Dinner! 2005

[racheld]

We made a pan of "Redneckacciatore" for dinner---browned drumsticks and thighs, simmered under layers of fresh tomato slices, sweet onion and roasted peppers, with crushed garlic, a whisper of sugar, last-minute handfuls of basil and a big snowing of fresh-grated Parm, thin spaghetti stirred in, the whole thing covered to mingle whilst we had nibbles and strawberry daiquiris.

The smell in the house was fantastic, and we sped through the pre-dinner plate of smoked Gouda and a little dish of chive Boursin with sesame crackers. Salad was cucumber sticks and a cold dish of baby green beans, Vidalia crescents, two colors of roasted peppers in a sweet vinaigrette with brown mustard seeds.

Anybody's choice of leftover Halloween candy for dessert. Though there IS a carton of Edy's double vanilla should a midnight craving arise.

We have nine flats of newspaper-wrapped tomatoes in the storeroom, in all states of green-to-ripeness...hope to have some for Christmas.

[*Deborah*]

Wow, Daniel, some crêpe! beautiful! and Megan, I love mashed with leeks, now I will try with some parsnips in the mix!

I had warmed up leftovers from dinner at Blue Water Café last night: a bit of chicken breast and some chanterelles and turnips and corn, it was so good it even stood up to being microwaved. To that I added some fresh mashed yams (must keep using my fabulous new ricer, what did I ever do without it?!) with a bit of butter, salt, pepper and a hint of nutmeg. Hit the spot.

I was far too hungry to take pics.

[spaghetttti]

Ramadhan is over. Eid Mubarak!

Ketupat is traditional in our family. Grains of rice are loaded into these coconut leaf packets and boiled for about 4-5 hours.

To achieve rice cakes like these:

We usually have a chicken stew with lots of coconut milk gravy, but since many were concerned with avian flu, we decided to have beef satay. (Pre-grilling)

Delectable desserts.

Edited November 3, 2005 by spaghetttti (log)

[Daniel]

Wow, so pretty spaghetti..

[racheld]

OKAY, Spaghetttti, we've salivated over the pictures long enough---what's in all those gorgeous side trays? Rice toppings? Photography says the dishes are all wonderful. Details, please.

And is that leaf-weaving a taught-in-the-kitchen art? Just lovely.

[spaghetttti]

OKAY, Spaghetttti, we've salivated over the pictures long enough---what's in all those gorgeous side trays?  Rice toppings?  Photography says the dishes are all wonderful.  Details, please.

And is that leaf-weaving a taught-in-the-kitchen art?    Just lovely.

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Rachel Rachel!!! The meal centered around beef.

Starting at about 8 o'clock and going clockwise: acar, or pickled matchstick veggies. Cukes, carrots, shallots and birdseye chillies.

Next up is sweet soy sauce with some chopped chilllies & shallots.

Following that is roasted peanut sauce.

The five o'clock tray holds fried, diced beef liver cooked with garlic, shallots, spices, soy sauce, red chillies.

In the center is a beef curry, very aromatic with coriander, cumin, cinnamon and thickened with candlenut paste.

[racheld]

Another double espresso to recover from my swoon...I KNEW that was some tasty stuff...and I LOVE details...all the ingredients and where you shopped for the meat and the little shop which has JUST the best sauces.

This thread is amazing and delightful.

And about those woven packets.....

[racheld]

 And then of course whether the sponge gets run through the dishwasher after cleanup, or not.

Priscilla

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Yep. And the dishbrush. And nailbrush, which is used after every meat-handling and always before cutting veg to be served raw.

Super-hot water from water heater, set VERY HIGH. Heavy-duty rubber gloves for washing the big stuff, because I use no cold water in the dishpan, ever. And spraydown with extra-strength Lysol, super-sani DW cycle after chicken-soaking, washing, etc.

And that's the Stepford news for today--film at eleven.

[little ms foodie]

spaghetttti that looks like a wonderful meal!!

[Pan]

Selamat Hari Raya, Yetty. Yum!

[Basilgirl]

Homemade chicken nuggets, breaded with dry bread crumbs and Parmesan, dried basil, dried thyme, garlic powder (my addition), dipped in butter then breaded and baked. I've been making these since around 1982. I think I got the recipe from one of my mom's ladies' magazines. Very yummy - doesn't sound like it though.

Pillsbury frozen biscuits - really good - with lots of butter

Green beans from the last day at the Farmer's Market tossed with shallot butter and a little hot chile

[jennahan]

OK...dinner for a very lazy and tired mum:

Toasted Poilane bread with a thick spread of demi-sel Echire butter

Two hunks of aged manchego (ok, for the second hunk I actually bit into the slab of cheese)

2 tablespoons of pear and walnut chutney bought at Neal's Yard

Large glass of lovely Rioja (too lazy to go back to see which bottle I opened)

For dessert, more toasted poilane bread with Echire butter, but also with some scrummy apricot preserves.

Now time for a hot bath then bed....

[Daniel]

Had a real relaxing solid home cooked meal.. Started with a frisee salad mixed with flat and curly parsley.. Sherry vinagraette of course.. Served with a couple of smoked chubs and some shallots.. Had a chicken brined for a day, then roasted, served with a gratin of red potatoes, collard greens, bacon, swiss cheese and a little cream for good measure..

Salad: Chubs; a little smokey oily fish, go really well with this salad..

Dont have a good shot of dinner.. Oh well.. She was a beautiful boid..

Bite:

Dessert.. Chocolate Coffee and Molten Cake

The molten cake was served a minute over cooked.. We added a butter brown sugar sauce..

