What's For Dinner - Part 94 [old]

[LindaWhit]

We keep filling up the previous threads pretty quickly with gorgeous photos of food and LOTS of great recipes - so, here we are with a new thread....what's cookin', good lookin'? :-)

[tracylee]

I showed up about 22 hours early for a memorial service today, so while I was out of the house, stopped by the store. Picked up 2 colossal shrimp, which are marinating in garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, ponzu vinegar and olive oil. I'll sautee them up late. Oh yeah, got some garlic parmesan breadsticks from the bargain bin, so I'll probably have one with the shrimp. Yup, more than enough garlic here!

[shecrab]

Ham and melon starter, as the muskmelons are huge and sweetsweetsweet, smoky shrimp with cheese grits, a hoppin john salad, butterbeans, bacon and tomatoes over cornbread,and blackberry cobbler with the late great Edna Lewis' vanilla custard ice cream. It's more dishes than I normally serve at supper, but there are extra mouths tonight

[inaplasticcup]

All of that sounds comforting and delicious, shecrab. What's a hoppin john?

[shecrab]

Oh, thank you, sweetie.Traditionally hoppin john is a hot dish served every New Year's day made of black eyed peas and rice and pork product, usually ham hock or sausage. I summer it up by setting the pig aside,making a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and parsley, then chilling it. Delicious, nutritious, easy on the budget and fast. My cooking mantra!

[ChristinaMason]

A menu that tugs the heartstrings and warms the belly. Yum. Wish I were at your table tonight.

[inaplasticcup]

I think I've had something similar but didn't know what it was called. I love it when dishes have names steeped in tradition or story, and I'm grateful y'all are so good about explaining. :)

[buttertart]

I'd like some of the melon, please. Has been forever since I had a decent canteloupe. Hope there are Muscatine melons when we get back to iowa this summer.

[mariacarmen]

I started a new thread here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/792586

[rabaja]

Thank you, Jesus!

[Levaeria]

Tonight we'll be having Thai coconut chicken curry with white rice.

The pressure it on to make the meal as tasty as possible here. We're having a friend for dinner who usually doesn't enjoy curries... BUT, she called us and asked if I could prepare a curry dish for her because she wants to give them another shot. Nothing makes me more nervous than a friend saying "You're the best cook I know, I'm *sure* I'll like your curries. I've just never had a good one! Probably."

Uhhg. Well, if all else fails, I'll save the curry for the fiance and myself later and we'll order pizza.

[nvcook]

Had a bit of an impromptu party last night. A friend brought over 2 marinated tri tips, and I did scallops wrapped in prosciutto, green salad, macaroni salad, caprese salad, marinated mushrooms, garlic bread, another friend's pickled zuchinni and another friend's chocolate cream pie. Often times (in my experience anyway) the parties that aren't planned often turn out to be the best! Lots of beer and wine and great company. Best part, when hubby and I finally went to bed that night, he leaned over and gave me a big kiss and thanked me for the great food and agreeing to do this on such short notice.

[inaplasticcup]

Sweet, nvcook! I think the spirit of impromptu parties often makes for greater fun because they're more relaxed, and we don't stress ourselves with too much expectation. How did you marinate your shrooms? :)

[nvcook]

Thanks Ina! The marinade for the shrooms is simple but I don't really measure, so here are the ingredients:
olive oil and red wine vinegar
chopped parsley and basil (right from the garden)
3 cloves minced garlic and just a tich (the technical term) of dijon mustard

and small white button mushrooms. Marinate at least 4 hrs.

[inaplasticcup]

That sounds like delicious drinkin' food...

[inaplasticcup]

4 days left til the move, and we're still making do (with the exception of the purchase of a bunch of mint and a bunch of cilantro).

Used up the last of our meat - ground beef - to make laarb lettuce wraps. Lime zest in lieu of lemongrass, regular long grain white rice in lieu of jasmine, ultra hot jalapenos in lieu of bird chilies. Actually used up some of that celery that almost never gets used in my kitchen and found that the laarb holds up to it quite well.

Notwithstanding substitutes, a really nice change up from the day and a half of fast food eaten while piecemealing our move...

[Phurstluv]

Nice job, ina. That second photo, is that a pic of your rice after it was cooked? Was it toasted first? Just curious, I love lettuce wraps, but haven't made them yet as my 9 & 7 y.o.s are just not that exotic yet!!

[inaplasticcup]

Thanks, Pl. That was the rice I toasted to make the rice powder that gets sprinkled atop the laarb. It adds a toasty flavor and an occasional crunch from some of the bigger pieces.

My kids were hanging with their grandparents last night. No way I could make laarb that spicy for them! I wonder if your little guys would like lettuce wraps made with Korean BBQ...

[Phurstluv]

They do! Tho they just prefer the meat cut up, no need to wreck it by putting it in SALAD!!! Although, they will eat lightly dressed salad, just don't want to eat it w meat.

[auburnselkie]

We're grilling again tonight, but this was a pork loin that I prepped this morning before work by butterflying and spreading the inside with garlic, rosemary, and parsley, then rolling it up and tying. Grilled veggies of course, but it's dessert I'm really looking forward to...lemon pound cake topped with homemade vanilla frozen yogurt (homemade yogurt, too!) and strawberry sauce from local berries...and yet! What I wouldn't give for a good ripe tomato sandwich as described upthread! Our garden ones are nowhere near ready and tomatoes haven't been flooding the farmer's market yet, either. I appreciated our late start to summer until I realized that the produce is also behind..eh, I can wait. I love hearing what all y'all are eating!

[ChristinaMason]

dessert sounds fab.

[noodlepoodle]

Tonight we had roasted chicken, carrots, onions, turnips and red potatoes prepared in my La Creuset knockoff dutch oven, homemade frozen raspberry yogurt and brownies. Tasty.

[mse924]

Lazy dinner tonight as I'm still recovering from the effects of a VERY lively tailgate party and baseball game last night...

Black 'n blue burger cooked on the stove top (gasp!) and eaten on a crusty roll with a pile of farmer's market fresh spinach. Also threw together a batch of broccoli raisin salad as a side.

Now I'm trying to work up the energy to make my inagural attempt to make brandy slush. I have to take a batch to a picnic next weekend so obviously I neeed to make a test batch to enjoy at home :)

[inaplasticcup]

Who doesn't love that broccoli raisin salad?

[roxlet]

Me?

[inaplasticcup]

LOL. I was waiting for that. :)

[steve h.]

Lobster bisque.
A two-day process is brought together tonight (Jasper White's recipe). Deb did most of the heavy lifting.

[Breadcrumbs]

I love Lobster bisque Steve. Do you have any of Jasper White's cookbooks? I've had his Epi page bookmarked for some time now in the hopes that one day we can have a Lobster Bake like he so brilliantly describes there:

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesgui...

[steve h.]

"Lobster at Home" is on the shelf. I think it's required by law here in Southern New England.

His thermidor recipe is on the radar. The bisque recipe is long/labor intensive but not difficult. I'm looking forward to the next step.

[Breadcrumbs]

I'll have to take a look at that book Steve, I was eyeing his chowders book as well!! We love chowders.

[buttertart]

If the books are anywhere near as good as the food was at his restaurant of happy memory, Jasper's, they're worth anybody's time. I tend not to cook very much seafood so I haven't lashed out on them, but I bet they're terrific.

[steve h.]

White's a passionate cook who is also a bit of a scientist. His timing charts are simple to read but there's a ton of trial and error behind them. The guy is sharp.

[Breadcrumbs]

I'd eat seafood everyday if I could. Alas, mr bc is such a land-lubber so I let him have his way every now and then! Recently lobsters seem to be far more reasonably priced so I may very well have to get myself the book Steve recommends.

[Phurstluv]

I agree, bt.

[Rubee]

Steve H. is killing me with this lobster bisque talk! Can't wait to try it. Here are some of my favorite recipes from that book:

Jasper's Pan-Roasted Lobster with cognac
http://www.chow.com/photos/530938

Baked Stuffed Lobster with crabmeat
http://www.chow.com/photos/41088

Savory Lobster Broth
http://twitpic.com/9io56

Thermidor, and Grilled Lobster with Garlic Oil

[steve h.]

Wow.

[Breadcrumbs]

omg Rubee, those dishes look incredible. I would LOVE to just dip my fork through this screen and start indulging!! Ok, I most definitely must have this book. Our postal workers were legislated back to work today so w the mail moving again, looks like I need to place another order from Abes!!

[Phurstluv]

That's it. You're both killing me w nostalgia for those southern NE shore dinners I enjoyed so much as a kid. Lobsters are on sale here at my local store, 9.99/lb. I will have to get some this week while DH is working.

[steve h.]

very cool.

[LindaWhit]

You can't go wrong with anything lobster from Jasper White. :-) His pan-roasted lobster dish is one that everyone should have at least once.

And buttertart and Breadcrumbs? Don't even hesitate buying his "Lobster At Home" cookbook - you will fall in love. And perhaps come to Boston to visit his restaurant. ;-)

[buttertart]

I've been to Summer Shack once and enjoyed it, so maybe I willllll...Jasper's was sensational, one of the best restaurant meals of my life.

[steve h.]

Follow-up report: the bisque was damned good. Deb made a cheese and tomato bruschetta as a side. This is what summer should be about.

It was Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium. Lots of cool old guys in pinstripes. We watched the proceedings on the box. Yanks are in first place.

[ChristinaMason]

Tonight we're making banh mi with grilled lemongrass pork (a riff on this recipe: http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/...

)

On the sandwich, we'll skip the pate, but otherwise, these will be fairly traditional.

[inaplasticcup]

Pickles too?

[ChristinaMason]

That reminds me...I need to prep them! Whoops. Thanks :)

[inaplasticcup]

Sure thang. :)

[Rubee]

Hmm...I took a boneless blade shoulder out to make carnitas this week but that lemongrass pork looks so good! I love the idea of using that in banh mi.

[Phurstluv]

I've made lemongrass chicken before, but never lemongrass pork. And my DH ADORES banh mi, tho we can get them locally, I want to try making them sometime. Let me know how the pork comes out Rubee, if you do it that way.

[Floridagirl]

Down here we get our best veggies in the winter and sometimes we don't want to go outside to barbecue, only go outside to get in the pool because it's too hot and humid. So, today it's cornbread and beans with thick slices of vidalia onion and not local tomatoes on top. Our tomatoes start in November.

[shecrab]

That's one of my absolute favorite meals! Sounds delicious.My Grandmother grew up in Fl. and I always wondered why she craved pintos every fall!

[shecrab]

All the burgers on the grill posts got to me. Tonight will be cherry tomatoes stuffed with marinated feta ( my wild mutant cherry tomato plants are 9 feet tall) burgers made with 1 pound of hot Jimmy Dean sausage, 1 pound lean ground beef, worcestershire, onions, and smoked paprika,,tortellini salad and raspberry/blueberry pie.

[Harters]

We're seriously dieting at Harters Hall. Yes, indeed, I am a short fat middle-aged man who can do nothing about the height or age. It has been a generally boring week foodwise but with some success as I've lost five pounds (personal weight being the only thing I still measure in stones & pounds - metric for everything else).

There will be a small after-dinner celebration - we bought six petit-fours at the farmers market.

That'll be after an exceptionally tedious sounding bean & corn bake. Tin of mixed beans; tin of corn, tin of tomatoes, onion, herbs. Cooked. Topped with breadcrumbs and a little cheese and bunged under the grill. With some crisp salad.

