Dinner! 2010

[Kim Shook]

Dinner tonight started with a salad:

That’s CSA Bibb and carrots – everything else is just grocery store stuff.

Slow cooker London Broil w/ Bisto gravy and onions, CSA potatoes, green beans and crusty bread.

With gravy:

I have about had it with fresh green beans. They purport to be stringless and certainly there is nothing there when you try to string them, but once they are cooked, its like eating a plate of green dental floss. They tasted really good, though.

[deadstroke]

Here's a collection of the lunches and dinners from the past week.

Prawns and Anchovy Linguini

Fried Grouper

Sambal Chilli Fried Rice with Chicken Cutlet

Chicken and Clams Paella

[SobaAddict70]

I love greens cooked Southern style. Brown sugar is a new one though, never heard that before.

Stewed squid with lamb's quarters (wild spinach)

I must've used something like half a bottle of white wine making this. Very tasty.

[nickrey]

I had some left over frozen Canadian lobster (got some air miles on that sucker).

Cooked up a basic blond chicken stock risotto to serve it on.

The lobster was poached a la Thomas Keller in a Buerre Monté at around 60C with a slight twist. Added to the butter was a split vanilla pod. I also added a touch of salt and white wine vinegar.

Here it is:

[djyee100]

mmm...lobster. Nickrey, I've never eaten lobster with vanilla, and now I'm curious to try it.

Yesterday's dinner, one of my favorite "slow" dinners, Slow-Cooked Roast Pork. A boneless pork shoulder is rubbed with a paste of garlic, sage, rosemary, and fennel, then roasted in a 275 degree oven.

Just out of the oven, and resting on a rack.

Served with roasted potatoes, and a salad of green beans, roasted red bell peppers, and sauteed shittake mushrooms, tossed with garlic vinaigrette.

Leftovers tonight, but good leftovers. Roast Pork Sandwiches with caramelized onions, tomato, and gorgonzola cheese. I put the sandwiches under the broiler to warm everything up and melt the cheese.

I found the recipe for the pork roast when I was surfing on the web one day. I halve all the ingredients, except the white wine and olive oil, and cook a 3 lb roast for about 3 hours. The recipe is here:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Six-Hour-Pork-Roast-102530

[Prawncrackers]

I don't think I've ever had a quality beef burger. Sure I've enjoyed burgers from the usual fast food suspects but I know they are what they are; cheap and easy. In the UK recently there have been more upmarket burger chains appearing with names such as Gourmet Burger or Handmade Burger. They promise another level but the all ones i've tried have been middling at best, the meat usually dry and tasteless. To be honest I think I prefer a McD quarter pounder! Then it occurred to me that I should really make my own, obvious really. So after reading the burger topics on the forum I ground my own chuck and the result was easily the best beefburger I'd ever eaten. Cooked to medium with blue cheese, onions and fries:

The chuck steak was from Jack O'Shea's concession in Selfridges. I was only there to pick up some Hermé macarons but along with the beef I also spotted some bottarga. Intriguing stuff, I've never tried it before, so ignoring the hefty price tag I snaffled some. Opening the vacuum packed lobes of dried salted mullet roe today the smell was instantly familiar. To anyone of Cantonese extraction that is! It's that smell we're all used to, a cross between the sweet aroma of dried scallop and the sharp tang of your mum's home dried fish. Both my wife and I knew right away that we'd enjoy it. Superb stuff, I grated a single lobe into fluffy pile of orange zest:

Now earlier in the week I was at the International Food Fair here in Brum and stopped by the Italian deli stall to check out the pasta. There was some lovely golden eggy linguine that I thought would be perfect for the bottarga. As I went to pay for it I mentioned, partly to impress the lovely Italian lady stall-holder, that I meant to eat it with bottarga. She was impressed but then outright refused to sell it to me. No, no, she said you must have it with strong spaghetti! Ok, you've talked out of a sale here because I didn't buy anything else but she was adamant so I just thanked her and left. So Spaghetti alla Bottarga it was tonight and she was right, it was the perfect match:

We also had a baked sea bass tonight but so enamoured was I of the pasta dish that I forgot to take a photo till after we'd eaten it. But even after having been devoured it still looks so appetising, so here it is too:

[robirdstx]

Yesterday, I took my Bacon and Onion Mashed Potato Salad to a Texas BBQ dinner and going-away party for one of my local dog club members. Poor girl, has to move to Oahu. And tonight, we had some of the brisket I had brought home on flour tortillas with beans and the rest of the potato salad for a quick dinner. I took the photos of the brisket prior to re-warming it, which is a good thing, as I forgot to afterward. The brisket was melt in your mouth tender and so flavorful.

[dcarch]

Wow, everyone is making such great looking meals! Also very unique recipes.

I solved the problem of making crispy bacon wrap scallops without overcooking the scallops.

I pre bake bacon rings.

