Dinner! 2002

[torakris]

This exactly dinner but, I just had to take a break from egullet to goa nd make my 4 year old daughter's "bento" lunch for preschool. Monday to Thursday they receive a school lunch but on Fridays the mothers ahve to make a bento (Japanese style box lunch).

Today's lunch:

egg omelette with hijiki

frozen homestyle french fries (thick cut with skin) wrappen in bacon and fried

green pea salad

carrot slices cooked in dashi and sugar cut into flower shapes

2 small onigiri (rice balls) with wakame and sesame seeds

slices of golden kiwi and one (canned in syrup) sakuranbo cherry

Those of you with small children be very thankful you don't live in Japan. no sandwiches in brown bags here!

[FoodMan]

broiled sirloin steak to medium rare. Served it with pan fried plantains, and sauteed esparagus. I made a mock-hollandaise from Alton Brown's book (he calls it "Hollandaise takes a holiday"). It was simple to make and tasted great and looked great. Drizzled the sauce mainly over the esparagus. I will post the picture later.

FM

[Toby]

Slow roasted pork shoulder (slathered all over with rough paste of garlic, dried Calabrian red peppers, anise seeds, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper), cooked for 6 hours in 300 degree oven; lamon beans cooked Tuscan-style, with minced onion and pancetta sauteed in butter and added for last 30 minutes of cooking and then a little red wine vinegar added at end; separately lightly boiled greens -- arugula, dandelion, swiss chard and beet greens -- dressed with olive oil and salt and served with fresh ricotta cheese.

(I cannot tell a lie -- this was late lunch, several days ago.)

[Suvir Saran]

another late dinner...

Thursday night

Shitake Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Tart

Goat Chees, Tomato and Basil Tart

Roasted Potatoes

Vanilla Coke

Best-Ever Brownies

[SobaAddict70]

Steak, roasted potatoes/carrots/onions (sprinkled chopped tarragon, salt/pepper and melted roasted garlic butter). Apple cider.

SA

[SobaAddict70]

While in San Francisco (some of the more "noteworthy" meals I had at various restaurants/diners and friends' homes):

salmon puttanesca (salmon with olives, tomatoes and capers); steamed veggies; brown rice. [This is one example of why I loathe fusion cuisine. The concept didn't sound right, although it was tasty....THIS TIME.]

homemade enchiladas [didn't get the recipe, but it was authentic Mexican]; refried beans. [The beans were a textbook example of HOW NOT to cook refried beans. Dense, sludgy without a hint of redeeming flavor qualities. *sigh*]

meatloaf sandwich; sweet potato fries; guacamole. [This was the night I got in, and American Airlines lost my luggage, so I needed some comfort food at my favorite diner in the Castro -- Bagdad Cafe. Fortunately, they sent it the next day.....somehow it missed the plane even though I checked in at JFK at least two hours beforehand. *sigh*]

meatloaf sandwich (with ginger-pineapple catsup, no less); green salad with oil and vinegar; apple pie w/vanilla ice cream. [different diner]

zucchini vichysoisse (basically vichysoisse with zucchini instead of leeks); squash ravioli with fried sage leaves; endive salad with pears, toasted almonds and Roquefort; orange terrine.

*sigh*

Now I know what Toby says when the food in California is way different than in NYC (produce, etc.)

SA

[maggiethecat]

A meatloaf sandwich...a piece of heaven.

[Priscilla]

Last evening friends to dinner late after everyone'd had a long day already.

Radishes, Sungold tomatoes, buttered almonds.

Panko-encusted fillets of red snapper (what is sold as red snapper here in Southern California--very nice when quality is good) landed on nice redleaf salad, overall drizzled with savory mayonnaise-based dressing. Big focaccia I'd made earlier, which had crunchy salt on top.

Apple tart based on Gayle Ortiz's apple streusel pie from her The Village Baker's Wife, Chantilly whipped cream.

[Suzanne F]

Last night (yes, after having had lunch at Artisanal):

Grilled halibut with a warm yuzu/orange vinaigrette, cherry and yellow teardrop tomatoes

Green tea soba noodles

Salad of watercress, endive, radicchio, boston, and romaine, with a garlic/yogurt dressing.

