C. sapidus

Leftover aromatic beef soup made a nice lunch today

Two of my favorites right there, Patrick Kim, I hope you like the cilantro beef Coconut rice (nasi lemak) – Jasmine rice steamed with pandan leaves and bay leaves, mixed with coconut milk, and then topped with sliced egg sheet, shredded chiles, sliced cucumber, and crispy shallots. Stir-fried Napa cabbage with garlic and fermented soybean paste Also made aromatic spiced beef soup, but had to rush off to class and didn’t get a picture. Beef chuck cubes simmered with ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, bay leaves, and pepper, served with crispy shallots, shredded celery leaves, cilantro, and tomatoes.

Scubadoo and Ann_T - thank you both Surfer’s fish chowder – Wow this was good. Orange zest, ground coriander, parsley, fried leeks and fried garlic for aroma, cayenne and roasted jalapeno for spice, butter and bacon grease for richness, fried potato cubes for body, dry vermouth, diced tomato, and freshly squeezed orange juice and lime juice for tropical tang, and Mrs. C’s pork stock enriched with fish sauce for general goodness. Topping with crumbled bacon may have gilded the lily. Irony was that I enjoyed this lovely chowder alone. I suspect younger son will have some as his second dinner.

Early Thai dinner before elder son headed back to college. Cucumber relish with brown rice vinegar, brown sugar, Thai chiles, cilantro, and crushed pistachio nuts Clear soup with pork, garlic, and spinach – Pork meatballs made with garlic paste, white pepper, soy sauce, and a little sugar. Broth was a mix of chicken stock and Mrs. C’s smoked pork stock. Steamed snapper – Whole red snapper, briefly fried in the wok and then steamed with slivered ginger, sliced garlic, Thai chilies, scallions, soy sauce, salt, and a little sugar. Finished with a squeeze of lime and served with jasmine rice.

Choo chee red curry seafood – Crack coconut cream and reserve a spoonful. Fry red curry paste in the coconut oil. Stir in more coconut cream and season with fish sauce and brown sugar. Add fish and shrimp, and when nearly done, mix in a paste of red chiles and garlic. Finish with Thai basil and slivered red chiles, top with reserved coconut cream, and serve with jasmine rice. Salad on the side. One of elder son’s friends ate with us, and kept shoveling down the curry and rice. Younger son left to hang with his girlfriend just as I was serving dinner; pickings were slim when he returned.

Monday night dinner . . . Beef slivers with cilantro – Flank steak cut into slivers, marinated with Shaoxing wine, dark and light soy sauce, and potato flour slurry, and then briefly deep-fried. Stir-fry garlic and red chile slivers, add the beef, two bunches of cilantro, and soy sauce, and then finish with sesame oil. Jasmine rice and salad to round out the meal. Elder son changed his plans to eat with us – I suppose he values a home-cooked meal after a steady diet of cafeteria food. Choo chee curry tonight – not sure if I will be able to grab a picture.

Mrs. C BBQed two pork butts on the Big Green Egg, and made mustardy coleslaw to go with. My only contribution, besides taking a picture, was doctoring up some BBQ sauce with mustard, vinegar, sugar, and Tapatio salsa. Elder son is home from college, so between him and younger son the leftovers from two pork butts filled two small Ziploc bags.

Schi is wonderful stuff, but we have never made it. Some of our favorite cabbage dishes: Stir-fried green cabbage with fennel seeds, from Quick & Easy Indian Cooking. This is one of my favorite dishes, period. Cabbage and egg stir-fry, from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen World’s best braised cabbage, from All About Braising Braised cabbage with dried shrimp, from Cradle of Flavor Hand-torn cabbage with vinegar, from Revolutionary Chinese Cooking (couldn’t find a picture)

Swiss chard, bacon, and hard-boiled egg salad – For the dressing we deglazed the pan with a mix of balsamic and cider vinegar. Fried garlic, chopped parsley, cayenne, olive oil, and S&P in the mix, too. Chard stems and leaves were boiled separately. Chicken-fried chicken, courtesy of Mrs. C. Store-bought olive oil bread with butter. Good bread, but I need Ann_T to airmail some of her gorgeous homemade bread.

