Dinner 2021

[ambra]

We went out for pizza the other night and our table ordered the "giro pizza" menu. Not sure what it's called in the US! Where they bring you meter-long pizzas of all different types until you are full. We were in the 'burbs of Milan where they like thick-crust pizza. This was thicker than I normally like, but not as the thick as they usually do here. So here we've got mortadella and pistachio, very popular here now. Then anchovy (it was terrible), vegetarian, pear and gorgonzola (This was the best of the night followed by the mortadella one) and finally sausage and rabe. 

 

[robirdstx]

 

Hatch Roasted Green Chile Shredded Pork, Pico de Gallo, Refried Beans with shredded cheese, Skillet Street Corn and warm Flour Tortilla

[liamsaunt]

Rigatoni with raw tomato, garlic, and basil sauce, with chunks of fresh mozzarella, some sweet Italian chicken sausage, and the last of the arugula from the crisper drawer.

 

Edited July 2, 2021 by liamsaunt (log)

[mgaretz]

Tri-tip, cooked SV then seared, served with steamed cauliflower with butter.

 

 

[Tropicalsenior]

1 minute ago, mgaretz said:

Tri-tip

You are absolutely killing me with your steaks. I can't get good steak here and yours are always cooked just perfect. They are beautiful.

[Duvel]

After a week of rain, the weather turned back to summery …

 

I found some corn tortillas recently and with pork neck on offer this week I decided to make carnitas tacos. So, with lovely weather, a cold beer and the kid on the trampoline …

 

 

Carnitas (SV, then crisped under the broiler) …

 

 

Loaded nachos …

 

 

Sour creme, guacamole …

 

 

Pico de gallo, roasted pineapple salsa …

 

 

Yum !

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Smashburgers five nights in a row.  One could do far worse.

 

[Duvel]

11 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Smashburgers five nights in a row.  One could do far worse.

 

And yet none of your virtual burgers could be captured on camera, pearlized paper, etched into clay tablets (w/ appropriate cuneiform) or as charcoal on cavewall drawings to memorize the occasion ?

[liuzhou]

Having bought a head of Zha Cai to decorate my post in the link, it seemed opportune to cook some of it. To tell you the truth, I've been a bit off my grub since I had my first Covid vaccine a few days ago. I don't know if that is just coincidence or not. I don't feel in the least unwell; just not hungry. It could be the weather.

Anyway, I just made a simple dish of pork and zhacai with garlic and scallions. The salty spicy flavours of the zha cai seemed to perk up my taste buds. I also added a little soy sauce and even less oyster sauce. The sweetness of the oyster sauce counter-balanced the salty pickle nicely. Served with rice.

 

Not the prettiest dish ever; but tasty.

 

 

Followed up with three jam doughnuts. As all good Sichuan people do!

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[liamsaunt]

I told my niece and nephew they could each choose a dinner this weekend (yesterday was a holiday soit  counts as weekend).  Last night was my nephew's turn.  He chose chicken parmesan and pasta.  Niece was not thrilled but her choice is tonight and nephew is not thrilled about her choice so it all evens out.

 

[TicTac]

Finally.  
 

 

some pizza was also consumed but who cares about pizza when you have stuffed, tempura’d flowers!  
 

followed by a gift from a lovely elderly neighbour 

[Tropicalsenior]

49 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

I've been a bit off my grub since I had my first Covid vaccine.

That's not at all unusual. With both of mine, I didn't feel like eating for several days. Unfortunately, not enough time to lose any weight.

Edited July 3, 2021 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[KennethT]

Peking-ish duck noodles with a gorgeous dry 1996 Wachau Riesling.  The duck was duck legs cooked SV - 180F for about 10-11 hours.  And $5 for the pair of duck legs!  What a steal!  It's Peking-ish because the sauce was made with some of my duck stock that I made from the carcass of a Peking Duck we had in Chinatown.

 

 

Edited July 4, 2021 by KennethT (log)

[robirdstx]

 

Bratwurst on toasted bun with Onions and Mustard, Pork ‘n Beans and Potato Salad

 

[quiet1]

Fell out of the habit of photos, but burgers and pierogies (Mrs. T’s) and steamed broccoli and a peach/grape/cherry fruit salad tonight.
 

I’m planning tacos from the grill tomorrow so I went for low effort today. Can’t decide if I’ll do chicken with pesto and pasta and vegetables the day after, or chicken and vegetable risotto. Have to check the forecast, see if I’ll feel like hanging out next to a hot stove stirring risotto. 😄

[weinoo]

11 hours ago, KennethT said:

And $5 for the pair of duck legs!  What a steal! 

 

The legs that keep on giving! I almost bought a pair yesterday, but I do have 6 in the freezer!

 

A couple of dinners out this week. One was at a restaurant which might become a new favorite place, even though it's in Brooklyn; but if I can feel like I'm in Paris for a few hours just by taking the "F" and "C" trains, why not?

 

Dessert at Fradei. ..

 

 

Our other dining out experience was at a restaurant at the Seaport, by a chef whose food was once highly admired by us.  Food's still OK, but it's a one and done experience.  Carne Mare, by Andrew Carmellini.

 

 

Arancini with California uni. Does uni now have to be everywhere, including places it doesn't belong? I hope we're eating the invasive species.

 

 

Alaskan king crab cups.

 

 

1.5 pound lobster pasta.

 

 

Oh, this 17 (ish) layer chocolate cake was good.  Also recommended by our favorite employee of the evening, the busboy. Most everyone else was annoying.