And it''ll get eaten on the patio. Nice & warm here today for the first time since late April. Be raining by tomorrow night. That was probably summer.

Speaking of thngs getting bunged under the grill, the greengrocer at the market had some great looking tomatoes. As big as a big fist. And nicely mishapen. He suggests thickly slicing, scattering a little herb (it'll be marjoram), drizzling with oil (it''ll be the first pressed rapeseed), sprinkling with a little cheese. And under the grill. It'll be part of lunch in the next day or so. Fab, eh?

[roxlet]

Yes, those tomatoes sound delicious! The lovely local tomatoes haven't arrived here yet -- and may not for a while given the soggy cool weather --- but I will definitely have to do that with some tomatoes when the locals come in!

[Berheenia]

Yesterday we went to the gym and I will watch TV shows when I am on an exercise machine that I wouldn't watch at home so I got to see Guy Fieri and his Dad make Fathers Day dinner. They dump cheese on everything don't they! But I liked the recipes up until the cheese so WFD is his pumped up oven roasted potatoes with shallots, capers and jarred red peppers and his veal chops are on the list for the next trip to Costco.

[LindaWhit]

I *should* have done this meal last night, as it was cool, rainy, and the windows were closed. But I got home later than I expected, AND I wanted that wild sockeye salmon last night, so I'm going ahead with this for tonight. I'll just pull out my crock pot and cook it that way instead of on the stove top or in the oven, so I don't heat up the kitchen. Plus it'll allow me to paint or do various installation-type thingies in the house while it cooks without having to being stirred.

I'm caramelizing 2 gigantor sweet onions right now for Tangy Caramelized Onion Beef Stew. Probably about 3/4 of the onions will go into a container in the freezer for later use, and *most* of this meal will also go into 1-serving containers to give to my Mom.

I'll use a large chuck roast that I will be cutting down into stew-sized pieces (at 60 cents less per pound from pre-cut stew meat, this really is the way to go).

Sides will be boiled and fork-mashed potatoes and chunks of carrots.

Linda's Tangy Caramelized Onion Beef Stew

1 large onion

1 Tablespoon butter

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes

1/3 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme (I'll use a bit more and use freshly minced thyme)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 cups beef stock, or water (I'll cut this back to about 3/4 cup of stock for the crock pot so it's not swimming in liquid)

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1-1/2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar, up to 2 Tbsp. depending on how tangy you want it

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Thinly slice onion with mandoline (carefully! Use that darn finger guard!) or a very sharp knife. In 4 qt. stockpot/Dutch oven or extra-large fry pan, melt 1 Tbsp. of butter over low heat and add sliced onions. Stir to coat with butter, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden brown and caramelized. Remove to a bowl.

In a ziplock bag, combine flour, salt, pepper and thyme. Add beef cubes and seal bag. Shake bag until beef is completely coated with flour mixture.

In same Dutch oven used to caramelize the onions, heat 1 Tbsp. canola oil over medium-high heat. Add a portion of the beef cubes in single layer (do not crowd so they don't steam vs. brown). Brown beef on all sides, about 3 minutes a side, removing with slotted spoon to a bowl so you can add remaining beef for browning, adding more canola oil to the pan if needed. Reserve remaining flour mixture for thickening, if needed.

While beef is browning, combine tomato paste, beef broth, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar in a large jar with a tight lid. Shake to combine well.

dd tomato-broth mixture back into Dutch oven and return onions to the pot. Stir to combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally so the beef doesn't stick to the bottom. Add more beef broth (or water or red wine) if needed for more "gravy" but it'll probably still be too "liquidy", dissolve several teaspoons of of the flour mixture in 1/3 cup of cold water (I used some of the liquid from the Dutch oven and let it cool before shaking it up with the flour). Add to pan in a drizzle, stirring it in, until the gravy begins to thicken. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so.

Serve over hot buttered noodles or Yukon Gold fork-mashed potatoes.

***ETA: There was SO much fond in the large fry pan after browning the beef cubes that I poured in about 3/4 of a cup of hot water and boiled/stirred to get it all up and reduced it a bit. That also got poured over top of the beef cubes in the crock pot - which is cooking on high for several hours before I turn it down to low to finish cooking (since the whole lot didn't get started in the slow cooker until 1:30pm).***

[buttertart]

Eats have been beyond mundane at ours since himself has been teaching evening summer session (finally coming to an end, hurray) and dinner has been catch as catch can, which for me is a grilled cheese 90% of the time.
Last night just had to have a Chinese fix (at home with a cold on top of everything else, boo hoo, no Chinatown visit yday) so rustled up some guota doufu on a bed of butter lettuce dressed with sesame oil and black vinegar. The method is here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7592...
It is incumbent on me to advise that it wasn't a Shaanxi restaurant we first had it at, it was a Shanxi one. Two different provinces. Mea culpa.
Sichuan redcooked beef tonight, I believe (a la Fuchsia). Easy, delicious, and makes a lot that's even better hotted up later in the week or on noodles.

[buttertart]

Here's the redcooked beef as i make it, if anyone should be interested. This is the easiest and most delicious Chinese dish I know. Fuchsia Dunlop, of course.

3 lb chuck with most of the fat cut off, in 2" cubes

6 tb Sichuan hot bean sauce ("la dou ban jiang", I like Kimlan brand but any one will do)

2 (or more) scallions, trimmed, whole

1 2" piece of ginger, smashed with a cleaver or just sliced in 2 longitudinally

1 tsp whole Sichuan peppercorns

1 star anise

2 tsp dark soy

1/4 c rice wine, dry Sherry, or Scotch

1 qt beef stock (I used water + 2 Knorr beef cubes)

She has you blanch the beef in boiling water, i don't bother.

Heat the bean paste until sizzling (she says to add additional oil, no need).

Add all the other stuff, stir up, bring to a simmer.

Bung it in the oven at around 325-350 deg F.

Let cook for about 3 hours (longer doesn't hurt, but reduce temp at the 3 hour point, to 300 or less).

The meat should be as soft as marrow when done.

Can add chestnuts, daikon radish, that sort of thing at the midway point.

Delicious as is, also delicious heated up and on noodles. Smells fabulous while cooking, even if you have a code in your node.

[mariacarmen]

oh man BT does that sound good (and yes, i can smell it from here, even with my blasted node code!) copying this for sure. for a day the BF can chew again.

[buttertart]

You barely need to. It's fabulous.

[Breadcrumbs]

That sounds absolutely fabulous bt, I must give it a try. Did you toast the Sichuan peppercorns first or just use as is?

btw "bung it" . . . are you speaking American eh? ; - )

[linguafood]

I had a high school friend in town, so after an intense weekend of going out, eating out, and other assorted silliness, we're taking it easy at casa lingua tonight -- surprisingly, the supermarkets were open today (not generally the case in Germany on Sundays), so I got some pork loin steaks that will be marinated in a bit with s&p, oregano, paprika, lemon juice & olive oil, and later will be pan-fried.

Served along with lovely baby romas, cukes & feta all united in the Greek salad I thought was going to be dinner.

Perhpas, a little booze break tonight '-)

[Breadcrumbs]

That's interesting to hear about supermarkets typically being closed on Sunday's in Germany linguafood. Sunday shopping wasn't as quick to catch on in Canada as it was in the US but now we've come to expect the convenience. Glad you were able to pick up the fixin's for what sounds like a tasty meal. Oh, and do enjoy that booze break!! Cheers!

[Rubee]

Going tropical tonight. Hawaiian Plate Lunch - grilling Huli Huli chicken to serve with rice and macaroni salad. I used this recipe with a few tweaks: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/788498#6610981
which I think is based on one from Cook's Country.
http://norahsrecipes.blogspot.com/200...

Pre-dinner cocktail is actually from Singapore and not Hawaii, but one of my favorites - a Singapore Sling.

[shanagain]

Oh wow, it's been SO long, but Singapore Slings are delightful! I'll trade you a tomato sandwich for one (quart - fair?)!

[Rubee]

Fair!

[ChristinaMason]

Singapore sling is a great cocktail. I recently had a riff made with some kind of cherry beer (a kriek lambic perhaps? not sure) in place of the cherry heering. It was very delicious and refreshing

[Rubee]

Intrigued by that idea! Will have to try it sometime.

[Rubee]

Huli Huli chicken "plate lunch" - with rice, macaroni salad, and kimchee . I over-charred a bit as I let the grill get too hot while we were watching a movie, but the brine kept the chicken nice and juicy.

[Breadcrumbs]

That sounds sensational Rubee. Do you think it's necessary to keep the chicken in halves? We could likely get 2 birds on our charcoal grill if they were quartered.

[Rubee]

It doesn't matter. Next time I might do that to make it easier/portions (I certainly didn't eat that whole half a chicken), or cook one whole on the rotisserie. BTW, I didn't use pineapple concentrate. Instead I had some leftover crushed pineapple from another recipe so pureed that in a FP with some brown sugar. I also added garlic to the glaze.

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks Rubee, this sounds like a great recipe, we love those flavour combinations. Very tropical and summery. I still haven't finalized my menus for the Canada Day weekend so depending on how many guests we're expecting, perhaps I can put this on the list.

[buttertart]

What's the day off for it this year, Friday or Monday?

[Breadcrumbs]

Friday but many have added the Monday as well (mr bc & I among those folks!).

[buttertart]

Sounds good to me!

[LindaWhit]

Love the idea of pureed crushed pineapple, brown sugar and garlic for a marinade - and knowing me, I'd add a buttload of grated fresh ginger to that mix. ;-)

::::making a mental note to find that can of crushed pineapple I *know* I have amongst the boxes:::::

[Rubee]

Good point! I'd definitely add more ginger next time.

[shanagain]

I almost feel guilty telling you all that I had a from-Mom's-garden tomato sandwich. If I were capable of any kind of self-restraint I'd have taken a picture, but that would also require a more cruel streak than I possess.

[Rubee]

Oh, my mouth is watering.

[shanagain]

I am sorry. Truly. But you know how the saying goes: if wishes were horses, all men would wipe tomato-juice-mayo from their chins. Or, er, something like that?

[inaplasticcup]

Taking orders from kiddies this weekend.

Standard burgers for the boy, simple butternut squash soup for the girl (sweetened with a tablespoon of brown sugar - the squash was definitely off season), and some really fragrant and flavorful but not incredibly sweet strawberries, which seem to be par for the course this season.

Now cooling off with a Sierra Nevada and wishing away the McDonald's and Del Taco we ate earlier in the day while moving stuff to the new place. Moving bites a little...

[L.Nightshade]

Those photos look great together, such a display of summer, with bright, pure colors. Very good-looking hamburger, too.
Best of wishes on your new home!

[L.Nightshade]

I wore myself out trying to finish work in preparation for our little vacation that starts Monday. Now I have strep throat! But no worries, I plan on being fine by Monday!

Dinner will be my childhood comfort foods. When I had tonsillitis, I always wanted peanut butter, lettuce, and tomato on wheat toast. It just seems to scratch the tickle effectively. So that will be dinner. Then for soothing, some Cherry Garcia FroYo. I am gargling with lidocaine, so now I have neither appetite nor taste. But I will still be comforted by these old favorites.

Is this the most pathetic WFD entry ever? Sorry!

