Dinner! 2011

[C. sapidus]

Prawn, your improvised carnitas mole thingie sounds scrumptious. Nothing like adding a little high-wire excitement to mealtime.

This week's theme has been combining vegetables into the main course (a fancy way of saying one-pot meals). Tonight, a severe case of co(ok)itus interruptus developed. Prepare the mise - run elder son to school - cook the rice - oops, gotta watch Big Bang - and then, finally, cook the curry and enjoy a very late meal.

Bay scallops in spinach-tomato curry sauce, with garlic, ginger, cayenne, turmeric, cumin, coriander, black pepper, mustard seeds, and coconut milk.

Mixed vegetable pilaf, with basmati rice, onion, chiles, black cardamom, cumin, garam masala, yogurt, and chopped broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.

[Dejah]

Wanted Fish-fragrant eggplant AND Mapo tofu, so combined the two - nice silky spicy mixture over jasmine rice and baby Shanghao bok choy - also posted over in the China forum:

[Blether]

What a great series of dinners, from MiFi's right down to yours, Dejah.

I turned over this idea in my head for a week or more: curried chicken, starting with two pre-salted roast chickens (you can see them here), raw weight 1.1kg each (so about 5lbs bone-in chicken). The meat & skin from these picked off & torn up by hand. The carcasses used to make a stock, and this reduced to ~150ml (solid like a hockey puck after chilling). The fat from roasting reserved, and the roasting tray deglazed with the juice from 2 cans of tomatoes. This mixed with the hand-crushed tomatoes, one more can of the same (tomatoes & juice). The roasting fat (augmented with a little butter) added along with salt & three onion halves, all brought to a simmer and cooked for 45 minutes. I derived this tomato sauce from Marcella Hazan's "tomato, butter & onion sauce" for pasta, making up the fat quantity with butter, and of course chicken-ising it. The onion halves are removed after cooking.

Two tablespoons of cumin seed dry roasted in the saute pan, and 1tbsp coriander seed, the same, for grinding later.

Two and a half onions sliced & brown-fried in 5-6tbsp homemade ghee, adding over the last 10 minutes: (1) a 4-inch cinnamon stick; (2) 2.5tbsp knife-minced garlic, 1.5tbsp knife-minced ginger, and 1 large mild and 3 cayenne chili peppers, chopped; (3) 3 bay leaves & 1tsp whole cloves; (4) 1tbsp turmeric powder, 1/4tsp fresh-ground black pepper, & the roast cumin & coriander, also freshly ground.

Added the tomato sauce, stock and shredded chicken, and heated through.

I was exclaiming "that's good" when I was tasting this, even in the apartment by myself. I'm really pleased with the spicing I put together here (the meat & stock & roasting fond were a doozy from the start). I'm calling it Murgh Shahi Masala, because I don't know any better.

If I were to change anything, I'd make more sauce, or hold back some of the chicken for sandwiches, rather than just piling the whole lot in, regardless of proportions.

Served with saffron rice and diced swede / white turnip cooked in a frypan in butter with some kalonji / onion seeds and black pepper fried in it, and topped with a blob of Augusts's lemon chutney.

Edited March 11, 2011 by Blether (log)

[Dejah]

Blether: The two pre-salted roast chickens look great! The skin looks crispy from the air-drying in the fridge? I could just eat that!

I have roasted chicken parts with a packaged seasoning for salty chicken. It has 5-spice powder mixed it and is great for making the ginger/oil dip for salty chicken. But, now I must try your method.

Your curried chicken drew my attentionas soon as I saw the spice mix. Anything with cumin is alright by me!

[C. sapidus]

Wanted Fish-fragrant eggplant AND Mapo tofu, so combined the two . . .

Just like the old Reese's peanut butter cup commercials - "Hey, you've got fish-fragrant eggplant on my mapo tofu." "Hey, YOU'VE got mapo tofu on my fish-fragrant eggplant." I love both, so I bet the combination was quite delectable.

I was exclaiming "that's good" when I was tasting this, even in the apartment by myself.

I believe it - sounds really good.

[Blether]

Dejah, did you click through to my older post in "Roasting a chicken" (I linked to it in the post I linked to (puff, pant)) ? I described my approach in detail there - fridge-drying is one part of it, the other big point is roasting back-up for 2/3 of the time, then finishing with breast uppermost. It was hard to resist eating at least some of the skin while I picked the meat off. So I didn't

Thanks, Bruce. It remains really, really good today, which is good because it was just the thing to zap in the microwave (rice too, done separately) after spending three and a half hours picking the kitchen up off the kitchen floor:

Edited March 11, 2011 by Blether (log)

[Shelby]

Juicy Lucy burgers for us! For those not familiar with that, the burgers are stuffed with gooey, melty, cheesy goodness. We used Kraft processed American cheese (I know, but just melts so well) and a chunk of horseradish cheese for the stuffage. "Stuffage" is not a word, by the way.

