Dinner 2019

[chromedome]

14 hours ago, weinoo said:

I was walking past a fishmonger in the new Essex Market, and he was just opening up a crate of salmon he'd received. Atlantic farmed. Despite its freshness, would not buy again. Stuff tastes like cardboard.  Maybe I'll stovetop smoke the other piece I have.

 

It certainly can't hurt to try.

It's quite striking the difference aquaculture practices make. There are two salmon-rearing operations in my immediate vicinity, and when I opened my restaurant I tried them both head-to-head. One is among the largest players in salmon production, and they cater primarily to the price-sensitive mass market. Theirs was just sad...pale in color (not that color *really* matters) and equally insipid in flavor. The other was a smaller operation targeting a higher-end market niche, and theirs was vastly superior in every respect. Better color, better flavor, thicker fillets, firmer texture. Their cultivation practices were better as well, with pen densities at less than 1/3 of the populations stocked by their larger competitor. They also produce their own feedstocks, as opposed to buying feed.

You'll have little trouble guessing which supplier I opted to use...

[weinoo]

27 minutes ago, chromedome said:

 

It certainly can't hurt to try.

It's quite striking the difference aquaculture practices make. There are two salmon-rearing operations in my immediate vicinity, and when I opened my restaurant I tried them both head-to-head. One is among the largest players in salmon production, and they cater primarily to the price-sensitive mass market. Theirs was just sad...pale in color (not that color *really* matters) and equally insipid in flavor. The other was a smaller operation targeting a higher-end market niche, and theirs was vastly superior in every respect. Better color, better flavor, thicker fillets, firmer texture. Their cultivation practices were better as well, with pen densities at less than 1/3 of the populations stocked by their larger competitor. They also produce their own feedstocks, as opposed to buying feed.

You'll have little trouble guessing which supplier I opted to use...

Yes.  This was definitely salmon geared to the mass-market. Like the chicken breast of fish.

 

I've also had pretty good farmed stuff; some of the Norwegian and Scottish fish is quite good.

[weinoo]

I also wonder if I'm better off buying frozen wild Alaskan salmon - usually it's sockeye or Coho, not my favorites as they can also dry out very quickly in cooking.

[liuzhou]

Cauliflower stir fried with 晒兰 (shài lán),   green and red chillies, garlic, ginger, Shaoxing wine and soy sauce. Served with rice and wilted spinach.

 

 

 

 

[Katie Meadow]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

I also wonder if I'm better off buying frozen wild Alaskan salmon - usually it's sockeye or Coho, not my favorites as they can also dry out very quickly in cooking.

The King is dead. Long live the King. Yes, it makes me want to cry. Sockeye and Coho just aren't as good as west coast King / Chinook, but the days of fresh wild CA King salmon are just about gone. Sometimes we can get Alaskan King that's wild and usually frozen, but all stocks are depleted. Farmed Atlantic salmon is available as it is on the east coast, but I no longer have a taste for it; there's always something wrong with it and it makes me depressed. I don't know if any farmed Norwegian or Scottish salmon makes it out to CA; I've never seen it, but I've never looked for it either. I'm sorry for our loss and our ongoing stupidity. Forgive me! Seasonal Affective Disorder and xmas music always make December a hard sell for me.  

[shain]

Potato and sunchoke gratin.

Peas and egg salad, with a mayonnaise based dressing kept on the vinegary and light side, to complement the gratin. Dill, mustard, pickles.

 

 

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

Cauliflower stir fried with 晒兰 (shài lán),   green and red chillies, garlic, ginger, Shaoxing wine and soy sauce. Served with rice and wilted spinach.

Vegetarian? Or is that some form of protein that I spot?

[weinoo]

50 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

The King is dead. Long live the King. Yes, it makes me want to cry. Sockeye and Coho just aren't as good as west coast King / Chinook, but the days of fresh wild CA King salmon are just about gone. Sometimes we can get Alaskan King that's wild and usually frozen, but all stocks are depleted. Farmed Atlantic salmon is available as it is on the east coast, but I no longer have a taste for it; there's always something wrong with it and it makes me depressed. I don't know if any farmed Norwegian or Scottish salmon makes it out to CA; I've never seen it, but I've never looked for it either. I'm sorry for our loss and our ongoing stupidity. Forgive me! Seasonal Affective Disorder and xmas music always make December a hard sell for me.  

 

Totally agree and it sucks.  The Norwegian stuff is good quality, as is Scottish.  Perhaps you can find some smoked, and use it like you would "novie!"

[weinoo]

15 hours ago, robirdstx said:

 

Grilled Lamb Chops and Asparagus

 

Scottadito!

[liuzhou]

2 hours ago, Anna N said:

Vegetarian? Or is that some form of protein that I spot?

 

 

Vegetarian? Good Lord! I can be accused of many things, but  vegetarian?

 

I do occasionally make vegetarian dishes - like some salads. Or a poached egg. But please be reassured, this was not in the least vegetarian. 晒兰 (shài lán) is  ham, ham, ham! Any rumours to the contrary are fake news and lies.

Edited December 7, 2019 by liuzhou (log)

[Margaret Pilgrim]

2 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

The King is dead. Long live the King. Yes, it makes me want to cry. Sockeye and Coho just aren't as good as west coast King / Chinook, but the days of fresh wild CA King salmon are just about gone.

