Dinner! 2010

[SobaAddict70]

thanks Kim

lovely chicken -- and I was just thinking that I needed to make roast chicken this weekend. no smoker in my apartment unfortunately.

I didn't get home until late last night so I just had leftover squid stew.

but tonight was a different story...

Thin spaghetti with chickweed, radish greens, smoked bacon ends and breadcrumbs

Have your spaghetti cooked before making the sauce.

Render some bacon, add chopped shallots to the skillet when bacon gets nice and crispy; add chickweed and radish greens. Stir quickly. Remove from heat after greens have partially wilted, about 30 seconds. Taste for salt; you probably don't need much. I added some freshly milled black pepper. Add pasta directly to skillet. Toss. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs and some chopped herbs (I used onion chives and sage), then serve at once.

You can use any combination of greens, from spinach to lamb's quarters to ramps, arugula, and/or watercress. I really love the freshness of chickweed paired with peppery radish greens. They're great.

For the quantity-challenged, the recipe will be posted on the blog later tonight.

[menuinprogress]

Mr. Kim was smoking a couple of pork butts to take to NC this weekend so I fixed up a chicken with the lemon balm from the CSA box and had him put it on the smoker too

I love smoked chicken. Yours looks great - makes me want to get one on the smoker right now!

[deadstroke]

Not dinner but lunch!

A sort of Chinese-Japanese fusion: Pork belly braised in dark soy and onions on rice.

[djyee100]

That meal looks delicious, Deadstroke.

Kim, how was the lemon balm with that great smoked chicken?

For dinner here, time to clear some space in an overstuffed refrigerator. Between this week's CSA box and an impromptu trip to the market, various fruits and veggies were falling on the floor when I opened the fridge. Green garlic, fresh spring onions, a head of broccoli, plus some skirt steak from the freezer, turned into a simple Asian stirfry of Beef with Broccoli in a ginger-soy sauce.

Followed by a delicious if non-Asian dessert of Ricotta with Strawberries. A very rich ricotta from Bellwether Farms (made with the milk of their jersey cows), and the last strawberries from this week's CSA box. I've tried this ricotta only recently, but I'm already seriously addicted to it.

[jnash85]

Momofuku Flank Steak Ssam

Marinated Flank Steak cooked sous vide, pureed ginger scallion sauce, mustard sauce, ssam sauce.

The steak was good, but I wasn't impressed as a whole. The Momofuku book has been a bit of a let down for me. Gonna keep trying though.

[robirdstx]

Pizza! Hot Italian sausage, mushrooms, anchovy stuffed green olives, and jalapeno with fresh mozzarella, asiago and pecorino romano.

[kayb]

Surf and turf. Sirloin steak, medium rare; broiled lobster tail; roasted broccoli with lemon and walnuts; new potatos with Vidalia onions, tarragon and dill.

Great start to the long weekend that will feature burgers tonight, pernil tomorrow, and ribs on Monday. And the gallon pitcher of sangria in the fridge!

[David Ross]

Last night started with grilled spring onions with a smoked tomato vinaigrette.

I got the vinaigrette recipe out of our local newspaper. It comes from a local restaurant that serves the Vinaigrette with Copper River Salmon, Grilled Cheddar Polenta Cakes and Braised Red Chard. The article caught my eye because we are in the first weeks of the Copper River Salmon season here in the Pacific Northwest. I was interested in reading how our local chefs were going to serve the salmon this year, but I decided that the dish with the polenta, chard and tomato vinaigrette was a bit much for this special salmon. I do love smoked tomatoes, so I chose to serve them as a dressing for simple grilled spring green onions.

I use a stove-top smoker to smoke tomatoes and this time I used hickory chips. I smoked the tomatoes for about 15 minutes, then peeled them and addded them to the blender with garlic, salt, lime juice and zest and white wine vinegar. The puree was strained and then I blended that with olive oil, cilantro, basil and chives and stirred in a teaspoon of liquid smoke to boost the flavor.

I cut the spring onions lengthwise and then soak them in water so they basically steam and grill at the same time.

And the beautiful Copper River King Salmon. The season started this year very early. It showed up in our local markets in Spokane on Friday, May 21. Taking the cue of what I read in the newspaper article, I used a new technique this year for cooking the salmon. It's based on a technique from Jon Rowley, a Seattle-based seafood expert who is noted as one of the leaders in bringing the Copper River Salmon to fame in recent years. Rowley recommends searing the salmon in a hot pan for a minute or two and then turning it and placing it in a low oven, 225-250 degrees, for 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet. I was skeptical as I didn't think such a "low and slow" roasting technique would work. But it did, and when I tasted it I realized why.

