Lunch 2024

blue_dolphin · April 11

On 4/9/2024 at 5:29 PM, MaryIsobel said:

I am really going to have to try grits one of these days. 64 years old and have never had them. Don't even know if they are available in these parts although almost everything is available online now...

My first experience with grits was on a family road trip somewhere in the southern US when I was a kid. The previous day, I'd ordered hush puppies and was rewarded, not with a shoe, but cute little deep fried balls of deliciousness. This emboldened me to try another unfamiliar corn product, grits. I was presented a little bowl of something that looked like cream of wheat with a big pat of margarine sitting on top but not melting at all. I didn't try them again until Vivian Howard and her Deep Run Roots convinced me to give them another try and I've been a fan ever since.

If you decide to try them, see if you can get something stone ground. I order them from Marsh Hen Mill but I don't know if they ship to Canada. Anson Mills is another good brand.

On to today's lunch, a shrimp roll with yuzu kosho mayo from The Global Pantry Cookbook, using the little Oregon bay shrimp I got in this week's fish share.

Katie Meadow · April 12

Another vote for Marsh Hen Mill (aka Geechie Boy) grits. Both yellow and white are equally good; the white is a little more delicate in taste. Here's how I make my grits, and I have no idea where I got the recipe from, although I know I've tweaked it.

Bring 4.5 cups of water to a boil. Add a big pat of butter and a tsp or salt. Then incorporate one cup of grits, gradually, letting it sift through your fingers. Stir well and cook very low for about fifteen minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn't clump or stick to the bottom. Heat up a. cup of milk meanwhile. After the first fifteen minutes add 1/2 cup of the milk. Continue to cook, stirring, on very low heat, ten minutes. Then add the rest of the milk and continue cooking very slowly about 20 or 25 minutes, stirring, especially toward the end.. When done add in a knob of butter and some dairy of your choice. I like to add a dollop of creme fraiche. For cheesy grits add Oaxaca or cheddar or cheese of your choice, amount also to taste.

Eat it right away, adding more butter and salt as desired. Or pour into a mold so the grits are about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick and smooth the surface best as you can. This will keep refrigerated and can then be cut into slabs and sautéed in oil, butter or whatever you like.

Senior Sea Kayaker · April 12

I've never had grits however I've eaten plenty of polenta (both as a base for osso bucco or lamb shanks and leftovers exactly how @Katie Meadow describes).

If anyone has had both is there a difference?

I have to admit I can't hear the word grits without bringing Joe Pesci to mind.

Paul Bacino · April 12

Udon and Bok Choy in BabyPig stock

I cooked a suckling pig last yr, and made the stock

Katie Meadow · April 12

4 hours ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

I've never had grits however I've eaten plenty of polenta (both as a base for osso bucco or lamb shanks and leftovers exactly how @Katie Meadow describes).

If anyone has had both is there a difference?

I have to admit I can't hear the word grits without bringing Joe Pesci to mind.

Definitions of grits vs polenta are ofter murky or confusing, or just wrong. I'm still not totally clear. Some say that grits are made from dent corn while polenta is made from flint corn. In my experience polenta is typically made from yellow corn and is usually a fine grind, making it smoother. Corn for grits can be white or yellow and is usually a coarser grind, giving the dish a more toothy bite. White grits are a little more delicate in taste, I think. That said I prefer the white, but my husband prefers the yellow. Actually I love them both. Get grits milled fresh as possible; my source is Marsh Hen Mill, on Edista Island on the low country. The couple who owns it inherited or acquired an old mill and ship quickly. You could certainly buy traditionally coarser grits and grind them further if you prefer a fine grind. My unverified thought is that polenta from Italy has been longer on the shelf. I wouldn't hesitate to use grits in place of an Italian dish that calls for polenta, but that's really because grits is what I stock at home. Can be kept frozen. I buy several bags and keep one in the fridge, but I don't think it hurts to be used straight from the freezer.

blue_dolphin · April 13

The Whole Turnip Pasta from Tenderheart. Half of the turnip greens are blitzed into a bright pistachio pesto and the other half are sautéed and tossed with the pasta along with the pan browned, then steamed turnip roots.

At first bite, I thought this was just OK but it really grew on me and I'd absolutely make it again. As written, and to my taste, this needs a hit of acid to brighten and contrast with the sweetness of the cooked turnip and bitterness of the greens. I added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the pesto and a sprinkle of diced preserved lemon rind to the finished dish and was happy with that. I think crumbled feta would also work. The crunch from the roasted pistachios is key but another crunchy ingredient could fill in.
I always use 2 oz of pasta/serving rather than the 4 oz in the recipe and thought this was good as a vegetarian main but one could easily add shrimp, chicken or salmon, either to the dish or alongside.

Neely · April 14

This Sunday lunch was beef curry made by husband. IF we have a sit down Sunday lunch it is usually either a curry or a roast. He added coconut milk to a Rogan Josh beef curry and it was creamy and delicious.

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BonVivant · April 14

Back from Athens. Life is so different only 3 hours (by air) away.

Cold seafood is my favourite kind of food.

"Pointed cabbage", raw, with some kalamata olive brine in it.

Pumpernickel and seeded sourdough bread

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Prawns in fermented bean curd sauce. (Mashed bean curd, some sugar, water etc)

Char siu (from Asian supermarket, made on the premises)

"Fried rice" (for someone else). Leftover rice, eggs, Amami grain miso and some crispy bits of Speck.

