Dinner 2023

liuzhou · July 30, 2023

Here is an oddity. Being dependent on delivery meals for a while, I’m constantly searching 美团 (měi tuán, China’s leading delivery app) for something tasty and interesting enough to perk up my battered appetite. Although most of what is available is of a high standard, it can get repetitive.

To my surprise, I found a restaurant reasonably close to me offering a selection of 墨西哥卷饼 (mò xī gē juǎn bǐng). 墨西哥 (mò xī gē) is Mexico and 卷饼 (juǎn bǐng) is how they have decided to translate burrito. Literally, it means ‘rolled cake’.

Now, what I know about Mexican food could be written on a perforation hole of a postage stamp, and I’ve never eaten a burrito, so I have no idea how authentically Mexican these may be, although they look to me like images Mr. Google supplies.

Having no idea how large they are from the image supplied by the vendor, I order two. First, a 鸡胸里脊卷饼 (jī xiōng lǐ ji juǎn bǐng) or Chicken Breast Tenderloin Burrito. And second, out of curiosity, a 川香无骨鸡卷饼 (chuān xiāng wú gǔ jī juǎn bǐng), a Sichuan Flavour Boneless Chicken Burrito. A Chinese burrito no less. So, the first time I eat Mexican food, it’s Chinese!

On arrival, well wrapped in a heat retentive, insulated foil bag, they appear identical. Even sniffing them offers no clue. The tight wrap of the tortilla hermetically encloses all evidence. So, I choose at random. I can’t really show you the interior without destroying my dinner. Here’s the best I could manage.

Right at the first bite, I know. The distinct heat and abundance of chillies is accompanied by the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns. The chicken has been shredded and combined with a mixed salad in a delicious Sichuan 麻辣 (má là) dressing. I don’t know if Mexico has these, but they should. The whole thing is huge and very filling. So I slip the other one into the fridge for later. I’ll get back to you on that.

Edited July 30, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

Deephaven · July 30, 2023

9 hours ago, heidih said:

Nice on the kid involvement. I can almost smell the guajillo sauce. I'm. planning a similar sauce tomorrow. Did you char them first. Mine are pretty fruity even smelling through the bag. Are the potatoes just mashed with queso? Welcome!

Fry yes, char no. Just enough to where the insides slightly change color. I find going too far and it becomes bitter. Love the fresh fruity ones for this.

Yes, just some cheese added to a riced and then mashed potato.

OlyveOyl · July 30, 2023

Tomato tart with 3 cheeses, bacon , herbs, egg and milk poured over which formed a custard. Baked until puffy and lightly browned. Topped with fresh herbs and Bucheron and left in oven for a few minutes for the cheese to soften. We had this with mixed greens vinaigrette.

Another small chocolate cake, this time with raspberries, raspberry coulis and creme fraîche .

Ann_T · July 30, 2023

On 7/29/2023 at 7:11 AM, rotuts said:

are the two halibuts noticeably different ?

I don't think I have ever had Atlantic halibut so I can't compare.

All I know is , that halibut is the only fish that I actually like and would be happy to

eat it more often if it wasn't so expensive.

Duvel · July 30, 2023

Pizza & movie night 🤗

Tonight featuring a three-day cold ferment (very flavorful) and …

Speziale: salami, ham and mushrooms …

Funghi: with a base of Friday Schnitzels leftover mushroom sauce, pureed with a bit of mayo for airy cohesion, topped with more champignons and king oyster mushrooms. Very good !

Hawaii: Pineapple & bacon …

Enjoyed with a Berliner Weisse (with woodruff syrup) !

And as tonights cinematic treat: Nausicaä of the valley of the wind - simply a great movie 🥳

Edited July 30, 2023 by Duvel (log)

rotuts · July 30, 2023

@Duvel

top notch stuff.

I have had pineapple and ham , and it was quite decent

your bacon and pineapple looks 10 times better.

Katie Meadow · July 30, 2023

5 hours ago, Ann_T said:

I don't think I have ever had Atlantic halibut so I can't compare.

