SobaAddict70

What a difference a day makes. From sopa de ajo to... Chicken congee (3 tablespoons long-grain white rice soaked in 1/2 cup leftover garlic broth, then stirred into 4 cups water brought to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours on low heat, partially covered. Stir every 15 minutes or so. Towards the end, add sesame oil, a pinch of salt, some white pepper, shredded cooked chicken (I had some leftover roast chicken from last week) and chopped scallions.) Recipe is partially adapted from the version given on bleudauvergne's blog.

Oh that char siu....that really calls to me.... Sopa de ajo (Spanish garlic broth with fried bread and a poached egg) At it's simplest, it's just garlic, bread, egg and water. Proof that you can feast just from three ingredients. There are other variations (such as using vegetable stock or chicken stock in place of water, and deglazing with wine (which isn't traditional)) but those tend to muddle things, in my opinion. Recipe will be written up later on the blog (it's so simple, it's almost an embarrasment to post about it).

I think it's the angle the photo was taken. That's why I will take at least 50 to 100 shots of a finished dish from different points of view. Rarely is the finished pic an overhead shot. David G's suggestion in the other post about varying placement of the limes seems on point in this picture as well.

I cut my teeth on Mrs. Dash. I still use it from time to time. Some things don't change.

Three ingredient dinner tonight: sopa de ajo garlic, olive oil, water, bread. add a poached egg and you're in business. Pix in the dinner thread later. yes I know it's 3 ingredients -- rules are made to be broken.

My adaptation of Judy Rogers' Zuni Roast Chicken with Bread Salad Substitutions: toasted slivered almonds in place of pine nuts; golden raisins instead of currants. The salad also features the addition of slivered ginger and lamb's quarters (a/k/a wild spinach).

Jersey tomatoes have been making an appearance. For this week: Free-range chicken from Quattro's, eggs from Knoll Crest, a gorgeous head of green leaf lettuce, a baguette, tomatoes, wild arugula, lamb's quarters and assorted herbs.

My poor attempt at trussing a chicken. Roast chicken la Keller, green leaf salad with "pan drippings" dressing*, steamed rice Basically roast chicken using Thomas Keller's recipe (1 T. salt and pepper, sprinkled all over and inside a free-range organic chicken (from Quattro's Game Farm at Union Square Greenmarket), then roasted at 450 F for one hour. Salad consists of torn green leaf lettuce dressed in a vinaigrette (6 tablespoons pan drippings, a splash of white wine vinegar, a handful of chopped parsley and sage, and one heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard). * Inspired in part by Sam Sifton's recent review of Prime Meats.

Jersey tomatoes are starting to arrive, here in NYC. Roasted heirloom potatoes, cauliflower and shiitake mushrooms, with soft-cooked farm egg and my version of pan de tomate

Nonsense. Take it as a learning experience. I can just taste them, by the way. Great pix.

thanks Kim lovely chicken -- and I was just thinking that I needed to make roast chicken this weekend. no smoker in my apartment unfortunately. I didn't get home until late last night so I just had leftover squid stew. but tonight was a different story... Thin spaghetti with chickweed, radish greens, smoked bacon ends and breadcrumbs Have your spaghetti cooked before making the sauce. Render some bacon, add chopped shallots to the skillet when bacon gets nice and crispy; add chickweed and radish greens. Stir quickly. Remove from heat after greens have partially wilted, about 30 seconds. Taste for salt; you probably don't need much. I added some freshly milled black pepper. Add pasta directly to skillet. Toss. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs and some chopped herbs (I used onion chives and sage), then serve at once. You can use any combination of greens, from spinach to lamb's quarters to ramps, arugula, and/or watercress. I really love the freshness of chickweed paired with peppery radish greens. They're great. For the quantity-challenged, the recipe will be posted on the blog later tonight.

I will echo most of has already been said in this thread. Good photography is not all about expensive cameras (mine is a really crappy Nikon Coolpix L3 for example, that I've had for four years); the importance of abundant light cannot be overstated enough. Use Picasa or a similar program for touchups. I find that white or neutral backdrops help a great deal. I like to crop photos, especially if there's too much going on in the background of the pic or if I want to train someone's eyes to look at a specific point in the shot. Also, practice, practice, practice. You'll find that your skills will improve over time. Be observant in the world around you. Be open to new ideas. Take inspiration from other people. And most importantly, have fun!

