Today's menu:

[Balifrog]

Well, I had some frozen scallops and shrimps in the freezer, so yesterday I decided to have a scallops / shrimp casserole for dinner.
Sear the scallops and prawns.
In the pan you seared the scallops, prepare the sauce :
Shallots, garlic, leek, mushroom, deglace with white wine, fish broth, cream, reduce and thicken a bit with cornflour if needed.
Put the scallops and shrimps in a casserole, cover with the sauce, sprinkle with breadcrumps, a bit of butter on top and in the oven for15 minutes.
Normally this is served in smaller portions, as a starter but we decided to make it the main dish, served with fettucine.

The Miss was very happy with "her" sauce, the best we ever made she said.
To note that she is doing all the assembling, cooking and tasting. Me being behind to make sure of the chronology the ingredients are added and that no step is forgotten.

Typical snobbish bourgeois food some will say, well sure not your basic daily feed, but nothing exceptional.
You're not gonna eat that every week considering scallops (imported US origin) cost 350k for 500 gr. Which gives you 4 servings.

In life I am closer to the exit than to the entrance, so better fully enjoy it !

 

[Shadrach]

Well, I had some frozen scallops and shrimps in the freezer, so yesterday I decided to have a scallops / shrimp casserole for dinner.
Sear the scallops and prawns.
In the pan you seared the scallops, prepare the sauce :
Shallots, garlic, leek, mushroom, deglace with white wine, fish broth, cream, reduce and thicken a bit with cornflour if needed.
Put the scallops and shrimps in a casserole, sprinkle with breadcrumps, a bit of butter on top and in the oven for15 minutes.
Normally this is served in smaller portions, as a starter but we decided to make it the main dish, served with fettucine.

View attachment 4727

View attachment 4728

The Miss was very happy with "her" sauce, the best we ever made she said.
To note that she is doing all the assembling, cooking and tasting. Me being behind to make sure of the chronology the ingredients are added and that no step is forgotten.

Typical snobbish bourgeois food some will say, well sure not your basic daily feed, but nothing exceptional.
You're not gonna eat that every week considering scallops (imported US origin) cost 350k for 500 gr. Which gives you 4 servings.

In life I am closer to the exit than to the entrance, so better fully enjoy it !

This is one of the Best creations so Far! Every ingredient is superb! I'm surprised you use Bonito flakes? I have watched many Cooking videos on YouTube and they make a Dashi using Bonito flakes and Kombu seaweed. I have looked for Kombu, but haven't been able to find it? Ouch! Those scallops are pricey.
I would love to eat this meal! Like you said, Life is Short, so Enjoy It! This is actually very Healthy eating! Light years above the typical everything, Deep Fried Food, People eat here!

 

[Bad_azz]

Yesterday I made Rendang.
Today is batch-cooking ready meals day- opor ayam, and lasagne & possibly dory in parsley sauce with mashed potato.

 

[Balifrog]

Lunch is usually something simple and basic.
Peasant omelette, or Spanish omelette today.
Basically throw on it what you have in the fridge.

Lasagna will be for tmrw dinner.
Dory fish...yep I'll have a look at that.

 

[Balifrog]

And that's tomorrow morning's breakfast just out of the oven.
Yep, esthetically not a success.., i fact the best looking one (top left) was rolled by the Missus....

I have to try to switch to bakers schedule...
Wake up at 03:00 am for the proofing, and at 05:00 am in the oven.
Fresh and crispy for my 06:00 am breakfast !

 

[Balifrog]

Butter, ham, emmental sandwich for lunch.

Commercially not viable ...
4 medium sized, micro thin slices of ham : 70k

250 gr of emmental 160 k

Cost of sandwich :
Ham 50 k (1slice went in the Missus' fried rice)
Emmental 10 k
1/2 baguette 11 k
Total 71 k.
And that's before my very expensive expat chef labour cost !

 

[Shadrach]

Butter, ham, emmental sandwich for lunch.

View attachment 4732
Commercially not viable ...
4 medium sized, micro thin slices of ham : 70k

View attachment 4731
250 gr of emmental 160 k

Cost of sandwich :
Ham 50 k (1slice went in the Missus' fried rice)
Emmental 10 k
1/2 baguette 11 k
Total 71 k.
And that's before my very expensive expat chef labour cost !

Ouch! that is ridiculously expensive for 4 micro thin slices of Ham! Maybe you should look up on YouTube how to build a smoker, or maybe find one online, then you could smoke your own Ham. Then find a farmer that could sell you a whole leg, then smoke it yourself! It would be a huge project to build your own, but I'm sure there are many video's, or books that give a detailed explanation how to not only build one, but idea's on different methods of smoking meats? Such as different types of spices, wood, for flavor, etc. Buying one ready made would be expensive, but the easy way to go.
Just think, once you have one, you could smoke any type of meats, cheeses, etc! People have been doing this for centuries! The nice thing about smoked meats, is they don't need refrigeration. Preserving your own food is a lot of work, but really fun to do! I used to can a lot of my vegetables, sauerkraut, make cheeses, butter, yoghurt, and trade with the local Native Americans for Deer Jerky. This was a while ago, but I still remember how to do it all!
I went directly to the Muslim Goat farmer here, and bought as much young Goat meat as I wanted. Then I froze it in small quantities to make my own Goat stew, whenever I wanted! You can find all the different spices at the markets, and Supermarkets, to make a really delicious stew!
Anyway, I'm just trying to help. I don't know if you have the desire, space, or tools, or know how, to do this. Good Luck!

 

[Hawk256]

I used to can a lot of my vegetables, sauerkraut, make cheeses, butter, yoghurt, and trade with the local Native Americans for Deer Jerky. This was a while ago, but I still remember how to do it all!