 

It seems their numbers are  recovering .  

Clicking on suppliers, it serms that Berkeley Bowl is mentioned.    You might call ahead since they are seasonal.   

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

 

 

Vegetarian? Good Lord! I can be accused of many things, but  vegetarian?

 

I do occasionally make vegetarian dishes - like some salads. Or a poached egg. But please be reassured, this was not in the least vegetarian. 晒兰 (shài lán) is  ham, ham, ham! Any rumours to the contrary are fake news and lies.

 

Sincere apologies for the unintended insult. 😂  I should’ve been paying more attention.  But it was truly worrisome.  

[Katie Meadow]

2 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

 

It seems their numbers are  recovering .  

Clicking on suppliers, it serms that Berkeley Bowl is mentioned.    You might call ahead since they are seasonal.   

My husband does the Bowl run every week to ten days. He always checks the salmon and says it is rarely wild King. A when it is, the price is staggering. Same goes for my favorite fish destination, Tokyo Market, on San Pablo. If you are in the east bay it's just a great place to buy seafood and Asian supplies. Their black cod is the freshest around, better than the Bowl. They also sell grilled salmon collars, which are a greasy good treat, probably neither wild, fresh or King, but life is short.

[Anna N]

 

Stovies made in the A4 box. 
 

I did so much research only to discover that there are dozens of explanations of the meaning of the name of the dish and its origin ( @liuzhou covered this).  And there are almost as many ways of making stovies as there are Scots.  Even the Great British Chefs site has a version. In fact there is a site — stovies.com. 
 

There are vegetarian versions, healthy versions where 60 g of meat is considered adequate for 300 g of potatoes!  There are cheese versions and gussied up versions. I tried to stay pretty much along the same lines as liuzhou. 
 

But perhaps the most interesting thing I learned in my research was that the first mention of stovies on this board was on August 9, 2001. To me that is remarkable because unless I’m mistaken eG came into being the previous month!  Here.

 

If you follow that link it will take you down a rabbit hole and probably bring tears to your eyes especially if you were an oldster like me and have been a member for a very long time!

 

Back to my stovies. According to many sites they need time to reabsorb any liquid and for the flavours to marry. This may be pooh-poohed by many Scots. But I made them early and they will have time to age just a bit before it is dinner time. 

 

 

 

 

 

[mm84321]

Taipei- vegetable dumplings at Zi Lin, xiao long bao, grilled king trumpet mushroom, the best dumpling I’ve ever eaten, pea shoots, century egg, pork dumpling at Din Tai Fung, giant pot of braised cow stomachs, mango ice, sweet potato greens (amazing), and pepper cakes (ate at least 4 of them)

[heidih]

@mm84321  Oh good grief - that is a complete comfort spread that I will admit to coveting. Wow - thanks! 

[robirdstx]

 

Smoked Pork Neck Bone and Navy Bean Soup

 

[chefmd]

Dining solo so I can eat things that DH doesn’t care for.  Like marrow bones that I adore.  Cooked in CSO steam bake 350 for 15 minutes.

[gfweb]

Flat iron steak, parm crusted roasted cauliflower, spiced yam filled acorn squash

[Anna N]

2 minutes ago, gfweb said:

spiced yam filled acorn squash

A little more information, please. Sounds good and looks good. 

[gfweb]

15 minutes ago, Anna N said:

A little more information, please. Sounds good and looks good. 

Mashed yams with cream,   just enough allspice to wonder what that spice is , a dash or three of liquid smoke which is vital and just enough sugar to make it slightly sweet. Salt.

 

Overall it is on the border of savory and sweet

Acorn squash is sectioned and cooked at 350 steam in CSO for about 10 minutes, then warm yams are put in the rings, lightly dusted with brown sugar and then broiled at 500F for 8 min.

Edited December 8, 2019 by gfweb (log)

[Franci]

Tonight we got a crevalle jack, first time for me cooking it, I filleted, cut it and sauté with oil, butter, some lime pelé à vif, chili crunch condiment, parsley. I also did a blue fish under salt. Total cost of the fishes $3.50😁. Salad and always present jamón. 

[liuzhou]

4 hours ago, Anna N said:

According to many sites they need time to reabsorb any liquid and for the flavours to marry. This may be pooh-poohed by many Scots. But I made them early and they will have time to age just a bit before it is dinner time. 

 

You'll get no pooh-poohiing from this Scot. The last batch I made (and posted) for dinner reappeared next day for lunch and definitely tasted better (not that they were bad first time round).

[JoNorvelleWalker]

10 minutes ago, Franci said:

Tonight we got a crevalle jack, first time for me cooking it, I filleted, cut it and sauté with oil, butter, some lime pelé à vif, chili crunch condiment, parsley. I also did a blue fish under salt. Total cost of the fishes $3.50😁. Salad and always present jamón. 

 

I didn't understand half of that -- but being from New Jersey, bluefish is one of my favorite fish.  My dinner tonight is canned tuna.  After I finish my bowl of cashews, pecans, peanuts.  And my mai tai.

 

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

Flat iron steak, parm crusted roasted cauliflower, spiced yam filled acorn squash

Is this a carbon steel pan?  Is it a Darto?  It looks great, and a great seasoning job as well!