Also, had some goose steaks wrapped in bacon. Darn good with some spinach and a cheesy rice casserole.

Finally, I've really been enjoying my pasta machine.

[rarerollingobject]

I made this last night and then got a little distracted trying to track down friends in Japan, so it was rather mushier by the time I got around to it, but tasty nonetheless. Paella with caramelised fennel, capsicum, chilli and fennel sausages, broad beans and tomatoes.

[Dejah]

Blether! I was up at 5 am but hadn't turned on the news or heard about the earthquake when I read your post this morning. I wondered what happened to your kitchen. Glad to know that you're alright.

Rarerollingobject: Really like the sounds of your paella. Fennel sausage sounds interesting...homemade? store item?

Shelby: Juicy Lucy...was that the name of an animal your hubby bagged? Did you stuff cubes of cheese inside the burger? Certainly would keep it moist.

What started as a warmish snow-melting rainy day here on the prairies turned into a nasty March blizzard. I thought of BBQing racks of lamb outback, but was content to sear then roast them in the oven.

Whole grain mustard and cumin crusted lamb, "clean-out-the-salad-bowl" stir-fried vegetables, buttered baby taters and sweet potato as sides.

[Shelby]

Dejah, I don't think I could eat something that I named lol.

Here is the wiki about juicy lucys.

Yes, it makes a delicious burger. I also have been known to add jalapenos in there, too.

[nonblonde007]

Blether, my prayers are with you and everyone else that is surviving through this disaster. I know mine aren't the only ones aimed your way.

[Kim Shook]

MiFi – gorgeous steak sandwich!

Cass – I love your pizza – those bubbles are perfect!

rarerollingobject – lardo on bread…brilliant!

djyee – love the looks of your sausage dinner – especially the soft, brown onions (Mr. Kim would love the kale)

Ann – your pasta looks perfect, as does the meat sauce – great consistency.

Prawn – gorgeous meat!!! I’m with you on the surf and turf. I love both, but not together – too much richness? The only version I really like is country ham and crab.

Blether – not derailing at all – a picture of your kitchen – what could be more apt for eG?? Glad you are safe, my friend. Like Rico, my first horrified thought was for my eG buddies!

Shelby – if Mr. Kim sees that picture, I’ll be making those burgers for dinner tomorrow. He’s been dying to try one since he saw them on some TV show. But where is the ‘money shot’ ?

A couple of recent dinners – I did end up making carnitas with that overcooked slow cooker pork from last weekend. It turned out very well:

Tender, moist pork with salty, crispy edges. I made tacos with the carnitas:

And served some of the shrimp and pineapple fried rice that I fixed up from the other night. I added some ginger, fish sauce, pepper and extra soy sauce and it turned out great!

Mr. Kim had some kale:

Another night I just made some tunafish salad sandwiches and more fried rice:

[David Ross]

Short Ribs with Crispy Potato Pancakes-

This is a very easy recipe that works well for both short ribs and pot roast or any cut from the chuck. It's best to start the day before service so the ribs have time to braise, settle and then come back to heat.

Just season the short ribs with salt and pepper, dust with flour then sear in oil in a casserole pot until browned. Remove the short ribs and in the pot add carrot, celery, onion and garlic and saute until tender. Add some bay leaf, peppercorns and maybe some allspice berries. Add a few tablespoons of flour and stir to coat. Add red wine, beef stock and some tomato paste. Rest the short ribs on top of the vegetable mixture, cover and oven-braise at 250 for about 8 hours. Cool, then the day of service bring back to heat in a 300 oven. Skim the sauce and serve.

The potato pancakes aren't the traditional version. I used mashed potatoes mixed with chopped onion, form them into little patties, dip in egg then dip in panko and fry until brown.

Sorry, forget to give you a photo of how tender the meat was when I tucked into it. I was so hungry after waiting two days for these short ribs I couldn't resist.

[robirdstx]

The potato pancakes aren't the traditional version. I used mashed potatoes mixed with chopped onion, form them into little patties, dip in egg then dip in panko and fry until brown.

New traditions have to start somewhere!