The Copper River Kings have so much oil and are so incredibly juicy that you don't want to sear the heck out of the salmon, (and why would you when it costs upwards of $28.00-$48.00 per pound right now?). Searing and roasting at a high temperature can tend to dry out those essential oils, so Mr. Rowley's technique of a quick sear over high heat to seal in the juices and a low heat to roast and finish the fish to medium-rare is a more reliable way to preserve the unique characteristics of the Copper River Salmon.

Next week I'm going to do a three-step cooking method of lightly smoking the salmon first, then searing it and then finishing it in the low oven.

I wanted to stay true to a Northwest themed dish, but I couldn't find the wild rice in the market that I was looking for so I served the salmon with spaetzle with toasted hazelnuts and brown butter. The sauce was a simple Buerre Blanc with a dash of chipotle chile powder added for a bit of spice.

[percyn]

Sushi? anyone?

Beautiful presentation dcarch.

All your platings and pictures are amazing. Do you use a lightbox for your pics?

Edited May 30, 2010 by percyn (log)

[Dianne]

We had a wonderful crispy pickeral filet last night; I don't usually like fish skin, but this was very good.

Your salmon dishes sound terrific, David.

[robirdstx]

Hey Kayb, we must be on the same wavelength. We had burgers last night, too, and we had our Surf and Turf tonight.

Lobster tail basted with lots of garlic butter

Beef Ribeye and Texas Toast

[djyee100]

That's a gorgeous grilled steak, Robirdstx.

A summer-y dinner here of sandwiches and salad. The sandwich was a Tuna Grinder of tuna confit (fresh tuna cubes slow-poached in olive oil with garlic, herbs, and spices), caramelized onions, capers, roasted piquillo peppers, and gruyere cheese. After splitting an Italian loaf lengthwise, I layered on the ingredients, wrapped the loaf in aluminum foil, and heated it in the oven until the cheese melted and the bread turned a little crispy. I hadn't tried this combination of ingredients before, and it tasted good!

The salad was a Roasted Potato Salad that I learned to make from a friend. She once brought it to a potluck dinner and it was the hit of the party. It's basically a Greek salad that substitutes roasted potatoes for the lettuce--a nice touch for people who like hearty salads. To make this salad, combine roasted potato chunks, tomatoes, cukes, radishes, red onion, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and freshly chopped parsley. Toss with a garlic & red wine vinaigrette that has a pinch of dried oregano added to it.

[SobaAddict70]

My poor attempt at trussing a chicken.

Roast chicken la Keller, green leaf salad with "pan drippings" dressing*, steamed rice

Basically roast chicken using Thomas Keller's recipe (1 T. salt and pepper, sprinkled all over and inside a free-range organic chicken (from Quattro's Game Farm at Union Square Greenmarket), then roasted at 450 F for one hour. Salad consists of torn green leaf lettuce dressed in a vinaigrette (6 tablespoons pan drippings, a splash of white wine vinegar, a handful of chopped parsley and sage, and one heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard).

* Inspired in part by Sam Sifton's recent review of Prime Meats.

[nickrey]

Tonight's dinner was Greek marinated lamb fillet on baby spinach cooked with fetta and pine nuts with a mushroom and eggplant stack (fried eggplant, mushroom, eggplant and shallot mousse, mushroom on top).

Edited May 31, 2010 by nickrey (log)

[kayb]

That's a gorgeous grilled steak, Robirdstx.

A summer-y dinner here of sandwiches and salad. The sandwich was a Tuna Grinder of tuna confit (fresh tuna cubes slow-poached in olive oil with garlic, herbs, and spices), caramelized onions, capers, roasted piquillo peppers, and gruyere cheese. After splitting an Italian loaf lengthwise, I layered on the ingredients, wrapped the loaf in aluminum foil, and heated it in the oven until the cheese melted and the bread turned a little crispy. I hadn't tried this combination of ingredients before, and it tasted good!