Edited November 4, 2005 by Daniel (log)

[Megan Blocker]

Tonight was spaghetti carbonara and a tossed salad...the carbonara was the first one I've ever made, and it went well! Obviously a simple dish, but I had concerns over mixing the egg in with the hot pasta and ending up with srambled eggs and spaghetti! But, I mixed the egg with the cheese first, then added it, and all went well.

[Daniel]

Congrats Megan

I am sure it wont be your last time making it.. It looks really good.. The spaghetti looks perfectly al dente..

[M. Lucia]

Eid Mubarak!

Yetty, I always love seeing your dishes, in this case since I am more familiar with Levantine Ramadan preparations. So much to learn and try!

Anyways, some highlights from the past few days, between reading/teaching Foucault and other such academic excitement:

leftover risotto got turned into arancini

I made ajo blanco ("white gazpacho"). I was a little heavy handed with the garlic- pass the mints please- but it didn't matter because I adore this soup, especially the texture.

Yesterday a roasted squash and pomegranate salad that was delicious. Roasted Acorn squash rings, lettuces, pecans, pomegranate seeds, and a pomegranate molasses dressing.

Dessert was homemade yogurt ginger scones.

eta: nice job on the carbonara Megan, don't you love discovering a simple pleasing dish?

Edited November 4, 2005 by M. Lucia (log)

[racheld]

Tonight's quick dinner followed a leaf-raking day---nine of those huge bags rest out back against the house, safely dry beneath the eaves til pickup day.

A little bit of Boursin/chive/sour cream spread on crisp wheat crackers whilst the corn fritters sizzled in the hot oil. Then, in with a dozen nice breaded butterflied shrimp for Chris, to go with "blue slaw"---paper-thin shreds of purple cabbage dressed with a red wine vinegar/celery seed drizzle with seasalt and a couple of tablespoons of smooshed roasted yellow pepper whisked in. Tiny pink pearly potatoes, softly cooked, tossed with butter, salt, pepper and parsley.

Chris had a couple of mini-M&M bars for dessert. I'm gonna have one of those beautiful heavy coffee bowls filled with a doubleshot and steamed skim, as we sit down with CSI at nine.

Absolutely perfect carbonara!!! And the homey chub/salad with a chicken dinner on this November night would have been perfect already, and then you added the dish of collards!!!

[Megan Blocker]

Thanks, guys! I am very psyched to have finally made this one - it's always been one of my favorites, and now it's part of the repertoire.

That gratin looks excellent, Daniel - anything with bacon is fine by me (as is probably crystal clear at this point)!

[percyn]

Wow !! Really good looking and I am sure tasting meals everyone.

Unfortunately, I have not had time to cook for over a week, but the wifey made some Meatball Lasagna after I saw Alina's terrific version.

[snowangel]

Daniel, thanks for the suggestion about the smoked chub. I'll be picking some of those up over Thanksgiving at my favorite north shore smoke house!

[Chufi]

Tonight was spaghetti carbonara and a tossed salad...the carbonara was the first one I've ever made, and it went well!  Obviously a simple dish, but I had concerns over mixing the egg in with the hot pasta and ending up with srambled eggs and spaghetti!  But, I mixed the egg with the cheese first, then added it, and all went well. 

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Hey Megan! I made carbonara yesterday too! Only when the water was boiling and I reached for the spaghetti jar, it turned out to be empty.. So it turned into Penne Carbonara instead..

I did a new thing, I mixed the eggs with a little of the pasta cooking water before adding them to the drained pasta. . I don't know if it was that, the delicious organic bacon, the pungent pecorino, or the novelty of the penne pasta, but it was the best carbonara I ever made

[Alinka]

It's funny: I'm starting to recognize whose dinners these are even before looking at the name of the author. Who can confuse with anyone else's Daniel's signature melted chocolate dessert or the close-up of "the bite"? Or Megan's one-bowl pasta dish?

Great dinners, everyone!

Percy, what's in the lasagna?

[Megan Blocker]

Tonight was spaghetti carbonara and a tossed salad...the carbonara was the first one I've ever made, and it went well!  Obviously a simple dish, but I had concerns over mixing the egg in with the hot pasta and ending up with srambled eggs and spaghetti!  But, I mixed the egg with the cheese first, then added it, and all went well. 

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Hey Megan! I made carbonara yesterday too! Only when the water was boiling and I reached for the spaghetti jar, it turned out to be empty.. So it turned into Penne Carbonara instead..

I did a new thing, I mixed the eggs with a little of the pasta cooking water before adding them to the drained pasta. . I don't know if it was that, the delicious organic bacon, the pungent pecorino, or the novelty of the penne pasta, but it was the best carbonara I ever made

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We must be on the same wavelength, Klary! I had reserved some of the pasta water to add, but ended up having enough clinging to the pasta itself to make things nice and creamy. When I went back into the kitchen to clean up after eating, the water and starch had separated...ew...

It's funny: I'm starting to recognize whose dinners these are even before looking at the name of the author. Who can confuse with anyone else's Daniel's signature melted chocolate dessert or the close-up of "the bite"? Or Megan's one-bowl pasta dish?

Or Alinka's gorgeous, glowing photography and colorful dishes?

Edited November 4, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[FoodMan]

Last night was Calzone night. Stuffed with a mixture of Italian sausage, spinach, homemade Ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella.

I also made a pot of Pappa Pomodoro (tomato bread soup) with roasted cherry tomatoes and canned San Marzano toamtoes based on a recipe from Jamie Oliver. I think I put too much bread in the soup though.

The calzones were perfect and since they retarded for 24 hours in the fridge, the dough was absolutly perfect with a crunchy exterioir and chewy texture and lots of small bubbles.

Dessert was Lemon Curd cake

[Daniel]

Foodman that looks great!!! Home made Ricotta too.. Wow.