Lunch 2024

[Neely]

This is not an Asian style soup… it is Lamb and Barley Broth with carrots and fresh corn . My husband served it in these bowls making it confusing. The lamb was from Sunday’s roast which was quite pink near the bone so added good flavour to the barley. 
 

[liuzhou]

22 minutes ago, Neely said:

This is not an Asian style soup… it is Lamb and Barley Broth with carrots and fresh corn . My husband served it in these bowls making it confusing.

 

I often serve non-Asian soups in Asian bowls. They're the only bowls I have!

 

I can't find what I call 'pearl barley' here. Barley yes, but it's used to make barley tea (a Tibetan specialty) and is pre-roasted.  It is also toasted and ground before selling as flour to make the Tibetan staple, Tsampa. neither are what I want in my soups.

 

I'd love a bowl of Scotch broth -it's been decades!

 

 

Edited July 17 by liuzhou (log)

[Neely]

@liuzhou Yes it is pearl barley and the soup is very like Scotch broth. Barley is quite a satisfying texture to me. 

[pastameshugana]

On 7/16/2024 at 9:15 AM, liuzhou said:

Real aged Spanish Manchego and real Scottish oatcakes.

 

How difficult is it for you to source 'western' imports, food-wise? Are there certain things or regions that are easier to find foodstuffs from, or is it just hit and miss?

 

[liuzhou]

15 minutes ago, pastameshugana said:

 

How difficult is it for you to source 'western' imports, food-wise? Are there certain things or regions that are easier to find foodstuffs from, or is it just hit and miss?

 

 

When I moved to China in 1996, almost nothing 'western' was available and what was findable was imported via Hong Kong (still under British rule then) and ludicrously expensive. Today, China has the largest on-line shopping culture on the planet (yes, bigger than Amazon) and most things are available. They also became cheaper as availabiity increased.

 

That stopped to an extent during the pandemic  for two main reasons. The countries exporting were in lockdowns and the foreigners who mainly buy it had all gone home (to their regret!) . But it has almost returned to pre-Covid status . There are few things I can't get. Some more obscure cheeses I can't find and I haven't had a haggis in China ever!

 

Indian and Japanese ingredients can be hard to find (China has a fractured relationshup with both.) Otherwise hit and miss. 

 

To be honest though, I seldom go looking for western foods here. I'm happy with the local cuisine which is endlessly, wonderfully varied  and delicious. Or maybe I'm just institionalised!

 

 

Edited July 17 by liuzhou (log)

[C. sapidus]

Yellow squash and corn with tomato, chipotle, shallot, garlic, and cilantro, finished with a little heavy cream. Pretty tasty for a mix of leftovers and must-use-ups in the fridge.

 

Edited July 17 by C. sapidus
+ garlic (log)

[OlyveOyl]

Lunch today was pork, peppers and pickled red onion on a tapenade roll. FM tomatoes with a drizzle of vinaigrette.

Dessert was apricot peach gelato with some extra syrup and tart cherries from the hand pies I had made a few days ago.

[blue_dolphin]

Caesar-ish salad with TJ's lightly smoked tinned salmon 

Since we were discussing her untimely passing, I'll call out the croutons from Naomi Pomeroy's Taste & Technique where she cuts a baguette 1/8" slices, brushes or tosses them with 1:1 butter:olive oil and toasts.  I've found that any baguette worth its salt is unlikely to tolerate that sort of slicing, even when a day old but those take-and-bake baguettes that need crisping in the oven are just the ticket.  This one was from TJ's but I see them all over. 

[OlyveOyl]

Gazpacho today, FM. tomatoes that proved to be delicious! Adapted from José Andrés recipe, always a little flexible, the Vita Mix does a wonderful job.

Dessert was a very mini Apricot pistachio frangipane tart.

[rotuts]

@OlyveOyl

 

your gazpacho loots sensational.

 

via the blender I  have they end up with various textures  which I enjoy

 

but smooth as silk elevates a good Gz

 

do you float a little good quality EVOO at the end ?

 

your dish , some good quality sourdough

 

fantastic. 

[OlyveOyl]

The gazpacho has a brunoise cut selection of the vegetables at the bottom of the bowl.  The oil gets put on at table, I prefer a plain baguette with the gaz, I find sourdough, which I love, to be a bit more intrusive in flavoring as an accompaniment.

This is my current finishing oil…unfortunately, almost done!

[rotuts]

For me , locally , and when in CA in the peninsula where I grew up

 

visiting my father 

 

I had access to better sourdough than traditional french.

 

that's a good point.

[OlyveOyl]

Actually, I’m referencing my own sourdough and baguettes.  The sourdough I make is relatively mild but I still prefer my baguette ! I think next time, I’ll slice up one of my tapenade baguettes as I think that could be complementary.  

[C. sapidus]

More fridge-cleaning: crookneck squash simmered with coconut milk, crushed tomato, and a little brown sugar. Flavors included sauteed shallot, garlic, habanero chile, bay leaf, and bruised galangal.

 

[OlyveOyl]

Tomato tart today, adapted from a NYT recipe that substitutes a bread dough for the crust rather than the usual pastry crust. The base of the tart is coated with a thin layer of cooked cherry tomato sauce prior to adding a variety of different cherry tomatoes. This cooked much more rapidly than the time suggested and the crust was well cooked and browned nicely on the bottom. But I’ll not be converted to a yeasted dough in place of a conventional pastry crust!

Dessert was a slice of yesterday’s apricot pistachio tart with some apricot ice cream.

[weinoo]

Three salads:

 

 

 

Chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad. Plus a pickle spear and greenmarket tomato. Wasa rye crisps.

[Neely]

Scotch eggs with a celeriac puree. The puree was smoother than it looked … all I added was butter, milk, pepper and salt 

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

Home made burger with chips.

 

 

[OlyveOyl]

Mushroom ravioli on a bed of sautéed green/yellow zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, peperoncini, basil, freshly grated Parmesan.

 

Dessert was a cantaloupe sorbet and crème de menthe.

[blue_dolphin]

I got ocean whitefish, a type of tilefish, in my weekly fish share and tried a quick and easy recipe for Mustardy Cracker Crumb Fish from Julia Turshen's Simply Julia.

With a side of potato salad tossed with Caesar dressing.  Those little spuds were red through and through.  Thankfully the dressing the celery masked their initial appearance. 

[rotuts]

@OlyveOyl

 

Wow.

 

the idea od cantaloupe sorbet made w fresh ripe cantaloupe 

 

sounds so good.  + the  C.de.M  delicious .

[OlyveOyl]

@rotuts

it really is quite delicious and simple as well.  A tasty melon, a little sugar or honey and some lemon or citric acid.  A little limoncello also works.

The crème de menthe is a home made version I keep in freezer, I think the recipe came from Serious Eats.

[KennethT]

A first attempt at one of my favorite dishes we had in Jakarta.... a Padang style dish called ayam balado (chicken) although you can balado-ify practically anything - potatoes, eggs, fish....

 

with stir fried bok choy 

 

[Smithy]

12 hours ago, KennethT said:

A first attempt at one of my favorite dishes we had in Jakarta.... a Padang style dish called ayam balado (chicken) although you can balado-ify practically anything - potatoes, eggs, fish....

 

 

 

What specifically is the "balado" treatment? 

[KennethT]

2 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

What specifically is the "balado" treatment? 

Balado is a really savory style of dish - lots of chillies but not necessarily very spicy, shallots, garlic.  It's maybe a little oily because as a stew, it's cooked until it's basically dry - all the liquid is absorbed or evaporated.  You'll see some good examples of it in the travel thread once we get to Jakarta.