Dinner 2015 (Part 6)

Anna N · October 26, 2015

Host's note: this topic is continued from Dinner 2015 (Part 5).

A rather poor photograph. I ordered in Chinese food. Beef and broccoli and dry fried green beans over steamed rice. I also ordered eggrolls and spring rolls which I immediately froze for future meals. Explaining why I am drinking wine from a teacup would be simply too involved but I can say that it so totally frazzled my brain that I was never quite sure whether I was drinking tea, wine or sake!

Edited October 26, 2015 by Smithy (log)

Thanks for the Crepes · October 26, 2015

More spinach lasagna tonight with a Greek salad, garlic bread, and strawberry banana shortcake for desert.

The Greek salad was made with cos lettuce, tomato, thinly sliced unpeeled cucumber, black olives (just California from TJ's; I had no kalamata) and pepperocini peppers, no dressing. It didn't need it. This was topped with crumbled Valbreso "white sheep's milk cheese". It's French, and they are so tetchy about the branding for their own cheeses, it's illegal over there to call it "feta", but that is what it is. If you get a chance to try it, I highly recommend it. I get it at a Mediterranean grocery in my neighborhood.

http://valbresocheese.com/about/

I have never understood feta on a pizza, because the grocery store ones are so dry, but I would try it with Valbreso. It is creamy and I think it might melt nicely.

The garlic bread was the last of the olive oil/rosemary boule doused in freshly crush garlic butter and griddled. I had a new head of garlic that is very juicy and definitely this year's crop.

I needed to use up the last of the strawberries and realized I had whipped cream, so strawberry shortcake. I like a lot of fruit with this dish, and I felt like I didn't have quite enough strawberries, so mentally inventoried the fruits on hand, and thought about the two ripe bananas. After Googling to check if this was a totally off-the-wall idea, I decided to go ahead with it, and boy, was it good! My mother used to make strawberry shortcake with those terrible little sponge cakes sometimes found by the strawberries in the produce department, but I like to bake up very lightly sweetened biscuits and split them while still very warm.

I have taken out a package of ground chuck to thaw for tomorrow's cottage pie.

Edit: I just noticed that on the Valbreso English language web site, it refers to this cheese as feta all over the place, making me look like an idiot, but trust me, nowhere on the actual imported can is the word "feta".

Edited October 26, 2015 by Thanks for the Crepes (log)

BonVivant · October 26, 2015

I have no idea, how to describe my tonights dinner. blackpuddiing in a yeastdough, served with sauerkraut. In german, it would be a "buchtel"

I like your savoury version. Looks like Dampfnudeln in Swabia but that one is steamed in milk and butter.

Buchteln is as Austrian as Strudel but it is actually Czech. If only I had a sweet tooth...

liuzhou · October 26, 2015

Dinner tonight was a bit strange.

I bought a beautiful, fresh sea bass. Took it home and descaled,cleaned and filleted it.

The trimmings, I used to make a simple fish stock with a bit of ginger. After straining that through muslin, I added some thinly sliced garlic and a similarly sliced bird's-eye pepper.

I also had some clams and had bought some mustard greens, so decided to make what is one of the most popular soups in every small restaurant in town. Clam and Mustard Green Soup (车螺芥菜汤 - chē luó jiè cài tāng).

Mustard Greens

However, it is not normally made with fish stock, but with plain water. Never mind. I also added a load of ground white pepper, effectively making a sort of hot and not very sour soup.

The locals would probably think it utter sacrilege, but I enjoyed it. The sweetness of the clams go so well with the slightly bitter greens. I'll make it again.

The I prepared some fries. Some green beans. And got them going. Then cooked the first fillet the way I always do. Pan-fried. For some reason the skin crinkled up, laving me with a nicely cooked, crispy skinned piece of fish that looked like a train wreck. But it tasted just fine.

I ate that then cooked the few fries I still had along with the second fillet. It came out exactly as I wanted it. Skin crisp and slightly charred, but still in place.

