Dinner 2025

Maison Rustique · January 29

I literally had a shiver down my spine when I read snake. Can't even.

liuzhou · January 29

1 hour ago, Maison Rustique said:

I literally had a shiver down my spine when I read snake. Can't even.

Many people here are the same, but it doesn't stop them eating them! I wrote more about the local snake eating here.

Margaret Pilgrim · January 29

I don't see a great difference between snake and eel, which is delicious.

liuzhou · January 29

55 minutes ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I don't see a great difference between snake and eel, which is delicious.

But do you taste the difference? I like both. But not all eels taste the same, either.

Honkman · January 29

Mushroom and Kimchi Mapo Tofu from Ottolenghi’s Comfort - nice vegan variation on mapo tofu with diced mushrooms (button and shiitake), kimchi, tofu, scallions, garlic, ginger, shaoxing wine, doubanjiang, light and dark soy sauce, sichuan peppercorn, vegetable broth, corn starch and toasted sesame oil. Served over rice

Senior Sea Kayaker · January 29

Pan fried panko coated haddock on baguette with baby spinach and sriracha mayo. Served with pickled beets, fermented sour green cherry tomatoes, pickled red onion and pickled zucchini ribbons. With an Annapolis dry cider.

Finished with a Cape Breton 'Pork Pie', a small locally popular tart, which doesn't contain any pork but is a sugar bomb. Way too sweet for my taste.

Ann_T · January 29

Last night's dinner, our traditional roast beef dinner.

And for dessert, I baked Portuguese Custard Tarts (Pasteis de Nata).

liamsaunt · January 29

Penne with carrot sauce. I sauteed yellow and orange carrots, onion, and garlic, then cooked them in a quart of corn stock I had in the freezer, then pureed it in the Vitamix with some butter and salt. I added some chopped raw arugula at the end. Four out of five diners enjoyed it, and one grumbled that there was no point in eating carrot sauce when you can just have tomato sauce. Oh well, I have decided that I cannot please everyone. I just try and rotate who is going to be annoyed 😂

rotuts · January 29

@liamsaunt

looked interesting and tasty to me.

Tomato sauce can get a bit predictable and thus boring.

YvetteMT · January 29

2 hours ago, liamsaunt said:

Oh well, I have decided that I cannot please everyone. I just try and rotate who is going to be annoyed 😂

Amen! As my mom (who was NOT a cook) used to say "eat it or make yourself a bologna sandwich".

I think its a beautiful dish and plan on trying similar (without a vitamix). I'll need to add a protein for any chance of it going over well but I think the sweetness of the carrots would be fabulous as a sauce.

Shel_B · January 30

This will be dinner tonight:

Cabbage, Pancetta and Onion Soup, Soueupa alla Valpellinentze

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/12611-savoy-cabbage-soup-with-ham-rye-bread-and-fontina?

I riffed on the recipe by adding thickly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes to the mix as the recipe reminded me of some cabbage and potato dishes I had back in the '60s. Carol, my then GF, put together a simple dish of boiled potatoes and cabbage with a little butter, S&P. We were sleeping on the floor, on a bare mattress, in an empty house in preparation for moving to the new place together. We had no cash on hand and scrounged some change from somewhere, and she put the meal together for us. Those were the days when you could buy the ingredients for less than a dollar. Since that time, I've always enjoyed a cabbage and potato dish now and then.

I picked up some Fontina Val d'Aosta to use as a topping, and it was too soft to shred with the grater I had, so I diced the cheese and sprinkled it atop the dish. The rye bread was made by a local bakery. The pancetta is my favorite from the local sausage maker. Beef stock, homemade.

Can't wait to dig into it ...

CabbageSoup.jpg.440999d3d5fcac68c63b067d92407665.jpg

Edited January 30 by Shel_B (log)

C. sapidus · January 30

Pakistani meal tonight, from 'Curry Cuisine'. I have been looking for a good Pakistani cookbook and forgot that this one has a few recipes.

Palak gosht (spinach and lamb curry): Sautee onions until browned. Add garlic and ginger paste, crushed tomato, cayenne, cumin seed, and turmeric, then saute until the oil separates. Add stewing lamb and water and braise until the lamb is almost tender. Add spinach and braised until tender, then remove the lid to reduce. Top with minced jalapeno and ginger. Would make again.

