Kimchi jeon with bacon
23 Likes
I’m catching up reading the WFD thread so sorry about the delay in my question 
How long to yu soak your dried shiitakes? I buy them at the Chinese grocer and soak them for 30 minutes following the package directions. But like @linguafood I find them chewy. Some of the mushrooms don’t even rehydrate so maybe they are old? I’d be interested in hearing how long you soak your mushrooms for.
I soaked them for about an hour, after pouring boiling water over them. They all reconstituted fairly well, but those dry ones always stay a bit chewy. I was also disappointed in the flavor, which wasn’t as strong as the BTB … concentrate.
I prefer to eat fresh shiitake, but you can chop the rehydrated ones to get the flavor without the chew
1 Like
30-60 in hot to boiling water will get you about 80% of the way there (and sufficient if you need well flavored mushroom broth). But, if you really want them completely hydrated, you need to go 24-48 hours starting in cool to warm water and holding in the fridge. I’ve gone 4 days and they hold fine and are definitely fully rehydrated at that point. The texture will always be different that fresh. The ones I soaked on the counter in very hot tap water for 4 hours yesterday yielded a very flavorful broth I used as part of my cooking liquid for angel hair at dinner and the pasta very noticeably picked up the flavor in the finished dish.
ETA - my experience with BTB mushroom flavor is that it’s pretty meh vs. shiitake broth. I only taste salt, no mushroom. But, different strokes, etc.
6 Likes
Perhaps your shiitake were of better quality than mine. I had but the faintest mushroom flavor from the soaking liquid. Thankfully, the mushroom part makes up only half of the broth, but it was def noticeable for us — despite the very heavily seasoned hot pot base.
To be fair, I’ve not tried just the BTB mushroom broth on its own, only ever in combination with the roasted garlic 
If I ever track it down again I shall.
I think it also may depend on how many you use to the amount of water. I used 8 approximately 4 cm ones (the bag had the size in centimeters) to 2 cups of water. I got them off Amazon, so, not sure they are any better or worse, but hopefully your market has good turn over so they weren’t older!
2 Likes
I used quite a bunch, but didn’t measure out the water. I probz shoulda used less.
Also, brilliant idea to cook pasta in the shroomy water!
1 Like
Cumin lamb and spicy beef noodle soup are 2 of Mr Bean’s favorites. I can’t let him see this or I’ll have to figure out a way to make it. It all looks delish.
1 Like
And of course, today (Monday) we have sunshine and it’ll be 65° out. Can’t have that on a weekend now, can we? Nooooo… 
2 Likes
When I think of the number of weeks in the Boston area, once we do finally get better weather, where the weekend ends up being rain (or snow), it’s really annoying. I don’t think I got to use the grill or the smoker last summer at all!
2 Likes
I bought a beautiful thick pork chop at the farmers’ market yesterday (frozen) I’m trying to decide what to do with it. Your chop is teasing me 
1 Like
got a grill?
If the weather cooperates…
1 Like
Something simple after the seder: tuna salad in an avocado section and vegetarian caldo verde with ramps.
16 Likes
Also add Little Tart Bake Shop.
1 Like
Nice combo! I’ll have to remember that when I get my hands on good chorizo, since I almost always have frozen shrimp in the house
Chorizo and shrimp are a match made in Valhalla
3 Likes
It was the first truly balmy day here in a long time that made us think of grilling, and it had also been a while since we had a nice hunka meat, so: Steakhouse Dinner @casa lingua 
A nice flatiron steak & a dry-aged rib-eye that was on sale at Wegmans were salted well ahead, then grilled to med-rare.
I made garlicky baby spinach and boozy shiitake shrooms — sautéed in butter & ghee with half a shallot, deglazed with a splash o’ Primitivo, then added a few drops of maggi & soy sauce for extra umami. We shared a baked tater from the air fryer with TPSTOBASSC and had some of that Primitivo with our meal. We finished the rib-eye, which was very flavorful (at that price it had better be), and only had a small taste of the also very flavorful flatiron.
Happy campers we are 
21 Likes
