OT: Internet call for Swingman

Swingman wrote:
> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > OK now, reading another post I realized I missed something valuable
> > here. Swingman, all I could find in a Google search about your
> > microwave roux was the reciped you posted about 3 - 4 years ago. Have
> > you changed/improved/modified that over the old recipe? (Someway I
> > missed the original as well.)
>
> Here's an old post, Robert ... I still make the roux the same way:
>
> >>
>
> Woodshop Chicken/Sausage Gumbo
>
> 3 Lb chicken (old hen is best, boneless/skinless is fine)
> 3 Lb Smoked Sausage (venison'll do if you've got it)
> 2 Lb Cut Okra (frozen is fine)
>
> Chop the following and season well before adding to the pot:
>
> 2 Large Onions
> 2 Large Bell Peppers
> 1 Large bunch Celery
> 1 Large bunch Parsley
> 2 bunches Green Onion tops (reserve a tee bit for garnish)
>
> Salt, black pepper, Garlic powder, cayenne pepper to taste (if you can get
> it, Tony Chachere's "Cajun Seasoning" will work just fine)
>
> 1 cup Roux (make it, or buy it in a jar at the store ... made is better, but
> store bought works)
>
> Make it easy on yourself and make your roux in the Microwave as follows:
>
> 1 cup flower mixed with 1/2 cup of cooking oil in a round bottom Pyrex dish.
> Cover and Microwave on high for about 15-20 minutes, stirring EVERY minute
> after the roux starts to turn color. Watch it closely, the darker the roux,
> the stronger and darker the Gumbo ... I take mine to a dark chocolate color,
> almost black ... but don't burn it! It doesn't take long, so if you do,
> start over.
>
> Note: the roux will continue to darken a bit after you take it out of the
> Microwave. Be careful with it at this stage, because it is super heated and
> can burn you. I often stir in a handful of the chopped vegetables to the
> roux at this point to get that dark, shiny roux, but watch that it doesn't
> spit back at you if you do.
>
> Fill a 12 quart stock pot about half full of water, put it on high heat and
> while it is coming to a boil add the roux and chopped vegetables, stirring
> it up well to meld the roux with the water. Bring back to a boil. Season the
> broth, add the chicken and sausage, bring to a boil again, then turn down
> the heat to medium and let simmer until the chicken is done ... a couple of
> hours simmering on low heat will bring out the flavor.
>
> Serve over cooked white rice (NOT converted rice!), garnished with some
> reserved green onion tops.
>
> Gumbo File can be added while it is cooking (authentic), or to thicken it a
> bit when it is served.
>
> There is no law that says you can't add shrimp, crab meat, oysters to the
> above, individually by species, or all at the same time. However, there is a
> law that states that if you put tomatoes in gumbo you lose your Certified
> Coonass papers and have to move to Arkansas, a place where condiments, and
> educational materials, are not allowed!
>
> <<
>
> That nothing has changed, certified by taste test 12/6/06.
>
> --
> www.e-woodshop.net
> Last update: 10/29/06

Anyone who puts tomatoes in gumbo or chili should be shot!

Fred

Fred wrote:

>
> Anyone who puts tomatoes in gumbo or chili should be shot!
>
> Fred


GASP!!! That's like water in scotch! Parmesan on putanesca! A bra on
Venus De Milo! A trailer hitch on a 911 Turbo Carrera! Stop me! Now!

r--->who will try Swingman's gumbo recipe over the holidays...for sure.
I love a good gumbo.

jo4hn wrote:
[schnipferized]

> Gumbo??! You are a Kanuckistani aren't you? To cook gumbo you have to
> be from Louisiana (and know that you don't pronounce it Louise-ee-ana)
> or at least know where Loozyana is.
> jambalaya,
> jo4hn

Hibachi! (That's Japanese for "what's cooking!")

HOLD the bus there young fella! The Louisiana shores have been awash
with Canadjun interbreeding, (aka Cajun) aka Acadian (Cajun) French:
voulez vous les crayfishies? Crawdads?
Parlez vous Zydeco? (That stems from: Pardonnez moi, are you zy
deco(rator)?)
Gumbo was invented by this fellow:
http://www.nonstick.com/sounds/Pepe.gif
Next to Molson and Labatt, Pepe is a national hero.
Of course I love gumbo and jambalaya! It is mandatory! Upon close
listening, most Celine Dion songs are about crayfish... or something
fishy... maybe a tribute to an old hen?

