Dinner! 2007

[C. sapidus]

Whoa – I missed a few days, and there are way too many beautiful dinners to comment on.

Doddie: Happy anniversary! (better late than never)

Welcome Shelby and LaCookrasha – thanks for joining in the fun!

This was a weird and disjointed week – our white dog died suddenly, so cooking was not our top priority. Anyway, tonight’s dinner was green mango salad with grilled beef (from Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table), celebration yellow rice (from Cradle of Flavor), and cucumbers. I also grilled NY strip steaks for the boys and one of their friends.

[Ann_T]

Bruce I'm so sorry for your loss.

Ann

[Pierogi]

Ditto Bruce, my condolences for your White Dog. I have two (Dogs, both White....) and know how important they are (dogs in general, White Dogs in particular).

[percyn]

Bruce, sorry to hear about your loss.

Last night's dinner consisted of

Insalata Caprese

Thai Spice Grilled Copper River Salmon

[lucylou95816]

Bruce, very sorry to hear about your white dog....I send best wishes to your family.

[Carlovski]

I took the actual shells out along with the siphons (they were big and chewy) before mixing in the noodles a tiny bit of light cream. The taste was very good but their was still some residual grittiness - like getting a bit of sand in your food. I never have this problem with mussels, there must be a trick to it.

I emailed the clam vendor's ask the chef and promptly got this reply:

Fresh steamer clams can be placed in a bowl of salted water (sea water) with a tablespoon of cornmeal. The clams take in the cornmeal and spit out sand. This method takes about 2 to 3 hours.

So pleased was I more Q's were sent:

Where did my steamer clams come from? Local aquaculture?

Our clams come from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

What about those black siphons - do people usually eat them?

You may eat the siphons. If you are not accustomed to eating them...try them....they kind of taste like chewy scallops.

Does the cornmeal trick work on your mussels too?

Mussels should not contain grit as they are suspended by strings as they grow.

←

Wow, I wish I could get vendors like that here. That Mackerel looked good too btw.

[judiu]

Bruce, my sympathy to you and your family for your loss. I know how important our fur families can be!

[Shelby]

Shrimp, artichoke and cheese - an amazing dish by Marcella, featured in two of her books, and in the words of the latest, Marcella Says, being a perfect example of insaporire, "making tasty" - the artichokes are pan roasted to become very dark and very tasty for about 30mins...

when pulled out of the oven the dish looked so voluptuous, almost obscene

and it tasted quite like so 

←

Man oh man I love shrimp and artichokes!

*drooling*

[Shelby]

Bruce, I have 3 fur babies and feel so sorry for your loss.

[Peter the eater]

I took the actual shells out along with the siphons (they were big and chewy) before mixing in the noodles a tiny bit of light cream. The taste was very good but their was still some residual grittiness - like getting a bit of sand in your food. I never have this problem with mussels, there must be a trick to it.

I emailed the clam vendor's ask the chef and promptly got this reply:

Fresh steamer clams can be placed in a bowl of salted water (sea water) with a tablespoon of cornmeal. The clams take in the cornmeal and spit out sand. This method takes about 2 to 3 hours.

So pleased was I more Q's were sent:

Where did my steamer clams come from? Local aquaculture?

Our clams come from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

What about those black siphons - do people usually eat them?

You may eat the siphons. If you are not accustomed to eating them...try them....they kind of taste like chewy scallops.

Does the cornmeal trick work on your mussels too?

Mussels should not contain grit as they are suspended by strings as they grow.

←

Wow, I wish I could get vendors like that here. That Mackerel looked good too btw.

←

Thanks - You probably can - these guys sell online a lot here

[percyn]

Wanted to use up some Copper River Salmon, so I made this...

Grilled Copper River Salmon with Roasted Corn Salsa and Avocado - the richness of the salmon and avocado was cut by the acid of the tomatoes and lime in the salsa, while the grilled corn added a crunchy texture and smoky/salty flavor.

[DesertCulinary]

Bruce - Very sorry to hear about the loss of your white pup

[purplewiz]

Bruce, I'm so sorry to hear about your dog.

Marcia.

[C. sapidus]

Thanks to everyone for the sympathy – you are all very kind.

