The Black Vault

Yeah, the elk meat was always free.
*sigh*

I've cooked with bacon grease before, it doesn't seem weird to me at all.
My grandmother is Puerto Rican, and they cook pretty much everything in lard, or any pig fat they can get their hands on. I think it makes everything a little nicer, to be honest.

Me 2, yeah I already tryed making a response to this, and my fluffin post timed out from a recipe I had thrown in. Must have been a shyt recipe.

No what I was going to say: I also use lard alot, like when baking breads. Was wondering if anyone here has ever had Native American frybread? I make it alot, its great for tacos, and at times I will make them with blueberry filling, for more of a dessert, but frybread is the best with tacos.

Thats the recipe I had added, and I'll have to write it up again later, its not one you can find....there is a certain way of making it that can't be found on any online recipe, and its the best fryed bread, and the cheapest thing to make, it goes good with any dish. Infact it literally has three ingredients. Water, flour, and baking powder, which is the old school way, no extra sugar or salt or additives like later were introduced to Native American Foods. I'll type the recipe instructions later, and then someone around here will have to try it and let me know....its awesome bread.

mrshumphreys, does your grandmother cook some traditional Puerto Rican foods? One of my grandmothers is banned from cooking, to accident prone.

I LOVE fry bread and the native american tacos you can get get everywhere in northern Arizona (well, everywhere in Az, for that matter.), but I haven't had them in years.

My grandmother doesn't really cook anything anymore, to be honest. Her husband was italian, so she cooked what he liked, mostly. Now she's a little bit out of her mind and lives with my dad.

My great grandmother was always cooking up rice and beans and mufango and plantanos and flan. She died about 10 years ago, so I haven't really had any spectacular traditional puerto rican food since then. I could probably find some around here if I looked hard enough, but what are the chances it will live up to g. grandma's?

Bet you do miss her cooking, those grandmas know. Thats awesome you like Indian Tacos, awesome.

You should really try making fry bread yourself its actually super super simple, although most people I know (of native descent) don't even know how to make it anymore.

Fry Bread (the old school way) taught by my grandmother.

Ingredients:
3/4 bag flour
2 and 1/2 cups luke warm water
1 egg (optional don't need it but it fluffs it up even better)
3 small handfuls of baking powder (old ndn women don't use measuring if it is not liquid)
the three small handfuls should just fit in the palm of your hand

You will also need
Oil
1 large bowl
and a spoon (yep just any spoon)

In your large bowl add your 3/4 bag flour, push some of the flour up the sides of the bowl, so you make a bowl within a bowl and there is still flour on the bottom

If you use 1 egg, mix it in with the 2 and 1/2 cups water

Add water (water egg mixture) into center of bowl (don't mix with flour yet just let it sit in the flour)

Add 3 small handfuls of baking powder and mix into the water, let sit for 5 minutes

With spoon slowly start to add the flour to the water and baking powder mix, with your spoon keep pushing in more flour, stirring it in slowly, (but keep flour on the bottom of bowl)
When your dough gets hard to mix with a spoon, kneed for 5 minutes with hands.

Let rise with cloth over for 25minutes

The trick is* You will still have flour left in the bowl, you don't want to much flour added, you still want the dough slightly sticky, if you grab some it should slightly stick to your hands.

In frying pan, add about 3/4 inch oil heating it just above medium, not smoking. (yes I've done that)

Now to fry: Take golf ball size pieces from dough (usually best if you take from the edges) , and flatten them out to just under half an inch by stretching on the outsides around the dough
Drop in oil let fry a minute or two on each side til lighly browned. I use just a fork to flip the bread in pan and take it out. After frying I put bread in a strainer with paper towels....easy to just throw in there.

Such simple instructions and ingredients yet it is alot about technique.
This bread is one of my favorite things to eat, frybread goes good with anything.

Someone has to try it. If anyone does. Let me know.

I am a big fan of Rachel Ray.
She did some portobello mushroom cacatorie recipe on her show today that made me salivate!!

It's hard here because it's just me, my kid, and my H.

My kid and H don;t eat veggies, or fruits..or amny things..so I have to do all sorts of weird tricks to get certain flavors in recipes.

I use the blender..a-lot

Like, most recipes, to taste really good need either sautee'd onion, garlic, peppers, etc..in them to get the right flavors going.

