Dinner! 2008

[Kim Shook]

Shelby - the pimento cheese looks perfect. It's one of my favorites - especially homemade. With a sleeve of saltines, it's a perfect solitary midnight snack!

adey - lovely meal! The crab dish with the blossoms was especially appealing! And the Homeric Merv is a darling !

Last night the in-laws came over. I made fried shrimp, fries, corn, slaw, 'panini'd' baguettes slices and assorted pickles and marinated vegetables:

(Otherwise known as a beige plate ) I love my new toys !

And for dessert, I made pots de creme:

[FauxPas]

Simple meal for a warm summer evening - after hitting the farm markets in the morning, I had mixed greens, scallions, mixed tomatoes, local nugget potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, free-range eggs and fresh raspberries.

A frittata with the eggs, potatoes, corn, scallions, and some mozza cheese, garlic, etc.

A mixed green and tomato salad topped with a bit of goat cheese, and a raspberry vinaigrette made with fresh raspberry juice, white wine vinegar, honey, freshly ground pepper.

Some of the raspberry juice/pulp went into the making of some very tasty Fresh Raspberry Martinis (picture and details here).

Edited August 5, 2008 by FauxPas (log)

[C. sapidus]

Shelby and Megan, thanks for the kind words!

FauxPas, that looks like a lovely summer meal – welcome to Dinner! I hope you will continue sharing your meals, virtually anyway.

[FauxPas]

FauxPas, that looks like a lovely summer meal – welcome to Dinner! I hope you will continue sharing your meals, virtually anyway.

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Thank you so much for the warm welcome! As you can see from my join date, I have been around for awhile, but have mostly been reading rather than 'writing.' I'd like to participate more and also try to be a more adventurous cook! I do love reading what people are cooking up in their kitchens or tasting in restaurants and I especially love when they are able to post photos!!!

[C. sapidus]

Salad week continues: make-your-own grilled shrimp salad, served with coconut rice. Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, and thinly-sliced shallots comprised the basic salad. The boys topped the basic salad with ranch dressing and ate their shrimp separately.

The grownups added shrimp, chiles, and mint leaves to the salad, and tossed everything with a blender dressing of lemon juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, garlic, and lemon grass.

[tupac17616]

Pizzichi di farro con pomodoro, ventresca di tonno, origano e briciole di pane tostate (or, in the language you and I speak, farro pasta with tomatoes from our garden, tuna belly packed in extra virgin olive oil, fresh oregano from the garden, and toasted bread crumbs)

[emilyr]

Pizzichi di farro con pomodoro, ventresca di tonno, origano e briciole di pane tostate (or, in the language you and I speak, farro pasta with tomatoes from our garden, tuna belly packed in extra virgin olive oil, fresh oregano from the garden, and toasted bread crumbs)

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Yum!

[Kim Shook]

Last night was salmon cakes, corn, roasted asparagus, tots and salad:

Nothing special, but very satisfying on a hot summer night - and we weren't so full that we couldn't go on a 3 mile post-prandial walk!

[Peter Green]

Being a day off, it was a somewhat extended affair.

Being a bachelor (temporarily) it was an extremely messy affair.

I started off with a nice steak of kingfish I'd found at the market.

Fried in chili and garlic, and then finished with ginger, soy, honey, vinegar, and a bit of basil.

Then I took a break. It's exhausting being on one's own.

After the break, I dug up a pork belly.

This had a good bit of braising to it. I seared it in some oil to begin, and then transferred it and the stock to a tangine for the oven

A couple of strains and drains later, and the meat quartered and ready to take.

As a finale, I've got some cinnamon ice cream chilling out in the freezer, and that'll go with some b&w Japanese films later on.

It's hard being on my own.

[tupac17616]

It's hard being on my own.

Kingfish, pork belly, and ice cream. Poor guy.

[Dr. J]

Have been cooking but not taking many pictures. Now in Puerto Rico for vacation/work. Dinner for 4 turned into dinner for 10+ here are some of the pics.

Sorry if its too many pics, ill edit if its a problem, but sometimes its cool to see the people and the food too. Great party atmosphere at my brothers house.

Big menu....here it goes.

Not pictured. For starters we had sorrullitos, (fish, land crab, cheese croquettes) and a a serrano, lomo and cantimpalo cured meats plate served with fruits.

Order is messed up in the pics the order it was served was appetizers, scallop, lamb, fish.

Lamb with 90/10 ratio mashed potatoes and sweet potato. Served with a yogurt version of the green goddess sauce and a red wine/red wine vinegar reduction.

My brother helping out with the plating.

The fish was a caught yesterday and mostly snapper with one seabass. It was cooked in the oven with a tomato and wine sauce with local spices.

Scallop was served with a plantain cracker topped with an avocado slice on a pumpkin sauce.

Hope it wasn't too much. Have to stress the complete difference cooking is when you have better vegetables and products. Avocadoes, Plantains and other spices were purchased by my brothers wife who studied agriculture and knows where to find all the great stuff. World's difference in taste. Too bad I cant get that stuff in chicago

[Peter Green]

It's hard being on my own.

Kingfish, pork belly, and ice cream. Poor guy.

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It's hell, but someone has to do it.

[lhollers]

Hello, fellow eGulleteers! I have been a longtime reader and lurker, but this is my first post... My true passion is restaurants and eating out, but I do love cooking, as well as reading and studying everything I can on food. I go to school in Vermillion, SD, so I don't have the bounty of higher-end establishments in the area , but I do try to find time to travel to select cities for dining experiences...perhaps some posts and photos of those later lol!

