C. sapidus

Pan-fried Cuban snapper – Whole snapper trimmed (to fit the pan), fried, and deboned. Separately fried garlic paste with black pepper, chile flakes, and orange zest, and then simmered the sauce with freshly-squeezed orange juice, lime juice, and cilantro. Cuban yellow rice – Jasmine rice fried with onion and annatto, and then steamed with bay leaf and smoked turkey stock.

3-step coating for the shrimp - seasoned flour, egg wash, and then a mix of corn meal and seasoned flour. Seasoning was Dizzy Pig Cajun rub. Mrs. C dredged and I fried, and the timing worked out perfectly. Dejah, the rainbow trout and Thai curry look right up my alley . . . Made two quiches this morning with Gruyere cheese - one crab and one Mexican chorizo and onion - for a confused brunch which may be dinner by the time everyone's travel plans, etc. line up.

Shrimp po' boys, a joint effort with Mrs. C. Yeah, hungry boys made most of that pile of shrimp disappear.

Kim - Hot crab dip and baguette slices sounds so very good. Mexican beans with chorizo and greens – Pinto beans with fried Mexican chorizo, Swiss chard, chipotle in adobo, and roasted Poblano chiles, topped with sliced red onion and crumbled queso fresco. Arroz verde (green rice) – Fry jasmine rice with onions and garlic, and then steam the rice with a puree of roasted Poblano chiles, spinach, cilantro, and chicken stock. A remarkable number of my favorite flavors were packed into this meal

Heh. You know the saying about the two things you don't want to see made - laws and sausage.

Mexican chorizo, onion, tomato, zucchini, Thai basil, and eggs, with warm corn tortillas. I finally found a chorizo brand I like (don't ask me which one) so I've been on a chorizo kick.

Mrs. C made dinner on the Big Green Egg tonight – all I did was carve turkey and take pictures. Sides included a particularly good smoked babaghanoush, diced avocado, crab dip, bread, crackers, and two kinds of salad. The star of the show was Mrs. C’s smoked turkey. Before carving . . . . . . and after. Mrs. C has the skin and carcass simmering away to make smoked turkey stock.

Gorgeous! Masala dosa is one of my favorite foods on earth, not far behind Mysore masala dosa (inside of dosa slathered with red chile paste). Clean out the fridge breakfast here -chorizo and eggs with tomatoes, onions, and fresh chiles, topped with Cholula salsa and avocado. Warm corn tortillas.

Thanks, Patrick! Yes, crushed dried Aleppo peppers. Looking forward to seeing your risotto.

Quick dinner – shrimp with slowly-fried garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, Aleppo peppers, S&P, lemon juice, and Thai basil. Tossed with spaghetti and served with green salad.

Scubadoo - You are too kind! I am digging the new job so far, thanks for asking. Thai tonight: beef grapao/kaprow/”kapow” with garlic paste, chiles, onions, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, and lots of Thai basil. Napa cabbage stir-fried with more garlic, fermented bean paste, and brown sugar. Jasmine rice.

A new job with a longer commute has meant later dinners and fewer pictures. Snapper with chiles, garlic, and ginger, plus red onion, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black pepper, and rice vinegar. Stir-fried bean sprouts with scallions, plus sliced chiles, garlic, shallot, black pepper, and soy sauce. Jasmine rice

Thank you, TheCulinary Library, awfully kind of you. No pictures because we had guests, but we served grilled five-spice chicken, cucumber salad, regular salad, and fried rice. The chicken marinated overnight with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, five-spice powder, sugar, and oil, and then I added freshly-ground star anise while lighting the grill.

Shrimp, chayote, and spinach soup with lemongrass – Gently fried shallots, lemongrass, smashed red chiles, and shrimp paste. Added coconut milk, chicken stock, and cubed chayote and simmered until the chayote was nearly tender. Added spinach and shrimp and simmered until done, finishing with fish sauce and sugar. Served with jasmine rice and sliced cucumbers. Dogs were comically interested in the shrimp paste.

Basquecook – thank you! Bangkok BBQ chicken – Charcoal-grilled after marinating with coconut milk, curry powder, fish sauce, garlic, cilantro, brown sugar, and white pepper. Sweet chile sauce and jasmine rice to go with. Mixed vegetables with chile-tamarind sauce – Napa cabbage, baby corn, plum tomatoes, red bell pepper, and scallions stir-fried with garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, chicken stock, and roasted chile paste, and finished with Thai basil.

Thank you, PV. Greens were a mix of cilantro and Chinese celery leaves.

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.