All I know is , that halibut is the only fish that I actually like and would be happy to

eat it more often if it wasn't so expensive.

I don't remember ever eating Atlantic halibut growing up on the east coast. Now on the west coast halibut is one of the few fish left that gets high marks from the Monterey Bay seafood watch. Fresh salmon is even pricier now and King salmon is suffering badly, as are the Orca who eat them. Do you not like Black Cod (aka sablefush)? Halibut and black cod ,are typically the two fish we buy, although not as often as we should. Yes, the price is high for both. But we almost never buy beef, so I consider these fish a necessary splurge. Both fish make excellent fish tacos, I think. I like halibut a lot but it's easy to overcook it. Not so for black cod which is really forgiving that way.

**MaryIsobel** · July 30, 2023

6 hours ago, Ann_T said:

I don't think I have ever had Atlantic halibut so I can't compare.

All I know is , that halibut is the only fish that I actually like and would be happy to

eat it more often if it wasn't so expensive.

I couldn't agree more. It is my favourite fish but like you, I don't buy it as often as I would like due to the cost. My husband used to fish on the west coast of the Island so we would have lots of halibut but lately with the ferry cost and gas for the boat - it certainly wouldn't ba any cheaper than buying it from the fish market!

C. sapidus · July 31, 2023

Fragrant-and-hot shrimp with chile bean paste, ginger, garlic, mild red chile, dark soy, scallions, and sesame oil. Shrimp were marinated with salt and shaoxing wine, and then fried, rested, and simmered in the sauce. Jasmine rice to go with.

Fish-fragrant eggplant: deep-fried Asian eggplants, with chile bean paste, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, chicken stock, and potato starch to thicken. Finished with black vinegar, scallions, and sesame oil.

I love eggplant cooked this way but Mrs. C hates the texture so I cooked it while she is traveling. :laugh:

Edited July 31, 2023 by C. sapidus
Forgot dou ban jian (log)

Ann_T · July 31, 2023

Stir fry for dinner tonight.

Chicken with Gai Lan and Shiitake Mushrooms, ginger, garlic, etc...... over rice.

Tropicalsenior · July 31, 2023

12 hours ago, Ann_T said:

halibut is the only fish that I actually like

I don't know if it is ever available to you but mahi-mahi or Dorado is a firm fleshed fish and is the only one that I like other than halibut.

heidih · July 31, 2023

1 hour ago, Tropicalsenior said:

I don't know if it is ever available to you but mahi-mahi or Dorado is a firm fleshed fish and is the only one that I like other than halibut.

I have mahi mahi in freezer and have had fresh dorado - but Alaskan halibut is an entirely different wonderful thing. My fisherman unfortunately moved and no longer goes uo there. Sometimes we have to live with excellent food memories.

Honkman · July 31, 2023

German interpretation of chili con carne with ground beef and pork, red, green and yellow peppers, onion, garlic, tomatoes, kidney beans, corn, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, chili, caraway seeds. Served with an avocado-yoghurt creme and cheddar

Tropicalsenior · July 31, 2023

2 hours ago, heidih said:

mahi mahi in freezer and have had fresh dorado -

Mahi mahi is Dorado. Of course they are a completely different fish than halibut but the texture of the flesh is similar. I'm not particularly fond of fish but Dorado is plentiful here and about the only one that I buy if I can't get Chilean salmon.

Halibut is a cold water fish and something that is never available here. I do miss it.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Tropicalsenior (log)

chromedome · July 31, 2023

On 7/29/2023 at 11:11 AM, rotuts said:

are the two halibuts noticeably different ?

caught at the same size , from high quality areas

expertly iced and handled

to your pan ?

I've had it on both coasts and it's very much the same experience. I've never been in a position to do a side-by-side comparison of equally-fresh specimens from each coast, given the obvious logistical difficulties, but I suspect the differences between species would be no greater than the individual variation between one specific fish and another.

liuzhou · July 31, 2023

22 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Right at the first bite, I know. The distinct heat and abundance of chillies is accompanied by the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns. The chicken has been shredded and combined with a mixed salad in a delicious Sichuan 麻辣 (má là) dressing. I don’t know if Mexico has these, but they should. The whole thing is huge and very filling. So I slip the other one into the fridge for later. I’ll get back to you on that.

