h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The motto of the Victorian kitchen.

For some time now I've been aware that I've forgotten how to cook properly - from scratch.
Not only were we in my house too poor to afford friends [to paraphrase young 'Bob' in Blackadder II], we were for some years too poor to afford a cooker, and thus depended on that fake food that would be heated up in the ancient microwave that leaked enough radiation to interfere with the pciture on the TV in the next room. Or, curry sauces to do quickly on the hob.
The for some time I had to live off 44 quid a week - which I guess would have been easier if I had a great love of veg. However, I'd developed something of an aversion to them... They made me want to vomit - still do in significant amounts and without something to fool my body that I'm eating something else.
Give me baked potato and within half an hour I'll show you what one looks like after partial digestion.
As a youn'un I'd make my own pizzas, throw together a cottage pie or bake flapjacks, y'know real cooking with real ingredients, actual food. I always enjoyed cooking a roast. But I've lost the skill and the awareness that you absorb without ever really having to learn it of what ingredients go well with what others.
I bought a leek the other day, thinking I might have it with some fish... But I've realised I don't actually know anything about what kind of fish I enjoy or how to prepare one. A honey smoke mackeral takes all the skill of removing the packaging putting it on a plate, a breaded cod you bung in the oven for 20 minutes...

So yeah, I was wondering if people had any favourite recipes I might experiment with...?

I know a bunch of vegetarian ones. What do you like to eat? What sorts of tastes appeal to you?

I like a nice rare organic sirloin steak with saute´d chesnut mushrooms...
Well with plantage...
I like carrots, [a spicy carrot and corriander - chili chowder - crouton crouton, crunchy friends in a liquid broth, I am a gestpachio ooh I am a summer soup ooh miso miso, fighting in a dojo, oriental friends in the land of soup,] parsnips - particularly roast ones, I try to eat cabbage because it's negative calories, butter beans are OK, the occaisional steamed spinach, I don't much like tomatos, I hate beetroot, I eat a fair amount of mushrooms - god I'd like some mexican shroomage - err... peas, sweetcorn, lentils make me vomit, red potatos are nice orasted, new potatos boiled, no baked like I said earlier, I've got this leek I wanna use, not really fond of swedes or turnips. Can't stand brocolli or sprouts... I tend to only eat sald [lettuce, carrots, red, cabbage] in a prawn cocktail or with a chili con carni - like I say unless the stuffs hidden in something I tend throw it up.
It's the same with fruit, it needs to be cooked and served with something else... I like the appricots and rhubbarb and apple crumble...
Allergic to salmon and tuna. I like honey smoked mackeral, peppered mackeral is a bit strong...

Is at all this helpful?

Omelettes are good- I lived off those in college.

Maybe try grilled chicken or a boiled egg on those salads. That makes it pallatable for me. And ditch the iceberg lettuce- it's the worst thing for you, no nutrition at all. Mixed greens, romaine, and baby spinach are better for you, taste better, and only cost a few cents more (here, at least ).

Got an oven? Try cutting baking potatoes into wedges, basting them in italian dressing, and baking them in the oven. When they're done, they're nice and crispy and remind me of chips (your chips, my fries). I do this with sweet potatoes, too.

Spaghetti is good- I have a nice eggplant tomato sauce recipe for fall when all that good stuff is in season.

I want to say, be careful with the fish. I'm not sure how it works, but it seems to me that if you're allergic to one, you might be allergic to more. That said, I do tilapia and mahi mahi on my electric grill basted with soy and ginger.

Fried rice is good, cheap and easy.

I know it's vegetarian, but...

Chop an onion, and a leek. Peel and slice a few potatoes.
Heat a deep pan (not too hot, or the sugars in the onions scorch), add some frying fat (butter, margerine...) and brown the onions and leek.
Add the potatos, cover with water and a cube of instant broth (knorr stuff).

