Dinner 2016 (Part 6)

[shain]

Potato and sweet potato cubes, baked with chili, a little maple, paprika, smokey sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Okra and bell peppers, stir fried until lightly charred, then slowly cooked with tomatoes, onion and garlic. Paprika, cumin, a little turmeric. Finished with parley, cilantro and sumac.

It's a good okra, very small and it cooks to a buttery texture.

[sartoric]

Hainanese chicken rice with the usual suspects. I use a slow cooker for the chicken, not traditional, but less fiddly.

The plated meal.

 

On the left chilli and garlic sauce, on the right spring onions and ginger sauce.

 

A little of the broth with baby spinach.

[liamsaunt]

fried chicken, mac and cheese, zucchini fritters, tomatoes

 

[Norm Matthews]

A few months ago I made some garlic sausage. I took the last of it out of the freezer and decided use it in a cassolet. I started with a Thomas Keller recipe but made some changes. One difference is I used ham hocks instead of pork shoulder. 

 

 

 

 

  

[rarerollingobject]

Yukhoe, Korean beef tartare; beef, sesame oil, honey, maesil sour plum syrup, soy sauce, black pepper, octopus, nashi pear, black sesame seeds, gochugaru chilli flakes, crispy deep-fried garlic chips, spring onion and a duck egg yolk.

[Captain]

Lamb Shanks..........

SO GOOD.

 

[Captain]

Sunday night dinner.  BBQ Burgers

[blue_dolphin]

49 minutes ago, Norm Matthews said:

A few months ago I made some garlic sausage. I took the last of it out of the freezer and decided use it in a cassolet.

 

Honestly, @Norm Matthews, in this heat, I couldn't fathom the appeal of a cassoulet....but after looking at your photos and reading your description, I really, really want some.  Right now!

 

@rarerollingobject, what a deliciously moody photo of what must have been a delicious treat!

[scubadoo97]

Went for something snack like for dinner after munching on hummus and chips earlier

 

pounded out a small chicken breast, sliced it against the grain into strips and dredged it in Zaatar then dusted it with Wondra.  Sautéed in olive oil then sliced it into small bite sized pieces.  Made Zaatar chicken quesadillas with what's sold as quesadilla cheese and arugula 

 

 

[ElainaA]

I forgot to take the camera with me when we moved out to the gazebo tonight, Pasta with the peas that I picked yesterday, ricotta and bacon. And a salad.

[chefmd]

Gazpacho 

 

Roasted chicken with tarbais beans

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

A couple of recipes for zucchini were posted recently on eGullet. I combined ideas from this one for zucchini onion pie and this one for shredded zucchini with lemon and thyme. I shredded and salted the zucchini and drained in a colander while I prepped other things. I sauteed the onion and garlic with a tablespoon of butter before adding it to the pie mixture. I did not add the oil called for and reduced the parm to a couple tablespoons or so. I added a cup and half of grated cheddar, and seasoned with salt, black pepper, thyme and a pinch of nutmeg. I also added a cup of milk. It came out really tasty but took about 50 minutes to cook through.

 

We had chunks of golden honeydew melon in these cute little dishes painted like watermelons that I had chilled overnight in the fridge. I also made lemonade and served it from the matching watermelon pitcher. The lemonade was really good, but I'm glad I wasn't making it for company. I thought pomegranate molasses would turn it a pretty pink, but it turned it the most unfortunate brown color. It was refreshing and delicious anyway, but I won't ever do that again.

[Mmmpomps]

Beet Gazpacho perfect for a hot summer night:

 

 

 

[Steve Irby]

Shrimp season on the Gulf Coast with boat run shrimp less than 24-hr from net to table.  10# this weekend with the first batch BBQ Cajun style, last night, and boiled shrimp tonight, prepped for the week to come.  Charlie the cat is a shrimp fanatic and helped with QA/QC on day 2.  He is a real sticker for quality.  Coupled with the one for me, one thee rule resulted in a fairly modest inventory for the coming week.. 

 

The product with the head on shrimp being prepped for BBQ. 

Shrimp and new potatoes. The juices are the best element.

Day 2 and dutifully performing my food storage chores along with my QA/QC buddy Charlie.

  

 

[weinoo]

Last night I did some baked potatoes in the Cuisi Steam Girl, after jumping back into that thread.

 

 

Served with butter, sour cream and smoked sable on top (with thanks to Mekelburg's).

 

Side of cole slaw. Served with cacik -  cold soup of yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon, olive oil, dill and mint.

[scubadoo97]

@Steve Irby  fantastic!  Those heads and shells make the best stock

[HungryChris]

Dinner last night was baked boneless chicken leg quarters that had been stuffed with garlic cooked spinach, pine nuts and crumbled blue cheese and baked in tomato sauce. Fresh local corn on the cob.

HC

Edited July 25, 2016 by HungryChris (log)

[liuzhou]

 

Pork kidney with garlic, shallots, chilli, Shaoxing wine and a little soy sauce.

 

Served with rice and asparagus. I threw the asparagus on top of the rice in the rice cooker. Not the best way to cook it, but it's 40ºC/104ºF and I wasn't going to open up another pan.