Isn't it odd. You can cook something a thousand times with no problems, then one day one fillet doesn't want to play straight!

sartoric · October 27, 2015

Moroccan beef skewers with Harissa dipping sauce.

Served with couscous, garlicky green beans, carrot salad, baba ganoush and toasted pita breads.

I have skirt steak thinly sliced across the grain (easier if partially frozen).

I marinate this in my Moroccan spice mix: 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt plus olive oil in a bowl. The slices get threaded onto soaked bamboo skewers, chill in the fridge for a while, then get briefly grilled on the barbie.

To make the Harissa dipping sauce, I mix my killer homemade Harissa, olive oil, lemon juice, tomato paste and malt vinegar.

The couscous is prepared with chicken stock. I add butter and finely diced spring onion at the end.

The green beans are steamed, refreshed, then finished with a mix of butter, crushed garlic and turmeric sautéed together.

For the salad, I grate a carrot, add fresh orange juice, ground cumin, olive oil, season well, cover and put in the fridge. To serve add finely shredded mint leaves.

The baba ganoush is a mix of roasted eggplant (hot oven until it collapses, peel and mash flesh), tahini, minced garlic, lemon juice, ground cumin and salt and pepper. This one has a chunky texture, a stick blender can be used if you prefer smooth.

The salad, beans and eggplant dip can all be made well before serving.

Toast pita breads.

Serve mezze style.

Eat.

scubadoo97 · October 27, 2015

Steelhead belly and corvina with broccoli with gochujang and fish sauce

Edited October 27, 2015 by scubadoo97 (log)

Norm Matthews · October 27, 2015

I haven't cooked much worth mentioning lately, but today I visited an Asian market, and got some pork shoulder and bean sprouts and made pork bulgogi and Korean bean sprouts. We cooked the bulgogi at the table since the kids get a kick out of doing that at their favorite restaurant. I already had this propane grill for some time when the power might go out. We already had most of the other stuff. Not pictured is a dip made with sesame oil with salt and pepper.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Norm Matthews (log)

ElainaA · October 27, 2015

Black beans (Coco Noir from my garden- they don't show up well but they are huge and delicious) and brown rice topped with feta cheese, chopped avocado and a salsa of ginger, jalapeños, lime zest, lime juice, garlic and onion. With a tomato, cucumber and red onion salad.

Last night Barney (my husband) cooked:

Grilled pork, oven roasted sweet potato fries, spinach and muchrooms

Edited October 27, 2015 by ElainaA (log)

dcarch · October 27, 2015

Once in a while, It is fun and challenging to go meatless. Has nothing to do with the recent IARC report.

dcarch

**Smithy** · October 27, 2015

There's some lovely-looking and inspiring food going on here - much more so than the Polish sausage and sauerkraut we had tonight. Sauerkraut is an ongoing adventure at our house, and I'll be posting about it later in the 'kraut topic.

dcarch, what is the dark stuff piped/drizzled in a ring over the eggplant?

dcarch · October 27, 2015

------ dcarch, what is the dark stuff piped/drizzled in a ring over the eggplant?

That is black garlic sauce.

dcarch

huiray · October 27, 2015

Soup. Broccoli florets & thinly-sliced negi (Kanto-type) in fresh chicken broth.

Pan-fried (rice bran oil) slices of smoked beef tongue [Love Handle], sunny-side-up fried eggs, slices of semolina bread [Amelia's] pan-toasted in the residual oil after doing the tongue & eggs.

Anna N · October 27, 2015

That is black garlic sauce.

dcarch

Would you be kind enough to share the recipe for the black garlic sauce? I was given some black garlic and I'm most interested in ways to make the best of it. Thanks.

dcarch · October 27, 2015

Would you be kind enough to share the recipe for the black garlic sauce? I was given some black garlic and I'm most interested in ways to make the best of it. Thanks.

Sure. There are many versions (variations) , depending on the food.

The basic sauce is just black garlic and EVOO blended with a stick blender to creamy consistency. Salt to taste.

For salads, I add balsamic.

For meats, I add soy sauce.

For fish, I add lemon juice, ginger and lemon peel.

dcarch

Anna N · October 27, 2015

Sure. There are many versions (variations) , depending on the food.

