C. sapidus

Thanks, Erin. Raw Belgian endive does taste faintly bitter, but any bitterness seems to dissipate with long, slow cooking and rich, creamy sauces. I am not sure what would substitute for Belgian endive in cooked dishes. Brown crimini mushrooms, loose and cheap at the grocery store. You definitely want bread to sop up any errant sauce, although our dinner did seem deficient in vegetable matter. A green salad would have balanced things nicely.

Thanks for starting this thread, Erin, and congrats to hubby – the sausage with cream and tomato sauce is one of my all-time favorites. We cooked from Marcella’s Italian Kitchen tonight: Sauteed scallops and mushrooms (canestrelli saltati con i funghi, p. 183): Thinly-sliced mushrooms cooked down with shallots, garlic, olive oil, white wine, chiles, and parsley, and then finished with tender bay scallops. Yum. Rigatoni with Belgian endive and bacon (rigatoni con la Belga e la pancetta affumicata, p. 103): Bacon fried in butter with heavy cream and parmigiano reggiano. Artery-clogging goodness. Light sunflower seed bread from the farmer's market.

Stir-fried beef with cumin; steamed eggplant with black beans and chiles; garlicky Swiss chard with onions, ginger, and sesame oil; and jasmine rice. The beef and eggplant were from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook. Younger son said that the Swiss chard was his favorite dish of the meal. The recipe, from Vegetables Every Day, may be more Chinese-style than Chinese.

suzilightning, care to share your recipe for your butterscotch pudding? Kabochka soup: Onion, garlic, chicken stock, coconut milk, palm sugar, hot sauce, and a bunch of herbs – parsley, cilantro, oregano, bay leaves, and fresh thyme. Finished with chopped chives and a dollop of sour cream. Oven-roasted yogurt-marinated chicken: Chicken legs marinated with yogurt, cumin, fennel, cardamom, cayenne, black pepper, asafetida, and chopped cilantro, baked with cinnamon and chopped mint, and then topped with fried onions. Stir-fried green cabbage with fennel seeds: Boys love cabbage. ‘Nuff said.

Oops, my bad. Beef with cumin is an Uyghur-influenced dish from Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province (also very much worth getting). Thanks for the correction.

Must have been good wine. Dried de arbol chiles could certainly be used in Sichuan recipes, but the dried, roundish “facing heaven” chiles provide more color and somewhat less heat. You can adjust the number of chiles to your desired heat level, of course. Sichuan chile bean paste is one of our most frequently used ingredients, and should be available if you have access to an Asian market (or the internet ). Pork, chicken, and fish seem to be the most common proteins, but you will find recipes for shrimp, beef, tofu, and lots of vegetables. Definitely get Land of Plenty. The dry-fried chicken and beef recipes yield particularly delicious results. Sheetz linked a number of recipes, but here are a few more to give you the flavor: Beef with cumin Dan dan noodles two ways Dry-fried green beans

Dejah, I have never cooked soft-shell crabs, but I should try. I love soft shell crab sandwiches. I will PM the crab soup recipe. Claw meat should work – the texture isn’t as delicate as backfin, but the flavor is often sweeter. Freshly-picked (and highly perishable) crab meat is best, if available. judiu, thanks! No glaze, just completely black, super-ripe plantains. The sugar must caramelize, or something. Soba, thank you. Your recent meals have been gorgeous kaleidoscopes. Curried tilapia, bhaji (spinach), coconut basmati rice, and sweet corn from the farmer’s market. The spinach was sauteed with onion and garlic, and then gently simmered with black pepper and coconut milk. The spinach and curried fish were both from Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad and Tobago.

