Dinner! 2002

[Robert Schonfeld]

Priscilla, If I'm feeling ultra-ambitious (very rare), I make orechiette for the peas-ricotta-bacon dish; otherwise, I look for small shells.

[SobaAddict70]

Soba, I love cottage cheese mixed with lots of stuff. (Nixon was excoriated for loving to eat cottage cheese with ketchup). Bacon, strawberry jam, chopped onion. But I never thought to put Mrs. Dash in it. I have a closet full of the stuff, and several of her offspring--little Dashes, each different combinations of herbs and spices. All low sodium.

So how did this inspired marriage taste?

Pretty inspiring. Next time I'll add a little less Mrs. Dash and a lot more red pepper flakes. The sauteed onions were key though. I'm thinking maybe caramelized onions and garlic in some EVOO with a fillet of anchovy tossed in for kicks. a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and a handful of chopped sultana raisins or red currants. Not bad for an appetizer.

Egulleteers: Don't try this at your next dinner or dinner party unless you want people to look at you funny. The above is an example of my weird food combo inspirations I get from time to time. I once made my version of Swedish meatballs by cooking ground beef meatballs in a sauce composed of melted grape jelly and green Tabasco. It turned out not bad -- only a dish a mad scientist or a mother could love. hehe

Friday: Dinner at Home Restaurant. Not worthy enough for a report on the NYC restaurant board, imo. But it was nice enough for what it was. Cornmeal fried oysters with a radish/green onion slaw and basil tartare. Puree of wild mushrooms and barley soup. Roasted chicken with garlicky greens and deep fried Vidalia onion rings, homemade ketchup. Spice-crusted pork chop with country ham and frisee salad, white corn griddle cake and homemade barbecue sauce. Pellegrino. Blueberry cheesecake with blueberry sauce.

---------

Saturday: Seared some scallops; for the sauce, reduced a half cup of fresh squeezed orange juice, added in a few knobs of butter, tossed in some julienned orange and lemon zest. Plated the scallops with a drizzle of the citrus sauce on top.

Sauteed some garlic and an anchovy fillet in some EVOO. Added a dried red chile pepper. Tossed in cooked spaghetti with a little of the pasta cooking water (discarded the red pepper). Cooked a little more, added some fried breadcrumbs and minced Italian parsley.

Pellegrino. Orange sections, macerated in a couple of teaspoons of rose water.

--------

Sunday: Roasted some garlic cloves, carrots, onions and tomatoes. In a pot of simmering chicken stock, added the vegetables (peeled the garlic first). White pepper, salt. Chopped fresh oregano. Added a can of black beans. Cooked for about ten to fifteen minutes, then pureed the soup in batches. Garnished with some chopped tomatoes, a spoonful of sour cream, and a chiffonade of basil.

Leftover chicken breast from lunch, which I made into a sandwich with some cranberry chutney, sliced tomatoes and rye bread. Pellegrino.

Caramelized some bananas in some butter. Sprinkle of light rum over the bananas. Served over vanilla ice cream.

[Wilfrid]

A bowl of garbure from the freezer last night - a cabbage and bean soup enriched with smoked bacon, pig's tails and other good things. It froze very well, except for the little potatoes, which had become grainy and had to be jettisoned.

Then home-made oxtail empanadas. Great texture contrast between the moist, tender oxtail and the pastry cases. I added red pepper flakes to some of them.

[Priscilla]

Priscilla, If I'm feeling ultra-ambitious (very rare), I make orechiette for the peas-ricotta-bacon dish; otherwise, I look for small shells.

Wow handmade orechiette. Ambitious, indeed! I can imagine the texture is perfection with the bacon, peas, ricotta. (My 10-year-old sometimes requests farfalle with this sauce, which is one of his favorites.)

A whole string of good-sounding meals, here, yet again.

Initially forgot: For Bastille Day's late evening supper, cheese souffle, salade, Frenchy French bread from the Vietnamese baker, and cold pink Cote de Ventoux.

[yvonne johnson]

Last night consort made strip steak with potato and bacon cake and red wine butter a la Portale. A very fine dish. A bottle of Australian (Rosemount) shiraz to go with it.

[rlynnw]

The Roma tomatoes were so excellent at the market. So last night I couldn't resist making Fideo.

[FoodMan]

Hmm.  I may well have dumped too many in the pan at once, thus reducing the temperature.  I'll have to give it another try.

Thanks.

It might help to also pat them dry before cooking in a very hot pan. It works for me.

FM

[polly]

Last night i made chicken tikka masala (tandoori style chicken in a creamy tomato sauce with julienned ginger, among other things)

Sliced mushroom, zucchini and brussel sprouts sauteed in a base of fresh grated coconut fried with onions and mustard seeds

Simple raita

sweet eggplant chutney

Hot mango pickle

Basmati rice

Yum...

[tommy]

thanks to rlynnw on the recent "herbs" thread, i took some of my herbs, of which i have too many, and put them to good use...

jersey tomatoes, cut in half, topped with evoo, s/p, fresh thyme, grilled, and then topped with fresh basil. served with grilled steak. holy shnikies. this was the best tomato i've ever had. i don't even *like* tomatoes.

i think the next time i want a light summer pasta, i'll halve 8 tomatoes, give them the same treatment as above, bake for 20 minutes, and toss with some pasta. yikes, i think that will be goooood.

someone please tell me if the above pasta thing is something that is generally done. tanks.

