Lunch! What'd ya have? (2014)

[Anna N]

Blether,

With a handful of perfectly dressed greens that onion tart would be my near-perfect lunch. Someone who enjoys onions as much as I do to share it with would turn it from near-perfect to perfect.

[Blether]

Thanks, Anna.  You're right about the greens.  I wanted to save the last of the lettuce for later   Until this year, I'd only eaten caesar salads out.  Romaine lettuces have been great value lately and since I first tried mixing a week's worth of dressing, it's been caesars all the way.

[huiray]

Blether, I would have thought that your location in Tokyo would provide a wealth of greens for salads, vegetable dishes, etc etc - in the manner that would be not unexpected in Japanese cuisine.  But are you speaking of Western-type greens in your post, which would be less common? Like what would be called "butter lettuce" or "Boston lettuce" in many parts of the USA?  Even so, "Romaine" is a common green in E/SE Asia, I would have thought - "Yau Mak Choy" which uses a form of Romaine lettuce is an omnipresent dish all over SE Asia, for example (not sure about the equivalent in Japan) while many other Japanese greens must surely be amenable to incorporation in a Western-style salad?  Mizuna, for one.  Watercress, cabbage, negi, hakusai (Napa cabbage), cucumbers, etc etc all can go into a salad...and must be readily available...  Just thinking out loud here...

[Anna N]

Thanks, Anna.  You're right about the greens.  I wanted to save the last of the lettuce for later   Until this year, I'd only eaten caesar salads out.  Romaine lettuces have been great value lately and since I first tried mixing a week's worth of dressing, it's been caesars all the way.

I, on the other hand, have access to more kinds of lettuce and greens than I could even begin to list and the utter convenience (for a singleton) of bagged greens of every sort. I was by no means suggesting anything other than how I would serve that pie. We must all deal with the bounty or scarcity of our circumstances.

[Blether]

Hi, Huiray.  You're right on all points, I think, except that none of these others were in my fridge or pantry!

 

I think Romaine lettuce is available year-round.  It's been great value over the last few months, the best out of the salad greens.  If you care to spend time looking for it - not that I suppose you would - I have some history on eG with mizuna and negi, which though, I have probably called leeks.  I haven't posted any this year, but a negi gratin remains a favourite winter dish ever since I ate chef Imai's at La Paletta in Roppongi seventeen or eighteen years ago.  I'm afraid for my part, I don't know what Boston or Butter lettuce are; chingensai, hakusai, komatsuna, and yes, even "shantsai" make their appearances in my kitchen from time to time.  Yes, we get a good supply of iceberg and leafy lettuces, not maybe a very wide range of varieties.  My newly coming to caesar salads at home is a question of habit rather than circumstances.

 

Keep the culinary and linguistic expertise flowing!

 

ETA: Anna, I felt it a (minor) wrench not to have greens for the photo, mostly.  I can stretch to a lettuce, I just try to shop sensibly - the seasonal stuff's typically the best as well as the best value, isn't it ?  And... onions !!!  I rest my case, disjointed though it may be.

Edited April 11, 2014 by Blether (log)

[Anna N]

Finally, the last of the chicken thighs! My all-time favourite preparation chicken karaage.

[huiray]

Hi, Huiray.  You're right on all points, I think, except that none of these others were in my fridge or pantry!

 

I think Romaine lettuce is available year-round.  It's been great value over the last few months, the best out of the salad greens.  If you care to spend time looking for it - not that I suppose you would - I have some history on eG with mizuna and negi, which though, I have probably called leeks.  I haven't posted any this year, but a negi gratin remains a favourite winter dish ever since I ate chef Imai's at La Paletta in Roppongi seventeen or eighteen years ago.  I'm afraid for my part, I don't know what Boston or Butter lettuce are; chingensai, hakusai, komatsuna, and yes, even "shantsai" make their appearances in my kitchen from time to time.  Yes, we get a good supply of iceberg and leafy lettuces, not maybe a very wide range of varieties.  My newly coming to caesar salads at home is a question of habit rather than circumstances.

 

Keep the culinary and linguistic expertise flowing!

 

ETA: Anna, I felt it a (minor) wrench not to have greens for the photo, mostly.  I can stretch to a lettuce, I just try to shop sensibly - the seasonal stuff's typically the best as well as the best value, isn't it ?  And... onions !!!  I rest my case, disjointed though it may be.

 

Ah, I see.  Thanks for the extra background.

 

Butter/Boston lettuce - see here and here and here.  :-)

[Blether]

[BeeZee]

Blether, love the token "greenery"

[Anna N]

The mustard chicken from My Paris Kitchen

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/147510-cooking-from-my-paris-kitchen/?p=1960498

[SobaAddict70]

Shrimp with baby spinach, caramelized pineapple, pickled kumquats and kumquat vinaigrette.

Kumquat vinaigrette: 1 tablespoon honey, 3 tablespoons kumquat vinegar, 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and a pinch of piment d'Espelette.

