Dinner! 2003

[Steve Martin]

Last one.

The joints from the Christmas goose had been confit in goose fat and left to mature in the fridge for 6 weeks. The goose, submerged in fat, will keep for several months without a fridge. Confit means preserved.

The fat was melted off and the legs put under an overhead grill (salamander) for a few minutes. I constructed a cassoulet of smoked bacon, black pudding, ginger and garlic, well fried in goose fat and added to cannellini beans. Served with boiled green beans, well glazed with olive oil.

[nerissa]

Monday night:

Red Snapper en papilotte with fennel, curry butter, shallots, and wine.

Arugula salad with olive vinagrette, great northern beans, and grape tomatoes.

Sam Adams Light.

Cappicino chocolate chunk frozen yogurt.

PS: Steve Martin, I am so envious that you made a cassoulet--I have been conviving random reasons to buy duck just so I can have the leftovers. It truly looks delicious. What's black pudding?

Edited February 25, 2003 by nerissa (log)

[Steve Martin]

Nerissa,

I should explain I used the word 'construct' as a reference to 'deconstructed' food. That is, I prepared similar ingedients to a proper cassoulet in an a la minute manner. The real thing takes quite a while and requires certain steps and ingredients, but it is truly wonderful.

Black pudding is the British boudin noir or blood sausage. A sausage made from the blood and fat from the abattoir floor. Not for the faint-hearted, but enjoyed throughout Europe.

A proper cassoulet would have a more conventional sausage eg. Toulouse sausage.

A larger white bean is used and cooked until very soft and creamy. It is cooked uncovered in the oven and the crust is stirred in a few times. Plenty of pepper and plenty of fat are its hallmarks.

The ginger was purely my own idea. It lightens things up, in the manner of citrus. It is an absolute natural partner to duck, by the way.

Nice idea with the Red Snapper. I cook this fish on the bone because the skin shrinks too much if seared. I have a very nice coarse curry powder, with plenty of turmeric, from France which should go very well with this idea. Did you sweat your shallots first?

[Vanessa]

Cooking at home recently has been mostly about reheating leftovers. But last night I made potato pancakes according to Laurie Colwin. Or, rather, according to Estelle Colwin Snellenberg, her mother. A culinary revelation. I have made plenty of grated potato-type pancakes, but never anything like these: 5 red potatoes put in a blender with an onion, an egg, heaped tablespoon of flour and tiny bit of dissolved baking powder, so that it made a batter. The result, fried in tablespoonfuls, was so light, I couldn't believe it, although my stomach was suffering after 18 of the things.

If someone had placed these pancakes in front of me I would never have thought that they were made primarily of potatoes, and that there was a whole onion in there (OK, it was a mild one). Very nice on their own, with a little Maldon salt sprinkled on (there was no seasoning in the batter), and also with creme fraiche. I also used up the end of some coriander chutney from the Indian lady at Borough. A little too salty with the Maldon salt and sent the thing out of balance.

One note - they take a surprising amount of time to fry - I guess due to high water content of batter (although it is not particularly liquid because of the potato starch).

v

[FoodMan]

made with canned{Redpack rules!}tomatoes roasted at high heat,then cooked stove top with garlic and guanciale.Thanks to Zuni Cafe cookbook for the tomato technique,it rocks...Plus braised treviso with olives.

Steve

Can you elaborate a little on this technique?? Is it just roasting the canned tomatoes in the oven or does it involve anything else??

Thanks

FM

[Priscilla]

Nice Angus strip steaks grilled over mesquite, nice little pat o' Lurpak on top when plating.

Asparagus, peeled, blanched, shocked, sauteed in butter and grapeseed oil which had had a bunch of anchovy filets melted in first, and then salt & pepper at the end. The sauteed asparagus served over thick slices of sourdough made stripey on the grill and then rubbed with garlic.

(Asparagus season burgeons! Am I the only one who uses it so frequently in season that it is sort of a race against appetite to see how long before the eaters at my table tire of it? Usually we outlast the season, however. Good asparagus suggests a lot of different preparations -- like Gknl's soup up there e.g.)

[nerissa]

Nice idea with the Red Snapper.  I cook this fish on the bone because the skin shrinks too much if seared.  I have a very nice coarse curry powder, with plenty of turmeric, from France which should go very well with this idea.  Did you sweat your shallots first?

I didn't sweat the shallots but that's a good idea. just rubbed fingerfuls of the butter on the fennel and shallots...it's dead easy. I cannot take any credit for the recipe which is from Sally Schneider, A New Way to Cook.

The snapper holds up well in a pouch, as it steams in the butter and wine; the whole dish is dead easy. Actually, it's not in the recipe, but I recommend painting the sides of the aluminum foil with an egg whipped up. Seals nicely.

[Schielke]

I made a variation on Suvir's mutter paneer recipe. Instead of Paneer, I put in chicken and roasted cauliflower. Also I decided to try using butter instead of yoghurt. It resulted in a nice richness to the gravy that blended well with the cauliflower.

Leftovers were much appreciated today for lunch. The whole office was lusting after the aroma.

Ben

[torakris]

Tuesday dinner:

Leftover Mulligatawny soup from yesterday

pork and napa cabbage "casserole" -- thinly sliced (raw) pork belly was rubbed with salt, pepper, and garlic then layered into a casserole with napa leaves, cut in large pieces, a couple bay leaves, then drizzled with EVOO and baked.

This dish, from a Japanese magazine, was even better than I imagined it would be

yaki-imo (whole roasted Japanese sweet potato) eaten fresh of the truck! Sort of like an ice cream truck in the US, the yaki-imo man drives around@in a small truck with the sweet potatoes roasting on a bed of charcoal in the back. Unbelievably good!

Japanese rice

[wingding]

Steve

Can you elaborate a little on this technique?? Is it just roasting the canned tomatoes in the oven or does it involve anything else??

Thanks

FM

Me no Steve,me wingding.But anyway,preheat the oven to 500,squeeze the juice and seeds out of th e tomatoes,& reserve juices,not seeds.Lay the tomatoes close together face down in a low pan-fill the pan completely,but do not layer the tomatoes.Add some of the juices to the pan,and slick the tomatoes with a little olive oil.Roast until the tomatoes just begin to char a little-15-20 minutes.Chop them up,and use in any stove top sauce where you want a rich,sweet,intense tomato sauce as your base.Good with smoky pork products!

[FoodMan]

Steve

Can you elaborate a little on this technique?? Is it just roasting the canned tomatoes in the oven or does it involve anything else??

Thanks

FM

Me no Steve,me wingding.But anyway,preheat the oven to 500,squeeze the juice and seeds out of th e tomatoes,& reserve juices,not seeds.Lay the tomatoes close together face down in a low pan-fill the pan completely,but do not layer the tomatoes.Add some of the juices to the pan,and slick the tomatoes with a little olive oil.Roast until the tomatoes just begin to char a little-15-20 minutes.Chop them up,and use in any stove top sauce where you want a rich,sweet,intense tomato sauce as your base.Good with smoky pork products!

My apologies wingding, thanks for elaborating. I will try it (I believe Alton Brown on Good Eats did something similar with fresh tomatoes).

FM

[awbrig]

Recipe from Trader Joes

TJs Tipsy Beans with TJs Mean Joe Braised Greens

Very good!

[Jinmyo]

Potage of Yukon gold potatoes and crispy deep-fried leeks and garlic croutons as garnish. (Chicken stock, white wine etc for the soup.)

Rare lamb kidneys with mache (lamb's lettuce) and watercress with a Dijon mustard sauce drizzled over top and thin slices of baguette.

Red bell and poblano pepper frittata with chevre cream dizzled around.

Sauteed shaved fennel with double-smoked lardons and roasted tomatoes.

Demi-tasse of tomato consomme (warm tomato water) with a green-lipped mussel and mint oil on a tuile.

edit:

"Chevre cream" is just chevre loosened with warm white wine, crushed black pepper and minced tarragon and shaken in squeeze bottles.

Edited February 27, 2003 by Jinmyo (log)

[Timo]

hi, sorry to interrupt, but...

this is an incredibly interesting thread, but I have to admit I stopped reading once it reached 20 pages or so... anyway, what I am wondering is, why don't some of you start food diary blogs? I think this would be the perfect use for a blog. of course, it would mean less posts for eGullet.

well, if anyone is interested, I use blogger to publish my blog, I would recommend it. You all have really interesting things to say, it would be great to share it all with the rest of the internet, and eGullet.

Let me know if anyone decides to do a blog, I would be a devoted daily reader!

