SobaAddict70

thanks, LOL. you'll notice they were all cut the same shape and size, more or less. then seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and thyme, and tossed in a little olive oil. I should probably have used fresh olive oil, but instead used the leftover oil from frying the oysters. then roasted for 35 minutes at 350 F. I don't do much when it comes to roasted vegetables. a commenter on Facebook mentioned that the sprouts would be done before the turnips/rutabaga. well, they turned out okay.

USGM had purple and green kohlrabi when I was there last, so I bought a couple. Will use one for dinner tomorrow. I have a few ideas from reading this thread... S.

rod rock -- yes, there's 1 tablespoon beet vinegar in the vinaigrette, along with a bunch of other things... the Cara Cara OJ reduction lends sweetness, the butter increases "mouthfeel" and the olive oil binds everything together.

rotuts -- love that rendition of fried rice. I can just taste it. c. sapidus -- you just reminded me I need to restock my lentils so I can make some dal later in the week. "curry" has that memory trigger for me. tonight: Fried oysters, frisée salad, beet vinaigrette Frisée salad -- frisée, pistachios, beets, Bulgarian feta cheese, beet vinaigrette. Bulgarian feta cheese is 95% sheep's milk, 5% goat's milk. Beet vinaigrette -- 1 tablespoon beet vinegar (beet peels from 3 or more cooked large beets, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar; let peels steep in vinegar for 1-2 weeks or longer); 2 tablespoons Cara Cara orange juice reduction (see below); 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; sea salt and black pepper to taste. Cara Cara orange juice reduction -- juice of a Cara Cara orange, reduced to half its volume over low heat ; into this was whisked 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. The oysters were dipped in seasoned flour (all-purpose flour, sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper), then fried in olive oil. A little bit more complicated than what I usually make. Doable in about 30 minutes, not including prep. The beet vinegar takes 2 weeks steeping time; the beets can be cooked in advance. Next: Cornish game hen, roasted winter root vegetables Cornish game hen -- sea salt and black pepper seasoned liberally inside and outside, then stuffed with quartered lemons, shallots and thyme; roasted at 425 F for 30 minutes, then 350 F for 30 minutes. Vegetables consist of brussels sprouts, turnips, rutabaga, carrots, heirloom potatoes and shallots; seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, olive oil and thyme. Wine sauce -- pan drippings, unsalted butter, white wine.

huiray -- no, actually they're Adirondack blue potatoes. the potatoes were boiled whole for 25 minutes, then peeled, then coarsely chopped. apparently they needed a bit more cooking so I simmered them for 10 more minutes before smashing them. the color is a soft blue-purple. look at my avatar at left but imagine it more "violet" if that makes any sense. I think adding some acidity affected the hue a little bit. Frog Princesse -- you may be interested to know that part of tonight's dinner will involve the beet vinegar from a couple of pages back. more later.

tonight: Insalatone d'inverno ("mixed cooked winter vegetable salad") For those of you who have access to "Essentials", Marcella's recipe contains peppers, potatoes, beets, onion and green beans. This is a seasonal variation that consists of stuff from USGM and Fairway -- brussels sprouts, wax beans, shallots, beets, celery, in a red wine vinaigrette (1 tablespoon red wine, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper). You can make this all year round, depending on whatever you have on hand. The brussels sprouts and shallots were roasted, the celery and wax beans simmered in salted boiling water, and the beets cooked whole, then peeled. Fork-smashed heirloom potatoes, from Smitten Kitchen -- http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/04/fork-crushed-purple-potatoes/ Goes well with greens of all kinds, from beet greens to watercress, to spinach to escarole, to Swiss chard and turnip tops, to well ... you get the idea. Poached farm eggs in tomato sauce, with ricotta cheese Adapted from this Saveur recipe (btw, my version is probably 180 degrees from the original, but the principle is the same): http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Eggs-Poached-in-Tomato-Sauce The tomato sauce you see above began with a battuto (celery, celery leaves, carrot, onion, leeks, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper), which was cooked for a bit, say about 20-25 minutes: Next, I added 1 can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes and 1/2 that of water, then simmered the sauce for 30-35 minutes. Then, I added a couple of ladlefuls to a small pot and poached the eggs as directed in the linked recipe above. I'll try the original in the future -- when I have chiles on hand.

thanks Kim. next weekend (or maybe later this week), I may turn salade lyonnaise into a sandwich. =P pot roast -- haven't had that in years. not since I was a teenager. I must say, huiray, you should post more often on this thread. your meals make me wish I cooked Asian more often (yes, picking up a Chinese cookbook is on my "to do" list soon, but first things first since I just got "Essentials" recently.) simple can be exceedingly elegant, and your meals showcase that principle in spades.

it's poached egg night at Casa Soba, LOL. Sopa de ajo -- stale bread, chicken stock, garlic, olive oil, sea salt, pimentón, poached egg, parsley. You can sub out the chicken stock for vegetable stock or even plain water, and it will be fine. The parsley is my own addition, for color. Salade Lyonnaise, one of the crowning glories of France. Recipe here, one of the few by Mark Bittman that I like: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/dining/23minirex.html?ref=dining

Savoy cabbage, potato and leek soup The white stuff you see in the middle is a spoonful of Greek yogurt, with parsley and sea salt. For folks who are curious, you can view the recipe here, courtesy of the excellent Deborah Madison -- http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-10908-deborah-madisonrss-r.html This is not a soup you want to make using stock, btw. Next: Fusilli with peas, pancetta and ricotta If you have "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking", the recipe for this is found on page 163 of the 2012 edition. I think I'm going to have boatloads of fun with this book. BTW, this took about 20 minutes to make from start to finish -- peas, pancetta, ricotta cheese, butter, sea salt, black pepper, Parm-Reg cheese and pasta. As for the beet vinegar, here's what it looks like so far: Color's all right, but the taste isn't what I need it to be. I figure that's just an excuse to buy more beets; that way, I can get more peels.

hi Katie. you might find Elise's recipe for vegetable stock helpful: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_vegetable_stock/ if you're using celery, consider also using the leaves. they add a subtle herbal flavor that enhances almost any dish where celery appears in. you don't need much -- a tablespoon or two of chopped leaves is sufficient. there are plenty of winter vegetarian soups that don't use pureed squash or pumpkin as a main ingredient. below are links to two I did recently. Minestrone Invernale (winter minestrone) -- http://kitchenseasons.com/2012/12/26/minestrone-invernale/ . Although squash does appear as an ingredient, you can omit it and the soup will be fine. Pasta e Ceci (pasta and chickpeas) -- http://kitchenseasons.com/2013/02/06/pasta-e-ceci/ . Btw, this recipe is intentionally "open-ended", meaning that precise quantities aren't provided.

nice dcarch. I had to look twice to "get" the mussels. clever.

so much of what we throw out as trash is really food in another form. besides beet peels, you can do amazing things with asparagus stalks, mushroom trimmings, cauliflower leaves, broccoli stem, cabbage core, watermelon rind, celery leaves, potato peels and carrot tops. if this kind of thing appeals to you, here's an NYT article from a while ago that discusses things in more detail: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/dining/thats-not-trash-thats-dinner.html?_r=2& part of 2013's cooking resolutions, for me anyway, is to do more with what I buy from USGM. it's a way to get the most out of what I get, and economical too. Moderator note: This topic continues in Dinner! 2013 (Part 2)

FP -- it's a bit like pickled beets in liquid form. this shot was taken 24 hours later. color's great, although it's not quite there yet. there's a hint of elusive sweetness, as the beet peels have tamed the vinegar's harshness a little bit. I've come down with the makings of a cold in the past couple of days, and haven't been cooking much. might order Chinese tonight ... or do something simple. if I don't cook for more than one or two days, I start to go batshit crazy.

Scotty -- you're killing me, man. LOL. Thanks Kim. nice chicken pot pie. true comfort food at its best. Liuzhou -- delish-looking meatballs. yum. tonight: Adirondack blue potato and beet salad, with crispy shiitake mushrooms and scallion-ginger relish The beets and potatoes were simmered whole, then peeled and roasted with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper for 30 minutes at 350 F. They were cooked separately to prevent discoloration. The mushrooms were fried in olive oil, then sprinkled with sea salt. Scallion-Ginger Relish 2 scallions, sliced (both green and white parts) 1 1" piece of ginger root, julienned 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil 1 teaspoon Cara Cara orange zest, julienned 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil 1/4 teaspoon rice wine vinegar a pinch of cayenne pepper Warm vegetable or peanut oil in a skillet. When the oil shimmers, add the scallions and ginger to the pan. Fry until the ginger becomes aromatic and the scallion greens turn a bright green, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, transfer scallions and ginger to a paper-towel lined plate. Let cool. Once cool, transfer to a small bowl. Stir in orange zest, season with sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and cayenne pepper. Use as needed. French omelette (eggs, sea salt, black pepper, unsalted butter) Brussels sprouts with pancetta (pancetta, brussels sprouts, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper)

looks great, Patrick. (pls tell me you made the salad.)

let's see if I can keep this thread going all year round. LOL. I find it disconcerting that no posts have been made since February 2012. Limited market basket this week: shiitake mushrooms, red and white kohlrabi, Adirondack blue potatoes, rutabaga, smoked bacon, Savoy cabbage, farm eggs

Kerry -- that's pretty cool. Liuzhou -- love your posts as always. they show a side of China that I hardly ever see. tonight: Beet and Cara Cara orange salad, with crystallized ginger, pistachios and Chinese lap cheong sausage The dressing is a very light sprinkling of the candied Cara Cara orange zest liquid from a couple of days ago. Not every salad has to have salad greens. Veal ricotta meatballs, sugo di pomodoro Recipe for the meatballs (from Marco Canora (Hearth and Terroir, in the East Village)): www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/dining/061lrex.html Sugo di pomodoro ("tomato sauce"): 1 onion, finely diced olive oil 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced 2 stalks celery, trimmed and finely diced 1 tablespoon celery leaves, finely minced 1 tablespoon fresh thyme sea salt, to taste freshly ground black pepper, to taste 3 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes 1/4 cup water Put olive oil and onion in a heavy 3-½-quart pot or Dutch oven and turn heat to medium. Cook and stir onion until it has become translucent, then add the celery, carrot, celery leaves and thyme, along with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened considerably. Add the tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and partly cover. Let that cook for 30 to 45 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste for salt and pepper once more, then use as desired. also, I'm starting a batch of beet vinegar: This is peels and trimmings from 3 very large beets. Here, you see 1/2 cup red wine vinegar that's covering the beet peels. I'll set this in the fridge and take another pic on Sunday, then a 2nd pic 1-2 weeks later. The color should begin to transform from a deep red to a magenta or purple in a few days time. And that's when things begin to get interesting.

Chestnut gnocchi, with winter root vegetables (parsnips, carrots) and mushrooms (champignon and oyster mushrooms) Carrot and cauliflower confit Imagine the softest, lusciousliest (is that even a word? well, it is now) cauliflower and carrots you've ever tasted, infused with garlic, cumin and lemon, and sparked with a flash of cayenne. The confit liquid, which was the olive oil they were slow-roasted in, is worth the price of admission. Adapted from this recipe by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Jean Georges (New York), Pump Room (Chicago) and Mercato (Shanghai) -- http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/9344/Confit-Of-Carrot-And-Cumin.html There are a few differences between JGV's original and the pic above, namely the lemon zest/lemon juice, capers, marjoram and cauliflower. Otherwise, it's as written. "Eggs and things" You can think of it as a 'reverse frittata', one where the filling is the star of the show. In this case, it's beet greens. The eggs are supposed to be shredded. (I think I used 2 eggs, instead of my usual 3-4). Sometimes there'll be cheese or fried breadcrumbs, or plain as you see here, save for a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. In the past, I've had this with spinach and tomatoes, or with ramps and potatoes. Just an idea for those of you who might be inclined.

Ooo, meatballs. I need practice making those. tonight: Hedgehog mushroom salad, with poached farm egg and pecorino Crotonese cheese In case folks are curious, the mushrooms were sautéed in unsalted butter, and seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and rosemary. This was spooned atop baby arugula and shaved cheese. Topped with a poached egg. Insalata di finocchi e arance This is a modern twist on this traditional winter salad. Contains roasted fennel, Cara Cara oranges and candied Cara Cara orange zest. The vinaigrette consists of extra-virgin olive oil, Cara Cara OJ, white wine, white wine vinegar, sea salt and black pepper. Candied Cara Cara orange zest, adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe here: http://www.marthastewart.com/340503/candied-orange-zest Butter-braised winter vegetables, with spicy pork sausage Adapted from Katrina's recipe, which you can view here: http://shesinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/butter-braised-celeryceleris-braises-au.html The sausage and vegetables were cooked separately, then combined at the last minute prior to plating. The braising liquid differs slightly from the linked recipe and contains: unsalted butter, chicken stock, white wine, olive oil, fennel seed, rosemary, sea salt and black pepper. Arctic char, herb salad Herb salad -- tarragon, Italian parsley, mint, sage and marjoram, along with julienned lemon zest (for color), and dressed in a lemon vinaigrette (lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, black pepper).

