Dinner! 2005

[petite tête de chou]

Whole wheat penne with red onion, red bell pepper, zucchini, black olives, artichoke hearts, shredded spinach, carrot, grape tomatoes, broccoli and feta tossed with a red-wine, garlic, oregano, thyme, s/p, extra vigin olive oil vinaigrette. Served slightly chilled with Ak-Mak (thin, wheat and sesame crackers) smeared with scallion cream cheese. Green iced tea.

[SWISS_CHEF]

We were in a red meat mood last night so I did a couple of bacon wrapped filets with two sauces, a bernaise and some reduced balsamic.

[Pumpkin Lover]

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HUMINA HUMINA! That looks amazing!

I'm usually not overly excited by my cooking--I'm slowly learning how to cook regularly and creatively--but tonight I impressed myself a bit. I made chili with fresh chicken "andouille" sausages from Whole Foods, and for the first time, I achieved a level of spiciness that was just perfect for me. Not so hot that we couldn't eat it, but just enough to break a sweat. Yum!

I think the last few times I've made chili, I've used jalapenos that weren't so spicy. Do chili peppers differ in capsicum levels when they're young or old?

[Octaveman]

Chicken Scaloppine with Balsamic Vinegar and basil

Scalloped potatoes with Gruyere and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses cooked in a mini Staub Cocotte

Roasted baby brussel sprouts

Edited March 6, 2005 by Octaveman (log)

[Octaveman]

Braised short ribs with Porcini Risotto

Steamed asparagus

Tomato salad with shallots, basil and olive oil

Sliced baguette

Edited March 6, 2005 by Octaveman (log)

[SuzySushi]

Cute suzy - did your daughter like them?

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She ate one... she was so stuffed full of Girls' Day sweets that she didn't have room for the other, so my husband ate it!

[Chufi]

Swiss chef, when I forst looked at the pictire of the filet with two sauces, I thought it was a dessert! very luscious looking piece of meat.

Your dinners look great Octaveman.

Suzy, polenta and mushrooms is one of my favorite combinations!

Yesterday I made risotto with red cabbage, bacon, red wine and rosemary (based on a Marcella Hazan recipe, but the wine and rosemary were my additions).

Now I know that this does not look pretty.. but the flavor was absolutely amazing. The cabbage melted away into the rice, the whole dish had a round, mellow and very satisfying flavor.

dessert: chocolate cinnamon pistachio cake:

Edited March 6, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[Susan in FL]

I am back from Tampa (with some pounds to lose, but I sure did enjoy what it took to gain them), and everyone's dinners from the posts I missed sound and look great.

Sicilian Seafood Stew with clams, mussels, squid, cuttlefish, shrimp, and israeli couscous

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Pete, I've done a take on that recipe of Mario's much like yours. It's very good. We used to eat lots of squid and I found it searching for recipes using squid.

Tonight I dug deep in my recipe binders for one of the first recipes I made when I started getting into cooking -

That looks good! And it looks lean enough for my menus while I'm taking off the afforementioned extra pounds. I printed that out and hope we make it soon.

Guess I can't stay away from Japanese food for long.    Despite vowing to make this "Mediterranean week" in cooking, I couldn't resist making something special for my daughter for (Japanese) Girls' Day: Hina Sushi "dressed" to resemble an emperor and empress of an ancient court.

That's so pretty! And, I love your plates... I covet your plates!

Yesterday we had a big breakfast, and then lunch with plenty of beers at a brewpub, so we didn't have our usual appetites for dinner. I made us a salad of mixed greens and pears with three blue cheeses I bought on the way home from Tampa. The cheeses were Roaring Forties, Maytag, and Bleu d'Auvergne, it had some slices of smoked sausage on the side, and we drank a glass of Port with it.

[bilrus]

Sicilian Seafood Stew with clams, mussels, squid, cuttlefish, shrimp, and israeli couscous

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Pete, I've done a take on that recipe of Mario's much like yours. It's very good. We used to eat lots of squid and I found it searching for recipes using squid.

