Dinner 2016 (Part 1)

[weinoo]

6 minutes ago, rotuts said:

weinoo

 

nice Ck.  big fan of The Vertical

 

did you put anything under the skin ?

 

if not, try that.   Night vs Day.

I often do that - some thin slivers of garlic, some butter, some herbs. But not this time - I just wanted the pure chicken (and duck fat).

[BonVivant]

Sliced lamb meat marinated with shawarma spices. From the Turk butcher. Bread is a kind of Iraqui flat bread baked in a drum.

 

 

[MichaelJ]

Last night's Sunday Supper -- Trout, green beans, almonds.

 

 

 

[gfweb]

5 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Blizzard bird. Free-range, air-chilled, duck fat rubbed, and vertical roasted. In addition to the bird, potatoes roasted in the drippings below were great.

 

 

Weinoo, that bird looks lewd.

[sartoric]

Roasted char siu pork belly, with som tam and some stir fried green vegetables. 

 

[Okanagancook]

8 hours ago, weinoo said:

I often do that - some thin slivers of garlic, some butter, some herbs. But not this time - I just wanted the pure chicken (and duck fat).

I am with you when it comes to a good quality chicken and letting the natural meat flavours shine.  Nice looking chick!

[weinoo]

4 hours ago, gfweb said:

 

 

Weinoo, that bird looks lewd.

She does kinda look as if she's hanging out on a corner.

[Norm Matthews]

For dinner tonight, I made a stewed pork. It's a lot like Posole, but without the hominy.  We had it with flour tortillas, salsa, cilantro, onions and rice. 

 

[scubadoo97]

20 hours ago, weinoo said:

She does kinda look as if she's hanging out on a corner.

Looking for a good time?

 

Photo source: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/dining/chicken-skin-beguiles-chefs.html

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by scubadoo97
Photo source (log)

[Kim Shook]

Dinner Sunday night was potstickers from the freezer:

 

We finally got into this popcorn that we got in Indiana during our trip back in June:

It was very good – fluffy, fresh and tasty.  But incredibly tiny.  The kernels were really, really small and made the tiniest little fluffs.  I used the pan I normally cook popcorn in and the bowl I normally serve it in.  I covered the bottom of the pan with kernels like I usually do.  With Orville Redenbacher, I get a full bowl.  This was the result with this popcorn:

It was the oddest thing.  I can usually get about 3 popcorn pieces in my mouth at a time – I could get about 5 times that amount with this!

 

We were so delirious at getting out that we ended up at Panera for soup and sandwiches for dinner.  Not a favorite, but it was nice to be somewhere besides HOME!  I could never have been a pioneer! 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

6 hours ago, weinoo said:

She does kinda look as if she's hanging out on a corner.

 

She can hang out on my corner anytime! I too, love the flavor of a well cared for and cooked simple chicken.

 

Tonight, as on many nights in my small household, it was repurposed leftovers. Friday, during the worst part of our ice/sleet/snow storm, I cooked off a rack of spare ribs in the crockpot, and had featured them in their original form in two meals already. I decided to go Latin with my dinner tonight.

 

I didn't want to run them under the broiler again for fear of drying them out, so I took the meat off the bone and shredded it, then nuked them in a bit of the mostly defatted gelatinous stock they had been refrigerated in.

 

I made a fresh pico de gallo with Roma tomatoes and onion for the husband. I added roasted jalapeno for me. I wanted cilantro on my last grocery shop, but what was offered was dying, so alas, no cilantro. I shredded up some iceberg, shredded the last of the pepper jack along with some cheddar. I heated canned La Costena refried beans and topped with the cheese blend to serve separately. Plenty of Taco Bell hot taco sauce to top my beans.

 

Then, what really set this meal into the memorable category for both of us was frying the flour tortillas. A now defunct Mexican resto used to offer one dish that was served on a crisp fried flour tortilla, and by the time their's arrived at the table, most of it was soggy. From the still crispy edges, I remembered the potential of this dish, and decided to adopt the idea.

 

I used Guerrero brand large burrito tortillas from Texas, and fried them in 1-1/2 cups hot oil in a large 12" skillet for a few minutes until they were puffed, golden brown and flaky/crispy as good phyllo. They are more expensive than others on offer, but are more flexible, moist and soft. A hard, stale tortilla won't puff and flake like these did. I drained and blotted on thicknesses of cheap paper towels.

 

After dinner, I poured the cooled oil into a spouted glass measuring cup and then into an empty oil bottle so it can be reused. Almost all of the oil came back.

 

The husband wanted me to pile the meat, lettuce, pico and cheese on his to serve. I whisked his to the table hot from the fryer, having drained the rib meat well, so it was still hot, fresh and crispy. He asked me why mine was so much better than the restaurant's version.

 

I wanted mine just as crispy as possible, so I broke off pieces of the tortilla, keeping all the toppings separate, and topped a bite at a time with the various components. Meanwhile, the rest of my crispy tortilla was kept hot on the stovetop nestled in its paper towel robe.

 

Husband's dish was a prettier presentation, but I have no doubt that the contrasting textures of mine were superior. 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by Thanks for the Crepes (log)

[blue_dolphin]

 I made the herby green chile version of the Creamy Rice and Beans in Three Classic Flavors from More Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless.  Recipe also available online here.  Chris Hennes had good things to say about this over here and I agree it's a very tasty dish.

The recipe called for canned white beans and I put a pot of RG alubia beans on to cook but they were taking a bit longer to cook and I was hungry so I used some Good Mother Stallard's that I had on hand and added a few shrimp.  I think the called-for white beans would be a better fit but this was very nice all the same.  

