Dinner! 2011

[ChrisTaylor]

Last night I made beef chilli 'ragu' following the recipe in Adrian Richardson's excellent Meat book. It was good. Amazing? No ... but one of the better examples of chilli I've eaten. I'm wondering if I'd be better off making chilli from pork neck or shoulder. I mean, pig content improves everything, right?

Ingredients: cubed chuck, tomato passata, chicken stock, onion, garlic, capsicum, fresh habanero, chilli powder (a 'hot' powder from the Chinese shop and the lovely aromatic Kashmiri powder I bought from the Indian supermarket--I find a combination of both, in roughly even amounts, manages to give a nice balance of heat and flavour), smoked paprika, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and, right at the end of cooking, some fresh basil and coriander leaves.

Apoligies about the crappy, out-of-focus photo.

Served with roast potatoes. Olive oil certainly isn't as good as duck fat.

Tonight I'll be cooking some chicken wings under the grill. Just put together the marinade now: both of the afore-mentioned chilli powders, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, a bit of ground cumin, a pinch of saffron powder to get the colour all pretty and such ... and to make my left hand look like I've stolen clothing from a department store.

[ChrisTaylor]

Marinated chicken wings. One of my favourite things in the world.

[aschall]

Sauteed chicken, yellow squash, red peppers, red onion, garlic, broccoli, white wine, chicken stock, butter, lemon, capers, basil and some fresh bread with the extra pizza dough from 2 days ago.

There are more photos at my site.

[aschall]

If you like a little heat, this dish wasn't too bad. A roasted pablano pepper stuffed with a cheesy risotto. Topped with a little smoked gouda cheese. On the side is a tomato and roasted pepper sauce, oh and a jalapeno, just in case there was not enough heat.

[kayb]

Played with my pasta maker tonight...I kept wanting to grab my camera to take pics after 7 days of blog.

Dinner tonight:

Linguine with bacon, cheese stuffed venison meatballs, homemade sauce and a salad.

I still want to come live with you. We need to work out an exchange program, I'm thinking.

[Shelby]

Played with my pasta maker tonight...I kept wanting to grab my camera to take pics after 7 days of blog.

Dinner tonight:

Linguine with bacon, cheese stuffed venison meatballs, homemade sauce and a salad.

I still want to come live with you. We need to work out an exchange program, I'm thinking.

[C. sapidus]

aschall, roasted Poblano chile + anything is good, but yours looks fabulous.

Another dinner from 1,000 Indian Recipes. Mrs. C had most of the sous-cheffing done when I returned home, and the meal went over well with the family.

Southern Indian-style fried trout, with a simple dredge of flour, cayenne, turmeric, and asafoetida, and served with a squeeze of lemon. The trout turned out tender and delicious, and the spices subtly enhanced the flavor.

Spinach and red bell pepper pilaf, using leftover cumin rice seasoned with chaat masala, garlic, chiles, fenugreek leaves, mint, and garam masala. This was very popular.

Cucumber and radish raita, also leftover, but stretched with more cucumbers and chopped mint leaves.

[rarerollingobject]

Salmon, poached in pear cider and then lightly browned. Fairly boring. But more interesting: a side of samphire! Aka 'sea asparagus', or I once saw it sold in San Francisco as 'sea beans', it's a coastal succulent that tastes both, well, succulent and like the ocean. Boiled for a couple of minutes to take down the saltiness somewhat, and topped with a little butter and lemon (post photo).

[Shelby]

More leftovers....

Goose and noodles

[dcarch]

rarerollingobject, You have an amazing ability to combine unique ingredients and come up with incredible dishes.

Kim, as usual, every meal in your household is a feast.

Shelby, love your home-made pasta. Goose and noodles, how interesting!

SobaAddict70, beautifully presented dish.

ChrisTaylor, I need to make some of your wings for a party.

aschall, you are good! The stuff pablano peppers are inviting.

C. sapidus, what a rainbow of colors and flavors, your truot dish!

---------------------------------------

I made:

Real wild rice with fresh peanuts and mushrooms.

Sous vide chuck steak with black garlic sauce

Asparagus mushroom soup

dcarch

[Okanagancook]

darch, always interesting to see your presentations, inspirational

[Shelby]

darch, stunning! Where do you find fresh peanuts?

[C. sapidus]

dcarch, thank you for the kind words. I love the mushrooms “growing” in your wild rice, and the steak looks gorgeous. I can only imagine that everything you cook must taste as good as it looks.

. . . Where do you find fresh peanuts?

Shelby, Asian markets often carry fresh (unroasted) peanuts.

Keema with spinach and coconut milk: Ground lamb with chopped onions, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, cilantro, and chiles for aromatics; cumin, cinnamon, black cardamom, coriander, and fenugreek for spices; finished with a squeeze of lemon. Good stuff, served with cucumbers and the last of the cumin rice.

Family approved, but they are probably ready for a change in cuisine. As the snow falls outside, I’m thinking of a few hearty, warming Mexican dishes for next week.

[ChrisTaylor]

rarerollingobject, You have an amazing ability to combine unique ingredients and come up with incredible dishes.

Kim, as usual, every meal in your household is a feast.

Shelby, love your home-made pasta. Goose and noodles, how interesting!

SobaAddict70, beautifully presented dish.

ChrisTaylor, I need to make some of your wings for a party.

aschall, you are good! The stuff pablano peppers are inviting.

C. sapidus, what a rainbow of colors and flavors, your truot dish!

---------------------------------------

I made:

Real wild rice with fresh peanuts and mushrooms.

