Dinner! 2008

[Shelby]

Percyn, your pictures are beautiful!!! Your cherry tomatoes and mozz cheese have inspired my snack right at this moment!

[Misplaced_Texan]

Leek, Potato, And Oyster Soup

[MiFi]

Lamb Ragout w/Parpadelle

Brined Pork Loin Roast w/Rosemary Apricot Jus & Coucous

Taco Night: Carnitas (from leftover pork roast)

Grass fed Steak Salad Night

[cathrynapple]

That steak salad looks incredible. Especially with the inclusion of the avacado!

[Misplaced_Texan]

A special Valentine's Day update:

Grilled Marinated Calf’s Heart

[Chris Hennes]

While my wife is out of town I eat all the foods she doesn't like: tonight, that means shrimp. This is the shrimp stew recipe from this month's issue of Fine Cooking:

Edited February 14, 2008 by Chris Hennes (log)

[snowangel]

While my wife is out of town I eat all the foods she doesn't like: tonight, that means shrimp. This is the shrimp stew recipe from this month's issue of Fine Cooking:

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Chris, I have eyed this recipe. How was it? Would you make any changes?

[Chris Hennes]

Chris, I have eyed this recipe.  How was it?  Would you make any changes?

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It was less flavorful than I expected, but I don't think that was a bad thing: it allowed the shrimp flavor to shine through. I added quite a bit more lime than the recipe called for because I love lime, but otherwise I left the recipe alone and it worked well. It is also very fast to make, probably around 20 minutes including prep.

ETA: I made a 1/6 batch and it was still quite a bit of food when served over rice, so I think the recipe could easily serve 7 or 8.

Edited February 14, 2008 by Chris Hennes (log)

[Dr. J]

Last night's dinner.

Had a tough time plating and presentation, not very happy with it really. As usual I get too hungry and dont want to mess around too much so I dont feel too guilty.

Chilean Sea bass and Crab with a Coconut milk, curry, and pineapple sauce.

[percyn]

Dr J, that plate looks just fine to me. Though, I do like my crab immersed (simmered really) in the curry and love how it absorbs some of that flavor.

For Valentine's day dinner, I made

Pan Seared Scallops with Porcini and Truffle Risotto - Half way through, I topped one of the scallops with some bacon salt that I recently procured and it rocked!!

[JoshRountree]

I tried cooking Steak Au Poivre for my girlfriend for Valentine's Day. It turned out pretty good.

Edited February 15, 2008 by JoshRountree (log)

[purplewiz]

Dinner plans were changed due to the spousal unit's stomach bug. So dinner ended up being spam and broccoli souffle:

It was very good and very rich.

Marcia.

[lucylou95816]

Dinner plans were changed due to the spousal unit's stomach bug. So dinner ended up being spam and broccoli souffle:

It was very good and very rich.

Marcia.

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Marcia, that looks really good. Did you by chance make it low carb?

[AmritaBala]

percyn, your pics have a restaurant feel to them. they do not suck!!! )

Theres so many other dinner pics that I'll just say GOOD JOB EVERYONE!

[doctortim]

For Valentine's Day yesterday: Baked fish with roast kipfler potatoes and a dijon & creme fraiche sauce. On the side was some freshly baked bread and a rocket & pecorino salad. I was really happy with how it turned out, although I wish for the life of me I could remember what variety of fish I bought.

We don't really go for much of the song and dance around Valentine's Day, but I like it as an excuse to splash out on more expensive ingredients than I'd usually buy. Don't get me wrong, I love turning chuck beef and chick peas into a lovely curry, but it's fun to have a fantastic piece of meat/fish that needs nothing more than to be cooked properly.

Ready to go in the oven, on top of some sliced leeks and more butter:

The spread:

The main event:

[doctortim]

Percyn that looks great. I'm jealous of the size of the scallops you guys get over there. How do you incorporate the porcini into your risotto? I recently was given a bag of dried porcini mushrooms and I'm curious as to the best way use their flavour in a risotto.

[purplewiz]

Dinner plans were changed due to the spousal unit's stomach bug. So dinner ended up being spam and broccoli souffle:

It was very good and very rich.

Marcia.

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Marcia, that looks really good. Did you by chance make it low carb?

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Fortunately, savory souffles are naturally quite low in carbs. Two tbsp of flour in the whole thing to make the roux. I suppose if a low carb baking mix makes a decent roux, you could substitute, but that amount of flour is well below our carb threshhold . (edited to add: there's also a cup of milk in it which adds a few more - I always forget about that!)

Marcia.

Edited February 15, 2008 by purplewiz (log)

[C. sapidus]

After a week out of town I can’t possibly comment on all of the beautiful dinners, but percyn’s scallops and MiFi’s carnitas and steak salad jumped out and grabbed me by the taste buds.

Last night we went to a restaurant for crab cakes, cream of crab soup, and steaks – our way of thanking grandma and aunt for watching da boyz. Tonight we cooked Mexican red rice (arroz rojo – not pictured) and catfish sauteed with zucchini, garlic, lime, cilantro, and roasted Poblano chiles (Pescado al mojo de ajo con calabacitas).

[percyn]

Percyn that looks great. I'm jealous of the size of the scallops you guys get over there. How do you incorporate the porcini into your risotto? I recently was given a bag of dried porcini mushrooms and I'm curious as to the best way use their flavour in a risotto.

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Dr T, I am jealous of the size of the lobsters you get down under Using dried porcini mushrooms are pretty simple. Place approx 1/2 a handful of the porcinis in a cup and fill it with boiling water. Let it rehydrate for 15-20 min. The porcini are ready to use and the added bonus is that the mushroom liquid/broth that is left is extremely flavorful and can be used in risotto or sauces. Sometimes the mushrooms can have some grit (dirt) which settles on the bottom of the liquid, so be careful not to pour that or strain it through a muslin cloth.

Thanks all for your kind comments.

[Chris Hennes]

Continuing in the "food my wife doesn't eat" thread, tonight's dinner was a Reuben, inspired by the "Food Purity" thread:

[purplewiz]

DH still has the remnants of the stomach bug, so another simple dinner:

Chicken soup

And grilled cheese on whole wheat.

Marcia

Edited February 16, 2008 by purplewiz (log)

[AmritaBala]

DH still has the remnants of the stomach bug, so another simple dinner:

Chicken soup

And grilled cheese on whole wheat.

Marcia

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That grilled cheese looks so good

[C. sapidus]

Mmm, Reuben. Russian dressing or Thousand Island?

Marcia, I hope that comforting chicken soup cures the stomach bug.

Mrs. C requested tuna, so we pan-seared tuna steaks, topped with ginger-lime dipping sauce (from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen). Green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and leftover Mexican rice completed the meal.

[suzilightning]

not the prettiest picture but this is one of the best dishes i have eaten in a long time.

the leftovers from the italian pot roast converted into shepherd's pie with the addition of some shallots, mashed potato and gruyere cheese. john had some last night and agreed - i should make the main dish solely so there will be leftovers to make this one.

[David Ross]

Last night started with a salad of Orange, Jicama and Pickled Red Onion with Blue Cheese and a Orange Juice-Ginger-Herb Vinaigrette. I usually wouldn't mix the flavors of Bleu Cheese with Ginger, and I wouldn't mix Ginger with Herbs like Oregano and Marjoram but in this case the flavors worked pretty well. The Ginger seemed to accent and punch up the other flavors:

Followed with my Cioppino. I seem to change up this recipe every time I make it depending on what seafood looks good on the day I buy it. This Cioppino had Clams, Dungeness Crab, Oysters, Salmon and Pink Prawns from Florida: