Food thread - All things food-related

[DMac]

I'm no expert on mulberries but I can tell you this they are an incredibly sweet and tasty berry and from what I've gathered they're very easy to grow.
Here's a start,
https://morningchores.com/growing-mulberries/

Growing Mulberries: A Complete Guide on How to Plant, Grow, & Harvest Mulberries
By Ame VanorioPrint

The marvelous mulberry is a highly underrated plant. It’s easy to grow, with mouthwatering fruit that tastes good in everything from wine to sorbet. If you’re hoping to add a fruit tree to your garden, you should give them a look.

Here are a bunch of videos which might help you:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=cl ... &FORM=VDRE
I think these things are very easy to grow and will grow in most places.
If you scroll up a bit you can see that I made mulberry syrup which is from the gods...crazy good. Very simple, I followed this video. A potato masher is not the best tool to use to smash the berries, something with a flat surface (a heavy/thick glass like you'd get a draught at a bar in) and you only need half the amount of sugar she uses but it's all good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv3zHj_OlD8
Making the jam is pretty simple too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-FPWSZYfMs
For the turnovers I followed this, just substituting the mulberries for the blueberries (scroll up and you can see those too) and JFTR any recipe you follow from this gal will be good (her Swedish meatball recipe is just outstanding, have made it several times).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c9NeAOKfuE&t=186s
If I'm guessing right you're thinking bigger than what I'm doing with them.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/mulberries
That's the best I can do for you...I wish you the berry best of luck with your new adventure.

[ardilla secreta]

DMac's divinely delicious mulberry jam.
The early bird gets the worm but he don't
beat DMac to dat mulberry bush.

Never had mulberries. Did you cultivate those or did they just grow wild? Former in-laws had a thicket of blackberry vines growing in their backyard. That was pretty awesome to have.

[Brooklyn]

Colonel Mulberry Sellers:



https://live.staticflickr.com/4028/4211 ... 1be7_b.jpg


Famous character from Mark Twain's American Claimant.

[DMac]

Never had mulberries. Did you cultivate those or did they just grow wild? Former in-laws had a thicket of blackberry vines growing in their backyard. That was pretty awesome to have.

They're just growing wild, a s, it's a bush I just discovered that was growing inside a clump of other bushes but I had never noticed that there were mulberries growing in there. Sounds nuts but all of a sudden there were a ton of mulberries in there. I've had them before as out at my youngest's Ponderosa there are a bunch of mulberry bushes as well as blackberry bushes. So many that unless you're on a mission to use them and make a bunch of stuff with them you're just going to let the birds get them all. Used to let the Mennonite kids from from the adjacent farm come and pick them....they don't waste anything and put it all to use. I hadn't ever much screwed around with them until I went on a little mission with them this year. As I've said about 47 times here, they're a very sweet and tasty berry, similar to a blackberry but better, and the color of the syrup, or just juice, is very rich and inviting, makes the taste buds scream, I want some of that on me. The down side of them is you just can't pick them without getting the little green stem along with the berry. That's no problem when making just the juice or syrup, but I just couldn't leave them on there when making the jam (despite seeing that some say it's no problem). Cut 'em off (a bit of a tedious task but not all that bad) when making the turnovers too. Given your culinary expertise there's no question in my mind that you could put them to good use and make some tasty stuff with them. That rich color adds a lot for presentation too. Here's another shot of just the syrup with some completely unnecessary contrasting colors thrown in there just for effect. Very tasty little treats and word has very easy to grow too.

[ardilla secreta]

I was at a farmers market last week and picked up a bumbleberry pie. It was bumblelicious. There is no bumbleberry. It’s a pie of the Canadian Maritime provinces made of a mix of berries and can contain rhubarb.

[DMac]

So while buzzing around the market you picked up a pie, nice. Thanks for the explanation, initially I was a little concerned about there being a stinger or two in there. Bet that was good, those strawberry-rhubarb pies are a nice treat, I like that rhubarb twang in there.

[ardilla secreta]

Here’s a dish to try.

Mussakhan: Palestinian Chicken with Sumac.

