C. sapidus

Potato soup with chipotle, crushed tomato, onion, garlic, chicken stock, cilantro, and a dollop of Greek yogurt Black beans with bacon, garlic, crushed tomato, ancho chile powder, roasted chile Poblano, and cilantro

Leftover lemongrass pork and broccolini with a meaty roasted chile Poblano, turned into an egg-thickened breakfast soup/stew. Sauteed shallots and the last of the bird chiles for flavor, cumin seed and thyme for aroma.

Grilled lemongrass pork chops: Marinate thick pork chops with minced lemongrass, garlic, scallions, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, whiskey, white pepper, sugar, and coconut milk. Grill over charcoal. Turned out well, will make again. Stir-fried broccolini with garlic, serrano chile, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and a little sugar.

Another "make a virtue of necessity" meal after returning home. Made a spice paste of toasted shrimp paste, Thai chiles, garlic, red curry paste, and red bell pepper in the Preethi. Seared shrimp and removed. Seared sliced red and yellow bell peppers and removed. Sauteed sliced onions and minced garlic, fried the spice paste, added fermented black beans, and adjusted seasonings with fish sauce, lime juice, cayenne, and brown sugar. Mix everything together and finish with Mexican oregano. Spicy and complex, so it didn't matter that there were only a few shrimp left in the bag.

Tonight’s dinner was called “use up everything at the AirBnB because we’re leaving tomorrow.” Shrimp, zucchini, green beans, and mushrooms, all seared separately. Sautéed shallots, chiles, and a head of garlic, then added spinach, cilantro, scallions, and thyme. Mixed in leftover salmon, a little half-and-half, feta cheese, and fish sauce and warmed through. Pretty decent, all considered.

Sauteed green beans, spinach, shallots, chiles, garlic, cilantro and thyme in bacon grease with some leftover bacon, then scrambled in eggs, heavy cream, and crumbled feta. Topped mine with Cholula

Seared shrimp with mushrooms and mashed sweet potatoes: Boiled sweet potato cubes and mashed with butter and heavy cream. Sautéed mushrooms with butter, S&P, and a sprig of rosemary, then added the shrimp. Discarded the rosemary and deglazed the pan with bourbon and heavy cream. I thought I made a lot but I had forgotten just how much food the boys eat. Peas with butter, thyme, and sage.

Molly Steven’s recipe from ‘All About Braising’ - something like this: Worlds best braised cabbage recipe (clicky)

Non-traditional Thanksgiving in an Indiana AirBnb. Looks like the menu will be salmon, mashed potatoes, world’s best braised cabbage, green bean salad, and dairy and non-dairy ice creams with bittersweet hot fudge sauce.

Welcome, Michael! I look forward to reading about your food explorations, especially the spicy ones. 🌶️

Two old stand-bys tonight: Keema matar: Ground lamb with sauteed onion, ginger, and garlic, seasoned with cayenne, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala, simmered with crushed tomato and yogurt, and then finished with peas, lemon juice, serrano chile, and cilantro. Microwave cilantro rice to go with. Stir-fried peppers with black beans and garlic: Seared orange and yellow bell pepper squares, stir-fried garlic and fermented black beans, and finishing splashes of rice vinegar, chicken stock, and sesame oil.

I thought the same, and was very happy to see them still available.

After 25 years or so I finally broke down and replaced our Magnum Unicorn pepper grinder with . . . . . . exactly the same thing!

Mrs. C made halibut for dinner the other night, and there was a piece left over so I cut it into cubes for green curry. We also had sliced onions from last night's dinner. Blended Mae Ploy green curry paste with sliced jalapeno, garlic, ginger, galangal, palm sugar, and cilantro stems. Sauteed the onions with more garlic, fried the curry paste, and then mixed in cilantro leaves and microwave chopped spinach with a small amount of coconut milk. Seasoned with fish sauce and garam masala, and warmed the halibut in the curry. End result was sneaky-hot and aromatic, just what I needed.

Gyros from the Greek Orthodox church. They used to do this once a year, now I think they are up to three annually. Unpictured baklava to go with, naturally. The picture looks tatziki-heavy but these were meaty gyros off a rotating spit.