Dinner 2016 (Part 9)

[ProfessionalHobbit]

 

 

Lesso o allesso with boiled potatoes and salsa verde.

 

We thought it turned out rather well.  It's a good practice run for Christmas dinner.  The elevated version of lesso o allesso is bollito misto -- with a whole lot more meat than just brisket.

[liuzhou]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

Yes.  I am not that perceptive though. I clicked on the link! 

 

Unfortunately, I can't open the link.

[Anna N]

17 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Unfortunately, I can't open the link.

Was only pointing out that without the link I would not have had a clue!  

[Smithy]

17 hours ago, Norm Matthews said:

We had two Provençal recipes. One was a Julia Child recipe for Potato  Gratin ...<snip> We didn't care too much for the potatoes but that may have been because I put too much anchovy paste in it. 

 

 

That makes me glad I didn't follow the recipe exactly.  I spotted it in a New York Times article (maybe the same source of your inspiration) yesterday but opted to omit the anchovies. I left them out partly because I didn't want yet another open jar of some condiment taking up refrigerator space, but also because the article noted a "Provençal funk" from them and I thought it might not go over well in our household.  Instead, I used some hot Italian sausage from our local butcher.  It took the gratin in a different direction, but we liked it very much. 

[Smithy]

3 hours ago, ElsieD said:

Thanks for the Crepes, I'm interested in the Samoon bread.  It reminded me a bit of pita a until I looked back at one of your previous posts.  Does it bake up as pita does, that is, one you can easily separate?  Or does it bake up more like a solid bun?  How did you bake them?   I think these would be great for sandwiches, such as the ham and cheese ones you made.

 

ElsieD, while we're waiting for @Thanks for the Crepes to answer, I'll say that samoun, according to my copy of Delights from the Garden of Eden, has to be hollowed out to make sandwiches like that. It looks like a flaked-open pocket because it's pinched at both ends before baking.  The photo in Crepe's link does look delicious.  I'll be curious to hear what she has to say about the samoon she had, and whether it was flaky.

 

[kayb]

In the only energy I expended yesterday, I put a pot roast in the oven and managed (barely) to make myself a plate of it. Ate dinner midafternoon, only meal of the day, between Naps 2 and 3. 

 

Ready to go in the oven:

 

 

My much less than fancy plate (I couldn't even be troubled to fix a green side).

 

 

Remains of the roast will go into a big pot of vegetable beef soup later this week.

 

Pot roast is a great meal for when you're catching up with a lazy day after two non-stop weeks on the run.

 

 

[sartoric]

Spring has definitely sprung here...mixed salad with marinated pan fried chicken, lots of leaves, asparagus, cherry tomatoes and hard boiled eggs. 

 

[rotuts]

nice

 

very nice

 

7- bone is a bit difficult to find  routinely  these days

 

that bend said :

 

the blade under the bone is stunning to fined :

 

 

 

tender  beefy  etc  

 

nice

 

[Katie Meadow]

5 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

That makes me glad I didn't follow the recipe exactly.  I spotted it in a New York Times article (maybe the same source of your inspiration) yesterday but opted to omit the anchovies. I left them out partly because I didn't want yet another open jar of some condiment taking up refrigerator space, but also because the article noted a "Provençal funk" from them and I thought it might not go over well in our household.  Instead, I used some hot Italian sausage from our local butcher.  It took the gratin in a different direction, but we liked it very much. 

 

I also made the Julia potato gratin for a late lunch. I cut way back on the anchovies because I don't like too much, but in this case I agreed with my husband: I should have used a bit more. We had to add a bit of extra salt to finish, which I didn't anticipate. I had some not very distinguished Yukon Golds, and if I had it to do over again I would try to get a more flavorful farmers' market potato. I like the way the cheese on top crisped up. I used a 3 month old Manchego. It's hot here, so we ate it warm instead of right out of the oven, and liked it. Why does the recipe say not to refrigerate? Where did Julia keep her leftovers?

 

This gratin, along with a nice chicken salad, counts as my debate prep. Let's hope it stays down. Expecting a long and painful evening of Gin and Tonics. And maybe popcorn. 

[Anna N]

 This may not look nearly as attractive as @shain's version

 

Click

 

 But sometimes you must take what the Lord or your friends give you!  Yesterday I received a small Delicato squash. I had just used up the last of my red onions so I had to settle for yellow but everything else was as called for in the recipe.

