Dinner! 2008

[cathrynapple]

The soda bread is my favorite thing on this page!

Toliver, I think Mike already mentioned that the pictures are right-side up when he uploads them.

[Prawncrackers]

The soda bread is my  favorite thing on this page!

I would have to agree with that statement, great looking loaf!

My butcher turned up some wonderful stuff this weekend. Aside from the usual rare-breed pork that he specialises in, of which i couldn't resist buying some Tamworth shoulder, he had some Irish Moiled beef. I'd never heard of this breed before so my interest was instantly piqued and bought a couple of sirloin steaks. Wonderfully tender meat with a very rounded flavour, had it with some white asparagus, spinach and saffron fondant potato:

The asparagus was horrendously out of season i know but i'd never seen it available before and it was such an impulse buy!

Then to top it off, he also had some North Ronaldsay lamb. He gets it in once a year and it's very special he says. How could i resist? Bought half a shoulder, i have never seen should fabulously marbled dark coloured lamb before. Apparently they feed exclusively on seaweed in the remote Orkney islands, as soon as i got it home and handled it i knew it was something special. Simply slow roasted, with spinach again, potato & beetroot dauphinoise and salsa verde:

My wife and i are in complete agreement that this is by far the best lamb we have ever had. The flavour was incredibly deep, the meat tender and the fat was rich and buttery. If you ever see North Ronaldsay lamb for sale, you must must try it.

[snowangel]

Mrs. C and grandma collaborated on a delicious salad – spinach, shredded carrots, lingonberry-soaked apples, walnuts, and blue cheese, tossed with raspberry vinaigrette.

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Bruce: More on the lingonberry soaked apples, please! What kind of apples, and were you using lingonberry jam or lingonberries (of which I have a mess in the freezer).

[MikeHartnett]

This was a sous vide kinda weekend...

First up was rack of lamb sv'd with sun-dried tomato butter, served with Rancho Gordo runner cannellini bean salad and rosemary.

Next was citrus marinated salmon fillet over orange confit, served with Rancho Gordo good mother stallard beans in a Sriracha-mustard vinaigrette.

I guess it was also a bean kinda weekend.

Also, can someone please advise me as to how I turn my pictures right-side-up?

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I can't figure out why they are doing that. I assume they are facing the normal way when you view them on your computer?

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Yes, they're facing upright when I view them on my computer.

[Kouign Aman]

what was i thinking with those purple potatoes?

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They are gorgeous! I just called someone over to see all the vibrant color on the plate: golden, orange, purple, green...

We grow the purple spuds and are always looking for ways to serve them that showcase the color. Mashed potatoes go a lovely lilac, but if the lamps are yellow at all, it looks NASTY grey instead. Roasting them overrides the color. Potato salad and boiled new potatoes is fun, but this looks like even more fun.

[C. sapidus]

Bruce:  More on the lingonberry soaked apples, please!  What kind of apples, and were you using lingonberry jam or lingonberries (of which I have a mess in the freezer).

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Susan, Mrs. C used Granny Smith apples and Lingonsaft, a lingonberry drink concentrate from Ikea.

Kim, thanks, I look forward to seeing your ribs. Um, don’t take that the wrong way.

Meredithla, thank you! Your salsa sounds amazing - I imagine that it was wonderful with seared tuna. You should have a swordfish ceviche recipe by now.

Ann_T, you are very kind. I am just glad that I pulled up your dinner pictures after lunch rather than before. Otherwise, anyone standing between me and the cafeteria might have been trampled.

I meant to buy a megapack of chicken wings for stock, but mistakenly bought five pounds of chicken thighs. The boys cook dinner Sunday nights and the dishwasher was still busted, so they made the peppery grilled chicken from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Elder son is a soy sauce fiend, so he substituted soy sauce for fish sauce and grilled the thighs on the bone.

[tupac17616]

Pretty sloppy plating here, but quite tasty if I do say so myself...

red wine-marinated squid stuffed with sunchoke puree, lardons, and thyme; butternut squash puree and 30-year old balsamic vinegar

[Shelby]

Pretty sloppy plating here, but quite tasty if I do say so myself...

red wine-marinated squid stuffed with sunchoke puree, lardons, and thyme; butternut squash puree and 30-year old balsamic vinegar

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*Drooling*

[Shelby]

I needed spaghetti and meatballs again

[Chris Hennes]

Pretty sloppy plating here, but quite tasty if I do say so myself...

red wine-marinated squid stuffed with sunchoke puree, lardons, and thyme; butternut squash puree and 30-year old balsamic vinegar

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That looks really cool: I've never had stuffed squid. Labor intensive?

[suzilightning]

john's dinner from a few nights ago(he was late getting home and i was HUNGRY so ate earlier). pasta with shrimp, artichokes, tomatoes and red onion.

[tupac17616]

Pretty sloppy plating here, but quite tasty if I do say so myself...

red wine-marinated squid stuffed with sunchoke puree, lardons, and thyme; butternut squash puree and 30-year old balsamic vinegar

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That looks really cool: I've never had stuffed squid. Labor intensive?

I figured it would be pretty easy to get the puree stuffed into the squid tubes, but they were so floppy, it was a little slow!

[Toliver]

john's dinner from a few nights ago(he was late getting home and i was HUNGRY so ate earlier).  pasta with shrimp, artichokes, tomatoes and red onion.

