SobaAddict70

I wing it about 50% of the time and plan ahead the remainder. Most of what I cook at home is a seasonal menu so my menu planning tends to revolve around what is available at my farmers' market, enhanced by curiosity and personal whim. Whether I'm cooking for one or more than one doesn't factor into things. The meals are typically vegetable-centric, sometimes vegetarian, sometimes vegan, sometimes meat (in varying amounts) will be involved. For instance, last night was: Mixed bean salad Zucchine alla parmigiana Tonight will be: Warm potatoes with anchovy and tomato confit Heirloom beans with black cabbage, pancetta and shallots Greek yogurt with rhubarb-ginger jam Tomorrow will be: Fagiolini con salsa di acciughe (green beans with anchovy sauce) Adobong puti (white adobo, or chicken adobo without any soy sauce) Jasmine rice ??? (probably fresh fruit for dessert) Then, there are days when I don't know what it is I'll be having for dinner until I get home from work. Those nights are when it's most fun, because I get to exercise my improvisational muscles. I only need to satisfy myself. My partner isn't picky and likes just about everything...so that's gravy.

By the way, dried heirloom beans are available at my farmer's market, some of which cost far more than $5.50 a pound. In comparison, Rancho Gordo comes out ahead as far as I'm concerned.

When I am in San Francisco, which is at least twice a year, I always make a point to stop by the RG store in the Ferry Building to pick up several packs of beans. That's one way to get around the cost of ordering. That being said, I don't find the amount prohibitive. Your mileage may vary.

Everything looks great, folks. Oeufs brouillés ("scrambled eggs"), with tomato confit and bottarga.

Roughly about 1/4 lb. green and yellow beans from today's Greenmarket, trimmed and simmered in boiling water for a little over 5 minutes, then drained, shocked in an ice water bath and patted dry with paper towels. 3 small sweet peppers (red, yellow, orange), julienned and sautéed in olive oil with a pinch of salt. I deviated slightly from Ottolenghi's instructions, but it came out fine. Cook until peppers are soft, then add to the beans. Clockwise from right: chopped heirloom garlic, minced scallion, coriander seed, capers. Fry the garlic in olive oil for 15-20 seconds, then add the capers and fry for 15 seconds, then add the coriander seed and fry for 15 seconds. As you can see, I omitted the cumin seed (which I ran out of a while ago and haven't had the opportunity to restock since). Once the garlic has turned color, pour this mixture onto the beans. Add the remaining ingredients (herbs, sea salt, black pepper, lemon zest), toss once or twice, then serve immediately. Mixed bean salad (page 42). This is definitely a keeper and something I will be making in the future.

Mixed bean salad (from page 42 of "Jerusalem") Zucchine alla parmigiana Think of it as another way you can use up all those triffids. Recipe: http://goo.gl/5lSxpx

Tomato confit (from page 266 of "Buvette"). I wish you could smell this. Will be using these in various preparations this week. For those of you who don't have the book: have some ripe tomatoes on hand. Make a small incision at the base, then plunge in a pot of boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then dunk into an ice water bath. Peel the tomatoes, then cut in half and scoop out the "jelly"/seeds with a teaspoon. Lay in a shallow baking dish; cover with olive oil. Roast for 6-7 hours in a pre-heated 250 F oven. Cool. Transfer confit to a jar, cover with olive oil and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Use as desired.

Oh yes. And there were strawberries too.

today: chard, rose tomatoes, zucchini, sweet peppers, plum tomatoes, herbs, bacon, green beans, yellow beans pretty sure I'm forgetting a few other things the Friday market is a bit different from Saturday; lots more interesting things on offer, I thought

I don't know about a book, but I just discovered this food blog which will DEFINITELY go on my daily reading list: http://asianinamericamag.com/ I don't cook Filipino food very often b/c it reminds me of family (suffice to say that I have a complicated relationship with them, for reasons that are not germane to this thread; you can PM me if you want to know more), but once in a very great while, I'll throw caution to the wind.

Italian night, which is just about every night at Casa Soba. Scarola con acciughe e uvetta ("escarole with anchovy and raisins") Spaghetti con le zucchine ("spaghetti with zucchini") This is one of those dishes where "less is more". The sauce base consists of a soffritto of garlic and parsley cooked in olive oil, to which is added sliced zucchini; fry the zucchini until they're golden brown, then combine with cooked, drained spaghetti and additional minced parsley.

I'm a flexitarian (or in other words, "a vegetarian who eats meat on occasion"). Deborah has published "The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" (which I don't have but will eventually get) and "Vegetable Literacy" (which I do have, and is worth buying). Vedge is a great book, although note that most if not all of the recipes therein are vegan: http://www.amazon.com/Vedge-Plates-Redefine-Vegetable-Cooking/dp/1615190856

Piperade, baked eggs (from "Buvette", page 26)

Yes, B is now my "partner". You could say that there's a plan in the works. I don't want to say anymore b/c jinx. As for the slow-roasted tomato, it was just tomatoes, sea salt, black pepper and olive oil, then roasted at 300 F for one hour and at 250 F for two hours. No sweetener necessary. has a recipe for tomato confit that I'll be making sometime in the next few days. (I should probably start a thread on that book too.)