 

 

I had some serious doubts as Middle Eastern cuisine is something I keep trying to like but this was so worth the effort.  Thank you shain (and my benefactor). I was somewhat challenged today but this lent self to being assembled in steps. Roast the vegetables let them cool. Toast the pine nuts.  Make the tahini sauce and then assemble the dish when you are ready.   Butternut squash and red onions might have taken it to a different level but I don't think it made a huge difference except in its appearance.

[scubadoo97]

Patagonian scallops over shredded brussels sprouts.  Hard to get enough color on them without over cooking.  Tasty and sweet

 

 

[kayb]

7 hours ago, rotuts said:

nice

 

very nice

 

7- bone is a bit difficult to find  routinely  these days

 

that bend said :

 

the blade under the bone is stunning to fined :

 

 

 

tender  beefy  etc  

 

nice

 

 

This was the roast that happened to come to hand when I grabbed in my freezer. Most of my chuck roasts have had the cross section of leg/femur in them. I never know what configuration my roasts are going to take, when I buy a quarter-steer at a time.

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

We had a break in a week and a half of pretty much constant rainy weather we've had for a week and a half. I was able to cook the El Pollo Loco knock off chicken outdoors over charcoal. This recipe is a keeper, and thanks so much to @mgaretz for jogging my decades old memory of this dish and sharing the marinade recipe. I did use cayenne and a fresh minced jalapeno with seeds and all instead of sriracha, but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter including the yellow food coloring. I used McCormick, and I've always had a problem with the yellow not being very effective. It was no different here, and the color wasn't very strong and only skin deep. I would up the chili content next time, because while the chicken had great flavor, the heat did not even register. I loved the way the chicken seemed to retain moisture better after its overnight bath.

 

After I'd already put the chicken to marinate, I did a little more reading about the dish, and came upon for suggestions for turmeric or annatto for the yellow color. Annatto would probably be more authentic, but I do not think the flavor of turmeric would go astray, and I have used that with chicken to good effect in the past too. I also ran across this old post on our very own site from member @Jaymes that shares a very similar recipe that uses fresh chili like I did.

 

Chicken is something that requires pretty constant attention when grilling on my set up. In order to spend time outside with it, I just nuked some baking potatoes and served with butter and sour cream as a side. I also had sliced tomato, and grilled tortillas. I had used a can of pineapple rings packed in pineapple juice. I used the juice for the marinade and grilled the rings as a side/dessert.

 

I'll serve the leftovers with the more traditional beans and things.

 

One thing I noted is that this recipe took longer than usual when I take the chicken out of the fridge and wash it. The washing takes the fridge chill off and brings the temp up significantly. Next time, I'll take the chicken out of the fridge earlier.

 

Great recipe! Inexpensive, pretty easy and very tasty.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

13 hours ago, ElsieD said:

@Thanks for the Crepes I'm interested in the Samoon bread.  It reminded me a bit of pita a until I looked back at one of your previous posts.  Does it bake up as pita does, that is, one you can easily separate?  Or does it bake up more like a solid bun?  How did you bake them?   I think these would be great for sandwiches, such as the ham and cheese ones you made.

 

 

I wish I had made them, but sadly, I am yeast bread challenged. Fortunately, I can purchase most excellent ones made by magic bakers!

 

It is not like a pita because it doesn't naturally separate on its own. It's a yeast bread and the version I can buy comes from my mediterranean store or Baghdad Bakery where they are baked. Almost every single post in this Yelp link mentions how good the Samoon bread is here. I'm lucky that these places are so close to my home that I can walk to them both. Have I ever mentioned how lucky I was to live in such a diverse food community? Now to get my husband on board with more of it ...

 

Baghdad's version is made only with flour, water, salt and yeast with sesame seeds on top. You must take a knife and  carefully cut a pocket to stuff it with sandwich fillings.

 

Oh, and for those who dis Yelp, I found these and many more gems in my community right on Yelp. At least in a smaller (150,000 souls) city, Yelp definitely works. I even "know" frequent posters whose tastes are similar to mine. It might not be as effective in NY or LA, but I love it for my purposes.

Here's a very short wiki link, a YouTube link that shows Iraqis Making Samoon bread in a stone oven (no sound) and another YouTube link that shows someone making the delicious bread at home.

 

Now you know every bit as much as I do about Samoon bread. 

