C. sapidus

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.

We had frozen strawberries, picked locally this summer, and ice cream. Mrs. C offered to make a boozy milkshake for watching the Packers. I suggested Pikesville Rye. So that is what we had.

Soft-scrambled eggs with shrimp, zucchini, and sliced fennel. Onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, fish sauce, garam masala, and feta to round out the flavors. I used the fennel tops in mole verde the other night, but I had never cooked with fennel bulb before. Just sliced it thin and sauteed with the onion. Man, I really liked the texture and subtle licorice flavor. I can see more fennel in my future.

Yes, I was going to suggest a ristra: How to dry chile peppers, plus how to make a ristra (clicky)

Friends came over for dinner – these pictures are next day’s leftovers. We started with Mrs. C’s muhamara, served with pita chips. This was her best batch yet. Mole verde Oaxaqueno: First time making this, but it won’t be the last. Simmer cubed pork butt (and the bone) with white onion and garlic, adding a can of drained Navy beans towards the end. When the pork is tender, strain in a colander and reserve the broth. Meanwhile, roast tomatillos, garlic cloves, and Serrano chiles and blend to a smooth sauce with freshly-ground cumin, cloves, and black pepper. I rendered some of the trimmed pork fat into lard, and used that to fry the tomatillo sauce. Add pork broth and simmer, then add green beans and cubed chayote. Mix masa harina with pork broth and then whisk into the mole to thicken. Add the beans and meat, salt to taste, and simmer some more. The last step was making a puree from parsley, epazote, fennel leaves, and cilantro. This gets mixed in just before serving, adding a lovely green color and fresh aroma. The stew nearly filled a Dutch oven, but seven diners nearly finished it off. Served with arroz blanco: Jasmine rice fried with white onion, then steamed with extra pork broth and roasted Poblano chiles. Mrs. C also steamed broccoli and roasted sweet potato two ways: one with curry powder and brown sugar, the other (skins on) with butter and Old Bay. Served with more muhamara. Guests brought ginger snaps and amazingly rich and fudgy brownies with chocolate chips.

Kimchi and feta omelet

Pollo con oregano: Simmer chicken drumsticks in chicken stock with sliced white onion and garlic. Rub with a paste of garlic and oregano, marinate for an hour or so, and then grill over charcoal. Swiss chard tacos: Slice Swiss chard and boil for a minute. Saute sliced white onion and garlic, then mix in the chard. Toss with crumbled feta and serve with steamed corn tortillas.

Chorizo, shrimp, and zucchini tacos with shallot, garlic, bird chiles, thyme, Mexican oregano, and a splash of half-and-half.

I like Tony Packo's Sweet Hots. Sadly, they seem to be no longer locally available.

Fried basmati rice with chorizo, rotisserie chicken (gift from neighbors), green beans, and zucchini. Also added cherry tomatoes, cilantro, sliced onion, minced garlic, ginger, and jalapeno, and fish sauce.

Gonna call this palak jheenga (spinach with shrimp instead of paneer): Spinach and cilantro sauteed with serrano chiles, ginger, and salt. Separately saute fenugreek seeds, diced onion, garlic, and cumin seed, cook down with crushed tomato, and then combine with the spinach, moistened with a little chicken broth. Shrimp were seared and added in last. Basmati rice pilaf with onions and broccolini: Fry cardamom pods, cloves, and canela, then add sliced onion and fry slowly with a little sugar. Broccolini was sauteed separately with black mustard seed and cumin seed, then everything was mixed together. I was supposed to divide the onion, half with the rice and half as garnish, but I goofed up. Oh well, no complaints.

Tuna salad with pickled jalapeno and carrots, plus the usual hot pickles, mayo, and black pepper, on buttered potato bread.

Apparently I missed this thread, so just chiming in to say that you have a lovely kitchen @FauxPas

Improvised chile verde with leftover carnitas, leftover salsa verde, and roasted chile Poblano. Jazzed up with bird chiles, garlic, cilantro, Mexican oregano, fish sauce, and grated Parmesan cheese. Sliced radish for crunch. Tasted good and made room in the refrigerator - double win.

Lunch concoction with bay scallops, green beans, roasted chile Poblano, and leftover carnitas. Seasoned with pickled jalapenos and carrots, garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano, and crumbled feta. I made last night's carnitas mild for house guests, so I really wanted something a bit more pickled jalapeno-forward.

Yesterday: Grilled five-spice chicken with grilled zucchini salad Today: Carnitas tacos! With guacamole (uh, would have looked better if I removed the plastic wrap), sliced radish, minced white onion, house guest's salsa verde, corn tortillas, and fried (burned, sadly) plantains. Cubed pork butt was simmered with white onion, garlic, pickled jalapenos, and Mexican oregano, sauce reduced, and then baked at 450°F with orange peel, orange juice, Coca-Cola, and black pepper.

I have exactly zero paid food biz experience, but I did get to help in the "kitchen" at a wedding I attended. I say "kitchen" because the food was cooked on a grill in the alley. Southeast Asian, maybe Burmese, and quite delicious. I started out walking around with trays of sate and whatnot, and ended up prepping some sort of wrapped rolls. The funniest part was the reaction of the guests. There were some very high rollers at this wedding - people everyone here has heard of - and they were very confused about a guest helping out with the food. 😆

Bay scallops, Merguez sausage, green beans, and baby butternut squash, each separately seared and removed. Deglazed the pan, sauteed onion, garlic, and bird chiles, then finished with roasted Poblano chile, black pepper, fish sauce, Mexican oregano, thyme, garam masala, a splash of half-and-half, and crumbled feta. Lovely, spicy, complex mix of textures and flavors.

Credit to @Tropicalsenior for the shriveled gonads 😆 Those all sound good to me!

I like LGBoD / shriveled gonads of ancient hedgehogs. Creamy braised LGBoD / SGoAH from 'All About Braising' is our holiday go-to.

Chicken in cilantro, spinach, and mustard sauce: Saute bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and whole cloves. Brown chicken drumsticks in the flavored oil, and then simmer with yogurt, black pepper, and cayenne. Finish with a blended sauce of ginger, green chiles, cilantro, spinach, and stone-ground mustard. Cucumber raita: Thinly-sliced cucumber, yogurt, sliced shallots, minced green chiles, shredded mint leaves, and cilantro. Garnished with cumin and smoked paprika (should be cayenne but dinner guests were chile-averse). Basadi dal: Simmer red lentils in water until tender. Fry sliced onion in ghee then add panch phoran (equal parts freshly-ground cumin, black cumin, aniseed, coriander, and fenugreek), turmeric, paprika, cayenne, cumin, and crushed tomato. My favorite dal of all time.

House guest cooked dinner the other night - this was leftovers for breakfast. Pork loin on a bed of onions and home-grown sorrel, and a delicious cranberry chutney with apple and pineapple. The actual dinner also included bulgur wheat, plus roasted chickpeas and chopped walnuts for crunch.

Grilled beef salad (yam neua): Marinated strip steaks with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar, and then grilled over charcoal. Rested, sliced against the grain, and served with Boston lettuce, sliced cucumber, sliced shallots, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and crushed dry-roasted peanuts. Dressing was cilantro, serrano chile, garlic, lemon juice, palm sugar, white pepper, and fish sauce, whizzed up in the blender. No pictures of the final product and no leftovers.

I cook green beans similarly, except tossed with fermented black beans and garlic, maybe with a splash of rice vinegar and chicken stock, and finished with sesame oil. Riff on a Fuchsia Dunlop recipe for bell peppers.