Dinner! 2007

[Jmahl]

Last night I tried Julia Child's version of Boeuf Bourguignon with a good 2001 from Pomerol - I know I should have had a Burgundy but I'm in Texas.... Anyway if you have not tried the recipe - I would recommend it.

Happy New Year to All --

Jmahl

[C. sapidus]

“Millie Chan’s chile shrimp” from Breath of a Wok. More information on Chinese Eats at Home (post #479).

Edited: oops, wrong picture.

Edited January 9, 2007 by C. sapidus (log)

[doctortim]

Yesterday I took my new cast iron casserole for a spin with some braised beef. It was fantastic! So rich, and just so... beefy.

Unfortunately the potato gratin I made with it wasn't that flash. It wasn't cheesy or creamy enough, and in a paroxysm of procrastination late last night I ran down to the fridge, took it out, and decided to make gnocchi with it. The gnocchi went perfectly with some beef and juices. Meat and potatoes again, just in a more agreeable form.

[purplewiz]

Nothing fancy tonight because I'm feeling a little puny:

Tuna cakes over salad. They're kind of like fried tuna salad, and they're comforting and filling. What's missing is the Ranch dressing over all - it just works with this salad.

Marcia.

[hathor]

Daniel, I have been wanting one of those green eggy grilly things for years....your meals look amazing.

Nice quail going on Laureim!

Also, I would like some kamamouto oysters, please Ling. And a side of C.Sapidus chili shrimp.

Speaking of shrimp, Whole Foods had these lovely Maine shrimp...they were just so pink. Simply steamed with a soy/lime/chili dipping sauce. The only thing missing was their little heads. What fun is it w/out the heads?

We've been on a swiss chard kick. And a pomegranate kick. And we always eat pork. So, there you have it.

Purplewiz: hope you are feeling better!

edit because I'm having an arguement with Image Gullet

Edited January 9, 2007 by hathor (log)

[nakji]

Nakji: No need to be humble – your red curry looks like spicy, salty, crunchy, tender scrumptiousness. Did the pickled bamboo lend a sour note to the curry?

Yes, they Did. I was out of limes, and the veg lady didn't have any when I got home from work - she was kind of like, "Limes? At 7:30 in the evening? Don't waste my time, madame."

So I thought, how am I going to get the sour note? And then I remembered the bamboo shoots. I make red curry two or three times a month, and this was one of the best I've made in ages.

So Pink! So Bright! There really isn't any point in doing more to them, is there?

[Gastro888]

My first attempt at braising pork belly, Chinese style. It turned out to be more of a stew than a braise but it was tasty nonetheless!

I marinated the pork belly in mushroom soy sauce, honey, five spice powder and white pepper overnight. Then I seared it in a pan and added chopped cabbage, shiitakes mushrooms and diced daikon. The remaining marinade was added to the pot (Is this gross? Sorry if it is.) I used chicken broth plus the soaking liquid from the shiitakes and added a touch of dark soy. It braised for an hour (after I removed the excess liquid!) and here you go. My first humble attempt.

Edited January 9, 2007 by Gastro888 (log)

[Ling]

^Was it tender after a only hour? We braise ours for 4 hours, and the pieces are cubed into about 1" x 2" pieces. We check it periodically after 3 hours, and it always seems to take a full 4 hours to get that melty-fatty texture we like.

[Gastro888]

It was tender and melting. Mind you, I am cooking for one and my pork belly was about the size of a deck of cards so that may have alot to do with it. I'm sure if I braised it longer it would've been even more so but there's always next time!

(I plated it in a mini-rice bowl. Not true to size!)

edited to add: OH! I skimmed over the part where you said you cut your pork belly up. I assumed you meant the entire belly. Whoops!

Edited January 9, 2007 by Gastro888 (log)

[Nishla]

I don't cook for 2 days, and again there are multiple pages of delicious food!

Wendy, who needs an oven when you can have mussels like that?!?

Tonight I made an interesting and tasty (if not so photogenic) pasta dish.

Started by browning some sausages, then adding cubed butternut squash. Seasoned with salt, red pepper flakes and thyme. After adding some chicken broth and a splash of red wine, I covered the pan and let the squash and sausages steam until cooked. Then, I removed the sausages, added half a can of tomatoes and some cream to the squash, and mashed it all together. Finally, I added back the sliced sausage. It was a nice change from my standard butternut squash/sausage preparation.

[D90]

Sunday Dinner

Slices of roast beef, garlic mashed potatoes, pan fried mushrooms all smothered in a red wine beef gravy (added more after taking the pict), and coleslaw.

