Dinner! 2002

[torakris]

Last night's dinner:

Thai style curry using left over soup from lunch, the winter quash soup with lemongrass and coconut milk was dresed up with more coconut milk, more lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf. It was then added to sauteed chicken, onions, and mushrooms and garnished with cilantro and chilesm

Served with jasmine rice and a Thai cucumber salad.

Dessert was the hilight of the meal with a mint chocolate mousse from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer. No words can describe the sheer ecstacy from this unbelievably simple dessert.

[mhadam]

Tonight's dinner was a pork loin (15 pounder) baked on a bed of homemade apple/peach jam. As the jam thickened and caramelized, I added a glass of !998 Napa Chardonnay (from the coastal regions) and rolled the meat over. I took it out of the oven at 150 degrees and by the time I cut it, it was a perfect 155 and still wonderfully juicy.

Sides: caramelized carrots and onions, homemade stuffing and roasted red potatoes (roasted with duck fat).

To drink, the rest of the 98 Chardonnay.

And the best part, my husband did the dishes.

And tomorrow for lunch pork loin sandwiches.

[pjs]

Priscilla, I like to always have a bottle of Pernod or Ricard around--nothing better for finishing seafood--but I've never heard of "51". Is it something I need to do a futile search for in my current backwater habitat?

PJ

[Priscilla]

Pjs, 51 is an anise liqueur like Pernod and Ricard, and I believe all three are made by the same company. I don't know the differences, if any. Probably somebody here does, and I hope he or she will weigh in.

I have a soft spot for 51 because, among other reasons, the domestic French bottle is an ultracool rectangular shape, like Boodles gin bottles. But, sadly, in duty-free and in the U.S., 51 bottles look quite like all the other bottles on the shelf. At least it's still 51 inside! But 51 or Ricard or Pernod would be welcome in my liquor cab. Plus Marie Brizard, too, which is anise + vanilla, isn't it, which I haven't tapped for seafood use but now I'm giving myself ideas...hmmm.

[Gavin Jones]

I think the main brands of Pastis may use artificial anise flavouring now & certainly very limited application of other botanicals.

For drinking I like Henri Baudouin.

[Wilfrid]

A five buck boiling chicken, marinated in home-made sazon - oh, it's a greenish puree of fresh cilantro, lime juice, onion, garlic and god knows what else - and simmered to tenderness. Rice and pink beans.

[Jinmyo]

Wilfrid, I've only seen packaged sazon. If you have the time and are confortable in doing so could you please tell me what are the ingredients?

[Priscilla]

I think the main brands of Pastis may use artificial anise flavouring now & certainly very limited application of other botanicals.

For drinking I like Henri Baudouin.

Thank you, Gavin. Would vastly prefer non-unnaturally flavored pastis. An educated consumer is a...is a...is a consumer who continues to drink pastis.

Never heard of Henri Baudouin. Will look for. And, drinking, OK, but what about cooking?

Last night steak frites small pan sauce creamed spinach Black Mountain Zinfandel 2000 not bad.

[rich]

tiny bowl of a tomato consomme or some such?

Jin, I enjoy making all types of soup, but have never been successful with tomato consomme. I know it's relatively simple, but it always comes out bland tasting.

Do you have a special method or ingredient? What type of tomatoes do you use?

Thanks!

[SobaAddict70]

temporary antidote to my cold (which is in the phlegm stuffy nose stage; translation: its on its way out, yay for me):

chicken vindaloo

baighan bharta (this is eggplant, peas and spices cooked in a creamy, yogurt-based sauce)

coconut rice pilaf (rice, ghee, sweet spices, coconut milk, shredded coconut)

spicy plum chatni

sweet laasi

SA

[Jinmyo]

Jin, I enjoy making all types of soup, but have never been successful with tomato consomme. I know it's relatively simple, but it always comes out bland tasting.

Do you have a special method or ingredient? What type of tomatoes do you use?

Thanks!

It all depends.

In summer I use San Marzano (style) roma tomatoes. I chop or use a processor, season, strain through cheescloth into a bowl in the refrigerator.

In winter I sometimes used tinned San Marzanos along with shallots and celery, salt and pepper.

I often have a gallon or two in ziploc bags in the freezer made from tomato skins and guts while doing concasse.

Sometimes I'll spike it with a touch of Stolli or some herbal essence.

I think that the main thing really is to just use enough salt to draw out the water.

[Liza]

baighan bharta (this is eggplant, peas and spices cooked in a creamy, yogurt-based sauce)

SA,

If you have the time and are comfortble doing so, would you mind providing a more specific recipe for the baighan bharta - it sounds delicious.

Many thanks

[Toby]

Southeast Asian dinner --

Chicken soup with cilantro, scallions, onion, shallots and garlic (Laos).

Grilled eggplant braised with ground beef (Vietnamese).

Country-style pork ribs, first marinated in hoisin and fish sauce, then grilled (Vietnamese).

Stir-fried Savoy cabbage with pork, dried chiles and ginger (Yunnan).

Sticky rice (Laos).

Butter-rum tart served with ricotta cheese flavored with rum and sugar (not Southeast Asian).

(The recipes are great, but Hot Sour Salty Sweet has to be the most physically unwieldy cookbook ever printed.)

[Liza]

Leg of lamb from Three Field Corner Farm, of Shushan NY (available Mondays at Union Square). Roasted, served with a green curry sauce and celeraic puree.

[torakris]

Southeast Asian dinner --

Chicken soup with cilantro, scallions, onion, shallots and garlic (Laos).

Grilled eggplant braised with ground beef (Vietnamese).

Country-style pork ribs, first marinated in hoisin and fish sauce, then grilled (Vietnamese).

Stir-fried Savoy cabbage with pork, dried chiles and ginger (Yunnan).

Sticky rice (Laos).

Butter-rum tart served with ricotta cheese flavored with rum and sugar (not Southeast Asian).

(The recipes are great, but Hot Sour Salty Sweet has to be the most physically unwieldy cookbook ever printed.)

Sounds great!!

This has got to be one of my favorite cookbooks! Though I don't have counter space big enough for it!

Definitely worth the price, although it was bought for me by a TV station here in Tokyo (long story).

My absolute favorites are the grilled eggplant salad and Yunnanese potatoes, I never seem to make enough of either.

Last nights's dinner was very child friendly due to the fact that I was watching my friend's kids:

nikujaga (very popular Japanese dish of beef 'niku' and potatoes 'jaga'imo simmered in soy based sauce, I added carrots, onions, and shirataki and blanched snow peas for garnish)

homemade nukazuke (rice bran pickles) with cucumbers, carrots, and celery

Japanese rice

squid sashimi topped with a raw egg yolk, a splash of tsuyu (a concentrated sauce used mainly for dipping noodles) and shredded nori

sliced nashi (Japanese pears) and kaki (persimmons) for dessert

[Jinmyo]

nikujaga (very popular Japanese dish of beef 'niku' and potatoes 'jaga'imo simmered in soy based sauce, I added carrots, onions, and shirataki and blanched snow peas for garnish)

torakris, I've never been able to find a truly good use for shirataki (yam paste noodles). Flavourless. Any suggestions? I find people regret their presence in dishes.

[helenas]

Chicken thighs with preserved lemon, rosemary and pancetta chips served with green salad and ciabatta.

Cornmeal-chardonnay cake for dessert (Ann Willan "Cooking with Wine")

[LaNiña]

dahi batata puri, chicken curry, zucchini with ginger and onions, sweet and spicy tomato/raisin chutney, raita, basmati rice, salad, berries with creme fraiche. sherry to start, beer with meal, some moscato d'asti with dessert.

yum.

[torakris]

nikujaga (very popular Japanese dish of beef 'niku' and potatoes 'jaga'imo simmered in soy based sauce, I added carrots, onions, and shirataki and blanched snow peas for garnish)

torakris, I've never been able to find a truly good use for shirataki (yam paste noodles). Flavourless. Any suggestions? I find people regret their presence in dishes.

I really like shirataki, but it is flavorless and I find it works best in sauces with assertive flavors.

The most common uses for it here are in nikujaga and sukiyaki and a couple other nabes (hotpots). I like to throw it into my Korean style chiges as well.

One of my kids favorite ways of eating it is to simmer tarako (sacs of cod roe?) with some soy, aske, mirin or sugar, break up the sacs and toss in some shirataki, it ends up looking not much different from pasta.

[Adam Balic]

Boiled two kilos of squat lobsters in salted water. Served with melted Italian alpine butter, toasted sour dough bread and lemon wedges. They really are the nicest flavoured crustacean that I have eaten. Pity they aren't commercially fished.

Shaved a small summer truffle over some egg pasta (sauced in butter/olive oil). Nice. Truffle has made fridge a little stinky though.

[Wilfrid]

Dr Balic, I am about to post a crustacea question in the Adventures forum, relating to the first course of last night's dinner, which I shall tentatively call:

Crayfish mayonnaise

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Lamb shank braised in its own fat, red wine and dried cherry sauce

Sweet potato mash

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Forsterkase

***

Chateauneuf-du-Pape '98

[GordonCooks]

One Sunday a month is dinner for all my single friends (it's probably the only home-cooked meal a lot of them get) I cook - they bring dessert and DVDs. It was a bid bowl of zucchini marinara and fresh bread to start. Green salad with heirloom tomatoes, nicoise olives, and toasted pine nuts. Herb roasted chickens stuffed with red onion and golden delicious apples, Pumpkin Porcini risotto, roasted fingerlings, carrots, onions, and garlic cloves, and some asparagus in truffle butter. Everyone got a to-go container

[Rhea_S]

I had friends over for a casual lunch yesterday: homemade wonton soup with noodles, sweet potato and shrimp fritters. For whatever reason, not a single Chinese restaurant here can make decent wontons. They all use the thicker gyoza wrapper and fill them with minced bbq pork or ground pork flavoured with hoisin sauce. Then, they drown them in bright yellow, salty bouillon water.

[FoodMan]

Saturday night:

Homemade hand tossed Pizza, topped with homemade tomato sauce, marinated artichoke hearts, olives, oil preserved sundried tomatoes, fresh mozz, and shiffonade of basil. This was the first time I try Alton Brown's pizza dough where you let it proof in the refrigerator for a few hours (about 6) instead of in a warm place for an hour. The result was superb, the crust was crispy with a nice chew. This is defenitly the way to go with pizza dough.

Sunday night:

I tried Jamie Oliver's Chicken cooked with milk (from the "Happy Days" cook book). basically it's a chicken roasted/braised with milk, butter, sage, a cinnamon stick, lemon zest and I added half a preserved lemon to the mix. The milk forms very tasty curds and the "whey" is a wonderful sauce. I served it with smoked tasso ham polenta. A satisfying Sunday dinner.

FM

edit to add picture

[Jim Dixon]

Friday...

salad of Asian pear, celery leaves, blue cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt (stole concept from Kenny Giambalvo at Bluehour...he uses apple, no blue cheese)

lamb shanks braised in red wine, verjus, beef stock with carrot, onion, celery

slow-baked Corona beans with sage, garlic, olive oil

celery gratin

Sunday...

leek, potato, celery root soup with creme fraiche

Jim