The only real difference in the second burrito was that the chicken was cut into larger cubes and the sauce lacked the Sichuan flavours. But it was good, too.

weinoo · July 31, 2023

A couple of pasta dinners recently:

Pasta with green beans and pesto. The pesto seemed to want to cling to the green beans, and the pasta (cavatappi) isn't the greatest shape for pesto, but...whatever...we ate it.

Last night, I made socca to have with our martinis and snacks pre-dinner. It came out okay, using the steam girl, but I think it really needs a regular oven. Dinner...

Gemelli with porcini and cremini mushroom sauce. Based on an old Marcella recipe. This one was good.

heidih · July 31, 2023

7 hours ago, Tropicalsenior said:

Mahi mahi is Dorado. Of course they are a completely different fish than halibut but the texture of the flesh is similar. I'm not particularly fond of fish but Dorado is plentiful here and about the only one that I buy if I can't get Chilean salmon.

Halibut is a cold water fish and something that is never available here. I do miss it.

Thanks for the correction. I guess when the store markets it they call it mahi-mahi; when boat captain involved with my guys out fishing he calls it dorado.

Tropicalsenior · July 31, 2023

1 minute ago, heidih said:

Thanks for the correction. I guess when the store markets it they call it mahi-mahi; when boat captain involved with my guys out fishing he calls it dorado.

A lot of people won't eat it because they also call it the dolphin fish.

heidih · July 31, 2023

16 minutes ago, Tropicalsenior said:

A lot of people won't eat it because they also call it the dolphin fish.

Right - I think that became the hard push for the marketing as mahi-mahi.

Norm Matthews · July 31, 2023

I had planned on another day of being alone with lots of peace and quiet but it wasn't to be. One of the crew with Charlie had his tent damaged and then it started to rain so they came home early and I had to think of something to make for dinner. As it happened, I had bought a whole beef tenderloin yesterday which I was going to cut up into steaks and freeze. I cut 5 steaks for us and froze the rest. I think I'll make bulgogi with the rest in a week or so. I grilled the steaks with Montreal Steak seasoning, cooked corn on the cob in the oven with husks on. It is an easy care-free way to do it. Just put them in a cold oven, turn it on to 400º and set the timer for 30 minutes. They come out juicy and easy to husk and the husks can be used as a handle. I did crinkle-cut French fries in the Air Fryer and cut up some strawberries, tossed them with sugar and blueberries and had them with shortcake and whipped cream (from a can). I just had to pay attention to the steaks and everything else was on timers. I forgot to take any pictures though.

Norm Matthews · July 31, 2023

I had heard about mahi-mahi but had it for the first time when I visited my son in Seattle. I ordered it at a restaurant on the pier near Pike's Place Market. I loved it. I wish they could make it taste that good here in Kansas.

PS I just remembered I had a picture of us at that restaurant back then. It took a little time to find it. It was 20 years ago.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Norm Matthews (log)

TicTac · July 31, 2023

21 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

I don't remember ever eating Atlantic halibut growing up on the east coast. Now on the west coast halibut is one of the few fish left that gets high marks from the Monterey Bay seafood watch. Fresh salmon is even pricier now and King salmon is suffering badly, as are the Orca who eat them. Do you not like Black Cod (aka sablefush)? Halibut and black cod ,are typically the two fish we buy, although not as often as we should. Yes, the price is high for both. But we almost never buy beef, so I consider these fish a necessary splurge. Both fish make excellent fish tacos, I think. I like halibut a lot but it's easy to overcook it. Not so for black cod which is really forgiving that way.

Cod makes great fish for tacos and costs a fraction of the price. I also do not feel so bad putting all those delicious hot and tangy sauces on it which by in large totally mask the fish.

Typically easy to source wild Norwegian, as well.