Dinner! 2009

[percyn]

Having returned from Chicago last week, I was inspired by Hot Doug's to make...

Foie Gras and Truffle Hot Dog on buttered bun. Too bad I did not have some duck fat fries to go with it

[Jmahl]

Great to be back. Love the new look and the ease of uploading photos. For dinner tonight, a simple lasagna and a bottle of a good South African Red. Now that we have updated our computer expect to see more from the Border.

Regards,

Jmahl

[Dr. J]

Great posts as usual guys.

Lovely meals Ann, grilled pork and corn goes so well together.

Kim great stuff as always, I always get this great home cooked feeling when I see your dishes.

I have been cooking a lot but not much time to take and put up pictures. Here is one from a couple of weeks ago.

I always have avocado debates with people and we always argue back and forth which is the best avocado. The truth of it

is that different varieties for different tastes but it is always good to discuss for the sake of it.

My personal favorite avocado is the one pictured below. In Puerto Rico is is called "Guiro" because it resembles a musical

instrument of the same name. They are hard to find in the states and I finally found one and was very happy. Here are some pics.

I paired it with some pan seared halibut and orzo. Great meal.

[Chris Amirault]

What do you like about that type of avocado, Dr. J? And why pair it with the halibut?

[Prawncrackers]

I love the idea of Hot Dog with truffle and fois gras Percy, maybe next time some gold leaf too!?

I've been on my own for the past few days and trying to resist the temptation of getting take-out for every meal. To help me do this i have to cook the food that i really like to eat but that is also quick and easy to make. First off is some Gong Bo Prawns and today i grilled jerk chicken:

[percyn]

Prawn, unfortunately, I cannot take credit for adding truffles and foie to a hot dog, that credit belongs on Hot Doug's in chicago.

Here is Friday Night's dinner at StudioKitchen, which I also cannot take credit for, but enjoyed immensely.

Here is the chef's StudioKitchen Blog.

Cheers

Percy

[djyee100]

I liked Percy's hot dog, too. And I'm going mmmm...over Prawncracker's food, especially that jerk chicken.

Peasant food for dinner here, my version of Sausages and Potatoes Country Style (Salsiccie e Patate alla Paesana) from Marcella's Italian Kitchen. An easy pan-braise of pork sausages, garlic, onions, tomatoes and potatoes. The onions and tomatoes cook down into a savory-sweet jam that swathes the sausages and potatoes. Some leftover roasted bell peppers in my fridge, fresh parsley and rosemary also, so I tossed them into the pan. I liked all the additions, especially the fresh rosemary.

To make this dish: Pierce 1 lb Italian pork sausages with a fork or toothpick in various places. Put the sausages in a skillet (10" skillet is good) along with 2 TB extra virgin olive oil, 3 thinly sliced cloves of garlic, and 1 lb thinly sliced onions. Cover and cook over medium low heat until the onions are very soft and translucent. Remove the cover, raise the heat to medium high, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are caramelized and light golden brown. Add in 1 lb peeled, seeded, and chopped fresh plum tomatoes and 6 bay leaves. Cover, and turn heat down to medium. Cook for about 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Add in 1 1/2 lbs potatoes, cut into small wedges, and S&P. Remove the bay leaves. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender. Check that the potatoes aren't sticking or scorching to the bottom of the pan. When potatoes are cooked, gently toss in 1/2 cup diced roasted bell peppers, 2 TB freshly chopped parsley, and 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary. Taste and adjust for salt. Let cook for another minute or so. Serve immediately.

[Dr. J]

Chris I find that type of avocado to have a smoother and more buttery taste. Softer in consistency and less "oily" flavor. I ended up pairing that avocado with pretty much every meal

that week because I just wanted to get to it and not spoil. The more traditional pairing of the avocado for latin culture is to pair it with a beef or chicken stew with white rice. Even

best is to have the avocado in the fridge and provide a temp. contrast with the hot rice and stew and add in the cool avocado.

[Jenni]

Tonight I made a soup partly inspired by rasam, and partly by hot and sour soup. I served it over noodles. It was really delicious and warming. I also steamed and sliced a plantain, so people could add it to the broth if they wanted.

If anyone wants a recipe and step by step pictures, I put it on my blog. Can't seem to get photos to upload on eGullet tonight. Will come back and put some up when it's working again.

Edited September 14, 2009 by Jenni (log)

[Jenni]

May have figured out how to do this. Seems that even though you can upload straight from your computer now, you still have to change size. For some reason I cannot edit my previous post, so here are the pictures:

*is struggling to use eGullet tonight, lol*

[C. sapidus]

Grilled five-spice chicken thighs; bean sprout pork with corn; eternal cukes; and jasmine rice. Renovations are winding down (not done, though), so it is a great pleasure to be cooking again.

[SobaAddict70]

btw I really dig the new forum software.

mini-tomato dinner ("mini" because there were only 2 courses as opposed to 3 or 4 which is what there would've been if I were cooking for a crowd)

Savory corn pudding, heirloom tomato salad

Fettucine with Sungold and Yellow Pear heirloom toms, garlic and herbs

White peaches for dessert.

Recipes on the blog.