Scallops with bacon wrap on couscous

dcarch

[nickrey]

Great idea with the pre-cooked bacon rings. Nice looking dish and I'm sure it would have been tasty. Is that cheese melted over the packages? If so, how did you melt that without also affecting the texture of the scallops?

[Darienne]

Yesterday, I took my Bacon and Onion Mashed Potato Salad to a Texas BBQ dinner and going-away party for one of my local dog club members.

robirdstx, That salad looks quite splendid and I am always after good salad recipes. Any chance of a recipe???

Edited June 26, 2010 by Darienne (log)

[Kim Shook]

Soba – beautiful, beautiful squid dish!

Nick – I’ve heard of vanilla w/ lobster, but never tried it. I want to now – it looks lovely.

djyee – the next time we roast pork, I want to make that EXACT sandwich. Fantastic!

dcarch – Bacon rings for scallops? Genius!!!

Mr. Kim went out to the farm where we get Hanover tomatoes last night and picked up some tomatoes, so we had the first of the season fried green tomatoes:

Fantastic! We really didn’t need another thing. We could have just eaten a plate of these for dinner.

But we also had some zucchinis from the CSA box that needed cooking:

I sautéed them with tomatoes and onions. I didn’t like them of course, but Mr. Kim, who doesn’t usually like zucchinis either loved them. I put them in an omelet for him:

We also had sausage rolls and the obligatory summer salad:

[robirdstx]

Yesterday, I took my Bacon and Onion Mashed Potato Salad to a Texas BBQ dinner and going-away party for one of my local dog club members.

robirdstx, That salad looks quite splendid and I am always after good salad recipes. Any chance of a recipe???

Hi Darienne. Thank you! And thanks for asking, here's my recipe:

Bacon and Onion Mashed Potato Salad

7 medium russet potatoes, boiled in their skins

7 large eggs, hard cooked

4 thick slices of applewood smoked bacon, crumbled (divided use)

4 green onions, thin sliced (divided use)

1 small to medium yellow onion, small dice (about 3/4 cup)

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tbs balsamic vinaigrette

1/2 tsp sriracha sauce

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1. Allow the potatoes to cool enough to handle and slide off the skins. Coarsely mash the potatoes in a large bowl, leaving some large chunks. Set aside.

2. Peel the hard cooked eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Mash the yolks with a fork in a medium bowl and finely dice the egg whites and place them in a large bowl.

3. Add 3/4 of the crumbled bacon, all but the top of one green onion, and the chopped yellow onion to the chopped egg whites and stir to mix well.

4. Add the mayo, balsamic vinaigrette, sriracha sauce, salt and white pepper to the mashed egg yolks and stir to blend well. Taste and adjust seasonings.

5. Add the egg yolk mixture to the egg white mix and stir to mix well.

6. Gently fold the mashed potatoes into the egg mix. Do not overwork. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill overnight for the best flavor.

7. Add garnish of crumbled bacon and finely sliced green onion top when ready to serve.

[Darienne]

Thank you robirdstx. Sounds good.

My DH loves mashed potatoes hot and has never had them cold. So this will be a new experience. Now I have never really like mashed potatoes, make them only at major holidays, and am looking forward to this new salad.

[Honkman]

For us stews are not so much a question of the season but of the day of the week and when we have enough time to make them:

Lamb Stew with Green Beans, Tomatoes, and Basil

[SobaAddict70]

One of my favorite ways to prepare zucchini is to steam them in butter and olive oil. Sort of like sweating them but not as refined.

Chop zucchini coarsely (you can dice them or cut them into large, irregularly shaped chunks), then add to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven along with 2 to 3 tablespoons each unsalted butter and regular olive oil (NOT extra-virgin olive oil). Partially cover and steam for 10 to 15 minutes (20 minutes if you've got a lot of zucchini) over medium/medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. If there's too much water, remove the lid and let the liquid evaporate. Conversely, if the zucchini seems too dry, cover completely.

At the end, taste for salt, then stir in some chopped herbs.

It's ok if the zukes brown. You want to cook them to the point where they're about to collapse, while still retaining their integrity. When made in this fashion, the texture transforms into "silk".

Seen here, combined with fresh linguine, wild arugula, diced Jersey tomato, Italian parsley and pecorino romano cheese.

[Aloha Steve]

Yesterday made 6 quarts of tomato sauce starting from canned Italian plumb tomatoes, no pre-made ingredients except contributions from a cow, chicken and pig Today I'll make two pans of lasagna, will freeze most and have over next 3 months.

Last night for dinner made linguini with bay shrimp. Sauce made simply with, EVOO, butter, garlic removed when browned. Then added parsley, basil S&P. Tossed the shrimp in till pink. Removed shrimp, added a little heavy cream, cooked down, added all to cooked pasta, tossed with a cup of grated three cheese blend.

Made garlic bread from a store bought baguette. I was baking a lot of bread for a while but I seem to be taking a break for now.