 

11 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

ElsieD, while we're waiting for @Thanks for the Crepes to answer, I'll say that samoun, according to my copy of Delights from the Garden of Eden, has to be hollowed out to make sandwiches like that. It looks like a flaked-open pocket because it's pinched at both ends before baking.  The photo in Crepe's link does look delicious.  I'll be curious to hear what she has to say about the samoon she had, and whether it was flaky.

 

 

I would not call the Samoon I can get flaky at all. There's no fat in the recipe. What I would not give to have that kind of skill with flour, water, salt and yeast! 

 

[mgaretz]

1 hour ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

We had a break in a week and a half of pretty much constant rainy weather we've had for a week and a half. I was able to cook the El Pollo Loco knock off chicken outdoors over charcoal. This recipe is a keeper, and thanks so much to @mgaretz for jogging my decades old memory of this dish and sharing the marinade recipe. I did use cayenne and a fresh minced jalapeno with seeds and all instead of sriracha, but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter including the yellow food coloring. I used McCormick, and I've always had a problem with the yellow not being very effective. It was no different here, and the color wasn't very strong and only skin deep. I would up the chili content next time, because while the chicken had great flavor, the heat did not even register. I loved the way the chicken seemed to retain moisture better after its overnight bath.

 

After I'd already put the chicken to marinate, I did a little more reading about the dish, and came upon for suggestions for turmeric or annatto for the yellow color. Annatto would probably be more authentic

 

Thanks @Thanks for the Crepes - glad you liked it.  Yes the heat isn't apparent and it's not on the real chicken either.  And the yellow never really gets beyond the skin.  The published recipe says they use yellow food coloring.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

26 minutes ago, mgaretz said:

The published recipe says they use yellow food coloring.

 

Oh, I believe this is true. In my research on the dish and restaurant, the original recipe, now duplicated in many places on the web, it seems to have come from an article in the Orange County Register by the then reporter Nancy Berry. Sadly, I could not find the original article online. Many sources I found stressed that it was food coloring that was used. 

 

I wasn't disparaging the excellent recipe at all, just exercising my irrepressible drive to tweak recipes to my own tastes. 

 

Thanks again for calling my attention to it.

 

I also found this interesting:

 

"Juan Francisco Ochoa started the restaurant in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, in 1975." That is from this wiki article on El Pollo Loco.

 

Our excellent restaurant from circa 1987-a few years later? was focused on the outstanding chicken and a few sides, more like the Mexican chains. Oh, Lordy! I forgot how you could smell this chicken cooking as soon as you got out of your car in the parking lot. That was before all the air scrubbers and stuff like they make City Barbecue and other places like that in town shell out for nowadays. Umm, now that I think about it, that may have been exactly the reason this excellent restaurant folded in our town. 

 

I sure do miss it, but now, thanks to you, I can recreate it at home!

[quiet1]

No photos, but we had quite a nice dinner tonight:

 

Raclette cheese (which my housemate brought back with him from Switzerland - it's the store brand and we like it better than the imported stuff you can get here, go figure) with slices of locally-made bratwurst and the requisite potatoes, lightly buttered asparagus (didn't want to go too heavy on the fat because the cheese is so rich) and sliced ripe pears and some leftover mixed leaf salad (did I mention how rich the cheese is?)

 

The bratwurst was the experimental addition this round and I'm quite pleased with how it balanced with the cheese - it was a bit spicy for what I've come to expect as bratwurst per German family friends, but mellowed out by the cheese that worked quite well and the flavors were complimentary. Better than the sliced ham we tried last time. (My housemate couldn't find anywhere serving raclette with meat when he was in Switzerland, and the Internet is all full of crazy ideas, so I have no idea how traditional it is to serve raclette with meat, but there's a place to heat meat on the raclette grill we have and I prefer having a protein source in addition to the cheese, so I've been experimenting. The ham was okay but it didn't add much.)

 

Definitely a meal to repeat. I suspect it would really hit the spot on a cold winter day if you'd been out being quite active and really needed some calories.

[shini]

Yesterday I made chicken curry with shrimps and tomato rougaille with kafir zests

[liuzhou]

Today I made 95 Scotch quail eggs and ate two. No picture. I don't want to see another Scotch egg for 95 years!

In the end, I had no dinner. Too tired.

 

Peeling quail eggs is not my favourite occupation, but I'm proud to say all 100 (a few backup eggs) came out perfect except for one I screwed up when my phone rang. Of course, it was a wrong number. Some moron asking me if I was sure I wasn't his good friend with a totally different name.

"So, why are you answering his phone?"
 

