Lunch 2023

[C. sapidus]

38 minutes ago, Dejah said:

Been reminiscing with friends about our younger days while driving across N.A on a shoestring budget - living on one salary as hubby was teaching on permit those days!

2 staples we ate on the way home when we were pretty short on $. We had one credit card - for gas, so we were always able to get home!

One item was SPAM on fresh bread with cheese whiz.

I bought a can when shopping last week, and WOW! $4.97 a tin! Hubby talked about his grandparents receiving tins of this after WWII as rations for seniors.

I fried some up, and made sandwiches with cheese and fresh bread. Pretty salty! Won't be buying it again for another 50 years.

 

                                                                                  

 

The second staple was Pork and Beans. I always had a couple of cans of Pork and Beans for when we were really broke! Watching re-runs of "As Time Goes By", the British comedy with Judy Dench, where she and Lionel would have toast and beans for a quick supper, I've been wanting Pork and Beans!

When our band toured in England, we stayed at musicians' digs for a month. Cheap rates, and breakfast was included: bangers and eggs, toast, and commercial size cans of pork and beans, and one of canned tomatoes (both were open and sat at the table until after breakfast)

What we had for lunch yesterday: Bush's with molasses and pork is pretty upscale to what we had back in the late 60s!

 

                                                                                            
 

 

Younger son likes fried Spam. I fried some up a while ago and . . . yeah, probably won't do that again soon.

 

Funny, I also had a craving for canned beans recently. Fried up some cubed kielbasa, little hot sauce, nice satisfying meal.

[Dejah]

1 hour ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Funny that you should mention those today. Last week I found this recipe for English Style Heinz baked beans. I gave it a try and it's pretty tasty.

I had a can of Heinz, and it said British Style. It had too strong a tomato taste and knew hubby wouldn't have enjoyed it. But I al;ready knew he loves molasses;-)

I snuck some of the British style in so as to not waste it. He didn't notice;-)

[blue_dolphin]

A riff on the barley cakes underneath lamb chops with roasted carrots and ras el hanout apricot almond rig from Grist:

No lamb chops at my farmers market vendor.  The recipe just seasons them with S&P and grills or pan fries them so I subbed a couple of meaty baby back ribs that I cooked in a hot oven per Eric Kim's Salt & Pepper Ribs recipe. 

The barley cakes are a little bland but not bad.  The given quantities would have made a thin batter, not a thick one as the recipe describes so I added more barley and less water.  I think they'd be better if I'd seasoned the batter with some of the ras el hanout spice mix that went into the apricot almond relish.  I used baby kale instead of spinach for the green and added more lemon juice and olive oil to dress it.  

A fine lunch, even if I barely followed the recipe! 

[Anna N]

51 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

per Eric Kim's Salt & Pepper Ribs recipe. 

That recipe works equally well with beef back ribs.  It is a keeper. 

[heidih]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

A riff on the barley cakes underneath lamb chops with roasted carrots and ras el hanout apricot almond rig from Grist:

No lamb chops at my farmers market vendor.  The recipe just seasons them with S&P and grills or pan fries them so I subbed a couple of meaty baby back ribs that I cooked in a hot oven per Eric Kim's Salt & Pepper Ribs recipe. 

The barley cakes are a little bland but not bad.  The given quantities would have made a thin batter, not a thick one as the recipe describes so I added more barley and less water.  I think they'd be better if I'd seasoned the batter with some of the ras el hanout spice mix that went into the apricot almond relish.  I used baby kale instead of spinach for the green and added more lemon juice and olive oil to dress it.  

A fine lunch, even if I barely followed the recipe! 

Sometimes it is the little touches from others that spark ideas. You reminded me I have apricot preserves in fridge which will be good in the glaze for the country pork ribs if I do them on Sunday and roasted carrots dolloped with an almond herb pesto w/ bit of dairy. I'll probably make it even just for me.

[Kim Shook]

@Dejah – I love “As Time Goes By” and I adore beans on toast.  With this current low-potassium diet, I’m missing baked beans, pintos, kidney beans, butter beans, black eyed peas, etc. – all my favorites.    And that brand is exactly what I buy!  And I must admit, even though I was raised with an English stepdad and 3 English stepsisters, I’m with your husband on the beans – the British ones are just too tomatoey and bland to my palate.  I like the punch of molasses and pork. 

 

A food truck that specializes in lobster rolls came to a local food hall and I guess since it is possibly a one time only occurrence, Mr. Kim decided to ignore Lent and surprised Jessica and me by taking us there for lunch.  It ended up being a 45 minute wait, so while he was in line, I went to a stand that was selling smashburgers and got a Smashed Chopped Cheese for us all to share:

This was fantastic – smashed burger, American cheese, fried onions, and their special sauce. 

 

He got lobster rolls and also crab fries:

 

The lobster was very good, but could have used a lot more butter.  The crab fries were ok, but kind of pointless, to be honest.  I mean, who wants their crab diluted by fried potatoes, bacon, ranch, and cheese?  They are also touted as “Boardwalk Fries” which they are absolutely NOT.  They are some kind of batter dipped fries.

 

On Sunday we had lunch at our old favorite Chinese place.  We both started with Hot and Sour soup:

 

It was delicious tasting, as always, but it was so incredibly peppery that I couldn’t eat it without choking and coughing.  It was so weird – H & S soup never bothers me.  But as soon as a sip slipped down my throat, I would choke.  Mr. Kim got to finish it for me.

 

He got the double fried hot pork:

Really good. I love the way that they fry the cabbage – still crisp and not funky at all.

 

I had the orange chicken:

 

Monday:

Tuna salad on a bun and pretzels.  What you can’t see are the 4 spoonsful of slaw that made my vegetable!

 

Yesterday:

Ham, salami, and Swiss on a pita with an apple.

 

Today:

 

Last night our church had a Seder Dinner/potluck.  Lots of churches do Seder dinners to teach us about our ancestors in faith and to promote understanding and tolerance.  The chicken and cholent were leftover from last night and the slaw is the KFC stuff I keep on hand. 

[heidih]

@Kim ShookI meant to ask if the KFC slaw is a knock-off you make a big bath of or from the store. I make great slaws but for pure comfort KFC hits the spot. 

[C. sapidus]

Spinach and egg tacos with sausage, chilies, red onion, garlic, herbs, and a dollop of labneh.

 

[Kim Shook]

On 4/6/2023 at 7:20 PM, heidih said:

@Kim ShookI meant to ask if the KFC slaw is a knock-off you make a big bath of or from the store. I make great slaws but for pure comfort KFC hits the spot. 

It's the real thing.  We have a KFC less than a mile from our house.  We've lived here for almost 30 years and I think it's the only thing I've ever purchased from there.  It is perfectly good (not as good as homemade, but better than any grocery store deli), inexpensive and makes a no work vegetable when I need one.  A few spoonsful at lunch along with an apple and I've done my veggie/fruit duty! 😁

[MaryIsobel]

46 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

It's the real thing.  We have a KFC less than a mile from our house.  We've lived here for almost 30 years and I think it's the only thing I've ever purchased from there.  It is perfectly good (not as good as homemade, but better than any grocery store deli), inexpensive and makes a no work vegetable when I need one.  A few spoonsful at lunch along with an apple and I've done my veggie/fruit duty! 😁

I agree. Even the smell of their chicken makes me feel ill - it is so greasy! But I could eat a serving for 4 of their coleslaw no problem.

[KennethT]

Went to Little Indonesia in Queens to check out a couple grocery stores and have lunch.

 

Homemade shrimp chips

 

 

Fried Spanish mackerel  with green chilli sambal

Beef rendang. The beef was very tender and the curry was intensely cinnamon-y.

 

Belacan kangkung - not nearly as strong of a shrimp paste aroma as most Malaysian versions we've had, but tasty nonetheless.

 

[C. sapidus]

2 hours ago, KennethT said:

Went to Little Indonesia in Queens to check out a couple grocery stores and have lunch.

 

Homemade shrimp chips

 

 

Fried Spanish mackerel  with green chilli sambal

Beef rendang. The beef was very tender and the curry was intensely cinnamon-y.

 

Belacan kangkung - not nearly as strong of a shrimp paste aroma as most Malaysian versions we've had, but tasty nonetheless.

 

That all looks good but man . . . beef rendang is special.

 

I need to make some rendang, and soon. 😀

[FeChef]

On 4/6/2023 at 6:26 PM, Kim Shook said:

@Dejah I went to a stand that was selling smashburgers and got a Smashed Chopped Cheese for us all to share:

This was fantastic – smashed burger, American cheese, fried onions, and their special sauce. 

 

 

 

 

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, C. sapidus said:

That all looks good but man . . . beef rendang is special.

 

I need to make some rendang, and soon. 😀

I have some goat in the freezer that has North Sumatran rendang written all over it. I was in Little Indonesia today looking for fresh turmeric leaves.... 

 

My rendang is a lot more dry and caramelized than theirs was.

[Raamo]

Ratatouille crapes!  Made this a few times over the years and modified the recipe to my liking.

 

 

Went from it's ok - more for my wife to this time - dang I really like this.

 

Tomatoes are roasted - not pureed.  Also I cut everything small and roasted like that.

[KennethT]

I SV'd a few duck legs overnight and used one of them for lunch today.  And crisped up the skin in the oven between some parchment...

 

 

Indonesian mie goreng bebek (fried noodles with duck) - plus pieces of the crisped skin, fried shallots and some insanely spicy sambal terasi (shrimp paste chilli sauce) from the restaurant from yesterday.

[BonVivant]

The first truly gorgeous and warm spring day this year. Can't believe it wasn't that long ago at this same time the streets round the globe were deserted and the whole world descended into chaos. Pets couldn't wrap their heads round their owners' constant presence.

 

 

 

Someone was happy with these.

 

 

 

Various fillings (just full fat drained quark with beetroot, pistachios, dill and cooked eggs.)

 

Pastry cases and blinis are shop-bought. Toppings for everything here are North Sea shrimp (peeled the day before as this task always takes the longest), gherkins, gravadlax, crispy-fried Speck, samphire briefly tossed in the warm Speck fat, and Matjes (very tender and fatty, almost like a "virgin"/new season Matjes, though not quite).

 

Simple yeast dough filled with almond paste and chocolate.

 

 

[heidih]

13 minutes ago, BonVivant said:

The first truly gorgeous and warm spring day this year. Can't believe it wasn't that long ago at this same time the streets round the globe were deserted and the whole world descended into chaos. Pets couldn't wrap their heads round their owners' constant presence.

 

 

 

Someone was happy with these.

 

 

 

Various fillings (just full fat drained quark with beetroot, pistachios, dill and cooked eggs.)

 

Pastry cases and blinis are shop-bought. Toppings for everything here are North Sea shrimp (peeled the day before as this task always takes the longest), gherkins, gravadlax, crispy-fried Speck, samphire briefly tossed in the warm Speck fat, and Matjes (very tender and fatty, almost like a "virgin"/new season Matjes, though not quite).

 

Simple yeast dough filled with almond paste and chocolate.

 

 

 

Very nice spread. I had to laugh at the wine as in the U.S. back in the day Boone's Farm strawberry was the wine of choice for underage drinkers. https://winechateau.com/products/boones-farm-strawberry-hill-1?variant=31883505205353

[C. sapidus]

Leftovers from Easter dinner with Russian neighbors. The actual meal included shark, chicken, and a table full of appetizers and desserts.

 

Rolls and meat-filled rolls (pierog?)

 

 

Excellent borscht

 

 

One of many desserts

 

[BonVivant]

Long weekend ends today.

 

Turkish baklava

 

When I go to Turkey I'll eat my weight in baklava (and yoghurt, though not at the same time)! The cashier and I were chatting about Turkish baklava vs others and we agreed the best is always Turkish. She threw her head back and closed her eyes. Turkish baklava has the most ridiculous amounts of pistachios. 

 

The Mexican holidays that keep on giving. Chillies and chocolate to last me until the next trip.

 

 

--
Another meal.

 

Brawn

 

2 types of brawn and a smelly cheese

 

Fresh roe scramble eggs

 

Forgot to make another horizontal photo of the egg dish. (Maggi is for the eggs)

 

 

I used 1/3 in the scrambled eggs

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

Garlic-smashed chickpeas with roasted carrots, broccolini and ras el hanout apricot almond rig from Grist

 

As you can see in the photo, the smashed chickpeas look rather dry. Reviewing the recipe, I see I was supposed to add butter to them along with the garlic. Maybe I'll try that next time. Or not.  I didn't really feel like fat was lacking, just moisture.  In any case, the combo of flavors and textures is very good. 

 

[heidih]

27 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Garlic-smashed chickpeas with roasted carrots, broccolini and ras el hanout apricot almond rig from Grist

 

As you can see in the photo, the smashed chickpeas look rather dry. Reviewing the recipe, I see I was supposed to add butter to them along with the garlic. Maybe I'll try that next time. Or not.  I didn't really feel like fat was lacking, just moisture.  In any case, the combo of flavors and textures is very good. 

 

You are really selling me on the flavor amd texture combos of Grist and Ruffage

[blue_dolphin]

24 minutes ago, heidih said:

You are really selling me on the flavor amd texture combos of Grist and Ruffage

I think they are very good 'idea' books. Lots of variations make it easy to find something to suit what’s on hand. 
There are photos but they represent a minority of the recipes. That doesn’t bother me but some people want a photo of each dish. She also leans into condiments that appear as sub recipes, also disliked by some.  Generally, I’ve found them to be pretty simple so no big deal if I forgot to prep ahead.

Some of the variations are minimally sketched out, literally presented in pen and ink drawings with a few arrows, or just as a list of alternate ingredients following the main recipe.  I’m always scaling recipes based on what and how much I want to eat so I’m fine with that but they may not suit someone who wants more precise instructions.  

[johnnyd]

Opah doesn't come around very often. Here's a 1/3lb slab simmered in Siaoxing, soy sauce, garnished with thai basil, cilantro and togarashi.

 

 

[Kim Shook]

On Monday, freed from my Lent promise of giving up restaurant food and having the car (I dropped Jessica off at work), I treated myself to a steak and cheese and fries from Mr. Submarine.  The enormous sub:

That is much wider than my very large dinner plate.  It was so good.  Needed a couple of adjustments – more cheese and more condiments, but it was really good.  The fries were a real indulgence, but I didn’t eat them all and I was careful the rest of the day.  They were hot and crisp – thin like McD’s: