it was chuck and it was 7 dollars cheaper than the flank i almost got

Yeah the first cut chuck steak is like a chewy ribeye and is acceptable for things other than braising. And it's usually like four bucks a pound.

The braised fennel is a Mozza recipe that I changed up a bit. I'll post it in the near future, but it's basically fennel bulbs, onions, olives, and garlic, braised in white wine, vinegar (I used white wine, before, but will go with apple cider next time), and chicken stock (no need to use the home made good stuff here as the vinegar overpowers.

The original recipe called for something like 2 cups of Sambuca for braising, but at $30 bucks for a 750ml bottle, it was one of those 'overly cheffed' recipes that needed to be brought down to earth a bit. My gf actually came up with the vinegar part as she hates nothing more than listening to me, and heard 'white wine vinegar' when I'd suggested replacing the Sambuca with white wine. Happy little accident thought as the the vinegar gives a nice little kick.

i bought a butternut squash today for the first time. they just recently became available around here. i am only used to musquee and red kuri squash. can i basicly treat them the same or do i need to be cautious about something.
i also would appreciate some recipes for the squash.

Butternut squash and apple soup is phenomenal: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/i...ipe/index.html

The onions and yellow curry powder really make the recipe.

I typically toast the squash seed and then toss them in a bit of butter and cayenne and make a olive oil, cilantro and jalapeno oil to make for better taste and presentation.

Know I have been promising for a couple weeks now but once I get pics from GF's iPhone will post one of the soup here.

i am not a big fan of soups in general unless they are served as one course of a meal. i need something to chew. but i am really curious about the toasted squash seeds i dont know what i do with the squash yet but i will definately toast the seeds.

I really like this recipe: Roasted butternut squash and onions on pasta with goat cheese and walnuts. Very complimentary flavors. I usually use less pasta, just on the principle that wheat products are bad, here it works fine because the squash is as good or better than the noodles.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/g...ipe/index.html

DJ,

Roasted butternut squash is pretty delicious. Butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter sauce is a great dish. In fact, now I think I'm gonna have that for dinner tonight.

It's a little tedious to do but if you peel the butternut, cube it in 1/2 inch or smaller, and roast with just salt pepper oil at 400 for 30 minutes or so it's pretty close to the nut side dish for a lot of protiens.

Butternut squash just seems to work well in Italian dishes in general.

Butternut squash risotto, Butternut squash gnocchi ( might have to mix with a more starchy vegetable/flour to get texture right).

Yea this is delicious, I do it a little differently and go for cubed squash and gnocchi with the sage brown butter. Regardless, it rules, and is pretty easy.

thanks a lot those are some great ideas. i`ll keep you updated on what i did with it. i`ll properly cook it on sunday. i wont promise pictures though. maybe if i figure out how to hook up my cellphone to my pc.

If you have a decent peeler, or are handy with a chef's knife, this is actually pretty quick and simple. If I want to make it fancy, I throw a mix of mint and basil leaves on the squash just when it comes out of the oven, and then a bit of red wine vinegar. Very yummy.

I have to say, I love this thread. So many people on the same page I am, except with slightly different experiences and expectations.

Forgot - a couple pinches of chili flakes too!

My local supermarket also had butternut squash for the first time earlier this year. I started off simple by just roasting it with salt, brown sugar and some butter. When it looked sufficiently roasty I poured out the butter that had accumulated inside and cubed up the squash + mixed the butter in. Was a delicious side dish.
Later on I went to buy more squash to make something more complex.
They were gone And haven't seen them since.

today's endeavor:
braised tri-tip
They looked nice and cheap at Smart & Final yesterday.
pics are huge, so only linked them

the sear
http://i.imgur.com/pMrFM.jpg

onion
ketchup (cook it down)
http://i.imgur.com/jzixt.jpg

white wine deglaze
garlic
better than bullion beef stock concentrate
pepper
chili powder (a pinch)
paprika (quite a bit)
thyme
http://i.imgur.com/GSg6w.jpg

covered with foil, and into oven

For anyone who want's to splurge, Macy's is offering 20% off on All Clad stuff with the promo code "VIP" through Sunday. I pretty much buy all my All Clad at Macy's as their F&F 25% discount is pretty nice.

Fwiw - I have a 4 Qt Saute that gets a ton of use. A 3 Qt saucepan that gets little use. A 10" fry pan that gets tons.

The issue with the sauce pans is that salt will pit and discolor them which is pretty lol. They recommend boiling water BEFORE salting - which is cool, though it increases the time necessary to reach a boil. If you choose to go with All Clad, they're great as they heat evenly and sear very nicely - but the salt thing is a pain as is cleaning them.

A better alternative tbh is the Cuisinart set they have at costco for $250. It's really nice, and goes on sale for like $150 sometimes. We use those very often, but I really can't pass up the Ball Clad sales (think I'm gonna pick up a 1/2 qt butter warmer and 2 qt saucier this time around).

Snipe,

Can you give a quick overview of when/why you like to use different types of pans (ie nonstick vs stainless vs cast iron vs copper vs ????)? Thanks.

instructional post would be greatly appreciated

recommend any other good soup / stew fish? don't fancy catfish

Good question, but one that has a pretty short answer. I use stainless for almost everything. I don't recall the last time I used non stick, and I don't own aluminum. I use cast iron for searing steaks sometimes, but I'm not really all that convinced that it's much better than a good, heavy bottomed steel pan. Actually, I probably use steel more these days as I like to dump some thyme, garlic, and butter in and baste, and I don't like to use things with sauce cast iron as it picks up the flavor too much.

I used to use my Le Cruset for braises pretty often (5.5 qt. enameled cast iron), but have been messing with sous vide quite a bit lately and it's not seen as much use. Still a great piece to have tho.

So yeah, I pretty much use stainless for everything and spend a TON of time scrubbing tbh. :/

Really enjoying Gordon Ramsays new series. Some of the stuff is pretty basic, buts its littered with insightful bits of wisdom all the time.

Are you referring to Hotel Hell, or something else?

I think it's called Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course.