Tastes Great, Sounds Ridiculous

Some foods are so delicious that we almost forget what weird names they have, until we have to explain them to someone from a different cuisine. "Eton Mess," for example: sounds like a tangle of dirty socks, tastes like you saved the King of the Strawberries in your last life and he's still grateful. Similarly, "Dirty Rice" sounds like something you'd be served from an unsanitary kitchen, but is actually a staple of Cajun cooking, getting its name -- and distinctive color -- from chicken giblets or pork sausage, seasoned with the "holy trinity" of peppers, onions and celery.

What foods do you like that taste better than they sound?

---

 

The Board Administration Team
(hapax, Kit Whitfield and mmy)



Comments

[picklefactory]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_brown

[Amaryllis]

* googles Eton Mess *

* drools *

It sounds like a relative of the American slump, grunt, cobbler or pandowdy-- all of which are variations on biscuit dough over fruit, and all of which, if the dough is made properly and the fruit is fresh, are much more delicious than they sound.

Lincoln log, maybe. It sounds like either wood or plastic, but it's chocolate and cream.

Spouse spent a few formative years in the U. K. and came home with a fondness for toad-in-the-hole (meh) and squashed-fly biscuit (yecch, and I don't care if it's currants instead of real flies).

[cjmr]

Squashed-fly biscuit?

[Amaryllis]

Addendum: I just looked up "squashed fly," and apparently its real name is "Garibaldi biscuit." That's almost as weird.

[Amaryllis]

Squashed-fly biscuit.

[Rowen]

While I'm thinking on this, I looked up Eton Mess. I've decided to bake some meringue tonight so I can make this later this week.

That is all I have to say.

[cjmr]

Ah. Basically smashed fig newtons, only with raisins/currants.

[Glendanowakowsk]

My ex-MIL made a casserole called "Bugs" (I have no idea why it was called that). It was a layered casserole of elbow macaroni, meat sauce and mozzerella cheese, sometimes with bacon on top. It was very tasty.

[Coleslaw]

Well, there's Slop on a Shingle, but the "tastes great" part is debatable. Besides, there seem to be number of very disparate recipes that go by that name, although what they all have in common is some kind of chopped or ground meat or fish in a gravy (or a can of Cream of Mushroom soup) over toast.

[Rowen]

My grandmother calls that Chipped Beef on Toast, and. . .I rather like it. I've heard military folk call it "Shit on a shingle" though.

[Mike Timonin]

There's the classic, spotted dick (which I quite like, actually). And haggis, which has an odd name, but what tends to turn people off is a description of the food (which is a shame, because it's yummy.)

[Timothy (TRiG)]

So the name "Squashed-fly biscuit" wasn't invented by Arthur Ransome for his Swallows & Amazons novels? It's actually used in the real world too? I did not know that.

***

One year when I was fairly young the Witnesses had a three-day convention* in Middleton in Cork. We camped, in a big housetent. And in the evenings on the campsite** there were loads of people milling about and socialising. And one chap christened one of my mother's chocolate confections "cow pat", which it did indeed closely resemble.

TRiG.

* That's actually redundant: if you're a Witness, you know that all conventions are three days long; one- and two-day large meetings are called assemblies (circuit and district assemblies, respectively).

** Which, if I remember correctly, was actually part of the convention grounds.

[Coleslaw]

I guess Mississippi Mud Pie (or cake) sounds odd, too, except that I'm used to the name so I hear it and think chocolate.

[Froborr]

My brother once made something we looked at and immediately, unanimously christened camel-shit soup.

The only ingredients are red lentils, onions, water, salt, and assorted spices.

It tastes *amazing* and looks... well, like something that came out of a sick camel.

[cjmr]

Black Bottom Pie and Shoo-Fly Pie are other sound weird, taste good, pies. At least according to reliable witnesses--I can't eat either of them.