Ooooooo and I love catfish too. La poisson du pussy, as we call it
here.



r

On Dec 7, 9:31 pm, "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> > Hibachi! (That's Japanese for "what's cooking!")

>I thought that was Japanese for Green Power Tools.. :~)

*Hearty laugh* Very nice, Leon. But you-know-what? I'm getting some
feedback from folks out in the field that this new Hitachi stuff is
really good stuff! Is it pretty? Maybe not. Does it work? Apparently.

(Been a huge fan of the M12V. I have three now. The oldest feels best.
Great strength. With a two-flute 1/2" bit, I drop it through an entire
slab of Corian and take out a template with NO hesitation. Almost
Stradivarius-like.

I have yet to find ONE review which finds fault.



PS. If I find ONE slice of my opinion captured by Hitachi or
like-minded web-sites, I will sue.... if used without my permission.
*Giggety*

Lew -

First let me tell you that I live in an area of Texas that supports a
large community of German and Polish folks. There is a lot of fun
ribbing and beer drinking between all of us, and of course any
opportunity to have sausage eating and beer drinking together, we do
it. The similarities in our eating habits have certainly not escaped
any of us.

We have the Wurstfest (sausage) celebration every year in New
Braunfels, Chilispiel, Bergesfest, and on and on all year. So we have
all manner of sausage everything. The blending of regional recipes was
inevitable, so I don't really think this is anything too traditionally
German.

I picked up this recipe about 35 years ago when I was going out with a
girl who had grandparents that literally spoke English as a second
language, their first being German. Both of their parents (her >great<
grandparents) literally "came over on the boat" aroud the turn of the
century and moved to the country to farm with the large German
community that was here by that time.

What an accent her grandparents had... it was a delight to hear Opa and
Oma speak. It was better still to go up there for a family get
together and drink beer, play horseshoes and eat.

Anyway, Opa never made his concotion the same way twice, and that was
something he was always proud of when everyone was over. He measured
little, and learned how to make it by eye from his father and mother.
This is his basic recipe, and I have found it similar to a lot of
others, so doctor it up any way you like. If you make this, bake a big
pan of cornbread to go with this (jalepenos optional) and you will
think you have gone to heaven.

******************************

In a 6 qt stock pot, fill it half way with water and add about 1/2
tablespoon of salt.

Add to the water ham bones, shanks, cooked ham shank bones, whatever is
on hand that has a little meat on it, smoked of course is better. (I
smoke a few hams a year and always save the bones for this and/or
collards.) Add about a 1/2 cup of onion and 1/2 cup of celery, and boil
covered bones, etc. for about 30 minutes

Remove bone and throw it away

While you are boiling the bone, cut up as much sausage as you like -
for me, usually about 2 lbs or so, and brown in a pan. Drain off the
excess grease.

In the pan with the remaining grease, brown (to toasty) 1/2 cup onions
and set aside

Take a large head of white cabbage cut into 1" strips, coring out the
center as you go

After you have thrown away the bone, add your cabbage to the pot. For
color, I usually take the vegetable peeler and peel of about 1/2 of a
large carrot into the mix

After the cabbage has cooked for about 20 minutes (cooking down but
barely starting to get done) you should add enough chicken or beef
broth to get it to about 2/3 full in your pot. Then add two 12 oz dark
beers, the cooked sausage, the browned onions, and one heaping
tablespoon of caraway seeds and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground black
pepper

With all your liquids and ingredients you should be about 1 1/2 to 2
inches below the rim of your stockpot. Adjust liquid level as needed
with more beer, stock or if desperate.... water

Simmer for 20 minutes, covered until the cabbage is cooked. You don't
want the sausage to fall apart, nor the caraway seeds to lose their
taste. Add salt to taste before serving

Somewhere in the cooking process, he used to cook up some extra crispy
bacon, and sprinkle chopped bits of it on top of a steamy bowl of this
stuff (never in the pot) just before serving.

