Steam Pit Cooking Technique A Meal Remembered Years Later

Nothing compares with the taste of food cooked slowly in the earth. This is no 30-minute meal technique. It takes organization and effort – but the results justify the labor. What follows is my experience the first time I ever participated in preparing and eating a steam-pit cooked meal. I cannot wait for another opportunity to try this again.

Digging a pit big enough to feed a dozen people is no small task – I didn’t measure it, but it seemed huge, maybe 3 feet deep and a couple of feet across – or larger.

We accumulated smooth, dense rocks ranging in from fist size to grapefruit size. I didn’t count them, but there were enough to cover the bottom of the pit and the top of the layers. We built a fire in a separate fire pit and heated the rocks until they glowed red. That probably took two hours.

While the fire was heating, we gathered huge heaps of tall dried grasses [any fibrous plant will work] – probably about 2 armloads for every person, and set them next to the mound of earth dug out of the hole. These would need to be soaked for an hour or so before we added them to the steam pit.

We transferred half the rocks (using a pick or sturdy shovel) into the cooking pit. Then we covered the rocks with half of the soaked dried grasses. We put an old towel on top of the grass layer and then added our food. We covered the food with another old towel, covered that with the rest of the grass, then transferred the remaining hot rocks on top of that. We capped this all with bark slabs and covered the whole thing with dirt.

The steam pit cooking technique only works if the pit is thoroughly sealed. If air gets in, the food will burn. So we had to really cover this up until we were sure we could not see steam or smoke coming from the pit. The general rule is to allow 15 minutes of cooking time for every pound of food in the pit. I think cooking took 4 or 5 hours that day.

When the food was cooked, we uncovered the pit. There are no words to describe the aroma of the steam as the dirt, grasses and towel are removed. There is no prayer strong enough to express the sense of nourishment and gratitude I got from tasting food infused with the flavors of herbs, wood, and warm earth.

It was one of the most labor-intensive Thanksgivings I ever spent, but it will stand out in my mind as one of the best days of my life. Maybe next Thanksgiving will be a steam pit Thanksgiving.

For a half-century, writer and passionate naturalist JJ Murphy, has been providing nature programs, original curricula, articles, product reviews, books and open discussion to children and eco-aware adults across the USA. She lives in Harriman, NY. http://www.writerbynature.com Creative Content for Your Nature Endeavors

[tags]cooking techniques, cooking outdoors, wilderness cooking, wild edible cooking[/tags]

Cooking Roast Prime Rib on the Grill

Love the taste of prime rib? Love the taste of barbecue? You can combine them together for cooking roast prime rib on the grill. It takes a bit longer than hamburgers, but cooking roast prime rib on the grill gives you a fabulous roast that everyone enjoys.

You need a lot of charcoal for cooking prime rib on the grill. The cooking time is about two hours so you need about 8 pounds of good quality charcoal. Fire up the charcoal and wait until the flames die down and the charcoal is giving off a good heat.

When cooking prime rib on the grill, you don’t want the meat to be directly over the hot coals. Move them over to one side of the grill so that you can place the roast on the other side. Before putting the meat on the barbecue, rub the exterior with a mixture of coarse salt, pepper and herbs.

You can use either bone on or bone off when cooking roast prime rib on the grill. You can ask the butcher to remove the bones and then tie them back onto the meat. This gives you the best of both worlds — easy carving and great tasting ribs.

Place the meat on the grill and cover it tightly. If the cover has vents, you want to close them as well. Check the grill from time to time to make sure it has enough heat to for cooking roast prime rib on the grill. If it cools off, you can open the events to let the flames build up again.

After two hours of cooking roast prime rib on the grill, take the cover off and check the temperature with a meat thermometer. The interior will be about 115

Discover the Benefits of Crock Pot Cooking with the Best Crock Pot Recipes For Every Taste

Many families owned a crock pot or a slow cooker. It has become one of the most useful and must-have appliances in the kitchen for the family. The slow cooker has gained much popularity because of the many benefits of its usage. One of the benefits is that it can help to prepare a wide variety of delicious food. Besides, many easy crock pot recipes of favourite dishes are widely available, such as the crock pot chicken recipe, beef stew recipe, pork roast recipe, etc. By simply using one of these recipes, one can easily prepare a delicious meal for the family. Another benefit of using the slow cooker is that the dishes prepared by it are nutritious. This is because mainly fresh, wholesome ingredients are used in the cooking. The foods are usually cooked at a low temperature for long periods of time, so ingredients such as meat and vegetables become deliciously tender. As there is little evaporation, the food doesn’t dry out. The natural juices from the meats and vegetables are retained in the pot rather than boiled away, thus, resulting in tasty and nutritious dishes.