[inaplasticcup]

I think these relatively mundane meal posts are kind of nice sandwiched between the ones we tend to think more mentionworthy. I feel I get a sense of who/how a person is through what they eat in the downtime as much as the up.

That said, PBLT is a new one on me, so even in its pathetic-ness, your post is instructive. :P

Feel bettah, Nightshade. :)

[buttertart]

I love PB with lettuce and with tomatoes, but have never had them together. Sounds great. Go whole hog and throw some bacon on there too!

[Phurstluv]

I agree, Ina, but thinking of what I would eat, it's still not as interesting as PB + L+T!! Feel better, LN!

[Rubee]

Some eats this week:

Used the leftover gratin dauphinoise to make "hash browns" with parsley and red chile, topped with ham and a fried egg for lunch one day. Another night I made pad thai. I wish the rice noodles didn't get so hard overnight - I hate that leftovers never taste as good. And since MariaCarmen described them as "my most favorite ribs ever", I had to make the Sticky Balsamic Ribs from Epicurious. I agree - this is a keeper! They were a big hit with E and his son for dinner this week.

[Phurstluv]

Nice job with the leftovers, Rubee!

[steve h.]

Pizza is on the menu. Dough is proofing on the counter, sauce has been made. The oven was set to 500. It will take at least one hour for this new (thick) stone to come up to temperature before the baking can begin. Basil from the garden, wine (for me) and olive oil (for the pie) are both from Italy.

Deb has been busy making the liquid for Sunday's bisque. Carcasses of four jumbo lobsters were baked at high temperature and then forced to give up their all in the LC. The recipe is Jasper White's.

The house smells great.

[Breadcrumbs]

Sounds wonderful Steve, I hope you're enjoying some of that wine while waiting for that dough to proof!

[steve h.]

Sangiovese Rubicone (the big bottle).

[Breadcrumbs]

drooling and weeping all at the same time!! I'll have to live vicariously but still, slightly annoyed that you have it all to yourself!! ; - )

[inaplasticcup]

Fabulous. What else went on the pie?

[steve h.]

Plain old pizza margherita. Sauce was inspired by Peter Reinhart, whole milk mozzarella courtesy of my local grocery store and a wee shaving of parmigiana reggiano. Extra virgin olive oil and home-grown basil round out the ingredients list.

Alas, the results were nowhere near the equal of Da Michele but pretty good nonetheless. I'll keep tinkering.

[inaplasticcup]

A really good margherita is hard to come by and such a treat when you do.

[steve h.]

Totally agree. That's why it's important to tune-up the taste buds every year in Italy.

[ChristinaMason]

Tonight will be pegu club cocktails and caiprinhas to start, maybe with some pretzel crisps and horseradish cheese.

For the main, rotisserie chicken, potato salad with shallot and watercress, and romaine salad with assorted crunchies and homemade thousand island dressing.

[LindaWhit]

My first farmers market visit (first one to open in my area!) was this afternoon. It's small, but filled with LOTS of great vendors - some of whom I've purchased from at FMs near where I used to live.

I did a little internal happy dance when I saw Globe Fish Co., and was heading STRAIGHT for the dry sea scallops I had read on their chalkboard....when my eyes dropped down and I saw "Wild Sockeye Salmon - Pacific". I started clapping gleefully and the girl behind the table laughed and said "I've got say that's the best reaction I've seen to fish in a long time!" I think Alicia and I are going to become GREAT vendor/customer friends. :-)

So a nice piece of sockeye is WFD tonight, and along with that, some basmati rice and some peas (what else goes with salmon?) The young man behind that vendor's table said "I think you have to shell them" but when I asked to taste one and bit into it, I said "Nope - while I *could*, don't have to shell them - they're fine in the pods - a simple steam or quick sauté." They're not quite as sweet as sugar snap peas, but they'll do. I think I'll sauté.

The salmon will be done in the oven - maple marinated roast salmon.

http://www.countryliving.com/recipefi...

I also picked up some lovely local strawberries, which I'll toss with some blueberries and cut up champagne mangoes and drizzle with aged balsamic for dessert.

[inaplasticcup]

First farmers market visit - too exciting isn't it, Linda? :)))

That meal sounds simple and elegant, just like a farmer's market meal should be.

[rabaja]

What a fantastic meal you have planned, LW!
Sounds like you are loving your new hood. Just think, you get to shop at that market all summer long! Curious about the peas, though...are they English Peas? Have never tried to eat the entire English pea, but will from time to time shell sugar snaps if they are big enough.

[LindaWhit]

I'm pretty sure that's what the sign called them, rabaja - I do recall the "shellable" comment. These were big and fat pea pods, but after looking at pictures online, they do seem more like sugar snap peas, which would make sense, as the pods were edible, IMO, whereas English pea pods don't seem to be. Either way - they're edible, and I only got about 3/4 of a lb., which wouldn't make for a whole lot of shelled peas. :-)

[Harters]

Always recall herself coming back from a business trip to one of the Scandanavian countries. On the lunch buffet was a bowl of peas still in their pods. She added some to her plate and got busy shelling them. Which the Scands thought weird - they ate the whole thing.

[Phurstluv]

Posting extremely early today b/c it's going to be a busy one. Having great friends and their families over this evening since one of the families will be moving next month to the midwest, so it is a bit of a farewell send-off as well.

The menu so far:
Chicken Liver Mousse crostinis to start (my other friend who's a caterer is bringing another app, don't know what but assured it will be yummy)
Tuscan lemon chicken on the grill
Rice pilaf in chicken stock
Grilled panzanella salad
Baby lettuce salad

Other friends are bringing a dessert; I'll make ice cream cones for the kids. Also trying to decide on the cocktails with the apps, maybe just some Prosecco or bellinis, they will surely be lots of white wine and beer poured as well. On to my 2nd cup of joe, then I'm off to the market, while my chickens are dry brining in the fridge, when I get back I will butterfly and marinate them until they hit the grill tonight. Photos to follow in the morning, have a wonderful Saturday, Chow friends!

[Breadcrumbs]

Mmmm, what a truly scrumptious sounding meal Phurst!! Is the Tuscan chicken done under a brick? We're doing that tomorrow!!!

Happy cooking and have a wonderful celebration this evening!

[Phurstluv]

Thank you so much BC. I actually have revised it a bit, decided to make Rosemary Polenta instead of the rice. So that is now chilling in the fridge before I cut it into triangles and grill it.

Yes, chickens will be weighted with either a brick (if I can find one) or with the roasting pan it's in now. That's how Ina Garten shows it being done in the recipe I'm using.

[Breadcrumbs]

Oh can't wait to hear how that chicken turns out Phurst. I have a Mario Batali recipe earmarked but if you like this one, I'll have to give it a look as well. Enjoy!!

[Phurstluv]

***FAIR WARNING : THIS POST CONTAINS FOOD PORN***
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Final menu :
Chicken Liver Mousse crostini
Fried Green Beans w Tzatziki dip
Mixed Tuscan Grill w Lemon Chickens and Honey smoked Bratwurst
Grilled rosemary Polenta
Grilled Panzanella salad

Used Ina Garten's recipes for the chickens and the polenta. Only things I would do differently are to let the birds marinate overnight, they were LARGE birds, 6.20# each! We spatchcocked them, but had to grill them directly since the grill surface could not fit both birds cooking indirectly. Did not weight them until flipped on the skin side, didn't really need to, they cooked very fast and made a LOT of smoke. Also need a hotter grill to make the polenta sear faster & not stick. Enjoy!

[inaplasticcup]

You're a crackup, Pl. You seem to favor Mediterranean flavors a lot in your dishes. Would you say you tend to like those better than others?

[Phurstluv]

Thanks, I was really just trying to lighten it up a little here!!

I guess I do, only b/c that is what I am used to. My Mom is a great cook, always tried new things, and being in the '70s, she was very into Julia Child, the Galloping Gourmet (Graham Kerr),Pierre Franey and others, whereas my grandparents were very staid Yankees, and I don't think my Nana ever once used garlic. I give my Mom a lot of credit now, knowing she balanced a full time job and raising three girls, while my Dad worked two jobs. But we were also very fortunate to travel frequently w my Dad, and experience a lot of regional food, esp Southern Italian, which was the most prevalent where I grew up. Couple that with the fact that my Dad was born and raised in Egypt until the mid '50s, so we experienced his culture a lot too.

Sorry for being longwinded, I guess the short answer is "Yes". But thank you for being interested, I appreciate that. One other point to bring it full circle - I really feel that I am learning & growing so much from this thread and other CH boards and feel incredibly fortunate to live in Southern Cal where the diversity of ethnicities & cultures is incredible, and I feel like I'm learning new cuisines to like everyday.

[inaplasticcup]

Nice send-off, Pl. What goes into your chicken liver mousse? (I LOVE me some chicken livers... :) )

[Phurstluv]

I did not make the mousse; I do have a recipe I brought here from the French resto I took classes at back in Providence, RI. But this is from the Lindy & Grundy butchershop in WeHo that BUWaT and I visited together back two weeks ago! I've been saving it, was going to have some w the MIL, but we ate lunch out so often, we never got around to it. It *looks* delicious. I will tweet them and see if they'll tell me when I visit them again, they are very sweet ladies.

[mandycat]

I have to brag about last night's dinner party for six. It turned out to be a lot more work than I was anticipating but 90% of the tasks were done the day before or the morning of the day. I adapted the traditional salad nicoise recipe, grilling the tuna, some scallops and fingerling potatoes. Beside the usual blanched haricot verts, I grilled some red peppers and onions.

The dressing from Bobby Flay was the best part. I tossed these into a plastic jar and emulsified them with my hand-held blender.
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 cloves garlic, coarsely minced
1/2 cup olive oil

I made two loaves of the basic boule recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes. And for a glorious finale, I made Ina Garten's Mocha Chocolate Ice Box Cake. You can find this on foodtv.com with a comment from me about my one substitution.

Yowsa, it was good. And we get to finish the other half of the ice box cake all by ourselves, one sliver at a time because it’s very rich.

[LaLa]

Lucky guest! I am going to try that salad!

[Phurstluv]

Sounds wonderful, mandycat Good to know, thanks for sharing with us!!

[Breadcrumbs]

This is absolutely my favourite time to cook. It's so much fun going to the market in the morning with no idea what's in store and then, coming home with your haul and planning meals around it. Today I picked up some arugula, tons of basil (I can never resist basil!!), tarragon, asparagus, rhubarb, baby onions, a stunning little cheddar cauliflower, baby cucumbers, cremini, shitaki and the item I'm most excited about. . . some morels!! This is the very first time I've been able to purchase them fresh. Our local mushroom farmer was telling me that she's started supplying a couple of restaurants and they have asked her for more variety!!! I was absolutely giddy. Of course I only bought a handful given how pricey they were but I definitely have enough to make them the star of the dish.

Some friends are joining us at 4ish so I think I'll do a variety of antipasti and use the morels in a pasta for our main course. I can already imagine some thinly sliced asparagus in there as well, white wine, cream, maybe some of the tarragon...so exciting!!!

mr bc is off to pick up the bread and some Campari for Negronis. Still hoping the sun can push through all these clouds, I'd love to dine al fresco.

Happy shopping and dining everyone!

[inaplasticcup]

Do enjoy those morels, Breadcrumbs. Haven't had them in the longest, and I'm sure that pasta will be deeelicious!

[Phurstluv]

sounds lovely, BC. Those morels are just to die for, we had some last weekend at a resto (Tom Colicchio's from Top Chef) braised in cream, oh just absolutely stunning!!

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks ina and Phurst, we're pretty excited about them and I can only hope I do them justice! The house smells lovely (read garlicky!) now as I have a couple of the antipasti dishes on the go!!

[Breadcrumbs]

Back to report that dinner was a success. The antipasti w friends was a fun way to kick off the evening. In addition to Tomato bruschetta, a selection of salumi and grilled veggies I made 4 dishes from Mario Batali's Molto Gusto: Leek Ragu (self-served on plain bruschetta, Cauliflower w Olives, Chickpeas w leeks, and Mussels w Peperonata.

As much as we love our friends, we were happy have the main course all to ourselves when they headed out to their concert!! The morels were absolutely the star of the evening. I served them simply by sautéing them w some shallots before adding a little white wine and cream. I steamed and shocked the asparagus in advance so it could be added and warmed just prior to plating. Topped w fresh parm, this was a wonderful way to end the evening.

[inaplasticcup]

Those mussels look YUMS, Bc. Actually, everything does. Really loving these fractional pics, too. Very cool.

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks ina, mr bc isn't a big fan of mussels so I'm happy to put them on the menu when we have guests so I can get my "fix".

[inaplasticcup]

I'm happy to sit in for him on the mussel courses. You know where to find me next time.

[Phurstluv]

Those dishes sound absolutely fabulous, BC. Glad your morels were up to par!!

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks Phurst, they were so fresh and I loved how the subtle anis flavour of the tarragon seemed to elevate the flavour of the morels. If I can get some more next week, I'm definitely going to splurge. mr bc thought this was one of the best pasta dishes he'd ever had!

[steve h.]

Stunning.

[vafarmwife]

Don't know what is for dinner tonight, but I do know we'll be having fresh peach cobbler for dessert. Got have my priorities right? LOL

[inaplasticcup]

Cobbler is a good priority to have, farmwife. :)

[Phurstluv]

absolutely!!

[Harters]

Today's the start of the annual village festival and the kick-off event is a farmers market. We went with low expectations and came away pleasantly surprised.

There was the usual baked goods and preserves. A farmer selling his rare breed beef & pork. A fishmonger ( so what do I do with the "river cobbler" I bought cos I'd never heard of it). And there was a very good greengrocer who, somewhat gob-smackingly, still had very good looking local asparagus. OK, that's tonight's starter then and then I'm sure that's the end for another year.

For a main, pot roasted guinea fowl. An Antony Worral Thompson recipe with carrot, celery, onion, white wine, stock and some thyme and rosemary I have growing in pots on the patio. Spuds of some sort.

A few strawberries for afters.

[LindaWhit]

My local farmers market starts today as well (in the town where I work about 15 minutes away), so I plan to see what the vendors have. There is a great fish company (Globe Fish Co.) there, so I'm hoping to find something that interests me for tonight's dinner - we'll see what I find and I'll post later.

BTW, Harters, I *had* to Google "river cobbler" because it sounds so intriguing - seems to be a Vietnamese catfish.

[inaplasticcup]

I learn a lot of new things when I read Harters' posts too. :)

[Harters]

Yep. I had to Google it as well. Found a odd recipe for it in a Rick Stein book which marinates it in fish sauce and onion , then cooks it in a thinned down caramel with more fish sauce and sliced chillis. Apparently a traditional dish for Vietnamese New Year.

Why we have to import fish from thousands of miles away defeats me completely!

[inaplasticcup]

That is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes. Sooooo delicious with some steamed jasmine rice. I braised some pork in the same preparation the other night, and it works pretty well with dark meat chicken too.

[LindaWhit]

Actually, are you sure they're imported? It seems in the U.S. there was a brouhaha with accusations that the fish were dumped into the waters here, so they've actually become "local catfish".

[Harters]

Absolutely. Imported as frozen fillets.

We have very little river fish and certainly nothing exotic (except, of course, the imported American crayfish which have escaped into our rivers and now all but wiped out our native crayfish - which are now officially an endangered species, I beli

[roxlet]

Since we are doing a bbq for someone's family reunion, we will just make more and invite some friends. Tonight's dinner will be pulled pork, ribs, potato salad, slaw, corn bread and a dessert I haven't decided on yet. If the peaches I have were ripe, I'd make a crisp, but I have to think of something else, I'm afraid...

[rabaja]

Sounds like an early Fourth of July feast, or almost exactly what I'm thinking of doing next weekend. Enjoy!

[LindaWhit]

And I was thinking of doing ribs and slaw next weekend if I don't go up to Maine to visit with my sister and BIL at their cabin, so it'll probably be a copycat as well. :-) Actually...I'd be coming home on Sunday most likely, so I *could* still do the ribs on Monday. Hmmm...

[roxlet]

Hey, who needs the 4th to do ribs. They are good any day of the year -- particularly in the winter! (They freeze really well using a food saver.)

[LindaWhit]

Yeah, I know - I usually make them in the oven anyway since I can't have that grill (unless I go charcoal). It just seems "right" for Independence Day food. :-)

[shecrab]

Tonight will be buffalo chicken pizza and an everything pizza cooked on the grill because I am not turning the oven on. Salad too. A simple one. Flowers for dessert. (Lookin at you, ina. LOL)

[inaplasticcup]

Nasturtiums or roses? :P

[mariacarmen]

the most pedestrian of dinners. cooked for the Oldster. he bought some beef chuck cross rib steak(?), which i attempted to tenderize by meat malleting it to death, with kosher salt, seasoned further with pepper, garlic powder and then rubbed olive oil into it. Into a dry hot pan. still a bit tough, but ok. Trader Joe's FROZEN garlic fries. he bought those too (and just after i said i never make frozen veggies except peas on that other thread!) they were ..... eatable. ok, i ate a lot of them, they're still FRIES, after all. and sliced up tomatoes with green garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, s&p. *yawn.*

[Phurstluv]

those fries are pretty good, aren't they?!

[mariacarmen]

nahi didn't really love them, but i ate them, because they're fries!

[rabaja]

Wild salmon on a bed of home grown arugula, with a beef steak tomato and Spring onions. Acini de pepi (sp?) with basil-walnut pesto as a side. I'm treating myself to simple carbs after spending too much time on the Site Talk board today.
Off to make a Friday night cocktail.

[inaplasticcup]

We're finally moving to a place where we can plant things. Is arugula hard to grow?

[Phurstluv]

YAY to places where you can plant things! And if there is a more humble but loved green from me as arugula, I don't know what it is!!

[inaplasticcup]

And YAY for other people who will plant them as I am a BLACK THUMB. :|

However, I am an excellent weed puller.

[Phurstluv]

Oh man, ina, never thought I would meet someone who felt as much of a brutal gardener as I do!! Glad to know we have that in common!! ;p)

[rabaja]

I don't think there is anything easier to grow Ina. You just need a small bed, averaged size pot or bit of earth. Check out the Gardening thread, lots of good info there.

I am sowing more seeds on Monday, and kicking myself for not getting them in sooner. So delicious!

[inaplasticcup]

Thanks, rabaja! The Man has been assigned to check the gardening thread. I'll be at the ready with my weed pulling self. :)

[Phurstluv]

Enjoy your Friday night cocktail, Friend!

What are acini de pepi, btw? I take it pepi is Italian for pepper, but perhaps I'm wrong? I'll check my food dictionary before you reply, but I just love learning new languages, and the next on my list is Italian!!

[LindaWhit]

Acini de pepe are actually tiny small beads of pasta. They remind me of fregola or Israeli couscous. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acini_di...

[rabaja]

Yes, teeny tiny pasta that's good for minestrone, or in broth when I am sick and out of pastina.
Occasionally I'll boil it for a side dish and after it's drained, toss it with deglazed meat juices or a mushroom sauce. Last night it was lovely with the pesto.
I overcooked my salmon a bit, but that was still very good too.

[Phurstluv]

Oh, okay. Guess I figured it was pasta related, thanks!

[inaplasticcup]

Well folks, I wasn't kidding when I said it was make-do week! Tonight, I took:

- four corn tortillas that the man took to work for his Vietnamese street taco leftovers lunch and decided not to use, opting to make salad instead
- the rest of last night's effed up home fries, and
- some shredded cheese,

and made quesadillas. We ate them with the salsa/crema mixture left over from Sunday's fish tacos, which held up remarkably well. I am really loving how pico de gallo keeps when I blend it up with a little oil. The emulsion helps a lot.

And since a 5-inch quesadilla wasn't going to cut it for the Man's dinner, I made a packet of cheapie (like 25 cents or something like that) instant tom yum noodles, with the usual doctoring of chopped cilantro, green onions, a squeeze of lime and a dash of sriracha.

We do have some vanilla bean ice cream in the fridge, and I think I might need a bowl of that sooner than later...

[inaplasticcup]

LOL. We did NOT eat flowers for dessert! Oops!

[onceadaylily]

Oh, but they look delicious. ;) That was just the perfect picture during the dust-up.

And I talked the boyfriend into using our crema mixture, combined with cabbage, as a sandwich filling. He loved it. He ate three. Fish tacos are the gift that keep on giving as the week goes on.

[inaplasticcup]

Oh, a slaw dressed with crema would be great on a sandwich! Easily repurposed leftovers definitely have a special place in my heart. :)

[onceadaylily]

It was very good on rye bread. The boyfriend requested toasted bread, which really was nice, but I liked the squish of untoasted myself. On texture we diverge, here, there, and everywhere.

[Phurstluv]

Nice job on yours as well, Lily! Love it when we can convince our men that leftovers are not evil!! Yes, fish tacos just plain rock. Nothing else you an say about them!!

[Phurstluv]

Nice make do there, Ina!! looks awesome, for just some make do quesadillas, your photos rock, as usual!!

PS - love the flowers anyway, even if you didn't eat them!!

[inaplasticcup]

LOL. The flowers were a happy accident, but I kinda like 'em! Wonder if I'll get in trouble if I make that a regular feature... ^-

[auburnselkie]

So looking forward to dinner tonight...grilled tri-tip, which I've had marinating in soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, and sesame oil since yesterday, along with grilled broccolini and crash hot potatoes. Grilled peaches and homemade vanilla ice cream. I work just on weekends (but 10-hours days both days) at a vegetarian restaurant, which I've been told today is moving into a raw food focus, so my mind is boggling and I'm turning to meat and fire for comfort!

[Phurstluv]

That all sounds wonderful, auburnselkie!! I love the sound of your marinade, I will have to try that soon, as I make grilled tri tip quite often. Nice!!

I can only guess you are in Cali too, with tri tip and a raw food restaurant!! Welcome to the What's For Dinner Board!!

[auburnselkie]

Thank you...I've been lurking around for ages and even posted a time or two, but I thought maybe I ought to step up and contribute here...and yep, I'm in NorCal, in the foothills. Raw food is just an idea to me, but I had better figure it out in a hurry...workwise, anyway.

