Dinner! 2003

[helenas]

Today i finally got to make tiella, a gratin of sorts involving layers of potato, mussels and rice. This dish was a reason why i bought a cazuela this summer. I'm probably not the only one who find tiella(tiedda) worth of attention since the recipes for it are offered by Wolfert, LaPlace, Jenkins and Goldstein in their cookbooks. The challenging part is to synchronize the cooking time of the main ingredients and not to dry out the mussels which are precooked. I mainly followed the recipe from "Enoteca" by Joyce Goldstein, who parboils the rice and parcooks potatoes. I used New Zealand mussels, which come frozen in 2lb boxes, but to preserve their juice, i defrosted them in microwave using dry vermouth instead of water in Vino-Vac vessel (the thing that is used for quick marinading and microwave steaming). I roasted sliced red potatoes tossed with olive oil in cazuela, then added the mussel-vermouth broth, some sliced , bacon-fat fried onions on top, roasted it covered, and to finish the dish - put mussels on top of potato/onions layers, next layer - a lot of parsley and then a layer of cooked arborio rice mixed with fried crumbled bacon and pecorino. Now uncovered for some 10 minutes in hot oven - the result was so delicious!

[ranitidine]

Marcella Hazan's Squid with Tomatoes and Peas (yes, frozen peas, boxed tomatoes )

Polenta.

Salad, dressed with hazelnut oil vinaigrette.

Balthazar baguette (not as good as Pain Quotidien).

Fritz Winery Saubignon Blanc, 1999 (Sonoma)

Eau Chateau Bloomberg

[Matthew Grant]

Crab Ravioli with a leek and curry sauce - delicious, based on a suace in Sauces by Monsieur Roux.

Slow cooked Herdwick saddle of lamb with garlic pomme puree, onion and tarragon tart. Slow cooked the lamb at 56 degrees, covered in Olive Oil with Rosemary and Garlic (as advised by Heston Blumenthal). The cooking technique was perfect but the lack of Maillard reaction really showed despite browning the fat at the very end, it just does not have the same effect as a quick cooking technique at a high temperature. Need to do more work on this.

Edited January 13, 2003 by Matthew Grant (log)

[Simon Majumdar]

Roast Mallard and roast Red Leg Partridge wrapped in Gloucester Old Spot Bacon.

Served with Red Cabbage cooked with juniper berries & grated ginger and apple

Also a "side" of Wild Boar sausages and Venison in Red Wine sausages. These were very meaty and solid. fantastic.

The Mallard was very good but you certainly have to work for the small amount of flesh on the carcass. The partridge was my favourite. Just the right side of gamey

All the meat was from the estimable James Elliott ( next door to Steve Hatt )

S

[Adam Balic]

Cooked a meal for friends that we are staying with:

Persian lamb stew:

Lamb shoulder cooked with prunes, apricots and cinnamon, spinach and fenageek greens added at last ten twenty minutes of cooking.

Persian moulded rice.

Basmati rice layered with chicken mairnated in yoghurt, dill, tarrogan and a touch of saffron. Steamed for fourty minutes so the rice is fluffy and there is a crispy rice base (which becomes the top when the whole lot is inverted).

Roasted cauliflower: Middle Eaastern bastardised version of Jim Dixon's recipe.

Carrots roasted with cummin, butter and honey.

Steamed brusselsprouts with lemon juice and pinenuts.

[Jim Dixon]

Saturday

pasta with black bean sauce, which I guess could be called fusion but it tastes so good I never think about it

Sunday

small white beans, baked slowly with garlic and olive oil

cavalo nero (aka lacinato kale) with onions and a hunk of Smithfield ham (yes, we're still eating it)

Jim

[Priscilla]

Saturday evening further investigation into home preparation of prime-grade beef. New York strips from the local supermarket, not Certified Angus, unless they're Secret CAB.

So, steak frites. Red-wine Bearnaise with sage. Frites run through the old deep-fryer twice. Nice Romaine salad with lovely vinaigrette. I'm prepared to say that prime-grade beef is more tender and flavorful, and, for some reason behaves very very well during cooking, making for an all-'round good steak experience. If you like that sort of thing.