Although using the gas stove, electric burner or grill are fast and efficient methods to do cooking, these methods require attention and supervision. For example, if a piece of meat is left unattended on a hot grill, it will become charred. While simmering tomato sauce in a pot and the sauce is not stirred regularly, sticking and burning will occur at the bottom of the pot. Similarly, for the oven, if a tray of butter cookies is placed in a heated oven, the cookies will blacken if they are not removed on time. Hence, we see that although these methods are fast but they require monitoring and the foods needs to be stirred, flipped, or turned. The advantage of the slow cooker is that it is able to do the cooking without any attention. The cooker takes the heat and indirectly applies it to the food so that the food cooked slowly and evenly with any human intervention. The slow cooker uses low heat so the food would not burn without stirring, but of course it is also able to cook hot enough so that harmful bacteria would be killed.

How the slow cooker does the cooking? The base of the slow cooker is made up of a doubled-walled metal compartment that contains the heating elements. As the elements heat up, they warm the insulated air trapped between the two metal walls and thus heats up the metal. Heat is then transferred to the air between the inner metal wall and the stoneware pot. The hot air heats and cooks the food slowly and evenly. As the heating elements do not make any direct contact with the stoneware pot, hence there are no hot spots, and thus there is no need for stirring.

Due to the fact that slow cookers are simple, safe and require no attention while cooking, people who use it enjoy the time-saving convenience it provides. It enables them to eat delicious, nutritious home-cooked food without having to spend hours salving over a hot stove. In this society, nowadays, more people are spending time away from home. Working adults avoid cooking, reason being that they are too tired to do so after a long, hard day of work and also they have no time to do it. The electric slow cooker provides these people the convenience of being able to work and come home later in the day to eat a fully cooked meal without having to spend time in the cooking process. They can simply place all the food ingredients in the slow cooker, set it on low and leave for work in the morning. By the time they come back from work in the evening, a tasty, nutritious, home-cooked dish will be waiting for them. They could choose to add a salad or whole-grain bread to the dish and it will form a complete meal. Hence, by using the slow cooker, people can spend their time at work, in school or recreation, and still not miss the opportunity to eat nutritious food. In addition, it is also more economical to prepare your own delicious meals rather than spending on restaurants cafes or take-away. The money you save from doing your own cooking can really adds up in the long run and be used to finance your other needs.

Furthermore, in times of hot weather, when cooking on the stove and turning on the oven adds to the heat, the slow cooker provides a good alternative. Besides, the slow cooker is an economical appliance to use for cooking. It uses as little electricity as a 75-watt light bulb and substantially less energy as compared to an electric oven.

As you can see from the above, crock pot cooking has many benefits. If you wish to enjoy fully the advantages of crock pot cooking, it is best to equip yourself with a book of crock pot recipes that can provide you with a great variety of ideas so that you can prepare delicious and sumptuous meals everyday. You may consider getting this book of recipes – 470 Crock Pot Recipes. In this book, you will find an extensive range of recipes for tasty main dishes, side dishes and even desserts. It will help you make the perfect meal for your family.

Happy Crock Pot Cooking!

Rose Mary
Enjoys Crock Pot Cooking with Crock Pot Recipes

470 Crock Pot Recipes

[tags]crock pot, crock pot recipe, crock pot recipes, chicken crock pot recipe, easy recipe for crock pot[/tags]

3 Easy Recipes for Camping Treats

The following recipes are ones you’ll have to make ahead of time to take with you. See below for other recipes you can make while camping.

TRAIL MIX

1 c. granola cereal
1/2 c. salted sunflower kernels
1/2 c. salted roasted soy beans
1/2 c. chopped dates
1/2 c. raisins

You’ll need: Medium bowl, wooden spoon, dry measuring cups, jar. In a medium bowl, mix cereal, sunflower kernels, soy beans, dates and raisins with a wooden spoon. Store in a jar or a plastic container with a tight lid. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

TRAILSIDE OATMEAL TREATS

1/2 c. margarine
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. raisins
Walnuts

Beat margarine, peanut butter, and sugars until creamy. Blend in eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix in all the rest. Drop by spoonfuls (make small) on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 14 minutes. Remove before they turn brown, underbake them.

