I used the chicken fat to make a roux. One interesting thing is that okra is sold under the creole name “gombo” in France, which is likely where the name comes from. From now on every time I make gumbo, okra will be an essential ingredient.

Also I really am trying to perfect vietnamese pickled bean sprouts



This is my third (fourth?) attempt as my first couple ended up moldy. Bean sprouts themselves are water heavy and don’t really have that much that much fermentable content. This throws off the brine concentration and can lead to spoilage. Similar to kombucha requiring sugar, these beans sprouts have carrots, scallions and ginger to promote fermentation. If this fails than I’m boosting my brine to 6%
(note: this part may be moved to another thread)

 

Need to see if I can find pictures of the last time I attempted gumbo and (separately) etouffee.

Agree that even in most of America, Cajun and Creole food is relatively unknown and both are 100% an overlooked cultural treasure of the US. Much less in the rest of the world (at least the places I've been to). Personally, I prefer this stuff over many other US regional cuisines.

OTOH, I also grew up with a lot of exposure to okra and still try to eat it every time I travel to a part of the US where it's available. But so far I still don't like it after 30+ years, regardless of how it's prepared. Even when I make gumbo or etouffee, I typically just leave a few large pieces of okra in there so a little bit of the flavor blends into the "background" and the dish tastes correct, but it's still easy to remove.

 

As someone who lived in Baton Rouge and then in New Orleans for many years, @Cspirou's yummy dinner is bringing back fond memories (and giving me rumbles of hunger).

Gumbo's really hard to get right. I gave up long before getting close to figuring it out. I can get the roux done well but just can't quite get the smoky richness on point. (I can do jambalaya as well as red beans and rice well, though, if I do say so myself).

For anyone interested in trying their hand at southern Louisiana cuisine, check out this great cookbook: https://www.juniorleaguebr.org/fundraisers/river-road-recipes/. Be warned, though, some ingredients are hard to source outside of LA. (Sassafras leaves, @penguins, are my preferred thickening agent for gumbo, they don't have the oleaginous stickiness of okra).

 

Cajun cuisine is probably the only US based cuisine that can claim to be culturally distinct and get a UNESCO designation. Other American foods have a clear link with Europe or Mexico.

Reading up, the reputation seems to be that gumbo is the hardest to master and jambalaya the easiest. Okra does have a slimy texture that not a lot of people like. In gumbo though I find it works because it’s a good thickener and I don’t find it off-putting. Are sassafras leaves the same as filé powder @Tchoupitoulas ?

 

Yes, they are.

Okra does work well in gumbo. It's one way I like of cooking with okra.

 

bro, where in East Texas did you grow up? You were prob more east than me but I grew up in east Texas.

 

I probably grossly misused the term but I grew up in Houston. East Texas was to indicate the proximity to Louisiana

 

ah Ok. I grew up about an hour and a half north in the piney woods but my grandparents lived in Houston.