Dinner 2016 (Part 3)

[Shelby]

I have had a really nice tuna steak frozen for a long time...too long actually.  It wasn't freezer burned but the texture was a bit mushy after I thawed it out.  My intent was to make sushi but time ticked away and before I knew it I was too lazy to make it lol.  Then I remembered seeing a sushi "bowl" online somewhere so I did that.  I surprised myself.  It was really good.  I made the sushi rice in the Instant Pot.  To the diced tuna I added mayo and Sriracha.  I got some lettuce out of the greenhouse, some garlic chive from the garden, ribboned a carrot, cut some nori into strips and diced a cherry tomato.  A dash of soy sauce over everything and a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi. 

 

[Anna N]

@Shelby

 

 Fabulous (or at least it would have been without tuna!)  One fish I cannot get past fresh, frozen, or canned.  But a rice bowl? Now you're speaking my language.  

[rotuts]

@Shelby   

 

nice   and Chef-ie looking too !

[Ann_T]

On 20/03/2016 at 7:59 AM, Okanagancook said:

Roast Prime Rib with Yorkies done the slow way:  210F for about 2 hours.

 

 Now THAT  is what a prime rib should look like.  Perfectly roasted. 

Edited March 21, 2016 by Ann_T (log)

[Okanagancook]

Thank you AnnT, looks like your roasts :-))

I followed the Cooks Illustrated slow roast method:  Meat is well seared; I put some steak spices over the meat (afterwards I saw somewhere to brush the meat with egg whites so the spices stick better which I will try next time); popped it in the oven at the requisite 250F; the temperature was going up really fast so I reduced the temperature to 220F; it was a 4 lb roast and the recipe said it would take 3 to 3 1/2 hours which I a bunch of bunk because mine was done (124F) two hours.  I wrapped it in foil and a towel and put it in a cooler until the Yorkies were done.  Red wine reduction over the Yorkies.

[Ann_T]

Okanagancook, You can tell it was roasted and not SV'd.  Appearance is much more appealing. 

 

 I'm hooked on the high heat method, but maybe next time I'll give your slow method a try.  Been a long time since I've used that method. 

 

 

[suzilightning]

2 hours ago, Shelby said:

I have had a really nice tuna steak frozen for a long time...too long actually.  It wasn't freezer burned but the texture was a bit mushy after I thawed it out.  

 

could you have poached the steaks in a flavorful broth then used them to make either a salad or pasta sauce?  

When I grew up we used whatever fish was leftover to make our fish salad ...... just a thought for the future.

[Okanagancook]

51 minutes ago, Ann_T said:

Okanagancook, You can tell it was roasted and not SV'd.  Appearance is much more appealing. 

 

 I'm hooked on the high heat method, but maybe next time I'll give your slow method a try.  Been a long time since I've used that method. 

 

 

Can you elaborate on your high heat method?  It would be fun to try it and compare.

[sartoric]

Claypot chicken and rice, with fresh shiitakes, and fresh bamboo shoots.

 

[suzilightning]

3 hours ago, Okanagancook said:

Thank you AnnT, looks like your roasts :-))

I followed the Cooks Illustrated slow roast method:  Meat is well seared; I put some steak spices over the meat (afterwards I saw somewhere to brush the meat with egg whites so the spices stick better which I will try next time); popped it in the oven at the requisite 250F; the temperature was going up really fast so I reduced the temperature to 220F; it was a 4 lb roast and the recipe said it would take 3 to 3 1/2 hours which I a bunch of bunk because mine was done (124F) two hours.  I wrapped it in foil and a towel and put it in a cooler until the Yorkies were done.  Red wine reduction over the Yorkies.

Okanagancook

I tested that recipe but don't remember an egg white wash.  Salted , patted dry, tied herbs around the meat then slow cooked.  Came out beautifully..took about 2.5 hours with a 30 minute rest later.  One of the best ways I have found to come out with a perfectly cook medium rare.

[ElainaA]

Wow! I look away from this thread for a couple of days and am over whelmed by the amazing meals.

