Dinner! 2004

[FoodMan]

Bowtie pasta tossed with roasted butternut squash, sweet onions, garlic, crushed red pepper and fresh mint. At the last minute I tossed in crumbled fresh white cheese. Very tastyand light pasta dish. Drank some Chianti with it.

Dessert: buttery crispy Sables cookies

Elie

[FoodMan]

Kibbet Raheb: a Lebanese soup made with lentils, chard and lemon juice. with bulghur/herb dumplings cooked in it. I haven't had this for years. It was very good but not exactly the same as the one mom makes. I have to call her to get more specific instructions.

Chard ribs steamed till soft and tossed with Tahine sauce.

Elie

that sounds amazing!! i would love the recipe if you don't mind

last night i had jim's cauliflower (1st time and i freaking loved it), also roasted some sunchokes and brussels sprouts. yum. went to a brand new fish market in my neighborhood because i want to support them - even though the fish does look a little less than pristine. i bought what they labelled hamachi - i don't know what it was - but it wasn't hamachi - my best guess would be something in the albacore family. would have been fine, but my prep (black & white sesame seeds and crushed macadamia nuts) wasn't suited to tuna. it needed more flavor...veggies were super though!

I would be happy to send you my recipe for the soup. I just need to write it down. Hopefully in the next few days I'll post it or PM you.

For the Chard ribs, just wash cut into two inch pieces. Then steam them (or boil) them till tender. Toss them with Tahine Sauce. Garnish with a little pasley.

Elie

This is the soup recipe as best I could remember, please keep in mind that most of these amounts are approximate (especially the dumplings). So use your cooking-sense and sorry for any inconvenience.

Kibbet Raheb: Lebanese Lentil chard lemony soup with herb-burghul dumplings

Dumplings:

½ cup fine bulgur

about 1 cup flour

¼ cup onion finely chopped

1 tbsp chopped mint

¼ cup chopped parsley

Soup:

1 large bunch of chard, hard ribs removed and coarsely chopped and washed

1/3 Cup lentils

1 cup diced onions

1 Tbsp crushed Coriander seeds

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (or more, the soup is supposed to be tangy and lemony)

10 large cloves of garlic chopped (or more if you like)

½ cup chopped cilantro

Make dumplings:

Put Burghul in a bowl and add enough water to barely cover. Let soak for thirty minutes

Meantime sauté the onion till translucent in some olive oil. Let cool. Add the flour, onions, herbs to the burghul and mix. Add more water or flour to the mixture if needed. You need a soft dough like mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Form the dumplings into small marble size pieces, put them on a large baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to use

For the soup:

In a large heavy pot saute the onions in 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil till soft and translucent. Do not let it brown. Add the crushed Coriander and cook for one more minute stirring constantly. Add the lentils and half of the chopped garlic and cook for a couple more minutes so that everything is mixed up properly. Add the chopped chard and lemon juice and mix it in then cover everything with about 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil, season with Salt and pepper and let simmer till the lentils are almost done. Add the dumplings and continue cooking till the dumplings are cooked through, about 30 more minutes (they will almost double in size and have no raw flour taste when done).

Saute the rest of the garlic in 1 Table spoon of olive oil till soft, add the cilantro and cook for another minute. Then add this mixture to the soup. Correct the soup’s seasoning and serve.

This is normally served cold or at room temperature, and is better the next day.

Recipe Link in RecipeGullet

Elie

Edit to add the link

Edited January 28, 2004 by FoodMan (log)

[hathor]

Wonderful topic when you are looking for inspiration for making dinner!

Monday: I had smoked halibut cheeks in the refrigerator. Now, how often does that happen? Did a layered potato slices, shallots, cheeks, topped with garlic bread crumbs, baked with some heavy cream in a casserole. I was was divine. Halibut cheeks are somewhat string in texture (think skate), but incredibly sweet and moist.

Accompanied by a bib lettuce salad with a tomato/shallot dressing.

And an outstanding bottle of Andrew Rich Shiraz.

Tuesday: Sauteed porkchops in an apple/thyme/bourbon sauce. Side of mustardy lentils. Mediocre wine.... cabinet is getting very low....