Macari unoaked Chardonnay (North Fork, LI, NY)

Tonight:

Smothered boneless pork chops

Red Bliss potato salad with roasted red pepper, celery, and cauliflower

Salad of the same leaves plus same tomatoes plus cucumber plus red and green bell peppers (too busy, I think, but Paul loves it that way) with lemon thyme vinaigrette.

Bass ale

[Dave the Cook]

Saturday:

Grilled flatiron steaks over hardwood charcoal

Fries: russets soaked, then deep-fried (just once; too late for the full treatment)

Grilled portobello and romaine salad--marinated the 'shrooms in EVOO, lemon and anchovy and grilled with the steaks; brushed the lettuce with the same marinade and did one minute per side while the steaks were resting. Whacked it all up and tossed--big hit. Next time will mix in some raddicchio and couple of the last summer tomatoes, maybe a little Parmesan.

Stonehaven Shiraz-Cabernet I found for $7. Decent.

Sunday:

Grill-smoked beef ribs--I don't normally do beef twice in a row like this, but I had put off the steaks from Wednesday or Thursday, and the beef ribs were a special. I wanted to do pork, but they were four times as much, and I hadn't done beef in several years. Gave the ribs a dry rub of ancho, cumin, coriander, celery seed, garlic and onion. Cooked two hours by the side of a ~275 F fire. Ok, but a little disappointing--family expressd desire to have baby backs or pork spare ribs instead. Just realized in writing this up that I left salt out of the rub, and this probably had something to do with it.

Blue cheese potato salad

Black bean/red pepper/corn relish

Rosemount Grenache Shiraz--nice match with the spice; we have this often with Cajun food.

Since the grill was going for so long anyway, I grilled five zucchini and smoked a few links of spicy fresh pork sausage for use later in the week.

[Wilfrid]

Twice-cooked rabbit with creamed puree of sorrel and home-made baked beans. The rabbit very gently poached in stock with fresh sage leaves until just cooked through. Then an olive oil bath, sprinkled with breadcrumbs (not coated, just enough to give some crunch) and browned under the grill. Sorrel from Union Square, quickly blanched, then chopped finely (like chopping wet tissue paper - weird), and warmed through as a little heavy cream is stirred in.

A 1996 AC St Emilion was very nice too, along with a slice of Cato Farm Vivace.

[Adam Balic]

Picked up two lovely John Dory (about 1.5 lbs each) from the local farmers market for five quid total. The Fishmonger told me he couldn't sell them in Scotland as they are an English fish (?).

Grilled with a peppery Tuscan olive oil seasoned with basil and pinenuts. Served with roast potatoe and garlic. Salad greens.

[Jim Dixon]

cotechino (locally made by Fred Carlo, renowned Portland butcher) with fagioli al ucelletto (white beans with sage and sofrito, bit of tomato paste)

gratin of delicata squash (cooked, scooped out, mixed w/Parm, creme fraiche, topped with olive oiled bread crumbs)

cippolini agrodolce (sweet-sour onions made w/real cippolini from farmers market...last year there were hardly any of these, now everybody's growing them), used Marcella's recipe

Chioggia beets with olive oil

insalata Caprese (tomatoes from my garden with basil, my home-made mozzarella, olive oil)

Jim

[torakris]

My friend and I had a 2 day BBQ this weekend, Saturday at her house, Sunday at mine, different group of people on each day.

Food on the menu:

Bruschetta with

tomato basil topping

tapenade (homemade)

roasted pepper and anchovy topping

yakitori with just salt for the kids

chicken wings with

homemade BBQ sauce

hoison based sauce

grilled pork tenderloin with a mustard, apple and rosemary marinade

grilled beef tenderloin with red wine and herbs

grilled mussels with butter, white wine, lemon, garlic and parsley

couscous salad with grilled veggies and lots of herbs

French style potato salad with green beans, cherry tomatoes, kalamatas and parsley

mozarella and tomato tart

crab quiche

grilled eggplants and baby leeks with soy ginger sauce

potato packages for the kids

various wines, beer and a huge batch of sangria

for dessert:

pumpkin chiffon pie

custard and cream pie

apple streudel

iced coffee

Probably forgot something, but you get the idea. Great weekend!!

[Double 0]

Sat: olive"cake"

mussels in tomato concasee

grilled sardines w/ fennel

verve cliquot and alsace one

bbq duck and wild rice

2 different calif zins 17% alc

flourless chocolate cake

ch. climens 1988

coffee and cubans

mrs double 0 had to drive home.

[Wilfrid]

Rabbit stewed in beer with cherries.

This was a good bit of improvisation. I picked up a little tub of dried cherries for no particular reason, then realised I could do a mock-Belgian rabbit stew. Traditionally, I suppose I should have used a Belgian fruit beer - cherry ideally - but I had some Sam Adams at my fingertips.

Mixed some broth from poaching the rabbit the previous night (with onions and herbs) with some Sam Adams, and stirred in a very small quantity of flour while liquid still cold. Boiled to cook the flour, then, over a low flame, introduced some rabbit legs and a handful of dried cherries. Also some little bintje potatoes from Union Square. Let it stew slowly for about forty minutes, then added the filet from the saddle, which cooks very quickly, and the liver and kidneys. About five minutes more cooking, checked seasoning, and it was ready.

I impressed myself. And I think a cherry beer might have made it too sweet. The dried cherries were nicely softened, and their sharpness reduced, by the stewing process. I think I might inflict some of them on a duck when I get a chance.

[Liza]

That sounds delicious, Mighty W.

Fresh cod from the Karlins at Union Square, baked without frenching or panties or other frippery. A melange of late summer / early fall veggies all hacked to bits and sauted with thyme and olive oil.

[CathyL]

That sounds...violent, Liza.

Grilled pork tenderloin, marinated in garlic, cumin, pimenton, oregano and olive oil. Three kinds of winter squash, sliced neatly and peacefully, roasted with the last of the thyme and marjoram from the pot on the garden steps. Romaine, baby arugula, spinach, raw mushrooms and sweet onion dressed with sherry vinaigrette.

[Wilfrid]

All those cute little multi-colored squash. I didn't grow up with this stuff, so I am a bit in the dark. Can you just slice and roast them, as Cathy implies? Don't need to peel them, do you? Drizzle on some oil? Herbs? Any suggestions welcomed. I have cooked big squash before - spaghetti squash for example - but not those cute little suckers.

[Liza]

Yes, you can roast them gently and peacefully. No need to hack them to bits, as I had done. I just find them...flavorless. Not like the big boys, the butternuts and sugar babys which I bake calmly in a 350 oven, their cavities delicately filled with brown sugar and sweet butter.

[CathyL]

True, some squash are tastier than others. Although if you're a habitual hacker, Liza dear, maybe you're scaring the flavor right out of 'em.

I love delicata and butternut; acorn tends to be rather bland on its own. All together, sliced maybe 1/2" thick and high-heat roasted, they caramelize nicely and become much more interesting. No need to peel, for most of the smaller varieties. The rind adds texture and color.

I prefer savory seasonings to sweet. Herbs, minced garlic, S&P, sometimes a little hot pepper.

[Priscilla]

Little squash are for the birds, I think, flavor-wise. Cute, I know I know I know, but even cuteness must earn its keep, mustn't it?

And what about kabocha, The Best Winter Squash? Although I gotta say those otherworldly icy bluey-greeny Hubbards or whatever they are are arresting.

[CathyL]

Priscilla, if by 'little' you mean the bitsy thumb-sized ones, I agree they're not worth tinkering with, as is the case with most midgetized vegetables. But the bigger than a baseball/smaller than a basketball squashes (there's doubtless a sport with the right-sized ball but I don't know what) can be lovely.

Yes, I keep meaning to bring home a Hubbard. But I suspect it will demand its own room. And that I'll need an axe to dispatch it.

[Wilfrid]

Not necessary to douse them with oil, then? I might try this tonight.

[Toby]

And what about kabocha, The Best Winter Squash?  Although I gotta say those otherworldly icy bluey-greeny Hubbards or whatever they are are arresting.

Kabocha is great -- not as easy to find on the east coast, though. Does anyone know where to find it in New York?

Are Hubbards the blue gray ones with the bumpy skins? I used to cut those in half, and fill the insides with a pear half, butter, and a little heavy cream and maple syrup and then bake them.