Dinner 2015 (Part 3)

[mgaretz]

Last night's dinner was char siu style baby back ribs:

 

[Ranz]

Roasted rack of lamb and a cauliflower bake.

 

[rotuts]

MG

 

Id so like to hear a bit more on how you made those

 

C.S. ribs or CS its self

 

Id like to try both myself   !!!

[mgaretz]

MG

 

Id so like to hear a bit more on how you made those

 

C.S. ribs or CS its self

 

Id like to try both myself   !!!

 

http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/chinatown_char_siu_ribs.html

[mm84321]

Morel pizza 

[Ann_T]

 

Ready to go into the oven. Topped with sausage and mushrooms.

 

 

Baked on the grill in the Bakerstone Pizza oven.

[rotuts]

love the before and after pizza pics !

[liuzhou]

My visit to the market this morning was interesting. I was in seafood mood. My usual seafood vendor was, as always, happy to see me. She sold me some beautiful, live wild prawns at a reasonable price.

 

Then the conversation turned to her clams which she was happily displaying.

 

"Don't buy them!" she whispered. "They aren't good."

 

When her stall was empty except for me she went on to explain that her usual source of wild caught clams had failed to deliver because of the local weather. It has been terrible. People have died.  So she only had farmed clams. "No taste!" Like a fool, I bought some anyway.

 

The prawns she buys a few days earlier and keeps alive to purge them, so they were top notch.

 

As usual, I simply stir-fried them with salt and Sichuan peppercorns.

 

 

 

My seafood girl was correct - as always.

The clams were very disappointing. I did them with garlic, ginger and a couple of splashes of Shaoxing wine.

They were bland and largely tasteless. I could have brightened them up with chilli, fermented black beans etc. but I wanted to taste clam!



Next time I will listen to the expert.

(But I love her honesty to long term customers - she was just a kid helping her mother after school when I met her. Now she has her own kid and runs the stall, now twice as big as before. Mama still drops by to mumble and complain that it isn't like in her day!)

Edited June 17, 2015 by liuzhou (log)

[tdig]

Ranz - That cauliflower bake looks killer. Care to share a recipe?

 

Made Pork Belly Bolognese yesterday and served some with bucatini, crushed red pepper, and parm. 

 

[Paul Bacino]

Belly Bolognese .. nice!!!  tdig

[huiray]

Yesterday's meals.

 

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More of the pesto sauce made previously, with fedelini [De Cecco], basil leaves garnish and additional grated Parmigiano Reggiano & Arbosana EV olive oil [California Ranch].

 

 

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Beet greens (ribboned), spring onions/baby onions (white parts, trimmed) and green garlic (sliced) in chicken stock plus a bit of oil; served w/ 2 dollops of crème fraîche in it.

Coarse Braunschweiger [Claus'] with semolina bread [Amelia's].

 

 

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A nice slice of Pikanter Leberkäse [Claus'] rewarmed & browned in a pan w/ some evoo [California Ranch blend]; sliced wax potatoes pan-fried after doing the Leberkäse; farm-fresh beets simply simmered in salted water then de-skinned; chopped spring onions (green parts).

 

 

[liamsaunt]

Soy braised pollock.  You can't really see it, but there are udon noodles, snap peas, carrots, onions, mushrooms etc under the fish.

 

[kayb]

Norm, I consider myself an aficionado of pulled pork, having lived in Memphis and its environs for 30-plus years. Your pork is tee-totally gorgeous.

 

AnnT, I could dine on an antipasto spread every evening for a LONG time with no complaints.

 

huiray, I love the notion of the peas with the wurst and kraut. I love browning mine a tad, as well. Try browning in bacon grease.

 

Been out of town for three days. Nothing exceptional in the meals department. Will cook this weekend.

[kayb]

Well, I forgot this one, because it was last Saturday.

 

 

Sous vide pork tenderloin, originally stuffed inside a whole pineapple, which had to be cut down the side to accommmodate it, then wrapped in bacon. It split during the early portion of the cooking, so grill-side surgery resulted in halves. Very good, but for the fact I'd cooked the tenderloin too long SV (90 minutes at 125) and it got mushy. I'll do better next time. The tenderloin had Cajun seasoning, and the bacon melted nicely into the pineapple.

