Dinner! 2008

[percyn]

Parathas also tend to be stuffed with other items such as spiced potatoes.

Edited September 12, 2008 by percyn (log)

[Ce'nedra]

Served 'com tam' today but without the usual shredded pork skin (too dry for my liking). It was simply broken rice, sunny side up, grilled marinated pork chops and sliced tomatoes & cucumbers. Final touch? Nuoc mam of course!

Edited September 12, 2008 by Ce'nedra (log)

[muichoi]

My apologies for being loose with my terminology.  My "chapati" was actually a Paratha according to Yamuna Dethi's cookbook.  "Paratha dough is similar to chapati dough except for a little ghee or butter to enrich it and less water, making it a medium-stiff instead of a medium dough."

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A paratha is also rolled completely differently.

[gfron1]

Well, all I can say is that what I made is called a paratha by Yamuna Devi in The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking. So you and she can argue the terminology. All I know is that they are good.

[prasantrin]

Served 'com tam' today but without the usual shredded pork skin (too dry for my liking). It was simply broken rice, sunny side up, grilled marinated pork chops and sliced tomatoes & cucumbers. Final touch? Nuoc mam of course!

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What did you marinate the grilled pork chops in? It looks soooooooo good!

[C. sapidus]

Prawncrackers: next time Mom brings back foie gras from France, I will definitely take pictures.

muichoi, percyn, and gfron1, thank you for the information on parathas and chapatis.

Cooking for myself last night, so I cleaned out the fridge: jumbo shrimp, tomato puree, Thai chiles, pickled galangal, limes, cilantro, coconut milk, tamarind paste, roasted chile paste, red onion, shallots, a surplus of cucumbers, and a few staples: turmeric, cayenne, nutmeg, and fish sauce.

End result: sorta Thai-style shrimp curry and cucumber salad. Not the ultimate meal by any stretch, but playing with food is usually rewarding.

Flying Dog "Horn Dog" barleywine served as the starch.

[muichoi]

Well, all I can say is that what I made is called a paratha by Yamuna Devi in The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking.  So you and she can argue the terminology.  All I know is that they are good. 

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Did I understand that you were teaching an Indian cooking class?

I suppose you could call this a primitive form of paratha.

[ChefCrash]

Late night snack.

[prasantrin]

Late night snack.

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I'm a little afraid to ask, but is that meat-looking thing spam?

[Prawncrackers]

Looks like canned corned beef. The most mysterious item is the pale liquid.... Raki over ice?

[prasantrin]

Looks like canned corned beef.  The most mysterious item is the pale liquid.... Raki over ice?

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That was my other guess, but I just couldn't imagine eating it without cooking it first (not that imagining spam was any easier). Corned beef fried rice, however, is quite good!

[AlexusF]

Alright, its desert but my pasta pictures didnt turn out very well. This is (was) a chocolate and Grand Marnier souffle from last night. I think I have it perfffffected!!! We could have skipped the pasta and just eaten this!

[Shelby]

Alright, its desert but my pasta pictures didnt turn out very well. This is (was) a chocolate and Grand Marnier souffle from last night. I think I have it perfffffected!!! We could have skipped the pasta and just eaten this! 

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Jealous and Yum!

[AlexusF]

Late night snack.

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Did anyone figure out what the "meat" was? Weve looked at it a dozen times and still arent sure. What about the liquid in the shot glass?

[C. sapidus]

Spicy chicken pilaf (murgh pullao): Chunks of chicken breast simmered in a spicy yogurt and tomato sauce, folded in with partly-cooked basmati rice, and then steamed until the rice was done. The rice turned out a little soft, so less water next time.

Spicy green peas with onion and ginger (muttar-pyaz masala): Frozen peas cooked with ginger, onions, chiles, and a cupboard full of spices, finished with mango powder, lemon juice, and garam masala. Best dang frozen peas I ever et.

Both from 1,000 Indian Recipes. I know I have said this before, but Indian meals are worth cooking for the kitchen aromas alone.

[maggiethecat]

Alright, its desert but my pasta pictures didnt turn out very well. This is (was) a chocolate and Grand Marnier souffle from last night. I think I have it perfffffected!!! We could have skipped the pasta and just eaten this! 

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Jealous and Yum!

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That souffle is a serious thing of beauty. I'm not much of a dessert chick, but souffles are an exception. And I love Grand Marnier. Go, Girl.

[petite tête de chou]

Spicy chicken pilaf (murgh pullao): Chunks of chicken breast simmered in a spicy yogurt and tomato sauce, folded in with partly-cooked basmati rice, and then steamed until the rice was done. The rice turned out a little soft, so less water next time.

Spicy green peas with onion and ginger (muttar-pyaz masala): Frozen peas cooked with ginger, onions, chiles, and a cupboard full of spices, finished with mango powder, lemon juice, and garam masala. Best dang frozen peas I ever et.

Both from 1,000 Indian Recipes. I know I have said this before, but Indian meals are worth cooking for the kitchen aromas alone.

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I'm certainly not over-exaggerating when I say that the food you cook is *exactly* what I desire on any day of the week. Fresh, definitive flavors...damn fine stuff. Seriously good stuff for this small, itty-bitty town lady.