[mariacarmen]

which resto, Auburn? i'm in SF. just want to avoid. ( :

[auburnselkie]

I totally would tell you, except that they keep changing the name, too... ;)

[LindaWhit]

Hey - we Easterners can now get tri-tip as well, you know. :-)

[auburnselkie]

Now wait, I didn't know that...can you really? Most of my family, admittedly, is in Alabama but if I mention tri-tip it's like a whole 'nother animal...'course that's Southern, not Eastern. Still, it seems like we Westerners just about break our arms patting ourselves on the back for our tri-tips... ;)

[LindaWhit]

I've gotten them in Trader Joe's for the past 5 years or so - but they *did* change vendors and they're not quite as good and tender as they used to be. They sell them plain and pre-marinated.

And I *think* can recall seeing the cut in another supermarket here; just cannot recall which one as I've not yet had any coffee. :-)

[Phurstluv]

I can't even go on my computer yet when I haven't started at least sipping my first cup!!

[Phurstluv]

Oh, finally!! Guess it's just in the southeast where it's still rare. My parents in FLA lament the fact they can't get it easily, since it's a perfect size for them, with a little bit left over. Glad to hear it!!

[onceadaylily]

Aren't crash hot potatoes good? I've had mixed results with the squishing part, but they mound up nicely, if one is determined. Grilled peaches on vanilla ice cream . . . I really have to get that propane tank refilled. Welcome to WFD (and thanks for jumping in today).

Good luck on the raw food focus. Tough dish to plate there.

[auburnselkie]

Thanks for the good wishes, and I'll try not to bleat too much about the raw food. At this point, since I know nothing about it, it seems pretty out there to me, but I am trying to keep an open mind. The cafe owner started today with a raw chili with neither beans nor meat, and a nacho "cheese" made of cashews, and a raw "cheesecake" made of nuts, coconut oil, and cocoa butter...actually, all of them were tasty in their way, but I can't see myself making a lifestyle out of it. So sorry, I just jumped in and already went off topic! That didn't take long!

[onceadaylily]

Ah, I worked in a rapidly-changing cafe for five years (with a veg bent), and still love to hear the stories. I was elbow-deep in vegan soup by the day, and braising pork by dusk. At the very least, you'll be learning quite a bit, about food and people.

I'm a pescetarian, and *I* flinched at the chili, but you are going to increase your skills substantially, I think, by picking up tips and tricks of food at its most basic level. I feel a bit nostalgic, really, as much as I resented the constraints at the time. Good luck!

[inaplasticcup]

That tri-tip sounds fabulous, auburnselkie. What are crash hot potatoes?

[auburnselkie]

I found out about the potatoes here! http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/742088 You boil them first, then flatten and roast them. I love how they have lots of crispy bits and are very easy to make. I actually cooked them off this morning and just left them on the pans, ready to go in the oven when I came home from work and we got the grill going. I sprinkled mine with a bit of parmesan and fresh thyme. I highly recommend them!

[inaplasticcup]

Oh those do sound seriously delicious. Thanks for that link!

[mariacarmen]

mamachef's herbing of her crash hots became mine: fresh minced garlic, fennel seed and.... damn, now i forget. but just that would be good enough - really nice bold flavors on those crispy bits.

[inaplasticcup]

I think it's the talk of the crispy bits that's tugging at me...

[Phurstluv]

I never realized I had been making those type of potatoes all along, using a fine cooking recipe that is very similar.

Love how you guys added herbs to them. How do you get it so your garlic doesn't burn, MC? I am so paranoid about adding minced garlic to something I have in the oven at high heat!!

[mariacarmen]

it hasn't seemed to burn in the amt. of time the potatoes take to cook - maybe you need to boil them first longer. i acutally always have a problem in smashing them flat enough, so i think i need to boil them longer too. but have not had a problem with the garlic burning, just toasting. which is really good with the fennel seeds. and the adding of herbs was from The Pioneer Woman's website - that's how i first introduced to crash hot potatoes - someone on WFD posted a link to that website.

[roxlet]

A frisee salad with Roquefort and a vinaigrette, branzino stuffed with oregano and rosemary grilled over wood served with a lemon oregano olive oil sauce and boiled potatoes.

[Breadcrumbs]

omg, that made me drool roxlet! I love branzino and your stuffing it and then grilling it over wood....I'd be in heaven! What an amazing dinner you made.

[Phurstluv]

I just saw some beautiful branzino at my local fish market when I picked up my swordfish. Is it the whole fish, roxlet? I know the ones I saw were a bit small, like the size of a trout, is that the type you have too? Sounds wonderful, along w that frisee salad, yum!!

[roxlet]

Yes, the branzinos were small, whole fish. The DH gave my son a short course in how you filet a fish while it's on your plate -- remove the skin from the top by drawing your knife across the backbone and peeling back, eat the top filet, remove the backbone, eat the bottom filet. You do have to be careful of bones, but the meat is so sweet. However, one is not enough for a 15 year old boy who is active all day! I gave him my potatoes -- they look better on him that me!

[inaplasticcup]

That branzino sounds delicious. I'm suffering a bad case of meal envy tonight. :P

[mariacarmen]

oooh gotta find me some branzino.....

[steve h.]

Chili cheese dogs. It's cold and wet here in Sou'west Connecticut, time for a little comfort food. The dogs are Nathan's, the chili comes from a can (Hormel), the cheese is Cabot, onions are courtesy of the local grocery store. The rolls are mighty in size and should hold all the heart-stopping goodness I plan on slapping in there. Cole slaw will be on the side.

Jasper White's lobster bisque (fresh batch) tomorrow or Sunday. We'll see.

[inaplasticcup]

Damn, that sounds tasty.

[Harters]

Stew.

Beef (Welsh Black, from Ynys Mon), carrot, celery, onion, thyme, bay. Last of the Jersey Royals on the side.

[inaplasticcup]

What's a Jersey Royal?

[Harters]

Potato.

[inaplasticcup]

Thanks. :)

[Harters]

Grown on the island of Jersey (unsurprisingly), they have PDO status within the European Union. Outside of the Union, they can be grown under the name of International Kidney.

[inaplasticcup]

I'm assuming Kidney refers to the shape and not the flavor? And other than the growing region, what characteristics make them PDO or extraordinary?

[Harters]

They're just exceptionally tasty. Different from any other potato, IMO. And the great thing is that they're very seasonal - just about on song with the asparagus season, which they go with so well.

The PDO thing is entirely about geography - you can only call them Jersey Royals if they're grown on Jersey, in the same way as champagne is only made in Champagne and Parma ham has to come from Parma.

[inaplasticcup]

Gotcha. I don't often think of the flavor of potatoes until I eat a potato that tastes heavily of that potato earthiness, and it really is a thing to be savored.

[onceadaylily]

Boyfriend is working late tonight, which gives me time to clean out the fridge, and make way too much food for two people, some of which can be tucked away to be eaten over the next day or two as we have big plans to finally paint that sunroom tomorrow. New leaf green: it is either going to be light and gorgeous, or a neon that leaves our green-tinged faces cringing.

I'm adapting Operagirl's eggplant dish tonight. Instead of the cumin rice, I've decided to use up the last of the basil in the crisper, and make a tomato and basil rice to mix with the scooped and cooked eggplant before baking it off in the halves. The last of the green beans will be roasted, likely with onions and mushrooms, and an herb to be determined. I picked up another head of cauliflower, and was thinking a mash would be nice with this, if I can come up with a recipe that makes it a more savory dish, to balance out the brighter roasted dishes.

And I'm not sure what drama I missed out on this morning, but sometimes it pays to sleep in. ;)

[mariacarmen]

cauliflower mash - butter, parm, milk and/or cream. roast garlic or even steamed would be good in there too..... remember, i am the queen of mash.

[onceadaylily]

I was hoping you'd chime in, MC, QofM. Roasted garlic, mmm. Although, yesterday, the boyfriend pointed out that I lately have been smelling like garlic everyday. Which is a shame, because I do not intend to stop. I was thinking about a sprinkling of ground fennel in there as well.

[Phurstluv]

No such thing as too much garlic, oadl!! Just tell him the problem lies in that HE'S not eating enough ; ))

[onceadaylily]

The 'stink with me, darling' approach. I like it. I may have to make another batch of skordalia. :)

Huh, I've never steamed garlic. Does it lose its sharpness that way? At any rate, I forgot I was down to my last half bulb, so I'll mince and sautee a bit of it, and then warm the cream with it.

[Phurstluv]

Oh yes, we all stink together here!! ; ))

[Breadcrumbs]

You guys are making me laugh w the "smelling like garlic"!! As I frequently say, mr bc and I are garlic addicts, we just love the stuff.

If we're apart and I get a whiff of garlic, I think of mr bc. We joke that it's "Eau de mr bc" since he doesn't wear cologne!!

I picked up 2lbs of garlic scapes at the market today and can't wait to concoct something yummy w it. Last year I made a garlic scape pesto that was pretty tasty!

[Phurstluv]

LMAO!! Eau de Mr BC!! I love it!!

What are garlic scapes again, BC? Are they the greens attached to the garlic bulbs or am I thinking of something else?

[Breadcrumbs]

Yup, that's right Phurstluv. The farmers pull them off so all the plant's energy can go directly to the garlic bulbs. I started buying them a couple of years ago and they have a milder flavour than garlic so you can use them as you would any vegetable. I chop them into 1" lengths for stir-frys for instance.

[Phurstluv]

Okay, I wasn't sure. Thanks for clarifying. So they are basically the garlic shoots. Sounds yummy in a stir fry, thanks I will look for them at the FM this week.

[onceadaylily]

I've been sniffing my own arms on and off since the comment. I just smell like me. I'm stealing Eau de Lily.

I'm curious, BC, how did you make a pesto out of the scapes? Same basil, oil, and whatnot? Did you treat the scapes as you would the regualr garlic?

And are our voices echoing in here as much as I think they are? ;) Lots of empty tables in here today.

[Breadcrumbs]

Love "Eau de Lily" it works beautifully oadl!! I failed to mention that its just mr bc that smells like garlic. Of course I always smell like a rose!! ; - )

As for the pesto, I just give the scapes a rough chop and throw them in the food processor along w some pine nuts or almonds (since we've been a bit concerned about pine mouth and staying away from pine nuts of late) parm cheese and then drizzle in some olive oil. Last year I added some parsley and/or basil too depending on what I was making. We used it on pasta, spread it on bruschetta and topped w some fresh tomato slices (yum!) and also used it as a sauce on pizza.

If you do pick some up oadl, let us know what you think. And yes, it does seem a little quiet here.

[Phurstluv]

What a great idea, to use them as a pesto, does it make for a pesto that a bit more garlicky? Or are you omitting the cloves in the rest of the recipe, so the more delicate flavor of the scapes can come through? And what is pine mouth, is it a disease your pine trees are getting? Sorry for all the questions, but I am genuinely interested. And yes, it is a bit quiet now, but only reason I'm not posting is b/c we're having leftovers tonight, no need to rehash the rehash, lol! Maybe I just need a glass of wine, to liven things up a bit!! (kidding)

[Breadcrumbs]

First of all, cheers to that glass of wine Phurstluv, I think I'll join you!!

Yes, I omit the garlic from the scape pesto as I really like the subtle, fresh flavour of the scapes. In a stir fry, I may add some garlic as well as the scapes though since you still get the flavour of the scape since it's in a 1" piece.

Pine mouth is the name given to a condition that occurs after eating certain pine nuts believed to have originated in China. Within 24-72 hours of eating the nuts folks report a bitter, acrid taste in their mouths and everything they eat has that bitter flavour. I have heard the condition lasts for weeks. Since reading about it we've steered away from pine nuts unless we know for certain of their origin. My favourite little Persian store has recently started bringing some in from Egypt but boy are they expensive.