Last night was "California Chinese" from Barbara Tropp's China Moon - a book that I used to use a lot and somehow forgot about. Definately not traditional but I have liked everything I cooked from it. This was pork with peanuts, Napa cabbage, green beans, carrots, red peppers and tree ears. Over rice. I picked up some frozen dumplings at my last visit to an Asian market so we had some of those too.

 

 

Saturday was a potato and cabbage gratin - recipe from the NY Times. I was disappointed with this - it was a bit watery and very under seasoned. Luckily my husband liked it just fine and finished it off for lunch the next day. The salad was beets,goat cheese,fennel, red onion and pecans over endive and romaine. The best part of the meal, in my opinion.

 

 

I just took a tray of roasted tomatoes out of the oven. They'll be part of tonight's dinner. The 2 lighter ones in the middle started out bright yellow. I've noticed that my yellow tomatoes turn orange or even red when cooked. The tomato chutney I made with yellow tomatoes looked exactly like the batch made with red ones. I'm getting near the end of the tomatoes I canned last September form my garden and it's only March! 

 

[Okanagancook]

1 hour ago, suzilightning said:

Okanagancook

I tested that recipe but don't remember an egg white wash.  Salted , patted dry, tied herbs around the meat then slow cooked.  Came out beautifully..took about 2.5 hours with a 30 minute rest later.  One of the best ways I have found to come out with a perfectly cook medium rare.

The recipe didn't mention the egg white wash.  I meant that I had seen this technique elsewhere and it would have been nice to use it to get the spices to stick to the outside of my roast.  It is a great method but one has to keep an eye on the internal temperature.  It is so moist done this way.

[rarerollingobject]

Egg yolks cured in gochujang (Korean chilli paste), soy sauce, garlic and honey, with chopped short rib, browned in the leftover yolk marinade, and green onion. On rice.

 

I really love curing egg yolks; it turns them to something so deliciously unctuous and chewy and multi textured.

Edited March 22, 2016 by rarerollingobject (log)

[huiray]

Various recent meals.

 

Prosciutto Rossa [La Quercia via Goose the Market], braised beef tongue [Love Handle], epi loaf [Brotgarten].

Eaten as-is with the bread. Nothing else needed.

 

Spinach [Full Hand Farm], asparagus, parsley, Arbosana ev olive oil [California Olive Ranch], AgroDolce Bianco Condimento Alimentare [Delizia Estense], black pepper.

ETA: Plus Maldon sea salt.

 

Pan-fried barely floured (plus salt & pepper) fresh local smelts [via Goose the Market]. Bulldog sauce.

 

Faroe Islands salmon: marinated w/ mustard+thyme+etc then pan-fried. Wild rice [Bineshii], cooked w/ just enough water + very light salting so that it is cooked w/ basically almost all water absorbed/simmered down. Pan sauces made w/ leftover marinade + pan fond and also included deglazing w/ Brumont 2014 tannat-syrah-merlot rosé splashed in a few times from the glass in my hand. :-) 

Sautéed asparagus, blue oyster mushrooms [Shamrock Farm], parsley.

 

Jamaican beef patties. [Patties of Jamaica]  Yum.

 

Sautéed broccolini [Full Hand Farm] – done in the pan after sautéeing the guanciale w/ residual oil in the pan, no further salt.

Pasta Carbonara. (2 egg yolks + 1 egg [Schacht farm eggs], grated Pecorino Romano, lots of ground black pepper, stir; cooled-to-RT sautéed cubed guanciale [Smoking Goose] + the rendered fat, stir; dripping-wet warm linguine [Rustichella d'Abruzzo] straight from the cooking pot (minimally salted water (the guanciale is salty enough)). Immediately stir and fold vigorously. That's it. Plated w/ more Pecorino Romano.

 

Edited March 22, 2016 by huiray (log)

[kayb]

13 hours ago, rarerollingobject said:

Egg yolks cured in gochujang (Korean chilli paste), soy sauce, garlic and honey, with chopped short rib, browned in the leftover yolk marinade, and green onion. On rice.

 

I really love curing egg yolks; it turns them to something so deliciously unctuous and chewy and multi textured.

