Dinner! 2004

[bleudauvergne]

Sunday dinner

sole, dredged in flour and creole spices, fried.

Served with salt potatoes dipped in sea urchin sauce, and a simple salad.

Cheeses: Clockwise from the St. Marcellin, reblochon (making a tartiflette this week), tomme de savoie, the last little bite of epoisse, and a 15 month aged Comte. We are celebrating the Savoie this week, in preparation of some skiing.

Wine - he drank a Beaujolais Chardonnay which I was not fond of, and I sipped on a dry white tio pepe, which I found to be the perfect accompaniment.

- Lucy

[Susan in FL]

Last night before dinner, Saga Bleu stuffed celery and Mojitos; it was summertime.

Then:

Lamb chops with rosemary-cherry sauce, inspired by an award-winning recipe from the Academy of Culinary Design at Seabreeze High School. I am trying to find a link to the actual recipe, Greek Lamb in Rosemary-Cherry Sauce, to give the students proper credit, but so far I haven't found it. Will edit to add it, if I do.

Cucumber, onions, and garlic in yogurt... I let the yogurt drain all day, and salted the cucumbers and onions and let them drain all day, before mixing it all up just prior to serving.

Sauteed matchstick-sliced zucchini and yellow squash

Israeli coucous cooked risotto style.

Salad of lettuces, cherry tomatoes, red onion, Kalamata olives, and feta, drizzled with our favorite Greek EVOO, no vinegar, and topped with toasted pine nuts.

2000 Rosenblum Zinfandel San Francisco Bay Oakley Vineyards

Haagen-Dazs Vanilla with strawberries and balsamic vinegar, toasted pine nuts.

Victory Storm King Stout

Tonight we are starting with bruschettas with different topping choices... so far, the classic tomato and basil; roasted red peppers; and Suzilightning and Johnnybirds's lima bean spread. Also, made pate with the duck liver...

The main course is Fettucine with Duck Sauce and then we'll have some kind of salad.

We're not sure what we're drinking yet... maybe a Sangiovese.

[torakris]

Sometimes I feel like I am eating on a different planet from everyone else...

Daughter Mia (age 8) insisted that I make her favorite meal since I spent the day shopping with daughter Julia (age 6) buying new clothes and other essentials for her start at elemantary school, the new school year starts April 1st.

black bean and ground beef burritos

with cheddar cheese, salsa, guacamole, lettuce and hot sauce

I was going to make a chocolate pudding cake for dessert, but I discovered my children had eaten all of my (fairly expensive) bittersweet chocolate.

[suzilightning]

black bean and ground beef burritos

with cheddar cheese, salsa, guacamole, lettuce and hot sauce

I was going to make a chocolate pudding cake for dessert, but I discovered my children had eaten all of my (fairly expensive) bittersweet chocolate.

sounds wonderful, you can cook for me anyday, kris ... and at least your babies have great taste.

john has just been diagnosed with psoriatic arthrits and is undergoing therapy that basically has killed any appetite he might have. on top of that one of the side effects of the medication is the possibility of an upper respiratory infection that he developed. i have spent the weekend cooking things that will go down easy, stimulate the appetite and provide the caloric intake and nutrition he needs. AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH. ok - i'm better now.

dinner tonight was an enriched chicken broth disguised as egg drop soup, a small plate of rice pasta with a bologenese sauce and a half a truffle.

teas with lemon and honey, french toast, ensure, and a wide array of soups and broths fortified with finely minced veg and meat have made their way to the table.

at least it isn't as bad as the time he had the badly infected mouth and the best pot roast i have ever made went into the blender

[Jinmyo]

RETURN OF THE RETURN OF GYOZILLA: This Time, It's Personal!

Shrimp wontons (whole, peeled U10 shrimp curled inside wontons) in a lobster broth.

Fried gyoza filled with lobster and Vietnamese mint.

Steamed lamb dumplings atop mache with Dijon mustard sauce.

Agedashi tofu (deep-fried cubes of silken tofu coated with potato starch and panko with a dashi dipping sauce to the side) with minced garlic, ginger, and daikon. (Okay, so not really gyoza at all but I love to serve and to eat this.)

Steamed dumpling skins tossed with steamed kale as a bed for grilled scallops. (Very very deconstructed scallop dumplings.) With the shrimp skins deep-fried and chopped as a garnish.

Pickled mustard greens, daikon kimchi, takuan (daikon pickle), and caramelized apple with chipotle.

Congee of gohan (Japanese white rice in dashi) with macha (powdered green tea) for those still eating.

[merstar]

Penne with garlic, roasted red peppers, black olives, fresh basil, EVOO. Topped of course with Parmigiano Reggiano.

[Dana]

Jaymes Coctele Camarones

Grilled strip steaks

Boursin Potatoes

Grilled Asparagus

Ricotta cheesecake with poached pears

Rancho Zabaco Zin

[Susan in FL]

Sometimes I feel like I am eating on a different planet from everyone else...

I'll gladly come to eat with you on your planet!

john has just been diagnosed with psoriatic arthrits and is undergoing therapy that basically has killed any appetite he might have.  on top of that one of the side effects of the medication is the possibility of an upper respiratory infection that he developed.  i have spent the weekend cooking things that will go down easy, stimulate the appetite and provide the caloric intake and nutrition he needs. AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH.  ok - i'm better now.

So sorry to hear that... Take care of yourselves. It sounds like you're doing a great job so far, and please keep us posted. He's not even able to eat toast dope? Yesterday we were thinking of you two, as we finally made some lima bean "spread" and enjoyed it very much as a bruschetta topping. That stuff is good, and could be a side dish. My husband asked me if potato was in the puree.

After bruschettas, we had the Fettucine with Duck Sauce, which turned out real fine, and the wine we decided upon was a Rancho Zabaco Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. Good match.

Another extra busy week is coming up... probably won't be taking as much time as usual for cooking and photographing.

[eunny jang]

Unabashadly 1950's style Italian night for the return of the Sopranos:

Pounded chicken breasts dredged in a bound breading with equal parts breadcrumbs and Parmigiano in the final step with lemon zest stirred in; crisped in oil and butter, covered with a dollop of super-quick canned-tomatoes-with-squashed-more-than-chopped-onions-and-garlic sauce and an embarrassment of decent mozzeralla and more Parmigiano. Broiled till cheese bubbled and got delicious-looking.

Plain old linguini with terrible tasteless olive oil that might have well have been greasy water, parsley and garlic, with more of the aforementioned sauce.

Rough chopped plain arugula piled atop to stir into the hot pasta and sauce at table till wilted.

Garlic bread.

Eaten with silver and linen, but crouched around the coffee table.

(First post. I love all food, but at home tend to cook very simple things and just take pleasure in executing them really well. Still learning: only just recently bought my very first pan that isn't coated with non-stick stuff).

[Jinmyo]

A simple vegetarian menu:

Roasted root vegetables (rutabagas, turnips, parsnips, daikon, carrots, Yukon gold potatoes) with ancho and a lime-hazelnut pesto.

Buttery mushroom soup.

Sautéed kale.

Onion frittata with tomatoes and mozzarella.

[itch22]

Crab and wild mushroom lasange topped with pine nuts and a salad of mixed greens (including baby spinach and dandelions) with a simple lemon juice and grape seed oil dressing. For dessert, a orange chocolate and hazelnut torte with a rasberry coulis and REAL whipped cream (whipped by hand).

[laurel]

Joe's parents were in town for the evening:

Frisee, Pecan, and Apple Salad in a Parmesan Basket:

Braised Leeks and Kale:

Five-Spiced Halibut Cheeks:

Turkey and Green Onion Souffle:

Berries and Cultured Cream:

[torakris]

Monday dinner:

a potato and sauteed chicken thigh casserole with a quickly made tomato sauce , topped with mozzarella and baked

sauteed spinach and red peppers

baguette and butter

[bloviatrix]

Tonight I went shopping in the freezer for some black bean chili.

[helenjp]

Saturday...new cabbage salad, wilted by having crispy fried scraps of pork thrown over it. Miso soup and rice, as usual...

Sunday: nipped out for half an hour and ended up taking the whole family to see the last Lord of the Rings movie...luckily dinner was a slow-cooked lemon sofrito of chicken with white beans cooked in the broth. Spinach with garlic/yogurt dressing. Rice, miso soup, as usual...