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Ooh, that looks simple and good. Did you put any dressing/sauce on it?

[Chris Hennes]

Yellowfoot mushroom omellete, or perhaps more appropriately, sauteed yellowfoot mushrooms with shallots and thyme, wrapped in thin layer of egg:

[Shelby]

Yellowfoot mushroom omellete, or perhaps more appropriately, sauteed yellowfoot mushrooms with shallots and thyme, wrapped in thin layer of egg:

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This looks yummy! I've never heard of yellowfoot mushrooms. What are they like?

[Chris Hennes]

This looks yummy!  I've never heard of yellowfoot mushrooms.  What are they like?

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I had never heard of them either, but I figured while I still live in Pennsylvania I should eat all the mushrooms I can get my hands on! These were quite mild, actually. I was a little disappointed... I was hoping for a bolder mushroom flavor to hold its own against the shallots and thyme, but I think these were outmatched and just contributed to the umami of the dish. It was good, but I think several other mushroom varieties would be better (like morels! ).

[Shelby]

This looks yummy!  I've never heard of yellowfoot mushrooms.  What are they like?

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I had never heard of them either, but I figured while I still live in Pennsylvania I should eat all the mushrooms I can get my hands on! These were quite mild, actually. I was a little disappointed... I was hoping for a bolder mushroom flavor to hold its own against the shallots and thyme, but I think these were outmatched and just contributed to the umami of the dish. It was good, but I think several other mushroom varieties would be better (like morels! ).

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Thanks Chris. I, too, LOVE morels. In fact, it's getting to be time to pick them around here. Some years they grow, and others they don't so it's always interesting.

[Nishla]

Hi everyone, fantastic-looking dinners all around...

I haven't had much time to post over the last few months, but I've been checking in periodically for dinner inspiration

Here are a few recent (and not so recent) things we've made:

Ajo blanco, from the Jose Andres tapas cookbook

Garnished with grapes and olive oil. Really really good.

Pork chop with apples and sage:

Mapo tofu with green beans and shrimp

We got some seriously potent szechuan peppercorns...numbing and fragrant at the same time

Scallops with beet and cauliflower purees

Butternut squash tart with sauteed mushrooms

Hopefully I'll get my act together and start posting more regularly again!

[Renka]

Herbs de Provence Crusted Rack of Lamb with Shiraz Reduction, Yukon Gold Mash and Steamed Asparagus

I had a baa-d craving for some lamb.

Edited March 5, 2008 by Renka (log)

[tupac17616]

Ajo blanco, from the Jose Andres tapas cookbook

Garnished with grapes and olive oil.  Really really good.

Butternut squash tart with sauteed mushrooms

Both of these look particularly fantastic, Nishla! Can I come over for dinner?

[tupac17616]

red wine and roasted butternut squash farrotto with bacon, roasted mushrooms, and thyme

[alanamoana]

tupac17616, with the squid (next time) you might try using a piping bag if the puree/filling isn't too chunky. might save you some time

[Chufi]

Nishla,

great to see you again!

That butternut squash tart looks brilliant. What a fabulous idea to have a savoury tart and top it with something after it comes out of the oven (I'm assuming that's what you did).

I can see that working with other savoury tarts and quiches as well. Makes them look more attractive and gives a textural contrast as well.

[suzilightning]

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Ooh, that looks simple and good. Did you put any dressing/sauce on it?

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thank you for those kind words.

just some extra virgin olive oil and capers... this is one of those 15 minutes after he gets home and is hungry dishes. i keep the shrimp frozen in individual baggies so i pull one, pop the shrimp in the pasta water just till they are defrosted then it is done.

[Kim Shook]

David - thanks for the recipe for the onions. I'm thinking they would be good over top of Marlene's Ground Round patties!

Ann - I agree with Shelby - everything looks wonderful, but that sandwich with the gravy is dive in good!!

monavano - the stromboli looks so incredibly good. I think that I am going to try panini with those ingredients (got a press for Christmas and am always looking for ways to use it!)

MikeHartnett - I second the Picasa suggestion that Toliver made. It has really made my life so much easier. It might even correct that rotation glitch!

tupac - gorgeous squid. I thought they were radishes at first!

suzilightning - I am loving that shrimp and pasta. I use artichoke hearts with shrimp a lot. I think they have a real affinity!

Nishla - I'm glad you are back - I love your meals! The pork chop and apple dish looks wonderful! Nice crisp crust on that chop! And the scallops are beautiful!

This was dinner on Sunday. I made Mahogany Glazed Ribs, Tangy Cabbage Slaw w/ Golden Raisins and Sweet Cherry Clafoutis from an old issue of Food & Wine (I'm working harder at going through my recipe/food magazine collection). I also had some of Marlene's Crispy Smashed Potatoes and some ciabatta rolls. The ribs were really good - sticky, sweet and a little spicy. The clafoutis didn't turn out very well. I did something wrong and am trying to figure out what in the Pastry boards. It tasted great, but didn't get the cakey part (no rise) - it was just custardy. I used frozen cherries and didn't think that it would be a problem since the recipe calls for freezing the fresh cherries before using them, but with all the 'bleeding' I think frozen cherries might have been the problem. It was a Paula Wolfert recipe, so I know that it should work - I just had trouble with it!