Lunch! What'd ya have? (2014–2015)

[blue_dolphin]

It's been unusually hot here and I've been reluctant to run the oven and the AC at the same time but I really wanted to try the recipe for slow roasted tomato sauce that ElainaA posted in the gardening thread and Okanagancook mentioned during Shelby's recent blog.  I had a bunch of little tomatoes from my CSA box so I got them into the oven early this AM and was able to enjoy some pasta for lunch.

Ready for the oven:

 

Finished roasting:

 

Ready for lunch:

 

Some of the tomatoes fell apart in the oven and I thought maybe I should smoosh the rest to make more of a sauce.   I'm glad I didn't as each bite of one released a burst of fresh, hot, acidic tomato flavor. 

Given the 3 hr roasting time, my whole house smells like garlic and now, I do too!

[naguere]

Well, fired on by a post 'How long have you been with egullet (since 2004)  I changed my photo and thought to post this meal.

 

I am now virtually carb free, this  is with lentils, buckwheat and a bratwurst. I see tomatoes and a spring onion salad there also.

 

The carb free (virtually) has had amazing results on my shape by the way.

So good i posted the image twice.

Edited August 30, 2015 by naguere (log)

[blue_dolphin]

 

Roasted chicken (Zuni cafe recipe), potato salad (Red Norland potatoes from my CSA box, cooked in the pressure cooker as inspired by recent egullet discussions) with tomato and fresh corn (also from the CSA box).

[blue_dolphin]

Pasta again.  I added some zucchini from today's CSA box to the slow roasted tomato sauce I made last week:

 

[BonVivant]

This is a typical breakfast or lunch in northern Germany where many things from the sea feature heavily in its gastromomy. Smoked things from the sea receive equal love. I like northern German smoked seafood even more than the fresh stuff (and the fresh stuff is already good). Such exquisite smoked fish and roe are the best I've ever had anywhere (besides Japan).

Pumpernickel slices are mandatory, for they go so well with smoked fish. It was a big lunch! Sourdough bread under the scrambled eggs is made by yours truly.

Edited September 6, 2015 by Smithy
Member request (log)

[liuzhou]

Na Tou Yuan (那头园) is a village in China's Sichuan province. It is also the name of a restaurant beside my country home, which I visit only rarely. But yesterday was such a day. The restaurant is operated by a young couple from the said village - he does the cooking, while she does front of the very small house. For nine months of the year the weather is such that the restaurant spills out into the street.

 

Nearby are a bunch of  tertiary colleges: a teacher training college, an environmental studies college, a  veterinary college etc, so prices here are aimed low to attract students.. 

 

So, I had lunch there yesterday as I have been doing so off and on since they opened in 2001. Real Sichuan home cooking by a real Sichuan man served by his lovely Sichuan wife.

 

A friend and I had: 

 

Fish Fragrant Shredded Pork  鱼香肉丝

 

Stir Fried Water Spinach  空心菜

 

Pulled Thread Taro

 

I guess the last one might need explaining. It is basically boiled taro chunks which are then drenched in melted sugar. When you lift a piece of taro, the sugar leaves long threads behind where it connects with the next lump. It is served with a bowl of cold water to dip the taro in to set the sugar.

 

My lunch companion ordered this. I find it way too sweet.

 

The restaurant menu with translation is here (Word doc). The prices are a bit out of date, though.

Edited September 7, 2015 by liuzhou (log)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

liuzhou,

 

Thanks for taking us to this lovely mom and pop restaurant in China. We are lucky to have you as a member to share your experiences.

 

Your lunch looks wonderful, but I probably wouldn't like the sweet taro dish either, although the stringy sugar sounds very intriguing. I would try it on a lightly cooked, firm, tart fruit for dessert in a heartbeat. I can close my eyes and imagine myself eating at one of the outdoor tables enjoying a meal like yours. I really appreciate my virtual trips to far away and mysterious China.

 

I can't quite identify the green vegetable in the Fish Fragrant Shredded pork. Perhaps yard long beans?

[liuzhou]

 

I can't quite identify the green vegetable in the Fish Fragrant Shredded pork. Perhaps yard long beans?

 

Garlic Scapes  (蒜苔 suàn tái) 

[Kim Shook]

Inspired by Kay, lunch today was a BLT with heirloom green tomatoes and steak fries (no Pringles in the pantry – not even any Aldi baked BBQ chips that I’ve become addicted to  ):

the tomato kind of gets lost with the lettuce, but it’s in there!

[kayb]

No photo, but a nice little salad. Sliced tomatoes left over from last night, diced up; ripe figs, diced; fresh mozzarella, diced; some basil oil and some balsamic glaze. A caprese with figs. I have always thought figs went with anything; I can now testify they go with capreses. I might have preferred a more assertive cheese in that setting, though.

[robirdstx]

Leftover roast chicken breast with mayo, salt and pepper! So good!

[blue_dolphin]

Sorta lunch, sorta brunch….

 

Asparagus and smoked salmon quiche:

 

With a melon/tomato/feta/mint salad and toasted ciabatta:

 

Garnished the salad with a few blackberries and added a glass of methode rotuts:

[Okanagancook]

Blue_dolphin, beautiful looking meal!

[Taveren]

Whole grain bread

American cheese

Mizuna dressed with sauce of mayo, ketchup, mustard, fish sauce, Tabasco

Heirloom tomato

Bacon

American cheese

Whole grain bread

Edited September 15, 2015 by Taveren (log)

[Ashen]

Awesome looking sammy.  I would swear it somehow feels like the pattern of the web is twisting around that picture Ta'veren.  