 

Served with sweet corn, roasted in the husk on the grill, and sauteed fresh green beans with ginger and soy sauce.

 

 

[huiray]

 

huiray, I love the notion of the peas with the wurst and kraut. I love browning mine a tad, as well. Try browning in bacon grease.

 

 

kayb, thanks for the suggestion.  Unlikely for me, though - I don't usually cook bacon and can't remember the last time I even bought any. (Maybe a year or two ago?)  When I browned the sauerkraut I actually took out the tub of chicken fat instead - but put it back after I decided I wanted a "cleaner" taste.

[Ashen]

Well, I forgot this one, because it was last Saturday.

 

pork, don.JPG

 

Sous vide pork tenderloin, originally stuffed inside a whole pineapple, which had to be cut down the side to accommmodate it, then wrapped in bacon. It split during the early portion of the cooking, so grill-side surgery resulted in halves. Very good, but for the fact I'd cooked the tenderloin too long SV (90 minutes at 125) and it got mushy. I'll do better next time. The tenderloin had Cajun seasoning, and the bacon melted nicely into the pineapple.

 

Served with sweet corn, roasted in the husk on the grill, and sauteed fresh green beans with ginger and soy sauce.

 

 

It looks good, I have to try a swineapple one of these days on the Weber. 

[rotuts]

kayb

 

that looks beyond delicious  

 

I never seem to remember to BBQ fruit.

 

its painful to think of so many lost and gone forever plates of deliciousness Ive missed !

[liamsaunt]

Lettuce wraps

 

 

[radtek]

kayb perhaps the pineapple helped make the tenderloin mushy.

[Ann_T]

Quick and easy dinner.

 

-

 

Spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, hot red pepper flakes, baby spinach and roasted cherry tomatoes.  Finished with fresh grated parmesan.

[kayb]

That's possible. Or the combination. The original photo I saw used country style ribs, the boneless cuts that look more like strips of loin. I may try that next time, or try just not cooking the tenderloin at all first. 

 

I was particularly pleased with the flavor combo of the bacon and pineapple; it was marvelous. Sam's has whole pineapples, cored and cut into spears lengthwise, as opposed to slices; I'm thinking those, wrapped in bacon, would be a marvelous grilled accompaniment to, well, most anything.

 

My other favorite grilled fruit is peach halves with blue cheese and balsamic reduction.Grill the cut side of the peach first, turn it over and fill the pit cavity with blue cheese, scattering some over the cut surface, while the other side grills. Remove from grill and drizzle with balsamic reduction.

[kayb]

kayb perhaps the pineapple helped make the tenderloin mushy.

That's possible. Or the combination. The original photo I saw used country style ribs, the boneless cuts that look more like strips of loin. I may try that next time, or try just not cooking the tenderloin at all first. 

 

I was particularly pleased with the flavor combo of the bacon and pineapple; it was marvelous. Sam's has whole pineapples, cored and cut into spears lengthwise, as opposed to slices; I'm thinking those, wrapped in bacon, would be a marvelous grilled accompaniment to, well, most anything.

 

My other favorite grilled fruit is peach halves with blue cheese and balsamic reduction.Grill the cut side of the peach first, turn it over and fill the pit cavity with blue cheese, scattering some over the cut surface, while the other side grills. Remove from grill and drizzle with balsamic reduction.

[liuzhou]

I am fortunate to have a second home in the countryside (my main home is in the city centre). Tonight I am there. In the middle of nowhere really.

 

People here have a habit of taking a post-dinner walk, except they use this as an opportunity to extend dinner by eating even more - dinner part 2.

 

Every night just before dusk this chap turns up on his motorcycle powered mini-truck and sets up shop. He has a few tables and chairs which he sets out roadside and the truck becomes his kitchen.

 

 

 

 

What he sells are known as 肉串 (ròu chuàn which means kebabs). Most are lamb or mutton, but he also has chicken, squid, pig's intestines, pig's ear etc. You make your choice and he grills them over charcoal and brushes them with chilli and cumin. Really cheap.

 

And that's what I had tonight.

 

 

Lamb on sticks. With mustard leaf on sticks which he also wilts on the grill.