[tommy]

Last night i made chicken tikka masala (tandoori style chicken in a creamy tomato sauce with julienned ginger, among other things)

Sliced mushroom, zucchini and brussel sprouts sauteed in a base of fresh grated coconut fried with onions and mustard seeds

Simple raita

sweet eggplant chutney

Hot mango pickle

Basmati rice

Yum...

from a jar? that's not an insult, but i'm just thinking that i often use jarred stuff, and can't imagine making it from scratch. if you do, please share!

[LaNiña]

What from a jar, Tommy?

[yvonne johnson]

I think tommy might be getting his jars and mugs--there's a whole host of rich ingedients in the latter--very muddled up.

[tommy]

tikka masala. duh.

[mynamejoe]

i think the next time i want a light summer pasta, i'll halve 8 tomatoes, give them the same treatment as above, bake for 20 minutes, and toss with some pasta.  yikes, i think that will be goooood.

someone please tell me if the above pasta thing is something that is generally done.  tanks.

I've done something like that. I take tomatoes, blanch to remove the skin, chop 1/2"x 1/2", and mix with basil, chopped garlic and garlic-infused olive oil. I like the grilling idea better, hope you don't mind if I put it on a menu someday.

[LaNiña]

i swear it's not hard to make. tikka masala i mean.

[tommy]

I like the grilling idea better, hope you don't mind if I put it on a menu someday.

no problem as long as you name it after me. and send me money.

i think you'll tend to lose juices when grilling, unless that's your goal. i'm looking foward to trying what you desribed for a light summer lunch. (yeah, pasta is "light" in my book). hell, maybe make it into a fall dish over spaghetti squash.

[helenas]

Polenta gratin with mushroom bolognese (adapted from Tom Collichio). Beating polenta for half hour in such heat (with oven on) was a big deal, but the end result was definitely worth the effort.

[SobaAddict70]

jersey tomatoes, cut in half, topped with evoo, s/p, fresh thyme, grilled, and then topped with fresh basil. served with grilled steak. holy shnikies. this was the best tomato i've ever had. i don't even *like* tomatoes.

i think the next time i want a light summer pasta, i'll halve 8 tomatoes, give them the same treatment as above, bake for 20 minutes, and toss with some pasta. yikes, i think that will be goooood.

someone please tell me if the above pasta thing is something that is generally done. tanks.

heh, well Tommy, it won't be authentic Italian, but it will still be good. you may want to use cherry tomatoes and lots more than 8 though.

I prefer chopped fresh tomatoes, salt, pepper, EVOO and basil (toss the basil in just before serving). also sometimes combo with chopped fresh oregano or mint.

SA

[Liza]

Hey Soba,

On Julia Child's Cooking with Master Chefs last night, Andre Soltner made a little tartlet (forget the Alsatian name) with a mixture of cottage cheese & creme fraiche. Basically, a round of puff pastry, docked, topped with the cheese, then topped with barely sauteed bacon and onions. Finished in the oven. Looked delish. Chef said in Alsace they would use farmer's cheese, but here in the US, the cottage cheese was a fine substitute.

[SobaAddict70]

I seem to recall a similar dish he made while at Lutece, although it wasn't listed on the menu, and that he would only make it for people who specifically requested it

basically a round of puff pastry with a filling of onions, bacon, potatoes, eggs, creme fraiche. Everything was layered with the eggs being in the middle and the onions as a base.

It was the first time I had seen potatoes in what was essentially a savory pie.

SA

[Liza]

That was it! He said he sometimes made if for certain guests to enjoy Alsation food, though I don't remember the eggs. Must find out if there's a corresponding web site with recipes...

AHA. It's Tarte Flambee: A rich Alsatian dish of puff pastry, with bacon and onion.

[LaNiña]

oh my god that sounds wonderful. i've been wanting to make an onion tart. any good recipes?

[Priscilla]

I have a recipe for an Andre Soltner potato tart called Treflai from a long-ago NYT Mag. Not Tarte Flambee, but the story was the same, a homely Alsatian potato tart made only for very good friends of the restaurant, etc.

Not puff pastry, no onion, no cheese, but does have the eggs in the middle and the creme fraiche Soba mentions, bacon and parsley, and is a two-crust affair.

So there were at least two Alsatian potato tarts made for Friends of Lutece.

Liza, who shows Julia Child's Cooking with Master Chefs? Now I've missed Jeremiah Tower AND Andre Soltner! Who will I miss next, I wonder?

[Adam Balic]

That was it! He said he sometimes made if for certain guests to enjoy Alsation food, though I don't remember the eggs. Must find out if there's a corresponding web site with recipes...

AHA. It's Tarte Flambee: A rich Alsatian dish of puff pastry, with bacon and onion.

When we were in Alsace we nearly died from eating to many Tarte Flambee. Certain palce serve cheap wine and nothing but TF (made with a yeasty dough base, like a pizza), they keep on bringing them out until you say no more, then they bring out a sweet tart for desert (again a yeast dough base). Have made it myself a few times, but it isn't quite feeling having one at home , even if it tastes the same. Will drink more alcohol next time.

[johnjohn]

They serve that Tart Treflai at the French Culinary Institute as an appetizer. It is only on the menu once or twice a year (the menu changes every 6 weeks). Soltner is one of the deans at the school - it's his recipe. Very tasty, but rich...

John