[Amaryllis]

Even worse than Mud Pie, when my daughter was elementary-school-age there was a fad for a dessert popularly known as "Worms in Dirt." Featuring crushed Oreo cookies, vanilla pudding, Cool Whip (fake whipped cream, for non-Usians) and Gummi worms. Depending on your tolerance for sugar, it was either delicious or dreadful.

I always picked the worms off, myself.

[Grey Duck]

My family's traditional Christmas brunch, going back some time, is strata. Which, of course, is an apt description of a layered "quiche-erole." Our usual version involves bread, eggs, milk, suasage, cheese, and cream of mushroom soup. It may well be my favorite food of all time.

Regardless, it sounds more geological than culinary.

[Lonespark]

"Shit on a shingle"

Yeah, the enthusiasm for this comes from military experience in my family. How good it is depends on the meat and the gravy. We usually make it whenever we have leftover steak without some kind of marinade, which is rarely.

[Nick Kiddle]

Toad in the Hole has already been mentioned (sausages in Yorkshire Pudding if anyone was in doubt). I made a sweet version using chopped apple and cherries from a jar, and told xCLP it was called Frogs in a Hole. I think it outdoes the savoury version, which is already a much more appetising meal than the name suggests.

[Andrea]

Amaryllis's worms dessert reminds me of litter box cake, which involves vanilla pudding, crumbled cake and cookies, and softened Tootsie rolls.

[anamardoll]

We have a recipe around here that is called Cheeseburger Stew. It's a basic broth+meet+potatoes affair with cream to thicken and cheese on top, but Husband had a hard time getting around the name at first. I guess he was expecting soggy bread in there.

[Sixwing]

Whatchagot.

I'm not actually sure it qualifies, because the name is pretty self-explanatory. It's all your leftovers cooked up into a single dish, where you take what-you-got in the fridge and figure out if it'll taste good together. If it won't taste good right off the bat, will it taste good with a whole bunch of garlic mixed in? (Example: taco meat and vegetables done in soy sauce. Not so great when mixed on their own, but add some egg and garlic and we're in business.)

Occasionally it's whatchagot stew, which is a more liquid, if no less eclectic, version, often using chicken soup as a base instead of stir fry or egg skillet. One of the best ones I've ever had involved fish, leftover chicken soup, boiled bitter greens, and the end of a container of milk - it turned into a sort of chunky, savory chowder.

The nice thing is that it's never the same twice, but the downside is that people who don't like their foods to mix will almost never enjoy it.

Eton mess sounds delightful.

[Froborr]

Eton mess sounds pretty good, and I know dirty rice is good, but hot brown sounds *excellent* and I may try to make it.

[Izzy]

We had "Heavenly Goo" at my high school. The name isn't so bad--"heavenly", after all--but sounds kinda porn-y, at best.

Actually was, I believe, chocolate pudding plus brownie mix. I kind of want it now.

[Raj]

@Izzy:

I remember "Heavenly Goo" back when they were "Satan's Snot". I've listened to their latest CD and...well...this whole Christian-Rock-while-still-trying-to-look-like-bad-boys thing just doesn't seem to be working for them.

[Raj]

*waves to Kit & Nick*

Another Toad in the Hole fan here!

[Raj]

anamardoll: We have a recipe around here that is called Cheeseburger Stew.

Weer in yur neyburrhood, invytin owrselfsez ovah 4 ur Cheezburgurr Stoo.

- Yur Frendlee Naybahood Lolcat Committeh

[Thia]

Growing up, we had a dish called Pork Egg Glop - cooked pork (cut up), hardboiled eggs (ditto), and cream of mushroom soup, all heated together in a pan and served over the starch of choice (usually, but not invariably, baked potatoes).

[Amaryllis]

"Whatchagot"

A friend once told me that his mother had called that kind of dish a "Cheerful Charlie." Because you were supposed to eat it cheerfully, without complaining about leftovers and just glad that you had food.

