Dinner 2018

[liuzhou]

I think I've come over a bit Irish.

 

Tonight, fried pork tenderloin slices with riced potato and scallions. And that Irish standby - baby bok choy.

 

 

My potatoes weren't up to Joël Robuchon standard (whose are?), but were OK. No butter involved.

 

 

liuzhou's tragic butter story:  When I first moved to this city, there was only one tiny store that occasionally carried what the locals considered to be weird. Capers, pickled gherkins, Tabasco sauce, canned Portuguese anchovies, Heinz baked beans, French liver päté, Bovril. Things would run out and not be restocked for months or even years.  But to the then tiny ex-pat community, the prize was that they had butter. So much so that the shop was universally known as "the butter shop".

 

About three weeks ago that store closed down for extensive renovations. Extensive to the point they razed the building and are rebuilding it.

 

In the meantime, butter became more available. There has been a fashion for home baking recently and many "baking supply" stores now stock butter - usually unsalted. All of it imported, so pricey.

 

The butter shop sold salted and unsalted Anchor butter from New Zealand at ¥18 a block. My local supermarket is selling the identical butter for ¥38. I refuse to buy it. This particular place always racks up the price of anything they think will only be bought by dumb foreigners. In fact,  I hate the place, but it is my nearest supermarket and they do have a few things I can only find there. It's not that I couldn't afford it; I just hate being ripped off.

 

So, the point of this long sad tale is that I am temporarily butterless. Sorry, M. Robuchon

[rotuts]

interesting

 

how much does that block of butter weigh ?

 

is butter not being made in China ?

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

interesting

 

how much does that block of butter weigh ?

 

is butter not being made in China ?

 

454g

 

Not that i know of. The vast majority of Chinese never use butter All the butter I

 

have access to

 

is

 

imported.

 

The Chinese is 黄油 (huáng yóu) which

 

literally means  'yellow oil'

 

but also just means 'grease'.

[Kim Shook]

@HungryChris – did you ever post the recipe for the Love Salad?  I seem to serve the same salad every night and that one looks like something we would love.

 

Dinner last night started with a dressed salad:

Just my usual salad, but I dressed it in the bowl with EVOO, red wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar and S&P.  This is what my mom always did.  No bottled dressing and no mixing the dressing separately.  Just tipping stuff onto the salad in the bowl and tossing and tasting until it was right.  I need to do this more often.  We rely too much on bottled dressings. 

 

Chicken, broccoli and rice casserole:

 

 This was a Tricia Yearwood recipe that I saw her make on Food Network last week.  Gooey, cheesy comfort food.  We liked it a lot.  

Edited August 7, 2018 by Kim Shook (log)

[Okanagancook]

@Kim Shook  Yes, no bottled dressing around here.  Once you get in the habit of making it you just won't go back and look at all the money you will save and the chemicals you won't ingest.

 

I just made T Keller's garlic vinaigrette:  confit garlic (from the freezer), Champagne Vinegar, salt, pepper and grapeseed oil.  I want a lower fat dressing so I make a mixture of chicken stock and arrowroot powder thickened on the stove so it is about the consistency of oil and I sub in 1/3 of the oil for this.  

[HungryChris]

54 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

@HungryChris – did you ever post the recipe for the Love Salad?  I seem to serve the same salad every night and that one looks like something we would love.  

 

It's not really a recipe, but a description.

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/156030-dinner-2018-part-1/?page=141&tab=comments#comment-2163242

 

Hughies restaurant was in the same neighborhood and fell victim to the same eminent domain debacle that is the subject of the recent movie "The Little Pink House".

[lindag]

I watched an episode of ATK on Saturday that featured Farmhouse Chicken Noodle Soup.  It was prepared in a Fissler pressure cooker, however, I'll use my ipot.  It looked SO good that'm dying to make it.  Just have to wait til our temps drop about 40 degrees and get back to the 60s F.  Maybe next month.

 

[ninagluck]

with tropical temperatures for weeks, I just eat cold food which needs very little cooking. Tonight: cucumber panna cotta, gin cured salmon trout, fingerlimes, tapioca chip, invisible tonic gel. basically a GT with fish on a plate 😎

 

Edited August 7, 2018 by ninagluck (log)

[BonVivant]

Chilled noodle salads in parched northern Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

[lindag]

Yakisoba noodles (purchased) with sttr fried chicken fillet and vegetables and a little sweet soy on top.

Really good for a hot evening.

[heidih]

2 hours ago, ninagluck said:

with tropical temperatures for weeks, I just eat cold food which needs very little cooking. Tonight: cucumber panna cotta, gin cured salmon trout, fingerlimes, tapioca chip, invisible tonic gel. basically a GT with fish on a plate 😎

 

 

 

 

That looks incrediblty refreshing. Like the tapioca chip for contrast. Oh my! - Wien is that hot??!!

[kayb]

9 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I think I've come over a bit Irish.

 

Tonight, fried pork tenderloin slices with riced potato and scallions. And that Irish standby - baby bok choy.

