Dinner! 2002

[Liza]

Soba and Toby: Wow.

Slightly different route taken last night, as D. was soaked to the bones at the market all day: Homemade chicken soup with our first ever matzoh balls.

Sliced Bleeding Heart tomato (one enormous tomato the size of a two year old's head) topped with garlic nips, basil, goat cheese, olive oil, S&P.

[Sandra Levine]

Oven-roasted chicken stuffed with lemon and rosemary.  (Sandra took care of part of the prep -- rubbed olive oil on the skin, stuffed lemon quarters and herbs in the cavity, etc.)

-

Rosemary in the cavity, to be exact. Then, I sauteed both chickens for five minutes on each side in olive oil, using Toby's fabulously-seasoned cast-iron pans, turned the birds on their backs, sprinkled them with sea salt and roasted them at 375 for 45 minutes, ending at 425 for the last 10-15, turning them twice during the roasting. No basting.

Soba and Toby -- thank you for pulling this together. Not only was it fun, but the food was delicious.

[Toby]

The beets, greens and peaches, all from the market were delicious, especially the beets. I can't remember the order in which we drank the wine, except the Ridge was last; we never opened the syrah (good thing, too). The cast iron pans are Griswold, made in Erie, PA, I think the best ever made in U.S. I got them years ago in thriftstores, already seasoned, and they've stayed perfectly seasoned with no special care.

Thanks to everyone (especially Soba, who was a delight to cook with) for coming and helping. It was so much fun.

[Priscilla]

Sounds like a lovely menu at Toby's. Beet greens are my favorite green.

Last evening at the end of a 100-degree day, representing improvement since the day before was 106 or similar, pasta, linguine, with raw tomato sauce.

Diced Brandywines macerated with garlic and sage pastified in the mortar & pestle, a little minced onion, olive oil, Pecorino Romano when the time came. Also cymling (pattypan, but I'm calling 'em cymlings now) squash sliced, brushed with olive oil and grilled, seasoned, dressed with a little red-wine vinegar and a little more olive oil, served at ambient temp. Nice French-bakery baguette brought by a guest.

[Stephanie]

Last night I made a homemade pasta with salmon cream sauce, which stemmed from a purchase of bavatini with dill from the Morisi-Coppola pasta factory. Put water up and made the sauce as soon as the pasta went in the pot. Chopped a sweet onion (not a regular yellow one) and sauteed that in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Added salt, pepper, dried dill, and a little juice squeezed from a lemon half. Another couple of minutes, then added some heavy cream and chopped fresh parsley. As the bavatini was almost done, I added some cut-up smoked salmon and a splash of chenin blanc I'd been drinking during this whole process, cooking just long enough for the salmon to firm up.

Since I had lots of heavy cream left over, afterwards I made a batch of whipped cream (by hand--lots of work with the whisk). Took half a brownie I had, topped it with whipped cream, then added some Haagen-Dazs raspberry gelato on the side of the plate. Great dinner! And yes, I did this all just for myself--gotta stay in practice. Now, however, I have to dispose of all this whipped cream before it goes bad.

[SobaAddict70]

BklynEats,

As the Austrians are fond of doing, why not serve schlag (sweetened whipped cream) just for schlag's sake? Or with ripe peaches/plums/nectarines/berries?

Personally, I could eat a bowl of schlag and call it breakfast, but that's just me.

hehe

SA

[CathyL]

Make more brownies!

[yvonne johnson]

Why did I have to go to work today? What a fine meal thanks to Toby and Soba. All of it was wonderful, but here are some special mentions: the beets with herbs; the spaghetti with garlic and tiny tomatoes--was spectacular, so sweet yet the pasta retained its own flavor; the Ridge wine was especially terrific and the sweet brioche & then the peach dessert were great with Toby's home made quince & cognac liqueur. Fun it was.

[Sandra Levine]

The memory of those desserts got me through yesterday.

[Jinmyo]

Slices of rare lamb liver on a bed of caramelized onion topped with chopped smoked bacon; very rare lamb kidney with turnip puree and a drizzle of mint oil; slow braised lamb shoulder, pulled, mixed with mache and Dijon vinaigrette with rosemary and garlic crostini; pureed pea and mint soup with a roasted red pepper and chevre disc.

[Stephanie]

BklynEats,

As the Austrians are fond of doing, why not serve schlag (sweetened whipped cream) just for schlag's sake?  Or with ripe peaches/plums/nectarines/berries?

Personally, I could eat a bowl of schlag and call it breakfast, but that's just me.

hehe

SA

Actually, I did end up buying a pint each of blueberries & strawberries, enough for 2 servings, which I had mit der schlag after dinner last night & probably tonight too.

[Wilfrid]

California squab, brined, then stuffed with prunes (soaked in Clavados) and their own livers, flamed in the Calvados, roasted, and served with a red wine reduction and Puy lentils with lardons and pearl onions.

A rich chevre calling itself Tomme de Grand-Mere (how twee) to follow.

[Jinmyo]

Gyoza. Lots of gyoza.

Filled with glass vermicelli, shitake, scallions. Red wine vinegar and ginger dipping sauce.

Kimchee and pulled lamb shoulder.

Lontong (a kind of South East Asian rice cake) in one inch thick slices, fried, with a sambal dipping sauce.

Salad of slivered daikon and scallions with a sesame dressing and toasted peanuts and pine nuts.

Chicken wings with a (mirin sweetened) chile sauce.

Cold Korean cucumber soup (oinaeng-guk).

Welcome back, Wilfrid.

[Miss J]

Fish-fragrant aubergines

Courgette silvers stir-fried with garlic

Steamed rice

A bottle of Thai lager

[Priscilla]

Nice rectangle of steelhead, on the grill, skin nicely crispified. Landed upon very thinly sliced very very ripe Brandywine tomatoes, last-minute pesto atop melting over all. Pointing up yet again how farmed salmon just can't compete, taste- and texture-wise. (...Leaving aside momentarily the question of whether farmed fish is even wholesome, nowadays.)

[CathyL]

A pork tenderloin, marinated briefly in an oil-warmed paste of minced garlic, oregano, cumin and pimenton (mix of hot and sweet). Grilled whole, sliced and set atop a salad of romaine, arugula and radicchio with sherry vinaigrette.

[tommy]

tonite was such a nice night here in these parts, i passed up a sushi reservation to throw some chicken breasts (bone and skin on) on da grill. since i had no good ideas, i figured i'd rub it with this left over rub that i had from way back. i nabbed it from our own col. klink, who is clearly a masterrubber.

boy oh boy did it turn out pretty good. i made a lot of the rub, oh shit, back in May i'm embarrassed to say. but it's been in tupperware, and still had a lot going on.

sauteed spinach with ginger, garlic, a dash of soy and a shot or 10 of chili oil for the side.

the chicken cooked super fast on the grill. the rub started almost burning at first as i had the heat too high. but it turned out crispy and juicy.

it *definitely* turned out better than this pic did.

(edited to brighten pic...still looks like a brick of nothingness )

for those interested, col klink's recipe was as follows:

1/2 cup dried garlic

2 tbsps cayenne pepper

1/4 cup paprika

1/4 cup sumac

3 tbsps turmeric

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup coarse ground pepper

[Jinmyo]

tommy, the picture is a bit dark but I'm sure it was nice and crispy. I usually don't like chicken breast but this sounds good.

[tommy]

tommy, the picture is a bit dark but I'm sure it was nice and crispy. I usually don't like chicken breast but this sounds good.

it was on the bone with skin, so, you know, it almost had flavor.

[SobaAddict70]

Fish ball soup: chicken stock, fish balls, glass noodles, minced scallions, shredded pickled ginger.

Broiled tofu, topped with miso paste, minced scallions, nori flakes and gomasio.

BROWN RICE (see? I do eat the stuff on occasion. hehe).

Evian. Apricots.

[Adam Balic]

Vietnamese noodle salad (sans Vietnamese Mint ).

Vietnamese grill pork.

[Wilfrid]

Veal braised in white wine, carrots (batonettes, of course), pearl onions. On a big white plate. I must get a digital camera. It was so...I don't know...sensible-looking. Rabbit Ridge cabernet. Cheese.

[awbrig]

In about 5 minutes I will begin to prepare:

Macadamian Nut Crusted Chicken Breast with Lemongrass-Coconut Emulsion and Basil Herb Oil.

and Snickers Ice cream bars for desert...lol

[SobaAddict70]

Thursday: anchovy spread (combine caramelized, slow-cooked onions in EVOO with pref. salt-packed anchovies (if you must get oil-packed, be sure to get the ones that come in a glass jar, at any Italian specialty food shop or someplace like D&D); cook until the anchovies disintegrate into a paste like substance. When you combine the onions and anchovies, be sure that the amount of liquid in the pan has reduced or is poured off, as the result should be a nearly dry sauce.), spread on thickly buttered pieces of bread -- sort of like an anchovy bruschetta. I recently learned the proper method to cook anchovies, courtesy of Marcella Hazan -- where have I been all these years(!). Special thanks to Toby for letting me borrow one of her cookbooks. Also, pan-seared halibut; roasted potatoes. sauteed sliced baby carrots and fennel in unsalted butter, salt, pepper. Perrier.

Last night: black risotto (soffritto, calamari, squid ink, arborio rice, white wine, salt, white pepper, unsalted butter, chopped Italian parsley). sliced tomatoes w/EVOO, salt and pepper. Evian. Nectarines.

[Liza]

Seared Wagyu beef (not worth the $, if you ask me). Mashed potatoes with Cypress Grove Midnight Moon goat cheese; braised kale; grilled clams as a starter.

A pot of Suvir's tomato chutney sending new flavors all over the house.