Garlic-black bean pan-fried fish – Partly fry fish fillets (haddock) and remove. Stir-fry a chopped head of garlic, knob of ginger, salted fermented black beans, and cilantro stems. Add dark soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, black pepper, and cayenne, and reduce. Remove half of the black bean mixture, return fish to the wok, cover with the remaining mixture, and cook until done. Garnish with cilantro. Had a heck of a time keeping the haddock from flaking to pieces. Need to use a sturdier fish next time. Served with jasmine rice and salad.

Kim: Thanks! The recipe is from Zarela's Veracruz. Link: http://www.zarela.com/2013/shrimp-in-black-pepper-sauce-camarones-a-la-pimienta/ Ranz: Your tom kha gai looks absolutely fantastic! Braised bok choy with chestnuts: Boiled chestnuts, peeled, sliced, steamed, and stir-fried. Baby bok choy stir-fried until tender, quickly braised with the chestnuts and chicken stock, and then finished with potato flour slurry and sesame oil. Slow-braised beef with potatoes: This is one of my all-time favorite dishes. Stir-fry chile bean paste, sliced ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise, dried chiles, and cubed beef chuck. Braise with water, dark and light soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Add potato chunks and continue braising until tender. I reduced the sauce at the end to concentrate the lovely flavors. Elder son was planning to leave before dinner, but the aroma of simmering ginger, beef, and spices kept him around for dinner.

Shelby – trade you shrimp for siu yook and pastrami any day of the week! chefmd - I have never tried shad roe. Can you describe? Making use of the last of Mrs. C’s ham stock . . . Corn soup with ham and Poblano chiles – Fried onions and garlic, pureed with corn, cornstarch, and half-and-half, simmered with ham stock, ham cubes, and roasted/chopped Poblano chiles, and finished with cilantro. Yum. Mexican red rice and Mrs. C’s fried plantains – rice pilaf-style rice with white onion, corn, diced carrots, peas, salsa, and chicken stock

Camarones a la pimienta – Wilted white onion, garlic, and jalapenos, shrimp and lots of black pepper, finished with a shot of mayo and wrapped in warm corn tortillas. Hearts of palm and scallion soup – Fried white onion, garlic, and hearts of palm, pureed with chicken stock and finished with lots of scallions and a little heavy cream.

Thanks, Kim. If you like ginger chicken, my favorite recipe is from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table. Nice cheese spread, by the way, the brie and fig preserves sounds particularly tasty. Shelby – Now I have a major hankering for a Reuben Keema matar – Onions, ginger, and garlic, chopped and fried with ground cayenne, cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Add chopped tomato and yogurt and cook until the tomato softens. Add ground meat (we used a mix of turkey and lean beef) and garam masala and brown. Simmer with water for a while, and then finish with peas, chopped jalapenos, cilantro, and lemon juice. Stir-fried green cabbage with fennel seeds – Sliced onions and cabbage, browned and stir-fried with fennel seeds, cumin seeds, and sesame seeds, and cayenne, and then finished with garam masala and lemon juice. This is one of our absolute favorite dishes. Turmeric rice – Temporary teenage daughter came for a visit and helped cook the rice. Pilaf-style Basmati rice with garlic, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, turmeric, and green cardamom, finished with sliced scallions.

Mrs. C made dinner tonight, with a little sous-cheffing from me. Kale soup with Italian sausage, potatoes, fried onions, and homemade ham stock. First bowl topped with grated Parmesan, second bowl with crumbled feta. Apple and strawberry crumble

Chicken with ginger: Marinate chicken with dark and light soy sauce and salt. Gently stir-fry sliced ginger, add the chicken, chile flakes, and Shaoxing wine, and stir-fry until golden. Add chicken stock and long beans, reduce heat, and simmer until sauce is reduced. Finish with sliced scallions and sesame oil. I forgot about the scallions until after I took the picture. Oops. Salad with Mrs. C’s homemade dressing. Mrs. C also made smoked pork stock tonight, so I’m looking forward to dinner tomorrow.