[Mayhaw Man]

It's cold here, but of course cold is a relative thing. We are currently 40 degrees warmer than the Klink Haushold way up in the Heartland , and that is about as cold as it ever gets here (28 for tonights low) and only then a couple of nights per winter.

Neverltheless, it's cold enough and I had the day off so I made a big pot of chicken and andouille gumbo. This will be served over texmati rice along with French Bread from LeJeunnes Bakery in Jeanerette, LA and some (drum roll please) fried okra with red bell pepper chutney for our dipping pleasure.

Dessert will be a choice of pecan or chocolate chess pie.

If I had more days off during the week when I can be home by myself and do nothing but read, cook, and drink coffee I would weigh 500 lbs. in no time.

[Malawry]

Roasted pork tenderloin

Winter fruit compote with dried apricots, raisins, apples and onions

Choucroute with some bacon mixed in

Steamed green beans

Pan-roasted potatoes.

For 35.

[Marlene]

Very simple tonight, since I'm cooking for myself. NY strip steak, seared a cast iron frying pan, coated with a thin layer of mustard and some minced garlic. Baked potato. Since Suzanne so kindly pointed out to us that we were baking potatoes all wrong I thought I'd try it her way tonight. Hmm, no discernable difference in the end result from what I normally do. Topped with butter, sour cream, bacon bits and scallions.

Served with a half bottle of 1999 Dynamite Merlot.

[Susan in FL]

Served with a half bottle of 1999 Dynamite Merlot.

How's that Dynamite Merlot, Marlene? I have seen it on the shelves here and wondered about it, but haven't had any yet.

[Marlene]

I am a huge fan of the Carmenet wineries. The Dynamite Merlot, particularly the '99 if you can find it, is outstanding. The Cabernet Savignon is very nice too, but I prefer the Merlot. The LCBO no longer carries it here, so I get it imported from a wine broker by the case. There are very few wines I want to buy cases of Try it. You'll like it.

[dumpling]

Wednesday

Chicken Shumai

Sesame Seed Pillows

Mongolian Beef

Butternut Squash Fries baked with Plugra, cardamom and salt and pepper

Broccoli and some leftover cauliflower

Soft Tofu with sweet ginger sauce with a fried cherry plum cream cheese wonton on top

[torakris]

It has been a really busy week for me

Tuesday:

cream (white) stew with chicken, potaoes, carrots, onins and cabbage

with Japanese rice

Weds:

liver and cabbage stirfry

pickled Chinese cabbage (made by my neighbor)

corroke (pork and potato croquettes)

Japanese rice

Thursday:

Costco pizza

[Mayhaw Man]

Red Beans (Camellia Brand, of course) and Rice

Cornbread

Butter Lettuce Salad with pink grapefruit and toasted pecans

The redbeans were cooked with about two pounds of smoked pork butt that I had in the freezer. They are, frankly, fabulous. I wish everyone was here to enjoy them (but if you were I would hope that you would have left before the inevitable "aftermath" of eating tons of beans occurred).

[dumpling]

Thursday

Some nice flakey biscuits

Chicken in red wine with chicken broth, shallots and mushrooms. Mmm.

Mashed potatoes with butter, milk, salt and pepper

Brittany mix of French beans

Apple Tarte Tatin

[bloviatrix]

Blovie is still sick, so I made yet another pot of chicken soup (the 3rd pot in 7 days).

Also, some lemon sole dredged in a flour/curry powder/garam masala mixture and pan-fried. And some pasta.

[hjshorter]

Red Beans (Camellia Brand, of course) and Rice

I wonder if I can get those by mail order? Scott would love a pot of "real" red beans.

Tonight:

Beef and Broccoli - from an epicurious.com recipe I looked up at the last minute. It wasn't great, very underseasoned.

Steamed jasmine rice.

Ice cream.

[Mayhaw Man]

Red Beans (Camellia Brand, of course) and Rice

I wonder if I can get those by mail order? Scott would love a pot of "real" red beans.

With a computer and a credit card, all things are possible.

[Priscilla]

Oh my goodness Camellia red beans are so good. I toted 'em home from New Orleans twice, and also use to order 'em from the K-Paul's catalogue, unless I'm retrohallucinating. Happens. Doesn't Camellia also package tiny adorable delicious field peas? Or, see above re: retrohallucination.

