Dinner! 2011

[toolprincess]

Shelby - those bagels looked awesome! My favorite kind - Everything.

Tonight I had leftover rice-a-roni with a chicken leg baked in Trader Joe's Soyaki sauce. A small sample of ziti with meat sauce - taking baked ziti to a friend's for dinner tomorrow.

A salad of avocado, english cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, and orange segments dressed with TJ's champange viniagrette, olive oil, salt and pepper.

I really have to get to work on pictures but I feel guilty as generally one component of my meal is something packaged (see rice-a-roni above).

[PopsicleToze]

Dinner last night was Asian Lettuce Cups. Made with ground pork.

Ooh --- I want some, please! Ann, that looks stunning, and it reminds me that the larb thread needs reviving.

[Pilori]

Pizza - Tartine's pizza dough with fontina, truffle cheese (can't remember the name!), proscuitto San Daniele, and olive oil.

[C. sapidus]

Ann_T, well thank you, ma'am, and likewise. Larb and one of those gorgeous rhubarb galettes would be a great way to start . . .

Heidih, thank you! I am always amazed how a soup can be so satisfying when it is mostly just chicken stock, soy sauce or fish sauce, and something oniony.

Beautiful pizzas, and steak salad with blue cheese sounds perfect now that the evenings are getting longer and warmer.

From Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen:

Jalapeno-baked fish with simmered tomato-jalapeno sauce, served with sliced avocado and green salad. We used skin-on haddock, which turned out moist and tender after about eight minutes in the oven. I thinned the sauce with extra chicken stock to correct over-enthusiastic salting. Even thinned, the sauce was delicious over rice.

Classic white rice, enhanced with roasted chile Poblano rajas.

[Shelby]

I need to branch out and make lettuce cups. Ann's look so good--especially on a hot day here in Kansas.

Bruce, I also need to try your fish recipe. I've never been a huge fan of tomato with fish, but yours look delicious. I think I'd like it with some kick from the jalapenos in it.

Mifi, I'm on a cheeseburger kick and yours looks sooooo gooey and yummy.

A few meals to share before we venture over to Hot Springs (look out Kayb lol)

Smoked chicken on rye with roasted asparagus

Italian sausage, olive, mushroom pizza

Puff pastry stuffed with prosciutto, asparagus and baby Swiss topped with a tangy honey mustard sauce

[Corinna]

I spend a lot of time salivating over all your posts here, so it's time I contributed.

Monday night we feasted for DBF's birthday: Ina's recipe for Lobster Mac & Cheese paired with a wine I saved for a special occasion 2007 Reserve Chardonnay from Lamoreaux Landing (Finger Lakes, NY), the winery where I work. Delicious!

For dessert, a version of Nigella's chocolate loaf cake (via Heidi Swanson) smothered in brandied whipped cream and topped with brandied cherries, a treasure I discovered in the back of my fridge. I was especially pleased with the flavor of the whipped cream.

[Country]

Lobster Mac and Cheese... Dynamite! Being on the coast of Maine I lost my enthusiasm for eating much lobster, but I'll definitely give this a try. Did you cook the lobster before mixing in and cooking the M&C?

[Corinna]

Lobster Mac and Cheese... Dynamite! Being on the coast of Maine I lost my enthusiasm for eating much lobster, but I'll definitely give this a try. Did you cook the lobster before mixing in and cooking the M&C?

Yes, the lobster was cooked and mixed in with the cheese sauce and pasta just before baking. I halved Ina Garten's recipe on the Food Network website, and it still fed us well for several meals. Pat especially liked it for breakfast!

[Country]

Thanks! I'll have to look up that recipe. With or without lobster that's about the best M&C I've ever seen. You got that one down!

Edit to add: Here's link to recipe.

Edited April 14, 2011 by Country (log)

[robirdstx]

Robirdstx, perfectly cooked steak. I'd like mushrooms on my half too.

Thanks, Ann_T! Next time I think I'll do a combo of onions and mushrooms.

We had halibut again this week. Grilled with roasted potato wedges.

Your halibut has been calling to me and I have some in the freezer. Soon, but tonight I used up the meatballs that were also in the freezer for Spaghetti and Meatballs.

[Kim Shook]

Dejah – the stew looks fantastic and I love your beautiful tureen (AND the story behind it).

Bruce – that beef sounds truly succulent!

MiFi – I’ve never been a huge fan of beef salads, but that meat looks so incredibly tender that I know I’d love it – especially with the bleu cheese.

toolprincess – no need to apologize for Rice-a-Roni! I had microwave Uncle Ben’s tonight! Bring on the pictures!

Shelby – was the theme of the week in your house ooey gooey? Every single dish looks incredibly delicious and wonderful!

Corinna – that picture of the lobster mac and cheese sent me over the edge. I’ve been interested in that dish since I first heard about it (c’mon…lobster, pasta, CHEESE sauce – what could be wrong with THAT?), but your photo made me hie myself to Google to find the recipe! Wow.

I still had all the makings for it, so we had Marlene’s Beef Stroganoff again tonight (plus the inevitable salad) – this time with rice:

I let it simmer for longer tonight and it was darker. Very, very good – I didn’t mind at all eating it twice in 4 days (not my favorite thing usually). The rice was one of those Uncle Ben’s microwave bag things – Whole Grain Medley, with brown rice and red and black quinoa. We really liked this.

