Dinner! 2013 (Part 5)

[basquecook]

Simple and fun dinner tonight. We are recipe testing various things so, we just wanted to make a quick dinner.. Stopped by the market on Mott Street, NYC. Picked up peashoots, live shrimp, Chinese Sausage and a salmon steak for Miss k.

pea shoots, sugar, shoaxing, chicken stock, sweet soy, shot of vinegar.

Pound of live shrimp. ginger, garlic (thought i had scallion but, didn't)fermented black bean, chicken stock, sugar, salt, soy, shoaling. caught a few jumping out of the pan

Edited November 21, 2013 by basquecook (log)

[Ann_T]

The last leg of lamb from the whole lamb I bought earlier in the year.

Slow roasted. Potatoes and Rutabaga added the last 30 minutes.

[Hassouni]

I don't stop by here very often, but tonight's dinner has me sighing with delight half an hour after finishing, so here it is:

Persian apple, apricot, and lamb shank stew, adapted from this site: http://turmericsaffron.blogspot.com/2013/10/khoresh-sib-o-gheysi-persian-apple-stew.html

The key differences were the lack of rose petals, using 2 lamb shanks instead of beef cubes, and browning the meat first, then removing before doing the onions etc. Once the meat was done I removed it from the bone and separated it from all the various less-than-pleasant tissues. I also braised it in the oven rather than on the stovetop.

This was one of the best dishes I've made in memory - sweet, sour, with warm spices, rich from the collagen and gelatin in the lamb, the sauce perfectly thickened. I can't think of much better for a cold night.

Served with the first perso-Iraqi style rice I've made in my new apartment, in my new 2.5 qt saucepan that I bought specifically for this purpose:

Aw yeah, it doesn't get more perfect than that! And I have 3 meals' worth of leftovers!

[scubadoo97]

Ann and Hassouni fabulous dishes

[Anna N]

Sous vide picanha finished with black Hawaiian salt accompanied by mashed sweet potatoes.

[stephen129]

Are you a professional out of interest, or just a very enthusiastic/talented home cook?

Thanks, Stephen. I'm not a professional. I just enjoy cooking and eating.

Honestly, a lot of your food wouldn't look out of place in a 2/3 Michelin starred kitchen.

[Anna N]

Korean-style wings from MC@H.

[Paul Bacino]

Anna....we make those quite often.

Nice

[Anna N]

Anna....we make those quite often.Nice

I didn't want to brag but aren't they good? Renewed my faith that wings are worth eating!

[huiray]

Anna....we make those quite often.Nice

I didn't want to brag but aren't they good? Renewed my faith that wings are worth eating!

How does MC@H specify these KFC wings be done? (I don't have that book)

Have you ever read this? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/dining/07fried.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Regarding the worth of chicken wings - in Chinese & E/SE Asian cuisine they have always been well regarded. The "waat" characteristic has always been appreciated - in this case, think of slipperiness, succulence, stuff like that. Try turmeric chicken wings sometime. ;-) Sure, BBQ Wings in Western/USA cuisine has elevated their standing (and their cost) in the USA but in a more general sense it is interesting how much chicken breast meat is valued in the US (in a general sense) and not dark meat,which tends to get exported to other countries (like Russia and E/SE Asia) where it is highly regarded. Only the wings are kept back (and classified as white meat by the US poultry council) - maybe because of this "BBQ wings" thing?.

Edited November 22, 2013 by huiray (log)

[Steve Irby]

So many great dishes so a shout out to all contributors. The turkey porchetta and Emeril stuffed chicken legs are on my Thanksgiving holiday menu for sure . I'm working on my skill set for the chestnut scaled sweetbreads but it may be a few years before I try that one. Actually, I had sweetbreads for the first time at MiLa in New Orleans this past weekend and couldn't believe how good they were.

Today I bought the first box of oysters this fall. So fresh shucked oysters and a quick po'boy for supper.

[Dejah]

Curry Chicken with fresh curry leaves and Jamaican curry powder. Sauce was reduced chicken stock simmered with brown mustard seeds, curry leaves,onion, red pepper and whole peppercorns. Our local Sobeys had purple asparagus. Thought it would add a nice splash of colour...but it turned green upon steaming.

Chicken was rubbed with curry powder, browned, laid on top of sauce ingredients, then finished off in the oven. Naan was store-bought. It was a bit too chilly to use my Big Easy "tandoor" to make my own. Hubby had that.

The oven added that bit of extra warmth (and aroma) on a chilly evening : windchill -28C. Here comes winter!

[Franci]

So, after Basquecook mentioned beets ravioli I realized I never had them. I asked around and got a recipe of casunziei. from someone who spends her summers in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

No ricotta in these, beets/potatoes/butter little breadcrumbs. They were really delicious

And since my little girl is not really keen on stuffed pasta. I made some pink tagliatelle for her.

With noisette butter, sage and duck bacon

[Anna N]

Anna....we make those quite often.Nice

I didn't want to brag but aren't they good? Renewed my faith that wings are worth eating!

How does MC@H specify these KFC wings be done? (I don't have that book)

Have you ever read this? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/dining/07fried.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Regarding the worth of chicken wings - in Chinese & E/SE Asian cuisine they have always been well regarded. The "waat" characteristic has always been appreciated - in this case, think of slipperiness, succulence, stuff like that. Try turmeric chicken wings sometime. ;-) Sure, BBQ Wings in Western/USA cuisine has elevated their standing (and their cost) in the USA but in a more general sense it is interesting how much chicken breast meat is valued in the US (in a general sense) and not dark meat,which tends to get exported to other countries (like Russia and E/SE Asia) where it is highly regarded. Only the wings are kept back (and classified as white meat by the US poultry council) - maybe because of this "BBQ wings" thing?.

Here's a video of the process almost!

http://modernistcuisine.com/2012/10/the-secret-to-chicken-wings/

Scott screwed up the recipe (and he has publicly admitted as much) by taking the wings out of the marinade before dusting with the Wondra and potato starch mixture. This is meant to create a batter with the marinade.

I should perhaps have explained that it is not the wings that I find worthless but the way in which they are ALWAYS served/ordered by my family and friends. Buffalo-style -- the hotter the better. It is less a dining experience than a gladiatorial challenge! At best I find the sauce one-dimensional and at worst it is sinus-clearing painful.

The MC@H wings are crispy, flavourful and still pack some heat from the sauce. They are not double-fried as discussed in the article in your link.

[Ann_T]

Franci, I imagine your little girl loved her pink pasta.

Roasted a couple of chicken breasts.

Rubbed a butter sage mixture under the skin.

[basquecook]

That looks beautiful Franci. My trouble is, I make the beet ravioli with homemade ricotta cheese.. They are extremely fragile, they often leak which melts the pasta dough and they break open during boiling. Then, the water is cloudy and I can't see what the heck is going on. I am catering a large wedding next week and have to make a couple hundred of these guys. I would love the recipe if you have it.

Last night, we were getting ready for an event this weekend.

Friend of mine knows the people who work at the garden at Rutgers. They gave me a huge bag of peppers. Ghost Chiles and Habaneros. I made a basic hot sauce base. Boiled carrots, white vinegar, garlic and onions, added some orange juice, sugar and salt, then a ton of peppers.. Simmered for about 25 minutes and the blended. Once I had the base, I mixed brown sugar and fish sauce into on of the jars to test. It was delicious. I am going put this in little bottles and give it out to some people.

Started the Demi Glace last night

Made a roasted vegetable stock as well and a shrimp stock and a chicken stock.

Dinner last night was the last of the pea shoots. Miso glazed scallops. They were terrible. They were those wet scallops. I don't think I have ever had them before but, was hoping they would be good. They were from this Spanish only speaking fish shop in Elizabeth. They leaked water and then fell apart. I don't know who would think that is ok to treat a scallop like that.

Pea shoots were really good. Pork chop for the little one. Double thick pork chop, internal temp was 128.

Edited November 22, 2013 by basquecook (log)

[Franci]

Basquecook, done.

Ann, we are not big chicken eater but you know how to cook it really well. Very nice

[huiray]

Anna....we make those quite often.Nice

I didn't want to brag but aren't they good? Renewed my faith that wings are worth eating!

How does MC@H specify these KFC wings be done? (I don't have that book)

Have you ever read this? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/07/dining/07fried.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Regarding the worth of chicken wings - in Chinese & E/SE Asian cuisine they have always been well regarded. The "waat" characteristic has always been appreciated - in this case, think of slipperiness, succulence, stuff like that. Try turmeric chicken wings sometime. ;-) Sure, BBQ Wings in Western/USA cuisine has elevated their standing (and their cost) in the USA but in a more general sense it is interesting how much chicken breast meat is valued in the US (in a general sense) and not dark meat,which tends to get exported to other countries (like Russia and E/SE Asia) where it is highly regarded. Only the wings are kept back (and classified as white meat by the US poultry council) - maybe because of this "BBQ wings" thing?.

Here's a video of the process almost!

http://modernistcuisine.com/2012/10/the-secret-to-chicken-wings/

Scott screwed up the recipe (and he has publicly admitted as much) by taking the wings out of the marinade before dusting with the Wondra and potato starch mixture. This is meant to create a batter with the marinade.

I should perhaps have explained that it is not the wings that I find worthless but the way in which they are ALWAYS served/ordered by my family and friends. Buffalo-style -- the hotter the better. It is less a dining experience than a gladiatorial challenge! At best I find the sauce one-dimensional and at worst it is sinus-clearing painful.

The MC@H wings are crispy, flavourful and still pack some heat from the sauce. They are not double-fried as discussed in the article in your link.

Interesting. Thanks for the clarification and the video link, Anna N. So it is essentially USAmerican-style wings with a Korean-style sauce, even if Scott Heimendinger didn't quite do it the way he intended to. Sounds yummy regardless. (Yes, KFC would - almost by definition - be double-fried wings. [in this case, KFC=Korean Fried Chicken, not the Colonel Sanders one.])

[Norm Matthews]

I got hungry for chili tonight. This is a recipe I developed over several years and this is the way we like it.

[C. sapidus]

Dejah – Curry wings sound fantastic

Ann – Beautiful chicken!

Keema aloo – Black cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cumin, and ground beef, cooked with potato wedges, green chiles, ginger, garlic, and a spice mix of ground coriander, garam masala, fenugreek, and turmeric, simmered with yogurt and finished with ground cardamom. Mrs. C kindly did most of the prep work while I was stuck in traffic.

Spinach with sliced almonds – red bell peppers, panch phoran, ginger, garlic, chile, and asafloetida, finished with garam masala. Mrs. C said this would be a good Christmas dish.

Garlic naan – store-bought, baked, and brushed with butter. Yes, again – it is quite good and ridiculously easy.

[Anna N]

Very simple meal tonight - cauliflower steak.

[Bojana]

Franci, your pasta looks gorgeous. Inspires me to keep practicing and it is needed seen on my tortellini below

Those chicken wings are calling me! And so many other delicious dinners, this thread is a real inspiration.

I keep forgetting to make photos of our regular meals and only do those where I put a bit more effort but we do not eat this fancy every day.

Recent "fancy" meals:

Chestnut puree, cream, and "granola", bone marrow sauce, italian ham, goat cheese tortellini

Forbidden rice cooked with soy and mirin, fennel puree, 55C steamed fish, basil oil, roasted cherry tomatoes and lemongrass infused tomato water

[judiu]

Bojana, bone marrow sauce? Do tell, please!

[Anna N]

Having obtained the ebook version of MC@H I found my interest re-ignited. Here cheese sauce from MC@H over steamed cauliflower and topped with crumbled chiccharon and crispy shallots.

To use up more of the 72 hour short ribs of a few day ago I fancied lettuce rolls. Really one needs a soft lettuce but that would have required a shopping trip with no guarantee of success. I had romaine so I shaved off much of the rib and gave each leaf a quick dunk in hot water to make them a little more pliable. Brushed each leaf with some hoisin sauce, added shredded short ribs and rolled them up. Very satisfactory.

[Steve Irby]

Here's a couple of dishes that I prepared for the Confit Cook-Off. Last night I made a shrimp bruschetta with satsuma preserves, preserved lemons and fennel.

And tonight confit five spice pork and confit turnips. Served with potatoes anna, oyster mushrooms and pork demi-glace. The confit turnips were served with turnip and beet greens prepped with homemade tasso.