Dinner! 2008

[C. sapidus]

Tonight we made cashew cream chicken and tomato rice from My Bombay Kitchen, accompanied by stir-fried okra, bean sprouts, and eternal cucumbers.

Making the cashew cream sauce suffused the kitchen with the wonderful aroma of onions, cardamom, cloves, dried chiles, and true cinnamon frying in ghee. With a cup and a half of cashews ground with dried chiles, cream, and spicy chicken stock, the sauce turned out gorgeously rich.

I’m having salad for lunch tomorrow. Probably the next day, too.

[Domestic Goddess]

Bruce I just wanna dive headfirst in that creamy sauce. You had me when you mentioned stir-fried okra...

[Kim Shook]

Daniel - fresh sardines <sigh>. I wish I could get those - I love them so much and no one in Richmond does them, that I can find.

Bruce - I'm with Doddie - that sauce is gorgeous!

Sunday dinner:

tomatoes that looked good, but were only ok - we haven't had any really good tomatoes at all this year

Chinese country ribs, slaw (the alarming pinkness is from some red cabbage that was in the mix), corn and sweet potato rolls

[milgwimper]

Hmmm Sockeye salmon, creamy sauce, CORN!!! Everything looks and sounds good, but I miss corn here in Germany. For some reason the corn isn't as sweet here, but it is also a lot more expensive. *sigh*

[judiu]

Chinese country ribs, slaw (the alarming pinkness is from some red cabbage that was in the mix), corn and sweet potato rolls

←

Ok, I give! Where's the recipe for those ribs, please, Please, PLEASE ? They look SO good, and of course I don't see them in THE COOKBOOK. Are they braised or grilled and what is that beautiful sauce?

[Kim Shook]

Chinese country ribs, slaw (the alarming pinkness is from some red cabbage that was in the mix), corn and sweet potato rolls

←

Ok, I give! Where's the recipe for those ribs, please, Please, PLEASE ? They look SO good, and of course I don't see them in THE COOKBOOK. Are they braised or grilled and what is that beautiful sauce?

←

Thank you! Here's the recipe. I am almost embarrassed to admit that they are slow cooker ribs (in the crock pot section - that's why you couldn't find it). I got the recipe from someone I trust at chowhound.com and they are really good. The sauce is an assortment of the usual faux Chinese suspects: catsup, soy, ginger, garlic, 5-spice powder . Don't forget the hoisin - I did and missed it.

Last night's dinner was tacos, corn on the cob, black beans, salad and stir fried snow peas (I know, but they were in the fridge from the weekend and needed cooking). No pictures because I was on the first shift and Jessica was 2nd shift getting ready for her Bastille day gathering (baguettes, Brie and pomme frites with some Andrew Lloyd Webber monstrosity on DVD in French:rolleyes:). From slicing the lettuce to washing the last dish - 1 hour flat. I felt like I hadn't eaten one hour later .

Edited July 15, 2008 by Kim Shook (log)

[judiu]

Chinese country ribs, slaw (the alarming pinkness is from some red cabbage that was in the mix), corn and sweet potato rolls

←

Ok, I give! Where's the recipe for those ribs, please, Please, PLEASE ? They look SO good, and of course I don't see them in THE COOKBOOK. Are they braised or grilled and what is that beautiful sauce?

←

Thank you! Here's the recipe. I am almost embarrassed to admit that they are slow cooker ribs (in the crock pot section - that's why you couldn't find it). I got the recipe from someone I trust at chowhound.com and they are really good. The sauce is an assortment of the usual faux Chinese suspects: catsup, soy, ginger, garlic, 5-spice powder . Don't forget the hoisin - I did and missed it.

Last night's dinner was tacos, corn on the cob, black beans, salad and stir fried snow peas (I know, but they were in the fridge from the weekend and needed cooking). No pictures because I was on the first shift and Jessica was 2nd shift getting ready for her Bastille day gathering (baguettes, Brie and pomme frites with some Andrew Lloyd Webber monstrosity on DVD in French:rolleyes:). From slicing the lettuce to washing the last dish - 1 hour flat. I felt like I hadn't eaten one hour later .