[jvalentino]

Perciatelli with breadcrumbs. I've been eating this (or another long pasta) once a week lately.

Jeff

[percyn]

Beautiful Soba, just beautiful.

Jenni - such as accomplished cook at such a young age (boy I feel old)....keep it up!!

[SobaAddict70]

Thanks Percyn.

Jenni -- pasta with herbed breadcrumbs is one of my favorite dishes. So simple, so good.

Heirloom tomato bruschetta

I was at my local greengrocer and picked up what I thought was a loaf of semolina sourdough. After I got home I noticed the loaf contained fennel and raisins. It's ok, those didn't affect the taste much. I had been planning on using some of the bread for pappa al pomodoro but that's out now. Figure it'll make for some interesting French toast this weekend.

Oyster stew, New Orleans style.

I think I must've gained about 5 lbs. after tonight's dinner.

Recipes will be posted on the blog tomorrow.

[SobaAddict70]

Trout baked in corn husks; coconut and almond rice pilaf; spicy roasted peach and tomato salsa; heirloom tomatoes

The pilaf wasn't supposed to have that dark a color. I think I may have fried the spices a touch too long. Turned out okay though so not a complete loss...

[Jenni]

Last nights dinner was simple but delicious. Butternut Squash with Coconut (recipe from my book!), spicy stirfried greens and cauliflower, and chapatis. I ground the flour for the chapatis myself - an hour before I sat down to eat all I had was whole wheat grain! Now that's what I call fresh bread.

[Emily_R]

Djyee -- that sausage and potato dish looks amazing! I'm just wondering -- don't the sausages dry out after such a long time cooking, especially with pricking them at the start? Reading the recipe it seemed like it would be nearly an hour on the stove... If you tell me those sausages stayed moist, I'll definitely be giving this a try soon!

[djyee100]

Djyee -- that sausage and potato dish looks amazing! I'm just wondering -- don't the sausages dry out after such a long time cooking, especially with pricking them at the start? Reading the recipe it seemed like it would be nearly an hour on the stove... If you tell me those sausages stayed moist, I'll definitely be giving this a try soon!

Emily_R, I thought the sausages stayed moist in that dish. They reminded me of sausages that have cooked in spaghetti sauce. The recipe is basically a braise, so the sausages are cooking in moisture at all times (juices from onions, tomatoes). By the end of cooking time the sauce has cooked down to that jammy consistency. Pricking the sausages releases some of their fat. A lot would depend on the kind of sausages you use. These were pork sausages that were fatty and juicy to begin with.

[percyn]

Lobsters - Before

and After

Lobster Salad #1 - With melted butter to enjoy the lobster as is

Lobster Salad #2 - With a little Mayo, Shallots and Avocado

Enjoyed with a 2003 Cakebread Chardonnay

[Peter the eater]

Percyn, Lobster Salad #2 - With a little Mayo, Shallots and Avocado is a slam dunk for me. The Red and Green jump off the bun with a tiny bit of mayo and something oniony.

[Kim Shook]

RunBe4UFly – gorgeous pictures and wonderful looking food!

Bruce – I love the look of that pork/bean sprout dish! Our favorite Chinese restaurant here makes a similar dish that is incredible.

Soba – I wish I had a bowl of that oyster stew right now. What makes it ‘New Orleans style’?

percyn – and after a bowl of Soba’s stew, I’ll finish with one of the 1st version of the lobster salad! Wow!

Quick after work dinner tonight:

Pork tenderloin w/ Montgomery Inn bbq sauce, green beans w/ vinaigrette, corn cakes and salad. That pork was just as juicy as it looks. I seared it in a pan on top of the stove and roasted it at 350 degrees to 160 and it was just perfect.

[SobaAddict70]

Hi Kim.

It's "NOLA-style" because I used a roux as a thickening agent (blond roux to be exact) and celery/onion/garlic as the aromatics.

Last night...

Sautéed beet greens and garlic, heirloom tomatoes, ricotta salata and poached farm egg with Tuscan olive oil

This is a variation of something I do regularly. The vegetable used doesn't matter (its usually roasted but one can't really roast beet greens because of their delicacy), some kind of cheese and a poached egg.

I attempted to make a minestra with beets. Oops. I probably should've used golden beets or white beets instead. Didn't turn out so well -- in fact, it was an unmitigated disaster so no photo. Thank god for leftovers.

[SobaAddict70]

Pork chops....drool.

You know, if I trusted myself more I'd cook meat more often.

Watermelon and red onion salad with ricotta salata

You can sub in feta for the ricotta salata with very little taste difference. Nigella Lawson has a variation with olives in it but I like mine relatively unadorned. For those of you who have issues with onion, the red onion is sliced thinly so the dressing and the watermelon help alleviate any harshness.

Fettucine with cremini mushrooms and garlic in cream sauce

Takes about 15 minutes, tops. 20 if you're kitchen-challenged. Butter, garlic, mushrooms, cream, salt, pepper, pasta, cheese, parsley. Can't get simpler than that.

[Jenni]

Tonight's supper was mooli stuffed paratha (I ground the flour for the dough about half an hour before supper!)and a spicy gravy dish of courgette and tomato. Really delicious, and just what I fancied.