C. sapidus

Patrick – The fish-fragrant eggplant recipe calls for Sichuanese chile bean paste, so that is what I used. I have never seen pickled Sichuan chiles, but the book lists sambal oleek as a good substitute. Perhaps I should try the fish-fragrant pork again with sambal oleek. mm - That's a very pretty dish. How did it taste?

Yes to both, and completely agree that fish-fragrant eggplant is wonderful stuff.

dcarch - your prize-winning meal sounds even better than it looked (and it looked fantastic) Dinner from Diana Kennedy’s The Art of Mexican Cooking Pollo en salsa de fresadilla y chipotle – Chicken thighs simmered with water to cover, white onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, and a slice of lime to make stock. Remove chicken when partly cooked, strain and concentrate the stock. Boil tomatillos, puree with chipotle en adobo, and then fry the puree. Simmer chicken, stock, and sauce until done. Tangy, spicy goodness. Chayotes al vapor – A longstanding simple favorite. Chayotes peeled, julienned, and sautéed with minced Serrano chiles. Cover, lower the heat, and then finish with chopped cilantro. I had mine with feta cheese. Flour tortillas not pictured

Dry-fried beef slivers – Flank steak, celery, ginger, and scallions, cut into slivers and stir-fried with chile bean paste, soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, sesame oil, and chile oil Fish-fragrant eggplant – Asian eggplant, deep-fried and then simmered with scallions and a sauce of chile bean paste, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch slurry, Chinkiang vinegar, and sesame oil Jasmine rice

Can’t let Dinner! fall onto the second page . . . dcarch – The pork and watermelon rind is particularly attractive Achiote-grilled tuna – Marinated with pureed cilantro, scallions, garlic, chile serrano, S&P, and achiote before charcoal-grilling. Grilled corn with chili butter - Grilled in the husk Store-bought bread (also with chili butter) and an un-pictured salad

Grilled chicken escabeche – Chicken thighs, charcoal-grilled after marinating with pureed garlic, cider vinegar, olive oil, canela, cloves, and Mexican oregano. Sauce of extra marinade simmered with chicken stock. Grilled zucchini – With olive oil, S&P, and cider vinegar Mexican red rice – Shortcut version, with chicken stock and mild salsa

Thanks all, for the kind words. Ann, I wish my mother’s Yorkies looked like yours! Seedless tamarind, break off a hunk and soak in warm water for a few minutes, mash with fingers to extract pulp from solids, and then strain. I added some of the tamarind paste with the coconut milk, and then added more while doing the final sour, sweet, salty balance. I usually make a big batch of tamarind paste and freeze the extra in an ice cube tray, but not this time.

Ann_T – Gorgeous bread! I am not a baker, so homemade bread is a thing of wonder to me. Scubadoo – Five-spice duck sounds fantastic Dinner for one tonight – red curry pork with tamarind, fish sauce, lots of spinach, and Thai basil, served with jasmine rice. Plenty of leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.

RareRO – Aww thanks, and likewise! I want to try that cauliflower puree Huiray – Your fish and pea shoots look fantastic Robirstx – Thanks for the reminder, I need to make wings Dinner adapted from My Bombay Kitchen Stewing veal marinated with ginger-garlic paste, fried with in ghee with dried chiles, cumin, turmeric, and shallots, and then simmered with potatoes, chopped tomatoes, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, chicken stock, and water to cover. The gravy was a little thin, so I removed the meat and potatoes, boiled down the gravy, and recombined. Braised Swiss chard and spinach with slit green chiles, ginger-garlic paste, shallots, chopped tomatoes, and turmeric. Basmati rice fried with ghee, ginger-garlic paste, peppercorns, and a bay leaf, and then cooked with chicken stock.

Just leftover camarones al mojo de ajo from the Dinner thread.

Garlic shrimp tacos, queso fresco, Tapatio salsa

Yes, and I was admiring the shrimp chowder, too Camarones al mojo de ajo – Shrimp marinated with pureed garlic, vinegar, S&P. Garlic fried in butter and olive oil, add shrimp and cover, finish with lime juice. Arroz verde al Poblano – Jasmine rice, fried with garlic and steamed with a puree of chicken stock, cilantro, spinach, and roasted chile Poblano. Fried white onion on the side. Family liked.

Slipper burger (chapli kebab) is ground beef or lamb with onion, garlic, chiles, ginger, cilantro, ground coriander seed, black pepper, cayenne, and cumin. The version we make is from the Barbecue Bible, but we shape them into burgers rather than slippers. Gorgeous souvlaki and Greek salad. Mrs. C made pulled pork tonight (smoked on the Egg, and finished in the crock pot), with homemade cole slaw, homemade BBQ sauce, potato rolls, and watermelon-tomato salad with ginger.

Steve – Thanks! That’s about the least binder I can use without the crab cakes falling apart. Ann_T – Another pretty meal into which I would happily tuck in. Baselerd – Looks good, and I bet it tasted good, too Emily reminded me that we have not made slipper burgers for a while. Served with potato rolls, condiments of choice, and a big salad.