 

I know the place looks highly unhygienic, but I've been eating his stuff for over 15 years and never had a problem. I guess the high heat from the coals kills off anything nasty.

Edited June 18, 2015 by liuzhou (log)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

kayb perhaps the pineapple helped make the tenderloin mushy.

 

Hey, radtek, and kayb,

 

I have stuck into my old seventies "Betty Crocker Cookbook" in the tabbed divider for the Meats chapter a sticker about marinating meat  with natural enzymes from fresh ginger, kiwi, figs and pineapple. I got this off a package of meat, but can't remember what kind. I suspect it was a tougher cut that needs marinating like London Broil.

 

There's also an end panel from a Jell-o package. I don't eat much Jell-o, but when I go on a diet, the sugarless kind feels like food for almost no calories.

 

Anyhoo, the Jell-o pack note was added because it mentions all of the above (fresh ginger, kiwi, figs and pineapple) but also mentions papaya and guava because the gelatin won't set. It apparently messes with the protein structure. 

 

I have over-marinated meat before, and I find it most unpleasant. I have instant meat tenderizer that contains an ingredient called bromelain and says it's derived from pineapple.

 

I love grilled or broiled pineapple. It's even good sauteed in some butter and brown sugar.

 

I have over-marinated my inner lips by eating too much raw pineapple, especially when I tried to eat the wasted bits off the inner side of the peels around the "eyes". That won't happen again; it was quite painful. Don't try this at home or anywhere. I always scrape mango and kiwi peels with my teeth as cook's treat, but I'll just let pineapple peels go to waste.

 

Dinners have been very basic around here since Saturday, late, maybe Sunday morning early when I apparently had a stroke.

 

It was mild, and I was able to cook the very next day the baby back ribs I had marinated in grated ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, a bit of sugar, crushed red pepper, five spice, garlic, and scallions from the back deck. I do have a big problem though, because my left eye won't blink, so I have to do it manually, otherwise it'll dry out. It takes forever to type, and any task that takes both hand for cooking is on pause every few seconds while one of my clean hands, wrists or forearms goes up to do the blinking.

 

The ribs were served with butternut squash, and I'm lucky my husband likes it just like I do: very simply with a bit of butter and salt. (We also prefer sweet potatoes which are native and cheap just this way. No sweetened, spiced, marshmallow-topped casseroles for us.) We also had giant butter beans and a very good jarred unsweetened, applesauce.

 

I garnished the baby backs with more sliced scallions from the deck. Thanks, dcarch.  I now have edible food all summer again from what would have been waste.

[Shelby]

FauxPaus--Your caprese is SO beautiful.  Almost to pretty to eat.  Almost  Do your crackers have bits of dried fruits in them?  Maybe cranberry?
 

Ann--OMG I want that salad.  

 

 

Kay--That "swineapple"  (LOL Ashen I loved that!!!) looks great.  I've never been a fan of fruit with meat, but I could definitely get on board with this.  I'm thinking about a bacon/pineapple/jalapeno combo??

 

ThanksForTheCrepes--Oh No!!!!  I'm so sorry to hear this.  Will your eye recover?  I'm glad it was mild, but ugh.  Big hugs from me to you.  

 

Luizhou--Thanks for the pic of the stand.  I don't think it looks unsanitary at all!  It looks like just the perfect place to get some great food.  I'd go for the pig ear for sure.  YUM.

 

 

You guys ever had a week....or two when 10 million things go wrong?  I'm having one lol.   I have broken windows (well I didn't, but the wind did), backed into something and broke my husbands taillight ( I ordered a new one and installed it myself.  Thanks to the guy on YouTube), computer cord almost started a fire while plugged in--it burned my outlet, too (and Apple knows full well of this problem and yet they still won't fix it so $75 later and singed outlet I'm back and running), septic system has failed and will need to be replaced in a month after we harvest the corn, and while mowing I ran over a main hose to the garden and shredded it.  Oh, and my mailman just backed into a vehicle parked in my driveway and dented the hell out of it.

 

Knock on wood, nothing else can go wrong right? lol

 

Thus, my meals have been boring.  BUT I've been inspired by LiamsAunt and I think I'll make lettuce wraps tonight.

 

Thanks for letting me vent lol.