Dinner! 2010

[David Ross]

David - I adore the idea of gravlax w/ gougeres and am totally stealing the idea for my next brunch.

Soba - I really like the looks of your Sopa de ajo. I went to your blog and got the recipe and can't wait to try it.

Thank you all for the good information on the wine! I'm guessing that I'll need to remember all the advice, since we will most always be drinking fairly young (read: inexpensive) wine . I've known about letting wine 'breathe' forever, but never experienced it so fully before.

Please do! I liked the idea of adding anchovies to the Gougeres to give them a bit of a salty/fishy taste. I think swiss cheese and marjoram would be a good combination in Gougeres to pair with the gravlax. I've also made the Gougeres with smoked cheddar, but that may be a bit much for the mild flavor of gravlax. But what the heck, you could make four or five varieties and let your guests choose which combination they thought tasted best.

[dcarch]

Trying to eat healthy today.

dcarch

Snow pea blossoms, tofu, chicken in shitake mushroom sauce.

Daylily blossom and salad from my garden

Daylily & beef fried rice, and stir fried daylily blossoms

[SobaAddict70]

Thanks Kim.

dcarch -- I adore flowers in savory dishes. Salad looks great.

For tonight:

Spaghetti "carbonara"

It's not a true carbonara b/c the eggs were hard-cooked instead of raw.

There were other deviations such as shallots and a minimal amount of white wine.

Madelines and mint tea for dessert.

[Blether]

Picked up this fine-looking flatfish / karei (magarei) for a great price. It made a generous meal for one: gutted, skinned, pre-salted, left for 30 minutes; floured. black-peppered, shallow fried in peanut oil

and served with fresh 50/50 wholewheat bread and a glass of Castillian white. It doesn't have the firmness of real tai (bream) or haddock, but the flavour is a clean, appetising, distinct seafood. Delicious - I even ate the crunchy fins.

[Blether]

Oops. I think I prefer this picture:

[robirdstx]

Such good looking food everyone! I love the inspiration I get from this thread.

Our dinner last night was Meatloaf and Boiled Potatoes. Tonight it will be Meatloaf Sandwiches.

Edited June 12, 2010 by robirdstx (log)

[David Ross]

I work with a lady who brings me fresh halibut that she and her husband catch out of the Puget Sound waters around the Seattle area. Last week they caught a 42lb. beauty and brought me some beautiful filets. The cost per pound that I paid...priceless, (no cash was exchanged but as the saying goes, nothing beats fresh fish just off the boat).

I used a very traditional and simple recipe from the "Le Bernadin" cookbook written by Chef Eric Ripert and Maguy Le Coze. The recipe was written using "Salmon with Buerre Blanc," but I adapted it for Halibut. It's basically fish poached in a court bouillon and then served with a butter sauce.

In the recipe Chef Ripert calls for using red wine vinegar in the court bouillon, but I substituted white wine vinegar because I wanted a milder flavor for the halibut and I didn't want the red wine vinegar coloring the natural beauty of the white flesh of the fish. Other than that, I didn't change a thing to the recipe.

This technique is very easy--you simply place the filets in a casserole dish and ladle the stock over the top. Then the fish is poached in a 550 oven for about 12 minutes. It is incredibly moist and tender when it's pulled from the oven.

The only garnish was a sprig of thyme to accent some of the flavors of the court bouillon and a few steamed English spring peas. Very simple, easy and delicious.

[judiu]

Such good looking food everyone! I love the inspiration I get from this thread.

Our dinner last night was Meatloaf and Boiled Potatoes. Tonight it will be Meatloaf Sandwiches.

Robirdstx, I have NEVER made a meatloaf that I could carve into thin slices like yours, even the next day! What's the secret?

[robirdstx]

Such good looking food everyone! I love the inspiration I get from this thread.

Our dinner last night was Meatloaf and Boiled Potatoes. Tonight it will be Meatloaf Sandwiches.

