Dinner! 2002

[sng sling]

The Demi Glace Gold is made by More Than Gourmet. We get ours by mail from clubsauce.com in Denver and pick it up when we are in the US.

We also like the glace viande and the roast chicken base. The bases are allegedly made with real ingredients and no preservatives. I just brought some of their duck fat back to Singapore based on Jinmyo's comments about potatoes sauteeed in same.

I know real made from bones stock would taste better, but it just isn't going to happen in my life because of time pressures. These things are a compromise, but not much isn't...

[stefanyb]

Today I made a special salad that ended up surprising even me.

A friend of mine was able to obtain two softshelled lobsters that a diver friend had brought home. These are not like ss crabs where everything is edible. Just that the shells are softer and they actually have less meat than the usual lobsters we get.

We steamed these and removed the flesh and chilled it. To that, after they chilled, I added mayo, salt, pepper, vidalia onion, a little lemon juice and a fair amount of fresh lemon thyme leaves. Something very extraordinary happened. It tasted heavenly. The lobster flesh was succulent and the lemon thyme added just the right extra layer of flavor which "matched" (a la Iron Chef) with the lobster. I'm just loving this herb! It tastes something like mint and lemon, not thyme which tastes to me more like soil.

We had the lobster with cut up tomatoes and a baby spinach salad to round out the plate. Seven grain bread and fresh farm butter was the accompaniment. Simple but gorgeous.

[tommy]

To that, after they chilled, I added mayo, salt, pepper, vidalia onion, a little lemon juice and a fair amount of fresh lemon thyme leaves.  Something very extraordinary happened.  It tasted heavenly.

stefany-san, liza-san, or anyone else-san, is lemon thyme available in the NYC area?

[stefanyb]

stefany-san, is lemon thyme available in the NYC area?

Thom-Thom,

Yes, I actually brought a plant of lemon thyme with me to the Cape. I bought the plant at the Union Square Green Market. It may be a bit more difficult to find it now because planting season has passed just a little but I bet you could find it at a plant nursery in NJ. Otherwise, online for sure.

[Miss J]

A question for Miss J about roast garlic with your pea puree: is that a good match?

Robert, roast garlic (a whole head of it) was really good with the pureed peas - very rich and fragrant, and a nice counterpoint to the peas' sweetness. I imagine it would combine better with basil or another 'savoury' herb rather than mint, though. But if you wanted to use mint, maybe roasted shallots would work as well?

Miss J

[Liza]

Tommy-san, Lemon thyme is available in bunches from folks at Stokes...farm that is. They're at Union Square on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. (And at Tribeca on Saturday).

Ted Blew of High Hope Hogs/ Oak Grove Plantation sells lemon thyme plants - he's at Union Square Fr/Sat. Look for the green and white striped tents. Tell Ted we sent ya.

Last night: an ersatz-miso broth, with puntarelle (wild Catalonion chicory which looks like seaweed), lemongrass, ginger, preserved lemon, diced apple and mango, and real Spanish chorizo (from Kitchen Market). Steam mussels in this lovely concoction. Remove the mussels and strain the broth. Pour the broth over the mussels and devour. We're using the rest of the broth tonight with New Zealand cockles, shrimp and a finely-milled black rice flour pasta, which we're going to make into ravioli, and fill with pureed corn and goat cheese. NOTE TO JINMYO: the pasta was made with the turkey eggs...

[Jinmyo]

Liza, was there any substantial difference in the flavour of the pasta due to the turkey eggs?

And when are you going to have them just as, you know, eggs?

[Wilfrid]

Talking of eggs, I got into the goose variety at the weekend. $4 each, and they're massive (I meant to weigh one, but I forgot). They must weigh half a pound each.

I nearly "lost my bottle" and went the easy omelette/scrambled route, but in fact managed to cook one over easy without any difficulty. The shell, which is thick, took some breaking. I cracked the egg into a bowl, then tipped it gently into the hot oil. Like duck eggs, only more so, the albumen is dense and sturdy, and once it had become opaque, there was no problem turning the egg with a spatula. The yolk is so large, that I was able to wait until it had set around the outside, yet retaining a soft, liquid, just-done interior.

