shain

Thanks! I'm actually using dried potato powder in order to achieve the same goal as potato starch, but with more flavor. I think, however, that in a pursuit of fluffy dumplings I downed the flour too far. I agree about not overworking - too soft or too chewey I can handle, but sticky gluey gnocchi is the worst

Stir fried spinach with red fermented bean curd, ginger, garlic, light soy sauce, pepper (no plated image, but it was really good). Miso and pumpkin soup, with toasted sesame (was too mild to my liking). Tea braised eggs and soft tofu. Mushrooms and egg, flavored in the style of lu rou fan, with soy sauce, ginger, anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns, and tangerine peel (more saucy than it seems in the pictures). Rice.

Gnocchi with mushrooms, chestnuts, spinach, gorgonzola. A bit to soft, as the outer part started falling apart towards the end of boiling, still tasty. I'm still trying to perfect those truly cloudy gnocchi, more flour next time and also more resting time before shaping.

Thai & Japanese - Pad see ew. Nasu Dengaku.

I do the same I have a coworker on reduced sodium diet, I feel guilty adding more salt to my meal when we lunch together.

Thanks Pecans are the superior nut in sweets, that's I agree with. I actually prefer pistachio in salty applications, however it does complement the Levantine flavor profile I was going for.

@Merry Berry the cake looks delicious! @Merry Berry & @jmacnaughtan - Opera cake was recently added to my to do list, so I'd appreciate recpies and tips from both of you I'd love to have the ratio right so that the cake is more nutty than chocolaty, and I obviously very jucy.

Bruschetta with creamy beans, butter, caramelized onion, roasted garlic, vinegar, chives. Black lentils and arugula salad, with Gorgonzola and celery.

I used the remaining brioche dough to make another mini babka. I prefer to make mini versions so that they won't stale, and so that I can have two fillings. The dough or shaped cake can be kept refrigerated for days. This one was filled with tahini, silan (date molasses), coconut, cardamom, cinamon (just a tad) and rose water. It was washed with thick syrup after baking, flavored with lemon and rose water. Topped with pistachios. I was careful to have no runaway filling this time

Thanks, it's a Mornay of sorts since it has some cheese as well. Chives are great, they are actually very important to this dish, as they help to cut the richness and earthiness. They also pair well with goat cheese.

Sweet potato and goat cheese cannelloni. Roasted the sweet potato, roughy mashed and mixed with white "fresh" goat cheese, kashkaval, soft feta, caramelized onions, sage, tyme, chives, nutmeg.

And sour cream

Sure

Chocolate babka (or "yeast cake" as it's called in Hebrew). I had a bit of a chocolate run-of during the shaping of the cake, so it ended up looking quite messy rustic. The filling is mostly dark chocolate , some milk chocolate and a few chopped hazelnuts.

Hungarian mushroom soup, with a touch of cream, hot paprika, toasted dried sweet chilies, dill. Sour cream. Crusty bread.

I don't usually write about my drinks, but today I had some Taiwanese jin xuan (oolong). Very nice aroma of honey and jasmine.

Vegetable soup with matzo cubes.

More late Passover cooking. Matzo brie, Charoset (Moroccan style - dates, walnuts, raisins, a hint of cinnamon, cardamom and rose water). Fromage blanc.

More late posting of Passover meals. Two matzo casseroles - One with leaks, scallions, kashkaval, feta. One with spinach, feta, a bit of kashkaval. I love cooked matzo - matzo brei, casseroles, kneidlach.

Roasted acorn squash with gremolata. Pre-mixing. Cauliflower in coconut sauce with crispy coconut breadcrumbs.

Family dinner the day after Passover eve. Persian dishes. Ghalieh Mahi - pan-fried fish, stewed with feungreek, herbs (coriander, dill, parsley), caramelized onion, turmeric, chili. I had myself an omelette with nuts and cheese, served over the base stew. "Green" rice with dill, onion, peas, cranberries, aniseed, turmeric and more spices. Fresh fennel salad, with walnuts, ewe milk feta, toasted walnuts, olive oil, orange zest. Tahdig - the rice crust.

Another catching up post - this was my contribution to the Passover eve dinner desserts. Icebox cakes (as I've been taught they are called in English - In Hebrew it's "biscuit cake"). One flavored with coconut and topped with sweetened coconut flakes. The other flavored with peanut butter and topped with caramelized peanuts. Both had the biscuits dipped in coffee and covered with grated chocolate. Our hostess made a passover classic - nuts tart (walnuts and hazelnuts) lightly soaked in liquor and topped with apricot jam and whipped cream. No picture.

Wow, I'm really late on posting It's a busy holiday week This meal is from just before Passover eve. Masbaha and home made pita breads. Warm chard stalks in olive oil. This is half of the breads batch, the other half went to the freezer.

Potato and paneer kuftah in cashew curry, warm spices, poppy, paneer, peas. Couscous salad with coconut, mint, chili, lime, cilantro.

Sayor lodeh with sticky rice.