What Have You Cooked Recently?

[MerriedxReldnahc]

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[HamFan]

Lazy, late dinner last night. Threw into the instant pot: a still-frozen block of ham bits leftover from Easter, a diced onion, a few cloves of garlic, diced potatoes, and chicken broth. 6 minutes under pressure. Stirred in a shredded block of cheddar/mozzarella, and some fresh parsley.
That's all we ate, but there's a bunch leftover, and I think it will make a great side for our next dinner (I'm thinking grilled chicken).

 

[The Feline Solution 2]

Marinated some meat for later. Half a kilo of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp mirin, thumb of grated ginger, pinch of sugar, salt and white pepper. Again, real spoons, not the US measuring unit. Not sure if i just broil them, cube and make a veggie stir fry or even go out and buy some sesame oil and spring onions to make an asian style noodle dish.

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Burge

That's a nice plate, i once gifted someone two bowls in that style and i'm still kinda mad i didn't keep 'em for myself because i never found them to buy again.

 

[(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Cancer ♥]

I made a resignation letter
No longer had free reign of the kitchen I was in and if I'm going to work under someone I expect them to be more experienced than myself and at least as competent. Still got my other job and will probably go get in at a fine dining joint after enjoying a week of extra time in the day

 

[newport100s]

Another fast meal on nulls pizza day.

Spaghetti squash, sauce made from canned peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, sauteed white onion, garlic and red bell pepper, with oregano, thyme, dill, salt and black pepper through the immersion blender. Added some sauteed mushroom in after.

First time using squash instead of noodles. Was delicious.

 

[some dumb cunt]

testing new dehydrator, trying marinade with curry powder for the first time after like ten years of drying corpses.

 

[souschef]

Today i did fried chips

Started by infusing olive oil with rose peppers, garlic and a sprig of rosemary for about 30 minutes on very low heat, then filtered the oil, raised the heat and fried the chips, seasoned with sweet paprika and salt

Then i chilled this olive oil after filtering it again, and used it as a base for a mayonnaise

 

[KifflomKween]

Tfw chatgpt gives you a recipe for the most delicious bolognese you've ever had in your life, only for you to realize your stomach gets full after some 5 forkfuls of meat but you can't stop eating bc it's so delicious so you go to bed with horrible reflux and a heavy stomach, spend half of the next day still feeling shitty, then you find out it has over 500 calories per portions lmao

10/10 would do it again bc omg it's so good

Here's the recipe.

Classic Bolognese Sauce (Serves 4–6)​

Ingredients:​

• Olive oil – 2 tbsp
• Butter – 2 tbsp (optional, adds richness)
• Onion – 1 large, finely chopped
• Carrot – 1, finely chopped
• Celery – 1 stick, finely chopped
• Garlic – 2 cloves, minced (optional but nice)
• Ground beef (or mix beef/pork) – 500g (about 1 lb)
• Tomato paste – 2 tbsp
• Crushed tomatoes / passata – 400g (1 can)
• Milk – 1/2 cup (balances acidity)
• Dry white wine (or red) – 1/2 cup
• Bay leaf – 1
• Salt & pepper – to taste
• Nutmeg – a pinch (optional but authentic)
• Parmesan – for serving

---

Instructions:​

1. Prep the base:
   • Heat olive oil (and butter, if using) in a large saucepan over medium heat.
   • Add onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté until soft and golden, ~10 minutes.
   • Add garlic and stir 1 minute.
2. Add meat:
   • Increase heat slightly. Add the ground meat and break it apart.
   • Cook until browned all over — no pink remaining.
3. Deglaze with wine:
   • Pour in wine. Let it simmer 2–3 minutes until alcohol evaporates.
4. Build the sauce:
   • Stir in tomato paste and let it coat the meat.
   • Add crushed tomatoes/passata, milk, bay leaf, nutmeg, salt & pepper.
   • Mix well. Bring to a simmer.
5. Simmer long and slow:
   • Reduce heat to low.
   • Partially cover and simmer gently for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
   • Add a splash of water or stock if it gets too thick.
6. Final taste:
   • Adjust salt, pepper, and richness. Remove bay leaf.

---

To Serve:​

• Cook pasta al dente (tagliatelle is ideal, but spaghetti or pappardelle work too).
• Toss pasta with sauce, top with Parmesan.

You said:​

• You used 500g ground beef
• You split the meat into 4 portions
• Ate 1 portion of meat with a bit of pasta

---

CALORIE BREAKDOWN​

Meat (1/4 of 500g beef)​

• 500g ground beef (80/20 fat) = ~1,150–1,200 kcal total
• 1/4 portion = ~290–300 kcal

Olive oil + butter (from recipe)​

• 2 tbsp olive oil = 240 kcal
• 2 tbsp butter = 200 kcal
• Total = 440 kcal → 1/4 portion = ~110 kcal

Meat + fats = ~400 kcal

Milk (1/2 cup)​

• ~60 kcal → 1/4 portion = ~15 kcal

Tomato paste + veg + wine = minor​

• Let’s generously round this portion up by ~25 kcal

PASTA (you said 'a bit')​

• If you ate ~1/2 cup cooked pasta → ~100 kcal
• 1 cup cooked → ~200 kcal

---

​

• ~540–560 kcal (with 1 cup cooked pasta)
• ~440–460 kcal (with 1/2 cup pasta)

 

[naaaaiiiiillllll!!!]

Tfw chatgpt gives you a recipe for the most delicious bolognese you've ever had in your life

ChatGPT actually doing something beneficial for humanity. I’ve been wanting to make my own pasta sauces for years now, so I’m definitely going to try out the robot recipe.