Robirdstx, I have NEVER made a meatloaf that I could carve into thin slices like yours, even the next day! What's the secret?

Hi Judiu - I'm not usually able to slice my meatloaf quite this thin either. The only thing I did different this time was to eliminate the celery (because I didn't have any) and only used 6 oz of hot Italian sausage links (cases removed) instead of 3/4 lb. of ground pork. Here's my regular recipe:

Meatloaf

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 small celery rib, chopped fine

1 small carrot, chopped fine

1/2 Tbs minced garlic

1 Tbs unsalted butter

1 pinch kosher salt

3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup KC Masterpiece Original BBQ sauce (or ketchup) - divided use

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

3 Tbs minced fresh parsley leaves

1 large egg, beaten slightly

3/4 lb ground pork sausage (or a mix of hot and sweet Italian sausage)

1 1/2 lbs ground chuck

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 In a large heavy skillet cook the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in butter, over medium-low heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Cover the skillet and stir ocassionally until the carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and one-half of the bbq sauce or ketchup. Cook for 1 more minute then remove from heat and set vegetable mixture aside.

3 In a large bowl, combine the ingredients by mixing well with each addition but do not overwork the meat. Combine in this order: panko crumbs and parsley, the egg, the vegetable mixture, the pork sausage, and the ground chuck. Put mix into a loaf pan and form loaf. Cover with remaining bbq sauce or ketchup.

4 Bake for 1 hour, remove from the oven and carefully drain the fat, then return to the oven and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for five minutes before slicing.

[judiu]

Wow! Thanks, that looks yummy!

[Darienne]

Trying to eat healthy today.

dcarch

Daylily blossom and salad from my garden

Daylily & beef fried rice, and stir fried daylily blossoms

Please tell me about eating Daylilies. We have hoards of them...but not yet. This is the great frozen north.

[Honkman]

Risotto with sausages (risotto con salsiccia) - One of these dishes which doesn’t look great on photos but tasted outstanding. It will also be in the future a nice way to use own sausages.

[Jmahl]

Pasta with gulf shrimp. Get'em before the oil does.

[judiu]

Darienne, the daylilies I've had were foraged in the backyard of a rental house in NJ, on advice from Euell Gibbons, who wrote several books on forageing. When steamed or stir fried, to my mind, they taste like snow peas, totally yummy with a dash of good soy sauce, or maybe a little ponzu, to bring out the sweetness. I love 'em, but you can't get them growing in South Florida! I also understand (from the same source) that the tubers are good roasted.

[Darienne]

Hi judiu,

Thanks for the information. Day lilies we have...like nobody's business. Not planted by anyone, just grow in profusion...weeds.

I'll do it. I will. Although I am not quite ready in my mind, I'll do it anyway. Two flowers are out today outside my studio window and soon there will be hundreds. And then thousands.

[dcarch]

Darienne,

Like Judiu said.

In addition, you can eat young shoots in the spring.

You can blanch the blossoms quickly and freeze them fo later use.

I understand that the Chinese and Japanese think the blossoms have anti-cancer properties.

dcarch

[SobaAddict70]

Potatoes and greens

It's actually a little more complicated than that.

The basic template is: greens and potatoes cooked separately, then pan-fried in olive oil with your choice of onions, garlic, shallots, garlic scapes or even ramps. Stir in some diced tomato at the end, taste for salt and pepper, drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil and serve at once.

You can use all sorts of greens: lamb's quarters, beet greens, turnip greens, spinach, chard, escarole, chicory, etc. Be sure to taste for salt at each step. Finishing touches can also include fried breadcrumbs (for a Sicilian kick), soft-cooked, fried or poached eggs.

This version has beet greens and upland cress, a type of mustard green that has a spicy, nose-tingling taste. It makes your hair stand up.

Recipe on the blog for the quantity-challenged.

[C. sapidus]

Indian tonight, mostly from Curry Cuisine.

