Dinner 2021

[jimb0]

2 hours ago, chromedome said:

...and Newfoundland. We ate it pretty regularly in winter, though the blubber wasn't something anyone used anymore (in the old days apparently they'd render it for cooking or lighting, but not by the 70s when I lived there).

 

too true.

 

although from my present location, the rock is pretty far up there

[shain]

Not a beautiful dish, but so delicious. Noodle soup (pasta cooked in alkaline water) with chickpeas (some blended), sesame paste and peanut butter, chilies, parsley, cilantro, onion, carrots, spices (coriander, cumin among others), toasted sesame and nigella. It's rich but not cloying, hearty but not heavy and very flavorful.

Served with beer.

 

 

[Tropicalsenior]

50 minutes ago, shain said:

(pasta cooked in alkaline water)

Thank you. I had to Google this and I learned something new. My grandmother used to use a lye water solution when she made her big German pretzels. It gives them a flavor that is completely unique. I'm going to give this a try and see if it does the same thing.

Edited February 26, 2021 by Tropicalsenior
addition (log)

[heidih]

29 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Thank you. I had to Google this and I learned something new. My grandmother used to use a lye water solution when she made her big German pretzels. It gives them a flavor that is completely unique. I'm going to give this a try and see if it does the same thing.

I think the goal is texture (chew & pull) versus flavor as it is with the pretzels I thought.

[Tropicalsenior]

 

3 minutes ago, heidih said:

texture

You're right, it is. But the baking soda float just does not give the same taste to the crust. It could have been something special in her recipe but we will never know because she never wrote it down.

[heidih]

34 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

 

You're right, it is. But the baking soda float just does not give the same taste to the crust. It could have been something special in her recipe but we will never know because she never wrote it down.

Barley malt in the dough is common. Maybe she used a different sweetener. Even though "in the dough" it would still hit the "crust" flavor wise I think. The ones I've had without do not hit the notes.

[jimb0]

alkaline water is why a lot of asian noodles are yellowish, like ramen.

 

it's also a big part of german breads like pretzels. it contributes both flavour and colour (it's why they get so dark brown). less texture and chew i think, that's a side effect of just being in the water bath.

 

imo baking soda baths for pretzels is mostly pointless. it's just not strong enough and doesn't contribute very much. if you don't want to use lye in the kitchen, which can be a little dangerous if you aren't careful, you can convert your baking soda (bicarb, or sodium bicarbonate: NaHCO3) into washing soda (sodium carbonate: Na2CO3). it's still safe to use, but it's a much stronger base (like, thousands of times stronger), and as a result works very well for cooking situations that might otherwise call for lye. all you have to do is spread your baking soda out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake it in a hot oven for like an hour or so, take it out, let it cool, and tip it into an airtight container. then proceed apace.

Edited February 26, 2021 by jimb0 (log)

[jimb0]

this is, incidentally, why honeycomb desserts are possible. when you add baking soda to a hot sugar solution, you trigger a thermal decomposition reaction and evolve CO2:

 

2NaHCO3 + heat --->   Na   2 CO3 + H2O + CO2

 

the CO2 is released and causes all the bubbles and foaming.

 

edit: forgot to balance the stoichiometry

Edited February 26, 2021 by jimb0 (log)

[heidih]

2 minutes ago, jimb0 said:

this is, incidentally, why honeycomb desserts are possible. when you add baking soda to a hot sugar solution, you trigger a thermal decomposition reaction and evolve CO2:

 

NaHCO3 + heat --->   Na   2 CO3 + H2O + CO2

 

the CO2 is released and causes all the bubbles and foaming.

Hello peanut brittle. Kids loved to watch the reaction. Much more rewarding than their school volcano experiments

[Tropicalsenior]

17 minutes ago, jimb0 said:

honeycomb desserts

Yep, I always use it in my peanut brittle and in my caramel corn. I forgot it one time in the peanut brittle and had to crush it up with a hammer to use as sugar sprinkles.

I could have used it to pave the driveway and I would never have had any holes.

Edited February 26, 2021 by Tropicalsenior
Spelling (log)

[Dejah]

8 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

 

 

I know these are Cheung Fun  (rice rolls) rather than Ho Fun (rice noodles). It's hard to get wok hei with these.
When I can't wait to enjoy them, like after our shopping trip to the bigger city, I just toss them into the microwave with some soy sauce, heat and eat!
I also prepped them the way you did later, with beef, ong choy, and sweet soy sauce. Homemade chili oil is perfect for these.
 

 

 

 

[Duvel]

A lazy Friday night dinner:

 

Okonomiyaki ...

 

 

(and the appropriate dissection technique, as demonstrated by the little one).

 

 

Plain Udon ...

 

 

And Gyoza (commercial).

 

[Dejah]

The trip to Winnipeg last week netted some lovely fresh watercress and guy choy (Chinese mustard greens). Both made lovely soups with pork neckbones and breast bones.

Had the long simmered watercress soup for supper after our massive Costco hotdogs for lunch at 3 pm a couple of days ago. Did not need anything else!

 

                                                                          

 

Had the mustard greens soup as "appetizer" yesterday around 4 pm.

 

                                                                          

 

Before the soup, I had mixed up Ras el Hanout for the Moroccan Chicken Tagine for supper later at 8pm. Love getting to use my tagine, which a friend gave me. Her s-i-l is from Algeria and they gave me their extra one!

 

                                                                                                 

 

Marinated chicken into the tagine and olive oil 

 

                                                                                 

 

Mise en place

 

                                                                                 

 

All together now! Simmered for 45 minutes

 

                                                                                  

 

                                                                                 

 

Sprinkled with more cilantro and toasted almonds

 

                                                                                

 

Eaten with Jasmine rice, naan bread and cukes and radishes in sesame seed dressing

 

                                                                                              

 

The tagine was delicious and the kitchen smelled lovely!

 

 

 

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Dejah (log)

[gfweb]

5 hours ago, jimb0 said:

edit: forgot to balance the stoichiometry

 

Haven't done this in 40 years and I have no intention of ever doing it again.

Damnit

[JoNorvelleWalker]

6 hours ago, Duvel said:

A lazy Friday night dinner:

 

Okonomiyaki ...

 

 

(and the appropriate dissection technique, as demonstrated by the little one).

 

 

Plain Udon ...

 

 

And Gyoza (commercial).

 

 

I love the plates.  I have some Japanese bowls that color.  Oh, ya, and the food.

 

[Dejah]

Last of the goodies I grabbed when we were in the city.

 

Ho fun and gai lan with oyster sauce.

                                                                                            

 

Picked these tofu skin rolls up, then wasn't sure if they'd work for the stuffed tofu rolls we'd eaten at dim sum. They were pretty crispy when I took them out of the package. Was obvious that I couldn't stuff them as they are, so I soaked them like I would with dried flat tofu skin.

 

                                                                                                          

 

 

They softened and I was able to unroll them. I made a filling with ground pork shrimp, Chinese mushrooms, ginger and green onion. The rolls were browned in a hot pan, sliced in half, and placed into a plate. I made a sauce with chicken broth, cooking wine, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and thickened with cornstarch slurry. The rolls were then steamed for 15 minutes. They were really good for a first attempt!

 

                                                                                            

Combined with the Ho Fun and Gai Lan for a fine supper! Have lots leftover, so may try and freeze them for a later meal.

 

                                                                                           

                                                                                            

 

 

[liuzhou]

Last night was the Lantern Festival (元宵节 - yuán xiāo jié), which is the 15th and final day of the Spring Festival, which starts on Chinese New Year's Day.

 

Traditional festive dinner excuse!

 

 

[liuzhou]

Slow cooked beef ribs and stovies. Cabbage (not pictured).

 

 

 

A very nice Chilean Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

 

[scamhi]

pan seared bone in pork chops with hot cherry peppers parsley, garlic, chicken stock and butter

Side was  a broccoli, tomato, avocado, and onion salad.

with a Drouhin Clos des Mouches

[Ann_T]

 

We will be eating fish more often over the next month or two.

 

A Vancouver island company, Walcan Seafoods starting offering delivery on the Island and the mainland of both fresh and frozen BC Seafood

after the pandemic put their business in jeopardy.

 

Tide to Table - Walcan Seafood.

 

 

I ordered the Pacific Treasures Box on  Wednesday and my order arrived yesterday morning.   

Halibut, Lingcod, Petrale sole, Spring salmon, Sockeye salmon, Albacore Tuna Loin and Spot Prawns. 

Cooked the lingcod last night.  Simply oven baked with garlic, butter and lemon served with

spinach and rice.    

 

Looking forward to halibut season and spot prawn season when we can order fresh delivered. 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2021 by Ann_T (log)

[liamsaunt]

Ricotta gnocchi with cherry tomato sauce and arugula.  I like ricotta gnocchi better than potato gnocchi.  I think they are lighter, more tender, and both faster and easier to make.  

 

 

Wine pairing

 

[Kim Shook]

@Objective Foodie – gorgeous short ribs and potatoes.  I love the idea of doing short ribs à la bourguignone.

 

Wednesday night – tuna salad on brioche buns:

 

With some of Mr. Kim’s soup:

 

Probably won’t be back until Monday.  My dad and his wife are moving back to VA from FL and are stopping by our house for a (hopefully) safely distanced visit tomorrow through Monday afternoon. 

[Dante]

Franks and beans- actually air-fried garlic sausage corndogs (home made coating, sausage from Funkalicious) with home-made baked beans.

Never made corndogs before, I need to work on getting the coating more even.

[Dante]

Pizza with ham, artichoke, and mushrooms

[BeeZee]

Made the veg for dinner this afternoon so it can mellow...Turkish style braised green beans.