 

[KifflomKween]

ChatGPT actually doing something beneficial for humanity. I’ve been wanting to make my own pasta sauces for years now, so I’m definitely going to try out the robot recipe.

ChatGPT is singlehandedly teaching me how to cook. It knows everything and I can ask it questions in real time while I am cooking and even send pics. It's amazing. My cooking skills have improved immensely.

 

[Dawdler]

Apart from milk, that's pretty bog standard recipe.

 

[souschef]

Nutmeg – a pinch (optional but authentic)

Dunno about this, might clash with authentic ragu... Didn't like the bayleef either

Add garlic and stir 1 minute.

Garlic isn't in traditional ragu bolognese, but i use it regardless

Partially cover and simmer gently for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Now this is the important part. Traditional bolognese asks for around 5 or 6 hours of simmering. Around the 2.5 hour mark you actually see the magic happens, with the saturation and flavor of the sauce. 2 hours, in my opinion is just too few cooking time for bolognese. I aim for at least 4 hours, that's why when doing bolognese i advise doing big batches. Also go for some red table wine, it gives better pairing than white wine. And yeah, stirring every 15 minutes is really important at the simmering stage, as the residue in the bottom of the pan will stick and burn if you don't.

If you thought it was delicious simmering for 2 hours, you'll blow your mind after a 5 hour simmer, there's no comparison, it's just another level

ChatGPT actually doing something beneficial for humanity. I’ve been wanting to make my own pasta sauces for years now, so I’m definitely going to try out the robot recipe.

ChatGPT is singlehandedly teaching me how to cook. It knows everything and I can ask it questions in real time while I am cooking and even send pics. It's amazing. My cooking skills have improved immensely.

GPT is actually solid for this. Sometimes it'll give some wacky advice, but most of the time it will put you on the right track. It's great to help you understand the "whys" behind the cooking process too

Apart from milk, that's pretty bog standard recipe.

Finishing with milk is a classic technique in making bolognese, some people use cheese instead of milk too

But that it's at the end (last 15 min of cooking), not before the simmering. It DOES make a difference

 

[KifflomKween]

Now this is the important part. Traditional bolognese asks for around 5 or 6 hours of simmering. Around the 2.5 hour mark you actually see the magic happens, with the saturation and flavor of the sauce. 2 hours, in my opinion is just too few cooking time for bolognese. I aim for at least 4 hours, that's why when doing bolognese i advise doing big batches. Also go for some red table wine, it gives better pairing than white wine. And yeah, stirring every 15 minutes is really important at the simmering stage, as the residue in the bottom of the pan will stick and burn if you don't.

I'm sure it tastes amazing but ain't no one got the time or patience to stir a pot every 15 mins for 5 hours.

 

[Dawdler]

Finishing with milk is a classic technique in making bolognese, some people use cheese instead of milk too

(Sour) Cream makes it better imo and you don't dilute it as much.
Cheese is for serving. Don't like gooey mess inside sauce personally. You should see the meat and sauce.

I'm sure it tastes amazing but ain't no one got the time or patience to stir a pot every 15 mins for 5 hours.

Don't really need that. Just run it thru a food processor or that "pate" machine once onions are glazed but before meat is added.
I however like some chunks in food, not that everything is as smooth as baby food.
You can also store this sauce well and reheat-reboil it. For some reason it gets better.
However, if you really like it to simmer, just add a load of water and set heat to low and cover it. You can throw in "semi-cooked" pasta at the end to finish it, soak up the extra water and make sauce stickier and spaghetti dry.
Personally, I avoid adding starch or flour to thicken the sauce. It just gets that commercial rubbish taste.

 

[The Feline Solution 2]

Gonna make some sandwiches with the stuff i got here. Just lettuce, spring onions and chicken breasts. Marinated the meat over night in olive oil, parsley, lovage root (Google gave me this translation) and garlic chives. Easy lunch. Gonna put a slice of american cheese on the sandwiches, too.

Edit: Adding to the bolognese discourse, italians would throw a hissy fit over the milk but i tried it out before and it's good. I also add a splash of thai fish sauce to my ragu, another thing my ancestors would crucify me for. I think i picked that up from a Kenji Alt-Lopez recipe, it really adds to the dish. Just a teaspoon or so is enough.

Dunno about this, might clash with authentic ragu... Didn't like the bayleef either

Agree, bayleaf has no place in it. The nutmeg is iffy, too. I tried out nutmeg on my journey to make the perfect ragu (still not there) before and wasn't a fan.

 

[souschef]

I'm sure it tastes amazing but ain't no one got the time or patience to stir a pot every 15 mins for 5 hours.

The stirring is pretty much required, otherwise the bottom will burn and ruin your work. That's why i recommend doing bolognese in huge batches, because it's too time costly

But it's worth it. It's the kind of stuff you do at weekends when you have lots of spare time. You're gonna simmer it on low, so you can just browse the farms, play some games and head to the kitchen to stir it a little bit every 15 minutes

(Sour) Cream makes it better imo and you don't dilute it as much.
Cheese is for serving. Don't like gooey mess inside sauce personally. You should see the meat and sauce.

I love sour cream but dunno on bolognese. I tried once in a strogonoff recipe, it was Marco Pierre's recipe, didn't enjoy it neither. I don't think parmesan makes the sauce gooey, you could always grate it before pouring in. I did it once, but honestly i just settle for a dash of milk on the last fifteen minutes and done