The salad was a Roasted Potato Salad that I learned to make from a friend. She once brought it to a potluck dinner and it was the hit of the party. It's basically a Greek salad that substitutes roasted potatoes for the lettuce--a nice touch for people who like hearty salads. To make this salad, combine roasted potato chunks, tomatoes, cukes, radishes, red onion, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and freshly chopped parsley. Toss with a garlic & red wine vinaigrette that has a pinch of dried oregano added to it.

Oh, my. I love the idea of that sandwich, and, being a fan of any and all kinds of potato salad, I MUST try this one soon!

[SobaAddict70]

My adaptation of Judy Rogers' Zuni Roast Chicken with Bread Salad

Substitutions: toasted slivered almonds in place of pine nuts; golden raisins instead of currants. The salad also features the addition of slivered ginger and lamb's quarters (a/k/a wild spinach).

[C. sapidus]

If feels like summer, so we switched to simple summer dinner mode and fired up the charcoal grill. Grilled chicken thighs marinated with garlic, black pepper, fish sauce, and lime juice. Grilled zucchini, same marinade as the chicken (I said it was a simple meal).

We made a quick dipping sauce of ginger, lime and lemon juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Crusty buttered bread, leftover salad, and call it dinner.

[robirdstx]

djyee100 - Thanks, the steak was very tasty too. That Tuna Grinder sandwich of yours looks awesome!

Tonight's Memorial Day Dinner was Baby Back Pork Ribs, Potato Salad , & Pork and Beans. I rubbed the ribs with Kosher salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, onion powder, and chili powder, covered them with plastic wrap and left them in the fridge for about 4 hours. Then I added some chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce to the pan, covered it with foil and cooked the ribs in a preheated oven for an hour and 15 minutes at 450F. Out of the oven and allowed to cool a bit, the ribs got slathered with BBQ sauce and wrapped tight in foil. Then, back in the oven at about 150F to hold until I was ready to give them a char on the grill. DH loved them!

[LaCookrasha]

Some of my dinners!

White rice with chicken drumsticks cooked with spices like cinnamon, nutmeg,turmeric etc...

Mediterranean Pork Chops

Like Chicken Marsala but used Sherry instead

Toamto and Watermelon Salad

This is a thick soup that I prepare by adding root veggies, chicken, pork sausage, cornmeal dumplings, and a lot more!

[Dianne]

We had penne with asparagus in a carbanara sauce which was a real winner: savoury, rich and creamy. I will be trying this with other veggies too..

[dcarch]

Everyone's wonderful dinner will inspire me to try things I have never done before.

For now, roasted ox tail.

dcarch

[nickrey]

Everyone's wonderful dinner will inspire me to try things I have never done before.

For now, roasted ox tail.

dcarch

Are those lotus root chips? How did you cook them to get them beetroot colored?

[dcarch]

Actually, lotus roots pickled in redwine vinegar.

Other veggies: String beans, potatoes, and giant carrots.

dcarch

[Corinna]

We had penne with asparagus in a carbanara sauce which was a real winner: savoury, rich and creamy. I will be trying this with other veggies too..

This is a simple, yet wonderful idea for asparagus, which we are eating a lot of right now. Thanks, Dianne!

[Kim Shook]

deadstroke – gorgeous pork belly!

djyee – the lemon balm was a nice addition to the chicken. I was afraid it would disappear with the smoke, so I kept it very simple – just olive oil, pepper and the herb. It was delicate, but THERE.

robirdstx – that is just a beautiful pizza!

Soba – your chicken looks delicious. I cannot truss a chicken to save my life – I end up with 20 feet of string wrapped all around a chicken that is as splayed out as before I tied it. So yours looks pretty good to me.

We got our CSA box on Friday and then went out of town until Monday night. So I was trying to use as much as it as possible as quickly as possible. Tonight I did a salad with the Bibb, arugula and radishes (all CSA) topped with some Benton’s proscuitto and poached eggs (CSA):

I also did roasted asparagus and Marlene’s glazed carrots (both CSA). The carrots…well, they turned out a little odd:

I’ve made the recipe before and they were amazing – so it was the carrots, not the recipe. But these carrots never got tender. They went from raw and hard to candied and tough and never went through a soft phase. It’s something between candy and carrot jerky. Tasted really good, though.

Carrots, asparagus and croissant:

Dessert will be as many (CSA) strawberries as we can eat before they go furry.

When we were in NC this weekend, I got a souvenir:

Scary. I found it at a little country gas station/store. Yes, it says “Fried out chicken fat with attached skin”. I haven’t gotten up the courage to open it yet.