Chicken with chiles – Marinate chicken thigh chunks with dark and light soy sauce, salt, and Shaoxing wine. Deep-fry the chicken and set aside. Gently stir-fry ginger and garlic, and then add dried chiles and Sichuan peppercorns. Add chicken and scallion whites, and finish with a little chicken stock, pinch of sugar, and sesame oil. Served over jasmine rice. Long beans in ginger sauce – Boil long beans until crisp-tender, drain under cold water, and toss with a sauce of minced ginger, Chinkiang vinegar, cicken stock, salt, and sesame oil.

Wok shot of farmhouse pork with Anaheim chiles, sliced garlic, and fermented black beans. Also made stir-fried mushrooms and jasmine rice.

Nice cheesy biscuits, Kay! I do online newspapers, too, but it's not the same. Power came back on for the first time in four days, so I celebrated by making huevos rancheros

Now that is a trip down memory lane. Younger son made the guacamole tonight - I couldn't be prouder. I hope Mr. Kim enjoys the smoker, and best wishes to you. Chipotle meatballs, chayote al vapor, corn tortillas, and guacamole. I baked the meatballs (ground turkey, bacon, eggs, panko, garlic, and fresh mint), with pureed tomato, chipotle en adobo, garlic, oregano, and chicken stock to thin. Chayote al vapor is one of my all-time favorite easy dishes – peel and julienne chayote, sautee with chopped Serrano chiles, cover to steam, and finish with chopped cilantro and crumbled cheese (I used feta).

Mrs. C smoked pork and Asian eggplant on the Big Green Egg. She made babaghanoush with the eggplant - really good but I forgot to take a picture. The BBQ pork was fantastic, and I did get a snap of that. I made mustardy slaw and an improvised some chipotle-tomato-mustard-molasses-whatever BBQ sauce. We pulled the pork, enjoyed pulled pork sandwiches during the Super Bowl, and packed up the extra for future meals.

Ann – Thanks! I love roasted Brussels sprouts, I bet they are even better with a little Parmesan. Dejah – Carrot fries? Do tell! Steve – "Garbage can gumbo" for me, please Beef and potato tinga: Cooked in the crock pot with crisped chorizo sausage, chipotles in adobo, diced tomatoes, garlic, thyme, cumin, and cinnamon. When the tinga was done I removed the solids and concentrated the sauce. Served with warm corn tortillas and Tapatio salsa. Mrs. C made a ginger-orange vinaigrette to go with the salad.

Chicken with sautéed spinach: Marinate chicken thigh chunks with pureed cilantro, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, coriander, cumin, and garam masala. Sautee chopped spinach and remove. Sautee chicken and toss with the spinach. Garnish with sautéed tomato wedges and garam masala. Turmeric and peppercorn rice: Soaked basmati rice steamed with black cardamom and finished with chopped mint

Franci – Your xialonbao look great, what made them not memorable? Dinner from Revolutionary Chinese Cooking Liuyang black bean chicken: Deboned chicken thighs with skin, deep-fried twice and set aside. Stir-fry ginger coins and a head of garlic until tender, and then add fermented black beans, Shaoxing rice wine, and chile flakes. Stir in the chicken, finish with scallion greens and sesame oil, and serve over jasmine rice. Crispy outside, tender inside, and completely delicious. Hand-torn cabbage with vinegar: Our boys have always loved cabbage, probably their Russian heritage. Stir-fry green cabbage until crunchy-tender, sizzle dried chiles in oil, and then finish with salt and Chinkiang vinegar. Southern Tier Choklat Stout for dessert

Beautiful dinners, all! Camarones a la pimienta; arroz Poblano with Mrs. C’s ham stock, Mexican oregano, and roasted chile Poblano; and unpictured salad.