Dinner 2024

[Tempest63]

I had a selection of sausages made in the local butchers sitting in the freezer and realised I needed to use them. I tried this recipe a few weeks ago with Toulouse sausages https://www.cottagesmallholder.com/recipe-for-sausages-baked-on-a-nest-of-cannellini-beans-hot-smoked-garlic-and-bacon-7901/ but without the hot smoked garlic.

 

We found the finished dish dry, but it had promise.

I tried it again today using a whole 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, including the tomato juice, a cup of supermarket bought crispy fried onions, a sprinkle of asafoetida, a sprinkle of ground black pepper, some chopped sage leaves fresh out of the garden and half a cup of water. I had the smoked garlic, but rather than put it in whole, I peeled it and mixed the individual cloves in. It looked like this when prepped for the oven.

 

The result was much better than my first attempt. Cooked with wild boar sausages, the flavour was fuller, the dish much more moist. I cooked it in a fan oven at 180C for the first 25 minutes but found the sausages were not browning as much as was expected. After turning the sausages I put it back in for a further 20 minutes at Fan 190C. 
I will experiment a little further with this quick, cheap and cheerful dish, but I am happy with the progress so far.

 

Edited August 6 by Tempest63 (log)

[YvetteMT]

Partner is on a fishing trip for the week so it's curry for me! (I either have things he doesn't like- tonight's curry- or things that require little effort and may not be an actual meal, like popcorn)

With squid tonight

[weinoo]

 

Beefsteak and heirloom Caprese salad.  Roasted chicken thigh.  Sautéed Asian Cousa Squash (from Lani's Farm), along with corn off the cob.

[KennethT]

It took me 3 hours to get home from work yesterday due to flooding, so I wanted a treat:

 

Motorino delivery, sweet sausage, green onion and chilli

[Maison Rustique]

@KennethT, hope all is OK now and flooding is over. 

@Tempest63, that sausage/bean dish looks wonderful! Almost like a quick cassoulet variation. I'm saving that recipe for cooler weather.

 

[weinoo]

51 minutes ago, KennethT said:

It took me 3 hours to get home from work yesterday due to flooding, so I wanted a treat:

 

Motorino delivery, sweet sausage, green onion and chilli

 

Nice to be so close to them - I may have to give them a try, though I worry about the longer distance and the pies getting here in good shape.

[KennethT]

24 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

Nice to be so close to them - I may have to give them a try, though I worry about the longer distance and the pies getting here in good shape.

Yeah, we ordered through Chownow and they use Relay for teh delivery which is trackable.  The delivery guy took like 5 minutes to get there, so it was still nice and hot.  But we also put pizza under an infrared lamp to keep whatever isn't being eaten warm - it works great!

[weinoo]

36 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Yeah, we ordered through Chownow and they use Relay for teh delivery which is trackable.  The delivery guy took like 5 minutes to get there, so it was still nice and hot.  But we also put pizza under an infrared lamp to keep whatever isn't being eaten warm - it works great!

 

I would normally put my oven on with the baking steel in there and throw the pie on for like 2 minutes. But it's summer, and you know, NO OVEN IS ALLOWED ON!

[MaryIsobel]

15 hours ago, YvetteMT said:

Partner is on a fishing trip for the week so it's curry for me! (I either have things he doesn't like- tonight's curry- or things that require little effort and may not be an actual meal, like popcorn)

With squid tonight

I too have myself a curry fest when my husband is away. It's one of the few things that he doesn't care for.

[Tempest63]

Quick puttanesca for dinner tonight. 
we have a lot going on at the moment and find ourselves extremely busy, so this was a great quick and easy dinner.

Looking at recipes online there seem to be a number of questions that come up.

Tomatoes or passata?

Fresh tomatoes or tinned?

Onions or no onions?

Salted anchovies or anchovies in vinegar?

Fresh chilli or chilli flakes?

So many questions for such a simple rustic dish.

[Shel_B]

4 hours ago, Tempest63 said:

Quick puttanesca for dinner tonight. 
we have a lot going on at the moment and find ourselves extremely busy, so this was a great quick and easy dinner.

Looking at recipes online there seem to be a number of questions that come up.

Tomatoes or passata?

Fresh tomatoes or tinned?

Onions or no onions?

Salted anchovies or anchovies in vinegar?

Fresh chilli or chilli flakes?

So many questions for such a simple rustic dish.