I bought the fixin's for that one too, although I'm not a big calamari fan, so I am using shrimp instead. You'll be seeing a picture soon.

[calimero]

Baked wild boar tagliatelle

Chicken rolls (stuffed with taleggio cheese) in a porcini mushroom sauce with mixed vegetable (green beans, zucchini and asparagus)

[helenjp]

* Fresh sardines soaked briefly in salty water and baked with OO and a tomato/herb/peppers/breadcrumb topping.

*Potato wedges in OO ala Malawry's blog!

*Bruised lettuce salad. Years ago I read a column by a Japanese cartoonist who claimed to have eaten a salad where the lettuce was gently "beaten" into the dressing, creating a kind of wilted salad effect with a fresher taste. It's been a regular on our table ever since, but I'm beginning to wonder if I haven't morphed the recipe out of all recognition - can't recall the exact original any more!

*Plus miso soup with negi dividing onions and shimeji mushrooms, and rice.

A rare "western" menu for us, served on a western dinner plate, even!

[Hiroyuki]

* Fresh sardines soaked briefly in salty water and baked with OO and a tomato/herb/peppers/breadcrumb topping.

*Potato wedges in OO ala Malawry's blog!

*Bruised lettuce salad. Years ago I read a column by a Japanese cartoonist who claimed to have eaten a salad where the lettuce was gently "beaten" into the dressing, creating a kind of wilted salad effect with a fresher taste. It's been a regular on our table ever since, but I'm beginning to wonder if I haven't morphed the recipe out of all recognition - can't recall the exact original any more!

*Plus miso soup with negi dividing onions and shimeji mushrooms, and rice.

A rare "western" menu for us, served on a western dinner plate, even! 

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What are two Os supposed to mean?

[helenjp]

OO...Olive Oil, but not necessarily "Extra Virgin"

[bilrus]

Tonight I made Rigatoni with Five Lilies and Ricotta Salata from the Babbo Cookbook.

Unlike most recipes I've made from this book, I didn't love this one. It was good, but a little too much onion flavor as you may suspect from a recipe that includes sweet onions, red onions, leeks, scallions and chives.

Edited March 7, 2005 by bilrus (log)

[Andrew Fenton]

You know, after more than two years on eGullet, I don't believe I've ever posted to this thread. Time to change that:

Dinner was a lamb shoulder (organic, free range, elocution lessons, junior year abroad in Europe) braised in red wine and lamb stock that had been in the freezer for a couple of months. Along with it is a white bean puree finished with some truffle oil; caramelized root vegetables (I knew the beets would stain them, but I couldn't help it; I love beets so) and spinach sauteed with garlic.

A nice glass or three of 2001 Ravenswood Teldeschi Zinfandel along with it, and I'm feeling nice and mellow on this cold winter's evening, thank you very much.

[Behemoth]

Friday I put together a jar of preserved lemons, baked two loaves of Ciabatta, and had a friend over for Korean BBQ (Bulgogi w/ perilla leaves, various banchan) and chapchae. Then we had Pierre Herme's chocolate mousse for dessert, followed much later by strawberries with black pepper & balsamic vinegar as a snack with our movie. (Das wunder von Bern, very cute movie about the 1954 german world cup win.)

Saturday I made Diana Kennedy's enchiladas verdes in the style of veracruz (corn tortillas in tomatillo & sour cream sauce, stuffed with guacamole & topped with queso fresco, yum). Puttered around the house, graded exams, fretted about work. I feel like I did something else culinary but maybe not (?) We finally saw sideways so of course we cracked open a bottle of wine (Villa Antinori chianti Classico) and I guess we just ate a lot of ciabatta.