It was some kind of Asian melon I picked up at USGM. Can't remember the name of the cultivar. Pale greenish-white rind, white flesh, faintly sweet/delicate melon flavor. I took it home, then promptly forgot about it until my partner reminded me that it was ripening on top of my fridge. That dessert was an experiment; I wanted to use tomatoes as a fruit rather than as a vegetable. Probably needs reworking b/c of the acidity. B remarked that they tasted great as a separate component but not mixed together. The original dinner at BHWS is buried in eGullet's archives; and I'm definitely no chef...my knife skills aren't like mm's for example. But that's okay; the whole point of doing something like this is "fun". I like challenging myself.

Tonight's dinner was inspired by a meal at Blue Hill Washington Square several years ago. "A Celebration of Tomatoes" Melon, Italian plums, heirloom cherry tomatoes Romano beans, with summer squash, mixed olives and tomato Pasta with uncooked tomato sauce and North African herb paste Vanilla ice cream, with baked figs and slow-roasted tomato

today: romano beans, HEIRLOOM TOMATOES!!!, HEIRLOOM CHERRY TOMATOES!!!, black cabbage, eggs, shallots, cucumbers, zucchini, sweet peppers

Pan-toasted shishito peppers, with extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt Charred okra, with heirloom garlic, tomato and preserved lime This is a slightly tweaked version of the recipe from page 74 of "Jerusalem" (heirloom garlic instead of regular garlic, and preserved lime instead of lemon; preserved lime consists of limes, lime juice, thyme sprigs and a 2:1 mixture of sea salt and sugar). Preserved limes -- Proceed as with a regular recipe for preserved lemon, alternating layers of lime, salt/sugar and thyme in a sterilized glass jar, then cover with lime juice. Seal. Store in a cool, dark place for 1 week. Shake the jar once a day, every day; then after the week is up, transfer to the fridge. Shake the jar once a day. Limes are ready for use after 30 total days. Eggplant and tomato curry We served this with Greek yogurt, mild lime pickle and blazing hot tomato chutney. Saffron rice, with pistachio, barberries and mixed herbs (from page 105 of "Jerusalem", subbing mint and parsley for the chervil and tarragon).

for me, scrambled eggs are: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a hot pan, melted until it foams add beaten egg, with a touch of salt and pepper; occasionally I don't know how much cream or ricotta cheese or fromage blanc stirred into the eggs cook until curds begin to form remove from heat and serve immediately I like large, creamy curds in my eggs like so:

http://www.finecooking.com/articles/how-to-make-pot-au-feu.aspx I think this will be one project this weekend. I had wanted to make maqluba but that will have to take a back seat for now. When you think about it, pot-au-feu is a French version of a New England boiled dinner.

The vinaigrettes I use for salads tend to follow this pattern: 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons red or white wine 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil sea salt black pepper herbs occasionally mustard sometimes shallots, sometimes not

If I am using shallots or garlic in a vinaigrette, I will usually begin by macerating them in some red or white wine vinegar and a touch of sea salt. Set aside for 5 minutes, then proceed with the rest of the recipe (i.e., whisk in the mustard and oil, add herbs, then taste for salt and pepper.)

Carrot and caraway crostini, marinated olives Basically sliced carrots and a garlic clove simmered in lightly salted water until the carrots are tender, then combined with onion sautéed in olive oil and seasoned with sea salt, black cumin seed and caraway seed, then puréed in a blender or food processor, along with a little lemon juice. Chicken, braised with wine and tomatoes Sautéed radishes, North African herb sauce. North African herb sauce (from David Tanis' book, "One Good Dish"): coriander seeds, cilantro leaves, parsley leaves, serrano chile, preserved lime, scallions, mint, sea salt, extra-virgin olive oil, cumin seed. The mint and preserved lime are my own additions. [Host's note: this topic has grown too big for our servers to handle efficiently. The discussion continues here.]

Lovely sweet little place, except for the seating. We had one of the worst seats in the house after a 30-minute wait for a table for two people; must remember to come earlier to remediate that problem. Buvette 42 Grove Street (Bleecker Street) Greenwich Village Spiced duck confit, giant caper berries, cornichons, toast Cheese and honey Croque madame sandwich Roast chicken, haricot verts, boiled potatoes, mustard vinaigrette -- reimagined as a salad Apple tarte tatin, crème fraîche

It was a rhizome that was freshly grated. I almost never sit at tables when eating sushi; it's all about the interaction between you and the sushi chef, so my preference is to sit at the bar. I don't know the kind, but the next time I eat at a place that offers it, I'll ask. That being said, you'll probably experience it sooner than I will.