[blue_dolphin]

Pasta with asparagus, garlic, lemon and guanciale:

 

Last week, my brother was in town and we stopped for lunch at a new-ish pizza place.  I ordered the "carbonara" which arrived with about a quart of molten mascarpone/pecorino sauce, thick slices of guanciale that appeared never to have been exposed to any sort of heat, and a pretty much raw egg all atop a paper thin crust.  I'm all for a very runny yolk but I'd prefer the white to be at least somewhat set.  If they'd used about 1/10th the amount of cheesy sauce, I think the guanciale and egg might have cooked a bit.  Since I didn't eat much, they automatically boxed it up for me.  Like it was going to get better???

 

I removed all the guanciale, rinsed off the sauce, diced it and crisped it up for this pasta.  

[hummingbirdkiss]

/

fresh vegetables and pork belly jook (my girlfriend's canned corn … I do not even try to grow sweet corn it is almost too sweet! but very good in this soup )   this is suck your thumb twirl your hair good and the ONLY thing I have eaten with out an egg in or on it ages! it will have an egg on it tomorrow for sure…I made a gallon of this because I am not likely to have countertops tomorrow ..much needed comfort 

[liamsaunt]

Farro salad with arugula, tomatoes, herbs, parmesean, pistachios and radishes.  Recipe from the New York Times cooking site.

 

[Okanagancook]

That Farro salad is my kinda salad.  I think I have all the ingredients to make that tomorrow!

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I decided to try Kenji's recipe for stovetop skillet pizza, and I have to say I was disappointed, although my husband enjoyed his.

 

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/03/skillet-neapolitan-pizza-no-kneading-or-oven-recipe.html

 

I did use King Arthur Flour's beer crust recipe for the crust, and reduced Kenji's recommended temps because I was using an old Wagner Ware cast iron skillet. The crust was tough and I did not like it. I also missed the slight browning of the cheese, which might have been corrected with a torch, but that wouldn't have saved the crust. In my defense for not following the recipe to the letter, Kenji does state it will work with your own preferred crust, and I have experience with blasting the heat on cast iron, and that will result in incinerated food.

 

I resorted to this because it's still hot here and the only grill I have now is charcoal. I reserve the expensive charcoal for thick rib eyes of which I have one thawing out for tomorrow's dinner. We both agreed that we preferred the grilled result, but amazingly, the husband seemed quite happy with his which is the first one that came out, and the first pizza I had ever tried to stretch and form in the air. Needless to say, it was less than ideal. It had some sort of "head" appendage on a blobby body with stubby legs. 

 

The second pizza, mine was more normal-shaped, but way out of round.

 

I froze the rest of the dough in 1/8 portions. Usually, I divide this dough in half. spread one portion on a large cookie sheet, freeze the other, and we eat half of it between us in one sitting, then polish off the rest as leftovers. I'll use this dough up as freshly made individual pizzas, but it will be made in the oven or on the grill. In fact, thinking and writing about this made me realize I have a thick rib eye thawing for tomorrow night's dinner. I just pulled a couple dough balls and a container of crushed tomatoes to go with. I'll grill the other half of the bell pepper on steroids I got from my Asian market, some Vidalia onion and go from there. My two favorite foods in the world are really good steak cooked just right and pizza the same. I've only had them once before on the same day, and that was a long ago birthday, and not at the same meal.

 

I was already looking forward to tomorrow, and I just compounded that. I also have marshmallows to roast over the coals after dinner. 

[gfweb]

BBQ flank steak sandwich

 

[hummingbirdkiss]

LOL vegan  sliders right below that yummy sandwich GFWEB posted LOLOL! So when my oven broke I started cooking with the dehydrator and became total addicted to the  vegan raw burgers so I make a batch and just stick them in the fridg ..the good part about raw food? no "heating it up! "  I made some cripsy dosa  (just regular style plain dosa batter made thick and with  turmeric)  fried until crispy then layer a pancake,  a mini "burger" some tomato curry

and all is good in the world of vegan ..until I want a steak 

 

Edited September 28, 2015 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[liamsaunt]

Tomato sandwich.  Probably one of the last for the year

 

[BonVivant]

Had a semi "fancy" shish qebap* today at the "outdoor beer garden fest" in the capital of Albania. I ordered  pork and chicken skewers for my qebap. Yoghurt sauce with pickled green tomatoes and roasted/pickled pointed sweet peppers for the bread. You can pick whatever sauce you like for your (shish) qebap.

 

 

Typical not fancy qebap from a street rig looks like this (see pics below) and it doesn't come with any sauce or pickles/vegs. Nothing. I did ask why (when there was someone round who could translate for me) and the answer was because in the old days Albanians couldn't afford any sauce or any extras in their qebap. Well, now they certainly can but still keep it simple if buying from a street rig.

 

 

The capital has a 10 days of beer drinking outdoor at the moment. At night the entire street (temporarily closed to traffic) is full of people enjoying (draft) beer and snacks. Too bad there's only 1 beer, which is Birra Tirana.

 

Snack menu

 

 

[Nicolai]

Got to go for it sometimes....double grilled cheese and a single patty with Mayo - Ketchup - Mustard - Onions - Pickles - Tomato.

Of course Fries and a Strawberry Shake......Secret Menu at FiveGuys.

Burger Heaven.....on Earth   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2015 by Nicolai (log)