Dinner 2016 (Part 5)

[huiray]

Steamed halibut.

The saucy dressing includes Shaohsing wine, rock sugar, double fermented soy sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, hot rice bran oil.

 

On the way there.

 

Plus a stir-fried smaller-leaved cousin of wong nga pak. Heavy-gelatin chicken stock also went in.

 

Lots of white rice.

[Anna N]

 

Colcannon made in the Instant Pot (potatoes, butter, milk, cabbage and scallions all added, high pressure x 8 mins, quick release). Bacon bits for garnish. 

Now was not the time to spend 30 minutes looking for the potato masher and then remembering that it met its end months ago!  

[sartoric]

5 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

 

sartoric,

 

This recipe sounds very appealing. I want to make it. I'll need to convert your metric measures to the pesky Imperial, but that's easy with Mr. Google these days. I think I would like it with chives or scallions in the filling.

 

Seems you add half the potatoes with the buttermilk, but the other half seems not to be mentioned. Do they go in the filling mixture? What happens to the other half of the potatoes you boil and mash up?

Sorry, the other half of the mash goes in with the bacon. I had garlic chives, parsley, thyme and rosemary in the mix. I reckon scallions would be great.

I use a 250 ml cup measure, a Tbs is 20 ml, tsp is 5 ml. 

Edited June 25, 2016 by sartoric (log)

[liuzhou]

This was the centrepiece of dinner tonight. It is 晒兰 (shài lán), a wonderful dry cured ham only made in one small town in western Hunan. A friend who lives there visited last week and brought me some. It is mildly flavoured and slightly sweet.

It being from Hunan, I had to treat it with respect (and heat) so I simply followed my friend's grandmothers strict instructions and stir fried it with two types of chilli peppers then added a little soy sauce. Finished with some scallion/green onion. It doesn't get much more simple. Or more hot.

 

 

Served with rice. Of course.

Edited June 25, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[Shel_B]

3 hours ago, Anna N said:

Colcannon made in the Instant Pot (potatoes, butter, milk, cabbage and scallions all added, high pressure x 8 mins, quick release). Bacon bits for garnish. 

Now was not the time to spend 30 minutes looking for the potato masher and then remembering that it met its end months ago!  

 

Thanks for posting this colcannon info.  It looks like something Toots would really enjoy, as she loves potatoes and greens.

 

I never heard of colcannon although, back in the early fall of 1969, a friend of mine introduced me to potatoes and cabbage mashed together with some butter and S&P.  I guess that could be considered a simple version of the dish, although she didn't call it colcannon.  And I rarely make it for myself, so it's not in the forefront of my thoughts.

 

I looked up a few variations and can see how flexible this dish can be, so it will now become a regular in our weeknight dinner rotation. 

[liuzhou]

21 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

I never heard of colcannon although, back in the early fall of 1969, a friend of mine introduced me to potatoes and cabbage mashed together with some butter and S&P. 

 

That sounds like a version of "champ", not "colcannon", though they are very similar. I guess different places use different terms.

[rotuts]

Dinners, at the moment for me, are not complicated.

 

 

more often than not  ( p < .001 )  they are tasty 

 

I like pre-ground turkey, esp. on sale ( )

 

these are two TurkeyBurgers  carefully cut out of the 'Slab' and only lightly seasoned and not handled too much, certainly not Smooshed.

 

they are  cut out of the slab, and that's it.  then seasoned and sautée'd.

 

Saute'd on the rare side.

 

Broccoli Mico'd 2 minutes  ( Chinese Take Out 'crunchy' )  with a bit of Tj's roasted garlic/sirracha jarred 'sauce'

 

note the Personal Beverage on the R.  MR.

 

this was a fine meal, for me.

Edited June 25, 2016 by rotuts (log)

[David Ross]

I rarely buy lobster, but one of our local markets has a special "lobster fest" twice a year with fresh lobsters flown in from a family operation in Maine.  The prices are reasonable, and since we don't see much lobster in our stores around here, I bought three pretty large beasts.

 

I've been dabbling with Mexican cuisine for a few weeks and had some freshly made verde sauce with tomatillos and some roasted poblano.  I poached the lobster and served it chilled with the verde sauce.  Pretty good but it could have used some diced, fresh jalapeno.

 

[sartoric]

My favourite dinner - roast chicken. I made a stuffing with fresh olive sourdough breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, bacon, herbs, lemon rind and egg. The gravy from pan juices had sherry, Dijon and stock. The veggies are potato, sweet potato, onions, cherry tomatoes and whole garlic. Side dish of brussel sprouts with bacon in a white wine reduction.

 

 

[chefmd]

First fresh wild salmon of the season with sautéed radish tops.

[gfweb]

Ribs, blackened onion potato salad and corn

 

[Anna N]

 

Christmas in June. Danish style braised red cabbage (cabbage, apple, butter, red currant jelly, vinegar).  Wish I could have served it with goose or even duck but my freezer yielded up chicken thighs. 

[HungryChris]

We had thin spaghetti with Deb's sauce, garlic toast and salads tonight. I am recovering from detached retina surgery and it is a nice distraction to have an old favorite for dinner.

HC

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

59 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 

Christmas in June. Danish style braised red cabbage (cabbage, apple, butter, red currant jelly, vinegar).  Wish I could have served it with goose or even duck but my freezer yielded up chicken thighs. 

 

I wish my local market sold acceptable bone-in, skin-on thighs.  I asked again this week.  They carry a half decent organic chicken brand, but not their thighs, except skinless and boneless..

 

Even in the somewhat less than acceptable brands there are no thighs in other than the so called "club size" packages.

[ProfessionalHobbit]

It's been a while since we had some minestrone...

 

 

1 cup Rancho Gordo Marcella beans and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, over low heat or until beans are cooked. If the water gets too low, add some more. Takes about 90 minutes. These beans were NOT soaked.  

 

You can use a pressure cooker to cut the time substantially, but I prefer preparing them this way.  As a bonus, I also have 4 cups of bean broth which I'll be putting to good use.

 

 

 

1 onion, finely diced.

 

 

3-4 carrots, peeled and diced.

 

 

3-4 celery stalks, diced.

 

 

Incidentally, I thought I'd show you the two knives I use most often in our kitchen.  The knife on the left is a silicon-bladed knife I use for most tasks.  The one on the right is a Japanese chef's knife from Bernal Cutlery that slices and chops like a dream.  

 

Bernal Cutlery -- http://bernalcutlery.com/

 

Back to the recipe...

 

 

1/2 lb. new potatoes, peeled and diced

 

 

1/2 lb. each green and wax beans, trimmed and diced.  Not shown are two bowls filled with 2 bunches shredded Swiss chard and 1/2 lb. diced zucchini.

 

 

2 large heirloom tomatoes, rough-chopped.  Not shown is a 28-oz. can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes.

 

 

Warm 1/2 cup olive oil in a large pot over low heat.  Add 3 tbsp. unsalted butter.  Melt butter.

 

When the butter foams, add

 

 

your diced onion, carrot and celery, and if you like, 2-3 tbsp. minced Italian parsley.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables begin to soften and color.  This will take about 10-15 minutes.

 

 

This is about right.

 

 

Next, add the potatoes.  Season with salt and black pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

 

Next, add the green and wax beans and the zucchini.  Season with salt and black pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

 

Next, add the tomatoes, the crushed tomatoes and the Swiss chard.  Mix well.  Season with salt and black pepper.  Raise heat to medium so that the liquid in the pot bubbles a little bit.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

 

Add 6 cups water, and if you want, a small piece of rind from a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover.  Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the vegetables are meltingly tender.

 

Towards the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the cooked dried beans to the pot.

 

When the soup is done, fish out the rind and discard.  Transfer 2-3 ladlefuls to a blender and puree.  Add the pureed soup back to the pot.  Taste for salt and black pepper, then serve.

 

 

 

 

 

Minestrone, garnished with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

 

We skipped adding any pasta or fried bread.  It didn't need it.

 

This recipe is sized for 8-10 people and takes about 2 1/2 hours, including prep.  Cooked beans can be prepared in advance.

Edited June 26, 2016 by ProfessionalHobbit (log)

[huiray]

A version of Fagioli Corallo al Pomodoro using young Roma beans & fresh ripe tomatoes. Served over fedelini.

 

[liuzhou]

 

38ºC (100ºF) today. No cooking mood, although I did manage to pan fry a brined chicken breast. Made a salad. Chicken, lettuce, mint, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red grapefruit, olive oil dressing, S+P.

 

I had planned to have some olive bread with it as carbs, but in the end, didn't feel the need.

[shain]

Manoush breads. It's something between pizza/focaccia in texture. Crispy at spots, slightly chewy, a little oily, and soft inside.

I made 3 different toppings.
The first is the most commonly found zaatar and olive oil. Iv'e added a touch more salt and a sprinkle of sumac post-baking for some tart-freshness.

The second is my favorite, very thick tomato paste, cooked with garlic and thyme. Added lemon juice and plenty of olive oil, then a large sprinkle of zaatar.

The third is a version I've yet to see, brushed with butter and topped with Egyptian dukkah. Iv'e made my own with peanuts, cumin seeds, seasame and plenty of coriander seeds, all well toasted. It went out very well.

All were served with cherry tomatoes, sliced onions and loads of labaneh.

Baked on preheated steel plate @240dC for about 10 minutes. Served hot.

 

Edited June 26, 2016 by shain (log)

[Arey]

On 6/25/2016 at 10:10 AM, liuzhou said:

 

That sounds like a version of "champ", not "colcannon", though they are very similar. I guess different places use different terms.

One day at work a female Irish co-worker from the Galway Bay  area and a male Irish co-worker from Cork had a lengthy debate what makes champs champs and colcannon colcannon.  I vaguely remember that leftover boiled potatoes and leftover boiled cabbage were involved  BIMBW.

[BonVivant]

Magrets smoked in an old wok with orange pekoe tea, rice, sugar etc for 5 or 6 minutes. Then seared as normal. Spätzle,  Sauerkraut and my own chili oil made with smoked whole pepper "cacho de cabra" (Capsicum Annuum var. Lungum), known as Merkén in Chilean Patagonia.

 

 

These are Merkén peppers

 

Edited June 26, 2016 by BonVivant (log)

[ElainaA]

A hot day yesterday so salad for supper - with grilled steak, pickled red onions, roasted potato wedges, cucumbers, radishes and tomatoes over garden greens. With a sour cream-horseradish dressing. Also the first corn of the year. I broke my long term rule of only buying local corn - which won't be ready for several more weeks. I'm not sure where this was from as it was not labelled but it was pretty good. It would have been nice to have some bread but I hate to turn on the oven when it is this hot.

 

 

[zend]

Carbonated kimchi, made tonight, aided by 1 tsp of rice vinegar. I just couldn't wait. Some may consider this a crime. I apologize. 

[chefmd]

Pork chops and pan fried zucchini.  Pork was grilled on an electric weber grill since gas or charcoal grills are not allowed in our condo building.

 

[sartoric]

6 hours ago, zend said:

Carbonated kimchi, made tonight, aided by 1 tsp of rice vinegar. I just couldn't wait. Some may consider this a crime. I apologize. 

 

I googled, but got no help to my understanding. What is carbonated kimchi please ?

[ProfessionalHobbit]

I have a feeling it's kimchi that's been liquefied and turned into a drink.

 

 

ETA David Chang is a big proponent of pureeing kimchi...so it's not entirely out of left field.

Edited June 27, 2016 by ProfessionalHobbit (log)