JERKY

3 tbsp. liquid smoke
3 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. season all
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 handful of thinly stripped beef or deer meat

Mix first 6 ingredients. Stir in meat. Place in a colander and set over another bowl to catch drippings. Let set 12 hours in refrigerator. Place meat on cookie sheets and dry in oven at 150 to 200 degrees with oven cracked open slightly. Heat until all moisture has gone from meat.

About the Author: Kara Kelso is the mother of two, and owner of http://www.Idea-Queen.com . For more camping recipes, visit:
http://www.idea-queen.com/recipes-for-camping.html

[tags]recipes, camping, snacks, ideas, moms[/tags]

Low Carb Recipes Actually Taste Great!

Many people are beginning diets that encourage low carb recipes these days. But, what are low carb recipes? What things can and cannot be made into a low carb recipe? Following your diets strict guidelines is important, but using the Internet as a tool will help you. For instance, you may do a search for quick recipes and come up with many low carb options. There are many different diets to choose from that have low carb rules. But, many recipes may also be able to be changed into low carb by making simple changes. Meat recipes are probably the most oblivious choice including chicken as it is such a healthy option in most cases. But, what about other choices? Cookie recipes may be the most difficult to find, but choices for sweets will be found. What about a special occasion? Yes, you can easily find easy gourmet recipes as well. Make in advance crockpot recipes? Yes, those too will be found with a little devoted looking.

The best option in finding these hard to find recipes would be too look on your low carb diet’s website. You can also do a search for the exact thing or just a category using the Internet. Whatever means you choose, you will find many options to low carb recipes out there. Low carb recipes need to be healthy as well as follow the guidelines specified in your diet’s plan. So, it is safe to say, that you will need to research what items you may and may not eat when following these diets by looking through the materials you have purchased or visiting the websites sponsored by those diets. Questions to asked and get answered include knowing the difference between good carbs and bad carbs. Dietitians recommend eating complex carbs because these are full of fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals. Other carbs are ones, usually the ones to avoid are simple carbs which contain lots of sugar! There are more things to ask about your diet as well such as the different phases or just how to live a low carb life.

Once you know the information you need to choose which low carb recipes you are allowed or those that you are restricted from, changing your favorite recipes into low carb gets easier. Chicken and other meat recipes will be the easiest to switch maybe with very little effort. In certain diets, you are allowed to eat more vegetables, but are restricted on which ones. So instead of having a baked potato with your dinner, you have a baked sweet potato instead. The sweet potato has less of the “bad carbs” then the sweet potato. Maybe instead of fries at your favorite restaurant, you get a salad. When it comes to making things at home, you need recipes that contain good carbs in the correct amounts for your diet.

A crock pot meal may contain a meat choice and fresh veggies, but leave out the potatoes or noodles. There are many choice you will need to make when looking for low carb recipes, but overall, it will be easy to find ones that will fit your taste buds. The most important things to understand are the rules of your low carb diet or lifestyle. Knowing which carbs you can and cannot eat, is the entire battle!

About The Author

Mike Yeager Publisher

http://www.a1-recipes-4u.com/; mjy610@hotmail.com

[tags]carbs,carbohydrate,low carbs,atkins,dr. atkins,atkins diet,diets,cooking,food,weight loss[/tags]

Vine-Ripened Tomato Salad Recipes

Nothing tastes like summer as much as a vine-ripened tomato. Eat one straight out of the garden, as you would an apple. Sprinkle it with a little salt if you wish. (If you’re afraid of salt, you might want to visit my web site for the latest on why salt is not the blood-pressure-raising culprit we once believed it to be. See the link below.)

Then take your tomatoes into the kitchen and toss them into these delicious, easy salad recipes. Nothing could be simpler, better for you, more colorful, more tasty! What more can you ask for?

Tomatoes with Cucumber and Onion

4 tomatoes, sliced

2 cucumbers, sliced

1 red onion, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup light Italian dressing

Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve with ground pepper to taste.

4 servings

Tomato-Mint Salad

1/4 cup tarragon vinegar

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped mint

6 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced

3 cucumbers, sliced

Romaine lettuce

Mint leaves for garnish

Combine the vinegar, juice, sugar, salt, pepper and mint; mix into the tomatoes and cucumbers and marinate at least 1 hour. Line a bowl with romaine leaves, place the tomatoes and cucumbers in the middle and garnish with additional mint leaves.

