Cooking with LMNO

[Suu]

Sold.

I'll continue to pan sear and bake until I move and can have a happy grill spot.

[LMNO]

It's been a while.

I'm way too lazy busy lazy to convert the HTML tags into BBS tags, so I'll just link you to the blog:

http://earfatigueproductions.blogspot.com/2014/01/kicking-against-purists-chapter-835.html

[hooplala]

I read this one earlier today, whilst drooling heavily.  It seems like a wicked amount of prep, but very worth it.

Did you roast the chicken and smoke the hamhock that day, or earlier, or wha?

[LMNO]

I roasted the chicken a few days before (because whole roasted chicken is awesome), and the ham hock was bought smoked.

[hooplala]

I roasted the chicken a few days before (because whole roasted chicken is awesome), and the ham hock was bought smoked.

A-HA.... Ok, that helps.

[LMNO]

Honestly, the most labor intensive thing is chopping vegetables, and that roux.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

It looks great! I'd probably call that a jambalaya. Would have been a gumbo with the addition of okra, that's pretty much the defining ingredient for gumbo. Everything else is subject to change.

[LMNO]

Good point.  And thanks!

[hooplala]

Honestly, the most labor intensive thing is chopping vegetables, and that roux.

It often takes me well over half an hour to chop vegetables.  Gordon Ramsay would consider "donkey" too nice a descriptor for me in the kitchen.

[LMNO]

[insert Gordon Ramsay meme]

[LMNO]

So, in other news, I recently decided, for no real apparent reason, that I'd like to learn how to cook Thai food.  In response, for Christmas I was given a wok and the book Pok Pok written by a guy who has a restaurant in Portland of the same name, who has studied the authentic dishes of Northeastern Thailand.

Whoa.  This kind of cooking is like an entirely different language.  The techniques and combinations are almost alien to me.  The prep work is the most time-consuming part.  The "cooking" is more like "plating", in that most of the ingredients are ready to go, they just need to be combined, and perhaps shown some flame for fifteen seconds.  And the clay mortar and pestle, like... cool.  I need to get one, but it's amazing how they use gentle bruising of ingredients to slightly break down the cell structure, much like a sautee would, but without heat.

I'm starting to see some common patterns, a thread that weaves its way through these dishes.  It's going to take a lot of work.  But I'm really excited to try out something completely new for me.

Incidentally, could one of the PNW folks consider taking a swing by Pok Pok?  It's at 3226 SE Division Street.  It doesn't seem too terribly expensive, and I'd love to hear what you think of the place.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

So, in other news, I recently decided, for no real apparent reason, that I'd like to learn how to cook Thai food.  In response, for Christmas I was given a wok and the book Pok Pok written by a guy who has a restaurant in Portland of the same name, who has studied the authentic dishes of Northeastern Thailand.

Whoa.  This kind of cooking is like an entirely different language.  The techniques and combinations are almost alien to me.  The prep work is the most time-consuming part.  The "cooking" is more like "plating", in that most of the ingredients are ready to go, they just need to be combined, and perhaps shown some flame for fifteen seconds.  And the clay mortar and pestle, like... cool.  I need to get one, but it's amazing how they use gentle bruising of ingredients to slightly break down the cell structure, much like a sautee would, but without heat.

I'm starting to see some common patterns, a thread that weaves its way through these dishes.  It's going to take a lot of work.  But I'm really excited to try out something completely new for me.

Incidentally, could one of the PNW folks consider taking a swing by Pok Pok?  It's at 3226 SE Division Street.  It doesn't seem too terribly expensive, and I'd love to hear what you think of the place.

I've eaten at the Division one a few times and at the one by my house, Pok Pok Noi, a ton of times. The food is fucking exquisite. I mean, it's basically food crack. The fucking wings are legendary.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The Division one started as a food cart, and me and FBF used to get wasted and then trot over for noodles and som tum every Tuesday. Their som tum is essentially the best thing I have ever put in my mouth. Fuck, now I want some.

[LMNO]

That's what I thought. The book is really, really good too. It's not just recipes, it talks about his experiences and the people he's met. He's incredibly humble, and who doesn't love a cookbook that casually uses the word "fuck"?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

That's what I thought. The book is really, really good too. It's not just recipes, it talks about his experiences and the people he's met. He's incredibly humble, and who doesn't love a cookbook that casually uses the word "fuck"?

I've only met him a couple of times, back in the cart days, but he seemed like a super-nice guy. And the food is just, oh my god. You'll have to keep us updated as you try the recipes!