Dinner 2025

[Honkman]

Sausage, Peppers, and Onions with Melty Caprese - simple dinner from Colu Cooks. Different peppers, red onions and cherry tomatoes with some sweet Italian sausages are roasted in the oven. Topped with mozzarella for the last few minutes and finished with some basil

[Paul Bacino]

On 4/20/2025 at 11:28 PM, Neely said:

@Paul Bacino sorry but even after an online search I can’t figure out what all the meat means in reference to Pasqua gravy. Can you help me understand? My cultural denseness at play. 

@Neely

On 4/20/2025 at 11:28 PM, Neely said:

 

 

Upper right to left

Italian sausage- Piemonte beef short rib plate-Beef tendon

 

On 4/20/2025 at 11:28 PM, Neely said:

Lower  right to left

Rack of Lamb-Pork feather bones (cut frm- transverse process of the spine ) Pork shank

 

Sorry--did need explaining ,  but a guy needs to cook     

Edited Tuesday at 12:06 PM by Paul Bacino (log)

[Paul Bacino]

@Neely  _--

 

This was end game of Easter Gravy,  hope your was good  --This is the gravy with Rigotta stuffed shells

 

Buona Pasqua ( a tad late )

 

[Shelby]

12 minutes ago, Paul Bacino said:

@Neely  _--

 

This was end game of Easter Gravy,  hope your was good  --This is the gravy with Rigotta stuffed shells

 

Buona Pasqua ( a tad late )

 

You're killing me.

[dans]

14 hours ago, weinoo said:

Thing is, they were very tasty - just a pain in the ass to make into a ball shape. 

 

We were going to a potluck dinner many years ago and brought the Meatball Lasagna we found in Cook's Illustrated.  Boy was it a big hit. We wound up making it a couple of times after that before we revolted at making tiny quarter sized thin meatballs and sauteing them.  The process took forever!  The next time we made it we just made regular sized meatballs and sliced them.  Just as good.

[Tropicalsenior]

19 minutes ago, dans said:

we revolted at making tiny quarter sized thin meatballs and sauteing them

I didn't mind rolling the meatballs but it was sauteing all those little suckers that got to me. I have found that the easiest way to cook them is in the oven. It only takes about 15 minutes at 300°. Even larger meatballs are done in about this time and they will finish in whatever sauce that you make.

[rotuts]

@Paul Bacino

 

mighty fine shells.  Shells and Lasagna are two of my favorite dishes.

 

Your versions look fantastic.

 

@Tropicalsenior

 

Yep.  MB's  best cooked in a hot oven.   Or , straight in sauce.

Edited Tuesday at 01:47 PM by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

16 hours ago, FauxPas said:

 

I wonder if oiling your hands a bit might have helped? 

 

 

 

I often oil my hands; whether I make meatballs with those oiled hands is a whole other topic.

 

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

Yep.  MB's  best cooked in a hot oven.   Or , straight in sauce.

 

But, but, but...the fond, @rotuts - the fond!!

[rotuts]

@weinoo

 

not to worry .   the fond is on the oven pan , and easy scraped  off and used or saved.

 

Of course , not as much .  just a bit where the MB's were touching the pan.

 

the fond from the rest of the MB's , 

 

stayed on the MB's.

Edited Tuesday at 03:13 PM by rotuts (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

8 minutes ago, weinoo said:

But, but, but...the fond, @rotuts - the fond!!

There's no reason to miss out on that with the meatballs in the oven. Simply remove them from the pan and put it back in the oven for 10 minutes to Brown a little. Deglaze with a little wine and voila, delicious fond.

 

Edited to add:

Looks like rotus beat me to it.

Edited Tuesday at 03:14 PM by Tropicalsenior (log)

[rotuts]

something to be said for keeping the fond on the MB's .

 

I use the saved Wine to glaze the Chef.

[gulfporter]

I grilled enough asparagus to last us a few meals. 

 

Today with take-away fried chicken.  When there's a green side with fried chicken, it becomes a healthy meal, no?

 

 

 

 

[Maison Rustique]

@gulfporter, I saved that Moroccan Chicken Thigh recipe and just like that, my food gifting friend showed up with a huge package of chicken thighs for me. Now I just need to shop for the rest of the ingredients and wait until this rainy spell is over so I can grill them.

[gulfporter]

40 minutes ago, Maison Rustique said:

@gulfporter, I saved that Moroccan Chicken Thigh recipe and just like that, my food gifting friend showed up with a huge package of chicken thighs for me. Now I just need to shop for the rest of the ingredients and wait until this rainy spell is over so I can grill them.

 

fyi, I dump all the spices and other ingredients for marinade in a beaker-like container and use my stick blender (the beaker came with my stick blender in fact).  I have a personal animosity to blenders and since discovering the stick, it's all I use.

