Suggestions for the next Cookalong

[Francesca]

@Francesca

There are different versions of Jambalaya -
seafood Jambalaya
chicken Jambalaya
Sausage Jambalaya
chicken and sausage Jambalaya

There are no mystery seasonings - salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Like many basic recipes it is frequently tweaked by the cook
Probably the least complicated of the suggested dishes.

I have never eaten or made game pie. I would be happy to try my hand at. I am not much at baking so the crust would be my challenge.

Not crazy about another stew although Rogan Josh and Stroganoff both sound interesting.

@ElizabethB

The shellfish Jambalaya would be a breeze to prepare as I live on the coast and so does my family .. Cayenne is a staple and so is Salt and Freshly ground black pepper.

Glad to hear their are no odd ingredients ..

Have a lovely weekend ..

 

[Francesca]

Ah - but the main point behind the Cookalong is to get us out of our comfort zones. Its supposed to be a challenge so we learn something new.

This may be worth us all bearing in mind when making suggestions or voting.

@morning glory

Your philosophy is fine, however, it is costly to buy non local ítems for a one time dish to feed 2 - 6 people .. So, this has to be taken into account.

 

[Francesca]

Regarding Goulash:


Goulash seems to be gaining votes. My only concern is that it is rather like Bourguignon which we just had - its a stew and it is beef. However, apparently it does not have to be made with beef (although, that is the most common ingredient). Just my thoughts...

@morning glory

Goulash is a Hungarian Dish and has a totally different tasting profile than French Beef Bourguignon ..

 

[Francesca]

@morning glory

Greek Dishes: There are many, and Stifado means stew .. In Spanish it is Estofado Griego ..

There are Moussaka, Dolmades, Spanokopia ( mezze ), Stuffed bell peppers, Stuffed aubergines, Souvlakia, Prawns with Feta = Saganaki ..

Off top of head ..

 

[Yorky]

The down side of choosing Game Pie is that it could be expensive and some members like @Yorky wouldn't be able to get it.

I can obtain all the ingredients for tom yam, but maybe others cannot. Your favourite pizza perhaps (after devouring one only yesterday)? Kebabs?

I'm just chucking stuff in the air.

 

[Yorky]

So far Welsh Cakes, Goulash and Game Pie have most votes... just saying.

Why don't you post a poll?

Just saying.

 

[Morning Glory]

Why don't you post a poll?

Just saying.

I'm waiting to get more participation then count up mentions and decide. If its an outright tie and there is no obvious reason to pick one or t'other then possibly a poll.

 

[Morning Glory]

@morning glory

Goulash is an Hungarian Dish and has a totally different tasting profile than French Beef Bourguignon ..

Goulash is American/Hungarian in the form it is being proposed here. Although I suppose someone could cook the original thin soup! See my post above. Obviously it tastes different from Beef Bourguignon - my point was simply that it is also a stew and also usually contains beef so it has similarities to the last Cookalong.

 

[Morning Glory]

I can obtain all the ingredients for tom yam, but maybe others cannot. Your favourite pizza perhaps (after devouring one only yesterday)? Kebabs?

I'm just chucking stuff in the air.

Pizza and kebabs are too generic - see my top post. Tom Yam is a good suggestion - I would have thought most people could get the ingredients. It wouldn't be such a learning curve for you though would it @Yorky? You would have to act as our resident expert.

 

[Yorky]

There are many different tom yam soups. The basic ingredients are similar but the other ingredients are diverse: tom yam khung (prawn/shrimp), tom tam gai (chicken) tom yam neua sot (fresh beef), tom yam plaa (fish), tom yam poo (crab), tom yam thale (seafood) and I suppose, although I've never come across it, tom yam moo (pork). How about a vegetable tom yam?

 

[Elawin]

Goulash is American/Hungarian in the form it is being proposed here. Although I suppose someone could cook the original thin soup! See my post above. Obviously it tastes different from Beef Bourguignon - my point was simply that it is also a stew and also usually contains beef so it has similarities to the last Cookalong.

