C. sapidus

One technique you might try - for braised dishes slice chiles (fresh or dried) in half lengthwise. The chile heat will build as the dish braises. Taste as you go and remove the chiles when the dish reaches your preferred heat level.

Roasted Poblano-potato salad with smoked salmon – with sautéed red onion, olive oil, black pepper, Mexican oregano, cilantro, and rice vinegar, served over Bibb and Romaine lettuce. Excellent flavor to effort ratio.

Sigma - care to elaborate? Mrs. C made pizza dough from scratch, pre-heated cast iron pans, pre-baked the crusts, and then orchestrated make-your own pizza night. Mrs. C topped hers with mozzarella, sliced tomato, broccoli, black olives, Thai basil, and roasted garlic. Younger son had tomato sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, and cheese. Mine had my favorite pizza toppings – pickled jalapeno and anchovy – with mozzarella, sliced yellow tomato, Thai basil (the regular basil has already lost its leaves), and a thin layer of tomato sauce. Mrs. C did a fantastic job on the crust!

Very sad news indeed, and heartfelt condolences to Dave's family and friends. His presence will be felt and missed.

Dejah and Ann_T, thank you both, you are very kind. I can only get a good browning on chicken if I leave the kitchen for a while. Otherwise I turn the chicken too early, usually to its detriment. Tilapia with zucchini, lime, and garlic; arroz blanco; and green bean salad with red onion

Now I’m hungry for fajitas and zucchini salad, despite just finishing a nice Indian meal. Maybe a little duck leg, too, to fill in the nooks and crannies. Mint-cilantro chicken – fried with onions, ginger-garlic paste, black pepper, and turmeric, and then cooked until done with lemon juice, minced green chile, and heaps of chopped cilantro and mint. Definitely making this again. Mixed vegetable pilaf – soaked basmati rice; onions fried with cumin, black cardamom, ginger, chiles, garam masala, yogurt, and chopped carrots, yellow bell pepper, and cauliflower; and garnished with cilantro.

Indian tonight, from Neelam Batra Chile chicken – Dried red chiles, slivered ginger, and onions fried together. Add chicken, paprika, and garlic, and then simmer with vinegar and water until liquid has evaporated and chicken is done. Um, tasted much better than it looked . . . Cauliflower and potatoes – Fried cubed potatoes and cauliflower florets separately, added minced ginger, turmeric, and cayenne, and then cooked over low until quite tender, finishing with cilantro and garam masala. Younger son liked this, mostly because of the potatoes. Pureed watercress raita – Watercress pureed with scallions, cilantro, and chile, whisked with yogurt, and then topped with chopped tomato, black pepper, and freshly-ground cumin. Beautiful green color when everything was mixed together after picture time. Garlic naan – Heated in the oven and brushed with butter. Not bad for store-bought!

I want some lobster mango spring rolls, and oysters, followed by fish soup and wings with TBQ sauce. Um, and a salad. A very citrusy meal tonight, despite the first light jacket weather of the season. Grilled chicken with shallots, lime juice, and cilantro. Brussels sprouts with garlic, parsley, and lemon juice. Watercress salad with one of the last tomatoes, and store-bought bread to go with

DiggingDog - thanks! I looked up Southern Tier brewing company and, to my surprise, they are in New York. We are in Maryland, home of pit beef, but I prefer to BBQ pork. To keep on topic, for tonight's dinner Mrs. C will be attempting to make Scottish eggs with quail eggs. Looking forward to it, and will post a pic if successful.

rotus – You are quite welcome, please do let us know how it turns out End of summer says BBQ, but the chill in the air says braising. Why not do both? BBQ ribs – St. Louis cut ribs, dry-rubbed and smoked on the Big Green Egg, mopped with an apple cider concoction whenever I thought about it, and brushed with BBQ sauce in the last half hour. Lemon brown sugar BBQ sauce – Ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, lemon zest, lemon juice, dry mustard, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper, whisked together and simmered to thicken and meld. Ribs rubbed: On the Big Green Egg. Proper hydration is critical for BBQ: Green beans braised with tomatoes – With garlic, anchovies, oregano, and S&P, braised for nearly an hour Braised potatoes with garlic and bay leaves – Braised until tender and then fried in the sauce.

Thank you, Ann. Fantastic pizzas – we should work out a breakfast exchange. Huiray - Your turmeric chicken wings looked just as vibrant at breakfast as at Dinner! Creamy slow-scrambled eggs with cooked-down salsa verde, heavy cream, and Mexican oregano, topped with fresh tomato, radish, minced shallot, feta cheese, and Hawk Hollow Heat hot sauce. I like this brand of corn tortillas – they actually puff up when heated directly over the flame.

Dave - I always enjoy hearing about your history and your life in France, so thank you for this week. Very nicely done! Now that the eG Foodblog momentum is rolling again I will say that there are quite a few folks on here about whose food lives I would love to learn more.

Beef Stroganoff, adapted from Please to the Table. Leftover grilled strip steak, fried onions and shiitake mushrooms, flour to thicken, and a sauce of concentrated beef stock, Dijon mustard, heavy cream, and sour cream, finished with S&P, parsley, and fresh dill. Served over egg noodles, with kale salad on the side. Mrs. C said it was the best Stroganoff she ever had.

Bojanna – Welcome to Dinner! Lovely flavors in your mushroom consommé. Paul – Whoa, gorgeous! Norm – Beautiful color on your potato cake. How did you like the pineapple glaze? Simple dinner tonight: Charcoal-grilled strip steak, olive oil bread from the store, and salad with gorgonzola cheese. Steak was seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled, and then rested in a low oven for about 10 minutes.

Yup Huevos rusticos on warm corn tortillas. The sauce turned out surprisingly zippy so I took the edge off with heavy cream. These were perhaps the last beefsteak tomatoes of the year. One more beefsteak might ripen and if it does, it is destined for the last BLT of the year. Obligatory yolk shot

Sorry, I have not seen that, but it does sound interesting. Can you post a picture? There are some folks here who might be able to identify it.

Cooked from Julie Sahni’s Classic Indian Cooking tonight. As usual with Indian food, the house smelled fantastic. Younger son repeatedly tore himself away from video games to check on progress. Potatoes in spicy yogurt gravy (dum aloo): Fry whole peeled potatoes and remove. Brown-fry onions, add ginger and ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and garam masala, and then simmer with tomatoes and yogurt until done, finishing with cream. One of my all-time favorite dishes. Buttered smothered cabbage (bandi gobhi ki sabzi): Fried cumin and asafetida, and shredded cabbage, simmered with tomatoes, minced ginger, and chiles, and finished with cilantro. Patiala pilaf (patiala pullao): Basmati rice rinsed, soaked, and fried with cumin, minced onions, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, and bay leaves. Topped with fried onion slices (which I forgot to include in the picture - oops)

scubadoo – Scallop tacos look fantastic. What did you do with your snapper? Ann_T – Thank you. Our boys would make your prime rib disappear quickly! Shelby – Great to see you posting. Apparently this was a day for tomatoes and clams. I would definitely love your pasta. Happy birthday, kid! The goal this evening was to use heirloom tomatoes from the garden while checking out the seafood counter at the new Asian market in town. Spent a leisurely afternoon preparing the base ingredients: Roasted tomato-jalapeno salsa (salsa de molcajete) – Roasted garden tomatoes, jalapenos, and garlic pureed together and then mixed with minced white onion and cilantro. Half served as the soup base; the remainder will be put to other uses. Shrimp stock – Beheaded and shelled shrimp, simmered the chopped-up heads and shells with diced tomato and chicken broth, and then strained out the solids. Also added in some of the water used to simmer the squid. Squid – Cut up squid rings and simmered in salted water for about 25 minutes. Squid turned out nice and tender. Rice – Fried dry rice with white onion, and then steamed the rice with shrimp stock. Roasted chile Poblano rajas – Roasted the chiles over an open flame, steamed in a paper bag, removed the skins, and cut into strips. Roasted chile Poblano rajas – with Swiss chard, white onion, garlic, Mexican oregano, and crème fraiche Seafood rice cazuela (arroz a la tumbada) – Fried the tomato-jalapeno salsa, added the shrimp stock, and brought to a boil. Added clams and cubed halibut fillets, followed by the shimp, and then stirred in the rice, squid, and cilantro.

djyee is right - water triggers the slime reaction. Lots of good Indian recipes for okra with no alien saliva. Julie Sahni has a good, simple recipe for stir-fried okra (bhindi sabzi) in Classic Indian Cooking. Sorry, I don't know how to make pretty links any more: http://books.google.com/books?id=wC-xrLWouSIC&pg=PA309&dq=julie+sahni+stir-fried+okra&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zX9XUvv8HYW14AOIiYGwDQ&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=julie%20sahni%20stir-fried%20okra&f=false This recipe helped convert Mrs. C to loving okra, There are more complicated versions, but this should get you started. Good luck!

Kim – I am very sorry to hear that you must endure health issues. Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. Huevos rancheros – Leftover chipotle-enhanced salsa ranchera, eggs over easy, cilantro, and warm flour tortillas. Zippy!

With the garden producing fantastic beefsteak tomatoes we have been living on bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches. Sriracha mayo added after picture time.

Ricotta scrambled with salsa ranchera (requeson revuelto con salsa de jitomate) – one of my favorite breakfasts. For the sauce, broil garden tomatoes and jalapeno chiles and blend, browned bits and all, with garlic and chipotles in adobo. Fry chopped white onion gently, mix in the puree, and reduce over high heat. Squeeze ricotta in cheesecloth until dry, fry more white onion, add the ricotta, and then mix in the sauce and cook until dry. Served with warm flour tortillas and tomatillo salsa. Great garden tomatoes yield wonderful flavor, and tomatillo salsa adds a nice tang.

We have cooked extensively from, and been very happy with: Andrea Nguyen - Into the Vietnamese Kitchen Mai Pham - Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table

heidih – You are very kind, thank you dcarch - We posted at the same time. Holy smokes, that pork shoulder! Still on a Mexican jag Pollo en escabeche – We make this frequently. Season chicken thighs with allspice, Mexican oregano, black pepper, and salt. Brown chicken thighs and remove. Fry white onion and carrots, add halved garlic cloves, and then simmer with the chicken, vinegar, pickled jalapenos, and chicken broth until done. Green bean salad with red onion and salsa verde dressing – Nuke green beans until tender-crunchy, and toss with sliced red onion and a dressing of tomatillo salsa, lime juice, cilantro, and olive oil. Outstanding flavor-effort ratio. Served with store-bought olive oil bread.

Those lamb chops look fantastic! Indian tonight Saag murgh (chicken with spinach) – BSCT marinated with ginger-garlic paste, yogurt, mint, fenugreek leaves, garam masala, paprika, hot pepper flakes, nutmeg, and salt. Slowly fry minced onions, wilt obscene amounts of chopped spinach, simmer chicken and marinade, and finish with cream and garam masala. Sabzi pullao (Mixed vegetable pilaf) – Soak basmati rice, fry sliced onion with black cardamom and cumin seed, add minced ginger, chiles, yogurt, garam masala, diced carrots, and cauliflower florets. Add rice and soaking water, steam until done, and finish with cilantro. Managed to stuff the contents of a full vegetable drawer into the meal. Served with mango and ginger chutney.