Griddle/Pan Fried: Interesting potato experiment...

Subject: Interesting potato experiment...
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Darryl L. Pierce (mcpierce at myrealbox.com)
Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2004 16:18:15 GMT
--------
For dinner last night, we had delicious ribeye steak and potatoes. To make the potatoes more interesting (I usually do a lyonnaise for my wife) I decided to fry them with some curry, turmeric and ginger to get more personality into it.

Delicious! The turmeric, of course, gave it a nice yellow color and a nice layer of flavor. The curry was very much up front and went well with the text of the potatoes. The ginger was a nice background sweetness that played well with the onions. And the whole thing worked well with the steak, which was simply seasoned with cumin, salt and fresh ground
pepper...
From: Tim Challenger ("timothy(dot)challenger(at)apk(dot)at")
Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2004 16:22:53 GMT
--------
Darryl L. Pierce wrote:
> ..... To make the potatoes more interesting (I usually do a lyonnaise for my wife) I
> decided to fry them with some curry, turmeric and ginger to get more
> personality into it.....

You've been reading Madhur Jaffrey's A Taste Of India again, haven't you?
From: Darryl L. Pierce (mcpierce at myrealbox.com)
Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2004 17:59:45 GMT
--------
Tim Challenger wrote:
> You've been reading Madhur Jaffrey's A Taste Of India again, haven't you?

Guilty as charged... :)
From: Gregory Morrow (gregorymorrowTOHAVEANDHAVENOT at earthlink.net)
Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2004 20:24:02 GMT
--------
Darryl L. Pierce wrote:
> For dinner last night, we had delicious ribeye steak and potatoes. To make
> the potatoes more interesting (I usually do a lyonnaise for my wife) I
> decided to fry them with some curry, turmeric and ginger to get more
> personality into it.

Thanks...am having guests tonight so will use this recipe to go along with some nice pork chops that I've got a brinin'...I think I'm going to serve this with some stir - fried spinach with red bell peppers, garlic, and Thai chili sauce....
From: Wayne Jones (wayne.jones.nospam at rogers.com)
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 01:56:54 GMT
--------
Cumin on a steak? You are adventurous.
Wayne in Ottawa
From: Steve Calvin (calvins at optonline.net)
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 01:49:45 GMT
--------
Wayne Jones wrote:
> Cumin on a steak? You are adventurous.

I'd personally go with cumin before I did curry <shudder>. As you can probably tell, curry isn't one of my most favorite things... ;-)
From: Darryl L. Pierce (mcpierce at myrealbox.com)
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 21:58:14 GMT
--------
Steve Calvin wrote:
> I'd personally go with cumin before I did curry <shudder>. As you can
> probably tell, curry isn't one of my most favorite things... ;-)

Now, what do you mean by "curry" and *which* curry do you mean, if you're referring to spice mixtures. I have about 10-15 different recipes for curry powders and pastes from different regions of the world...
From: Steve Calvin (calvins at optonline.net)
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 10:21:20 -0500
--------
Darryl L. Pierce,,, wrote:
> Now, what do you mean by "curry" and *which* curry do you mean, if you're
> referring to spice mixtures. I have about 10-15 different recipes for curry
> powders and pastes from different regions of the world...

Good point. I don't really know to be quite honest. I've had it a few different times and they all tasted retched to me.
From: Nancy Young (qwerty at mail.monmouth.com)
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 12:46:49 -0500
--------
Steve Calvin wrote:
> Good point. I don't really know to be quite honest. I've had it a few
> different times and they all tasted retched to me.

Oh, Steve, I hear ya. When I was a kid, my mother tormented me with this curried stew thing served over rice. Like a beef stew, covered with green glop. To cap off the dining experience, the parts that should have been potatoes, she used turnip (gag).

I have no interest in trying that stinky curry stuff ever again.
From: Ariane Jenkins (arianej at pepper.spice.lan)
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 18:17:51 GMT
--------
Nancy Young wrote:
> Oh, Steve, I hear ya. When I was a kid, my mother tormented me with
> this curried stew thing served over rice. Like a beef stew, covered
> with green glop. To cap off the dining experience, the parts that
> should have been potatoes, she used turnip (gag).

