Month: March 2014

The Sandwich Diaries ~ Egg Salad

Published by platefodder

Alright, I’m a fan of mayonnaise-based sandwich spreads. Why? Because I’m basically a lazy person. Nothing says quick eats than slicing some of that tangzhong bread, opening a container and spreading on a little (or a lot… in my case) of some ready-made spreadable stuff… Easy peasy – lunch is done. Besides, these days I’ve taken to making my own mayonnaise since I can’t find a full bodied, soy-free mayo that doesn’t taste like Miracle Whip mixed with cole slaw dressing. (I’m more the tart Duke’s, or Hellman’s kind of guy). And while I’m at it… that’s something else that’s kinda cranking my rice krispies.. so to speak. Why can’t companies that do make  a canola oil based mayo, simply use the exact same recipe as their regular mayo – and just substitute the oils. They never do. They want to monkey around with the formulation – change the ingredients – make it sweeter……. As though the American diet doesn’t already have enough sugar floating around in it. Any who…. I’m making my own… … …

One from Column “A” ~ Sweet and Sour Fish

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I’ve seen it anywhere from something resembling savory fruit cocktail with chicken in it, to  what I’m absolutely sure was cherry pie filling with meat. Here’s the thing – by and large, “Sweet and Sour anything”  in almost every Asian food establishment is , well… dreadful. Either the: The sauce is gloppy… and red,  the vegetables are in much too large of chunks to be easily managed, the fried coating on the meat turns spongy when it hits the sauce,  or there’s pineapple (ergh) in it. Not that I dislike pineapple, I just don’t want something that’s already too sweet having yet another sweet / sharp component it the mix. So, what’s a fella to do? He  puts on his big boy apron and makes his very own. A couple of things you’ll notice about the recipe – The coating for the fried fish is a dry coat. I’ve found it works best when adding the cooked protein back to the sauce to keep the fish somewhat crispy. The sauce isn’t red, on purpose. I think …

Test Kitchen – The Fake Soy Sauce Reparation

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Well, when we last left our hero and heroine – they had tracked down the source of a great many of Jane’s problems to certain food ingredients and combinations. At the time of the Train Ride  to Crazytown, we had only tested Soybean oil as a culprit. As it turned out – any food even barely kissed with any part of the soy bean does a number on her. Which means… No Tofu, No Soy Flour, No Soy…well, anything – in any amount. And that meant no soy sauce… which (if you’ve seen 99% of my recipes) is a problem. Doing my research, I came across Raw Coconut Aminos as a possible substitute. Made from fermented coconut pulp, it was supposed to be the answer. And – in all fairness – if you aren’t dealing with the issues we are, then it probably would work perfectly well for you as a “No Soy” soy sauce…. even if the after taste is a tad coconutty. (just make a lot of Polynesian dishes with it) Our problem was …

Bread Whore – The Hirohito / Mussolini Method

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In another time, I might have given the dough a kinder, more compassionate name. But with that Cold War machine out there priming the pump, I’m feeling a tad evil. Generally speaking, this is the focaccia recipe from last month. – but – after making my usual weekly loaf of Hokkaido style TangZhong bread, I had 1/2 of the cooked roux left over. So… I says, “hmmm…. wonder what this would do in the focaccia recipe?” and, “What if I tweaked it and made pizza crust with it too?” So, I did. Axis Powers Pizza / Focaccia Dough Makes 1 Focaccia and 1- 20″ Pizza Ingredients 2 1/4 Cups Bread Flour 1/3 Cup TangZhong Cooked Roux (click through the linky to get the preparation on it) 1 Tablespoon Dry Yeast 1 Teaspoon Salt 1 Tablespoon Sorghum Syrup (or Barley Malt Syrup) 1 Cup Hot Water 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 1 Tablespoon Garlic Infused Oil To make a Focaccia: Follow the focaccia procedure as you would for a  normal loaf. To make Pizza Dough: after kneading  with …