Food Glorious Food - The Cooking Thread

[jvegg]

I just had a pimento grilled cheese wow. I have never even heard of this it was so good and tangy. I looked online and it seems most southern people have been eating this for ever. Does anyone have a recipes for Pimento cheese? I assume home made is better.

[Carolinian]

Grated cheddar+mayo+minced pimento peppers from a jar. Chill. That's it. Adjust the proportions to your taste. It tastes better if you make it a few hours before consuming but you can eat it right away as well. I prefer sharp cheddar myself and add a little black pepper. A lot of the commercial spreads use mild cheddar and add sugar which I don't care for.

[jvegg]

Thank you Carolinian.I figured I could find many Recipes online but I trust this site.

[chonies]

I discovered the local Winn Dixie carries Biscoff spread. So good, it shouldn't be allowed to exist.

[smitten]

Does anyone have a trick to cooking barley? I can't get it soft enough and I soaked those suckers for almost 24 hours before hand!

[LAX]

I assume you're cooking barley pearls? Maybe your barley is still toothy because it didn't have enough water, or long enough cooking time?
I usually don't soak my barley, but that's only because I usually don't think ahead when I'm cooking. I go with a 1:3 ratio of barley to water. I use a rice cooker for mine, but if you're using the stove top method, after bringing it to a boil reduce to a nice low simmer and let it cook about for about 40-45 minutes.

I discovered the local Winn Dixie carries Biscoff spread. So good, it shouldn't be allowed to exist.

I know! Good thing my only source is mail order, otherwise it would be dangerous.

[smitten]

Hi LAX. Yep, pearl barley. It says on the bag for extra tender barley, soak in twice as much water as barley for 5 hours, or overnight. So i did that. 1 cup barley, 2 cups water. For 24 hours. Then it says cook presoaked pearls in boiling water for 15 minutes. Which I did for 25 min! 3 cups water, 1 cup pearls.

I'm trying to make these for smittenkitten, since it's supposed to be great finger food. But these are still way too firm. I have to chew them multiple times and I can still feel them going down my throat as I swallow. He only has one tooth!

I don't get it.

[LAX]

That's odd. Is all the water absorbed when you finish the cooking time, or do you have to pour the excess off?

[smitten]

There was a tiny bit of excess, maybe a tablespoon

[LAX]

Maybe a tad more water, a longer, slower cooking time, and let it continue to cook until all the excess water is gone. Maybe you have barley that is dryer than average and needs more water to get it to the full moisture.