If it won't taste good right off the bat, will it taste good with a whole bunch of garlic mixed in?
A foundational principal when cooking with leftovers.

[bluefrog]

Ah. Whatchagot sounds remarkably similar to our traditional Cream of Bottom Shelf. True about the garlic.

[sarah]

Garlic and onions can make any dish taste better.

...except maybe brownies.

(Also, I've had shoo-fly pie. Eating it's the equivalent of going into sugar shock, I think.)

[Froborr]

Any dish can be improved by the addition of one of garlic or chocolate. Some dishes can be improved by either. Very, very few are improved by both at once.

[cjmr]

"Garlic and onions can make any dish taste better."

Also, bacon.

Bacon can even make chocolate taste better, which I wouldn't have expected.

[Froborr]

That doesn't surprise me at all, actually. Salt+chocolate is delicious.

I find there's a LOT more exceptions to the bacon rule than the garlic/chocolate rule, personally...

[storiteller]

Garlic and onions can make any dish taste better.

That was one of the key principles of cooking I learned from my husband - always start with garlic and onions or even better, shallots. It's not true for everything, but the number of dishes they are a wonderful foundation for is almost infinite. This is especially true for vegetarian and vegan cooking, where almost all of the flavor is derived from the interactions between vegetables and fats.

Bacon can even make chocolate taste better, which I wouldn't have expected.

I've had bacon chocolate, and I just thought it was weird. But then, I don't like bacon that much. Well-done pork belly, on the other hand...

My husband teases me by saying that I cook "vegetarian mush." He's kidding, but I do cook a lot of one pot wonders and don't cook meat all at. It comes out pretty good most of the time though.

[sarah]

Salt on watermelon, too. It brings out the flavor.

[Timothy (TRiG)]

When I was visiting relatives in Cyprus, we ate slices of haloumi on watermelon. The salty, soft cheese and the crisp, fresh watermelon made a heavenly combination. I heartily recommend it, if you ever get the chance.

TRiG.

[cjmr]

I'd heard of prosciutto on watermelon, but not haloumi.

*wonders how watermelon and feta would taste*

[Froborr]

I am not a particular fan of watermelon, but watermelon and feta sounds like it would be pretty good.

[Mike Timonin]

Mmmmm. Watermelon, feta, and bacon.

The New York State Fair (I think it was the NY State, and not our local County Fair) was advertising the latest in gastronomic indelicacies - a bacon maple hot dog doughnut. I presume a Long John style doughnut with a hot dog sausage baked inside, topped with maple glaze and bacon. I am both horrified and intrigued. And horrified at my intrigue.

In the vein of things we cook at home - we make something called "Burgoo," which is not the same thing as this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgoo, but rather a homemade hamburger helper type thing. Sautee a chopped onion. Add 1/2 lb ground beef (can be made with Textured Vegetable Protein as well, or vegetarian crumbles). When browned, add ketchup, mustard and pickle juice (the brine from a jar of pickles) to taste. Add a cup of macaroni (uncooked) and a cup or so of water. Cook until noodles are al dente. Add grated cheese to taste. It's a combination of macaroni and cheese and cheese burgers, it's yummy, and less full of crap than hamburger helper.

[Nick Kiddle]

//Garlic and onions can make any dish taste better.

...except maybe brownies.//

I once told my dad that every dish I knew how to cook started with chopping an onion and softening it in olive oil with a clove of garlic. "What about strawberry jam?" was his response. OK dad, you win that one. It is a solid basis for most savoury dishes though.

//Cream of Bottom Shelf//

I used to make an end-of-the-week thing from cubed chicken breast and whatever I had opened jars of in the bottom of the fridge. I wanted to find out the Italian for "bottom of the fridge" so I could give it a suitably culinary-sounding name. (Since then, xCLP has got more fussy, and our diet tends to be heavy on meals he can be relied upon to eat.)

[Sixwing]

I am not a fan of watermelon, but I'm a total salt junkie. (I have joked about secretly being an Arcona.) Maybe salting it would help, next time I have to eat it.