I was anticipating a fishy off-taste from descriptions I'd read before - perhaps diet-determined - but, no, the eggs were just exceptionally eggy. This might be a way of re-capturing one'd toddlerhood - encountering for the first time a huge, very eggy-tasting fried egg. You need plenty of good bread to mop up the yolk, and I helped the ample white out with tomato ketchup. One egg person is ample.

[Jinmyo]

Saffron potato and pea salad (cumin seed, coriander seed, black and white mustard seed, curry, saffron, salt and black pepper in butter and extra virgin olive oil and lime juice) with parsley; mushroom and red lentil daal (white and red onion, celery, garlic, cubanelle pepper, stewed roma tomatoes, white mushrooms, salt and black pepper, curry, fenugreek leaves, paprika, diced jalapeno) with a garnish of fresh coriander and diced and seeded roma tomatoes; shrimp pakora with curry breading.

[Jinmyo]

I nearly "lost my bottle" and went the easy omelette/scrambled route, but in fact managed to cook one over easy without any difficulty....

...This might be a way of re-capturing one'd toddlerhood - encountering for the first time a huge, very eggy-tasting fried egg.  You need plenty of good bread to mop up the yolk, and I helped the ample white out with tomato ketchup.  One egg person is ample.

Liza, see, this what I'm talking about. Surely, surely you must want a fried egg?

Wilfrid, unpacking the toddlerian perspective on uncovering the primordial encounter between the horizon of dasein-nipper with the vertical presence/precipice of eggyness of is a very cogent and tasty point. Not sure about the ketchup though.

[SobaAddict70]

Saturday I took a break from my recent spate of dining out -- Thursday @ GT, Friday @ Jewel Bako, and Sunday @ PrideFest here in NYC. PrideFest for those of you not in the know is your atypical NYC street fair held on Hudson and Washington streets in Greenwich Village, and is the conclusion of the NYC Gay and Lesbian Pride March, hosted by Heritage of Pride. I went in need of cheap material nourishment, and also for something to do. One trip through the press of flesh is enough for me...sorry, but streets in the Village weren't made for hordes of people....walking at a pace of an inch per minute is about as much fun as getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist. *shudder*

As food stands go, this year's offerings were pretty boring and not an Asian food stand was in sight, although there were far too many of the Italian sausage/pepper sandwiches and natural fruit smoothies out there.

Anyway, Saturday: Bolognese sauce with penne rigati; peaches and strawberries tossed with a few grains of white pepper and a sprinkle of rose water.

I went all out with the Bolognese sauce -- a mirepoix of celery, celery leaves, onions and carrots which I sweated in a mixture of butter and olive oil, to which I added ground beef and lamb (I used ground meat as a nod to American convenience; if I wanted a really traditional version, I would have added snipped meat from cubes of beef and lamb), chopped mortadella, crushed Italian plum tomatoes, tomato paste, a little milk, and herbs. I cooked the sauce down for about two or three hours, then served it with penne rigati, and grated Parmagianno reggiano.

I picked up some nice tomatoes, with which I made a chipotle-roasted tomato salsa, for tonight's dinner -- broiled chicken breasts, rice pilaf, steamed veggies. Nothing complicated -- this is how I eat most of the time, except when I feel the need to flex my cooking muscles...hehe.

If anyone's interested, I can post the recipe for the salsa when I get home from work.

[Wilfrid]

I would be interested in that salsa, Soba. I must get back into making salsas again - it's been a long time.

I tried making palette de porc fermier au forn yesterday, from the Paris in a Basket book. The recipe suggested asking my butcher to bone the pork shoulder. I did it myself, because I value a tough aerobic work out. Wiping my sweat from the boned joint, I stuffed it with fresh thyme and garlic, tied it up, and threaded lots of thyme and some bayleaves through the string. Essentially, the joint bakes in white wine. I scored the skin to get some crackling (very successful), but although I extended the baking time beyond the recipe's recommendations, I found the joint a little rare in the middle after I had rested and sliced it. The sauce made from the pan juices, with a little more wine, was pleasant, but a somewhat bland dish overall. Might be nice served cold with some salsa - I do have rather a lot left!