[ElsieD]

Last night we finished off the other half of the harissa rubbed chicken which we had with salad, carrots and duck roasted potatoes.

[ProfessionalHobbit]

I'm not really a fan of crunchy vegetables. I personally believe that they're suitable for rabbit food. Maybe you like them that way. If so, more for you.

 

I particularly like them cooked in the Italian manner -- simmered or braised over low heat and slowly cooked in their own juices so that when they emerge from the pot, they're nearly falling apart and their texture is like silk.

 

Life is too short to eat rabbit food.

 

 

Clockwise from lower left: Approx. 2 1/2 oz. guanciale, diced; 3 celery stalks with leaves, diced; 1 yellow onion, diced; 3 carrots, diced.

You can omit the guanciale, or if substitute either pancetta or bacon, or prosciutto or ham. Guanciale is cured spiced pork jowl and can be obtained at any Italian specialty food store or online from http://eataly.com/

 

 

 

4 Early Girl tomatoes, diced.

If you don't have Early Girl tomatoes, regular tomatoes are ok. Just make sure they're ripe. If you don't have any good tomatoes, canned tomatoes are fine. If I'm getting canned tomatoes, I usually try to buy canned San Marzano tomatoes (there's a preferred brand I like but I can't quite recall what it is right now) or Pomi brand if possible.  If they're canned whole plum tomatoes, crush them by hand and place in a bowl.  Reserve half of the juice and use the other half for another dish.

 

 

 

Warm olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, add guanciale. Cook until fat has been rendered and the guanciale starts to crisp. Add onion, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

 

Add the carrot and celery, plus salt and black pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are softened and fragrant.

 

 

 

Next add 2-3 medium zucchini, sliced. Sauté until zucchini has softened and has started to caramelize.

 

 

 

Next, add 2-3 sweet bell peppers that have been sliced. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook until the peppers have softened slightly.

 

 

Next, add the tomatoes (and if you're using canned tomatoes, add the reserved juices) and 1/2 lb. yellow wax beans that have been trimmed. If you don't have yellow beans, string beans are fine. Or any vegetables you have on hand.

Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour or until the vegetables have softened and their texture is like silk. The beans in particular should be nearly falling apart.

Towards the last 20 minutes of cooking, uncover pot and raise heat slightly to medium-low. Reduce liquid until only a few tablespoons are left in the pot. (Or if you like a soupier stufato, leave the pot covered.) You may have to add a tablespoon or two of water to prevent the vegetables from scorching.

The idea is to cook the vegetables in their own juices without the addition of any liquid.

About 10 minutes prior to serving, I added a handful of shredded basil and 1 cup cooked fava beans.

Taste once more for salt and black pepper, then drizzle each serving with extra-virgin olive oil and top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese if desired.

 

 

Stufato di verdure ("vegetable stew").

Edited July 25, 2016 by ProfessionalHobbit (log)

[huiray]

25 minutes ago, ProfessionalHobbit said:

Next add 2-3 medium zucchini, sliced.

 

That looks like more than simply "zucchini" but rather Costata Romanesco. But I imagine any ol' zucchini will do too. :-) 

[huiray]

A day & night of this-and-that, yesterday.

 

Steamed "fresh" chee cheong fun [Lee's Noodle] (rice noodle rolls w/ har mai & scallions) and har cheong fun [Kimbo (frozen)] (shrimp rice crepes/rolls)

Dressed w/ the sauce packet included w/ the shrimp rice rolls plus oyster sauce & hoisin sauce (and a little oil); topped w/ sliced scallions.

 

Bopped over to Lucky Lou for some dim-sum.

Bean curd rolls, shrimp siu-mai, steamed chicken feet, shrimp dumplings, deep-fried taro cake/puffs.

 

Mung bean sprouts "stir-fried" w/ ginger & scallions. Fuzhou-type skinny wheat noodles (min sin) dressed w/ Bulldog sauce, shichimi togarashi & chopped scallions.

 

Cauliflower mushroom soup.

Water, gelled chicken stock, shredded Cantonese roast duck and skin [from Asia Mart], some oil, lightly crushed garlic, sea salt, simmer; cleaned, washed, trimmed cauliflower mushroom** [from Annabelle's Garden] added in, simmer some more. Bowl, dress w/ chopped scallions.

** These were wild-collected in Indiana; they look like Sparassis spathulata.

 

Cleaning the cauliflower mushroom – trimmings (top) and one of the frond clumps (bottom) shown.

 

[ProfessionalHobbit]

40 minutes ago, huiray said:

 

That looks like more than simply "zucchini" but rather Costata Romanesco. But I imagine any ol' zucchini will do too. :-) 

 

Zucchini/summer squash, same thing really.

[Okanagancook]

Sous vide Berkshire centre cut pork loin chop with peach preserves on the side; corn sautéed with onions from the garden and piquillo pepper butter (Bobby Flay); garden green beans in garlic butter with chopped shallots; and grilled mushrooms.  The pork chop was almost perfect.  I did them for 45 minutes at 135 F but next time I will go down to 133 as they were just on the verge of being over where we like pork.

[Anna N]

@ProfessionalHobbit

 

 I read your treatise on Italian vegetable preparation while munching on some incredibly fresh raw radishes. À chacun son goût.