Boatman’s shrimp masala: Shrimp simmered in a masala of fried cumin, curry leaves, sliced onions, turmeric, cayenne, tomato paste, and thinly-sliced ginger, and then garnished with cilantro (not pictured). Oops, reading the recipe I was supposed to add sliced tomatoes. Guess I’ll have to use the tomatoes tomorrow somehow.

Green pea pilau: Peas and basmati rice with fried onions, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, cardamom, and bay leaf, with shredded mint and cilantro folded in just before serving.

Fried okra, courtesy of Mrs. C.

[Kim Shook]

Blether – nice looking fish!

robirdstx – I like the looks of your meatloaf, too! I’ve copied the recipe and will use it soon!

Jmahl – the shrimp looks fantastic. When we were in NOLA in March, I enjoyed the shrimp and oysters and crab so much and it’s heartbreaking to know that it may be gone and that those folks who make their living bringing it to us will lose their livelihood.

Dinner last night was a pizza made by Fat Guy’s method:

Mr. Kim has been in AZ this past week and got home this morning. His welcome home dinner was all by-request:

Salad with my dad’s paprika dressing

Steamed, roasted new potatoes w/ parsley and olive oil

Broccoli w/ lemon

Peppered pork loin

With the sauce – white wine, chicken stock, cream, sour cream and whole grain mustard.

I surprised him with a low carb dessert:

Lemon cheesecake

[Blether]

Kim, that all looks scrumptious. It looks like there's a separate, whiter layer on top of the cheesecake. My imagination ?

[Kim Shook]

Kim, that all looks scrumptious. It looks like there's a separate, whiter layer on top of the cheesecake. My imagination ?

Nope, not your imagination. There is a thin layer of sweetened sour cream that is put on in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

[robirdstx]

Tonight was Grilled Hamburgers on Toasted Buns, Potato Salad with Asparagus, and Buttered Corn on the Cob.

[SobaAddict70]

Pasta with roasted asparagus, roasted shiitake mushrooms, cow's milk ricotta and soft-cooked eggs

Think of it as a rendition of "pasta primavera" except this one doesn't involve ramps or peas.

Roast asparagus and mushrooms for 10 minutes at 350 F, with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Bring a pot of water to a simmer, drop in two room-temperature chicken eggs and boil for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, peel and chop coarsely.

Remove eggs, add pasta to the same pot of water. Cook per package directions. Or you can use fresh pasta and cook until desired doneness is reached. Drain.

I used fresh ricotta (1/2 cup cow's milk ricotta + 1 ladleful boiling water, stirred together). Add a pinch of salt, black pepper and 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil. Stir.

Mince some chives.

To assemble, once pasta is cooked, add directly to the roasting pan. Add ricotta cheese. Toss. Taste for salt and pepper. Plate each serving, scatter egg and chives atop, then serve at once.

Time: About 35 minutes total, including prep.

Edited June 15, 2010 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[cathyeats]

I made a surprisingly great take on vegetarian bolognese sauce last night. With the triple threat of lentils, mushrooms and tempeh. SO satisfying, I couldn't stop eating it.

Vegan Bolognese Sauce

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 small green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 8-oz. package tempeh, crumbled

8 oz. cremini or white mushrooms, chopped

1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1 6-oz. can tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. dried basil

1/2 c. dried red lentils

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, undrained, chopped

1 c. dry red wine

1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 t. fennel seed

1/2 t. salt, or up to 1 t., to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery and crushed red pepper, and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat up a bit, add the mushrooms and tempeh and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the heat back to medium, stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the remaining ingredients except salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the lentils are just tender. This usually takes 20 minutes, but I’ve had some lentils take an hour – possibly because my tomatoes were salted, which can toughen the lentils. So keep tasting it along the way to determine when it’s done. If the sauce gets too dry, add a bit of water. Add salt at the end of the cooking time. Serve on whole wheat spaghetti or use in lasagna.

Serves about 8.

[abooja]

Cathy, that looks and sounds fantastic. I may have to give that a shot the next time my husband's (vegan) daughter visits. Thanks!