LOL, you told me about this, but I didn't realize she'd put turnips in it. ;D

Give it another chance someday, not ALL curry is green, gloppy, stinky and full of turnips. Some have eel in them! (ducks and runs)

Seriously, that doesn't sound like any curry I've ever had. There are so many different kinds with different meats and vegetables in it, with widely varying flavors. I can't even pick a favorite, although I am partial to SE Asian curries... fragrant with chilies, garlic, onion, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, shrimp paste (better than it sounds/smells) and rich with coconut milk. Ahhh, it's damn good stuff.
From: Steve Calvin (calvins at optonline.net)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 01:45:11 GMT
--------
Ariane Jenkins wrote:
> Seriously, that doesn't sound like any curry I've ever had. There
> are so many different kinds with different meats and vegetables in it,
> with widely varying flavors. I can't even pick a favorite, although I
> am partial to SE Asian curries... fragrant with chilies, garlic,
> onion, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, shrimp paste (better than it
> sounds/smells) and rich with coconut milk. Ahhh, it's damn good stuff.

Maybe *that's* it. Does all curry have coconut in it?? I can't stand coconut.
From: Ariane Jenkins (arianej at pepper.spice.lan)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 02:39:49 GMT
--------
Steve Calvin wrote:
> Maybe *that's* it. Does all curry have coconut in it?? I can't stand
> coconut.

Nope. Curry is like ice cream, there are many different varieties, with different ingredients and different flavors. (Only I'd say that for curry, the range of differences is wider.) If you don't like one version, there's a chance another might appeal to your tastes more. Some are alike as night and day!

I've eaten quite a few and certainly hope to eat many more. From delicate Thai yellow curries with salmon and sweet potatoes in it, to tangy, tamarind-based fish head curry, to a fiery pork vindaloo, to beef rendang in its thick coconutty gravy, chicken tikka masala in its spicy tomato-cream sauce, rich laksa with rice noodles and succulent, buttery pieces of squid... It's all good. ;)
From: Steve Calvin (calvins at optonline.net)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 10:01:20 -0500
--------
Ariane Jenkins wrote:
> I've eaten quite a few and certainly hope to eat many more.
> From delicate Thai yellow curries with salmon and sweet potatoes in it, to
> tangy, tamarind-based fish head curry, to a fiery pork vindaloo, to
> beef rendang in its thick coconutty gravy, chicken tikka masala in its
> spicy tomato-cream sauce, rich laksa with rice noodles and succulent,
> buttery pieces of squid... It's all good. ;)

ok, sounds like experiments are in order! ;-) Thanks
From: Darryl L. Pierce (mcpierce at myrealbox.com)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 14:40:16 GMT
--------
Steve Calvin wrote:
> Maybe *that's* it. Does all curry have coconut in it?? I can't stand
> coconut.

No. Curry dishes may have coconut in them, depending on the region it's from, but curry itself doesn't. Curry is a mixture of spices that has at least coriander seed, cumin seed and some source for heat such as chilis. Then you can personalize it with other spices, such as fenugreek, cardamom, etc. In SE Asia, the curries tend to be sweeter than in the Middle East.
From: Darryl L. Pierce (mcpierce at myrealbox.com)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 14:40:15 GMT
--------
Nancy Young wrote:
> Oh, Steve, I hear ya. When I was a kid, my mother tormented me with
> this curried stew thing served over rice. Like a beef stew, covered
> with green glop. To cap off the dining experience, the parts that
> should have been potatoes, she used turnip (gag).

Oh, if ever the time comes that you and Steve find yourselves in my neck of the woods, I'll treat either of you to a well prepared curry dinner. Not the stuff you remember from your childhood, but a delicious dinner with curried vegetables and meat, and complementary sides to make the meal memorable. :)

My mother used to make boiled shanks and cabbage when I was a lad. Ugh. I can eat mutton now, but then it was the worst experience of my life...
From: Steve Calvin (calvins at optonline.net)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 10:02:54 -0500
--------
Darryl L. Pierce wrote:
> Oh, if ever the time comes that you and Steve find yourselves in my neck of
> the woods, I'll treat either of you to a well prepared curry dinner. Not
> the stuff you remember from your childhood, but a delicious dinner with
> curried vegetables and meat, and complementary sides to make the meal
> memorable. :)

Care to give us a baseline of your spice mix? I guess I need to delve into this but it'd be nice to have some kind of starting point.
From: Darryl L. Pierce (mcpierce at myrealbox.com)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 17:50:13 GMT
--------
Steve Calvin wrote:

> Care to give us a baseline of your spice mix? I guess I need to delve
> into this but it'd be nice to have some kind of starting point.

The basic curry recipe is coriander, cumin, fenugreek and mustard seeds, whole peppercorns and cloves, and ground cardamom, cinnamon and turmeric. You can play with the amounts of each, but I usually use 1/3C coriander, 1/4C cumin and 2tbsp of the rest.