 

I have eggs; I have gochujang. How does one cure an egg yolk, please?

 

@huiray, I have only ever eaten beef tongue in Japan. The taste was fine, but it was tremendously chewy. How is the texture of that shown in your photo?

 

 

[huiray]

1 hour ago, kayb said:

 

@huiray, I have only ever eaten beef tongue in Japan. The taste was fine, but it was tremendously chewy. How is the texture of that shown in your photo?

 

 

Tender. Not unlike well (and properly) cooked corned beef. Succulent.

 

ETA: BTW, if you have only had beef tongue in Japan and it was tough as shit, then I wonder about the provenances of the place you ate in, and/or what the place you ate in wanted to feature in their food, or what they thought they could get away with in regards to a non-Japanese diner.

Edited March 22, 2016 by huiray (log)

[kayb]

2 hours ago, huiray said:

 

Tender. Not unlike well (and properly) cooked corned beef. Succulent.

 

ETA: BTW, if you have only had beef tongue in Japan and it was tough as shit, then I wonder about the provenances of the place you ate in, and/or what the place you ate in wanted to feature in their food, or what they thought they could get away with in regards to a non-Japanese diner.

 

It was a small place in Fukushima, which specialized in beef tongue. We were asked where we wanted to eat, and just said, "a local favorite," and that's where our guides took us. I didn't object to the taste at all, but it was just very chewy -- put me in mind of poorly prepared calamari.

 

[caroled]

Last night was Singapore  Mei Fun, styled after a local takeout place ( Foon Ying), that my stepdad really likes. I made them less spicy than they do, but overall turned out very nice.

[suzilightning]

big chopped salad for later with tomatoes, black olives, red onion and a vinaigrette.....along with a small lasagna made with a "cheese" made with drained Lactaid cottage cheese rather than ricotta.

[mgaretz]

Last night I made a char siu pork tenderloin.  Dry rubbed with char siu mix and cooked SV for 5 hours at 145F.  Then dried and coated with honey and seared with the Sansaire Searing Kit torch.  Sliced and used is a stir fry.

 

 

 

[ElainaA]

Last night: Bruschetta with oven roasted tomatoes, seasoned fresh ricotta, red onion, parsley, oregano and olive oil. Pasta with pancetta, onions, parsley and parmesan. The onions were cooked with the pancetta very slowly for about 45 minutes until they super creamy and sweet. Also a salad. The pasta isn't exactly exciting to look at but it tasted very good. 

 

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

5 minutes ago, ElainaA said:

Bruschetta with oven roasted tomatoes, seasoned fresh ricotta, red onion, parsley, oregano and olive oil.

 

Those bruschetta look beautiful.  I'd be happy to have a couple of them and a glass of wine and call it dinner!

[ElainaA]

Just now, blue_dolphin said:

 

Those bruschetta look beautiful.  I'd be happy to have a couple of them and a glass of wine and call it dinner!

Thank you! Although the pasta was good, I basically ate bruschetta and salad (and, yes, wine). My husband on the other hand..........  

[rarerollingobject]

6 hours ago, kayb said:

I have eggs; I have gochujang. How does one cure an egg yolk, please?

 

 

 

Whisk together 2 tbsp of gochujang, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of honey and a clove or two of crushed garlic in a small bowl; separate some yolks and slip them into the bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 nights. Swirl the bowl gently from time to time to make sure the tops get covered in the marinade. That's it.

 

Other times I just use one or two tablespoons of soy sauce and an equal quantity of mirin, for a plainer but no less delicious version.

[BonVivant]

Noodle soup with tofu puffs from yesterday.

 

And this is yesterday. I like to cook once, eat twice. Stuffed tofu with mince, wood ear mushrooms and preserved veg.

 

Half of the batch had loads of Sichuan peppercorns in the mince.

 

Dried bamboo shoots* and preserved Chinese veg (in a package) were also braised alongside the pork belly. Sherry and tamari. (*must be soaked and boiled before using)

 

 

Edited March 22, 2016 by BonVivant (log)