Dinner! 2004

[binkyboots]

white wine and sage foccacia

bratwurst

sweetcorn

coleslaw

potato salad

pickled beetroot

feta and watermelon

salad with sorrel and nasturtium leaves.

[Jason Perlow]

Today at my friend Andy's house, his mother prepared a Korean feast for his 34th birthday. This is just a sampling of the stuff that Halmeoni (Grandmother) made today

Mungbean Sprout, Galbi (Short Rib), Pajun (Korean Pancake), fried shrimp (Saewoo)

Ojinga Bokeum (Squid in spicy sauce)

Galbi (Beef Short Ribs)

Table spread with different kinds of kimchi

[suzilightning]

why, on a warm and muggy day do i get a taste for bolognese?

about another hour and the sauce will be done so for dinner we will have that with some whole wheat pasta. a chopped salad of cucumbers from one of johnnybird's friends garden and probably a nice cold beer!

[Susan in FL]

why, on a warm and muggy day do i get a taste for bolognese?

I don't know why either, but I do the same thing. I have some pappardelle right now, too, and I'm itching to make a sauce for it. Maybe tomorrow... tonight is homemade gravlax and dill sauce, followed by a grilled duck -- the duck prepared how, besides grilled, and what served with it, we're not sure yet.

[Susan in FL]

Jason, they are great photos of that grandmother's food. If I were her, I would have been flattered for you to take them.

Matthew, that's a beautiful plating of your duck breasts! It looks delicious.

We had our first course of Gravlax, and this was one of the best batches I ever made. It was fresh sockeye salmon, on sale at Publix, and we thought Gravlax might be just the thing for it. I made a mustard-dill sauce to go with it, in the style of homemade mayo.

Russ is just about to serve the duck, which he took charge of. We're making a mango-cabernet sauce for it. I felt pretty sure you all have seen enough photos of our rotisserie-grilled ducks, since we have them so often, so tonight I didn't photograph that.

I've got some catching up to do, so I'll take it in reverse, and next report on last night's dinner.

[Susan in FL]

Last night...

Melon & Prosciutto

Roasted red peppers, anchovies, Parmigiano-Reggiano Stravecchio, aged balsamic vinegar, bread, etc.

Seared garlic & sage veal chop, on a bed of swiss chard and garlic & lemon potatoes, and fried sage leaves

[Susan in FL]

I think this will catch me up. The Caribbean Turkey Burgers and Chutney from last week were as wonderful as they smelled... so good I'm posting the recipe, which we followed exactly. This was the first that I knew Hawaiian sweet sandwich rolls existed. We had used the round loaves, but these were a new pleasant surprise.

Caribbean Turkey Burgers With Honey Pineapple Chutney

(Preparation 20 minutes, cooking time 1 hour 30 minutes)

1 ripe fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices

1 large onion, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup red-wine vinegar

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced

20-ounce package extra-lean ground turkey

1-1/2 teaspoons Jamaican jerk seasoning

4 Hawaiian sweet sandwich rolls or potato hamburger buns, toasted

Butter lettuce leaves

To make the chutney: Grill pineapple and onions on lightly oiled grill for about 5 minutes per side over medium-high heat or until lightly charred; remove and let cool slightly. Discard tough pineapple core. Finely chop pineapple and onion and place in a medium saucepan with honey, vinegar, orange peel, ginger and allspice; stir well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook for 10 minutes more; let cool.

In a medium bowl, stir together the ground turkey, 1/2 cup pineapple chutney, jerk seasoning and pepper. Shape into 4 large flat patties. Grill over medium coals for 5 to 8 minutes per side or until cooked through. Serve on toasted buns lined with lettuce leaves. Place a heaping spoonful of chutney on top of each burger.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 460 cal., 6 g fat (1 g saturated).

Recipe developed for the AP by the National Honey Board.

The grilled pineapple and onions looked so good, I had to take a picture.

The finished sandwich. That thingie on the side was an avocado salad roll from the sushi bar at Publix.

[NulloModo]

What do fried sage leaves taste like? I've never seven seen whole leaves for sale... but I love the taste of ground sage as a spice...

[bluekale]

Hi, all. Tonight I tried a new preparation for my favorite fish, arctic char. I ground some pistachios, mushrooms and breadcrumbs in the blender, coated the fish (sans skin) in egg, then crusted it with my nut/mushroom mixture and pan fried it. It was awesome.