Here's an article if you're interested Phurstluv:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddri...

[Phurstluv]

Thanks for joining me BC! Cheers and clink glasses back atcha!!

That's so interesting, I had never heard of such a thing! And I mistakenly bought an extra warehouse size bag of pinenuts, that I've kept in the freezer, so they don't turn bad. What an awful condition tho, would be terrible to get that and then not be able to enjoy food for a while, bummer.

Thanks for the link, and I am always interested in anything food related, or Egypt, as my Dad is from there! Thanks again! ; ))

[Breadcrumbs]

My pleasure Phurstluv and happy to share a glass of wine w you!! My Egyptian pine nuts were quite delicious btw, much creamier than those I've become accustomed to.

[Phurstluv]

Really? That's interesting, I will have to check out my Iranian markets here and see if they import them as well, I would LOVE to try those and compare as well. Thanks again for the info, Friend!

[onceadaylily]

I'll check around for the scapes, since, clearly, there is a sensitive being in my home who would enjoy a more nuanced flavor. Almonds, huh. I've been using walnuts, but almonds would be a nice change. Very nice with fish, I would think. Thanks!

When people call me oald here, my eyes read it as ooold, but with an English accent. ;)

[tracylee]

I discovered today that a few garlic scapes escaped the massacre that the yardwork crew did on the yard yesterday. I recognized them after a friend got them in a CSA basket and asked for ideas on FB. Pesto tomorrow for sure!

[mariacarmen]

i steamed cauliflower, half an onion and a big slice of fennel and then food processed them all together with the butter, parm, etc. a big YUM. garlic was subtle. as for smelling like garlic, you just tell Vlad the Impaler to pipe down if he knows what's good for him.

[Phurstluv]

do you mean steamed garlic, MC? I never thought to steam it, do you do that in the microwave? I love cauliflower, and mashing it will be perfect for my Mom, whose diabetic, a recovering potato addict and will be visiting in a month. The kids & I were eating it roasted, but now the 9 y.o. has decided he didn't like it anymore - too cabbagey, I guess!

[GretchenS]

"a recovering potato addict" -- omigosh, it just hit me like a ton of bricks -- THAT is what my problem is! Is there a 12-step program? Cuz I keep falling off that particular wagon even though I KNOW they are no good for me and I feel so much better when I don't eat them. But I am going to stop feeling guilty now that I know it's not me, it's the disease, and work on battling the disease. Phew!

Either chili with the fixings or takeout is WFD chez moi.

[Phurstluv]

Love chili, haven't made it in so long since my boys don't eat it yet, still a bit to "exotic" for these two!! And one likes beans one doesn't and I haven't made a beanless chili yet!! Though, I do like those Texas red type of chilis, but also think that would be too spicy for them.

Yes, it's a disease, no doubt!! I don't know if there's a 12 step program, my poor Mom became diabetic, and had to quit cold turkey, practically!! Almost as hard as quitting cigarettes!! And it's my problem too, I seem to be gaining weight at a rapid speed as I age, and I feel the need to blame the chips and fries I love!! Now, they just came out w a study saying the ONE food that will cause you to gain weight every year is POTATOES!! Now they will be the forbidden fruit/veg here!! LOL!! glad I'm not alone either, GretchenS, maybe we can form our own support group!!

[mariacarmen]

could you link to that article? that is HORRIBLE. i can't live without potatoes.

[mariacarmen]

never mind, got it: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/791817

[mariacarmen]

i just threw everything into the steamer together - you know, one of those metal mesh things with petals that you put in a shallow pan with water? or if i'm boiling potatoes for mashed i throw whole crushed garlic in the water too, and then mash it all together with the taters.

[Phurstluv]

Right, gotcha.

[inaplasticcup]

I haven't had eggplant in the longest, and now you're giving me eggplant envy... I think that might be one of the first to-do's in the new place. (On a self-imposed grocery shopping moratorium until we move.)

[onceadaylily]

I fully intend to explore the eggplant this summer. I'm curious as to how it fares on the grill under my fingers. I can't wait to see how you 'make-do', Ina. Always kinda fun for me, that constraint.

[inaplasticcup]

It is, isn't it? Lots of people just don't get my HUGEBIG satisfaction in it. But I know a lot of you here do. I guess that's one of the reasons I love posting and reading on this thread.

[The Chowhound Team]

We moved a bunch of discussion about these threads over to the Site Talk board here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/792096

Rather than having such meta-discussion in the thread, please check out the Site Talk thread if you want to share your opinions.

[ChristinaMason]

Last night we had a very un-summery meal to make room in the freezer: corned beef braised with cabbage, onion, fingerling potatoes, carrots, garlic, and pickling spice. There was a marked difference in the quality (tenderness, fat trim, etc.) of this cheap generic point-cut brisket compared to the Nathan's flat cut I bought last time. Granted, I got it on super-sale, but it was still kind of hassle and just not as good. Mixed greens alongside.

I'm gunning for reuben sandwiches tonight (and in fact, was miserly with the corned beef so there would be enough leftover!). Probably another salad to go with.

[Phurstluv]

Love reubens. Did you make sauerkraut also, or do you use canned/packaged? We had lunch at a beer garden a weekend or so ago, and ordered the homemade sauerkraut for one of the sausages, and it just didn't have that "pop" to it, like it had just not fermented enough.

[buttertart]

That's the way I love sauerkraut, to tell the truth - more like Sichuan pickle. Still crunchy. My mom and dad used to make it and freeze it when it got to that stage. I'd love to taste that again...

[Phurstluv]

What a great idea, to freeze it. Does that make it crisper, BT? I like it really sour, I guess.

[buttertart]

Don't think so, but it keeps very well. My husband's with you, the sourer the better.

[ChristinaMason]

I got some Boar's Head sauerkraut, which just tastes better than the canned stuff. If I wanted to get fancy, I'd prob. simmer with some juniper berries, onion, bay, ham...but that kind of negates the easy appeal of sammiches for dinner. :)

[shecrab]

Yummmm. I could eat an L.L.Bean duck boot if it had cabbage, potatoes and onions on it. Isn't the Reuben one of the most flawless sandwiches ever? The last time I had one I was so eager to scarf it I burned my mouth AND bit my tongue. SO worth it.

[ChristinaMason]

The corned beef is totally just a pretext for making reubens :) That said---lesson learned. Don't cheap out on the meat!

[shecrab]

After risking life,limb and bird attack, the first of the ripe figs are safely in my possession. Why are the best ones always at the TOP of the tree? Tonight will be said figs with prosciutto, walnuts and cream, trout amandine and a bell pepper frittata. The peppers seem to be competing with the squash and I'm hard pressed to stay ahead of them.

[Matahari22]

I love fresh figs! They are such a treat to enjoy when I am able to find them here. If I am lucky enough to find them I eat them every day until I'm almost sick of them. Last year I decided to enjoy them with my oatmeal, and not just with my Greek yogurt. I will need to look for some...
Ive got that craving

[mariacarmen]

what a delicious sounding dinner!

[abijah]

Shecrab, where do you live that you have fresh figs?
I don't believe I've ever eaten one, maybe will try to track some down...

[LindaWhit]

Oh MY abijah - you MUST try fresh figs! Absolute heaven.

These threads should get you hungry for them:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/532623
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/634221
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/790398

[Phurstluv]

Yes, here in LA, we don't have them until the end of the summer usually. And our spring this year has been quite cool and wet, not that I'm complaining.

[shecrab]

Edisto, S.C.. They are delicious,which is the problem because every critter out there loves them too.They are very fragile and perishable and don't ship well, that's why they are mostly sold dried.

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

You are so lucky you have a fig tree! Don't let the birds peck at you, show them who's boss;-)

[shecrab]

LOL! Birds can be very aggressive and obnoxious! Then the squirrels in the pecan and black walnut trees join in the fun and chuck nuts at my head. It's like a war zone when they see me coming with my bucket.

[Sue in Mt P]

I need to sneak back to my neighbor's tree and see what's up. I haven't been paying attention.

I'll take the birds in the tree over our state bird, the Palmetto Bug.

[LaLa]

lol...me too!

[LindaWhit]

Tonight will be bar-munchies of some sort, as I'll be with a gathering of coworkers to say goodbye to a couple of people leaving my company AND for a 50th birthday party for another coworker. Another coworker got him a 50th tiara we'll make him wear at the bar tonight. ;-)

[Levaeria]

We have a bit of an odd sleep schedule because I work from home and the fiancé and I are both insomniacs. Around 5:30am, we had a lunch of creamy chicken quesadillas. They were a nice break from the very East Asian theme of the last few days.

Tonight we’ll be having some sort of chicken with jack cheese and black beans. I’m not sure what exactly, but I know the ingredients at least. Maybe stuffed chicken breast… Or a casserole of some sort.

Ahh yes, and more of the cherry pie for dessert!

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

What do you mean by creamy chicken quesadilla? If it's creamy doesn't it all ooze out? Or is it like Berheenia's where she just mixed a little bit of enchilada sauce in the mix? Whatever it is, I'm intrigued:-)

[Levaeria]

I thought it would ooze too when I spooned it on the tortillas, but they came out fine. The cheese holds it all together. I’ll just give you the recipe :) I came up with it today and it was great, we both liked it. Honestly, I don't know where I got the idea, I'm sure I saw something similar and inadvertently copied it.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast half, cubed
1 (10-oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup salsa
3/4 cup shredded jack cheese
1 tsp. chili powder
Flour tortillas, buttered on one side

Preheat the oven to 450.
Brown the cubed chicken in a saucepan and add the soup, salsa, shredded jack cheese and chili powder. Stir until the cheese melts.

Lay the tortillas on a baking pan. Spoon the mixture onto tortillas, buttered side facing down so it browns. Top each with a second tortilla, buttered side facing up.

Bake the quesadillas in the oven for 10 minutes or until the tortillas begin to brown. Remove them from the oven, slice and serve.

I like mine with extra salsa on the top, but the fiancé says it makes it too moist and detracts from the cheese taste.

Let me know if you try it!

[Phurstluv]

Oh that does sound yummy, Levaeria, thanks for sharing the recipe!

[shecrab]

I made Breadcrumb's Lemon chicken and pasta recipe for lunch today using tiny seashells and canned tuna. it was so delicious I couldn't stop shoveling huge spatulas-ful into my mouth as I was wrapping it up.

[Breadcrumbs]

So glad you enjoyed it shecrab, it's really addictive. Must be the flavour combos but it's one of those dishes we just never tire of. Happy to know you liked it!!

[Berheenia]

Last night we made quesadillas using a step by step guide I found on Simple Recipes. Flour tortilla, black frying pan and cheese, tomato and chicken chopped up with some TJ's enchilada sauce. .There was a burn factor on the first one, but now we have mastered it the possibilities are endless.

[inaplasticcup]

Melty cheese quesadillas on flour tortillas. So simple and tasty.

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

Did the guide actually say to use a black frying pan...lol. I like how you added enchilada sauce to it, I'd never thought of that for a quesadilla, what a great idea for added flavor!

[Phurstluv]

Yes, that is a great idea, I have a pouch of Frontera Grill's enchilada sauce and I may have to steal that idea for my dinner tonight!! Everytime I make enchiladas, the kids end up not eating much, saying it too spicy for them. Maybe I can save this pouch just for my own quesadillas!

[Berheenia]

Yep. Blister tortillas in a black frying pan. Made all the difference.

[tracylee]

OK, so have zucchini growing in the front yard that the now-ex-bf planted. I'm a vegetable rights activist, but I could probably come up with a use for zucchini. I do, however like fried squash blossoms. Fried it good, right? I cut off the 5 blossoms, made a ricotta stuffing with fresh basil and a hamburger/sausage combination. Stuffed the squash. I made a "tempura" batter by running a Quaker brown rice cake (think Chopped) through the mini food processor and adding club soday. The fryer kind of blew things apart, so the result wasn't as crispy as I'd hoped for, but it certainly tasted great!

[inaplasticcup]

Vegetable rights activist. :P

[tracylee]

I hijacked that term from a contestant on Jeopardy! I've added to the motto: "Whatever you do, don't kill them for me!"

[Phurstluv]

So, it's the last night for requests. One of my MIL's favorite meals is cheeseburgers and root beer floats, very nostalgic for her, so that's what we had. Nothing fancy, except I let her taste my homemade root beer bbq sauce and she wanted to drink it! But just some cheddar on the burgers, toasted potato buns, sliced red onion, tomato and avocado. Schmear of bbq sauce & yellow mustard. Heat up leftover beans and corn on the cob for the kids. Couple of potato chips on the side. Oh, and sliced pickles, of course. Cocktails were a gimlet and dirty martini, then some wine with dinner. Now that she's leaving, I need to dry out for a while, save up my calories, oh, at least until Saturday, when we have good friends over for dinner!!

Oh and son #1 wanted me to write this b/c he's very silly lately - YOSHI. Don't ask.

[inaplasticcup]

Ohhh. My boychild LOVES root beer and LOVES BBQ sauce. You must share recipe. :)))

And in response to your boychild, he says: MARIO.

[shecrab]

Now I have the Super Mario song stuck in my head. I don't know how old your boys are but here's a warning. Mine loved Yoshi and Mario in elementary school, they're 19 and 21 now, and show no signs of tiring of it. You are in it for the long haul. YOSHI!

[inaplasticcup]

I love that song, and it has intermittently invaded my head since I was 13 years old or whenever it first came out.

LUIGI!

[Phurstluv]

Here's the link to my recipe, Ina, it's very simple and tasty. Feel free to make it your own!

http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/37596...

And yes, he is only 9, and I fear YOSHI will be his nickname by the time he gets to college!! He has taken to calling the cat this, along with all the other names we call that poor cat, he is probably quite confused! Sorry for planting an earworm on anyone!!

[inaplasticcup]

Thanks, Pl! Soooo much stuff that he loves in that recipe. You may have a not so secret admirer after this weekend. :)))

[Breadcrumbs]

Sounds amazing Phurstluv, I know we'd love your bbq sauce, thanks for sharing!!

[Phurstluv]

Glad to! Hope you all like it, and as I said, it's very simple and seems to get better as you let it simmer, I think I ultimately let it simmer for over an hour, so don't be afraid to leave it on the stove for a while.

And Ina, I would love a little secret or not so secret admiration here, my own boys are not too happy w me right now, as punishments have been threatened already and it's only the first week of summer!!

[shecrab]

I'm happy to see it's not just me! Sometimes I wonder why I even labor over picking out just the right names for the animals, we always end up calling them everything but!

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

Sounds like a grand burger, especially w/your bbq sauce! Love how you have the cocktails with your meals. We always do that here too and I think some people think we are lushes...lol. Sometimes I'll even do the '50's wife thing and have cocktail in hand when hubby walks through the door;-)

[inaplasticcup]

Aww. I haven't done that for the Man in a while. Think I will tonight. Thanks for the reminder, Bombay!

[Phurstluv]

Cute!! Oh yes, we do the cocktails, the wine, etc, esp when she's here!! Like I said, I need to dry out before the next set of visitors!! Thanks, the burgers were very good, and I made them thin, at her request. And I didn't overcook them on the grill, which is a shocker, since I am not a regular griller! I am still planning on getting the KA attachment to grind my own meats, like your burger, which still sounds so good.

[inaplasticcup]

Ever have one of those days where you just can't be bothered to give a crap about your ingredients and/or the outcome, are sure you made a crap meal in what you think is one of those fair and fairly objective appraisals of your own work, and then, in one of those effed up jokes of the universe that makes you doubt completely your ability to assess your own ability, everyone LOVES the food???

Tonight was one of those nights. Frucked up home fries with overboiled potatoes, over medium eggs cracked into the pan before the oil was hot enough, pictures not really worth taking but for the discipline of taking pictures of every dinner you make... And the Man and our dinner guest had seconds and thirds, respectively.

Just goes to show me I have no idea WTF I'm doing some days. :|

[mariacarmen]

it really DOES look quite scrumptious, Ina!

[inaplasticcup]

Aww. Thanks, mc! Made me feel better, you did. :)))

[Phurstluv]

Nonetheless, good show, Ina!! I think we've all had days like that!! But it all turned out well in the end, and that's all that matters!

[inaplasticcup]

Thanks for putting it back in perspective for me, Pl. :)

[Phurstluv]

anytime, sweetie, anytime!! That's what we are all here for, I'm sure you'll be there for me!!

[inaplasticcup]

Gladly. :)

[L.Nightshade]

Your prep work show such care and attention to colors and textures. Doesn't look like someone who "can't be bothered to give a crap!"

[inaplasticcup]

Thanks, Nightshade. Y'all know how to make a girl feel better about her crap. :P

[shecrab]

Oh I have absolutely had days like that! Whenever it happens I always think of t.v. "chefs" saying how important it is to cook with love, there must be love involved, blah blah, as I'm angrily throwing things into a pan.LOL, No one has ever tasted the venom behind the scenes yet.

[inaplasticcup]

Venom. BAHAHAHAHAHAA!

[LindaWhit]

Your entire post is blog-worthy - *as is!* And it looks absolutely WONDERFUL!

[inaplasticcup]

You know, Linda, that is a great idea for a post. Happens to all of us, doesn't it?

And thanks for your always kind words. WFD peeps are the bee's knees. :)

[LindaWhit]

Exactly, inapc. Your pics are picture-perfect, so letting your readers know that even you have days where things just don't go the way you want, but you can *still* come up with a thumbs-up meal is a good thing to tell them!

[JungMann]

That looks like sheer comfort food. Is that beef I see in the picture? Picadillo and eggs sounds like a terrific light meal.

[inaplasticcup]

Oh man, JM. I wished I'd talked to you last night before I started cooking because to make picadillo with that ground beef would have been fantastic. Alas, it was just S&P, garlic, paprika and achiote. But thanks for your kind words. Much appreciated!

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

Looks delectable, ina, and I don't see over med eggs, I see the ooze going;-). I love that you are so disciplined to take all food photos step-by-step...lol

[abijah]

I still had extra oranges in the fridge, and thanks to LindaWhit and mamachef, I couldn't get the idea of a citrusy stew or tangine out of my head. So I read some recipes, improvised, and now stew is simmering away. I have to laugh because a year ago, I never would have made a long-simmering dish in the summertime, but 10 months after moving to Southern Cali, I just make such distinctions as much -- If I waited for only the cold and/or gray days, I wouldn't have much opportunity! And anyway, plenty of tropical cuisines have spicy long-simmered dishes, so I guess that cooking for my climate means working in that tradition.
And good to know that twodales is simmering with me!

Here's what I put together.
I fear I might have too many competing flavors, but we'll see.
After eating it, I'll update if there's anything I wish I'd done differently.
- Brown 1.5 lbs. stew beef. Set aside.
- Cook sliced onion in left-behind oil.
- Add small pile of garlic, small pile of ginger, sliced jalepeno, dried New Mexico chile, some crushed red pepper, 2 cinnamon sticks, abt 1 t. each of cumin, coriander, cardamom, pinch of cloves, juice and zest of one orange, 2 chopped tomatoes, a few splashes of rice vinegar, and water.
- Add the beef back in and simmer til tender.
- When that's done, I'll stir in some carrots and orange segments.

[LindaWhit]

I'm not a huge fan of jalapeno, abijah, but I think your flavors will work out pretty well! Please tell us how it comes out. :-)

[mariacarmen]

that sounds awesome abijah, i think the flavors will go well together, like a really good chili, almost. love the addition of the orange segments.

[inaplasticcup]

That does sound like a really complex and interesting chili. Hope you'll report back!

[abijah]

Complex chili -- good description!
That's pretty much how it turned out. Pretty tasty.
I used spinach at the end of cooking instead of carrots. Next time, I would probably omit the juice and zest and just keep the segments (or vice versa).
The big thing was that it got me over my fear of stewing beef. I had a few bad experiences early in my cooking career of tough nearly inedible beef concoctions, and those scared me away for a while.
It's nice to see your cooking judgment and skills improve over time!

[JungMann]

I've had very little time to spend on CH, let alone cooking, but I had a fair 15 minutes to make dinner tonight so I set to work. I think I've spoken at length about how much I love working with morcilla de Burgos -- it's such an intricately spiced sausage, it makes even the simplest meal interesting. So the basis of dinner had to be sliced morcilla browned in a (un)healthy amount of olive oil. Once the sausages had crisped and infused the oil with the warmth of cloves, cinnamon and pimenton, I reserved them in a bowl and used the spiced oil to fry thick medallions of summer squash. Those took not a minute before they came out, chopped garlic went in and the pan went off the heat. Before the garlic had time to darken, I returned the squash and sausage to the pan, added pasta and tossed it with fresh pepper, mint, dill, sumac and sambal oelek for heat and brightness.

To serve all it needed was a bit of crumbled feta for a little bit of richness and salt. A handful of toasted pine nuts would not have been unwelcome, but then it wouldn't have met my 15-minute deadline. To wash it all down: rosewater lemonade. For dessert: 2 negronis. I need to make time for dinner more often.

[inaplasticcup]

Thoroughly enjoyed your description of the morcilla. You definitely must make more time to cook dinner and then report about it here. :)

[mariacarmen]

i know some don't like this descriptor when speaking of food, but THAT was like a porn passage! so seductively yummy. love the care you take with your food JM.

oooh, how about rosewater lemonade negronis, sometime?

[JungMann]

A spritz of rosewater in my negronis could be interesting. In a pique of frugality I decided to forgo my favorite Punt e Mes and purchase Cinzano instead, which has yielded some very blah negronis. Breadcrumbs' lamb dish gave me the idea of rhubarb and cinnamon syrup to add to my cocktails, but I'm open to any other ways to perk up my cocktail. Your suggestions might also help to focus my research since those 2 blah negronis demanded fixing and quickly turned into a hangover's worth.

[L.Nightshade]

"the sausages had crisped and infused the oil with the warmth of cloves, cinnamon and pimenton"

Such an enticing phrase. I agree, cook more and tell your tales!

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

Jm, I like how you used the sausage oil to make the rest of your dish! I love Negronis too! Have you ever tried it with Carpano Antica Vermouth? I love that in my Manhattans too!

[JungMann]

I've not tried Carpano Antica; from the reviews I've read online, that is the vermouth to try! Thanks for the tip.

[Harters]

Agree with you about the morcilla. I've never cooked with it regularly (generally preferring the style of our local black puddings) but always enjoy it in restaurant presentations. A favourite was in Tenerife last year when it came as a starter, thickly sliced, simply fried and served with a little bread. Spain at its best.