Today I folded about 50 chinese potstickers (ground pork from the freezer, leftover garlic chives from Friday, dried mushrooms & ginger). froze dumplings. Prepared shrimp & fried tofu for tomorrow (pad thai) and defrosted bolognese sauce with penne that we had tonight. More grading.

The weird thing is, in terms of countries of origin these are fairly diverse dishes, but they are all so much part of my "regular" reportoire at this point (you've already seen the photos) that I feel like I barely did any cooking this weekend. I really need to start branching out a little more, but what??

Edited to add: Andrew, I get a disturbing mental image of your lamb surrendering her virginity to a chain-smoking french mutton. Looks great, though. You could say she had a full life.

Edited March 7, 2005 by Behemoth (log)

[Susan in FL]

Fried Egg Topped with Blanched Asparagus and Gratings of Parm-Reg

Duck Breast and Pasta with Sweet Corn, and Red Wine Reduction Sauce

[beetee]

Beef hamburger topped with smoked provolone and red onion/balsamic relish, and sauteed white mushrooms seasoned with spanish paprika.

Grilled asparagus drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil, and roasted carrots.

[SuzySushi]

Another duck: Pato a la Sevillana, Seville-Style Braised Duck with Green Olives, Fresh Orange Juice, and Fino Sherry, served with Sweet-Potato Chips (from white-fleshed sweet potatoes).

We polished off the rest of the cold asparagus from the other night, and enjoyed fresh pineapple for dessert.

[Basilgirl]

Yesterday I went nuts in the kitchen, cooking all afternoon for the upcoming week so I don't have to deal with it when I walk in the door at 7 p.m.

I made NeroW's One of Each Soup, to serve tonight with grilled bacon & cheddar on cinnamon raisin bread.

I also made a white bean-chicken chili with lots of oregano & hot pepper flakes to be served tomorrow night with cornbread; a Crock-Potted beef roast ("Delta Doc's Garlic Beef" - you soak TWO HEADS worth of garlic cloves overnight in soy sauce & olive oil, then add your beef, onions, stock) - smelled great all day - for French dip sandwiches; Cook's Illustrated croutons for Caesar salad (now I know why I should have strained the garlic from the oil like they said to - duh); and I did a sirloin steak on the grill pan & Trader Joe's frozen onion rings for last night's dinner with the Caesar salad - then The Boyfriend came home complaning that he didn't feel good, so last night's dinner may turn into steak and eggs at some point.

[Chufi]

Salmon fillet with a coconut, cardamom, ginger & chile topping

Fennel and potatoes cooked in white wine with cumin and mustardseeds.

A piece of milkchocolate with whole hazelnuts for dessert.

Edited March 7, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[little ms foodie]

Dinner last night- thai food feast!

[loper]

Got a little silly tonight - seafood green curry insanity.

Steamed Alaskan Halibut, Maine Shrimp & Littleneck Clams w/ yellow beets, chestnut cap mushrooms, beet greens & seasoned black & white rice; green curry w/ fresh basil, cilantro & mint, & a red pepper/shallot sambal-ish salsa stuff to boot. A bit crazy, but some of it worked & will be kept in mind for less insane dishes in the future.

[M. Lucia]

Wow, there is quite a lot of good cooking going on in this thread!

Beautiful photos from Bilrus, Susan, and Chufi; Behemoth's cooking up a storm, great ducks and burgers and crazy curry.

I just made some soba noodles topped with sauteed baby bok choy, cremini mushrooms, and tofu, with a white miso-soy sauce.

Off to get some ice cream for dessert.

[FoodMan]

Loper, that does look insanly good!! and that burger upthread is awsome.

Sunday:

- Spice rubbed Oven roasted brisket with yogurt sauce

- Cauliflower, blanched and tossed with green herb oil (basil, parsley, chives, garlic)

-Steamed buttery rice

Dessert- A heavenly Tuxedo cake

Monday:

cauliflower and chopped brisket "risotto", aka leftovers.

Dessert: Tart tatin with sweet whipped cream.

Elie