Dinner! 2008

[SobaAddict70]

Sucrine salad with roasted asparagus, Japanese turnips and poached egg

Heirloom potato and turnip green soup

[Domestic Goddess]

SobaA - the simplicity of your salad is making me swoon. Of course, the breaking of the egg yolk adds to the mouthwatering quality of your dinner. Sigh.

[nakji]

Care to share how you cooked your turnips? I've been seeing these turnips at the market recently, but I don't know how to treat them. That salad looks just the thing for when I get home from work.

This past weekend I bought "Harumi's Japanese Cooking", and I've already made several recipes from it that I'm quite happy with. Last night I made her scallops with miso cream sauce, which were fan-freaking-tabulous and tonight I made Steamed Chicken Salad with Sesame Sauce, which was similarly good. In fact, I had earmarked leftovers for tomorrow's bento, but that will not be happening. I served it with some steamed rice and Korean radish pickles.

[SobaAddict70]

nakji -- just toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. leave them unpeeled. roast in a 350 F oven for 10 to 15 minutes. they should have just started to soften but still have some bite left to them.

recipe for the salad is here

I prefer to treat them in as uncomplicated a manner as possible, in order to let their flavor shine.

[Ce'nedra]

Curse you Ce'nedra! I had forgotten that I missed those!

Now I will crave them all week. 

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Love that dish ce'nedra.

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I love it too -perhaps my favourite dish at Yum Cha (or Dim Sum to non-Aussies). Unfortunately, mine was nowhere as good as the original -BUT it would suffice for now

[Kim Shook]

Gorgeous food, y'all! I am sitting here waiting for the drug rep to deliver our crap lunch and wishing I was at the eG Cafe - good food and company !

MiFi - I have to single out that beautiful bleu cheese burger - right up our alley!! And as soon as I saw the pork I googled 'pineapple ketchup' with no results. Would you mind posting the recipe, please!!

As I mentioned before, I am really simplifying my cooking - for both health and time reasons. So my meals haven't been much worth posting lately. But I did cook some scallops and grilled asparagus that were good. I served it with some mesclun that I was not at all happy with. I got it at the farmer's market. It seemed like it was made up mostly of dandelion and some big, tough, bitter leaves that looked just like large broadleaf - it was all lacey with bug munching, too (not pictured):

[Shelby]

Kim, I think your scallops look lovely! What is the sauce on the plate?

We've been on asparagus overload. It was a very cool spring, here, so our garden is producing it like crazy.

[Kim Shook]

Kim, I think your scallops look lovely!  What is the sauce on the plate?

We've been on asparagus overload.  It was a very cool spring, here, so our garden is producing it like crazy.

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Thank you! I just deglazed the pan with some lemon juice and added some whole grain mustard. Mr. Kim and Baby Bear thought it was a little strong with the scallops, but I liked it. I might try something citrusy next time - I have a huge amount of scallops in the freezer (big sale at our store).

[nakji]

Well, if you're looking around for scallop recipes.....

I made this one the other night, again from "Harumi's Japanese Cooking" - scallops with a miso cream sauce. It was sooooooo good, I even convinced my husband to try a bit. I served it with a loaf of bread to sop up the sauce, and it made a perfect easy meal. She recommends serving it on watercress, but I couldn't find it at the market, so I just used lettuce and was perfectly happy with that. If you'd like, I'll pm you the recipe.

[Shelby]

Kim, I think your scallops look lovely!  What is the sauce on the plate?

We've been on asparagus overload.  It was a very cool spring, here, so our garden is producing it like crazy.

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Thank you! I just deglazed the pan with some lemon juice and added some whole grain mustard. Mr. Kim and Baby Bear thought it was a little strong with the scallops, but I liked it. I might try something citrusy next time - I have a huge amount of scallops in the freezer (big sale at our store).

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I love mustardy stuff like that!

Pasta primavera with fresh asparagus and radishes from the garden. I threw in some chunks of monkfish, too.

Strawberry cobbler

[monavano]

Lovely dinners, everyone!!

Last night's dinner started with a salad of watercress, strawberries, gorgonzola dolco and candied pecans with a champagne vinaigrette. Recipe here.

[Peter Green]

Oh, I so miss strawberries!

For our part, tonight was a mish mash. Some Chinese, some Thai, some Korean.

There was what started as a Thai beef salad. A marinated Australian tenderloin grilled until pink, and then left to rest and cool.

The meat was then drizzled with a dressing of chilis, nampla, sugar, and lime

And served with fresh lettuce, mint, and coriander (on the plate with the meat). Oh, and long beans. You have to have long beans. We just wrapped the meat up in the lettuce with bits of everything and tossed it down.

But this meat, pink and cool as it was, got me thinking that I should look up my Vivalda notes on veal with tuna sauce.

The sprouts looked good today, so we did these up in a simple Korean manner: blanched, then finished with green onion, garlic, and sesame. Simple is often the best.

And then, because I needed my Sichuan pepper fix, we did Dong'an Ji - a braised chicken with lots of chili oil and a good handful of my crushed Sichuan peppercorns. I probably should've used less stock, or more cornstarch to set that sauce, but it went well with the rice (and my face is still numb from the peppercorns).

So, I can't very well put this in Thai, Korean, or Chinese home cooking, so obviously it belongs here in Dinner.

[insomniac]

Oh, I so miss strawberries!

For our part, tonight was a mish mash.  Some Chinese, some Thai, some Korean.

There was what started as a Thai beef salad.  A marinated Australian tenderloin grilled until pink, and then left to rest and cool.

The meat was then drizzled with a dressing of chilis, nampla, sugar, and lime

And served with fresh lettuce, mint, and coriander (on the plate with the meat).  Oh, and long beans.  You have to have long beans.  We just wrapped the meat up in the lettuce with bits of everything and tossed it down.

