What's for dinner ( or lunch )

No I wasn’t talking about fennel seeds. While I like and use them , I was referring to fresh fennel root as a vegetable. Tastes like licorice.
Yup. I understood. Been a while sinces I've used the veggie, and I cannot recall the specific dish.

And I agree about ginger root. I just made a batch of reduced/flavored butters. One of them has lots of stuff in it, including ginger root. Gives it a nice sweet taste. I keep peeled ginger root in a jar in the fridge submerged in vodka to preserve it.
 

Yup. I understood. Been a while sinces I've used the veggie, and I cannot recall the specific dish.

And I agree about ginger root. I just made a batch of reduced/flavored butters. One of them has lots of stuff in it, including ginger root. Gives it a nice sweet taste. I keep peeled ginger root in a jar in the fridge submerged in vodka to preserve it.
Reduced flavoured butters?
Can you elaborate some? That sounds good.
 
Reduced flavoured butters?
Can you elaborate some? That sounds good.

I posted this pic elsewhere a couple of days ago...not sure where.
This is from a kilo of Amish butter.
Amish Butters.jpg
Ethiopian Clarified Butter/Ghee/Garlic Butter

There are lots of recipes (instructions, really) for making ghee out there. Basically, you simmer the butter until the whey foams off (it's clarified butter at this stage), then it stays in a transition state for a bit, then it foams again until the milk solids precipitate out. They stick to the bottom/sides of the pan so you have to keep scraping them as they simmer so they don't stick & burn (which ruins it.) The longer you cook them, the darker and more nutty the flavor. Strain through cheesecloth. There you have it...pure toasted butter fat. Some use it as a spread, I use it to sauté and fry foods. It's room temperature stable for months. Smoke Point is 482°F ( 250°C), higher than everything else except safflower and rice bran...and it tastes good.

The only thing the internet instructions do not address is using Amish butter. It goes through the process about twice as fast as commercial butters, and the milk solids are like grains of sand rather than small chunks. (I've been making this for a while.) Don't know why Amish is different that way, but you really need to babysit it even moreso than when using commercial butters.

Garlic butter is just as it sounds: Butter in a sauté pan over very low heat with a bunch of smashed peeled garlic cloves. Let it heat through for about an hour or so without simmering...this also clarifies it (burns off the whey.) Strain through cheesecloth. I like to keep it on hand, and you gotta strain the garlic out of it because you can get botulism if you don't. It's a commonly discussed thing: botulism thrives in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment. People have gotten sick trying to infuse their own olive oil with it. So I do it this way (the heat helps kill any bacteria) and then strain out the bits.

Ethiopian Clarified Butter is my favorite. There are TONS of widely different recipes out there for it, so the proportions in the following recipe are really just a starting point...I guess the ingredients and the quantities depend on whose kitchen you grew up cooking in. I've stuck with the first recipe I tried because it has such a nice balance of flavors. I use it on all the green veggies, as well as corn. I like adding a little to a bowl of hot lentil soup to finish it. The recipes say you can use it on fish and other meats, and even popcorn, but I've never tried that.

Ethiopian Clarified Butter

Unsalted butter 1#
Onion, chopped 1/2+
Garlic, crushed 4 cloves
Ginger root, 1/4-inch slices (8 pcs)
Cardamom, 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon stick, 3” (4)
Whole cloves, (6)
Fenugreek seeds, 1 tsp
Turmeric, 1/2 tsp

Place the butter in a small sauté pan and melt over low heat. Add the remaining ingredients and keep on the lowest possible heat for about 1 hour.

Strain through cheesecloth.
Store in the refrigerator or freezer and use as needed.

Don't worry if you don't have the Fenugreek. Not all recipes call for it. I just got some over the web and I've been making (and enjoying) this without Fenugreek for a few years. Also, the recipe I have calls for (2) cardamom pods per pound of butter. I first made this with just ground Cardamom and I prefer it that way. I finally got some pods, and even using 1 rather than 2 overpowers all the other flavors. I don't like it. I even tried using 1 pod and pulling it after 1/2 hour and it's still too strong for me. Be aware of this if you try other recipes.
 

Holy smokes! You truly know how to eat. I’m very familiar with Ghee butter or clarified butter. That Ethiopian butter sounds good and I have all those ingredients on hand. I’m definitely going to try this.
This must taste amazing on that homemade bread you make. It would make incredibly good croutons too. 😋 Thank you so much. 👍
 
Holy smokes! You truly know how to eat. I’m very familiar with Ghee butter or clarified butter. That Ethiopian butter sounds good and I have all those ingredients on hand. I’m definitely going to try this.
This must taste amazing on that homemade bread you make. It would make incredibly good croutons too. 😋 Thank you so much. 👍
If you have Fenugreek on hand, I am impressed.

I bought my first bottle years ago when making some middle eastern veggie stew, and don't think I touched it again until making this butter.

You live over the pond, don't you? I thought those ingredients might be familiar to you, what with the international influences you have there. I had lots of access to most anything I wanted when I lived outside of Washington DC, but now that I live in a very rural area, the internet is my primary source other than a couple of small ethnic shops 30 miles up the road...or "down the frog" if you're so inclined ;)

edit to add: Oops. I see from another post you live in the states. That "u" in "favourite" threw me!
 
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Making fish stew with haddock, small red potatoes, bits of fried bacon, chopped onion and a bit of thin sliced celery. Flour to thicken a bit, plus a few potatoes mashed, then add the fish....oh, I'm throwing in a small can of minced clams too. Add cream and a whiff of nutmeg and heat until hot.

Dried thyme is not my favorite herb, but anyone think a pinch would be nice?

A few soda crackers and lettuce and tomato w/ oil and rice wine vinegar should do it.
 

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