thanks Kim. the culture we live in is a very meat-centric/non-vegetable-focused society. while that's changing, it's not as fast as I would like. for instance, someone on the blog mentioned that "adding a veg to potatoes is a great way to liven things up". well, potatoes ARE vegetables, but we don't think of them as that. I think that needs to change. tonight: Cara Cara orange and radicchio salad, with honey-roasted shallots and citrus vinaigrette (Cara Cara OJ, red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, black pepper) Honey-roasted shallots: toss peeled and sliced shallots with red wine vinegar, sea salt, black pepper, wildflower honey and extra-virgin olive oil. Roast at 375 F for 30-35 minutes. Let cool, then use as needed. Spaghetti with Manila clams, fennel and saffron Roasted shad, creamed leeks

oops. I meant percyn. hehe tonight: Insalata di funghi This version is just baby arugula, curly endive and oyster mushrooms, with a hazelnut vinaigrette (hazelnut oil, lemon juice, sea salt, black pepper). "A Night in Tunisia" -- roasted carrots, Castelvetrano olives, hard-cooked farm egg As usual, things are a little more complicated than at first glance. The carrots were tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, black pepper, cumin and panch phoron (for texture), then roasted at 375 F for 40 minutes. This was dressed with Italian parsley and a preserved lemon vinaigrette -- olive oil, a tiny bit of juice from some homemade preserved lemons, and black pepper. Cime di rapa con tagliatelle (slow-cooked broccoli rabe, homemade tagliatelle) Adapted from Saveur's recipe here: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Cime-di-Rapa-Fritte I reduced the amount of garlic called for in the linked recipe by half, and added lemon juice. This comes close to a contorno I had at Babbo almost a year ago.

my mom (who is Chinese by the way, from Fujian) typically uses leftover rice, with lots of minced garlic and scallions. occasionally she'll add Filipino chorizo or beaten egg. we don't add soy sauce or any other stuff. this thread is making me hungry.

Cavolo e pancetta (stewed cabbage, with onion and pancetta) I could make a meal out of just this, some good bread and a glass of wine. Render some pancetta -- dice about 2 oz., add to a skillet along with a 3-4 tablespoons of water; cook over medium heat. When the water has evaporated and the pancetta starts to brown, add thinly sliced onion. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat or until the onion has softened. Then stir in tomato paste (1 tablespoon dissolved in 3-4 tablespoons warm water is about right) and red wine vinegar; add shredded cabbage, a pinch of salt and some water or vegetable stock. Raise heat to high; sweat the cabbage for 5 minutes; then lower the heat to low and cover. Cook for 60-90 minutes or until the cabbage has achieved an almost "creamy" consistency. Taste for salt and pepper, drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil, stir in some chopped parsley, then serve immediately. Patate e porri (potatoes and leeks) This is fairly straightforward -- essentially potatoes fried in olive oil with garlic, shallots and leeks (both green and white parts). The potatoes were boiled whole for 20 minutes, then peeled. I always thought it was a bit silly for people to use only the white and light green parts of a leek. One culinary resolution for 2013 is to cut down on the amount of kitchen waste -- especially produce.

due to a bit of Spanish paprika. recipe from here: http://www.thefoodma..._pan_roast.html it differs slightly from Arthur's recipe in that I skipped the Heinz chile sauce and toast points, and added parsley and caviar. might as well gild that lily.

huiray -- but that would break C. sapidus' "egg" rule. (kidding) tonight: Beet "carpaccio", baby arugula and frisée salad, hazelnut vinaigrette The beets were cooked separately -- golden beets and regular beets (simmered in water for 15 minutes, then peeled and thinly sliced). The salad consists of frisée leaves, baby arugula and shaved pecorino Crotonese cheese; the vinaigrette is 3 tablespoons hazelnut oil, the juice of half a lemon, sea salt and black pepper. Grand Central oyster pan roast, with sourdough toast and caviar Spaghetti con uovo e caviale (spaghetti with egg and caviar) Contains eggs, spaghetti, pecorino Romano cheese, sea salt, black pepper, scallions and American lumpfish caviar. Kind of a riff on a carbonara, and totally doable in 20 minutes.