←

I have GOT to learn that everythingis in the the book, I just will have to keep looking!

[Reconstructing Dinner]

Epiphany - cabbage and pasta. Who knew? A few days ago I wrote about our dinner of smoked pork, pupusas and a slaw of shredded cabbage with grape tomatoes, red pepper, red onion, cilantro, lime juice. As an experiment with leftovers, two nights ago I sauteed the veggies and tossed them with fresh pasta. Wow.

And there's still more smoked pork shoulder. So last night I charred tomatillos and onion and then sauteed with garlic. Added whole grape tomatoes and a small FROZEN piece of the pork shoulder, covered and let simmer for 20 minutes. A completely unorthodox cooking method, I'm sure, but it worked. The tomatoes split open and the pork heated through without drying out. It went very well stuffed in a tortilla with avocado and lettuce.

Right, and there's still more pork shoulder in the freezer.

RD

[snowangel]

←

Serious jonesing for an ear of that sweet corn here in MN. Our spring (wait, we didn't really have a spring this year!) was so late, cold and wet that the corn was not knee-high by the 4th, and hasn't even tassled. The supermarkets are touting the sweet corn from Georgia as "fresh," but in my book, if it wasn't picked that morning, or while the water was put on to boil, it just ain't fresh.

I must confess that after looking at that photo, I have lust in my heart.

[Kim Shook]

Susan - I, too, think corn that is old is not truly corn and I confess that this was older than I would have liked, but it was still pretty darn good! We are also getting fantastic peaches. Now if we could only get good tomatoes!!

The prosaic dinner at our house last night was chili cheese dogs (with canned chili ), frozen fries and a big salad. I was trying to see if I could possibly butter and toast hot dog rolls the night before and reheat them to serve (testing things for Mr. Kim's fantasy football draft in August) - they didn't work out very well - they were just tough. Anyway - boring dinner, but I did make these for dessert:

These are ice cream sandwiches made with Tri2Cook's Toasted Marshmallow ice cream and Abigail Johnson Dodge's ice cream sandwich cookies. These were also a test for the draft celebration and were a much greater success than the hot dog buns!!

[RAHiggins1]

Iceberg wedge, gorgonzola roasted tomatoes, grilled chicken with a hot bacon-dijon vinegarette

Edited July 17, 2008 by RAHiggins1 (log)

[rooftop1000]

Last night was grilled "country style" ribs and Yukon Gold potatoes served with a salad of most of what was left from Saturdays trip to the farmers market.

Spinach

blanched chilled green beans

2 chunks of tomato from the fridge

cucumber

red onion

and basil with a balsamic dressing

I found it strange that my husband started listing things that would have added to his salad experience...like hard boiled agg or bacon or mushrooms

Sounds like a "proper" spinach salad to me...

tracey

[C. sapidus]

Doddie and Kim, thanks!

Keema with peas, stir-fried cabbage with fennel seeds, frozen peas, eternal cucumbers, and jasmine rice. Boys approved of the keema, and everyone fought for the cabbage (note to self: double the recipe next time).

The aroma of frying onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, and fennel seeds is a positive force in the universe.

[judiu]

Doddie and Kim, thanks!

Keema with peas, stir-fried cabbage with fennel seeds, frozen peas, eternal cucumbers, and jasmine rice. Boys approved of the keema, and everyone fought for the cabbage (note to self: double the recipe next time).

The aroma of frying onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, and fennel seeds is a positive force in the universe.

←

Bruce, make that same cabbage recipe, doubled, cook a pound of little bitsy shell macaroni and stir it all together, so that the shell scoop up some of the stirfried cabbage. Heavenly! Even better if you grate the cabbage, rather than shred it!

[alanamoana]

Keema with peas, stir-fried cabbage with fennel seeds, frozen peas, eternal cucumbers, and jasmine rice. Boys approved of the keema, and everyone fought for the cabbage (note to self: double the recipe next time).

←

Bruce, is this cabbage recipe posted somewhere? It sounds delicious and I love cabbage...

[David Ross]

Dungeness Crab was the star of last night's dinner.