I also made a panzanella (tomato and bread salad) with little grape tomatoes, orange pepper, cannellini beans, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a bit of leftover eggplant and red pepper spread from a previous meal. A nice, simple accompaniment.

A little white wine, and that was all I needed.

[suzilightning]

What do fried sage leaves taste like? I've never seven seen whole leaves for sale... but I love the taste of ground sage as a spice...

nullomundo-

they are wonderful and herby and i have 6 plants growing in pots outside on my porch along with tarragon, oregano, flat leaf parsley, cress, and basil.

you could do it easily.

the leaves are wonderful as well worked between the skin and flesh of a roasted chicken that has been salt and peppered inside and out then stuffed with lemon pieces and garlic.

[suzilightning]

why, on a warm and muggy day do i get a taste for bolognese?

I don't know why either, but I do the same thing. I have some pappardelle right now, too, and I'm itching to make a sauce for it. Maybe tomorrow... tonight is homemade gravlax and dill sauce, followed by a grilled duck -- the duck prepared how, besides grilled, and what served with it, we're not sure yet.

susan - i've got a quart of bologenese frozen if you want it.

loved your pictures. i want those turkey burgers but johnnybird (who replaced my trusty weber with a gas grill when it died) doesn't want any food that is "burned". hello - they are grill marks!!!! he thinks it will give him cancer. he will freaking die of stress before he gets cancer

carry on with the grilling

[Susan in FL]

What do fried sage leaves taste like?  I've never seven seen whole leaves for sale... but I love the taste of ground sage as a spice...

Very mild sage flavor, like the ground version, and crispy like a chip. I use olive oil, so there is that flavor, too, and I sprinkle a little salt on them. There is way lots more in my herb garden (two varieties) than we have use for... too bad I can't give you some!

[tanabutler]

SusanFL, that picture of the melon/prosciutto is just perfect, especially because you used natural lighting. It goes beyond documentation to art. Well done and brava.

Dinner tonight for us: farfalle with two kinds of smoked salmon with haricot verts tossed in a tomato/garlic/red bell pepper/sun-dried tomato pesto kinda thing. It was certainly good enough to replicate: the summery flavor of those green beans was just music.

They're thin like the tiny pencils you get at the putt-putt golf course. They were grown at Dirty Girl Farm (a favorite of Alice Waters and David Kinch); I got them at the Sunday farmers market on East Cliff Drive.

No photos, though; I'm having problems with my camera.

Edited August 3, 2004 by tanabutler (log)

[Susan in FL]

SusanFL, that picture of the melon/prosciutto is just perfect, especially because you used natural lighting. It goes beyond documentation to art. Well done and brava.

Thank you! It really does make a difference. I've created a place by a window that I can quickly adapt to be my "set" for photographing food. The only thing is that we are late dinner eaters, usually 7-ish at the earliest. And of course, since I thought of this idea, we've had lots of clouds and rain...

Dinner tonight for us: farfalle with two kinds of smoked salmon with haricot verts tossed in a tomato/garlic/red bell pepper/sun-dried tomato pesto kinda thing. It was certainly good enough to replicate: all the summery flavor of those green beans was just music.

Sounds delicious!

[Basilgirl]

Tomato pie using a purchased crust because I just suck at pie crust. Layers of salted homegrown tomatoes, monterey jack, extra sharp cheddar, sweet onion, basil, oregano, a little blue cheese, cayenne, S&P, baked until the cheese was bubbly. Nueske's Canadian bacon on the side.

[Jinmyo]

Here's a little vegetarian menu:

Mixed grain (Korean sweet short grain brown, wild rice, Chinese white rice).

served with

Sautéed oyster and cremini mushrooms with red pepper and red onion.

Salad of slices of roasted yellow beets with lime and thyme.

served with

Steamed buttered beet greens.

Salad of Frenched beans and grape tomatoes with a parmesan and yogurt dressing.

Cheese course (ten year cheddar, chevre with fennel, raw milk camembert, crostini).

for 32

(No pictures, no time.)

[hillvalley]

I started out making my weekly dish of homemade tomato basil sauce over whatever pasta was in the cabinet.

But I couldn't wait for the water to boil for the pasta so I just had a big ol' bowl of tomato sauce with lots of Parmesan cheese grated on top.