Was the rice Mahatma? I love Mahatma.

Last evening, big old good-looking thick Niman Ranch bone-in pork chops, brined a while and, since it got too late for grilling, Plan B deployed. Browned on the stovetop, braised covered a short time with a glug of white Vermouth in there, and then glazed with a combination of brown mustard and my friend's loquat butter, made from the fruit of the tree in her garden. Very nice, shiny tangy glazey. Niman Ranch pork, it's a good thing. Big pile of way cooked green beans, stewed in butter and s & p ... mmm good. LBB French baguette, neck and neck with the seedy baguette as favorite, saltylicious Tillamook butter, the fairly nondescript but comfortable red wine called Bocce whose details I ferget.

[ludja]

Red Beans (Camellia Brand, of course) and Rice

Cornbread

Butter Lettuce Salad with pink grapefruit and toasted pecans

I made Red Beans and Rice today too!

(used sausage rather than pork butt; and lots of chiles and onions)

Hit the spot on a cool Bay area evening.

Maybe I'll make cornbread to go with it tomorrow!

edited to add: just realized I have grapefruits, pecans and lettuce at home too--so I can be a total copycat and jazz up things tomorrow. I'll give proper attribution if I do!

Edited January 30, 2004 by ludja (log)

[bloviatrix]

Shabbat Dinner tonight will be:

Chicken Soup w/matzah balls

London Broil in a Rosemary-Honey-Soy Sauce marinade

Bulgur Pilaf w/apricot and ginger

Sweet Potato, steamed and tossed with a dijon-white wine vinagrette

Dessert will be fruit and tea.

Haven't decided what we'll drink

[hjshorter]

Sweet potatoes cubed and roasted with EVOO, fresh thyme, S&P.

Aidell's sausages: Artichoke and Garlic, and Chicken Mango, browned in EVOO with sliced onions, and served with some dijon mustard on the side.

Salad with vinaigrette.

Yuengling Lager for Scott, water for the rest of us.

[hathor]

Thursday night:

very spicy blue tiger prawns served with an avocado whipped cream and fried polenta. green salad. 1997 Brutaco Merlot that really held up to the spices.

Friday night: we're going out! I'm off duty on Friday nights!

[torakris]

Friday dinner:

roast chicken thighs and potatoes with a basalmic sauce

sauteed red cabbage and red onions

baguette

Dessert:

Costco apple pie

[paul o' vendange]

Shrimp saute with fennel, garlic, tomato, parsley, and a shrimp stock reduction (ok, and a toss of ouzo), over risotto cakes.

Kendall Jackson chard.

eau de vie "framboises sauvages." Enough dessert there.

[Jinmyo]

Gyozilla's Revenge

Seaweed broth with a square of toasted nori atop, salmon roe.

Fried gyoza (chopped shrimp and garlic chives) with steamed kale with awabi shoyu (soy sauce flavoured with abalone).

Steamed lamb gyoza (small pieces of pulled shoulder, Vietnamese mint, lemon zest, lamb reduction).

Steamed shu mai with braised beef, lemongrass and beef jus.

Fried wonton spread with lobster/shrimp paste, or with shiro-miso.

Gohan (Japanese short grain white rice) with gomasio.

[sput]

THURSDAY

Souvlaki of Niman Ranch Pork Loin with Fresh Herbs...

Saffron and Sweet Pimenton Rice Pilaf...

Confit of Spanish Onion, Fennel and Lemon...

A nice little, inexpensive Portugese red called Charamba Duoro 1999...

FRIDAY

Hubbardston Blue Goat Cheese - Westfield Farms Dairy...

(2002 Montinore Estate Gewurztraminer - Oregon)

Roast Cornish Hens stuffed with Truffle Butter, Sage and Thyme...

Turnip, Fennel and Onion Gratin with Nueskes Bacon...

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic, EVO and Red Chili Flakes...

2002 Urban Oak (Temp/Malbec) Argentina...

[hillvalley]

Fettuccine with panchetta fire-roasted tomato sauce finished off with a touch of cream and Parmesan.

Baguette with goat cheese

Edited February 1, 2004 by hillvalley (log)