Ugh! I don't think I could stop myself from eating cheese, regardless of the consequences. However, fear not. As I comb my recipes, I have plenty that are lactose free, and unless your husband or you do not eat meats of any kind, we should have something for everyone. I'll be posting my Texas Fried Rise at some point, which fuses East and West without a scrap of cheese to be found.
Don't fret yourself, it hasn't stopped me from eating cheese but I don't make dinners that exclude him and require the preparation of two different meals.
I'm in a similar boat, but for a different reason. Indonesians don't eat cheese, especially as a snack in itself, but only if baked into bread or similar use. For me to find a Mac & Cheese recipe that actually has my family fighting over it is pretty amazing.
In Belem, I'd visit my girlfriend's home. The family would serve a plate of cheese and meat cubes on toothpicks. That was it. No crackers, no veggies, no fruit, just meat cubes and cheese cubes on toothpicks.
Sounds a bit like that Stallone flick a while back, where Taco Bell had won the franchise wars. When I first came to Indo, Pizza Hut was positioned as a 4-Michelin star establishment, complete with hostesses and silverware.
There is a single Taco Bell in Indonesia about 2 miles up the road from me. The one location seems to be holding on, but I note that it isn't spawning new ones. Same with Quiznos and Denny's. For a while, 7-11 was the hottest thing in town. There were 7-11 palaces where teens would gather on the weekends and spend hours hanging out. Well, the local squat-n-gobbles just couldn't have that and they banded together and ran it out of business, right after stealing the business model of having hot counters and Slurpees. That's pretty much how it goes here. If a Western franchise catches on, they clone it, then band together and kill the progenitor. Especially since the Black Death, foreign brands have been regulated out of business in favor of the locals.
Second, I also make a killer Mac and Cheese with colby, monterrey jack and my homemade goat cheese.
Third, I know a few Mexicans who would not approve of adding chorizo to such a "anglo" comfort food as Mac and Cheese. They also think beans should never be added to chili. (I also know a few Cajuns who'd feel the same about adding andouille to Mac and Cheese. And yes, I make and andouille sausage and it's to die for too.)
Fourth, I can understand why those Mexicans (and Cajuns with their andouille) would prefer to use chorizo in more traditional dishes. Then again, I do add beans to my chili. Maybe I'll even add a little chorizo next time I make Mac and Cheese. 😊
P.S. I have a great recipe for chorizo pie if you're interested. It's my own creation!
I am jealous, since I had to leave all my grinding gear behind when I moved here. I used to make a pretty mean boudin, myself, which I think Indonesians would love, since it's packed with rice.
I love your choice of cheeses, but alas, no colby to be found hereabouts, and monterey jack only comes along once in a great while at ridiculous prices. However, I get some great homemade goat cheese in these parts, and I always have a block of romano on hand.
I have a fellow Texan here who makes all my sausages, as well as smoked meats and salami. He is set up to do it on a commercial scale. He recently added andouille, after years of me prodding hhim.
As a 7th generation Texian, I feel fully justified in using chorizo however I please, and I make traditional dishes as well as fusions. I note that Mexican chorizo is borrowed from the Spanish, with some local flourishes, so I feel no guilt. I do agree, though, that beans and tomatoes should never come near my chilli. That's Yankee pollutants in my book.
One recipe I will post at some point is my take on a Sumatera dish called rendang. It is very similar to Texas chilli in the broad strokes, but the seasonings are wildly different.
As for chorizo pie, lay it on me! I don't have an oven, but I'm adept at stovetop baking (out of necessity). It sounds amazing, and I'm wondering if I can do an empanada version.
This recipe might be pretty easy to adapt to the stovetop. So here goes...
1. Make a standard cornbread batter, but add some extra liquid. (I use milk.) Not sure how much extra liquid since I judge it by consistency, but you want a batter you can pour... more like a cake batter than a bread batter but not as watery as pancake batter.
2. Set the batter aside.
3. Brown the chorizo, then remove from the skillet.
4. Add a little olive or avocado oil to the same skillet and carmelize some onions. I use a sweet Vidalia onion.
5. Add the chorizo along with pinto beans or black beans, sweet corn, just a little tomatilla and some poblano chilis. If you want more heat than the poblanos can provide, add some serrano or cayenne chilis but keep the poblanos for their flavor. If your chorizo is properly seasoned you shouldn't have to add more seasoning (salt, cumin, garlic, paprika, allspice, cinnamon, coriander, oregano, etc.), so taste it first.
6. Set the mixture aside.
7. Heat 3 tablespoons of lard in a cast iron skillet. Must use lard! When it is sufficiently hot, pour the cornbread batter into the skillet and spread the batter evenly.
8. Remove from heat and pour the chorizo mix on top of the batter.
9. Top with goat cheese and a sprinkling of cheddar or colby.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes at 350 degrees. I like to finish it for a few minutes under a broiler to slightly carmelize the cheese. If you're going to adapt this to a stovetop, you could probably get the same effect with a chef's torch.
This sounds amazing! I think it would do fine in a Dutch oven. I grow my own pintos and tomatillos, and I make my own lard and tarrow, so those items no problem. The poblanos might be an issue. I will try to find canned or dried. I grow jalapeno and pepperoncini, plus the evil little boogers that are native to these parts. I'll definitely give it a shot and let you know how it comes out. Has my mouth watering already. Cheers!
No poblanos available locally, though interestingly I found seeds for sale. So I'll add them to my urban garden. Besides, I haven't had stuffed poblanos in ages.
Hi Rufus, I just read your "Desert Dogs" screenplay treatment. It is very good and is a great idea for a TV show.
I suggest changing the name of the show to "WustenHundes" which is the German translation for "Desert Dogs".
The Egyptian comic idea is very good. The gourmet food is a tough sell in the desert. Shades of Milo MInderbinder. Selling weapons and gear to the Bedouins might be a good angle.
Great! All those ingredients are on my table tomorrow for my 17 Y/old to mess with. She is becoming enraptured with cooking. Fiona was born/raised in Indonesia with a nanny (and me-n-Mum of course). Her first solid food (at 6 months old) was Curried Chicken Livers! Our Nanny used to cook for our house, and her families too. But.. Lactose Intolerance? We also cook Indian food; “Yogurt” and or “Ghee” are very workable instead of Cheese and Milk for those who struggle with Calf Food, as they both are not so susceptible to the stomach acid difficulties found in pure milk. (I believe every human is allergic to Cows milk, but our immune system’s become fatigued doing such a good job with that).
I am weeping as my husband is lactose intolerant.
Ugh! I don't think I could stop myself from eating cheese, regardless of the consequences. However, fear not. As I comb my recipes, I have plenty that are lactose free, and unless your husband or you do not eat meats of any kind, we should have something for everyone. I'll be posting my Texas Fried Rise at some point, which fuses East and West without a scrap of cheese to be found.
Don't fret yourself, it hasn't stopped me from eating cheese but I don't make dinners that exclude him and require the preparation of two different meals.
I'm in a similar boat, but for a different reason. Indonesians don't eat cheese, especially as a snack in itself, but only if baked into bread or similar use. For me to find a Mac & Cheese recipe that actually has my family fighting over it is pretty amazing.
In Belem, I'd visit my girlfriend's home. The family would serve a plate of cheese and meat cubes on toothpicks. That was it. No crackers, no veggies, no fruit, just meat cubes and cheese cubes on toothpicks.
Sounds like SpamAm (SPAM and American cheese). Throw some capers and a raspberry vinaigrette all up in it and POOF you have some jungle petit fours!
I gather from the way you phrase it, that it also wasn't imported Italian Prosciutto di Parma and Spanish Manchego.
LOL!
I think my in-laws finally went off the teet when they became lactose intolerant.
I oughta slap you, mate. Don't see my invite to dinner.
Did you check your SPAM folder? LOL!
Looks like a great recipe!
In the new sci-fi, end of the world, movie "Elevation", Mac & Cheese is a delicacy many risk their lives to obtain "down below".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZivlF_UYkN0
It's a fun movie.
Sounds a bit like that Stallone flick a while back, where Taco Bell had won the franchise wars. When I first came to Indo, Pizza Hut was positioned as a 4-Michelin star establishment, complete with hostesses and silverware.
That's hilarious! Taco Bell is just now opening franchises in Ireland. The Irish are doomed to have taco sauce going down into their beards.
There is a single Taco Bell in Indonesia about 2 miles up the road from me. The one location seems to be holding on, but I note that it isn't spawning new ones. Same with Quiznos and Denny's. For a while, 7-11 was the hottest thing in town. There were 7-11 palaces where teens would gather on the weekends and spend hours hanging out. Well, the local squat-n-gobbles just couldn't have that and they banded together and ran it out of business, right after stealing the business model of having hot counters and Slurpees. That's pretty much how it goes here. If a Western franchise catches on, they clone it, then band together and kill the progenitor. Especially since the Black Death, foreign brands have been regulated out of business in favor of the locals.
Mmmm...
First, I make my own chorizo and it's to die for.
Second, I also make a killer Mac and Cheese with colby, monterrey jack and my homemade goat cheese.
Third, I know a few Mexicans who would not approve of adding chorizo to such a "anglo" comfort food as Mac and Cheese. They also think beans should never be added to chili. (I also know a few Cajuns who'd feel the same about adding andouille to Mac and Cheese. And yes, I make and andouille sausage and it's to die for too.)