"I'm not you cretin, You dialled the wrong number."

"Impossible. Let me talk to Bing Bong Bang"

"OK," I concede and park my cell phone next to the speakers playing the Rolling Stone's "Let it Bleed" album. The cretin listens for 20 minutes waiting for his imaginary friend. Then I block his number.

A welcome diversion from egg peeling and scotching. Tomorrow, 93 Chinese people are going to get a lunch they aren't expecting and won't recognise.

Hope they've cooked me something nice.

[Shelby]

BLT's the night our hunter left.  We barely made it through them before falling asleep lol.

 

 

Last night shrimp alfredo zoodles

 

[sartoric]

Pork and pineapple Thai curry with jasmine rice.

 

[rotuts]

@sartoric  

 

your food is always inspiring.  

 

the plate above   is even more so :

 

XXXX  food p0rn.

 

nice.

[ElsieD]

@Thanks for the Crepes  Thanks for the info on the bread.  I'm going to make this and have put it on my "to try" list.  As long as I stay away from sourdough, I'm okay making yeast breads.  Wish I could say the same about pie crust.

[kayb]

20 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

We had a break in a week and a half of pretty much constant rainy weather we've had for a week and a half. I was able to cook the El Pollo Loco knock off chicken outdoors over charcoal. This recipe is a keeper, and thanks so much to @mgaretz for jogging my decades old memory of this dish and sharing the marinade recipe. I did use cayenne and a fresh minced jalapeno with seeds and all instead of sriracha, but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter including the yellow food coloring. I used McCormick, and I've always had a problem with the yellow not being very effective. It was no different here, and the color wasn't very strong and only skin deep. I would up the chili content next time, because while the chicken had great flavor, the heat did not even register. I loved the way the chicken seemed to retain moisture better after its overnight bath.

 

After I'd already put the chicken to marinate, I did a little more reading about the dish, and came upon for suggestions for turmeric or annatto for the yellow color. Annatto would probably be more authentic, but I do not think the flavor of turmeric would go astray, and I have used that with chicken to good effect in the past too. I also ran across this old post on our very own site from member @Jaymes that shares a very similar recipe that uses fresh chili like I did.

 

Chicken is something that requires pretty constant attention when grilling on my set up. In order to spend time outside with it, I just nuked some baking potatoes and served with butter and sour cream as a side. I also had sliced tomato, and grilled tortillas. I had used a can of pineapple rings packed in pineapple juice. I used the juice for the marinade and grilled the rings as a side/dessert.

 

I'll serve the leftovers with the more traditional beans and things.

 

One thing I noted is that this recipe took longer than usual when I take the chicken out of the fridge and wash it. The washing takes the fridge chill off and brings the temp up significantly. Next time, I'll take the chicken out of the fridge earlier.

 

Great recipe! Inexpensive, pretty easy and very tasty.

 

Given that I picked up four frozen broilers from my local farmer today, I believe this will be on my agenda in the next week or so. Thanks, @mgaretz, in advance for the recipe!

 

 

10 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Today I made 95 Scotch quail eggs and ate two. No picture. I don't want to see another Scotch egg for 95 years!

In the end, I had no dinner. Too tired.

 

Peeling quail eggs is not my favourite occupation, but I'm proud to say all 100 (a few backup eggs) came out perfect except for one I screwed up when my phone rang. Of course, it was a wrong number. Some moron asking me if I was sure I wasn't his good friend with a totally different name.

"So, why are you answering his phone?"
 

"I'm not you cretin, You dialled the wrong number."

"Impossible. Let me talk to Bing Bong Bang"

"OK," I concede and park my cell phone next to the speakers playing the Rolling Stone's "Let it Bleed" album. The cretin listens for 20 minutes waiting for his imaginary friend. Then I block his number.

A welcome diversion from egg peeling and scotching. Tomorrow, 93 Chinese people are going to get a lunch they aren't expecting and won't recognise.

Hope they've cooked me something nice.

 

**95** of 'em? Dear Sweet Baby Jesus. My fingers ache in sympathy for you. That said, I'm stopping by the newly opened Asian market here in my town (YAY! Don't have to drive an hour to Memph) is any more!), and in hopes they'll have quail eggs. Because I picked up fresh farm sausage at the farmers' market last weekend!

 

[Anna N]

Doggie Bag Dinner!  Lunch leftovers (see the Ladies who Lunch). Mushroom and rapini pizza with some crispy potato bits.