For the heat, use chile powder. About 1/2C cayenne is my preference here.

To prepare the, dry out the whole spices for about 15 minutes at 200F and be careful not to burn them. When they've cooled, grind them in a spice mill or coffee grinder and combine them with the other ingredients.
From: Darryl L. Pierce (mcpierce at myrealbox.com)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 14:40:15 GMT
--------
Steve Calvin wrote:
>> Now, what do you mean by "curry" and *which* curry do you mean, if you're
>> referring to spice mixtures. I have about 10-15 different recipes for
>> curry powders and pastes from different regions of the world...
>>
> Good point. I don't really know to be quite honest. I've had it a few
> different times and they all tasted retched to me.

I have one recipe that I used while making shrimp in a yogurt sauce that was on the sweet side due to cinnamon and raisins. My wife was very surprised that night for dinner. :)
From: Darryl L. Pierce (mcpierce at myrealbox.com)
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 21:58:10 GMT
--------
Wayne Jones wrote:
> Cumin on a steak? You are adventurous.

Nah. I use cumin on pot roast. It was natural to one day try it on a steak. :)
From: Adam Fineman (afineman at retupmoc.org)
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 17:28:01 -0500
--------
Darryl L. Pierce wrote:
> Nah. I use cumin on pot roast. It was natural to one day try it on a
> steak. :)

It's really good in a meatloaf. Not in the loaf itself, but in the glaze.
From: Darryl L. Pierce (mcpierce at myrealbox.com)
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 23:38:06 GMT
--------
Adam Fineman wrote:
> It's really good in a meatloaf. Not in the loaf itself, but in the glaze.

Okay, share your recipe, please. :)
From: Adam Fineman (afineman at retupmoc.org)
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 11:25:26 -0500
--------
Darryl L. Pierce,,, wrote:
> Okay, share your recipe, please. :)

I can't claim credit; it's from Good Eats. I've tried it, and it's delicious.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_10215,00.html [archive.org]
From: Donna Rose (dSPAM at BLOCKix.netcom.com)
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 20:33:26 GMT
--------
Darryl L. Pierce wrote:
>Okay, share your recipe, please. :)

I know you were asking Adam, but here's a delicious meatloaf recipe using cumin both in the meat and in the glaze.

Baked Moroccan Meat Loaf

1/2 cup dried apricots
1 cup boiling water
2 large red bell peppers, cut lengthwise into flat panels
1/2 lb ground sirloin
1/2 lbs ground chuck
(or you can substitute ground turkey if you prefer)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup apricot all-fruit spread
2 egg whites
2 TB minced scallions
1 1/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
2 oz bread (about 2 slices) torn into fine crumbs (to yield 1 cup)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup ketchup

In a small heatproof bowl, cover apricots with boiling water and set aside to soften. When softened, drain and finely chop. Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Place bell pepper pieces skin side up on broiler pan and broil 3 - 4" from heat until skin is blackened and charred, 10 to 15 minutes. Place peppers in bowl and cover. Set aside to steam about 5 minutes to loosen skins, then peel them. Finely chop peppers and set aside. (Note: in a pinch, I've used jarred red peppers and they work just fine).

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, stir together meat, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, 3 TB of the fruit spread, the egg whites, scallions, 1 tsp of the cumin, the salt, black pepper and 3/4 tsp each of the ground coriander, oregano and paprika. Stir in chopped apricots, bell peppers, bread crumbs and milk until mixture is well combined.

Place mixture into pan of your choice. I like to use a cookie sheet to bake my meatloaf but if you prefer to use a loaf pan, by all means do so.

Bake until meat is cooked through, about 30 minutes (I use a meat thermometer to check it). Let sit 10 minutes, then place on warm serving dish. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, blend ketchup with 1 TB of water and remaining cilantro, 1 TB fruit spread, and 1/4 tsp each of cumin, coriander, oregano and paprika.

Serve slices of loaf with ketchup sauce on the side. In keeping with the Moroccan theme, I like to serve this with couscous instead of the usual mashed potatoes.

Adapted from a recipe from Whole Foods Market
From: EskWIRED at spamblock.panix.com
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 12:38:46 +0000 (UTC)
--------
Darryl L. Pierce wrote:
> Nah. I use cumin on pot roast. It was natural to one day try it on a
> steak. :)

Personally, I prefer steak-flavored steak.
From: EskWIRED at spamblock.panix.com
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 12:37:51 +0000 (UTC)
--------
Darryl L. Pierce wrote:
> steak, which was simply seasoned with cumin, salt and fresh ground
> pepper...

Cumin? On a ribeye? Why?