tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post7166842759539805751..comments2024-03-20T12:34:55.100-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: TomatoesJim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-46104995346961023482015-05-16T22:35:33.310-05:002015-05-16T22:35:33.310-05:00My dad grew up in the depression and was forced to...My dad grew up in the depression and was forced to eat stuff. Consequently, he didn't want his children to have the same experience, so if we didn't like it we didn't have to eat it. You did however, have to find and fix your own substitute meal. Anything he didn't like was strictly forbidden. No boxed or instant stuff, and especially no spam or canned fruit cocktail, the air base supply lines in Vietnam got cut off and that's all they had to eat for months.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-81084178435749806582015-05-15T10:19:03.117-05:002015-05-15T10:19:03.117-05:00As i understand it, Hamburger, in The US, means Mi...As i understand it, Hamburger, in The US, means Minced Beef to us Brits. Over here Hamburger is the finished Patty. We really didn't get into 'Burgers over here until 1954, when Wimpys(tm) opened. (http://www.wimpy.uk.com/) Named after The Popeye character Wimpy I believe. They bear absolutely no relation to The US version. I know we Brits have a reputation for taking food and sucking all the flavour out and then boiling it to death! This is what a Wimpy 'Burger is, unbelievably they are still going strong.<br /> My Father was an excellent cook, who had served as a liaison officer with The US 7th Air Force in Italy during WW2, where he had got a great recipe for home made 'Burger Pattys, from his tent mate a native Iowan of German descent . So I had a very good idea what a decent burger should taste like.<br /> Now this preamble is building up to our State Schools version. They came in cans, huge cans with no labels just a printed legend, in a Tomato Gravy (sorry Jim). I'm sure they where left over war surplus, I can smell and taste them as I write. They were one of the most vile things that our local schools served up, tainted with a tinny flavour, and the most revolting gravy in Christendom, in shades of grey. I've got to stop as I'm beginning to dry heave. <br /> <br /><br /> My Dads Home-made Hamburger Mix<br /><br />1lb Lean beef mince or 8oz/8oz pork and beef mince<br /> 1 Egg<br /> 2 Medium Sweet red onions (Optional for those of you that hate them or a good handful of Chives, also optional)<br /> 4oz Fine grated Extra Mature Cheddar (Monterey Jack or Parmesan are good substitutes) <br /> 2/3 Grated Garlic Cloves (Optional)<br /> 1 Small Mild Chilli (Optional)<br /> 1 Tablespoon Tomato or Mushroom Ketchup<br /> 2/3 Tablespoons of Fresh Breadcrumbs<br /> 1 Teaspoon of Fresh or Dried Mixed Herbs<br /> Salt ,Pepper and Worcestershire Sauce To your Taste<br />Miix the mince in a large bowl, with the egg, cheese, herbs, salt and pepper, if you like a nice brown crispy 'Burger don't use the salt.Fine chop the onions and chilli then fry the onions and chilli in some good oil, any cold pressed oil will do, until they are translucent. Add to bowl and mix well with the ketchup and herbs. (If you are using chives, add these now). Last of all add the breadcrumbs, sufficient for it to be easy to form the pattys. You should be able to get 6 to 8 pattys from this amount. They are good, grilled, shallow fried, barbecued, griddled or hot smoked. I've used all 5 cooking methods, there are all equally good. This is a good basic recipe, I've left things out when I've realised I didn't have all the ingredients and added things, the limit is your imagination. My partner Carole uses the same recipe but substitutes Turkey Mince. I some times add Mustard or Horseradish instead of The Chilli.<br /><br /> Courtesy of My Late Father, Ernest "Bill" Hockley.Long Ben Averyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12382408372788942193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-26023127767681787022015-05-12T21:39:47.228-05:002015-05-12T21:39:47.228-05:00I'm going to chime in here, see.. Tomatoes......I'm going to chime in here, see.. Tomatoes... are NIGHTSHADES.. you know - Beware the deadly nightshade ? They are TOXINS... at least to some folks. Currently I'm deadly allergic to those toxic red balls of cheer. Worse is that the plant family includes : potatoes, peppers of the type listed above, eggplant and tobacco. It's a challenge to avoid these things most of the time but I now have worked around the evilness which is tomato. I have recipes for many "tomato" based dishes that do not include the deadly things. So next time someone trys to force you into eating them... point out that they really are the deadly nightshade. :-) Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09359284218237107410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-50858649175034588262015-05-12T17:16:44.677-05:002015-05-12T17:16:44.677-05:00One for you and your wife Jim a tomato free recipe...One for you and your wife Jim a tomato free recipe for Goulash, courtesy of The Guardian UK's Felicity Cloake.<br /><br />Felicity Cloake's perfect goulash<br />(serves 4)<br />600g shin of beef (or chuck steak if unavailable)<br />3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika<br />1 tbsp flour<br />1 tsp salt<br />1 tsp caraway seeds<br />2 tbsp lard<br />2 onions, thinly sliced<br />1 green pepper, cut into rounds<br />Juice of 1 lemon<br />150ml sour cream (optional)<br />Chives (optional)<br /><br />Cut the beef into large chunks. Mix the paprika, flour, salt and caraway seeds together in a bowl then add the beef and toss to coat. Heat the oven to 140C/gas mark 1.<br /><br />Melt the lard in a heavy-based casserole dish over a medium-high heat, and then brown the meat in batches, being very careful not to crowd the pan. Remove when golden and crusted, and set aside.<br /><br />Scrape the bottom of the pan and add the onions and pepper, adding a little more fat if necessary. Cook until soft and starting to brown, then pick out the peppers and set aside. Stir the remaining flour and spice mixture into the onions and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring. Return the beef to the pan and add water just to cover. Scrape the bottom of the pan again, then put in the oven for 2.5 hours.<br /><br />Stir the peppers and lemon juice into the goulash and cook for another half hour, or until the meat is very tender - you can remove the lid to let the sauce reduce if you like. Check the seasoning, then dollop the sour cream, if using, on top of the goulash and snip the chives over it all before serving with crushed boiled potatoes or egg noodles.<br /><br />Enjoy! This is to make up for you having to read my Ketchup recipe. Long Ben Averyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12382408372788942193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-43312846185343072052015-05-12T16:10:14.587-05:002015-05-12T16:10:14.587-05:00I love tomatoes too, I also love Tomato Ketchup th...I love tomatoes too, I also love Tomato Ketchup though. My favourite is my home made recipe, take half a pound of red onions and garlic to taste. Chop fine and slowly fry in a good olive oil with mixed fresh herbs, whichever ones you like, until they are just beginning to turn and stick. Take a pound and a half of skinned tomatoes, the best you can afford,chopped and very ripe, and add to the onions with all the juice from the cutting board. Add Worcestershire Sauce and allow to stew slowly after about 20 minutes add half a cup of the best white balsamic vinegar you can afford. Add honey to taste, you can leave it out if the balsamic is sweet enough for you. Slowly reduce until the mixture starts sticking. Push through a sieve, return to the heat until it just boils. Bottle in sterilised glass jars. You can play around with the basic recipe. I like to use crushed pepper and roasted celery seed, and when Chillies are in season I'll put some in. Play with the basic recipe until you come up with one that suits your taste. You can freeze it if you make a lot. It stays good in the fridge for three to four weeks. Sorry for making you read this gag inducing comment Jim. Long Ben Averyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12382408372788942193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-34892700732791220532015-05-12T14:37:26.297-05:002015-05-12T14:37:26.297-05:00I had a teacher do the same to me with rhubarb!I had a teacher do the same to me with rhubarb!Long Ben Averyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12382408372788942193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-22275408825081693832015-05-12T14:36:18.999-05:002015-05-12T14:36:18.999-05:00They've been breeding a much sweeter Brussel S...They've been breeding a much sweeter Brussel Sprout, as I found out listening to Radio 4, (kind of The British equivalent of PBS) the ones I remember from my youth were very peppery when eaten raw. My brother hated them but my parents used to cook them for every Sunday Lunch, from the first frost (my Mother said they tasted better then), to the last frost of Spring. My brother hated them and still does. Myself and my brother were served first so we'd have our dinners placed in front of us and I'd eat my bother's serving, leaving my own until later. then my parents would come through from the kitchen and always believed that my brother loved them so much he couldn't wait for them to sit down. This persisted right up until shortly before my Father died when we finally owned up to what we'd been up to for over 50 years. He took it quiet well considering.Long Ben Averyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12382408372788942193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-38369933113012100932015-05-11T23:45:25.361-05:002015-05-11T23:45:25.361-05:00I suppose being well traveled, you are aware that ...I suppose being well traveled, you are aware that there is a soup called Hungarian Goulash, which is actually quite good. But I think it has only an extremely limited amount of tomato.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-6837163690488535262015-05-11T11:23:01.962-05:002015-05-11T11:23:01.962-05:00What a wonderful love story! I wish you and your ...What a wonderful love story! I wish you and your wife many years of tomato-free bliss.<br /><br />My food of loathing? Pickled beets. I have learned to tolerate the smell because my husband loves them. But a small taste will immediately trigger my gag reflex. Other foods that he likes are broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower. When the situation requires it, I can choke these down while hiding my distaste, but otherwise I avoid them. Luckily, my husband and I can bond over other things.BeaconOfLifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777779105621929997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-77125323939738855732015-05-11T10:52:07.958-05:002015-05-11T10:52:07.958-05:00I'm reading this next morning, over my second ...I'm reading this next morning, over my second cuppa.<br />And I've got one question, Jim.<br /><br />How the hell did this comment thread turn into an orgy of Brussels Sprouts recipes? "No, no. You're REALLY gonna like 'em this way! Have an open mind."<br /><br />Frigging Brussels Sprouts?!? ["No, no. Just TRY these. You're really gonna like 'em!"]<br /><br />I don't care HOW much garlic, or lemon juice or, yes, even bacon you mix with these bastards. They're still gonna taste like sweat sox.<br /><br />And I live not far from where they grow 'em. I've had 'em fresh off the stalk, just hours away from the field. I've had 'em smothered under the most wonderful cheese sauce a french chef could imagine. I've even had 'em stir fried with tomatoes. ["No, no. Just TRY these. You're really gonna like 'em!"]<br /><br />Hell, I don't HAVE to taste 'em. The smell of them cooking already drove me out of the house. By all that is holy and American, who the hell declared this a food?AC Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017899139034874138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-78431454494678450322015-05-11T01:01:58.265-05:002015-05-11T01:01:58.265-05:00Brussel sprouts that tasted like turpentine. The g...Brussel sprouts that tasted like turpentine. The goulash was a blessing by comparison.R. Anthony Steelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02360569752081330836noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-17018642467028427892015-05-10T22:11:06.188-05:002015-05-10T22:11:06.188-05:00When eldest nephew (my age) graduated from Navy Ba...When eldest nephew (my age) graduated from Navy Basic at Great Lakes, I helped drive up for the graduation, along with his younger brother, mom, dad, and grandma. We camped out for a couple of days to visit, then finally left him his van (which he'd left at home at first) and set out for home all shoehorned into grandma's 2-door Dodge Dart, which we'd towed up behind the van, for the trip home. Before setting out, we all had a special breakfast of scrambled eggs and chorizo sausage. Tasty. First time any of us had had it. Younger nephew and I were in the back seat of the car, being buffeted by the 2-60 A/C on the highway when we discovered that younger nephew's gut was NOT happy about the chorizo. Even with both windows open, that kid just about drove us all out of the car, and came close to peeling the paint off the OUTside of the car. The drive up was 16 hours. The ride home was infinitely longer.<br /><br />Gretchen in KSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-34714934875581149902015-05-10T21:42:21.189-05:002015-05-10T21:42:21.189-05:00My husband had that gag reflex to Brussels sprouts...My husband had that gag reflex to Brussels sprouts. I like them, at least if they haven't gone bitter. He loved artichoke. I abhor those. I cooked Brussels sprouts for myself on those days he insisted on an artichoke. I figured one bad odor cancelled another.<br />Lee Ihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15721969338069074639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-82869433947380981242015-05-10T21:41:58.986-05:002015-05-10T21:41:58.986-05:00Count me among the no-raw-tomatoes crowd. I do, ho...Count me among the no-raw-tomatoes crowd. I do, however, like ketchup on some things, and pizza with moderate, non-chunky sauce on it. Spaghetti, ehhh, gotta have plenty of parmesan cheese. But to be fair, the awful dish that my mother made that I could not choke down had hamburger, and cabbage, and sour cream, and I'm not sure what-all else, but it was just nasty. Granted, mom isn't any sort of great cook, but that one was just wrong.<br /><br />Gretchen in KSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-8912787106860319792015-05-10T19:46:36.820-05:002015-05-10T19:46:36.820-05:00I happen to love tomatoes, but that goulash stuff ...I happen to love tomatoes, but that goulash stuff would turn my stomach, too!Purple Puffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03037112971070429790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-10908660502527762322015-05-10T18:56:50.848-05:002015-05-10T18:56:50.848-05:00As a kid in Maine during the 60s, we ate the elbow...As a kid in Maine during the 60s, we ate the elbow macaroni, hamburger cooked w/onions and canned stewed tomatoes and they called it American Chop Suey. This was one of the better dishes served. The one that turned my stomach was a little gem called Tuna Casserole...absolutely disgusting. Still looking for the man who would reject said "dish" ! Great post !Janet In Parishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02462429407451437710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-77586043721460583362015-05-10T18:41:16.004-05:002015-05-10T18:41:16.004-05:00That kind of reaction could mean you are both alle...That kind of reaction could mean you are both allergic to tomatoes. Nice column. My husband and I met through a newspaper ad, got married 8 months later and have been married 23 years.Ysne58https://www.blogger.com/profile/14311082346834342881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-50615585106538336392015-05-10T18:38:29.170-05:002015-05-10T18:38:29.170-05:00My mom was