 

I've been enjoying puttanesca for many years.  It's essentially a dish of convenience.  Use what's handy.  Each ingredient imparts a certain characteristic, none of which are a poor choice or unacceptable (IMO). 

 

For example, at times I'll add capers and/or olives, and other times not.  I've made it with oil packed anchovies, salt packed anchovies, and anchovy paste ... all good.  I've used dried Calabrian chilies, fresh Thai chilies, serrano chilies, ground Kashmiri chilies, and Aleppo chili flakes ... all good. Sometimes I'll use pancetta fat instead of or as an addition to olive oil.  The fat from pancetta affumicato is an interesting choice, worth playing with. A mixture of fresh cherry tomatoes and tinned whole tomatoes imparts a nice flavor and texture. Don't forget the garlic.  I prefer a small amount, and sometimes I'll use fresh and dried roasted garlic together.

 

Your mom always told you not to play with your food.  Puttanesca is a great choice to play with. As you say, it's a simple rustic dish. Don't overthink it, cook with feeling and follow your mood, and the results will always be interesting.

Edited August 7 by Shel_B (log)

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

Yesterday's dinner (it's been cool enough to use the oven) of a quick saute of shrimp and haddock, oven fries with sriracha, off the cob corn with garlic, green onion and Roma bush beans  with a salad of tomato, cucumber, radish and red onion.

Enjoyed with a rather disappointing raspberry radler.

 

Edited August 8 by Senior Sea Kayaker (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Za'atar chicken with lemon yoghurt (from Melissa Clark's Dinner: Changing the Game). It was pretty nice! I did it on the grill. 

 

 

 

[weinoo]

 

Roasted mushrooms and summer squash.

 

 

Amatriciana Estiva,  a more summery, lighter version of the classic bucatini all'Amatriciana.  Main difference is the use of fresh tomatoes (cherry, or as in this case, Lancaster Farms' organic garden gem tomatoes), and draining off a bit of the rendered fat from the guanciale.  The pasta used is Setaro's Mezze Rigatoni, one of my favorite brands of dried pasta.

[Tempest63]

On 8/6/2024 at 6:42 PM, Ann_T said:

I saved a 500g piece of todays dough for Matt to make himself a pizza.

Today's masterpiece was a deconstructed vegetarian pierogi pizza.

 

Topped with sauce, mozzarella, potatoes, caramelized onions, bacon (veg), and cheddar then finished with chives and a drizzle of sour cream.

I looked at that bottom photo and immediately a pentagram sprang to mind.

I may keep that as a Halloween idea for the Grandsprogs.

 

Edited August 9 by Tempest63 (log)

[Norm Matthews]

I made chicken wings for supper.  We had rice, blue cheese dressing and honeydew melon to go with it.  The three sauces for the wings were  1.store bought wing sauce, 2. lemon pepper sauce and 3. Charlie's mom's recipe for teriyaki adopted to be a wing sauce.

[Miss K]

Balsamic chicken and vegetable skewer (off the skewer in picture) on a bed of rice and balsamic asparagus. 

Edited August 10 by Miss K (log)

[Dejah]

Temps cooler during the day (22C instead of the 33C ) and at night feels like fall, 8C!
My brother has an apricot tree, quite unusual on the prairies. I've been over to pick the fruit while they are away. No freestone peaches or apricots to be had from B.C this summer, but peaches from Ontario are lovely. SO, I've been busy making Peach, Apricot, Pineapple conserve, my grandma in-law's recipe. We've been enjoying some with ice cream for dessert!

                                                                                                                                                                                                           
  Our reliable appliance repairman is one of my husband's former high school student. He never sends us a bill as he loves to visit and reminisce. He was also a regular customer of ours at the restaurant. His favourite dishes were Chicken Balls and Chicken Fried Rice, so that's how I pay him!

                                 
 The chicken balls are time consuming to make, so we also had some for our supper.

 

                                                            

Had our granddaughters up for a day, and they love steak and fresh vegetable. A friend made and shared some rhubarb chutney. It went well with the steak.

 

                                                           

 

Had lots of chicken breasts on hand for the chicken balls, so made quick Butter  Chicken with a jar of KFI sauce. More fresh peas and Paratha to sop up the sauce.

                                                            

 

And still more chicken to use up! Was given a fresh kolhrabi from a friend's garden. Made soup, then stir-fried some with chicken and other veg with Toban sauce.