Sous vide chuck steak with black garlic sauce

Asparagus mushroom soup

dcarch

Wow. They look amazing. The mushroom dishes especially.

In terms of wing marinades, tho', that one wasn't so good. It was okay but nothing special. I think the marinade from Larousse Gastronomique is better if you want something that enhances the flavour of the meat. If you're looking for a nice chilli flavour, tho', it's hard to go past marinating the wings in Tabasco with a bit of powdered chilli--not a hot variety, but a very aromatic one like Kashmiri.

I'm trying a new marinade tonight.

[Shelby]

dcarch, thank you for the kind words. I love the mushrooms “growing” in your wild rice, and the steak looks gorgeous. I can only imagine that everything you cook must taste as good as it looks.

. . . Where do you find fresh peanuts?

Shelby, Asian markets often carry fresh (unroasted) peanuts.

Keema with spinach and coconut milk: Ground lamb with chopped onions, garlic, ginger, curry leaves, cilantro, and chiles for aromatics; cumin, cinnamon, black cardamom, coriander, and fenugreek for spices; finished with a squeeze of lemon. Good stuff, served with cucumbers and the last of the cumin rice.

Family approved, but they are probably ready for a change in cuisine. As the snow falls outside, I’m thinking of a few hearty, warming Mexican dishes for next week.

Mexican sounds great, but I am loving the dish you just showed with the spinach...yummmmmmy.

We have a decent Asian market here...but, unless I've missed them, I don't think they sell unroasted peanuts . I'm going to have to find a source because I'm intrigued and want to use them.

Italian sausage, jalapeno, onion, mushroom and kalamata olive pizza with a salad.

Edited January 12, 2011 by Shelby (log)

[davidkeay]

We've got a good snowstorm kicking in tonight and split pea soup sounded great. I used smoked ham shanks for that gelatinous smokey richness that pea soup needs!

Edited January 12, 2011 by davidkeay (log)

[suzilightning]

monday john got home about 1800 from jury duty. egg noodles and short ribs shredded into their braising liquid along with roasted cauliflower.

john made it home last night just before the snow but still around 1830(early since he is on jury duty until he is dismissed, his case ends or 26 January - whichever comes first)

i made him a pizza with ham, artichoke hearts and olives. i had a craving and made a big bowl of oatmeal with milk and topped it with some homemade applesauce, dusted with toast dope and a drizzle of maple syrup. it was perfect with a cup of hot cocoa.

i just pulled two packages of pounded chicken tenders. stopped yesterday and picked up fresh sage leaves, prosciutto de san danielle and provolone picante. chicken saltimbucco with some pasta for dinner later.

hmmmmm....i do believe that i want a gratin, though. and there is the backstrap of venison john brought home from Quattros' that i portioned out...maybe for dinner tomorrow.

Edited January 12, 2011 by suzilightning (log)

[robirdstx]

They are calling it the "Big Chill" here in the Houston area, so New England-style Clam Chowder seemed to be the order of the day.

[kayb]

Camera-less, but nevertheless, some good meals during this snowy long weekend:

Saturday: Carbonnades a la flamande, over buttered egg noodles, with a side of curried apples and pears.

Sunday: Freshly baked honey whole wheat bread, sandwiched with leftover sliced pork loin, and an apple salad with bacon, feta and balsamic viniagrette.

Monday: Ancho-coffee braised country style pork ribs.

Tuesday: Leftover pork, in quesadillas

[ChrisTaylor]

King Island rump steak, herb and garlic potato wedges, spinach sauteed with chilli.

[Rico]

Robirdstx - if H-town was anything like Dallas, then 'Big Chill' was an appropriate name. Glad that little episode is over. The Chowder looks like a perfect antidote to the cold.

Chris - that steak looks great.

Made spinach and ricotta canneloni with a lamb bolognaise the other day. Not sure of the difference between a ragout and bolognaise, so I just guessed and called it bolognaise.

[aschall]

Stuffed napa cabbage stuffed with red peppers, fennel, shallot, and garlic. Side of sauteed rutabaga and turnip and some steamed broccoli. I didn't like some of the color but it tasted good.

[ScottyBoy]

First time making dumplings. Shrimp and pork, pork with jellied stock (xiao long bao). Only issue at all was, next time roll the dough thinner for the soup dumplings, the shrimp/pork were just store bought wrappers.

Crab fried rice

Flank steak stuffed with bacon, spinach and feta.

Root beer floats for good measure.

Edited January 13, 2011 by ScottyBoy (log)

[nikkib]

well i finally had some people to cook for as opposed to just myself, bit of a random assortment of dishes as i couldnt figure out what i wanted to eat/cook but hey it tasted pretty good - moules marinieres to start - i didnt have any cream so used fromagae frais which split a bit but still worked ok

followed by a "turkish" carrot and red cabbage salad with sumac, lemon and balsamic dressing

with salt and pepper squid in a szechauan pepper, cornflower and salt coating and popcorn shrimp in chunky breadcrumbs left over from christmas stuffing.

Theres a bit of spinach and roasted red peppers thrown in at the end too as i do like my veggies. As i said, more of a collection of dishes than a well thought out meal but overall not bad, think i would rather have pop corn shrimp with my G&t before dinner than as a meal itself and the carrot salad made me think of trying a repeat with some grilled quail in pomegranate molasses or some such next time, we'll see....

[ScottyBoy]

Looks great! Funny you should say that since the menu last night didn't have too much of "theme" either.