Dinner 2015 (Part 2)

[BonVivant]

Ranz, many thanks!

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

 

From yesterday: Flammkuchen, classic version with smoked bacon and onion rings.

 

 

The whole 'kuchen'. Two in total.

 

[huiray]

Simple chicken rice.

 

Small B&E chicken poached in seasoned water w/ tons of crushed ginger.  Rice cooked w/ the poaching broth (scooping up most of the chicken fat) plus finely chopped smashed garlic.  Chopped Savoy cabbage simmered in the poaching broth.  Ginger-scallion-salt-hot oil sauce.

 

[Ranz]

 

 

 

 

 

Prepared some chops chutney last night for tonight's supper. Not sure if dish is that well-known outside South Africa.

[rotuts]

Ranz

 

Id like to hear a bit more about the C.C.

 

thanks

[mgaretz]

Baby backs:

 

 

[Ranz]

Ranz

 

Id like to hear a bit more about the C.C.

 

thanks

 

Hey rotuts. It's basically chops cooked in browned onion, spices, garlic and ginger, then braised until tender in a tomato chutney. I also add in some fish sauce and Wostershire sauce.

 

I prefer to use mutton because I think it has a better flavour, though lamb is mostly preferred I think.

[BonVivant]

Lemon sole doesn't have a lot of taste so I gave it some with chopped smoked bacon, garlic, and chives. Actually it's typical in northern German cookery to add smoked bacon to (flat) fish.

 

[TicTac]

Nice box 'o Morels, mm - curious your source and what those ran you.

[Norm Matthews]

mgaretz. Nice looking baby backs.  They are really meaty.  

[Smithy]

Hey rotuts. It's basically chops cooked in browned onion, spices, garlic and ginger, then braised until tender in a tomato chutney. I also add in some fish sauce and Wostershire sauce.

 

I prefer to use mutton because I think it has a better flavour, though lamb is mostly preferred I think.

Ranz, thanks for this additional information. It's given me an idea for the pork chops languishing in my freezer.

[Ranz]

Ranz, thanks for this additional information. It's given me an idea for the pork chops languishing in my freezer.

You're welcome. The spices I used were turmeric and Kashmiri chili powder. I typically grate the tomatoes and season them with the fish sauce and Wostershire sauce for a bit before cooking.

[kayb]

First grilled burger of the season, with potato skins and a salad of avocado, grape tomatoes, and bacon in a lime and mayo dressing. Pretty excellent. No pics; sorry!

[CatPoet]

urf, I cannot move!  Stuffed beyond belief. I ate way too much today because we had fun and I forgot to portion control.

 

Anyway, no picture due to guests  but we did have   Green ham roast  stuffed with prunes ( poke a whole in the middle push in prunes), roasties, sauce, quick pickled cucumber,  cooked carrots and peas   and for dessert  gloopy gooey   butterscotch pudding and chocolate pudding with proper whipped cream. 

 

So I am utterly stuffed  but when I feel better I post you some pictures of dinners I have had.

[Norm Matthews]

Because Cassie has to work tomorrow, we had our Easter dinner today.  We had ham with an apricot glaze, sweet potatoes, warm 3 bean salad with fresh mozzarella, povitica bread, devilied eggs, pineapple upside down cake and because several people mentioned seafoam salad in the remembered Easter dinners past, I thought I'd try some.  We thought it was good.  Maybe not a keeper but it was good.  I usually get traditional walnut povitica but this time got one with an apple-cinnamon filling.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2015 by Norm Matthews (log)

[FauxPas]

I have been wanting to try this cauliflower recipe for a while.  I know someone on here made something similar and it looked SO good. I found a recipe online. Cauliflower head dipped in plain yogurt and spices.  

 

HUGE FAIL .  It was disgusting.  The baking temp was too high so the yogurt was close to burning while the cauliflower was crunchy.  Way too much chili powder (and I love chili powder).  I saved the head....going to scrape off the yogurt and re-purpose it if I can. 

 

photo 2.JPG

 

I had a problem with this recipe (or a similar one), also. Same thing - undercooked cauliflower and almost overcooked coating. I think Thanks for the Crepes is right, parboiling first might be the answer. Or I might use the Cuisinart Steam Oven and pre-cook that way. Or I might just give up and cut the cauliflower into slices or quarters or something. Ruins the effect somewhat, though. 

[David Ross]

Chef Nick Balla's "Honey-Togarashi Chicken Wings" with a cucumber, carrot and cabbage slaw-

 

[Franci]

We had lamb chops, fennel salad and collards

[Shelby]

I had a problem with this recipe (or a similar one), also. Same thing - undercooked cauliflower and almost overcooked coating. I think Thanks for the Crepes is right, parboiling first might be the answer. Or I might use the Cuisinart Steam Oven and pre-cook that way. Or I might just give up and cut the cauliflower into slices or quarters or something. Ruins the effect somewhat, though. 

Nice to know I'm not alone.  Yes on the parboil.  But I didn't like the spice mix either.  More experimenting must be done.

[FauxPas]

Nice to know I'm not alone.  Yes on the parboil.  But I didn't like the spice mix either.  More experimenting must be done.

 

I started with this recipe from PureWow, and as I recall, I used a bit less chile powder and more curry powder. 

[mm84321]

Salad of green and white asparagus, sauce mousseline 

[patrickamory]

Ranz fascinated by chops chutney! Thanks for educating me. CatPoet I thought green ham came from Dr. Seuss 

 

No pix tonight, but I soaked scarlet runner beans from a farm in Massachusetts and cooked them in the Rifi tagine in a base of olive oil, onions, tiny late garlic from my friends in upstate NY, Hatch chiles that I just decided to defrost, plus salt, pepper, Mexican oregano, a cup of pressure cooked roast chicken stock, a whole soaked guajillo chile, some bean-soaking liquid and a pinch pimentón de la vera, for many hours until they were meltingly smooth.

 

Served with Anson Mills carolina gold rice and a batch of lemon-marinated chicken thighs and drums roasted at 400F and then broiled till crispy. Guest was happy anyway...

[Paul Bacino]

Seafoam Salad--Norm

 

I like that idea

 

Buona Pasqua

[palo]

Dinner last night was more like what you might find in a diner as a side dish as opposed to some of the fine restaurant dishes described and pictured here. As well, presentation was not worthy of a photo, ie a big soup bowl.

Fried Rice:

I started with chopped pork loin marinated in oyster sauce, then dredged in corn starch. I sauted for a few minutes until browned and removed to rest. Added green peppers and onions, sauted until just beginning to caramelized. Finally added the day-old white rice, frozen green peas and the previously cooked pork loin. Seasoned with some additional oyster sauce and a sprinkling of MSG, "stir-fried" the mess until rice had heated and peas had cooked. Dumped into afore-mentioned soup bowl and ate.

As it was a table for one, critiques are limited. I enjoyed it, it was tasty, I've had better fried rice. Oyster sauce is not by itself an ideal marinade/stir-fry ingredient. Needed an additional side of veg or salad to counter-balance the main.

That being said, meals for me are generally a trade-off between taste and effort. Full disclosure: bachelor cooking for no-one's pleasure but his own.

p

[Franci]

Buona Pasqua!

 

Mm, your asparagus look fantastic. I miss so much the white asparagus abundance I was used in Monaco and many other things. I'm nostalgic these days. 

[Norm Matthews]

Joyeuses Paques Paul and everyone, Happy Easter.