Food

[Dan R]

Have you ever had less expensive sushi, where they put a little piece of plastic leaf next to the fish? That is meant to imitate shiso leaf, which the better sushi places will use on the plate as a palate cleanser. It tastes like a cross between mint and parsley, with a hint of anise.

That is a good fun fact indeed. The place we go to has the best sushi I have tasted in several states, but none of it is offered with shiso leaf. That is why we come here, to learn!

Dan

[Henry Krinkle]

These are some of the best store bought hot sauces I have ever tasted. None of that burnt undertone or the vinegary-ness one often finds. Scotch bonnet hot, bright, fruity.

The papaya version went into the Jamaican style bbq sauce (hot, sweet, fruity) that adorned these chicken legs. This was the first al fresco meal of the year and none too soon.

[geoffbot]

Nothing like dining alfresco. That's why I'd prefer to live in a country with some sunshine once in a while.

[Dan R]

Deboned a pork shoulder, tied it up, and used a Caribbean jerk spice. Here is the before pic:



Then took it out and smoked it on a Big Green Egg for over six hours.



Sliced it thin and served as Cuban sandwiches.

Quite good!

Dan

[Raza]

Anyone have any tips for cooking chicken meatballs?

[geoffbot]

Anyone have any tips for cooking chicken meatballs?

I read that as children meatballs initially - I thought it was a joke, hence the like.

[skywatch]

I read that as children meatballs initially - I thought it was a joke, hence the like.

I like children meatballs, especially when free-range and marinated for a few hours before preparation.

[skywatch]

Anyone have any tips for cooking chicken meatballs?

Is nobody taking your request seriously, Raza? OK, are you planning to make these from scratch? Want some ideas for a recipe? OK, here are some ideas:

Meatballs (adjust quantities to taste):
In a food processor blend:
raw ground chicken thigh meat (more moist than breast meat)
white rice - cooked
2 eggs
salt, pepper to taste
dry tarragon
dry sage
chopped onion (1/2 to whole depending on quantity)
1 chopped garlic clove or garlic powder
fresh parsley, chopped (dry will work)

To test or adjust the flavors of a meatball, you can use the "Jimmy Dean" method a chef once showed me. The name refers to those breakfast sausage patties, which resembles this shape. Heat a frying pan with a bit of oil, take a small scoop of the meatball blend, flatten it onto the pan, flip after the first side is cooked, finish frying and use this sample to taste for adjusting spices or ingredients in the meatball. It saves a lot of mistakes this way.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and preheat oven to 375ºF. Prepare a baking sheet with some oil. Form small golf-ball circles of the meatball mix and drop them into the boiling water. Remove them with a slotted spoon a few minutes after they float, and place on a rack to drip for a moment. Once the meatballs are all par-boiled, place them on the cookie sheet and brown in the oven for ~20-30 minutes until exterior is slightly caramelized. Once the batch is done, you can freeze the extras for future meals.

These would be excellent on a pasta with béchamel sauce, a bit of Parmesan and sage butter for example.

Does this help?

[Henry Krinkle]

Also, don't overwork the meat or the meatballs will be dense and gluey and don't overcook the meatball, or it will be very dry.

Salt breaks the meat fiber down, so the longer the salt is in the mixture the less defined the meat texture will be. When we still bought ground meat we once got a package of ground chicken that was almost like chicken wiener filling. I suspect they had salted the chicken well before grinding. We salt just before cooking.

[skywatch]

Also, don't overwork the meat or the meatballs will be dense and gluey and don't overcook the meatball, or it will be very dry.

Indeed quite true! That's one reason I recommend dark meat - it's more moist in the context. The onions help keep it juicy as well. Indeed it's best to grind up the blend only enough to combine and chop the ingredients together, not to emulsify them. Pulsing the food processor helps control that.