[Aloha Steve]

Yesterday made 6 quarts of tomato sauce starting from canned Italian plumb tomatoes, no pre-made ingredients except contributions from a cow, chicken and pig Today I'll make two pans of lasagna, will freeze most and have over next 3 months.

Last night for dinner made linguini with bay shrimp. Sauce made simply with, EVOO, butter, garlic removed when browned. Then added parsley, basil S&P. Tossed the shrimp in till pink. Removed shrimp, added a little heavy cream, cooked down, added all to cooked pasta, tossed with a cup of grated three cheese blend.

Made garlic bread from a store bought baguette. I was baking a lot of bread for a while but I seem to be taking a break for now.

Was going to make a omelet for breakfast but going to heat up left over pasta and crack a egg or two, cook over easy and put on, with left over garlic bread. Kiss me darling !

[percyn]

A few catch-up posts:

Truffled Lobster BLT

Lobster Roll

Grilled Steak and Chicken

Scallops

[percyn]

I was lucky enough to be invited to our Friends Joey and Kelly's place along with the famous Docsconz this past Friday.

The menu included:

Radish top pesto w/lightly pickled onions, radish, mushrooms, Kohlrabi and summer peas

Fresh summer corn and chili cold soup

2000 Trimbach Riesling

New Orleans style BBQ Shrimp

Allagash Curieux barrel aged beer

Pork Belly with Sour Cherry Gastriqué

2006(?) Freeman Pinot Noir

Sous Vide loin of lamb with summer vegetables

1992 Dominus, Napa Valley (Courtesy of Docsconz)

We also had a cheese plate with marinated sour cherries and cherry jubilee for dessert.

Fantastic dinner with great company. Too bad I could not contribute to the cooking, but that means the next dinner is at my place.

[Rico]

Percyn, your fare looks absolutely outstanding. To say I'm inspired would be a significant understatement.

Barbecue on the docket today. Brisket for seven hours in the smoker along with some jalapenos and some cheddar cheese. I pureed the jalapenos for the bbq sauce. And yes, I advocate the use of barbecue sauce. Also, the word 'superawesomefantastic' can be used to describe many things, but not my camera or my photography skills. I apologize for the fuzziness.

The jalapenos.

The cheese.

[heidih]

Rico- How was the smoked cheese used? Did it remain firm? The combo of beef/cheese/jalapeno sounds like a winner- how did you eat it?

[djyee100]

Somebody gave me a fresh blood sausage, so I tried a recipe I've had my eye on, Red Beans with Chorizo, Blood Sausage, and Piment d'Espelette, from Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking. A stew of Basque origin, & a super-savory mix of chorizo, blood sausage, beans, garlic, onions, carrots, bell pepper, and hot paprika. There are chunks of pork belly in there, too, almost too much for a warm weather meal. If I make this stew again in the summer, I'll probably reduce the amt of pork belly (but keep it in for the fall and winter). The beans are Rancho Gordo's scarlet runner beans, which turn a glossy black-red with cooking. Big deep flavors in this stew. One of my favorites out of this cookbook. The recipe is available on Googlebooks, Page 242, here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=DwtbDDGaQcIC&pg=PA242&lpg=PA242&dq=wolfert+red+beans+chorizo+blood+sausage+piment+d%27espelette+claypot&source=bl&ots=qlxORE5ZvV&sig=J5ybgd_E29aKtVgOME-XPsminGU&hl=en&ei=XhEnTLuKNcumnQfhsvGbBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

[Rico]

Heidi - I typically just have a slice or two (or seven) of cheese on the side. I always eat brisket sliced, using one piece of Mrs. Baird's white bread at a time to fold over a couple pieces of brisket and applying sauce in a whimsical manner. It's one of the reasons I can't go to Dickey's (not that Dickey's is that great anyway): They have buns and not sliced white bread.

I know, it sounds like I don't change anything, but the rub always changes and the sauce does, too. And so does the wood. But that's about it.

After the smoking, the cheese separates from a lot of its oil and you've got to dump out a good 1/3 of a cup of the grease that's sitting on the top (from about a pound of cheese). I smoke at around 220-250F, so the cheese is usually a gooey semi-solid at that point. Half an hour in the fridge, though, and it's good to go.

Now, with all that said, I've only ever done it with store-brand cheddar; I'm sure a lot other cheeses would respond differently to the process. Regardless, it is delicious.

[Aloha Steve]

Yesterday made 6 quarts of tomato sauce starting from canned Italian plumb tomatoes, no pre-made ingredients except contributions from a cow, chicken and pig Today I'll make two pans of lasagna, will freeze most and have over next 3 months.

They came out looking well. Have not eaten as a whole yet still too hot, but all the parts tasted nice during assembly. Smells good too.

[Ce'nedra]

Bo la lot (beef wrapped in betel leaves) served with that funky, smelly (which, let's admit it, what makes it so great) sauce made of fermented anchovy, mam nem cham and fine rice noodles (banh hoi). Addictive is all I can say really.