Turkey is the one meat I refuse to eat at Christmas. I might do my go-to recipe of beef in oyster sauce tonight. Or if I'm feeling particularly lazy, tacos. Or if I can be arsed to cut up some chicken, chicken tom yum.
I think this might be Thanksgiving, I've sort of lost track . Used to try and have the inlaws and a couple of friends over near American Thanksgiving but that tradition sort of died along with my mother-in-law. Just not the same without her. But I still did a turkey later on in the year, I'd do all my cooking at my house, pack everything into a cooler, and take a taxi to the inlaws' house and have dinner there. This year COVID shot that down, since both Mrs. A and I (occasionally, on my part) work outside the home my father-in-law, who is post-80, told us that visits were off this year. Can't say I blame him. So the turkey is in the oven and once it's done, I'll carve out a couple of generous portions (read: half) and box it up with the sides, they'll meet us in the parking lot next door, have a chat, and take their dinner home with them. Less than ideal, but it's a very 2020 Thankmasoween, idn't it?
Got some sichuan peppercorns as a Christmas gift, so I tried my hand at making Dan Dan Noodles for the first time. I made my own chili oil and tahini! A bit of work, but hey, I love to cook! It came out absolutely delicious.
Made spaghetti. My "meatballs" broke down in the sauce because I used black lentils and brown rice. Gotta figure out a better binder. Still good though.
Aren't bread crumbs and egg the usual binders? Are you able to sear the sides well to seal in the shape with rice/bean based 'meatballs.'
If I had bread crumbs, possibly. I don't eat eggs...but maybe next time I could use some flax meal. I know this probably sounds incredibly unappetizing, but it tasted fine. Just got lost in the sauce. Which is how I spend a majority of my time anyway.
You can always make bread crumbs with old bread or crackers. I like water crackers the best for that. Just mortar and pestle and done. Replacement for eggs may prove a lit more difficult though. And that's not terrible or unappetizing. I find wild rice burgers to be almost preferable to regular beef patties. I don't like having grease because it hurts stomach. Can't beat bison or ostrich patties though...
I made some shami kebabs for a barbecue this summer, which just fell apart. Called it keema curry and it went down a treat... (c: I think vegans use the snotty liquid that comes from tinned chickpeas as a replacement for egg-white in cakes etc. -- not sure if it sets as a binder, but it may do? They are when Mingo's about...
I haven't tried aquafaba yet as a binder but I did use it in a carbonara, and that worked pretty well.
Yes and no. Wild bison are limited, descendants of the last free roaming herds are protected. Farmed livestock bison not so much.
The Fermilab particle accelerator keeps a herd of bison on the grounds. Just waiting for news of that to get to The Asylum.
Those, and the small herd at Lords Park; every year some fools gift their child with a bow of some sort, and arrows, and every year some fool’s child feels the need to go plant an arrow in a bison. Does it just not occur to people that a place like Fermilab might have security cameras?
Fermilab's security can... lack. One year one of the adult bison got out and was menacing traffic at a major intersection near the facility. I know, I took one of the calls. Our local Animal Control officer (a veterinarian who worked on a Paid On Call basis) declined to deal with the matter, but the lab had someone who could handle it.
Asparagus risotto with crispy smoked duck breast, topped with fresh grated parmesan and a drizzle of 18 year balsamic.
I laughed when I realized I'm currently living out an old philosophical conundrum... it's eggs for breakfast and chicken for dinner for the next few days.
