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I've never been big on parades or fireworks--or overt patriotism, for that matter. But I still love the Fourth of July, if only for the food and family. Mostly the food. It's a great excuse to gorge myself on hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, and potato salad, because Murka and freedom. And that's what the Founding Fathers would have wanted, I'm sure.
I was planning to be in Dallas grilling some red meat with the BF tonight, so imagine my disappointment when I was reminded that I'd long ago agreed to dog-sit this week. Luckily, I'm not in the doghouse over it, but it still sucks. So I'm stuck in Houston with the humidity and no grill. But a couple of nights ago, I drunkenly agreed to have a friend over for an indoor "cookout" tonight, so I still get to make some meat like a good Murkan. And, since I have nothing else on my mind to write about tonight, why not tantalize you with some patriotic food porn?
The meat choice was up to me, and for some reason bratwurst sounded really awesome. It's not the standard hamburger-and-hot-dog platter, but marinated and cooked in beer, I think it will do just fine. I would normally use Guinness for this, but I decided to make it a little more Texan with some Shiner Bock.
I'm just covering the brats in a marinade consisting of a big (1 pint 8 ounces) bottle of Shiner, a few spoonfuls of brown sugar, some Dijon mustard, and a glug or two of Worcestershire sauce and letting them marinate for a few hours. Then, I'm simmering the brats, with some sliced onion, in the marinade for about 10 minutes.
Then, it's into the pan with a little butter until the brats are browned (the simmering already did most of the cooking) and the onions are starting to caramelize.
Delicious on a freshly baked bolillo roll with some mustard. The brats are tasty, but I was
really looking forward to trying this side dish idea I saw a while ago: a kale pasta salad. I'm normally not a fan of pasta salad, but this is one version I can get behind. It starts out a lot like the Italian
spaghetti aglio e olio (spaghetti with garlic and oil)--about 1/4 cup of olive oil and 10 cloves (I'm just using the whole head) of minced garlic, very slowly cooked on medium-low heat. It sounds like a lot of garlic, but the flavor actually ends up being quite subtle. As it cooks on medium-low, the garlic gradually infuses its flavor into the oil. When it starts to sizzle, add a few big pinches of kosher salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes.
In the meantime, boil a pound of farfalle (bowtie pasta) in generously salted water. Drain and set aside.
Next, the kale. Start with a nice, big bunch of it.
Don't wash the pan you cooked the garlic in--wash, destem, and chopp the kale and put it in the pan on medium-high heat. Stir for 3 or 4 minutes until it's wilted.
Add the kale to the pasta. Taste and adjust seasoning, and then let it cool and add about 4 ounces of
shaved parmigiano-reggiano cheese.
Let it chill and enjoy! Okay, maybe this isn't quite so Murkan. But it turned out quite tasty, and I'm excited to serve it tonight. I'm also excited for the leftovers, which I think will make a nice hot pasta dish if reheated.
Also on the menu tonight are bacon potato salad (what's a Fourth of July without potato salad?) and whatever she decides to bring for dessert. What Fourth of July fare did you enjoy today?
TOP COMMENTS
July 4, 2014
Thanks to tonight's Top Comments contributors! Let us hear from YOU
when you find that proficient comment.
From Susan from 29:
Just in case indycam doesn't get the chance to nominate this comment by Lysis, I'm nominating it. I love good snark.
From Puddytat:
I love this comment by mrsgoo.
From Karl Rover:
The whole thread was interesting, but Puddytat was awesome in her focus in this comment. I think I heard crackling snaps in the background. Maybe it was static electricity.
From Crashing Vor:
JML9999 tosses off the best description of the F-35 in its ignoble history.
From NancyWH:
I would like to nominate this comment by Pinto Pony in response to LaFeminista's diary Why Did Your Family Immigrate To America?
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July 3, 2014
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