Neither my H or my kid can handle the texture of those things. (even if i cut them into teeny, tiny peices)

So I will sautee them and then blend them up into a puree and then go back to making the dish (whatever it is)

It's a good trick to keep in mind if you have a gagger like my H and kid are (one who gags on anything the has a mebrane, like most fruits and veggies do, that will 'pop' in their mouth as they bite down on it)

Hey Sandra,
Thanks for taking the trouble to rewrite the recipe, I may try this later today if I get the chance. I never tried frybread at all, so it should be a whole new experience.
Just one question for clarification.
You said:...

sandra wrote:With spoon slowly start to add the flour to the water and baking powder mix...

..... I think you meant that the other way around? One should add the water/egg/baking powder mix to the flour in the bowl, yes?

.... And yes, I'll let you know how it went.... Even if it ends in tears.

Probably didn't word it right,

Yes add the water and egg (those 2 premixed) into the flour in the bowl, then the baking powder. You gradually mix these in with eachother, remember you don't want to much flour, there will be flour left in the bowl. Just so the dough is still slightly sticky to handle.

The frybread goes good with butter, and even cinnamon and sugar if you want one sweet.
NDN women don't give out their frybread recipe unless you are proven a good loyal friend (not kidding) They take it serious as we have contests and everyone always wants theirs to be the best.

If you try it, you'll be amased at what a few ingredients can make. This bread like I said goes great with taco stuff as well, you just pile all the meat and toppings right over it.

Let me know if you get around to it.

rath wrote:

Tairaa wrote:That sucks dude, I feel for you.

Unless of course in oz they pay their chefs a fair wage. Around here you go to school for 2 or 4 years and 95% of chefs make like 15$ an hour. Only a select few make decent coin as a chef.

If it different there?

that's why im always a happy chappy,.

Mines & oil rigs pay way more then hotels & restaurants .

however your not developing your trade when your working on a rig in the middle of the south pacific or out on a mine site 10,000km from the nearest town.

So its a trade of one way or another.

Money or knowledge.

Like i said there are some good jobs.

Its not much money, but the location would more then make up for it.

http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=33904

sandra wrote:Probably didn't word it right,

Yes add the water and egg (those 2 premixed) into the flour in the bowl, then the baking powder. You gradually mix these in with eachother, remember you don't want to much flour, there will be flour left in the bowl. Just so the dough is still slightly sticky to handle.

The frybread goes good with butter, and even cinnamon and sugar if you want one sweet.
NDN women don't give out their frybread recipe unless you are proven a good loyal friend (not kidding) They take it serious as we have contests and everyone always wants theirs to be the best.

If you try it, you'll be amased at what a few ingredients can make. This bread like I said goes great with taco stuff as well, you just pile all the meat and toppings right over it.

Let me know if you get around to it.

Simple!

And really tasty too!

Excellent. Thanks again Sandra, they went down a real treat lass.
I even got out the 'the big mixing bowl' for this. It belonged to my mother, and hers, and it normally lurks in he cupboard just daring me to use it, and break it, washing up.

So yeah........ I did it all according to the recipe, breaking off golf-ball sized pieces.....................pulling them into flat/round shapes (sort of)................... frying the ends of my fingers trying to lower them into the hot oil................ letting them turn golden-brown............... (The frybreads, not the fingers.).............. And they were light, and fluffy inside, and most of the family dropped by, tore pieces off to dip in the beef casserole that was in the slow cooker.......... declared them delicious and told me to make more.

So I did. Then they started to get adventurous and suggested some with garlic, which were absolutely mouth-wateringly good with the casserole by the way, some with tinned strawberriest and ice cream as a topping, and even a couple wrapped around pieces of banana before frying, then cut into smaller pieces, and drizzled with golden syrup while hot.

I did take a couple of pics of some with my phone. I'll try to upload them somewhere tomorrow if I can and show you how the first ones looked... If you promise not to laugh.

sandra wrote:6 days a week working,,atleast its cooking.

What is a favorite dish you make?

atleast its cooking

Yes atleast there is that.

in hind sight, ..... i should have become a plumber or something.

Look at it this way.

When i started my apprenticeship, there where hardly any cooking shows on t.v at all.

Now ......... there everywhere.

Cooking shows, reality cooking shows, magazines & dvd's ..... an a crap load of bad celebrity cooking book.

So Now after a long day / night at work cooking all day i get to go home & relax watch television or something right.


Wrong.

I dont think plumbers, mechanics electricians, school teachers, ect ect
Go home and have to put up with t.v shows telling em how to be a plumber or a teacher on 24/7

It drives me up the wall.

sandra wrote:What is a favorite dish you make?

Let me try this again.

how to pick its always different.

However, today is sunday ( my day off ) & im cooking for myself. (the house)
Cauliflower & Bacon soup,

&

Glazed Veal Cutlets With Mash & broccolini

( whiskey marmalade & rosemary glaze )