Tonight's Dinner

Very spicy garlic and ginger red curry with tofu and green pepper then topped with enoki mushrooms, baby bok choy and some quick seared kobe beef, with a side of plain steamed rice.

[Domestic Goddess]

Our dinner tonight:

For hubs... Roasted Pork Tenderloin

For me, it was cleaning the fridge time... Chopseuy! (with ham, shrimp, oysters, imitation crab, bokchoy, mushrooms, etc.) I finished it with a liberal sprinkling of freshly-cracked Szhechuan pepper.

[laurelm]

My husband loved the food in germany, so i made this for him.

The bratwurst and saurkraut got colored pretty dark with beer I used ( a delicious german beer, btw)

but it was so good even if it does not look that appetizing!

Just an herbed salad with asiago cheese, capers and mushrooms.

[hathor]

Sorry Pontormo, I really was having a tense battle with Image Gullet and forget to mention that I posted the chicken in a salt crust recipe here on my blog. Its still a work in progress...or method in progress.

Gorgeous dinners everyone, as usual. Beautiful roasted pork loin, DG! You let your husband eat that while you ate the refrigerator special??

[Lumas]

Food from the past couple of days.

Pasta e fagiolo

Fake Fried Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken

Probaly wondering what fake fried chicken means? It is a flour and cornmeal mix browned in a fry pan and then roasted in the over for a half an hour. Comes out really good and only 2 tbs. of oil!!

[percyn]

Inspired by the Onglet I had at L'Atelier Joel de Robuchon, I made this steak with a caramelized shallot and red wine sauce, accompanied with mushroom risotto.

Edited January 10, 2007 by percyn (log)

[Megan Blocker]

Tonight was Chinese delivery, but last night was a pan-roasted chicken breast with herbed cappelini and a sauce of braised roasted, pickled, and fresh peppers.

On the side, a green salad (more on that here).

That steak looks divine, Percy.

[Chufi]

hathor, that pork with the pomegranate seeds looks amazing. With the amount of pomegranates you eat.. How do you get the seeds out? Do you know the Nigella trick with the wooden spoon?

Lumas I'd love some of that pasta/bean soup. Soup with pasta & beans is one of the very few things my husband does not like to eat so I don't make it very often, I think I should make a batch for the freezer, for solitary lunches!

It's healthy week in Amsterdam (well, in our house anyway ) but we're eating some good stuff! Made spring? summer? rolls today with shrimp, chinese leaf

and dried shii take mushrooms. Chili dipping sauce. Also made udon noodles and beef in a broth that was infused with ginger, star anise and cinnamon. Fragrant, almost no fat, delicious!

[prasantrin]

Fake Fried Chicken

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Fake fried chicken? It looks pretty real, to me! How did you do that? I'm trying to find a way to make a more healthful fried chicken, but the closest I've come is to fry a little, then bake.

Edited January 10, 2007 by prasantrin (log)

[Megan Blocker]

Fake fried chicken?  It looks pretty real, to me!  How did you do that?  I'm trying to find a way to make a more healthful fried chicken, but the closes I've come is to fry a little, then bake.

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Hear, hear! Lumas, can you add this to RecipeGullet when next you get a chance? It would also be great if you could share you wisdom here , or even here.

Klary, brava - that meal is beautiful and exquisitely photographed.

Edited January 10, 2007 by Megan Blocker (log)

[suzilightning]

please, lumas, i would love to see that recipe...please, please, please, please?!

when johnnybird gets home it will be maltaushen(waiting to be sauteed instead of poached tonight), red cabbage done with some d'artagnan duck bacon i found in my local shoprite, sauteed spinach with garlic, some steamed broccoli and homemade cinnamon applesauce. i get some quark and himself will get some fake sour cream(EXTREMELY lactose intolerant).

[Lumas]

Fake-Fried Chicken

The recipe is very basic. If anyone actually fools around with it and adds other spices, I would love to know. I only made this twice and haven't had a chance to play around with it. The coating will come off easily, so use a spatula and tongs to flip it and it stays on fine.

Edited January 11, 2007 by Lumas (log)

[Megan Blocker]

Thanks, Lumas!

I made risotto tonight (with roasted cauliflower, more details here), and a green salad on the side...very tasty, and easy, too.

[Domestic Goddess]

More fried chicken!

[ChryZ]

So after I saw this last week:

Szechuan dry-fried chicken (gan bian ji)

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I had to make it!

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Klary: Looks delicious, and I’m touched – this may be the first time I have inspired anyone's dinner.

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Anyone indeed! Bruce, look what you've done! I couldn't help it:

This is becoming some kind of renegade cook-off offspring.