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Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Americans barely caring about Afghanistan is so last month.

John Fetterman: Too Manly for Pennsylvania.  Paid for by the Oz for Senator campaign.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

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A Senator Walker would also be an insult to reason, rationality, and decency.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

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Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.

I was promised a recession.

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This really is a full service blog.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

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Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

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You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Cooking / Leftover Day Open Thread

Leftover Day Open Thread

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Sure, it looks like a bucket of feeble suds and rolled gym socks now, but the contents of this pot are slowly forming the basis for the most delicious French onion soup ever, which will be consumed with relish* this evening:

Every Christmas, we have a four-bone prime rib for Christmas dinner. The dogs get two of the ribs. The other two ribs get lightly sauteed in olive oil and placed in a stock pot, along with bay leaves, thyme, garlic, onions, carrots, celery and salt. After it simmers for a few hours, the stock is strained into containers and cooled.

Meanwhile, a few pounds of onions are slowly caramelized (which takes nearly an hour — don’t listen to the recipes that lie about this!) in butter and oil with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar.

White wine is added to the onions and cooked nearly out, then in goes the broth, which is simmered again for a while with the onions, then in goes a bit of extra butter and perhaps some sherry. Then seasonings are adjusted as need be, and the soup ladled into oven-proof bowls, topped with toasted baguette slices and then topped again with modest piles of Gruyère and placed under a broiler until golden brown and bubbly. There is no better soup, in my opinion, even though French onion soup can be treacherous!

As I mentioned in the morning thread, I received Julia Child’s post-WW2 years memoir, “My Life in France,” as a Christmas gift, and I’ve been reading it. Very interesting. I wish I could invite her over for some French onion soup! She would have made a fine jackal; she was a big old libturd just like us, only not quite so snarly.

I also received an electric wok. Looking forward to finding some recipes for that, preferably ones that incorporate fresh ginger since we have scads of that growing. Please feel free to share any you know of in comments!

Open thread!

* “Relish” as in great enjoyment, not a condiment! ?

Reader Interactions

105Comments

  1. 1.

    Big Ole Hound

    Just the aroma of the delightful pot burbling on the stove makes me want to come visit all the way from California. Wait,Florida gives me the sweats…Trump is there.

  2. 2.

    dmsilev

    Every couple of years, I follow Julia Child’s onion soup recipe in full, starting with roasting bones, then making the stock, etc. It’s tedious, but oh my is it worth it in the end.

  3. 3.

    Gin & Tonic

    I wish I could invite her over for some French onion soup!

    I’ve heard she doesn’t travel much these days.

  5. 5.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    The serious bowl games now are starting, IMHO the best non playoff match-up will be the Liberty Bowl between Penn State and Washington.

  8. 8.

    SiubhanDuinne

    My cousin — she’s a fourth cousin once removed but is the only semblance of family I have in the area — cancelled our Xmas Eve dinner plans, so we rescheduled for tonight. No leftovers here; I found an open Asian restaurant last night and had sushi for my Xmas dinner. But cousin and I are dining at a wonderful Mediterranean restaurant tonight and if I order carefully and eat accordingly, I’ll probably have some nice leftovers tomorrow.

  9. 9.

    Starfish

    Ginger Chicken with Almonds

    Ingredients:

    4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
    2 teaspoons ground coriander
    1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger plus 1/4 cup julienned fresh ginger
    4 teaspoons canola oil
    2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
    1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    4 large scallions (or 6 small), trimmed
    1/2 cup mango chutney, large pieces chopped
    1/4 cup chicken broth
    1 teaspoon minced garlic
    1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

    Directions:

    Slice chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces.

    Toss with coriander, grated ginger, 2 teaspoons oil, vinegar,
    salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

    Marinate at room temperature 15 minutes (or longer, or overnight,
    in the refrigerator).

    Thinly slice white parts of scallions. Julienne green parts; set aside.

    Stir together chutney, broth and garlic in a small bowl.

    Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a wok (or 12-inch nonstick skillet)
    over medium-high heat.

    Add scallion whites and julienned ginger; stir-fry 30 seconds.

    Add chicken and stir-fry until thoroughly cooked, 4 to 6 minutes.

    Add scallion greens and chutney mixture; cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

    Transfer to shallow bowls with hot cooked rice.

    Sprinkle with almonds and serve.

    Serves: 5

  12. 12.

    Eljai

    My sister made prime rib for Christmas dinner, but she cheated by buying a pre-cooked one from the grocery store that you take home and cook for about an hour. It was still pretty good.

  13. 13.

    schrodingers_cat

    I am envious, you have fresh ginger and fresh turmeric! You could probably even grow curry leaves if you decided to. You can grate ginger and add it to whatever you add garlic too. Ginger + Garlic paste == doubly delicious than garlic alone. Fish, shrimp, veggies, meat, you can use this paste with everything.

  14. 14.

    aimai

    I made a coq au vin last night–I’m not as abstemious as the french are and add tons of garlic and also make a roux of browned butter and carmaleized/blackened sugar to increase the umami of the whole thing. It was killer. Tonight I’ll make red cooked beef, an old chinese favorite, for my father and bring the coq au vin over for my mother and then make duck breast and grilled vegetables for us. Or something.

  15. 15.

    Bill Arnold

    Since it’s open thread and this was easy to miss (Dec 25):
    Inside a Russian disinformation campaign in Ukraine in 2014

    …a classified GRU report obtained by The Washington Post. … The report provides a unique window into one GRU team’s effort across six days in 2014. Starting the day after Yanukovych’s fall, the military spies created a slew of fake personas on the social media platforms of Facebook and its Russian equivalent VKontakte, or VK for short. The personas were meant to represent ordinary people from across Ukraine who were disillusioned with opposition protests at Kiev’s central square, called the Maidan.

    As usual with such things, there will be (probably are already) loud questions about provenance and assertions that the WaPo and people who spread the article are dupes of a Ukranian op, or a CIA op, or … [spin up new conspiracy theory here]. Interesting nonetheless, and more broadly, a reminder that people should keep their intuitions twitchy about whether something they read or hear about is a likely propaganda op. (Perhaps true even in this case. :-)

  16. 16.

    JCJ

    I made garlic soup last night – my daughter’s favorite. It was tasty but I keep getting little whiffs of garlic throughout the next day.

  17. 17.

    Roger Moore

    @schrodingers_cat:

    You could probably even grow curry leaves if you decided to.

    If you really want fresh curry leaves, you can grow a tree indoors in a pot. My parents have one.

  19. 19.

    LongHairedWeirdo

    but the contents of this pot are slowly forming the basis for the most delicious French onion soup ever, which will be consumed with relish this evening

    Have it your way, but I prefer mine with the traditional slab of bread tough enough to stand up to it, and the cheese grilled across the top, and NO relish.

    Um, what’s that? Oh. Uh, never mind.

    (I’m sorry – the pretended misunderstanding is one of my favorite jokes. Next to that is “people who seek to play this weirdo for a fool, soon find that he is not playing!”)

  22. 22.

    Mnemosyne

    The only leftovers we came home with were the rest of the chocolate banana cream pie that we brought, but I still think we got the best end of the bargain. The pre-cooked turkey was … meh. Now I’m debating if lunchtime is too soon for a slice of pie or if I should wait for dinnertime. ?

  23. 23.

    Faithful Lurker

    Look up Bittman’s fried rice. It’s a great recipe with fresh ginger and a wonderful simple, satisfying dinner when you don’t want to stuff yourself.

  27. 27.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mnemosyne:

    Now I’m debating if lunchtime is too soon for a slice of pie or if I should wait for dinnertime. ?

    By now it’s almost a cliché around these parts, but . . .

    ¿Porque no los dos?

  28. 28.

    Sebastian

    Add a pinch of baking soda when caramelizing onions (or browning anything). It speeds up the Maillard reaction.

  29. 29.

    jeffreyw

    We had a rib roast, too. I made a beef broth the day before in the Instant pot using oxtails and various veggies, it made a fantastic au jus to go with the roast. We had a lot of the roast leftover, I made a barley beef soup in the IP the next day. It was pretty damn good, I think we’ll have a stroganoff with the remaining roast.

  31. 31.

    Roger Moore

    @Sebastian:
    This. Browning reactions happen much faster in alkaline conditions than acidic, which is unfortunate because most fruits and vegetables are at least mildly acidic.

  32. 32.

    Pogonip

    If you live in the deep South or southwest, or have a south window or good artificial light elsewhere, you can grow ginger. Buy a root and plant it in a 6-inch pot.

    Gahanna, Ohio cat update: per the Columbus Disgrace, 4 of the cats had to be put down; the other 107 are still undergoing treatment for “serious multiple infections.” The owner is [only] being charged with 11misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. Meaning once he pays the fine, or otherwise gets out from under the court’s supervision, he can go right out and start collecting cats again. He belongs in an asylum; pretty much everyone, including his hapless neighbors, agrees he’s mentally ill. It occurs to me that people in pools of misery like this—the neighbors, animal-shelter employees, cat lovers—might combine forces and use cases like this to lobby for the reform of commitment laws and the re-establishment of asylums.

  35. 35.

    Gin & Tonic

    @raven: I got one too, when it was like $40-50 off regular price right around Thanksgiving. With travel and all, haven’t used it – hell, haven’t even unboxed it – but I’m curious how it’ll do with cooking just for two.

  37. 37.

    raven

    @Gin & Tonic: That’s what I did too. It’s killer for my red beans and black eye peas as well as steel cut oatmeal. It’s just two of us as well and I don’t think you’ll have a problem,

  38. 38.

    Jeffro

    No leftovers here – we knocked out ALL the Chinese food we picked up last night!

    Just scrounging snacks here and there around the house today before heading to Park City tomorrow. Everyone THINK SNOW, please!!

  40. 40.

    Gin & Tonic

    @raven: I’ve had a small Zojirushi rice cooker for years which I use for my steel-cut oats. Works like a charm with a small quantity, so I’m not sure I’d be using an IP for that. I’m thinking this is more for the stew/beans type stuff, although that article jeffreyw linked to about the stock is interesting as well.

  42. 42.

    Amir Khalid

    @Mnemosyne:
    It’s never the wrong time for pie.

    I’m feeling pretty good after this year’s Boxing Day football from England, especially the result from Anfield Stadium. The bollocking Klopp gave them for falling asleep at Arsenal and throwing away the win worked a treat, and Liverpool thrashed bottom-of-the-table visitors Swansea 5-0.

  43. 43.

    raven

    @Gin & Tonic: I put my rice cooker and pressure cooker in storage. The nice thing about steel cuts in the IP is that is set it for 10 minutes pressure and then warm and we take off on our walk. I used the rice cooker and had to screw around with it quite a bit to not have goo all over the place.

  44. 44.

    Roger Moore

    @schrodingers_cat:
    It’s possible that it will need some grow lights in the winter.

    @Gin & Tonic:
    They do make a smaller sized (3quart) instant pot for people who don’t want the full sized model. That’s what I got, since I’m usually cooking for one.

  45. 45.

    raven

    It’s the NYT so if you don’t like it don’t click on it.

    Inside the Home of Instant
    Pot, the Kitchen Gadget
    That Spawned a Religion

    Its deity is the Instant Pot, a line of electric multicookers that has become an internet phenomenon and inspired a legion of passionate foodies and home cooks. These devotees — they call themselves “Potheads” — use their Instant Pots for virtually every kitchen task imaginable: sautéing, pressure-cooking, steaming, even making yogurt and cheesecakes. Then, they evangelize on the internet, using social media to sing the gadget’s praises to the unconverted.

  46. 46.