Five new books for me: Chad Ward -- An Edge in the Kitchen Ramin Ganeshram -- Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad and Tobago Jack Bishop -- Vegetables Every Day Kasma Loha-unchit -- It Rains Fishes Kasma Loha-unchit -- Dancing Shrimp

Dejah, that lamb looks falling-apart delicious. percyn: The chicken skin looks nice and crispy. Do you think that it was crisped on the grill after smoking? Fried plantains; sauteed crookneck squash with bacon, onion, and parsley. Cream of crab soup, served with crusty bread. Onions and shallots fried in butter, a light roux, fish stock and heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, white pepper, bay leaves, vermouth (we were out of sherry), a dash of hot sauce, and a pound of lump crab meat, all simmered to thicken and garnished with smoked paprika or cayenne to taste. It may not look like much, but cream of crab soup is one of my favorite things on earth.

Thanks! The vinaigrette is from Mexican Everyday -- Google "smoky chipotle-balsamic dressing" or click here. The garden was flush with basil, so we tossed a handful into the blender with the other vinaigrette ingredients.

Pollo en escabeche with white onion, carrots, pickled jalapenos, black pepper, allspice, and lots of garlic. Dark sunflower seed bread from the farmer’s market. Not pictured: romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, basil, and feta cheese, tossed with chipotle-basil-balsamic vinaigrette. ETA: jalapenos

Kim, your white bean and kielbasa casserole looks like just the sort of thing that I love to eat but never make. Pan-fried tilapia with chile-tamarind sauce; gai lan with Thai oyster sauce; and leftover rice and “peas”. The fish and veggies were adapted from Kasma Loha-unchit’s Dancing Shrimp and It Rains Fishes, respectively (big thanks to Donna). The chile-tamarind sauce, scented of Thai basil, garlic, shallots, and galangal, enhanced everything that it touched. The boys gave the fish a five and the greens a four. They later explained that this was on a scale of a thousand (I think they were joking). Still, relatively high ratings from that crew for fish and a broccoli-like vegetable. ETA: Thai basil

Sometimes a little sugar tames the heat. Adding just enough sugar to round out the taste, but not so much that the beans are overtly sweet, might make them tolerable. Otherwise, what about mixing the beans with cubed potatoes? Instead of boiling in plain water, what about replacing some of the liquid with chicken stock? Good luck, and please let us know what happens.

Dr. J, thanks! Here is the recipe – spicy chicken pilaf (click). Rice absorbs a lot of flavor, so don't be shy about spicing and salting.

petite tete de chou, copious thanks for the kind words. Jerk chicken tonight, with shortcut rice and “peas”, baked sweet potatoes, and eternal cucumbers. Picture and details on Jerk -- Cook-Off XXXXI.

Chris, that looks like a killer meal. I hope to try smoking jerk pork one of these days. We made grilled jerk chicken thighs and drumsticks (clicky for recipe), shortcut rice and “peas”, and roasted sweet potatoes. No habaneros to be found, so we used Korean chiles and marinated the chicken for about eight hours. I have no idea if the jerk chicken recipe is “authentic” or not. The marinade and low heat kept the chicken falling-off-the-bone tender and juicy, but my baseline jerk chicken -- from Jamaica Joe’s in Silver Spring – was more saucy (probably braised rather than grilled). I do miss the accompaniments at Jamaica Joe’s: Jamaican Hellfire Sauce mixed with Pickapeppa Sauce, DG ginger beer, meat patties, Bob Marley videos, and, on occasion, the wait staff softly joining the chorus of “No Woman, No Cry”.

Spicy chicken pilaf (murgh pullao): Chunks of chicken breast simmered in a spicy yogurt and tomato sauce, folded in with partly-cooked basmati rice, and then steamed until the rice was done. The rice turned out a little soft, so less water next time. Spicy green peas with onion and ginger (muttar-pyaz masala): Frozen peas cooked with ginger, onions, chiles, and a cupboard full of spices, finished with mango powder, lemon juice, and garam masala. Best dang frozen peas I ever et. Both from 1,000 Indian Recipes. I know I have said this before, but Indian meals are worth cooking for the kitchen aromas alone.

