Dinner! 2007

[monavano]

The Spanglish sandwich.

Rustic white bread (farmers market)

tomatoes (farmers market)

mayo

bacon

red leaf lettuce

Keswich Creamery cheddar (farmers market)

Burp....

[Prawncrackers]

A very special dinner tonight - my wife cooked it!!!!

Seriously though, my wife cooks about 3-4 times a year and tonight it was goats cheese, bacon and red onion tartlets. Deelish, i'm definitely getting her to cook more often:

[suzilightning]

dinner from last night

john's dinner - roasted salmon with ponzu sauce and a potato and haricot vert salad with a dijon vinaigrette

my dinner and our leftover dinners for tomorrow. chicken saltimbucco, rice pasta and heirloom cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market

Edited August 20, 2007 by suzilightning (log)

[nonblonde007]

I can't single out any dish lately, they all look so fantastic! Allthough, I do tend to be partial to any seafood creation.

Tonight, long and slow roast w/veggies and rich onion gravy. Comfort food, gotta love it!

[Peter the eater]

Handsome meals everyone! Here are a few of my own:

some good stuff from our garden (zuke, spuds, escarole, parsley, chard, sage):

went well with a grilled ribeye:

and steamed clams:

and today a T-bone with eggplant and cheesy mushroom cap:

[maggiethecat]

A very special dinner tonight - my wife cooked it!!!! 

Seriously though, my wife cooks about 3-4 times a year and tonight it was goats cheese, bacon and red onion tartlets.  Deelish, i'm definitely getting her to cook more often:

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The Lady is a Cook. Her skills are for sure underutilized!

Marlene, what a gorgeous memorial dinner.

[Bella S.F.]

Tonight-Fried Oysters with Homemade Tartar Sauce.

I buy extra small or petite size pre-shucked oysters that are packed fresh from the Pacific Oyster Company on the Oregon Coast and then shipped throughout the Northwest.  They are tiny and incredibly sweet and tender. 

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David,

Please, please, please... I just love fired oysters and can't find them often enough around here. How did you make them?

Thanking you in advance and tasting them already.

[monavano]

Grilled flank steak and peaches, potato and onions with Italian seasonings, and salad.

For dessert, cheesecake with blackberries.

[David Ross]

Tonight-Fried Oysters with Homemade Tartar Sauce.

I buy extra small or petite size pre-shucked oysters that are packed fresh from the Pacific Oyster Company on the Oregon Coast and then shipped throughout the Northwest.  They are tiny and incredibly sweet and tender. 

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David,

Please, please, please... I just love fired oysters and can't find them often enough around here. How did you make them?

Thanking you in advance and tasting them already.

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I'm happy to oblige.

We get very fresh pre-shucked oysters that come in small containers. They are just fine for fried oysters-you don't need to go to the trouble of shucking live oysters.

I but the 'petite' or 'extra small' size oysters. I think they give the best texture for fried oysters-little nuggets of oyster flavor that are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.

The oysters that are pre-shucked come from the Pacific Oyster company in Oregon. They aren't labeled by the variety of oyster like 'Kumamoto' or 'Hood Canal' but I don't think that matters as much as they are very fresh.

The cooking method is simple, but also very precise so follow the instructions closely and you'll have great results.

I drain the oysters in a colander and rinse them with cold water. This helps to wash off some of the slime from the packing jar. Not necessary and some might say it washes away some oyster juice but I like to rinse them.

Then I dredge the oysters in a pre-seasoned fry mix. I buy either 'Krusteaz' brand which is made in Seattle or 'Pride of the West' made in Portland. You could make up your own seasoned flour, but I find the commerical products work better.

I don't add any seasoning to the fry mix. I season the oysters AFTER frying. I don't like the seasoning to burn as the oysters fry.

Once the oysters are dredged in the fry mix, I then put them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and put the oysters in the fridge for about an hour. This is a chef's trick and it helps the coating stick to the oysters. The oysters soak up some of the fry mix.

Then dredge the oysters in the fry mix a second time just before frying. That's the key to getting a good crispy coating.

On the above photo you may be happy, or disgusted, to know I fried the oysters in LARD! Yes, pork fat. I didn't have any canola oil, my usual frying oil, on hand.

I like the bland of canola oil for frying. Peanut oil is the preferred frying oil of some, but I don't like the strong taste, especially with oysters. I want the oyster to star in the taste of the dish.