Watched it being prepared on the PBS cooking show, Milk Street and gave it a most successful try.

Brown about 8 chicken thighs (in Dutch oven for me) in batches, set aside. I prefer to get the family pack of bone-in, skin on thighs. I like to bone out the the thighs for making stock.
In same pan caramelize a large onion and 4 garlic cloves
Add 3 tbl spoons sumac powder, a little cinnamon and cumin.
Add 3 cups water
Return chicken and simmer till tender.
While cooling and shredding the chicken, reduce the liquid till very thick sauce consistency then return the chicken.
S&P to taste after the reduction so as to not over salt the dish.
Serve on or with pita drizzled with tahini. Also good on soft bun.

Sumac powder can be found in any Middle Eastern market. Good place to get the pita and tahini too. Sumac had a tangy tart taste that melds well together with the other ingredients.

Milk Street video. Last segment.
https://youtu.be/DRzKokjfFlE

[DMac]

Looks simple enough. Not at all familiar with sumac or tahini, will have to get some and give it a try.
As mentioned an out of the norm dish...kinda like the chef, a lefty female...with a whole different kind of flavor.
Will let you know how it comes out.

[DMac]

Kristalmighty, those pines must be hard to find and catch cuz their nuts sure as hell are expensive. Eight/nine bucks for a little jar??? Passed on those but got the sumac (very interesting flavor...a little on the lime side) and tahini sauce. Gonna make the female version...no nuts.

[youthathletics]

keep us posted, it look amazing in the Milkstreet video.

[DMac]

Will do. Scratch the female version, broke down and bought the six dollar jar of nuts, am going with the male version.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

How does anyone feel about organic food? Does it make a difference? Very interested in what you folks here think.

[OuttaNowhereWregget]

I'm amazed this is free to watch. I've seen it before and it is outstanding.

https://www.pbs.org/video/the-poison-squad-5sf93j/

[DMac]

keep us posted, it look amazing in the Milkstreet video.

Think I pretty much nailed it, here ya go.
Interesting, definitely different, must say it's pretty tasty.
Nothing hard about making it.

[DMac]

Here’s a dish to try.

Mussakhan: Palestinian Chicken with Sumac.

Gave it a try, thanks for the tip, pretty darn good stuff, think mine was pretty successful too.
A different flavor for sure. See above.

[youthathletics]

keep us posted, it look amazing in the Milkstreet video.

Think I pretty much nailed it, here ya go.
Interesting, definitely different, must say it's pretty tasty.
Nothing hard about making it.

You da’man. Thanks for sharing. Would you make it again?

[DMac]

Yes, it's a different flavor, hard to describe, our boy ardilla secreta is better at that...seeking help, a s.
Think after you made it a few times you'd find different ways to eat/serve it too. Hollow out most of a
loaf of Italian bread, do the same oil and sumac, and fill it up with the Palestinian Chicken with Sumac.
Something different to serve/take to an occasion where you're bringing a dish.

[ardilla secreta]

keep us posted, it look amazing in the Milkstreet video.

Think I pretty much nailed it, here ya go.
Interesting, definitely different, must say it's pretty tasty.
Nothing hard about making it.

Nice job. Looks very good. I should have originally mentioned it, but I passed on the pine nuts as I didn’t have any and they weren’t terribly integral. I have to get some pine nuts and try it again since I’ll be getting some soon to make a patch of pesto with my garden basil.

Now that you have the tahini you’ll have to make a batch of hummus. Delicious and part of a very healthy Mediterranean diet.

[youthathletics]

I have to get some pine nuts and try it again since I’ll be getting some soon to make a patch of pesto with my garden basil.

I like to use thinly sliced almonds, then finely chop them, with my home made pesto.

[DMac]

Actually, a s, the pine nuts do make a bit of a difference I think. Not huge of course but the the added texture is kind of nice and they are pretty tasty little things. I was going to go with the female version at first but thought I'd follow the recipe inasmuch as it was the first time I was making it and might as well do it right. Got some basil in the herb garden too and that was fresh parsley from the garden too. I think that dish could be much better served than with just bread, am bettin' it would be pretty good on rice.