Prawncrackers: next time Mom brings back foie gras from France, I will definitely take pictures. muichoi, percyn, and gfron1, thank you for the information on parathas and chapatis. Cooking for myself last night, so I cleaned out the fridge: jumbo shrimp, tomato puree, Thai chiles, pickled galangal, limes, cilantro, coconut milk, tamarind paste, roasted chile paste, red onion, shallots, a surplus of cucumbers, and a few staples: turmeric, cayenne, nutmeg, and fish sauce. End result: sorta Thai-style shrimp curry and cucumber salad. Not the ultimate meal by any stretch, but playing with food is usually rewarding. Flying Dog "Horn Dog" barleywine served as the starch.

Shelby, thank you! Kim, thank you, and apologies for triggering rice envy. With the meals that you prepare, I certainly would not miss rice. gfron1, thanks for the details about your chapati method. muichoi, care to tell how you make chapati? Last night we made char siu pork for banh mi, using the recipe from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Debone pork shoulder, cut into logs, and marinate for eight hours with hoisin sauce, honey, garlic, dark and light soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, five-spice powder, and sesame oil. Bake in a hot oven, rolling the pork in the marinade every few minutes. Rest the pork, slice against the grain, and serve with hollowed-out baguettes. Fixings included carrot and daikon pickle, chopped cilantro, thinly-sliced cucumbers and jalapeno chiles, mayonnaise, Maggi sauce, and a tin of foie gras that my mother brought back from France. Foie gras makes a decadent banh mi, for sure. We had a guest, so no pictures.

Do you and your husband like food from southeast and east Asia? Other than avoiding rice vinegar, the restrictions that you listed would leave you with plenty of options. Can you substitute shallots for onions?

gfron1, your chapati are gorgeous! I have some chapati flour but have not yet found the time to try my hand. Any tips that you care to share? Xie Laoban’s dan dan noodles (from Land of Plenty -- made with thin spaghetti or I would have posted on the Chinese cooking thread), and dry-fried green beans (made with ground beef instead of pork). Younger son had three cavities filled this afternoon, so he was tormented by having to wait until nearly bedtime to try the noodles. Sesame paste (tahini) gave the noodle sauce plenty of body; dried chiles, chile oil, and a double dose of Sichuan peppercorns added plenty of ma la. I prefer this version of dan dan noodles -- the flavors are more pronounced compared with Ms. Dunlop's "traditional" dan dan noodles. Mrs. C is donating the leftovers to a soldier who loves spicy food. Edited to clarify and expound.

Shelby, your oxtails sound delicious, and the tuna melt looks like it wants to ooze cheesy goodness right onto my task bar. AlexusF: Thanks for the kind words! We cooked Indian again tonight. Shrimp curry: We simmered chicken stock with cayenne, paprika, turmeric, coriander, cumin, garlic, and ginger until the mixture thickened. We added coconut milk and tamarind paste, brought everything to a simmer, and then cooked megajumbo shrimp until just done. Tamarind gave the spicy coconut milk an addictive tang. Braised mustard greens: We fried minced onion, ginger, garlic, coriander and cumin, and then added chopped mustard greens and chicken stock. After braising until the greens softened, we removed the lid, fried the greens until dry, and topped with garam masala. The boys enjoyed the greens, much to their chagrin. Cumin basmati rice: Soaked the rice for 30 minutes and steamed it with cumin and black pepper that had been sizzled in ghee. Turned out nicely.

Patak's garlic relish – as omelet filling and green basmati rice topping. I feel badly for my volleyball teammates this afternoon.

Nice meals, AlexusF. Chicken curry, made with tomatoes, yogurt, and an abundance of herbs and spices, and sprinkled with garam masala just before serving. Green basmati rice with pureed spinach and watercress. Eternal cucumbers.

Fuchsia Dunlop (fiore) answered this question in the Sichuan peppercorn thread (clicky): Packets of appropriately-shaped chiles from our local Indian market seem to work just fine for Sichuan cooking.