Author Topic: Let's Play "Stump the Chef"!  (Read 18040 times)

Offline Front-Ranger

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Let's Play "Stump the Chef"!
« on: December 22, 2011, 12:16:01 pm »
Here's another fun holiday food game. All you do is think of between one and three ingredients, and the chef will come up with a recipe or a way to use them in a holiday dish!! I'll be the first chef...okay, friends, who can stump me??
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Sason

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Re: Let's Play "Stump the Chef"!
« Reply #1 on: December 22, 2011, 12:46:58 pm »
What a fun idea, Lee!

Hm, let me see.....

Oh, I know!  Herring, matza-balls and pumpkin.

I expect that will do for a cross cultural dish!   ;D

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Offline milomorris

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Re: Let's Play "Stump the Chef"!
« Reply #2 on: December 22, 2011, 01:09:17 pm »
What a fun idea, Lee!

Hm, let me see.....

Oh, I know!  Herring, matza-balls and pumpkin.

I expect that will do for a cross cultural dish!   ;D

Good one. I can imagine a herring & mathah-ball combo, but I'm at a loss for what to do with the pumpkin.
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Offline Monika

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Re: Let's Play "Stump the Chef"!
« Reply #3 on: December 22, 2011, 01:15:46 pm »
Oh oh. I´m gonna have to google matza-balls.

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Re: Let's Play "Stump the Chef"!
« Reply #4 on: December 22, 2011, 01:53:23 pm »
Oh this is starting out fun!! Monika, you have probably found that matza is spelled several different ways...matzo, matzah, etc. However it's spelled, it's unleavened bread, eaten ceremonially by Jews because they had to leave Egypt so quickly they didn't have time to let their bread rise. Matza balls are typically plopped into a soup, so I would make a matza ball soup with chicken broth and thicken it with pureed pumpkin, adding bit-sized chunks of herring along with some chard and sesame seeds. Although matza balls have very little taste, they will make a great foil for the salty herring and the sweet pumpkin. Serve in a hollowed out pumpkin shell!

If you're willing to give me the Lee-way to use matza meal instead of balls, here are some great suggestions for toppings on matza flatbread:

69. to 76. Dirty Matzoh, a Pesach version of a savory kugel, Cajun-style. Whole-wheat matzoh with peanut butter or almond butter along with pumpkin butter and a sprinkle of flax seeds. Topped with a poached egg and a bit of melted Gruyère or Manchego. Thin, egg matzoh spread with cream cheese and lox—toast it for a minute to slightly broil the lox. Leftover cooked salmon works well, too. Matzoh brei with onions and roasted broccoli and cooked salmon. Matzoh brei with fried salami. Everything matzohs with a mozzarella stick or with hummus!
—Marcie C. Ferris, author of Matzoh Ball Gumbo

Get more deliciousness at 100 Matzoh Recipes | Leite's Culinaria
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Sason

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Re: Let's Play "Stump the Chef"!
« Reply #5 on: December 22, 2011, 02:00:36 pm »
Oh oh. I´m gonna have to google matza-balls.


Kind of klimp.

Düva pööp is a förce of natüre

Offline Sason

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Re: Let's Play "Stump the Chef"!
« Reply #6 on: December 22, 2011, 02:03:53 pm »
Oh this is starting out fun!! Monika, you have probably found that matza is spelled several different ways...matzo, matzah, etc. However it's spelled, it's unleavened bread, eaten ceremonially by Jews because they had to leave Egypt so quickly they didn't have time to let their bread rise. Matza balls are typically plopped into a soup, so I would make a matza ball soup with chicken broth and thicken it with pureed pumpkin, adding bit-sized chunks of herring along with some chard and sesame seeds. Although matza balls have very little taste, they will make a great foil for the salty herring and the sweet pumpkin. Serve in a hollowed out pumpkin shell!

If you're willing to give me the Lee-way to use matza meal instead of balls, here are some great suggestions for toppings on matza flatbread:

69. to 76. Dirty Matzoh, a Pesach version of a savory kugel, Cajun-style. Whole-wheat matzoh with peanut butter or almond butter along with pumpkin butter and a sprinkle of flax seeds. Topped with a poached egg and a bit of melted Gruyère or Manchego. Thin, egg matzoh spread with cream cheese and lox—toast it for a minute to slightly broil the lox. Leftover cooked salmon works well, too. Matzoh brei with onions and roasted broccoli and cooked salmon. Matzoh brei with fried salami. Everything matzohs with a mozzarella stick or with hummus!
—Marcie C. Ferris, author of Matzoh Ball Gumbo

Get more deliciousness at 100 Matzoh Recipes | Leite's Culinaria


Hey, well done!

I thought that one was a bit of a challenge myself, actually.

I've never heard of herring in a soup, but everything is worth trying at least once!  ;D

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Re: Let's Play "Stump the Chef"!
« Reply #7 on: December 22, 2011, 04:01:11 pm »
Many seafaring cultures have some kind of fish soup or stew, which can feature a combination of fish and shellfish. Now, herring is usually eaten pickled or smoked (kippered) but there's no reason it can't be eaten fresh. In fact, you might get more nutrition out of it that way. Like salmon, it is an oily fish with lots of flavor and antioxidants.

Here is a recipe for fried herring from Jeff's Scotland recipes: http://www.seabrite.com/jeffs_great_british_eats/Scotland_fried_herrings.htm. It also tells where to find fresh herring and how to select smoked herring if you decide to substitute it.

I have seen recipes using pickled herring where you soak the fish in water to remove the pickling and the salt. Right now, I have 3 jars of pickled herring in my fridge from IKEA. I prefer the fresh fish.

Okay, would anyone like to play another round? Throw out some more ingredients for us to chew on, or step up to be the chef, if you dare!!
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Sason

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Re: Let's Play "Stump the Chef"!
« Reply #8 on: December 22, 2011, 04:18:07 pm »
I always forget that nowadays IKEA bestows its Swedish herringy blessings upon the world.

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Offline milomorris

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Re: Let's Play "Stump the Chef"!
« Reply #9 on: December 22, 2011, 04:46:02 pm »
Now, herring is usually eaten pickled or smoked (kippered) but there's no reason it can't be eaten fresh. In fact, you might get more nutrition out of it that way. Like salmon, it is an oily fish with lots of flavor and antioxidants.

I've always liked kippered herring, but I never knew i was good for me. I guess I should have moved to Norway when I had the chance.
  The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.