Dinner 2017 (Part 6)

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

Sad that so many of you can't find duck

Here, they don't have a culture of eating or raising any type of poultry other than chicken. I have occasionally seen baby ducks in the stalls where they sell chicks but they never appear on the market. They must be buying them as pets or for private consumption. It's only within the last 10 years that we are able to buy turkeys at holiday time and they are all imported.

[Tropicalsenior]

1 hour ago, dcarch said:

How do they do that?!

Why do they do that?

Edited September 23, 2017 by Tropicalsenior
Addition (log)

[kayb]

14 hours ago, ElsieD said:

 

Where did you find this?  I looked for it too, obviously your sleuthing skills are better than mine. When @Anna N posted this I wanted to take a big bite out of my tablet screen.

 

Here.

 

[Anna N]

Found that link. Here it is on the page  in question 

 

Click

 

I couldn't get it to centre properly on my phone.  Maybe others will have more luck. 

 

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, kayb said:

 

Here.

 

@kayb  I must have mis-read your post.  I thought you had found the recipe on-line, and wondered where you found it.  I did find the book, but thanks for taking the time to post the link.

[Anna N]

Just now, ElsieD said:

@kayb  I must have mis-read your post.  I thought you had found the recipe on-line, and wondered where you found it.  I did find the book, but thanks for taking the time to post the link.

 We just cross-posted Elsie. 

[Anna N]

 My tajia is not as nearly as nicely plated as @shain's (I am cooling it off before refrigerating it).  But I did want to show that I had made it and it is quite delicious. It may or may not appear at dinner this evening.

 

 Edited to add a link to @shain version 

 

Click

 

 

Edited September 23, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[kayb]

27 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

@kayb  I must have mis-read your post.  I thought you had found the recipe on-line, and wondered where you found it.  I did find the book, but thanks for taking the time to post the link.

That link should go directly to a sample page of the book that has the recipe. When I fire my laptop back up, I'll post the Screenshot I did of it. 

[kayb]

[Anna N]

 For whatever reason it doesn't go to that page when I click the link on my iPhone.  I get this 

 

Edited September 23, 2017 by Anna N (log)

[rotuts]

@Anna N

 

""  My tania ""

 

I can't quite understand your dis above

 

something mage inn a tagine ?

[ElsieD]

@Anna N and @kayb  thank you both.  I am making this tonight.  I cooked up a smoked picnic shoulder the other day and had thought of making scalloped potatoes to go with it, but this looks way better.  Thank you both.

[Anna N]

15 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Anna N

 

""  My tania ""

 

I can't quite understand your dis above

 

something mage inn a tagine ?

 Sorry I meant to add a link to @shain's version.  I have added that link now. 

[shain]

@Anna N The tanjia looks delicious, and I'm really glad to hear it's to your liking!

[Anna N]

40 minutes ago, shain said:

@Anna N The tanjia looks delicious, and I'm really glad to hear it's to your liking!

 I enjoyed it tonight with some Israeli couscous (ptitim) which I found much more to my liking than regular couscous.

 

 

I am curious to know what you used as "chili".  I chose some Aleppo Pepper but I'm not sure that was the most appropriate. Since I enjoyed it I don't suppose it much matters but I would still like my curiosity satisfied. 

 

 

[mm84321]

Steak, the Argentine way! 

 

[Shelby]

5 minutes ago, mm84321 said:

Steak, the Argentine way! 

 

This looks amazing.  Very jealous.

[shain]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

 I enjoyed it tonight with some Israeli couscous (ptitim) which I found much more to my liking than regular couscous.

I am curious to know what you used as "chili".  I chose some Aleppo Pepper but I'm not sure that was the most appropriate. Since I enjoyed it I don't suppose it much matters but I would still like my curiosity satisfied. 

 

 

 

It's not common to differ between chili pepper cultivars in Israel (sadly). Most markets sell only 'green' and 'red' chilies. The dried chilies are also never labeled. For this recipe I used dried birds eye chili from my garden. All that is to say that it's not really important in this recipe, just there to add a touch of heat.

 

I don't cook a lot with ptitim, but it is seen very differently than couscous in Israel - ptitim is often treated more like pasta, flavored and mixed with vegetables, than eaten as a side dish on it's own (but never as saucy as pasta). Couscous is treated more like rice, it is topped with saucy stews and soups, which are required in order for it not to feel dry and "sandy".  The soup most often paired to it is a vegetable soup, usually made with squashes, zucchini, carrots etc, chickpeas and often also chicken. It also seems to me that the most popular use for couscous in North America & Europe is in a salad, which is less common here (other than a substitute for fine bulgur in tabbouleh).

 

Edit: BTW, here is how tanjia is often served in a fancier setting: link. 

Edited September 23, 2017 by shain (log)

[jvalentino]

Thai-ish pork skewers. Sliced then marinated pork shoulder in fish sauce, palm sugar, garlic and ginger. Grilled hot and fast. Garnish with basil, mint, green onion and fresno chili. Eat. Drink beer. Repeat.

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, shain said:

Edit: BTW, here is how tanjia is often served in a fancier setting: link. 

Yeah. I was getting around to that. 

[ElsieD]

@Anna N and @kayb  here is the finished product.  It was very good, we managed to eat the whole thing!

Edited September 24, 2017 by ElsieD
Fixed a typo (log)

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I steam baked a big (one pound) chicken leg quarter and a Russet potato that weighed perhaps a bit less in the maiden voyage for my new Cuisinart Steam Oven tonight. It came out pretty okay for a first attempt.

 

On the side was broccoli with cheddar cheese cooked the usual old school way, although I understand you can steam vegetables and even Chinese buns in the CSO. Just not at the same time you're roasting chicken. It will be interesting to try that down the road, though.

 

Leftover roast chicken for tomorrow's dinner. Also a little taco meat with Hatch chili and onion for a taco salad from the day before. Being a single eater is a constant battle with leftovers, but even the leftovers turn out to be tastier than most frozen dinners from the grocer's freezer to me. Probably cheaper too. Well certainly cheaper than the higher end ones. I admit I've tried a few of those, from regular grocery stores and I can't think of a single one I like or would buy again. 

 

Trader Joe's is the exception, and they have many frozen offerings that are very good, but so far are a little out of my walking range. I have done 8 miles split evenly between the past two days, and my motivation is high to get to TJ's so I may well wind up going there when it cools down some.

[chefmd]

14 hours ago, mm84321 said:

Steak, the Argentine way! 

The steak is gorgeous!  And a big YES to a glass of white wine!

[Kasia]

A little bit differently - Pear soup with ginger and chili pepper -- RecipeGullet

 

 

[liuzhou]

Started off with a lentil soup. Chopped the usual onions, celery and carrot; sweated them off in olive oil; added some Sichuan Style Peasant Family Cured Pork (literal translation of the Chinese); added red lentils and boiled until ready.  With home made bread for dunking.

 

Lentils are a real rarity here. Few of my Chinese friends know what they are, but one supermarket recently decided to stock them..

 

 

Followed by something I like a lot, but haven't made for years. 啤酒鸭 (pí jiǔ yā) or Beer Duck. I bought an almost half duck - leg and breast (one of each), skinned, de-fatted and boned it then chopped the meat into bite size pieces. Braised in beer with onion, garlic, red chilli peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. The dish originated in Sichuan, but is also popular in Hunan. Served with sweet potato shoots and rice. And more beer.

 

I don't usually plate Chinese food this way, but I'm off early in the morning on yet another field trip and couldn't be bothered with too much washing up.