I think you had better read this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goulash. Several of the recipes I have for goulash are actually Austrian or Hungarian and could never be described as soup. When I was in Austria there was always plenty of meat in it. As far as I can remember, the only place I have ever had soup (Gulaschsuppe) was in Germany. I usually used beef for goulash, but have occasionally used pork, and sometimes put potatoes in it (or just potatoes if I was a bit brassic). There are so many variations though.

 

[Morning Glory]

I think you had better read this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goulash. Several of the recipes I have for goulash are actually Austrian or Hungarian and could never be described as soup. When I was in Austria there was always plenty of meat in it. As far as I can remember, the only place I have ever had soup (Gulaschsuppe) was in Germany. I usually used beef for goulash, but have occasionally used pork, and sometimes put potatoes in it (or just potatoes if I was a bit brassic). There are so many variations though.

I was just trusting that Felicity Cloake was correct. I don't particularly trust Wikipedia but I really don't know. I also read this which made me think Felicity was right although possibly not in the sense of it being a thin soup: https://grantourismotravels.com/2010/12/26/porkolt-recipe-stew-goulash/

 

[Elawin]

I was just trusting that Felicity Cloake was correct. I don't particularly trust Wikipedia but I really don't know. I also read this which made me think Felicity was right although possibly not in the sense of it being a thin soup: https://grantourismotravels.com/2010/12/26/porkolt-recipe-stew-goulash/

Most of the information on the Wiki page seems to be replicating information on other sites (which are not necessarily equivalents of BBC Food or Allcooks or whatever). My Austrian cookery book contains two recipes for Ungarisches Gulasch (i.e. Hungarian goulash), one of which contains tomatoes, whereas the other one does not. It also contains a recipe for Kuemmelfleisch (caraway goulash) which contains cloves and vinegar instead of garlic and different proportions of the other ingredients. The recipe for Gulaschsuppe points out that ".....it is closely related to a true goulash. The ingredients are made finer and the whole, of course, thinned to a soup consistency" - but it is not goulash! A German/American friend of mine posted a photo of her [American] goulash on a site, and to my eyes it looked awful! I prefer food cooked in the old traditional way, although I am not a purist and do stray occasionally to more modern versions.
One thing I do agree on though is that the paprika should be Hungarian and must be fresh. However, when I made goulash a few months ago, I had to use Spanish paprika as it was only that one that I could find. It isn't the same, but I doubt whether most people would notice the difference. It is such a long time since I had goulash in Austria (which was made with Hungarian paprika) that I can no longer remember the exact taste.
P.S. Interestingly, one of the links on the Wiki site is for beef bourguignon!

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

A German/American friend of mine posted a photo of her [American] goulash on a site, and to my eyes it looked awful! I prefer food cooked in the old traditional way, although I am not a purist and do stray occasionally to more modern versions.

When I started looking into different goulash recipes, I was surprised to see such a sharp divide between different interpretations: there seems to be a Hungarian Goulash and an American Goulash. The one you saw, I'm guessing, had noodles and ground beef as part of the dish. While many places call this simply a goulash, I'd say it's undeniably an American goulash.

It's also interesting to see reactions to something that is so identified with a nationality: people posting recipes that they swear are authentic are challenged by other people who are of Hungarian ancestry who claim that, no, you can't have sour cream with it or, yes, you must include caraway seeds. There aren't many Hungarian restaurants near me, but I do want to find one that's highly acclaimed so I can see how the experts do it (and, even there, I'm sure there will be argument about whether or not it's authentic).

 

[Morning Glory]

So far the dishes with most votes remain:
Game pie (3)
Welsh Cakes (3)
Goulash (2)

I am taking an executive decision to rule out Welsh Cakes (sorry @LadyBelle) on the grounds that a few of us are making them anyway and posting the results in the Welsh Cakes thread. Also, although its a lovely recipe, it isn't really a challenging recipe as its similar to a basic scone recipe.

If I take my vote out we are left with Game Pie and Goulash with 2 votes each. Please correct me if I am wrong.

On the grounds that Goulash has produced most discussion and debate, I propose Goulash for the next Cookalong. I would rather have Game Pie as it would be a learning curve for me but I suspect only one or two of us might Cookalong if this was chosen.

Any real objections...?