Hee. Yep, it's wise to be grateful for the whatchagot. One is generally not going to be scrounging up an alternative, it's all in the whatchagot anyway.

Cream of Bottom Shelf! I love it!

Now I am trying to think of a way to make garlic and chocolate play nice. Maybe if one caramelized the garlic first..? And didn't use really dark chocolate? That's an inversion of my usual "the darker, the better" rule, but I don't think extremes of flavor are going to work out here.

Guh, yes, bacon and chocolate. 'scuse me, I need to scour the countryside for Mo's Bacon Bars now.

[Froborr]

@Sixwing: Baker's chocolate, garlic, salt, cayenne pepper. Use as a dry rub for chicken.

[Froborr]

Sorry, I meant unsweetened cocoa, not the little squares of baker's chocolate.

Though now that I think about it, you could melt the little squares, add the garlic, salt, and cayenne... do you think that would be enough fat to saute the chicken?

[sarah]

@Froborr: maybe with a little bit of olive oil? I use olive oil for everything.

(Except, again, brownies.)

[Anonymus]

I've used olive oil in brownies. Doesn't affect the taste much either way.

[Nick Kiddle]

The only reason I don't use olive oil in brownies is it uses a lot, and that stuff is expensive. Olive oil is one of the staples of my existence.

[Sixwing]

@Froborr, that sounds fantastic. ... and I totally have a pork roast coming up that needs a good strong spice blend.

[Anonymus]

@Nick: Ah, I have trouble going through a bottle of oil before it goes rancid, but I don't cook that much. So that's why I don't mind using olive oil in brownies. Or I didn't, back when I could still eat gluten. I wonder if I could make brownies with corn flour?

[Froborr]

No prob, Sixwing. Let me know how it works on pork!

[Andrew Farrell]

So the name "Squashed-fly biscuit" wasn't invented by Arthur Ransome for his Swallows & Amazons novels? It's actually used in the real world too? I did not know that.

This is a life/art thing as far as I'm aware - in so far as they're known as squashed-fly biscuits, they're known as that because someone (or their parents (or their grandparents (or their great-grandparents))) read Swallows & Amnazons. The rest of us call them Garibaldis.

[cjmr]

@Anonymus--there are some really excellent GF-brownie mixes on the market. King Arthur flour is one.

[Melissa]

My work cafe makes a mean watermelon, feta, and balsamic salad.

[Mike Timonin]

watermelon, feta, and balsamic salad.

Oooooo. That sounds fantastic! Do they put anything else in there, or is it just watermelons and feta in a balsamic dressing? (I might consider adding some basil, for instance, or maybe some other fruit. Strawberries, maybe.)

[cjmr]

I really dislike balsamic vinegar. I don't do bitter.

[Nick Kiddle]

//I really dislike balsamic vinegar. I don't do bitter.//

I don't dislike it as such, but I find it useless for the things I typically use vinegar for (salad dressings, chutneys) so it would just sit untouched in my cupboard.

[Froborr]

My main use of balsamic vinegar is for marinades, especially for beef. I don't really do salad dressing any more, just herbs and spices, but when I did balsamic vingar and olive oil was one of my favorites.

[Ross]

Balsamic Vinegar is bitter? I found it to be more sort of syrup-sweet. (In recipes, I have found that you can often substitute balsamic when a recipe calls for sherry, and you will typically get an interesting variation)

[cjmr]

Hmmm, maybe balsamic being bitter is a 'super taster' thing? I also have problems with dry red wines, strong tea, and any coffee.

[Semperfiona]

My go-to strawberry ice cream recipe uses a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar with the strawberries.

[Sixwing]

I wonder if it's the tannins, as they are a common ingredient across balsamic vinegar, red wine, many strong teas, and coffee? They've got their own distinct bitter-y flavor, I find. (I like it.)