I licked it clean with my finger

[curlywurlyfi]

first dinner for friends in new kitchen on new cooker - hurrah!

Roast leg of pork (from the smallest pig ever), lots of salty crackling + meagre but concentrated pan juices, with redcurrant and apple sauce. I kept basting it so I could lick the spoon. Rainbow chard stir-fried with garlic + lemon, some roasted baby beetroot, sliced and served warm with tzatziki, and boiled new potatoes.

then apricots poached in cardamom sugar syrup, chilled and served with fresh raspberries + Haagen Dazs strawberries + cream icecream.

My friends brought me beautiful blue delphiniums, so it was a fair trade.

[eunny jang]

Everyone's been up to delicious and amazing things, I see

We had big giant beef/pork/veal meatballs (inspired by the meatball thread, of course), marinara and my first-ever homemade pasta. It was absolutely delicious, and easy to boot - it was an awakening for me to discover that pasta at home could actually taste like something rather than just be a vehicle for other flavors. I think next I'll print out that beautiful eGCI course and try my hand at stuffed pasta. Arugula with a very light anchovy/oil/cheese/lemon sprinkle.

[hathor]

Quick but good: ravioli with fresh pesto sauce and some little lemon chicken nuggets. I still have some good parmigiano left over from our last trip to Italy (it was a HUGE hunk), and I was able to toast the pine nuts and get them in the blender before any of the kitchen vultures noticed. Even they won't snitch when the food processor is running!

[Toliver]

Last night:

Swiss Steak in the pressure cooker, homemade mashed potatoes & gravy with a side of green beans long-simmered with bacon.

[suzilightning]

I started out making my weekly dish of homemade tomato basil sauce over whatever pasta was in the cabinet.

But I couldn't wait for the water to boil for the pasta so I just had a big ol' bowl of tomato sauce with lots of Parmesan cheese grated on top.

I licked it clean with my finger

oh, yeah - a sauce jones

some good bread grilled and drizzled with olive oil would have worked here.

tonight it is JUST TOO FREAKING HOT.

made patricia well's uncooked tomato soup but will serve it with some greek yoghurt i picked up and a few basil leaves from the back porch.

main course will be a salad of mixed greens and some grilled venison sausage i picked up the same place i got the yoghurt. the grill is outside . the local green grocer had some very nice fresh, perfectly ripe white figs. can't decide if i want to add them thinly sliced to the salad, poach them in some prosecco or maybe serve them with some killer blue i have as a cheese course. decisions, decisions

i also had some cukes johnnybird brought back from potown his friend had grown so i thin sliced them and made a dressing of sherry vinegar and a neutral oil. that can go on the salad or be served after the soup but before the main.

finally i did get some fresh, local sweet corn - nuke that puppy.

[Susan in FL]

Last night:

Swiss Steak in the pressure cooker, homemade mashed potatoes & gravy with a side of green beans long-simmered with bacon.

I LOVE Swiss steak cooked in a pressure cooker, and mashed potatoes. That sounds so good... I haven't cooked that since I moved to FL. I used to have corn with it, but when eating Swiss steak, I also like green beans cooked as you did. I don't have a pressure cooker anymore... Is there any other way to get Swiss steak to turn out like it's been cooked in one?

[FL Heat]

We just got a digital camera. . .and I'm not real good with it yet, and neither am I skilled with presentations, but I'm paying close attention to how others make things look nice. . .this weekend I hope to hit the outlet mall and pick up some odds & ends of plates & things. Might be fun to eat off things other than the same hand-me-down plates every night.

Now, to get the kitchen remodeling finished so we can have our table back :)

Tonight's dinner was fried (bread crumb & parmesan crust) pork chops (at the request of the boyfriend) and a white bean side dish with onions & red bell peppers.

Diana

[eunny jang]

Tonight's dinner was fried (bread crumb & parmesan crust) pork chops (at the request of the boyfriend) and a white bean side dish with onions & red bell peppers.

Diana

Great minds! We had the same chops for dinner, with lovely sage-rubbed center cut loin chops in a breadcrumb-parmesan-lemon zest crust.

A cheese-less Provencal-ish charred tomato and potato gratin, summery and sunny and oozy with juice and crispy with crumbs.

Less-than-pristine green beans gussied up with a toss in some interesting whole-grain-and-vodka mustard.