<snip>

So, the point of this long sad tale is that I am temporarily butterless. Sorry, M. Robuchon

Dear Sweet Baby Jesus. Butterless? I would die. I might could become vegetarian, but I could NEVER be vegan, and butter is a chief reason why (along with eggs and cheese and half and half for my coffee).

 

On the other hand, I dearly love pork tenderloin. Yours looks marvelous. I like it in little sandwiches with biscuits, and sorghum molasses.

[HungryChris]

I live quite near the boarder to Rhode Island, which has a few benefits, not the least of which, is cheaper gasoline. By driving just a few miles down the road, I can save a few dollars on a fill-up.  Another advantage is the fact that I can buy canned soda, without paying the 5 cent deposit on each can, which is made even better by the fact that I can redeem these same cans here in the state of Connecticut for 5 cents each, but, I digress. The point I wish to make is this: I regularly venture into the Stop & Shop near me in RI, to get gas, and will usually bring a cooler with me and take a quick sprint around the store to look for any bargains I can find, and perhaps zero in on dinner.

Today was just such a day, and in my quick sprint around the store, I noticed lobsters at $5.99 pp. Dinner plans were made!

The tomatoes are coming in fast and furious, so fresh herbed tomatoes with kosher salt and robust olive oil are standard procedure this time of year. The lobster went quickly, but the tomatoes only lingered briefly.

HC

Edited August 8, 2018 by HungryChris (log)

[liamsaunt]

Monday, tomato salad made with tomatoes from my garden (which consists only of tomato plants)

 

 

and corn and bacon pasta from the current issue of Cook's Country

 

 

Last night, "clean out the crisper drawer" veggie cakes made with summer squash, mushrooms, garlic, onion, herbs and goat cheese topped with marinated tomato salad

 

 

[lindag]

11 hours ago, HungryChris said:

I live quite near the boarder to Rhode Island, which has a few benefits, not the least of which, is cheaper gasoline. By driving just a few miles down the road, I can save a few dollars on a fill-up.  Another advantage is the fact that I can buy canned soda, without paying the 5 cent deposit on each can, which is made even better by the fact that I can redeem these same cans here in the state of Connecticut for 5 cents each, but, I digress. The point I wish to make is this: I regularly venture into the Stop & Shop near me in RI, to get gas, and will usually bring a cooler with me and take a quick sprint around the store to look for any bargains I can find, and perhaps zero in on dinner.

Today was just such a day, and in my quick sprint around the store, I noticed lobsters at $5.99 pp. Dinner plans were made!

The tomatoes are coming in fast and furious, so fresh herbed tomatoes with kosher salt and robust olive oil are standard procedure this time of year. The lobster went quickly, but the tomatoes only lingered briefly.

HC

 

How wonderful!

[liuzhou]

The packet of fresh ramen noodles I was 100% sure I had in the fridge has evaporated into thin air, so this is not quite what was intended. A deft noodle substitution was called for.

 

 

Linguine with clams. Clams done with garlic, ginger, shallots , coriander leaf (cilantro), Shaoxing wine and oyster sauce.

 

[blue_dolphin]

Too hot to cook last night.  

Whole grain carta di musica leftover from the other day, olives, salami, cheese and a golden negroni.....two of those, actually.

[TicTac]

Late to the zucchini blossom party....but....

 

Why batter them at all!?

 

We have enjoyed them for years simply fried with some young garlic in good olive oil.

 

Place on crusty bread and sop up olive oil. 

 

Flavor retained (we keep the pistil in, no reason to remove!)!

 

[chefmd]

Shrimp scampi with green beans.  Shrimp was marinated in grated garlic and sliced garlic was added to pan reduction sauce with lots of butter.  

[scubadoo97]

Smoked a couple 4 packs of chicken thighs.  Made a slaw and baked sweet potatoes.  Side of extra chicken skin that was cut from the thighs which is always left attached. The skin was also off the smoker.  The chicharrones was my favorite part of the meal 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2018 by scubadoo97 (log)

[Kim Shook]

Simple dinner tonight – veggies:

 

And sous vide chicken sandwich:

Tender and moist even when cold. 

[liamsaunt]

farfalle with tomato sauce made from tomatoes from my garden, basil, and burrata

 

[Ann_T]

@BonVivant, @liamsaunt, mouth watering photos.

 

Spicy Honey Garlic Chicken.

 

This is one of my favourites. I make a really thin tempura style batter for the thinly sliced and marinated chicken breast.

 

Blueberry Pie for dessert.

[rotuts]

@Kim Shook

 

Nice chicken sandwich.    I completely agree ; CkBr and TurkeyBr do very well after a swim in the SV tank

 

If you like turkey , look for some whole Fz turkey breast .

 

in my area they go on sale all the time.

 

i bone them out , remove the breast tendons and SV them

 

the bones now get chopped up and iPotted for stock.

[Ann_T]

Preview of dinner.

Going to be another scorcher here on the Island so roasting early. 

Just took a 9 pound turkey out of the Oster oven.  Destined for Hot Turkey Sandwiches tonight.

 

I love that Oster French Door Oven.  Whatever won't fit in the CSO fits in the Oster.