Basmati rice: I did this "properly" - rinse the rice, soak 30 min (2:1 water:rice), and then drain, reserving the soaking water. Fry black cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and cumin seeds in ghee, add the reserved water, bring to a boil, add the rice, simmer uncovered until the top is rife with steamy air holes, and then cover and finish over very low heat.

Podina (mint) raita: Greek yogurt with minced mint leaves and jalapeno. House guest prefers not-too-chile-hot so this came in handy.

Edited January 30 by C. sapidus
"is" (log)

Senior Sea Kayaker · January 30

I had a small package of leftover roasted lamb leg in the freezer so roast lamb and pepper jack (with some added cilantro and chives) with a tomato and greens salad.

Enjoyed with a Big Spruce 'Tim's IPA'.

Maison Rustique · January 30

@Shel_B, that soup looks wonderful! I can't see the recipe but I might try to wing it.

Shel_B · January 30

4 hours ago, Maison Rustique said:

@Shel_B, that soup looks wonderful! I can't see the recipe but I might try to wing it.

@Maison Rustique

Does this help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bel1V5HeYm4&t=4s

A couple of things to consider:

This is the second time I made the recipe. The first time I used a rich, dark brown, chicken stock as I had no beef stock on hand. I found the taste a little weak, and using a decet beef stock on my secnd try improved the results substantially.

While the written recipe only mentions Fontina cheese, there's a big difference in taste when using Fontina Val d'Aosta compared to other fontina cheeses, especially domestic products. The Fontina Val d'Aosta, according to my taste buds and preferences, is a better match with rye bread. It also adds some earthiness to the final dish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TokpRPrZv0

Roasted garlic, or adding some dried roasted garlic, gives a nice flavor boost. I used the dried roasted garlic in this iteration along with regular garlic and it helped enrich the taste.

It's important to get those onions brown

Edited January 30 by Shel_B
Additional information (log)

Paul Bacino · January 30

Burger Time

"The Blend"

The Cook ( only S and P )

The Bite

Dejah · January 30

Since my mother passed so many years ago, we no longer follow the traditions of many dishes, special foods, etc. It's too bad as our grandchildren are missing out on these kinds of feasts. I did make one dish, and it took a lot of effort as I get older.
Buddha's Delight: I didn't use 18 ingredients, but I did have 13! The grands liked the lotus root, mung bean noodles, and deep fried tofu

Edited January 30 by Dejah (log)

Maison Rustique · January 30

Thanks, @Shel_B! I will pay particular attention to the cheese and stock. And rye bread, as some seem to be more flavorful than others.

Shel_B · January 31

4 hours ago, Maison Rustique said:

Thanks, @Shel_B! I will pay particular attention to the cheese and stock. And rye bread, as some seem to be more flavorful than others.

Please let me know how you made it, what ingredients you used, and how you liked it. I believe this dish has good potential, and I'll experiment with it some more.

Leftovers today with the addition of some leftover chili were quite interesting.

C. sapidus · January 31

Dinner from Madhur Jaffrey's 'Quick and Easy Indian Cooking'

Chicken in a cilantro, spinach, and mustard sauce (hare masala vala murgh): Fry bay leaves, green cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and dried red chile. Sear skinless chicken thighs and simmer with yogurt, yellow raisins, cayenne, s&p. Blend jalapeno, ginger, cilantro, and spinach, mix with grainy mustard, and simmer with the chicken until done. Good stuff.

Indian mashed potatoes (mash aloo): boiled red potatoes mashed with half-and-half, butter, minced jalapeno, garam masala, s&p, lemon juice.

Honkman · January 31

Cod with Pesto Polenta and Vegetables - Simple but tasty dish. Polenta made with milk and vegetable broth and finished with some basil pesto. Yellow and orange peppers, onions and cherry tomatoes sautéed in some olive oil and cod filet pan-fried.

Dante · January 31

Lomito sandwich with rapini on the side

weinoo · January 31

Spaghetti with shrimp and scallops. Broccoli rabe, sautéed with garlic and chili.

Maison Rustique · January 31

Pollo asado-marinated thigh and roasted broccoli. The chicken with my roasted grape tomatoes was nicely spicy, juicy and tender despite having been in the freezer for way too long. The broccoli was a kit that I mis-read at Trader Joe's and it was very mediocre. But it was real food that I cooked!

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