cjsmith: (Default)
cjsmith ([personal profile] cjsmith) wrote2008-07-07 12:30 pm

Scorecard

Today's free lunch at work is pizza.

MY lunch is palak paneer.

[identity profile] ambar.livejournal.com 2008-07-07 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
*does the Snoopy dance with you*

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2008-07-07 08:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Heck, if I'd buttoned up the onion roast this morning, I would also have had something to offer my yeast-control-diet coworker. I have decided that that stuff is good enough that I will offer it to others. There was a big noisy group lunch in the common area, and he was conspicuously still sitting at his desk. (Well, "conspicuously" if you're me, and notice such things.)

Hey, 'bout that onion roast thing. Since it's basically a chunk of beef plopped in the middle of onion soup... is there an easy way to make onion soup that's that good without also having the big chunk of beef? Inquiring minds. I love onion soup, and in particular, I love THAT onion soup.

[identity profile] ambar.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
The key to good onion soup is good beef stock, which is effectively what you're making with that onion roast. I would start with the beef stock recipe on this page -- and Dittmers will cut the beef shank as instructed, fear not:

http://ambar.livejournal.com/76027.html

Yes, it does take that much beef to make that much properly flavored stock. Think about how much liquid you're getting off an onion roast and how many lbs of beef you're starting from --

(You can take the cooked beef from making the stock and chop it for salads or whatnot.)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
Wow, I'm surprised at how much more effortful the stock seems to be than the whole onion-roasted-beef-and-soup thing. I love the onion thing. It's surprisingly quick prep (if I'm not leaving the kitchen every two minutes to wipe streaming eyes) and it's sooooo good!

So, doing this yourself is way better than buying some kind of unit of beef stock in a can or something, right?

Maybe I'll stick with onion roast for a little while longer. Tonight I get to separate last night's batch of that into units. I will have some tomorrow. It is SO GOOD. I am massively impressed that I now have a recipe I am willing to feed to guests. (This one and fondue are in a class by themselves!)

[identity profile] ambar.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
Tell you what, I'll come over and we can do beef stock, and I'll bring a can of canned stock, and we can do blind taste tests. You'll forgive me if I smirk, right? :D

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 04:57 pm (UTC)(link)
I *totally* forgive you for smirking. :-)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2008-07-07 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you for lending me some win. :-)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2008-07-07 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I sure do. [livejournal.com profile] hitchhiker lent me a bunch of win and I used some today. :-)

[identity profile] airporter.livejournal.com 2008-07-07 10:38 pm (UTC)(link)
I'd so rather have had your lunch than pizza.

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2008-07-07 11:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Me too.

I admit that now that my doctor has said I can pick the toppings off a slice of pizza, I did do that. I haven't had anything pizzalike in just about two months now. But palak paneer is better. :-)

[identity profile] mbumby.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
And did any of your co-workers come sniffing by with wistful eyes? (You post the best recipes; I think I'm going to steal this one too.)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
No, but they were all in the common area scarfing down pizza. Palak paneer is great, but the smell won't overpower a dozen pizzas. Too bad!

I bet I post "the best" recipes because I have a fantabulous friends list who gives me -- so far -- things within my newbie abilities. I *love* it when something easy turns out to be yummy.

[identity profile] hopeforyou.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
Attagirl! Good for you!

(And I drool with envy here, too, because I LOVE palak paneer!)

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Are you okay with the ingredients in it? It turns out to be WAY easier to make than I would have thought!

[identity profile] rampling.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 11:58 am (UTC)(link)
Mmmmmmmm, good for you!! I'd choose palak paneer over random free pizza any day!!!

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2008-07-08 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes indeedy! I really did want to taste a slice of pizza-topping, too, after all the free pizza I've seen parade under my nose over the past month and a half. Annoyingly, the flavors just aren't right unless you cut them with a lot of bread (the crust). Oh well.