Smorgasbord April 2020

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Smorgasbord April 2020

Who is ready for a little smorgasbord? Today I tackle some listener questions, talk about the proper way to wash your fruits and veggies, and share a little of the improvised cooking I did over the weekend. Be sure to listen to the full episode for all the details. Some stuff I mentioned in the show are listed below with links.

Mentioned in this episode

Don’t wash your produce in soapy water! Running cold water, or a soak in cold water for some produce, is usually enough to do the trick, and it doesn’t come with any nasty side effects that ingesting soap can give you. Here’s some insight into that question along with some other tips in the age of Coronavirus from the Seattle Times.

Giving my new tagine a spin

I improvised up a Moroccan-inspired beef tagine this weekend. Just what is a tagine? Well it’s a word that describes both a cooking vessel and a type of food. Head over to Spruce Eats for this excellent write up and more info. 

My beautiful tagine being used with a hot plate:

Tagine

Interested in picking up a tagine of your own? Here is the one I have, and another alternative from Amazon (there are many, many to choose from).

As for the recipe I improvised, I haven’t had time to put it into a proper recipe card format, but here you go in the meantime:

Recipe for Moroccan inspired beef tagine:
1 tablespoon or so of light olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch chunks
4 carrots, cut into chunks
1 small can of diced tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
2 lb beef rump roast, cut into thick “steaks”
1 orange, quartered with peel on
Spices:
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mild chili powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of saffron threads
Salt and pepper to taste

I started by sweating the onions in the olive oil then added the celery and carrots. When they were slightly softened I poured the spices in and mixed well. Then added the tomatoes, broth, beef and orange. Brought up to a boil then reduced to a simmer. I let it simmer on low for probably 3 hours, then served it with rice.
 
Kitchen Knife Questions
There are many types of knives to choose from out there. I give some opinions in the episode, but here are a few from different price ranges to get you started with a basic chef/cook’s knife. Here are some to compare ordered by price (low to higher).
 
 

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Hosted by
Roger

Not a foodie, just love to eat & cook and help others do that too. Doritos addict and marshmallow aficionado. History nerd.

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