Pickled kumquats: 9 kumquats, 1/2 cup white wine vinegar heated until boiling, 2 crushed green cardamom pods. Combine all ingredients in a heat-proof container and cool. Set aside, covered, in the refrigerator for 48 hours.

Recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/26/magazine/26food.html (but slightly tweaked; the pineapple was caramelized in a heated skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt; the shrimp was fried in olive oil with some chopped garlic, sea salt, black pepper and parsley; I ditched the frisée and substituted baby spinach and arugula, and wilted those)

[Blether]

Blether, love the token "greenery"

 

Ach!

[Blether]

Parsley is the lion.

[Smithy]

Soba, I've never heard of kumquat vinegar. Is this something you've made yourself (if so, how?) or purchased?

[SobaAddict70]

Hi there.

The recipe for the shrimp is in the link above, but this is my version which has some differences. The kumquat vinegar is the pickling liquid from the kumquats.

pickled kumquats: 9 kumquats, 1/2 cup white wine vinegar that was heated until boiling, 2 crushed green cardamom pods. combine all ingredients in a heat-proof container. cool. place in the refrigerator, covered, for 48 hours.

kumquat vinaigrette: 1 tablespoon honey, 3 tablespoons kumquat vinegar, 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt to taste, a pinch of piment d'Espelette. whisk honey and kumquat vinegar together; then whisk in the olive oil. taste for salt and piment. set aside.

shrimp: peel, trim and devein shrimp. sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. set aside for 5 minutes. rough chop a clove of garlic and a handful of Italian parsley. warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet. add the garlic and fry until it becomes a pale gold, about 1 minute. add the shrimp. cook until it turns color, add the parsley. cook for 1-2 more minutes. taste for salt and pepper. spoon shrimp into a bowl and set aside.

salad greens: in the same pan that you cooked the shrimp in, wilt spinach leaves and arugula leaves. you don't want to wilt them all the way though. I like a little bit of texture to my greens. 1 minute is sufficient, then remove from heat.

kumquats: thinly slice 3 kumquats; discard the seeds.

pineapple: the original recipe uses sliced pineapple, but I decided to caramelize them in a heated skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.

assembly: combine the greens, shrimp, pineapple and kumquats in a bowl. divide shrimp mixture between two salad plates or salad bowls. spoon kumquat vinaigrette atop the salad, then serve.

[huiray]

Lunch several days ago:

 

• Leftover choy kon tong.

• Soft tofu cubes "stir-fried"/sautéed w/ peanut oil, julienned ginger, chopped smashed garlic, ground pork, chiuchow fermented soybeans (潮州豆瓣), lots of chopped scallions.  Seasoning adjusted.

• White rice.

 

 

[huiray]

Sunday lunch:

 

• Pork belly simmered w/ ginger, garlic, slender bamboo shoots & soy puffs.  See here for more details.

• Napa cabbage stir-fried w/ garlic.

• White rice.

 

[huiray]

More chả giò chay for lunch.  (I like them)  Eaten w/ yu choy sum blanched in oiled hot water then drizzled lightly w/ ponzu sauce.  Dipping sauce was Lingham's Hot Sauce mixed w/ the fresh-squeezed juice of a couple of ripe calamansi limes.

(I also snarfed up the pan-fried pressed firm tofu I had intended for a pork-miso-daikon soup. :-) )

 

[rod rock]

Hi guys!

 

As you already know that i am an amateur in cooking and because of that, i like to experiment with various combinations. So, this time i tried with cooked red beans with bacon, little bit of green pepper and garlic. I does not look fancy though but it has a pretty nice taste

 

 

[Anna N]

All things in moderation even low-carbing. Raw milk gruyere on just-baked bread with some Branston pickle. A decent beer would have gone down well but since that's not happening an icy akvavit did the trick. Always leave room for akvavit in the freezer even if you must discard the foie gras!

[liuzhou]

Anna N

That is probably the best lunch I've seen on here in a long time. Maybe ever.

[huiray]

Indiana Pork Tenderloin Sandwich, at the Pawn Shop Pub in Indy.  :-) 

 

With a half-order of onion rings and a pint of Flat12 Walkabout Pale Ale on draft, and French's Classic Yellow Mustard (plus "Special Grade" ketchup later) on the tenderloin.  ;-) 

(p.s. This was on the patio outside under a blue-green translucent canopy - messed up the color balance of the pics.)

 

 

The two resident outdoor cats got fed a few small pieces of the tenderloin.

[Anna N]

Anna N

That is probably the best lunch I've seen on here in a long time. Maybe ever.

Well I enjoyed it. I have seen much better lunches posted here but I do appreciate your compliment. I will try hard not to let it go to my head.

[scubadoo97]

Huiray,

My son just finished his masters at  IUPUI in Indy and I regret never having been up there, because I would have loved to have lunch with you!!!  Just fabulous looking meals that I'm sure taste as good as they look

[huiray]

Aw shucks, scubadoo97.  Congrats on your son's graduation.  Drop me a line if you swing by Indy.