I think most balsamics are delightfully bitter-sweet, but I like bitter (and extremely savory, which can sort of cross over) things.

Can't wait to try the cocoa-pepper rub. That is tonight and I promise I'll report back. :D

[storiteller]

Hmmm, maybe balsamic being bitter is a 'super taster' thing? I also have problems with dry red wines, strong tea, and any coffee.

I can't stand coffee or cola, and only drink my tea with a lot of sweeter, but I like good balsamic vinegar. I think it's really about balance. Balsamic by itself is bitter, but works when balanced with a sweet taste like strawberries or the lighter olive oils. It also depends on the quality of the balsamic vinegar - cheaper ones will be more bitter. But you might also have even more sensitive taste buds than I do.

The version of the previously mentioned salad I've had was watermelon, goat cheese, and tomatoes with balsamic. It was at Jaleo, a Spanish restaurant, and it was fantastic.

[Froborr]

Oh man, Jaleo is AWESOME. Mmm... bacon-wrapped dates...

[kisekileia]

I have problems with the same things as cjmr, although not so much with dry red wine. I tested as a non-taster when we tested it in eleventh grade bio class, but I don't know how reliable the testing materials we used were.

[Nenya]

Ahhhh, bacon-wrapped dates. Sweet Valeria, those things are tasty. Wonder if I have the budget this month to go by the little place near work and pick some up. Om, nom, and also nom.

[Mike Timonin]

Nenya, if you have access to dates and also bacon, you can make them yourself in the microwave. Of course, that tends to result in lots and lots of bacon wrapped dates, and why is that a bad thing, I forget?

[Sixwing]

@Mike Timonin, not seeing a problem there. XD

So last night, I used a teaspoon of cocoa powder, half a teaspoon of garlic, about 1/8 of cayenne and probably the same of black pepper, and salt, as a dry rub on an oven-roasted piece of pork. It turned out REALLY good - bitter-savory and with a nice peppery spice. I will definitely use that again.

[Froborr]

Glad to hear you liked it, Sixwing!

[Rowen]

In regards to watermelon and feta, I made this salad a few weeks ago, and it was divine.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/07/chopped-vegetable-watermelon-and-feta-salad/

House of Pies, back where I grew up, serves a pie called Bayou Goo pie that . . . well, here's the description from the webpage.
"A pecan crust with a layer of sweet cream cheese,then a layer of vanilla custard swirled with chocolate chunks and topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings"

[kittehonmylap]

If you're looking for a brownie recipe that can easily be transformed into GF-

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/01/best-cocoa-brownies/

There's only half a cup of flour in there, so it can easily be switched out for a GF flour. I've used oat flour before for someone who wasn't actually celiac, but I'm sure rice flour or something along those lines would work just fine.

They're addictive. And super, super easy to make.

There's a watermelon/feta/mint/olive salad that's #38 in here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?pagewanted=all I love it, hubs would rather just have the watermelon by itself.

Additionally, smittenkitchen is just one of the best food blogs out there, IMHO.

I used to make a vegetarian stew that involved chunks of eggplant and various summer squashes, with the sauce involving both tomato juice and peanut butter, which comes out a very...unfortunate color. The first time I made it it got dubbed "barf stew". It's delicious, you just kinda have to close your eyes for the first few bites.

[Anonymus]

@kittehonmylap. neat, thanks

[Mike Timonin]

I use a dry rub on salmon (and steel head trout, and pork) which is basically that, but with brown sugar rather than cocoa. Sometimes I add some powdered ginger. I'll have to try the cocoa instead. Perhaps not on fish, though.

[Karen]

Hi guys! It's been far too long!

I make something called Hopping' John, a traditional Southern dish of black-eyes peas, rice, Cajun Trinity (bell pepper, onion, and celery) with smoked pork sausage. I cook the vegetables in bacon fat.

I now must make Eton Mess soon. I only hope to find a recipe using frozen strawberries as fresh ones are out of season here.