The basic sauce is just black garlic and EVOO blended with a stick blender to creamy consistency. Salt to taste.

For salads, I add balsamic.

For meats, I add soy sauce.

For fish, I add lemon juice, ginger and lemon peel.

dcarch

Bonus! Thank you. Gives me lots of opportunities to experiment.

liuzhou · October 27, 2015

Tonight, about five minutes ago, dinner was:

Pan roasted chicken breast. Shiitake cream sauce with garlic, chili and basil. Simple stir-fried mustard greens. Rice.

Happy mouth.

huiray · October 27, 2015

A very late night meal.

Small seasoned-potato-filling börek (İkramlık Patatesli Mini Börek) [superfresh] (this one), baked in the oven. They were kind-of stuck together so I dropped (OK, smashed) the not-yet-opened package on the floor a few times, then arranged the chunks on the baking tray. :-)

About two-thirds of them on the plate.

Fish balls [Venus] & wong nga pak (Napa cabbage) in fresh chicken broth.

Edited October 27, 2015 by huiray (log)

MSRadell · October 27, 2015

I have never understood feta on a pizza, because the grocery store ones are so dry, but I would try it with Valbreso. It is creamy and I think it might melt nicely.

At least for us it's because it's very different than cheeses that you normally put on a pizza. It has a nice tangy flavor and pears especially well with some toppings. We make a garlic, caramelized onion, sun-dried tomato pizza with arugula that goes very well with! They don't use any type of sauce other than drizzling the crust was a little olive oil.

Paul Bacino · October 27, 2015

Baby Back Rib Bites

So these are the result of BB ribs cut into 2" horizontally strips, shorted , rubbed ( over night ) smoked in cherry wood..

Then basted and finished on the grill

rotuts · October 27, 2015

PB :

''' 2" horizontally strips '''

i.e. across the bone ?

??? '' shorted '' means ....

wow do they look good,

I had Fish tonight, pretty tasty Fish Ill say .....

but none of that '''' delicious '' Killer Red Meat

:sad:

' bone sucking good ' id guess.

Paul Bacino · October 27, 2015

Yes.. RT

Across the bone @ about 2" intervals

4 Bone service pieces __ Perfect for Sport outings ( Like our loser Footballteam ) :shock:

sartoric · October 27, 2015

Thai green curry with chicken and veggies.

Served with jasmine rice and papaya chutney.

Not a traditional Thai curry, this is my "one pot" approach. Works for me.

I slice onion into thin half moons, cut chicken thigh fillets into chunks, peel and cut potatoes a similar size to chicken, chunk some zucchini, halve snow peas and trim some baby spinach leaves.

At the ready I have kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, fresh lime juice and green curry paste - Mae Ploy brand is my favourite. I also gather some fresh mint leaves and coriander

Heat peanut oil, fry onion until soft, then fry curry paste until fragrant, then fry chicken until browned. Add coconut milk and potatoes, crush the lime leaves in a fist and throw them in, add a little fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. I'll adjust these flavours further later.

Simmer 20 minutes, add the zucchini. I give it another 10 minutes then add the snow peas and spinach. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove lime leaves, add mint and coriander leaves.

Meanwhile I've cooked jasmine rice in the MW rice cooker, what a fabulous invention that is.

Serve in shallow bowls with chutney on the side (the chutney is also not traditional, but works for me).

Eat.

ElainaA · October 28, 2015

Not a very photogenic dinner but a very tasty one. Risotto with leeks, chicken and bacon. And a salad.

huiray · October 28, 2015

Fettucine w/ lemony tuna & capers.

Oil from a can of Ortiz tuna in evoo, sliced garlic, hot red chile flakes, the tuna, pre-rinsed salted capers, cooked fresh fettucine w/ some pasta water (w/ the caper-soaking water), zest & juice of half a lemon, chopped parsley.

Salad.

Red-tip oak leaf lettuce, Taiwan bok choy, Alziari evoo, balsamic vinegar, Maldon salt, black pepper.