Dinner 2015 (Part 6)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

About 25 years ago I tried a recipe for Honey Lacquered Game Hens. It became my one of my son's favorite dishes.  About 20 years ago ex #2 stole the recipe when she left. (FWIW, she also stole my smoker and Charlie's basketball goal)  I've made up similar versions and we've liked them too.  Actually I think I recently found the original online and we didn't like it as well as what I do now.  I always have had it with rice before but today made cornbread stuffing and mixed vegetables. 

 

 

Norm,

 

Your little birdies look wonderful. Yum!

 

I also have been glazing Rock Cornish hens for as long as you or longer. The recipe I use is very delicious, well received, and I always think Cornish hens make any meal very special.

 

"My" recipe is from the old Betty Crocker cookbook from 1976. It isn't on the Betty Crocker site proper, but this is the recipe in my book:

 

https://deliciousdivas.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/oriental-rock-cornish-hens/

 

You stuff the hens with the hot stuffing, and because the hens are small, the recipe is probably safe even now, but I don't stuff inside the bird anymore because of the salmonella issue. I also never lace or truss poultry anymore.

 

I made these many years ago verbatim from the original recipe, but now I make dressing on the side and I have varied the glaze by adding Chinese 5 spice powder, a little vinegar, and red pepper flakes sometimes, tasting and balancing. You can, and I have, subbed honey for the sugar called for; it takes a little more attention to prevent the cornstarch lumping. What I did was shake the soy sauce with the cornstarch in a jar before adding it. The original recipe is delicious, though, as written.

 

It took me decades to realize that this delicious glaze need not be reserved for special occasions when Cornish hens were in the budget, but was equally wonderful on regular old everyday roast chicken. I usually double the glaze recipe because I love it, and there never seems to be enough.

[milgwimper]

Made pizza taglio, from the Bonci recipe today. Topped the pizza with crushed tomatoes, salami, and mozzarella. It was really good.  The youngest critic told it me it was much better than anything at the grocery store. Better than the restaurants we tried  but definitely not as good as in Rome. I guess I will keep practicing. We also has a simple salad on the side with radishes, which was nice to round the meal.

Edited November 12, 2015 by milgwimper (log)

[Norm Matthews]

Thanks for the Crepes, Thanks for the link to the recipe. It looks good.  If you click on the http link at the bottom of my post it will take you to the recipe I used.  I also cook the dressing separate and don't truss poultry.  With full sized chickens, I often slash the skin between the legs and body to let the heat in so that area cooks as fast as the rest of the chicken.  That is something I saw Jaques Pepin do.

[gfweb]

Pork roasted with apples and onions, acorn squash rings filled with smoked yam puree with allspice, saged fingerlings.

 

[scubadoo97]

Corvina on brussel sprouts. I added a good sprinkle of instant dashi on the sprouts as they cooked. Gave a nice umami punch

[liuzhou]

Got back from a trip this afternoon and tonight cooked at home for what seems like the first time in a long time (but less than a week.)

Seafood (pollock and wild prawn) curry with watercress.

The image is a little hazy because of the steam rising from the curry. Sorry, but I wanted to eat it hot. In both senses. Temperature and spice.

Edited November 13, 2015 by liuzhou (log)

[liamsaunt]

Last night was clean the leftovers out of the fridge night, which usually translates to using up various leftovers in sandwich form.  For my husband, leftover tenderloin, arugula, parmesan, and truffle butter

 

 

and for me, leftover turkey meatballs and sauce, arugula and provolone

 

[huiray]

Couple of meals.

 

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More of the pork meatballs & daikon in peppery pork stock soup from before, with thin Fuzhou (Fookchow) type wheat noodles.^¶

^¶ min6 sin3, a.k.a. misua; 麵線; this one - hand-made, Taiwanese brand.

 

Baby kai-lan, blanched in oiled simmering water & dressed w/ oyster sauce and white pepper.

 

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Shallow-fried soft tofu chunks. Eaten w/ sliced Persian cucumbers & Linghams Extra Hot Sauce.

 

Chicken broth w/ maitake & bunapi-shimeji mushrooms, plus coriander leaves and scallions.

 

"Ants Climbing a Tree" (螞蟻上樹), made with the requisite glass noodles.

Ground pork mixed with Pixian doubanjiang [Juan Cheng brand] (鵑城牌  四川郫縣豆瓣醬) (this one), double-fermented soy sauce, good Shaohsing wine, corn starch; left to sit a bit. Hot peanut oil in pan, chopped garlic, julienned ginger; the pork mince mix; stir-fry, breaking up clumps.  Then chopped scallions added in, stirred around; chicken stock w/ some rock sugar dissolved in it added; then glass noodles (presoaked/softened in water, drained).  Toss and stir around gently but well, till the liquid is largely absorbed into the noodles.  Plate, dress w/ more chopped scallions.

[Ann_T]

It has been a while since I posted to the Dinner thread.  So many wonderful dinners and photos.   

 

Huiray,  I keep coming back to your Pork meatballs & daikon in peppery milky pork stock.  It looks so rich and delicious.  My husband is fighting a head cold.   I bet that would make him feel so much better.

 

A few recent meals.

 

Dungeness crab.  Steamed and served with just garlic butter.

 

 

Burgers and double fried potatoes.

 

 

Farfalle in a simple tomato herb and garlic sauce.

 

 

Chicken Curry 

Aloo Gobi , Basmati pilaf and homemade chapati.

[sartoric]

Lions head meatball soup.