[Tropicalsenior]

12 minutes ago, gulfporter said:

I have a personal animosity to blenders and since discovering the stick, it's all I use.

Me too but I keep forgetting I have the stick blender. I have a large plastic iced tea glass that I use for a beaker. It's really great when you're making mayonnaise. Put all the ingredients in the glass, use the blender and in 30 seconds you have mayonnaise.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

23 hours ago, weinoo said:

 - which are a royal pain in the ass to make, at least this first and possibly only time I'll make them.

 

 

just a pain in the ass to make into a ball shape.  The mixture is so sticky they're almost impossible to roll. 
 

Do you not like using a squeeze-handle ice cream scoop to shape meatballs, matzo balls, bread dumplings and the like?   Super easy, hands clean, uniform size and shape.

[C. sapidus]

Pan-seared bay scallops and shrimp with choo chee curry sauce: Simple curry paste of dried red chiles (soaked), long red chiles, lots of garlic, shallots, shrimp paste, lemongrass, and lemon zest (sub for lime leaves). Fry the paste with coconut cream, season with palm sugar and fish sauce, and then add seared shrimp and scallops at the end.

 

Broccolini stir-fried with garlic, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and white pepper. Simple and good.

 

Cilantro, sliced baby cucumbers, and microwave cilantro rice to go with.

 

Edited Tuesday at 10:54 PM by C. sapidus
No reason to fry the past! (log)

[Neely]

@TdeV Yes that is the Nigella recipe I was referring to. I made the cake as per her recipe but added the passion fruit icing as I had quite a few passion fruits to use up and it was quite nice. 

[weinoo]

As @Duvel posted over in the Easter 2025 topic, it's spargel season.

 

So I took myself to Cafe Katja last night...

 

 

For some spargel, boiled potatoes, and what I think was called Bauernschinken Ham.  Plenty good.

[Shelby]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

As @Duvel posted over in the Easter 2025 topic, it's spargel season.

 

So I took myself to Cafe Katja last night...

 

 

For some spargel, boiled potatoes, and what I think was called Bauernschinken Ham.  Plenty good.

STOP IT.  Between you and @Duvel I'm starving for this.  It's not even 8 in the morning over here.

[Paul Bacino]

Picked up a Snakeriver 2.5# bone in Ribeye

 

 

 

Cooked reverse sear  --225F   / about 2hrs to a temp of 122F   Rib Cap section  -- a slight miss had to bump to 250,  time issues

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 01:51 PM by Paul Bacino (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

3 minutes ago, Paul Bacino said:

Cooed reverse sear 

I'm so glad I found out about this method. It is great. I like my steak blood rare but my housemate, Carlos, likes his well done, ugh. However, even well done steak is still juicy and tender cooked reverse sear.

[Shelby]

Ronnie went to Sam's the other day and came home with a package of ahi tuna steaks.  I marinated in soy sauce and then sprinkled Everything Bagel Seasoning on them and seared.  Not too bad.  Also found a bag of edamame in the freezer--new to us.  I was shocked at how much Ronnie liked them.  A little carby but sigh oh well at least it was something new and fun to eat.

 

 

 

 

Turkey and bacon wraps

 

 

Wings, bacon wrapped asparagus and sigh salad lol.

 

 

SV'd pork chops, salad and brussels sprouts 

 

 

Easter was a splurge.  Prime rib, scalloped potatoes, more asparagus and homemade chocolate pudding with berries for dessert

 

 

[rotuts]

@Paul Bacino

 

I love rib cap .  it might be my favorite beef cut.  

 

I do like Blade , carefully trimmed of mid connective tissie

 

you Cut Above seems to have an unusually large cap.

 

is this the cap ?

 

 

drooling now .

[Raamo]

So last weekend we were in KC because my wife's Mother's Mother is 103, and her Dad's Dad is 98 (birthday party for him while we were there).

 

KC has a great restaurant at Hotel Kansas City called the Town Company (https://www.hotelkc.com/dine/the-town-company )

 

They have a bread service with 3 buns and a carrot / olive oil dip with a ton of spices that my wife really liked.  So she found: https://www.lahbco.com/dips/spicycarrotdip

 

She didn't add the parsley, added some smoked paprika (as the town company version had smoke) and the result has more orange then the TC, but I like it for that reason I think:

 

 

Oh and the rolls are the Parker house rolls from Modernist Bread - I have not mad them since I had gum surgery - but they use potato flakes - so my wife requested I use the flakes as our cat LOVES to lick the bag (I moved them to higher self so not an option any more)

 

So I made a double recipe (since I got a bigger KitchenAid mixer a few years ago that has a DC motor) so we're eating about 6 rolls a day and man are they good.

 

Tomorrow I'll try to take a picture of the Cannellini Bean recipe we made from a bean book we found at Powell's books in Portland on our recent trip.  It goes very well with these buns.