Spicy squid stew, with Belgian beer, fennel and ramps It doesn't look like much but it packed quite a flavor wallop, believe me. Recipe on the blog. Tonight will be something simple (which isn't saying much b/c most of what I cook tends to be REALLY simple); "complicated" dinners are actually quite rare at Chez Soba. It will probably be something along the lines of thin spaghetti with chickweed, radish greens and caramelized onion. Pix later. One of the advantages of keeping a "Mediterranean" pantry is I can be assured of dinner in ten minutes or less.

No posts since last year? Must correct that immediately. This past weekend's haul: squid from Blue Moon Fish ricotta cheese from Tonjes Farm shiitake mushrooms herbs (onion chives, sage) greens (lamb's quarters, chickweed) French breakfast radishes unsalted butter a plain baguette Russian Banana fingerling potatoes spinach from Norwich Farms Heirloom tomatoes -- fairly early, being that these were grown in a greenhouse. And the prices reflected their origin too, at $7 a lb. Didn't get any though. Sucrine was all sold out, as were seedless cucumbers.

A riff on a traditional spring salad at Chez Soba It's a heart-attack on a plate but well worth it. Live a little. Farfalle with roasted asparagus, soft-cooked pheasant and duck eggs, cheese and herbs 1 bunch asparagus, slivered kosher salt olive oil farfalle pasta 3 pheasant eggs, soft-boiled for 3 minutes, then peeled and reserved 4 duck eggs, soft-boiled for 5 minutes, then peeled and reserved 2 T. unsalted butter freshly grated Parmesan cheese chopped onion chives chopped parsley Combine asparagus, a pinch of salt and 1 T. olive oil. Toss. Roast for 15 minutes at 350 F. Meanwhile, prepare farfalle according to package directions. Drain. Stir in two tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits; some onion chives and parsley. Toss until farfalle are well-coated. Taste for salt if necessary. Remove asparagus from the oven when done. Combine with farfalle. Quarter the eggs and add to the pasta mixture. Toss gently. Taste for salt, then serve immediately, passing cheese at the table. Makes enough for four to five appetizer servings or three to four main-dish servings. It’s quite rich but well worth it, I think. Time: 30 minutes, including prep.

I'm sure it has its place in some kitchens, just not mine. And that's ok.

thanks. I rarely cook from recipes. 20 minutes turned out be more or less correct. celery, shallots, olive oil, 1 bay leaf, about 3/4 cup water and a pinch of salt; simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. I had to add half a package of baby limas because it turned out the flageolets weren't enough. They're beautiful, aren't they?

Pan-roasted flounder Braised flageolet beans with slow-roasted tomatoes 2007 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Gris

I managed to pick up a couple of pounds of fresh flageolet beans at the farmer's market this weekend. I'm thinking 2 cups of salted water, simmer for 10 minutes or until tender sounds about right as far as cooking time is concerned? Will be using them along with slow-roasted tomatoes and flounder (pix to come in the Dinner! thread later)

very nice, Johnny Roast chicken (a la Thomas Keller); sautéed peppers and heirloom green beans; steamed rice and heirloom tomatoes Life is good. edit to say: the chicken was from Flying Pigs Farm in upstate New York. you can buy them at Union Square Greenmarket on Saturdays. it totally blew me away. no comparison to regular supermarket chicken.

It has to be a really common/standardized recipe because with a couple of exceptions, MOST Japanese restaurants that I've been to over the past 10-15 years -- ranging from healthy places like Dojo to hole-in-the-wall all-you-can-eat sushi joints to second tier places like Sushi Seki offer this dressing to a "T".

Kim -- thanks. Salmon looks delicious (I'm a huge fan of salmon, it's one of my favorite fish). I'm also not a dessert person normally but I think I could spring for a piece of that cake. Light dinner last night: Slow-roasted cherry tomatoes and fromage blanc, paired with corn-marjoram fritters Cheese plate (not shown), golden raspberry jam, toast points 2006 Anthony Road Pinot Gris We're knee-deep in Indian summer here in New York. I have a huge mess of corn and tomatoes to go through before any fall food makes an appearance in my kitchen.

You'd think autumn hasn't arrived, what with the weather in NYC and the offerings at USGM (Union Square Greenmarket). Case in point is tonight's dinner, which btw is pretty much ALL from USGM with the exception of the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg in the gnocchi. Ricotta gnocchi with corn and heirloom tomatoes

Omelette with peperonata, pan-glazed heirloom tomatoes

Roast them on a grill (or gas burner) and make chile rellenos or calabacitas. Also huevos rancheros. Be sure to wear gloves when handling them in this manner (and don't touch your eyes or other sensitive parts)