[mariacarmen]

let's see, what can i turn into mush tonight? we have butternut squash already roasted, which lends itself perfectly to mush, still have carrot/pepper soup, have some tomatoes i thought of turning into a summery chilled soup, with basil, tho the tomatoes aren't at their peak.... still have eggs, avocados, all mushable..... hummus, soyrizo....

some combo of the above for the boy.... and tomato/garlic/basil bruschetta for me! let him envy the crunch! (poor guy - Cruella Deville here...)

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

You are so sweet that you make the mush for him and then make something different for yourself :o) Def NOT Cruella!

[mariacarmen]

aw thanks. actually, way too full from a big mexican lunch i had, so i think i'll just be making the mush for him. mashed up the roasted squash with some chicken broth, cream, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, s&p, and butter. carrot pepper soup (not a good pairing, colors are too similar!) and some fluffy scrambled eggs with chive cream cheese & mashed avocado. why'd i overdo it on the guac & chips!

[Phurstluv]

Aww, poor guy can't chew, what a bummer!! You are so very sweet to him, I don't think I could deal with that, but no, of course I would, what we do for love!!! And to come up w a mushy meal that is so chowish, still!! The eggs w the cream cheese sound really yummy and comforting! You're a good girl, MC!! And he's a lucky man!!

PS - love the description of the Bolivian pesto, don't they put sausage in everything?! LOL!

[inaplasticcup]

Because it was guac and chips, hello...

Dude's lucky to get such thoughtful and delicious mush. :)

[abijah]

Thoughtful mush!
I love it.

[mariacarmen]

thoughtful mush - i love that description!

[L.Nightshade]

Your mush sounds pretty darn appetizing. I had my jaw wired shut briefly many years ago. The surgeon gave me a cookbook with the most horrid recipes. I think the pizza reicpe was something like tomato paste, cheddar cheese soup and "Italian seasoning" mixed in a blender. And similar atrocities. Your dishes actually sound good!

[mariacarmen]

oh god, he actually wanted me to throw in the blender some stew thing i'd made a week or so before but i totally balked - there's a difference between making mush out of whole foods as opposed to making baby food. grey mush - blechhhh! you're all too kind, you'd all do the same, and also welcome it as a challenge to make even mush palatable, and with a modicum of inventiveness.

[twodales]

Determined to use some of the goodies up in our freezer so the first item I pulled out was a 2 lb lamb roast, now disguised and simmering as a curry. Will add some greens later...whatever is in the fridge. Add some rice and some paratha and we are set. Fresh fruit for pudding.

Thought about making 4 or 7 hour lamb but the curry sounded better for this time of year.

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

Lamb curry sounds wonderful! Any type of curry is good:-)

[L.Nightshade]

I'm taking a mental inventory of the last of the fridge contents. Fresh herbs, a little bit of pork, a few stray veggies (carrots, daikon, peppers, shallots), and a mango. Hmmm, sounds like a night for summer rolls. With rice paper, tapioca paper, and bean threads in the cupboard, I think I'm set to go!

[inaplasticcup]

That sounds sooo perfect for this weather.

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

Sounds like a great meal. You would be great on one of those cooking contests...we give you these ingredients and you have 30 mins to cook...GO!!

[L.Nightshade]

Yes, I would love to be given a basket of ingredients and figure out a menu, but I could never work within time constraints. I like to look at my recipes, search EYB, browse cookbooks, read chowhound reports, etc, etc. 30 minutes? No way!

I'm not even going to classify these rolls as anything but pan-asian. I sauteed shallots in peanut oil, added minced pork and five spice powder. That went into tapioca papers with shrimp, mint, basil, cilantro, bean threads, mango, carrots, cucumbers, daikon, and peanuts. Two dipping sauces: one a paste of hoisin and sriracha, another a mixture of lime juice, fish sauce, and brown sugar, with chiles and scallions tossed in.

This was a huge hit! Mr. Nightshade ate three and elicited a promise to repeat the menu. I loved all the taste combinations. And the fridge is getting barer and barer, but not quite quickly enough!

One photo shows the some of the mise en place, the others the finished products.

[inaplasticcup]

These look fabulous, Nightshade. I love, love, LOVE summer rolls. Could eat them every other day.

[LindaWhit]

The photo of the mise is absolutely perfect, L.N!

[rabaja]

Nice looking mango, LN. Those rolls look delicious!

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

Ln, what beautiful pictures and a delicious looking meal! I'm with you, some meals do take research time;-)

[Breadcrumbs]

Rain rain go away, we really want to grill today!!

Well, needless to say its still pouring so plan A went out the window (into the rain!). Plan B was to make a Lamb & Rhubarb Stew to use up the last of the rhubarb I purchased at the farmer's market on Sunday. Unfortunately, I left that too long and it isn't fit to use. So, WFD? I'll hit the fridge and see if I can rustle up enough ingredients to do an antipasti/small plates dinner. The lamb will be frozen for another day.

[JungMann]

How does lamb and rhubarb stew work? That sounds very interesting!

[Breadcrumbs]

I thought it sounded interesting as well JM. The dish is from this month's COTM, Seductions of Rice. Evidently rhubarb is used in Persian and Azeri cooking. In this preparation lamb is simmered gently with onions, cinnamon, nutmeg, parsley, mint and water. Once the meat is tender, rhubarb is added and the stew returns to simmer until the rhubarb is tender.

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

I made pesto the other night, it was only my 2nd attempt at making it. The recipe that I found was unusual because you added yogurt & ricotta cheese to it and then served it with pototoes & green beans. The rest was the usual suspects of pesto...basil, pine nuts etc...

[L.Nightshade]

Interesting, yogurt and ricotta...did you like it?
Checked out your blog Bombay, and bookmarked, wow, what a pro!

[Phurstluv]

Never heard of pesto w yogurt or ricotta in it, bet it made it more mellow. Served w potatoes and green beans sounds like a Ligurian recipe to me. But I'm not Italian!

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

Phurst, you got it right on! They do call it Ligurian Lasagne! I saw the original recipe on Tyler's Ultimate show, but I changed it to spaghetti.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/tylers-ult...

[shecrab]

Thanks! I was going to type I had to walk around looking like Buckwheat from The Little Rascals but wasn't sure if that's ok or offensive.The squash tart is super easy. I bake 1 frozen puff pastry sheet, sprinkle on some feta,mozzarella,and chopped onion, mix together about 1/4 cup of whatever mixed fresh herbs are around with some garlic, sprinkle that over the cheeses then top with squash slices, drizzle with olive oil, then pop it in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. BAM! It's also great with tomatoes instead of squash.

[Phurstluv]

Thanks, shecrab, for getting back to me. So you par bake the crust first then put raw ingredients on it, correct?

And I don't find that visual offensive at all, but then again, I have never been accused of being PC.

[shecrab]

Yes, I bake it first. I also forgot a detail.I cut about a 1 inch strip from the edges and use these to build a border or edge around the sides because once that pastry goes in the oven it does not stay flat! The corn and jalapeno fritters I make with leftover grits, but you can use leftover Italian grits (polenta), about 2 cups. I add 1tsp baking powder, salt, 2 eggs, about half minced red bell pepper, a couple of finely chopped green onions 1 or 2 tsp minced jalapeno ( I seed them ) some fresh basil, about a cup of fresh corn kernels (2 ears) and 1/4 cup flour. 1 Tbsp of olive oil in the skillet, about 1 Tbsp of batter for each fritter, cook just like pancakes.

[DPGood]

I've heard that if you poke a lot of holes in the middle of the p pastry with a fork before you bake it, the middle won't puff up so much...

[shecrab]

That does keep pie pastry from shrinking when you're baking it blind, but if I'm paying for puff pastry, I'm not going to de-puff it by forking it up. LOL. I just try to keep the goodies contained.

[GretchenS]

Tuesday night's dinner was centered on bounty from the farmers market: a beautiful salmon steak, which I did on the grill, the first "English" peas I have seen this year (yum, is there anything better?) and some wonderful feisty peppery arugula (so different from the supermarket stuff) which I dressed with two Campari tomatoes which were well-charred on the grill, finely chopped and mixed with some lovely aromatic California olive oil and some capers. Tasty improvised dressing but could have used a few more capers. Last night I did a carbonara to use up some prosciutto that needed using up, with yummy fresh peas from the farmstand. Extremely tasty! Thinking fish again tonight.....

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

I love fresh peas and charred tomatoes!

[GretchenS]

Me too! :) I was reading your blog but had to stop because it made me too hungry. I was particularly interested in the entry about Asian pickles (all of which I want to eat right this minute!!!). Where would I buy one of those containers that squishes the salted veggies down? Any Asian market or would a Japanese market be a better bet?

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

Hi Gretchen, thanks for reading my blog :o)

I'm not sure if you can buy the pickle press at all Asian markets, but definitely at a Japanese one. You can even buy it through Amazon, they have different sizes too.

http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Pickle...

[inaplasticcup]

My grandmother always just used a really clean stone or two, that would fit in the mouth of the jar of course, to press her kimchi.

[shanagain]

Gosh, Linda, are you in the Southern Hemisphere, lucky girl? We're going to have yet another 104+ degree day here and I'm thinking of maybe defrosting some shark we've got in the freezer with some garlic, evoo, butter, white wine and lemon juice - maybe sauteed, maybe broiled. (Sad Shanagain, it's the last of the fish from a recent offshore fishing trip, and I'd just about kill for more red snapper.)

[LindaWhit]

No, I'm most definitely NOT in an Aussie or Kiwi winter, shanagain. :-) But looking outside my office window at the fog and dreary misty rain, I *could* be in England. New England, that is. :-)

I've got a friend in northern TX and she's been decrying the heat as well. I hope it somehow RAINS there for you!

Enjoy your shark ... haven't had that in several years. Can't go wrong with butter, garlic, white wine and lemon juice. :-)

[Barbara76137]

I'm in N. TX and although we got rain the past week we still are in drought conditions. You know it is bad when I finished my 3 mile run right before noon today and I thought to myself, 'well, that wasn't too bad'!!! I think I must be nuts!

[Barbara76137]

Oh, how I'd LOVE some shark. Used to buy it at Henry's (Sprouts) in S. CA for $5.99/lb. and would cook it so many ways! Very inexpensive and tasty!

[shanagain]

I love it too - so firm and juicy and now I am so, so sad that it's all gone! (I really need to win the lottery - or play it, for that matter - so that I can devote all of my time to stocking a dedicated fish freezer.)

ETA: Good lord, I didn't even go outside more than three times today, much less DO anything! (I'm about 3 hours west of DFW.)

[LindaWhit]

Why - THANK YOU for calling me good lookin'! ;-)

As for me, it's gray, rainy, dreary, and just plain "blah" out in my neck of the woods. I want something "warming" that won't take long.

I've got some frozen meatballs in the freezer at home, as well as some French bread. I think a Meatball Sub will be WFD tonight...I'll caramelize some onions for topping along with a roasted red pepper sauce, and heat it under the broiler with some grated mozzarella cheese on top.

[inaplasticcup]

LOL. Good mornin', good lookin'!

That sounds hearty and delicious. It's going to be hot as Hades in my neck of the woods, and I've no idea as to dinner yet.

[BombayUpWithaTwist]

Sounds like the carmelized onions are going to bring your meatball sub over the top!