I use a non-stick frying pan and fill it with about 1/2-3/4" of oil. I use a thermometer to make sure the oil gets up to 350 degrees.

Take the oysters out of the fridge, dredge them a second time, shake off the excess coating mix then into the hot oil.

I fry the oysters about 2 minutes per side. I poke the little buggars to make sure the outside is crispy and golden brown before I take them out of the hot oil. I don't recommend others put their fingers in hot lard.

I then drain the oysters on a cookie rack-NOT paper towels. You don't want any part of the oyster to sit on a paper towel-the bottom will get soggy. Drain the oysters on a rack first, season them, then you can serve them on a plate lined with a paper towel if you want.

I season the oysters immediately after I take them out of the hot oil. I use Paul Prudhomme's Cajun Magic seasoning for seafood. Then a quick squirt of fresh lemon juice and they are ready to eat.

I served the oysters with homemade tartar sauce. I make homemade mayonnaise and add capers and some Nalley's brand dill pickle relish. Using dill pickle relish is much easier than chopping up pickles by hand.

Here's the recipe for the mayonnaise:

2 whole eggs

1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1-1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil

Place the eggs, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste in a blender. Process just until ingredients are combined, about 20 seconds.

With blender running at low speed, slowly drizzle in the oil in a slow steady stream. Continue to add enough oil until the mayonnaise thickens. This will take about 3-5 minutes.

Refrigerate the mayonnaise at least one hour before using to allow it to cool and the oil to set.

[Jensen]

Tonight's dinner was designed to beat the heat. We're a day or two into one of our hot spells (meaning triple digit temperatures and little or no Delta breeze to cool us off at night). Even though it might seem counterintuitive at first blush, that meant dinner al fresco!

Our setting was "Poolside":

And the meal:

Moving clockwise from the Corona, we have: Pugliese bread and Canadian stone wheat thins; English Stilton, Marin French Cheese Company's Triple Creme Brie, Canadian cheddar (ignore the custard cup in the background...it's my high tech lap counting system); grilled CA* steak, rare; Watanabe Farms' heirloom zebra tomatoes (green, yellow, and red); black grapes and plums; Hami melon; dill pickles, cornichons, and pickled onion.

* CA == cheap ass

My choices:

The Corona was mine and the Spawn had some Virgil's Microbrewed Rootbeer. She chose her glassware with a political message in mind:

And, because we laugh in the face of danger, dinner was immediately followed by a dip in the pool. A pox on your 30 minutes!

[Prawncrackers]

Nice spread Jensen and thanks for the sunny photos. We've had one of the wettest and coldest summers here in the UK. Yes, even by our standards it has been miserable! So your pics are most welcome.

Very simple dinner tonight; fried Mooli cake (the Chinese contingency will appreciate this one ) and poached chicken legs with ginger/scallion/chilli/coriander oil dip.

[C. sapidus]

So many lovely meals! Back-to-school night tonight, so dinner was an odd mix of the available: Sichuan chicken in red-oil sauce; and tomato-cuke-spinach salad with chorizo dressing. Best of all, poaching the chicken yielded lots of ginger- and scallion-flavored stock.

[Jensen]

Prawncrackers, your condiment reminds me of a Hmong-style one I made not too long ago; it was made up of chiles, green onions, and Thai basil. Does the addition of oil make it last longer?

I re-read the "Cold Noodle Dishes" Cook-off thread before making tonight's dinner. I just kind of winged it and made the following from some organic soba noodles the Spouse brought home from a business trip for me:

Dinner was followed by a swim and then dessert: Haagen-Dazs vanilla bean ice cream (left), Haagen-Dazs dulce de leche ice cream (right), and ginger snaps.

Edited August 23, 2007 by Jensen (log)

[Prawncrackers]

Prawncrackers, your condiment reminds me of a Hmong-style one I made not too long ago; it was made up of chiles, green onions, and Thai basil. Does the addition of oil make it last longer?

The condiment is just an adaptation of the standard Chinese Scallion/Ginger oil for poached chicken. It's the equivalent to say Salsa Verde where you need the oil not for preservation but to really carry the strong punchy flavours (fat=flavour*). But unlike Salsa Verde the ingredients aren't completely raw. A quickie recipe if you like to try: finely mince ingredients and put in a small heat proof dish, season well with salt and mix thoroughly. Get a pan really hot and add veggie or corn oil until it starts to smoke then sizzle enough onto the ingredients to just cover them. Add soy to taste and mix well again.