[Wilfrid]

I went a very successful second round with the pork shoulder last night. That's the great thing about a lot of the kind of cooking I do - you get a second chance! Although I had let the joint stand a long time before serving yesterday, another night in the refrigerator improved it enormously. The whole thing seemed to relax.

I started my favorite simple sauce in a large skillet - equal parts mustard and butter creamed together over the heat, then add a little non-chilled white wine. I also added a little of the pan juices, which had turned into a cute brown jelly overnight. I had enough sauce only to moisten the skillet. I cut thick slices from the joint, and put them in the skillet to warm trhough gently. That done, I removed the meat to hot plates, and finished the sauce in the pan, checking the seasoning. The meat was tender now, the sauce worked against any blandness, and I garnished the dish with fresh peas cooked with mint. An inexpensive young Cawarra Semillon Chardonnay from Lindeman's to drink, and the end of bucheron de chevre to follow.

[Liza]

Sounds delicious, Wilfrid.

D. scored some incredibly large fresh scallops from the Karlin's at Union Square, as well as fresh fava beans and tiny chanterelles. I got the favas out of their jackets, while D. sauteed the chanterelles in butter with fresh thyme and tarragon, and chopped shallot. Oh and fresh young garlic. Added the favas at the end. Quickly singe-d the scallops and served. So much freshness, a perfect early summer treat. The Karlin's are there on Mondays and Saturdays and I do recommend their fish.

[Priscilla]

Hey I had Semillon Chardonnay, too. Columbia Crest.

Turned out to be just the Consort and me. The child was invited around the corner for banana split/chocolate shake/"Empire Strikes Back" dinner at the neighbor's.

So we had a cold array on the (recently power-washed by me) flagstone:

Soused scad, (actually round scad, but that'd ruin the alliteration, wouldn't it), and supergiant lima beans that had been cooked slowly with garlic, sage, and olive oil in the falling-heat method Jim Dixon has described, with additional fresh olive oil and Maldon salt added for service, summer squash fritters, made with grated yellow zucchini-type, Gold Bar, might be called, and Pecorino Romano in the mix, and skinny ficelle-type bread from the Vietnamese bakery.

(Round scad, a fish I'd never seen before, looked so nice the other day at the pan-Asian supermarket, immediately put me in mind of bistroish marinated herring/sardines/mackeral. The affable young man back there behind the ice floes was gracious about eviscerating, topping, tailing. At home, consulted Alan Davidson, saw indeed that they would suit my plan. Prepared according to soused mackeral directions from Craig Claiborne with a little input from T-L FotW Cooking of the British Isles. Employed malt vinegar, which is good, because we'd been trying brands and the one we thought too mild for table use was put to good use. Round scad is a very nice little fish, turns out.)

Priscilla

[Jinmyo]

It's been hot .

Zaru soba (cold soba noodles with ngoc mam vinaigrette and slivered scallions, garnished with chile threads); hiyayakko (cold block of silken tofu in a shoyu dashi with a slice of red radish as garnish); salad of daikon, fennel, and red bell pepper slivers with a lime vinaigrette and nori and gomasio; pickled mango, daikon kimchee, and gari (pickled ginger).

[SobaAddict70]

Wilfrid (and anyone else):

Fire-Roasted Tomato and Chipotle Salsa

This will make about 4 cups. The heat is about moderate, a 5 or so on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being incendiary and 1 barely noticeable.

1/4 c. plus 1 T. OO* (olive oil)

1/2 onion, peeled and chopped

2 lbs. Roma tomatoes, blackened (or plum tomatoes)

4 t. finely minced roasted garlic

1/2 c. minced fresh cilantro leaves

4 chipotle chiles en adobo, chopped

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 T. salt

1 t. sugar

1. Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat until lightly smoking. Add the onion and saute until the onion is caramelized, about 10 minutes. Transfer the onion, half the blackened tomatoes and garlic to a food processor or blender, and pulse until finely chopped but not pureed. Add the cilantro and chipotle chiles, and pulse again to mix.