    Schlemazel

    Julia Child was my mom’s hero, everything my mom wished she could be. Daring, adventurous, large and in charge. Mom had gone from knowing nothing about cooking when she got pregnant and married in 1940 but had her own part-time catering business by 1960. When “French Chef” was aired it was as if all her ambition was made real. I would have killed to have met her.

    I simmered the carcass down last night & today it is a perfect turkey jello. Frozen it will become the base of a lot of different things. Enjoy your soup BC, soup is love!

  47. 47.

    Betsy

    My life in France is a delightful book.

    When I read it I didn’t know Julia had been a spy. I would like to read it again and look for the sub texts or the places where maybe something is glossed over in her discussions of the Diplomatic Corps and her husband’s role. There’s a whole display about her in the Spy Museum in Washington.

  48. 48.

    Gin & Tonic

    @raven: The Zojirushi has a “porridge” setting that works perfectly for the oats, with no mess. Cooking them on the rice setting is too fast/hot, and that’s when you end up with goo. The newer ones even have a program specifically for the oats. I like that I can set it at night, and have breakfast ready when I come downstairs in the morning.

  50. 50.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Roger Moore: The 6-quart one was around the regular price of the 3-quart one the week after Thanksgiving. And when I make stews and stuff, I tend to make a big batch and freeze a few quarts – just seems more efficient that way.

  53. 53.

    Shana

    @dmsilev: Lots of work but so worth it in the end is kind of Julia Child’s thing. Every recipe I’ve made of hers is like that. BTW, I freeze chicken carcasses until I have two and make chicken stock in the crock pot with them and then clarify it using Julia’s recipe from How to Cook before freezing it in 2 cup portions. No comparison to canned stock although the Kitchen Basics comes close, but not kosher so no good to me.

  55. 55.

    Roger Moore

    @Sebastian:
    For people who really want to know what’s going on with their cooking, it’s hard to beat Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking. It isn’t a cookbook, but it explains a lot of the science behind how cooking works, including things like why adding baking soda makes things brown faster. It’s great because it gives you the knowledge to get the effect you want without having to follow somebody else’s recipe.

  56. 56.

    raven

    We got this cool Airbnb loft in Lynchburg for xmas day. We had the entire family over for gumbo and fun. It said pets allowed which is why we chose it and it was really reasonable, like $65. They just emailed and asked for another $45 because of dog hair. I payed it but told them they needed ti be more clear about it in the listing.

  59. 59.

    Roger Moore

    @Betsy:

    When I read it I didn’t know Julia had been a spy.

    She wasn’t a spy per se, in that she wasn’t sneaking into places to get information herself. She was more of an intelligence analyst, i.e. the person who looks at the raw information the spies collect and turns it into usable reports higher ups can use to inform their decision making. It’s still interesting to realize she worked directly for Wild Bill Donovan, that her husband had also been in OSS, and that he continued to work for the State Department after the war.

  60. 60.

    Betty Cracker

    @Schlemazel: She’s been a hero of mine since I was a kid — loved watching her show — still do! I never actually met her, but I did see her once in the waiting room at a hospital near Boston in 1990 or so.

    I saw her across the room and thought, “Damn, that lady looks just like Julia Child!” And then she said something to a companion in that unmistakable voice and removed all doubt. I had a major fangirl moment but thought it would be rude to accost her in public, especially at a hospital…

  63. 63.

    NotMax

    Having to remember to very gingerly open the fridge door a crack first to check before fully opening. Putting away the leftovers from yesterday was a puzzle and involved several delicate balancing acts.

    if it weren’t the landlady’s appliance would opt to replace it. The interior design of this particular one is the least useful, least efficient, least configurable have ever had the misfortune to come across.

  64. 64.

    J R in WV

    @Betty Cracker:

    That was so civil of you, not to bother a superstar, because you have manners. I admire that. I’m sure Julia appreciated it, also.

    I love her cookbooks, there’s a newer one called The Way to Cook which is less ornate recipes than her French cookbooks. It’s the size of a coffee-table book, had great full-color pics of prep, then often of the final product too.

    That she was part of intelligence work as well, cherry on top!!

  66. 66.

    Emerald

    @raven:

    I got an Instant Pot basically for steel-cut oatmeal, which was becoming a serious pain to make in the mornings. Really like for lots of things, although I’m still a baby in the IP world.

    However:

    Searching for good steel-cut oatmeal recipes turned up one that said to use 1 cup of almond or soy milk with 2 cups water (1 cup oats, 20 minutes on high pressure, natural release–which actually takes as long as cooking it on the stove but you only need to start it and then eat it, so it’s lots easier).

    Some background:

    I used to love chocolate flavored Malt-O-Meal, but several years ago my local store stopped carrying it. (They have Maple Malt-O-Meal but not chocolate anymore). I despaired.

    But then I realized that I have almond milk! I have dark chocolate almond milk! So I used that AND . . .

    it’s fantastic! Better than the chocolate Malt-O-Meal!

    So now I’m the only person in the world who has chocolate steel-cut oats. Except for the brave souls who can now try my recipe here on BJ. Enjoy!

  68. 68.

    Schlemazel

    @Betty Cracker:
    Ha! I sat next to George Carlin on a flight back when I was getting 1st class for free. We talked for about 5 minutes & I left him alone on the flight. I didn’t even think to ask for an autograph. As we were getting of the plane he thanked me for “not being an asshole”.

    I have to admit I think mom were still alive I would have pestered Ms. Child for one. Having read “affair” and “A Life” I think she would have been OK with it.

  69. 69.

    NotMax

    @Emerald

    Can ask to talk to the store manager and request they stock it again.

    Unless your store is like the ones here, where I’ve more than once received this reply: “We stopped carrying it because it always sells out so fast.”

  70. 70.

    Schlemazel

    @Emerald:
    I make a large pot of oats on Sundays & then portion it out for the week, makes a lot more sense than spending all that time every morning. I also toast my oats, stir them in the pot over medium high heat and they brown lightly. It really does make them taste nuttier & better than plain. You can start with butter if you want too but I don’t.

  71. 71.

    Emerald

    @Mnemosyne:

    Chocolate chips indeed would be a bit sugary, and I’m trying to be healthy. The dark chocolate almond milk is delish! And healthyish! And blueberries still work as a topping with chocolate.

    I am blissful.

  72. 72.

    Emerald

    @Schlemazel:

    Yes, I make mine ahead too, and just store it in the fridge. The 1-cup instant pot stuff makes three generous portions. I used to toast the oats (that’s the America’s Test Kitchen recipe) and it really is tasty, but now that I’ve got chocolate working for me I don’t need to go to all that trouble.

    @NotMax: Good idea, but now that I’ve got my chocolate steel-cut oats I don’t need it anymore. Might take your advice anyway just to see if it registers at all!

  75. 75.

    Schlemazel

    @NotMax:
    That is wallpaper paste. Real oatmeal, made with steel cut whole oats has chew to it. It is mostly a blank flavor slate you can add to but toasted it is as nice as a good piece of toast.

    also, since I was once named Mark & about the time of this ad I was tagged with “Markie Maypo” more than once

  76. 76.

    Emerald

    @Mnemosyne: Love raspberries, but they go bad so quickly that I rarely buy them.

    But we have a strawberry patch here in Oceanside that grows the berries right behind their little shack. Ripened on the vine and huge, and picked the same day (sometimes the same hour)! Expensive but worth every penny. They’ll be opening soon for their next season. Yum!

    And yeah, bananas and chocolate! Nom!

  81. 81.

    Jumbo76

    Speaking of French Onion Soup, I decided to make some last winter using this recipe from The NY Times: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12292-one-pot-french-onion-soup-with-garlic-gruyere-croutons

    The nice thing about it is you basically make the stock with cuts of beef rather than bone. It’s a little more efficient, I think. Anyway, I decided to make one change. The recipe says to sear the beef, cook it with the veggies to make the stock and then reserve it for another use. I thought, that’s dumb, when am I ever going to use boiled beef for anything else? So, I just left it in, finishing the soup as directed. In short, a very good French Onion Beef STEW. Hearty chunks of beef to fill you up on a cold winter night. Yum.

  82. 82.

    Roger Moore

    @Emerald:
    One of the things I love about going to the farmers’ market is that I know the produce is really fresh. Not only does that mean it’s going to taste better, it also means it keeps longer since its whole shelf-life is spent in my house instead of a series of warehouses and the supermarket.

  85. 85.

    stinger

    I have My Life in France — it’s slowly moving its way to the top of the stack. I could manually promote it, if there were a BJ book club….

  86. 86.

    Schlemazel

    @debbie:
    I have a recipe that includes oats & dried fruit that uses milk instead of water. I am sure it makes a very interesting pot of oatmeal but think it would be cloying so I have never tried it.

  88. 88.

    debbie

    @Betty Cracker:

    Have you seen the series of cooking shows she did with Jacques Pepin, “Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home”? You can probably stream it from somewhere.

    They were great friends, but the shows were filled with good-natured bickering, like white pepper vs. black pepper or how to cook spinach for Eggs Rockefeller (“Nutrition? We don’t care about nutrition!”). The series is well worth seeking out.

  89. 89.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    I see others posting NYT recipes. I know they are widely denigrated for once suggesting that you add peas to your guacamole, but I’m looking at one as well.

    I was asking here a couple days ago if anyone had any suggestions for venison (my brother-in-law goes hunting every Thanksgiving and dropped a couple cuts off here). Well, I found this marinated recipe in the NYT archives and it looks pretty good.

  90. 90.

    debbie

    @Schlemazel:

    I always use milk instead of water, whether I cook it or make it overnight. There are lots and lots of recipes online, but I usually go with some fresh fruit and honey. Especially good in the summer when there’s fresh fruit.

  93. 93.

    stinger

    @debbie:

    white pepper vs. black pepper

    Ha! One of my favorite moments is when Julia has recommended white pepper but he grates in black pepper, which he has to hand, saying it will do just as well. Later in the same same episode he adds dried herbs to a dish. Julia, leaning over his shoulder watching the herbs float down, croons, “You like speckled fooood.”

  94. 94.

    J R in WV

    @raven:

    I watched the Army-Navy Game, or as we deep water sailors call it, the Navy Game, with some dry-land losers. All that rushing was interesting!

    @raven: Wow! That sounds really good just reading the link!!

    OT: Anyone adopt the puppy yet?

  95. 95.

    debbie

    @stinger:

    The one I remember has them cooking their own versions of the same dish. Julia says, “Since this is my version, we’ll use white pepper.” Jacques, at her elbow, sighs and says, “Pity.”

  96. 96.

    J R in WV

    And to everyone talking about oatmeal: Oats are for horses !!

    Not really, but I only like them with lots of dried fruit, nuts, and maple syrup. Oats themselves, are for horses. As a support method for nuts, fruits and syrup, they’re OK.

  97. 97.

    debbie

    @stinger:

    While I’m at it, here’s the bit with the spinach for Eggs Rockefeller.

    Julia makes her version first. She boils the spinach into submission and then squeezes out all the moisture with a towel. Jacques then makes his version. He briefly sautés the spinach. She reaches in, takes a taste, and objects that it’s not cooked. “It’s not tender.” Jacques says it’s plenty tender and that his method has preserved the spinach’s nutrients. “Nutrients?” Julia sputters, “We don’t care about nutrients!”

    (Sorry for the earlier mis-remember.)

  102. 102.

    debbie

    @WaterGirl:

    I only wish I could remember more! Jacques had a longtime friend as a guest on his own series, a pastry chef, and there was the same kind of banter.

    I suppose chefs today have far too big egos for this kind of back and forth. As Jacques himself would say, “Pity!”

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