Dinner! 2012

[huiray]

I want to start exploring Asian cuisine, so I thought I'd start with basic Chinese. especially since my family is ethnic Chinese and I'm ignorant of my heritage. have to do some research though first as to which region.

Your family name (and "romanized" spelling and its pronunciation within your family) and your dialect group would be good places to start. But I'm sure you know this. :-)

[huiray]

@ScottyBoy: Is real Kobe beef available in your area yet (and if so how much is it)?

@rotuts: not wagyu, but a place in my area used to have the most wonderful SV 48-hour (60ºC? IIRC) beef short ribs cooked in apple juice.

[liuzhou]

I felt nervous cooking this. It used up the last of my red lentils and I may not see any more for years. My son carried these across half the world.

Served with rice and braised pigeon. There was a side of green stuff, too.

[Dejah]

SobaAddict70: I am stealing your fried olives and the jiaozi filling, except for the brussel sprouts. I have napa, so will go with that. And, I may also pan-fry them instead for wardeep. That'll fill out my Boxing Day brunch nicely. Both great ideas!

I'm looking forward to your Asian explorations in 2013. Even tho' I am Chinese and cook a lot of Chinese, I am stuck in my own family traditional dishes.

Patrickamoray: That congee looks great! There are still evidence of "grains" of rice, and some days, I want my congee in that consistency. It'd be like eating "bow jai fan"

Scotty, dcarch, Bruce, et all...I always look forward to your presentations. I don't cook fancy but your food and presentation always inspire me, to at least plate my food better.

[Kim Shook]

Scotty – your gut bomb looks so fabulous!

Bruce – thanks for the directions to the recipe. That is going to be a ‘soon after the holidays’ meal!

Dcarch – drooling and grinning at the same time can cause problems. You make me do that all the time!

Soba – everything is beautiful, of course, but those cockles really look fantastic.

Dinner last night:

As you can see, Mr. Holloway and basquecook, you inspired me. I just HAD to have them. I’ve found that while I’ve gotten decent fish and shrimp at regular grocery stores, for mussels it pays to go to either a real fish shop or WF or Fresh Market. I ended up at WF. The young lady picked each one out for me, tossing any that were open (only a couple). They were delicious – sweet and meaty and NO skunkiness. And still only $2.99/lb.

Edited December 21, 2012 by Kim Shook (log)

[SobaAddict70]

well, I've eaten plenty of jiaozi but I usually don't cook with pork at home. I had brussels sprouts and duck on hand so I wanted to do something different and maybe teach myself something new in the process.

I want to start exploring Asian cuisine, so I thought I'd start with basic Chinese. especially since my family is ethnic Chinese and I'm ignorant of my heritage. have to do some research though first as to which region.

I wasn't criticising negatively. Quite the opposite. I'd sell my grandmother for some duck and brussels sprout jiaozi, right now.

I look forward to the results of your research. Which region do your origins lie in? (If you want to share).

I know you weren't. Tone gets lost a lot in text-only communication. I was just pointing out where I was coming from so I could provide a little context.

We're of Fukien ethnicity. One of my aunts married into a Cantonese family, and so, had to learn the dialect in order to speak to her in-laws. That's pretty fascinating.

[ScottyBoy]

whats the temp and cut for that 12 hr W?

Thanks it's my favorite, coulotte or sirloin butt cap @134

@ScottyBoy: Is real Kobe beef available in your area yet (and if so how much is it)?

I haven't looked into it. Snake River Farms is fatty and delicious American wagyu. Actually the high end kobe gets a little too fatty for my tastes.

[basquecook]

Scotty – your gut bomb looks so fabulous!

Bruce – thanks for the directions to the recipe. That is going to be a ‘soon after the holidays’ meal!

Dcarch – drooling and grinning at the same time can cause problems. You make me do that all the time!

Soba – everything is beautiful, of course, but those cockles really look fantastic.

Dinner last night:

As you can see, Mr. Holloway and basquecook, you inspired me. I just HAD to have them. I’ve found that while I’ve gotten decent fish and shrimp at regular grocery stores, for mussels it pays to go to either a real fish shop or WF or Fresh Market. I ended up at WF. The young lady picked each one out for me, tossing any that were open (only a couple). They were delicious – sweet and meaty and NO skunkiness. And still only $2.99/lb.

well, thats good to know.. In terms of mussels, most time, even at supermarkets, they come in those little two pound sacks. If they are in those sacks, most places keep the fish tags on the netting. So, you can quickly glance and see at the date they were pulled from the water. I live next door to a pretty shady supermarket. I have literally watched the same bag of mussels sit on ice for two weeks. Last night, I noticed the tag made the mussels only 2 days out of the water.. that was impressive!

Last night, I was looking for yucon gold potatoes and found, all we the store had was Eastern Potatoes. There were perhaps many other types of starchy vegetables from Yucca to Malanga put, one damn potato.

