There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Anyone have any awesome recipes or mind blowing uses for tagines?
Funnily, some Dutch oven manufacturers try to accomplish the same thing by putting spikes protruding down from the lid (Staub innovated this, Calphalon uses dimples). The tagine predates the Dutch oven by around a thousand years.
You can see in this recipe it calls for a Dutch oven or a tagine: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016987-daniel-bouluds-chicken-tagine
It looks fantastic when served directly from a tagine, though!
My favorite is chili. Also working up some beef stews. Sure, the North African seasoning blends are the classic, associated ones, but they're by no means the only ones to consider.
More or less in order of addition to the pan: 3 ounces bacon, cut down and browned 2-3 medium to large chilis...I generally use poblanos and New Mexico long green. Probably about 2 cups. Seeded and coarse chopped. 1 medium onion, diced (optional) 5-6 mini sweet peppers salt, pepper, granulated garlic ~ 1/2 cup black, pinto, kidney, or cranberry beans (or white beans with chicken) 1 pound meat* chili powders to taste...start with a couple teaspoons 2-3 tomatoes, simmered and diced liquid: beer or wine, ~ 12 oz
Meat: lots of options. At least 90% lean ground beef (note that the bacon fat is left in the pan), chicken, and buffalo. I've been able to get ground venison which is also very lean. The very, very best, IMO, is using a lean, smooth smoked boar sausage.
Beans: I do it by weight, but that's the associated volume. I am diabetic so I have to consider the carbs involved. Work with the amount. Note that more beans may mean adding some water. I DO NOT soak my beans in advance. The caveat is, give the whole batch 5-6 hours to simmer. Smaller beans cook faster, so black beans will be ready before big red kidney beans. I get a batch assembled basically immediately after breakfast, because I'll be noshing from early afternoon through dinner.
Liquids: pale ale with chicken. Beef and buffalo, any good, real beer...not the usual mass-market junk that doesn't have any flavor. German double bock might be my first choice for a little extra richness. Red wine also works surprisingly well; different, but very tasty. Sangiovese, tempranillo, grenache, pinot, merlot...fruity. A tannic cabernet...not so much. Smoked game sausages, a red ale, or an ale with some rye added...an oatmeal stout would work great too.
Chili powders: LOTS of options! Mild tends to be somewhat fruity and less bitter. Medium and hot start using cayenne and paprika. You can also get straight ancho powder; anchos are dried poblanos. If you know your chiles...I'm not picking hot chiles. So I'll use a mix of mild, medium, and ancho.
For more heat, finely dice in hotter chiles. Start with 1 Jalapeno or Fresno and see. You can render the dish too hot to eat by overdoing things, if you don't know the chiles.
Final note: another reason for me to do this right after breakfast is, I'll get my shower *after* everything's assembled. Chiles contain capsaicin, especially in the seeds. Cleaning out the seeds gets it onto your fingers, and it does not wash off easily. I don't use gloves, but that's a very sound precaution. I do, as noted, get my shower right after popping the lid on. The more you want to climb the Scoville scale for the hotter chiles, the more important this is. And if you're getting well up there...use gloves. AND wash your hands *thoroughly* afterwards.
So this is in that vein. Probably going to do up a smoked sausage batch for the day after Thanksgiving, which is still saturated with both football and basketball. And chili is a great change from that turkey overload. :)
Try finding Canela (also called Ceylon) cinnamon versus the more traditionally found Cassia cinnamon. The flavor and aroma is different and definitely worth a shot...especially in savory applications.
You can also make them yourself! It’s literally only lemons and sea salt. Do not use iodized salt.
https://leitesculinaria.com/7073/recipes-preserved-lemons.html