-Tim

[Timo]

hi, sorry to interrupt, but...

this is an incredibly interesting thread, but I have to admit I stopped reading once it reached 20 pages or so... anyway, what I am wondering is, why don't some of you start food diary blogs? I think this would be the perfect use for a blog. of course, it would mean less posts for eGullet.

well, if anyone is interested, I use blogger to publish my blog, I would recommend it. You all have really interesting things to say, it would be great to share it all with the rest of the internet, and eGullet.

Let me know if anyone decides to do a blog, I would be a devoted daily reader!

-Tim

[FoodMan]

Sunday:

An improvised Indian inspired dish. Browned some chicken thighs and put them to the side while I made the braising liquid. in the same pot I tosted some Cumin seeds, mustard seeds and a good handful of Urad Dahl. Then I added some fresh carrots, celery, canned tomatoes, cilantro, parlsey, water and braised the thighs in there. Served it with a romain salad, pita bread and some white rice (the rice was mainly for the wife ). I do have a picture of this dish and will post later if I have some time.

Last night:

Rick Bayless' Chicken marinated in adobo with Potatoes. The chicken was butterflied and marinated in Red Chile Adobo sauce (Dried Ancho, garlic, vinegar, spices and herbs). It was roasted with red skinned potatoes and served with a green salad and white rice.

FM

[Jinmyo]

Excellent, FM.

[CathyL]

FM, I love that Rick Bayless dish, although I add some guajillo peppers to the anchos. The potatoes don't always cook through by the time the bird is done, and I've been cutting them into smaller chunks than those in your picture.

I use Reed Hearon's recipe for pickled onions, which calls for red onions and a touch of clove.

[Jinmyo]

Bulgoi strip steaks and seared cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly and arranged together. Pick up with red leaf lettuce.

Fried lamb gyoza with Vietnamese mint and chile dipping sauce.

Pork and chives gyoza with scallion-and-ginger-all-smashed-up-together-with sake dipping sauce.

Shrimp and crab wontons in lobster broth with lobster oil and watercress.

Daikon kimchee, cabbage kimchee, mango pickles, lotus root and chile pickles.

[SobaAddict70]

hi, sorry to interrupt, but...

this is an incredibly interesting thread, but I have to admit I stopped reading once it reached 20 pages or so... anyway, what I am wondering is, why don't some of you start  food diary blogs? I think this would be the perfect use for a blog. of course, it would mean less posts for eGullet.

well, if anyone is interested, I use blogger to publish my blog, I would recommend it. You all have really interesting things to say, it would be great to share it all with the rest of the internet, and eGullet.

Let me know if anyone decides to do a blog, I would be a devoted daily reader!

-Tim

Because there's not enough hours in the day for me to be addicted to e-gullet AND to a blog.

As it is, there isn't enough time for me to live my life and be addicted to e-gullet.

Sad, but true.

SA

[fimbul]

Wilted spinach with gomasio.

Sauteed skin-on chicken breast with fishsauce thinned with lemon juice and spiced with minced bird chiles (take THAT, bland bird boob! Ha!).

Sliced shiitakes cooked in just a touch of mushroom stock with a sichuan peppercorn thrown in for funsies.

Tiny eggplants sliced into rounds and sauteed in peanut oil spiked with minced garlic and more chiles.

It was a fun dinner.

edit: topyes

Edited February 26, 2003 by fimbul (log)

[Jinmyo]

fimbul, veddy veddy nice. Spinach with gomasio is one of the finest things in the world.

[fimbul]

Spinach with gomasio is one of the finest things in the world.

O yes! And I owe it all to you!

Seriously, I'd never heard of gomasio until a few days ago, when I ran across it in the sesame seed thread. I ran home, whomped up a batch, and it was love at first taste. I sprang it on my girlfriend for the first time at dinner last night, and watched her nearly jump with delight.

Any more secret weapons you want to share?

[torakris]

Weds. dinner:

Italian sausage ragu served over polenta (with lots of fennel seeds tossed into the sauce)

potato and onion fritatta

fava bean salad with mint, pine nuts, lemon juice and EVOO

dessert:

Chocolate pudding (instant )

My polenta stirring, potato & onion sauteeing, fava bean peeling BGM of choice?

Celine Dion's Decade of Song, listened to 1 and 1/2 times.

[Malawry]

Roasted herb-crusted salmon filet

Rice pilau

Red wine-braised ruby swiss chard

Sometimes it's satisfying to make fairly ordinary food for dinner.