But 2.99 is not a terrible price, especially for wholefoods. In Chinatown NYC, it's 2 bucks a pound.

Your mussels look beautiful.

[huiray]

@ScottyBoy: Is real Kobe beef available in your area yet (and if so how much is it)?

I haven't looked into it. Snake River Farms is fatty and delicious American wagyu. Actually the high end kobe gets a little too fatty for my tastes.

Thanks.I had a look at their website. (Longing looks) Hmm, I see they refer to it as American Wagyu (Kobe) beef in part. Of course, we know that the suggestion of this beef (American Wagyu) being Kobe beef would be incorrect. Certainly actual Kobe was allowed back into the US only recently, a few months ago. (Actual Japanese Kobe available now) Edited December 21, 2012 by huiray (log)

[mm84321]

Wild turbot

Turbot roasted with bone marrow, smoked potato/truffle salad

[basquecook]

Really pretty!

[nickrey]

How did you end up smoking the potato?

[rotuts]

Wow that Turbot + is the best thing Ive seen in quite a while, and there has been some fantastic stuff here.

I can imagine how delicious the whole plate was!

[mm84321]

How did you end up smoking the potato?

I put the sawdust on some aluminum foil in the bottom of an old saucepan, used a blowtorch to get it going, then left it on a medium-high heat. I placed another layer of aluminum foil on top, which I poked some holes in, and I put the potatoes in a steamer basket, covered everything with aluminum foil, and then smoked them like that. They only needed 4 minutes. It actually worked pretty well.

[mm84321]

Wow that Turbot + is the best thing Ive seen in quite a while, and there has been some fantastic stuff here.

I can imagine how delicious the whole plate was!

Thanks, rotuts. It is an incredible fish. I think cooking it on the bone is really the best way. I didn't explain, but it is roasted in the oven in salted butter with a few split marrow bones. you baste the turbot with the rendered marrow as it cooks. The sauce is a veal jus with a little olive oil, tarragon, and the barbes of the turbot, which are the gelatinous muscles distributed along the skirt of the fish (the Japanese call them engawa). They are great little bursts of flavor. The potatoes are cooked in an aromatic chicken stock (garlic, thyme, bay) smoked with beechwood, layered with sliced truffle, and then seasoned with a walnut oil vinaigrette and slices of fresh onions. The marrow which cooks with the fish is served alongside the fish. Anyway, I really enjoyed this dish. It's a great marriage of the earth and the sea.

[rotuts]

Its Best Ever ( ) For Sure. I only had Turbot once in England. Delicious as ( ? ) pretty pricey now if you can find it!

good for you!

Id gobble that whole plate right up!

[SobaAddict70]

Penne con cavolfiore e funghi (penne with cauliflower and mushrooms)

Doable in about 30 minutes, including prep time.

Chop cauliflower finely, cook in the same pot with some dried pasta, some cold water and a pinch of sea salt. Cook for about 10 minutes or until penne is al dente. Meanwhile add sliced onion and mushrooms to a pan with some olive oil. Add a pinch of peperoncini flakes. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are golden brown. A pinch of sea salt added towards the end can help hurry things along. Drain the pasta mixture, reserving about 1 cup pasta cooking water. Add the pasta and cauliflower to the pan, and let that cook for 2-3 minutes. If the pasta seems too dry, add pasta cooking water to the pan, tablespoon by tablespoon or until the pasta is sufficiently moistened according to your liking. Taste for salt and pepper, stir in chopped Italian parsley and serve at once.

[ScottyBoy]

That turbot is ridiculous.

Edited December 22, 2012 by ScottyBoy (log)

[huiray]

Have folks here had fried black pomfret?

[C. sapidus]

Trout meuniere seasoned with S&P, dredged in flour, and finished with parsley, lemon juice, and butter

Braised potatoes with garlic and bay leaves and ”world’s best” braised cabbage (with carrots, onions, chicken stock, S&P, and Aleppo chile flakes, finished with sherry vinegar)

[mm84321]

Turbot with black truffle and celery

[Mr Holloway]

Dinner last night:

As you can see, Mr. Holloway and basquecook, you inspired me. I just HAD to have them. I’ve found that while I’ve gotten decent fish and shrimp at regular grocery stores, for mussels it pays to go to either a real fish shop or WF or Fresh Market. I ended up at WF. The young lady picked each one out for me, tossing any that were open (only a couple). They were delicious – sweet and meaty and NO skunkiness. And still only $2.99/lb.

Looks amazing Kim, now I am craving them again

Shane

[Mr Holloway]

Cooked this up and took it in for the guys at work

17 lb shoulder

After 25 hrs

Such an easy cook, but maybe the best so far

Shane

[patrickamory]

Soba's pasta with lentils:

[rotuts]

Mr. H: beautiful ! any pics of it cut up?