When potatoes are soft you can eat chunky style, or if you have a mixer/food processor / patience, process until smooth(-ish) consistence. With enough broth and onions. Cheap and filling...

Mushrooms: Get big champignons, and break the stem off. Put top down in baking sheet. Mix butter, pressed garlic, salt, some chopped parsley (or buy ready made gralic butter) and put a teaspoon in each mushroom 'bowl'. Bake until butter is melted, mushrooms lightly brown and soft. (Fake escargots)

I look for those ingredient later today.

...and you don't really need a blender to mash potatos.

Stuffed Bell peppers?

USA cup size is an 8floz jug)

*********************

Tuna-Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 large red, green or yellow bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic -- minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup cooked rice
1 can (12-1/2 ounces) tuna -- drained and flaked
1 medium tomato -- chopped or some tomato sauce that comes in jars for pasta type dishes.
1/3 cup corn
1 egg -- beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
chopped parsley

Cut peppers lengthwise into halves. Remove seeds and ribs from peppers.
Place peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain, set aside.

Preheat oven to 375ø F. For stuffing, in a medium skillet saute vegetables with onions and garlic in oil for 3 minutes. Stir in rice, tuna, tomato,corn, egg and seasonings. Cook until heated through. Lightly oil a shallow baking dish. Place shells, cut side up, in dish. Spoon tuna mixture into shells, mounding if necessary.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with cheese and parsley. Bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese is
melted.

YUM!

Sounds yummy, indeed, if it weren't for our Amorphous being allergic to tuna... unless I misremember... Perhaps one can replace with mackerel or quorn?

Oh really?

Well you can use mincemeant(chuck) instead....but cook it first until brown thro...and if you don't like that either just use some other veggies in there..or not.....

Or goat's cheese. Trust me.

Ooh stuffed peppars, haven't cooked those in aeons. Must try that soon.
I didn't make it to the shops the other day so haven't tried Millas serving suggestion. And couldn't find a single onion today, also forgot what I needed apart from the onion and leek when there today... So today I bought some crunchy salad stuff, a pot of organic horse radish and half a kilo of fresh trout, which I'm currently poaching in a broth of water, lemon juice, papper, and some basil leaves with a dash of vinegar. Will serve together. Chefs are probably turning in their graves at this, but I decided to experiment.

Horseradish and trout complement each other bootyfully and this SO organic horseradish is *good* horseradish. Next time I'll make my own sald, this sald in a bag stuff is pretty rubbish.

Only if you get the iceberg lettuce kind

The spring mix or baby spinach is much better- at least around here.

Brief musing on the conversation title: When I was out in Saline Valley over spring break, my prof said this right before he drank the water he was rinsing his bowl with after breakfast.

He had oatmeal.

As unpleasant as that sounds I wonder how fussy you remain after any length of time in the death valley area.

You've reminded me of one of my 'uncles', he and his wife live near Treskillard on the Carn Brea hills and takes his water from the stream behind the house, he doesn't fuss about the bacteria or the fact that those hills are full of white tin veins. They grow there own veg and meat and eat fish fresh from Cornish waters, drink real ale from the local micro brewery, they work hard with the Shire horse and carriage museum and have a beutiful but hard way of life. I wish I was bright enough and tough enough to live that way. They have the largest collection of Omnibuses in the country

Hey, I was out there the same amount of time, and I didn't drink my oatmeal!

White tin... white tin... remind me what's in that besides the obvious?

Nothing. I have a very unreliable memory, at some point I must have gotten have associated the toxicity of organic tin compounds with the heavy metal itself. And never had cause until now to question it.

Nah, I think you were right the first time... there was something in it in association with tin, something that they mined that turned out to be more nasty than tin.



Nah, can't think of it.

Let me know if you recall it. I'd like to know why I've so long regarded tin in the water with getting brain damage.

Ooh! Hey! Lead is found in association with tin, and I'm certain there's some white lead minerals. Maybe that was it.