2. Peel, seed and chop the remaining pound of tomatoes, and fold together with the remaining 1/4 c. of olive oil, vinegar, salt and sugar.

You can substitute 2 lbs. of tomatillos for the tomatoes. Husk and rinse the tomatillos, and blacken them before using.

[Wilfrid]

Thanks for the salsa. I will endeavour to add it to my grilling preparations for tomorrow.

Last night, the final round with the pork shoulder. Sliced into strips, tossed in a hot pan, and served in (store-bought) soft tortillas, with salad (raspberry vinaigrette) and a smear of mustard. No pork for me today, I think.

And then I discovered my Beloved had given away the tub of ice cream I had bought. To some childrens' party or something.

[helenas]

Stuffed zucchini with pecorino toscano sauce:

[SobaAddict70]

Yesterday: Took a can of Italian tuna packed in olive oil, and tossed that along with some chopped Italian parsley, EVOO, capers, crushed and pitted Gaeta olives, some lemon juice and minced lemon zest, and LOTS of freshly cracked black pepper over tagliatelle. Haagen-Dasz mango sorbet.

[Jinmyo]

It was hot:

Egg salad (fresh mayonaisse, capers, lemon zest, minced scallion) sandwiches with fried hot capicolla ham and arugala on sourdough bread; range of olives and pickles; thickly sliced roma tomatoes marinated in truffle vinegar, topped with ricotta and salmon roe.

[bushey]

Excellent eats on July the 4th, despite the heat and humidity.

Breakfast was homemade strawberry buttermilk pancakes with applewood smoked bacon. Cooked the bacon in the oven for the first time -- a tip from Silver Palate Cookbook that I never got around to trying. Arrange bacon slices on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for about ten minutes or so. Excellent results, no splattering all over the cooktop.

Lunch -- kid sized soft serve chocolate-vanilla twist with butterscotch dip.

Dinner was grilled double thick lambchops with a sprinkling of sea salt and kale sauteed in olive oil and garlic until some of the leaves are dry and crispy. No fuss, delicious food. Dessert was orange ice (Minute Maid frozen push up).

[Liza]

We've done it: the Jeremiah Tower's poached chicken, that is. Puree some pancetta and cremini mushrooms. Stuff the lot under the skin of a chicken. Fill the cavity with lemon and rosemary. Wrap the chicken in cheesecloth and poach in a pot of water with carrots, celery, bouquet garni, onions and whatever you think of or have on hand, in our case, a little ginger and lemongrass. Tonight, a new chicken is poaching in that, plus a little lovage. To be served with couscous.

[Ron Johnson]

At the lake for the weekend, so that meant cooking on the grill.

(1) Lamb chops marinated in EVOO, garlic, rosemary, and peppercorns. Grilled quickly, served medium rare with grilled white corn, sliced tomatoes.

(2) Salmon fillets crusted with paste of minced fresh herbs (dill, cilantro, parsley, chives), ground pepper, paprika, cayenne, sea salt, lemon, and EVOO. Grilled to medium/medium rare. Served with grilled white corn, organic salad greens dressed in dijon, EVOO, shallots, and black pepper.

(3) Whole hen butterflied. Under skin paste of butter and herbs. On skin dry rub of paprika, dry herbs, garlic, black pepper, sea salt. Placed breast down over extremely hot coals until skin is seared crisp, then turned over and placed on other side of the grill away from the coals, draped with slices of country ham and allowed to roast for about 40 minutes over indirect heat. Served with potatoes layer in foil with salt and pepper and butter, organic salad greens dressed as above, and crusty bread.

The country ham was just crisped at the end of the roasting period and was delicious with the chicken meat. It was by far the most flavorful and juicy chicken that I have ever prepared.

[Adam Balic]

Tomato/basil/buffalo mozzarella and olive oil

ravioli stuffed with either: truffle or ricotta and pumpkin or ricotta with spinach (butter and sage dressing)

roast veal loin smothered with fresh porcini

cannelini beans with garlic and sage, rape (beetroot or swisschard tops) with olive oil and garlic

roasted peaches with amaretti souffle "bonnets", gelati crema.

Cooking in Italy is fun.