Tonight we grilled hamburgers with thick-sliced onions for the boys and their friends, and made pork larb for the grownups. More info on Larb Laab Larp, the Thread (click).

[Domestic Goddess]

Bruce, add my sympathies to the loss of your furbaby.

Tonight's dinner is Grilled Filet Mignon with Frites

[little ms foodie]

Bruce, very sad to hear about your dog

last night we started with cocktails and snacks- Ramos Gin Fizz

fresh ricotta and some nice evoo from tuscany on black pepper flatbread crackers, chorizo and olives

and then a Bronx

percyn's caprese looked so good the other day I had to have some! All the basil (sweet and purple) came from our herb garden

then we did rosemary garlic hanger steak on the grill and zucchini gratin

Betz Clos du Betz in the glass

[Shelby]

Oh wow, Wendy, that looks really good! The caprese salad looks great. I planted tons of purple and sweet basil this spring--the bunnies ate ALL the purple and left the green alone

[viva]

This thread is making me hungry for Caprese.

Spatchcocked chicken (a Smart chicken... very tasty little guy) martinated with oregano/garlic/red pepper/olive oil then roasted & finished under the broiler. With corn cakes & salsa verde and sliced tomatoes. I never made corn cakes before... surprisingly straightforward. Sorry for the camera phone pic.

Edited June 24, 2007 by viva (log)

[C. sapidus]

Doddie and Wendy – beautiful meals from the both of you, and thanks for the kind thoughts.

Tonight the contents of the fridge dictated a mish-mash of Mexican and Vietnamese dishes: chipotle shrimp; grilled eggplant with scallion oil; and green salad with cilantro-lime dressing. The shrimp and salad were from Rick Bayless’ Mexican Everyday. I borrowed this book from the library, and the salad dressings looked like so much fun that I bought it. I'm looking forward to cooking more Mexican food on weeknights.

The shrimp would have been better with cilantro, but I used it all up in the salad dressing. Younger son's friend stayed for dinner, so I also stir-fried shrimp with salt, sugar, and ancho chile powder. The family made "shrimp rolls" with garlic bread, shrimp, and cilantro-lime dressing.

[Ann_T]

OOh Wendy your dinner looks wonderful.

Doddie I'd love your steak and frites.

Bruce yet another meal of yours I would love. All your meals are so colourful and so appealing.

A few of this weeks dinners. Italian Rosemary chicken with a side of pasta.

Bought a new toy. Cast Iron Tortilla make with stainless steel plates

so dinner had to be Tex Mex. Pork tacos.

and we had the leftovers in a dip last night. Fried up the leftover corn tortillas for chips.

Dinner tonight was Greek Style Baby Back Ribs.

[lucylou95816]

Ann,

Your tortillas look wonderful. I recently went cheap and bought a plastic maker, and the tortillas were way too thick. Where did you find that beauty? They look really thin.

[Ann_T]

Ann,

Your tortillas look wonderful.  I recently went cheap and bought a plastic maker, and the tortillas were way too thick.  Where did you find that beauty?  They look really thin.

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Lucy, I had an aluminum press that I tossed years ago for the same reason. It didn't make thin corn tortillas. This one weighs almost 7 pounds and I was really surprised at how thin the tortillas were. And how easy. No effort at all. Here is the link to the website I ordred mine from.

Ann

[Chufi]

Now I want a tortillapress! What a beautiful piece of equipment!

I got a special delivery from my aunt & uncle's vegetable garden this weekend: zucchini, capucijner peas, red currants and raspberries. We had the peas with onions and bacon, I made my anise & cinnamon scented redcurrant jelly, and we snacked on the raspberries all weekend!

Edited June 25, 2007 by Chufi (log)

[Shelby]

OMG those raspberries look so good. I'm jealous!

[kbjesq]

I need to stop reading this thread in between meals . . .all these beautiful dishes make me hungry! Last night we started with summer rolls with shrimp and peanut sauce. DH bought culantro instead of cilantro, but they were tasty just the same. Dinner was grilled tuna steaks, hijiki with carrots, roasted cauliflower and buckwheat noodles with sesame and chives. Dessert was Ina Garten's coconut cake and mango sorbet.

buckwheat noodles with sesame and chives