Gertie’s crabcakes, homemade Tartar sauce, sweet corn boiled with milk, and salad (with iceberg lettuce - younger son’s favorite).

Falafel I can take or leave, but otherwise I see a lot of my absolute favorite foods listed in this thread.

Mmmm, lamb. I couldn’t find any today, so I used beef. Keema with greens – spinach, mustard greens, cilantro, black cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, shallots, ginger, green chiles, garlic, ground coriander and fenugreek seeds, and garam masala, finished with heavy cream. Family loved it. Basmati rice with greens – Mustard greens, watercress, green chile, black pepper, and garam masala Doesn't look like it in the picture, but a massive quantity of greens went into the meal

Basquecook – Thank you! The irony is that I will probably avoid Asian food for a while since Mrs. C is trying to get her migraines under control, and fermented foods are a possible trigger. Hard to cook Asian food without soy sauce or fish sauce, unfortunately. Very sorry I missed your rehearsal dinner . . . Ann_T – I hafta ask about TBQ sauce? More Mexican tonight: Cream of chayote soup – fried white onion, jalapeno, and garlic, chayote simmered in chicken stock, stick-blended and finished with half-and-half and cilantro, and then served with queso fresco and Mexican crema. Not much of a picture . . . Red chile-braised chicken with potatoes and Swiss chard – with white onion, fried ancho/guajillo chile paste, vinegar, and chicken stock. Same chile paste from earlier this week.

furzzy - Thanks! Dressing was just lime juice and salt, flavored with minced jalapeño and a little ancho chile powder.

Mom Leuang Neuang's famous satay, from David Thompson's Thai Food, is fantastic. Lots of satay options - shrimp, chicken, pork - and all cook quickly. Pick your favorite peanut sauce to go with. Gai yang is also fantastic. There is a recipe in Thailand the Beautiful Cookbook where the chicken is marinated briefly with garlic, white pepper, minced cilantro stems / roots, whiskey, coconut milk, fish sauce, soy sauce, and ginger. The chicken is then baked and grilled to crisp. I usually grill the chicken indirectly, and then finish it over the fire. Thai cucumber salad goes wonderfully with grilled meat. Sticky rice, too. We have smoked pork butts and offered pulled pork sandwiches with American BBQ sauce (for traditionalists) and with banh mi fixings (hollowed-out baguettes, daikon-carrot pickle, mayo, Maggi sauce, sliced cucumbers and jalapeños, cilantro, and liver pate) for non-traditionalists. Banh mi is fun for a gathering because it is interactive food. Good luck, and please post pictures!

Emily_R – I am so glad you liked the slipper burgers. We haven’t made them for way too long. Morkai – mmmmm, crab cakes Dcarch – beautiful wings, and I like your okra-holders ScottyBoy – welcome back! Dinner from Marilyn Tausend’s Cocina de la Familia Cilantro soup – Chayote and two bunches of cilantro roughly pureed with rich chicken broth, simmered with sautéed onion, garlic, and tomato, thickened with cornstarch, and served with fried tortilla strips, queso fresco, and Mexican crema. Very popular, even though the boys claim to dislike cilantro. Tequila shrimp and pasta – Shrimp sautéed in olive oil, flamed with tequila, and removed. Simmer heavy cream with a paste of ancho chile, garlic, Mexican oregano, and rice vinegar, return the shrimp to the pan, and then toss everything with the pasta. Good stuff!

Hi Ann, apologies for the belated reply. I used deboned lamb chops rather than leg as specified, and adjusted cooking times accordingly. Our usual grocery store is hit or miss on lamb.

Dejah – You are right, fresh curry leaves do rock, and your dip sounds fantastic Ann_T – Gorgeous, gorgeous food (and nice cutting board, too) Kim – Mmmm, I need to keep an eye out for peaches Syzigies – You going to leave us hanging? Lamb pilaf with potatoes, ginger and scallion raita, unpictured salad

Kim, I hope you like the garlic fish. Nice yeast rolls! Um, and sorry, take-out banh mi is not on the menu. Pescado a la ranchera – Fish fillets and cubed potatoes poached in court boullion, and finished in a sauce of tomato, white onion, garlic, chiles, peas, cumin, and court boullion. Arroz verde – Jasmine rice fried and steamed with roasted Poblano chiles, cilantro, lots of spinach, white onion, garlic, and chicken stock, and then mixed with buttered peas.

Mmmmm, burnt ends dcarch – thanks for the reminder, I need to hunt down some soft shell crabs Younger son requested char siu banh mi for his birthday. As usual, we riffed off the recipe in Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, but cooked the pork shoulder on the grill rather than in the oven. The marinade had five-spice powder, garlic, hoisin sauce, honey, sugar, Shaoxing wine, black soy sauce, light soy sauce, and sesame oil. I learned from previous experience – let the coals burn down before grilling the pork, make extra marinade, and roll the pork in the marinade every 5 minutes or so at the beginning. Accompaniments at the table included sliced cucumbers, mayo, Maggi sauce, liver pate, cilantro, sliced jalapenos, and carrot-daikon-cucumber pickle.