[Vanessa]

An exceptional beetroot soup. I made a stock with a large handful of dried mushrooms, a carrot, an unpeeled onion cut in half, a stick of celery, parsley & bay. I baked 2 beetroots in the oven. I strained the veg out of the stock, returned the chopped up mushrooms, added the beetroots julienned, added perhaps 1/3 cup Polish beetroot concentrate from a bottle (the preservative-free kind that lives in the fridge), heated, then a cup of Neal's Yard creme fraiche mixed with a dessertspoon of flour. Brought to a simmer and then eaten. The depth of flavour and colour were quite remarkable. Fortunately I have plenty left over to enjoy further.

v

Edited January 13, 2003 by Vanessa (log)

[ranitidine]

Priscilla--Did you have wine with your steak frite? If so, what?

[Priscilla]

Yes, Ranitidine, we had a very nice Cabernet Sauvignon, 1999 Hamilton Oaks, grown and vinted right around the corner from us, turns out. Planning on another bottle of the same tonight, under the research rubric.

[Wilfrid]

Roast guinea fowl with apple and cheese "plaques". I ate a dish like this in Normandy years ago, and have always wanted to re-create. Never saw a recipe, and couldn't figure out how the cheesy apple slices could be made to adhere to the breast of the bird. Looking at guinea fowl in Union Square market, I had the genius insight that if I halved the guinea fowl, and roasted it skin side up, the plaques wouldn't fall off.

I roasted the half bird until almost done, then covered it with paper-thin interleaved slices of apple and Brie. under the broiler to finish it. I dunno, but it wasn't right. Those French people know something, don't they? And I was reminded that the quality of birds at the Quattro stand is unreliable. Never mind, it kept me busy.

[Stephanie]

Occhi di lupo pasta (from the late, great Morisi Pasta in Brooklyn) with butternut squash, spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, toasted pine nuts, and lots of fresh grated Pecorino Toscano. Yum. I was entertaining a friend and she brought an arugula, romaine, and tomato salad with oil & lemon juice dressing.

Now I have a butternut squash half I will need to cook soon. I suppose I could roast it, but don't know whether to make it sweet or savory. I have a block of tofu in my fridge--anyone have a tofu & squash recipe?

[Nick]

Corn chowder. Yes, just corn chowder - while my mother made it fairly often, I have never made it until tonight. I followed the recipe in the Pro Chef almost exactly, something else I've never done until tonight. The only change I made was adding just a bit of oregano toward the end and after adding the heavy cream, decided not to add all the called-for milk.

Best corn chowder I've ever had, if I do say so myself.

[awbrig]

Tommy,

Nice pictures! Looks great...

But when you have me over for dinner, are we going to have to eat on your floor too?

[Jinmyo]

Corn chowder. Yes, just corn chowder - while my mother made it fairly often, I have never made it until tonight. I followed the recipe in the Pro Chef almost exactly, something else I've never done until tonight. The only change I made was adding just a bit of oregano toward the end and after adding the heavy cream, decided not to add all the called-for milk.

Best corn chowder I've ever had, if I do say so myself.

NickN, a bit more information please? I have no idea what "Pro Chef" is so have no sense of what the chowder is like.

[tommy]

But when you have me over for dinner, are we going to have to eat on your floor too?

pool or the pond. the pond'd be good for you.

last night: tuna tartare and bulgogi.

Edited January 14, 2003 by tommy (log)

[Ron Johnson]

A Paella of sorts. Non-traditional.

In large wide-bottomed pan with lid.

Slice 3 Portuguese Linguica sausages. Saute in EVOO over high heat. Add diced half onion, 4 cloves garlic crushed, smoked paprika, ground hot chile. When soft add two cups Valencia rice. When dry, add cup of white wine, then 4 cups of warm stock (chicken in this case) in which 40 threads of saffron have been blooming, all at once. Reduce heat slightly once stock is at boil. Add handful of green beans cut into small pieces, half large dice red bell pepper, and large dice a small zucchini.