normally a pretty good cook, but her sp...My mom was normally a pretty good cook, but her spaghetti was suspiciously like your Hamburger Goulash. (And she was from Maine!) Just swap out the elbows for spaghetti. It was those damnable green peppers; she chopped them up into teeny tiny little bits too small to pick out. Nasty. To this day I won't eat anything with green peppers in it. She, also of the Depression survivor persuasion, would make us sit at the table until the stuff was eaten; if we didn't eat it we got it for breakfast - AND, the piece de resistance - if we didn't eat it for breakfast she sent it to school with us for lunch! As we got older we started to rebel. My brother simply refused one night and she was so offended she upended the plate on his head. But you know what, she never made that spaghetti again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-81584497492332922572015-05-10T18:26:32.966-05:002015-05-10T18:26:32.966-05:00I've always liked Brussels Sprouts but my wife...I've always liked Brussels Sprouts but my wife, children and grandchildren wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.<br />A few months before my wife passed away I tried a different method of cooking them.<br />Fried in hot oil until the outer leaves are charred. Discard the outer leaves and the rest is surprisingly sweet Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09625558096522781091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-57694978854233417342015-05-10T16:56:41.605-05:002015-05-10T16:56:41.605-05:00One of the great joys of being an adult is not hav...One of the great joys of being an adult is not having to eat stuffed cabbage or stuffed peppers. We had them at least once a week (and sometimes twice), cooked in an insipid, watery tomato sauce. Proper tomato sauce is opaque, sticks to a spoon and has no discernible seeds. And worse still, these overcooked stuffed vegetables were served with mashed potatoes with tasteless tomato water spooned over them, staining them a pale pink, just enough to destroy the tolerably bland flavor of the potatoes. Mashed potatoes are only edible when thoroughly covered in a meaty gravy. Give me a lake of gravy and I will eat and even enjoy mashed potatoes. But nothing can redeem the stuffed cabbage or pepper.Sandy Tomeziknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-75654823516993400862015-05-10T16:49:56.708-05:002015-05-10T16:49:56.708-05:00Who says Jim can't write well? Love this. Who says Jim can't write well? Love this.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-78890762026740264632012-07-09T20:24:48.679-05:002012-07-09T20:24:48.679-05:00I am from the everything-fried-with-white-gravy-on...I am from the everything-fried-with-white-gravy-on-it part of the country. Our family goulash recipe had all the above mentioned items, plus canned corn. It would be hard to imagine an actual food item that looked or smelled more like vomit. But I would eat that revolting stuff any day, if my other option was the "salmon patties" made with canned salmon, mayo and cornmeal. Cat food covered in sand.MsBeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01431020610960319162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-50780177899347137472012-05-28T14:58:19.653-05:002012-05-28T14:58:19.653-05:00I like tomatoes, but my father's side of the f...I like tomatoes, but my father's side of the family made this Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsch) abomination called "Stutz". Go ahead, do a recipe search on Stutz. Nothing except recipe links to people with the last name of "Stutz". This was the ultimate in poor people food. My father and his many brother's would go into rapture at the mention of "Stutz" I, as a child, could NOT choke it down.<br />Recipe follows - take whatever bread, stale or otherwise, you have laying around and cube it, then fry it (only a little, mind you, wouldn't want to do anything that might add flavor) in whatever grease you have on hand. Lard is preferred, but not required. Put it on a platter. Now take COLD stewed tomatoes and pour it over the top, thus insuring the whole mass congeals. Voila! Stutz! Now serve as the main course of a meal. I thank whatever powers that be that my mother absolutely refused to try to recreate this at home. My mother did make goulash - real goulash, and veal paprikash (on special occasions when we could afford it) to die for.Buzzing Beehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03991683583671827870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-6206341283019400292012-05-21T11:43:39.185-05:002012-05-21T11:43:39.185-05:00we can't agree on EVERYTHING, amirite?
Absolu...<i>we can't agree on EVERYTHING, amirite?</i><br /><br />Absolutely. It's perfectly OK if you're wrong.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-88484021332012671292012-05-21T11:40:04.781-05:002012-05-21T11:40:04.781-05:00I'm the one who selected "I hate you so m...I'm the one who selected "I hate you so much" on behalf of my beloved tomatoes. I don't eat ketchup (catsup?) because I have too much respect and love for tomatoes, and that vile sauce is just sugary red vinegar sauce, IMHO. And yes, I also love goulash, which was referred to here in Connecticut as American Chop Suey.<br /><br />But, hey, we can't agree on EVERYTHING, amirite?CTRefereehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03311582542054000202noreply@blogger.com