[Shelby]

SV chicken breast stuffed with spinach, mozz cheese and pepperoni.  

 

[ElainaA]

8 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

 

I wanted mine just as crispy as possible, so I broke off pieces of the tortilla, keeping all the toppings separate, and topped a bite at a time with the various components. Meanwhile, the rest of my crispy tortilla was kept hot on the stovetop nestled in its paper towel robe.

 

Husband's dish was a prettier presentation, but I have no doubt that the contrasting textures of mine were superior. 

 

 

I 'd choose your approach here. This sounds delicious.

 

Last night's dinner was a casserole from the NY Times site - eggplant with lamb, tomato and pine nuts. The eggplant was broiled, the ground lamb sauteed with salt, pepper and cinnamon, the tomato was in the form of sauce, the pine nuts toasted. All layered together, baked, topped with fresh mozzarella and baked some more. Served over rice per the recipe's recommendation. Very, very good but definitely not photogenic. In fact, visually, it reminded me of a dish from my just-out-of-college cooking-with-no-money years that we called "Train Wreck" - basically some ground meat (cheap then!) fried (sauteing was way too sophisticated a term for our cooking) and mixed with what ever else was hanging around the kitchen. Served over lots of brown rice - brown rice because we were in Vermont, this was 1970 and we read Mother Earth News religiously. You never knew quite what any given iteration was going to taste like - some were surprisingly good.

[BonVivant]

Lamb mince became (Turkish) Köfte. This shape because it's easy to brown and turn. Liquid was added half way through and then covered til meat was throroughly cooked.

 

[sartoric]

Thai red curry chicken sauce, served over rice. Som tam and papaya chutney on the side, with lettuce for wrapping.

 

[HungryChris]

I happened upon a 2.5 lb chuck roast that caught my eye. Seasoned with garlic, chili, cumin, a little beef broth and bay leaves. Wrapped up tight in  2 layers of heavy duty foil. Placed on a sizzle platter and baked at 350F for 3 1/2 hours. Drained off the fat and shredded. Made salsa while it cooked and  shredded beef burritos when it was done. I would prefer a corn tortilla, but for some reason they only come taco size around here.

 

 

 

 

[scubadoo97]

Chili with cornbread. So warm and satisfying as we drop into the 50s here 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2016 by scubadoo97 (log)

[ElainaA]

3 minutes ago, scubadoo97 said:

Chili with cornbread. So warm and satisfying in as we drop into the 50s here 

 

That looks really good. However, here, when it's in the 50's we're grilling and thinking it's almost summer! Chili is for when it drops to below 20. Maybe below 10.

[scubadoo97]

we have to play by different rules here. Nearing 40 and I don't want to leave the igloo

[Anna N]

Sheesh. You're all nesh. Lovely word from my part of England. 

[huiray]

Rice congee.

With beef short ribs, deboned chicken thighs & stuff.

Medium-hot oil, chopped smashed garlic, julienned ginger, sauté, beef short ribs, brown/toss around. A pack of "pickled cabbage" (雪菜大王) [Da Xing brand] a.k.a. "potherb mustard" with juices added in, stirred around/sauté continued. Water. Simmer 1+ hours. Long grain rice, simmer some more. Sliced deboned chicken thigh added (the chicken bones went in earlier), simmer, halved deep fried tofu puffs (tau pok) also added in. Seasoning adjusted.

A portion bowled, dressed w/ chopped scallions, coriander leaves, deep-fried shallots, ground white pepper, plus a raw farm-fresh egg.

 

After breaking the egg, partially mixing in, and lifting up a piece of beef short rib for the pic.

 

Total cooking time was around 2+ hours, no more than 2-and-a-half. Yes, the beef short ribs were lovely and tender.

Edited January 27, 2016 by huiray (log)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

3 hours ago, HungryChris said:

I would prefer a corn tortilla, but for some reason they only come taco size around here.

 

 

That is a very appealing meal to me.

 

I make my own corn tortillas from dry Maseca instant corn masa flour, and the commercial tortillas I find here only come as large as taco size too, even though we have a strong Hispanic community here, and I have no problem finding ingredients for the cuisine.

 

It's tough to lay the raw tortilla dough on your griddle or comal without getting creases that are hard to straighten out without tearing the tortilla up. This difficulty increases with the diameter of the tortilla. The nature of the dough may be self-limiting as to the size? Also since you support the tortilla on you spread hand before laying on the cooking surface, folks with larger hands may have an advantage. I am sure there are Latino grandmas who have whipped these things out every day for decades who are capable of larger ones, but I am lucky to get good results up to 7 or 8 inches, and the larger I try to make them, the more I manage to botch. Six inch are easy, and that's probably why they are so common.

 

Your shredded chuck, if you have any left, would also be great in enchiladas, which you could make with your locally available corn tortillas.

[liuzhou]

This is a simple stir fry. Donkey meat ramen noodles with leeks and chilli.

 

I picked up a batch of donkey yesterday, This was my first outing in cooking it. I have eaten in restaurants before. Italy, France, China.

 

Sliced donkey meat was marinaded in Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and garlic. Sliced leeks and chilli pepper. .Fresh ramen noodles. Scallions.

 

I still have a bunch of meat in the freezer. Whatever next?

 

Edited January 27, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[liamsaunt]

 A couple of recent meals.  Sunday we had chicken parmesan sandwiches to eat with the football game.  Better luck next year I guess, but at least I don't have to host a Super Bowl party now, which is always a huge production.

 

 

Monday I made braised monkfish with bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes and white wine

 

 

And last night was salmon with baked ratatouille