Fourth, I can understand why those Mexicans (and Cajuns with their andouille) would prefer to use chorizo in more traditional dishes. Then again, I do add beans to my chili. Maybe I'll even add a little chorizo next time I make Mac and Cheese. 😊
P.S. I have a great recipe for chorizo pie if you're interested. It's my own creation!
I am jealous, since I had to leave all my grinding gear behind when I moved here. I used to make a pretty mean boudin, myself, which I think Indonesians would love, since it's packed with rice.
I love your choice of cheeses, but alas, no colby to be found hereabouts, and monterey jack only comes along once in a great while at ridiculous prices. However, I get some great homemade goat cheese in these parts, and I always have a block of romano on hand.
I have a fellow Texan here who makes all my sausages, as well as smoked meats and salami. He is set up to do it on a commercial scale. He recently added andouille, after years of me prodding hhim.
As a 7th generation Texian, I feel fully justified in using chorizo however I please, and I make traditional dishes as well as fusions. I note that Mexican chorizo is borrowed from the Spanish, with some local flourishes, so I feel no guilt. I do agree, though, that beans and tomatoes should never come near my chilli. That's Yankee pollutants in my book.
One recipe I will post at some point is my take on a Sumatera dish called rendang. It is very similar to Texas chilli in the broad strokes, but the seasonings are wildly different.
As for chorizo pie, lay it on me! I don't have an oven, but I'm adept at stovetop baking (out of necessity). It sounds amazing, and I'm wondering if I can do an empanada version.
This recipe might be pretty easy to adapt to the stovetop. So here goes...
1. Make a standard cornbread batter, but add some extra liquid. (I use milk.) Not sure how much extra liquid since I judge it by consistency, but you want a batter you can pour... more like a cake batter than a bread batter but not as watery as pancake batter.
2. Set the batter aside.
3. Brown the chorizo, then remove from the skillet.
4. Add a little olive or avocado oil to the same skillet and carmelize some onions. I use a sweet Vidalia onion.
5. Add the chorizo along with pinto beans or black beans, sweet corn, just a little tomatilla and some poblano chilis. If you want more heat than the poblanos can provide, add some serrano or cayenne chilis but keep the poblanos for their flavor. If your chorizo is properly seasoned you shouldn't have to add more seasoning (salt, cumin, garlic, paprika, allspice, cinnamon, coriander, oregano, etc.), so taste it first.
6. Set the mixture aside.
7. Heat 3 tablespoons of lard in a cast iron skillet. Must use lard! When it is sufficiently hot, pour the cornbread batter into the skillet and spread the batter evenly.
8. Remove from heat and pour the chorizo mix on top of the batter.
9. Top with goat cheese and a sprinkling of cheddar or colby.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes at 350 degrees. I like to finish it for a few minutes under a broiler to slightly carmelize the cheese. If you're going to adapt this to a stovetop, you could probably get the same effect with a chef's torch.
Enjoy!
This sounds amazing! I think it would do fine in a Dutch oven. I grow my own pintos and tomatillos, and I make my own lard and tarrow, so those items no problem. The poblanos might be an issue. I will try to find canned or dried. I grow jalapeno and pepperoncini, plus the evil little boogers that are native to these parts. I'll definitely give it a shot and let you know how it comes out. Has my mouth watering already. Cheers!
Anchos don't quite have the flavor of the poblanos but they make for a decent substitute if you can find them.
No poblanos available locally, though interestingly I found seeds for sale. So I'll add them to my urban garden. Besides, I haven't had stuffed poblanos in ages.
Hi Rufus, I just read your "Desert Dogs" screenplay treatment. It is very good and is a great idea for a TV show.
I suggest changing the name of the show to "WustenHundes" which is the German translation for "Desert Dogs".
The Egyptian comic idea is very good. The gourmet food is a tough sell in the desert. Shades of Milo MInderbinder. Selling weapons and gear to the Bedouins might be a good angle.
That was a fun read. Thanks!
Great! All those ingredients are on my table tomorrow for my 17 Y/old to mess with. She is becoming enraptured with cooking. Fiona was born/raised in Indonesia with a nanny (and me-n-Mum of course). Her first solid food (at 6 months old) was Curried Chicken Livers! Our Nanny used to cook for our house, and her families too. But.. Lactose Intolerance? We also cook Indian food; “Yogurt” and or “Ghee” are very workable instead of Cheese and Milk for those who struggle with Calf Food, as they both are not so susceptible to the stomach acid difficulties found in pure milk. (I believe every human is allergic to Cows milk, but our immune system’s become fatigued doing such a good job with that).