Anyway, I recently cooked for my grandparents and their companions, and wanted to share the results. If anyone could instruct me on how to post pictures, it would be greatly appreciated! This is most likely an easy fix, but I am having a bit of trouble with the first post... Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I look forward to being able to post pics and a review! Thanks!

[Kim Shook]

Dr. J - lovely meal - never too many pictures for me! I'm like a 4 year old 'reader', the more illustrations, the better!

Ihollers - welcome! Can't wait to see all of your imput! SD?? Wow - I'd love to visit there sometime! I hope that someone who is more technical minded than I has PM'd you with instructions, but if not, PM me and I'll try to help - I am computer illiterate, but I'll be glad to help!

Dinner last night:

Moroccan Lemon Chicken Tagine, couscous, tomatoes, roasted asparagus and salad

The chicken was done in the pressure cooker. Mr. Kim loved this. I liked it, but thought that next time, I should use chicken thighs rather than breasts. I love the pressure cooker, though. It was nice to have a meal like this ready in 30 minutes.

[GreekCook]

Why do I always do this??!!!! Do not read this forum if you are hungry and it is 5.00am.... Do not read this forum if you are hungry and it is 5.00am

Super foods guys Well done!!!!

[Prawncrackers]

Welcome Ihollers! Hope you are able to how share your pics soon.

Today a simple meal of steamed king crab with fried rice, then strawberries, cream & meringue.

There was some sweet chilli sauce and ginger-scallion oil for the crab and rice. The cream for the strawberries was whipped with icing sugar and vanilla to make chantilly cream. Simple and very satisfying.

[Shelby]

More no knead bread

Cheese and some yummy shrimp from the Gulf

[Ce'nedra]

There was some sweet chilli sauce and ginger-scallion oil for the crab and rice.  The cream for the strawberries was whipped with icing sugar and vanilla to make chantilly cream.  Simple and very satisfying.

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YUM! And what kind of syrup is that?

[Prawncrackers]

Oh yeah i didnt mention that did i?! That was just some pureed strawberries with a little icing sugar, it was very YUM indeed!

[Ce'nedra]

Oh yeah i didnt mention that did i?!  That was just some pureed strawberries with a little icing sugar, it was very YUM indeed!

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Gosh that sounds dreamyyy...and which cream did you use?

[David Ross]

Everyone's dishes have looked wonderful. I can tell you are all enjoying Summer as much as I am. The best is yet to come where I live in Eastern Washington-Peaches and Huckleberries are still a couple of weeks away.

In the meantime, a recent dinner-

Pork Shoulder Roast cooked on the rotisserie on the good old Weber grill. I rubbed the roast with smoked paprika and Paul Prudhomme Meat Magic seasoning. I used charcoal and cherry wood in the barbecue and let the meat cook about 3 1/2 hours.

I love using the rotisserie with a big hunk of fatty meat. Makes me salivate just watching that fat self-baste a roast. Delicious-and who cares what the food police say about cholesterol! Fat is flavor!

I served the Pork with Smoked Creamed Corn-

I was never a fan of canned creamed corn when I was a kid-but this fresh creamed corn is absolutely delicious and far better than the canned stuff.

I grill and smoke ears of sweet corn, (in the husks), on the barbecue to get them good and charred. I saute some smoked bacon, onion and garlic in a cast iron skillet and then add the corn and a lot of cream. For extra creamy/corn taste, I puree some of the corn in the blender and add the puree to the skillet. I season the creamed corn with fresh sage, thyme, green onions and salt and pepper.

[David Ross]

Last night was an experiment that thankfully worked out.

I make a Chipotle-Pepita (Toasted Green Pumpkin Seeds) Salsa and I had been thinking about using the salsa for more than just a dip for chips. I thought maybe the salsa would be a good base for a summer dish of grilled seafood in a spicy stew.

The salsa is pretty thick, so I thinned it with fish stock and white wine. I grilled two types of prawns-medium, farm-raised and large, wild American. I also added some mussels and scallops to the stew.

The stew is garnished with fried tortilla strips. They are really easy to make. Just cut some corn tortillas in strips and then deep-fry them in oil until crisp and golden brown. Enjoy.

Chipotle-Pepita Seafood Stew--

[C. sapidus]

Chipotle-Pepita Seafood Stew--

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David, that's beautiful!

Our dinner -- braised chicken thighs with aromatics (quite good but not photogenic), carrot and cilantro soup, store-bought olive oil bread, and a Costco vegetable tray. The aroma of frying chicken, onions, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom drew the boys into the kitchen for regular progress reports.

For the soup, we left the carrots a bit chunky and finished the soup with chives, chiles, lemon juice, and a dollop of tangy yogurt.

[Tropicalfox]

Hi Dr. J...

Are those quenepas I see on the right in both pics???

The chillos (snappers) are fantastic. They remind me of the ones we used to catch when I lived in PR.

Sandra

[KatieLoeb]

I went farmer's market hopping today and came home with a king's ransom of vegetables. Tonight's project was a garden fresh cream of tomato soup, made in the pressure cooker for speed, and then buzzed up with the immersion blender. Some Parmesan-Pesto flatbread on the side as well as the last of some leftover Chinese take out from a couple of nights ago to round out this evening's repast.

Tomorrow's project - a cauldron of ratatouille; half to be frozen and the rest to be enjoyed for the next several days either over some rice or grains, or in an omelet.