What tribe is trading venison jerky? Are they still mixing with berries? True Pemmican always tasted about the same what ever meat they were using so I am assuming that the deer jerky you are talking about is made more the modern way. Have had true Native American jerky and Appalachian Mountain Man venison jerky. The modern way is far superior with venison but I prefer beef made like Pemmican.

 

[Jaime C]

Yesterday I made Rendang.
Today is batch-cooking ready meals day- opor ayam, and lasagne & possibly dory in parsley sauce with mashed potato.

Must have some pictures!

 

[Balifrog]

Yesterday I made Rendang.
Today is batch-cooking ready meals day- opor ayam, and lasagne & possibly dory in parsley sauce with mashed potato.

Do you make your own pasta / lasagna sheets or do you go the lazy way, like me ?

 

[Balifrog]

@Shadrach, we don't need long, useless rants about what others should do...
Just post pictures of what YOU do !

 

[Shadrach]

@Shadrach, we don't need long, useless rants about what others should do...
Just post pictures of what YOU do !

Sorry, I was just trying to be helpful. Since you were complaining about the high cost of buying store bought Ham, I thought maybe if you could buy a smoker and make your own Ham! You could save money, and have a better quality product to boot! I wasn't telling you what to do! It was only a suggestion. There's no need for anger.

 

[Shadrach]

What tribe is trading venison jerky? Are they still mixing with berries? True Pemmican always tasted about the same what ever meat they were using so I am assuming that the deer jerky you are talking about is made more the modern way. Have had true Native American jerky and Appalachian Mountain Man venison jerky. The modern way is far superior with venison but I prefer beef made like Pemmican.

Thanks for asking! My friends were from The Colville Confederated Tribes and were, excellent hunters, and would come visit me, to trade and on the way home, would usually hunt a deer on the way home. I lived near the Canadian border, and the deer up North were big Mule deer. 200 lbs. or more! They would get home with their kill, and cut it up into long strips, then build a big fire of Apple wood, which they let die down to hot coals. Then place big metal screen over the coals, then they would slowly line up the strips until the screens were covered. They would only put on salt, pepper, and sometimes a little soya sauce. Never crushed and ground with berries added. This process took all night. So the final product was thin strips of unbelievable delicious deer meat! It was only dried enough to last, so it was still a little soft. I would fill my pockets full when I would hike the mountains in search of my Horses. And munch and munch while looking For them. One deer smoked and dried would fill two large grocery bags. It was such a treat! since there were no chemicals added, if I wanted the meat to last, I had to put the jerky in baskets, and hang up above the burning wood stove, to dry the meat completely.
I never tried Pemmican. By the way, the Colville Reservation is where they buried Chief Joseph of the Wallowa band of Nez Perce. they were the people that developed the Appaloosa Horse! They were natives to the Wallowa Valley in NE Oregon. It's an interesting story of how they were sharing their land with the white settlers for a long time in Peace, until the Whites wanted all the land. They refused to surrender and be put on a reservation, so fled North and East to Idaho trying to reach Freedom in Canada. They were captured then sent to Washington State to the Colville Reservation. Until they given their own Reservation in Northern Idaho.
Sadly, they made Chief Joseph spend his remaining days away from his People, on the Colville Reservation. His grave is there to this day!

P.S. we would tan the deer skins into Beautiful Buckskin, make our own clothing, and trade and sale, back to them, because they had forgotten the process, and We as White Kids had learned the process! Ironic aye?

 

[Bad_azz]

Do you make your own pasta / lasagna sheets or do you go the lazy way, like me ?

View attachment 4733

I go the lazy way - I cannot spend long in the kitchen these days.

 

[Bad_azz]

Must have some pictures!

It got eaten.

 

[Bad_azz]

Sorry, I was just trying to be helpful. Since you were complaining about the high cost of buying store bought Ham, I thought maybe if you could buy a smoker and make your own Ham! You could save money, and have a better quality product to boot! I wasn't telling you what to do! It was only a suggestion. There's no need for anger.

It isn't so much about people being angry with you, it is more that you are missing a filter on social boundaries and basically & extremely honestly (as I am) you are sometimes lovely and yet often irritating as fuck. However, I also recognise the same traits in myself so try not to be too offended.

 

[Wisnu]

It got eaten.

Let me help

 

[Shadrach]

It isn't so much about people being angry with you, it is more that you are missing a filter on social boundaries and basically & extremely honestly (as I am) you are sometimes lovely and yet often irritating as fuck. However, I also recognise the same traits in myself so try not to be too offended.

You're right! I didn't learn how to be Hung Up, and Up Tight! The forum is supposed to be for communication. I live with only local people, so the forum is my chance to use English!
I'll just have to practice being a Grumpy Old Man, Bah Hum Bug!! ‍

 

[Bad_azz]

You're right! I didn't learn how to be Hung Up, and Up Tight! The forum is supposed to be for communication. I live with only local people, so the forum is my chance to use English!
I'll just have to practice being a Grumpy Old Man, Bah Hum Bug!! ‍

I am a grumpy old woman too

 

[Shadrach]

Let me help View attachment 4734

Since I know this is Beef Rendang, It looks Delicious! It looks like it's missing mushrooms, and some Red Paprika? but the presentation is really lacking in appetizing Color! Just look at it. it's dark Rendang, on a Black Plate, on a Black Table! For improvement on that, how about a Whitish table cloth, White plate, with a large portion of nice big fettuccine Noodles, with the Rendang poured generously over the center. Then sprinkle some chopped up baby green onions, or cilantro, or Parsley! Maybe a little finely sliced Red Paprika in the Rendang, or on top?
A napkin on the side with a fork and spoon on it. A Salt, and Pepper, shaker on the table too!
I read once that The presentation is important, because People look at the food, and what they see matters a lot if, it's going to stimulate their Appetite!