4 servings

Tomatoes with Pepper Salsa

1 green pepper, chopped fine

6 green onions, minced (white part)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves (optional)

1 jalapeno pepper, minced, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon wine vinegar

4 ripe tomatoes

Romaine lettuce leaves

2 cups bean sprouts

Combine all ingredients except the tomatoes, lettuce and sprouts; marinate for 4 hours or overnight. Slice the tomatoes and arrange on a bed of lettuce and sprouts; top with the salsa.

4 servings

Tomatoes and Basil

Sliced vine-ripened tomatoes

Chopped fresh basil leaves

Rice wine vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the ingredients in any quantity you wish.

(Any number of servings)

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Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

[tags]recipes, healthy recipes, healthful recipes, salads, tomatoes, nutrition, diet, weight loss[/tags]

10 Cooking Tips for Smart Cooks

Below is some guidelines for smart cooks:

- Keep on hand food items you use often. Group similar items on shelves. This speeds selection and you can see at a glance when it’s time to buy replacements.

- Organize your refrigerator so there’s a certain space for leftovers. Then you can easily see what’s on hand and what needs to be used promptly – thus cutting food waste.

- Mentally check your menu plans for the day. Be sure you don’t have too many last-minute tasks. Then, think through your preparation schedule, planning to dovetail activities whenever possible.

- Learn to read recipes carefully before you begin. Do you have all the ingredients? Is there something you should do first – melt chocolate, beat eggs, make pastry ?

- Turn on oven, if needed, when you start preparations, so it will reach correct temperature by the time food is ready to be baked.

- Assemble ingredients and utensils before beginning recipe – you’ll save time and effort!

- If more than one menu item calls for chopped food, do all your chopping at once. Remember, too, chopped onion and green pepper freeze well for use later on.

- Use kitchen shears to snip parsley, chives, dates, etc. It’s quicker than a knife.

- In planning your menu, remember flavor, temperature, and texture contrasts keep meals from becoming humdrum. For example, serve a crisp cold salad with hot soup.

- Meats and poultry may make a more stunning presentation on the platter when they are whole, but it’s much more practical to serve them sliced.

- Serve hot foods hot, cold foods cold!

-A smart cook plans a surprise in every meal – some little extra, like a special muffin, an unusual relish, a tasty trim, a favorite dessert served in a new way.

-Clean up as you go. Wash utensils as you finish using them; soak stubborn pans. Take care of leftovers right away.

The author is a big fan of cooking recipes. Visit the following website for more info about health and cooking recipes.

http://www.101cookingrecipes.com

http://www.101vegetarianrecipes.com

http://www.herbs-spices-recipes.com

[tags]smart cooking, cooking tips, smart cooks[/tags]

Motor Home Cooking

While we were kids, my brother, my father and I, had the opportunity of traveling around the countryside with our motor home to explore everything our home country had to offer to “the three musketeers;” that being our code name. Unfortunately, in most of these trips our mother was left behind as she had to work and we were given the chance to spend time with our father who as a nature lover took as almost anywhere our car and feet could lead us. These trips were our time together with our beloved father, who while we were young did everything in his power to spend as much time with us as possible. If time was not the issue back then, we tried to keep the budget under logical limits, so all these trips were made with our car that was carrying on its roof our specially designed and hand-made (by my father) tend.

During those motor home trips and since our mother was not near by to help dad feed his kids, our father was apart much more than the designated driver and the leader of our group. He was also the cook that served us some of the best meals we have ever tasted; probably because we were really hungry by the time we managed to sit down for a meal. The truth is that I still remember the taste of his pasta and if I could go back in time, I would love to experience again the thrill of singing with my brother while our dad was smiling cooking in our motor home.

Other motor home owners might agree with my remark as many support that motor home cooking can produce some of the best cooking results. Living at the country side and being able to smell all that wonderful tasty food makes mouths water with anticipation. If you are a beginner in motor home ownership, you should know that there are several different methods one can experience cooking while camping, like wood fires, camp charcoal, stoves, foil cooking or barbeque. The type of cooking method is directly related to the food you will decide to make and how you like it to be cooked. Sometimes you will have to decide based on your motor home appliances, but then again there are several cooking tips to consider before getting into a motor home vehicle.