Served with toasted sourdough.

[Steve Irby]

Yesterday was our 26th wedding anniversary.  Unfortunately it coincided with a stomach virus for the better half.   The celebratory dinner was put on hold and dinner turned into a great re-purposed/modified meal of leftovers. Crespelle and Casunziei morphed into a nice dinner with a little homemade gaunciale.

 

 

 

 

 

[scubadoo97]

Hope the better half is felling better Steve and happy anniversary

[huiray]

Thanks, Anne_T.  Your meals look good; miss seeing your posts here.

 

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Spicy tofu & minced beef with stuff.  White rice.

Peanut oil, medium-hot pan. Minced crushed garlic, julienned ginger, ground beef (good chuck), Pixian doubanjiang, preserved black beans with ginger, chili-garlic sauce, oyster sauce, cubed firm tofu, cubed soft tofu, chopped scallions. Seasoning adjusted. Serve w/ Thai hom mali rice, dress w/ finely chopped green parts of scallions.

 

Yu choy sum, stir-fried w/ sliced garlic.

[liuzhou]

 

Pan-roasted chicken breast with wilted watercress and 'purple heart potatoes (紫心马铃薯)'.

[liamsaunt]

Pizza night.  Pepperoni

 

 

Vegetable

 

 

I also made a carbonara pizza and a sausage pizza, but did not get pictures of those.

[patrickamory]

huiray thanks for the headsup on that brand of chili bean paste. I have just ordered some from PoSharp.

[huiray]

patrickamory, you're welcome.

[liuzhou]

Lazy dinner tonight.

 

Duck breast (rare), chips/fries, spinach wilted in the duck fat. 

 

[Anna N]

Sous vide pork chop and tomato and potato salad left over from lunch.

[huiray]

Charcuterie & stuff w/ crusty bread.

Balsamic glazed red & yellow cipollini onions.

 

Charcuterie plate:

From top left, going clockwise – Prosciutto Rossa (Berkshire pork prosciutto), pressed tongue, Westphalian ham, blood sausage (with some coarse Dijon mustard below), Bauernschinken (Farmer's Ham); and coarse Braunschweiger (with scallions) in the middle.

See here for details on sources.

 

Glazed cipollini onions:

EV olive oil in pan on medium flame, trimmed red & yellow cipollini onions; brown on both sides (top end first); then some 10-year Modena balsamic vinegar, move the onions around + turn them over; then chicken stock with some rock sugar dissolved in it added, sprigs of fresh thyme; cook down (turning onions over as needed or desired) till the glaze is satisfactorily developed and onion-coating.

[Anna N]

Home made beef and vegetable soup with a slice of multigrain bread (bought) and a glass of wine. Soup made in Instant Pot.

[sartoric]

In two days time we'll be in Myanmar, so to get in the groove I made Burmese chicken curry with potatoes and pumpkin.

Served with stir fried veggies, rice and roti bread.

The curry.

The veggies.

The meal.

More info here - https://www.facebook.com/Whats-for-dinner--1427021760943871/

[Steve Irby]

I re-organized the freezer mid-week and discovered that I had squirreled away a lot of pig trotters.  Fortunately they were vacuum chamber sealed, and the quality held up, so it turned into a big stock weekend with both clear and milky stocks. I've made milky stocks  for decades without the realization that it was desirable for certain food type/styles. Thanks to huiray for the explanation of milky stocks and there culinary applications.  

 

The trotters and stock morphed into a couple of meals to close out the weekend.  I made two 12 qt. stocks with hocks and onion, celery, garlic etc. One batch was  incorporated with white beans from Gonzales La. with onions, celery, garlic, rosemary and I used some homemade sausage (with pork skin but not a true cotechino) and hock meat.  I held a couple of trottters aside to replicate the pig trotter at the Ace Hotel in Manhattan.

 

For the neighbors white beans and rice;

 

 

And for our stuffed trotters ala Breslin:

 

Preparation yesterday

 

 

And dinner tonight with roasted carrots, beets and swiss chard.

 

 

If you try this dish at home be sure to wear fire retardant clothing and be ready for a huge grease ring around the cooktop.  

 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2015 by Steve Irby (log)

[huiray]

Fish stew, based on Waterzooi.

 

I used this recipe and this recipe as inspiration.

 

 

Stuff that went in included:  EV olive oil, butter, a large sliced leek, most of a large fennel bulb (slice, of course), chopped celery, brunoise of two small yellow onions, small yellow & orange carrots cut into sticks, fish stock [Kitchen Basics], a few fresh bay leaves (lightly bruised), fresh thyme sprigs, half-and-half (USAmerican usage - half cream + half milk), chopped parsley, fresh cod cut into chunks, fresh barramundi de-skinned and cut into chunks, de-shelled de-veined Laughing Bird shrimp.  Lightly salted at some point plus some cracked peppercorns.  I may have missed one or two things but I think that was it.  Scrubbed Klondike Pink potatoes were separately cooked (simmered in salted water) and halved.  The stew was ladled over the potatoes in the dish and dressed w/ more chopped parsley & some celery leaves.  Eaten w/ crusty bread.

[liuzhou]

Pan fried seabass fillet with garlic, pickled red chili (泡椒 pào jiāo), coriander leaf, Chinese chives and jade gill mushrooms (海鲜菇 hǎi xiān gū, literally "seafood mushrooms").

 

 

Got another fillet and the carcass in the freezer for soup - maybe tomorrow.

 

Closer.