 

Last night, after a foray to the farmer's market and a close-by friend to pick up some amazing fruit, I browned and braised a couple of "heritage" pork chops, in sauerkraut purchased at the market. Wow - really great. Along with the first really good south Jersey corn and tomatoes. Summer!

[liamsaunt]

Last night was my niece's dinner choice for the group. Miso broiled salmon with a mix of regular and zucchini noodles in broth, with miso glazed harukei turnips, oyster mushrooms that were steamed in sake and mirin and then glazed with soy, napa cabbage, and the usual garlic/ginger/cilantro.  My nephew took one look at the menu board and went to the fridge for the leftover chicken parmesean.  More for us.  

 

[Duvel]

Yesterday, we had sous vide carnitas as per Kenji. While I was ok with the flavor I really enjoyed the soft texture with the crispy, caramelized edges and decided to repeat immediately, but this time in a greek direction …

 

So, sous vide Gyros. Definitely one of my best attempts to make Gyros at home. Sadly, this method yields a better texture for me that my spit-roasted versions. It might not be authentic, but the soft and aromatic  meat with the crunchy-crisp edges make for an excellent faux Gyros. 
 

Served on (commercial) pita bread (just lazy today), with veggies, feta and tzaziki …

 

Edited July 4, 2021 by Duvel (log)

[BonVivant]

Steamed soft tofu with pork mince. In the mince there's a salted duck egg (mashed with a fork).

 

Leftover pork mince the next day. Spicy noodle soup.

 

 

On 7/1/2021 at 10:19 PM, mgaretz said:

 

Früh is just the best!

 

To each their own. I checked out many Kölsch breweries at the source before slagging off the style (not my favourite). Ended up enjoying Päffgen the most.

 

 

[shain]

A very good attempt (IMHO) at a vegetarian burger, obviously not trying to make it taste like meat (Impossible/Beyond have better R&D, no point in competing ). Rather, I want it to taste good in a bun and be satisfying.

 

The main ingredient is fire-charred onion, along with smoked cheese for richness, mushrooms for flavor and texture, TVP for more texture (not usually my favorite ingredient, but it works here). Egg for binding, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, MSG.

The patties are baked to set, then brushed with mayo and grilled. Brushing things with mayo before grilling is a great technique to get nice browning and a richer grill flavor. It's my favorite way to cook corn.

Homemade milk buns (including buttermilk, milk powder, butter), lightly sweet, not as rich as brioche.

Regular toppings and a very quick coleslaw with a bit of fennel seeds.

 

 

[KennethT]

Mapo Pacific cod. I defrosted the fillet pieces in a large bath of cool water - took about 20-30 minutes. Then removed from the bath and patted dry, then put on a rack over a plate, covered with plastic and in the fridge until I was ready for it. Perfect texture - no mealiness at all.

 

[heidih]

6 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Mapo Pacific cod. I defrosted the fillet pieces in a large bath of cool water - took about 20-30 minutes. Then removed from the bath and patted dry, then put on a rack over a plate, covered with plastic and in the fridge until I was ready for it. Perfect texture - no mealiness at all.

 

Nice idea. More to the meaty or the flaky side? Thinking meaty. 

[KennethT]

4 minutes ago, heidih said:

Nice idea. More to the meaty or the flaky side? Thinking meaty. 

A little of both

[quiet1]

Forgot photos again but did indeed make tacos on the grill. I tried a marinade I’d done previously just on beef on both beef and chicken and it worked but the last time I marinaded the beef overnight and I think it needed the extra time. The chicken was fine though. So something to make note of. (It’s basically citrus and garlic and cilantro. Next time for chicken I might add some cumin.)

 

Made another fruit salad but everyone ate so many tacos it’s going to be for breakfast tomorrow instead. 😄 Only problem was the charcoal I have atm seemed to burn quite quickly, faster than I really wanted, and the vent on my grill broke so I couldn’t close it.

 

I hate cleaning up after dealing with raw meat so while I had everything out I cut up chicken breast and tossed it with some jarred pesto for dinner tomorrow with seasonal vegetables and pasta. I’ll try to remember photos. 
 

After the pasta we’re doing several days of experimenting with meals from Trader Joe prepped ingredients to test what to take on our upcoming RV trip when we’ll be boondocking (so limited water and power) and want to minimize clean up, see if prepped stuff does actually help. I dunno if I should take photos of those meals?

[gfweb]

7 minutes ago, quiet1 said:

Forgot photos again but did indeed make tacos on the grill. I tried a marinade I’d done previously just on beef on both beef and chicken and it worked but the last time I marinaded the beef overnight and I think it needed the extra time. The chicken was fine though. So something to make note of. (It’s basically citrus and garlic and cilantro. Next time for chicken I might add some cumin.)

 

Made another fruit salad but everyone ate so many tacos it’s going to be for breakfast tomorrow instead. 😄 Only problem was the charcoal I have atm seemed to burn quite quickly, faster than I really wanted, and the vent on my grill broke so I couldn’t close it.

 

I hate cleaning up after dealing with raw meat so while I had everything out I cut up chicken breast and tossed it with some jarred pesto for dinner tomorrow with seasonal vegetables and pasta. I’ll try to remember photos. 
 

After the pasta we’re doing several days of experimenting with meals from Trader Joe prepped ingredients to test what to take on our upcoming RV trip when we’ll be boondocking (so limited water and power) and want to minimize clean up, see if prepped stuff does actually help. I dunno if I should take photos of those meals?

 

take the photos

 

damnit