Consider freezing the meat for instance. Freezing it ahead of time can keep the meat fresh and other foods in perfect state. My father used to be proactive like that and always planned ahead of time. He used plastic bags or containers to keep measured portions of the food that was going to be consumed safely contained. I think it is also best if you want to avoid food from sticking to the pans to apply oil on the grill. Finally, put matches somewhere safe to keep them dry as many camping cookbook recipes require the use of natural fire and there is no better way to start a fire than with matches. You can also keep your drinks in a separate food cooler as it can help preserve foods for longer periods of time while avoiding any kind of spoilage. Finally, a great tip is to keep water bottles after they are empty because they can become great camping cooking containers to put in any left over salad dressing or any other liquid substance.

John Gibb is the owner of motor home resources
, For more information on motor homes check out http://www.motor-homes-information2k.info

[tags]motor, homes, campervans[/tags]

Asian Spicy Sauce Recipes

A spicy dip adds interest to a simple meal of deep-fried fish or blanced clams and scalded baby squids. These tasty and easy-to-make dips are a must for those who love the tang of bite.

Cencaluk Chili Sauce Spicy Recipes

Ingredients :

1.5 tablespoons good quality cencaluk
4.5 shallots
1 tablespoon sliced red chili
1 tablespoon sliced bird’s eye chilies
Seasoning:
1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Method :
1. Slice shallots lengthwise.
2. Put cencaluk, red chili, bird’s eye’s chilies and shallots in

a bowl.
3. Add in sugar and lime juice to taste.
4. Stir well to mix
5. Serves this relish when serving deep-fried mackerel.

Chili Sauce with Saw-Tooth Coriander Spicy Recipes

Ingredients :
4 red chilies
2 cloves garlic
2-3 bird’s eye chilies
1 cm piece young ginger
2 kasturi limes, halved and seeds removed
2 saw-tooth coriander leaves

Seasoning:
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 tablespoon sugar or to taste
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method :
1. Process red chilies, garlic, bird’s eye chilies, kasturi lime

halves, ginger and saw-tooth coriander leaves in a food

processor to a rough pulp.
2. Add seasoning to taste.
3. Transfer into a small serving bowl.
4. Serve with baby squids or meat dishes.
5. Serves 3-4

Tamarind Sambal Sauce Spicy Recipes

Ingredients :
1 heaped tablespoon tamarind pulp mixed with 150ml water
4 shallots, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
3 bird’s eye chilies, chopped
For sambal belacan:
3 red chilies
5 g toasted shrimp paste (belacan)
3 kasturi limes, halved and squeezed for juice
1-2 tablespoon sugar and salt or to taste

Method :
1. Place red chilies, bird’s eye chilies and toasted belacan in

a mortar and pound into a paste.
2. Add kasturi lime juice and a pinch of salt for taste.
3. Transfer paste into a bowl.
4. Combine tamarind pulp with water.
5. Mix and squeeze to obtain tamarind juice, then strain.
6. Put tamarind juice, shallots, 1-2 tablespoons sambal belacan

in a bowl.
7. Add lime juice, sugar and salt to taste.
8. Transfer tamarind sambal sauce into a serving dish.
9. Serve with any fried fish or grilled stingray.

The author is a big fan of bodybuilding and have tons of cooking and desserts recipes to share with.
http://www.101bodybuilding.com
http://www.101cookingrecipes.com
http://www.desserts-recipes.com

[tags]spicy recipes, chili recipes, recipe, hot and spicy recipes[/tags]

Green Papaya Salad Recipe

The most popular salad of Thailand and Laos is the Green Papaya salad. On the first bite, your tongue should taste extreme heat, salt, and sour all at once. The taste is invigorating!

Ingredients:
1-4 chilies
1 garlic clove
3 cups shredded green papaya
1/2 cup sliced tomatoes
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
3 tablespoons squeezed lime
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
2 tablespoons dried shrimp (optional)

In a mortar and pestle, crush chilies and garlic until they are separated. Add the papaya and the remaining ingredients into the mortar. Using the pestle to crush and a tablespoon to stir, mix all the ingredients in the mortar. When the sugar and shrimp paste are dissolved the papaya salad is ready to be served. Toss the papaya salad over rice noodles and sprinkle some toasted peanuts on top to make this salad a meal.

Watch a video on how to shred a green papaya with just a knife. Also watch a video on how to make the papaya salad on my blog at www.thai-laos-food.blogspot.com. The video shows the traditional method. Some Thai / Lao restaurants mix all the ingredients in a large bowl using chopsticks. In my opinion, for an authentic texture, the tomatoes need to be crushed.

Manivan Larprom, a Thai / Lao girl, on a mission to teach, through her video blog, how anyone can cook Thai / Lao food.

[tags]Thailand, Laos, spicy, papaya, salad[/tags]