First up was a Dungeness Crab Salad. I created this dish as an appetizer for one of the competitions on "MasterChef USA" on PBS back in 2000. Back then, I called the dish "Dungeness Crab Mosaic," (due to the cucumber and tomato being cut in little squares like a "mosaic" of tiles), with Marjoram Mayonnaise (too strong an herb for the sweet crab), and Pear Chips, (too rubbery in texture).

I've reworked the dish since then, but the basic elements are the same-Dungeness Crab, Roma Tomato and Cucumber. The garnishes have evolved to Lemon-Thyme Mayonnaise and Potato Chips.

Last weekend I did a cooking segment on local TV. (I'm writing a detailed blog about cooking on local television that will be posted later this week in the Food on TV forum). We did Tiger Shrimp Stuffed with Crab for the show last week.

I froze the leftover crab stuffing from the show and decided to use it in a new dish last night. I used the stuffing to make a version of what you could call "Spaghetti and Meatballs." In this dish the "spaghetti" was linguine that I tossed in a parmesan-cream sauce. The "meatballs" were made from the crab stuffing mixture. I dipped the meatballs in egg, then Panko breadcrumbs. I deep-fried the "meatballs" just until the crumbs were golden brown.

Whatever you call this dish-"Spagehtti and Meatballs" or "Crab Croquettes on Linguine"-it is simply delicious. Enjoy.

Edited July 18, 2008 by David Ross (log)

[C. sapidus]

Bruce, make that same cabbage recipe, doubled, cook a pound of little bitsy shell macaroni and stir it all together, so that the shell scoop up some of the stirfried cabbage. Heavenly! Even better if you grate the cabbage, rather than shred it!

←

judiu: Thanks for the suggestion, that sounds delicious.

Bruce, is this cabbage recipe posted somewhere?  It sounds delicious and I love cabbage...

←

alanamoana: Here you go - stir-fried green cabbage with fennel seed (click), from Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick and Easy Indian Cooking.

I had plans for dinner tonight - pollo en escabeche, salad with chipotle-balsamic vinaigrette - but I was stuck at the office until 8:00 PM. Ugh.

[WiscoNole]

Doddie and Kim, thanks!

Keema with peas, stir-fried cabbage with fennel seeds, frozen peas, eternal cucumbers, and jasmine rice. Boys approved of the keema, and everyone fought for the cabbage (note to self: double the recipe next time).

The aroma of frying onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, and fennel seeds is a positive force in the universe.

←

When's the last time you made a meal without a fanned row of sliced cukes?

[purplewiz]

I've been remiss in posting pictures of dinner (or much of anything, let's be honest) because it's been hot and I've been tired and busy and really haven't felt like cooking. But I have a few shots to share, even if they're nothing surprising:

Our belated fourth of July dinner started with a variant on an insalata caprese: tomato, basil from the garden, an avocado, and perlini mozzarella balls, which were delightful to eat and so much easier than trying to slice a rubber ball of mozzarella.

The rest of the meal: hot dogs, deviled eggs, and a Thai variant on Alton Brown's Asian slaw (lime and fish sauce in the dressing).

Another night: pork roast glazed with garlic, mustard, soy sauce, and a little orange marmalade. The drippings made a fantastic sauce. Accompanied by cauliflower salad - cooked cauliflower with the standard potato salad dressing, chopped celery and onions. It was pretty good, and I've been looking for new things to do with cauliflower since it's been on sale lately.

Dinner salad of grilled beef, grilled zucchini, and lots of vegetables. I did mention it's been too hot to cook?

Marcia.

[C. sapidus]

When's the last time you made a meal without a fanned row of sliced cukes? 

←

Breakfast.

[heidih]

Whatever you call this dish-"Spagehtti and Meatballs" or "Crab Croquettes on Linguine"-it is simply delicious.  Enjoy.

←

I want that, and I want it now! - with a squirt of lime or lemon juice.

[Shelby]

Dungeness Crab was the star of last night's dinner.

First up was a Dungeness Crab Salad. I created this dish as an appetizer for one of the competitions on "MasterChef USA" on PBS back in 2000.  Back then, I called the dish "Dungeness Crab Mosaic," (due to the cucumber and tomato being cut in little squares like a "mosaic" of tiles), with Marjoram Mayonnaise (too strong an herb for the sweet crab), and Pear Chips, (too rubbery in texture).