But this meat, pink and cool as it was, got me thinking that I should look up my Vivalda notes on veal with tuna sauce.

The sprouts looked good today, so we did these up in a simple Korean manner: blanched, then finished with green onion, garlic, and sesame.  Simple is often the best.

And then, because I needed my Sichuan pepper fix, we did Dong'an Ji - a braised chicken with lots of chili oil and a good handful of my crushed Sichuan peppercorns.  I probably should've used less stock, or more cornstarch to set that sauce, but it went well with the rice (and my face is still numb from the peppercorns).

So, I can't very well put this in Thai, Korean, or Chinese home cooking, so obviously it belongs here in Dinner.

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...whimper...

[Kim Shook]

Well, if you're looking around for scallop recipes.....

I made this one the other night, again from "Harumi's Japanese Cooking" - scallops with a miso cream sauce. It was sooooooo good, I even convinced my husband to try a bit. I served it with a loaf of bread to sop up the sauce, and it made a perfect easy meal. She recommends serving it on watercress, but I couldn't find it at the market, so I just used lettuce and was perfectly happy with that. If you'd like, I'll pm you the recipe.

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Yes, please!!! Mr. Kim especially will love the miso sauce! Thank you!

[hongda]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/19/dining/192hrex.html

Is that the recipe for scallops with miso sauce? I tried making it last night after seeing your pics, but it didn't taste quite right. The taste of miso was overwhelming and it was too salty for my taste. I'll have to try it again, with a different brand of miso.

[isomer]

Tonight's dinner was oyakodon, a Japanese rice bowl with chicken and egg. In fact, oyakodon means "parent and child rice bowl". It's a pretty easy and delicious weeknight dinner.

First, set some Japanese sticky rice cooking. While that is going, cube some chicken thigh or breast meat (not shown), prep the veggies and crack an egg into a bowl. Make a half cup or so of dashi broth with some mirin and sugar (alas, also not shown).

I give the chicken a quick saute, then add the veggies.

Pour in the broth. Once it starts to simmer, gently pour the egg over top of the chicken and veggies. When the egg is soft-set, and the chicken is cooked through, you're done. Tip the whole thing over a bowl of rice, and garnish with sliced green onion.

Edited May 23, 2008 by isomer (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Spring vegetable stew with a poached farm egg, sourdough baguette

[nakji]

Is that the recipe for scallops with miso sauce? I tried making it last night after seeing your pics, but it didn't taste quite right. The taste of miso was overwhelming and it was too salty for my taste. I'll have to try it again, with a different brand of miso.

In fact, thatis exactly it. But......I upped the cream to about a half cup, which mellowed out the sauce considerably, and I used really good miso, because it was the main flavour. I have to take back anything bad I have ever said about the scallops in Japan, because these were succulent, right from the fish market.

Fabulous oyakodon, isomer. I've never thought of adding carrots. And your red onion made me think of adding myoga to mine the next time round. Thanks!

[Sabrosita]

Spring vegetable stew with a poached farm egg, sourdough baguette

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Oh it is so lovely to see all the beautiful spring vegetables coming out in all the pictures!

[monavano]

Spring vegetable stew with a poached farm egg, sourdough baguette

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Lovely chives...just gorgeous.

[isomer]

Fabulous oyakodon, isomer. I've never thought of adding carrots. And your red onion made me think of adding myoga to mine the next time round. Thanks!

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Thanks nakji. I've never tried myoga. In fact, I've never seen it in Canada.

Tonight I grilled spice-rubbed chicken, green onions (they had to get used...don't ask) and my all time favourite...parsnips!

(the green onions were quite delicious)

[nakji]

Yum, parsnips. I had forgotten about those. Isomer, where do you live in Canada? I expect a good asian market would carry myoga. It tastes like a very mild leek or shallot - it has a nice flavour and crunch.

[Prawncrackers]

Lovely meals everyone as usual. After coming back from holiday this week i've not had time to post any dinners so time for a catch up.

Started on some easy cook comfort food and on somewhat of an asparagus binge, Pork Chop & Confit Duck Leg:

Went a little experimental with Razorclams in a mild coconutty thai-style red curry sauce. This was really nice, i used some massive prawn heads to make the sauce so couldn't fail!

Then ultimate comfort food again with Hainan Chicken Rice:

[isomer]

Lovely meals everyone as usual.  After coming back from holiday this week i've not had time to post any dinners so time for a catch up.

Started on some easy cook comfort food and on somewhat of an asparagus binge, Pork Chop & Confit Duck Leg:

OMG that looks amazing!

nakji: I'm in Ottawa. Hmm... maybe you're right, and I just haven't looked hard enough. There are wonderful Asian markets here.

Happily, I seem to be on a roll remembering to snap a quick dinner photo before I dig in. Here's tonight's dinner: Rack of lamb with a crust of black trumpet mushrooms, grilled vegetables and a cucumber salad:

[Kim Shook]

Can anyone recommend a brand of miso paste that I might be able to find at my local (Richmond, VA) Asian grocery? I want to make Nakji’s scallops!!

Soba – your poached eggs always look just perfect!! Nice job.

monavano – that salad is just lovely. I adore strawberries in salads!

Peter – Mr. Kim noticed that Thai beef salad over my shoulder and said how good it looked – he almost never does that!

Tonight’s scaled back dinner was simply broiled lamb chops, rubbed first with Penzey’s lamb spice mix and topped with lavender jelly, roasted asparagus, salad and my daughter’s fried corn w/ bacon. Unfortunately, Mr. Kim and I have raging sinus infections and I can’t taste or smell anything at all (not even Vick’s !!). Mr. Kim said it was very good: