Food Experiments ...

In my previous post I mentioned the beef stew base I made that serves as a quick-start for ad hoc meals. The stew base is slow-cooked beef shank meat/marrow, long grain rice and french-style green beans.

Here's a great example of how the stew base contributes to ongoing menus. When I went food shopping this week they had large turkey wings priced insanely cheap. For the first meal I just baked the wings and ate about half of one with fruit and cole slaw. Yes, the wings were that large and the meal was tasty but not innovative.

The next day WAS innovative and I'm still enjoying the glow of a great meal that broke many "SAD" (Standard American Diet) rules.

I pre-heated the oven to 325F. In the bottom of my broiler pan I spread a serving of chilled stew base like a thick paste. I sprinkled some raw peeled carrot on top of the paste. On the top rack of the broiler pan I put leftover turkey wing. There was a small quantity of jellied turkey broth/fat in the bottom of the dish the wings had been in I put that in the bottom of the pan on top of the carrots/stew base.

An hour or so later the wings were thoroughly reheated and the carrots were at my favored mostly-tender stage.

Let me tell you, I LOVED this meal. First, the skin on the partial wing I ate was wonderfully crispy. The beef, broth and carrots tasted fabulous paired with turkey.

Instead of--or, should I say, as--dessert I had a cereal bowl full of cole slaw with shredded cheddar. After a meal of mostly meat, the slaw had a light, tart flavor that worked better than any true dessert could have. And in 2 meals I only ate 1 of the 2 wings so I there are many possibilities for 2 upcoming menus.

Who knew that cole slaw could be one of my favorite desserts? Changing how you assemble meals means that the definition of appetizers and desserts can/should change as well.

Have fun experimenting!