C. sapidus

Mmmm, rhubarb . . . Mexican scrambled eggs and fried plantains. A day off work = much better breakfast than usual!

jvalentino – Carnitas sound fantastic! I like the recipe, too: “Open the beer and take a big swig and then add the bottle to the pan.” huiray – I have other Chinese cookbooks, but cook almost exclusively from “that Englishwoman” for three reasons: the cookbooks cover Sichuan and Hunan (my favorites); the recipes are very well written; and the food has turned out wonderfully. Do you have other recommendations for Sichuan/Hunan cookbooks?

Huiray, thanks for your question. Tiger-skin green peppers is a Fuchsia Dunlop recipe from Land of Plenty (fu pi qing jiao) – very similar recipe here (scroll to the end): http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/item/1794/your_chuancai_cupboard_vinegar_the_taste_of_jealousy Coconut rice” is just steamed jasmine rice, replacing the water with half chicken stock and half coconut milk. I usually add a little salt and sugar, too.

Caramelized minced pork – Onion, fish sauce, caramel sauce, sugar, and scallions. Would have been quick except I had to make a new batch of caramel sauce. Tiger-skin peppers – Poblano, Fresno, and red bell peppers with Chinkiang vinegar. Simple and good. Coconut rice – Younger son’s favorite

Dinner from Marcella’s Italian Kitchen Fricaseed chicken with vinegar – with rosemary, garlic, anchovies, and S&P. Very popular. Gratineed asparagus and Swiss chard – (Swiss chard stems) parboiled and then baked/broiled with parmesan cheese and butter. Elder son’s friend loves cheese and steers clear of vegetables, but this won him over. Sauteed Swiss chard with garlic – parboiled the Swiss chard leaves and then sautéed in olive oil. Hate to see perfectly good greens go to waste.

Cartwheels with sausage, cream, and tomato – plus garlic, parsley, black pepper, and parmesan cheese after picture time. Grilled Belgian endive – Broiled with olive oil, S&P. Simple and good. Elder son postponed his social plans to dine with us.

PM sent Last night our Russian friends stopped by and taught Mrs. C to make blini, so we had a classic culture-clash meal: spicy Thai beef with nahm phrik pao and fried shallots, wrapped up in Russian blini. Quite good, actually, but no pics. Beef stir-fried with cauliflower – Flank steak, sliced thinly and marinated with fish sauce, soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, and cornstarch. Onions, garlic, and parboiled cauliflower. Cilantro after the picture. The flank steak turned out meltingly tender. Jasmine rice, green salad, and Mrs. C’s delicious salad dressing with pineapple and balsamic vinegar. Warm Costco strawberry-rhubarb crisp for dessert.

Miso-glazed eggplant, according to the internet. You'll have to ask Prawncrackers how he cooked it (although I will not complain about being given completely unwarranted credit for the fantastic food that he makes . . .) Killer meals, Jason, thanks for sharing Edit: No pics of Mrs. C's dinner but it was a good one. Pork ribs and grilled lettuce (topped with bacon) from the Big Green Egg, plus curried sweet potatoes (previously cooked on the Egg). She also grilled eggplant to make babaganouj tomorrow, and then put a pork butt on the Egg to cook overnight. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's dinner . . .

Thanks! Interesting - one of my favorite quick meals is bean sprout pork. Thai rather than Chinese, but a stir-fry nonetheless.

My recommendation: smoke two pork butts. Having extra pulled pork in the fridge/freezer is never a bad thing. Extra smoked pork disappears quickly around here, but our house is infested with hungry teenagers. Yes, you can throw ribs in with pork butt. The problem is that BBQ is "done when it is done", so getting the timing right is tricky. Pork butt will hold for a long time in a cooler ("warmer"), so that helps. Good luck!

Thanks, Heidi - fennel and sesame seeds. The recipe is all over the web - google "stir-fried green cabbage with fennel seeds". Speaking of "in my comfort zone" . . . and the fish looks great, too.

MikeHartnett – Thank you! Carrot and bean soup with avocado looks/sounds fantastic. dcarch – Thank you, too! Your pictures as always look fantastic, I would particularly like to try the shrimp. How were the forsythia blossoms? Beautiful fish all around! Madhur Jaffrey meal tonight Scallops in aromatic tomato-cream sauce – Stir-fried with mustard seed, garlic, and cilantro, and then simmered with a sauce of tomato paste, garam masala, cumin, cayenne, chiles, lemon juice, and heavy cream. A little went a long way. Stir-fried cabbage with fennel seeds – Onions, cumin and sesame seeds, cayenne, and lemon juice, stir-fried in ghee. I like cabbage, and this is probably my favorite way to prepare it. Turmeric rice – Basmati rice pilaf-style with bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, garlic, and cilantro.