[Ann_T]

Blether, Glad you are safe.

Kim, I'm not craving pork tacos.

David, I haven't made short ribs recently. My mouth is watering looking at yours. I love the potato pancake side.

Friday night's dinner - Seared Scalloped over a simple pasta.

[Dakki]

Spaghetti with clams, mushrooms, dried chilies, garlic and olive oil.

I was cleaning out the fridge and found some ancient chunks of cheese, including edam, gruyere, parmesan and what I think was a piece of stilton. Ran them all through the grinder and mixed the result in.

[Big Mike]

Tonight was Italian family night...antipasto and homemade pasta with red sauce and sausage. Had panna cotta and zabiglione for dessert

Edited March 13, 2011 by Big Mike (log)

[C. sapidus]

Kim - Looks like you are enjoying your fried rice (I know I would).

Ann_T - Gorgeous scallops and pasta, I would love to try that.

Mrs. C made the main course tonight - baked salmon with a ginger-soy-maple glaze. She cooked the salmon to silky perfection while I made the side dishes.

Still on a greens kick, so I made a riff on bhaji (braised greens) with Swiss chard, spinach, onion, ginger, garlic, tomato, chiles, and turmeric. I added some palm sugar (to offset bitterness) and creme fraiche (for richness), and the boys liked the greens better than usual (which, granted, isn't saying much). Basmati rice pilaf with smoked turkey stock, cumin, and ghee-fried mushrooms.

[dcarch]

Shelby, Juicy Lucy burgers, goose steaks wrapped in bacon, those are crazy good meals.

rarerollingobject, very colorful paella. Doesn’t look mushy to me.

Dejah, beautifully made rack of lamb, with a chorous of vegetables,

Kim, I have said it before, I will say it again, you have a great cooking repertoire, never boring.

David Ross, great plating of a wonderful recipe of short ribs.

Ann_t, by the translucent look of those scallops, one can tell how perfectly they have been seared.

Dakki, Scrumptious wok full of Spaghetti with clams covered with a melange of edam, gruyere, parmesan cheeses.

C. sapidus, Mrs. C did a great job with the baked salmon with a ginger-soy-maple glaze.

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

I had Greek meatballs on baked Phyllo noodle,

And

Sous vide rosemary drum sticks.

dcarch

[Ann_T]

Big Mike Perfect Table cloth for Italian Night.

DCarch, Nice plating.

Bruce, You and your wife are the perfect team. Salmon dinner looks delicious.

Pizza Margarita.

[rarerollingobject]

Great looking meals, all. I just ate, and already Dakki's pasta is making me hungry again! And dcarch, beautiful dishes as usual.

C. Sapidus, that greens dish looks amazing! Any chance I can hit you up for the recipe? I always thought a bhaji was a fried fritter-y thing.

Dinner for me was one very pretty thing, followed by one rather ugly thing - salad with edible pansies (photo taken pre dressing with champagne vinegar and a tiny amount of walnut oil):

And a rainbow trout pan fried in butter and lemon.

Less pretty indeed. But wasn't he beautiful to start off with?

[Rico]

Rarerollingobject - Edible pansies? Will wonders never cease? That salad does look delicious, and so, in fact, does the trout.

Dakki - When I clean out my fridge I usually end up with a presliced Kraft cheese product sandwich on stale bread. That pasta looks like a significant improvement over my efforts.

Kim - Those pork tacos look legit. Love the evident affinity for jalapenos ...

I made some lobster roll sliders with King's Hawaiian Rolls for some company. Also, it was the first time I've worked with live lobster. The cooking was easy, but I made an awful mess getting the meat out after.

Edited March 14, 2011 by Rico (log)

[heidih]

I made some lobster roll sliders with King's Hawaiian Rolls for some company. Also, it was the first time I've worked with live lobster. The cooking was easy, but I made an awful mess getting the meat out after.

Rico- I like the idea of the sweetness of the King's Hawaiian rolls working with the sweetness of the lobster. I find in getting the meat out that kitchen scissors are your best friend. Those cracker utensils tend to lead to splinters of shell and squashed meat.

[ShutterSaute]

Last night was a delicious pork loin marinated in orange zest, rosemary, and garlic. On the side were cannellini beans simmered in lemon juice and rosemary. Perfect taste to get ready for spring!

Edited March 14, 2011 by ShutterSaute (log)

[Jmahl]

Trying out some new dishes like Paparot - cornmeal spinish soup

and chicken cacciatora made with garlic and rosemary