[C. sapidus]

petite tete de chou, copious thanks for the kind words.

Jerk chicken tonight, with shortcut rice and “peas”, baked sweet potatoes, and eternal cucumbers. Picture and details on Jerk -- Cook-Off XXXXI.

[AlexusF]

Beef shortribs braised in cabernet for several hours and lobster risotto with some roasted asparagus. YUM!! Hate how the pic turned out, not sure why the lighting was so off..

Anyway.. MMMMM..

[Dr. J]

Food looks great alexus is probably the color of the plate and counter top contrast that makes it tough for pictures sake.

Great meal C. sap definately going to try that rice recipe if you could post it.

[C. sapidus]

. . . definately going to try that rice recipe if you could post it.

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Dr. J, thanks! Here is the recipe – spicy chicken pilaf (click). Rice absorbs a lot of flavor, so don't be shy about spicing and salting.

[Kim Shook]

AlexusF - that is one gorgeous chicken! Ditto on the souffle.

BTW - I'm pretty sure that meat-stuff is canned corned beef - the only canned meat that is actually pretty good. Especially sliced, fried and cuddled up to some eggs for breakfast.

I had a very busy Sunday morning. I made three meals for this week. Mr. Kim has some surgery coming up next week. He will be recuperating for at least a month and we are going to be very busy this week trying to get things done that he'll be unable to do, so I thought that if I had some meals 'in the bag' it would make things easier. I had a huge package of kielbasa from Costco and used it two ways.

The first was this:

It's a white bean and kielbasa casserole. One of those things that is much, much better than the sum of it's parts. Tangy, sweet - really, really good!

The other is this old family standby:

My mom's family has been eating some version of this for years. My great aunt San used to make it with cabbage, ham and potatoes all steamed up in a giant stock pot. My version was potatoes, kielbasa and green beans. All we'll need is some cornbread and we'll be set.

I also made this very simple, soothing and very good beef noodle casserole:

Easy, but not one can of Cream of....soup was involved!

[David Ross]

All of your dishes look wonderful. And now that my favorite season is here and our temperatures are dropping at night, I can start making the hot stews and braises I've been craving all Summer.

Lamb Shank, Butternut Squash and Polenta-

I dust the lamb shanks with flour and then brown them in a saute pan. Then I put them in a Le Creuset roasting pot and add bay leaf, beef stock, black peppercorns and a head of garlic cut in half. I usually add enough stock to come about halfway up the side of the shanks. Le Creuset pots are wonderful because they let the meat both dry roast and braise at the same time.

I keep the oven at 250 degrees and braise the shanks for at least 6 hours-then I gently remove them from the pot, being careful to not let the meat fall off the bone.

I strained the solids out of the braising liquid and served it as a sort of "Lamb Jus." Sometimes I'll add flour and butter to thicken the braising liquid.

I copped out on the squash. It was pre-cut and came in a bag. I also did a short-cut on the polenta. I bought it already made and just sliced it and sauteed it in some olive oil. I figure for a worknight meal I'm allowed a few short-cuts.

The neighbor's dog got the lamb bone after dinner.

Edited September 15, 2008 by David Ross (log)

[judiu]

AlexusF - that is one gorgeous chicken!  Ditto on the souffle.

BTW - I'm pretty sure that meat-stuff is canned corned beef - the only canned meat that is actually pretty good.  Especially sliced, fried and cuddled up to some eggs for breakfast.

I had a very busy Sunday morning.  I made three meals for this week.  Mr. Kim has some surgery coming up next week.  He will be recuperating for at least a month and we are going to be very busy this week trying to get things done that he'll be unable to do, so I thought that if I had some meals 'in the bag' it would make things easier.  I had a huge package of kielbasa from Costco and used it two ways.

The first was this:

It's a white bean and kielbasa casserole.  One of those things that is much, much better than the sum of it's parts.  Tangy, sweet - really, really good!

The other is this old family standby:

My mom's family has been eating some version of this for years.  My great aunt San used to make it with cabbage, ham and potatoes all steamed up in a giant stock pot.  My version was potatoes, kielbasa and green beans.  All we'll need is some cornbread and we'll be set.

I also made this very simple, soothing and very good beef noodle casserole:

Easy, but not one can of Cream of....soup was involved!

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(Does Happy Dance) I FOUND it, I really actually FOUND IT!

[C. sapidus]

Kim, your white bean and kielbasa casserole looks like just the sort of thing that I love to eat but never make.

Pan-fried tilapia with chile-tamarind sauce; gai lan with Thai oyster sauce; and leftover rice and “peas”. The fish and veggies were adapted from Kasma Loha-unchit’s Dancing Shrimp and It Rains Fishes, respectively (big thanks to Donna). The chile-tamarind sauce, scented of Thai basil, garlic, shallots, and galangal, enhanced everything that it touched.

The boys gave the fish a five and the greens a four. They later explained that this was on a scale of a thousand (I think they were joking). Still, relatively high ratings from that crew for fish and a broccoli-like vegetable.

ETA: Thai basil

Edited September 16, 2008 by C. sapidus (log)