************************************

This stuff is really rich and filling, and like so many of these
dishes, even better the second day. Sometimes I put some fresh parsley
in it, maybe more black pepper, and have even enjoyed some browned
potatoes stirred in at the last. Even some destemmed Georgia collards
mixed in when cooking the cabbage. But this is the basic recipe.

Whaddaya think?

Robert

Swingman wrote:

> Here's an old post, Robert ... I still make the roux the same way:
>
> >>
>
> Woodshop Chicken/Sausage Gumbo
>
> <<
>
> That nothing has changed, certified by taste test 12/6/06.
>
> --
> www.e-woodshop.net
> Last update: 10/29/06

Thanks - this looks great. I know my SO will be interested in this as
she likes gumbo even more than I do.

Robert

Lew Hodgett wrote:

SNIP

>
> At one time, would get about 100 lbs of pork butts at Christmas &
> Easter, then bone them out and stuff in casings to make Kielbasa.
>
> Still make my own Italian sausage when I feel like it.

I laughed my ass off at that one. Around Christmas/New Years, the best
deer hunting happens around here. So that meant butcher a pig, butcher
the deer, fire up the smoke house (10'X10') and ice down a cooler or
two of beer. To them the beer was as important to making sausage as
the meat was, and it may not have been possible to make sausage without
the proper lubrication.

All the family males of all ages would gather (at least the ones that
wanted sausage and dried beer sticks!) to make sausage link sausage,
deer jerky, pan sausage, and >>drink like hell<<. Mountains of meat
would be mixed in ice chests with all the spices added and mixed in,
and then it was stuff the casings and hang the meat. Careful, cool
fires of mesquite and oak were started in the smoke house and the
project was in full swing.

After cleaning up, lots more beer was drunk, and then invariably, some
pan sausage was cooked up. Too much of that green sausage can sure
cramp you up... wow do I remember that. When they said "just one
piece" they meant it. They about laughed themselves to death when I
told them about the severity of the cramps when I saw them the next
time. I never did live that one down.

I like the bean soup recipe. It looks like a winner and I would like
to try it with the white beans as opposed to all the recipes from
around here that use pintos. And anything with ham hocks, bacon and
onion HAS to be good, right? Just wondering though, does the bacon
completely dissolve when you cook it that long?

Thanks -

Robert

Robatoy wrote:
> Fred wrote:
>
>
>>Anyone who puts tomatoes in gumbo or chili should be shot!
>>
>>Fred
>
>
>
> GASP!!! That's like water in scotch! Parmesan on putanesca! A bra on
> Venus De Milo! A trailer hitch on a 911 Turbo Carrera! Stop me! Now!
>
> r--->who will try Swingman's gumbo recipe over the holidays...for sure.
> I love a good gumbo.
>
Gumbo??! You are a Kanuckistani aren't you? To cook gumbo you have to
be from Louisiana (and know that you don't pronounce it Louise-ee-ana)
or at least know where Loozyana is.
jambalaya,
jo4hn

[email protected] wrote:

> If you don't save me those poor
> sausages could be heading for a more traditional German fare of boiled
> cabbage/greens with bacon and caraway soup.

OK, ya got me.

Fried cabbage with crisp bacon pieces is a specialty of mine, but have
never tried boiled cabbage unless it was in some type of soup.

What is the recipe?

Lew

[email protected] wrote:

> First let me tell you that I live in an area of Texas that supports a
> large community of German and Polish folks.

Can relate to both.

Was married to a Polack for a lot of years, my maternal grandfather
emigrated from Prussia, my maternal grandmother from Heslot.

Today, both are part of Germany.

My mother, who will be 102 if she makes it till April, learned English
at school, but had to speak German at home.

Guess people are always close to their mother tongue.

> So we have
> all manner of sausage everything. The blending of regional recipes was
> inevitable, so I don't really think this is anything too traditionally
> German.

At one time, would get about 100 lbs of pork butts at Christmas &
Easter, then bone them out and stuff in casings to make Kielbasa.

Still make my own Italian sausage when I feel like it.

> Anyway, Opa never made his concotion the same way twice, and that was
> something he was always proud of when everyone was over. He measured
> little, and learned how to make it by eye from his father and mother.

That's called talent and self confidence these days.

> ******************************
>
> In a 6 qt stock pot, fill it half way with water and add about 1/2
> tablespoon of salt.

<snip cabbage soup recipe details>

> Whaddaya think?

I like it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is one you may like.

I adapted it from Emeril's recipe.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Famous Recipes From The Sloped Galley And Warped Mind Of Lew Hodgett

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Recipe: Lew's Smothered White Beans (Adapted from E Lagasse)


Yield: 6 Qts

Ingredients:

1 Lb Sliced bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1-2 Whole Spanish Onion, cleaned and chopped
4-6 Stalks Celery, cleaned and chopped
2 Bay leaves
1 Lb Smoked sausage of choice, cut into 1/2" slices
2-3 Whole Ham Hocks
1 Bud Garlic, cleaned and chopped
1/2 Cup Flour
1 Lb Small white bean of choice (ie: White, Navy, etc)
8-10 Cups Water
Hot sauce of choice
Salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Soak and Clean beans over night per instructions. Rewash beans next
day. In an 8 Qt stock pot, slowly brown bacon until crisp.

Remove bacon, add flour grease and drippings to make a dark brown roux.

Add onions, celery and sausage and sweat for about 5 minutes.

Add bay leaves, bacon, garlic ham hocks, and beans.

Cover with water, season with salt, pepper and essence. Bring the
liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Cook for about 2 hours or until beans are soft and creamy.

Stir the pot frequently the last hour or so to eliminate sticking.

Reseason with salt, pepper.

Remove bay leaves, ham hock fat, skin and bones.

Add hot sauce a few minutes prior to serving.


NOTE: Don't be too quick to serve. The beans should be starting to
break down from the cooking process and not be firm.

Serve as a side dish along with corn bread.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[email protected] wrote:


> To them the beer was as important to making sausage as
> the meat was, and it may not have been possible to make sausage without
> the proper lubrication.

So what else is new?

> Careful, cool
> fires of mesquite and oak were started in the smoke house and the
> project was in full swing.

Living where I did, smoking was not possible.

> It looks like a winner and I would like
> to try it with the white beans as opposed to all the recipes from
> around here that use pintos.

Makes a difference, I use navy beans when possible.

> And anything with ham hocks, bacon and
> onion HAS to be good, right?

Absolutely.

You can believe the number of recipes I make that start out with
rendering down a pound of bacon followed by sliced onions, diced
celery, etc.

> Just wondering though, does the bacon
> completely dissolve when you cook it that long?

You still have pieces left. They are just soft.


Lew

Lew Hodgett <[email protected]> wrote in news:5OSdh.8404$1s6.6178
@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net:

> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > If you don't save me those poor
> > sausages could be heading for a more traditional German fare of boiled
> > cabbage/greens with bacon and caraway soup.
>
> OK, ya got me.
>
> Fried cabbage with crisp bacon pieces is a specialty of mine, but have
> never tried boiled cabbage unless it was in some type of soup.
>
> What is the recipe?
>
> Lew
>

It's not terribly difficult. Put a modest amount of salted water in a deep
pot, and bring it to a boil. Toss in a quartered, rinsed head of (white or
red) cabbage, with the core removed, and steam until softened. Drain.
Sprinkle toasted caraway seeds over it, a bit of salt, maybe a little
vinegar, and eat it with your favorite piece of pork.

Lots easier than anything epoxy. (g, d & r...)

Patriarch

Lew Hodgett <[email protected]> wrote in news:mt4eh.8682$1s6.3257
@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net:

> Patriarch wrote:
>
> > It's not terribly difficult. Put a modest amount of salted water
> in a deep
> > pot, and bring it to a boil. Toss in a quartered, rinsed head of
> (white or
> > red) cabbage, with the core removed, and steam until softened.
> Drain.
> > Sprinkle toasted caraway seeds over it, a bit of salt, maybe a little
> > vinegar, and eat it with your favorite piece of pork.
>
>
> Sans pork, that's the start of Pigs In The Blanket.
>
> (No toothpicks allowed)
>
> Lew
>

Hey, we always wrapped ours in a dough. Cabbage would be good, too.

I'm off to the store!

Patriarch

<[email protected]> wrote in message
> OK now, reading another post I realized I missed something valuable
> here. Swingman, all I could find in a Google search about your
> microwave roux was the reciped you posted about 3 - 4 years ago. Have
> you changed/improved/modified that over the old recipe? (Someway I
> missed the original as well.)

Here's an old post, Robert ... I still make the roux the same way:

>>

Woodshop Chicken/Sausage Gumbo

3 Lb chicken (old hen is best, boneless/skinless is fine)
3 Lb Smoked Sausage (venison'll do if you've got it)
2 Lb Cut Okra (frozen is fine)

Chop the following and season well before adding to the pot:

2 Large Onions
2 Large Bell Peppers
1 Large bunch Celery
1 Large bunch Parsley
2 bunches Green Onion tops (reserve a tee bit for garnish)

Salt, black pepper, Garlic powder, cayenne pepper to taste (if you can get
it, Tony Chachere's "Cajun Seasoning" will work just fine)

1 cup Roux (make it, or buy it in a jar at the store ... made is better, but
store bought works)

Make it easy on yourself and make your roux in the Microwave as follows:

1 cup flower mixed with 1/2 cup of cooking oil in a round bottom Pyrex dish.
Cover and Microwave on high for about 15-20 minutes, stirring EVERY minute
after the roux starts to turn color. Watch it closely, the darker the roux,
the stronger and darker the Gumbo ... I take mine to a dark chocolate color,
almost black ... but don't burn it! It doesn't take long, so if you do,
start over.

Note: the roux will continue to darken a bit after you take it out of the
Microwave. Be careful with it at this stage, because it is super heated and
can burn you. I often stir in a handful of the chopped vegetables to the
roux at this point to get that dark, shiny roux, but watch that it doesn't
spit back at you if you do.

Fill a 12 quart stock pot about half full of water, put it on high heat and
while it is coming to a boil add the roux and chopped vegetables, stirring
it up well to meld the roux with the water. Bring back to a boil. Season the
broth, add the chicken and sausage, bring to a boil again, then turn down
the heat to medium and let simmer until the chicken is done ... a couple of
hours simmering on low heat will bring out the flavor.

Serve over cooked white rice (NOT converted rice!), garnished with some
reserved green onion tops.

Gumbo File can be added while it is cooking (authentic), or to thicken it a
bit when it is served.

There is no law that says you can't add shrimp, crab meat, oysters to the
above, individually by species, or all at the same time. However, there is a
law that states that if you put tomatoes in gumbo you lose your Certified
Coonass papers and have to move to Arkansas, a place where condiments, and
educational materials, are not allowed!

<<

That nothing has changed, certified by taste test 12/6/06.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/29/06

Patriarch wrote:

> It's not terribly difficult. Put a modest amount of salted water
in a deep
> pot, and bring it to a boil. Toss in a quartered, rinsed head of
(white or
> red) cabbage, with the core removed, and steam until softened.
Drain.
> Sprinkle toasted caraway seeds over it, a bit of salt, maybe a little
> vinegar, and eat it with your favorite piece of pork.


Sans pork, that's the start of Pigs In The Blanket.

(No toothpicks allowed)

Lew

"Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> On Dec 7, 9:31 pm, "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> "Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>
>> > Hibachi! (That's Japanese for "what's cooking!")
>
>>I thought that was Japanese for Green Power Tools.. :~)
>
> *Hearty laugh* Very nice, Leon. But you-know-what? I'm getting some
> feedback from folks out in the field that this new Hitachi stuff is
> really good stuff! Is it pretty? Maybe not. Does it work? Apparently.


Oh, I have no doubt that the new design of the Hitachi tools has not
affected quality. I just look at it and wonder if what I am looking at is a
switch, lever, knob or just a spot designed to catch your eye that actually
has no purpose.

I noticed in the past couple of weeks that the LI battery versions of
Panasonic and Makita are following the Tennis Shoe look.

Now if DeWalt would make their RAS look this way it should look like an
alien space ship. LOL.

"Robatoy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> Hibachi! (That's Japanese for "what's cooking!")

I thought that was Japanese for Green Power Tools.. :~)