I've reworked the dish since then, but the basic elements are the same-Dungeness Crab, Roma Tomato and Cucumber.  The garnishes have evolved to Lemon-Thyme Mayonnaise and Potato Chips.

Last weekend I did a cooking segment on local TV.  (I'm writing a detailed blog about cooking on local television that will be posted later this week in the Food on TV forum).  We did Tiger Shrimp Stuffed with Crab for the show last week. 

I froze the leftover crab stuffing from the show and decided to use it in a new dish last night.  I used the stuffing to make a version of what you could call "Spaghetti and Meatballs."  In this dish the "spaghetti" was linguine that I tossed in a parmesan-cream sauce.  The "meatballs" were made from the crab stuffing mixture.  I dipped the meatballs in egg, then Panko breadcrumbs.  I deep-fried the "meatballs" just until the crumbs were golden brown. 

Whatever you call this dish-"Spagehtti and Meatballs" or "Crab Croquettes on Linguine"-it is simply delicious.  Enjoy.

←

Ohhhhhhhhh this looks sooooooo gooooood

Looking forward to reading about your show!

[nakji]

The light in this picture is perfect. I can imagine pulling up to this plate with a warm summer sunset in the distance, and a cold beer sweating onto the table...

[Tri2Cook]

←

Nice!

[David Ross]

Thanks everyone for your kind words about the crab dishes. The crab "meatballs" do take a bit of time to make, but the effort is worth it.

I prefer Dungeness Crab in this dish. I've made the recipe with fresh crab meat from the East, but it just doesn't seem to compare to the fresh taste of sweet Dungeness Crab.

The crab I used in this recipe came from deep waters off Alaska and was shipped to my fishmonger within a day of being harvested. It wasn't pre-cracked. He steams whole live Dungeness crabs and sends me home with the whole, cooked beast. I do the cracking, shelling and picking of the meat. I freeze the shells for making crab bisque in the winter.

My fish guy prefers the deepwater crabs rather than the crabs fished closer in because the deepwater crabs are bigger and the meat is more firm due to the colder water. At least that's what he tells me.

I am sure that I am biased towards Dungeness Crab due to my heritage as a native Northwesterner. I think your personal preference in crab will work just fine in the recipe.

Crab Stuffing-

8oz. fresh Dungeness crab meat

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup fresh bread crumbs

¼ cup diced red bell pepper

¼ cup chopped chives

1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Salt and black pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Lightly toss the mixture to form a loose stuffing. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the crab stuffing until ready to use.

I use a basic crab cake recipe for the meatballs. The only difference between the meatballs and the crab cakes are basically the shape and how I cook them.

For the meatballs I form some of the crab cake mixture into little balls. I then place them on wax paper on a plate and put them in the refrigerator to chill for a couple of hours. This helps the little meatballs to firm up.

I then dip the meatballs in beaten egg and then into panko. As you all know, panko is the Cadillac, the Ferrari if you will, of bread crumbs. No other type of breading will work for these crab meatballs.

All you are trying to do when you cook the meatballs is to warm the crab mixture and get the panko to a golden-brown color and crispy texture.

I fried the crab meatballs in canola oil heated to 350 in a deep wok.

The sauce for the linguine was very easy. After cooking the linguine I drained it. While the linguine was resting, I added some heavy cream and parmesan to the saucepan and let it cook down for a few minutes. I only added lemon juice and some capers. Next time I'm going to add some roasted garlic puree to give the sauce more flavor. I returned the drained linguine to the saucepan to combine it with the cream sauce.

You'll see the garnish of curly parsley in the photo. That was intentional. While I use Italian parsley, I also use curly parsley. I think some cooks have gotten away from using curly parsley because maybe it isn't as trendy as flat leaf parsley.

Lots of chefs that appear on tv seem to think the only parsley is Italian parsley, but I actually like the "grassy" taste of curly parsley. That's my treatise on parsley for the day.

Thanks again for the nice comments on the crab meatballs.