I suspect it will last a couple of days but it’s at its best made fresh (like salsa verde). Besides it’s so simple to make. I’ve not specified the ingredients but the classic one is just scallion & ginger. Make sure to use really fresh ginger and grate it finely catching all the juice.

Keep the sunny pictures coming, they must be working because the weather's picked up a little today!!

*1st law of food-dynamics

[sazji]

I made these stuffed peppers today. The filling is rice, ground meat, parsley, grated tomatoes, chopped onions, mint, a little cumin, salt, pepper, marash pepper and some sun dried red pepper paste, and a few left over "sivri" peppers (strongly flavored long green peppers popular in Turkey. The cooking water had a tablespoon of tomato paste added to it. They are closed with a thin slice taken off the sides of the tomatoes before grating. They're usually eaten with yogurt on the side.

[weinoo]

I then drain the oysters on a cookie rack-NOT paper towels.  You don't want any part of the oyster to sit on a paper towel-the bottom will get soggy.  Drain the oysters on a rack first, season them, then you can serve them on a plate lined with a paper towel if you want. 

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Great tip, David!! Everyone that fries should learn this. Same with using a brown paper bag - your fried stuff will just get soggy.

Thanks, and those oysters look beautiful.

[Jensen]

I suspect it will last a couple of days but it’s at its best made fresh (like salsa verde).  Besides it’s so simple to make.  I’ve not specified the ingredients but the classic one is just scallion & ginger.  Make sure to use really fresh ginger and grate it finely catching all the juice.

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Thank you!

I have a piece of beef in the freezer that I think would be well-matched with such a condiment. I might even make two versions of it: one with and one without chiles. Hmmmm...sounds like Saturday night dinner to me!

[Jensen]

[...] tomato-cuke-spinach salad with chorizo dressing.

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This dressing looks really interesting. Do you mind sharing how you made it? I could see the salad with dressing making a great standalone lunch for me (the Spouse doesn't care for chorizo ).

[C. sapidus]

This dressing looks really interesting. Do you mind sharing how you made it? I could see the salad with dressing making a great standalone lunch for me (the Spouse doesn't care for chorizo  ).

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Jensen: The chorizo dressing was pretty simple. Fry the chorizo, add the garlic, and then shake in a jar with oil, vinegar, Mexican oregano, and a little salt if needed. I will be happy to PM the recipe if you would like more detail.

Tonight we made a variation of quick-seared Poblano beef tips (puntas de filete al chile Poblano), from Rick Bayless’ Mexican Everyday. We pan-seared ribeye cubes, fried onion slices and potato cubes, roasted Poblano chiles, deglazed the pan with oatmeal stout and Worcestershire sauce, and finished with Thai basil. Dee-lish.

[Pierogi]

Absolutely stunning ! What a brilliant idea to close the peppers with a slice of tomato.

[sazji]

Absolutely stunning !  What a brilliant idea to close the peppers with a slice of tomato.

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Thanks! Just so I don't give the impression that this was some personal breakthrough, it is standard practice here! Another interesting one is to close the ends of tiny stuffed eggplant with a wad made of a grape leaf. You stuff the good ones, and use the ripped or badly-shaped ones for "wads."

[suzilightning]

dreary and coolish so what else but some comfort food to warm the body... and soul. fresh jersey corn, salad with green goddess dressing and meatloaf

[tug]

A very special dinner tonight - my wife cooked it!!!! 

Seriously though, my wife cooks about 3-4 times a year and tonight it was goats cheese, bacon and red onion tartlets.  Deelish, i'm definitely getting her to cook more often:

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I would love to hear how she made this!

[Peter Green]

Bachelor time. I'm waiting for the missus to call from Canada, so I might as well put up the dinner pics.

Tonight it was braised lamb shank.

The braise was brown chicken stock, with onions, rosemary, and carrots worked in, and then some tomato paste. Three hours in the oven, then pull it out, strain, and then add some roasted tomato and roasted garlic. Toss in some gargir (rocket), and serve with rice to pick up the sauce.

And the best way to eat it? Metal chopsticks to take the meat away in tidy bits, and a spoon for the sauce.

Hmmm.....phone still hasn't rung.

[weinoo]

I spotted this stuff at the farmer's market Wednesday...mmmmmmm...

lots o' basil...

loads o' garlic...

and...from the Peconic Bay on Long Island... heaps o'

And last night I ended up with a play on Moules a la Mariniere

(Steamed Mussels in White Wine)!