Split a 3 lbs. lobster lengthwise, crack claws and throw in. Place lid on and wait 7 minutes. Add 2 lbs. mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded. Place lid on. Wait 7 minutes. Add 6 large freshwater shrimp, peeled but with tail left on and 6 large diver scallops. Replace lid wait five minutes.

Remove lid, cut heat off, let rest for five minutes or so.

Turn out into large serving bowl.

It was really really good.

[Jinmyo]

Deep-fried panko-crusted manicotti stuffed with ricotta and spinach.

Tomato and chipotle dipping sauce.

Roasted whole cremini mushrooms with paprika.

Haricot verts with much butter.

Grilled rack of lamb with cumin.

Slaw of Napa cabbage, shaved red onion, blood orange zest and segments with EVOO.

[Liza]

Jin,

Could you taste the Panko after deep-frying? Or was it more of a textural thing? Either way, sounds delish.

Mixed greens from Morse Pitts at the farmer's market, tossed with edamame, snow peas sauteed with bacon, and pear.

[Suzanne F]

Everybody's creativity is very impressive.  Does this creativity originate from hunger, dislike of Con-Agra, or the desire to out-do each other?

Yes.

[Priscilla]

Wow Ron the non-trad paella sounds sososo good.

Last evening, poulet frites, nice Romaine salad with a really mustardy vinaigrette. Frites run through the old deep fryer twice, cut nearly shoestring size, which is how I like 'em in the poulet-frites equation. Teeny tsp. of honey drizzled over chicken near the end to glaze, after a Tommy suggestion of many many years ago when he was just little.

Lotsa pan jus poured off into the cute little Le Creuset with a pouring spout to reduce & emulsify, which it did. Important for the frites, I think, but others availed selves of mayonnaise too/instead.

[Jinmyo]

Jin,

Could you taste the Panko after deep-frying? Or was it more of a textural thing? Either way, sounds delish.

Liza, panko do not really have much taste.

[Miss J]

Finally cooked again last night, for the first time in what feels like AGES.

I sliced potatoes very finely (with a knife - I still don't have a mandoline), and cooked them for a couple of minutes in chicken stock and white wine with a bit of garlic, bay leaves and some blade mace. Added salt & pepper. Popped the whole thing into a gratin dish and baked, then topped with gruyere and baked again.

Served with a salad of soft greens dressed with a very zippy kumquat vinagrette made with black rice vinegar.

Throughout the long baking time, I consulted with my boyfriend as to whether or not the plaster he was mixing up had "the consistancy of double cream" or not. I mention this not only because it's vaguely food-related, but also because for some reason it seemed to take up most of the evening.

[SobaAddict70]

Eggplant omelette (Filipino style), steamed rice, bagoong/garlic paste; bitter melon with black bean sauce (ampalaya con carne).

Green tea, fruit.

Midnight snack: steamed red bean paste buns, topped with black sesame seeds.

SA

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Notes:

1. Ampalaya is an acquired taste and isn't for everyone. Ampalaya con carne is really bitter melon and beef with black bean sauce, although the amount of beef in the dish is pretty much close to negligible. The beef is first marinated in a mixture of light soy, ginger, cornstarch and sesame oil, then later stir-fried with the bitter melon, garlic and sliced onions. A sauce of black beans, a minimal amount of light soy, along with ginger, cornstarch, and water forms the basis of this dish.

1a. Another dish with ampalaya that I sometimes make (and that I consider a good primer to bitter melon) is ampalaya salad, served cold: bitter melon (which has been salted first to remove any lingering bitterness), shrimp (either cooked or dried), chopped tomatoes and onions, salted duck eggs and a viniagrette -- usually distilled vinegar, sugar, EVOO, salt and cracked black pepper; sometimes a spritz of lime or sampalok (tamarind) juice. The salad is much better if allowed to sit for a short period of time -- about half an hour or an hour.

2. The bean paste buns were bought from a store in Chinatown. I'm not culinarily adept enough to make real bean buns from scratch.

Edited January 14, 2003 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[Ron Johnson]

Wow Ron the non-trad paella sounds sososo good.

Thanks Priscilla. It was one of those dishes that turned out so good and tasted so amazing, that I was like, "holy shit, I made that?"

Give it a try.