Thursday, January 08, 2009

Open Thread: Cooking Question

Some of us cook more than others and are learning different cuisines, dishes, and techniques. Winter seems to be that time when I get so bored with the weather that I cook just to experiment on something or try something new. I've spent winters learning Thai and Moroccan food, perfecting macaroni and cheese, and even making endless chutneys and jams. So, what do you want to learn this winter? Braising? Finally, the perfect ribs? Wok Hay? Sausage making? Confits and slow cooked French classics? What's on your cooking-learning list?

10 comments:

Donald said...

Pork belly. I've never attempted cooking it, but after having char sui I think I need to give it a try.

Kirsten said...

I'm wanting to go deeper with Persian food. I love pan-crisped pilafs (so different than Uncle Ben's nonsense), but there's a whole world of vegetables and stews that call to me. With the pomegranates, quince, nuts and herbs, Persian food would be an ideal winter cooking topic.

CorrND said...

FYI, Taste of Tango opened last night. My friends and I walked in the door to check out the menu and were offered a free glass of wine if we sat down as the first customers and ordered an appetizer. Unfortunately, I really had to get going but my friends did stay. I'll have to see what they thought of it today.

CorrND said...

Actually, I think this is my friend's review about Taste of Tango last night:

Review

Becky Lukovic said...

The last couple of years, I haven't cooked as much since I didn't really have someone to cook for.....but this year I am getting over that and cooking because I am creating something beautiful...so my list for winter is to be able to make that PERFECT risotto without a recipe - not there, yet - and provencal cuisine.

Greg said...

I'm really excited to hear about Taste coming in. Anyone have a menu up yet?

braingirl said...

> Taste: Doesn't even have a website that I can find. How can you open a new business these days without a website?

> Risotto: Learning risotto in the past couple of years has been a huge joy. I prompts me to keep making my own stock -- and i've tried enough methods that i know what generally works for me. And it's pretty forgiving when it comes to ingredients -- mushrooms, onion, fennel, shallot, peas, carrots, ... Mmmm. Risotto.

Becky Lukovic said...

Mmmmm...that is making me hungry!! Never thought about fennel in risotto.....last year I started using it in my soups and fell head over heels in love with it!!

Liz said...

Vegetarian and vegan cuisine. I'm omni but it's mostly cheaper and challenging, plus since I started working in a deli, most of the meat I can afford disgusts me.

Erin said...

I am perfecting pizza-the best homemade sauce and the crispiest crust. I love any excuse to get my hands in the dough.