Monday: Son cooked the miso soup, apparently hoping to put off tidying his room. The miso soup had young cabbage, bamboo shoots, and scraps of pork in it. I butterflied some fresh sardines and put them in salty water for a half-hour, then grilled with EVOO, vinegar, and red pepper, served over a salad of watercress and seedling turnip leaves, grilled yellow peppers. Rice and natto, just to convince my husband that we still live in Japan.

Tuesday: Lamb. Heh heh. Husband hates it...when he notices what it is...he'll be sure to catch on if I cook it with dried fruit; but maybe not in those round crisp-fried dumplings with Chinese chives (nira)?

[curlywurlyfi]

handful of raw sugar snap peas eaten whilst standing in the kitchen waiting for the pasta to boil, then a plate of linguine with chili, garlic, flatleaf parsley and lots of Monino Gran Fruttato olive oil + Maldon sea salt. And some merlot.

[Gale]

All but one of the recipes came from Ben and Karen Barker's "Not Afraid of Flavor" which you can get from Amazon here: Click here for da book!

I won't post recipes that have the detail necessary to be included in RecipeGullet, as I don't follow them to the level of detail specified in the books. I take their ideas and change them based on my needs and ingredients.

I like this cookbook very much, and I like going to the Magnolia Grill even better!

Last nite, I made grilled delmonico steaks marinated in a bit of Mings soy lime syrup, garlic and ginger, and finished with a bit of the syrup. (The recipe for the syrup is at his site Ming.com, or in his new book. I am a big fan of Ming, and of Blue Ginger. )

With the steak, I served chard sauteed with shallots and garlic, in a bit EVO/butter mix and roasted roma tomatoes.

I have to get a digi cam so I can post pics!

[eunny jang]

Dinner just for me at 11:00pm after happy hour with long-lost girlfriends.

My favorite late-night sandwich: piles of shaved white onion on white sandwich bread. Cracked pepper, salt, flat-leaf parsley, Hellman's. The Washington Post and a big whiskey sour. Cigarettes.

Edited March 9, 2004 by eunny jang (log)

[torakris]

Tuesday dinner:

chicken thigh and nagaimo (mountain yam) age-ni (age-ni is a technique commonly used in Japan where the foods are first deep fried and then simmered)

green beans goma-ae (sesame dressing)

matsumaezuke (this is one of my husband's favorite foods and I make a damn good version) this is made with thinly sliced konbu (kelp), kazunoko (herring roe), dried squid (my version uses fresh sashimi style squid), and carrots

shibazuke a deep pink pickled vegetables mostly eggplant and cucumbers, this was a bought product

Japanese rice

[bloviatrix]

The weather is miserable here in NYC. Cold, gray, and rainy. Basically, a day for simple comfort foods. Dinner tonight was a green salad and macaroni and cheese. Simply, the edible equivalent of a hug.

Edited March 10, 2004 by bloviatrix (log)

[dumpling]

Tuesday

Cheese Plate- Reblechon, Petites Basque and another more aged Basque cheese

Sauteed Panko Scallops and Turkey Andouille over Arugula with a Shallot and Dijon Mustard Vinagrette

Roast Cornish Game Hen

Lentil Rice Pilaf

Mashed Cauliflower with sour cream, cream cheese and scallions

Sugar Snap Peas

Shokolade Edelweiss

[redfox]

Shallow-fried tofu with curry spices, lime juice, green beans, tomatoes and cilantro:

Also, little croquettes of sweet potato and caramelized cabbage and onion, not pictured.

[NeroW]

torakris--

Could you elaborate a bit on the deep-fried-then-simmered technique?

[torakris]

torakris--

Could you elaborate a bit on the deep-fried-then-simmered technique?

well it is just like it sounds, in this case I marinated the chicken thighs in a little soy and sake (while preparing the other ingredients) and then cut the nagaimo into chunks and soaked them in a little acidulated water. The simmering sauce was a dashi, soy and mirin, brought to a simmer and then kept warm. I then deep fried the nagaimo first until they just barely colored and then set aside, then the chicken (coated with a little potato starch) at a higher temp until they were nice and golden, I then added both of them to the sauce, brought it back to a simmer and then let them gently simmer for just a couple minutes.

[redfox]

Our dear old faithful friend roasted cauliflower, with onions, garlic, and capers, topped with a fried egg. Also a salad (with romaine lettuce, radishes, and walnuts). Not fancy, but awfully good.