Dinner from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table Ginger chicken – Chicken thighs, sliced and marinated with minced ginger. Sauteed garlic, shallots, and chiles, sliced ginger, chicken stock, brown sugar (we were out of caramel sauce), fish sauce, scallions, and cilantro. Served with jasmine rice. Stir-fried Napa cabbage – with garlic and oyster sauce. Simple and good.

huiray – Thanks! Rice would be nice. Simon – Now I’m craving warm, buttered banana bread. And yes, we are also familiar with the depredations of ever-hungry teenagers. Liuzhou – Bacon, eggs, and toast with a Chinese twist. Nice! Leftover scallops a la pimienta on warm flour tortillas

Tina – Welcome to Dinner! I hope you enjoy your time in the US, and look forward to seeing more of your meals. Huiray – Thanks for the fantastic plantain links. Patrick – I usually fry plantains in oil over pretty high heat. Now that you mention it, plantains in ghee might be really good. Oh, and your khoresh looks delicious. We made a big pot of chipotle-tomatillo-roasted garlic beef stew with potatoes, carrots, and green beans. I hoped to grab a picture this morning, but apparently elder son beat me to the leftovers. He did make a pot of coffee . . .

Patrick – Two types of plantains? You’ll have to educate me. I just take black-ripe plantains, whatever I can find at the Latino or Asian market, and peel, slice, and pan-fry until browned. Sometimes I'll cube the plantains, fry them up, and then mix in with rice. Mrs. C baked plantains the other night, and they turned out sweet, creamy, and bursting from their skin. A dollop of Mexican crema or creme fraiche makes a nice topping, if one is not counting calories . . .

Keith_W – Thanks! Your bivalves and taters look spectacular. By the way - plantains and black beans seem to be a common pairing in parts of Mexico and Central America. Speaking of which, I have been on a Mexican kick lately Peppered bay scallops – White onion, garlic, jalapenos, and black pepper, finished with mayonnaise. Green rice – Roasted Poblano chiles, garlic, white onion, spinach, flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, and chicken stock, pureed and cooked pilaf-style. Fried plantains

Omelet with hard salami and feta cheese, fried plantains

Scubadoo – Looking forward to the finished caldo verde! Keith – Beautiful ribs Pureed hearts of palm soup with chicken Rice with plantains and black beans

Scrambled eggs with fried onions, jalapenos, wilted spinach, cilantro, S&P. Multigrain toast. I like taking a day off work! Even managed to replace the spark control module on our stove, so now all six burners work for the first time in, um, longer than I care to admit.

Steve Irby, naguere, and Keith_W – Thank you very much for your kind words! And Keith – that chicken looks gorgeous! Steve - how did you like the falafel? Hi Kim – Sorry you were disappointed. The recipe you linked is a little different from the one in Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Buy the book (highly recommended!) or try this link: http://www.francisfoodie.com/francisfoodie/tag/vietnamese-cookbook Speaking of Into the Vietnamese Kitchen . . . Pan-seared beef steaks (thit bo bit-tet, minus the appropriate marks): T-bone steaks, marinated with garlic, black pepper, Maggi sauce, and oil, and cooked on a cast-iron pan. Turned out nicely, although I prefer charcoal-grilled steaks. Mrs. C made black rice and salad.

Chicken stir-fried with lemongrass and chile, from the ever-reliable Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Red bell pepper, shallots, curry powder, fish sauce, cilantro, and simmered-down coconut milk made for a popular meal.

Ann_T – fish cakes, poached egg, and hollandaise looks absolutely divine! huiray – your breakfasts look a lot like our dinners, but I wouldn’t complain Spaghetti with spicy sausage sauce – with butter, garlic, tomatoes, cayenne, and Parmesan cheese. I had planned this for last night’s dinner, but arrived home to find that Mrs. C had a meal ready to eat. Anyway, I had a taste for spicy sausage, and younger son was happy to help ensure no leftovers (even though it was his second breakfast).

Ann_T – So glad you stopped by, the halibut and tomato/olive salsa looks/sounds fantastic. Dejah – Mmmm, lemongrass short ribs. You and your fresh green peppercorns. Soba – Spicy shrimp and boozy bread pudding, two of my favorite things. Patrick – Fascinating flavor combinations Crab and spinach quiche

Kim - I love make-your-own sandwich dinners, for just the reasons that you stated. Baselerd - Butternut squash any way is one of my favorites, so I expect four ways would be four times as good (with shrimp a bonus). Speaking of sandwiches, younger son made pseudo-banh mi from tonight's dinner - garlicky oven-roasted chicken (ga ro ti), basmati rice, and unpictured salad. Mrs. C made the rice and salad dressing.