[Dejah]

I can't believe that we lost the warm temps we've had for about 2 weeks - from +8C to -8C today (with wind -14C) Any of the above gorgeous meals would have helped to warm me innerds, especially the stroganoff...

Shelby: Love the idea of the egg in the middle of your pizza! Did you crack the egg on half way thru' the bake?

I've been using my Jenn-Air grill since Dec, and of all days, I decided to do burgers outside. But they were worth it. Not quite Shelby's Juicy Lucy, but juicy nonetheless: Lean ground beef stuffed with smoked Gouda and brushed with bottled Guinness BBQ sauce.

[Shelby]

I can't believe that we lost the warm temps we've had for about 2 weeks - from +8C to -8C today (with wind -14C) Any of the above gorgeous meals would have helped to warm me innerds, especially the stroganoff...

Shelby: Love the idea of the egg in the middle of your pizza! Did you crack the egg on half way thru' the bake?

I've been using my Jenn-Air grill since Dec, and of all days, I decided to do burgers outside. But they were worth it. Not quite Shelby's Juicy Lucy, but juicy nonetheless: Lean ground beef stuffed with smoked Gouda and brushed with bottled Guinness BBQ sauce.

OMG another burger that is making me DROOL. I'm so ready for a new invention that let's us reach out and take a bite through the screen!

I did that pizza on a stone in the oven that had been pre-heated to 500 degrees for about an hour. It usually takes around 12 to 17 minutes for the pizza to be done to our likeness. I put the egg on with about 3 minutes to go.

It was almost better than sex...almost...

[Corinna]

Corinna – that picture of the lobster mac and cheese sent me over the edge. I’ve been interested in that dish since I first heard about it (c’mon…lobster, pasta, CHEESE sauce – what could be wrong with THAT?), but your photo made me hie myself to Google to find the recipe! Wow.

Thanks, Kim! I recommend using pretty mild cheeses. I added 2-3 oz of gruyere into the mix (the other cheeses I used were local colby and cheddar), and I felt it over-powered the lobster. It was a perfect decadent dish for a special occasion, but I didn't think the lobster was absolutely necessary. Still, I would make it again.

[MiFi]

Pan Roasted Chicken Breast with Dijon Sauce and Crispy Pancetta

Stir fried swiss chard w/quinoa

[Pam Brunning]

I get hungry just looking at this site. That dinner of lobster and choc cake and cherries was fab Corrina.

I did seared scallops with sautéed sweet potato, samphire and wild garlic (ramps) sauce. The flavours went well.

Lazy pud of pawpaw

[Dakki]

Cochinita pibil with the typical purple onion and habanero quick pickle.

So happy the sun is out again.

[rarerollingobject]

After a week of non-cooking (and worse, pretty much non-eating), I figured I needed some nutrition so this is dinner for the chronically overtired: celeriac, puy lentil and cavolo nero salad with hazelnuts and mint, a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe.

It was good, but slightly depressing - needed something meaty and fresh to go with it, maybe a pork chop or some lamb. And now I look at this picture, is it just me or does those lentils in the centre look like slightly menacing eyes?

[Dakki]

Oh God its gaze follows me around the room!

[rarerollingobject]

Behold my Lentils of Doom! To my eye, the bay leaf even resembles a rather jaunty quiff.

That's it, I'm hallucinating.

[SobaAddict70]

Tagliatelle with broccoli "pesto"

The "pesto" is an adaptation of one of Alice Waters' recipes in her cookbook "The Art of Simple Food".

[Corinna]

Our friend brought us a beautiful 4lb trout the other day. I baked it stuffed with lemon, onion and parsley. Simple and delicious!

It was nice cold for lunch the next day, and planning on fish tacos later on today.

[heidih]

Beautiful looking trout - I like that simple stuffing with aromatics and baking method.

[Corinna]

Beautiful looking trout - I like that simple stuffing with aromatics and baking method.

Thanks Heidi. It really didn't need anything else!

[Prawncrackers]

Haven't been doing much cooking recently but a lot of lurking on this thread to keep my gastro juices flowing. Delicious dinners everyone!

My mother brought me an oh-so fresh dover sole yesterday morning so I thought I'd share the preparation with you of last night's fish supper. Dovers are expensive fish around these parts, almost £10 per kilo wholesale, and they are also some of the slipperiest! Kept trying to grab this slimy sucker out of the bag by the tail until I realised I had to grab it by the head. Skinning dover soles is one of the most satisfying fish prepping jobs there is, making the little slash by the tail and tearing the skin off in one ripping motion. I think it's the sound it makes, like leathery velcro. After skinning and gutting it in the morning i painted it with butter to keep for the night. The fat roe I removed, salted and kept separate from the fish:

Now like any good Cantonese cook I would normally steam a dover sole for about 9.5 minutes and be done with it. But as you've gathered with the butter, my intentions were always going to be western. So I seasoned it up and started it off under the grill (broiler) and finished it in a hot 220c oven for ten minutes along with the roe. Whilst it was cooking I did a black butter sauce with capers and brown shrimp. Served with the first asparagus of the season and some simply boiled anya potatoes. Looking at the picture now isn't it strange how the roe and the potatoes like so similar? I loved this meal, from start to finish it only took 20 minutes to cook in the evening and it tasted so good. The dover was cooked to perfection, as I peeled the top fillets away, look the bone was still pink: