Lunch 2022

[heidih]

5 minutes ago, BonVivant said:

Got a kilo bag each of razor and almond clams, but not for steaming and eating out of the shell. After steaming I cleaned every single clam and then added them to cooked freekeh with a spicy chilli sauce and tamari.  Lots of raw garlic on the side. My version of Vietnamese clam rice.

 

Chinese cheese, AKA bean curd in chilli sauce. I like to use it in cooking, as a condiment, and even spread it sparingly on bread.

 

Did you have a shelling partner who then got to share the delightful dish? Did you mash some of the bean curd into the clam dish?

[BonVivant]

Yes, I always share the food with the partner. But I work alone and do almost everything alone (by choice), including cooking.

 

Yes, there's mashed bean curd in the chilli sauce in the dish. So good.

[Kerala]

Catching the last of the late summer sunshine.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, Kerala said:

Catching the last of the late summer sunshine.

 

Except that the sun is out, looks similar to last night's dinner here: APO broiled chicken thigh, plate of tomatoes and romaine.  My wine was Soave.

 

Are those pine nuts on your spinach (if that's what the greenery might be)?

 

[blue_dolphin]

Lemony orzo with shrimp, sugar snap peas and red bell pepper

[Kerala]

5 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Except that the sun is out, looks similar to last night's dinner here: APO broiled chicken thigh, plate of tomatoes and romaine.  My wine was Soave.

 

Are those pine nuts on your spinach (if that's what the greenery might be)?

 

Air Fryer chicken, mixed leaf salad, toasted pine nuts. I drizzled some honey and olive oil, and sprinkled some sea salt as dressing. Tomato from the garden. The wine was a Muscadet. The weather was perfect.

[gulfporter]

It's a madhouse as tomorrow is Día de Independencia; here "eves" are always when the celebrations take place.  Streets are already closed so vendors can set up tonight.  I went on a shopping walk through town (along with everyone else in town it seemed!), you can feel the excitement--people in such great moods, shouting to one another about their plans for the long weekend.  This is first Independencia celebration since the pandemic.  Lots of pentup demand.

 

We will lay low for a few days and avoid the throngs...many Tapatíos (what people from Guadalajara proudly call themselves) flood into our village for holidays; others often go to Puerta Vallarta but there are storms brewing that may hit Saturday, so I think we'll get a larger crowd than usual. 

 

Seared some sesame-coated tuna to make tacos with pickled red onions and cilantro--the colors looks very MXN for the holiday.  I use a schmear of wasabi mayo on the tortilla.  

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

Gochujang Shrimp & Shishitos from I Dream of Dinner.  

Quick and tasty.  The shrimp, edamame and shishito get cooked together on a sheet pan under the broiler.  I used regular Chinese dried noodles instead of the glass noodles specified.

[heidih]

10 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Gochujang Shrimp & Shishitos from I Dream of Dinner.  

Quick and tasty.  The shrimp, edamame and shishito get cooked together on a sheet pan under the broiler.  I used regular Chinese dried noodles instead of the glass noodles specified.

 

Nice! I find the broiler to be an underutilized method. Glass noodles naybe - perhaos potato starch like for japchae might be nice there - that chewy + bit slippery

[gulfporter]

Potato and bacon hash. 

 

 

[rotuts]

@gulfporter 

 

your dish looks very tasty 

 

that gives me some good new ideas :

 

Poached Eggs

 

on a bed of Hash 

 

and previously 

 

floating in  a tasty Pond of tomato-ish Sauce.

 

Ive made note.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BonVivant]

King trumpets/oysters in spicy sauce.

 

 

A crunchy salad and Mexican tortillas

 

On a different day...
Fried halibut

 

Salad with feta

 

Small olives are so common in Greece but so hard to find here.

 

I bought skate wings and halibut fillets from a fishmonger and he fried them for me on the spot.

 

The kale is ready. Big photo second row: pumpkin plants reach the path that separates the woods and the farm. Deer tracks everywhere, also next to the kale. So I'm not the only one who eats kale.

 

Monday was the last gorgeous day of summer and whilst everyone chose to sit at cafes' terraces sipping expensive drinks looking at their phones inhaling exhaust we went to the woods and had the whole place to ourselves.

 

Bought 3 more squashes and first 2 kale plants. They release a lot of water. This farmer grows a variety that has a higher sugar content and it remains constant thus the sweetness or flavour is not weather-dependant and can be harvested any time.

 

[btbyrd]

Grilled pork loin on ciabatta with basil mayo, arugula, EVOO, and balsamic glaze.

 

[blue_dolphin]

Big Beans with Breadcrumbs from I Dream of Dinner

In honor of the Queen's funeral (and the fact that it's cool enough to turn on the oven, my preferred cooking method for these beans) I cooked up a batch of Rancho Gordo Royal Coronas.  This recipe is quick and easy. The beans get cooked on both sides in olive oil before a bit of butter and shower of panko are added to the pan, resulting in beans that are crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside with a buttery crunch from the panko.  Fresh, slightly bitter greens dressed with lemon and olive oil and cool yogurt flavored with lemon and salt add contrast to the plate.

 

[gulfporter]

Bacon and Huitlacoche Quesadillas (shown before grilling).

 

 

[Smithy]

2 minutes ago, gulfporter said:

Bacon and Huitlacoche Quesadillas (shown before grilling).

 

 

 

What a timely post! Last night we had perhaps the last of the season's corn on the cob. Some kernels were beginning to go dark with what's called "smut" around here. I noted that some folks think it a delicacy, but for the life of me couldn't remember the Spanish for it. Am I correct in thinking that's what Huitlachoche is?

[gulfporter]

11 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

What a timely post! Last night we had perhaps the last of the season's corn on the cob. Some kernels were beginning to go dark with what's called "smut" around here. I noted that some folks think it a delicacy, but for the life of me couldn't remember the Spanish for it. Am I correct in thinking that's what Huitlachoche is?

Yes you are right it is called corn smut.  Also known a corn fungus.....now a descriptor for it is, Mexican Truffle.  Oh so posh!

[blue_dolphin]

Turmeric Shrimp with Citrus & Avocado from I Dream of Dinner:  

The recipe does not mention greens but I was in a salad mood so I served it on a bed of arugula. Love the contrasting textures and flavors of these ingredients. For something so easy, it's a very pretty dish.  I can see why it was chosen for the cover of this book.

 

 

Edited September 20, 2022 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Smithy]

@blue_dolphin, that is a beautiful dish. I am mightily resisting the purchase of another cookbook (perhaps our library has it??) but you're tempting me. What citrus did the recipe specify? It looks like you used pink grapefruit in addition to lime slices. I wouldn't think to pair grapefruit with those other ingredients, and wonder whether that was their choice or yours.

[blue_dolphin]

11 hours ago, Smithy said:

@blue_dolphin, that is a beautiful dish. I am mightily resisting the purchase of another cookbook (perhaps our library has it??) but you're tempting me. What citrus did the recipe specify? It looks like you used pink grapefruit in addition to lime slices. I wouldn't think to pair grapefruit with those other ingredients, and wonder whether that was their choice or yours.

 

Thanks!  The book specifies grapefruit in the salad and lime juice to squeeze over. Tangerines, mango, pineapple or a mix of fruits are listed as alternates. It suggests serving with tortilla chip or as a tostada, over rice, quinoa, rice noodles or soba and adding mint, cilantro or corn nuts. 

 

As to the book itself, I'd say it's worth trying to get a look at and ideally, cooking a recipe or two to see if it suits you. The Eat Your Books digital preview has a few recipes and Amazon's "Look Inside Feature" for I Dream of Dinner (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) has a generous sample that includes the table of contents listing all the recipes, the whole egg chapter and a few other bits....

 

I went on from there to write an entire book review which doesn't belong here in the lunch topic so if anyone is interested in my thoughts on the book, read on over here. 

 

 

 

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

French Onion White Bean Bake from I Dream of Dinner:  

In truth, this was my first meal of the day but I was out running errands so it didn't happen until after 1 and I'm putting it here even though it did break my fast.  

I cheated a bit by using caramelized onions from the freezer instead of cooking them up special so it was also super quick.  

[Kim Shook]

@BonVivant – those Moroccan goodies looked so beautiful and delicious.  I’m a huge fan of middle eastern/north African/Mediterranean desserts and sweets.  Wish I could find those around here. 

 

Last Sunday at church there was a cookout/pot luck lunch.  Mr. Kim grilledthe hamburgers and hot dogs and everyone brought side dishes and desserts. I made Classic Macaroni Salad:

(Bad picture).  There was no sign up sheet and this was one of three macaroni salads – but the only homemade one.  So weird.  I remember a time when that would never, ever have happened.  People actually competed to bring their best dishes to potlucks – especially church ones.  Our church even published a cookbook some years ago and it is full of scratch dishes. I confess it makes me sad.   

 

I’ve been fighting a cold/seasonal allergies and medication adjustments for the past couple of weeks and it has just been kicking my butt.  Not eating or cooking much beyond what I have to have to take my meds.  By this past weekend I was finally starting to actually feel hungry, so this was lunch on Monday:

Ham and cheese sandwich, an incredible pear, and some pretzel sticks. 

[KennethT]

I had COVID shot #5 yesterday and am still feeling slightly under the weather, so chicken soup to the rescue:

 

Viet mien ga with some rau muong aka ong choy aka morning glory aka kangkung aka pak boong that was gifted to me yesterday.

 

[BonVivant]

Time flies! A year ago I experienced earthquakes in Crete. It lasted 2 days, with hundreds of aftershocks recorded. How it filled me with terror, night and day. I still get emotional when thinking about it.

 

This was a nice meal I had in Crete only half a day before the earthquakes. Cretans love their olive oil. They consume more than 2 leading producers Italy and Spain combined!

 

Salad and wine

 

Snails. One of the most common starters in Crete. Minoans and people on Cycladic islands used to eat snails as a snack.

 

This traditional restaurant in the Cretan capital is approved by locals and people in the know. Greeks eat a lot of goat. Your Greek cookery books probably only mention lamb.

 

Lamb "antikristo" is Cretan shepherd-style lamb cooked on vertical racks arranged around an open fire. (Light reading one, and two.)

 

Farther north in Greece I had the same snails in a tomato sauce. But in Crete they must be cooked in olive oil, vinegar, salt and rosemary.

 

Vineyard snails I brought with me from Santorini.

 

When you are done eating they bring you fruits and/or something sweet. And always raki. It's usually plain but this raki has fruit added.  I can't remember if it was strawberries or raspberries.

 

And now at home... salad with Greek olives and feta.

 

Cream cheese filled peppers and quark with roe.

 

Marinated anchovies and smokey aubergine pulp.

 

Potatoes with feta (Cretan olive oil to be added)

 

Not Greek but it's open and has to be finished

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

@BonVivant, beautiful food memories of a beautiful place.  I've experienced a few earthquakes here in So Cal, one of which was fairly destructive and I still remember all the aftershocks, never knowing for sure if it was going to be an even bigger quake.  I was at home and surrounded by friends and neighbors (several of whom spent a couple of nights in my apartment because they didn't want to be alone and I was glad of their company.  I can't imagine going through all that away from home.  Take care!

 

My lunch today:  Marinated Beans with Crunchy Vegetables from I Dream of Dinner. 

I marinated the beans per Vivian Howard's recipe for pickled shrimp in This Will Make It Taste Good.