Noodles with prawn roe (for myself)

Happy to be cooking and eating my own food again!

johnnyd · April 15

Tuna bowl!

blue_dolphin · April 15

Harissa tofu bowl with farro from The Global Pantry Cookbook

This cookbook is about cooking with "global" ingredients in different ways, using those ingredients purchased for one cookbook or recipe. I'm generally pleased with the recipes and the results but some of the recipe names irritate me. For example, this one is called Virtuous Vegan Harissa Tofu Bowl with Farro. Others use unnecessary superlatives - "creamiest" is included in the recipe name for grits, hummus and a curry. Obviously, I'm trying to get over it 🙃

Katie Meadow · April 16

We're on the road home. Today is our 37th anniversary. For lunch we stopped in Seligman AZ. Little did I know there's a stretch of road leading off the main highway that is dedicated to preserving some of the places or at least the vibe of old Route 66, parts of which run parallel to I 40. We ate at The Roadkill Cafe/OK Saloon. Another discovery: Arizona isn't noted for rest stops, so really the idea was to order something small and use the bathroom. But it was quirky and everyone was so nice we decided to have an early lunch. My husband very much liked his burger (we rarely eat beef) and for a celebratory dessert we had Key Lime Pie. There was a mile high of whipped cream on top, which I scraped off most of, and wonder of wonders the pie itself was excellent. And I'm a harsh critic when it comes to pie. There was a dazzling round glass tower displaying the pies, and there were at least ten different kinds. So, a great anniversary lunch. Oh, and of course the motto of the Roadkill Cafe is "You kill it we grill it." There was an elk burger on the menu (and the menu itself is a hilarious work of literature) but we passed on that.

Neely · April 18

I wanted to thank you @blue_dolphin for the times you have mentioned in reference to the meal you’ve made “The Global Pantry Cookbook”. I finally looked it up ( takes me awhile lol) and was available through Amazon. Sometimes, some books and products aren’t available here in Australia. So I got it through Kindle and it’s a terrific read as well as a recipe informer despite its little quirks. I do have most ‘global’ things that are mentioned in my pantry but we will have to differ on kimchi, maybe I’ve just had bad ones.

The other book you mention Tenderheart, well I’ll explore that another time. I like reading recipes but not so good at following them, using them more as a reference to the ingredients I have on hand. Occasionally I’ll shop specifically for ingredients for a particular recipe.

blue_dolphin · April 18

42 minutes ago, Neely said:

I wanted to thank you @blue_dolphin for the times you have mentioned in reference to the meal you’ve made “The Global Pantry Cookbook”. I finally looked it up ( takes me awhile lol) and was available through Amazon. Sometimes, some books and products aren’t available here in Australia. So I got it through Kindle and it’s a terrific read as well as a recipe informer despite its little quirks. I do have most ‘global’ things that are mentioned in my pantry but we will have to differ on kimchi, maybe I’ve just had bad ones.

The other book you mention Tenderheart, well I’ll explore that another time. I like reading recipes but not so good at following them, using them more as a reference to the ingredients I have on hand. Occasionally I’ll shop specifically for ingredients for a particular recipe.

I hope you like it. I wasn’t planning to get the book but the shrimp and coconut grits made me buy it. Not everything has been perfect but it’s earned a spot on my bookshelf!

blue_dolphin · April 19

I was kinda hungry because I just had a cup of coffee and a Biscoff for breakfast and I got lovely fresh mussels in my fish share but for some reason I wasn't in a mussel mood so tuna salad in a brioche bun:

This was a standard Friday cafeteria lunch when I was a kid. It appeared on the menu as "Tuna Boats"

Mussels to be dealt with later....

liuzhou · April 21

Lunch was soup. Clams in a shrimp shell stock with mustard greens. should have bought spinach and squid then I could have made shrimp shell stock squid spinach soup with clams. Only ever make that at home; you'll never be able to say it to a waiter.

Tropicalsenior · April 21

Actually, what you could have had was shrimp shell stock squid spinach soup with shellfish.

blue_dolphin · April 21

Moules Marinières

KennethT · April 22

Penang Nyonya chicken Kapitan curry

blue_dolphin · April 22

Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Quick-Pickled Raisins from The Global Pantry Cookbook

The cauliflower and onion slices get tossed with olive oil and ras el hanout and roasted. The raisins are microwaved for a minute in a flavorful brine that's supposed to be made with Banyuls vinegar. I had none and used an aged Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar instead.

I liked this but would probably do something other than turn it into a salad.

NadyaDuke · April 22

We went for a drive to scout out a potential camping spot and ended up for lunch at a small town burger place that was stellar. Bacon cheeseburger and fries for him, avocado bacon cheeseburger and onion rings for for me. Plus a strawberry shake. We took a lot home including half the shake!

Bonus pics of some of the beautiful spring foliage we’re getting. Beautiful day for a drive.

blue_dolphin · April 24

Shrimp Scampi Vermicelli with Garlicky Miso Butter from The Global Pantry Cookbook

This is a nice quick pasta. The recipe calls for 4 oz pasta/serving. I used 2 oz pasta + 3 oz sugar snap peas + 1.5 oz red bell pepper.

Neely · April 24

A quick lunch of pickled herring. The best thing about this lunch is that the pomegranate is off my own baby tree… I had three this year. 495FAC43-CCA2-48A7-B315-33AE72269C2E.jpeg.0508078d51dfda654d08b5f6a836897a.jpeg

BonVivant · April 24

Mushrooms

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Baked ricotta

More mushrooms

Sicilian-inspired. Pasta with ricotta (and olive oil. Chopped pistachios would be nice, of course). Bucatini with parsley and raw garlic. I add a few dollops of ricotta to the pasta as I eat but Sicilians mix plain ricotta with olive oil and stir into the pasta.
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