 

                                                                      

                                                                            

And still a bit more chicken to use up along with a kolhrabi

[Shelby]

15 minutes ago, Dejah said:

Temps cooler during the day (22C instead of the 33C ) and at night feels like fall, 8C!
My brother has an apricot tree, quite unusual on the prairies. I've been over to pick the fruit while they are away. No freestone peaches or apricots to be had from B.C this summer, but peaches from Ontario are lovely. SO, I've been busy making Peach, Apricot, Pineapple conserve, my grandma in-law's recipe. We've been enjoying some with ice cream for dessert!

                                                                                                                                                                                                           
  Our reliable appliance repairman is one of my husband's former high school student. He never sends us a bill as he loves to visit and reminisce. He was also a regular customer of ours at the restaurant. His favourite dishes were Chicken Balls and Chicken Fried Rice, so that's how I pay him!

                                 
 The chicken balls are time consuming to make, so we also had some for our supper.

 

                                                            

Had our granddaughters up for a day, and they love steak and fresh vegetable. A friend made and shared some rhubarb chutney. It went well with the steak.

 

                                                           

 

Had lots of chicken breasts on hand for the chicken balls, so made quick Butter  Chicken with a jar of KFI sauce. More fresh peas and Paratha to sop up the sauce.

                                                            

 

And still more chicken to use up! Was given a fresh kolhrabi from a friend's garden. Made soup, then stir-fried some with chicken and other veg with Toban sauce.

 

                                                                      

                                                                            

And still a bit more chicken to use up along with a kolhrabi

Dejah, you are such an amazing chef!!!  I'd love to hear more about the chicken balls--no rush, just when you have some free time  

 

I'm jealous of your peaches.  I haven't had time....or rather taken the time to try to source some around here.  I'm always so glad when I have some canned up but it just felt too overwhelming this year lol.

[TicTac]

Quiet/quick anniversary dinner after returning from the cottage - 

 

ribeye under that hunk - and the sweetest corn I’ve had in years, picked that morning 

[Shelby]

12 minutes ago, TicTac said:

Quiet/quick anniversary dinner after returning from the cottage - 

 

ribeye under that hunk - and the sweetest corn I’ve had in years, picked that morning 

That looks exactly like Nirvana corn.  If it is, it's the best IMO.

[YvetteMT]

@Dejah your conserve is beautiful 

 

 

Well, partner comes home tomorrow so tonight is the last of the curry. 

With shrimp tonight (and last night too)

[Dejah]

5 hours ago, Shelby said:

Dejah, you are such an amazing chef!!!  I'd love to hear more about the chicken balls--no rush, just when you have some free time  

 

I'm jealous of your peaches.  I haven't had time....or rather taken the time to try to source some around here.  I'm always so glad when I have some canned up but it just felt too overwhelming this year lol.

@Shelby: Our restaurant was the only one who made chicken balls this way as we had a big enough staff to devote time.
The chicken, both breasts and thigh meat, were cut into bite-sizes pieces, put into seasoned egg wash (salt, MSG), then coated with cracker meal (soda crackers blitzed in food grinder) mixed with 1/4 amount flour.
Each piece is well coated and shaped into balls by squeezing in the palm of the hand.
The balls are deep fried then put into hot sweet and sour sauce.
We used to make a special sauce base by saving the broth from simmering deep fried spareribs (prepared the same way as the chicken balls). Then add some ketsup, sugar, and vinegar. But it was never like the bright red sticky sauce that some restaurants served.

Recently, I found a bottled Sweet & Sour sauce that was good enough substitute! It's VH Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce. I picked it up by mistake when I wanted Mango Chili, which we love.
 

                                                                                                              

[Dejah]

Our daughter went into labour today at noon. Tomorrow was her due date!
She delivered an 8 lb 4 oz baby boy dragon (2024 Year of the Dragon) at 5:35 pm! ❤️ 
I was over the moon and couldn't settle down to cook supper OR make more conserve.
So it was Domino's pizza delivery, our old stand-by: Meatz Feast and Veggie Feast!

                                                            

 

[Katie Meadow]

2 hours ago, Dejah said:

Our daughter went into labour today at noon. Tomorrow was her due date!
She delivered an 8 lb 4 oz baby boy dragon (2024 Year of the Dragon) at 5:35 pm! ❤️ 
I was over the moon and couldn't settle down to cook supper OR make more conserve.
So it was Domino's pizza delivery, our old stand-by: Meatz Feast and Veggie Feast!

                                                            

 

Congrats, Granny!